Random Stuff
quote from the Straits Times...
"... One recent e-mail comes from a pregnant woman, who is disappointed that people ignore the sign in the MRT train that tells them to give up a designated seat to people who need it more.She suggests painting the seat a different colour, and enlarging the sign, and installing a loudspeaker beside the seat.
Mr Lim explains her idea: If an able-bodied person takes that seat and refuses to give it up, "the person who is pregnant, elderly or disabled, can press this button. A loudspeaker would shoot up and say: 'Please give the seat to someone who needs it more... and remember one day you might grow old too!"
Chuckling, the MP for East Coast GRC says the idea is "novel" and the train operators will have to look into it. "
Can't wait for the speaker to be installed lol...
Watch this space on 25/1/07... *to be continued...
~tingzhe
Today, I had my second harmonica session and I just got my own harmonica. At first, I had difficulty catching up with the rest because I did not have any hands-on practise previously. As such, I made a fool out of myself, trying to figure out what was previously taught. It seemed as if I was the most dumb person. Luckily, there were new members, and were also like me, which kind of made me feel better.
Anyway, tomorrow I will be going to Sentosa beach with my OG classmates. Haha, I will be bringing my harmonica along, and they can definitely see how lousy I am. There's certainly room for improvement... ...
Today was my band try-out day... I waited at the band room for soooo long before that conductor came. I and some other ppl then follow the conductor instruction, which is positioning our lips to make some squeaky sound (he called it buzzing..). Alvin (another guy joining band) ended up making some farting noises and both of us felt very giddy after awhile... I could not make that sound after many attempts. In the end, I had to stop half-way and go for my PE class.
After getting home, I sort of search on the internet to find out more about some techniques of playing woodwind and brass, as I was curious about the whole purpose of the 'farting' sound we tried to make during the band try-out. I was like, shouldn't you just blow the instrument like you do for recorder during primary school? After some net searching, I found out that I was so so wrong. Playing the woodwind and brass actually requires good 'embouchure' to play well. 'Embouchure' means position of lips and tongue: the adjustment of the lips and tongue in playing a wind instrument.
Naturally, I was shocked. It is much harder than I thought. Maybe I have been playing too much piano and got used to the concept that 'what you press on the key is what you hear on the instrument'. In other words, any slight change in your lips or tongue position will change the instrument's tone and pitch.
Well, I hope I can do better for tmr band pratice (if there is one for me..). I dun wan play brass.... I wan play oboe... :)
~tingzhe
I had my first harmonica session today, in case any of you didn't know it, I joined Harmonica for my CCA. Well, I had quite an interesting lesson today, with our teachers-in-charge and our seniors teaching us on the knowledge needed to play the harmonica. I found them humorous, and the entire group was always burstling with laughter. Sadly, I was all alone by myself, as none whom I knew had joined Harmonica. As what most people had said, there were mostly girls in Harmonica, with only a handful of guys.
Learning a new musical instrument was fun, as I always had wanted to venture into music, but never given the opportunity. It was rather easy to manage, they were patient with us, who had no musical background at all. It was quite challenging to me, and like what the teacher told us, learning it is a form of culture.
Previously, I was fickle-minded, considering whether to take Choir, Symphonic Band or Harmonica, but I finally decided on it, and I will not regret the decision that I have made.
Okay, I've got a lot to say about today. After being sorted out into our different classes, we got to know our new PD tutor and of course new classmates. Firstly, after the maths lecture at the auditorium, we rushed to meet our form class. I had a tough time searching though, if not for the help of my student handbook. My PD tutor is a chinese teacher, who will also be the one teaching us chinese. Almost everyone in my class doesn't seem to like her a lot, because she is someone rather hot-tempered, and wants things done in a perfect manner, or simply, she expects a lot from us. We are just like her model students.
Anyway, she resembles one of my teachers in bowen, ms leong po kam. They are both rather advanced in age, but there is something different. My former teacher have not married yet, the reason is for us to find out...
Went to Queentowns shopping mall today to buy a new shoes, as my old shoe is abit tight. Queentowns shopping mall, as i just know today, is a shoe paradise. As soon as you went in, you will be overpowered by the smell of new sports shoes... There are so many shoe shops and people that it is almost like a computer exibition at suntec city, except that they sell shoes... Spent alot of time choosing a shoe, since there are so many choices and so many shops, and after sometime, your eyes will just faint from all the colours and variety of shoes. I finally choose a good one, a nike in red, silver and black. Hopefully it can be accepted at my jc... (but who cares lol, when ppl are wearing shocking pink......)
I am watching The Day after Tomorrow now, and i guess that someday we will come to this fate too, if we do not put in effort to protect the earth or to think that the economy is more important than the environment... Let's not wait until it is too late to regrat...
~ytz
Well, it had been 2 weeks since school started in a totally new environment. I had this feeling of being uncomfortable, but also at the same time excited about making new friends. Orientation was fun, as I felt that I had enjoyed myself totally. Although there had been criticism on our orientation, I feel that we should still appreciate their efforts in planning and organising the program for us. However, orientation ended off very quickly too, before I had even realised it. Following up was days and days of lectures, which was pretty boring and tiring to keep listening to those lecturers. One of which I dreaded most was of course General Paper lecture, which was also the factor determining if i would switch to a polytechnic education, the crucial question being if I am able to pull through the A levels. The rest of the subjects which are relatively managable, but GP... ... it sounds intimidating to me. I don't even have the confidence of passing it. Oh, i dread GP man... ... if only there was no General Paper... ...
