Time to make my annual EOY speech again :)

2012 has been a fulfilling challenging year. I got my taste of IBDP, working the heck off my hectic schedule, priorising things above things, navigating between music and the usual stuff, and looking back, it actually wasn't that bad after all. IRE was one tough nut as I got to explore Messiaen (i was a noob at his type of music) more, and I definitely hope I don't have to do Messiaen for EE next year (despite teachers advising me to)...:P

Ah, best parts about 2012:

B2'12. I was one of the quieter ones in class (needless to mention), and by listening to you guys joking/ranting/talking/shouting/screaming haha it was so so amusing and hilarious. I looked forward to each lesson in class because of you guys who never failed to raise the overall spirits and enthusiasm. ARC was one of the best classes ever. And MATH was so much more enjoyable, really, teasing dengster and all that.. Mr Yeo and Ms Melissa are my favourite class mentors. =) Each one of you were easy to open up to and chat with, so Thank you B2 for an amazing fun-filled 2012! I will definitely miss you guys, no other classes will be as awesome as ours. ;)


February 24 2012. I played my Nokia Counterpoint mini composition in class, and it was recognised. Thanks to Dr Tang for acknowledging my ability, it gave me great confidence to strive for whatever to come. Thank you so much. T_T

CIM YCP. Ah. My first trip overseas on a plane alone to America, man I was so brave and independent as I packed maps into my bag, wandering my way through transit airports, taking buses to terminals...Wished I got a chance to explore New York and Chicago too. hehe, I think I impressed myself actually, because I didn't know about my ability to travel independently (i don't even know most of my way around SG).. the one week there was life changing. The most fruitful musical week ever, with new US-sy friends, teachers, mentors, environment...First time having my composition performed on a stage with an audience, and by such wonderful performers as well. Thank you Dr Tang, Miss Yang, and SOTA for allowing me to embark on this summer trip without me paying any expenses at all, hehe. Thanks to my parents for caring so much too!

SNYO Berlin Trip. hahaha, it was extremely enriching. Being able to play Dr Tang's Symphonic Suite in Berlin konzerhaus was so heartwarming as we reminded ourselves of home before national day arrived. All in all, got to know more SNYO friends and understand them better, and our last performance under Darrell's baton. Thank you Darrell for a wonderful time of 'golden era' in SNYO, as you've said. :) I will miss your guidance!

NCMC 2012. Everything I want to say is already mentioned in my previous blog post. :) A challenge, an accomplishment. Trained me mentally and physically. All my time was spent practising. Sacrificed so much. But it was worth it. Very. Without NCMC 2012, I won't be what i am today. Cheers to the years ahead of more music-making on Yangqin and more improvement!


The world not ending. I can't imagine.


worst parts about 2012:


July 31 2012. Got chased out from Music Composition class by Mr S because I was doing Math Exploration Task on my laptop. Sat on the bench listening to Chinese music on my friend's phone for almost 1 hour. At least, the time there was well spent. Wow... first time getting chased out, a very memorable experience..but I apologise for not paying full attention. :P

October 18 2012. Got into a very emotional and heated debate with my chinese teacher about the definition of 'artist' as she doubt my IS teacher is an 'artist'. Cried and ruined the class atmosphere (it was our last chinese class, was about to have a group photo taken). I apologise to everyone who got affected, but sorry, I remain my stand.

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2012 made me a tougher person. I grew to be more determined and more certain about my opinions (as seen from Oct 18 incident). I became more bold, more brave, and more rigid about my behaviour and way of thinking. Not necessarily a bad thing, so long as I know how to control it.

Most importantly, I have achieved what I wanted in my musical endeavors, be it composition, yangqin or violin, and that is to be the very best I can be in this field.

I thank everyone who had contributed to making my 2012 a fulfilling one, and the ups and downs had both changed me into a better person. Those had also made me acknowledge myself and better understand my own personality, strengths and weaknesses.

Thence,
Happy Old Year, 2012. :)

"If I fail, If I succeed, at least I live as I believe" - Greatest Love of All

Yours Truly.

2012 Singapore National Chinese Music Competition has finally concluded.

And I have accomplished my dream of two years, after that devastating moment of forgetting a few seconds of my finals piece on stage in 2010 and getting all teared up etc. I was young then and it was my first time in a Yangqin competition, but was still glad I've gained the experience of being with other Yangqin players, learning from them, and attaining an award for my dear old companion at home.

This year, I've seen even more. All the Chinese music enthusiasts gather together despite the hectic workload of average Singaporean students at a common competitive platform to better themselves and produce the fruit of their labour. I've also made friends with some of the talents, heard them play, and stunningly awed by the diversity and level of performances they engaged in. It is such a contrast to being in a school where western music is so much more domineering and where Chinese music is less 'commercially'-emphasized, I should say.

With every competition friendships are formed. These friendships are definitely comforting in times of such serious 'nail-biting' action and together with the mutual support that is evidently present between contestants themselves, we find motivation and determination in all the midst of the tension and nerve-wrecking situations. So a big thank you goes out to my music friends Ping Yu, Yong Yaw, Jue Ru, Chong An, Nicholas, Yayi, etc for all your uplifting and sincere well wishes.

Again, I would like to thank my favourite Yangqin mentor, Qu Laoshi, for always being there for me. T^T

And thank you to my relatives for your support! Especially to Gugu and Wai Wai jiejie for coming to help me (the make-up noob) with my hair and makeup. :)
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During the prize-giving ceremony yesterday, I am so pleasantly honored to be able to share the stage with fellow SOTA percussionists at the end and it is so heartwarming to see that from being on SOTA concert hall stage, we're now together on the SCO stage in the presence of such overwhelming audience. Congratulations to Yuru, Bennett, Danielle, Trina, Grace, and Sabrina for a fantastic performance and for achieving first prize in the percussion category. 新加坡艺术学院中华鼓团 万岁！



Personally, this competition really trained my mental strength. I was also down with fever on the day of my finals and was so depressed the whole morning as I was sure that I would not be able to do well that evening. Despite attempting to fall asleep for some rest, I failed, and was really worn out. My limbs were aching as a result of that fever and my throat was also scorched. However, I still managed to get my feet up and perform adequately (bleh) well on stage with my eyes burning. Fortunately my hands could still feel their way around the instrument. :) Thank God!

And now finally, time for some rest.
Gotta compose, study, practise, and live my life as normal!
Thanks everyone!!!! I will work even harder for competition two years later (uh-oh, IB warning IB warning) :D



Regards!