Where do we go from here?

It is interesting how different people view the same thing from different perspective...

And also just as interesting, is how time can change a person's views and opinion about the same object/subject matter.

As stated in my titled-frame, i'm feeling a little "lost" recently, when it comes to the various issues concerning Genus, Expose, Masak. How so? Let's see:

GENUS - undergoing 'surgery' at the moment. Just lost a conductor, and now desparately searching for a better replacement. I guess many people are also feeling uneasy during this time, not knowing who is going to step into those big shoes, and will things turn out same, better or worse than in Dom's time.

The japan trip is also another headache (at least as far as Genus practices is concerned). Firstly, it comes at a time when we're without a conductor. Ok, now at least there's Raj holding the reins, but there're still people who arent coming for the japan practices (esp. the weekday ones, i've heard) for whatever reason. So those who do attend feel bek-chek...
The Japan trip also effectively divided the Genus into the "going" and the "not-going", and to those not-going's, it's extremely difficult to garner any support (in the form of attendance) or enthusiasm when they want to officially kick-start Genus new semester practices.

EXPOSE - this "cancerous" cell is also heading towards an unknown future. On one hand, the group initiator Owls continues to declare that it is only just another Genus small group. That being the case, the group will only get to perform that 1 to 2 songs in the Genus annual concert. While he may be perfectly happy about this, I for one (and i know there're others who think like me too) will not be too satisfied about this outcome.
If it's just another small group that's putting up 1 to 2 songs in next year's concert, then why do we need to practice week after week? Is it to accomodate and to wait for those weaker players, who cant really play the scores? There's even been talk about inducting more members into this group... which in my opinion, would simply accelerate the transformation of the group into another Genus (ok.. maybe "Genus PO". Ironic isnt it? )

I just cannot help but feel that the meeting we had that fateful Saturday morning (to talk about Dom, and about the future of Expose) was a "turning point". I remember Barber and i having the long chat the night before. The 2 of us were really "fired up" then. We talked about future plans and prospects, about forming an ex-co, about marketing ideas, responsibilities...
*Remember that time, Barber? :) *

Well, as it turned out, all that became unnecessary, since the group subsequently decided to take the easy way out. Yep... remain as a small group in Genus, and things would remain simple. No ex-co needed, no meetings, no responsibilities, no auditions, if conductor not happy, just don't play lor... But alas! That also means no strong group identity (and the related sense of belonging and pride of playing in a really SOLID mini-ensemble) and limited performing opportunities...

Of course, detractors would say, "aiyah.. sure cannot one lah.. in the first place, we don't even know if CFA would have allowed this. " True. Now we'll NEVER know :P

MASAK - i can only say i feel more than a little sad that Masak has taken the role of the "fall guy" in these turbulent times. In the sense that, while Genus goes through a challenging time, and with the japan trip and the EXPOSE practices all fighting for precious time and resources from the participants, the resulting stress has led to Masak having almost no time to meet up and to practice now. And unless things change significantly, little incentive and less and less urge to do so in the future as well.

Frankly, i do not put the 'blame' on anyone (not that there's any 'blame' to begin with in the 1st place). The issue remains that same as it's alway been - that the group NEEDS that someone to step up and take the lead. While I agree (in part) with Owls that having new group repertoire is important, i feel that even more importantly, we are LACKING someone who's willing to step up and say " Masak practice this week - day-time-".

*How would i know? I know becos for 2 weeks, i didnt bother to send out any reminders/sms to my group members in Guitaresque. So very naturally, we simply didnt have practice for 2 weeks! Nobodybothered to ask "how come". And why should they? :) It was simply assumed that since the usual "task-master" didnt send out the "call", it was 'day off'! :P

I guess the people who were the more likely candidates to do this for Masak are currently too tied up with Genus & Expose issues mentioned above.... and who can 'blame' them? Having Japan practices and Expose practices together on a day is already taking up so much time and energy.. how to accomodate time for Masak right?

So where do we go from here?

Only time will tell...

Eat with your family day

Yay! today is "Eat with your family day"!!

So i get to knock off work one hour earlier - at 5 pm!! Yay!

But the silly thing about this nation-wide initiative is that not all companies practice it, and even they do, it may not be on the same day. So even though the husband knocks off work early, he wont be able to have dinner with his wife unless her company happens to release their staff early too (or vice versa).

Poor kuja... got to work till 7pm today. Guess i'll be hanging around the shopping arcades again, while waiting for her.

Great Singapore Sale 1st day today. Hmm...

The Great Singapore Sale is coming again!!!

It's that time of the year. Woo-hoo!!

And this time, i know what i'm getting for myself. :)

Some guys are simply hopeless (Part II)

I am speechless...
I just received another email notifying me that i got credited with 600 bucks!

Got money should be happy right? Hardly... that's becos the money (if they're actually credited it into my bank acct. I havent checked), isn't supposed to be mine! It belongs to u-knoe-who...
Somehow, either this guys is soooo bloody rich that he doesnt care not getting paid for his work, or he's so damn bloody lazy and idiotic that he STILL hasnt activated his GeBIZ account.

Anyway, i'm determined NOT to pay taxes for money which i obviously didnt earn. So, i've decided to send the bloody fool an email ultimatum. Come look for me to get your $$ (less taxes of cos! ) NOW , or forever keep your silence, and i shall happily oblige to spend it for you. All too tempting...

Can't say i didnt give chance hor!

Friends ( Part II )

I think friends need a REASON to keep in touch.

Think about it, all those people (excluding immediate family members lah!) who we come into contact regular these days:

1) colleagues – reason? Work lah! Have to meet up everyday at work what… so will definitely keep in close contact. Until one or both leave the company… then..

2) friends from interest groups – in my case, it’s the passion for classical guitar music-making. So I’m actively involved in several guitar groups - teaching & conducting in some, and playing as a performer in others. This presents a very strong reason for me to keep in touch with these groups of friends, several whom I can relate to as close personal friends.

Other people may have friends in sporting activities (e.g. soccer, basketball buddies), or through their community clubs and classes (e.g cooking class, dance class, etc. )

3) friends from past associations – most commonly, these are old classmates, either from your Primary, Secondary, JC, or University periods. For me, I’ve almost completely lost touch with my Primary/Secondary school friends, save those who are unfortunate enuff to become my JC/Uni mates as well. (hahaah!). I’m lucky to have this group of mates who went through Sec/JC together, and even though we weren’t studying the same courses in Uni (in fact, some weren’t even in S’pore for their varsity years), we remain a very closely-knit group. Must be becos we sort of share the same “interests” lah.. hahahaha

These also includes ex-colleagues, army friends, ex-spouses/bf/gf, old pets.. etc.
4) friends from religious groupings – obviously not for me. I’m guess it’s just “not time for me” yet, so I haven’t seen the light…*ahem*

Others may have found their true calling, and their true love in their religious groups. Churches, temples, mosque… hmm..

So the moral of my piece is…? Actually nothing :P

No lah, seriously, I believe that in order for us to keep a relationship “alive”, and not let it fade into the mist of time, we have first gotta to recognize what is this REASON that this relationship was based on in the first place. Cos once this REASON is gone, or becomes a weakened proposition, then so too will the friendship that hinges on it.

Friends ( Part I )

Was in a contemplative mood yesterday… thought about weird things like “how many people does a person get to know in his/her entire life?”, and “how many of these people will make a difference in your life, at one stage or the other?”.

We meet new people everyday - in our daily activities, at our workplace, at lunches, at dinners, even in elevators. Wonder if we were to do a spreadsheet and list down ALL the people whom we can remember from birth, how would that list look like? Obviously, there’re a lot of faces who appear before us, but will fade away as just quickly, with the passage of time. Our “hard-disk” has only that much space, and unless someone finds our the way to “activate” that inert hemisphere of brain matter that we have not yet learned how to utilize, I doubt the space is gonna increase too much.

So, people come, people go…

Which is a sad thing sometimes… when people who HAVE made an impact on your life just slowly fade away with time. Friends who have shared loads of laughter, shared hardships, went through certain ‘defining’ moments of your existence, one day ceased to be remembered.

I know a lot of people will claim the ‘inevitability’ of such things. Some blame their work for making them so busy that they have no time to keep in contact with their past buddies. Others say its due to a change in circumstances that ‘forced’ them to lose touch of their past. People get married, some have kids, some move overseas to work, while yet others go overseas for a long long vacation…
Some people just simply want to leave behind their past (and their friends from past), and move on to newer pastures. And try as we may to maintain that friendship (yes, I tried), to just keep in touch, the distance just gets keeps getting longer and longer.

I know someone like that. And it’s sad…

For better or worse, I sincerely wish he finds whatever he’s looking for. OG probably knows who I’m talking about. He thinks one day we might just receive a call from this friend, asking for advice or asking for some kind of help. *shrug* OG may be right. We shall see…

Friends who stay with you through life are ever so rare. Which makes these relationships and bonds that much more valuable and worth cherishing!

Some guys are simply hopeless

Kuja just came back from her shopping trip from BK. She went them with a friend (a colleage, to be exact), who has just broken up with her bf... Actually, i think this trip was meant to be a sort of "shopping therapy" meant to in a way, help this gal get over her bf.
* of cos, i think the trip was also meant to be kuja's 'revenge' shopping trip, to return the favor for my flying to BK with wolf the other time.. hahah *

well, when i said that this colleage "broken up with her bf", i think i should clarify that she was actually "dumped" by him. Really, after a couple of years of them being an item, this guy basically just shoved the standard

"i don't think i deserve you" plus

"i don't think we're compatible", and

"you're better off looking for someone else" combo at her, and *poof* - the relationship ends up in smoke...

Thing is, people break up (and get back together) all the time. So no big deal ya? Sure.. except this (now) ex-bf continues to call up his (now) ex-gf, and asks about her "well-being" (comon lah.. how "well" do you think she can be, after being "dumped" for such silly reasons??), says that he "misses" her sometimes (yah.. right), and best of all, he even tells her that he sometimes "regret" the breakup, and that he might one day live to regret his decision ????!!!??

I say - WHAT THE FXXXXXX??

Best thing is, the gal actually bothers to answer all his calls, and (according to kuja) talks over the phone like she's talking to a very close/intimate friend. geezzz.. this for a guy who just dumped you? I must say she's either super good-tempered and super nice, or she's SUPER naive...

This guy, on the other hand, is really a bastxxx. But i have to admit, he's also a very smart bastxxx. He sure knows how to have his cake and eat it. I mean, which guy would mind having a "backup" gf ya?
One who would wait patiently, while he goes out 'moonlighting' for other nice catch, and when he's had his fill of fun, still welcome him back with open arms...

Of course, during this period, he has got to do some "maintenance work" lah.. like calling her up periodically to say how he misses her, how he feels he's made a mistake, how he wants her to be really happy... (sounds familiar?)

I say (and Kuja agrees whole-heartedly, she being the ever agressive male-basher - hmm... "lucky" me. hahaha), forget this a-hole and move on with enjoying life lah.. stop pining for him to 'return'. If not, then she'd better be prepared for another few shopping trips to mend her fragile and broken heart...

*gasp*.. maybe that's the whole idea from the start!?!? Shopping is KING!! *

Places I'd love to go!!

I’d love to visit the following places, when I am still able to chiong, and enjoy the holidaying experience to the fullest:

*not in order of desire*
1) Hokkaido (Japan)

Even though I’ve been to Hokkaido a few years back, it was a short visit (1.5 days to be exact). Hakodate is such a beautiful town…
I love cold places! And Hokkaido strikes me as a reasonable cold place, with loads and loads of ice and snow, plus the scenic sea view and yummy snow crabs… heaven!

2) Geneva (Switzerland)

Always wanted to visit the this ‘neutral’ and wonderfully advanced place on the face of Earth. Having watched so many movies showing the highly cultured and impressively secure Swiss Banks, I’m just dying to pay a visit and see it first hand! Not that I’ve got millions to place there of course, though that would be nice :P

Not to mention the beautiful mountain ranges they have and the nice watches they make.

3) Loch-Ness (Scotland)

Go, Nessie, go!!

Needless to say, I’m a paranormal/mystery aficionado. Gimme the Loch-ness Monster or Big Foot anytime!! (though I was tempted to look for Big Foot at the JB forest recently, the thought of being mugged by JB Footpads deterred me significantly..)

Oh, did I also mention that I love the Scottish cottages and its gardens?

4) Fiji Islands

Beautiful beaches, unbelievably blue sea, NO high rise buildings, NO pollution, NO contact from office (actually, that depends on whether you leave your satellite phone at home..)….

Sometimes, don’t you just wanna be like Truman (in the movie played by Jim Carey), leave everything behind and just take a trip to Fiji, and basically just… start LIVING your life for real!

And finally…

5) Madrid (Spain)

Spain is the place where classical guitar first grew in prominence, largely thanks to the legendary Andres Segovia. It harbors a rich guitar culture, as evident by the number of budding guitarists strumming and serenading, and the guitar dealers/shops lining the streets.

Its really my dream to one day walk along the streets of Madrid and soak in the "guitar atmostphere"!!

What i hope to see in our new MD/Conductor

I came out with a list for CFA, regarding the expectations we (or should i say, I have) for the in-coming MD, in response to Shyan-Hwei's request...

It was a rather long, and (according to barber) demanding list :P

I'm not gonna list down point by point what i wrote in that listing, suffice to say that IF we can find somebody who fits that bill.. Genus will certainly see a better tomorrow.

That said, i PARTIALLY agree with Owls that our now ex-MD does fail rather miserably when it comes down to the "passion" factor. Or rather, if he was very passionate about the group and its music, it didnt come across to many of us, since he remained aloft and seemingly disinterested in anything other than playing with the ensemble (as a player, rather as a conductor).

Why partially? Well, i feel that Dom's major failing was his lack of sense of responsibility and communication skills. A MD/conductor who's 'passionate' about the music (and the group) would be ideal, but top of my choice would be a person who's RESPONSIBLE and is able to communication (ie. connect) with the group's individuals.

Of course, the ABILITY of the person is key as well, but many of us never really doubted Dom's abilities in guitar skills and (esp.) his understanding and interpretations of baroque/classical/renaissance music. I really do admire some of his finer touches when he interpreted pieces like Fairy Queen and more recently the Capriol Suite. Certainly no one in the ensemble could have done it better. Sure, he wasn't in his element when it came to more modern pieces, or worse, chinese pieces, but then nobody can be expected to be an expert in ALL kinds of music ya?

So, with the new conductor, while i'd wish for him/her to be able to demonstrate knowledge regarding the music we're playing, but if not, then at the very least make serious attempts to learn and understand music which is out of his/her comfort zone. This, to me, is a pre-requisite for a RESPONSIBLE music director/conductor of ANY music group.

Classroom Training

arrrggg..getting lost in the PPPro Lvl 3 class.. the adfin functions are really tough... plus u'd have to have a good grasp of financial markets knowledge. *gosh*

fighting really hard to keep the Z-monster at bay!

Train Man

This is a really interesting movie. The story goes....

This SUPER nerdy tech guy (early 20s), who is by the way, also the super introvert kind who plays computer games and hides behind his web persona; one day 'rescues' this sweet looking young lady in the MRT (well, the Japan version of the MRT anyway).
Basically, there was a drunk man, who goes around kicking and bullying the passengers on board, on that fateful day, and the nerd (ie. Train-man) somehow muster up enuff courage to come to the damsel's aid in most critical moment.

From then on, he (obviously) falls madly in love with her, but is extremely shy, and suffers from low self esteem and inferiority complex and all.. after all, he's only a low-level technician who's probably earning a fraction of what she's obviously earning in the multi-national company. Furthermore, she's living in this nice house, while he's cooped up in his little messy apartment. She loves dining in nice restaurants, while he's burning in hole in his pockets trying to keep up with her.

So what does he do? He goes online to send out an SOS (to nobody in particular), asking for advice on whether/how he should proceed to woo her.

What's interesting is this group of cyber-pals that forms, rallying around the Train man (someone they don't even know), giving their 2 cents worth of advice. While some advice are sound, others are completely silly but given the experience and background of some of Train man's "strategists", you gotta give it to them.. hahaha!

Of course, after the ups and downs, and the mistakes and the encouragements, our hero wins the heart of the gal and they eventually get together... ah.... how nice :)

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and even though parts of it were fairly predictable, it was still heartwarming and at times downright funny!

And guess what - it's supposedly based on a true story! And it was so popular in Japan that it has been made into movies (yes, more than 1 version, i heard).

I guess, people living in the real world sometimes just need to BELIEVE that such fairy tales do happen.....

新－新不了情

woah! 果真是好久没上网ｕｐｄａｔｅ我的ｂｌｏｇ了。。。

原因有好几个，但主要是因为我不久前刚找了一份新的工作，所以有一点不适应这样子的工作时间，从一早上班，得到了晚上才回到家里。 那时候，不是看电视节目，就是玩吉他，总是提不起劲儿上网来ｕｐｄａｔｅ ｂｌｏｇ。

People who know me would know that i'm used to a ba-long-long kinda of working hours (a wonderful incentive for one to be self-employed, i must say). So it's kinda of a new "phase", if you like.. and i think i'll take some time to adjust to it yet.

So, why the 'urge' to update my blog now? :PP

Haha! Thanks to Yen and SnowParang, who brought the 新－新不了情 (note: 新加坡版) saga up again, i feel inspired to spout some of my nonsense again! Grrrrr.....

Not sure if one should feel pity or at least share a sense of sadness for the characters in this saga (esp. the female lead).. cos on one hand, i think these folks are in serious need of psychiatric help but on the other hand, they must feel like the world is crumbling down on them and all..
I mean, co'mon, which moron starts a 'conversation' with God, first asking for a larger scale destruction, claiming that Katrina was a joke? And to top that, he even asks for God to present him with gifts in the form of pretty gals with nicely shaped breasts...

The female lead is singing to the tune of one sad (or more accurately, suicidal ) song after the next.. and it never fails to blow my mind, the kind of 凄惨stories and descriptions that she is capable of putting up.

But then again, maybe i should be more empathatic and 'sensitive' lah, hor... even a bear have feeling mah... grrrr... (ops!)

The one thing no one can deny is - 这个故事太精彩了！