Sunday, April 26, 2009
Self Guitar Practice
yesterday saturday, though dont have official guitar lesson, we still went to AWWA to practice guitar on our own.
Janice told me that saturday have no guitar lesson. However, she ask me to ask the guitarists if they want to practice on their own free time. Then they(TJ, shawn and amanda) agree, then while we were deciding where to go practice, amanda was suggesting that we ask janice if ACCESS is open on saturday anot, so we can go practice there, instead of going amanda's house, which was the original idea. Janice told her tt ACCESS will be opened from 10-12, so we in the end decided to go ACCESS there practice.
Met Shawn at Yishun to go AWWA together, chatted during the journey yea..reacched there abit earlier than the agreed time. While we were walking through the long lane to AWWA, saw Amanda. Yea, so reached there we 3 went to the conference room to get ready, tune our guitars etc.
The atmosphere was like so silent while tuning. I guess is because of the seriousness towards our planned practice, yes. Then while waiting for Yuan Ping to come, we started to get used to the notes. For me, I needed some time to get used to it, coz long time no touch guitar liao, not since school started last week.
For this practice, the role of playing was as follows:
Yea, so this is how we grouped la, to try combine play Cannon. At the start, Amanda and I was the first to test out see if can combine anot first, before the rest come in. And yes, we can..=)
Then we combined lor. Amanda start off her bass 1 then i come in after her note. We 2 complete 1 round before shawn and YP come in at the time tt amanda plays her first note the second time. For me, I had to comine with amanda's bass 1 and also, like her, i had to play my part 2 rounds, at the best of 4 counts, which is controlled by both amanda's mum and also Peter.
On my performance in practice, as an evaluation, i feel that I was abit shaky and wobbly at the start, unable to catch the beat lor. But, as I understood my role and ot used to the beat(1, 2, 3, 4), i felt that i improved. We at 1 time, also managed to complete the tune for 3 rounds, just for ppractice. I feel that it is a postive sign that we are able to combine as 1 and play quite well.. Moreover, personally, I have to afmit that I am quite surprised wih my good performance during this practice. I learned alot through it.Yea.
My Inspiration
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Hat-Trick with AWWA Clique
17 April 2009, Friday
Start of a hat-trick of consecutive days that I had outings with AWWA clique.
Morning, received Amanda's sms, that she is able to go for the Board games event too. she actually also wanted to meet us(philip and me) for lunch de, but after a series of SMS-es, she decided not to, and she will find us at Dhoby Gauht MRT
Went to Toa payoh Hub MRT station to meet philip for lunch. Shawn couldnt make it, so we 2 onli then had Mac for lunch. After that, we from TPY set off to Dhoby Gauht find the rest.
Upon reaching there, we headed to SMU then we were split into 3 groups to start the board games for the day. My group consists of amanda, TJ, shawn, Meldip and me. We all played the Cashflow, and also a memory game, rat-a-tat-cat.
To spice up the games, Meldip was suggesting tt whoever lost the lastt games prior to the end, will have to do a forfeit. Unfortunately, i lost the last game, so fair enough, i do forfeit lor. They all ask me to go ask a girl for her handphone number. Actually I very paiseh, dont wan de, then aiya i give in to them la. Ok la..just for the fun of it la. While many clients left at around 5pm, our group stayed on and continued too play until 6pm.
As we all clique(Amanda, philip, shawn, TJ, me) left the SMU premises, then something very scary happen to bestie.. Amanda was like wheeling herself, then as she was wheeling herself using her speeding style, she missed to see that a step was ahead of her.....
Then it just happened in a small flash, in slow motion. Amanda's wheelchair wheel hit the step then the wheelchair was like tilted down 45 degrees, then she fell down from her wheelchair lor. Gave the 4 of us(philip, me, shawn and TJ) quite a shock). I tink i was the one tt is most shocked de lor, coz at the time of the incident, i tink i was just behind Amanda onli.
Wah, well, as we noe, amanda is super independent de, then we let her get up into her wheelchair herself..yea. Then immediately, I and philip was like surrounding her, telling her not to speed and to be more careful.
Amanda, U really gave us a fright sia..dont do that again
Amanda, can u dont speed can? U speed super scary de, like ferrari like that. Like once u told me b4: Dont gan chiong, do things slowly, slow and steady wins the race k??=D
Then we clique went to Plaza Singapura for our dinner. Then after that, when we all going back liao, amanda nearly fell from her wheelchair again...lucky tt we managed to pull her to safety la.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
2nd day went to AWWA ACCESS for guitar lesson. Practiced on playing cannon. After guitar then clique follow me go vivocity for outing, while i was going there for HFC's camp comm meeting. They had lunch together at dunno where, while i was at Starbucks discussing camp stuffs. In the midst of the meeting, they all came up to starbucks find me. Then they sat there chit chat la, cam whore la, eat dinner also la...nice
Photos time:
Philip, Amanda, and me=)
Philip, Amanda
19 April 2009, Sunday
SPARZ-kling time!!!! Met TJ and shawn at City Hall MRt there to go to Victoria Concert Hall to watch the performance "Welcome to my World 2009". it is a performance that showcases the talents of people with disablities, and AWWA's musical group, SPARKZ, was involved with the performance, as well as Amanda's wheelchair dance group.
Whe it was SPARKZ's turn to perform, Gopi was the first to be in the spotlight, as he transformed his singing talent to start off the first song, Go for the Extra Mile. Then after that, the reest of the SPARKZ group(amanda, philip, Hui Qi etc) joined up to play the second and third songs, You and I and there's Something So Special Everyday respectively. The parts which i enjoy most are when amanda and Khristine was playing the flute and violin respectively while singing. Wah..I got to say, I am truely inspired by them sia, if not all the SPARKZ members. Take nothing away from them la. It was like really so touching, the way they play and show off their talents to the ret of Singapore, despite their various disabilities. They will always be the ones that will always inspire me la. At the end of the SPARKZ performance, Khristine reprented the whole of the group to share something to the audience. I will nva forget what she said and shared: "Never stop going towards your goals and dreams, despite our disabilities". Yes, Khristine, thats the spirit!! They all(Amanda, philip, Hui qi, Khristine, gopi and Boon Keng) really did AWWA proud la.
Amanda's wheelchair dance performance came a while later. I immediately recognised my best friend the moment she entered the stage when the performance started. I was not at all surprised that she really did very well. Wah i see her use wheelchair do 360 degree turn, i was inspired la.
Honestly say, while i was watching the performance throughout, I tink tt wad khristine said "Never stop going towards your goals and dreams, despite our disabilities", really is 1 tt can make the disabled believe that no dreams cannot be realised if they believe in themselves. I feel tt I have learnt and seen alot of things which I never expected to see throught the eyes of others, yes. Wad disabled people lack in terms of physical movement, they make it up with sheer perserverance and alot of heart, which is in itself together, is an inspiration to me liao..
I wont deny tt when I was to see all my friends down there performing, while I am sitting there at the top of audience, looking down at their talents, i am very jealous, yes, i had to say that. But for me, I use tt jealousy to motivate me for my dream.
Thus, for me, with a possiblity of completing my dream, i believe that I learned more about the strength of the disabled through the eyes of them. I admit that I was very jealous, just seeing them perform. However, I told myself I will get my chance one day if, as wad Khristine say, I Never stop going towards your goals and dreams", yes!! By seeing the performance through the view of the disabled, I believe tt I must not give up on chasing my dream of performing guitar for AWWA's Special Awards, yes, I will get my chance de. Keep believing..I believe that I will see my dream come true. I believe so....that I will see my best friends, Sylvia, Amanda and all of them come Special Awards 2009.
I dream of playing guitar with my best friend, Amanda, (and the others) on stage one day.....that day will come de
Special Awards 2009, Please wait for me..I will get there....
My Inspiration
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
SPARKZ-kle all the way
Later today, meeting TJ and shawn to go Victoria Concert Hall for a concert "Welcome to my World 2009 (A concert by people with disabilities)" to support AWWA's SPARKZ musical group. cannot wait.
Later see SPARKZ group perform together..Khristine, Amanda, HuiQi, Philip etc. all the best to them la....they as a group, singing 3 songs, all 3 which is self composed de...Khristine playing the violin, while bestie amanda playing the flute, for their respective parts, while the vocalists will sing the songs. I am really looking forward to seeing them on stage later la....excited..
Also, Amanda will be performing for her wheelchair dance group too. Again look forward to seeing her perform haha...
SPARKZ will have my full support de.. i got confidence in their talents de...jiayou!!
Lastly, SPAKZ-kle all the way!!!
My Inspiration
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Inspiration
Inspiration...
Role models are the people I look up to and to seek inspiration. Overcoming obstacles, be it physical or otherwise, is not an easy task to do at the first time of asking. But, those who manage to overcome them through pure determination and sheer perserverance, are those that bring out inspiration to others.
Alot of my friends belong to that category of "Inspiration", but 1 example of a person tt brings true inspiration is Pin Xiu. For sports, I see her as my role model and real inspiration to me, to inspire me to do well in soccer. She, being the first Singaporean to get gold in last year's Paralymics, is no mean feat. Her achievements make me an inspired person.
A quote to share that i feel is linked to inspiration:
What kills u, makes you stronger.
My Inspiration
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday Guitar Lesson
Saturday, 4th April
Went for guitar lesson at around 11. Shawn was unable to come, so i travelled down on my own to AWWA. Reached there on time, then set to tune my guitar, in preparation for this week lesson.
Lesson was abit different as compared to previous weeks' classes. Instead of having the time to practice guitar on our own pace while the teacher got round to assist, we were introduced to a new song, Cannon in D, which i think we would play in AWWA's Special Awards 2009.
Each of us was given a part of the song to practice on our own:
1st Guitar – Amanda, Shawn, Yuan Ping
2nd Guitar – Ting Jun / Peter
1st Base – Jonathan
2nd Base – Jermayne / Sharman
I was assigned the role of the second bass alongside Sharman. The 2nd bass is the chords of the song.
I hope my dream is coming true....
My Inspiration
Monday, April 06, 2009
