calm before the storm

Literally. And figuratively. Haha. But really, SYF is just... there. Here.

The calm before the storm... will our ocean glow? Will it be our sunrise or a sunset?

Its just less than a day to SYF. No matter how I try to be calm, I have butterflies in my stomach. (no really!) I was never so nervous before.

Today was our last practice. Even the Percussion SL'88 (which is almost 20 years ago!!!) came down to give an inspiring boost to our morale. What he said actually brought a lump to my throat: (this is the gist of it)

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This year SYF...

We Should: Because we love making music. Because we are passionate towards RIMB. Because we deeply appreciate our conductor.

We Must: Because we owe it to our seniors. Because we owe it to our conductor. Because we owe it to the 32/33 years worth of seniors who have got Gold/GwH before us.

We Can: Because we have given all we have. Because we have put in our blood sweat and tears. Because we know that we have practiced, and we know we can do it.

We Will: Because we will. Because we know we will. Because we know that we should, must, can, and therefore will do our best, and walk off the stage with pride and without regrets.

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For those who don't know, this is our band motto: "We should! We must! We can! We will!" It encapsulates the approach of the Rafflesian Bandsmen to every endeavour with the desire, the sense of duty, the belief in our ability and the determination. It is the rallying cry that motivates and spurs the Band to give the very best in every undertaking.

We have put in the effort. We know we can. Now, its boils down to our showmanship, whether we can duplicate the results in the band room to the stage.

Whether we can get our GwH or even Gold is attributed to this. No matter how much we practice, we still have to prove that we did on the stage. But the more we practice, the better our chances of duplicating it. Everyone, just remember your crescendos, your phrasing, your slurs, your emotion, your tone, and everything else... and we'll be fine.

Thanks to...

1) RIMB banders.
2) RIMB alumni.
3) Parents, friends, teachers.
4) My dedicated and sole tagger ahbander/thetagger/passerby.

...for your support and guidance.

So now...

Singapore Sunrise.

And Then The Ocean Glows.

We should! We must! We can! We will!

For better or for worse... in 22 hours, 44 minutes, 47 seconds.