"I Need You" by Leann Rimes. Video is Up!

Yes. As promised, the video of the recording is up! Enjoy it guys, and share with me your comments, like how I can improve, or any song you would like to hear in the future! Thank you guys, and I will put it up at the sidebar of my blog too :D

Wonderful Performance again!

YES! Another wonderful performance on stage. But this time, there are 3 times more audience than the last time when I perform 'Viva La Vida'. Yesterday, I played in 2 songs this time round, in 'Kiss Goodbye', song by Wang LiHom, and 'I Need You', song by Leann Rimes. Andrew sang in 'Kiss Goodbye', and Maria in 'I Need You'.

It's Touch of Heaven 3, and probably the last episode of the year. And all performances did extremely well, till everyone don't want to leave in the end. Haha. It's a series of impressive performances, with singing, dancing by the 'Lady GaGas', Beat-boXing, etc.

Maybe the pictures can say more :D

Beat BoXing by Reynaldo



安静 by Royston

I'm Yours by Sean and Jag


The GaGas on stage!



The V-Girls! Val and Vanessa with their self-composed song :D

"Kiss Goodbye" Andrew singing, I'm on the violin, and Jeff on the Guitar.



Waiting to play.


"I Need You", sung by Maria.

John and Ryan with Bon Jovi's "I'll be there for You!"


Last but not least, the Fantastic Audience!!


There are a lot more pictures on my Facebook albums, and many other uploaded by others. I heard there are recordings of the performances too!! Haha. I'm gonna get it and uploaded it to YouTube so you guys can see. :D

For this mini-concert, I was only notified to be involved in it 7 days before it. Then, the song I was playing was only decided last Tuesday, 4 days before the concert. We had only 1 combined performance on Wed night, 3 days before concert. I transpose my piece 3 times into different keys, and was settled on Thursday, 2 days before concert. And we had a final run through 3 hours before concert. Despite all these last minutes, we did it with a BANG!! ( or Boomz if you want :P )

All these last minutes would not have been possible, without the help of guitar pros like John & Jeff & Jag, singing pro like Valerie, Vanessa, Royston, Maria, Andrew, Sean... :D

Lastly, no matter it is last minute or not,

If there's a will, there's a way :D

Yup.

Before I end, thanks Kenneth for his camera skills.


This picture is nice, and I love it! :D

A Meetup with Mr Tony.

After 1 month, I met up with my mentor, Mr Tony again. He reached Sg from KL. Yes. It's always great to meet up with him, when my life will just be recharged again! :D Superb life-changing tips from him.


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I met him in office around 5pm on Wednesday, and me and Bingyang talked with him till 2am the next day. Yea. But we are not talking only. We are exchanging ideas, and he shared a lot of tips with us, on time management, influence, world issues, relationships, peak performances, leaderships, communication and thinking skills, and persuasion skills. That's all i remembered now. I can say he's a supreme being, and he's the Chinese version of Anthony Robbins. Seriously.

He told us his life story, when he was in university like us. He was a Top student from TungHai University, one of the top universities in Taiwan. There, he studied computing or (computer engineering), which is one of the hottest topic for the future. It was 20 years then. 20 years ago, 1988-1989.. what are the computer we have? haha.

He was studying the designing of programs for computer, connecting network connections...etc, all those computer stuffs... he's in Taiwan Navy while serving their NS, and he's responsible for connecting the computers and networks in the Navy department. Then, 20 yrs ago, he told us, anyone who studies computer stuffs are considered geniuses...

He was approached by US university MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, top 10 university in the world now) to further his studies in computing, and sponsored by US Navy. He did not proceed then, and he told us why.

His senior, also a lieutenant in his Navy, graduated as a Top student from NTU(National Taiwan University). He then continued his study at MIT. He sent back letters to Mr Tony and his friends in the Navy, to tell them about the school life in MIT. However, after a few years, he stopped sending letters. They wondered if anything had happened to him. And they knew that he has become mentally unsound.

He suffered tremendous stress at MIT, and even though he was a Top Student from the Top University of Taiwan, he was just a nobody in MIT, where all the world computer geniuses gather. The point he was trying to make is...

"The best is yet to be, and there will always somebody who is better than you, when you think you are the best".

This is the quote by him:
"世界上没有 “最好”，只有 “更好”，没有 '最烂'，只有 '更烂' ”

And looking at the world now, computers are everywhere, even 2-3 year old kids know how to blog! Things are changing too fast, and he don't know what is he studying all those computer stuffs for...

I watched this video before, and since it has been recently brought up by many people on FB, let's watch it together yea...






If you have watched it, you would have think that the world is changing Super Fast, not just 'fast'. Everything we used 5 years ago have changed.(where is Facebook 5 years ago)? This is a reminder to us that everything is going to change, and if we are Unable to change, we will not be able to survive.

Another quote for you guys...

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
~Charles Darwin

Undoubtedly true.

Let's look at the whole wide world, and compare yourself to the world if you want, and not think that you're the best in Singapore( you're just 1 in 4 million people). Because in China, there are 325 people just like you. (1.3 billion / 4 million). Then, you are just the top 325 people...

There's no point comparing and fighting with these people. And if you're studying in NUS/NTU, you guys know better. And a lot more better!!, because you and me have first hand experience with them -.-

People who are smart, tap into areas where these Chinese geniuses have not excelled, and WE excelled in them, and NOT competing directly in areas where they have dominated, e.g. Engineering, (esp. EEE. Of the 10 Chinese student I know in NTU, 5 of them are PhD in EEE students -.-)

Discover new areas, tap into uncovered niches, before the Chinese and Indians came and dominate it.

So, this is just a very very short story of Mr Tony in his school life. I haven't even shared what he told us on how he excelled as No.1 for 4 years in his Uni, and his success in life.

Stay tuned guys!

Real life after midterms!!

Yup! My midterms are over in just 1 day. They ended together on Saturday, and it's time to get back my real life! Tests wise, I'm satisfied with my performance that day, even though test results have not returned. Pass or fail, I will still take it:D

And next, my real life!!

Never waste your life studying away. Get a real life. Life is NEVER about waking up, going to Macs to find a seat, put on your ear phones, lay the table with all your assignment and papers, and start MUGGING!! This will shorten your life, and you will look back how much time you have sacrificed mugging.

Right after my tests, I create another video from my violin concert recording. I wrote up another page for my violin webby. I wrote up October's violin magazine for my subscribers on my violin site. I wrote up a page about my concert, everything about it. Click here to read it. I wrote up another draft for my site, just waiting to post it up.

Then I went out to find my friends! Talk, laugh, joke, eat, tell stories. These are basic needs of human beings. Connection with others. No matter how strong a person is, he cannot live alone. So when you guys mug, do take some time off during mugging too. Talk to someone, and watch some funny videos to relax your mind after forcing in so much information.

I also printed a list of scores I'm preparing to play on my violin again, with val on the piano!
Haha. I got a few pop songs with me(had a hard time finding scores). And I just printed out the songs I'm familiar, and available to me. I have "Bleeding Love", "Everything" by Michael Buble, "Speed of Sound" & "Yellow" by ColdPlay, "Reason" by Hoobastank(quite an out-dated song though:P).

Any songs you guys like to hear? post it in the chatbox or reply to this post, and I'll go find it! :D
I'm planning to put 1 up soon, while I still have the time! :D

I'm giving my 1st speech in Toastmasters this Thursday, and I'm planning to give an exciting one:D More details up next! :D

Enjoy your life my dear friends! See ya next post!

This Video makes me HIGH!!

Watch this video.
You'll enjoy this even when you are feeling sleepy, down, sad... whatever negative feelings you have!



My violin concert has just ended, but violin performance is still burning hot in me. Just feel like playing and performing again!!. I'm addicted to playing the violin. :D

I wanna record and post more videos here on my blog and youtube to share with you guys:D
I will write up the post about my concert in the next post! :D

How do you find this video?

Hi guys,

Watch the video clip I made below!:D(before you scroll down...)
































How do you find it?

I created this video, on 1st October after my rehearsal practice. What you have just listened is a shortened version of a classical piece played during our practice. (the full piece lasted almost 7 mins).

I recorded it as a video, and edited it and post it here to share with my friends here.
I completed my creation at almost 4 am. And I'm proud of it! haha.

I'm helping my orchestra spreading the information about our concert, Journey '09, on 3rd October, at NAFA Lee Foundation Theater. And while some of my friends created facebook groups, calling and emailing, putting up posters on walls and websites, I decided to try out this method. Hope it works :D

It may be a last-minute effort promoting the concert, but I think it is still worth a try. The concert has not started yet anyway :D

Ever since I graduated from my primary school, I hardly have any chance to perform, much less in orchestra. I didn't join any secondary school, JC, or community orchestra. In almost 10 years, I had the chance to be a guest player in my violin teacher, Mr Wu's orchestra.

Orchestral experience is there, and I love playing in a team again. But there is just a bit of 'loneliness' within me, as most of the orchestra players are in their lower secondary (age <14), href="http://www.ntustringorchestra.com/">NTU String Orchestra. It's quite nicely done up:D

The day I went for my first rehearsal practice, I was told that a concert is coming up in 5 weeks time. Oh! I'm excited! Haha. I have the chance to play in a concert with my orchestra, right after I joined them.

However, I was being told of the heavy practice schedule before the concert. 23 practices in a span of 4 weeks. Many of them are on weekdays, and whole of Saturdays.
I decided to make the sacrifice. There are a lot of things I have to give up temporarily - not going home on Friday nights, and have to stay in room alone that night too, not able to go out with friends on Saturday evenings, fellowships, gatherings...etc

I want to perform well in this concert, and let the audience enjoy great music too. I'm not sure of any more concerts coming up after this. But I must make sure that every concert is performed at its best, and to always bring the best to the audience.

I'm very glad that I have friends who supported me and my orchestra in this concert :D Thank you guys:D. We won't disappoint you!

Check out my next post (after the concert!)

~Ding Neng