I must say I've just completed the most enjoyable semester so far. We actually had the chance to make and design stuff, instead of following pre-written recipes! It's also hard to complain when your first programming project is to write a game (albeit a very simplistic one). *grin*
Yes, I'm a kid who's been given heaps of toys. Unfortunately, I seem to have developed the urge to constantly write programs now. Hmm.
One of my plans was to smuggle the following software into our Digital Systems lab; that way, I can make our automated car play music while it does its laps around the track. I didn't manage to finish the program in time though, so that plan got scrapped.
I'm halfway through my preparations for my diploma, but still have a long way to go. Recently, I realized that I'm unwilling to invest all the time, money and energy anymore into taking things to the next level.
My trusty piano; a Technics SX-PX224
It's been a fruitful 10 years on the electric piano (I've never owned an acoustic one), and it all started when my mom dragged me to MASS Music in Tabuan Jaya after she heard that musical education is good for a child's development. I eventually started liking music and got quite good at playing, but never got passionate about it.
I won't let the piano simply collect dust, of course. There are still tunes that I enjoy, but exactly where I'll go with my music now remains to be seen. Time will tell, I suppose!
P.S. Above is the first published photo from my new camera. :-)
A few weeks ago, I delved into my ancient Pentium II and fished out some old songs which had entered my life many years ago. Among the beneficiaries of this rescue mission are songs from the Pokémon world.
The Pokémon tunes happened to be among the first which I started really learning by myself. (Except for the occasional other TV theme I found catchy, like Speed Racer and the Gummi Bears.) Just imagine a primary school-aged Sze Howe in front of his computer, belting out tunes at the top of his lungs to out-sing the voices from the speakers. Using one of the songs in my Primary 6 music class assessment got me decent marks too!
Somewhere along the way, Pokémon gradually faded from my playlists, and the songs were never transferred into my new laptop. Hearing them again brings back fun memories of the cartoon, Game Boy and trading card craze!
At this point, I'd like to say that I could listen to the orchestral soundtracks of the movies forever. They were just that brilliant in evoking different atmospheres -- dark, bright, enigmatic, fun... It's been incredibly hard to find out who the composer for each track is, but I think most of them are the works of John Loeffler, who also wrote many of the songs for the albums below. The man's a musical genius. The rest of my post will focus on the vocalized songs, though.
My Pokésong collection slowly grew over the next few years, but it was mostly limited to the above two albums: 2.B.A. Master and Totally Pokémon. Not that it was a real limitation, as there was a remarkable level of variety in style and content within each album alone.
The fun songs Being Pokémon, the repertoire unsurprisingly contains good ol' sing-alongs which don't have much meaning, but are just for laughs. The Song of Jigglypuff is an energetic example, and is cute too! ^_^ Go on, have a listen. It won't send you to sleep, don't worry.
For the benefit of those unfamiliar to the Pokémon world (gasp!), Mt. Moon is the home of Jigglypuff, and the song's bridge is a list of the attacks the little fella is capable of using.
I was even vigilant enough to memorize some of the Japanese lyrics, without the slightest clue to what the words meant. One of them was Meowth's Song, a ballad with a melody and accompaniment that was greatly likable, despite Meowth's scratchy I-have-a-cold-and-laryngitis-at-the-same-time voice. Can't expect a virtuoso from a cat, I suppose.
I eventually looked up a translation of the song and burst out laughing. Mixed in with the humour though, is a dose of loneliness which does plague people in real life.
The above picture and below translation belongs to tsrockin.com
Meowth's Song (Nyasu No Uta) In a blue, blue, quiet night All alone, I philosophize
The crickets are in the bushes Time and time again But tonight I won't be eating them
The moon is like an authority With its circular pattern How round, so round....
No matter what happens in the world, the night goes on No matter what happens in the world, the night goes on
Somewhere in the wide, wide universe There exists another me
Do I also sit by the grass village Raggedy-raggedy Strumming a guitar, I wonder? Am I also singing Meowth's Song, I wonder?
That I'm this lonely This lonely Lonely...
I wonder what everyone is doing right now I wonder what everyone is doing right now
I feel like calling up someone
Whilst unrelated to my problem, I remember using Meowth's song to make myself feel better after getting backstabbed by a friend. It's interesting, really. I'm an advocate for lyrics in the Importance Of Lyrics vs. Importance Of Music debate, but in this case, I looked for comfort in the calming guitar part.
More about the debate in a future post.
The romantic songs You'd be surprised/alarmed at the sheer number of fiction matchmakers out there ("Ash and Misty belong together!" "No way, it's Ash and May!!!"). Well guess what, I was in the bandwagon too! ^_^ There are 3 Ash-Misty songs that I know of. They aren't in this post, but all 3 songs can be found in in a story I wrote, which is very creatively titled The Songfic Trilogy. (Click on the name if you wish to read it -- You can navigate the chapters using a drop-down menu on the top-right and bottom-right of the page)
Etymology:
"Fan fiction": Produced when a fan of a TV series/novel/etc. writes their own story based on the original characters/settings
"Songfic": A piece of fan fiction which incorporates songs
Yes, I wrote a romance story back when I was 14. So sue me.
Alright kids, I want you to form two groups. Group One, you should all roll on the floor and laugh as loud as you can. Group Two, cup your face in your hands and repeat after me: "Awww..."
The third romance song comes from the Christmas album which unsurprisingly does not contain the core of Christmas as we know it. Well, the commercialized and fun-centric version of the Christmas holidays is here to stay.
The music does not live up to the earlier albums either. I didn't listen to most of the songs, but the ones I did hear had a very poor sense of rhythm in relation to the lyrics. Not something you want stuck in your head! It's still upbeat nonetheless, and the accompaniment rescued the songs somewhat.
The friend songs I really wonder, why are there so many songs about physical intimacy on today's popular radio, but next to none about friendship? Why is it that the topic of friendship comes across as corny?
Pokémon has plenty of dedications to this bond that most of us cherish though, due to the young age of the target audience. Perhaps the kids have the right idea.
Together Forever (chorus) Together forever, no matter how long From now until the end of time We'll be together and you can be sure That forever and a day That's how long we'll stay Together and forever more
Never Too Far From Home (chorus) Whatever you want, whatever you need You know you can always count on me There'll always be someone waiting 'Cause you're never too far from home
Wherever you go, whatever you do You know we'll be there to pull you through You know there'll be someone waiting 'Cause you're never too far from home
"Together Forever" is an upbeat one, while "Never Too Far" is more contemplative. Nonetheless, both contain the same optimism. It's sadly come to light that the optimism is for the minority... Humans aren't too efficient at maintaining friendships over the gap of space and time, huh?
The last song of the day has been with me for a long while. I've sung it for entertainment, I've cried to it when I had to leave the friend I was in love with as I left Kuching. Presenting, "The Time Has Come" from Episode 39.
The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye) I close my eyes And I can see The day we met Just one moment and I knew You're my best friend Do anything for you
We've gone so far And done so much And I feel Like we've always been together Right by my side Through thick and thin You're the part of my life I'll always remember
The time has come It's for the best I know it Who could've guessed that you and I Somehow, someday We'd have to say goodbye
You've helped me find The strength inside And the courage To make all my dreams come true How will I find Another friend like you?
Two of a kind That's what we are And it seemed Like we were always winning But as our team Is torn apart I wish we could go back To the beginning
The time has come It's for the best I know it Who could've guessed that you and I Somehow, someday We'd have to say goodbye
Somehow today, we have to say goodbye...
I can think of many people who can relate to this song at this moment. I don't think the words describe any of the situations accurately though... More often than not, songs at most only represent something QUITE similar. But the point is, we find ourselves here more often than we like. I seem to be here again, too... but it's my own fault.
I miss you so much, my friend... but I'll remember you always...... >_<
For those without the privilege of experiencing a white Christmas! ^_^
Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden* Ute** Kicking up the dust, esky*** in the boot Kelpie**** by my side, singing Christmas songs It's summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs***** (Oh!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!) Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute
Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos The swaggie****** climbs aboard, he is welcome too All the family's there, sitting by the pool Christmas Day the Aussie way, by the barbecue (Oh!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!) Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute
Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze The kids and Uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes The time comes 'round to go, we take the family snap Pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing up (Oh!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!) Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute
* Holden n - An Australian car manufacturer ** Ute n - (from "utility") Pickup truck *** Esky n - Portable cooler **** Kelpie n - An Australian sheep dog ***** Thongs n - Sandals ****** Swaggie n - (from "Swagman") An old Australian term describing an underclass of transient temporary workers, who traveled by foot from farm to farm carrying the traditional swag (his collection of worldly possessions)
The final parts of the final song for our Year 12 Presentation Night on 1 Nov 2006, presented by (left to right) Lyndsey, Beth and Kim, with piano accompanist Ben.
That was my first performance, ever, with an ensemble. It's slightly sad, if you consider the fact that I've been a music apprentice for 9 years. It's slightly insane, if you consider the fact that I was given 3 days' notice and no full rehearsals.
Let's rewind a bit. The Carine SHS mid-year concert was held last Friday and Saturday, as part of the school music programme and also to raise some funds. And raise some funds it did!
The dough from Friday night
The people who collected the dough and did odd jobs on Friday night (Person #5 was behind the camera)
Friday was the Juniors' night and I went to watch my brother play. Was gonna get some good photos too, but... I was still collecting dough when the Junior Band started. There, hard proof that money has detrimental effects. Another Proof Of Detrimentalness is the Black Fingers Syndrome after long periods of handling money at a cashier. I haven't contracted the disease myself, but it was a topic of discussion earlier this morning and I take my friends' word for it.
The rest of the night passed quite unincidentally... there were some rather awesome performances, but that's expected. ;-) The Seniors' Night (Saturday), on the other hand, was plagued with falling objects. During the Senior Band's first appearance, a loud crash from the back of the stage marked an accident from the percussionists. As the Orchestra came on, a certain Double Bassist signalled his presence by sending his (rather large) bow to the floor. Back in the rehearsal room, a wall was banged rather hard.
What happens when shock waves are sent along a wall which bears a framed photo
Back to the performance I was talking about. The Senior Band was up first, oh joy... Blind panic ensuds! It was like... like reliving all the memories of going to lessons after a without practice! Aah! My teacher's gonna kill me! The audience is gonna think I suck! They...... hold on, they have no idea what the song sounds like. I can play wrong notes and they wouldn't know. Mwahahaha!
Well, ok, the above scenario didn't actually happen. Sure, I was nervous, but it was more of a "Meh, whatever..." feeling. The years of making a fool out of myself in school and at BB, the Si Kebayan* trip, and all the ngenjenning** practice must have done something to me: I'm not that badly affected by stagefright anymore, even when I was about to perform, for the first time, for a song I had never even heard before! =P
So, all panic aside, I proceeded to enjoy my first view from within the collection of band players and instruments. Sitting next to a French horn was an... ear-catching... experience. ^_^ The following photos aren't of the best quality, but I rushed because I didn't know how much time I had left before the curtains opened. The audience probably wouldn't be too impressed by a flashy light show by a camera-wielding monkey on stage.
The conductor in front
The percussionists behind me
The brass section to my left
The saxophonists to my right EDIT 29/6/06: The 2nd person from the right is Kimmi, our beloved MC who did a vocal solo with the Jazz Band and was ticked off because I did not mention her in my post.
There you have it, a view of the band through the eyes of a sakai***. PRET-ty amazing huh? This sakai sat there for the first song, Tempest Rising, then made his way to the piano for his debut appearance in Fantasy on a Theme by Samuel Barber. The introduction went well (except mybe it was a tad bit soft), and then there was a long resting period for the piano. Thus, the problem was revealed: I tried counting my way through the silent bars but the speed changes threw me off. Uh-oh.
What happens when a performer doesn't know when to enter? Well... one thing he can do is to pretend to know what he's doing. My part was only simple accompaniment in repetitive style, so I dared to play what I THOUGHT was the correct part for the ending 'solo'. Turned out that it WASN'T the correct part and I added an extra bar when we were supposed to stop, but meh. It sounded suitable enough. ^_^ I have learnt something new, however: Performance without prior full rehearsal or prior experience in improvisation will result in grey hairs and possible heart failure.
After that fiasco though, I was free to enjoy the rest of the performances. Here are a few more photos...
Guitar ensemble
Orchestra
Clarinet ensemble
Musical theatre. Oh wait, this wasn't one of the items. Whoopsie!
* Si Kebayan - The title of the drama in which Sze Howe was transformed into a girl. ** ngenjenv. Talking crap in a believable and authoritative manner. *** sakain. An easily-awed person with no knowledge of the world around him.
Words can be my friends. Words can be my enemies. Whichever the case is, I tread carefully. Sometimes though, I'd like to think that I have transcended the boundaries of my lexicon...
My Pokésong collection slowly grew over the next few years, but it was mostly limited to the above two albums: 2.B.A. Master and Totally Pokémon. Not that it was a real limitation, as there was a remarkable level of 
Yes, I wrote a romance story back when I was 14. So sue me.
The music does not live up to the earlier albums either. I didn't listen to most of the songs, but the ones I did hear had a very poor sense of rhythm in relation to the lyrics. Not something you want stuck in your head! It's still upbeat nonetheless, and the accompaniment rescued the songs somewhat.
