Memories of Convent Bukit Nanas

A kind soul managed to record this whilst Bridget and Petrina were singing. This was taken back in 2007, when I was in Form 5, during the run-up to Bakat Bukit Nanas. They did score a place in the top three (Naili and I were champions). They gave a commendable performance on the real day nonetheless.


See also : CBN School Carnival 2007





Also, I managed to find a vid of the 2006/07 prefects (i.e. those from my batch) rehearsing for Mrs Siva's retirement.





Video #3 was taken during our trip back home from Terengganu after the Choir Finals in 2007. I'm the only one in black. We were singing Somewhere over the Rainbow on the way home... And this followed my tearful rant that my dreams were shattered. This was a cue for the girls to sing and be happy - and Somewhere over the Rainbow became our song. Thank you so much for keeping this vid, Petrina ! I'll place it here and forever cherish it.





And last but not least, another work from Bri and Petrina. Presenting Disney Channel Circle of Stars' A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

Homecoming

I paid a visit to my high school today.
It's Convent Bukit Nanas by the way, and I was from the class of 2007.

I actually went there to get my SPM* certificate - not the result slip, nor is it the one issued by the school. It's the certificate proper, issued by the Ministry of Education. Which I simply call Kementerian (Malay for "ministry").

I saw many familiar faces... my principal, Mrs Ann Khoo, several other teachers - Puan Maryati, Puan Norizan, Mr Hoo (no pun intended), Mrs Raj, Ms Waan and a few others. It was just wonderful to see them again. I remembered every nook and cranny of my school - but the areas I visited were the hall (now known as the Unity Hall), the teachers' rooms, the office and the aisle next to the Form 5 classes. Then when I saw Ms Waan, I stopped by 5A. The Form 5 batch of 2010 is the youngest batch to get to know me. I know it's Petra's batch...

Regardless. I spent a light moment with them, considering this was their Accounts class, and I told them about studies, National Service... lots of stuff. And it was just wonderful to be with them once again.

I remember Puan Norizan was actually asking me why my nails were coloured in blue, white and red. I did them up for le 14 juillet (which was two days ago) and I told her I'm a France supporter, even if they lost big time in the World Cup. (What were you guys expecting anyway ?) I told all my teachers why I was there... and the first thing they commented on was my figure. Apparently, I had lost weight from the last time they saw me. Oh well, all the marching under the hot sun during National Service last year.... -____-

Just before leaving the school compound I stopped by the Unity Hall. I heard my school choir - Ressonnant - warming up. I took a close look at them to see if there were any familiar faces, but no, there weren't. I doubt they'd ever know I was the one who named the choir Ressonnant anyway.

It's wonderful to see them all over again, and I'm glad I caught them at this time. Perhaps in two years' time, I'll be paying a visit to CBN, but a few of the faces will have disappeared from the scene, either because they will have retired, or they will have been transferred. Regardless, I'm honoured to be back, and I must speak about my adventures when I see them once again.

*The examination for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia which was formerly conducted by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Malaysia is being conducted as of 1978 by the Examinations Syndicate, Malaysia. The Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, whilst ceasing to be responsible for the examination in and after 1978, will continue to advise the Examinations Syndicate, Malaysia on standards. The minimum standard for a pass-with-credit in a subject of the examination for the SPM continues to be similar to the standards of Credit Grade in the corresponding subject in the former GCE at Ordinary Level, and at Grade C of the present GCSE in the United Kingdom.

Out with the old, in with the new

After rewatching some videos on the choir's official blog, it dawned upon me that they were supposed to replace the piano in the school hall.


They finally did (click for source of comment), and the old Petrof which I used to use... is now resting in peace.


Not sure where it ended up, but thinking about it brings back memories.


Memories of Ressonnant Inc.


The choir which is often given thumbs-up for commendable performances, particularly from Malaysians.


The choir which is known for its dancing conductor and pretty eccentric pianist, its star vocalists, its star trainer and a powerpack of talent.


I guess I can proudly say that I experienced using pretty old, worn-out stuff in order to begin my musical journey. Or what ? Well, I suppose, if the new piano were there back then, my journey would've been very, VERY different. It'd probably mean that I was spoon-fed.


Today, I still face a lot of trouble in the process of making a name for myself, musically. It's almost the same as in secondary school. And I don't know how long I must wait until I reach my destination. But whenever I think of Ressonnant, and the training sessions I had, I never cease to think that I might never find a better choir than this - the vocals, the warmth and the atmosphere are like none other.

Unbelievable ? Believe it.

Go to Ressonnant Inc and see the recent copyright infringement that has happened.


I knew copyright infringements were imminent, but I didn't think this, of all things, would've taken place. And I pity our girls, who've just been through their preliminaries. Their next competition is on Thursday !


Whilst you're taking a look, you might as well consider browsing through their previous works - just for you to get an idea of how they sing, and how Ms Joaan, Celyn and I compose. These are the products of great minds put together.


Cheer for us, please ! We need your support - physical and spiritual.

And here's a video which was supposed to be uploaded LAST year, but didn't turn out right...

Imagine, it finally got uploaded on YouTube THIS year. If you're reading the parts with text, read fast. I don't know why Photo Story 3 makes the text segments so short that you have to read at the speed of electricity (note : speed of electricity, not speed of light) to get the entire message without rewinding. But all the same, I just love those days where I was Ressonnant's photographer.




(At least mom got to see this when it was created.)

Ressonnant Inc. computer bling

I'm feeling in the mood for Ressonnant Inc. again. I miss my school choir so much !

By the way, here're some wallpapers I created specially for the team, and I've accumulated them from last year (click on the pictures to view full-size, they're all 640x480 except for the last one, which is 960x720) :

This was the first ever background which not only made it as a desktop wallpaper, but also a Friendster layout. I remember when I first created it, this background made it to five or six profiles in one single week !This is one of the first I created, featuring the 2007 batch.

Another one featuring the 2007 batch.

And here's one which I just made today. I think this one's my best yet.

It ended up on my desktop today ! (It's a flatscreen but the photo didn't really turn out as well as I expected.)

And there was only one tool I needed to make that stunning wallpaper : PowerPoint (2007). Just so you'd know what I did to make that, it's easy - just make use of the WordArt function, resize to 400 or so - in fact, all the text I used here, it's all WordArt - and for the bigger titles, use the Reflection option. It'll take a while, no doubt, but just play around with the functions until you're satisfied with the result. And please, no plagiarising. If you want to copy what I did, do it for your own personal wallpapers.

Introducing the #1 choir in Malaysia.

Ressonnant is #1 in Malaysia !
At long last.

Ms Joaan, the Ressonnantes and I know how badly we suffered in the past decade. We survived eight straight years of defeat and abject humiliation. People would snigger and think they know what would come up next. Whenever they saw the purple uniforms, they would walk the other way. That was how bad we were in the past.

In 2003, we were trained by who is now the sole Chevalier d'Arts et des Lettres in Malaysia - Ms Flavia de Souza. Being a former CBN girl, we reeled Ms Flavia in. We had fun, yes. Even the Académie Française could not give us that much fun. Memories of "cabbages" and "Finding Nemo" still cross my mind. But then, the choirgirls' voices could never change. When my mom came to see us in the competition, she was like, "no doubt, they are out" - and so we were. Yes, these girls were hopeless, or at least, everyone thought so. I wept bitterly; mom told me it was not my fault. But I took the blame - it may not have been the girls' voices which led to their downfall. It could have been me. My timing and lack of simplicity, perhaps ?

2004, when Ms Joaan came to train us, we were not known as Ressonnant yet. We were just another ordinary choir from SMK Convent Bukit Nanas. The girls croaked like frogs (I'd say !) and there seemed to be little hope. But unlike most other trainers, Ms Joaan kept on telling us to do our best (even if sometimes it led to frustration and tension) - ah, plus the hours of skipping class just to train. For the first time ever, we had a taste of the KL State Finals (because there were no preliminaries or semi-finals for that year). There were class acts, there were average teams, and there were... us. 2005 was no better, and there was increased tension for me because I was doing my PMR examination back then.

Then came 2006. I'd say that this is the year the dark cloud of defeat passed us by. The melodious batch of voices came in. Properly auditioned, we trained with proper parts in Dirgahayu and Think of Me/Somewhere over the Rainbow (arranged by yours truly), and dressed like KLCC toilet cleaners, we came in for the 2006 semifinals. The entire hall was shocked to note that we had made it to the KL Finals. Then came our stint in Taman Budaya. We aced that too - and brought abject humiliation to the then reigning team, Victoria Institution. We went to the National Finals for the first time in Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan - but we were denied an award ; we were only ranked sixth.

Speaking of KLCC toilet cleaners, I guess we only needed a little more zing to that outfit - we would have complimented them with brooms, pails, mops, rags and bottles of detergent ! *laughs* Lokeetha and Lyana called it the good luck shirt, and many of the alumni got it autographed with permanent markers. Mine's clean; and I wonder what to do with it. Make it a vest, perhaps ? I have the entire outfit - skirt, top and all ! And it still fits me. Only the purple ribbons for my hair are missing.

2007 was my final year in school and I was hoping it wouldn't be my last. I arranged parts for Putra Putri and I Will Follow You/Can't Take My Eyes off You, and we did several projects that year including Bukit Idol, the Grease Musical, the breathtaking Jalur Gemilang in the Independence Day Congress and such. The KL Finals were to be held on the 21st of June - four special days - the summer solstice, World Music Day (Fete de la Musique), St Aloysius Gonzaga's feast day, and our finals. The Lord gave us a well-deserving Fete that day : we were champions again. I enjoyed this Fete not only because I heard good voices and piano arrangements for the first half of the day; I also brought home a crystal trophy - my first trophy where music is concerned. I had several certificates, yes, but not trophies, and getting this meant a lot to me. (You may be wondering what happened to the trophy from Bukit Idol, which Naili and I won - Naili took it home.) And we went all the way to the National Finals in Terengganu, only to be denied an award again - we were fifth. I cried profusely. I knew, from then on I would never be there physically to taste Ressonnant's victory (unless of course, the finals were to be in KL).

Towards my SPM (and after that), I did my last piece of arrangement - Jalur Gemilang (as sung in the Independence Day Congress, yes, the one which made people cry) and Stand By Me/Ain't No Mountain High Enough. The score was incomplete when I handed it over, and Celyn Ng (now in Form 4) completed it for me. Ms Joaan was rockin' ! She gave Ressonnant the best, and again, they marched off to the Nationals. The National Finals were held rather early this time - June 26th. They were to be held in Ipoh. Now, I know that place by heart, but I could not be there because I had classes in college. When Nurin (now in Form 4) sent me an SMS, I promised to be with Ressonnant spiritually.

Lyana, Sabrina and I flushed when we said our bedtime prayers. On the day of the competition, I had no class, and I had to go to Putrajaya Hospital to visit mom. While waiting outside the ICU for Narin and Dad (only two people can enter there at any time), I got an SMS from Celyn. And at that point in time, the first thing I shouted was "Hallelujah, Amen, thank You !" Nurin then sent me a message, then the principal, then Lyana, then Shima and Nur Sabrina. I was overjoyed !!! Now I know that Ressonnantes are rulebreakers : within just one year, they topped the charts. Sweet !

I praise the Lord for today.

Special thanks to Ms Joaan, for believing in us till this year, to the teacher-advisors (Cik Faridah and the other one, I'm not sure who) for being with the students and encouraging them, to Celyn Ng for finishing my incomplete score, to Rebecca Ong for inheriting the legacy of TroisNyx*, to the conductress Celyn for coordinating with the choirgirls, and to all choirgirls - for your training, sacrifice and hours of sweat - I may have gone but you have made my spirit live on. All I did was copyright the score while Celyn finished it for me. I talked to another one of the Ressonnant alumni, Wan Nazhatul Shima - I wondered if I ever did enough. Truly, your win is reward enough for me. Thanks a lot Jesus, and thank you Ressonnant !

Seriously, I wonder if the KL Tower was decked in purple again, just as it was last year when we returned. I will never know for sure. But the girls do. Truly, it took divine intervention, a gutsy drummer girl who loves purple *smiles*, a 16-year-old conductress, a 13-year-old pianist and thirty-odd chorists to bring the house down. Praise the Lord.

P.S. Can all of you add the Ressonnnant MSN and send me the pix and vids of the State and National Finals, please ? And someone gotta take over the site from me ! I am getting redundant !

Allez Ressonnant !!!!!

When concours and politics unite

Truth be told, I'd have liked an impartial concours like that of 2006.

From what I've heard, judging in the Choir Concours was an inside story, involving bribery and political sentiments, and probably racial issues : or what else could've caused the officers themselves to tell us not to snap, or use percussion, or let the choir sing ; or who would have tampered with the microphones to make it all sound wrong ?

The worst part is, KL and Perak get the brunt of it.

My friends have seen the Selangor team on TV2 almost every day before the news programme and in my honest opinion, they suck. No offence. They, like most of the other winning teams, were technically perfect but lacked expression. And if this were to go to Internationals, we'd be nowhere. Full stop. The similarity between all winning teams was that they all reached high notes. Harmony makes a whopping 30%, dynamics get to 20%, first impression is 10%... and to the truest of music enthusiasts, they have got their schemes all wrong.

This is my suggested scheme for the next Choir Concours :

Harmony 20%
Dynamics 15%
Expression 30%
First Impression 5%
Conducting 10%
X-Factor 10%

and this gives it a total of 100%, like in the previous schemes. Only this time, I added the X-Factor : what would make this choir team different from all the rest ? What would give it the edge to win ? There're a whole lotta teams out there who have their own edge in performing. And music can't be felt if there were no expression - what's the point of harmony and dynamics if we see a bunch of guys and gals just standing there, not feeling or immersing themselves into the music they make ?

Little did the Ministry of Education know they were selecting unknown judges (inferior to the standards of last year, and I reckon that, unlike 2006, they weren't very musically educated), and little did they know they broke a young composer's heart. I write this so that one day, they may know what has happened, and this'll never happen again.

I feel they are just blindly checking the other teams out simply because we tried to stun the hearts of the judges, but that was not what they were looking for. I shudder to hear Selangor's performance again. Even Sabah and Perak were better, to be honest. And of all teams, Perlis had the merit award, yuck ! They were as bad as Terengganu !

Judges, get a life. For national competitions, get good ones (like Istana Budaya critics or lecturers from ICOM or Berklee College of Music), or don't hold the concours at all...... for the sake of our future contestants. As a true music enthusiast, I don't want a tainted competition. Music should be free from any hurtful sentiments towards others. If I judge, I'd judge neutrally. Think why YourSpins selected me to judge quite a few competitions already !

After all, they do not know who composed the scores.

No holding back for money, even if they would kill me.

Farewell !

 

Au revoir, Ressonnant Inc.

(What's left of the time we spent together are embers, still unburnt, but destroyed over the passage of time.)

The four-hour tour through Muzium Terengganu

These are the pictures I took in the Terengganu Museum area - yep, we calmed our frayed nerves today I guess. And don't be surprised : they said, no cameras. I brought in a camera phone - now that makes all the difference. And... :) my focus is on the Ressonnant members, not the stuff in the museum. Whatever I take, and whatever I take from my friends, serves to tell a story, in the end.

From left : Petrina, Bridget and Evon.

From left : Bridget and Evon. This is the entrance area.


Enthusiastic Ressonnant members approaching the entrance.

No : wait, this is the entrance. Not that one.

What, we still haven't reached the entrance yet ? Honestly, we thought we had reached the entrance but we had to cross several bridges and climb four flights of steps before we could even reach the top ! Well, for many people, it's worth it I guess.

Naili taking a shot of some engraved stone thingy at the entrance.

The foyer. And those in yellow - well, they're members of other teams. See, for that day alone we had to wear those oversized yellow shirts for the sake of uniformity. (Mine was size XXL, I was literally swimming in it !)

Oh yeah, so this is the engraved stone thingy.

Inside the museum (not like it's clear anyway) : well, we still haven't discovered everything !

The Ressonnant girls looking on in enthusiasm. Wait, I know the one right in front is Azry Rasyeqa.........

Front to back : Natalia Naaira, Lokeetha. I think they must've been pointing at some ancient weapons. (Honestly, they've got like, numerous keris and as many swords as the entire arsenal of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts weapons combined. I guess back then, when inter-state wars existed, it was kill or die in order to survive.)

We're looking at this old shack with great stuff in it - and I know one of them's a machine or a thread rack - I'm not sure - but I know it's used to make songket.

Now this really tickles me. The "historian" Intan. What compelled me to take this picture was the things she said - "This is the tengkolok. Back then, it was scorching hot and them guys didn't have newspaper to cover themselves. So they just grabbed some cloth and wrapped it on their heads and it was created by accident. The same technique was used for songket and here you have it !" (Not like it's historically accurate, anyway.)

Again, our dear "historian" says : "The kebaya was the brainchild of Mak Cik Kebaya, daughter of Nenek Kebayan..." (For starters who aren't fluent in Malay or don't know it at all, "Nenek Kebayan" is a common Malay euphemism for "witch". As in the old hag with robes and warts and bunions, not the young, dressed-to-kill Samantha of "Bewitched".)

I followed Lyana and Sabrina up to the second floor, and since Terengganu as a civilisation, was steeped in Islamic history, there're a lot of Islamic documents around. Perhaps, because I thought that'd contribute to my History marks, I followed them up. Looks like they're trying to read what's on the documents but one's correcting the other, and the other's saying "no, I don't think so..." Talk about poor Arabic !

Lunch hour. And look at the sea of choir members ! Not all of them are seated.

From left : Evon, Bridget and Petrina. (Dang, can't they get enough of posing ?)

From left : Bridget, Evon.

From left : Petrina, Evon.

From left : troisnyx*, Bridget. See, I was so tanned by the sun, my skin was so oily that even my pimples were showing on such a blur camera. What of it - this is a momento, not a piece for critics !

Who wants to be the next top model ? From left : Naili, Azry Rasyeqa.

Immediately after it was all over we had to take the bus ride home. I was fed up of wearing that oversized tee, I took it off and inside, I was wearing my Ressonnant Inc. tee. This is the last expedition I've got with my fellow choirgirls, and after that, it's no turning back - it's all over.

In-training pictures : Choir National Finals

The pictures we took towards the Finals - our training sessions, first :

From left : Jannah, Lishia.

From left : Fazrina, Jojo. She's covering herself with a *SCREAM* bunny plushie !

I guess we're all set and ready to go. This shot, I took from the front of the bus. Front to back, left to right : Nurin, Adila, Shima (and the other faces, I can't make out).

Jojo sleeping with her pink bunny plushie. ^^

Farah Dibba and Farah Hanna looking on at the camera.

Sitha looking on at the camera (yes, the one with the shades) while her mom sleeps.

Ressonnant during the "snap-fingers" part of Putra Putri.

Accompanying them on frets is Jojo. Looking on is Lyana, the conductress.

Everyone seems to be listening in attention. Okay, let's see the faces I can make out : front row, left to right - Shima, Sabrina, Intan, Nealissa, Bridget, Nurin, Dibba and Adila. Second row, left to right - Evon, (not sure who), Ku Aliah, Farah Hanna, Naili, Hazwani Arina, (not sure who), then there's Sitha at the far end. Peeking from the back are (from left), Ka Yong, Jannah and Wing Yie. The rest of the faces at the back row are all hidden or partly covered.

Vocal training. (Speaking of which, I'd never have it again for the next few months. *sob*)

Another shot of the vocal training, this time from a different angle. OMG, just look at Shima's, Sabrina's and Intan's mouths - all like fish !

The end part of "Putra Putri" where we go Oooooooooooooooooo.......

 Me and Adila. This may well be the blurrest shot of all, but I'm keeping it anyway.

 Sitha and me.

I remember Lyana and Shima wanted their picture taken together but more people came crowding round them for the camera. From left, top to bottom : Lokeetha, Sitha, Farah Dibba, Ainul, Lyana, Shima, Nasiha and Evon.

Pratically the entire Ressonnant came crowding round them for the camera this time ! From left, top to bottom : Nasiha, Farah Dibba, Jannah, Shima, Lyana, Sitha, Evon, Sabrina, Adila, (I can't make her out), Naili, Wing Yie, Nadhirah, Natalia, Intan, Nurin and Lokeetha. Okay, so it isn't technically the entire Ressonnant. But well, look how many of them came crowding !

 

We weren't spared from taking the English for Science and Technology trial exam paper. Our schoolmates sat for it that morning, we had to sit for it at night ! But well, it wasn't much of an exam, really.......... There was one teacher, and halfway through everything we were talking and laughing. This one here's Evon, sitting for the paper.

The mentors. From left : Cik Faridah, Cik Siti Noor and Madam Chee.

I know that's Nealissa on the left of Cik Siti Noor.... And what's the name of the one on the right, again ? I keep forgetting her name !

This was a few hours prior to the competition itself ; we were going through our routines for one last time.

Competition pictures to come soon...

The final disappointment

Key Events

2007/09/04
At around 8 a.m. we left school, the same time the rest of the school was doing their trial examination. Twelve hours later, we sat for it !

It was an 8-hour long ride in the bus before we finally set foot in Kuala Terengganu. We were to stay at Yen Tin Midtown - a decent two-star hotel (thank God it was not a dormitory, but can't they bring it back to five-star instead ????). The meals were decent and all. We came in full force - everyone from the team was dressed in Ressonnant tees. Later that evening, we went to the nearby seafront park, Dataran Syahbandar - to train. While I was busy figuring out what chords to give, I was just sitting by while the rest of Ressonnant did their thing.

After dinner, the Form 5 girls sat for the trial examination while the rest of the choir went for a briefing. Honestly, it was just not examination-styled : we were actually laughing and talking and giggling in the examination hall !!!

As for those who went for the briefing, talk about lack of hospitality. The guy who gave the talk was just plain rude.

I mingled with the Sabah team, the Penang team and the Sarawak team. And boy, they sure were friendly ! =)

That night, I went to sleep in anticipation. I breathed a prayer before sleeping. I just couldn't wait !


2007/09/05
The day was finally here.

I had a heavy breakfast, and we all headed to Dataran Syahbandar again for our final training. Halfway I had to make a pit stop. And from the toilet with all its so-called "soundproof" walls, I could hear every single one of them !

Meanwhile, I don't know how this spread, but practically everyone came to know the fact that I wrote the score. So that earned me respect. Even so, I just brushed it aside.

We practised using the stage at Wisma Darul Iman, Kuala Terengganu's city hall. The stage was huge... truly, the hall was much bigger than last year's. I was awestruck ! Then while entering the stage, I came in my punk-rocker attire : team tee, jeans, belt and chains. I mean, leg chains, wallet chains, all chains.

Everyone was gung-ho about the competition as we were making up, dressing up and doing up our hair. I didn't have lunch ; the rest of them did. Headed over to Wisma Darul Iman, where all the fifteen state teams were gathered.

The rules : no clapping in between, no cheering. Is that illogical or what ??

We were the third team to perform after Sabah and Johore. I enjoyed Sabah's performance (Convent St. Francis), but I didn't see the Johor team. Then, it was up to us to take centerstage.

People whispered among themselves, "TV1 !" and "DiGi !" as we sang our songs. They were truly entertained - or at least, that was what they told me. I looked at the Ressonnant girls. I daresay that we enjoyed ourselves. Except for the fact that somebody sabotaged us earlier : they told us not to snap. To our utmost disappointment, many other teams snapped without any lease of marks ! Worse still, I didn't sing !

The results were to be announced during the Choir Contingents' Dinner. I changed into my formal attire - a black-and-gold Punjabi suit. Later, towards the dinner, we found out that we had to switch back into choir outfit ! So, tired and breathless, I had to run up again from the second to the sixth floor just to change.

There in the dinner, I mingled with the other teams. And the other teams had luck over us - again.

Sarawak and Sabah earned first and third place respectively, and I do say that they deserved it. Selangor was second and Perlis won the Merit Award, but I wonder what could've earned them the awards. Honestly.

I was disappointed, as I was the one who wrote the score in the first place. I broke down. I failed miserably to touch the hearts of the judges - and I can never do it again. This is my last year in school. I called home and decided that there was nothing much to write back home after that.


2007/09/06
We spent four hours touring Kuala Terengganu, saying our farewells, and the next eight afternoon hours heading back home.

While in the bus, we did a rap version of Victoria Institution's theme song, "Jong Jong Inai" with the original lyrics. It was impressive except for one thing : their pitching was out !!!!!

I stepped out of the bus at 8-something p.m. and at that moment, I stepped down as choir pianist. After serving for eight long years as a member, I am a former member now, fallen from grace. While I stepped out of the bus, I observed the KL Tower. It was lit in all colours, even purple, unlike most days. There were shimmering white spots and other spotlights, making it radiant, as though it was welcoming our re-entry back home. As though we were triumphant. Still, one failure left a mark in my entire musical life.

Until and unless one song - just ONE SONG of mine touches the hearts of others, I'll never be happy in life. I went home, happy that we stayed together, but sad because my ultimate mission was never fulfilled.

Adieu, Ressonnant Inc. Time for me to go and let Second Generation take over.

Pictures to come soon.

DISCLAIMER : While some of you may claim to have the "original recordings" of our Jong Jong Inai Rappasody, be warned that we did not slander any rival schools with the song. I personally checked every single recording. And yes, our teachers would've barked at us if we made fun of any school. If you somehow think our recording was rude and disrespectful, notice that there is much more to disrespect than just the song. Any recording of Jong Jong Inai Rappasody with the words "jong jong inai VI choir bodoh ni, jong jong inai, choir bodoh ja wani" is NOT from Ressonnant Inc.

troisnyx*

The day approaches.

In two days I'll be heading off to Terengganu with the rest of Ressonnant Inc. That's like, going really far just for one single competition.

Six hours of rides with one toilet break in between, three hours of English for Science and Technology tests for the Form Fivers, several hours of practice, several hours of post-curfew after 11:00 p.m., and the next day is the concours !

Oh yes... I can proudly call myself a Ressonnant member. I've served for eight straight years, with some success and defeat stories.

I made some more updates to the site following Michele's comment on it, and then... I practically had nothing to do. Honestly, I anticipate the moment. The Choir Nationals is like a battle - 15 teams meet on the field and fight ; only one reigns supreme. Just like last year ; only this time we are aiming for it, with a new edge and a new approach towards choir.

I could just cry out "Allez, allez Ressonnant !" but I need the rest of the 34 - err, 33 around me.

Thanks Ressonnant, for eight years of teamwork, maturity and friendship.

Wow.

http://rockcityschool.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-are-champions.html

Ressonnant Inc. just got syndicated ! And I'm happy ! Well, especially happy because...... read the article.

Michele, thanks a bunch. I owe you one.

And lo, the big day !

Memoirs of the Independence Day Congress 2007/08/18

Lyana, the conductress, inspecting the choir members. I think someone's reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the foreground, but I'm not sure who...

Nurin tending to Adila's makeup.

What a view ! Looks like everyone's crowding at the balcony just to get a view of the entire city of Putrajaya.

I know that at that time some people still didn't take their stuff back. I went back to get the digital piano in this huge box while Adila was like reading, "Abang, adik dan kasut..."

Ressonnant Inc. making our entry ! At the front is Wing Yie (also known as WY to some).

I even took a shot of us down the escalator. The people whom I can see : front - Wing Yie, Naili (but most of her face isn't covered), second row - Fazrina, Puteri Sabrina (head turned back), and I think that's Jannah and Lishia behind them.

Ressonnant Inc.'s marching on, on, on ! Front row, from left : Nurin, Bridget, Azry Rasyeqa and Adila. Now, I feel kinda guilty for letting them do all the heavy work. But heck, I'm the pianist and the photographer !

The Kongres sign we saw the other day, only this time, it's illuminated.

I went around to take pictures. I think, this was taken some 40 minutes before the entire thing began. There were a lot of people already ! Only the backmost rows weren't filled.

And then I went to the front to take a picture of some students, and perhaps, the stage setting.

Make-up time, for those who couldn't do it in the bus. Front row, from left : Fazrina, Puteri Sabrina, Azry Rasyeqa. Blame it on my lousy camera for the blurriness !

From left : Puteri Sabrina, Fazrina, Evon, Lokeetha.

Breakfast time. Yes, it was enlightening. From left : Adila, Puteri Sabrina, Fazrina.

Fazrina and me. See, some stories are best shared in the loo. Pardon me if I sound distasteful.

Fazrina and I returned to the breakfast table and the discussion became more heated than ever. Needless to say, we were the liveliest bunch in the hall. And we were even talking about coital positions ! A corrupt lot, aren't we... From left : Shima, Azry Rasyeqa, Intan and Lyana.

This seems like Final Fantasy X's Zanarkand. Only that I have this hideous round face. In the background are Sabrina and Nadhirah.

Our teacher, Pn See Tho, giving us the instructions for the day.

I got a participant's tag - of course, one to keep forever.

I didn't get a proper view of the stage when the PM was speaking, so I had to shoot the LCD screen instead.

Same went for the Education Minister.

From left : Bridget, troisnyx*.

From left : troisnyx*, Lyana. We were posing at the camera after a job well done.

It was in front of the crowd of perhaps, three thousand, and the Cabinet, that we staged this performance. And I really enjoyed myself. I was especially thrilled because my arrangement of Jalur Gemilang, rendered by Ressonnant Inc., actually moved some people to tears. Pity it was only the piano part, not the original MIDI - or else more people would've cried. The original MIDI was done with slow strings and a violin solo in the bridge, from the first chorus to the next verse.

But well, I'm glad we all enjoyed ourselves.

The sad part is, we didn't get to have lunch with the PM and the Education Minister like other schools did. Instead, we were taken away and forced to go home ! I told mom and dad about this. Nyeah well, it was compensated for by our appearance in TV1 that day. Yes, we were on live national TV and I even saw myself playing the piano ! :D