Guitar Ensemble of Meridian

Gold!

2007-04-19T19:32:00.000+08:00

Just to update the developments of guitar, for SYF 2007 which had just concluded about a few hours ago, Guitar Ensemble of Meridian achieved our 2nd Gold award!

The seniors congratulate you guys and appreciate what you've put in to achieve it!

Cheers!

First Concert

2006-04-03T18:27:00.000+08:00

On the 26th of May, MJC very own SECOND batch of guitarist will stage their concert. It's 7.30 PM in LT4.

Help required to lias with Huan Yu or Angela for this issue. Whoever too free can just try to organise la, unless Jun Kit or Cheryl have other opinions.

And Huan Yu is asking if YOU girls want to perform for them. There's still 2 months to train la, so it's up to you all.

Wishing them all the best, and have a great show!

Myriad Of Colours

2005-07-06T22:42:00.000+08:00

Instrumental Ensemble Performance.

Firstly, this was held at Singapore Conference Hall. Yes, the very place which we had our SYF judging. And this being the first time we went back to that very place after our SYF, we kept comparing the feelings we had on that very day and now. Thinking back on the places we set our foot on and taking pictures of them. (For example, the waiting area, the pathway out) Definitely relights all the happy moments!

Anyway, the "concert" was great! Well, some hightlights here and there definitely lightened up my mood. :)

Firstly was the Gamelan Ensemble from Siglap.

Following that was the Indian Orchestra from RGS.

Followed by Angklung and Kulintang Ensemble from Millennia Institute!
I really enjoyed their performance! Those smiles on their faces, the swaying to the music. Especially the percussionist who is always seen wearing a smile across his face! Aaahh! Cool xi he!

Handbell Ensemble from SCGS!
Aaaahhh! They had me smiling all the way! Their melody was very very nice! One of the songs they played was Song of the Flowers, which is the Ah Li San De Gu niang.. Mei Ru Shui Ya.. Ah Li San De Shao nian... yah ... nice deh! their coordination and the melodies. Of course the girls too la! They had different Swaying Patterns for the 2 dfferent songs you know! And most of them smiled all the way too! Therefore making their performance such a joy to watch! The way they played the handbell was cool too! To sustain the note, they had to bring their bells further away.. To make a sharp note, they drew it back immediately. The song could not be nice without any one of them! Nice Deh! 5 star performance! I want to video it! Aaahhh!

String Ensemble from NYGS
It was mainly violin I suppose.. But I was looking at the cello girl. Haha! She looks so blur! -_-" But the whole thing sounded very class and extravegant! A bit like our concerto.. perhaps in terms of difficulty.

Guitar Ensemble from TJC
Oh man! Why did they send only half of their guitarists? And the percussionist was disappointing too! Sigh... Rather disappointed. They could not match up to their honours standards. Their half filled ensemble played without an impact like their SYF. Pretty bad I suppose. But they got the honours.

Harmonica Band from Yu Hua Sec
Definitely the school with the most fan base! haha!

Gu Zheng Ensemble from PL
They have a strong ensemble! Haha. I still asked Jun Kit.. how come no guys one.. Then he gave me a very logical answer.. Because the school is PL! Haha! Oh yah! Lol! Quite nice wor! The Gu Zheng. The players played it with style too! Their body movements is coordinated and there were quite a number of parts which requires them to totally freeze what they were doing! Wah seh! Zai!

Overall, none of them seems to be nervous and stuff! All very composed and not nervous! Or were they hiding it? If they were hiding, they did a wonderful job! The smiles concealed all fear and gave us a splendid performance! Cool!

Oh yah! Not forgetting our comical Mr Ng! Quote"...Handbells performance was the best la... Girls... Cute..." Haha! JC1s! What have you done to Mr Ng! Aaahhh!! Kidding*

Concerts anyone?

2005-06-28T18:03:00.000+08:00

Concert #1:
What: SYF Instrumental Ensembles Presentation 2005
Where: Singapore Conference Hall
When: 6 July (Wed), 7:30pm
Tickets: $2 from SISTIC

Additional info: For the first time IE presentation is held in a concert hall setting.
Previously, IE presentation were always either held in open areas like Jurong Bird Park, Botanical Gardens or Chijmes. This is also the first time tickets are available to public through accessible means.

Concert #2:
What: â€œColours of Lifeâ€ by the ACJC Guitar Ensemble
Where: ACJC LT4
When: 22 July (Fri), 7:15pm
Tickets: $10 and $15. Place order with Ms Teh by 5th July (Tuesday)

As copied from cjc guitar's blog.. at http://cjcguitar.blogspot.com/ ... yup...

Pictures

2005-06-11T23:51:00.000+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/groups/9em/

Isn't this exciting? Now everyone can post their pictures on this account~ then we can have a look at them without having to send here and there. So much more convenient ya? So what are you waiting for? Create an account and start uploading photos! -_-" Lame.

Anyway, flickr is the webby which the guitar photos for the farewell chalet is uploaded.

From jun kit's yan ting's and yours truly, my camera too~ Yup~ have fun!

Guitar Farewell.

2005-06-07T14:06:00.000+08:00

Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/95207547@N00/ whereas tagboard at the bottom of the page. (For the benefit of those using Internet Explorer. For those using Mozilla/Firefox, it will appear as normal. Ya. Enjoy!

Firstly, as there are a total of 125 pictures, I shall not be sending it to any of you people. Just click on the link with the photos on the right column ok? Can copy the photos from there! Yup!

Ok, the farewell officially marks the end of the pioneer's journey as guitarist of Meridian Junior College, however, it also marks the new beginning of Guitar Alumni. The time for us had finally come to an end. Our journey to gold was definitely the highlight to our short one and a half years in GEM.

Ok, well, normal stuff were done during the chalet, with the exceptional thing being the performances and stuff. Our dearest JC1s sang 2 songs for us! The first being our SYF song, Bridge over troubled waters, which i find the lyrics rather touching at that point of time. The other song they sang was qing fei de yi. Was it? I couldn't quite remember already. Was busy snapping pictures here and there.

Mr Liauw's performance was a guitar performance, which he promised to play for us when he did not play during the TJC's concert. After which, he actually played guitar for some of us in the room! Playing songs like bridge solo, La Cumparsita solo, B.M. Solo, and the concerto which he wants the next batch of syf peeps to play! Wow!

Mr Ng also performed on Guitar! "All TJ can play the Guitar" Wah seh! Wonder if he will use the phrase for MJ as well!" He played the song Kojo! Right? Nice deh!

Next, I have to say, this is real sweet of the JC1s. They actually prepared numerous gifts for us! Firstly, there's the block fo everyone, and it is decorated vert nicely! There was a cert to verify us as the ROYAL GEM(pioneers)! But why Royal> I Don`t get it. And there was also this bottle thingy for the comm members with stuffs the com wrote for us! So touching! Extremely touched while reading them. Thanks!

Mr Ng gave us a CD compilation of the photos and songs we had. And Mr Liauw gave autographs! Do you people realise something? Out of all the anxiety of asking Mr Liauw to autograph, we did not obtain the signature from the man whom made the CD! Mr Ng! Oh man! What is wrong with us? Lol! Mr Choong also made us a bookmark and added 2 chocs along with it! Mr Liauw bought us a lot o ice creams which disappointingly, we only managed to finish 2 tubs? With the remaining going to Mr Ng's class probably? Yah. So touched.

I love this chalet man. The JC1s. Mr Ng, mr Liauw. Really a big thank you to all who made this possible. And of course, the 42 members of the SYF team, for it is u guys that made GEM such a lovely place to be in. With that, I close this chapter of Guitarensembleofmeridian.blogspot.com, and let's start a new beginning with the Alumni! =>

Mr Ng's Message to all.

2005-06-07T13:20:00.000+08:00

Dear j2 gem members, Thank you for the wonderful memories……………. It was the biggest gathering we ever had so far for guitar ensemble on the 6 June 2005. I remember I ever spent hours preparing hand-made gifts for some graduating classes in my initial years of teaching. But to receive such elaborate gifts from students – that’s my first and it came from you people. The little guitar metal piece with my name, the guitar pillow (I heard you sew it yourself?), and the big, big album with photos and messages – and what’s best of all – its home made! The little messages – some poetic, some with fancy decorations and drawings, others sweet and simple – even a simple note of “thank you” already suffices. I believe I’ve being blessed with this wonderful batch of pioneers for guitar ensemble. Some left us along the way, but you people stuck with us and see us through. Getting a gold for syf is not the ultimate goal. Remember, the journey of this one year and 3 months is what we’ll treasure more in years to come. Hopefully, it’ll bring back some sweet memories and not forgetting the valuable lessons we all learn from this special episode of our lives. yours sincerely mr ng kar kit 7 june 2005 p.s. Hi Hanzhong, not sure if you’ve the emails of the J2’s ? If yes, kindly forward this mail to all of them, can? thanks! and let me know if any of your CD doesn’t work – I’ll see if I can replace it for you…..

Please people, pass the blog address around to people ya? Will be greatly appreciated! Pictures will be uploaded soon, using flick r.

Meridian Guitar Ensemble appeared in the newspaper!

2005-06-04T10:26:00.000+08:00

All thanks to soccer, Merdian Junior College Guitar Ensemble is in today's papers!
"Previously tasted success.. for .. Guitar ensemble" Aaaahhh!

For those of you who still can't see, here's a zoom up.

Wow! Even TJC's gold with honours ensemble were not featured in The Straits Times! Lol! And what better time to publish it then today? Monday's the Chalet! Lol! Cool!

-_-"

2005-06-02T18:53:00.000+08:00

Farewell coming. Official stepping down. Shall that mark the day of the official opening of Alumni? It's cool ain't it? At least start it when people still have feelings for Guitar. People may think:"After A levels then join la." That is not the correct way. How many people actually feel less bonded to guitar now? I suppose after so long of meeting up, that feeling is inevitable. So why not commit yourself now? Yah.. that's all I wanted to say. This blog shall malfunction at 10/06/05, when all that is to say about guitar farewell is gone. But fret not! Creating a Alumni common blog soon.. so that everyone can be a part of it! Yup :>

Aurora IX

2005-05-28T19:03:00.000+08:00

TJC Guitar concert. The only school with Honours, they stressed. It's rather nice on the whole. First time hearing their SYF performance LIVE. The percussionist rocks man! Anyway, the band performance, the singer put up a great show. Nice voice! :) The cheering for Mr Liauw made us the noisest lot present (Much credit goes to Jun Kit, which I don't mind. I suppose Mr Liauw liked it too!) Mr Liauw is so nice! Bringing his guitar to the chalet and saying that because he wanted to play it just for us, he didn;t have an item there.) Haha. Another reason hegave was that he had an item there every year, and that year, he just wanted them to have their own concert. yah! Nice though. Their Encore. LoL! Oleh! :p

Stepped down...

2005-05-18T22:39:00.000+08:00

Over. Handed over our "duties, chores" to the next generation. The secretary started to record minutes, the treasurer started to collect money, quarter master shall start her job tomorrow, publicity head got her notice board keys. Everything is near settled. Tomorrow, I'm gonna hand over the guitar file to Seah YiLin? Do I need to? I have no idea, anyway, it had served its purpose, and perhaps it's time to have a change of master! Wahaha!

As the saying goes, qing chu yu lan, sheng yu lan. I can see bonds already existing within the new comm. I'm sure they will do an excellent job in running the ensemble. 3 cheers!

A brief introduction of the members,

Chairman, we have none other than Er-hem, Section 5, Huan Yu!
Vice Chairman, or rather, vice chair person, Angela!
Secretary, our very own Seah Yi Lin. (seriously, with the Seah, it sounds much nicer and it adds an identity.)
Treasurer, Vernise!
Student conductors, MJC very own Guitar 3 Leon, and Guitar 7, Ryu!
Publicity, Vimala.
Section leaders, Siti Raudhah and Shawn!
Of course, not forgetting the one normally behind the scenes, but of utmost importance, the quarter master --> Joyce!

A round of applause for the newly elected comm!

Will there be an OFFICIAL handing over CEREMONY? Won't it be cool? Come on, it already sounds cool didn't it? Lol!

Added..

It's unofficial, however, the baton is passed. Seah YiLin had embarked on her very first guitar minutes. This started the ball rolling for her, in her 2 years to come as GEM 2nd secretary. This also signifies the end of my journey, and I do hope for greener grass laying ahead of my life. Anyway, perhaps due to the fact that the new comm appears so trustworthy and all, I have not a single tinge of worry inside of me. I have faith in them that they will be able to run the ensemble to a much greater height and also, hit or perhaps, even exceed their potential.

The end of my time as a secretary, seems to come with mixed emotions. In the beginning, I do feel sad that it's Over! However, coming to my senses, who could be secretary of a School's CCA forever? Nobody! Unless if I retain in MJC for the rest of my life? Come on, get real! Furthermore, the fact that the baton had been passed to someone of high efficiency, and so on and so forth, it is certain that it is left in good hands. Yup!

However, I suppose no damage will be done if we revisit them over the period of the next year as and when we like. Therefore, I suppose it will be much of a relief as we could still be in touch with guitar practices, and more especially, the friends we made along the way.

First interaction with the JC1s

2005-05-11T20:21:00.000+08:00

It's another Wednesday. What's different is the fact that The JC2s no long have to go for lessons anymore. It's over for them. They have unofficially stepped down. Passed on the goal of Gold with Honours to the next generations. Now gearing up for the next challenge, the A levels.

Wishing all of them all the best and Mug hard! Do the pioneer batch of GEM proud! And may we meet in NUS and NTU Guitar Ensemble ya? Perhaps set up one in SMU too! Won't that be cool! Wow!

Anyway, the JC1s did give me a rather good first impression. They were more friendly compared to the batch from the First 3 Months. I assume this from the sound level now compared to 3 months ago. They are definitely interacting with one another. Furthermore, they seem to be the type that learn rather fast.

Furthermore, they are one competitive batch!

11 people indicated pres and vice pres
10 Vice Pres
7 Secretary
6 Pres

Top 3 most wanted Post.

Cool. Compared to last year when only 2 person ran for Chair and Vice Chair. Lol! That's a large surge!

Cool! Let's wish the election candidates all the best and let them scale GEM to greater heights, Greater Glory!

Let the flames of GEM continue to burn, the bonds continue to foster. The spirit ever flowing. The crappiness ever lasting. The Honours never ending...

Last Ensemble practice/ performance

2005-05-05T17:45:00.001+08:00

The end of our journey as official Guitarist of Meridian is coming to an end. It may well end tomorrow for the bulk of us! We had out last ensemble practice yesterday. During practice, Cheryl siad: "This is the last time 3rd time I'm sitting with you." Well, this is also the last few times everyone is sitting as an Ensemble! I wonder what will I miss more? The people? Or will it be the sessions of Guitar? I suppose it will be the former. The people are the ones whom make guitar such an interest activity. I have no doubt that throughout the whole of the SYF practice, everyone is looking forward to guitar! Well, perhaps not the first few months, but definitely the last few months!

Tomorrow's the performance for the JC2s! This will also most likely mark the end of guitar for our batch. May the future generations continue with our spirit and acheive greater Glory!

It's over. Guitar had unofficially stand down. It's heart wrenching, however, looking back at the times we shared, we should be very proud of ourselvs. We have come a long way and got this far. The bonds we created as well as the memories that were left will last us a lifetime. However, all is not lost! There could still be alumni outings to guitar concerts, and so on and so forth! The first being VJC's guitar concert! Yup!

Tribute to Mr Liauw

2005-05-05T17:45:00.000+08:00

Tribute to Mr Ng

2005-05-05T17:44:00.000+08:00

Tribute to Guitar 7

2005-05-05T17:37:00.000+08:00

Presenting to you, last, however, undoubtedly the most enthu guitar part, Guitar 7!

They played: Concerto (Guitar 7)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 3)

People remembers them as the most enthu Guitar Part there is. Always coming up with lotsa crappy stuff and lame stuff. Entertaining the ensemble with their funny acts and also, bringing laughter to all of us. The bond they share is definitely one of the strongest inside GEM. In terms of this, i will not rate them as Section Leader and so on, or rather, I will rate them as follow.

Mastermind
Jonathan Soon (Quarter Master)
The Crapper
Untung
The Lamer
Chee Kiat
The Enthusiast
Jia Wei
The Man
Bibi
The Council wannabe
Kenneth
The Cool Korean
Ryu

With lamer, craper and the mastermind, it is expected that there will be many tricks up their sleeves. They were the only guitar section that have section outings and dinners. Definitely a role section for other sections to follow. Came up with the edited version of the guitar cheers and made it exclusively to guitar 7.

Jonathan (Right)
The mastermind, ringleader, section leader, or even ZOO KEEPER! This guy managed to unite Guitar 7 into 1. Through the many outings, editing of the cheers, and so on, Guitar 7 became a united lot. He claimed that because his section consists mainly of guys, with Bibi being the exception, however, in their eyes, "she" is regarded as a "he", therefore, making it all guys, thus he said that an all guys group is easier to bond. However, without puting effort, it is impossible that Guitar 7 could be so close together! So I must say that he have done a great job and surpassed all section leaders, establishing him as a great section leader!

Beside being such a fantastic and wonderful section leader, he is also a very responsible and efficient as well as strong quarter master! He make it a point to come on time to open the room, however, sometimes, there are unforeseen circumstances! (Eg. bus broke down, came late, many JC1s, and so on.) Furthermore, he established himself as the worthy player of the contrabase guitar by playing at a very high level! Cheers!

Chee Kiat (Left)
This guy is one funny guy man! Very frank and appears very innocent. Note, appears. He's the lamer of Guitar 7 man! always coming up with lame ideas and stuff. Life's never boring with Chee Kiat! Didn't expect him to turn up at Macdonalds but he did! Such a nice guy. However, it's a pity he was only discovered at the last few months of practice.

He also make an extremely good friend. Very loyal to his compatriot and have hides nothing. Having a modest personality makes him an even better person! He was the one who got TPJC recordings and shared with the ensemble. However, I suppose of his Mr Nice Guy personality, he was faked by his friends into thinking there were only 16 guitarists! Lol! Anyway, have you people seen his expression when he's playing guitar? He is very serious! concentrating and focusing on the conductor! Woot! Cool deh!

Un Tung (Middle)
Fierce Xia! The only Alhena OGL inside Guitar Ensemble! If I'm not wrong, he already knows how to play the guitar before he joined GEM, however, as his dear David went to Group B to relinquish his conductor position, he followed him. What is my point of saying this? He's a leech? NO! He's sucha a loyal friend! Sticking to each other no matter how things are. He knows that he will likely to feel bored as he should have alrady known all those stuff. However, it doesn't mater to him.

I suppose he have a great part in making Guitar 7 the more bonded and ON among all guitar parts. That is because being crappy have its usefulness sometimes. It break the ice between members and thus makes it easier for communication. His personality had been accepted in Guitar 7 and thus making him so valuable to their family!

This is one serious guy. Jia Wei, I have no idea why I always find him being ever so serious. Perhaps it is the way he speaks? The way he give his opinions on stuff? However, he reminds me of my old self. Never wanting to break the rules and just be a good person. That is definitely a compliment. Now, I have lost touch of that personality and became slightly rebellious without me knowing. Therefore, perhaps looking at him will help me rediscover that part of me! =)

Jia Wei is a great guitar member, ever so enthusiastic about guitar and so on and so forth! Yup,

Ryu

Hmm, a very filial and thoughtful guy. A nice person too, however, at times he may sound a little blunt. Yup, didn;t know him much ya.

No. 28! Kenneth, the council wannabe! One of our very few JC1s inside the Ensemble. He's someone with an outgoing attitude. A very pro guitarist as well, flourishing under the care of his section leader, Jonathan. It's always nice having a councilor in Guitar! So yup, all the best ya! Good luck!

Bibi
B is for? Bibi! C is for Cici! D is for Didi! And so the list continues.

Bibi! Guess what! You were the first few people I actually know in GEM! However, I know that I must have been one of the first few GEM members you know too! Haha! Bibi's a real nice person to lame around with. Mainly because, firstly, she can tahan lameness, and also, she lames back! It's hard to find someone like her in MJC, thus making her so rare!

The treasurer for GEM and she's one who does her stuff with great responsibility. I still remember she was deciding on either the treasure or the section leader together with Dody! Haha! Anyway, I suppose she made the right choice in choosing Treasurer ya? That is because I doubt she has the strength to push the trolley up the ramp and then carrying it down the steps! Haha! I'm KIDDING!

She's a real nice girl, and thus she's one of the few I shares a secret with. (P.s. She can keep a secret real well xia! Probably because she has short term memory, therefore forgetting what she knew after a few days.) She consoles, give you support, and every other thing. This gave her to quality of someone who, in my eyes, make an excellent wife! Lol!

Yup, continue to lame around k! Always stay happy! ;)

Tribute to Guitar 6

2005-05-05T17:34:00.000+08:00

Guitar 6!

They played: Concerto (Guitar 6)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 3)

Section Leader
Ci Yuan

A. Section leader
Yian Sin

Members
Sharon
Jing Yi
Wen Feng
Angela
Yuan Fang

there was a time where by Guitar 6 was "demoralised" by Mr Liauw when he said Guitar 3 was background music and Guitar 6 was erm, I forgot. However, I thought that Guitar 6 had some very important part for concerto that was to complement guitar 2. Without them, guitar 2 have to play at a very loud volume! So therefore, my point is that they are important! For Bridge, Guitar 3 is of utmost importance! Without the chords, do you think that Bridge will sound nice? Will it even sound like Bridge. There were bound to be NO feelings for the song without the "background music" therefore, they are important!

The people in guitar 6 are rather prominent figures, Sharon with her popular blog, Jing Yi with her outstanding personality, Wen Feng with her boyfrien.. well, just skip this part, Ci Yuan with his strong built, Yian Sin with her effluent Chinese, Yuan Fang and Angela, for just always being together? Lol!

Ci Yuan! Well, frankly speaking, when I first saw Ci Yuan, I just have this feeling that he is unapproachable. Haha! Don't ask me why! Well, perhaps he is too tall? Anyway, that is not in the wee bit true! Ci Yuan's a very friendly guy la. One thing that is so much of a coincidence is that he too was an NCC staff sgt. as well as council comm in his Secondary School. (AHS) It appeared rather shocking to me when I heard it. Haha!

Anyway, besides that, he's a great guitarist! very enthu about guitar. (Yah, beside enthu, I simplt do not have another word to replace it. Hence, I apologise for the over usage of the word.) By the way, haha! You are my motivator! I always look at your direction while playing, well, because when we are sitting in a semi circle, you are the one I see. Your sitting posture is so straight! That when I see you sitting so straight, I was reminded to sit straight too! :)

Yup, to sum it all up, a nice guy!

Yian Sin! thanks for helping me give a thank you speech during the Christmas home visit! It's so nice to be good in Chinese. We should really conversate more to help me improve my oral. Kidding! She got a real good personality, patient, never flares, gentle, and so on and so forth. Xian Qi Liang Mu wor!

Anyway, Yian Sin is a nice name. This is because somehow, it reminded me of my ex Principal, Yue Lip Sin. Don`t ask me why, but it just happened this way. (Digressing here) That's a compliment!

Yian Sin developed into one great guitar player. Her consistency and effort put in for guitar definitely helped much. Furthermore, she also went for quite a number of concerts! She'll definitely be one of the active ones even after stepping down, I pressume! Rock on!

Sharon
The author of the "mother of all guitar blogs!" -- Jun Kit. There's a chinese saying ya? Ming Fu Qi Shi! Yup, it applies! Haha, oh, it's neohaha! Her blog captures true emotions and it's easy to read. it's at http://www.neohaha.blogspot.com/ It's always updated!

One with an outgoing personality, and is also someone who can make others feel comfortable in guitar.

She was from TJC Guitar! Meaning she passed their auditions and so on. Amazing! That explains why she's so good with chords and stuff and could strum almost any song given the chords. Great.

Jing Yi
Her unique accent of Hello alerts people of her arrival without even having to open your eyes. Very sociable, however, in my opinion. thend to overdo it slightly, not that it mattered. A Jay Chou Fanatic.

Yup, that's about all I know! Haha! :p

Wen Feng! When was the last time you saw her alone with another girl? I never saw that scenario before. When was the last time you saw her with a guy alone? All the time. Ok. Anyway, she's also another one who goes around smiling all the time, for most of the time. (Does this sentence make sense?)

Anyway, guitar over le! What are you gonna do about Heng Yi? -_-" Haha! Stay cheerful always!

Yuan Fang! Hey! Haha! We seldom talk even though we were on the same bus for quite a few occasion. Haha! I remembered she had long hair at the beginning of the year. She cut it short. I could not recognise her! Lol! Look at what difference a hair cut makes! yup, always together with Angie and so on. Haha, yup.

Angela! Nice photo ya? Well, this person seems to be always bickering against me. Not that I mind la. Just trying to type something to fill this empty space! Haha! A Vega OGL. Being an OGL, naturally she is one enthusiastic girl. Well, she's not exactly enthusiastic. She's over enthu! Ok, fine, I realise I exaggerated.

Anyway, this girl is always smilling. She's very photogenic too! Not saying she's ugly in person. In fact, she's quite a pretty girl! Nice complexion and such. She gives me the impression that she's fun loving and so on. However, when it comes to guitar, it means serious! Well, not quite actually. (Am I talking rubbish? I am.) Aiyah, anyway, she's a nice person la. Yup!

Tribute to Guitar 5

2005-05-05T17:21:00.000+08:00

-GuitarEnsmbleofMeridian- Proudly presents ----- Guitar 5!

They played: Concerto (Guitar 5)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 2)

Section Leader
Han Zhong
A.Section Leader
Jun Yi
Members
Hiu Yan
Charlene
Jean Tet
Huan Yu

Well, actually, guitar 5 got members in and out. There's Teck Teng who I personally want to rope him into Guitar 5, however, well, I also do not know what went wrong. And there's Johnson. He came for a lesson, disappeared after that. Actually, out of Johnson, Zhi Yi, Kevin, he's the only one with hope. However, I failed to being him to the correct path. There's Nicholas who also disappear after 1 or 2 lesson. Well, there was this once when we were going home on MRT together, Lynn called, and we chatted throughout the journey. Could that be the cause of his departure? Haha! But he left with my concerto score! Boo!(Digressing here)

Anyway, firstly, Guitar 5! We did it! Isn't it nice to always begin sectionals with a few words? Haha! anyway, we braved through the stormy weather and bright sunshine for the past one year. For Huan Yu and Jean, for the past 4 months. It's been a hard year hasn't it? How Guitar 2 was screwed most of the time. How we did not manage to come in at the upbeat, how we kept playing wrong notes and have to change it here and there. We overcame all those obstacles, and together, we bonded. Not to that great an extent, however, I must say bonds existed.

Initially, guitar 5 was so small and not playing that well, that I actually thought we might be split and sent to different sections as an individual! That would certainly be disastrous! However, as we grew in size and with that comes volume, as well as the vast improvement everyone is experiencing, I must say that being the section leader gives me lots of satisfaction. Seeing each and everyone of you blossem throughout the months, from not knowing how to play a guitar, to playing it with so much confidence! I'm proud of you people!

Fate had brought us together as a section. However, we all know that it is impossible that we will always be together. Let's cherish those past memories and let them continue to enrich your life, continue to give you confidence. Lastly, I hope that I've made a difference to each and everyone of you, be it in terms of attitude, guitar skills, or whatsoever! You people will be missed!

Hey Jun Yi! Like what Huan Yu said to me, thanks for teaching me the 2 pieces, from the first note to the last note! And furthermore, thanks for bringing home my guitar and taking care of it for the 5 days that i'm sick! The Father of Guitar 5. Without him, none of us could play anything! Well, other than Jean that is. Definitely the key player of Guitar 5. His enthusism never at once wear off.

He's an excellent guitar player too! Came in without any music background but played the two pieces at such a high standard! There was a form of telepathy between the two of us. It always seems that when I screw up, he played brilliant and the same applies. On knowing that he is nervous, I just told myself that I've got to be calm. If not, who will calm the Part down? I suppose the same is going through his head when I'm nervous. however, the irony is that for SYF, we were both nervous and we both screwed up Vivaldi pretty badly before recovering for bridge. Lol!

Lastly, yup, even though guitar has unofficially ended, we will still got for concerts and outings together right? Lol! Yup!

Hiee! Xiao Xin! Firstly, thanks for making such a beautifully designed card-y thingy just before SYF itself! So touched that you actually stayed till 1 plus that night just to complete it. It's very nice and greatly appreciated! So sweet! [Haha! I like hand made stuff la, plus the fact that it mentioned about GEM not being able to host a concert this year, therefore, she went to scout for a picture that had relevance to a guitar concert, woah! That certainly made that cardy more special!]

Hiu yan has definitely established herself from a soft player to a confident player over the past few months. As she got music background, she's great with the timings which were very inportant for Bridge. There were times whereby I had to listen to you to know when to come in! She developed into a rather loud player too.

Yup, and thanks for teaching Charlene all that you learnt. That is so nice of you! =>, going the extra mile. Yup, and she's one real caring girl. Too bad didn't manage to unveal her earlier last year, therefore could not help her bond with guitar. I have a strong feeling that she wants to be closer to guitar, just that she feels that it's too late or something, and that she could not break into the clique. Quite saddening. Nevertheless, she said she managed to be closer to the Guitar 3 peeps! So yup, Cheers!

Charlene! During the last few months, her attitude towards Guitar really changes. She tried her best and spent lotsa time practicing. Music don't lie. From what I hear, she really improve tremendously. This could be supported by Cheryl whom mentioned that her attitude changed for the better during March/ April.

Your effort is definitely appreciated and knowing what you put in for guitar, I'm proud of you! You have blossem under the guidance of Hiu Yan and I suppose you should be proud of yourself too! Afterall, we clinched a GOLD! :)

Anyway, heard that this girl's a pro in GP/ Lit! Furthermore, she's an excellent designer! (She designed the front Logo of Guitar Shirt.) She has what I wanted! I'm so envious. Perhaps you could think about the next batch's guitar Tee Logo? Lol Kidding! Yup, Stay Cool!

To the member that gave Guitar 5 hope. Jean!

First plus point: She self taught Concerto and Bridge
Second plus point: She's a loud player
Third plus point: She an excellent Guitarist
Forth plus point: She aspire to be the next Chairperson of Guitar! *Hint*
Fifth plus point: She's always wearing a smile and thus making her such a joy to teach!

Seriously, before Jean stepped foot into Guitar 5, we only have 4 members. The quantity is pathetic! And thus, with so few people, it certainly means a higher risk of being totally covered. Not that it matters for Concerto. However, ever since Jean stepped foot into Guitar 5, she established herself as a wonderful player, blur at times, or rather, most of the time, quite dao too, but very capable.

Lastly, Jean's a pretty nice girl too. But seriously la, a chairperson cannot be blur to tht standard k! Yah, I agree that Cheryl's rather blur too, however, you are of a higher standard in that aspect. Therefore, try not to be so blur k! You will make a good Chair / Vice!

Guitar 5 is not completed without our very own Huan Yu!

P.S. He aspire to be the future chairperson of GEM too! *Hint* (I never psycho either of them k! Even though I'm about to. However, when Jean said they(Jean and Huan Yu) want to be Chairs, I was so happy for them!) Afterall, they are the sole desendents of guitar 5 left. Might as well aspire to be the top!

The inclusion of Huan Yu certainly helped Guitar 5 a lot. Similar to Jean, he's a JC1! However, they have more differences then similarities. Firstly, similar to me, he do not know how to read score! Therefore, there was the stay back sessions which he was quite enthu about. Mainly because he wanted to master Concerto! However, he's an extremely fast learner! Well, probably he's very serious when it comes to learning, as well as he spends time practicing over and over again the same part till it is committed to memory. Next, similar to Jun Yi, he memorise scores at an amazing rate! Due to the fact that he do not rely on the score AT ALL, therefore, as I'm teaching him, he is already memorising them.

Still remembered the time whereby he was uncertain about his future. He sounded very sad, not knowing if he could stay in MJC, more importantly, stay in GEM and take part for SYF. Afterall, he put in much effort and it is a waste not to include him. In addition to that, Guitar 5 need him to boost volume. Fortunately, with the help from Dear Mr Ng, he managed to get in through appeal quite easily. Yup, as mention by Mr Ng, he is a key player of Guitar 5, and it's true! he played extremely well! Could hear through the mics! Well, a great teacher could only produce great students right? Dream On! He had this skills through frequent practicing and 100% of the credit belongs to him!

With his enthusism, leading Guitar to greater glory/ Heights will definitely not pose a problem to him! Come one! have confidence! I'm always backing you on! Cheers!

Tribute to guitar 4

2005-05-05T17:16:00.000+08:00

Next up, let's put our hands together to welcome Guitar 4!

Section Leader
Cheryl (Vice Chairperson)

A. Section Leader
Elaine Oh

Members
Shu Yan
Yan Ting
Elaine Toh

They played: Concerto (Guitar 4)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 1)

Firstly, I just realise that Guitar 4 have very strong guitar players. Firstly, Cheryl had piano (rather high grade) background, Elaine Oh already knows how to play the Guitar, Shu Yan was from TJC Guitar Ensemble, Yan Ting and Elaine was former band members, therefore, already have music background! Obviously, this makes their guitar part rather strong.

The only group that comprises only the female counterparts. Perhaps that is also the reason why they are so closely knitted? Well, they form the complements to Guitar part 1 for Concerto. They don't face much problem in Mr Liauw's session because they are all so pro as mentioned earlier. Yup, furthermore, Guitar 5 is highly dependent on their Guitar Part to know when to come in. Thus having Guitar 4 placed beside Guitar 5 is such a great planning!

Bias Bias!! Kidding! =X "This is going to be the last 3rd time sitting with you le." This sentence seems to have a great impact on me. Seriously feel rather sad that guitar's gonna end. Anyway, that shouldn't belong here.

All rise for the Vice Chairperson of Guitar Ensemble of Meridian! Her commitment for Guitar and the members could be clearly seen. From planning all those gifts that the members received to buying them, and wrapping them up, she had a foot in all those stuff! Furthermore, she took the initiative to write something for all the section leaders as well as the comm members! Such a sweet person ya?

A very responsible vice president of GEM and does her allocated duties efficiently and also took the initiative to go the extra mile, for example printing for us the terms of reference, went to buy scarfs, cosmetics and so on and so forth. She has excellent leadership qualities which shone during her times as a Vice Chair. Her passion and commitment to guitar is not once doubted, ever since she stepped foot into Guitar. She is usually the one roaring with enthusism and gets the ensemble going even during times when the ensemble is feeling restless and so on. Well, what to do, once she sa jiao everyone's hair start to stand that they have to perk themselves up! Kidding!

A great motivator and someone whom has the same aspiration as me! A DJ! Albeit it is for the English radio station. Seriously, the Cheryl and Han Zhong talk show sounds a great idea! Lol!
Yup, continue to lead Guitar Alumni to greater Glory! You will not be forgotten! ;)

A. Section Leader
Elaine Oh

Sorry, another person whom I did not interact much with. Only know that you were in the same class as Hiu Yan and Charlene. (A101) Other than that, well, I do not know much, yup, Sorry!

Elaine Toh

People whom do not know her, may find that she is a very quiet person. However, her friends could justify the exact opposite of that is true. Elaine's a very chatty girl who never seems to run out of conversations. In addition to that, she seems to me to be the sort that likes to laugh over anything, everything. When you put Sharon, Jing Yi and her together, wow! I don't even dare to imagine what will happen!

Having a Band Major like Yan Ting joining GEM is definitely a plus factor for us! She's talented in guitar playing and furthermore, gives us suggestions on certain stuff on how it could be improved! Yup. One of the stronger players in Guitar 4 ya? Flourished under Cheryl right? (Haha! Cheryl, I know you must be flying now!) But I suppose efort should be credited to Yan Ting too, for practicing and practicing and practicing.

Shu Yan! Just imagine, If you stayed on in TJC, you will miss out on the Gold with Glory, however, you will receive the Gold with Honours. Just imagine, if you stayed on in TJC, you will not know majority of us, ceteris paribus. You will miss out on the bonding sessions (Treats), etc. You will not be part of the pioneer batch of Meridian Guitarists to take part in SYF and wrtie history. However, TJC may give you more satisfaction, you MAY have stronger bonds, you may have the Honours, you MAY have more fun. However, WILL you? Come on, I'm sure you have NEVER regretted joining MJC very own Guitar Ensemble ya?

The fun times you MAY never get to have with TJC, our very own Mr Ng, whom put in so much for us. Oh yah, you MAY not even be a guitarist but a percussionist! You MAY not even qualify for TJC SYF Ensemble! Serious! Their players are so professional! I stress, MAY. However, in MJC, you shared the joy, endured the hardship, forged the bond. I'm sure those are memories you will keep for life. I'm sure this feeling WILL be very much different from TJC. Because, I generally believe that the commitment that MJC Guitarist put into the Ensemble is the greatest! Anyway, You have made a RIGHT choice in Joining GEM! Lol! (What am I talking about?)

Tribute to guitar 3

2005-05-05T17:15:00.000+08:00

They Played: Concerto (Guitar 3)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 2)

Concerto Guitar part 3 is by no mean an easy part to play! Their timings are very important and can go wrong easily, prior to guitar 1 and 2. If they are well coordinated, guitar 3 for concerto could blend in with them nicely. Despite it being a relatively difficult score, the 7 of them worked hand in hand to see through April 28. Furthermore, they were playing Bridge Guitar 2 which also requires them to keep track of the timings. Not easy, however, they did a wonderful job on both pieces.

Special mention to Guitar 3 for Bridge, they were excellent! There were also quite a few of them whom played relatively loud! Cheers! This lesson the workload of Guitar 5! Nevertheless, congrats on playing extremely well on SYF itself! Woohoo! Nice deh!

Section Leader
Li Jun

Hey! I didn't know you will be so tense up before SYF! Scary xia! However, it's ok, you did great! In fact, the whole of Guitar 2 for Bridge played exceptionally well! Yay! In the beginning everyone was depending on her for the timings as apparently, she was the only one whom could follow timings given that she also know how to play the song. Therefore, everyone was trying to listen to her play! That must have been pretty stressful!

Li Jun was actually from the string Ensemble (was it? or just the violin?) Anyway, Yup, she plays the violin! I know what you are thinking! Can she play concerto on violin? I also want to hear! Lol! Violin's such a nice instrument. Elegant and class.

Yup, a great section leader whom led Guitar 3 with class! She's also a patient lady I suppose, seemed to me that she is very patient with her members. That is so unlike me. Anyway, rock on ya! Perhaps learn the harp or cello in University? Then you can play a mini string ensemble yourself! Cool!

A. Section Leader
Siew Wei

She took up the intiative to cover up for Li Jun in her absence. Always together with Rebecca and Yian Sin. Hey! That reminds me of Jun Kit, jun Yi and of course, Han Zhong! Cool! Anyway, yup, another plus point is that she figures out her score herself! (I suppose) Therefore, lessening the workload of Li jun. Very passionate about guitar-ing therefore she went to various concerts and outings with her clique!

Xiao wei's a nice person to chat with too! Especially in chinese, because she speaks fluent chinese! furthermore, she's very loyal to her friends and so on! Yup! Great to have her on Guitar Ensemble of Meridian! Yippee!

Members

Shi Hui, Grace, Chew Geok, Pei Yi

Sorry! Writing all of your tributes together because I don't quite know either of you. I can match your name and face, however, I don't know all of your personality, therefore, making it extremely hard for me to write individually. Sorry! Anyway, yup, they form the backbone of Guitar 3! I suppose they have forged a strong friendship amoung themselves, yup!

Leon

Even though it is a majority of girls, Leon managed to blend in well together with them. joined SYF only in 2005, however, he's a great player, as well as a fast learner! He even learnt the score Bridge faster than me! He's a very nice guy whom offered to teach me Bridge at the beginning. That was also partially how I managed to survive then.

Very nice guy. Great friend and very approachable. Hey! Have a memorable stay in the wonderful place of Guitar Ensemble of Meridian k! Continue to let your personality shine!

Tribute to Guitar 2

2005-05-05T17:11:00.000+08:00

Not losing out to guitar 1, there's guitar 2!

Section Leader
Johanna [Student Conductor]
A. Section Leader
David [Student Conductor]
Member
Mei Jie [Publicity]
Yvonne
Heng Yi

They played: Concerto (Guitar 2)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Guitar 1)

If Guitar 1 can be said to have one of the hardest part for Concerto, the same could be said for Guitar 2. Having no rest for the entire song, full of running notes and such, they managed to outplay themselves. If there was a part that covered bar 26, that have got to be guitar 2. In this case, I suppose they covered each other's back.

Having 2 student conductors inside their guitar part, have it's pros and cons. On the members side, they have 2 professional guitarists as their mentor. However, this also means that they have to play with high standards together with the conductors as mistakes could be easily heard by them! Haha!

Anyway, they had done a real great job these few months and played very professionally! Cool!

Conductor of: Concerto

Firstly, presenting to you the camera-shy Johanna! See, the product of being shy is a photo of the back view. Furthermore, there is no reason why you should be looking to your right since your fret board is to your left!

Anyway, Johanna had done a real good job as a conductor. She was already in guitar ensemble in the first 3 months, however, I never had any conversations with her then. She set a high standard for herself as well as for the Ensemble. Being the conductor, she faced the prospect of not being able to play Concerto after so many months of intense training, yet she never uttered a word of complaint. However, I suppose she knows that if she does not conduct, who will?

She is also one of the top guitarists in the Ensemble. I know Mr Ng kept saying that there are no best players. I agree with that because each and every one of us performed to our best that fateful afternoon. All of us shown commitment. However, there must be some who are outstanding, and Johanna definitely one of them! Her leadership qualities shone while being a student conductor. She has the ability to control our timings and have a good pair of ears to tell us whether we speed up. Cool!

Conductor of: Bridge Over Troubled Waters

David's way of conducting is different from Johanna. Johanna is more towards rigidity, whereas David sway to the music. Perhaps it's the difference in the songs they are conducting. Nevertheless, it is nice watching him sway with Bridge. He's one guy whom play with his heart and soul. He is also the most gifted guitarist in MJC Guitar Ensemble. If I did not remember wrongly, he took up guitar lessons when he was in Primary 6. (Or was it sec 2?) Who cares if everybody in the front row of TJC's Guitar Ensemble is of a higher grade than you! You are respected in Meridian's Ensemble!

I still remember on the syf day itself, he is always telling people to be calm, as that is the most important factor as SYF is a mental game. That certainly helped. Had I not imagined how it will be like in the actual day, I may have screwed up much more! He also told us not to be daunted by TPJC's guitar pieces. However, their GOLD proved him wrong. Well, not exactly, because they sent out 26 players instead of 16. Yup, and I didn't know David would pose by sticking out his tongue! Haha! One of the most yan dao inside the Ensemble! Woo!

Mei Jie!
Definitely worthy of being the publicity head. The newsletter she made for the Ensemble was breath-taking! Absolutely a piece of fine art! Neatly arranged and nicely decorated. Furthermore, the styrofoam Guitar that we used for the open house! The notice board designs, layout, all crafted by Mei jie! Applause!

She chose to join Guitar 2 despite knowing the part is hard to master and play. Yet she took it up willingly to challenge herself, and I suppose with everyone agreement, she managed to surpass that and she could play a nice piece of Concerto Guitar 2! It must be the result of numerous hours of self practice in order to reach that standard! Cool!

Yvonne!
[Picture missing] Well, It's actually I do not have any pictures of you.

She joined guitar after first 3 months. There was much speculation that it was because of Ci Yuan. Anyway, I do not know why she chose to join Guitar 2 instead of Guitar 6. But well, it doesn't mater. She grew up in the family of Guitar 2. She is very well fed too! Well, after some time of being overshadowed by the gurus of guitar 2, she now got a chance to take front stage as one of the conductors is going to be conducting!

That is definitely the best reward for her hard work, effort and commitment! She even went to scout for scarfs, hair bands as well as cosmetics! Look at the amount of enthuness she put in for the Ensemble! Woah! Cheers!

Heng Yi! One of the most improved players in Guitar 2, or rather, the whole ensemble! Specially mentioned by Mr Ng as a player whom plays like a professional! Never had I expected Heng Yi! Kidding! Well, because remember, at the start of practice for SYF, you were usually nowhere to be seen. However, when he turned up eventually, he came for every practice! This few months had definitely shown a vast improvement in his attitude. As illustrate by..

"Zen Me Ban? Mei You Guitar le Zen Me Bad? Hao sad o." His favourite line. He said he will miss guitar practices and so on. I suppose each and every one of us will though.

The many months of training had mould this guy from a mediocre player to a semi professional! Heard that you are taking guitar lessons outside ya? Don't be surprise to see him in NUS or NTU Guitar Ensemble next time! He played the running notes of Guitar 2 Concerto with awe! Hearing the nice melody coming out from his guitar certainly means that Johanna and David are excellent Mentors! Haha! However, the main credit goes to him for practicing to hard! 3 Cheers!

Tribute to Guitar 1

2005-05-02T12:31:00.000+08:00

The Elite forces of Guitar 1 comprises of
Section Leader
Jun Kit (Chair person)
A. Section Leader
Rebecca
Members
Dody (Section B Leader)
Kumar (Student Council)
Eric

They played: Concerto [Guitar 1]
Bridge Over Troubled Waters [Guitar 1]

Throughout all this while, for concerto, they had one of the 2 hardest parts. For the memorable bar 26 that they themselves claimed they screwed up, they had undergone numerous immense trainings and practices. However, under SYF condition, nobody can blame them for not playing to perfection, because the stress level is very high. Furthermore, seriously, I did not hear their mistake at all. Perhaps other guitar parts, that were suppose to be resting covered for them? How is that possible? Asked a friend from TPJC Guitar, he said he thought we played terrific. Guess only those whom have heard the songs plentiful of times can pinpoint the mistake.

It's a pity though, that Guitar 1 could not execute their lovely bar 26. They could do it. They have done it before. Nevertheless, the eoffort they put in, the extra sectionals they called just for bar 26, shown that they put in their utmost effort. Guitar 1 definitely houses some of the best guitarists within the ensemble. Let's applaud them for all that they had done.

The key player of Guitar 1 or rather, the key player of the Ensemble. He's also known as the president of Guitar Ensmble of Meridian, presenting to you yours truly,

Lee Jun Kit!

Hey! Throughout all those times of leading guitar ensemble, I must say that you have done a real excellent job! I suppose few would disagree with this comment! Under your brillant leadership and guidance, guitar ensemble have reached higher ground and scaled greater heights. Afterall, we claimed the GOLD! Very calm at all times, well, perhaps he knows his guitar inside out, and also knows what he's doing. Good photographer as well as website designer? Haha, make it good artist for photoshop ba! Bonded the comm. together which in turn helped in bonding the whole Ensemble!

Extremely enthusiastic when it comes to matters related to guitar, for example, not wanting to step down after syf! Haha! Played the guitar with style! Haha! Obviously, I was always looking at your fingerings when you were playing! Haha! Cool xia! Sometimes you must video yourself man! The way your fingers moved.. Simply awesome! Definitely a role model for others to follow! It doesn't matter if you screwed up bar 26 or played it with perfection, a smile will always flash on your face, if not to the audience or the ensemble, it is to Rebecca!

Next up, we have the petite and experienced Rebecca. Perhaps participating in SYF before did help. There was not a single tinge of panic in your eyes before SYF. Behind every successful man there lies a women. Beside our very own successful president, sat a very talented women! There must be a reason why Jun Kit kept smiling towards you when he plays. You must have been his pillar of support! Well, at least, supporting him when he messed up and thus the song could be continued.

Rebecca have a very unique character that makes everybody feel comfortable while having conversations. Furthermore, she's a CLA expert, a rare gem in GEM! Soft spoken but voices out her opinions. Always wearing a smile on her face. Yup, definitely one of the finest guitarists in the family.

Dody! Certainly the most improved player in Guitar 1! 3 Cheers! A gentleman! A great section leader whom also helped out with the duties of a quarter master. Responsible lad and quite handsome too! Just look at him! A serious guitarist whom improved tremendously! Still remember the times when he was deciding whether he wants to join Guitar 1 or Guitar 5! I'm sure you did not regret joining the marvellous family of Guitar 1!

Dody's a nice fella to chat with. He gives his frank opinion about anything and everything, without making it sound blunt. A great fact is that this guy lives in Kembangan and therefore have the opportunity to continue meeting each other on the way to school! Cheers!

Kumar! It's always nice to have a councillor in guitar. Loaning of clothes cover had never been easier. Having already known how to play guitar definitely helped this busy guy master vivaldi and bridge despite his council commitment. Even though he got into council, he had never given up on Guitar! His enthusism is reflected on the nice melodies he produced together with his beloved family of Guitar 1!

Being a council, his responsibility are huge. However, he had never shown us the stress and tiredness. In guitar, he takes a serious approach most of the times, however, there were definitely times of lameness. But hey! He's the only non Chinese that committed to us and never gave up! 3 cheers for Kumar!

Finally, it's Eric! Blame him on not joining Guitar during his first 3 months! Boo! Nevertheless, he's an asset to guitar ensemble. Was he? Kidding! His grade 6 (whatever) on piano allowed him to side read and thus made his life in guitar much easier. Of course, knowing Jun Kit, Jun Yi, Cheryl and I helped him to get much closer to guitar. This was despite the fact that he was already on close terms with Jia Wei, and Jonathan!

Anyway, an enthusiastic fella and a nice chap! Oh ya, when should we go kayak again? K box? Whatever! And ya, I suppose by this time, you could stop asking me to stay back in school to mug with you people, as unlike you who stay in Pasir Ris, I just so happen to stay in Paya Lebar! Boo!

SYF tribute!

2005-05-02T12:30:00.000+08:00

22/4

Guitar 5 Rocks!

Strike that chord
Treat this as a challenge
Conquer your fear
Acquire new experiences

Share the Joy
Treasure the moment
Make yourself proud
Exceed your limit
Hit your peak

Guitar 5 Guitar 5 Guitar 5
Jia you! Jia you! Jia you!
1, 2, 3, 4, High 5!

We simply rocks!

23/4

SYF Period

The training for SYF proved to have changed everything. I saw the bonds that I never thought I could see. [Much credits go to Mr Ng for organising so much activities for us.] Furthermore, I gained confidence from this training. I never thought I could gain confidence after stepping out of NCC. I never expected the bonds we share to be so strong. One thing I admire. Nobody complained of the extra practices! Absolutely no one complained when there is a Tuesday session. Neither did anyone complained when there's guitar on Saturday! I'm proud of the members. The commitment I see now is definitely even better than NCC! Serious! Almost everyone makes it a point to turn up no matter what! Even in times of sickness, everyone chose to come! It's amazing. It boost morale of the people as well. Furthermore, I'm proud of my own achievement. From a lowly someone whom do not have any musical background, to being part of the SYF team. To being the section leader, to having the front row seats. This are privileges I never expected obtaining. However, I did put in effort for it k! It's amazing how things turned out. It delightful to know that I have learnt a lot from SYF. The experiences I get is overwhelming! Wow! It is through this common goal (Gold with Honours) that brought the ensemble together. I will not be surprised if people chose to sit with guitar people instead of with their classes for prom night. I will not be surprised if 42 members joined the guitar alumni after we left. Together we shared the laughter, shared the joy, Endured the harshness of reality and we got this far. This is no mean feat! Today (23/4/05) Mr Liauw complemented guitar 2. “First time we played in timing for the whole piece!” We have done it. Each and everyone of us worked hard for this day to come. In my previous blog, I mentioned that I want to see a miracle. A miracle that guitar 2 will not pull down the ensemble. I can proudly say that I have seen it in today's practice. The credits go to each and every member of guitar 2. I'm so proud of you people. Continue to work hard for a better tomorrow! We have done it, and we will keep reproducing the standards! Guitar 2! All the way!
3 Cheers!

Huan yu: "Hey thanks for the motivation and all the sweets of cos.. Haha.. Really appreciate it.. Yeah man.. Honours.. We can do it!"

Kenneth:"Dear friends.. practice practice practice! come on. we can do it! Gold HONOURS is ours! kambatte!"

See our dearest JC1s putting in all their effort!

26/4

2 more days!

Just wanna say, that SYF is edging closer with every passing minute. It's so nice to see all the guitar peoples' blog with entries all related to guitar, and guitar, and guitar again for many days running! The spirit continue to flow within the blogs! Isn't it cool! Way to cool man! I wanna get my FIRST honours! Doesn't that sound cool? Getting your first honours at the age of 18! Haha! 17+ even!

But the main point of this temporary entry is that, guitar is all we have inside of our min now that everyone's blogging about it! Woooo!

I can't help it. I have to blog. You people know something? TPJC is just sending their top 16 guitarist for the competition. I just heard their pieces once. Their Irish folk music is definitely not a match for our concerto. However, their tango, I must admit that it has more feel than our bridge. Scary! They will be wearing full black on the day. Quote from Dody/Chee Kiat. "Their tempo sounded the same" True! There's not much contrast in the tempo, however, the way they play it is rather different I feel. Quote from David: "Aiyah, don't worry la, they only got 16 people, they won't get gold one la! Where is the effort?" Haha! However, I have this feeling that Bridge will make or break us. It won't be considered a victory if we did not manage a gold with honours. Deep down inside of me, I know we can do it! I have this strong feeling that we will succeed! However, if schools like TPJC can play to that standard, just imagine TJ, VJ, RJ. Scary! MJC, I suppose we should be ranked as the underdog, but we WILL create an upset won't we? We WILL! Jia You!

Was hoping for sectionals today. Cause there's some stuff I wanna tell my section. Firstly, please remember to file your nails! Last day to file it. Prepare your attire by today. You may panic if you are only preparing tomorrow.

SYF is a mental game. Be prepared mentally. Imagine you enter an extravagant auditorium. All eyes cast upon your every move. How would you react if you played a wrong note? How would you act when you have a mental blockage? I hope this don;'t happen, however, it is hard to say. Try to calm yourself down at all times. Do not feel nervous. Do not be paranoid. Do not be afraid. Do not be stress. Just give it your best shot. Nobody will blame you.

It's been about a year since we started embarking onto this SYF journey. (Apply to Charlene, Hiu Yan and Jun Yi.) It's about 4 months for Huan Yu and Jean. Each and everyone of you put in effort. It can be seen. It's fantastic looking at the section peaking at the right time. It's a great feeling knowing that each and everyone of you have shown great improvements. We have done a great job and gone this far. Let's give it all our best and share the joy together on Thursday!

Hasn't it been a norm now that whenever you say bye to guitar members, you will tend to add that phrase gold with honours! This form of encouragement is so strong! Everyone's practicing it! Cool! Guitar Ensemble of Meridian is WAY too COOL! Just love it the way it is.

Okie, some edits here. Upon hearing their pieces compared to ours on a one by one basis, concerto is a clear winner, Bridge is not that bad! Way to go man! on the MRT way back, Chee Kiat was saying guitar 3 played too fast, Yvonne said guitar 1 played too fast, and i said that guitar 2 tend to rush at times also. So means what? But one thing we agreed in unison is that guitar 2 and guitar 3 are not coordinated esp at the end, such that guitar 1 do not know who to follow. And we also agreed that guitar 2 can;t hear guitar 3 whereas guitar 3 could not hear guitar 2. Sigh. I realise that guitar 2 is soft, cause we can't hear it on the recordings. Nevermind, just put up with that! ;) Haha! Cause play loud not nice. yah.

Yup, ending off here! Gold with Honours!

27/4

Tomorrow's the big day!

Firstly, tomorrow is SYF! I am not nervous, not scared, but I am excited! So exciting! Today's guitar practice so fun! Haha! Firstly, we can have small group practice and it escalated into an ensemble practice! Wow! Haha! Just look at how influential a small group can be! Haha! Cool! So nice, Mr Liauw kept saying we are at 100 %. So therefore, it means that we cannot be nervous and forget stuff! Can de! Hmm, wonder what he say to NYJC and TJC ya? Haha! But I really think he favours us! Haha! If all 3 schools have dinner, which school will he follow? Haha! But the fact that he came down to MJC after TJC instead of NYJC showed that MJC he treat MJC better than NYJC ya? And the fact that he choose to come to MJC in the morning at 8.30, shows that we are of first priority! Isn't that right ? Cool! Just love that guy man!

Mr Ng is looking so restless today! He must be tired. But it's the last day! Mr Liauw is so cute! (SShh, don't tell him my blog addy k!) Haha! During training he fumbled over his conductor stick! Haha! And his facial expression is so cute! Haha! Can't stop laughing. Laughing is contagious! Haha! I laughed, Cheryl laughed, Yan Ting and Elaine laughed too! Haha! Funny xia! Haha! And I kept having repercussion of his facial expression and actions! Haha! Can't help it! Laugh so much such that I played totally wrong! Haha! And I said "Har". Haha! Oh man! This cannot happen tomorrow!

Haha! So exciting!

29/4

Reflections

Well, During the morning, I was so calm, so well, normal? Cause I "thought" I Had done enough mental preparations for the big day. So I just took things in my stride and just try to play while imagining it to be the actual place. Argh. Skip all this! Fast forward...

Arrived at SCH. Upon entering, saw so many guitar ensembles there. Went toilet, the CJC people were so terrific! They wished us all the best and good luck! Wow! But how did they even know we're from MJC? That is still puzzling me! Anyway, fast forward..

Inside the tuning room..
Wah! Mr Liauw made me so so so panicky and nervous! He was so kan jiong lor! "Whose guitar not tune? I Need to tune the first row first, they are more important!" No noise, no playing of guitars, no talking." "When it is 4 mins alert me;" "when it is 3.5 mins alert me." Wah! I was so numbed then! Mr Liauw, such an experienced conductor actually became so serious and rushy. Played the dry run of the 2 songs, there, my fingers are already not functioning properly le. They are not as flexible, instead they were so tense that almost the running notes failed me. Bridge, I have no idea how it sounded like.

Into the hall
Oh my god. I told myself not to look at the audience, but my eyes just glanced there! Poof! Confidence level dropped by half. Totally freaked out. I guess there was a lack of public performance, furthermore, they are so close! Anyway, brushed that aside. While trying to do that, I actually forgot to put my hands in rest position! As in must wait for Mr Liauw hand to raise then go to the fret board ma. Sorry! But I totally forgot that part! First mistake, brush that aside. While playing he pieces, I was trying to hear my own guitar part. 2nd mistake. Cause the place is built in such a way that u hear the whole ensemble instead of those people close to u. Ok, fine, brush that aside. running notes i think only a couple was executed well. As for bar 26, I didn't even notice anything wrong lor! I was just looking at Mr Liauw, trying real hard to concentrate on myself only. Ok well, halfway through, confidence sorta came back, played more naturally and slightly louder. haha! Oh yah, I was so scared that i was playing perhaps half my normal volume? Haha! My hands was so stiff and my mind was trying to focus and recalling where it is now and the dynamics. Ok, concerto ended well, as in the last note.

Bridge.
Okie, the first chord and the next base note was rather well, however, the first running note was a mess! Omg! Like got 3 different timings, scared le. Haha! Started playing softer. Haha! Man that's bad man! But just scared that I'm the one with the wrong timings. Then ok, the rest of the chords were easier so not much prob. then came the guitar 2 melody, I think that was pretty nice! Haha! And the next set, the following set was bad for me. Cause I forgot the chords and i ended up not playing! Hmm for 1 bar i think. Sad. However, again, the ending as excellent! We stopped very nice xia !
haha ! yah .. just some impromptu thoughts la ... will edit when the final things are done.

Results.
I Must say that moment was one of the most exciting moments in my life. It's my first time participating in SYF. I didn't know what to expect. Furthermore, only a couple of schools before us got the GOLD. What could we expect? VJC only got GOLD. Until the moment of truth. MJC, GOLD! Woooooo!! First words to escape my mouth before i stand up. I was overwhelmed with joy! It's a GOLD! The pioneer batch of Meridian guitarists clinched a GOLD! We were definitely one of the ensembles which took the longest time to settle down after hearing the results. Nice deh! We have done it.

Thanks
Firstly, to our ever inspiring and motivating conductor, Mr Thomas Liauw. You brought us to a higher level, and always kept your faith in us. You gave us confidence and guided us through the whole journey. Without you, there won't be the GOLD!

Next, our dearest teachers In Charge, Mr Ng and Mrs Choong. Mr Ng, Thanks for your endearing support and not giving up on anyone of us. The frequent treats have undoubtedly bonded the ensemble together in one way or another. Your constant humour is much appreciated.

To everyone whom wished us all the best, thanks! We managed to clinched the Gold Award!

Lastly, to each and everyone of the ensemble members, You are the ones whom put in much effort for the ensemble, sweated it out in the AVA room where the air con switches off ever so punctually, the moving of chairs, arranging footstool and the chairs, we literally sweated it out for the ensemble! The amount of commitment we put into guitar practices can be seen from the attendance list. It's really remarkable that none of us complained whatsoever when news of additional practices are implemented! You people are the reason why guitar ensemble rocks! You people are the reason why MJC is so much more fun!

Sigh, all good things come to an end. Please join guitar alumni and we can let the spirit flow on and on and on..

SRJC guitar concert & Guitar Camp

2005-05-02T12:26:00.000+08:00

In the same month as GENUS, SRJC launched their shiokissimo Guitar concert. They played their SYF song to public as the last 2 songs, however, I didn;t find it exactly nice. Not forgetting that MJC at that point of time was still only about 40%? Therefore, it gives me no right to say that they are not up to standard. However, it doesn't sound right. Nevertheless, their band was excellent! Apart from their band leader whom I suppose is the singer, their "the reason" rocks! Woo! Yup. Now we got a taste of SRJC SYF piece.

Guitar Camp 2005

On the 12^th and 13^th March 2005, the guitarists from MJC's very own Guitar Ensemble had our one and only guitar camp in the premises of Meridian Junior College. It was the first time majority of the members actually camp overnight in Meridian, not forgetting some whom did not camp in school before, thus making it such a special camp.

The main purpose of this guitar camp is to give us intensive training for SYF, which will take place one month later. A total of 16 hours of guitar practice was proposed for the couple of days. Of these, 6 hours were allocated to Mr Liauw as instructor's session, whereas the remaining were for our own Sectionals and Ensemble practice.

However, it was not all guitar and no play throughout the camp. On the evening of the first day, the whole lot of us went to shop for our guitar attire, with the guys going to Expo, whereas the ladies went to Tampines. The search was fruitful as the guys found their ties whereas the ladies managed to find their white long sleeve shirt.

Furthermore, some members played a game of basketball during free time.

In addition to that, majority of the members had their strings changed before we rest for the day. (It was a memorable experience for me during the changing of stings. ;)

During the second day, it started off with some light stretching and proceeded on to guitar practices.

During lunch, we had a delicious buffet treat from Mr Ng. Even though the food tasted good, it had little effect in waking us up completely.

Members were tired, but we pressed on. A certain individual was so tired that she took any little bit of resting time and lie down on the mat.

Mr Ng, upon seeing how tired members were, decided to release us earlier than planned. A couple of photos shoots act as the finale of the one and only guitar camp GEM had.

Reflections of the camp:

Firstly, bonds between sections grew stronger as each section get to spend quality time with their members.

Next, the camp provided members a chance to interact with each other and thus, got to know more about one another.

Lastly, even though the guitar intensive camp wasn't exactly as xiong as I imagined it to be, it definitely gave us a better understanding of Vivaldi as well as Bridge Over Troubled Waters, as well as improved our playing for both songs.

Genus 05

2005-05-02T12:10:00.000+08:00

This is the NUS concert on 8th March 2005. I finally realise why it is called GENUS! It simply stands for Guitar Ensemble National University of Singapore! Wow! Nice Name! As nice as GEM! Lol!

Their concert was a hit! All their songs were very soothing to the ears and played to perfection!

We missed the start of the concert as we were a little late. This is because during the journey there, there was a bit of wrong directions. The food was rather slowly served. Mr Ng had to treat us. Furthermore, some JC1s turned u as well! Nice and enthu JC1s! Sat with them to MAK SURE they interacted and had fun on their first and perhaps last concert together as quite a number of them aren't staying.

Anyway, back to the concert, there was this song that is jazz-y wah! The base solo was so cool lor! Out of all the solos, only the base solo, after his stint received applause! haha how many people actually noticed? Added to it, I like the percussion for 1 particular song too! He need to blow and hit so many thing, before ending off with bursting a balloon!

It's an excellent performance of high standards. Will I ever reach that standard? Will I be recruited into their guitar ensemble performing sector if I joined NUS?

February 05

2005-05-02T12:07:00.000+08:00

All this period of time, we were in intense training for SYF. I seriously did not know if we were on track, however Mr Liauw was always assuring us that we are still on time. However, we were always on the 5 % to 10 % there range, which was very slow to me. Guitar 5 changed from playing bridge part 3 to bridge part 2. Neither made a difference to me because both appeared hard.

Guitar 5 complete

2005-05-02T10:34:00.000+08:00

Jean and Huan Yu joined us.

Frankly speaking, before Jean and Huan Yu joined us, the volume of guitar 5 is very low. I was quite disappointed too. Haha! Furthermore, before that was Pink Panther. It was disastrous! Haha! They strengthened the section and I grew more confident of Guitar 5!

When Jean joined, the best thing was, she can read score and thus could go home and figure out the notes! Haha! This definitely helped a lot, because time is not needed to teach her the score! Haha! Just to clarify some parts. She's a good guitarist with a nic and mellow guitar. It's hand made right?She definitely added volume to the guitar part, and also, learn the score very fast.

Later on, Huan Yu joined. One thing different was that he, same as me, did not know how to read score. Therefore, like what he said, I taught him from the first note to the last! Haha! Actually, the sessions of staying back helped me too! I got more familiar with the scores as well. It is like a form of revision which helped improve my playing a lot! That is because, when you teach, you yourself have to be clear about what you are teaching. Furthermore, He is an extremely fast learner! Perhaps because he was part of his SYF team in His secondary School that helped, or perhaps he trained at home for quite a long period of time! But seriously, it is amazing! Concerto that we took at least half a year to master, he took a month! Furthermore, while learning concerto, he was learning bridge too! Amazing fella! Haha!

The JC1s brought confidence into the team. They showed us that Guitar 5 can make it. We have a deep squad now. It's 6 members, one more than various guitar parts.

Orientation for first Intake

2005-05-02T08:50:00.000+08:00

Guitar Orientation [Jan]

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Well, firstly, before the orientation, I was paranoid! I have the image that only 10 people will turn up and i was afraid that they will not enjoy the games! I was also afraid that their enthusiasm will not be able to come out ! i was afraid of this and that lor, almost everything. Anyway, here's the orientation !

2.30 was the suppossed time to gather, was relieved to find that quit a number of people turned up! After the final count abt half an hour later, there was 43 people whom came, decked in their t-shirt and school skirts / pants / shorts. Mrs choong gave a speech while we went to grab a bite. (we meaning the helpers ba) We were suppossed to meet at abt 3 back at f 4-1, but i went back there early, mainly cause i need to sort out the Cows (yay ! we won the chair game WITHOUT CHEATING remember !), Pigs, Cats and the dogs! Upon settling the arrangement, roughly knowing where the venues of the games, we went into the room for some brief introduction of the helpers (Mrs Choong speech also just finished) I sorta talk a bit of stuff to the jc1s, mainly is to get them started. Haha ~ i like this phrase !

"My senior once told me, Cca is the main thing that keep u going in this boring jc cirriculum, so u people might as well make more friends, get to widen ur social circle with guitar, and this can start now! "

After that, due to time constraint, they have to get into their own groups by making some sound. Can tell that they were definitely not very enthu at that moment. Piggy !! why got 2 groups! scare me! thought i included too many cats. Haha, heng eventually they found their lost pigs, so everything was still quite okie at this point of time. Followed the time and everything was going on smoothly!

Next, they were to get into their groups, to start introducing each other, and also to play their group game. well, the intro part was done in 10 mins. No choice, otherwise will overrun. Therefore, I suppose it was quite rush. Fortunately, 1 grp only got 10 or 11 peeps, so it is still quite alright, as in lesser groups, so it's better and easier to know the names then orientation where groups can be as big as how many 41? haha, or 21 ? Yup! that was the introduction...

One regret was that i didn't go and play with my cowwies! I was thinking when do I need to go get the chairs to prepare for the main event! Thus, was like walk walk around, see every room, take a peek at how enthu the people are. Went to play big wind blow, should be blow wind blow ma, how can direct translate from chinese one ? haha, hmm quite quiet, but at least everyone is involved!

Headed to untung's room to play concentration! I personally love the game a lot a lot ! Even though when play long I will luan4 one, however, it is a fun fun game! For that little while, can see that the people know the name! Not bad wor! Heehee, okie, I played concentration first, before playing blow wind blow. In the middle of blow wind blow, I pullee Jun Yi to carry chairs and arrange them in rows of 4, with 7 chairs for each row. haha ~ thanks man! That was the preparation for the ensemble games. Haha till now still got the scared scared feeling that "what if they don`t find it nice?" Haha, anyway ...

They came down for the enseble games, about time too. Were late for about 10 mins. I am really really short! I need to stand on a chair to brief them! Haha! See i so ke lian. Anyway, told them the rules of the games. At first still thought it cannot be done, but wow! They did it! Haha! So shuang! Basically, the first game is the "name-game." People were to stand on the chairs, and arrange themselves according to their names, followed by height, followed by their birthdates. Eeee! cats cheat! At least for the height confirm they cheat! Then got the b'dae. Haha, i think they cheat too! Confirm la ~ not think ~ hahaha ~ eee ~ haha but think at this point of time, interaction is high high high ! haha ! yup ~

After that is the "chair game" as in, they have to move the chairs from 1 place to another place, the strategy of this is actually, hold your people close, move 2 chairs at once, situate them a far as possible. 2 person cross at a time, support each other. Ok la, they not as close YET, but well, they shocked me la! Their teamwork is better than i thought! Cows emerged as the winners fair and square! Without the help of Johanna, Dody and me lor, so unlike who ar? jk, cy, ut, and more ! Haha, anyway, Cows rox la! Motivated by the helpers whom is always cheering them on, haha, think they find the game fun! And played with spirit, with communication and all! Haha happy! Oh yah, after cows won, I still did something i wanted to do for a long time! You know when a soccer player scores, they can celebrate de ma, then last time, when security is not that high, they can walk to every front row spectators and like give them each a high 5! Haha, yup! That's what i did to the cowieees! Haha ~ heehee ~ woohoo ~~ was so high ~ hahaha ~ proud of them! Developed good mo qi so fast! Haha ~

Actually, by right, the next game should be human entanglement. But well, I sorta forgot, and we ended up playing dog and bone! However, thinking back, maybe this was a good thing too! Haha ~ cause the effect might not have been the same if the game was entanglement! Well all the games that we played, I personally like all of those games! hahahaha ~ :p yup~ so fun ma! and yah, dog and bone, cow and pig together, and cats and dogs together, well, 9 - 6 won by cats and dogs! Haha, anyway, all of them are champions! Champions! Champions! Haha, oh well, that's the end of the games. They were so high lor! So fun, enjoying themselves I suppose.

Said some words to them again. jk mentioned abt alhena. Haha, then i only said alhena rox wor! Then so many vega cheers liao -_-" diaox! Haha ~ but heng cut them off with the 3 cheers and 3 cheers and 3 cheers for guitar ensemble! Hip hip HOORAY ! Hip hip HOORAY ! Hip hip HOORAY! Hahaha! Yup, after that, went up to the room to settle things, then Mrs Choong was like asking the jc 1s to giv us a cheer. Haha all so quiet ~ lol ~ dotx ~ then heng got a guy lead the 3 cheers again ~ heehee ~ so yah lor ~ haha ~ i like the event that followed. I always wanted to lead this, well not that i didn't get to lead this before, in fact haha i think there's quite a lot of times that i done this in ncc and grp 6, haha ~ that is ..

give guitar ensemble 1 clap * give guitar ensemble 2 claps ** give guitar ensemble 11 claps ** *** **** ** Guitar ensemble! Well only 1 jc 1 shouted this with me! hahaha, so funny, that must be someone from ncc! I'm bias! Haha well, that sort of round up the stuff. Then the jc 1s came to hear us play once concerto! Haha, was like playing until very shuang! Haha! Jun Yi's og mate told him that she enjoyed it cause it was very fun! Haha hope all the jc 1s think this way, and this can be considered a great success!

Hopefully, ALL the jc 1s enjoyed themselves like i did! Hmm, I sincerely think they did! Thanks so so so much for the helpers whom spent their time devoting to this orientation, cause they have to sacrifice their time for practice u know.

Guitar Ensembl rox! I say we rox.. I say we rox . I say we rox rox rox rox rox ~ hahaha ~ :P woohoo ~ yippiee ~

* p r O m i S e * + m a D e a w i s H + @ 6:35 PM |

post orientation review..

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Well, I really think this orientation is a success from my point of view. The "aims" have fun, make more friends, and simply enjoy themselves," I have to say that they are all achieved! so well, it's definitely a success and a roaring start to their guitar career i hope.

Other than that, i really have to credit the helpers, mainly Iun Yi, Cheryl, Cheng Yao, Untung, David, Chee Kiat, Bibi, Dody, Johanna,, Eric and well Jun Kit. (but Jun Kit went there to play only la :p) Haha! Bleahx! Without them, this would definitely not succeed ~ So really, thanks guys! You were great!

Some evaluations about myself. Firstly, Mrs Choong say i speak too fast.
My reasons
1. there is a strich time limit of 1 hour to complete all the games.
2. haha i think i usually speak this fast.
3. i am a bit nervous u know!

Other than that, I am sometimes blur, very blur, and i also like sometimes, I don't know what I am talking about! Well, mainly cause i don't know very well the plans too! Okie la, main things i know, but i didn't prepare a script to say ma! Only prepare some good quotes i want to use! Haha! Bleahx! yup!

Hmmm, otherwise, haha well, I think other stuff is quite alright la!

It's been quite a long while since I never see the leader inside of me. However, it's good that I know it is still there! Haha I knew it! I can only lead juniors! Haha! Yah! Must be it! Heehee ~ I like juniors la. Cannot blame me! Haha, they make me feel younger and more sporty! Haha ~ really! :p heehee! Well, other than that, I think Ireally need to work on my communicaions. how could i use chinese? This is not cchs leh! Haha! Hmmm well, xi guan le hard to change le la yah. Finally can sleep tonight! Haha ~ rather pleased with myself today!

Heehee, think eventually will be able to know some juniors in the weekly wednesday sessions de ba! Haha, so should be fine. Haha. Hmm, hopefully they still know me lor! A hi or 2 while walking in the canteen would be great! Definitely will make my day! Heehee =>

post post orientation ..

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Well just wanna add another phrase.
"I won`t ask u people, if u enjoyed yourselves, neither will I ask whether u had fun, I won't ask if you found the games interesting, neither will i ask u if u got to know more people. This is due to that i know that you people had fun, you people found the games interesting, you people enjoyed yourself and you people definitely made more friends!"

Christmas Caroling 04

2005-05-02T08:43:00.000+08:00

Joy to the world… the Lord has come’…’

Yes! It’s the Christmas season and the guitar ensemble @ MJC is down at the All Saints’ Home and Happy Lodge, delivering the joy of Christmas to the residents.

A short performance, comprising of Christmas Carols and some all-time favourites like Over the Rainbow and Guan Huai Fang Shi was put up. Our worries that the residents would not enjoy the performance was put off by their enthusiasm as they started singing along and clapping the beats together with us. Seeing them smile gave us a great sense of satisfaction and assurance.

After the performance, it was time for interaction! It was also a time to show off how well we speak our very own dialect. As the saying goes, ‘old folks are like treasures to the society’. We attended a valuable lesson about life upon interacting with them. Their cheerfulness despite having to suffer so much was really commendable.

Cui Yan Ting 04S209

Hey! MJC Guitar Ensemble is so passionate about doing CIP! Haha! We did it a few days before Christmas k! It's fun singing to them, and chatted along with them. Some even had English education! Hmm, it's quite sad that they were inside there. Perhaps it is financial burden on the child, or perhaps, their child have no time for them, or perhaps it is that they though the home would be better for them? But I doubt so. They just can't be bothered! Boo! Anyway, ya, I realise I am bad at Chinese and English and thanks Yian Sin whom help me end off the performance! Haha! Peng!

TPJC guitar concert

2005-05-02T08:27:00.000+08:00

TPJC concert, sorry, but I would rate it as one of the lousiest concerts that I went.

Well, however, I think their conductor did a great job in moulding them from Silver to Gold for Syf 2005. Even though it means only sending their top 16 players. And yup, if I did not remember wrongly, they mentioned that their conductor bonded their members together, and gave them a new lease of hope. This reminds me of Mr Liauw! However, he's much more than that! He's inspiring, comical, and ever so motivating! ALways pushing us forward and never giving up on us! He too bonded the 42 of us together!

Some low points of the concert, it may be because of the bad aoustic the lecture theatre had. When the president is singing his composition, my ear drums nearly got blasted away! I kept hearing buzzing sound lor! Wow! However, I applaud his courage to sing in front of a concert! Cool!

Jacques Stotzem

2005-05-02T08:14:00.000+08:00

Yup, this is Jacques Stotzem! His concert rocks! We went there as helper to tear the tickets for Mr Liauw. It's quite fun actually, ushering people to their seats, wishing them a pleasant time watching the concert. Decked in a white long sleeve top and a black pants, and rightfully, it should be leather shoes. Ha! :p

His concert totally rocks! There was this piece, entitled Jungle, that really sounded as though you were in a jungle! The way he make use of his guitar, simply amazing! Full utilisation of resources!

And of course, at the end of the day, we took photos with Jacques Stotzem himself! He agreed without much hesitation! Cool! And observe, he had his hands on my shoulders! Absolutely putting on no Airs! Well, this is also because we were dressed in tickets tearers uniform and went to take a photo with him! Cool man this guy! Amazing!

October

2005-05-01T22:57:00.000+08:00

Nothing much was done on October. Basically, we were just busy mugging for our promos. After promos, was just practicing with Concerto.

Thoughts: Wah the first page of the score is freaking hard! I remembered we were at the first 8 bars for a period of time before we finally could proceed! Of course, the bar 26 gave guitar 5 a long while to rest and also learn the score further down. Haha! Never did i expect to be able to play concerto! Achievement xia!

Begin

2005-05-01T22:53:00.000+08:00

It was also during the chalet that the whole Ensemble heard Vivaldi. Or rather, those that were present heard the original soundtrack. Some have decided their parts on that fateful night. And that marked the start of Concerto. Was assigned to Guitar 5 as section leader. However, the everything was taught by Jun Yi. At this point of time, there were only Jun Yi, Charlene, Hiu yan and me in guitar 5

Chalet

2005-05-01T22:51:00.000+08:00

In the Sept Holidays, there's the chalet!

(sorry, just want to get everything done asap. will update stuffs and so on la.)

Paco Pena

2005-05-01T09:48:00.000+08:00

1 Sept. Paco Pena Concert

Well, this is a concert held in Esplanade, with high viewership. Perhaps it is because we were sitted too far away that we could not hear him, thus we found it "sian". Anyway, his style of music is those erm, Flamengo (spelling?) style.

Soijree'04

2005-05-01T09:42:00.000+08:00

Soijree 2004! The concert is at night, on the 30th of August. It's the first public performance that we will be giving to the whole school! Exciting! Thinking back, at this point of time, this is the only performance that we gave for the school! It's like so rare. Furthermore, we had to pass the auditions, and cut down on the songs we played.

Open house

2005-05-01T09:32:00.000+08:00

I have no idea what comes first, the open house or the Soijree, however, let's start with the open house.

Yup, this is the day whereby the roving people complained about the harshness of walking around with a guitar at their hands, singing it out to the dearest sec 4s whom may join us in the year 2005. Songs we sang during roving includes [Love is all around, Jian Dan Ai, Lemon Tree, Guan Huai Fang Shi]

Actually, it's quite fun, but seriously, it is extremely tiring! We were roving during timeslots allocated for us before heading back to the library at 2.30 and 4.30 for our performance!

I think the songs were played rather good and thus sounded nice! Cool!

The open house proved to be very meaningful for the Guitar Ensemble. As the pioneer batch of guitar members, we staged our first public ensemble performance in the library.

Among the songs played were familiar pieces like ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, ‘Yesterday’, as well as the Filipino love song, ‘Dahil Saiyo’.

We also displayed an array of movie theme songs such as ‘River Kawai’ from the 1957 war movie “Bridge on the River Kwai” and from the 1964 motion picture “Mary Poppins”, ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’.

Although there wasn’t a really huge crowd, the performance was greatly enjoyed, from the appreciative applauses and enthusiastic responses. Our weeks of hard-sweat preparation were not put to waste.

Another highlight was the roving performances. Standing at the foyer and corridors, we sang to the tunes of popular hits using our untrained but sincere voices. The results were pleasant.

All in all, the Guitar Ensemble did a splendid job in the open house, as everyone of us had put in our best to prepare for this major event.

To me, the sacrifice of time was more than worth it.

At the end of the day, no blisters on our fingers could keep away the smiles off our faces as the entire school joined in chorus the new school anthem, “Vision to be the Best”. Spirits were high, which only brought the entire ensemble one step closer to unity.

Tired as we might have been, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves during this memorable day.

“Three Cheers for Guitar Ensemble!”

Jonathan, 04S305

June & July 04

2005-05-01T09:23:00.000+08:00

Well, if I'm not wrong, during June, Mr Ng did not want to have much practices as mid year examinations are coming. Therefore, there was not much guitar happenings. The same goes for July. Haha! Perhaps it is just me forgetting everything!

VJC guitar concert

2005-05-01T00:22:00.000+08:00

Well, I cannot recall any events that happened during May 2004. The only thing that I have with me now is the VJC guitar concert ticket dated 29th May 2004.

I remembered there was the Mario Solo that really enticed me! That guy was so brave! Furthermore, he played it with style! It captivated the audiences and it sounded really as though we were playing the game! Their SYF piece was also outstanding, explaining why they deserve the GOLD on year 2003.

TJC guitar concert

2005-04-30T20:49:00.000+08:00

The first guitar concert that I visited was Temasek Guitar concert. And they actually played the song "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" before! It's on the 30th April 04.

Their president, Ryan Kong, was a good friend of my brother somemore. Remembered him always smiling throughout the concert! Cool! It's hard to keep smiling all the time, furthermore, it's a concert!

Thanks Sharon for the Pic. That's Ryan(Right). Someone with numerous positive traits! Cheers! The left guy is none other than Mr Liauw!

They were also one of the few schools whom got the Gold in the year 2003. Looks like they got the Wow Factor!

Commitee at work!

2005-04-30T17:26:00.000+08:00

Well, the first task given to us was to come up with a guitar T-shirt, a collar pin, we even came up with designs of a guitar pick! Both the guitar pick and the collar pin did not materialise. However, the guitar Tee was definitely a work of art and I suppose I'm not wrong to say that we are all proud of the Guitar Tee. It is something that represents us! Furthermore, it is definitely one of the nicest around in MJC! Or rather, through all the JCs! No doubt about that! We had skillful designers like Charlene and Shu Yan to make sure of that!

Isn't the guitar Tee just nice!

Here's the "rejects"

See! Even the rejects are so beautiful! Look at the artists of Guitar Ensemble!

Commitee Rally

2005-04-30T16:51:00.000+08:00

The commitee rally for Guitar Ensemble of Merdian came before many other CCAs. Reason being, we did not need to wait for our seniors to step as apparantly, we are the pioneer batch of guitarists that manage to survive every ordeal!

On that very fateful day, I did not have a speech in hand. It was impromtu, even though I did think of some points to say, and some points to take note. There was no rehearsal or whatsoever. There were 11 spots chased after by 15 members. I realised my speech was rather irrelevant after the council election, because the things that I said are not saying how I will help benefit the CCA, but is like a form of self introduction. Only 1 sentence is relevant:"Together, let's scale Guitar to greater height." Haha! I mention I was from NCC and council, and I remembered Ci Yuan was from NCC and Council too, similarly, We were both staff sgt. as well as Com. in Council. Such a coincidence! Well, anyway, I suppose my plentiful hand gestures did help me in one way or another, whether it was to attract attention or to show that I am confident of myself, or if that was just to help me keep calm. I managed to squeeze through the rally. Another reason could be that, I was the only one placing "Secretary" as first choice option. The other was Mei Jie, who placed it in second choice option. [I do have good memory!]

Thoughts: I'm very grateful to be elected as this open up a brand new chapter of my life and made staying in guitar more memorable and fruitful. Come to think of it, it is even more prestigious than being a staff sgt. and council com. There are only 14 guitar secretarists in the whole of Singapore in that year, the number may even be 13! However, there are so many hundreds of staff sgts, and council people around! Being the secretary also gave me valuable insights on stuff and allowed me to continue taking up leadership positions. I gained lotsa experience working with the commitee too. I was taught many valuable skills, eg. how to type a note of meeting even before PW taught us! This is also one reason why guitar mean so much to me, and also, why I was so attached to guitar, why I adore guitar so much, why I was so enthu about it. Thanks for giving me this opportunity, and I really treasure it!

The commitee members are:
Chair -- Jun Kit
Vice Chair -- Cheryl
Secretary -- Han Zhong
Treasurer -- Bibi
Student conductors -- Johanna
-- David
Quarter master -- Jonathan
Quarter mistress -- Fazlinda
Publicity Head -- Mei Jie
Section Leader -- Dody

There's some stuff that I had to do immediately after being appointed. That was to type out the Note of meeting on that day, the commitee contact list, plan the relay system, the particulars of members, etc. Subsequently, I need to find out the birthdays from every single one of you, and type out all notes of meetings. Other than that, it is actually quite an easy task. Oh yah, not forgetting need to set up music stand for Mr Liauw, and occasionally help the chairs do some stuff when both of them have something on, which is rare. However, all these are enjoyable and fun! Haha!

First guitar performance

2005-04-30T16:39:00.000+08:00

Well, this was after the first 3 months, I suppose. Guitar was to perform an opening act for English Drama. We played Yesterday and Dahil Saiyo. It was out in the open "balcony" of MJC. The principals came to support Drama of course, however, it is inevitable of them not to watch the Guitar Performance if we were the opening act. I don't suppose I have any pictures of this performance though.

Thoughts: I think I did not play that well, even though those were relative easy songs. The panic factor had always been there. However, I suppose the overall feel is not that bad!

That was the first exposure to MJC students and teachers telling them that MJC guitar ensemble is around!

Recruitment and Orientation for second intake

2005-04-30T09:21:00.000+08:00

Recruitment

Yup, a particulars list, and a table was all we had for recruitment. However, with the enthusism of the people, always going around and pulling people to our booth, enticing them with a small and soft guitar "performance", we managed to rope in 50 odd members. Mr Ng is so proud of us that he gave us the very first treat--> Swensen! Inside Swensen, I remember meeting Johanna, Mei Jie and Rebecca. Rebecca I remembered because she was a former guitarist in her Sec School. Mei Jie cause she was the publicity of Library in her former school, Johanna was just that "What, you mean you did not know her throughout the first 3 months?" Haha! Anyway, Mr Ng already like to split the cliques up and have them sit at different corners! Haha!

Orientation
As I stayed on, there was this privllege to "run" the second orientation. I suppose I took part in it because people like Cheryl and Jun Kit are sort of in charge for it. (Ya, they already harbour thoughts of vice president at this point of time. Haha! Yah, Vice pres, neither wanted to be Chair.) Well, all I remember was that we played a running and chasing game, and the person that I could remember running the most was actually Elaine Toh! Frankly speaking, I doubt that it is a good game for interaction and ice breaking because not everyone could be part of it. (As in not everyone was "tagged") So it may be boring for some. However, It exposed me to more people, and well, that was the start with the current batch of Guitar Ensemble members whom rock my life!

Thoughts at this point of time was that actually, guitar members already have passion for guitar. Throughout the recruitment, the commitment for guitar could already be seen. Started to look at guitar in a different light after orientation. It may not be my cup of tea, however, the people are worth making friends with!

Life in the first 3 months

2005-04-30T09:02:00.000+08:00

I can't remember much about this though. I remembered this guy, (I think his name was Sameul), and he set up the first guitar webby for us. However, frankly speaking, I did not have a good impression of him. This is because I find that he only communicate with the girls and not exactly interested in making friends with the male counterparts. Haha, anyway, I don't remember joining the webby though. I realise why I did not know Li Jun, Rebecca, Johanna, etc. because they were in Group A! However, I don't exactly remember talking to Dody, Mei Jie, Jonathan, etc. Well, guess there's this anti social personality inside of me whenever I start on something new. Anyway, the first 3 months passed like a breeze.

Songs that we learnt then was Kojo No Tsuki, Polka, Munchen Polka, Stand by me, Etc.

Thoughts at this point of time. It's quite boring. The Conductor, Mr Liauw, was going at a very fast rate that people like me, who could not read scores, are struggling to catch up. Fortunately, there's Jun Yi who is always willing to teach me the fingerings to play for the song. There was no bonds, and very slight interactions. At this point of time, the people I knew in guitar did not increase at all. It's quite pathetic.

Beginning of my Guitar career

2005-04-29T21:55:00.000+08:00

Well, it started out with Jun Yi, Jun Kit and I sitting outside the General Office, waiting for the very first lesson of guitar to commence.

It was then Vincent introduced to us Bibi and Cheryl, who happened to be joining guitar too! Thus, there was the self intro part. I don't quite remember though, but I think it was ZZ who introduced us to one another. Haha!

That kicked start to my 2 years career in guitar. The very first lesson was actually a briefing conducted by our one and only Mr Ng! Did I remember wrongly or did he actually played a song for us? Or was it some other time? He played romance right? Cool huh! I mean, How many CCA teachers actually know their cca till they can play it so well? I will say not many. I suppose there was no orientation for us. It was some self introduction, name and school, etc. Was assigned to group B, naturally, since I had absolutely no music history or music background. (My father played in the SAF band though!) Well, from then on, I began to embark on this pleasant journey.

Thoughts at this point of time was that, guitar people aren't friendly. Well, at least no one bothered to really make "new" friends. Therefore, was quite bored actually. The first lesson passed so slowly. Jun Kit, Jun Yi, and I even went to Mr Liauw's shop twice to have a look at the guitars, before finally deciding on the $199 guitar! It just looks much much better then the rest.