Promanade is fun!

Yesterday I was busy preparing for my promanade night, and so did not have the luxury of time to post anything on my blog. So here I am now giving readers a description of the wonderful night I had. Well, at least some parts of it.

I was one of the first few to arrive at the Pan Pacific hotel, the venue for the prom. That was around seven, and the doors to the ballroom would only open at 7:45. So I just lingered outside and enjoyed my friends' company and also the cocktail party. (If coke, F&N orange and sprite can be considered cocktail, since most of us were still quite young.) We took a couple of pictures and caught up with each other.

Finally, at 7:55, we could eventually enter the ballroom. After taking our seats, the emcee gave his opening words. In my opinion, the guy should seriously consider changing jobs. He was totally unengaging and the people were not listening to him most of the time. Perhaps the batch is a difficult one to handle and the emcee should not hold all the blame, but he really was a tad bit too pathetic.

Anyway, the first course arrived shortly after that and my table dug straight in for we were all terribly hungry. Soon, it was time for the nominations of the prom king and queen. The nominees were nonsensical and mediocre. This was because their friends wanted to make a fool out of most of them. There was a hillarious part where a guy was nominated to be prom queen! Too bad I wasn't nominated or I would have won! Haha!

The night continued with more foor, games, laughter and lameness from the emcee. But what really turned me off for the night were the performances. Instead of having it civilised, the organisers got our own students to perform! Hence, the items turned out to be neanthethalic and downright distasteful. I have previouly expressed my great dislike and objections to such noisy and awful music, and yesterday was a classic example of such rubbish. I got annoyed and frustrated, and so did a few other people. I decided to give them face by staying, but some other not so tolerent ones went out of the ballroom for the duration of the performance. Sigh!

On a happier note, the rest of the event was pretty much enjoyable. It's a great pity that I didn't win any lucky draws. There were such good prizes! Most of the girls were so unrecognisable behind thei thick make-up, and they looked fabulous. One of the highlights of the evening was that I managed to take pictures with many of the beauties! Once I find out how to upload the photos from my phone to the computer, than I'll let all of you see the shots.

On the whole, the food was borderline meeting expectations. I was hoping for better, but that was another disappointment. The best part was being able to meet up with classmates again. It wasn't a perfect night, but it was definately a memoriable one! Cheers!

We are the Ohs!

The family is of utmost importance. They provide a crucial foundation in everyone's life. Parents are so essential to children for them to survive. They are a source of protection, sustanance, love and company. Without them, a child is unlikely to live. I am utterly fortunate to have such a wonderful and loving family consisting of my father, mother and sister. I would never ever ask for another family other than the one that I have been blessed with so richly. They all mean so much to me!

I am the youngest in the family. My sister, who is nineteen is but ten months older than me. If I were born one month earlier, I would have been the same age as her! The reason for our slight age gap is because, number one, I was an 'accident', and number two, I was two months prematurely borned. That means that both my sister and I are extremely close, unlike some siblings who are so far apart in age. Since time imemorial, we have always been sharing the same interests; we both played with Lego toys together, and have the same liking for computer games and music. Some people even thought we were twins, because we looked so alike in our young and innocent days. Up till now we are still very common in a lot of ways. I will make sure her future husband is a good man! Haha! She is so dear to me.

Then there are my amazing and cool parents. They are the neatest and most loving folks I know! Of course there have been a lot of disputes between us, and my sister too, but that is part and parcel of family life. We settle our differences very quickly and forget them just as quickly. I think sometimes they pamper me too much and sometimes I get spoilt and demand too much, but the good thing is that we realise it and we change for the better. There is nothing disfunctional about my parents at all. They love each other very much and they love my sister and I dearly too! How lucky I feel everyday of my life!

My family will always stick together through thick and thin. We will definately protect each other in adverse situations and never forsake one another. We will cherise each other all the time. Together, we will pull through everything, for we have already gone this far and we aill get further still! Bravo to the Oh family! Cheers!

Please, stop the grunting!

Lately, after noticing that I have been slowly but surely getting rounder around the corners, I made the resolution of attaining a better healthier me! Hurray! So for the past few weeks I have made much concious effort to go down to my condominium gymnasium and excercise for at least one hour, trice or four times a week. The equipment there is more than adequate for myself, since I would just be riding the bicycle most of the time. (I cannot do the treadmill because of my medical condition).

Not half an hour ago I just returned from another strenuous day at the gym. I experienced something that I just have to put up on my blog. This is more of an appeal to those people who are avid weightlifters.

While I was about twenty minutes into my bicycling, and listening to Rachmaninoff's third Piano Concerto on my hand phone's MP3, I suddenly heard a thunderous grunt booming from the back. Obviously I got quite a big shock! This grunt was superceeded by another louder one, and then another, subsequent grunts following a crescendo.

To give readers an estimate of the apocalyptic amplitude of the sound waves rivabrating through the gym, I will mention that my music was played very loudly and up till then I could not hear anything else. The purpose of the loud music was because I had previously been traumatised by other grunters and so have learned my lesson.

Until just now when I have met the king of grunters.

Seriously speaking, I don't even see the minutest point of grunting while training. Why? When I do weights, my whole body is so tensed up that I cannot even summon enough remaining strenght to let out a squeak, let alone grunt.

Dosen't it seem a tad bit inconsiderate?

I sincerely hope that I do not meet such horribly loud people in the future anymore. That guy who grunted, I later found out that he was merely a guest in this condominium from the guest book. I hope that he dose not come anymore. I really cannot stand such things!

For my last words, I'll like to brighten myself up. So to Jason Oh, cheers!

Reading and writing is fun!

To tell everybody the truth, when I was young, I didn't like the English language much. I found reading and writing a chore. My mother had to sit me down beside her and read with me. If not, the most advanced books I would have read would be the Peter And Jane series. Our first book together was The Giraffe, The Pelican And Me. Still, even with all of my mother's efforts in getting me to pick up reading, we never finished the book. Of course my English suffered terribly under my inddiference. And it didn't help that I also found writing burdensome. Somehow or another, I still managed to get and A for my Primary School Leaving Examination. Man was I surprised!

Then I entered secondary school and got to know a few new friends who spoke and write well, and who read much. Under their company for just a mere one year, they influenced me to pick up these hobbies. And I'm glad to say that since then, my efficientcy at the English language has improved by leaps and bounds. Hurray! My English teachers were also very encouraging and instilled in me a great liking for the language.

By the end of my secondary school life, I got an A1 for English! Haha!

Now that I am so free, I read and write more substantially; hence the reason for me to start this blog. I am also planning to write a book about my life in my secondary school and hope to one day get it published. So if you do see my book on the shelves one day, please support me and buy a copy. I'll try and add substance to the book and make it as interesting as possible.

So for now, cheers!

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is just around the corner, and it always make me feel all warma and fuzzy inside! Haha! I hope to get many presents this year and I will also try to give away as many presents too.

It's really a season to be jolly! Christ was born! Yay!

I'm planning a Christmas party this year because I want to enjoy myself as much as possible before I enter the army. I'll invite friends and relatives and we will enjoy each other's company. I will be cooking my own meals too! (Not to be cocky, but my cooking is quite good.)

Christmas truly is one of my favourite times of the year. I will always enjoy Christmas and remember its true meaning.It is the day that Christ was born into the world. Yay!

Furthermore, Christmas carols are one of the nicest hymns to sing! They sound wonderful and the words are just so loaded with meaning and they touch me utterly!

To everybody out there, merry Christmas! Cheers!

Army, here I come!

Soon, I would have to enter the army. That 'soon', to be more precise, is the 26th of January 2007.

Initially, I was totally against the army. I heard so many horrible things about it and also many people shared the same sentiments with me. There were many death cases and I heard rumors that many more were secretly covered up! What utter and deep hate I felt towards the SAF then!

But many instances occured that caused me not to loath the army and entering it.

Firstly, after I had my medical checkup, my physical ranking was given a PES C2L2, meaning that I do not have to do any marching or running. Yay! Or at least I hope the officers do not abuse me and make me do things that I really am unable to do. Sigh! I'll be sure to complain a lot if such occurances happen.

Secondly, my posting date is after my birthday, which falls on the 20th of January. Hence I will be able to celebrate my 19th birthday before I enter the army. Presently, I have already started to plan a birthday party for myself! Haha! It would be horrible and unthinkable to have to celebrate my birthday in army camp doing tons and tons of strenuous physical activities. Thank goodness!

And lastly, I figured that rumors may just be rumors and not true. Deaths are definately inevitable, especially in such a dangerous environment. What I would just have to do is to follow instuctions with much precision and also take much care and precission. Furthermore, all my friends whom I know who are either in the army or already have finished his two years seem to be fine and sane. Although some are a tad bit unhappy with the severe inflexibilities.

All in all, I'll just take things in my stride and soon before I know it, it'll all be over! Gone for good!

In the meantime, I'll enjoy myself as much as possible before that day where my freedom is robbed of me. I would gladly accept any advice on how to survive in the army! Cheers!

A tribute to Chopin!

Chopin has always been one of my favourite composers, but this has not always been the case. It was only after I watched the movie 'The Pianist' that I realised the genius of Chopin. I was especially intrigued by the Ballade in G minor that was featured in the show. The Grand Polonaise during the credits also opened my eyes greatly. The show was absolutely captivating and the emphasis on Chopin was well placed. After the show, I got the score to the Ballade and learned the song, and discovered his other three Ballades in the process! How excited I felt! It was also the song which I got the amazing opportunity of performing at the Esplanade Recital Studio. Even though I have practised it for months on end, I never grow tired of it, nor do I ever grow tired of listening or playing any of Chopins works. (The recordings must be of a certain standard of course)

Personally, I find that Chopin is the epitome of Romantic composers, his compositions truly masterful and well structured. His Sonatas are a force to be reckoned with; I particularly love the recording of legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz performing the second Sonata in the White House.

There is also a brilliant recording on YouTube of the four ballade played by renowned pianist Zimmerman. Man was it outstanding. All the rich textures and colours present in the way Chopin writes his music and masterfully brought out by Zimmerman. One day I hope to have a recital of my own which includes the four Ballades.

Although some critics may put down Chopin's piano Concertos as 'might as well have been piano solos', I strongly beg to differ. He may not be Rachmaninoff when it comes to piano Concertos, but still there is so much depth and genius in them.

On top of everything else, I also fancy his Impromptus, Murzukas and Etudes. When it comes to piano, Chopin is truly the most prolific person. No wonder many professionals I know speciallise in his works, because it is just simply so worth it!

Cheers!

Music is my passion!

As the title states, music is indeed my passion. This post will tell readers a little bit of myself and the liking for the piano.

Since I was seven, I started learning the piano. I did not really enjoy it that much initially and thought of quiting learning somewhere in the earlier grades. But I hung in there mostly due to my extremely supportive and kind teacher who never once beat my fingers and such like that, and also because I was doing pretty well. For grades one and two, I managed to attain distinctions and then went on to skip grade three from my teachers recomendation. However, it wasn't always smooth sailing. My teacher left the music school around my grade five year and I had to adapt to a new teacher, who took sick leave every other week. This had an adverse effect on myself and I wasn't progressing very much.

This, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for one of the relief teachers, I noticed was exceptionally good at teaching and tallented. So I requested to be transferred to her tutorship and got it!

It turned out that she was a new teacher who came from Malaysia and just a few years back got into the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music! Wow! She emerged with a first class honours. Even though she was offered to do her masters, she declined it as she was eager to enter the real world and teach to earn some money. I think she was also eager to get married! Haha!

Still, when I was fifteen years old, I think, and doing my grade seven, I suddenly found piano a great chore and lost almost all my interest. Practising became a burden and I almost gave up.

I ended up getting a merit for my grade seven examinations. Not bad really, considering my attitude.

Something inspired me then, I cannot recall what, and I found new love for the instrument. Hence, I started putting in a lot of effort and picked up songs beyond my grade such as Beethoven's Moonlight and Appasionata Sonata and Chopin's Ballade in G minor. And just this year, I am eighteen now, I got my DipABRSM, a diploma for pianoforte performances. I would have continued and persue my LRSM, a higher diploma, but too bad I have to enter the army soon; the twenty-sixth of January to be more precise.

So that is my voyage of learning piano. I hope this gives some of you out there support in never giving up whatever you want to achieve.

Before I end, I will want to say that my love for music stops only at classical. I in no way advocate pop, rock and what not. On the contrary, I find such music distasteful and not really music at all.

So good day and I will be posting another post soon and of course my promised picture! Cheers!

I'm so glad 'A' Levels are over!

Yay! Finally the dreaded 'A's are gone forever! Or at least I hope. Haha! If I did badly, which I doubt it, then it's back to mugging again. Sigh!

Seriously, I have never studied so hard in my entire life! The 'O' Levels were nothing compared to it. Even though I left myself with three subjects, Physics, Mathematics and Economics (I dropped Chemistry), it was still terribly tough.

My hope is to get three As and an A1 in General Paper. Haha! I know, it is also everybody's dream. You see, my sister got three As and an A2 in General Paper, and I just have to do better than her. After that, I will try to get into Law at the National University of Singapore. Once again my sister tried to get there but failed and hence I want to be able to do something that she did not manage to do.

It's not that I don't get along well with my sister, in fact, we hardly ever quarrel and I love her very much, but I just treat her as a strong competition and a benchmark to exceed.

That being said, I shall now enjoy myself very much and do things that I didn't have the time to do previously, such as creating this blog.

Please drop me your personal quotes and visit my blog often.

I will try my best to update this blog frequently. Also, very soon the world will know how I look like as I will be posting a picture of myself.

Cheers!