2008 was the year of many many fond memories and happenings.
5 things/events that i remember most fondly (or hated with much bated breath) are:
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1. WRITERS' STRIKE
For those of you who don't know what the writers' strike is. The writers to all major american sitcoms or dramas went on a strike, protesting for 14 weeks and 2 days. holy shit. that meant that all dramas and sticoms like my favourite shows were all suspended. BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE TO WRITE THE SCRIPT. wth. definitely something i hated the most in this year. fortunately, reality tv shows went on as they are unscripted. maybe thats the reason I didn't die of boredom. but otherwise, this year's television was really great. almost everything I watched produced good stuff for viewers. i love foreign tv. but well some said little nonya is damn nice also. so perhaps can give mediacorp some kudos for producing something that generated all these hype. haha.
2. MARIS STELLA SYMPHONIC BAND ALUMNI
Well, looks like we made it another year in this organisation. I honestly wonder how much longer we can all stay in the band and make music. when Uni starts, when schedules get tighter, it seems that if we do want to stay in this band, we'll have to either sacrifice something or manage our time really really well. but hey, i believe this band is just another wonderful platform for us to meet, chat and what not, and we should totally make use of that. very glad that kel and bernard decided to come back again following a N year hiatus. fueled by the win in SIBF, let's see if we can make a miracle in 2009 to get enough sponsorships to make people wanna go for WMC. ha!
3. TABLE TENNIS
Following the nation's sudden passion for the sport, the gang started learning the sport a few months back under jinyan's persuasion and we never looked back. It was like learning a new sport altogether, just like how we learnt badminton. Table tennis (or TT) is now just another part of our lives.
4. ORD
i wouldn't say i remember a thing about how i felt before i ORD or when i got my IC. it seems just like another ritual that every guy goes thru and I'm glad i finally completed these 2 years. to think that i was quite sad after coming back from the hongkong trip with the gang because i am due to enlist 3 days later, thinking how time is passing by DAMN slowly and totally thinking that the ORD date would never come. it came though, slowly and steadily. but it still came.
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i guess its just these 4 things that are etched quite deeply in my mind.
with that, i happily round 2008 off by setting 9 new year resolutions for 2009.
some are relatively easier to achieve and some (like no. 1) sounds damn difficult.
1. SAVE UP!
2. do well in school when it starts.
3. pack my room more frequently. haha =P
4. exercise more to prevent myself from expanding any further!
5. learn to appreciate the many good things in life.
6. be safe and healthy.
7. buy only cheap and good things (contridicting no.1 but buying stuff seems rather essential.)
8. spend more time with my family and also my friends.
9. last but not least, enjoy life.
this year was great, until lehmen brothers collapsed.
after which the new year's outlook is what is described as GRIM.
totally harry-potter-like. LOL.
therefore i'm extremely glad that we're entering uni next year.
by the time we graduated, hopefully the market would have picked up a little.
for all within my social circles,
the marist gang,
the vjc people,
my family,
thanks for a great year and i wish you another great year ahead.
2009 is what i call a highly anticipated year.
i can't wait.
(1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics Theme Song)
Some dreams live on in time forever
Those dreams, you want with all your heart
And I'll do whatever it takes
Follow through with the promise I made
Put it all on the line
What I hoped for at last would be mine
If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I put my spirit to the test
If I could reach
Some days are meant to be remembered
Those days we rise above the stars
So I'll go the distance this time
Seeing more the higher I climb
That the more I believe
All the more that this dream will be mine
If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I put my spirit to the test If I could reach
Reach
and i really do mean a really really torturous one.
haha.
band pracs almost everyday.
it was worse den preparing for SYF when we were back in our secondary school days.
preparing the same songs every single day was just the same as eating the same lunch every single day.
but we got our moment.
twice in fact.
the first moment in NBC,
when we realised the world isnt as kind and nice as we thought.
the second moment in SIBF,
when we completely understood the meaning of a sweet victory.
this month have been soooo taxing.
my schedules were all packed up.
i was spending time with my fellow band mates longer then i was spending time with my family (not to say i spend a lot of time with them).
finally i can not see the band room for like a short while before we return again for more music making.
this band is not only about music making anymore.
its a place where friendships are born, maintained.
where jokes are made and we laugh together.
where we all find pride and fun in what ever we do because we all found what we enjoyed in life through the music.
to all myfriends.
its been a good ride!
to my section,
its had been real fun working with all of u!
though there were times of frustration, wrong notes, disturbing pitchings.
but we made it through.
and i dare to say that we were one of the few sections that didn't have any attendance problems.
haha.
its been a joy slogging thru music scores this time and i look forward to more!
=)
and to all my fellow band mates,
its been a big month, maybe even two months of preparation.
but i believe that the moment when we started screaming like mad dogs on the choir gallery made up for all disturbing things like:-
1. the meals skipped
2. the sleep missed
3. the fatigue
4. the tv shows missed.
and much more.
LOL.
we made sacrifices.
but i'm sure it was worth it!
haha...
with that,
i'm so looking forward to more projects!
totally happy day.
full of ups and downs.
haha... i'm quite glad for mr. chiang.
for topping the first div and also getting us into the finals!
haha.
i can't wait to play in the esplanade yet again!
yea! =)
we did it.
and happy 22nd bday daniel yiau!
with one competition over,
it seemed that we were going into things with a little too high expectations.
with the second one just 10 hours away,
it seem like crunch time to pull ourselves together.
nerves better don't get the better if me this time.
a gold was 80%, now its 90%.
the stage is bigger,
the stakes are higher,
the judges are definitely more critical.
i can't wait to hear our form in the band room later.
and hopefully, we bring the carrot back this time.
let's do our best, and hope for the best.
it was a good performance in my opinions.
the pressure was off.
haha...
=)
the last hurdle is SIBF.
honestly, i can't wait for it to be over.
and i can finally rest. =S
its so tough sleeping so little every single day.
including today. haha...
i think i've a 8 hr sleep coming up? which is totally not enough.
lol...
ok. i present, the eupho section of MSSBA for NBC '08 and SIBF '08!
i had so much fun making music, jokes with u guys!
let's stick together and maybe go for WMC '09?
=)
its a low quality pic.
don't ask me why, ask daniel yiau. hahaha.
=P
i can't wait for tomorrow.
and i also can't wait for this two weeks to pass ASAP.
i'm so physically drained.
today was the first day i reached home before 10pm in like... 2 or 3 weeks.
but it was quite a relief to know that everything will be over soon.
=)
i honestly hope for a good result this coming thurs.
i know we can do it if we really want to.