Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Busy woman has finally taken time to update her blog. I'M BACK FROM BRISBANE! yes. i've been away for 6 six days for an international music festival in Brisbane. it was tiring but fun and fulfilling. (:

day 1:

i met the AKE students who were also going to Brisbane at 6.30am in the airport! waited for the instruments to arrive from school. something happened: some boxes couldn't fit into the bus. hence, we need to repack them before checking it in. x_X. oh wells. but we managed to do it. i felt sorry for those who were being reprimanded by the bus driver saying that they have no brains for storing the instruments like that. haha. dun worry, the rest of the AKE still love u guys. (: we appreciate your hard work and effort to transport the instruments. yeap. then we checked in our luggage and... ! there's a screwdriver in my bagpack! die! no sharp objects allowed. so yea. gotta squeeze in with the angklungs. i didn't bring it back with me. don't know where is it now. :X. we took a group photo. felt like a star suddenly with our parents gathering around us taking photos of us. yin whee's little sister was soo cute. kept sticking to her until departure. she cried when yin whee had to leave. Awww. haha. i got to sit with yin whee and chu ting on the plane to brisbane. we're all so excited. 6-7 hrs of flight! we got to watch movies, listen to songs, eat like crazy cos they kept serving food. x_X. yeap. got to sleep for a while then studied on the plane. CASHBUDGET. drop off the plane... then we waited super long cos the angklung boxes were all opened up to be checked as all are wood. so yea. 2 boxes were quaruantined i think.

Welcome to Brisbane! haha. the sun has set and we're tired. the briefing took soo long and i'm getting restless. finally! we got our keys to our apartment. room 115 on the 9th level. we colected our breakfast for the entire week; that includes 4 loaves of bread, 2 white, 2 wholemeal, a big pack of sugar, 2 boxes of cereals, jam and margerine. when we reach our apaprtment, WOAH! it's a double storey apartment with a 3 bedrooms, one with a queen size bed, a table and chair( we call that our study room), the other which looked like a a master bed room with queensize bed and a tv and another with 2 single beds. there's a kitechen with a super big samsung fridge which could dispense water and ice, 3 toilets, a small room with washing machine, dryer and ironing board, a BIG living room with a big plasma TV, a dining table, nice set of sofa and a balcony with another dining table. (: life of a luxurious. wahaha. we put our stuff down and we rushed down to unload and unpack our instruments. x_X took us about 3-4 hours. it's about 1am in australia (we're 2 hours behind) and we gotta meet at 7.45am the next morning. we got back to our apartment and unpack our luggage. i talked to mei wen a little and she slept 1st when i was doing my quiet time. i couldn't sleep! it's too cold. i went down, walked a little, looked at my T10 notes, drank a hot water then went to bed. by that time, it's 4am australia time. and i had to wake up early tml.

day 2:

rise and shine! i always have someone to wake me up. my real main alarm clock is yin whee i suppose. we changed into our performance attire, put on make up, ate breakfast and got down to meet them. headed down to the carkpark where we store our instruments and loaded them to the truck. we made a total of 2 trips to kelvin grove state college as the truck was small. our heart was smashed to pieces when the angklung notes fell and the whole big angklung almost fell in the truck. i was in the 1st batch. i got to look around and i notice that people in australia are pretty open. couples made themselves known. they held hands and interlock their arms in school! (: this is not too bad yet. they were very friendly and helpful to help us with carrying our instruments to their hall. we arranged our instruments and get to rehearse our songs before performing. then we had our 1st masterclass. Mr david, Kelvin grove's percussion intructor came to work on our song's dynamics. we got to know billy, the section leader as well. he came and help hanis with the drums' filling in. he's super friendly compared to the rest. (:

lunch time! we get salad, scorn with jam and cream, fruits and orange juice. the scorn with jam and cream was heavenly. it's the best thing i've ever tasted. (: we had our fill, then we head on back to perform to the people there. the kids were really cool! when we wanna take pictures of them, they all stood up wanting to be in the picture! haha. hafirah did a little presentation of our cca and our instruments and mr pow did a little presentation of our school. we performed and the students in percussion came on stage and tried our instruments. (: took a group pic before heading back.

we've finished unloading and we 've got free time. we got to go to queen street mall in the city to shop! yeap. got to shop around and meet joel. then head on down for dinner. ate jap meal though it doesn't really taste like one. end up i have to take away because the serving is too big. went to coles, a supermarket (somewhat like another NTUC) to buy luttuce carrots mayonaise and egg for our breakfast the next day. we wanted to buy nougats for friends but the shop was closed. we didn't get it as we got to find out from joel that it was very expensive. we put that idea off and joel treated the whole ake 2 dozens of doughts. 12 glazed and 12 assorted. of which is shared with a few people who came to our apartment for visitation. we spent 3 days to finish the whole 2 boxes of doughnuts. thanks anyway, joel. (: we went back to the meeting point and we're early! haha. as we're getting back on the bus. something happened. asrida. fainted. -_-. so yea. miss lim got to go to the hospital and look after her. she didn't get to perform with us the next day and she was recovering. great! (:

when we're back on our apartment, mei wen started doing the household chores! ahaha. we felt obliged so we let her do it while we sat down to watch tv. she did mayo and egg for next day's breakfast and YW did salad. (: after which YW and mandy slept 1st and mei wen reminded me that i still had my jap dinner in her bagpack. both of us headed back out to the blacony to eat. got tot talk to meiwen and got to know her a little more and deeper. (: it's a secret between us! i think this trip really bonded YW, meiwen, mandy and i together.

day 3:

wake up! we need to get down by 7 am in the morning. it's 6.30am already! haha. we quickly change, ate bread with egg and salad drank milo and headed down to meet the rest. we're going to suncorp piazza to perform. it's in Griffith University! i slept on the bus. too tired. we're the 1st to reach so we had our rehearsals 1st. we scrapped off hawaii 5-0 cos hanis had some problems. when we're having our breaks, CJC came to have their rehearsals followed by orchid park. they were GOOD! when they were perfoming we cheered for them and swayed to their music. (: when it's our turn only orchid park did. CJ is too proud. oh wells. we're meant to be different in the 1st place. we're not a band. so beat it. orchid park was nice. they cheered and shouted encore of which we performed again when it wasnt in the schedule. haha.

yeap. moved back our instruments and had dinner in the park in griffith university. i didn't get to eat lunch so we had lunch and dinner together. fish and chips and fillet'o fish. i got so scik of eating fries now. too much! then... ... saw a couple making our in the park have S** while we're eating. oh man. ake was just shocked. or at least just me. gabriel and some of them just watch as if there's a free show. oh wells. then it's free time. we got to shop and walk around griffith university and bought some fun games back with us. (: a device to make monkey sounds. we're trying the thing out and hendra couldn't get it. haha. got back and then something major happened. Gary swallowed the device that we've bought. while we're having rehearsals at night, we're trying ways to get the thing our of Gary's throat too. tried drking water, make him vomit even let drink egg white! eww. gross. haha. in the end mr pow brought him to the hospital of which there is no service the whole night! they were pushed back to the last because there were alot of emergency cases in the hospital. both of them stayed up till 5 am.

when we got back, mei wen. did a little household chores and slept. a total knockout. haha. i took over and wash the dishes while yin whee continued making salad. we settle our accounts with each other and hendra and gabriel came over. they checked out our apartment and ate our doughnuts. we looked pretty much like maids serving them. -_-

day 4:

need to meet the rest at 7am again. wake up, ate breakfast put on a little makeup and rush down. we're performing in the consevatorium and we were very amazed when we shifted our instruments to the orchestra hall. there were pipe organ and 2 grand pianos! the hall is huge! we toured around griffith University music school (only). the place is really great. looked old, but the facilities were good. each practice room has a piano and there's a corner for jazz groups to perform. when the next batch were to tour the place, miss wee did interviews with the different people in different rooms where we confess our embarrassing moments in our apartments. marilyn's group is really funny. we sat in the conservatorium and we watched the childrens chior performed. they were really good. but we were too tired that we kept nodding off. :X sorry. soon after, we went to rehearse before performing on stage in the conservatoriom. oh no... that's when i panicked. my solo!!! practised like crazy but still couldn't get it. miss wee was very patient and gave me many tries. somehow she managed to help me to build confidence within me and i could play in a relaxed manner. time to perform... super duper scared. :S i was shifting the instruments then woa! i alomost slipped. it's so embarrassing . i heard little laughters here and there. and i thought CJC was there. my embarrassment took over throughout the whole performance and i couldn't play properly. i was hitting the wrong notes and my solo went hay wire. oh wells. so yea. horrible day.

had lunch on the steps. half a spring chicken and fries. eww. NO CHILLI! only pepper and salt. i ate less than half of it and threw it away. sick of fries and the chicken was dry. got joel's meaage that he was going to watch movie. said that we'll meet if there's fate. oh wells. no fate. shortly after that we went to an indian restaurant in east village to eat. somewhere quite far away. finally! felt local again to taste indian food. went to to groceries to get out stuff and we went back to make next day's breakfast.

mei wen knocked out again. haha. then mandy YW and i went out. wanted to visit hafirah's apaprtment cos they were having party. decided not to go. so we wanna head down to hidayah's apaprtment when there's this drunkened man on the 9th floor(my level) starting shouting at them: "hey girls! dun be afraid! come up!" man! the whole lot of us rush back to Hidayah's apartment and we shut the door. Huda was so scared. we tried calling the guys to come and help us but they were too tired to wake up. so in the end we send the rest back to the apartment ourselves. only 3 girls! and we headed back up. thank god that man was gone.

day 5:

it's the competition day! we went back to girffith university for our second masterclass 1st then for the remaining rehearsals. the masterclass was relaxing and enjoyable. i wish to have more classes like this though it goes back to the basics to feel the beat and play around with the semi-quavers. my solo was alot better and i got encouragement from ake! (: thank you people! put our instruments on the back stage and... we heard marching season. CJC was playing it! only 4 people played it at a slower tempo. my goodness. it's our song! it's ok. at the end of this year we'll perform it with the band. (:

make up in the toilet, then head down for lunch. had kebab and it was delicious. it's a one good thing that i've ever eaten there. haha. had rehearsal and then it's time to perform. we were the last and my solo was perfect. yay! i felt so numb playing my solo. i looked at miss wee worried but she gave me the reassuring eyes. that was good enough. (: we played images from the southern seas, the one that alicia de silvia composed for ake, pachabell cannon in D and suri ram. it was great except that suri ram had abit of hiccups. oops. but overall was great! haha. orchid park shouted encore again. but we couldn't play cos it's the actual competition. haha. everyone congradulated me for doing my solo well. (: we realised it's only adjudication. no marks were given, only comments. so yeap. i felt like i was taking my pw results again. lol. when we returned to the opera space where we had our rehearsals earlier, everyone was crying because it was the seniors time to step down.

had dinner in the indian restaurant and bought groceries again. got back started packing our instruments back into the crates and boxes. went back up, to wash up pack a little of our luggage and studied T10 with the tv on. slept at 4am. too tired.

day 6:

yay! it's dreamworld time! woke up early for breakfast and head down to dream world under the section wildife experience where there were animals. there i saw the kangaroos, koalas and the endangered species. went into the place where the public don't get to go. the only thing that i didn't get to see is the tasmanian devil. haha. i thought it only existed in looney tunes. haha.

met joel and played the rides. sat motor coaster 1st then we took the extreme rides. mei wen was so scared cos it's fast. but she enjoyed all the rides! haha. took the tower of terror. i was petrified man. i felt like i couldn't even breathe. thanks joel for your hand. it's cold though. haha. the com tripped so we got a second go. haha. when we got down, mr pow said i looked as if i was in labour. grr... haha. got to played loads of rides. i sat the vortex twice and i felt lightheaded cos it spinned to quickly and i jerked my head to the left and right. ate sandwich for lunch and rested while before heading back to play the claw. the claw is the best ride ever. sat twice and i shouted all the way. YW sat till she's gonna puke and she wanna go again. i forbid! haha. went to queue up for wipe out again and then joel brought mandy and i to the gift shop and bought us things again. thank you!. (: then we head down somewhere to the chinese restaurant to eat. the food is fantastic. ahaha. got back and mandy was sick. went down with YW to get strepsils for her. get to talk to YW downstairs. (: kept going to hafirah's apartment to return things to them as they were having a birthaday party for wani. (: we celebrated for her the day before so we didn't join them. mandy and YW were sick too. (: got to pack my luggage and prepare to go home the next day.

day 7:

it's time to go home! woke up at 8 and had breakfast. washed our dishes like crazy took out our rubbish. went down to meet the rest and we're VERY late. and we're still laughing like crazy. me and YW especially with her stupid jokes. haha. laugh till stomach pain. got to do last min shopping and i teared when we're walking back to oxygen apartment. oh wells. got to the airport, checked in and did another round of shopping. got loads of souvenirs. then board the plane and i'm back. haha. then... i saw JOELLE! ahaha. it's so sudden. didn't know that we took the same flight. she went for a holiday while i went for the music festival. (:

i got T10 exam the day after and die... i think i'm going to fail that paper. grr. oh wells. retake it then. still got T4 to come.

AVRIL LAVIGNE LYRICS

"My Happy Ending"

So much for my happy ending