I'm bored. This is going to be a long post.
SECTION I: Fifty things about myself:
01. What is your full name? - Shan't tell.
02. What colour pants are you wearing? - Brown.
03. What are you listening to right now? - My computer CPU making weird humming noises.
04. What are the last four digits of your phone number? - Would I tell?
05. What was the last thing you ate? - Dinner. Chicken drumsticks and rice.
06. If you were a crayon what color would you be? - White or green. But I'm not a crayon.
07. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? - My dad.
08. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite gender? - ...the gender. Duh.
09. Do you like the person who sent you this? - We're schoolmates/acquaintances. And I sort of copied it from his blog.
10. What's your favourite drink? - Milo or orange juice.
11. What's your favourite alcoholic drink? - Too young to try.
12. What's your favorite sport? - Swimming.
13. What's your hair color? - Black.
14. What's your eye color? - Black.
15. Do you wear contacts? - No.
16. Siblings and their ages? - Irritating sister, 12.
17. Favourite month? - December.
18. Last movie you watched? - Eregon. That was a long time ago.
19. Favourite day of the year? - My birthday.
20. Are you too shy to ask someone out? - Never tried.
21. Summer or winter? - Winter. I love cold, I hate heat.
22. Hugs or kisses? - What kind of question is this? Hugs.
23. Relationships or one night stands? - Relationships.
24. Chocolate or vanilla? - Vanilla.
25. Who is most likely to respond? - What does this mean?
26. Who is most likely to not respond? - Ditto.
27. Living preferences? - Messy and quiet, except when I play the clarinet.
28. What's on your mouse pad? - ...my mouse?
29. What did you do last night? - Go home, blog, sleep.
30. Favourite flavour? - Vanilla or strawberry, depends.
31. Can you touch your nose with your tongue? - Obviously not.
32. Did you just try? - Luckily no.
33. What inspires you? - RIMB!!!!
34. Favourite type of car? - Don't know... but it has to have freezing air-con and good stereo.
35. Favourite type of flower? - Don't have one. But daffodils come close. Don't ask.
36. How many keys are there on your key ring? - Strangely, I don't have one.
37. Can you juggle? - I wish.
38. Can you put your toes in your mouth? - No. Neither am I stupid enough to try.
39. Do you have a crush (or a relationship)? - Nope.
40. Name of your crush/stead? - Error carried forward.
41. Star sign? - Don't know, don't care.
42. Favourite movie? - I love Star Wars, Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables... and many other of these genre.
43. Favourite girl or boy? - Don't have one.
44. Ever been kissed by a boy or girl you like? - No.
45. Favourite brand? - Of what? If its clarinets then it would be Buffet.
46. Movies or series? - I enjoy both; english movies and chinese serials.
47. Novels or short stories? - Both. but i prefer novels.
48. Online chatting or SMS? - MSN.
49. Shoes or barefooted? - Shoes. I hate being barefoot unless at home or in the band room.
50. Backpack or slingbag? - Backpack. But I may consider slingbags next time I change bag.
SECTION II: Fifteen things about myself... three are false!!! Guess which ones:
1) I like playing the clarinet.
2) I have failed NAPHA every single time in secondary school.
3) I love playing chess.
4) I never actually knew the names of the BM and DBM of the RIMB'05 until Sec 3.
5) I can't do more than two proper situps.
6) I am the youngest in my class.
7) I first used Yahoo! mail, then Hotmail, then Gmail... because one of my friends shifted too.
8) I still play Maplestory.
9) I have only gone LANning four times in my life.
10) I don't like vegetables.
11) I don't have a girlfriend.
12) I like movie themes as compared to any other songs.
13) I think that my teachers this year are all boring.
14) I like composing short music pieces on Noteworthy freeware.
15) I have the lowest clarinet stamina in the RIMB clarinet section.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
CCTs over (again)
Yeah! CCTs over!!! Again!!!
*waves goodbye to CCTs. Again.*
Physics was OK-OK. Chemistry was EASY for once. I might get high marks. Math TA was ALSO easy... but that's because statistics is inherently easy.
Whats the point of having CCTs in Term 2 Week 2? Can't they have put it before the holidays or even better, at the end of this term?
Now, I can devote all (most) of my time to mastering Ocean and Sunrise. I don't think my Sunrise needs much work because SOMEONE'S SECTION LEADER went to shift SOMEONE from 2nd SOME SECTION to 3rd SOME SECTION. And all the 2nd SOME SECTION parts that SOMEONE has been playing for the past TWO MONTHS has suddenly been filled... with bar rests. All thanks to SOMEONE'S MARVELOUS AND WONDERFULLY FORESIGHTED SL.
(hint hint)
SIAN!!! I'm going to fall asleep in those bars. 2nd and 3rd are no different... except that 2nd plays the whole thing while 3rd plays only the beginning and the end.
So, its just Ocean then. I think I have more or less mastered the fingering... now its just increasing the tempo notch by notch until I can consistently play every semiquaver at correct timing. Chorales just need to play deeper and have more emotion.
Our BM says that this song is supposed to make people cry.
...
Guess this is just some form of exaggerated encouragement on some higher, BM level. Seriously, even if you listen to the professional recordings I doubt anyone is going to make more than a sniff.
Which reminds me; today I stayed in the band room till 5 pm, practicing with some other trombones, horns, and a piccolo. We listened to our "professional" (referring to the recording equipment and methods not our playing) recording of the rehearsal at the SCH. It was better than usual, but nothing compared to the real pro recordings. Woodwind semiquavers are all screwed up, especially the endings. Brass are OK.
Also, I asked my senior what we were going to do after SYF. He said we would prepare for Investiture. For those who don't know, RIMB Investiture is a band-organized day (either on a weekend or holiday) when all batches (Sec 1, Sec 2...) prepare 1-4 songs (the guideline is Sec 1s one song, Sec 2s two songs... but four songs even for Sec 4s is a bit much) and play them well as a batch. Then, certificates of promotion are given to everyone, promoting Sec 1s to 2s, announcing the new EXCO and SLs, and graduating the Sec 4s from RIMB. Then everyone goes for section dinner, presents are given both ways, SLs (new and old) make a speech, then everyone goes LANning and then home in high spirits, Sec 1s feeling this was the best day of their life in RIMB (no drills!), Sec 2s feeling the weight of becoming a senior, Sec 3s feeling the responsibility of leadership, Sec 4s feeling very sad and reflective, this being their LAST DAY ATTENDING BAND PRACTICE FOR RIMB.
Is that all? Prepare for SYF. Then prepare for Investiture. Then prepare for next year's concert, Promethium. Then prepare for... A bit meaningless. Why can't we relax a bit, learn a few fun songs (movie themes!!!) and skip practice?
That's what you get with a band with a renowned conductor. A band with 16 (going to be 17) consecutive Golds and Gold with Honours. Which is a 32-year streak. So if we don't get Gold with Honours, 32 years worth of RIMB members will come back and haunt us. I shiver at the thought.
Today has been fairly reflective and deep for me. But before we reach Investiture, there's still the dreaded SYF.
And to think, we dread something that we didn't opt to go for willingly. The 16 consecutive Golds and Gold with Honours made us. The 32 years worth of banders did. Our conductor did. How many of us actually want to go for SYF, when it causes so much turmoil everywhere?
But even if I had the choice to pull us all out of SYF right here and now, I wouldn't, partially because of shame and mostly because of... well, the 32 years of seniors. And band pride. And some complicated things.
Tomorrow we've got a Arts at the Atrium performance. Its just an event when the teachers book the Atrium for one recess, and we go down and perform. RICO (Chinese Orchestra) is performing after us, and I will die of shock and horror if they turn out to be better than us. They only got Silver two years back.
At least, since CCTs are over, I can play com (if only my parents would allow) and sleep early. Goodnight.
*waves goodbye to CCTs. Again.*
Physics was OK-OK. Chemistry was EASY for once. I might get high marks. Math TA was ALSO easy... but that's because statistics is inherently easy.
Whats the point of having CCTs in Term 2 Week 2? Can't they have put it before the holidays or even better, at the end of this term?
Now, I can devote all (most) of my time to mastering Ocean and Sunrise. I don't think my Sunrise needs much work because SOMEONE'S SECTION LEADER went to shift SOMEONE from 2nd SOME SECTION to 3rd SOME SECTION. And all the 2nd SOME SECTION parts that SOMEONE has been playing for the past TWO MONTHS has suddenly been filled... with bar rests. All thanks to SOMEONE'S MARVELOUS AND WONDERFULLY FORESIGHTED SL.
(hint hint)
SIAN!!! I'm going to fall asleep in those bars. 2nd and 3rd are no different... except that 2nd plays the whole thing while 3rd plays only the beginning and the end.
So, its just Ocean then. I think I have more or less mastered the fingering... now its just increasing the tempo notch by notch until I can consistently play every semiquaver at correct timing. Chorales just need to play deeper and have more emotion.
Our BM says that this song is supposed to make people cry.
...
Guess this is just some form of exaggerated encouragement on some higher, BM level. Seriously, even if you listen to the professional recordings I doubt anyone is going to make more than a sniff.
Which reminds me; today I stayed in the band room till 5 pm, practicing with some other trombones, horns, and a piccolo. We listened to our "professional" (referring to the recording equipment and methods not our playing) recording of the rehearsal at the SCH. It was better than usual, but nothing compared to the real pro recordings. Woodwind semiquavers are all screwed up, especially the endings. Brass are OK.
Also, I asked my senior what we were going to do after SYF. He said we would prepare for Investiture. For those who don't know, RIMB Investiture is a band-organized day (either on a weekend or holiday) when all batches (Sec 1, Sec 2...) prepare 1-4 songs (the guideline is Sec 1s one song, Sec 2s two songs... but four songs even for Sec 4s is a bit much) and play them well as a batch. Then, certificates of promotion are given to everyone, promoting Sec 1s to 2s, announcing the new EXCO and SLs, and graduating the Sec 4s from RIMB. Then everyone goes for section dinner, presents are given both ways, SLs (new and old) make a speech, then everyone goes LANning and then home in high spirits, Sec 1s feeling this was the best day of their life in RIMB (no drills!), Sec 2s feeling the weight of becoming a senior, Sec 3s feeling the responsibility of leadership, Sec 4s feeling very sad and reflective, this being their LAST DAY ATTENDING BAND PRACTICE FOR RIMB.
Is that all? Prepare for SYF. Then prepare for Investiture. Then prepare for next year's concert, Promethium. Then prepare for... A bit meaningless. Why can't we relax a bit, learn a few fun songs (movie themes!!!) and skip practice?
That's what you get with a band with a renowned conductor. A band with 16 (going to be 17) consecutive Golds and Gold with Honours. Which is a 32-year streak. So if we don't get Gold with Honours, 32 years worth of RIMB members will come back and haunt us. I shiver at the thought.
Today has been fairly reflective and deep for me. But before we reach Investiture, there's still the dreaded SYF.
And to think, we dread something that we didn't opt to go for willingly. The 16 consecutive Golds and Gold with Honours made us. The 32 years worth of banders did. Our conductor did. How many of us actually want to go for SYF, when it causes so much turmoil everywhere?
But even if I had the choice to pull us all out of SYF right here and now, I wouldn't, partially because of shame and mostly because of... well, the 32 years of seniors. And band pride. And some complicated things.
Tomorrow we've got a Arts at the Atrium performance. Its just an event when the teachers book the Atrium for one recess, and we go down and perform. RICO (Chinese Orchestra) is performing after us, and I will die of shock and horror if they turn out to be better than us. They only got Silver two years back.
At least, since CCTs are over, I can play com (if only my parents would allow) and sleep early. Goodnight.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
burning midnight oil
... so tired. Finished Chemistry revision and then Biology assignment. I should go to sleep. OK, I will go to sleep.
Why so much homework??? Why so many tests???
On top of that, there's still SYF practices.
Hey, what are we going to do after SYF???
... slack?
Why so much homework??? Why so many tests???
On top of that, there's still SYF practices.
Hey, what are we going to do after SYF???
... slack?
Monday, March 26, 2007
SYF rehersal
Yay! Gold with Honours is in sight again!!!
Rehersals at the Singapore Conference Hall today were very good, in my opinion. Sunrise was good, apart from a incident with the Alto Saxes. Ocean was better. Overall, good sound, but I shall refrain from giving a description for the sake of my Physics CCT on Monday, Chem CCT on Tuesday, and Math Statistics TA on Wedesday. On top of that, I have a Bio assignment due on Tuesday too.
Praise from our conductor is rare but when he says it he really means it, and we really deserve it. Of course, its usually followed by "but of course we still have much to improve..." etc.
Our conductor also invited a whole gang of conductors from different schools (I recognized a few from the musical exchanges) to watch us (and I suspect they sat there throughout the whole day watching all the other bands). At least the comments they gave were all quite positive.
On the downside, it ended at 10:45. Meaning that I reached home at about 11:30. Meaning no time to mug Physics. (but I would if I STOPPED BLOGGING)
Ah well. Hope the paper tomorrow is easy.
Rehersals at the Singapore Conference Hall today were very good, in my opinion. Sunrise was good, apart from a incident with the Alto Saxes. Ocean was better. Overall, good sound, but I shall refrain from giving a description for the sake of my Physics CCT on Monday, Chem CCT on Tuesday, and Math Statistics TA on Wedesday. On top of that, I have a Bio assignment due on Tuesday too.
Praise from our conductor is rare but when he says it he really means it, and we really deserve it. Of course, its usually followed by "but of course we still have much to improve..." etc.
Our conductor also invited a whole gang of conductors from different schools (I recognized a few from the musical exchanges) to watch us (and I suspect they sat there throughout the whole day watching all the other bands). At least the comments they gave were all quite positive.
On the downside, it ended at 10:45. Meaning that I reached home at about 11:30. Meaning no time to mug Physics. (but I would if I STOPPED BLOGGING)
Ah well. Hope the paper tomorrow is easy.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
CCT results
I've got most of my CCT results back; except for English, and for Physics and Chemistry, which I haven't taken yet.
History: 16/20
Percentage: 80%
GPA: 4.0
This isn't actually a CCT, its called a timed assignment (aka CCT in disguise). Quite good marks, however, lots of people got this mark too, highest being 18/20. Paper was a piece of cake, but lack of time killed my conclusion, which might have been 14/15 but became 12/15. Inference question got 4/5, not bad.
Biology: 35/45
Percentage: 77.8%
GPA: 3.6
Noooooo! Missed 4.0 by one stupid mark!!! Luckily there's a level wide marking error, so I might just scrape 36/45. This paper was actually easy, but if I had not misinterpreted the chromosomal crossing over so badly I might have managed to do the bonus question.
Chinese: 40/65
Percentage: 61.5%
GPA: 2.8
Hey, not bad for a Chinese paper!!! Seeing that I got GPA 2.4 for my end-of-year results last year, a 2.8 is an improvement!!! FULL MARKS for the cloze section with words from the chapter, but 6/20 for the cloze without.
Math: 14.5/30
Percentage: 48.3%
GPA: 1.6
... lol. My prediction came true. All I can console myself on this was that the level-wide average was only 16.3, and this paper caused a huge uproar. Some super muggers managed to get 29.5/30. (... what the ...) First time Math was worse than Chinese...
Which makes an grand average of... *jabs calculator*...
Total Marks: 105.5/160
Average Percentage: 65.9%
Average GPA: 3.0
Not too good. Though if you just count GPA from average percentage you get 3.2 instead of 3.0. Hope CA will pull this up. Also, if my Biology gets 1 more mark (which is probable), I'll have 3.1. Physics and Chemistry have to be good!!!
Which reminds me. Physics is on Mon. Chemistry is on Tue. Math TA on Statistics is on Wed. But on Sunday, I've got a band rehersal/sound test at the SCH!!! HOW TO STUDY!!! Simple. STOP BLOGGING AND GET BACK TO WORK.
PS: My clarinet tone sounds a little better (new mouthpiece/ligature?), but technical skills have a long of way to go to be good. Noticed that my Chorale I and II are improving in terms of tone and expression, but Storm is still messy. Also noticed that (is it the new mouthpiece/ligature?) that I KEEP SQUEAKING. If I squeak during SYF I'm going to die of embarassment and shame. And guilt.
PPS: Back to work.
History: 16/20
Percentage: 80%
GPA: 4.0
This isn't actually a CCT, its called a timed assignment (aka CCT in disguise). Quite good marks, however, lots of people got this mark too, highest being 18/20. Paper was a piece of cake, but lack of time killed my conclusion, which might have been 14/15 but became 12/15. Inference question got 4/5, not bad.
Biology: 35/45
Percentage: 77.8%
GPA: 3.6
Noooooo! Missed 4.0 by one stupid mark!!! Luckily there's a level wide marking error, so I might just scrape 36/45. This paper was actually easy, but if I had not misinterpreted the chromosomal crossing over so badly I might have managed to do the bonus question.
Chinese: 40/65
Percentage: 61.5%
GPA: 2.8
Hey, not bad for a Chinese paper!!! Seeing that I got GPA 2.4 for my end-of-year results last year, a 2.8 is an improvement!!! FULL MARKS for the cloze section with words from the chapter, but 6/20 for the cloze without.
Math: 14.5/30
Percentage: 48.3%
GPA: 1.6
... lol. My prediction came true. All I can console myself on this was that the level-wide average was only 16.3, and this paper caused a huge uproar. Some super muggers managed to get 29.5/30. (... what the ...) First time Math was worse than Chinese...
Which makes an grand average of... *jabs calculator*...
Total Marks: 105.5/160
Average Percentage: 65.9%
Average GPA: 3.0
Not too good. Though if you just count GPA from average percentage you get 3.2 instead of 3.0. Hope CA will pull this up. Also, if my Biology gets 1 more mark (which is probable), I'll have 3.1. Physics and Chemistry have to be good!!!
Which reminds me. Physics is on Mon. Chemistry is on Tue. Math TA on Statistics is on Wed. But on Sunday, I've got a band rehersal/sound test at the SCH!!! HOW TO STUDY!!! Simple. STOP BLOGGING AND GET BACK TO WORK.
PS: My clarinet tone sounds a little better (new mouthpiece/ligature?), but technical skills have a long of way to go to be good. Noticed that my Chorale I and II are improving in terms of tone and expression, but Storm is still messy. Also noticed that (is it the new mouthpiece/ligature?) that I KEEP SQUEAKING. If I squeak during SYF I'm going to die of embarassment and shame. And guilt.
PPS: Back to work.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
clarinet mouthpiece
Woot! I bought a clarinet mouthpiece yesterday!!! There goes S$118.00.
Unfortunately... it doesn't seem any different from my current one, which is loaned from the band room. It's not even Buffet (which is said to be the best brand for clarinet equipment), its Vandoren. (which I only recognize because all the clar/sax reeds in the band cupboard are all Vandoren)
I also bought a ligature for S$51.50. This replaces the traditional (full metal) borrowed ligature with a leather/rubber one. The ligature comprises of a adjustable length of leather/rubber encircling the mouthpiece, and where the reed touches it, there is a (real) gold support with green cloth padding. The knob for tightening and loosening the ligature is now on the opposite side of the mouthpiece (the side with no reed), causing me to constantly accidentally put it the wrong way round. I think I sound a bit clearer and rounder with this ligature compared to the band standard ligature. I think.
So, now my clarinet is an assorted jumble of parts:
Vandoren mouthpiece (mine)
BG ligature (mine)
Vandoren reeds (mine)
Unmarked barrel (band's)
Buffet upper joint (band's)
Unmarked but highly suspected Yamaha lower joint (band's)
Buffet bell (band's)
Which I suppose is OK.
Today, I had a RE meeting with external mentor, and arrived for band... half an hour before practice ended. LOL. Wasted my money. Didn't even get to show off my new mouthpiece and ligature. (OK, just kidding, I'm not a show off) But from what I gathered from my friends, this practice was apparently a very good one; everyone played well, conductor happy etc. Too bad I wasn't there. Spirits were high and everyone laughed when attendance was taken; Sec 3s (my batch) full attendance EXCEPT FOR THE LAST PERSON ON THE LIST. Lolololololol. But today my batch still had the highest attendance this year. So far.
SYF!!! 16th April!!! Gold with Honours a must!!!
Unfortunately... it doesn't seem any different from my current one, which is loaned from the band room. It's not even Buffet (which is said to be the best brand for clarinet equipment), its Vandoren. (which I only recognize because all the clar/sax reeds in the band cupboard are all Vandoren)
I also bought a ligature for S$51.50. This replaces the traditional (full metal) borrowed ligature with a leather/rubber one. The ligature comprises of a adjustable length of leather/rubber encircling the mouthpiece, and where the reed touches it, there is a (real) gold support with green cloth padding. The knob for tightening and loosening the ligature is now on the opposite side of the mouthpiece (the side with no reed), causing me to constantly accidentally put it the wrong way round. I think I sound a bit clearer and rounder with this ligature compared to the band standard ligature. I think.
So, now my clarinet is an assorted jumble of parts:
Vandoren mouthpiece (mine)
BG ligature (mine)
Vandoren reeds (mine)
Unmarked barrel (band's)
Buffet upper joint (band's)
Unmarked but highly suspected Yamaha lower joint (band's)
Buffet bell (band's)
Which I suppose is OK.
Today, I had a RE meeting with external mentor, and arrived for band... half an hour before practice ended. LOL. Wasted my money. Didn't even get to show off my new mouthpiece and ligature. (OK, just kidding, I'm not a show off) But from what I gathered from my friends, this practice was apparently a very good one; everyone played well, conductor happy etc. Too bad I wasn't there. Spirits were high and everyone laughed when attendance was taken; Sec 3s (my batch) full attendance EXCEPT FOR THE LAST PERSON ON THE LIST. Lolololololol. But today my batch still had the highest attendance this year. So far.
SYF!!! 16th April!!! Gold with Honours a must!!!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
first day of term II
First days are always bad. This one was worse.
Nearly fell asleep during English. This is the first time I have come close to dropping off during a lesson this year, even though the lesson was quite interesting. Sooooo sleepy!!!
PE. Horror of all horrors. 2 circuits round the school; must be at least 1.6 km! Then 10 chin ups (I did 3 assisted) and 20 inclined pull ups (ok, at least I did this). NOBODY was in the mood to play handball (even though it is the most fun sport I've played after water polo), so naturally we got scolded for not showing enough enthusiasm. Hello, try to play handball after doing 1.6 km. Well, most people might be able to; I can't. At least I was awake for the rest of the day after this.
Then came Math. The teacher was late for class, and then after that he couldn't recognize one of my classmates. (Poor Shang Hua. To have a teacher who has taught you for a term to say to you, "Have I seen you before?" is like some ultimate embarassment.) Well, maybe its not just my bad first day.
History, OK. Chemistry, slightly noisy but less than normal with some of the water poloists removed (no offense). CLE was completely quiet. For once.
Band should have been the high point of my day. But... not today. It is scientifically proven that at around 3:30 or 4:00, a person's energy level drops to its lowest point, but the woodwind section of RIMB today proved to be some exception. Having sectionals/concert with Mr Oura conducting, getting 3rd and 2nd clarinets sent out to practice (including me), will ensure you don't fall asleep. At least towards the end he was getting happier (I HOPE) with our Storm and Chorale II.
Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can buy a clarinet mouthpiece (I've finally got ang bao $$ from parents!!!) at Jalan Jurong Kechil. Although, since that place is a bit more expensive than usual, I might still continue searching. The shop which Dao Bo (my clarinet SL) claims is at IMM has mysteriously vanished.
I never thought one could be so concerned about his CCA. In primary school I wouldn't have even given Art Club (ART CLUB!!!) priority over piano lessons.
Thats a good thing? Right?
Nearly fell asleep during English. This is the first time I have come close to dropping off during a lesson this year, even though the lesson was quite interesting. Sooooo sleepy!!!
PE. Horror of all horrors. 2 circuits round the school; must be at least 1.6 km! Then 10 chin ups (I did 3 assisted) and 20 inclined pull ups (ok, at least I did this). NOBODY was in the mood to play handball (even though it is the most fun sport I've played after water polo), so naturally we got scolded for not showing enough enthusiasm. Hello, try to play handball after doing 1.6 km. Well, most people might be able to; I can't. At least I was awake for the rest of the day after this.
Then came Math. The teacher was late for class, and then after that he couldn't recognize one of my classmates. (Poor Shang Hua. To have a teacher who has taught you for a term to say to you, "Have I seen you before?" is like some ultimate embarassment.) Well, maybe its not just my bad first day.
History, OK. Chemistry, slightly noisy but less than normal with some of the water poloists removed (no offense). CLE was completely quiet. For once.
Band should have been the high point of my day. But... not today. It is scientifically proven that at around 3:30 or 4:00, a person's energy level drops to its lowest point, but the woodwind section of RIMB today proved to be some exception. Having sectionals/concert with Mr Oura conducting, getting 3rd and 2nd clarinets sent out to practice (including me), will ensure you don't fall asleep. At least towards the end he was getting happier (I HOPE) with our Storm and Chorale II.
Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can buy a clarinet mouthpiece (I've finally got ang bao $$ from parents!!!) at Jalan Jurong Kechil. Although, since that place is a bit more expensive than usual, I might still continue searching. The shop which Dao Bo (my clarinet SL) claims is at IMM has mysteriously vanished.
I never thought one could be so concerned about his CCA. In primary school I wouldn't have even given Art Club (ART CLUB!!!) priority over piano lessons.
Thats a good thing? Right?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
holidays over
Its been a while since I posted. Thats because the holidays have completely drained off my time... I shouldn't be posting now, got lots of homeowork to do. Better write this in 10 mins max or else will have no time to finish homework!!!
Band camp was fun, but next year, I'm going to make sure the catering is at least edible. Well, no, it wasn't really inedible, but my group found we were eating the same lunch twice, thanks to Russell/Dao Bo handing us the extra lunch packets. For soccer, it was good, apart from an episode where the ball got stuck on one of the ledges next to the Admin block windows, and another time when our bassoonist sprained/broke his wrist because someone rammed in into the goal (well he was the goalie).
I still don't see the point of watching Phantom of the Opera... when we have cynical critics like Andy running about. It is IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy a movie (or for that matter anything) when the person next to you keeps harping about how ugly the lead soprano is or how stupid it is for the actors to sing every other line or something like that. And when I asked him to just go to sleep, he started criticizing even more, and asking when it would be over.
Section dinner/LANning ROCKED. I now see why everyone (no exceptions!) likes to LAN. Computer (well DOTA) + hanging out with friends = lots of fun. Except the dinner, where we ate at Pepper Lunch which is easily found in Junction 8 fight next to our school, for 2x the price or something.
For the musical exchanges... at least I now know that other bands are still... like... mortal or something. They make mistakes too. So, we aren't doing that badly. Our Sunrise was the best, but choice piece was OFF TUNE in the chorales. Storm was OK. At the end of the Anglican High exchange, Mr Oura went to put all the SLs of each band together to form some "dream band", and played Sunrise with them. Woah. If only we could enter SYF with them.
BTW, it was so... satisfying to see all the other bands reaction to Andrew's Sunrise solo. I sneaked a peek at the audience while he was playing and they were all open mouthed. Well, I shouldn't be so happy; its not even like MY solo or MY section or MY effort. Its just... MY band?
OK, back to homework.
Band camp was fun, but next year, I'm going to make sure the catering is at least edible. Well, no, it wasn't really inedible, but my group found we were eating the same lunch twice, thanks to Russell/Dao Bo handing us the extra lunch packets. For soccer, it was good, apart from an episode where the ball got stuck on one of the ledges next to the Admin block windows, and another time when our bassoonist sprained/broke his wrist because someone rammed in into the goal (well he was the goalie).
I still don't see the point of watching Phantom of the Opera... when we have cynical critics like Andy running about. It is IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy a movie (or for that matter anything) when the person next to you keeps harping about how ugly the lead soprano is or how stupid it is for the actors to sing every other line or something like that. And when I asked him to just go to sleep, he started criticizing even more, and asking when it would be over.
Section dinner/LANning ROCKED. I now see why everyone (no exceptions!) likes to LAN. Computer (well DOTA) + hanging out with friends = lots of fun. Except the dinner, where we ate at Pepper Lunch which is easily found in Junction 8 fight next to our school, for 2x the price or something.
For the musical exchanges... at least I now know that other bands are still... like... mortal or something. They make mistakes too. So, we aren't doing that badly. Our Sunrise was the best, but choice piece was OFF TUNE in the chorales. Storm was OK. At the end of the Anglican High exchange, Mr Oura went to put all the SLs of each band together to form some "dream band", and played Sunrise with them. Woah. If only we could enter SYF with them.
BTW, it was so... satisfying to see all the other bands reaction to Andrew's Sunrise solo. I sneaked a peek at the audience while he was playing and they were all open mouthed. Well, I shouldn't be so happy; its not even like MY solo or MY section or MY effort. Its just... MY band?
OK, back to homework.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
A Tempo XVIII
How do you describe tonight's events? Exhilarating. Stressful. And yet... satisfying.
Yesterday, A Tempo 09/03/07, we played fairly well. Apart from a few minor squeaks (ok maybe thats not minor) and a tuning problem at the ending chorale, I though we did our best. Tonight proved me wrong. It seems that once you do something once, doing it again is no big deal. Talk about recurring nightmares. Except tonight wasn't a nightmare.
5:00 - Our rehearsal wasn't good. And its all the 2nd clar's fault. Well, at least I think it was mainly Xu Ke's fault, and not so much mine or Andy's. His tuning is completely flat most of the time, and sometimes its sharp. And my ears can't distinguish too clearly whether something is sharp or flat... it just sounds off to me. So, Mr Oura was NOT pleased with our time-wasting tuning session. But how do you ask Xu Ke (Chinese scholar from China) to listen, when he says he can't even distinguish something in or out of tune?!?! Must find a way to solve this before SYF!!!
5:45 - Slack time in the RJC canteen. Every one was talking, playing cards, or blowing random notes. I guess this is their way of releasing stress.
7:00 - Mrs Tan shushes us all up. RJC starts their concert. Tension mounts among Sec 2s (though I think some of them fake it) about their 2nd ever public performance.
8:20 - David hustles us into position at the RJC hall door. We're still talking; I'm stuck with Jeff's (or now called Rui Tao???) alto clarinet, two files, and my own clarinet. We can hear the percussion ensemble through the door.
8:30 - We start moving through the backstage. Brass quintet finishes, and the emcees announces RI. Here goes nothing.
Chorale I - The clarinet/flute/piccolo starting was quite alright. Then, when the first melody entered, the third note - (concert) Ab - was (arrgh! Was it Xu Ke???) off like 20 cents. The first chorale passed uneventfully.
Storm - Ok, 2nd clarinets entered too soft. But at least it was on tune (for once) and soon blended into the crescendo into bar 47. Then at bar 51, Xu Ke and I were off tempo once again; he was lagging and I was rushing. It was super-obvious; even David glanced at us. We straightened that out by bar 54. The first double-octave running notes were quite good and on time. Clarinets rushed at the starting of the next triplet running notes (was it bar 87?), but we were covered by some sax (alto?) and then the next double-octave running notes were a bit messy, but Brilliante was good. The whole storm was a bit fast though. Try tapping your middle and index fingers one after another as fast as you can on the table; that was the speed Mr Oura went at.
Chorale II - This part was good. Really. It was expressive, was legato, was "I love you" (private quote). Except for the clarinet joining phrase. The 2nd clarinets were OFF TUNE (Xu Ke!!!) at the start and rushing at the end. But otherwise, it was... well. Go read another RIMB member's blog to get more description. The last chords/melodies were better than rehersal, probably the last gasp from all of us.
All in all, a good performance. But what was most interesting was what came after. After filing out of the hall, I saw David run up the slope and jump (for joy) towards the canteen. Everyone was excited and pumped with energy (adrenaline perhaps?) and all the sections were clumped together sharing opinions. Back at the band room, we performed the custom RIMB concert finisher; BAND CHEER!!! It was complete tau pok of the Sec 2s and anyone else who got in the center. That moment was kind of blurry; I can't quite remember shouting the full band cheer, only the "We should! We can! We must! We will!" bit. Still, everyone had fun and hopefully everyone got some insight on the passion for band. Its satisfying and worth it after the months of practice and effort. At least, I hope it WILL BE for SYF in April. (only 3+ weeks!!!)
Note to self:
Stop having the automatic assumption that Xu Ke causes all the tuning problems. Not saying he doesn't, but just warning against it.
In case I haven't mentioned it, David (Lee) is our Band Major.
Next up: BAND CAMP!!! 12th - 13th of March!!!
Yesterday, A Tempo 09/03/07, we played fairly well. Apart from a few minor squeaks (ok maybe thats not minor) and a tuning problem at the ending chorale, I though we did our best. Tonight proved me wrong. It seems that once you do something once, doing it again is no big deal. Talk about recurring nightmares. Except tonight wasn't a nightmare.
5:00 - Our rehearsal wasn't good. And its all the 2nd clar's fault. Well, at least I think it was mainly Xu Ke's fault, and not so much mine or Andy's. His tuning is completely flat most of the time, and sometimes its sharp. And my ears can't distinguish too clearly whether something is sharp or flat... it just sounds off to me. So, Mr Oura was NOT pleased with our time-wasting tuning session. But how do you ask Xu Ke (Chinese scholar from China) to listen, when he says he can't even distinguish something in or out of tune?!?! Must find a way to solve this before SYF!!!
5:45 - Slack time in the RJC canteen. Every one was talking, playing cards, or blowing random notes. I guess this is their way of releasing stress.
7:00 - Mrs Tan shushes us all up. RJC starts their concert. Tension mounts among Sec 2s (though I think some of them fake it) about their 2nd ever public performance.
8:20 - David hustles us into position at the RJC hall door. We're still talking; I'm stuck with Jeff's (or now called Rui Tao???) alto clarinet, two files, and my own clarinet. We can hear the percussion ensemble through the door.
8:30 - We start moving through the backstage. Brass quintet finishes, and the emcees announces RI. Here goes nothing.
Chorale I - The clarinet/flute/piccolo starting was quite alright. Then, when the first melody entered, the third note - (concert) Ab - was (arrgh! Was it Xu Ke???) off like 20 cents. The first chorale passed uneventfully.
Storm - Ok, 2nd clarinets entered too soft. But at least it was on tune (for once) and soon blended into the crescendo into bar 47. Then at bar 51, Xu Ke and I were off tempo once again; he was lagging and I was rushing. It was super-obvious; even David glanced at us. We straightened that out by bar 54. The first double-octave running notes were quite good and on time. Clarinets rushed at the starting of the next triplet running notes (was it bar 87?), but we were covered by some sax (alto?) and then the next double-octave running notes were a bit messy, but Brilliante was good. The whole storm was a bit fast though. Try tapping your middle and index fingers one after another as fast as you can on the table; that was the speed Mr Oura went at.
Chorale II - This part was good. Really. It was expressive, was legato, was "I love you" (private quote). Except for the clarinet joining phrase. The 2nd clarinets were OFF TUNE (Xu Ke!!!) at the start and rushing at the end. But otherwise, it was... well. Go read another RIMB member's blog to get more description. The last chords/melodies were better than rehersal, probably the last gasp from all of us.
All in all, a good performance. But what was most interesting was what came after. After filing out of the hall, I saw David run up the slope and jump (for joy) towards the canteen. Everyone was excited and pumped with energy (adrenaline perhaps?) and all the sections were clumped together sharing opinions. Back at the band room, we performed the custom RIMB concert finisher; BAND CHEER!!! It was complete tau pok of the Sec 2s and anyone else who got in the center. That moment was kind of blurry; I can't quite remember shouting the full band cheer, only the "We should! We can! We must! We will!" bit. Still, everyone had fun and hopefully everyone got some insight on the passion for band. Its satisfying and worth it after the months of practice and effort. At least, I hope it WILL BE for SYF in April. (only 3+ weeks!!!)
Note to self:
Stop having the automatic assumption that Xu Ke causes all the tuning problems. Not saying he doesn't, but just warning against it.
In case I haven't mentioned it, David (Lee) is our Band Major.
Next up: BAND CAMP!!! 12th - 13th of March!!!
Friday, March 9, 2007
post CCTs
Its the last week of Term One, Thursday. Time has certainly flown since the beginning of Sec 3 and OBS. I have also realized that I have not played computer since the start of Febuary. (gasp, who would have though it?)
My band has got a performance at RJC's concert A Tempo XVIII tomorrow. I'm soooooo nervous. As a Sec 3 band member, I'm expected to take a more major role in playing (translation: playing louder and more correct), instead of "blending in with the others" as my fellow trumpeteer Russell puts it. ARRGH! STILL CAN'T KEEP A TEMPO (haha) OF 138 AT 100% OF THE SONG!
At least I've got Wen Jie to cover up. But then he keeps complaining that Andy and I don't play loud enough. Then he played too loud after that. Well, at least a performance is not as stressful as CCTs (well, at least not this one). Yet.
My band has got a performance at RJC's concert A Tempo XVIII tomorrow. I'm soooooo nervous. As a Sec 3 band member, I'm expected to take a more major role in playing (translation: playing louder and more correct), instead of "blending in with the others" as my fellow trumpeteer Russell puts it. ARRGH! STILL CAN'T KEEP A TEMPO (haha) OF 138 AT 100% OF THE SONG!
At least I've got Wen Jie to cover up. But then he keeps complaining that Andy and I don't play loud enough. Then he played too loud after that. Well, at least a performance is not as stressful as CCTs (well, at least not this one). Yet.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
stressful week of CCTs
I haven't been able to blog for some time due to the CCTs, constant band practices, and a stressful piano exam. So let me just recount this week which has pulverised my mind, body, and lower lip. Why lower lip? Find out.
Monday: Chinese CCT. For once, it was easier than I expected. The textbook-related cloze was like; ignore the passage and follow the han yu pin yin. The cloze was normal difficulty, and the comprehension was quite ok too. Even the ke wen shen lun ti, which I usually get 0 for was answerable.
Tuesday: Mathematics CCT. This completely killed me. I can guarentee that at least 50% of our batch will fail. I don't even want to talk about it; how my value of E for the x-coordinate geometry question was 2/9, how on earth should you find out the value of a and b for a cubic graph, how 45 minutes was a rubbish timing for such a difficult paper...
Wednesday: Break from CCTs! But had to mug & mug & mug Biology and piano aural. I mean, is Baroque polyphonic or what? Or is that Romantic? And does BbHh + bbhh = 1:1:1:1?
Thursday: Biology CCT. Easy. No big problems, lucky I learnt Klinefelter's Syndrome (XXY) for that karotyping question. Then came the afternoon. PRACTICAL PIANO EXAM GRADE 6. Let me give a blow by blow account of this nightmare.
PART ONE
Walk into the music studio. 30 minutes early. Register with the steward. Sit down. 10 minutes pass. Some other guy comes into the studio and registers. He's taking Grade 7. Another 5 minutes pass. The steward gets up and calls that other guy. He's rather pale in the face, so I say "good luck". No reply. 15 minutes pass, with faint chords enamating from the exam room. Door opens. The guy comes out with a rather strange expression. I go in. First sight of a elderly foreigner. I say "good morning". He replies in turn. I give him the examiner's record sheet and make myself comfortable at the seat.
PART TWO
A few seconds pass. He asks me if I would like to start with scales or pieces. I say scales, Group 1. After a few major scales, he then says G sharp melodic minor. I stare blankly at the keys. I put my fingers on G sharp. I run my fingers over the piano a few times, then start playing. Ooops. Thats F sharp. I try again. Wait, G sharp melodic minor doesn't have D does it? Try again. Finally get it correct. The brittle "thank you" breaks the silence which follows. Chromatics: fine. Diminished 7th scales: fine. Arpeggios: not too good.
PART THREE
Now, exam pieces. First piece: too fast! Due to fast opening, I messed up the morents and semiquavers in the middle of the piece. Second piece: ended on Eb instead of Bb on the last chord of first section. Sounded completely terrible. Too little crescendo for the second part. Otherwise, OK. Third piece: Pretty fine, no major mistakes except for an overexaggerated rubato bit.
PART FOUR
Aural. What fun. He asks me to imitate his lower hand melody. I look confused. He then corrects himself and says its the upper hand melody. I ask him if I can whistle instead of sing, and he is agreeable to that. Now, this melody started on C, and went up and down. My whistling range is ONE octave of C to C (or maybe C# if I push it). So, couldn't do the higher notes, major mistakes in tuning. Sight-singing: fine. Analysing a played piece: was it Classical? Or Baroque? Then, sight-reading. Started melody fine, left hand completely unsure of what to do, right hand melody wrong notes, so thank goodness I ended on the correct chord. I leave the room rather flustered yet relieved.
So... did I fail?
Friday: Intensive sectionals for band. My lower lip kept hurting towards the end. Just noticed that Wen Jie has his own mouthpiece and ligature!!! I'm still saving up! Then, when I asked him where he bought it and how much it cost over MSN, he replied "somewhere in Jurong" and "donno". I mean, these kind of things take a large lump out of your pocket money and you don't remember how much they cost??? Or is it that you don't want to admit it?
Saturday: Ok, more hardcore sectionals. My lips, still recovering from yesterday, died during the first 30 minutes of playing. BM not happy with me. I hope my lower lip revives by Mon or I'll get prosecuted during concert by him. (he sits right next to me!!!) Band practice on Fridays AND Saturdays is NOT a good idea.
All in all, a stressful week. Looking forward to March holidays, but even that is jam packed:
Friday & Saturday before hols: 2 separate performances for the SAME event over 2 days. (we're guests for RJC's concert A Tempo)
Monday & Tuesday of hols: Band camp!!! I am really looking forward to this. Unless of course this is one of those hardcore sectional practice in disguise.
Thursday & Friday of hols: 2 separate musical exchanges with St Joseph Institution & Anglican High School. Please, may we NOT get owned.
To top that off, there's still the road to SYF!!!
Band is starting to become fun... unless my lip hurts. Seriously. When I can play, band is fun for me. When my lip grows tired, I play worse and worse, and get scolded more often, and thats not fun.
Goal: Train lip stamina!!!
Monday: Chinese CCT. For once, it was easier than I expected. The textbook-related cloze was like; ignore the passage and follow the han yu pin yin. The cloze was normal difficulty, and the comprehension was quite ok too. Even the ke wen shen lun ti, which I usually get 0 for was answerable.
Tuesday: Mathematics CCT. This completely killed me. I can guarentee that at least 50% of our batch will fail. I don't even want to talk about it; how my value of E for the x-coordinate geometry question was 2/9, how on earth should you find out the value of a and b for a cubic graph, how 45 minutes was a rubbish timing for such a difficult paper...
Wednesday: Break from CCTs! But had to mug & mug & mug Biology and piano aural. I mean, is Baroque polyphonic or what? Or is that Romantic? And does BbHh + bbhh = 1:1:1:1?
Thursday: Biology CCT. Easy. No big problems, lucky I learnt Klinefelter's Syndrome (XXY) for that karotyping question. Then came the afternoon. PRACTICAL PIANO EXAM GRADE 6. Let me give a blow by blow account of this nightmare.
PART ONE
Walk into the music studio. 30 minutes early. Register with the steward. Sit down. 10 minutes pass. Some other guy comes into the studio and registers. He's taking Grade 7. Another 5 minutes pass. The steward gets up and calls that other guy. He's rather pale in the face, so I say "good luck". No reply. 15 minutes pass, with faint chords enamating from the exam room. Door opens. The guy comes out with a rather strange expression. I go in. First sight of a elderly foreigner. I say "good morning". He replies in turn. I give him the examiner's record sheet and make myself comfortable at the seat.
PART TWO
A few seconds pass. He asks me if I would like to start with scales or pieces. I say scales, Group 1. After a few major scales, he then says G sharp melodic minor. I stare blankly at the keys. I put my fingers on G sharp. I run my fingers over the piano a few times, then start playing. Ooops. Thats F sharp. I try again. Wait, G sharp melodic minor doesn't have D does it? Try again. Finally get it correct. The brittle "thank you" breaks the silence which follows. Chromatics: fine. Diminished 7th scales: fine. Arpeggios: not too good.
PART THREE
Now, exam pieces. First piece: too fast! Due to fast opening, I messed up the morents and semiquavers in the middle of the piece. Second piece: ended on Eb instead of Bb on the last chord of first section. Sounded completely terrible. Too little crescendo for the second part. Otherwise, OK. Third piece: Pretty fine, no major mistakes except for an overexaggerated rubato bit.
PART FOUR
Aural. What fun. He asks me to imitate his lower hand melody. I look confused. He then corrects himself and says its the upper hand melody. I ask him if I can whistle instead of sing, and he is agreeable to that. Now, this melody started on C, and went up and down. My whistling range is ONE octave of C to C (or maybe C# if I push it). So, couldn't do the higher notes, major mistakes in tuning. Sight-singing: fine. Analysing a played piece: was it Classical? Or Baroque? Then, sight-reading. Started melody fine, left hand completely unsure of what to do, right hand melody wrong notes, so thank goodness I ended on the correct chord. I leave the room rather flustered yet relieved.
So... did I fail?
Friday: Intensive sectionals for band. My lower lip kept hurting towards the end. Just noticed that Wen Jie has his own mouthpiece and ligature!!! I'm still saving up! Then, when I asked him where he bought it and how much it cost over MSN, he replied "somewhere in Jurong" and "donno". I mean, these kind of things take a large lump out of your pocket money and you don't remember how much they cost??? Or is it that you don't want to admit it?
Saturday: Ok, more hardcore sectionals. My lips, still recovering from yesterday, died during the first 30 minutes of playing. BM not happy with me. I hope my lower lip revives by Mon or I'll get prosecuted during concert by him. (he sits right next to me!!!) Band practice on Fridays AND Saturdays is NOT a good idea.
All in all, a stressful week. Looking forward to March holidays, but even that is jam packed:
Friday & Saturday before hols: 2 separate performances for the SAME event over 2 days. (we're guests for RJC's concert A Tempo)
Monday & Tuesday of hols: Band camp!!! I am really looking forward to this. Unless of course this is one of those hardcore sectional practice in disguise.
Thursday & Friday of hols: 2 separate musical exchanges with St Joseph Institution & Anglican High School. Please, may we NOT get owned.
To top that off, there's still the road to SYF!!!
Band is starting to become fun... unless my lip hurts. Seriously. When I can play, band is fun for me. When my lip grows tired, I play worse and worse, and get scolded more often, and thats not fun.
Goal: Train lip stamina!!!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
English blog of personal response - Term 1
I have some English homework to do; put up on my blog an article then review and reflect on it from at least two different perspectives. With a 500 word limit! So here's my article, The Straits Times Insight pages S8 (S9 is related as well) on Saturday, Febuary 24th 2007. It talks about the effects of Singapore's population reaching 6.5 million people. Here is a scan of the paper (click to enlarge). My review and word count starts below that.
Singapore has long been a player in the race to become a global city. In the age of globalization, to compete in the top league, global cities must not just aspire too become the epicentres of economic activity, but also flourish as cultural hubs. But one of the requirements (and effects) of a successful global city would be a large cosmopolitan population which can sustain a full menu of socio-cultural activities. Will this be something which Singapore can achieve? If so, what are the effects?
This article describes the effects on Singapore when the population reaches the projected 6.5 million. It states that the main source of growth will have to come from immigration, given the fact that Singapore's fertility rate of around 1.25 in recent years is far below replacement level. Such a major demographic shift may have significant political and economic consequences. As the share of the population that citizens account for vis-à-vis immigrants shrinks, tensions may run high between Singaporeans and foreigners over issues such as the fear of losing jobs to foreign talent, the changing ethnic balance, the lack of commitment to Singapore on the part of immigrants, and the overall disintegration of social cohesion. However, my sense is that we should remember our immigrant roots and reflect on this more carefully; Singapore has in the past thrived as an immigrant society with an open-door policy towards migrants since its founding. This should help us look at migration in more positive ways, and help us realize that it is the constant injection of migrants that make us a vibrant and cosmopolitan city.
Growing the population to almost 1.5 times its current size also presents a range of social and environmental concerns. One of these is the problem of over-crowding as personal space shrinks. Even now, we have to build vertically to maximize what little space we have on this island. However, we should look at the other side of the coin beyond anxieties over the lack of personal room and a compromised quality of life. Cities more “crowded” than Singapore – such as Hong Kong, with 6.9 million people, and described as a “concrete jungle with little elbow room” – seem to be able to transcend its physical limitations and maintain a quality of life that people consider more vibrant and exciting than Singapore’s. A larger, more diverse mix of people in Singapore will allow it to also develop the “buzz” that accompanies global cities. While green spaces must be conserved and the environment protected, accommodating more people on the island can be achieved without compromising the quality of life if we are creative in using technology to solve the problem of land scarcity. Perhaps we can build our city upwards by maximizing vertical planes and making use of “waste” spaces.
The “Singapore Dream” of becoming a truly global city can be achieved not only by expanding the population but also increasing the breadth of our vision for this island.
Bibliography & References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070102/070214-3.htm
- Blog of Personal Response to Current Affairs -
Singapore has long been a player in the race to become a global city. In the age of globalization, to compete in the top league, global cities must not just aspire too become the epicentres of economic activity, but also flourish as cultural hubs. But one of the requirements (and effects) of a successful global city would be a large cosmopolitan population which can sustain a full menu of socio-cultural activities. Will this be something which Singapore can achieve? If so, what are the effects?
This article describes the effects on Singapore when the population reaches the projected 6.5 million. It states that the main source of growth will have to come from immigration, given the fact that Singapore's fertility rate of around 1.25 in recent years is far below replacement level. Such a major demographic shift may have significant political and economic consequences. As the share of the population that citizens account for vis-à-vis immigrants shrinks, tensions may run high between Singaporeans and foreigners over issues such as the fear of losing jobs to foreign talent, the changing ethnic balance, the lack of commitment to Singapore on the part of immigrants, and the overall disintegration of social cohesion. However, my sense is that we should remember our immigrant roots and reflect on this more carefully; Singapore has in the past thrived as an immigrant society with an open-door policy towards migrants since its founding. This should help us look at migration in more positive ways, and help us realize that it is the constant injection of migrants that make us a vibrant and cosmopolitan city.
Growing the population to almost 1.5 times its current size also presents a range of social and environmental concerns. One of these is the problem of over-crowding as personal space shrinks. Even now, we have to build vertically to maximize what little space we have on this island. However, we should look at the other side of the coin beyond anxieties over the lack of personal room and a compromised quality of life. Cities more “crowded” than Singapore – such as Hong Kong, with 6.9 million people, and described as a “concrete jungle with little elbow room” – seem to be able to transcend its physical limitations and maintain a quality of life that people consider more vibrant and exciting than Singapore’s. A larger, more diverse mix of people in Singapore will allow it to also develop the “buzz” that accompanies global cities. While green spaces must be conserved and the environment protected, accommodating more people on the island can be achieved without compromising the quality of life if we are creative in using technology to solve the problem of land scarcity. Perhaps we can build our city upwards by maximizing vertical planes and making use of “waste” spaces.
The “Singapore Dream” of becoming a truly global city can be achieved not only by expanding the population but also increasing the breadth of our vision for this island.
- 492 words -
Bibliography & References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070102/070214-3.htm
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