2nd Concert ~with tpjc winds~

Yesterday, 31st May 2008. Saturday.

It marks the 2nd concert I have performed with the tpjc winds. Yes, it was the 2nd time and probably the last time. My role for this concert was to guide all the percussion and of course teach them along the way so they can perform better without anymore "outsiders" (for example me and garrett) help. From the last concert where I played for almost every single song to this time round, I only played for 3 songs (1 important part and the other 2 were sub parts). This shows how much improvement they have made since the first concert I have with them. Timpani part has actually started spread out to the rest of the percussionists. ^^ My job is accomplished. ^^. Good job percussion! Even though I don't have much time to work with you all during sectional but at least there was improvement every single time we did sectional. That's what I am very happy with.

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I reached City Hall at 12+ and started to shop around. haha. yesh I went to SHOP before concert. Went to Marina then Suntec. For the whole shopping trip, I only managed to bring back a Jacket from Topman. The other things just don't look good to me. Too normal. Actually I saw a topman tee, wanted to buy but forgot June has not reached. hahaha. I will only have 20% discount in June because of birthday month. haha. So I shall wait till next few days. ^^. After Shopping was around 230 ba.. Then I walked from Marina to VCH. I reached VCH around 245. I went to SSO office first to find Mr Chiang. Stayed inside there enjoy fans+aircon. haha.

Went up to find chien teng in studio 1 around 3. Put down my stuffs and went to find Shu Qi to give her the marimba strings. While finding her, I saw caile backstage. haha. Then he gave me that BIG SMILE and said "fredy, why are you late?" I was like am I?? haha

I told him Mr Chiang said I can reach at 330. Haha. So I AM EARLY!! haha. Then I asked him about Shu Qi. Can't find Shu Qi any where, so went to pass the strings to caile. Instead of passing him the strings and go, it become our hitting game session. haha. So stupid. haha. ok.. just for a while. After that went back to studio 1, on the way back saw gek teng. Then told her about the strings.

Came out of studio 1 after a while. On the way to the stage, met jiamin. haha. then she asked me about marimba strings. haha. everyone was quite scared that I forgot to bring. I myself was scared too! haha.

Then we went to backstage, saw that caile trying to SLEEP! haha. Then I "restarted" our hitting game again! Jiamin just laughed down there. haha. Ok... We stopped after I saw su qi and her shouting of "SHI FU!!" haha. Su qi told me caile going to dance tonight and they have been practicing the steps. I was curious so I asked caile show me the dance steps. I shouldn't have said that!! Caile practically used me as a "practice doll" (haha, a new term). He just dragged me and dance with him. Su qi and Jiamin were both laughing and cheering. (-_-). Su Qi still said looked nice, can substitute my "brother". (-_-). When I thought everything was going to end, a pull from the back, make me fall back. OF COURSE, human natural reaction will try to stabilize ownself. Even though, there was caile's hand at the back, still NOT SAFE! haha. Anyway, I never really fall back. So I was like half standing. haha. Ok After the whole "rehearsal" of that dance. I was finally allowed to sit down. haha. Jiamin was so freaked out and yet couldn't stop laughing. We went near her and she was like screaming. hahaha... she was mad yesterday! haha.

We stopped the scaring her and 3 of us sat the sofa and chat. Then they said they have something to give me. I was like "OH YA! " I have something to give them too! I asked them to wait for me for a while, then I rushed back to Studio 1 to take the so called "presents" for them.

I went back to backstage to let them choose. haha. There were 6 bricks in total. haha. the bricks are in different colour and have the letter "F", "R", "E", "D", "Y", "C" respectively. haha. Yesh, just in case you don't know, it forms the word, "fredyc". fredyc = fredy chia. haha. This is a bit "bu yao lian" BUT haha.. who cares. I have bought it. ^^

Those bricks have magnetic in it, so when put together it will just attract and click. haha. So MUST have WHOLE section together then you will get the whole name and able to put that photo frame!! ^^. I am so JIAN! ahahaha.. Whole Section must remember me ne!! haha.

Ok.. So they chose.

Darrelle, Su qi, Jiamin took 1st.

"E" - Darrelle

"D" - Jiamin

"Y" - Su Qi

After that Gek teng came and took one.

"R" - Gek Teng.

haha. So NOW! my 2 initials left! Caile chose 1st and left last one for Gabriel

"F" - Caile

"C" - Gabriel

..

YESH! my JOB DONE! hahaha... a very BU YAO LIAN job. haha..

ok. After that, it was the concert rehearsal for band. I was asked to go up and listen to the band so after I have put my things on the stage. I went up to the circle seats to listen. American Elegy. oh my totally bad. The whole band intonation was bad. A lot of problems.

next was the Huntingdon, a lot of articulations and balance problems. Mr Chiang never said everything though. Rushing for time.

Next Do-Enka. That song was quite bad. Really bad. articulation, feel all not right.

Cappadocia was slightly better, although never run through everything but it was NOT as bad. Singing part was good.

Egmont, it was the worst of all pieces. Seriously, I was totally very disappointed in this piece during rehearsal. Beside flute solo, I seriously didn't find any other thing nice. Balance out, entry late, phrasing all was bad. I listened through around 1/3 of the song then I closed the score and left the circle seats area. 1. It was really unbearable, 2. the more you hear, you will feel angry cause the band never did what the conductor wants. 3. from next song onwards I need to play already.

I reached the stage and put down all the conductor scores. Not long after that, egmont ended and so next song was Highlights. The only song that I will need to play during rehearsal cause very important part. When Mr Chiang said "highlights". everyone started to move, Caile came down and looked at me.

"next time, you don't stay in front of me (I was in front cause I was in circle seats, they are facing me). very pressurized leh. if you are in the audience, I die already. No need to play."

haha. I was laughing like mad when he said that. I still told him, I don't know I am that scary.

he said, I am not scary just feel pressurized. Then he added on and say he prefered me to stand beside him, feel safer.

I was like... haha.. "I only beside you for one song and it is EGMONT. The rest of the time still in front or far from you"

he was like "stand beside better" . (-_-)

whatever the case was, I went to the timpani and started to tune. Started on 2nd bar then I finished tuning cause my conver with caile was abit too long. haha.

Can only hear the band during my rest bars. I think it was so so except for solos (mine excluded, cause I was not very happy with my own playing) which I think did perfectly fine. I somehow slowed down and added a slightly different articulation from what is written on the score. I asked Mr Chiang after rehearsal and He said was good and nice but I just think it was rather bad at some place.

After highlights were SWAY. haha. yes fun piece. the piece caile needs to dance and we percussion needs to SWAY and do action. this song, su qi was like SO HIGH. turn and sway. haha. Caile still wanted us to high five with him when he walked out of the perc. So out of place la.. hahaha... Started playing that SWAY...

Su Qi swayed like mad. haha.. I was like keep on forgetting to TURN and whatsoever. haha. It was a very "HIGH" moment for SUQI. haha. The dance segment. Caile and Michelle were dancing in front of perc. Whoa Sei! my brother SUPER PRO la. her dancing skills hor. OMG. I have nothing to say. More of like she goes to zouk every night and dance de...

We ran through that song for like 3 times. the 2nd time, when caile wants to run out to the dancing place, he was looking at us, thinking maybe any of us would give him a "high five" and the result was NONE of us wanted to do that.. then he gave that disappointed look. haha.. Ok la.. then I just said "ok la ok la" and gave him a high five.. haha.. did a High five he also happy... so lame...

Played Shan Hu Hai after SWAY. Nothing to write about that. haha. After that was BREAK!

FINISH REHEARSAL! WOOO HOO!!! haha.

Keep all my things at respective places and go back to studio 1. ^^. Rest for a while before I went to find Stanley to pass him something. Met Caile when I was finding Stanley. He asked me whether I want to eat, I told him I need to find Stanley first. ^^. After I found Stanley, when I was about to go back studio 1 again, Caile came down from the stage. Yes, I walked passed the hall. haha.

"Want to eat?"

I said ok. Then both of us walked to the lift area. Looked at the food, like not very nice BUT of course better than Maris Stella caterers. haha. I took one, open the studio 1 and asked chien teng whether want to share but he didn't want to eat. Boon kiat, somebody and caile, 3 of them share 2 packets. Caile basically ate 1 and alittle from them. haha. I was trying to find someone to share with me but it was either going out to eat (Lau lifeng) or eating already (perc ppl). when i started to eat caile they all almost finished le! so fast lo. haha. I opened mine and started to eat. I only ate like a few spoonful of it ba.. then I closed it le.. Cai le came beside me and asked me why don't want to eat. I told him I don't want to vomit while playing halfway. The french horn girl saw me trying to close the packet of food, she was so shocked.


"you don't want to eat anymore?"



I could only answered: "ya, don't want to eat too much before performance."

I went to throw it away... yesh.. I threw it away..... so sorry.


then I walked back to the corridor, intending to find Su Qi to get the tie. Caile followed and walked with me. I told him I will change later when he asked me whether want to change now. We walked to the band "holding" room. I was trying to find Su Qi but cannot find her. So never mind, I returned to studio 1 to get change.

I took my camera with me after changing and that marked the start of the CAMWHORING session. haha. Took alot of pictures during that time. The funniest thing during that time was no matter what we just get the WHOLE percussion to take photo. haha. it was so weird la. That period the most fun thing was camwhoring and a "make-up" session. haha.

Michelle they all were practicing the dance steps and I were the singing machine cause Clarice asked me to sing the song. I was like.. ok.. I try since I only heard of that arrangement of the song the day before BUT one thing for sure it only repeats one melody! hahaha

Can't stand the way, "brother" danced. SO PRO LA! I was totally just shocked at how good she is in dancing. My "brother" should go and join dance CCA la! haha. Brother you seriously rock!!

After that, we went back to our CAMWHORING session again, while taking picture, somebody told me about Su Qi was crying because she was too pressurized. Totally stunned when I heard that. I followed that person to the staircase area.

Su Qi was crying down there, Siti, Kai Xin, Gek Teng were all around her, trying to calm her down. I came near them and trying to tell her calm her down too. Then more and more people surround us. now that area become a "attraction Point". I was telling her jokes, trying to calm her down but she just never laugh while the rest of the people laughed. haha. Should be funny ar but she just never laughed.. Instead CRIED even worst. ok... Then started to tell her that the timpani part (yes, she cried because of that part, too stressful for her) was actually ok, nothing to be worried about. No matter how she played nobody will actually know she played wrongly or what. So I asked to relax! After quite a while of me trying to make her laugh.. she finally laughed... yesh and everything ended!

After that can't camwhoring le cause it was interval and we need to get ready for everything. I went to call Chien Teng and Stanley out of Studio 1 then we went to get ready. I put all the sticks I need on the respective stands. Then go off stage and wait. While putting all those sticks ar.. I heard people calling me from the audience. hmm... Interval was over. Band segment started. I was at the backstage because I am not playing for first song which was Huntingdon Celebration. i watched the whole performance from the side, where the staffs were. There is this TV that can see the stage. I watched it from there. The popper effect was not bad and together. haha. nice opening gimmicks. The whole song was quite ok, not bad.

I went back to the stage area to get ready for the next song, EGMONT. yesh, the song that I would need to play with cai le with same sticking and everything. When I went up to the riser, the tenor drum was already there ready to be played. whoa. caile not bad sia. help me put it there le. thank you! haha.

Egmont started, I told cai le to tell me when it was time to play cause that song, darrelle and caile already memorise where to come in,, when they heard certain melody just come in but i don't know where only they know. So haha yes need to depend on Caile since Darelle was like far from me. To my astonishment, I actually knew where to come in! haha. When I heard that melody I just played automatically, I was shocked too! haha. I made quite a bit off sticking mistake in that song (we were supposed to play with same sticking but I forgot then played my own sticking). haha. So bu hao yi si! haha. That Caile kept talking during egmont and of coz become a small chatting session between us. haha. Bbefore the song ended, there was one rolling part, I rolled till my stick dropped but dropped on my leg so no sound, I just bent down to get it back and continue to play like nothing had happened. haha. Not sure how many ppl saw that though but rather unglam to me. haha.

Highlights was next. I went to the Timpani place then I realized I couldn't adjust the timpani stool! SPOILT!! I couldn't press it down! OMG! Then the stool was TOO HIGH! Totally unbelievable. I put my legs and on the pedal and tried to sit a little bit on the chair. It is my own playing habit that I need to sit down and play Timpani. I just can't play without chair. Actually not that I can't play without chair also, it is just that I will move alot when I am not sitting down on a chair while playing timpani. I guess the highlights performance I did move too much. haha. The timpani tuning was terrible, I couldn't get a right F#, Bb note and Ab, so screwed. I was like finding the right not but I couldn't pedal down anymore. The timpani tuning changed when they moved it to the hall. Pedal was banged. haiz.. so yes.. trying my best to tune. I guessed still very bad. haizzzzz... I tuned everything flatter for the timpani so as to fit into the band's tuning. I still sounded abit sharp though. The most out of tune note was Bb and Ab I guess. cause I couldn't stepped down anymore. (T.T). Then my solo part, I thought I did not play well cause it seemed like I was trying to articulate too much (Adrian chiang told me it was better than rehearsal and Chien teng said he likes that solo - before melissa oboe solo). hmm... Dunno, maybe I asked for too much but it was just not good to me. Highlights ended with not much problem.

american elegy, I went back to backstage with caile cause both of us not playing for that piece. He said he was laughing when I made those sticking mistake in egmont. I told him I know. Mr Chiang, Marcus and Jackson came in. Were crapping about the trumpet solo. Then caile went to get ready to open the stage door for the trumpeter. haha. Mr Chiang and I were rather worried over the trumpeter high notes, haha. Luckily it was ok for the high notes. The only problem was his entry was late. late by one bar. All of us were looking at him. haha. those who did the holding the note for him de.. xing ku le. ^^.

next song was Do-Enka, it was ok la.. I sat down at the chair listening cause left me alone at backstage. hoho. ok I guess better than rehearsal. ^^

the last song, cappadocia. the song that I have the most worries over percussion. haha. The beginning was good. Not much a problem until A where Caile's snare was off tempo because he rolled slightly longer in front. Su Qi was not bad! haha. Her F was better than rehearsal. haha. The percussion effect in G was nice too, the 2nd best I have heard so far! haha. The best was in once of the sectional. Bar H, the flugel horn forgot to play and yesh.. that caused the whole clarinet 1 never come in and apparently become my "solo". Garrett said I was TOO LOUD for that part... If the clarinet 1 played that part I won't be that loud lo! Anyway, since it became my "solo", Mr Chiang always said p for solo is mf! haha. So fine la... :P haha.. The rest of cappadocia for perc are ok. just that Caile screwed up quite abit. haha. Finally ended!! YEAH!! happy.

then lights off.. I was clapping for Darelle they all for playing well for cappadocia. haha. That Caile walked down with that stupid disappointed look on his face and looked at me. Then said he screwed up a lot and without any "alert signal", he pulled me to him and gave me a hug. My neck banged onto his shoulder, pain leh!! So sudden la. All I could say was "over le, you did well although there were screw ups." . haha. I am so mean. haha. Then he release me and gave me that "diao" face. haha. Su Qi came down and I CLAPPED FOR HER! She never really screw up!! Only tuning problem (which is not her fault). She did well lo!

ENCORE~~ ENCORE~~

That's what I heard cause Su Qi and Gek Teng were like shouting! both of them so near me! I asked Kai Xin and Siti to stand near me cause I told them, I don't really remember when to do what! haha So must cover me abit! haha.

SWAY started! SU QI WAS SO DAMN HIGH IN THAT PIECE! She danced like nobody business la! haha. I forgot to turn for the 1st time.. then all of us just laughed.. for subsequent time, I did what we were supposed to do. Although I only know what percussion need to do those dancing on the day itself. haha. Ok la.. So funny la.. Su Qi just gone mad for that song, dance and happily playing. She put the score in front of us. Basically I really didn't know what was the use of that score cause basically, my part was add on and both of us NEVER play according to the score. Su Qi was so HIGH that I doubt she knows what she was playing! haha. That song was just a MESS for her! haha.. The song ended with dancing like what it was in the rehearsal. This time round the clarinet did an instrument up high pose at the end. haha. not bad.

Then lights off again, the emcee talked and talked, then Su Qi, Gek Teng continued to SHOUT encore AGAIN! they were so mad about encore. Ok la.. then nelson started on SHAN HU HAI. HOHO.. Jiamin and I played the tambourine together. haha. Siti, Gabriel, Kai Xin, Jiamin and I stood one role and we do the hand waved movement thingy together! haha. So nice. Darelle did it from the timpani side too! Of course cannot left out our WONDERFUL SUQI! ahaha. She practically TOO HIGH! She just waved with us everytime she has a rest in between. It was so funny to see her so HIGH that day. 5 of us just laughed like mad on the riser.

Finally everything ended but A LOT A LOT OF ROUNDS OF CHEERS just started. haha. I packed my sticks all together and ready TO GO!! ^^. After those rounds and rounds of cheers, the band dismissed and go backstage. Family and friends started to swarm to the stage. Taking pictures and give presents. I wanted to go back studio 1, on the way back, I saw the maris people. haha. Nicholas Tan become the fan of SU QI! haha. I went back to the stage and asked Su Qi to come out. HAHA. I told her she has fans! Albert asked me to help her find Michelle and Clarice so I went back in to find them.

While finding them, Darelle and Su Qi came to me and passed me a small box of chocolate. They said it was from my fans. HOHO. unbelievable I have fans. haha. Su Qi was shouting out : "SHI FU you have a lot of fans le!".

I finally found Michelle on the other side of the stage, then pulled + dragged her over. So Stupid, when I dragged Michelle over, Albert was nowhere to be found. Then of course tried to find and call him but STIL can't get them. Michelle said if found le call her. She need to pack things. I went back to the maris ppl side and chatted abit with them. I brought Garrett to find the percussion people, he met with Su Qi, Darrelle but couldn't find Caile. Haha. Ok la.. after a while, he just appeared and gave Garrett and "BODY BANG". I don't know how to describe that. hahahaha.

Su Qi gave me a bottle of green tea with ALOT OF WORDS WRITTEN on the bottle. SO LONG! haha. By right I should have 5/6 bottles but I only got 2 bottles that day.. cause Gek teng and Jiamin and Gabriel forgot to pass me. HAHA. good. 2 bottles are HEAVY enough. The other bottle of green tea was from Caile. He gave me an osmanthus green tea. EEE I hate that one.

After I have gotten my bags and ready to leave. Then Su Qi they all were shouting: "Fredy, faster come! Section photo!"

haha. yesh we did took a section photo (blurred one from my cam - taken by ren bin .grr). Then of course bid goodbye. Before we left, I took the nice clarinet section photo. haha. ^^. After that all of us walked down to the lobby area. Then over there we started to take photos AGAIN! haha... band people just like to take photos. haha. Got lollipops, and donuts and others. ^^. We took pic with clarence too! Cool!!

yesh yesh.. after those massive camwhoring session, we finally bid goodbye to the tpjc band ppl. THE WORST PART WAS WHEN WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE. We took picture with my brother! haha. A very nice pyramid pic! haha. ^^.

After that we left with the maris people to eat in mcdonald.

Took the last train home...

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This is the part about the concert day. I shall typed out what I wanted to say to some of the TPJC ppl tml. haha. Seriously now, I don't know what I have typed already. I just know I have typed ONE WHOLE CHUNK of words. A lot of grammatical and sentence structures mistakes but WHO CARES this is my blog. hahahaha.

To be continued...