Final exam, the next big thing...

weLL, it is winter now. However surprisingly, it has been raining consecutively for three days... The storm here is terrible, Newcastle city is flooded,a ship carrying 700 tonnes of oil was washed ashore yesterday morning at 9.30am, 200,000 homes were blacked-out yesterday due to the strong winds and torrestial rains and will not get any electicity until next week.. OH man, what is happening to the weather? According to the weather forecast, the bad weather will continue at least for one week....It was also in the newspapers that this wild weather was last seen in Newcastle during 1970's until recently, causing havoc to Newcastle.

A family members of five in a sedan had also gone missing on their way back from Sydney when the road collapsed...Terrible weather..I was scared when the wind blowed so hard, trees waving like mad, and the roaring of thunder was creepy...

I bet I would have shout for my mum of I were back home. Please stop raining, cause the weather is making me sleepy....sigh...and I can't go to the library because teh whole uni close down due to the bad weather...

Another good news is I am going to shift to a self-catered unit next semester and cook whatever I like to eat! The food in Edwards Hall is unbearable at this stage.

Interview of Chris Gardner

Enjoy both of the videos, perhaps you will be inspired to pursue your dreams no matter what circumstances you are in.

Not doing enough...

It is cold and weather is gloomy today, looks like it is going to rain. Watched on youtube about Chris Gardner and I wondered how much did I do achieve my dreams. He is a millionaire broker in US but behind that lies his enormous struggle before achieving what he have today. He was born in a poor black neighbourhood with a abusive stepfather,he did not go to college, he got married but his wife left him because of financial crisis, he raised his son all by himself and being homeless, he slept in subway station and etcetra. But, he fought on and read a lot to learn as much as he can although there wasn't an environment conducive enough for him to learn.

Compared to him, my problems are nothing.In fact, it is close to zero. I am lucky enough to have an opportunity to study abroad. But still, I don't think I am making full use of this opportunity to gain as much knowledge as I can. I've been wasting time. And that is the bad part. I am wondering what am I suppose to do to be proactive?

Since I am in Australia, I have not experienced of having a fruitful day. That feeling of having accomplished a lot in a week, by a reading a book or playing a complete song...

sigh..what am I doing?? I just have to be proative, always be proactive.. But I find it hard to do so..and I hate that.. I know if I continue to live my uni life like this, I will not be getting much from it... Anyway, that is thought for the week...Have to get back to study..have a minitest tomorrow..

Hope to pick myself up as soon as possible..

Confusion...

I am constantly changing…changing in a way that sometimes I can’t recognize myself.
And this whole thing of being a female…I’ve always tell myself that if I have a second chance, I would rather be a male…Males have less things to care about because the only aspect to determine the success of a man is his career.

However, being a female in the 21st century is very challenging. Since women get the same chance of getting education, women are more involved in the society and are gaining recognition on their contribution towards business, health, sports and politics. But not only women have to be smart nowadays; they are also expected to be feminine. As the capability of women are on par with men in the modern society, there are women who are ‘career driven’ .Rather sticking to the traditional conception of being a women, they expose themselves to the society and faces competition in terms of productivity and knowledge. Hence, there is rising percentage of women who do not know to do ‘girl stuff’ such as washing, cleaning and cooking.

This leads me to confusion. I’ve always aspired to be strong, that I will be a person of substance, of wisdom and intelligent woman who is on par with men. This voice within me has prevented me for being feminine. And I admit that I have a sense of desire to show the ‘masculinity’ within me. Since at the age of 20, I started to loathe with the idea of make up and dressing up; as they are very troublesome ordeal. I started wearing big T-shirts as I don’t feel there is a need to flaunt my body shape. Jeans and pants are my best friends as I feel comfortable in them. I also love to have short hair (but not too short) because it portrays the spontaneity embedded in me that is common trait in guys.

Then, I found myself uncomfortable of being sexy and I don’t like wearing spaghetti straps or any other outfits that will show my ‘flesh’. There is a part of me which reckons that a female who knows perfectly well on how to make herself ‘look’ good- in terms of putting on make up and wearing the perfect outfit to flaunt their bodies- are weak (not all of them of course). But I can’t deny that I love to see pretty girls, however in 100% certainty I do not want to be one of them who are constantly obsessed with their appearance which is such a waste of time.

But there is confusion within me when most of guy friends think of me as being a tomboy. Although they use to joke around with it, I found that there is a part of me which is irritated with the idea of being regarded as a male. I realized there is also a part of me who yearns to be and seen as a girl. Suddenly, I felt that actually I enjoyed being treated as the ‘weaker’ sex because you tend to get protection from males; which complete me as a female. Damn it is confusing. So I actually have a trouble of knowing what I want…While I aspires to be ‘career driven’ woman, there is a soft spot within me that is pulling me back. It is a ‘tug- of- war for me…It leaves me more confused of my desires and my aspirations for the future…

The Beautiful Trio in 2007 Grammy Awards...

Enjoy the sensual performance by John Legend, John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae.

My favourite song..

Hope that I can play n sing like him..haha..

What Should I Study??

Your Learning Style: Personal and Passionate

You are very flexible and curious about the world. Human understanding is very important to you. You Should Study: Anthropology Architecture Art Art history Art therapy Classics Counseling Foreign Languages and Literature International Studies Linguistics Literature Psychology Sociology Teaching

What Should You Study?

Your Japanese Name Is...

Sada Sasaki

What's your Japanese Name?

Haha....further update..

Well, it is a Saturday night which gives me a feeling to blog.. Anyway, I had a minitest on Thursday and I was almost late to the exam hall.. That really freaked me out..and the bloody Nervous System was difficult to study.. Hrmm...But I was really lucky when my neighbour, Arlen, woke me up for breakfast.. it was 8.35 am when my exam was supposed to start at 9 am.. I shouted, jumping here and there, was toally shocked out of my bed...I was fortunate that Beavon, my neighbour's boyfriend was willing to fetch me to the exam hall, and they skipped their breakfast just to get me there on time... I appreciated their efforts..

Phew, that was so close....But I didn't think I tried my best in the exam...I better not repeat the same thing in my finals...and just wait and see as I am gonna do better in my finals, HA!

Well, I guess I get overboard with my sleeping time. I slept at 6am today...coz I was busy watching movie series yesterday night...Hrmm.... since when did I became so interested in watching movies?

I might as well talk a little about the movie... It revolves around No.8 pawnshop... You can pawn anything to fulfill your desire. That includes your internal organs, your hands and legs, your wisdom, your love, frienship, family bond and even your soul...In the movie, there are people who pawn their love for fame and success, there are also people who pawn their talent for mother's love..and etcetra...
It was all the lust and corruption in this modern age that people's never ending desire leads them to the pawnshop as they are never contented with what they have. By the way, the pawn shop is run by a devil. So basically most people who visited the pawnshop usually ended up in unhappiness, because they will pawn their soul in the end because of their greed.

Anyway, the series are around 100 over episodes.. It was a bit tiring to watch it...I also realised that I don't like to read that much anymore, as I used to read. I should make an effor to read again...The bad part is that I will get addicted to watching the movie series...which is bad, bad bad...

Other than that, I play badminton now every week..That is the healthy activity I do every weekend..I also know many good friends....although there are times that I will be very busy, but I am enjoying my uni life.. One more thing, being a member in the Uni choir, I will be performing tomorrow.. I am so excited!..haha...

Well, that's it for now..
Will update further in the future...

Life in Edwards Hall...

Time flies I've been here for a month now in Newcastle, Australia. I just remembered how home sick I was on the first day I arrived here. I cried myself to bed as I miss my family terribly. Orientation week was fun, with all the parties organised just to spice things up. The parties were basically accompanied with loud music and liquor. I had one beer or two, as not to get drunk. There were parties everyday, until I came to a point that they were boring after all.

It was then that I came to know that Australians were heavy drinkers. They don't dance during parties because their sole purpose was to get drunk, which explains the shitty music blarred from those speakers. The level of sound pollution at my corridor was still bearable, foul language is a common etique here. I am pretty immune to the F*** word now. People here are friendly as well, especially my neighbour.She is a straightforward girl who speaks her mind. I like her.

The worse person I ever met so far is my AA, Academic assistant. Well, he is rude with no respect for others. He is nothing but an imbecile person. I just wondered how he was chosen to be the AA, which was suppose to take care of our welfare. But anyway, I don't want to have anything associated with him.

The food here are quite tasty, but I just miss asian food so much especially my mum's Assam Laksa. But they can't cook Asian food, as they taste very bad. I just remembered I ate only white rice with soya sauce because the food was unbearable.

Other than that, it was still ok. I might move out to off-campus after this year. I do wish to cook my own food, and have the freedom to cook my mum's signature dish. I am getting busy, so I have not much time to miss home for now...

Sorry for the late update...I was too lazy to do that.

Freaky Medical check-up...

Just went for medical check-up last Friday ( The week before I left to Australia)…
This is something I must write about…
I went to the oldest and filthiest clinic ever known in my life…
Black switches were used with the yellow ceiling fans spinning above….well, not to mention the spider web dwindling from the corners…
I never expected to see this besides from movies in the 60’s… Benches were made of thin wood with paint and cemented floors…
My visit to the washroom was very ‘pleasant’ as well…The odor was unbearable…
There was no proper sink for me to wash my hands, mold was visible in the worn cemented sink…
Well…
Here comes by the doctor, a jovial old man in his 60’s which enlightened me with his Genting Highland jokes…
The nurses were middle aged aunties and examined the power of my eyesight as if they were the optometrist speaking rough Cantonese…I don’t think it is appropriate for me to describe his office…. It was so untidy that I will not recognize it to be the office of a doctor if not for his sign board at the front door…
Anyway... I am not trying to jeopardize the image of a doctor…
But it is very important for the people who serve in the heath care sector to be hygienic…
Do not forget that patients entrusted their health to doctors when they seek their advice,
So for people in white robes, just always remember that cleanliness is the best policy.

ME...hehe

Bold the statements that are true to you.
Italise the statements that you WISH were true.
Leave the fibs alone.
Then, "stab" 5 people to do the same test.


I miss somebody right now.
I dont watch TV these days.
I wear glasses or contact lenses.
I love to play video games.
I've tried marijuana.
I've been in a threesome.
I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
I believe that honesty is usually the best policy.
I curse.
I have changed mentally over the last year.

I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
I'm TOTALLY smart.
I've broken someone's bones.
I'm paranoid sometimes.
I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe , free of cost, and scar-free.
I need money right now.
I love sushi.
I talk really, really fast.
I have long hair.
I have lost money in Las Vegas.

I have at least one sibling.
I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.
I like the way I look.
I am usually pessimistic.
I have a lot of mood swings.
I have a hidden talent.
I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar i have.
I have a lot of friends.
I'm currently single.

I have pecked someone of the same sex.
I enjoy talking on the phone.
I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
I love to shop.
Enjoy window shopping.
I would rather shop than eat.
I don't hate anyone.
I'm a pretty good dancer.
I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
I have a cell phone.

I believe in God.
I watch MTV on a daily basis.
I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
I've rejected someone before.
I want to have children in the future.
I have changed a diaper before.
I've called the cops on a friend before.
I'm not allergic to anything.
I have a lot to learn.
I have been with someone at least 10 years older or younger.

I am shy around the opposite sex.
I have tried alcohol before.
I have made a move on a friend's significant other or crush in the past.
I own the "South Park" movie.
I would die for my best friends.
I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza.
I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all.
Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
I watch Spongebob Squarepants and i like it.

I am happy at this moment!
I'm obsessed with guys.
I study for tests most of the time.
I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I've ever met.
I am comfortable with who I am right now.
I have more than just my ears pierced.
I walk barefoot wherever i can.
I have jumped off a bridge.
I love sea turtles.
I spend ridiculous money on makeup.

Plan on achieving a major goal/dream.
I'm proficient in a musical instrument.
I worked at McDonald's restaurant.
I hate office jobs.
I love sci-fi movies.
I think water rules.
I went college out of state.
I like sausages.
I love kisses.
I fall for the worst people.

I adore bright colors.
I can't live without black eyeliner.
I somehow enjoyed this thing!!!
I usually like covers better than originals.
I can pick up things with my toes.
I can't whistle.
I can move my tongue in waves, much like a snakes slither.
I have ridden/owned a horse.
I still have every journal I've ever written in.
I can't stick to a diet.

I talk in my sleep.
I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distractions.
Climbing trees is a brilliant past time.
I have jazz in my blood.
I wear a toe ring.
I can't stand at LEAST one person that I work with.
I am a caffeine junkie.
I cosplay or know what cosplaying is.
I have been to over 15 conventions.
I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical the better.
I'm an artist.
I only clean my room when necessary.
I like a person of the same sex.
I love being happy.
I am an adrenaline junkie.

Camping at Bentong...

It is kinda late to blog at this time, after 1 week?

Anyway, this Benting trip was a memorable one.
At first, I was very excited to be there with the Ng's...
On the first day, we got to attempt abseiling...although I went to Outward Bound School, the height was daunting...
but still I managed to land on the ground quite smoothly...
Huay Theing did quite well too while Andrew gave her some usefel guidelines,
" Use your feet!"
" I know la!" was Huay Thieng's reply, shouting from above...
Since then, we were making fun of her imitating her accent... Haha..

Our next stop was The flying fox...But we had to cross the hanging bridge to the other side before playing that...
Well, thanks to Andrew.. Huay Theing and I were the loudspeakers of the day... we were shrieking all the way because he just couldn't stop shaking his butt to move the bridge...
I was swaying in the middle of the air because of Andrew, and Soo Ann was the other culprit teaming up to slow us down... Finally,we've got to play the flying fox...
But I felt more like a Flying Dog, because the speed was not fast enough...

After that, we settled ourselves with bath and dinner along with group discussion.
Then we participated in Nightwalk through the jungle. It was thrilling to see fireflies glowing in the dark, there were roots that glowed too..There were also the stars, sparkling above the sky . when veiwed from below the canopy, it was beautiful.
Our team work was remarkable that night. Everyone was holding hands to go through the jungle to be sure that everyone was safe, as it was pitch black.

We went back tired but was freshen up by the shower of ice cold water at night...
It was freezing without air conditioner, I couldn't imagine myself sleeping without a jacket.

I was grumpy the next day...I was a lady in RED...
Well..I was worried that I could not proceed with the rakit that day...
We set out to our camps site...which was about 20 minutes walk into the jungle...We've got to cross a small stream... I screamed again when I encountered a leech meking its way for my flesh...
Luckily,Ah Beng came for my rescue by pulling it away...
We cooked lunch and proceed with the rakit...
I was really concerned about myself at that time but after much persuasion by Huay Theing, I decided to give it a go.
It was loads of fun and my group was the first to finish assembling the rakit...
thanks to the guys in my group... They were really sweet and gentlemen... Huay Theing and I were only helping to tie up the ropes...
At night was the time for group presentation...
Girls got to sleep at the open- air hall because the tents were spoiled with holes...While I pity the guys because they had to squeeze in two tents...

That night was hard especially for the PICs...
Group 1 was presenting while suddenly it was raining rather heavily...The presentation had to be carried forward to the next day and we were chanting for the rain to stop as it would be a trouble for all of us...it did stopped a while...
According to out PICs, there spotted a scorpion and a centipede... Tan Leng was brave enough the chase the creepy crawlies away before they could harm us.

The girls were well taken care of by the PICs... when we were in our dreams sleeping on the harden ground with roots, it rained heavily again. We were awakened by the PICs and they covered up the area with the available canvas, so that we would not be splashed by the rain.I could still remember that it was 1.30am, and 5 to 6 of the PICs were staying up to chant for the rain to stop.

In the morning, the rain ceased.All of us prepared and go downhill to the meeting hall. We proceeded with the group presentation which were quite well done. Then it came to the experience sharing which sent people to tears.
Group leaders and members were being frank explaining their faults while participating in this camp...
Most surprisingly, a lot of or PICs were in tears too...as this Bentong trip was not as organised as the previous one..
Especially Yu Wen, he was sobbing all the way. But I was gald that they were frank for they would learn from their mistakes. This wouls make a person a great leader in the future.

In conclusion, although I felt grumpy most of the time during the Bentong trip, I gained a lot of insight and learned many things about Buddishm and Gakkai spirit...
Members of Soka Gakkai would always stick together through thick and thin, which I felt throughout this trip...Participants would help each other out, and the PICs were willing to sacrifice their well-being to ensure our safety; which I found quite quite touching.

I am very grateful to be a member of Soka Gakkai Malaysia.I just hope that I would learn more in the future...

David Tao Concert...

I went to David Tao's Concert during October but did not bother to update my blog because I was too busy with exams...Anyway, I am considered to be a 90% banana in music as I hardly listen to any manderin songs...
But since I went to the concert, I fell in love with his voice...
He was so damn good! His voice was great with perfect pitching... And he is a real talent, his songs are very nice to hear and soothing...
I love it...

Thoughts....

I am starting to feel bored of my holidays…
Luckily, Chung Han borrowed me some Japanese Cartoons which are nice to watch.But still it has hidden meaning in it...So it takes time to digest but meaningful...
I really missed those choir practice days…
Have to go makan BAK KUT TEH with RC2 someday, at least before I leave at 8th of February...
Sigh...
Bored... why am I so bored??
Sometimes I just can’t stand my mum....
I felt that I am detached from her somehow...
I have grown so much...
The things that I like don’t always go along with her anymore...
I know that she loves me and wants the best for me...
But things aren't on the same course because I am getting a clearer direction of what I want in life...
I wanted to be an extraordinary person, a person who can achieve something in the near future...
I wanted my mum to believe in me and my decisions, but it seems to be so hard...
Oh well, when I leave, I bet that I will be a cry baby... there are so many people I will miss, my family and friends...
Just hope that I will achieve what I wanted in life...

EXAM ends!

Finally, my first year was a blink of an eye, free from the bugging of exams...
I am quite free now,except busy with gakkai activities and my school's newsletter...
Feel like finding a part time job in the holidays...
Thinking of doing nothing till next year in February?
I will be sulking at home, with mushroom growing on my head perhaps...
ai, whatever...I will do some reading and practice some bangs on my piano...
have to practice a piece of Beethoven for my friend's mini piano recital..
that would probably be my challenge for this holiday...
wanna feel like playing classical music again, warming up my fingers a little bit...
wakaka, my friend said that I am good at playing Beethoven pieces, well..i don't know...
I felt regretted for not cherishing my piano lessons in the old days, I played but not wholeheartedly...
I always have a dream to retake my grade 8 theory coz I failed in the exam....
I still remember in the old days that I had my beginners luck, and being pampered by my piano teacher..
Just wondering how did I managed to obtain a Distinction for Grade 4 practical and Grade 3 theory...Those days were long gone...
I am just eager to find that golden touch in me, to find the real me.. but I know that being lazy and impatience was one of my road blocks...
I could still remember vividly when I crampled up my Grade 1 exam pieces because I couldn't get it right....
It is lucky for me to play again when I got the opportunity to be the pianist for Renaissance Choir 2. It was a bad feeling to have screwed up the performance in Jenjarom, a night when we performed...I was blank feeling dissappointed at myself....
From then on, I vowed to be a better pianist..
I just want to improve myself...
That's all...
I must be better from yesterday... That is what I am going to do : )

Meaningful gathering....

Teacher Anne and me.

I was hugged by teacher Anne after 2 years when we met yesterday... Felt very warm as i was a student of hers for 7 years...She played a big role in shaping me for who I am today..... she taught me creative thinking,the courage to speak up in front of people and to be different from everyone else.

At the gathering, I met my old tuition mates and we chatted about fun stuff we did together in English class.It felt as though I was projected back in time sitting in a classroom having classes with teacher Anne. All of my tuition mates share the same respect and gratitude towards teacher Anne as all of us has morphed into unique individuals because of her...

Yesterday,only 4 girls from my class came...One is doing Actuary Science,the other is doing Medical soon and one is doing Advertising and Marketing right now. All of us are doing okay, striving for the future. Teacher Anne also talked about her future plans for her tuition centre, as she was planning to open up classes for school subjects according to international school syllabus. I really admire her zest to work for passion but not money alone as she loves to teach. Although she is in her 40's , but she is doing her best everday....

Well, my friends complimented me for my new hairstyle...hehe...
have to thank the hairstylist ler...and to them, I didn't change a bit. I am still me from the way I speak...I don't know about that until yesterday...hehe

I had a meaningful evening, a skip from my choir practice was worth it though.

Taiwan Trip- The 7th Taipei Choral Festival

27^th of July

The day appeared to be gloomy with rain drizzling softly. Reached KLIA by 12.30pm and boarded the airplane by 2.40pm.Well, it was my first experience to board the China Airlines. The air stewardesses were quite pretty too. I did felt butterflies in my stomach when the airplane started to mount. However, it was quite smooth with some shakes in the mid-journey. Just hope that I would not get a headache later. I didn’t really know what is expected of me at the choral festival, but it would sure be a worthwhile experience.

Reached Taipei at 7.05 pm. The day was dark, with orange lights illuminating the city. It was humid and steamy as Taiwan was in the season of summer which made no difference compared to Malaysia. By the way, the airport was much ‘classic’ compared to KLIA. After that, we boarded the bus till we reached the Taipei Teacher’s Hostel. There was a string of question marks hanging over my head when I saw the building covered with green nets. Out of my expectation, it was our logging venue. HAHA, MY GOD! It was still under renovation. The hotel room was no better than the appearance itself. The ceiling was peeling with clefts everywhere. Just wondered what would have happened if it rained…touchwood. Luckily, the shower was still okay with the air conditioner working too well that I had to wear a sweater and socks to bed every night. At least, it was quite cheap compared to other loggings in Taiwan.

After checking-in, my choir teacher brought us to nearby stalls to try out some local food. We tasted pig skin, seaweed (very thick one), noodle soup, some pork and vegetable. I liked the seaweed very much though and it was Taiwanese’s favourite dish. After that, we went back to the hostel to rest. That’s for the day.

28^th of July

Woke up early today at 7.05 am. It seems that my biological clock was set. But, I
couldn’t sleep well the other night, kept turning left and right with my nose blocked. At 9.30 am, we were ready to have a stroll around the city of Taipei. We went to the Mainland Music Bookstore to purchase some choral pieces. You can find all sorts of music scores ranging from Chinese and English oldies, pop songs, musicals and other classical European choir scores. The price was quite reasonable too which couldn’t be found in Malaysia. I did bought some though, only with the ones that I know like Abba songs. Unlike Mr Chung Han, who couldn’t help keeping his hands off the scores… he did flattened his wallet a bit…hehe..

Our next stop was the CD store, again there were a variety of reasonably priced CD’s which couldn’t be found in Malaysia. I did buy some… Then, we went to Golden Stone Bookstore to have a look. Of course, I wouldn’t leave without buying something. So, I purchased a book by Paul Coelho: The Pilgrimage. It cost around NT 280, which was much cheaper compared to Malaysia. Of course, it was followed by visits to other book stores and music stores as well. The highlight of my trip was that I experienced earthquake for the first time when I was in the Youth Bookstore. At first, I thought I was having a headache from my flight yesterday until I was told by my teacher that it was an earthquake. It was as if you were swayed by the ocean waves on a ship. Anyway, it lasted only about 10 minutes which I would never forget.

Then, we went for a stroll in the University of Taiwan with rows of palm trees aligned both sides of the pavement. It has a symbolic meaning which describes the success of a university graduates walking through the pavement to be out of the gates of the university. Meaningful eh? Of course, we had a photo snapping session.

After some rest, we continued our journey to the Taiwan’s famous nightmarket. It was like Petaling Street in Malaysia and a sweet haven for females. Handbags, fancy shoes and clothes, plus branded imitations. You name it, they have it. I also had my stomach stuffed with Taiwan’s knick knacks. What a day! Just hope that I would not gain weight though. After that, I did my statistic quiz with Mr Chung Han sitting beside me in internet café. Guess what? The operator wanted to view my IC for registration. He thought that I was under 18!! I felt so much alive with vigour and youthfulness in me… hahaha…although I am 20…which mean that I am still a TEENager…haha… around 11.30pm we went back and had our beauty sleep.

29^th July 2006.

Couldn’t sleep last night, so I woke up feeling lethargic. After breakfast, we proceeded to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The sun was shining brighter than ever. I was astonished to find out that many participants were youths like me when we were lining up for registration. It seems that the culture of choir singing is much appreciated by teenagers in Taiwan compared to Malaysia. Then, there was a brief introduction about this choir camp on who would be involved in teaching us and some rules to be obeyed.

After that, it started with a quick run through the piece by Mozart <>. It is a famous choral piece about Christianity which consisted of 12 songs. In a short time, we managed to learn 3 songs without the lyrics. For the moment, it was Mr Wu who would be conducting this song by teaching us for three days. After that, it would be continued by Mr Gabór Hollerung , who is a famous conductor from Hungary. But, I need to practice more as others were quite familiar with it.

At 5 pm, our classes finished. I was feeling a bit dizzy, ready to fall any time. However, a visit to Soka Gakkai International –Taiwan changed my day. Finally, I realized the meaning of ‘laughter is the best medicine’. Chung Han and I were greeted with a SGI flag when our fellow members picked us up. After reaching the cultural centre, I heard people singing vividly while we were in the elevator. As it opened, there were youths aligned in two rows, greeted us with their claps and sonorous voices. Treated like celebrities, we were dumbfounded with joy. This was followed by Chung Han’s excellent speech about SGM Renaissance Choir (both KL and Selangor) as a cultural exchange with the Pacific Ocean Choir of SGI- Taiwan. Well, I was quite surprised that Chung Han could speak very well in front of people. He had me duped from his serious looks previously. Taiwan members also gave us presents and some souvenirs to be given out to the members of Renaissance Choir. Then, we were treated with a feastful dinner at a cozy restaurant. The conductor of Pacific Ocean Choir, Mr Hatori, along with a few SGI Taiwan members also joined us for dinner. We were late for the night concert today. But, we didn’t mind because we were very touched by the SGI Taiwan member’s sincerity and hospitality. We felt joy welling from our hearts thinking of giving our warmest welcome if they ever visit Malaysia. However, we did manage to watch the 2^nd half of the performance by choirs from Croatia and Norway.

30^th July 2006.

The practice started with a vibrant session in the morning as Professor Yu-Wen Pan, taught us some singing skills. For example, method of utilizing breathing skills to sing, some counting exercise, voice harmonizing exercise and some body movement with steps and etcetra. It was something new and I enjoyed it very much.

After that, we continued with the practice of the song, Requiem. It was terrible as we barely know the progression of the notes. The conductor even had us going through all the songs. I am quite worried that I couldn’t sing this piece well. In the evening, we attended a talk by Cantus, a choir from Norway which consists of 30 females. It started with their beautiful voices before the talk begins. It was an eye opener as they introduced the culture of choir singing in Norway, the style of their choral pieces along with some famous composers and insight towards their songs which they were going to perform that night. The talk was very interesting though.

At 5 pm, we rushed to Taiwan’s SGI cultural centre to visit Pacific Ocean Choir. Our choir teacher was also with us that day to exchange some ideas with Mr Hatori. It was a pleasant evening to hear the voices of the Pacific Ocean Choir. They are the same age as RC2, but they are progressing rapidly and even won a gold medal in Golden Voice Competition in Taiwan last year. This made me realized that we need to strive for further improvement. Like yesterday, we were touched by their sincerity and were late for the first half of the concert. Still, we managed to enjoy a spectacular performance by choir from Croatia. They sang some European folk tunes and madrigals which we didn’t understand. But their angelic voices would move you if were there. It was great to watch how professional choir sing, they voices were neat and clean with accurate pitch. Well, it is something to work on with RC2 when I am back in Malaysia.

31th July 2006

It was really scorching hot in Taiwan and we need to walk to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall everyday. The air was dry and my skin felt it even more. The day started with a lecture by Pei-Chi Chen. She once won a gold medal as the best soprano in Taiwan. She was a carefree woman with frizzy hair, wearing a dark blue T-shirt, a jeans and a pair of black leathered shoes. She’s quite plump with her plastic rimmed spectacles on embedded a flare of casualness in her, I like it. Later on, she taught us how to sing with proper support of diaphragm, and some tips to take care of our voice which was quite useful.

Later on, we continued with our practice of the song Requiem. Finally, I had a sense of direction of where I am heading with the lyrics. Although the pronunciations of Latin words were difficult, still I managed to sing the whole song with a sense of accomplishment. As Mr Gabór was coming tomorrow, the practice was some sort of rush today. Mr Wu, the conductor, was pushing us by correcting and reminding us about our mistakes. It seemed that there was a lot of polishing to be done before our actual performance.

This was followed by a talk given by the Ensemble Pleiade, Japan. Ko Matsushita, is not only the conductor of the ensemble but also a composer of choral pieces and lecturer in Kunitachi College of music. He is very famous in Japan with the bonus of being handsome as well. Haha…. but I didn’t think so. At the talk, he introduced some unique methods of warming up the voice with the Pleiade Boys choir demonstrating them. He also taught us the usage of different exercise to improve certain singing skills such as running notes, staccatos and other ways to train choir members to feel the beat and rhythm such as Jazz music. Well, I did jot down some exercise for RC2 to practice in the future.

After that, we met up with a member of SGI-Taiwan, Chung Sun. He took us to do some shopping and had dinner as well. We had a good time chatting and talking about the conditions of SGI –Taiwan and about their choir group as well. We really appreciated him for willing to be our temporary tourist guide.

At night, we enjoyed another concert in the National Musical Hall by Cantus from Norway. They wore Norway traditional costume which looked like European dresses back in the old days, which were very fancy. It was a great performance, especially Wedding March. I love that song so much! Just wondering that it would be cool if there would be a choir singing this song on my wedding day? Oops, I was dreaming again…

1^st of August

The morning started with our usual walk to the memorial Hall. It was windy and the sun was smiling as always.Our practice session began with Mr Gabór. Finally, we met him. He is a beefy guy with a pot-belly, roughly in his fifties. He knew this piece so well for he had conducted this for more than 100 times! He was also very funny and gave clear explanations on what he expected from the piece. Furthermore, he pointed out our mistakes and corrected us there and then. One thing I remembered was ‘Intonation was very im-por-tant’. He was also very particular with the consonants because without exact pronunciation, it was impossible to express this song properly. And of course, Mr. Wu was his translator. Later on, Mr wu ran through this song again with more precision. He demanded more from us this time but we did improve a lot.

Later, we had a class with this pretty young lady, Shih-Fen Wei. She introduced us Jazz music, famous musicals along with other artists like Edith Piaff, Riza Minnelli, Ute Lemper who were well-known in singing Jazz music. She also taught us singing skills using the microphone via demonstration by two professional singers. It was really an eye opener to other kinds of music rather than pop music. It was great to be able to gain knowledge in appreciating this genre of music.

At night, we enjoyed the performance by the Ensemble Pleiade, Japan.Their voices were beautiful by singing mostly Japanese folk tunes and songs composed by Ko Matsushita. By the way, there is only one member in the group who is pursuing music. The rest had no musical background and had their own profession such as accountant, fish monger and etcetra. It was amazing to see them being invited to sing in an international event. One unforgettable sight was when they sang the ‘Cockroach Song’. Very funny though….

2^nd of August

Today the practice went on as usual. Mr Gabór stressed more on the consonants of the lyrics, and he asked us to repeat again and again when our voices were flat. If we breathed at the wrong time, he would say: “It’s better to die than to breath at the wrong part!” I was getting familiarized with the piece by now, feeling fulfilled.

In the evening, we attended a talk again. When a frail 80 year old man was on stage, I couldn’t believe that he is the famous conductor, Liang Kun-Yan. One of his masterpieces was the ‘Yellow River’ sung by a choir consisted of 400 people. As he spoke in a heavy mandarin accent, I couldn’t catch what he meant most of the time. But, he did a demonstration with a choral piece from the ‘Yellow River’ and it touched me with his hands poised in such a way that he controlled the emotion of the music perfectly well. Who said age matters? I am really inspired to be like him when I am old, pursuing my passion.

The night concert was very special today. It all started with a famous A-Capella ensemble in Taiwan. Then, it was followed by Coco’s Lunch which is a band from Australia. Their music was more towards native music with African style while decorating their voices with peculiar percussions. One unforgettable song would be ‘Thulele Mama Ya”. I just remembered that I clapped and shouted frenzily giving them standing ovation. They were captivating. Then, Chung Han and I went to buy their album immediately after the show. We just couldn’t wait to get their autographs! We did take a few photos with Chung Han being my photographer J

3^rd of August

The usual schedule had a little change with Gustaf Sjokvist Chamber Choir from Sweden giving us a talk in the morning. He introduced us folk songs sung in Northern Europe region such as in Sweden, Norway and Finland. This genre music is called yoic and is performed during special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and etcetra. At that time, I came to know that the Wedding March sung by Cantus is also a yoic. Furthermore, he introduced us the style of 20^th century choral music and other forms of Swedish music without lyrics comprising only vowels. Mr. Gustaf which is the conductor of the choir told us that they would normally perform a Swedish suite as long as 17 minutes. From my observation, they love to sing choral pieces with clashing harmony of many parts. Hence, they are truly professional for being able to sing them. However, I did not find them fascinating because their voices did not sound clean enough. I had a feeling that they were not giving their best to the audience. Anyway, we gain knowledge today by knowing the Swedish choral style. This was followed a lesson in body language and movement taught Po-Jen Cheng. Well, he has atypical dancing teacher style that fits well in body shirts, if you know what I mean…but I think his class would be more interesting if he did more preparation.

Later, we continued practicing the song with Mr. Gabór. By now, we could sing the whole piece quite smoothly, still with some minor errors here and there. But Mr.Gabór was quite happy with our progress as we successfully get the hang of this choral piece in six days. This proved that my worries were invalid afterall. One thing about Mr.Gabór, he is an excellent communicator in using body language and metaphor to convey his message. Hence, this was also the reason that we got to grasp this complicated piece in a short time. Although he has high expectations, but he complimented us each time when we fulfilled his demands. All the youngsters actually love his style of conducting. Especially the girls, they were very fond of him. Hehe…

At night, we had our first rehearsal on stage in the National Musical Hall of Taiwan. I felt so small engaging myself in such a grand setting with 300 people surrounding me, combined with the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr Gabór was quite picky with the orchestra and asked them to repeat when they didn’t get the beat or the feel right. We were quite exhausted and had a little supper before returning to the hostel.

4^th of August

I was feeling a little heavy today, thinking that we would be leaving soon. Anyway, this morning we were refreshed with Mr Gabór’s talk on the history of . Mozart, an Austrian composer was a genius as he could imagine 40 minutes music in his mind and putting all the notes down on paper without much correction. But he did not manage to finish his masterpiece and left it to completion by his students accordingly to his style. Other than that, there are many versions around. Today, there are many people who modify this choral piece including Mr Gabór himself. But the version of Requeim that we were going to perform is the most popular among all.

Later, Mr Dirk DuHei who is the artistic director of this camp introduced us to various international choral competitions around the world. There were the Germany Marktoberdorf (http://www.modmusik.de) The World Choir Games (www.choirolympics.com), and Japan International Choir Competition. He also explained the different categories and marking scheme in international choral competitions. It was a real eye opener that choir singing was promoted world wide. In Taiwan, it is inbuilt in their culture that all Taiwan university has their own established choir. According to Mr Dirk, he was planning to organize an Inter-University Choir Competition soon.

Then we continued with the practice on stage. This time we were able to sing 12 songs in one shot without much difficulty combining with the four solos as well. We sounded like professional choir heard in the CD, which made us felt proud of our voices. Mr. Gabór was quite happy by now with little reminders on how to express the song.

At night Chung Han and I were late for the concert because he accompanied me to buy some praying gadgets. The venue was hard to be found, luckily Chung Han knew the way and with the help of a SGI-Taiwan member, we managed to purchase them and rushed back. Tonight was the Gustaf Sjokvist chamber choir’s performance and the hall was filled with audience. By the way, I dozed off after listening to two songs. Oh man, I was too exhausted and I found it quite boring. But I came to know from Chung Sun that those choral pieces need 3 years professional training in order to perform them. So, they were excellent but I just didn’t have the taste to enjoy their music. However, I found that they were singing monotonously without much expression.

When the show ended, we were surprise to meet some members from Pacific Ocean Choir. We snapped some photos, and our previous tourist guide, Chung Sun was also there. He brought us to a famous seaside in Taiwan with breathtaking night scenery. We also enjoyed supper bought from “Ah Kei” restaurant along with a cup of express noodles and a few drinks from 7-eleven. This was the first time I had supper by the seaside, I felt tired that but not now as there’s food with me…haha…But, we just stopped by a short while as we had to catch the last LRT back.

5^th of August

My heart thumped with adrenaline, our day has arrived to perform on stage in the National Musical Hall in Taiwan. There were 300 people on stage with limited space, 80 people from the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra as accompaniment and four solos. We started our final rehearsal on 3pm today, as Mr Gabór insisted that we rest our voice before the actual performance. Although our legs ached, we felt a sense of gratitude as it was an honor to perform on a prestigious stage.

At 8.00pm, we gathered at the basement with Mr Wu giving us instructions on how to go on stage. Our performance started at 8.30 pm. In front of us were 2500 spectators looking at us, waiting to listen to our voices. All ladies were in high heels, we had to keep our body perfectly still holding our music score. We couldn’t flip it until the conductor signaled us so. Undoubtedly, I was struggling with my numb feet by standing like a statue waiting for the conductor to arrive.

Finally, the ‘man of the night’ paced on stage with his tuxedos followed by a generous applause from the crowd. As a first time performer in such a grand finale, I felt overwhelmed with excitement.

Our voices hit the ceiling with the wave of Mr Gabór’s hand, mesmerizing the audience. It was the first time in my life that I poured my voice from my heart. It was such an amazing experience with 300 different individuals singing in unison on stage. That is why I love choir so much with diversity of voices united as one.When our performance of 12 songs ended, the crowd gave us standing ovation expressing their love for our voices. Later on, we had a small party and we took the opportunity to snap photos and get signatures from Mr. Gabór. Tonight was the happiest moment in my life.

At night, we went back to do some packing as we need to board the flight at 9 am tomorrow.

6^th of August

Today is the end of my trip and I have to continue with my studies tomorrow. Has lots of catching up to do but I have confidence that I can manage it. Don’t feel like leaving Taiwan as I am just too immersed in the happy moments there…But I will certainly bring the unforgettable memories with me, sealed in time.

One valuable lesson I learned was, despite of important things that needed to be accomplished for example success in studies, it was also crucial to explore oneself in different areas. What I learned was that there are many professionals such as doctors or psychologists who joined choir in Taiwan. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore one’s passion on other aspect as education does not bound within four walls in life and it is the life experience itself that matters the most. This helps to build a person’s charisma to be a unique individual in the society. So, go for your passion to live life to the fullest!

Photo with Mr. Gabor...

Photo with cantus choir from Norway...


Photo with cute guys from Sweden's choir...i am so short meh?

Taiwan National Musical Hall...



Place where we headed to classes everyday...
Taiwan tomato noodles...

Breakfast....

Duck noodels...

Dinner at a restaurant in National Musical Hall....

Photo with Mr Du Hei-Dirk....

The street where our hostel is located.
Taiwan University.....
Funny?

Cultural exchage with POC.

Our dear friend, Chung Sun-member of POC in SGI-Taiwan.
In Xi Men Ding.
Group photo with POC members.
On the way to 'Dan Shui'-aiya, he was the tourist guide lo...
Eating supper in Dan Shui.
Night scene of Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall.
Photo with this cute guy also from POC.

Group photo with cute guys and gals.

Rehearsal on stage.

Photo with crew members of the camp.

Practice...the one in green is Mr Wu, the one in the middle is Mr Gabor.

Brief ceremony after the performance.