I'm suddenly reminded of Henry's quote on his sub nick once.
"Caucasians are not superior to the Asians, but Asians lose out because of the refusal to change and move on with the times."
Or at least he said sth to that effect. I must be the Asian among Asians.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sch starts...
Finally after a 2 year plus lull for the rust to form on my brain, sch starts. Should i be feeling so unexcited? A part of me actually yearned for the brainless routine of army.
I can finally feel what I've been hearing about friends in uni complaining, looking at the assignments and lectures in my web mail.
You're looking at the future Dean's Lister!
I can finally feel what I've been hearing about friends in uni complaining, looking at the assignments and lectures in my web mail.
You're looking at the future Dean's Lister!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Mus'art Wind Orchestra
85.58 for WMC! The stress and very long practices were worth it.
What was most special to me was watching the European bands and how they were levels above us in terms of playing. (eg, Banda de Lalin, freaking power Spanish 110 strong band, and they were not even the top band!). The brass complimented the woodwinds perfectly and their tone was deep and round. Even their fff was well balanced and could make the ground below us vibrate. A commendable feat given that the hall was 1000+ strong and looked more like a Expo convention centre. All in all, a once in lifetime experience i wish more people could see and be inspired.
Being in the continent where the instruments are made (A "ADAMS" warehouse was a 30 min car ride away from Rodahal in Kerkrade) and the songs composed sure does make the whole experience a lot more surreal and inspiring. Not to mention the fantastic weather! Too bad Kerkrade was lacking in the festivities, maybe because the day we played was the final day of the contest.
The quaint houses in the countryside was a welcome relief from the hectic city life we see here and in Amsterdam. Making it more memorable were the family who owned the small 10 room hotel cum restaurant. They made sure we were taken care of and made fantastic meals. The missus even told me they were supporting us instead of their own local band taking part in WMC! When we got the good results, they opened 3 bottles of champagne for us to celebrate and that night was one of the most homely and cosy ones. I miss the Hotel Beukenhorst the most of all this trip. A comfortable and memorable week was spent there with many sunset pictures and barn animal encounters. The little boy there even teared as we left for Amsterdam. Hopefully 4 years on we'll see a handsome 16 year old boy welcoming us to the hotel!
Amsterdam was very messy but hidden in corners were gems in Architecture and Arts that were to die for for hardcore Art critics. The city is also made up of many canals, something the naive me had no clue about and it was somewhat like Venice(or at least what i see of Venice in photos). The ironic thing about the city was that although cycling tracks were constructed to encourage bicycle use and discourage vehicles, this was offset by the thick smell of smoke and weed in the air. After all, weed is readily available and legalised and can be found in "coffee shops".
Photos available on my Facebook! Just waiting for people to tag me. I'm jet lagging badly, or maybe I'm intentionally letting myself jet lag and not face the hectic life ahead. Many bonds made this trip, skipping orientation is totally more worth it. Thanks for advising Mona!
Cheers, To WMC, Hotel Beukenhorst and Mus'art Wind Orchestra.
What was most special to me was watching the European bands and how they were levels above us in terms of playing. (eg, Banda de Lalin, freaking power Spanish 110 strong band, and they were not even the top band!). The brass complimented the woodwinds perfectly and their tone was deep and round. Even their fff was well balanced and could make the ground below us vibrate. A commendable feat given that the hall was 1000+ strong and looked more like a Expo convention centre. All in all, a once in lifetime experience i wish more people could see and be inspired.
Being in the continent where the instruments are made (A "ADAMS" warehouse was a 30 min car ride away from Rodahal in Kerkrade) and the songs composed sure does make the whole experience a lot more surreal and inspiring. Not to mention the fantastic weather! Too bad Kerkrade was lacking in the festivities, maybe because the day we played was the final day of the contest.
The quaint houses in the countryside was a welcome relief from the hectic city life we see here and in Amsterdam. Making it more memorable were the family who owned the small 10 room hotel cum restaurant. They made sure we were taken care of and made fantastic meals. The missus even told me they were supporting us instead of their own local band taking part in WMC! When we got the good results, they opened 3 bottles of champagne for us to celebrate and that night was one of the most homely and cosy ones. I miss the Hotel Beukenhorst the most of all this trip. A comfortable and memorable week was spent there with many sunset pictures and barn animal encounters. The little boy there even teared as we left for Amsterdam. Hopefully 4 years on we'll see a handsome 16 year old boy welcoming us to the hotel!
Amsterdam was very messy but hidden in corners were gems in Architecture and Arts that were to die for for hardcore Art critics. The city is also made up of many canals, something the naive me had no clue about and it was somewhat like Venice(or at least what i see of Venice in photos). The ironic thing about the city was that although cycling tracks were constructed to encourage bicycle use and discourage vehicles, this was offset by the thick smell of smoke and weed in the air. After all, weed is readily available and legalised and can be found in "coffee shops".
Photos available on my Facebook! Just waiting for people to tag me. I'm jet lagging badly, or maybe I'm intentionally letting myself jet lag and not face the hectic life ahead. Many bonds made this trip, skipping orientation is totally more worth it. Thanks for advising Mona!
Cheers, To WMC, Hotel Beukenhorst and Mus'art Wind Orchestra.
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