vocal obsession

With the coming and passing of Resonance's VOIII, there is the overwhelming wave of mixed emotions that goes through me, even as i reminisce the reminiscent concert. VOIII, short for Vocal Obsession III, held my firsts in many aspects - my first vocal concert in my LIFE (choirs not counted), my first time singing solo in front of that many people without breaking down, my first time i experienced soo much love and teamwork and encouragement in NUS, the first time i actually looked forward to going to school, and many more. it was such an amazing journey thru the past months of hardwork, tears, sweat, laughter, friendship, love, and most importantly, God's grace and provision thru it all. I've learnt and grown so much more as a singer AND as a christian after these practices, and im proud to say that i've sucessfully overcame my stagefright, while my initial audience of my gathered soft-toys (when i first joined reso) has graduated to become a full live audience at UCC theater (:

at the end of this chapter, i feel so utterly blessed to have completed this journey not just without a scratch (i was fearing more), but also with a group of friends who have grown to become so dear to my heart, that i truly treasure & cherish. i look to reso clubroom almost as a 2nd home for the past mnths, and the pple within, my 2nd family. thru the ups & downs, and the goods & bads, we've stuck thru it all, with prayers, suppers, thanksgivings, and fellowship. and as we held hands and prayed for one another before the concert, i truly felt God's blessings and favor upon us all, so amazing and beautiful.

i've so much to share, and yet i cant put it all down in words adequately. for me, after being stressed and worried about my two solos within the concert for months, and even breaking down at points during rehearsal, God showed me that He was faithful, and that truly, all things were possible thru Him. plus, He gave me friends who were so encouraging, friends who believed in me even when i ceased to believe in myself, and who egged me on, and went with me to the finishing line (: i am forever grateful.

also, loads of thanks to people who came down to support! (: even tho i asked everybody so last min cuz i didnt want anybody to see me trip & fall over my own singing at first, but God gave me courage to share this wonderful experience and concert with y'all and your presence rly encouraged me!

anw enough talk, pictures will do the rest of the talking!

a few pictures during the concert when we had time in btwn costume changes


edlina, her eyelashes, jiayan, and zoe



"i will survive" group right before our turn on stage!

post-concert pictures!

the AC-peeps!


churchies!

andrew & michael



and then our craziest supper @ breko



reason for murder: rachael singing songs on loop - guilty as charged!

music is the key

And today, i found new revelation for this song:

People - have always been singing
To wipe away tears
To ease all their pain

Music - has always been healing
Some people just sometimes
And others again and again and again

So we hope that today you are ready
To understand

[Chorus:]
Whenever you're falling down
Hopeless and pushed around
Find your own melody
Trust me that music is the key

It makes you feel proud and strong
Helps you to carry on
If you are down on your knees
You should sing it with me
Music is the key - sets you free

It's the key to the heart of all people
It can open the door to your soul
It's the key to a world
Where the flower of love
Always grows - don't you know...

the sunshine after the rain

today was like the rain amidst the drought, bringing with it the much needed relief, rest, and recreation, and is easily one of the best days of my holidays so far. again, i feel so blessed and blissful, esp when i received the sms from my boss ytd night, informing vanessa and i that we didnt need to work today due to some renovation complications, rewarding our hard work with a timely long weekend.

mac and i went out for the day (finally!) for a nice meal and caught "get smart" which was kinda silly but funny at the same time, and i realized that it has become rather alien to me to sit down for a proper good meal at the table, after all the times i've been eating in office, and packing dinner (or what constitutes dinner) to reso pracs. it was pretty ridiculous how it felt weird to be out in a mall in the first place, to have the luxury of time back in my grasp - i think i've forgotten how it is like to live life, being too absorbed in my daily rushing routines of madness and tasks, but it is thus that i learn to enjoy life's little moments of joy even more, because im more easily satisfied now than ever before.

moving on with life's little joys, i had supper with ET, tovya, derek and weilee at fongseng today after prac, one of my rare moments there. it was great fun & talk with nasi lemak, its real interesting how people talk randomly about certain things and everyone switches topic immediately to that topic, regardless of the previous topic and whether it has been concluded. also, now i know that people who play with their food are said to be creative in bed. hmmm.

boogiee

Twas been a really nerve wrecking morning at work today, and i’ve truly put my multitasking skills to the test. There were renovation works going on today in the office, and the drilling noises were loud enough to cause a ring to resonate in my ears even after they’ve stopped. That, with the anxiety and frustration of booking similar flights to Los Angeles with tyler and romita, while trying to complete work at the same time was pretty tough on the spirit. I almost wanted to give up, and ask for a day off just to settle my stuff and catch a breath before the mad rush of reso rehearsals again, but instead i prayed, and had lunch at the garden by myself to escape from insanity.

And what resulted from that short break was opened doors and miraculous change of events – i’ve settled my flights with my friends by favour of both man and God, cleared all my required work, dealt with certain difficult people in ways i can look back and be proud of, and also settled certain problems that have been bugging me for the longest time. For now, things are looking bright and shiny, although very tired.

12-15 May was our youth life motivational camp @ port Dickson, and also my first time travelling with the entire youth group. The 4plus-hour coach ride to port Dickson was significantly entertaining and interesting with the entire bunch of friends whom i’ve grown up with and love, as with the actual camp and activities that were carried out. I’ve learnt to share alot more – my thoughts, feelings, bed, and even food (with those drooling flies) thru this camp, and also experienced God with the closest friends i’ll ever have. There’s actually too much that has been taught, learnt and experienced to be put into words, so i think “amazing” wld have to suffice for now.

Ytd night was also one to be thankful for, cuz i reached home before 1130pm for the first time in a looonggg while, even after dropping diff people home. Like meisi said, when reso rehearsals and concert are over, there’ll be an extreme mixtures of happiness, coupled with nostalgia and sadness, for what has been shared and learnt through these coupla weeks of intense rehearsals is smth that i wont trade anything in for. Yet, while i look forward dearly to reso rehearsals, work + reso is a deathly combi thats starting to take a toll on my health, and time for the other pple whom i love, as well as my service in church. Hence, while i dread the ending of rehearsals, i yearn for the coming of the concert. What a dilemma.
On a happier note, 21 more days to Melbourne!(:

musings

Work today is pretty quiet. Aside from the soft humming of the kitchen kettle, the hissing blow of the aircon, and the sound of my typing on the keyboard, silence is probably the next best word to describe the situation now, void of the usual banter and chatter of the interns and staff. Veronica has resigned because she was unable to cope with the stress and multi-tasking that the job required her to be in, while Vanessa is on leave today due to hives. Its going to be a long day, i know.

Nonetheless, i feel so very blessed to be working here. Ytd morning, for almost a full 2 hours, we had a sharing session, where Cat gave us her testimony of how she came to know God. Glad to say, her testimony touched more than my heart, but Vanessa’s too, and we heard of her plans to get to know God and to go to church. How truly amazing.

Work aside, my life revolves around reso rehearsals, and i got off work early ytd so i could make the full dress rehearsal on time. Unfortunately, there were numerous pretty major screw-ups for my group– people arriving late, not having scores for substitute singers, no costumes etc. It got me pretty upset for a while, esp after all the planning, msging, calling to try to get things right. But i guess it’s thru these failures that we learn the most, more than in knowing how to handle difficult situations but also difficult people, and from there, learning how to make things right again.

Wei Lee, wailun and i braved the storm with one small umbrella after that to make it for supper @ al-ameen to satiate hungry stomachs void of dinner, and also to quell the upset and disappointments of the rehearsal. It worked, after numerous naans, spring chicken, prata, and soup (those guys can eat heck alot!).

Anw, to end this post off before i start work proper (hehe), peektures from Lide’s 21st birthday party on Saturday! :D


the color blockers (:



all the churchies (:

Lide, i just realized we didn’t take a single pict together on that day! Haha!

burn-out

perhaps i've been spreading myself a little too thin, and am now experiencing the nasty sideeffects of a prolonged absence of sleep, proper meals, and time to pause, take a break, and to have a little me-time and god-time.
when it all came crashing down i realized i've been trying to support and sustain everything like how a little superhero girl would do, except i cant.
daniel wrote me an email today, and he reminded me of all things gd - faith, joy, humility, and true friendship
most of all, he reminded me of God's love and strength, things that are always shelved to the back of my head when i try to take things into my own hands
a timely reminder, one that truly encouraged and inspired

here's what i've been up to:

rehearsals..

on a more exciting note, i just got notified of my housing in UCLA!
i'll be staying at this residential plaza called Rieber Terrace, which is within walking distance to school (:
tis a double-occupancy room, with shared bath with this other room next to ours
sounds real exciting!
ok meds starting to get me groggy. nights!

.

weekends.
narnia (prince caspian) was THE bomb. (lovelovelove)
patience while queueing for parking @ plaza sing is an acquired virtue.
wedding performance: check
big fat juicy angpao: check
jamming session @ the atrium.
narnia (the witch.. and something closet) for old time's sake (and also for william moseley)
monday blues.
start of work again.
reso rehearsals. im starting to really look forward to them.
supper tmr night (:

loveee

deflated balloon reporting back for duty with a smile and cherries on the top.
i just reached home not too long ago from more rehearsals, for both strings (read: wedding) and resonance
for some reason, i really love wedding processions, including the rehearsals and whatnots
so i was rather pleased we had to sit through the entire wedding rehearsal, while edwin, ainsley and cindy fumed beside me
the couple roped in 3 little kids for the processional, the flower girl being not more than 2 or 3 years old was absolutely adorable, and had to be baited with toys and candies at certain junctures so she could complete the walk
altho they were fears amongst us that she might suddenly start to crawl (she was THAT young) she was a dear and did the rehearsal perfect

for reso, rehearsals are starting to look more perky
'true colors' is starting to sound more like the original song, with the loads of generous help frm edmund, ET and wailun
the 3 hours we had just to mike up today also helped plenty, and for once i didnt feel like making an ugly face after we completed the song
after prac i squeezed a coupla pple into my car for rides since it was late, and realized that edmund and wailun alone are tall enough to block out almost my entire view of my back windscreen. and im not even exaggerating hahaha

today marks day 5 of work. and i'm still surviving!
although that aint a feat by itself because work's so awesome and i've learned alot from this internship. all of us from office attended a training program @ capital towers today on behalf of MYCG, to learn about the new packages and programs that AXA was launching and how they intended to market it. what i expected to be boring and monotonous turned out to be an engaging and very interesting workshop - one that i actually paid attention to more than i ever do in lectures

we got a cool ride in cat's merc CLK on our trip to goodwood park for dim sum lunch (: which was really, the highlight of the week, cuz the food there's so good, and because i was rly craving dimsum ever since "maid of honor".

im still standing on my two feet, even after this heck of a hectic week (:
its funny too that im in school so much more than i ever was during semester, leavin school at unearthly hours for supper, or just night drives home with friends after long hours of rehearsals
but what i've learned and accomplished, makes me so happy and satisfied that i dont rly feel the wear and tear of early mornings and late nights, which is good, while it lasts

mad rush

today marks day 3 since i've started work at MYCG, and i'm already kinda out of breath.
its not from the work, no, the work's fantastic. i've got great lady-bosses, who are oh-so-cool and jolly that meeting them each day puts a smile on my face.
the office is really amazing too - its an old colonial house converted into an office, with beautiful and well thought-out interior design that's very sleek and classy within.
my fellow intern, vanessa and i have our own terminals to work with, and also a kitchen-full of well-stocked foods that is replenished daily, including delicacies from J-Co donuts, loads of chocos & icecreams, baskets full of cheezels and so on.
no wonder i've become a lil more rolly-polly since i've started work.

but work aside, i've been rushing faster than speedracer from rehearsals to rehearsals
reso rehearsals have taken up almost every single night, and as i rush to school from work i grab dinner in the form of paos, snacks, milos, further fueling the rolly-polly in a rapid snowball effect
then, i rush for strings rehearsals for the upcoming wedding. thank God its at ACS(I), because that makes rushing a lil easier
we had prac at cindy's ytd - ains, edwin and i, without wayne, which is rather funny because the wedding is at wayne's church, and the couple getting married are wayne's friends, and wayne was the one who got this quartet together but he aint playing
unfortch, unlike the other past weddings we've done, this time we're doing the processionals itself, and also the preludes, which can be very stressful esp since my violin still goes out of tune every now and then as it pleases (including my playing of course)

today, i rushed from work(hollandV) to interview(aljunied) in a matter of 20min, thanks to jam-less roads despite peak hour cramps. and then from there rushed to a church funeral @ singapore caskets.

tmr, i'll be again, "rushing" to tanjong pagar for a training session for my insurance company, before another mad rush session for rehearsals again.

till the next time i can time and energy then~

bruin's welcome

im currently waiting for the clock to strike the magic midnight strokes, so i can call over to UCLA's Bruins office to get some issues regarding my intranet login settled. after many months of worrisome and incessant waiting, i've FINALLY received my acceptance letter into UCLA, one of the last few to receive among all the students goign to the UCs just because UCLA decides to be special. thankfully, im not the only one suffering the cruel puppetry of the school, if not my worries would have increased more than 10-fold. but as of now, im just eager to get things done and settle my housing, travel, and modules for the time i'll be there.

by some stroke of luck (or misfortune depending on how you look at it), the start of my internship has been pushed back yet another week, because the marketing materials that i'm supposed to be working on has yet to arrive. hence, it freed up another week, blossoming my wish for more fun and laughter. the past week saw several noteworthy events, ranging from isaac's teaparty @ his place with hand-made sushi, to "made of honor", which is quite a nice romantic comedy thanks to mcdreamy, geok's 21st beach party @ sentosa, followed by vivocity dinner, mahjong nights at victor's, and retro funfair @ church, which was really very entertaining (for a while). peekures are with zhenjie.

now that it is one minute to 12, cinderella shall adjourn to the phone to catch the help-desk officer starting their day @ 8AM over in UCLA in their cranky, lack-of-coffee mode so i can bug them for my faulty login ID. taa~

(edit) i've settled the login problems! (:
and also, some filing tasks for my mom-boss
hence, some peektures from random people from all over on the sentosa party


melvin & mac, then mac & i with the birthday girl!



then, because i like this shot from turqoise room because it makes the place look real cozy: