No Time for Losers...

I am officially on cloud nine today. This afternoon I got a pleasant surprise in the mail: NUS has accepted me into its nursing course :):) Totally ecstatic about it, after all it's another stepping stone to my becoming a paediatric nurse. Feeling very excited about school now, especially since boredom has finally started to fill my days. I have resorted to doing crossword puzzles, which turned out to be rather fun actually. But I digress. I'm just so relieved to have made it cos I was the teensiest bit afraid that my BBC would not be enough. I hope Enru got in too, then at least I'll have a friend on the first day. Once again, Wooohooo!

But wait, that's not all. The day just keeps getting better...

SAJC ruggers are finally champions! After so many years of always getting third, they finally beat their biggest nemesis, RJC. I think it was the Hakka dance that won it for them this year =) Even though RJ fought hard it just wasn't enough to beat the Saints. They were awesome, they had good teamwork and never gave up. Score was 15 to 10. RJ got an early lead but the Saints probably prayed hard during half time and they did it. 2 tries and a conversion during the second half! I screamed so much for them that my throat is kinda hoarse now but it was well worth the effort. Though I wish it was the ruggers in my batch that won the cup. Oh well, better late than never.


...cos we are the Champions!

Sole Survivor

ARAS WON! I'm extremely satisfied about the way things turned out cos Terry didn't win and Aras did. However I was disappointed that Cirie, whom I initially hated, did not make it to the final 2 all because she lost a tie-breaker challenge to Danielle. She's a smart woman, that Cirie... At least she won the car. So yay!

I think this season of Survivor is the best yet as the twists really kept me on the edge of my seat. Plus each tribal council was so nerve-wracking cos I was always worried that Aras would be voted out. But thanks to some brilliant strategic moves, mostly orchestrated by Cirie, all of Terry's attempts to get allies and to get Aras out were foiled time and again. HAH.

I don't think for even one nanosecond that the game of Survivor is fair so it's always interesting to see the underdog/worst-candidate-to-win strategise their way through. And that's why I love Survivor.

Outwit, outplay, outlast.

EDIT(17/05): I forgot to mention the other reason why Survivor is one of my favourite shows. It's because of Jeff. He's the best host I've seen by far, he's very intuitive and asks great questions. FYI, he only gets the gist of what's happening around camp so his questions aren't scripted or whatever, he comes up with them there and then. Plus he sometimes helps the competitors he likes who are usually the ones I like. I know it's being biased and a good host isn't supposed to be, but I like how he incorporates his his tips into his commentary during challenges. Anyway I don't think many of them pay attention to him while fighting for Reward or Immunity but they should. Survivor wouldn't be Survivor without Jeff Probst; he's just too good.

"If I were judged on my intentions, I would be President of the Planet! But we judge people by their actions..." - Shane, Survivor: Exile Island. [I think this is brilliant]

Where Musical Excellence Precedes to Another Level

Saints Ascencio! was on last Friday and it was really special for me because I've finally heard the band play. I know, I know, it's embarrassing to say that I have never attended any SA Band concert but during my secondary school days, all I knew was TK Band and Outdoor Display Band Competitions cos no one bothered to introduce concert bands to us. So I assume all is forgiven, yes?

Back to SAJC. I found the airplane concept rather unique; I mean how many schools make you try to believe that the concert venue is a freakin' aeroplane? The music was good (to me) and I thoroughly enjoyed most of the pieces, though one or two of them did not move me as much as I thought they would. When I attended band concerts in the past, there were times when I felt like sleeping but this time it was different. I think that knowing most of the performers helped keep me awake and the batch mates were great company. Gimmicks were just alright though.

I feel so proud of my dear clarinet section cos they FINALLY have the numbers to be heard loud and clear, for most parts. Well done!

*****

I think now is the appropriate time to share with the world my time with SAJC Band. I learnt much during those 2 short but eventful years and I don't regret it one bit. Of course there were bad times, but since it's all over now, I choose to dwell on the good.

One of the biggest lessons I gained from my time as a band member was to fight for what you believe in. And boy, did the band fight! From overnighting in school to how things should be run. I never had the courage to go against authority before except for those few impulsive moments and I got scolded for doing so. Hence cowardice soon conquered me and I just went along with whatever the higher-ups told me to do. But after seeing how badly people fought for what they wanted and never backing down, I desire to be like that. Someday, I will be.

I also believe band is the ultimate form of teamwork. Everyone plays a part to contribute to a greater goal and I quickly grasped the fact that every single person had to get their parts right. However, melding them together to make music was another thing altogether. Cooperation was key and I have to say, we did it rather well. Oh, we had our problems but when it came down to the wire, we always managed to pull ourselves together and do a great job. Just remember 050505 whenever you're in doubt of accomplishing something.

The people in band are also some of the most hardworking, passionate and determined people I have ever met. That does NOT mean that BandGeeks are well, geeks; on the contrary in fact. We knew how to have fun but we also knew when to get down to work. Almost every single day you'd see people practising till late in the evening and often we'd have morning-to-evening band pracs that were exhausting. That covers the hardworking and passionate part. Determination came in the form of people transferring to other sections and learning to play other instruments well. Kudos to Andre, Addison, Yaofeng, Jeslyn and Kumar for doing a good job. (Er if I missed anyone, I'm sorry! I'm very tired now.) Because of them, I have learnt not to shy away in the face of difficulty.

As for my experiences, I enjoyed every single one of them. On second thoughts, I hated the scoldings but I guess they were necessary cos our band was in major trouble at the time. But, as I said earlier, I prefer to reminisce about happier times, like the oh-so-awesome musical and SYF. I'd like to believe we blew everyone away during our performances and made even non-band people appreciate music more.

I know I sure do after my two years.

Up and On!

You-Know-Who Strikes. Again.

So the SAJC Band Concert date has been changed to Friday. While it doesn't affect me, it does mean that many won't be able to make it, i.e the army guys and people who are working. The rationale the band got was that 6th May is polling day and because it's a national event the concert has to be pushed forward to Friday so that people can vote. I don't think that's a valid reason at all, really.

Let me get something straight first before I whine some more about the unfairness of it all. I'm not griping about the change of date; if there was a very good excuse I'm sure people would understand. I'm complaining about the REASON given for the change. Yes I know polling day is important but polling is from 8am to 8pm and the concert starts at 7.30pm! Surely adults who really want to watch the concert can vote earlier. Secondly, according to some reliable sources, Hwa Chong and the SSO (or maybe it's SYO) are still having their concerts on Saturday, so why can't we? Furthermore, I should think more than half the people coming for the concert are not even old enough to vote. SO WHY CHANGE THE DATE? What if the band members don't manage to sell all the tickets? A concert that was probably sold out initially would have empty seats in the audience. I'm not saying there shouldn't be even one empty seat but it just feels good to see a full house for any performance.

Ah, what's done is done but this is injustice, I tell you.