红楼梦 in Christmas season...

Merry Christmas everyone.

So where did I spent my weekend?

In Esplanade, again.

This time, I'm involved in the "Dream of the Red Chamber" Grand Concert, which is on Saturday. This is the first time I get to perform the whole Dream of the Red Chamber Suite, with chior and vocalist.

But it was tiring~~~

I think is because I do get much sleep, and some pieces are a bit long winded.

During our break, my ex-campmates and I went to Marina Square to watch 'Curse of the Yellow Flower'. Not a bad show, not also not a good one. The conclusion we came up is: Jay Chow can't act. Hahaha... I took a photo of the decor they had at the Centre Stage:


Very nice. Look like a bunch of gigantic grapes hanging from the ceiling. We came across this lamp when we make our way back to Esplanade:


Interesting eh? IT COST 155 BUCKS SIA!!! I can like buy 30 plus Happy Meals with the money lor!

Actually, I felt quite stress during during the actual perfomance. 'Cause it's been a while for me to perform with so many '高手' and a professional conductor that keep staring at my section whenever he's giving us queues. Of course, it's also very shiok too as it is also been a while for me to hear solid sound of cellos playing (too much gehu for me liao...). Hahaha.... This is the best Red Chamber Suite I've perform so far.

However just before the last piece, the emcee asked the composer of the suite to the stage and begun to interview him. I think they talked at least for 15 minutes before we could carry on with the programme. I almost fell asleep on the stage man...

After the perfomance, I bid farewell to my mates and went back home to get my much needed sleep. I was so sleepy that I missed my stop again when I took the bus home... Arugh!!!

As for today, it been the routine: Went to EVCO for practice, lunch with my pals, watched 'Night in the Museum' and went home...

Lonely, lonely Christmas... Lonely, lonely Christmas...

EV Rocket Video

Here's another the EVCO Camp video clip I done up.

Enjoy...!

X'mas BBQ

Yesterday had beed a great day for me, other than forgetting there's practice in the morning.

Hahaha...

So after the practice, I've to fly home to get all the BBQ stuff (charcoal, ice box, tumbler... Bailey's~~~!) and fly to White Sand to meet up with Baox to buy the F&Bs. The Fi and the rest of NR0629-eans came a bit late though, so the two of us had to carry the stuff around with us.

After we get all the things we want, Raf and his bro-in-law helped us transport all of it to the BBQ site. As the car was not big enough to fit the 7 of us, we took the bus instead. When I reach there, Raf and Sharke were attempting to start the BBQ fire. Yes, attempting. Can't blame them, the charcoal we used are different from what we normally use.


You can buy it online through this website. This type may take longer time to lit up, but it also last a bit longer. It doesn't produce much smoke compare to the normal charcoal.

Strong, lasting flame

We exchange gift and cut the birthday cake for the December Babies at around 9 plus. I got a chain which resembles a mini DS Lite and a T-shirt S&K from Fi. Thanks Fi!!! I like it very much.

Memories of the Good Times

By 11 plus most of the Peeps went home, leaving only Raf and GF, Ash, Ron, Da, and me staying over night and do the cleaning up. By around midnight, the wind and the rain began to pick up. So we moved everything to a pavillion nearby. Now I know how those homeless Peeps felt lor!!! There's nothing to shelter us from the blating cold wind sia... I had to drink finish my Bailey's jus to keep warm. By the time we're returning home, I'm a bit drunk liao.

Yo Peeps! It's been fun. Let's do it agian some time soon eh?

Hahaha...

一个人。。。

一个人上学，
一个人回家。
一个人看书，
一个人吃饭。
一个人听歌，
一个人怀念。

一个人生活的日子，

习惯了，但不从不喜欢。

孤单

不悲伤，但也不快乐。

一个人。。。

Photos!

Upon request from Nurul and DK, I've decided the pictures I took during the Beautiful Sunday performance t Esplanade.

EVCO Camp 2006

Yo Peeps.

First of all, I'll like to thank my fellow NR0629-eans for their concerns over my health for the past few days. Thanks peeps! I'm so touched~~~

*taking Eye-Mo to fake tears*

My weekend was spent in the Punggol Point Camp, where it's located at the outskirt of Punggol, for EVCO's Annual Music Camp. Here's some scenery I took from the place:


Quite eriee hor... I heard there's a cemetry around there somewhere... So what do we do most of the time?


Yup, for most of the time on Saturday, we watched anime. DK, Pong, Xiong and me watched through Trinity Blood, from the 1st episode to the last, ALL 24 OF THEM!!! Quite no life eh? Hahaha...

Bo Bian... There's only a few of us in the camp during Saturday. Many say they not coming at the last minute... Waste our time and the food... But some were because they are invovled in a performance. For some reasons, I always fall sick whenever go to punggol for camp. This time, it's the worst so far. So throughout the camp, I didn't help out much except to lay around and walk aimlessly around the camp site.

By night fall, the rest of the Gang, including many new faces from MF and MJ, came down to the joint. By then, Ma and her trusted assistant chefs had cooked up fried rice (made from leftover rice packets from the day) to handle all the 恐龙s' and Mini Devils' hunger.

On Sunday, we slack for the morning. Afternoon we had our practice, then the games begin. Check out the video clip I've made from the photos taken during the gaming time:

Why I'm not in the pictures? 'cause I escaped from getting drenched by being the photographer! At night was the BBQ, where the good food and drinks are served! But I didn't get to eat much 'cause by then I'm getting quite sick. I did manage to down half a bottle of Hoegarden though. Hahaha... While BBQing, we manage to get hold of some fireworks to make 'rocket launchers'. But not one of it did manage to lift off. All we mange to do was producing nice sound effect. Hai...

On Monday after transporting all the P.O.S. back to the CC, we, the Sai Gang Warriors took some more photos before we leave the place.


Come to think of it, this is the first EVCO camp that I don't feel burnout after camp break. Apart from being sick, this camp is quite slack. Hahaha...

Today is Sweating Day

Today, in the morning, I went back to EVCO to help Xiong & Co. moving all the camp stuff up the lorry. Initially, we expect around 10 peeps to come. But in the end, only 6 peeps, including me, were left to arrange and transport all the things to the camp site. Well. actually I didn't carry much thing 'cause I was at the lorry arranging all the equipment.

Hey, don't think that I'm slacking and it's easy to stack all the junks onto the lorry hor. You must have an good sense of spatial awareness to do this so that all the equipement won't going flying all over the place when the lorry moves. I literally sweat like running tap lah! Ok, maybe it's a little drama, but it's almost there. I was quite please with how I arrange all the stuff in the lorry. G.G. peeps! Hahaha...


After packing all the P.O.S. onto the lorry, I went back to school to print some stuffs and also to check out how my fellow NR0629-eans are faring for thier practical test. And yes, All of them pass it! Congrats to Bel, Ash, Ling and Raf!

After parting with them, I went to print my document and went back home to prepare to go for a wedding dinner at 'Yong Chun Yuan' （永春园）, situated around People's Park, Chinatown. When we reached there, I'm sweating again. 'Cause the freaking air-con is like no power and I'm drinkng wine.

Getting ready for the Three Cheers. Yam~~~ Seng~~~!　

My Mom keeps complianing that the she need to to eat in order to move the chairs, 'cause it's very heavy. In the end I need to push the chiar in and out for her. (MORE SWEAT~~~) The food is not bad... but it's not good either, but still can eat lah. Hahaha... After everything, we bid farewell the the Newly-Wed and took a cab home.

Ok, I need my sleep now, I feel dizzy man... Too... much... re... red.... w... win.... ZZZZZzzzzzz......

Mood for the day

Taken when I'm in the library...

Caged...

A day with the newly Grads

After the practice at CSCO (which I 'pong' half-way), I rushed down to VTH to attend Ah Mui's and Stuckup's graduation ceremony. We took some photos at the VTH.



Of course, with Stuckup and me around as the photographer, there won't be without some 'arty' pictures.

Eh! You throw your square hat too high la!

Meow actually forgot about thier graduation ceremony. Why, 'cause she overslept.

Some freind she is...

After some fooling around at VTH, we proceed to the Supreme Court for more photo taking.





And more 'arty' photos taken by me.

Stuckup's childhood dream is to be a lawyer... Nah...

Hmm... Ah Mui is right, Botak take photo not nice. Hahaha...

I'm so proud of you two. Meow, you're next wor...!

TBIF *Updated entry for today*

Yes, it's TBIF instead of TGIF. 'cause I'm a buddhist what... So Thank Buddha It's Friday lor...

Today my class ends around 11am. By right, I can go home after that, but I decided to stay back to accompany Da, JB and SC for thier clinical practical test, which is around 2pm. Anyway, I got practice in the evening.

We spent our time in the practice lab, going through the procedures and drugs that may/or/definitely be coming out for the test. But toward the end, SC, JB and I are playing with our DSs (SC just bought her pink DS. Yes! Another fellow Gamer in the making!).

We've been chased out of the lab around 1.40pm by the technican. So we have to sit outside, along the corridor of the labs. While waiting, I'm sitting outside the lab blogging the first half of this entry while Da is beside me, peeping at me blogging while pretending to do last minute studying and SC walking up and down the corridor due to nervousness. JB was already sent to his doom, so he's not around disturbing me by the time I'm typing these entry.

Thank goodness I have my laptop keep me from dosing off.

Hail to campus-wide wireless!

After Da went in to take her test, I went to CO Room to charge my laptop as it's running low on battery. And I just stayed there until my practice starts.

Hai...

I haven't been going home early since starting of this semster. When can I have a REAL BREAK!?!?!

Anyway, Congrats JB, SC and Da for passing your test! Now the rest of the class will have a higher moral and confidence.

And to Fi: Get well soon! Don't worry too much, you will be still as sweet as ever.

*We must forgive, but we shall never forget*

Beautiful Sunday

Come come! Listen to us! Support NYPCO!

Yup, We're having a concert at Esplanade! It's on the 10th of December, 3pm, in the Esplanade Concert Hall and IT'S FREE!!! The hall will be open by 2.15pm. So bring along your family members and friends to listen!

Click on the pictures for more information.




Ok, that's all for my act as a promoter.

Hahaha...

Spastic Thai Ads

More funny Thai Advertisment you peeps. Enjoy!

Ad on ceiling tiles



This one is on some black coffee...



A DVD player ad



Thai Mobile



Thai ringtone download



Water and electric bill

RX goes Botak

Finally, I cut, shaved to be precise, my hair.

After getting some encouragement from Ah Mui, Stuckup and Meow, I decided to go Botak. It's been some time since I go Botak, and its a welcoming change for me (my head feels COOL~~~) . No more hassle in combing hair (or what was left of it) and Gutsby all over my scalp.

Shiny~~~

No, I'm not under huge stress... Well, maybe a little. But I'm fine. I'm fed up with my recceding hair line la. Like the other baldies say: If you can't fix it, shave it.

Too bad can't go skin head thought, or else I'll look like the Laughing Buhhda.

Hahaha...

眼镜，眼镜，找朋友。。。

Hello peeps...

My group is having Socio ICA (for those who don't know what it is: Trust me, you don't wanna know) presentaion. We come up with a role-play to present our two article: Nurses going to see a psychiatrist, and me play the Doc's role named Dr. Bowlan Chow (think Hokkien...).


My character's job is just sit there, smile, and listen. Really do nothing right?

Hahaha...

After the role play, we're bombarded with questions by Bel. Luckily Aza saves the day for us. Now you all may think she's been nasty, but Bel's actually buying time for us as we're running a little too fast. Thanks Bel! While we're lingering putside the tutorial rooms, my classmate took interest in my big glasses. Some worn it and took pictures.

Maybe these kinda glasses may made a comeback eh?

As we're walking to attend lecture, I realise Aza and I are like 黑白配. Him being darker wearing all white and I being fairer wearing all black. It's like the Devil wearing Angel's siut while the Angel wearing the Devil's suit... Only that both of us are neither.

While we're at the lab, we decided to do more of our own role play:

*Playing Star Wars theme at the back ground*

Long, long time ago, in a ward far, far far away. Two health care personnel are handling a great crisis they had yet encounter...

Aza: Doc! Miss Dummy is complaining of chest pain... Again!
RX: Hai... Ok, ok. I'll see what I can do...


*Checking the dummy...*

RX: Uhm... Ah Hah! You will be fine Miss. I'll give you some medication to relive your pain ok?


*Whispering to Nurse...*

RX: Eh Brudder... Next time just give her M&Ms when she complains of chest pain lah! I very Busy one ok!

Aza: Oh so sorry Doc....


Will they ever find a cure for the chest pain? Will the nurse give M&Ms to Miss Dummy? We will never know as there won't be anymore episodes coming up...

EVER!

*Star Wars theme fading away*

Of course real doctors and nurses won't be so unprofessional lah... School work very stress leh... Need to relak right? So who says nurses are boring, nerdy bunch of peeps?

好无聊。。。

I'm so sian~~~

Here I am, sitting outside the practice studio doing nothing, while Vic beside me poking at my NDS away. Grow up man!

While I'm chatting with one of my ex-camp mate, CPL 高老, I remember I took a photo of a bridge near the Clark Quay:


I think he should go walk across it to when he ORD.

ORD LOR!

Hahaha...

Black Sunday

Why Black Sunday you ask?

'Cause the fluorescent light in my room burnt out, my computer is acting wierd and my internet connection is super slow. So I need to go to McDees to use their network in order to liase with Fi. So now I'm working in a place where there's lot of children crying in and running around!!!

But all these are not the main reason that make tonight a (other than it's night time now) Black Sunday for me.

Fi and I have to reorganise our assignment's powerpoint because for Someone is not doing a proper job.

It's in a mess. All the slides are jumbled up!

The article that I'm doing really giving me a headache. I can't think of much reason why it is relavent to the topic we're doing.

I really hope we could get through this presentation.

'Wait, it IS 'Parish Nursing' all over again...'

Paracetomol, Paracetomol, Antacid

All right, all right...

For those who feels my blog is collecting dust,

I am sorry.

I am sorry that I can't clean off the dust that appears to be the fragment of your hallucination with my mouse.

Hahahaha.....

Peace.

I need some inspiration to blog what... 灵感！灵感！ 灵感来了！

For the pass few days, I have to do a summary of an article for my next ICA. The thing is, I don't understand half of the article! There's lots of different statistic findings and tables all over the place. It was until I read finish the whole thing that I realise only the last few pages are useful! Man, this is the hardest article (the second one, actually) I came across so far.

We have four secondary school student came to join us in our class for this week. Why are they here? Well, it's a program that thier school and mine came up with: to let the students expereince the misera-, I mean, the life of polytechnic students. It didn't affect us much though. We still behave the way we always do: a group of crazy poeple. Surprisingly, they thought were hard working, boring (we ARE hardworking, Study hard, play HARDER!!!) bunch of peeps until they see what we do at the back of the LT... I'm not gonna elaborate on that.

Yesterday, we're taught on how the dispense and serving medications. It brings back memories of the day's I was in the medical centre dispense room where I spend my time giving out many, cough mixtures, flu tablet, cream for foot rot, panadol, blah blah blah... Anyway, the lesson is very important because medication error is very common on the ward. But I can't concentrate because that Stupid JB kept disturbing and rest of the class and me. So I rolled up my workbook and whacked him on his head with it.

*WWHHAAACCCKKKK!!!!!*

Stop it JB! Or else the next time I'll get the whole class' crepe bandages and mummified you with them. Keep in mind that we all use them to practice bandaging skill... Imagine the smell....

Hahaha....

That evening, I went to attend the SO's concert, Sinfonia.



I feel the name of the concert and the programme booklet is nice. I actually dozed off while waitng for the concert to start. When I woke up, I found Jay Chou is sitting beside me!




Oh, it's just Vic. Shucks...

The whole Auditorim is fully seated sia... many of the people either have to stand or seat on the stairs and floor. I wonder if our upcoming concert will be like this...

As for my personal opinion, the concert is nice on the whole, but (there's always 'but') the String section are too soft because there too little String players and too many Brass and Woodwind players. furthermore, the String section were not playing for almost half of the concert. In the end, it's more like attending a concert band's performance, rather than a Symphony Orchestra.

Ok, that's all for now. Need to go do my drug card liao...

Ciao.

'It feels like 'Parish Nursing' all over again..'

Grandma

"Xiang ar... Jiak peng lou..."

Upon hearing Grandma's voice, my cousins and I would put down whatever (most of the time) we're playing and went down from the third level of their semi-bungalow to the dining room.

The dishes were the usual: Rice, claypot stew pork and skin and tau pok in soy sauce, long bean fried with minced dried shrimp chili, canned cocktail hotdogs and stir fry veggie.

She would be sitting at the dining table waiting for us to start our lunch, with her favorite Camel brand cigarette, sometimes the 'Ang Hun' in her hand and cup half filled with OX liquor in the dining table. At the end of the dining area, the Buddhist chant will be play from the CD play which was on the altar.

She would tell us about her past. How she became the head chef of a certain restaurant back in the old days, how she have to be very careful with the money in order to raise my mom and my auntie after my grandpa passed away.

At times, when I went to visit her, she will be in her room watching teochew opera on the TV, while smoking her 'Ang Hun'. I will twiched my nose as I hate the smell of the smoke. She will always ask me how's school, whether I've got enough money to spend and when will I start having a girlfriend and bring her here. I'll always nod to her every question.

Grandma passed away 4 years ago at afternoon, in a ward at TTSH. She passed away peacefully, while my mom, my uncle and auntie and I by her bedside. She told us she do not like people crying in fort of her. So we hold back our tear until the moment she took her last breath.

Questions that I'm tried of listening are lost words that I yearn to hear again. Smells and tastes that I once thought are foul and bland are now sensations I seek to experience once more.

If I could have one day, just one more day with her, I'll spend just like the days we spent in the house.

The simple joys of Life...

PMS (Pre Monday Syndrome)

Shucks...

Yes. I'm having PMS 'cause Sunday is almost over!

Tomorrow is Monday and the start of the 7 Ws:

1. Which means going back to school.
2. Which means need to go lecture.
3. Which means got practice.
4. Which means going back home late.
5. Which means not enough sleep.
6. Which means feeling tired the next day.
7. Which means the cycle starts all over again!!!

I found this commercial clip in Mr Brown's Blog:



It somehow express my thoughts and feelings too. But at least I'll have my classmates (some minus the 3rd W) suffering the same fate as me. Hahaha...

Never fear my fellow student maids- I means nurses, we will survive!!!

老友四重奏

Today I meet up with Ah Mui for lunch buffet at the Market Plaza Cafe. As usual, our good friend, Stuckup and Meow were late. So the two of us go ahead and have our have our lunch first. Stuckup came just in time while Ah Mui and I were looking at the display of food. The resturant is having a peranakan themed international buffet. For our 1st round, we had these:

There are prawn noodles, fried chicken wings, fish porriage, siew mai, zui kueh, paper chicken and some sandwich. The food we have in not really peranakan. Ah Mui thinks the theme is just to attract the foriegners.












While the two of us were busy taking photos of the food, Stuckup came back with his plate looking like this:






Wah Liao... Take a smaller plate lah! Meow came after we finished our 1st round. Ah Mui had to bring her to the resturant as she got lost. After her grand arrival, we started on our 2nd round. While we're eating, we talked about how some coffeeshops had a the sign saying 'No Outside Food'. If we eat food bought form other places in the permise of the coffeeshop, the food should consider 'inside food' right? Hahaha...
The Food they served in the resturant are mostly local crusine. I think they should called it as locally international buffet, but that will be very contradicting.

For the dessert, we had yam paste, durian pudding, bread pudding, chocolate moose and some other stuff.

Overall, the food is so-so. The ambience of the place is nice, but I don't feel it's worth the money.

After lunch, we head to Vivo City to do some shopping(actually the shopping are done by Meow and Ah Mui la. Stuckup and I just accompany them). The place is full of people sia! I know it's public holiday, but the place is practically infested by humans!!! Many parents brought thier children to the Sky park where there has this huge and shallow pool.


The area becomes a mini siloso beach! We came across these interesting signs.

At the Vivo Mart, Ah Mui said it's a place for her ans there're lots of slimming food for her to buy. I think it's fine for her if she don't mind travel fron the east of Singapore to there everytime. Hahaha...

Vivo City is really big. After all the walking, we went to a cafe to rest our legs. We went home around 8 pm. Selamat Hari Raya!

SRO Day Plus Six

One week of schooling has past. It's been quite hectic for me as I've yet adjust back to school. Well, I've survived one semester, what's one week right?

Cone to think of it, I've took a long round-a-bout from schooling. From a poly drop-out, to a waiter, to a soldier, to a slacker, half-f**K musician, and back to a student. I won't say I've seen everything, but I've seen some interesting things. From being a loner in school, to a waiter that can take all the abuse from customer and still give them a smile. From 'garang' recruit to a slack and 'know-it-all' LCP(only I didn't really know everything. I just act like one). From a Medic trainee to a Musician in MDC to a Student Nurse.

Yup, life has been quite unpredictable and interesting for me.

This semester will be very busy for me. By just looking at my timetable, I'll have dizziness and headache. Everything are jam pack together. Even my CCA are having performance around my test and exam period! Breath Ray, breath...

May Buddha give me strength to take on the challenges ahead...

Here's two of the goofy video I took during my NS life. Well, all I can say is I have too much time in hand and... I'm bored. Hahaha...

Behold, China's pride... or is it? Part 2

Good Midnight Everyone!

One of my CO friend from the school critisied me of being too 'self high' aobut the Ge Hus the school just bought.


Guess what?


I'm gonna 'self high' even more! Hahaha....


Ok now, back to more of the Geek's stuff. Today, I'm gonna talk more about the Ge Hu (革胡).

Development of the Ge Hu starts around the 1950s, where there's a need for bass instruments in the Chinese Classical scene. As I mentioned in my previous entry, the Ge Hu is made out of necessity and China's ego.

Like the other Hu Qins (胡琴), the Ge Hu has a sound barrel with a snake skin stretched over one end.

Front of the sound barrel

Back of the sound barrel

However, instead of having the bridge directly in contact with the snake skin like other Hu Qins (胡琴), it links with several connector that are attached to the skin as shown below:

The bridge

Inner side of the snake skin

Gehu is a fusion of the Erhu and Cello. The tone is clear and rich, like the viola da gamba. However, The Gehu has many weakness. It has a tendency to go out of tune easily if too much pressure is apply to the strings. The volume of two Gehus are only equivalent to one Cello. The instrument's volume and tone quality depends on the snake skin. As snake skin are easily damage by humidity, great care must be taken to prevent the deterioration of the skin.

Gehu has become a rare instrument as most of the Chinese Orchestra around the world has replace it with cello and double bass. Therefore, I am very fortunate to be able to play this unique instrument in NYP Chinese Orchestra.