去年，R 和我带着WY 和WF 一起参加团队到台湾走走，感触很多。
虽然R 和我在1988 年都到过台湾，这一次旧地重游的感觉，是截然不同的。
****************************************************
首先，1988年的时候，R 和我都还是高中生，能够到台湾见识、参观，就只是因为我们的初级学院铜乐队到那儿演奏。现在呢，初步踏进中年的我们是带着我们的两个‘家宝’到这个宝岛‘吃喝玩乐’！
学生时期，身上的钱都是父母给的，所以不敢随意乱花。虽然F 和M 都说，该花的就花，需要买的就买，脑子里总有些顾忌。所以，那一趟台湾之行，我仅有的纪念品就是一些较精美的小卡片和小玩意儿。R 也是一样，我记得他说，他没买什么，只带回来了一个大枕头！
那一趟的表演，共有两、三场。我们接触的台湾朋友，大多都是那儿的学生。 大家都非常非常地热情，对我们的表演都赞不绝口，一直说我们‘好棒啊！’。我们的演奏，其实只是普普通通罢了，所以我们听了这些夸奖的称赞，都很不好意思。
两位负责带领我们的台湾哥哥和姐姐都是台湾的‘模范青年’。
我记得那位女的长得高高瘦瘦，样子没什么，可是脾气却很大！有一次，学生宿舍的餐厅为我们准备晚餐时，呈上了一道台湾人的最爱‘卤猪脚’，把我们这群不懂得欣赏的新加坡学子吓呆了！大家都不习惯吃猪脚，对那一支又大又黑的猪脚，都视而不尝。到最后，每一张餐桌上，所有的菜都一扫而空，就只有那一碟一碟的卤猪脚，原封不动！
那位姐姐看了火冒三丈，把我们痛骂了一顿！我记得她指责我们不该浪费那些‘好料’，说我们真是生在福中不知福！那个难堪的场面，到现在我还记得，哎。
另外那位个带领我们的哥哥，就不一样了。他长得高高瘦瘦，外形有一点像张帝。他的脾气比那位姐姐的好多了，不但没高嗓骂我们，还小心翼翼地为我们这些常常落在后头的同学，讲解景点的历史和故事。尤其是在鹿港小镇里的‘摸乳街’，他还示范那条狭窄得离谱的小巷的名称是怎么得来的！（横着走，乳还是被墙‘摸’了！）
我们也到了一个有个大湖的公园参观。我记得那里叫九曲桥。那儿的入口处有个许愿池。又阔又矮的许愿池里放着一个小陶碗，陶碗的四周都是凌乱的硬币， 可见很多人都尝试许了愿了吧！陶瓷里只有几个硬币。
同学们看到了这种情形，都心血来潮，各自把自己口袋里的零钱拿来向着淘碗扔掷。大家你一个，我一个，又是扔，有是叫的，把整个地方都弄得喧哗起来。
突然，同学们发现站在一旁的我只是傻傻地站在一旁，没扔硬币。有好几个男生，都异口同声地喊道：“LP！你也来一个！一定要的！”
为了不扫大家的兴，我也只好拿出了个硬币，握在手里。我注视着淘碗，心里的心愿也随着同学们的欢呼，像硬币一样，飞过了眼前的空间，平平稳稳地落到淘碗里。看到自己的硬币很顺地往淘碗里飘落下，我是何等的喜出望外！尤其是那些还在扔了又扔的男同学们喊到：“LP！ 哇！你怎么这么厉害！你许了什么愿？”
许愿池边的一个牌子写着：心诚则灵。我没把自己许的愿告诉大家，可是，我知道那个愿望已经实现了。
我们到了一些名胜，如巫莱、佛光山、小人国、自然博物馆等等， 到处游览。同学们偶尔吵吵嘴，有时大声欢笑。大家对各自都有了一点点地更加认识。我对我们乐队的指挥老师，也相近了许多。
Showing posts with label My Schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Schools. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
TK Band Songs
We had many band songs that we sang and yelled our hearts out for during our TK days. Amongst the few that I remember, our unofficial anthem was the most often sung.
Stand Up And Fight!
Stand up and fight until you hear the bell
Stand toes to toes, trade blow for blow
Keep punching till you make your punches tell
Show the world what you know
Until you hear the bell, the final bell
Stand up and fight real well!
(repeat from top)
Another popular but less frequently sung one was the The TK Band.
TK Band
TK Band is a big, big band
With many girls and boys
Some slide the trombone
Some play the trumpet
Like Louis Armstrong
Some play the baritone
And the clarinet and the horn
And the drums
This is what we do in the band
Come on ye shout
Hurray
Never be proud
We'll always try our b-e-s-t
(repeat from top)
We sang these songs whenever possible. We particularly loved to sing (and later, also play on our instruments) these songs whenever we travelled on the bus. The buses would be so filled with our noise that the teachers who were following the buses would frown at us. But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
There were times, however, when the complaint came from the bus driver and I had to frantically hush-hush the merry-making members. Some members (especially the younger ones) thought I was being prudish because they saw no harm in their 'playing around'. So they didn't like me for this. Luckily, there were more understanding ones amongst us, too, and they helped to 'maintain order' every now and then.
Now I must try harder to recall the other band songs. Be patient, I will remember.
Stand Up And Fight!
Stand up and fight until you hear the bell
Stand toes to toes, trade blow for blow
Keep punching till you make your punches tell
Show the world what you know
Until you hear the bell, the final bell
Stand up and fight real well!
(repeat from top)
Another popular but less frequently sung one was the The TK Band.
TK Band
TK Band is a big, big band
With many girls and boys
Some slide the trombone
Some play the trumpet
Like Louis Armstrong
Some play the baritone
And the clarinet and the horn
And the drums
This is what we do in the band
Come on ye shout
Hurray
Never be proud
We'll always try our b-e-s-t
(repeat from top)
We sang these songs whenever possible. We particularly loved to sing (and later, also play on our instruments) these songs whenever we travelled on the bus. The buses would be so filled with our noise that the teachers who were following the buses would frown at us. But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
There were times, however, when the complaint came from the bus driver and I had to frantically hush-hush the merry-making members. Some members (especially the younger ones) thought I was being prudish because they saw no harm in their 'playing around'. So they didn't like me for this. Luckily, there were more understanding ones amongst us, too, and they helped to 'maintain order' every now and then.
Now I must try harder to recall the other band songs. Be patient, I will remember.
1986 - Alumni Band Impossible
In TK Band, it was a very entrenched practice for ex-members to come back for visits and to 'help out' in the band, especially for the band's preparation for its Outdoor Competitions every alternate year.
Some of these ex-members were really helpful and always had words of encouragement for us. Some, however, acted like they only wanted to cling on to their 'authority' and 'leader' status - you know, those who wouldn't let go. The latter bossed us around.
When I was only a recruit in Sec 1, there were several girls in my class who were band members. Our band major then was a very high-profile leader in school called Mona T. Mona T was the head prefect of the school, an accomplished athlete and from what I understood, excelled in her studies, too. So we all looked up to her and respected her tremendously.
One day, during our end-of-the-day PE lesson somewhere in the field behind the Science block, my band member classmates and I saw Mona T being 'counselled' by an ex-member whom we later knew was called Caroline (an elder sister of Magdalene, our TK Tech drum majorette that year). Mona T was sobbing a little as her head remained bowed. We could see Caroline speaking rather sternly at Mona T.
As my classmates and I were unsure if there was going to be band practice on the Saturday which was approaching that week, my classmates 'instigated' me to go and check with Mona T. I hesitated a while but decided to approach Mona T anyway.
I walked towards Mona T as my classmates looked on from a distance. In a hesitant voice, I asked her, "Erm, excuse me, Mona. My friends and I would like to know whether there will be band practice this Saturday. Is there?"
Mona T looked up, her eyes red. I was quite shocked at this, but before I could react, Caroline barked, "Can't you see the notice board?! The band has a notice board, doesn't it?! What is the notice board for?!"
Instantly, I felt a gush of hot tears come to my eyes. Who was this stupid, idiotic, freckled-face woman?! How dare she barks at me right in front of my band major?!! Just what did she think she was?!!!! In any case, I wasn't even asking her the question!
Thoroughly embarrassed, I backed off quickly with a sheepish 'sorry' to Mona T. I went back to my classmates, who were equally shocked at the situation, and I chided them for getting me 'into trouble'!
After that incident, I became more aware and wary of these ex-members thing in TK Band. I began to observe that whilst a few were genuinely concerned (that recruits like us were settling in), many more were bossing their way around. I figured that they must have been some really prominent leaders in the band in earlier years, given the close relationship they seemed to enjoy with Ms J.
2 or 3 of them were literally shadowing Ms J at every Saturday practice. They would carry Ms J's handbag, loudhailer and straw hat as Ms J scaled the stairs of the new block which overlooked the field. As we stood in the hot sun in Ms J's direct view from the top staircase landing of the block, we could see these ex-members conferencing with Ms J at almost every opportunity.
The culture of the band was such that no one ever questioned aloud the role of these ex-members. And so, as the year went by, I also came to understand that the ex-members' presence was regarded as a 'normal' phenomenon.
********************************
It was a normal process that when the Sec 1 recruits became promoted to Sec 2, a handful would be selected for the NCO camp. At this national camp, these selected candidates for 'potential' leadership roles would be trained formally in footdrills, learning the Malay commands and so on. And then they would graduate with their much-admired NCO badges which they would be entitled to proudly pin on their sleeves of the band uniform.
In 1984, however, there was no NCO camp. Up till today, I have no idea why that was so. The camp resumed the year after (when we were in Sec 3) but by then, it was already our juniors' turn to be selected for the NCO training. In gist, my batch of members did not get to go on any NCO camp. None of us had the chance to earn the NCO badge. And so, none of us had the badge.
Our seniors were equally puzzled at the non-organising of the NCO camp in 1984. So, to make sure that there would still be a continued cohort of band leaders, they conducted some in-house DIY footdrills training for some of us. To their credit, they tried their best to mimick what they received at their NCO camp previously. But to me, these were really quite informal.
After the DIY training, the few of us who were 'trained' became in charge of the footdrills in the morning practices held for PM session members. By then, we were in Sec 3 (1985) and being the most senior members of the band in the morning practices, we were tasked with taking care of the footdrill practices during these morning practices. Our senior NCO-trained leaders were already in the AM session school by then and so they took charge only on the Saturday combined practices.
One day, I was taking one segment of the band for footdrill practice. I remember that we were in the field behind the band room. We were about half way through the scheduled drills when one ex-member who was Ms J's constant shadow, came over and suddenly took over the command without warning!
Now, it was an established footdrill rule that when person A is in command, no one should simply take over the command without first informing the person A and the contingent. This is only logical because otherwise, how is the contingent to know whose command it should listen to? Besides, it is such a rude thing to do because what would person A be left with, ha?!
I had sent my segment of the band on a quick march (cepat jalan). Before I could even give the command to make a u-turn, this ex-member simply ran over and shouted stop (berhenti)!!
The members were instantly confused over the sudden change in command. Some paused, some looked back and some simply ignored it and went on! So you can imagine the confusion and chaos. Fortunately, we were not having our instruments with us, so no one bumped into anyone's instrument etc.
This ex-member did not even acknowledge or say anything about what she was seeking to do. She simply told the confused lot, "Now I want you all to go quickly to the corridor to join the other group. Be quick, run, run, run!"
Upon hearing this 'urgent' thing, everyone scuttered towards the corridor a few umbrellas away. They were followed closely by the 'new commander'. I was left standing at my original position alone. No explanation whatsoever, much less an apology.
To me, if this were not an act of insult and a complete 'see-you-no-up' attitude, what was it?! As it later turned out to be, she had only wanted the members to join another segment of band members so they could try out some positioning for one part of the formation! Was that really such a life-and-death matter that she had to do such a thing?!
I 'complained' about this to my senior fellow trumpeter called HC. She was our quarter mistress. She comforted me and said to ignore such insolent behaviour - she also shared with me that some of these bossy ex-members still lived in their own times and world, thinking that they had an extended tenure.
The incident left a big impression on me. But I did let it pass as best as I could.
********************************
The ex-members contributed in many ways in the 1985 Outdoors. Without their contributions in ideas and support, I am sure the band wouldn't have been able to execute such creative, challenging and beautiful moves in the competition as we did so successfully. And the Gold which we won wouldn't have been such a certainty.
I vividly remember how Ms J would be surrounded by these ex-members more frequently during the times when we were practising for our Outdoors . That ex-member who 'snatched over the command' even helped to fan Ms J because the weather had been so unbearably hot! My friends and I even joked about it during our breaks, hahahaha....
After the 1985 Gold, the band became a little more 'relaxed' briefly. During this time, some more ex-members began to pop by and pick up the instruments to play the music pieces from the files. Each Saturday, there would be 4-5 different persons. There was no fixed number; once when 8 came, some of whom I had never even seen before.
Each Staurday, these ex-members would arrive late in the afternoon at no fixed time (as early as 2pm and as late as 6pm) and stay on till 8-9pm. They would take some instruments and played on them somewhere around the band room, and borrow the files feely. Ms J left them alone (Ms J didn't stay late most days). However, my committee members, particularly the quarter mistress and librarians and myself, had a hard time as we stayed on way past 9pm just to make sure that everything was returned and kept properly on every of these oaccsions. And this went on for about a month or so. We all felt very, very exhausted.
I guessed the ex-members were probably feeling very nostalgic about their glorious days in TK Band. They later started to talk a lot about forming an Alumni Band. A few very enthusiastic ones began to float the idea up to Ms J, who naturally supported it. They all continued to talk amongst themselves about their Alumni Band plan.
It was some time during this period that the Indoor Competition thing and NZ trip thing started to come about - in this post, I would collectively call them the 'Difficulties'. And so, this big talk about forming an Alumni Band and the Difficulties went on simultaneously. Imagine how my committee members and I were taxed through our bones during this period of time.
One day, I asked Ms J about the ex-members' talk. Ms J was a little hesitant and said there should be a discussion on it soon. From my assessment, it appeared that Ms J wouldn't mind an Alumni Band to be set up but she knew that the focus was still on our band, our existing band. She didn't say this, of course, but I knew that Ms J took the NZ trip and the resultant need to participate in the Indoors, very seriously.
I asked Ms J if it would be appropriate for me to sound out our teachers in charge first. Ms J said, yah, that would be the correct thing to do. And so, I sounded Ms Koh and Mrs Kooi out.
Both these teachers were very shocked upon hearing that the Alumni Band, if formed, would be sharing the instruments and library of the band! (Actually, I thought they were silly to be shocked. If the Alumni Band was going to have its own resources, why would I have had to ask them, right?!)
Mrs Kooi didn't say much but remained uncommittal. Ms Koh, on the other hand, 'screamed and yelled' at me, telling me eventually, "LP, we don't agree that the Alumni Band which is outside of the school, sharing the band's property. In fact, it is wrong of you people to now even let them use our instruments and music scores! They have already left the school! I want to remind you that if anything should happen to the instruments, eg they get lost or damaged, then you will have to be personally responsible!.... I suggest that you think over carefully. You and your committee."
So, given the teachers' attitude and knowing the TKGS principal's attitude towards the band also, I knew the Alumni Band proposal would be a no-go as far as the school was concerned. But I did not want to outrightly tell Ms J on what the nasty things Ms Koh had told me, just in case Ms J became upset. And in any case, Ms J would probably have to deal a lot more with Ms Koh on the NZ trip, so why say these to Ms J? So I fretted for a while.
But little did I know that whilst I was becoming more troubled with all this fretting, the ex-members were already setting up a meeting between the ex-members and us, the committee members of the exisitng band. The meeting, to be held in a classroom after one band practice, was to be attended also by Ms J!
I quickly gathered my committee members for a meeting one day after school, told them briefly my stand and what I could gather from the teachers about the school's attitude. We shared extensively also on our respective difficulties coping with all those prolonged hours on each Saturday for the past month or so. We also shared our grouses about how some of the ex-members were adopting a couldn't-care-less attitude about the instruments and music scores etc. And how we didn't even know if those who came were really ex-members?!
We spoke and spoke, grumbled and discussed, talked and talked. Not only of the Alumni Band proposal, but also of the simultaneous 'Difficulties' that we had to face and deal with at the same time. Eventually, our consensus was that we couldn't support this Alumni Band proposal - it was just not possible for the time being.
I tried not to think too much on the day of the meeting with the ex-members, which my committee members attended. Another non-committee Sec 4 member called KP also attended.
The meeting was opened and chaired by one of the ex-members. There was a round of self-introduction, then this chairperson started to talk about the reasons and objectives of wanting to form the Alumni Band etc etc. It was a long speech but we bore with it. It sounded very logical and very inspiring, in fact. I remember that I stole glances at Ms J sitting by the side every now and then, not knowing myself whether or not I should hope that she would say something or hope that she would continue to keep quiet.
Before we knew it, the ex-members were beginning to put names on its pro-temp committee. Being the band major, I was naturally put up as a secretary or something. I was beginning to feel terribly uncomfortable about this whole thing then, but I just kept silent. My fellow band major, R, gave me such an incredulous look then, as if asking me, "Why you don't say something?!"
The chairperson, however, just went on and on filling in more names. She paused only when another ex-member present in the classroom (I heard that that other ex-member was a lawyer) pointed out to her that I hadn't given my consent to be put up in the pro-temp. By then, I knew I had to stand up to say my piece.
It wasn't easy for me to explain to the ex-members the difficulties that my committee members and I were facing and what our position vis-a-vis the Alumni Band proposal was. The eager and upbeat ex-members were all so drenched in their excitement that they just refused to hear us out. They couldn't understand why we couldn't support their seemingly-perfect plan for the Alumni Band, what with its registration as a society etc etc. They snorted at us and accused us of being in their way when what they were trying to do was to help Ms J fulfil her dream of setting up an Alumni Band!
Such accusations were hard to stomach and difficult not to defend. We tried to reason with these older, supposedly wiser people to no avail. I remember that they even retorted me when I said that our duty was to take care of the existing band and that we were trying our very best to do this because there were just so many things threatening the band at that time! I think I used the word 'catalyst'.
Whatever we said, the ex-members just didn't get them into their heads. They seemed to have been driven crazy by this Alumni Band idea and refused to accept that it was just not the right time for the Alumni Band then.
After this, things really got out of hand, with lots of shouting and hot tears from both sides (more from the ex-members, actually). At one point, KP even had to stand up on the table to make his point, much to my amazement (because KP was usually quiet and soft-spoken)! Yes, it was really that dramatic!
But it was a totally awful experience. The meeting ended with both sides parting on a very, very bad note. I felt so sad when I saw Ms J go off in her car after comforting a sobbing ex-member after the meeting. Ms J didn't say a word to me but I knew she was very sad.
Sad, we all were, too. I stayed on for a long time after that meeting and when SC and I eventually boarded the bus to head home together late that night, there was only silence between us. I was completely drained, both physically and mentally.
After this episode, I was viewed by many ex-members as being a sort of tumbling block in their continued relationship with the band. Almost all stopped coming to visit the band and Ms J. In this sense, 1986 was a very 'lonely' year for the band and Ms J; it wasn't, also in this sense, a 'normal' year.
But I could not help what these people thought of me. My duty and focus were and had always remained with the existing band. And this, I must say: I am very glad and very, very proud of my committee members and team of Sec 4 members because we had persevered and stayed the course.
In 1986, the band survived the Indoor Competition very much without any help from the ex-members. Although we did not get a Gold medal (instead, we had 2 bronzes), I have always been proud of our achievement.
If only the ex-members knew what we had to go through that year.
**********************
It was because of this meeting's outcome that I always hesitated to visit Ms J no matter how much I had longed to do so all these years.
From the bottom of my heart, I know that what we did had been done in the best interest of the band. But I wasn't sure if Ms J had understood us, or whether she had believed the ex-members who had accused us of preventing her from fulfilling her dream of setting up an Alumni Band.
What if it were the latter? Would I have been able to take Ms J's cold shoulder?....
Now that I have finally visited Ms J and know that she remembers me as being very, very, very, very, very... dear to her, I realise that I had been so silly to think that she might not have understood us back then. I should have trusted her trust in us.
Some of these ex-members were really helpful and always had words of encouragement for us. Some, however, acted like they only wanted to cling on to their 'authority' and 'leader' status - you know, those who wouldn't let go. The latter bossed us around.
When I was only a recruit in Sec 1, there were several girls in my class who were band members. Our band major then was a very high-profile leader in school called Mona T. Mona T was the head prefect of the school, an accomplished athlete and from what I understood, excelled in her studies, too. So we all looked up to her and respected her tremendously.
One day, during our end-of-the-day PE lesson somewhere in the field behind the Science block, my band member classmates and I saw Mona T being 'counselled' by an ex-member whom we later knew was called Caroline (an elder sister of Magdalene, our TK Tech drum majorette that year). Mona T was sobbing a little as her head remained bowed. We could see Caroline speaking rather sternly at Mona T.
As my classmates and I were unsure if there was going to be band practice on the Saturday which was approaching that week, my classmates 'instigated' me to go and check with Mona T. I hesitated a while but decided to approach Mona T anyway.
I walked towards Mona T as my classmates looked on from a distance. In a hesitant voice, I asked her, "Erm, excuse me, Mona. My friends and I would like to know whether there will be band practice this Saturday. Is there?"
Mona T looked up, her eyes red. I was quite shocked at this, but before I could react, Caroline barked, "Can't you see the notice board?! The band has a notice board, doesn't it?! What is the notice board for?!"
Instantly, I felt a gush of hot tears come to my eyes. Who was this stupid, idiotic, freckled-face woman?! How dare she barks at me right in front of my band major?!! Just what did she think she was?!!!! In any case, I wasn't even asking her the question!
Thoroughly embarrassed, I backed off quickly with a sheepish 'sorry' to Mona T. I went back to my classmates, who were equally shocked at the situation, and I chided them for getting me 'into trouble'!
After that incident, I became more aware and wary of these ex-members thing in TK Band. I began to observe that whilst a few were genuinely concerned (that recruits like us were settling in), many more were bossing their way around. I figured that they must have been some really prominent leaders in the band in earlier years, given the close relationship they seemed to enjoy with Ms J.
2 or 3 of them were literally shadowing Ms J at every Saturday practice. They would carry Ms J's handbag, loudhailer and straw hat as Ms J scaled the stairs of the new block which overlooked the field. As we stood in the hot sun in Ms J's direct view from the top staircase landing of the block, we could see these ex-members conferencing with Ms J at almost every opportunity.
The culture of the band was such that no one ever questioned aloud the role of these ex-members. And so, as the year went by, I also came to understand that the ex-members' presence was regarded as a 'normal' phenomenon.
********************************
It was a normal process that when the Sec 1 recruits became promoted to Sec 2, a handful would be selected for the NCO camp. At this national camp, these selected candidates for 'potential' leadership roles would be trained formally in footdrills, learning the Malay commands and so on. And then they would graduate with their much-admired NCO badges which they would be entitled to proudly pin on their sleeves of the band uniform.
In 1984, however, there was no NCO camp. Up till today, I have no idea why that was so. The camp resumed the year after (when we were in Sec 3) but by then, it was already our juniors' turn to be selected for the NCO training. In gist, my batch of members did not get to go on any NCO camp. None of us had the chance to earn the NCO badge. And so, none of us had the badge.
Our seniors were equally puzzled at the non-organising of the NCO camp in 1984. So, to make sure that there would still be a continued cohort of band leaders, they conducted some in-house DIY footdrills training for some of us. To their credit, they tried their best to mimick what they received at their NCO camp previously. But to me, these were really quite informal.
After the DIY training, the few of us who were 'trained' became in charge of the footdrills in the morning practices held for PM session members. By then, we were in Sec 3 (1985) and being the most senior members of the band in the morning practices, we were tasked with taking care of the footdrill practices during these morning practices. Our senior NCO-trained leaders were already in the AM session school by then and so they took charge only on the Saturday combined practices.
One day, I was taking one segment of the band for footdrill practice. I remember that we were in the field behind the band room. We were about half way through the scheduled drills when one ex-member who was Ms J's constant shadow, came over and suddenly took over the command without warning!
Now, it was an established footdrill rule that when person A is in command, no one should simply take over the command without first informing the person A and the contingent. This is only logical because otherwise, how is the contingent to know whose command it should listen to? Besides, it is such a rude thing to do because what would person A be left with, ha?!
I had sent my segment of the band on a quick march (cepat jalan). Before I could even give the command to make a u-turn, this ex-member simply ran over and shouted stop (berhenti)!!
The members were instantly confused over the sudden change in command. Some paused, some looked back and some simply ignored it and went on! So you can imagine the confusion and chaos. Fortunately, we were not having our instruments with us, so no one bumped into anyone's instrument etc.
This ex-member did not even acknowledge or say anything about what she was seeking to do. She simply told the confused lot, "Now I want you all to go quickly to the corridor to join the other group. Be quick, run, run, run!"
Upon hearing this 'urgent' thing, everyone scuttered towards the corridor a few umbrellas away. They were followed closely by the 'new commander'. I was left standing at my original position alone. No explanation whatsoever, much less an apology.
To me, if this were not an act of insult and a complete 'see-you-no-up' attitude, what was it?! As it later turned out to be, she had only wanted the members to join another segment of band members so they could try out some positioning for one part of the formation! Was that really such a life-and-death matter that she had to do such a thing?!
I 'complained' about this to my senior fellow trumpeter called HC. She was our quarter mistress. She comforted me and said to ignore such insolent behaviour - she also shared with me that some of these bossy ex-members still lived in their own times and world, thinking that they had an extended tenure.
The incident left a big impression on me. But I did let it pass as best as I could.
********************************
The ex-members contributed in many ways in the 1985 Outdoors. Without their contributions in ideas and support, I am sure the band wouldn't have been able to execute such creative, challenging and beautiful moves in the competition as we did so successfully. And the Gold which we won wouldn't have been such a certainty.
I vividly remember how Ms J would be surrounded by these ex-members more frequently during the times when we were practising for our Outdoors . That ex-member who 'snatched over the command' even helped to fan Ms J because the weather had been so unbearably hot! My friends and I even joked about it during our breaks, hahahaha....
After the 1985 Gold, the band became a little more 'relaxed' briefly. During this time, some more ex-members began to pop by and pick up the instruments to play the music pieces from the files. Each Saturday, there would be 4-5 different persons. There was no fixed number; once when 8 came, some of whom I had never even seen before.
Each Staurday, these ex-members would arrive late in the afternoon at no fixed time (as early as 2pm and as late as 6pm) and stay on till 8-9pm. They would take some instruments and played on them somewhere around the band room, and borrow the files feely. Ms J left them alone (Ms J didn't stay late most days). However, my committee members, particularly the quarter mistress and librarians and myself, had a hard time as we stayed on way past 9pm just to make sure that everything was returned and kept properly on every of these oaccsions. And this went on for about a month or so. We all felt very, very exhausted.
I guessed the ex-members were probably feeling very nostalgic about their glorious days in TK Band. They later started to talk a lot about forming an Alumni Band. A few very enthusiastic ones began to float the idea up to Ms J, who naturally supported it. They all continued to talk amongst themselves about their Alumni Band plan.
It was some time during this period that the Indoor Competition thing and NZ trip thing started to come about - in this post, I would collectively call them the 'Difficulties'. And so, this big talk about forming an Alumni Band and the Difficulties went on simultaneously. Imagine how my committee members and I were taxed through our bones during this period of time.
One day, I asked Ms J about the ex-members' talk. Ms J was a little hesitant and said there should be a discussion on it soon. From my assessment, it appeared that Ms J wouldn't mind an Alumni Band to be set up but she knew that the focus was still on our band, our existing band. She didn't say this, of course, but I knew that Ms J took the NZ trip and the resultant need to participate in the Indoors, very seriously.
I asked Ms J if it would be appropriate for me to sound out our teachers in charge first. Ms J said, yah, that would be the correct thing to do. And so, I sounded Ms Koh and Mrs Kooi out.
Both these teachers were very shocked upon hearing that the Alumni Band, if formed, would be sharing the instruments and library of the band! (Actually, I thought they were silly to be shocked. If the Alumni Band was going to have its own resources, why would I have had to ask them, right?!)
Mrs Kooi didn't say much but remained uncommittal. Ms Koh, on the other hand, 'screamed and yelled' at me, telling me eventually, "LP, we don't agree that the Alumni Band which is outside of the school, sharing the band's property. In fact, it is wrong of you people to now even let them use our instruments and music scores! They have already left the school! I want to remind you that if anything should happen to the instruments, eg they get lost or damaged, then you will have to be personally responsible!.... I suggest that you think over carefully. You and your committee."
So, given the teachers' attitude and knowing the TKGS principal's attitude towards the band also, I knew the Alumni Band proposal would be a no-go as far as the school was concerned. But I did not want to outrightly tell Ms J on what the nasty things Ms Koh had told me, just in case Ms J became upset. And in any case, Ms J would probably have to deal a lot more with Ms Koh on the NZ trip, so why say these to Ms J? So I fretted for a while.
But little did I know that whilst I was becoming more troubled with all this fretting, the ex-members were already setting up a meeting between the ex-members and us, the committee members of the exisitng band. The meeting, to be held in a classroom after one band practice, was to be attended also by Ms J!
I quickly gathered my committee members for a meeting one day after school, told them briefly my stand and what I could gather from the teachers about the school's attitude. We shared extensively also on our respective difficulties coping with all those prolonged hours on each Saturday for the past month or so. We also shared our grouses about how some of the ex-members were adopting a couldn't-care-less attitude about the instruments and music scores etc. And how we didn't even know if those who came were really ex-members?!
We spoke and spoke, grumbled and discussed, talked and talked. Not only of the Alumni Band proposal, but also of the simultaneous 'Difficulties' that we had to face and deal with at the same time. Eventually, our consensus was that we couldn't support this Alumni Band proposal - it was just not possible for the time being.
I tried not to think too much on the day of the meeting with the ex-members, which my committee members attended. Another non-committee Sec 4 member called KP also attended.
The meeting was opened and chaired by one of the ex-members. There was a round of self-introduction, then this chairperson started to talk about the reasons and objectives of wanting to form the Alumni Band etc etc. It was a long speech but we bore with it. It sounded very logical and very inspiring, in fact. I remember that I stole glances at Ms J sitting by the side every now and then, not knowing myself whether or not I should hope that she would say something or hope that she would continue to keep quiet.
Before we knew it, the ex-members were beginning to put names on its pro-temp committee. Being the band major, I was naturally put up as a secretary or something. I was beginning to feel terribly uncomfortable about this whole thing then, but I just kept silent. My fellow band major, R, gave me such an incredulous look then, as if asking me, "Why you don't say something?!"
The chairperson, however, just went on and on filling in more names. She paused only when another ex-member present in the classroom (I heard that that other ex-member was a lawyer) pointed out to her that I hadn't given my consent to be put up in the pro-temp. By then, I knew I had to stand up to say my piece.
It wasn't easy for me to explain to the ex-members the difficulties that my committee members and I were facing and what our position vis-a-vis the Alumni Band proposal was. The eager and upbeat ex-members were all so drenched in their excitement that they just refused to hear us out. They couldn't understand why we couldn't support their seemingly-perfect plan for the Alumni Band, what with its registration as a society etc etc. They snorted at us and accused us of being in their way when what they were trying to do was to help Ms J fulfil her dream of setting up an Alumni Band!
Such accusations were hard to stomach and difficult not to defend. We tried to reason with these older, supposedly wiser people to no avail. I remember that they even retorted me when I said that our duty was to take care of the existing band and that we were trying our very best to do this because there were just so many things threatening the band at that time! I think I used the word 'catalyst'.
Whatever we said, the ex-members just didn't get them into their heads. They seemed to have been driven crazy by this Alumni Band idea and refused to accept that it was just not the right time for the Alumni Band then.
After this, things really got out of hand, with lots of shouting and hot tears from both sides (more from the ex-members, actually). At one point, KP even had to stand up on the table to make his point, much to my amazement (because KP was usually quiet and soft-spoken)! Yes, it was really that dramatic!
But it was a totally awful experience. The meeting ended with both sides parting on a very, very bad note. I felt so sad when I saw Ms J go off in her car after comforting a sobbing ex-member after the meeting. Ms J didn't say a word to me but I knew she was very sad.
Sad, we all were, too. I stayed on for a long time after that meeting and when SC and I eventually boarded the bus to head home together late that night, there was only silence between us. I was completely drained, both physically and mentally.
After this episode, I was viewed by many ex-members as being a sort of tumbling block in their continued relationship with the band. Almost all stopped coming to visit the band and Ms J. In this sense, 1986 was a very 'lonely' year for the band and Ms J; it wasn't, also in this sense, a 'normal' year.
But I could not help what these people thought of me. My duty and focus were and had always remained with the existing band. And this, I must say: I am very glad and very, very proud of my committee members and team of Sec 4 members because we had persevered and stayed the course.
In 1986, the band survived the Indoor Competition very much without any help from the ex-members. Although we did not get a Gold medal (instead, we had 2 bronzes), I have always been proud of our achievement.
If only the ex-members knew what we had to go through that year.
**********************
It was because of this meeting's outcome that I always hesitated to visit Ms J no matter how much I had longed to do so all these years.
From the bottom of my heart, I know that what we did had been done in the best interest of the band. But I wasn't sure if Ms J had understood us, or whether she had believed the ex-members who had accused us of preventing her from fulfilling her dream of setting up an Alumni Band.
What if it were the latter? Would I have been able to take Ms J's cold shoulder?....
Now that I have finally visited Ms J and know that she remembers me as being very, very, very, very, very... dear to her, I realise that I had been so silly to think that she might not have understood us back then. I should have trusted her trust in us.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Visit to IJ's house - 21 June 2009
Yesterday, about 11 of us from the ex-TK Band (a few from each batch in 1982-1986) got together and paid a visit to our beloved band instructress, Ms J.
Although the organiser had arranged for transport to pick us up at the Commonwealth MRT station, R decided to give me a lift and so I met them at Ms J's house directly. Ms J now stays at Farrer Road, which is an area R and I are not very familiar with. But nevertheless, we managed to get there relatively effortlessly.
When I first stepped into the house, I was greeted by excited friends of yesteryears! Several came up and said hi and hello and all the hugs etc. Then I saw Ms J at her dining table, sitting quietly and looking.
I went forward and held her hands, greeted her and instantly, I saw that she was not exactly the same as when we parted 24+ years ago. She seemed to be very much slower and there was a look of uncertainty on her face. In case she couldn't recognise me (which wouldn't be surprising since I had never paid her any visit all these years), I explained who I was - Band Major in 1986, led the band in raising funds so as to go on its NZ trip but was unable to join the band on the trip, etc...
Then, she appeared to recall and she hugged and hugged me. It was all very touching. She told me that she is suffering from Parkinson's Disease and has become very slow in everything. So my friends and I had to comfort her and assure her that it is alright, we all will take things slower and more easily.
Ms J needs help to move around and cannot stand for anything more than 10 minutes or so. We did all things that we could as 'normally' as possible, chatting and making some noise in the house. Naturally, everyone started to reminisce about our years in TK Band, basking in its glory and all, once again.
But we also kept a lookout to make sure that Ms J was comfortable and had the fruits and water that she wanted etc. We took turns to chat with her and it pained me to see how soft her voice has become. Sometimes, she would also not complete her sentences.
Ms J's sister Mdm O lives with her. Mdm O is Ms J's principal caregiver. Mdm O, together with the maid, prepared some snacks for us and later, chatted with us all, too. Later, we watched 2 video clips with Ms J and time stood still for many of us during the screening.
The 1st video was a clip called 'The Making of a Band'. According to Mdm O, this was a documentary created by the professional media people in the 1970s because they had wanted to track the progress of school bands in the post-Independence years. The video recorded footage of 2 secondary school bands - ACS band and TK Band. The former was regarded as an elite school and so 'contrast' was made against the 'poorer' neighbourhood school, TK.
Mdm O went on to explain that it was LKY's idea to get schools to form school bands so that the band would become a platform for racial harmony. The idea was to get students of all races to come together and through music, more constant interaction and socialisation, become more cohesive. In short, the band programme had been for a 'unity' purpose in the post-Independence years.
Ms J explained softly to us that the TK Band was founded in 1967, as she pointed out to us parts of the video. It was quite amazing that she could remember the names of several of the boys and girls trying out the instrument in the 1970s. I was particularly surprised when she pointed out to me (I was sitting next to her) that a particular band leader in the video had already passed away. Ms J's power of recollection seems to be even better now than before, leh!
The 2nd video was a clip entitled 'IJ Award'. This was a tribute to Ms J for her contributions to the TK Band. Apparently, TK Sec School created this Award as a sort of annual prize for the top music student (or something like that). We all loved this clip so much that we let it run twice!
Mdm O later showed us the handicraft that Ms J has been doing during her physiotherapy sessions. They really looked like what the kids would do at the kindergartens. And Mdm O explained that to help Ms J retain her dexterity, she also got Ms J to practise her handwriting. During their move to the current place, Ms J had become very stressed and during that time, could not move her limbs at all. This was what the doctor had called 'freeze', and I think it sounded really very scary. I am imagine the love Mdm O had showered on Ms J. Mdm O is truly a very admirable sister.
We stayed on until late afternoon. Then, as we took turns to bid her goodbye while she was seated at the dining table, she pulled my hand and held it tightly. She drew me nearer to her, looked in my eyes and said to me, "LP, you are very, very, very, very, very. very... dear to me."
On hearing Ms J's words to me, I broke down and started sobbing quite badly. I hugged Ms J close and told her that we understood, I understood. By her words, I am very, very sure that Ms J has remembered me and the NZ trip episode, and everyone's heartbreak years ago.
My sudden outburst shocked some of my friends there, but I regained composure quite quickly as Mdm O invited us to visit again soon. "Bring your children to swim," she said, "and you can take her (ie Ms J) on a stroll around when you next come."
Although it had been taxing to stand and walk around, Ms J insisted on seeing us to the door. We slipped on our shoes quickly and waved bye to her and Mdm O.
Our very efficient organiser had also arranged for transport to ferry us 'anywhere we wanted'. So 4 of us accepted the offer and whilst we chatted and joked around in the mini-bus, we started to give instructions on where we would like to go! Eventually, I dropped off first at Circuit Road, and the others would follow at Parkway Parade, then Simei, then finally Pasir Ris.
The visit left me with many, many thoughts and countless rounds of tearing. I now wish I had visited her sooner and regularly. For Ms J was the one who roped me into the active band life I had led in TK Band. The TK Band years had been, without doubt, the moulding years of my life. I hope I will visit Ms J again soon.
Although the organiser had arranged for transport to pick us up at the Commonwealth MRT station, R decided to give me a lift and so I met them at Ms J's house directly. Ms J now stays at Farrer Road, which is an area R and I are not very familiar with. But nevertheless, we managed to get there relatively effortlessly.
When I first stepped into the house, I was greeted by excited friends of yesteryears! Several came up and said hi and hello and all the hugs etc. Then I saw Ms J at her dining table, sitting quietly and looking.
I went forward and held her hands, greeted her and instantly, I saw that she was not exactly the same as when we parted 24+ years ago. She seemed to be very much slower and there was a look of uncertainty on her face. In case she couldn't recognise me (which wouldn't be surprising since I had never paid her any visit all these years), I explained who I was - Band Major in 1986, led the band in raising funds so as to go on its NZ trip but was unable to join the band on the trip, etc...
Then, she appeared to recall and she hugged and hugged me. It was all very touching. She told me that she is suffering from Parkinson's Disease and has become very slow in everything. So my friends and I had to comfort her and assure her that it is alright, we all will take things slower and more easily.
Ms J needs help to move around and cannot stand for anything more than 10 minutes or so. We did all things that we could as 'normally' as possible, chatting and making some noise in the house. Naturally, everyone started to reminisce about our years in TK Band, basking in its glory and all, once again.
But we also kept a lookout to make sure that Ms J was comfortable and had the fruits and water that she wanted etc. We took turns to chat with her and it pained me to see how soft her voice has become. Sometimes, she would also not complete her sentences.
Ms J's sister Mdm O lives with her. Mdm O is Ms J's principal caregiver. Mdm O, together with the maid, prepared some snacks for us and later, chatted with us all, too. Later, we watched 2 video clips with Ms J and time stood still for many of us during the screening.
The 1st video was a clip called 'The Making of a Band'. According to Mdm O, this was a documentary created by the professional media people in the 1970s because they had wanted to track the progress of school bands in the post-Independence years. The video recorded footage of 2 secondary school bands - ACS band and TK Band. The former was regarded as an elite school and so 'contrast' was made against the 'poorer' neighbourhood school, TK.
Mdm O went on to explain that it was LKY's idea to get schools to form school bands so that the band would become a platform for racial harmony. The idea was to get students of all races to come together and through music, more constant interaction and socialisation, become more cohesive. In short, the band programme had been for a 'unity' purpose in the post-Independence years.
Ms J explained softly to us that the TK Band was founded in 1967, as she pointed out to us parts of the video. It was quite amazing that she could remember the names of several of the boys and girls trying out the instrument in the 1970s. I was particularly surprised when she pointed out to me (I was sitting next to her) that a particular band leader in the video had already passed away. Ms J's power of recollection seems to be even better now than before, leh!
The 2nd video was a clip entitled 'IJ Award'. This was a tribute to Ms J for her contributions to the TK Band. Apparently, TK Sec School created this Award as a sort of annual prize for the top music student (or something like that). We all loved this clip so much that we let it run twice!
Mdm O later showed us the handicraft that Ms J has been doing during her physiotherapy sessions. They really looked like what the kids would do at the kindergartens. And Mdm O explained that to help Ms J retain her dexterity, she also got Ms J to practise her handwriting. During their move to the current place, Ms J had become very stressed and during that time, could not move her limbs at all. This was what the doctor had called 'freeze', and I think it sounded really very scary. I am imagine the love Mdm O had showered on Ms J. Mdm O is truly a very admirable sister.
We stayed on until late afternoon. Then, as we took turns to bid her goodbye while she was seated at the dining table, she pulled my hand and held it tightly. She drew me nearer to her, looked in my eyes and said to me, "LP, you are very, very, very, very, very. very... dear to me."
On hearing Ms J's words to me, I broke down and started sobbing quite badly. I hugged Ms J close and told her that we understood, I understood. By her words, I am very, very sure that Ms J has remembered me and the NZ trip episode, and everyone's heartbreak years ago.
My sudden outburst shocked some of my friends there, but I regained composure quite quickly as Mdm O invited us to visit again soon. "Bring your children to swim," she said, "and you can take her (ie Ms J) on a stroll around when you next come."
Although it had been taxing to stand and walk around, Ms J insisted on seeing us to the door. We slipped on our shoes quickly and waved bye to her and Mdm O.
Our very efficient organiser had also arranged for transport to ferry us 'anywhere we wanted'. So 4 of us accepted the offer and whilst we chatted and joked around in the mini-bus, we started to give instructions on where we would like to go! Eventually, I dropped off first at Circuit Road, and the others would follow at Parkway Parade, then Simei, then finally Pasir Ris.
The visit left me with many, many thoughts and countless rounds of tearing. I now wish I had visited her sooner and regularly. For Ms J was the one who roped me into the active band life I had led in TK Band. The TK Band years had been, without doubt, the moulding years of my life. I hope I will visit Ms J again soon.
TJC Symphonic Band
After all that experience in TKBand, I was a little apprehensive about continuing to be a band member when I went to TJ. Yes, it would still be fun and satisfying to continue to make and play music, but will I become, once again, betrayed like before?
Eventually, I decided to put that betrayal thought away. And so, I joined the TJCSB.
I was very welcomed by the band major who knew I had been TK's band major. He tried very hard to coax me into volunteering for some office post in the band, but I declined. I made up my mind that I just wanted to be a simple, ordinary, non-officer bearer member so that all I needed to do was enjoy the music part of things.
My good friend LL, who had also been with me from BPS to TKBand, was 'coerced' into signing up for band. She didn't like it at all but due to the pressure from the school, she had to continue her band life.
I made new friends in the band. Many members were Chinese-speaking people from DHS. I didn't particularly like them because they were like already in a big gang of their own, and didn't seem interested in making new friends. So I kept a distance from this group of rather-Cheena DHS members.
Amongst my closest friends in TJCSB was a St Nicholas girl called DT. She played the saxophone. Another was an ultra-Cheena girl called SQ who played the trombone. Others with whom I became closer were my fellow French Horn Section members - yes, I decided to switch to French Horn because I was tired of the trumpet, TJCSB already had many good trumpeters and I had had no chance to try the French Horn previously!
My French Horn leader in year 1 was a scrawny, hunched-back Taiwanese guy call SM. He was very biased against me - he claimed that my horn-playing was crude because I had played the trumpet before! He gave me a lot of nonsense, including the ultimate sin of damaging my instrument during an outdoor performance at the Istana!
It served him right that he had to stay back one year to take his 'A'-levels. But as luck would have it, he became a classmate in my CG! He skipped many lessons, so outside of band, I also saw him no up!
My other fellow French Horn members were very polite and conscientious members. All but one were very humble, too, and would consult one another about the music whenever they were not so sure about it. The less humble one was a guy who played the violin. Later, when I became the principal French Horn, he became ok, too.
The band major of my batch, called GH, came from the Cheena DHS group. I didn't bother much about them, so I really kept to my resolution to 'just enjoy the music' most of the time. It was only when I became the principal French Horn that I had no choice but to attend some meetings with the committee. At one meeting, I remember that GH was actually surprised to learn from my fellow French Horn members that I had always called them before each practice to remind them about the practice! When asked, I told GH that that was our TK practice, nothing shocking, mah.
LL played the clarinet and found her own clique of band friends in TJCSB. But for lunch during band practices, we still went together to the hawker centre opposite TJ every now and then. DT and SQ would almost always join in, too.
One of the flautists was a girl called XY. XY was always quick to laugh whenever something funny happened during the practices. She is now a very successful business woman running her own expanding medical quipment business.
The trumpeters were aplenty. There was this particular girl from Crescent Girls' School who played the trumpet very, very well. She was D and she had thick, bushy eye-brows which gave her a very distinctive look. During our concerts, D was the trumpet soloist and she never failed us.
In my 1st year in TJCSB, there was a band leader whose name sounded like the moon in mandarin. She played the trombone and sat almost right behind me. One day, she shocked me by telling everyone around us, "Hey, look! LP sits so upright and with her back so straight throughout! Wow, the 1st time I see anyone so discipline and good, leh!"
The tubas were played mainly by big, burly guys. R was one of them. Another was a plump, bespectacled guy called B. B was rather uncouth. Together with a Euphonium guy called L and some other percussionists called BB and DC, B teased me by mis-calling my name all the time. It was rather annoying at first but I left them laughing at their own joke. After some time, they stopped.
TJCSB had a very gentle, elderly man for its conductor. He was Mr Lin. Mr Lin could be quite fun and funny at the same time. He was a real music talent although sometimes he needed our view and input, which I thought was especially good because it gave us the ownership of the music we were playing. I often quite freely shared my views on the music and he always welcomed such discussions.
I remember that for our Competition in the 2nd year, there seemed to be always a hiccup in a one-bar change in tempo in the compulsory piece. And the band always couldn't seem to get it right because all would be hesitant at this point. After a few weeks of frustration, Mr Lin finally held an open discussion and the problem was eventually resolved when I suggested a slight change in the conducting of that bar alone! Mr Lin was truly a very open-minded teacher.
During my time in TJCSB, Mr Lin saw us through 2 Prelude concerts. He was a very conscientious teacher and would perservere in perfecting our music. There was one particular Japanese music score that was especially difficult. This was something about an avalanche in the Snow Mountain. Everyone was tired out after struggling with the piece for several months and we almost wanted to omit it from our repertoire when Mr Lin, once again, held an open discussion about the score. After an extensive session, we finally ironed out the difficulty and the piece was eventually retained in the repertoire for the concert that year. It turned out to be a great success during the concert.
I passed my Grade 7 piano when I was in TJCSB. During my 2nd year, I was preparing for the Grade 8 exam when one day, Mr Lin suddenly invited me to go to his house for practice on his exam-model piano. I was most grateful for his offer and for the pointers he gave me on my playing. But alas, I didn't make the grade for the exam. What a pity.
Mr Lin attended R and my wedding. He was so funny when he stood up, to the applause of all guests at the dinner, as our emcees mentioned that R and I had met at the TJCSB! He must have been very proud of us, hahaha....
About 2-3 years ago, R and I organised a gathering of our friends in TJCSB. Mr Lin also came. We had a great time catching up with one another over dinner at Merchant Court Hotel.
At the end of year 2, the TJCSB went on its performance tour to Taiwan. Everyone was included in the trip and the trip turned out to be an eye-opener for many of us in many ways. For one, it was the 1st time many of us experienced below-10-degrees temperature. For another, it was also the 1st time that we visited Taiwan and got in touch with many like-minded band members of 2 prestigious Taiwanese schools.
During the trip, we stayed at some student hostel which felt more like a resort. We visited many attractions and tried many Taiwanese delicacies. But there were several items which we, the pampered Sg students didn't know how to appreciate. One was the braised pork leg which was served to us at the hostel during dinner one day. Not a single one of us took to the dish and the entire band ended up being chided by our hosts for wasting food!
Another food which I remember was the street-hawker's skewered deep-fried chicken skin. This looked innocently enough amongst some other skewered fishballs, chicken wings etc, but when we bit into the crispy-looking stuff, we got a shock of our lives! Oil instantly oozed out and for me, I almost puked! Yeeee! Deep-fried chicken skin!!
We learnt a lot about Taiwan and of ourselves during the trip. There were aspects of the trip which I didn't like but overall, the trip was a very successful and fruitful one. And to this day, the TJCSB trip to Taiwan has remained an enormous uplift in my post-TK spirits about being a band member.
Eventually, I decided to put that betrayal thought away. And so, I joined the TJCSB.
I was very welcomed by the band major who knew I had been TK's band major. He tried very hard to coax me into volunteering for some office post in the band, but I declined. I made up my mind that I just wanted to be a simple, ordinary, non-officer bearer member so that all I needed to do was enjoy the music part of things.
My good friend LL, who had also been with me from BPS to TKBand, was 'coerced' into signing up for band. She didn't like it at all but due to the pressure from the school, she had to continue her band life.
I made new friends in the band. Many members were Chinese-speaking people from DHS. I didn't particularly like them because they were like already in a big gang of their own, and didn't seem interested in making new friends. So I kept a distance from this group of rather-Cheena DHS members.
Amongst my closest friends in TJCSB was a St Nicholas girl called DT. She played the saxophone. Another was an ultra-Cheena girl called SQ who played the trombone. Others with whom I became closer were my fellow French Horn Section members - yes, I decided to switch to French Horn because I was tired of the trumpet, TJCSB already had many good trumpeters and I had had no chance to try the French Horn previously!
My French Horn leader in year 1 was a scrawny, hunched-back Taiwanese guy call SM. He was very biased against me - he claimed that my horn-playing was crude because I had played the trumpet before! He gave me a lot of nonsense, including the ultimate sin of damaging my instrument during an outdoor performance at the Istana!
It served him right that he had to stay back one year to take his 'A'-levels. But as luck would have it, he became a classmate in my CG! He skipped many lessons, so outside of band, I also saw him no up!
My other fellow French Horn members were very polite and conscientious members. All but one were very humble, too, and would consult one another about the music whenever they were not so sure about it. The less humble one was a guy who played the violin. Later, when I became the principal French Horn, he became ok, too.
The band major of my batch, called GH, came from the Cheena DHS group. I didn't bother much about them, so I really kept to my resolution to 'just enjoy the music' most of the time. It was only when I became the principal French Horn that I had no choice but to attend some meetings with the committee. At one meeting, I remember that GH was actually surprised to learn from my fellow French Horn members that I had always called them before each practice to remind them about the practice! When asked, I told GH that that was our TK practice, nothing shocking, mah.
LL played the clarinet and found her own clique of band friends in TJCSB. But for lunch during band practices, we still went together to the hawker centre opposite TJ every now and then. DT and SQ would almost always join in, too.
One of the flautists was a girl called XY. XY was always quick to laugh whenever something funny happened during the practices. She is now a very successful business woman running her own expanding medical quipment business.
The trumpeters were aplenty. There was this particular girl from Crescent Girls' School who played the trumpet very, very well. She was D and she had thick, bushy eye-brows which gave her a very distinctive look. During our concerts, D was the trumpet soloist and she never failed us.
In my 1st year in TJCSB, there was a band leader whose name sounded like the moon in mandarin. She played the trombone and sat almost right behind me. One day, she shocked me by telling everyone around us, "Hey, look! LP sits so upright and with her back so straight throughout! Wow, the 1st time I see anyone so discipline and good, leh!"
The tubas were played mainly by big, burly guys. R was one of them. Another was a plump, bespectacled guy called B. B was rather uncouth. Together with a Euphonium guy called L and some other percussionists called BB and DC, B teased me by mis-calling my name all the time. It was rather annoying at first but I left them laughing at their own joke. After some time, they stopped.
TJCSB had a very gentle, elderly man for its conductor. He was Mr Lin. Mr Lin could be quite fun and funny at the same time. He was a real music talent although sometimes he needed our view and input, which I thought was especially good because it gave us the ownership of the music we were playing. I often quite freely shared my views on the music and he always welcomed such discussions.
I remember that for our Competition in the 2nd year, there seemed to be always a hiccup in a one-bar change in tempo in the compulsory piece. And the band always couldn't seem to get it right because all would be hesitant at this point. After a few weeks of frustration, Mr Lin finally held an open discussion and the problem was eventually resolved when I suggested a slight change in the conducting of that bar alone! Mr Lin was truly a very open-minded teacher.
During my time in TJCSB, Mr Lin saw us through 2 Prelude concerts. He was a very conscientious teacher and would perservere in perfecting our music. There was one particular Japanese music score that was especially difficult. This was something about an avalanche in the Snow Mountain. Everyone was tired out after struggling with the piece for several months and we almost wanted to omit it from our repertoire when Mr Lin, once again, held an open discussion about the score. After an extensive session, we finally ironed out the difficulty and the piece was eventually retained in the repertoire for the concert that year. It turned out to be a great success during the concert.
I passed my Grade 7 piano when I was in TJCSB. During my 2nd year, I was preparing for the Grade 8 exam when one day, Mr Lin suddenly invited me to go to his house for practice on his exam-model piano. I was most grateful for his offer and for the pointers he gave me on my playing. But alas, I didn't make the grade for the exam. What a pity.
Mr Lin attended R and my wedding. He was so funny when he stood up, to the applause of all guests at the dinner, as our emcees mentioned that R and I had met at the TJCSB! He must have been very proud of us, hahaha....
About 2-3 years ago, R and I organised a gathering of our friends in TJCSB. Mr Lin also came. We had a great time catching up with one another over dinner at Merchant Court Hotel.
At the end of year 2, the TJCSB went on its performance tour to Taiwan. Everyone was included in the trip and the trip turned out to be an eye-opener for many of us in many ways. For one, it was the 1st time many of us experienced below-10-degrees temperature. For another, it was also the 1st time that we visited Taiwan and got in touch with many like-minded band members of 2 prestigious Taiwanese schools.
During the trip, we stayed at some student hostel which felt more like a resort. We visited many attractions and tried many Taiwanese delicacies. But there were several items which we, the pampered Sg students didn't know how to appreciate. One was the braised pork leg which was served to us at the hostel during dinner one day. Not a single one of us took to the dish and the entire band ended up being chided by our hosts for wasting food!
Another food which I remember was the street-hawker's skewered deep-fried chicken skin. This looked innocently enough amongst some other skewered fishballs, chicken wings etc, but when we bit into the crispy-looking stuff, we got a shock of our lives! Oil instantly oozed out and for me, I almost puked! Yeeee! Deep-fried chicken skin!!
We learnt a lot about Taiwan and of ourselves during the trip. There were aspects of the trip which I didn't like but overall, the trip was a very successful and fruitful one. And to this day, the TJCSB trip to Taiwan has remained an enormous uplift in my post-TK spirits about being a band member.
TK Band 1986
When I was returned to office unopposed in Sec 4, I knew it would be the toughest year there would ever be to lead the band.
In that year, there was an Indoor Competition. No Outdoor. The sentiments of the band had always been that it was essential that the band remained as a single, combined band. At no cost would we agree to split and go separate ways.
The thinking of our new TKGS principal, however, was the direct opposite. In a way, she despised the loud and 'rough' outdoor marching band TK Band was. In her own words, she had told Ms Koh and myself one day that her dream was to set up a TKGS symphony orchestra, drawing members from the existing band and from the music students from the school's MEP. But to achieve this, she would have to 1st split the band.
I had never shared this with my band members. I only told it to my committee members. How demoralising this was, right?! And scary.
So, initially, when Ms J asked if we wanted to participate in the Indoor Competition that year, we did what our seniors and predecessors had done - say no. We said no because it was set forth to us that if we agreed to participate in the Indoor Competition, we would have to do so as separate bands.
At first, we were a little confused why MOE would suddenly oppose combined bands. Then, Ms J explained to us that this was the regulation - for Outdoors, combined bands were ok but not for Indoors.
Naturally, we declined to take part. Our (at least, my) thinking was that it was no big deal not to take part in the Indoor Competition since our strength was in the Outdoors, which remain the inspiration for us all. So, that was our consensus.
Sometime later, the bombshell came. The TKGS principal offered the band an opportunity to travel to New Zealand on a perfomance tour.... but in order to enjoy this, the band would have to participate in the Indoor Competition (which means we had to enter a sseparate bands!).
At first, we just dismissed the idea - how could we give in to this thing?! But later, in a discussion with Ms J, Ms J confided in me that this was a golden opportunity for the band. Afterall, all these years, the band had never been able to enjoy the overseas experience that some other less established bands had had. And year after year, she had had to break her promise to us, the ever-eager-to-travel band members about going overseas. So she was keen to take up the offer.
It was a heartbreaking decision. I knew what the principal's plan was heading, and I knew we had no choice but to take her bait. Ms J had already taken it.
And so, the decision was made and we submitted our application forms. I remember now that my fellow Band Major in TK Tech, called R, became really 'panicky' because how to survive as separate bands?!
The band set about the music pieces and the task of ensuring sufficient membership. Many new members signed up because they heard about the impending trip. We took them all in, even those whom we knew were interested only in the trip.
Because our standard of 'fine' playing had never been good, it was a struggle to deal with both the compulsory piece and our choice piece. For many of us, it was like learning to play 'properly' from scratch, and it was challenging especially for those who didn't read the manuscript well. Some of us couldn't even make head or tail of our respective scores.
But we kept at it and tried our very best. Slowly but steadily, with the guidance and encouragement of Ms J, we eventually 'figured out' the music pieces. And gradually, we began to enjoy ourselves.
For the compulsory piece, we needed to buy chimes. We never had one because chimes were not typically used for Outdoors. So I checked with Ms Low, one of the teachers in charge of band, but she told me that there was no budget for such a purchase. She also said that the school wouldn't put up such money.
Left with no choice, my fellow band major from TK Tech, R, did the same checking with his teacher in charge in TK Tech. Fortunately, somehow they worked it out that it was TK Tech's turn to make the purchase (the 2 schools took turns to budget for purchase of new instruments and scores etc) and so eventually, we managed to secure the funds and got our chimes. We called those chimes 'bells'.
As we never had a 'band room' for ourselves for practices (unlike the sound-proofed rooms school bands these days enjoy), we could not really know how we had progressed. One day, I suddenly got an inspiration during my MEP lessons - hey! we could make use of our 'sound-proofed' MEP rooms, right?! That way, we can really feel how we were playing - our usual practices in the school hall was so 'unacoustic'!
So, I sounded Ms J out - she was all for it! And so, I approached Ms Koh and Mrs Kooi, the MEP teachers about it. Both were super reluctant - Ms Koh (who, incidentally, was one of the teachers in charge of the band!) was particularly unwilling because she feared that we would almost definitely cause some damage etc.
I said all I could and pleaded and begged, and after a while, with some support of Mrs Kooi, Ms Koh gave her nod. But I shall always remember how heavy her words had weighed upon me: "LP, you will be personally responsible, ah, for the room and anything that happens to it. And make sure the room is returned to its exact original condition after the band uses it."
Personally responsible - somehow, that became a favourite phrase the teachers used on me.
To use this MEP room located 2 floors above the school hall, the entire band had to transport all our instruments up there by hand. Imagine the timpanis, the chimes, the bass drum, the music stands and files and everything needed for our practice. It was a major migration and removal exercise on each of the 2-3 times we used that room.
I guess the only person who really appreciated this whole thing about using the room was Ms J. She told me that it was a really good idea that we could use the MEP room because she also couldn't hear properly how we were faring when we played in the hall. She stood aside watching us all painstakingly lug all the stuff back to our miserably small band room (more like our store for our stuff) after the practices in the MEP room. I can imagine the thoughts running through her head during those times.
I also remember going again to Ms Koh after our 1st practice in the MEP room to ask if we could have her kind permission to leave the timpanis in the MEP room since it wouldn't make sense to transport these up and down each week. As expected, she refused.
I was really thankful to all the band members who so consicentiously kept the room tidy and put back all the classroom furniture back in its place after our use. Many were amazed that there was such a room in TKGS and its use was only for a select group of MEP people! But everyone understood why we had to take extra care of the room (my personal repsonsibility, leh!) and did their part. We used plenty of serviettes and even some paper cups for our 'saliva'!!!! This is so funny now that we think about it.
At Ms J's suggestion,. we did a very DIY recording of our playing in the MEP room so as to review our progress and see how we could improve ourselves. It wasn't easy because we had to keep repeating and repeating. And it was really a tiring thing.
After those few session in the MEP room, we reverted to our usual school hall for our practices.
Then, came another bombshell one day. The dates for the NZ trip were finalised - the band would set off for NZ 2 days before the final 'O'-level exam date for us Sec 4's! This meant that we would not be part of the band heading to NZ!
I was devastated at this outcome. Some of us who didn't read Biology (which was the last paper) were even more upset because despite having completed their exams, they would not be allowed to be in the team. The reason given to us was that the members who were going on the tour would have had to come for regular practices prior to the trip and that would interfere with our 'O'-level exam preparations!
What crap, we thought this was all about! How could they do this to us?! The school insisted that we must be omitted - even though some of these non-Biology Sec 4 members offered to attend the practices amidst their exam preparations!
Together with my cohort comrades, I was thrown into the deep blue sea that day when the 'final' decision came on our appeal. I sat down with my closer comrades, completely speechless. Yes, they insisted it was a no.
The following months turned out to be the toughest days of my band life. Internally, I had to try to calm myself and convince myself that it would be alright to be just part of the big, great TK Band which finally had the opportunity to travel overseas; it was ok not to be part of the NZ trip; it was the band, our band, that mattered etc......
Outwardly, however, I had to act 'right' and do 'right' - that is, continue to lead and inspire all the band members, Sec 4 and others, to work hard for the NZ trip. That was what was expected of me - the band major!
To the juniors, it was a breeze - they didn't need any additional encouragement. The trip was their motivation and source of energy. Many attended practices conscientiously and truly worked hard at improving their skills. They were very much on a self-motivated mode.
But to us, the Sec 4's, it was a completely different story. I had to deal with myself and with my friends, some of whom began to lose interest and stopped attending band practices regularly. I could understand, of course, but I still had to do my job.
My sentiments were shared by my fellow band major - R said that it was just our luck lah. But then, I knew it was more than just luck.
One day, we sat down together in our 'clique'. Then, when the discussion came to band practices, one of my closer friends told me off directly, "LP, now that we are not going to be part of the band going on the NZ trip, why should we still go for band practices? Tell me why I should still attend?"
I couldn't utter a word because I also felt the same way.
She went on, "From now on, don't call me for band practices, ok? I will come if I feel like it but if I don't feel like it, I won't come. If you still want our friendship, don't pressure me into coming for band practices!"
In a huff, she marched off with her bag. I stood rooted to the ground in the canteen for several minutes, mouth shut. What could I say?!
It was no surpise that for the AM Session practices in the Wednesday afternoons, there were many absentees. At one point in time, there were about 4-5 members who came, and they were mostly committee members.
The atmosphere at those practices was really miserable. Ms J, too, knew our hearts and didn't 'scold' us for the bad turn-out. In fact, she kept our spirits up by sharing with us about music theory and brass instruments etc. It was in one of these sessions that I learnt why, for example, the B-flat trumpet would not sound 'C' on the piano even though the note on the manuscript that we played was a 'C'. And how the 1st, 2nd and 3rd valves of the trumpet would change an open note by a tone, a semitone and a one-and-a-half tones respectively. All that mystery about alternative fingerings!
I also learnt from Ms J that in Chinese music, there are no 4th and 7th notes and that is why the other 5 notes of the scale are able to give music that Chinese character. In Russian music, there are 5 beats to a bar!
I really appreciated Ms J's sharing on these finer points of music learning. She had lots of knowledge and it was most interesting to listen to her discussion. She was so ever enthusiastic about teaching the remaining miserable few of us.
Then one day, Ms J spoke to me away from the other members. She told me, "LP, I know this is tough for you all and especially, you. But I have tried to convince them to change the date and include you all, who are the most deserving to go to NZ. They refused to change their mind. I am very sorry, LP, but you and your batch are my dearest. I love you all the most."
Her words were very touching and more importantly to me, showed that she understood our pain and agony. And suddenly, I felt less betrayed although it was still painful. Then I knew that our mission was - not an Outdoor, not NDP - but to help make her wish come true. And that was, to send the band on its much promised overseas trip.
At another afternoon practice shortly after, Ms J repeated what she said to all the Sec 4 members present at the practice. I remember looking back to see my members (trumpets sat in front on the right). Everyone looked really sad, with their heads down to their chests. Only the fact that Ms J had told me these words earlier, kept my tears away.
We had to work into our calendar schedules for various fund-raising events, what with studio recordings and performances ( we sold cassette tapes of these), sourcing for sponsors and sale of keychains etc. The work was tough and hectic, especially since many events took us away from our class lessons.
When the preliminary exams drew near, my committee members handed over the job of running the band to the NZ trip team. Relieved of our duties, we faded off into nothingness as the band prepared itself earnestly for the NZ trip.
To this day, my pain about the NZ trip remains. Like what Ms J told me, we had been the most deserving to go.
For the record, in the Indoor that we were 'forced' to participate, TKGS side managed a bronze for our pieces and a certificate if merit for our sight-reading (as confirmed by my article in the TKGS 1986 Yearbook). Fortunately, TKTech side also got a bronze, but I cannot recall how they had fared in their sight-reading segment.
Not exactly fantastic results by anyone's standard - but given the circumstances we had been in then, gold would not have been realistic. But whatever it is, it is more important that we all had given Ms J all of ourselves and what our best could achieve then. And that, by itself, had been a credible achievement.
In that year, there was an Indoor Competition. No Outdoor. The sentiments of the band had always been that it was essential that the band remained as a single, combined band. At no cost would we agree to split and go separate ways.
The thinking of our new TKGS principal, however, was the direct opposite. In a way, she despised the loud and 'rough' outdoor marching band TK Band was. In her own words, she had told Ms Koh and myself one day that her dream was to set up a TKGS symphony orchestra, drawing members from the existing band and from the music students from the school's MEP. But to achieve this, she would have to 1st split the band.
I had never shared this with my band members. I only told it to my committee members. How demoralising this was, right?! And scary.
So, initially, when Ms J asked if we wanted to participate in the Indoor Competition that year, we did what our seniors and predecessors had done - say no. We said no because it was set forth to us that if we agreed to participate in the Indoor Competition, we would have to do so as separate bands.
At first, we were a little confused why MOE would suddenly oppose combined bands. Then, Ms J explained to us that this was the regulation - for Outdoors, combined bands were ok but not for Indoors.
Naturally, we declined to take part. Our (at least, my) thinking was that it was no big deal not to take part in the Indoor Competition since our strength was in the Outdoors, which remain the inspiration for us all. So, that was our consensus.
Sometime later, the bombshell came. The TKGS principal offered the band an opportunity to travel to New Zealand on a perfomance tour.... but in order to enjoy this, the band would have to participate in the Indoor Competition (which means we had to enter a sseparate bands!).
At first, we just dismissed the idea - how could we give in to this thing?! But later, in a discussion with Ms J, Ms J confided in me that this was a golden opportunity for the band. Afterall, all these years, the band had never been able to enjoy the overseas experience that some other less established bands had had. And year after year, she had had to break her promise to us, the ever-eager-to-travel band members about going overseas. So she was keen to take up the offer.
It was a heartbreaking decision. I knew what the principal's plan was heading, and I knew we had no choice but to take her bait. Ms J had already taken it.
And so, the decision was made and we submitted our application forms. I remember now that my fellow Band Major in TK Tech, called R, became really 'panicky' because how to survive as separate bands?!
The band set about the music pieces and the task of ensuring sufficient membership. Many new members signed up because they heard about the impending trip. We took them all in, even those whom we knew were interested only in the trip.
Because our standard of 'fine' playing had never been good, it was a struggle to deal with both the compulsory piece and our choice piece. For many of us, it was like learning to play 'properly' from scratch, and it was challenging especially for those who didn't read the manuscript well. Some of us couldn't even make head or tail of our respective scores.
But we kept at it and tried our very best. Slowly but steadily, with the guidance and encouragement of Ms J, we eventually 'figured out' the music pieces. And gradually, we began to enjoy ourselves.
For the compulsory piece, we needed to buy chimes. We never had one because chimes were not typically used for Outdoors. So I checked with Ms Low, one of the teachers in charge of band, but she told me that there was no budget for such a purchase. She also said that the school wouldn't put up such money.
Left with no choice, my fellow band major from TK Tech, R, did the same checking with his teacher in charge in TK Tech. Fortunately, somehow they worked it out that it was TK Tech's turn to make the purchase (the 2 schools took turns to budget for purchase of new instruments and scores etc) and so eventually, we managed to secure the funds and got our chimes. We called those chimes 'bells'.
As we never had a 'band room' for ourselves for practices (unlike the sound-proofed rooms school bands these days enjoy), we could not really know how we had progressed. One day, I suddenly got an inspiration during my MEP lessons - hey! we could make use of our 'sound-proofed' MEP rooms, right?! That way, we can really feel how we were playing - our usual practices in the school hall was so 'unacoustic'!
So, I sounded Ms J out - she was all for it! And so, I approached Ms Koh and Mrs Kooi, the MEP teachers about it. Both were super reluctant - Ms Koh (who, incidentally, was one of the teachers in charge of the band!) was particularly unwilling because she feared that we would almost definitely cause some damage etc.
I said all I could and pleaded and begged, and after a while, with some support of Mrs Kooi, Ms Koh gave her nod. But I shall always remember how heavy her words had weighed upon me: "LP, you will be personally responsible, ah, for the room and anything that happens to it. And make sure the room is returned to its exact original condition after the band uses it."
Personally responsible - somehow, that became a favourite phrase the teachers used on me.
To use this MEP room located 2 floors above the school hall, the entire band had to transport all our instruments up there by hand. Imagine the timpanis, the chimes, the bass drum, the music stands and files and everything needed for our practice. It was a major migration and removal exercise on each of the 2-3 times we used that room.
I guess the only person who really appreciated this whole thing about using the room was Ms J. She told me that it was a really good idea that we could use the MEP room because she also couldn't hear properly how we were faring when we played in the hall. She stood aside watching us all painstakingly lug all the stuff back to our miserably small band room (more like our store for our stuff) after the practices in the MEP room. I can imagine the thoughts running through her head during those times.
I also remember going again to Ms Koh after our 1st practice in the MEP room to ask if we could have her kind permission to leave the timpanis in the MEP room since it wouldn't make sense to transport these up and down each week. As expected, she refused.
I was really thankful to all the band members who so consicentiously kept the room tidy and put back all the classroom furniture back in its place after our use. Many were amazed that there was such a room in TKGS and its use was only for a select group of MEP people! But everyone understood why we had to take extra care of the room (my personal repsonsibility, leh!) and did their part. We used plenty of serviettes and even some paper cups for our 'saliva'!!!! This is so funny now that we think about it.
At Ms J's suggestion,. we did a very DIY recording of our playing in the MEP room so as to review our progress and see how we could improve ourselves. It wasn't easy because we had to keep repeating and repeating. And it was really a tiring thing.
After those few session in the MEP room, we reverted to our usual school hall for our practices.
Then, came another bombshell one day. The dates for the NZ trip were finalised - the band would set off for NZ 2 days before the final 'O'-level exam date for us Sec 4's! This meant that we would not be part of the band heading to NZ!
I was devastated at this outcome. Some of us who didn't read Biology (which was the last paper) were even more upset because despite having completed their exams, they would not be allowed to be in the team. The reason given to us was that the members who were going on the tour would have had to come for regular practices prior to the trip and that would interfere with our 'O'-level exam preparations!
What crap, we thought this was all about! How could they do this to us?! The school insisted that we must be omitted - even though some of these non-Biology Sec 4 members offered to attend the practices amidst their exam preparations!
Together with my cohort comrades, I was thrown into the deep blue sea that day when the 'final' decision came on our appeal. I sat down with my closer comrades, completely speechless. Yes, they insisted it was a no.
The following months turned out to be the toughest days of my band life. Internally, I had to try to calm myself and convince myself that it would be alright to be just part of the big, great TK Band which finally had the opportunity to travel overseas; it was ok not to be part of the NZ trip; it was the band, our band, that mattered etc......
Outwardly, however, I had to act 'right' and do 'right' - that is, continue to lead and inspire all the band members, Sec 4 and others, to work hard for the NZ trip. That was what was expected of me - the band major!
To the juniors, it was a breeze - they didn't need any additional encouragement. The trip was their motivation and source of energy. Many attended practices conscientiously and truly worked hard at improving their skills. They were very much on a self-motivated mode.
But to us, the Sec 4's, it was a completely different story. I had to deal with myself and with my friends, some of whom began to lose interest and stopped attending band practices regularly. I could understand, of course, but I still had to do my job.
My sentiments were shared by my fellow band major - R said that it was just our luck lah. But then, I knew it was more than just luck.
One day, we sat down together in our 'clique'. Then, when the discussion came to band practices, one of my closer friends told me off directly, "LP, now that we are not going to be part of the band going on the NZ trip, why should we still go for band practices? Tell me why I should still attend?"
I couldn't utter a word because I also felt the same way.
She went on, "From now on, don't call me for band practices, ok? I will come if I feel like it but if I don't feel like it, I won't come. If you still want our friendship, don't pressure me into coming for band practices!"
In a huff, she marched off with her bag. I stood rooted to the ground in the canteen for several minutes, mouth shut. What could I say?!
It was no surpise that for the AM Session practices in the Wednesday afternoons, there were many absentees. At one point in time, there were about 4-5 members who came, and they were mostly committee members.
The atmosphere at those practices was really miserable. Ms J, too, knew our hearts and didn't 'scold' us for the bad turn-out. In fact, she kept our spirits up by sharing with us about music theory and brass instruments etc. It was in one of these sessions that I learnt why, for example, the B-flat trumpet would not sound 'C' on the piano even though the note on the manuscript that we played was a 'C'. And how the 1st, 2nd and 3rd valves of the trumpet would change an open note by a tone, a semitone and a one-and-a-half tones respectively. All that mystery about alternative fingerings!
I also learnt from Ms J that in Chinese music, there are no 4th and 7th notes and that is why the other 5 notes of the scale are able to give music that Chinese character. In Russian music, there are 5 beats to a bar!
I really appreciated Ms J's sharing on these finer points of music learning. She had lots of knowledge and it was most interesting to listen to her discussion. She was so ever enthusiastic about teaching the remaining miserable few of us.
Then one day, Ms J spoke to me away from the other members. She told me, "LP, I know this is tough for you all and especially, you. But I have tried to convince them to change the date and include you all, who are the most deserving to go to NZ. They refused to change their mind. I am very sorry, LP, but you and your batch are my dearest. I love you all the most."
Her words were very touching and more importantly to me, showed that she understood our pain and agony. And suddenly, I felt less betrayed although it was still painful. Then I knew that our mission was - not an Outdoor, not NDP - but to help make her wish come true. And that was, to send the band on its much promised overseas trip.
At another afternoon practice shortly after, Ms J repeated what she said to all the Sec 4 members present at the practice. I remember looking back to see my members (trumpets sat in front on the right). Everyone looked really sad, with their heads down to their chests. Only the fact that Ms J had told me these words earlier, kept my tears away.
We had to work into our calendar schedules for various fund-raising events, what with studio recordings and performances ( we sold cassette tapes of these), sourcing for sponsors and sale of keychains etc. The work was tough and hectic, especially since many events took us away from our class lessons.
When the preliminary exams drew near, my committee members handed over the job of running the band to the NZ trip team. Relieved of our duties, we faded off into nothingness as the band prepared itself earnestly for the NZ trip.
To this day, my pain about the NZ trip remains. Like what Ms J told me, we had been the most deserving to go.
For the record, in the Indoor that we were 'forced' to participate, TKGS side managed a bronze for our pieces and a certificate if merit for our sight-reading (as confirmed by my article in the TKGS 1986 Yearbook). Fortunately, TKTech side also got a bronze, but I cannot recall how they had fared in their sight-reading segment.
Not exactly fantastic results by anyone's standard - but given the circumstances we had been in then, gold would not have been realistic. But whatever it is, it is more important that we all had given Ms J all of ourselves and what our best could achieve then. And that, by itself, had been a credible achievement.
As a Band Member
BPS Band
I became a member of the school band when I was in BPS. The story on how I did that was in an earlier post.
Being in the band was such a novelty then. I mean, who else (outside the band) would get the chance to touch and fiddle with those shiny and intricate brass instruments and the opportunity to learn how to play them? And have fun playing as a team altogether??
Anyway, life as a member of the BPS band was a very relaxed one. Only on special occasions like Teachers' Day celebration, Children's Day celebration did we have to perform for the school. Other times, it was mostly practices and parties. No SYF, no competition, no stress.
TK Band
The decision to join the big, great TK Band when I went to TKGS, was a very straightforward one. In fact, it was just a very 'natural' choice.
I remember that one day when we were still a freshie in Sec 1, there was special assembly where all the uniformed ECA groups showcased their 'specialties' to us in the school hall. The Red Cross demonstrated some bandaging, stretcher stuff on the stage while the Girl Guides showed off their tent-pitching skills etc. Then, there were the NPCC and NCC groups who, of course, marched and marched; the 'cadets' doing drills in their all-impressive uniform were indeed quite impressive.
But none of these could beat the awesome TK Band who went on stage to play us some marches and other music. We all know how the (lack of) 'acoustics' of the school hall was like; so when the band played, it sounded so 'surround-sound' and grand that it was no wonder that so many girls became very excited by it! Many of my classmates also wondered why there were boys in the band - weren't we all in a girls' school?
I wasn't surprised about the boys part of the band because YP had already told me briefly about the combined band in TK. Rather, I was impressed by all the happy faces amongst the players sitting on stage, music-making and seemingly enjoying themselves. In fact, they all looked like they were enjoying it more than us, the audience! And the smile I saw on the face of the lady conductress helming the baton - it was so inviting and inspiring. Simply irresistable.
So it was without a hesitation at all, that I signed up to be a band member straight after that. Somehow, I didn't feel share my classmates' concern about the 'excessive' band practice hours which would be required (band practices were notorious for being time-consuming), etc. For me, it was just a natural progression and a logical extension from my band experience in BPS.
The year when I was in Sec 1, Singapore hosted the 12th SEA Games. So there were 3 major events in the band's calendar: SYF Outdoor Competition, National Day Parade and the SEA Games.
As the majority of the Sec 1 recruits had no previous band experience, most of them could not be roped into playing the instruments. Instead, we became what was called 'the pom-pom girls'. Basically, 'the pom-pom girls' took on a sort of 'ornamental' role in the marching formations. We were told that in earlier years, our equivalents were the baton-twirlers! (Baton-twirling may look more suave and pretty but we tried it, it was tedious work 100x tougher! Batons could hurt, too, if they suddenly slipped but we were 'safe' with pom-poms!)
One of the 1st things we learnt at TK Band was foot drills. TK Band was, afterall, a marching band. So I started to learn to obey the various Malay commands, turning left, turning right, turning back etc etc. Later, we also progressed to the various 90-degree, 180-degree and 270-degree 'spins'. Yes, there were also those 10-feet-8-steps repetitive trainings! These fundamentals were essential for formation purposes. Some were more 'fun' than others; some were more demanding than others. But we managed them all and trained hard at TK Band' signature 'lift-your-legs-and-point-your-toes' style of hanta kaki.
Discipline was of utmost importance during our foot drills practices, which were almost always done along the corridors. Sometimes we went out the fields and into the sun. Life was tough during those drill practices but nobody complained. We only dashed to the water-coolers (or the 7-eleven opposite TKGS) as quickly as we could each time there was a break. I think somewhere in our minds was this firm belief that all the aches and pain we got from the torturous drill practices were part and parcel of being a member of the big, great TK Band - it was a 'package' we had undertaken. It was also, in short, our faith in our unofficial motto: No Pain, No Gain!
And the camaraderie that we all built in the band was just so indescribable. We shared all the pain and sore in our legs and feet, the anguish whenever seniors/leaders shouted at us 'unjustifably', the relief at being allowed to fall-out from the drills and formations when the sun was really too scorchingly hot and of course, the joy and pride when we won at the SYF competitions. Unhygienic and incredible this may sound, but we even shared the Big Gulps (usually Coke) that we so often grabbed from 7-eleven opposite the school gate during breaks and after band practices.
Typically, our Saturday band practices (the 'main' practice in a week because it is a combined practice for both AM and PM sessions) started at 1pm. The 1st 1 hour or so would be drill practice. After that, we would have a 20-minute break before the 45-60 minutes of Sectional practices followed by the combined practice which typically went on until about 6pm.
As one of the Sec 1 recruits who were 'pom pom girls', I didn't have to join the trumpets in Sec 1. Most of the work of the pom-pom girls were to 'perfect' our drills and the pom-pom works. We also made and repaired our own pom-poms.
When it came to NDP, however, somehow there was a shortage of trumpeters. As I had trumpet experience, I was roped in to the section for the NDP. That year, there was a road march somewhere from the Jalan Bersah stadium out to the 坡底 region. I think we went past Lavendar Street, North Bridge Road, Victoria Street etc - I was a little more familiar at these places because I had been going to F's office long ago, mah.
The experience of doing a road march with the TK Band was an unforgettable one. I learnt that it was possible (and it seems, allowed) to have 'reserve players' stand-in for anyone in the contingent who was too exhausted along the march and who wanted to drop out of the march - there were so many 'reserve players' including ex-members who were dressed in the band uniform, marching alongside the band when the band was on the road. These ex-members would promptly replace the exhausted members in the contingent who opted to drop out.
I thought the road march was a breeze (maybe because I was only a junior, I was still very blur so was unaware of what was happending around), so I couldn't understand why such 'cheating' was allowed. But the jokes and singing that the 'reserve players' entertained the marching contingent with, were funny and overall, I enjoyed the march.
One day during a band practice in Sec 1, the band instructress, Ms Irene J, suddenly became very furious with the librarian. I think some scores were not in order. She yelled at the poor librarian and scolded him sternly. Then, to the shock of the band, she sacked the librarian on the spot!
Almost immediately, Ms J pointed at me and said, "You! You be the librarian." Everyone was stunned, especially me. I could only nod my head meekly and leave my seniors to deal with the 'sudden mess' that Ms J created.
It was a 'mess' because all the leaders in TK Band were appointed after they had been voted in by the band members through a democratic election process. So such sudden sacking of an appointed leader was unheard of. Also, the sudden replacement of the librabrian by a Sec 1 recruit decided only by Ms J herself (ie no democratic voting process) left the entire committee of band leaders in a big state of confusion. I, myself, wasn't sure of the legitimacy of my appointment either.
But the words of Ms J could not be disregarded. And so, after some confusion and hush-hush discussions amongst the leaders, the band major called a meeting which I was asked to attend. At the meeting, I was 'accepted' by all the committee members, albeit a little reluctantly and awkwardly. And that was how I 1st became involved as a band leader.
The committee comprised 2 sets of leaders, one from TKGS and the other from TK Tech. The officer bearers were: Band Major, Drum Major, Secretary, Librarian, Quarter Master/Mistress and the various Section Leaders. Very often, my TKGS classmates would ask me how different the role of the Band Major is from that of the Drum Major.
I would summarise: the Drum Major takes charge when the band is outdoors and marching; the Drum Major holds the maze and is responsible for the drills of the band. The Band Major, on the other hand, is in charge when the band is indoors; the quality of the band's music and discipline are the responsibilities of the Band Major. The Band Major is also the overall leader in charge of the band and acts as the representative of the band vis-a-vis the schools and so is the link between the band and the schools, too.
When I was in Sec 2, I was nominated for the post of Secretary. And I was voted in. Since the Secretary was in charge of the logistics for band practices, I also had to call Ms J to 'remind' her of the date and time of each band practice. So through the phone calls and closer communication with Mr J, I got to know her slightly more that year.
Ms J is unmarried, but she is a very loving aunt to her nephews/nieces. At that time, she lived in Yio Chu Kang area, and she sometimes invited us to her house. There was once when we accompanied her to the supermarket before going to her house and when we reached her place, she showed us how she would wash the minced beef under running water, which I thought was weird because M always asks the butcher to have the meat rinsed before mincing it.
Although Ms J may appear to have a very short temper, she is really very sweet. And she is always very careful to make sure that the band practice did not overrun. It was a common grouse amongst parents of band members, she had explained to me, that band practices took their children away from their studies and so it was important to make sure that we didn't hold the members back any later than necessary.
But sometimes, it was really unavoidable that we dismissed the band late. Each time the SYF outdoor competition drew near, the members would voluntarily stay back late or come early for extra practices. But no one complained. In fact, there were times when the leaders needed to shoo the members to go home. Members who couldn't wait to go home were the exceptions most of the time.
There was no Outdoor Competition when I was in Sec 2. So that was a relatively 'light' year in the band's calendar. Ceremonial obligations at the schools' respective Speech Days etc filled the calendar.
I became the band major when I was in Sec 3. Before this, this leadership position was always held by a Sec 4 member. Initially, it didn't feel very different because it was like a natural progression from the Secretarial duties that I had been carrying out in Sec 3.
All the members were very very supportive and because this was an 'Outdoor' year for us, we all geared up to make sure our standards were maintained at all times - drills became more intensive but band practices became more 'competition-focused'. But amidst the physical challenges, we found great joy and 'purpose', so it remained a very enjoyable time nevertheless.
On the suggestion of my PE teacher in Sec 3, a Mrs Kong, I started to encourage band members to build up their stamina through more regular exercises (outside our PE lessons, lah!). Only a handful was keen because most 'protested' that the twice-weekly formation practices were already tiring them out like anything! I also didn't press too hard on this since the formation practices later also became a thrice-weekly, and then daily-evening, affair. I remember that my classmates asking me, "Tough, hor?! I pity you all, leh!"
To this, I replied, "It's only when you are in it that you will realise the joy and the satisfaction of our sacrifices."
In the last 2-3 weeks before the Outdoor Competition, many of my classmates and schoolmates lined the field and the surrounding areas, eg the overhead bridge right outside TKGS, to cheer the band on during our daily evening rehearsals. The outpour of support for us was really quite overwhelming, and remain very vivid even today.
Naturally, we put in our best efforts and won glory for our schools at the Outdoor Competition. When we clinched the gold award (the highest award in those days), the cheer of the TK Girls, TK Tech and other supporters was thunderous! That wave of pride that filled our hearts and minds was something completely irreplaceable and indescribable.
For NDP in that year, there was no road march. Instead, we had a combined formation display with other school bands at the National Stadium. I got to know some leaders of other school bands, but because we were 'rival' bands, it was an unspoken 'rule' that they must be kept at an arm's length. Such was the culture of TK Band. Now that we have grown up, we know, of course, that this had been unwise because it is always better to have a friend than an enemy. But like they always say, we learn mostly on hindsight.
In the same year, the MEP teachers took over as school teachers in charge of the band. There was a Ms Koh and a Mrs Kooi. Ms Koh was very uptight about the property of the band, and would occasionally remind me to make sure that all our scores and instruments are always accounted for. She also conveyed certain complaints about band members not returning canteen benches to the canteen 'neatly' after use etc. So I often had a earful from her.
After a while, I got a bit tired of such complaints. So I 'delegated' the responsibility of ensuring tht benches were returned promptly and 'neatly' to the canteen after band practices, to the sectional leaders. It became the job of the sectional leaders to check the benches and hall after our practices. On accasions when the 'bench-duties' were not satisfactorily carried out, I would make those reponsible return to arrange the benches properly again.
The various sections later also devised, amongst their respective groups, some sort of duty roster for these bench duties. So it all worked out well and our school attendant, Abdullah, was happier.
At the band camp, however, I came to realise that some of my committee members were unhappy with me. They felt that I had become too authoritarian and a little too stern with the band. We had an extensive chat that ran through the night (whilst we did sentry), and it suddenly dawned upon me that there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction amongst them. Amongst the various 'complaints' they had against was this accusation that I, myself, was taking all the credit of our achievements. A good example, they said, was how I had 'accepted' the compliments of the teachers in charge of a camp well organised, by myself! Meaning, I didn't attribute it to all my other committee members etc!
I was quite taken aback by the revelation of their unhappiness with me. In fact,I was quite shocked and very, very disappointed. So, to their 'delight', I offered to absent myself for 2 band practices and let them 'run the show' all by themselves.
For those 2 band practices, I went briefly to make sure that Ms J had everything that she needed and that the general schedule of drills-then-sectional practice-then-combined practice was in place. Then, I left the band alone with my committee members.
During those 2 sessions of 'free time' for me, I took a long walk in the East Coast Park to reflet upon myself. Did I really do badly? Was I truly getting too 'tight-fisted' and overbearing? What did I do wrong?
It was really a very trying time for me because I did not normally have to ask myself such questions. At a point, I became somewhat disillusioned because it had never crossed my mind to 'grab' all the credit for myself when the band did well. All along, I had been very task-foucsed and all that mattered to me was that the band did well. And it did.
So, I concluded that I must have been too stingy with my thanks and encouragement towards the band members, especially my committee members. I resolved to 'soften' my touch and show more outwardly my appreciation for the hard work and contributions etc.
Immediately after the 2nd 'absent' practice, Ms J called me and demanded to know why I had not been around. I reassued her that everything was alright and in order, and that I would be back at the following practice.
When I did return, some of the more junior members asked me, "Where were you? We thought something might have happened to you. We always looked out for you - but in the last 2 practices, we didn't see you, we were worried!"
These simple and innocent words meant a lot to me. So, they had been concerned. When I spoke to my committee members, it was mix of feedback - one sub-group said it was 'refreshing' to be running the show alone (without me), the other said it was better that I returned quickly.
And so, whatever they wanted to say, I let them. Then I set off to work as per usual, albeit with more care when dealing with the people - a 'softer' touch, you know. :)
Weeks later, my Secretary called me aside and told me, "I think you are ok. What we told you about you being bossy was last time. We see that you are a 'changed' person already. So don't worry about what we said, ok?"
Although I thanked her for her encouragement, I could never forget the committee members' 'confrontation' during the camp. And my resolution to improve my 'leadership style'.
After this episode, anyone would have thought that I would probably no longer be the Band Major, right? I was prepared not to be elected on the election day.
But alas, I was wrong. I was returned unopposed. And so, I continued life as Band Major in Sec 4.
That year, it was a watershed year for the great, big TKBand. See next post.
I became a member of the school band when I was in BPS. The story on how I did that was in an earlier post.
Being in the band was such a novelty then. I mean, who else (outside the band) would get the chance to touch and fiddle with those shiny and intricate brass instruments and the opportunity to learn how to play them? And have fun playing as a team altogether??
Anyway, life as a member of the BPS band was a very relaxed one. Only on special occasions like Teachers' Day celebration, Children's Day celebration did we have to perform for the school. Other times, it was mostly practices and parties. No SYF, no competition, no stress.
TK Band
The decision to join the big, great TK Band when I went to TKGS, was a very straightforward one. In fact, it was just a very 'natural' choice.
I remember that one day when we were still a freshie in Sec 1, there was special assembly where all the uniformed ECA groups showcased their 'specialties' to us in the school hall. The Red Cross demonstrated some bandaging, stretcher stuff on the stage while the Girl Guides showed off their tent-pitching skills etc. Then, there were the NPCC and NCC groups who, of course, marched and marched; the 'cadets' doing drills in their all-impressive uniform were indeed quite impressive.
But none of these could beat the awesome TK Band who went on stage to play us some marches and other music. We all know how the (lack of) 'acoustics' of the school hall was like; so when the band played, it sounded so 'surround-sound' and grand that it was no wonder that so many girls became very excited by it! Many of my classmates also wondered why there were boys in the band - weren't we all in a girls' school?
I wasn't surprised about the boys part of the band because YP had already told me briefly about the combined band in TK. Rather, I was impressed by all the happy faces amongst the players sitting on stage, music-making and seemingly enjoying themselves. In fact, they all looked like they were enjoying it more than us, the audience! And the smile I saw on the face of the lady conductress helming the baton - it was so inviting and inspiring. Simply irresistable.
So it was without a hesitation at all, that I signed up to be a band member straight after that. Somehow, I didn't feel share my classmates' concern about the 'excessive' band practice hours which would be required (band practices were notorious for being time-consuming), etc. For me, it was just a natural progression and a logical extension from my band experience in BPS.
The year when I was in Sec 1, Singapore hosted the 12th SEA Games. So there were 3 major events in the band's calendar: SYF Outdoor Competition, National Day Parade and the SEA Games.
As the majority of the Sec 1 recruits had no previous band experience, most of them could not be roped into playing the instruments. Instead, we became what was called 'the pom-pom girls'. Basically, 'the pom-pom girls' took on a sort of 'ornamental' role in the marching formations. We were told that in earlier years, our equivalents were the baton-twirlers! (Baton-twirling may look more suave and pretty but we tried it, it was tedious work 100x tougher! Batons could hurt, too, if they suddenly slipped but we were 'safe' with pom-poms!)
One of the 1st things we learnt at TK Band was foot drills. TK Band was, afterall, a marching band. So I started to learn to obey the various Malay commands, turning left, turning right, turning back etc etc. Later, we also progressed to the various 90-degree, 180-degree and 270-degree 'spins'. Yes, there were also those 10-feet-8-steps repetitive trainings! These fundamentals were essential for formation purposes. Some were more 'fun' than others; some were more demanding than others. But we managed them all and trained hard at TK Band' signature 'lift-your-legs-and-point-your-toes' style of hanta kaki.
Discipline was of utmost importance during our foot drills practices, which were almost always done along the corridors. Sometimes we went out the fields and into the sun. Life was tough during those drill practices but nobody complained. We only dashed to the water-coolers (or the 7-eleven opposite TKGS) as quickly as we could each time there was a break. I think somewhere in our minds was this firm belief that all the aches and pain we got from the torturous drill practices were part and parcel of being a member of the big, great TK Band - it was a 'package' we had undertaken. It was also, in short, our faith in our unofficial motto: No Pain, No Gain!
And the camaraderie that we all built in the band was just so indescribable. We shared all the pain and sore in our legs and feet, the anguish whenever seniors/leaders shouted at us 'unjustifably', the relief at being allowed to fall-out from the drills and formations when the sun was really too scorchingly hot and of course, the joy and pride when we won at the SYF competitions. Unhygienic and incredible this may sound, but we even shared the Big Gulps (usually Coke) that we so often grabbed from 7-eleven opposite the school gate during breaks and after band practices.
Typically, our Saturday band practices (the 'main' practice in a week because it is a combined practice for both AM and PM sessions) started at 1pm. The 1st 1 hour or so would be drill practice. After that, we would have a 20-minute break before the 45-60 minutes of Sectional practices followed by the combined practice which typically went on until about 6pm.
As one of the Sec 1 recruits who were 'pom pom girls', I didn't have to join the trumpets in Sec 1. Most of the work of the pom-pom girls were to 'perfect' our drills and the pom-pom works. We also made and repaired our own pom-poms.
When it came to NDP, however, somehow there was a shortage of trumpeters. As I had trumpet experience, I was roped in to the section for the NDP. That year, there was a road march somewhere from the Jalan Bersah stadium out to the 坡底 region. I think we went past Lavendar Street, North Bridge Road, Victoria Street etc - I was a little more familiar at these places because I had been going to F's office long ago, mah.
The experience of doing a road march with the TK Band was an unforgettable one. I learnt that it was possible (and it seems, allowed) to have 'reserve players' stand-in for anyone in the contingent who was too exhausted along the march and who wanted to drop out of the march - there were so many 'reserve players' including ex-members who were dressed in the band uniform, marching alongside the band when the band was on the road. These ex-members would promptly replace the exhausted members in the contingent who opted to drop out.
I thought the road march was a breeze (maybe because I was only a junior, I was still very blur so was unaware of what was happending around), so I couldn't understand why such 'cheating' was allowed. But the jokes and singing that the 'reserve players' entertained the marching contingent with, were funny and overall, I enjoyed the march.
One day during a band practice in Sec 1, the band instructress, Ms Irene J, suddenly became very furious with the librarian. I think some scores were not in order. She yelled at the poor librarian and scolded him sternly. Then, to the shock of the band, she sacked the librarian on the spot!
Almost immediately, Ms J pointed at me and said, "You! You be the librarian." Everyone was stunned, especially me. I could only nod my head meekly and leave my seniors to deal with the 'sudden mess' that Ms J created.
It was a 'mess' because all the leaders in TK Band were appointed after they had been voted in by the band members through a democratic election process. So such sudden sacking of an appointed leader was unheard of. Also, the sudden replacement of the librabrian by a Sec 1 recruit decided only by Ms J herself (ie no democratic voting process) left the entire committee of band leaders in a big state of confusion. I, myself, wasn't sure of the legitimacy of my appointment either.
But the words of Ms J could not be disregarded. And so, after some confusion and hush-hush discussions amongst the leaders, the band major called a meeting which I was asked to attend. At the meeting, I was 'accepted' by all the committee members, albeit a little reluctantly and awkwardly. And that was how I 1st became involved as a band leader.
The committee comprised 2 sets of leaders, one from TKGS and the other from TK Tech. The officer bearers were: Band Major, Drum Major, Secretary, Librarian, Quarter Master/Mistress and the various Section Leaders. Very often, my TKGS classmates would ask me how different the role of the Band Major is from that of the Drum Major.
I would summarise: the Drum Major takes charge when the band is outdoors and marching; the Drum Major holds the maze and is responsible for the drills of the band. The Band Major, on the other hand, is in charge when the band is indoors; the quality of the band's music and discipline are the responsibilities of the Band Major. The Band Major is also the overall leader in charge of the band and acts as the representative of the band vis-a-vis the schools and so is the link between the band and the schools, too.
When I was in Sec 2, I was nominated for the post of Secretary. And I was voted in. Since the Secretary was in charge of the logistics for band practices, I also had to call Ms J to 'remind' her of the date and time of each band practice. So through the phone calls and closer communication with Mr J, I got to know her slightly more that year.
Ms J is unmarried, but she is a very loving aunt to her nephews/nieces. At that time, she lived in Yio Chu Kang area, and she sometimes invited us to her house. There was once when we accompanied her to the supermarket before going to her house and when we reached her place, she showed us how she would wash the minced beef under running water, which I thought was weird because M always asks the butcher to have the meat rinsed before mincing it.
Although Ms J may appear to have a very short temper, she is really very sweet. And she is always very careful to make sure that the band practice did not overrun. It was a common grouse amongst parents of band members, she had explained to me, that band practices took their children away from their studies and so it was important to make sure that we didn't hold the members back any later than necessary.
But sometimes, it was really unavoidable that we dismissed the band late. Each time the SYF outdoor competition drew near, the members would voluntarily stay back late or come early for extra practices. But no one complained. In fact, there were times when the leaders needed to shoo the members to go home. Members who couldn't wait to go home were the exceptions most of the time.
There was no Outdoor Competition when I was in Sec 2. So that was a relatively 'light' year in the band's calendar. Ceremonial obligations at the schools' respective Speech Days etc filled the calendar.
I became the band major when I was in Sec 3. Before this, this leadership position was always held by a Sec 4 member. Initially, it didn't feel very different because it was like a natural progression from the Secretarial duties that I had been carrying out in Sec 3.
All the members were very very supportive and because this was an 'Outdoor' year for us, we all geared up to make sure our standards were maintained at all times - drills became more intensive but band practices became more 'competition-focused'. But amidst the physical challenges, we found great joy and 'purpose', so it remained a very enjoyable time nevertheless.
On the suggestion of my PE teacher in Sec 3, a Mrs Kong, I started to encourage band members to build up their stamina through more regular exercises (outside our PE lessons, lah!). Only a handful was keen because most 'protested' that the twice-weekly formation practices were already tiring them out like anything! I also didn't press too hard on this since the formation practices later also became a thrice-weekly, and then daily-evening, affair. I remember that my classmates asking me, "Tough, hor?! I pity you all, leh!"
To this, I replied, "It's only when you are in it that you will realise the joy and the satisfaction of our sacrifices."
In the last 2-3 weeks before the Outdoor Competition, many of my classmates and schoolmates lined the field and the surrounding areas, eg the overhead bridge right outside TKGS, to cheer the band on during our daily evening rehearsals. The outpour of support for us was really quite overwhelming, and remain very vivid even today.
Naturally, we put in our best efforts and won glory for our schools at the Outdoor Competition. When we clinched the gold award (the highest award in those days), the cheer of the TK Girls, TK Tech and other supporters was thunderous! That wave of pride that filled our hearts and minds was something completely irreplaceable and indescribable.
For NDP in that year, there was no road march. Instead, we had a combined formation display with other school bands at the National Stadium. I got to know some leaders of other school bands, but because we were 'rival' bands, it was an unspoken 'rule' that they must be kept at an arm's length. Such was the culture of TK Band. Now that we have grown up, we know, of course, that this had been unwise because it is always better to have a friend than an enemy. But like they always say, we learn mostly on hindsight.
In the same year, the MEP teachers took over as school teachers in charge of the band. There was a Ms Koh and a Mrs Kooi. Ms Koh was very uptight about the property of the band, and would occasionally remind me to make sure that all our scores and instruments are always accounted for. She also conveyed certain complaints about band members not returning canteen benches to the canteen 'neatly' after use etc. So I often had a earful from her.
After a while, I got a bit tired of such complaints. So I 'delegated' the responsibility of ensuring tht benches were returned promptly and 'neatly' to the canteen after band practices, to the sectional leaders. It became the job of the sectional leaders to check the benches and hall after our practices. On accasions when the 'bench-duties' were not satisfactorily carried out, I would make those reponsible return to arrange the benches properly again.
The various sections later also devised, amongst their respective groups, some sort of duty roster for these bench duties. So it all worked out well and our school attendant, Abdullah, was happier.
At the band camp, however, I came to realise that some of my committee members were unhappy with me. They felt that I had become too authoritarian and a little too stern with the band. We had an extensive chat that ran through the night (whilst we did sentry), and it suddenly dawned upon me that there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction amongst them. Amongst the various 'complaints' they had against was this accusation that I, myself, was taking all the credit of our achievements. A good example, they said, was how I had 'accepted' the compliments of the teachers in charge of a camp well organised, by myself! Meaning, I didn't attribute it to all my other committee members etc!
I was quite taken aback by the revelation of their unhappiness with me. In fact,I was quite shocked and very, very disappointed. So, to their 'delight', I offered to absent myself for 2 band practices and let them 'run the show' all by themselves.
For those 2 band practices, I went briefly to make sure that Ms J had everything that she needed and that the general schedule of drills-then-sectional practice-then-combined practice was in place. Then, I left the band alone with my committee members.
During those 2 sessions of 'free time' for me, I took a long walk in the East Coast Park to reflet upon myself. Did I really do badly? Was I truly getting too 'tight-fisted' and overbearing? What did I do wrong?
It was really a very trying time for me because I did not normally have to ask myself such questions. At a point, I became somewhat disillusioned because it had never crossed my mind to 'grab' all the credit for myself when the band did well. All along, I had been very task-foucsed and all that mattered to me was that the band did well. And it did.
So, I concluded that I must have been too stingy with my thanks and encouragement towards the band members, especially my committee members. I resolved to 'soften' my touch and show more outwardly my appreciation for the hard work and contributions etc.
Immediately after the 2nd 'absent' practice, Ms J called me and demanded to know why I had not been around. I reassued her that everything was alright and in order, and that I would be back at the following practice.
When I did return, some of the more junior members asked me, "Where were you? We thought something might have happened to you. We always looked out for you - but in the last 2 practices, we didn't see you, we were worried!"
These simple and innocent words meant a lot to me. So, they had been concerned. When I spoke to my committee members, it was mix of feedback - one sub-group said it was 'refreshing' to be running the show alone (without me), the other said it was better that I returned quickly.
And so, whatever they wanted to say, I let them. Then I set off to work as per usual, albeit with more care when dealing with the people - a 'softer' touch, you know. :)
Weeks later, my Secretary called me aside and told me, "I think you are ok. What we told you about you being bossy was last time. We see that you are a 'changed' person already. So don't worry about what we said, ok?"
Although I thanked her for her encouragement, I could never forget the committee members' 'confrontation' during the camp. And my resolution to improve my 'leadership style'.
After this episode, anyone would have thought that I would probably no longer be the Band Major, right? I was prepared not to be elected on the election day.
But alas, I was wrong. I was returned unopposed. And so, I continued life as Band Major in Sec 4.
That year, it was a watershed year for the great, big TKBand. See next post.
Monday, April 20, 2009
KH: Good Teacher, Even Better Friend
When I was in BPS, the regular band instructress we had was a lady trumpeter whom we called Ms Chan. Then, one day, for reasons I still don't know today, she left us. To replace her, a young man called Mr Tay came to conduct the band.
This Mr Tay's name is KH. He is a very jovial and rather fun man to be with. He always had encouraging words for us, even though (as we all know it) our standard of playing in BPS band was really quite low. KH is a very good musician and he plays the clarinet. He has a very strong and good singing voice, too.
One day, KH came to band practice with a new hair cut - an army-style crew cut! This caused us all to wonder if he was going to join the army or something, and some girls also laughed because he looked quite different in that hair cut. The bubbly young man told us, "Oh, I fell asleep in the barber's chair. When I woke up, I realised that this was what they had cut for me."
We all went incredously, "Ha??!" We rallied around him and showed him, in our own small ways and as best as we could, our sympathy. It was funny because KH himself seemed ok about it and remained as cheerful as ever.
A few days later, while discussing school with CP, I learnt that the brother of one of CP's friend at TJC had gone to a barber and fallen asleep while having his hair cut. And the end result was that the brother looked like he was going to be enlisted into the army! CP's friend had shared this funny 'story' of her brother with CP for a good laugh.
When I heard this story, I told CP that that was what had happened to my band instructor, too! And then later, we found out that KH is indeed the brother of CP's friend. CP's friend is KHwee. What a small world it is, I remember thinking to myself.
At the end of P6, I did very well for PSLE with a score 4 points short of the national top score that year. But alas, I didn't get into the school of my choice. Instead, I was posted to TKGS. See other post for details.
As I didn't like the idea of going to TKGS, CP decided to introduce me to KHwee. KHwee is an old TK girl. We went to KHwee's house in Geylang East one evening, and KHwee spoke to me about TKGS, telling me how a wonderful and good school it is etc. I also saw some awards that she had received in TKGS. After the visit, I felt better about TKGS and a little less 'resentful' about going there.
*************
When I became the band major in TKGS, KH suddenly called me one day and asked if he could visit the band. His purpose was to see if there was anything he could do to help improve the band's playing - KH's really into the band circuit then.
Although the culture of the TK Band was such that 'outsiders' were never welcome, I decided to go ahead with a 'tutorial' session with KH. But to keep it a low, low profile thing, I chose only a handful of my closer friends, mostly my committee members, for the session.
The small group of us, each on a different instrument, felt so exhilaterated after the short 1-hour session which was just before our formal band practice. KH was a very good and careful critique, giving us tips and words of encouragement all the time. Before that day, we never knew we could sound so good together.
Later, some juniors who had arrived earlier for band practice that day asked me, "How come the band practice started earlier today?" When I told them that it was only a handful of us practising 'on our own' in a classroom just above the band room, these juniors could hardly believe me. I remember one of them said, "But it sounded really like a whole band at work, leh?!"
I never forgot this invaluable experience with KH. Although my thanks to him may not have been very profuse then (of course, I did thank him lah), I always knew that we were the lucky ones to have been through the session with him.
*****************
Never did I know that when I went to the TJC Symphonic Band, I would once again meet KH.
One day, when band practice was about to start, our band leader told us that an alumnus has come to offer us some comments on our playing. When she brought the alumnus into the band room, I saw to my greatest surprise and excitement that it was none other than KH!
I had no idea whether KH had recognised me at that time, but as he went on to give us tips on how we could better play the college anthem (which, by the way, was always played super-lousily because most of us couldn't be bothered about it), a deep, deep sense of pride started to fill me. Pride, I suppose, because he was no stranger to me (but my friends in the band didn't know him!). And also, he looked rather dashing then.
After this critique session with KH at TJC, I had a brief chat with KH. I think he mentioned something about going to Japan for further studies or something. I didn't (dare) ask too much for fear that the others around might think that I was asking for his attention etc - you know, those silly girly things that we get teased about often in those days.
*****************
When I went onto FB last month, I found many of my friends who were fellow band members - one in BPS band, many in TK band and a handful in TJC symphonic band. I thought about my friendship with each and every one of them, and reminisced quite a bit of the times (mostly good) with them.
Then, one day, I remembered KH. And so, I decided to 'look' for KH on FB. With almost incredible ease, I succeeded. Then I sent him a message and we are now linked on FB.
Last Friday, we had dinner together at Canele. Except for the little bit of white hair on the sides of his head, KH looks very much the same. And he speaks very much the same, too, with the same sense of humour, same very inspiring and motivation-speaker-like tone. So, it's no surprise that he is now a business development consultant and deals with many high-profile and important clients and associates. I think he is very well-connected, so to speak.
KH travels around quite a bit, he says, although his specialty is in the North-East Asia. He still stays in GE, however, because he likes the place (he says so). And as he calls himself, he is still a GE boy.
In the course of dinner, KH asks about HA - he remembers HA, leh! I told him that HA is working and living overseas, and that HA is also on FB. I also told KH how grateful I have been for all those band 'tutorial' sessions which he had so generously shared with my friends and I. My 1st and only visit (so far) to CCHMS was because he had invited me there!
Anyway, we chatted for quite a while after dinner. Later, we took the mrt train together - KH's plan was to ride his foldable bicycle that evening, but its tyre had punctured in the afternoon, so the next best mode of transport would be the mrt, lor.
We continued to chat on our way home, and KH told me a little of his university in Japan. It must have been so beautiful and invigorating, I think, to go for lessons anywhere in Kyoto - one of the most picturesque places on earth. How nice, hor?
As we headed for GE (for me, slightly further at PLW) from the Aljunied MRT station, we agreed that we should meet up again. I told KH that this time, I would like him to meet R, WY and WF, too! :)
This Mr Tay's name is KH. He is a very jovial and rather fun man to be with. He always had encouraging words for us, even though (as we all know it) our standard of playing in BPS band was really quite low. KH is a very good musician and he plays the clarinet. He has a very strong and good singing voice, too.
One day, KH came to band practice with a new hair cut - an army-style crew cut! This caused us all to wonder if he was going to join the army or something, and some girls also laughed because he looked quite different in that hair cut. The bubbly young man told us, "Oh, I fell asleep in the barber's chair. When I woke up, I realised that this was what they had cut for me."
We all went incredously, "Ha??!" We rallied around him and showed him, in our own small ways and as best as we could, our sympathy. It was funny because KH himself seemed ok about it and remained as cheerful as ever.
A few days later, while discussing school with CP, I learnt that the brother of one of CP's friend at TJC had gone to a barber and fallen asleep while having his hair cut. And the end result was that the brother looked like he was going to be enlisted into the army! CP's friend had shared this funny 'story' of her brother with CP for a good laugh.
When I heard this story, I told CP that that was what had happened to my band instructor, too! And then later, we found out that KH is indeed the brother of CP's friend. CP's friend is KHwee. What a small world it is, I remember thinking to myself.
At the end of P6, I did very well for PSLE with a score 4 points short of the national top score that year. But alas, I didn't get into the school of my choice. Instead, I was posted to TKGS. See other post for details.
As I didn't like the idea of going to TKGS, CP decided to introduce me to KHwee. KHwee is an old TK girl. We went to KHwee's house in Geylang East one evening, and KHwee spoke to me about TKGS, telling me how a wonderful and good school it is etc. I also saw some awards that she had received in TKGS. After the visit, I felt better about TKGS and a little less 'resentful' about going there.
*************
When I became the band major in TKGS, KH suddenly called me one day and asked if he could visit the band. His purpose was to see if there was anything he could do to help improve the band's playing - KH's really into the band circuit then.
Although the culture of the TK Band was such that 'outsiders' were never welcome, I decided to go ahead with a 'tutorial' session with KH. But to keep it a low, low profile thing, I chose only a handful of my closer friends, mostly my committee members, for the session.
The small group of us, each on a different instrument, felt so exhilaterated after the short 1-hour session which was just before our formal band practice. KH was a very good and careful critique, giving us tips and words of encouragement all the time. Before that day, we never knew we could sound so good together.
Later, some juniors who had arrived earlier for band practice that day asked me, "How come the band practice started earlier today?" When I told them that it was only a handful of us practising 'on our own' in a classroom just above the band room, these juniors could hardly believe me. I remember one of them said, "But it sounded really like a whole band at work, leh?!"
I never forgot this invaluable experience with KH. Although my thanks to him may not have been very profuse then (of course, I did thank him lah), I always knew that we were the lucky ones to have been through the session with him.
*****************
Never did I know that when I went to the TJC Symphonic Band, I would once again meet KH.
One day, when band practice was about to start, our band leader told us that an alumnus has come to offer us some comments on our playing. When she brought the alumnus into the band room, I saw to my greatest surprise and excitement that it was none other than KH!
I had no idea whether KH had recognised me at that time, but as he went on to give us tips on how we could better play the college anthem (which, by the way, was always played super-lousily because most of us couldn't be bothered about it), a deep, deep sense of pride started to fill me. Pride, I suppose, because he was no stranger to me (but my friends in the band didn't know him!). And also, he looked rather dashing then.
After this critique session with KH at TJC, I had a brief chat with KH. I think he mentioned something about going to Japan for further studies or something. I didn't (dare) ask too much for fear that the others around might think that I was asking for his attention etc - you know, those silly girly things that we get teased about often in those days.
*****************
When I went onto FB last month, I found many of my friends who were fellow band members - one in BPS band, many in TK band and a handful in TJC symphonic band. I thought about my friendship with each and every one of them, and reminisced quite a bit of the times (mostly good) with them.
Then, one day, I remembered KH. And so, I decided to 'look' for KH on FB. With almost incredible ease, I succeeded. Then I sent him a message and we are now linked on FB.
Last Friday, we had dinner together at Canele. Except for the little bit of white hair on the sides of his head, KH looks very much the same. And he speaks very much the same, too, with the same sense of humour, same very inspiring and motivation-speaker-like tone. So, it's no surprise that he is now a business development consultant and deals with many high-profile and important clients and associates. I think he is very well-connected, so to speak.
KH travels around quite a bit, he says, although his specialty is in the North-East Asia. He still stays in GE, however, because he likes the place (he says so). And as he calls himself, he is still a GE boy.
In the course of dinner, KH asks about HA - he remembers HA, leh! I told him that HA is working and living overseas, and that HA is also on FB. I also told KH how grateful I have been for all those band 'tutorial' sessions which he had so generously shared with my friends and I. My 1st and only visit (so far) to CCHMS was because he had invited me there!
Anyway, we chatted for quite a while after dinner. Later, we took the mrt train together - KH's plan was to ride his foldable bicycle that evening, but its tyre had punctured in the afternoon, so the next best mode of transport would be the mrt, lor.
We continued to chat on our way home, and KH told me a little of his university in Japan. It must have been so beautiful and invigorating, I think, to go for lessons anywhere in Kyoto - one of the most picturesque places on earth. How nice, hor?
As we headed for GE (for me, slightly further at PLW) from the Aljunied MRT station, we agreed that we should meet up again. I told KH that this time, I would like him to meet R, WY and WF, too! :)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Law School, NUS
When I was in primary school, a favourite question asked of me and my classmates was: What would you like to be when you grow up? Common answers were: A Doctor, A Lawyer, An Engineer or A Teacher. Some even say, "A Nurse."
I dreaded this question and all these sort of 'expected' answers. So I sometimes replied casually, "A Doctor." Other times, I just uttered, "A Lawyer."
Then one day, a relief teacher called Mr Mohan asked me the same question. I just said, "A Lawyer." Then, he asked again, "Why?"
I was stumped. Erm, what does a lawyer do ah?! I don't recall what I said to him in my reply. If at all, I must have said something silly.
That afternoon, I came back home and consulted my good old friend - the dictionary, on the meaning of 'lawyer'. And I remember that I was sent on a frustrating, circuitous search amongst terms like 'lawyer', 'solicitor', 'solicit' etc etc. At the end of the exercise, I was still clueless on what a lawyer does.
During those days, we watched a lot of HK drama on TV in the evenings. While watching one of them one evening, it suddenly dawned upon me what a lawyer is! Ohh..... so, it's that person speaking for another in a court of law!
But then, I was still puzzled why the non-lawyer person could not have spoken on his own behalf?! Why did he need another person to speak for him? The 'lawyer' must be a very privileged person, lah?! Ah, not bad, right?! Can speak even for others, and bring justice to everyone - 打抱不平、伸张正义！
Anyway, that was what I thought being a lawyer was all about.
*********************
After primary school, I didn't have to deal with questions like 'What do you want to be when you grow up'. It's weird but the question never seemed to have been asked again in secondary school.
It was only when after our 'A'-levels results were released that I had to re-visit this issue. Being the Jack-of-all-trades I was (with mediocre results anyway), I figured that it would be 'easier' to take on a course that was general and where everyone would be starting 'afresh', from a common 'zero' base.
And so, I opted to read law at NUS. For my 2nd choice, I chose a Commerce course at NTU (this was an inaugral course then).
When the posting results came, I was a little disappointed because I was posted to the Commerce course at NTU. Although I had gone through the compulsory written test and interview for Law School at NUS earlier, I had secured only a listing on its Reserved List.
And so, I told myself that, well, what was to be would be. So I got in touch with one of my seniors (studying at NTU then, to become an accountant) and set about registering for hostel etc. My senior, whose name is Hui Chen, showed me around and intrdocued some of her hostel friends to me. My allotted accomodation was Hall 4, which was a relatively new block a distance away. It looked clean and white and overall, ok.
I got ready some clothes suitable for the orientation camp at Hall 4. And I was all eager to try, for the first time in my life, to 'live away from home'.
However, about 1 week before the camp, I received a letter form NUS offering me now a confirmed place at the Law School. I was in such a dilemma, I didn't quite know what to do.
I pondered over and over again, if I should accept NUS' offer. Many questions went through my mind, I spoke to CP and my senior, and I even tried to imagine myself as a lawyer versus a business-commerce person. It was quite an agony, but eventually, I decided that I would come to regret not giving the law a shot, if I gave up NUS' offer.
So, I literally gave up everything at NTU (including whatever deposits etc), and then embarked on a journey to the unfamiliar Law School at NUS all alone, no classmate, no senior. It felt a little scary.
*************
Law School was the 2nd smallest faculty in NUS then. There were only about 180-200 of us in my cohort.
The 1st week of term was spent on some orientation programme. My new schoolmates and I got to know one another a teeny weeny bit more through song fights (which were common intra-faculties competitions) and some team-building stuff. But because the 'main' law orientation camp had already been long over, I felt it a little awkward amongst the new schoolmates. Many had already formed their cliques.
By the time the orientation came to an end, a few others (also previously on the Reserved List) and I became buddies of sorts. We went about lectures and tutorials almost always together. Lunch was also a group affair most of the time. In between lessons, we visited the Co-Op to waste time, also together.
The 1st year and 2nd year subjects were very much compulsory (and therefore standard) subjects which everyone had to offer. By the time we reached 3rd year, however, we had to opt for various courses depending on both our affinity and availability of vacancies. These also included some non-law subjects from our neighbouring faculties - Arts or Business Admin.
In the 4th year, my combination of subjects were such that I had a veri unique schedule - 4 very long days from Mondays to Thursdays but an ultra-short day on Fridays. Most of my classmates did not have such a schedule, and so we met only during our lectures for the common core subjects.
Amongst this group of girls I was usually with were: Hwee Yen (also from TJC), Shirley (who ate slower than a snail, counting her noodles strand by strand) and Janice (we were from the same tutorial group for some subjects). Others would sometimes also join us for lunch, so the size of the group could be anything from 3 -4 to 8-9!
Lunch at the Arts canteen was tastier most of the time. The food was more varied and it was more fun watching people from other faculties eg Arts, compared to staying at our puny, little Moot Court corner all the time. My favourite stall at Arts canteen was the minced meat noodles stall. The father-and-daughter stallholders would put a colander full of sliced lettuce for us to help ourselves to. And I never failed to help myself to a generous serving of the lettuce each time I patronised the stall.
Many persons loved the char-kway-teow stall at the Arts canteen. I found it so-so only, although its food was indeed much better than several other stalls there. My classmates also liked the yong-tau-foo stall; its laksa version was quite good.
At the SOM canteen (School of Management), the system was different because it was manned by a central caterer. The food served was ok when we were really famished and hard-pressed for time. Other times, we preferred the bottled drinks sold there to the food selection available. I remember, especially, the western food they sold at SOM - everyone had to drown the chicken cutlets and pork chop etc in chilli sauce and/or ketchup before we could swallow it!
Other eating places Hwee Yen and I went to (in the 1st year) was the canteen at Yusof Ishak House, which was a bus-stop away at the top of the hill. We went there regularly during those times because both of us had signed up to be volunteers to man the student hotline. The claypot rice at Yusof Ishak House was so horrid - the vendors simply put the pre-cooked and pre-arranged rice in the pot and sent it into the microwave oven! Other food there was also just so-so only.
Manning the student hotline was my only ECA in NUS. Even then, I did it only for one year because I couldn't stomach the stealth and secrecy we had to keep to - the counsellors insisted that we had to remain anonymous in this 'job' because otherwise, no student would want to call the hotline! What kind of logic is that, I thought! And so, after fulfilling a term of 'secret phone call handlings', I called it a day.
I had tried joining the band in NUS during my 1st year. But there was a very sissy medical student in the French Horn Section, whom I absolutely couldn't stand. So, I was not motivated to attend any band practice or event. All I did apart from attending 2-3 band practices was to spend a night at the Cultural Centre to help out at the band's float preparation that year.
Sometimes, I do wish I had persevered and continued with life in a band. But then, maybe it is for the better that I didn't - as it was, coping with the rigours of studies at Law School was a challenge. Also, I spent quite a lot of time shuttling to Science faculty regularly to join R and his gang for lunch etc. So, where got time for band?!
R stayed in the Temasek Hall during his NUS days. I was a regular visitor at his hall. After lessons ended at 11:00 am each Friday morning, I would take a stroll to R's hall and do my reading and tutorial assignments in his room. His classes ended late but we would usually have dinner together anyway. Sometimes he would pack dinner for me from the hall's canteen; more often, though, we would take a walk down to Fong Seng Nasi-Lemak shop next to the bus terminal behind the hall. There were occasions when we took a ride on the public bus, out to Clementi central, too.
Similar to the time I had spent in TJC, I don't have any special feelings about NUS. The 4 years I spent there feels even today, somewhat fleeting and un-real. So, even though I met some great friends there, it remains nothing more than a study-place to me. It's sad but true.
By the way, Law School has now been relocated to Bukit Timah. I don't even know its exact location. *shrug*
I dreaded this question and all these sort of 'expected' answers. So I sometimes replied casually, "A Doctor." Other times, I just uttered, "A Lawyer."
Then one day, a relief teacher called Mr Mohan asked me the same question. I just said, "A Lawyer." Then, he asked again, "Why?"
I was stumped. Erm, what does a lawyer do ah?! I don't recall what I said to him in my reply. If at all, I must have said something silly.
That afternoon, I came back home and consulted my good old friend - the dictionary, on the meaning of 'lawyer'. And I remember that I was sent on a frustrating, circuitous search amongst terms like 'lawyer', 'solicitor', 'solicit' etc etc. At the end of the exercise, I was still clueless on what a lawyer does.
During those days, we watched a lot of HK drama on TV in the evenings. While watching one of them one evening, it suddenly dawned upon me what a lawyer is! Ohh..... so, it's that person speaking for another in a court of law!
But then, I was still puzzled why the non-lawyer person could not have spoken on his own behalf?! Why did he need another person to speak for him? The 'lawyer' must be a very privileged person, lah?! Ah, not bad, right?! Can speak even for others, and bring justice to everyone - 打抱不平、伸张正义！
Anyway, that was what I thought being a lawyer was all about.
*********************
After primary school, I didn't have to deal with questions like 'What do you want to be when you grow up'. It's weird but the question never seemed to have been asked again in secondary school.
It was only when after our 'A'-levels results were released that I had to re-visit this issue. Being the Jack-of-all-trades I was (with mediocre results anyway), I figured that it would be 'easier' to take on a course that was general and where everyone would be starting 'afresh', from a common 'zero' base.
And so, I opted to read law at NUS. For my 2nd choice, I chose a Commerce course at NTU (this was an inaugral course then).
When the posting results came, I was a little disappointed because I was posted to the Commerce course at NTU. Although I had gone through the compulsory written test and interview for Law School at NUS earlier, I had secured only a listing on its Reserved List.
And so, I told myself that, well, what was to be would be. So I got in touch with one of my seniors (studying at NTU then, to become an accountant) and set about registering for hostel etc. My senior, whose name is Hui Chen, showed me around and intrdocued some of her hostel friends to me. My allotted accomodation was Hall 4, which was a relatively new block a distance away. It looked clean and white and overall, ok.
I got ready some clothes suitable for the orientation camp at Hall 4. And I was all eager to try, for the first time in my life, to 'live away from home'.
However, about 1 week before the camp, I received a letter form NUS offering me now a confirmed place at the Law School. I was in such a dilemma, I didn't quite know what to do.
I pondered over and over again, if I should accept NUS' offer. Many questions went through my mind, I spoke to CP and my senior, and I even tried to imagine myself as a lawyer versus a business-commerce person. It was quite an agony, but eventually, I decided that I would come to regret not giving the law a shot, if I gave up NUS' offer.
So, I literally gave up everything at NTU (including whatever deposits etc), and then embarked on a journey to the unfamiliar Law School at NUS all alone, no classmate, no senior. It felt a little scary.
*************
Law School was the 2nd smallest faculty in NUS then. There were only about 180-200 of us in my cohort.The 1st week of term was spent on some orientation programme. My new schoolmates and I got to know one another a teeny weeny bit more through song fights (which were common intra-faculties competitions) and some team-building stuff. But because the 'main' law orientation camp had already been long over, I felt it a little awkward amongst the new schoolmates. Many had already formed their cliques.
By the time the orientation came to an end, a few others (also previously on the Reserved List) and I became buddies of sorts. We went about lectures and tutorials almost always together. Lunch was also a group affair most of the time. In between lessons, we visited the Co-Op to waste time, also together.
The 1st year and 2nd year subjects were very much compulsory (and therefore standard) subjects which everyone had to offer. By the time we reached 3rd year, however, we had to opt for various courses depending on both our affinity and availability of vacancies. These also included some non-law subjects from our neighbouring faculties - Arts or Business Admin.
In the 4th year, my combination of subjects were such that I had a veri unique schedule - 4 very long days from Mondays to Thursdays but an ultra-short day on Fridays. Most of my classmates did not have such a schedule, and so we met only during our lectures for the common core subjects.
Amongst this group of girls I was usually with were: Hwee Yen (also from TJC), Shirley (who ate slower than a snail, counting her noodles strand by strand) and Janice (we were from the same tutorial group for some subjects). Others would sometimes also join us for lunch, so the size of the group could be anything from 3 -4 to 8-9!
Lunch at the Arts canteen was tastier most of the time. The food was more varied and it was more fun watching people from other faculties eg Arts, compared to staying at our puny, little Moot Court corner all the time. My favourite stall at Arts canteen was the minced meat noodles stall. The father-and-daughter stallholders would put a colander full of sliced lettuce for us to help ourselves to. And I never failed to help myself to a generous serving of the lettuce each time I patronised the stall.
Many persons loved the char-kway-teow stall at the Arts canteen. I found it so-so only, although its food was indeed much better than several other stalls there. My classmates also liked the yong-tau-foo stall; its laksa version was quite good.
At the SOM canteen (School of Management), the system was different because it was manned by a central caterer. The food served was ok when we were really famished and hard-pressed for time. Other times, we preferred the bottled drinks sold there to the food selection available. I remember, especially, the western food they sold at SOM - everyone had to drown the chicken cutlets and pork chop etc in chilli sauce and/or ketchup before we could swallow it!
Other eating places Hwee Yen and I went to (in the 1st year) was the canteen at Yusof Ishak House, which was a bus-stop away at the top of the hill. We went there regularly during those times because both of us had signed up to be volunteers to man the student hotline. The claypot rice at Yusof Ishak House was so horrid - the vendors simply put the pre-cooked and pre-arranged rice in the pot and sent it into the microwave oven! Other food there was also just so-so only.
Manning the student hotline was my only ECA in NUS. Even then, I did it only for one year because I couldn't stomach the stealth and secrecy we had to keep to - the counsellors insisted that we had to remain anonymous in this 'job' because otherwise, no student would want to call the hotline! What kind of logic is that, I thought! And so, after fulfilling a term of 'secret phone call handlings', I called it a day.
I had tried joining the band in NUS during my 1st year. But there was a very sissy medical student in the French Horn Section, whom I absolutely couldn't stand. So, I was not motivated to attend any band practice or event. All I did apart from attending 2-3 band practices was to spend a night at the Cultural Centre to help out at the band's float preparation that year.
Sometimes, I do wish I had persevered and continued with life in a band. But then, maybe it is for the better that I didn't - as it was, coping with the rigours of studies at Law School was a challenge. Also, I spent quite a lot of time shuttling to Science faculty regularly to join R and his gang for lunch etc. So, where got time for band?!
R stayed in the Temasek Hall during his NUS days. I was a regular visitor at his hall. After lessons ended at 11:00 am each Friday morning, I would take a stroll to R's hall and do my reading and tutorial assignments in his room. His classes ended late but we would usually have dinner together anyway. Sometimes he would pack dinner for me from the hall's canteen; more often, though, we would take a walk down to Fong Seng Nasi-Lemak shop next to the bus terminal behind the hall. There were occasions when we took a ride on the public bus, out to Clementi central, too.
Similar to the time I had spent in TJC, I don't have any special feelings about NUS. The 4 years I spent there feels even today, somewhat fleeting and un-real. So, even though I met some great friends there, it remains nothing more than a study-place to me. It's sad but true.
By the way, Law School has now been relocated to Bukit Timah. I don't even know its exact location. *shrug*
Friday, March 27, 2009
CG 17/87, TJC
Most of my TKGS cohort went to either TJC or VJC after our 'O'-levels. I chose TJC because of 2 reasons - 1) CP is its alumnus and 2) it felt more 'homely' than VJC during its Open-House. (I had gone for the Open-House of both TJC and VJC, after which, I felt that TJC was like UK compared to VJC which was like America.)I enrolled myself in the Science course in TJC, taking Biology, Physic, Chemistry and Maths 'C'. And I was allocated to be in Civics Group 17, CG 17/87. We had about 15-20 persons in each CG.
Half of my CG 17/87 classmates were from TKGS, and in particular, Sec 4DScience. I think 4 of the 中文协会 girls from Sec 4DScience were in CG 17/87! Only the boys (I think there were about 5-6 of them) and a handful of girls were from other secondary schools. So you can imagine how 'exciting' the class was, in terms of meeting new friends.
My lessons in TJC were just so-so most of the time. In fact, I didn't quite enjoy them. It was common for a few of us to come together privately before each lesson to discuss the tutorial homework etc. The idea was to check and confirm our own understanding and have a 'common' understanding of the concepts and earlier lessons etc so that we won't be caught off-guard or 'embarrassed' during the tutorials.
During these discussions, I would actively contribute ideas and suggestions and many times, I was even able to and had to, correct my classmates' understanding (because my understanding was 'better' than some of them, mah). But then, when it came to the tutorials, the reverse happened. Somehow, they were better able than me to present their arguments and answers in a way that the tutors preferred. And so, to the tutors, it almost always looked like my classmates knew the answers while I didn't!
I felt so sian about this, I even suspected that the tutors were biased (somehow, it was obvious that they prefer some of my classmates to me, lah!) and so, even though we (my classmates and I) spoke the same thing, my classmates' answers were 'more correct' than mine.
Amongst my subjects, Biology was my forte. I loved all the Bio drawings that we had to do all the time and the hardwork we had to undertake peering into the microscope to look at cells etc. It was all very fun and very 'real' and related to our world. I was so motivated during Bio lessons that once, one classmate wondered aloud, "Why do you like Bio, ah? So messy all the time!"
I think she was referring to the dissection works which we had to do as part of our practical tests. These sessions were generally alright for me although I think many of the girls were a little squirmish about pinning down the animals and opening them up. We did it to the rat, cockroach and a few others. I was quite 'steady' in most assignments but I fumbled when we did it to the frog - I had forgotten to tie the aorta of the frog before snipping it (we had to look at the heart or something), and the dissection try was flooded by the blood that oozed out furiously the moment I cut the blood vessel!
Luckily, I managed to quickly cleaned off the mess with the help of my partner, before the Bio tutor walked past my tray! I think he would have given me a nasty time had he seen the poor frog submerged in its own blood!
Other times during Bio lessons, we had to draw what we saw of the specimens under the microscope. Hahaa, it was funny to see how worried some of my classmates would sometimes get when they couldn't make out what they saw of the specimen under the microscope! One girl, whom I heard has become a medical doctor now (!) often had to run to me to frantically 'copy' my drawings because she wasn't sure what she should expect to see!
It's a real pity all those Bio drawings which I had so painstakingly kept for years after my 'Al'-levels have, by now, been disposed of. I wish I had been more firm to resist those pressures to throw these away. Anyway, I scored an 'A' grade for Biology at 'A'-levels and I take comfort knowing that I had a great time learning Biology.
Chemistry was, to me, nothing more than a challenge to memorise and memorise more. Whilst I understood many of the properties and principles etc, I didn't enjoy them as much as I think I should. My Chemistry teacher was a rather weird young woman, who couldn't un-twist her tongue when pronouncing 'r' in words, called Betty XX. She couldn't accept my habit (when doing the hydrogen test for oxygen using a lighted satay-stick) of aiming the mouth of the test-tube at my left while holding to the lighted satay-stick with my right hand. I did this because my partner sharing the lab table with me was on my right. But this teacher never failed to 'suan' me about it anyway. My grade for Chemistry was a below-average score of 'C' at the 'A'-levels. ('C' is for Chemistry, right?!)
Physics was yet another headache for me. I simply couldn't understand how the concepts and formulae should apply in the situations given, and I was always 'lost' in lessons. I couldn't understand the objectives of the many experiment set-ups that we had to do in the Physics lab - what was I supposed to see?! I remember once, there was a set-up incorporating both a pulley system and a hose attached to the tap - I eventually managed to set up the appartus with the help of my irate tutor but I had not even the faintest idea what it was all about?!
It was quite stressful going for the Physics lessons. Things got so bad that some time in the 2nd year, my Physics tutor suggested to me (amongst a handful of girls he had 'counselled') to drop the subject for 'A'-levels. Mainly because of pride, I flatly refused to do so.
Eventually, to my tutor's relief and my own relief, I passed Physics at the 'A'-levels, albeit with a grade 'D'.
I was no better in my Mathematics. In fact, I dreaded going to Maths tutorials. What on earth are those d(y)/d(x) and so many other weird, weird forumale, differentiation, integration etc etc, for??! How on earth will we ever apply these in our real world? I think the operations like +, -, x and ./. will be sufficient for our daily needs, correct? Why do we need to torture ourselves, all entangled with such d(y)/d(x) thing??!
Anyway, I just never understood these. Even today, these Mathematical concepts remain elusive to me. And so, I eventually stood out from amongst my CG 17/87 classmates in Mathematics by my score of a grade 'C' at the 'A'-levels. To me, this is already a commendable personal achievement, particularly since I had no private tuition of any kind for Mathematics or any other subject. So, I am far from being shy that I didn't manage the 'A' grade that almost all my classmates secured for Mathematics.
I will always remember the nightmare I had a few weeks before the 'A'-levels' - I dreamt that it was the Mathematics exam and somehow, I couldn't locate the classroom where I was to take the examination (in TJC, we used both the hall and some classrooms for exams)! After some delay, I managed to find the correct venue but right after I found my seat and sat down, my mind suddenly became a complete blank! The cold-sweat, the chill and the shudder that had jolted me out of my sleep remains very vivid even today.
At the end of my 1st year in TJC, I scored a disappointing grade for my GP. I was quite disheartened at first, but when we had a change of GP tutor in the 2nd year, I became more optimistic and enthusiastic about GP. The new GP tutor was an elderly lady called Mrs Biswas. She encouraged my CG to read widely on current affirs and to tune in to BBC. And I did these conscientiously every day. The BBC channle became the default channel on the pink Sony walkman (that HA sold to me!).
Eventually, I improved in my GP discussions and essays and managed to score a respectable 'A1' for GP at the 'A'-levels. I was the only one in my CG who did that.
I remember that the topic I wrote for my essay in the 'A'-levels was "What I would miss most of my country if I were to be away for a long time", or something like that. I wrote extensively about the various aspects of our lives in Singapore - the family, friends, things we do together, the festive celebrations, the cultural variety, the food we enjoy, the transport we use, the daily sights we see, the common sounds/noise we hear, the weather we have in Singapore, the excitement of the occasional unexpected things etc etc. I guess the examiner/marker must have felt the real-ness of the heartfelt essay I wrote that day.
Tutorials for Chinese were rather 'standard'. Discussions were dominated by the Mandarin-speaking crowd in the CG. For essays that we wrote, I usually managed average scores even though I had felt that some of them really deserved a much better score.
At the end of the 1st year, we all sat for the 'A'-levels for Chinese. The idea was that if we secured a sufficiently good score, we would be allowed to drop the Chinese subject in our 2nd year, hence free-ing up our time to better concentrate on our 'core' subjects.
For this 1st-year sitting for Chinese, I surprisingly scored an 'A1'. And, it turned out that I was the only one in my CG who secured that score at this sitting! The best score secured by the 中文协会 girls in my CG was only an 'A2'!!
I was so elated that I kept smiling at everyone I saw the afternoon the results were released! "Yeah! Now I won't need to go for Chinese lessons anymore," I gleefully told myself.
My excitement was shortlived, however, because somewhere along the corridor outside the teachers' common room, I met my CL teacher. She called out to me, and told me that it was incredible (yes, she really said 不能够相信) that I had been able to score an 'A1' and that I had been the only one in my CG to have achieved that!! Although her words were said in a very plain, matter-of-fact manner, they were a very cold and an extremely wet blanket to me. Couldn't and shouldn't she have simply congratulated me instead? Anyway, I was more than glad to be out of her class from then on.
It was a bit of a dilemma after I earned the 'free periods'. Basically, this was because those 'free periods' were in-between lessons anyway, so it wasn't possible to knock-off earlier from school. And because I was not as 'into' the TJC band as I was in the TK Band during TKGS days, it felt a little awkward to 'idle around' during those times. Luckily, I had for company a classmate in my CG, Jolie, who decided to drop Chinese even though she had only scored a B for it. So both of us usually spent our 'free periods' reading or doing homework in the study area under LT1.
Sadly, I didn't feel any real sense of attachment to TJC. The 2 years I had spent there flew by before we could even get to know the place well. This is a great contrast to the 4 years which I had spent in TKGS - in TK, my friends and I became a part of one another and of the place. In TJC, it felt more like I was a visitor only. The many, many more fellow students in TJC (compared to the cohort we had in TKGS) remained strangers to me by the time we left TJC.
R is an exception, I guess, but that's another story altogether.
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