Maestoso e Grazioso con lo Spirito

Its the danger zone

2009-03-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Well basically I had heard from many alumni who came back during rehearsals (including Kenneth Siah) that our standard is of bronze or low silver standard.

If you don't understand what it means, let me rephrase it to you in big block letters: WE ARE STRUGGLING TO EVEN GET A SILVER!

Well if that does not sound bad enough, we were playing on the stage without the pressure of the judges or the "do-or-die" mentality. And please do not let history repeat itself, like it did exactly 10 years before. We all knew what happened, and to be specific, RICO had always been a glorious CCA, a spark of RI since it started through 1999, and then things fall apart since then.
Do you guys want a gold back or something, or at least walk around in school for the next two years not to be ridiculed by your fellow Rafflesians when you say out your CCA?

Like what Kenneth Siah said, 4 weeks is a little too late, but I know the cellobass section did have good musical standards sometimes in the dazu, sometimes not so much. And I think it all boils down to focus.

Since there is only 4 weeks left, I would want everyone to be focused on each and every sectionals and dazu. For dazus, please be on time 15 minutes before 8.00am, for tuning and a little bit of practice I know you guys have to sleep or whatever, but then what can 15 minutes do to you? If it can kill you, then I suggest you die right now.

And please mind your attitude, like when you bassists keep thinking that I pick on you, I pick on you so that I have a sense of satisfaction or something? It really pisses me off when you guys sometimes come to sectionals and dazu with the attitude of "Ok-I-play-my-instrument-so-now-let-me-off" attitude.

As a result, right now we will have self-practice on every Friday starting from the latest 2pm. We are going to practice on the parts that we hate the most , as well as the stage presence thing.
And we are practicing until the intonation is at least a pass, right now we're like 1 out of 10. If you guys complain about being sian about the "disgusting parts" of the song, its not like you guys master it anyway.

For the sake of RICO, please wipe out all your petty thoughts about how things in RICO is unfair due to it or anyone. If people can practice 5 days of a week, I believe practising half of what they practised is really acceptable. And surely you don't want Mr Lim to leave right?

Regards,
Kai Cong

Chung Ling Visit

2008-10-10T23:40:00.001-07:00

Dear all,
Our partner school, Chung Ling High School, from Penang, has requested to come down on the 5th, 6th and 7th of Dec to RI.
In lieu that this falls within the designated 2 week rest period, we need all SLs to help to collate numbers of who will be present and absent on these three days. We would appreciate if the numbers are collated as soon as possible. Please send the collated numbers to either one of the exco members, me, sng zheng, kailun or yiheng.

Thanks and we appreciate your help (:

Regards,
Vincent on behalf of the exco

Message from the EXCO

2008-09-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

Dear All, I believe some of you might have gotten a shock when you saw your CCA form yesterday. Most of you might not know about how RI's system works, when it comes to awarding CCA points. Yes, competitions like SYF and other merit CCA competitions give you many CCA points. However, you will need an attendance of 75% and above . Only then, would your CCA points be counted. You can excel in your merit CCA and win countless of competitions but as long as your core CCA, which is RICO, doesnt have an attendance of 75% and above, all these points you have earned would not be counted.

If you have an attendance of 50-75% in a year, your CCA points for that particular year would be cancelled. For e.g, Student A comes for half the practices in sec2 so his attendance is 50% for his sec2 year. He happened to participate in SYF in sec2 so according to RI's system, the points he got for SYF, along with all the other points in his sec2 year would be cancelled.

If you have an attendance of below 50% for any year, CCA points up till that point of time would all be cancelled. For e.g, Student B has had 100% for sec1-3. He has participated in 2 SYFs in sec2 and 4. He excels in his merit CCA and wins many prizes and competitions for the school and as such, he has accumulated many CCA points. For sec4, he decided to not go for CO practice after SYF and hence, his attendance became 30% for that year, which happens to be his last year. As such, all his CCA points from sec1-4 would all be cancelled and his CCA form would have 0 points.

This is how RI's system works. CCA points, which would appear in your final secondary school report, would be extremely useful in Uni applications, scholarships or any other applications. If yours happens to say 0 points - points cancelled due to lack of attendance for core CCA, i really wonder what the judges for the scholarships or people reading your report would think. In order to ease the application of the above, attendance is extremely important, especially for your core CCA. For sec1s and 2s, its not late to start now. Since SYF is next year, you still have a chance to earn CCA points provided you work hard, even if your points for this year and last year have been cancelled due to poor attendance. RICO would always welcome you back and as long as you try hard, it's never too late to start learning the instrument or being committed.

- Please tell this to your friends who dont come for CO, especially if they arent in the egroups Attendance isnt a bad thing. Although it can remove all your points if it is poor, having good attendance earns you points too. We really hope that you would think this through (especially if you dont come for practice or have inclinations of not coming), as the person affected is ultimately you. After reading this email, if you realise that attendance is so important, you should start coming for practice from 22nd October. Since you are coming, why make yourself bored and unhappy by hating CO and coming just for the attendance. Why not come for CO with an open mind and accept your instrument and this CCA? If you are willing to do so, you will definitely gain more from CO. With the severe implications that poor attendance brings about, we strongly advice you to go for practice, starting from 22nd October (practice starts then). Please think through this issue and we hope you would make a wise decision. Thank you

The EXCO

Announcement

2008-09-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well, as all of you guys should know, from week 2 to week 6, RICO practices will be halted, in order to aid your preparation for the EOYs.
(I guess all of you should know, since news of practices stopping should spread much faster than extra practices.)

Kinda bad news: There will be a RICO camp in 6th-7th November, which is basically the Thursday and Friday of Term 4 Week 9. So get ready for some "fun" and "bonding" between your fellow RICO members. I am quite sure you guys will be excited.

P.S. I am not a great fan of camps and this is no exception. But there must be some bond between the orchestra besides sectionals and dazu. And somehow the EXCO feels fit to achieve this through camps. The timing is quite disagreeable though, since it is just one day after the school year of 2008 just ended. But on the plus side, I think you guys will want to get it over with to enjoy your holidays right?

Success

2008-08-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

I have to really say that yesterday's night performance is a success, in a way that we didn't really screw up a lot.

But the sad part about the concert is that the Sec4s will be leaving us, erm so....

Best of luck Jia Jin, Vincent, and Kenneth Siah!(sorry to put your surname here but I don't wan to falsely congratulate Ooi)

More stuff to be written in the next post, dun really have time now.

To all members, Pls come for practice on this Thursday(9am-4.30pm, since Mr Voo is coming at 1.30pm) and Saturday(9-12). Pls do appreciate that Miss Lim had decided to be lenient and had cancelled practices on Wednesday and Friday.

Concerts

2008-03-30T00:41:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

RJCO and RJSB will be having their concerts on the respective dates: 16/5 & 26/5. Pls do come and support your seniors. RJCO tix costs around $10, at SCH. While RJSB tix costs around $21, at esplanade. The SB songs that will be played are very nice, so pls do come. Do not be put off, just because of the price.

Warmest regards,
Tony

Community Day

2008-03-15T02:44:00.001-07:00

1. Community Day is on 20 March, Thursday. This is a day when the whole school goes out to do community work.

2. The whole orchestra is split up into 3 groups based on your sections. Cellists are in Group B. D.Bassists are in Group C.

3. Group B people (cellists) will be going to Dover Park Hospice in the afternoon of 20 March, Thursday. Other than the cellists, Group B consists of huqin (20), percussion (10) and Jeremy Sia. Cellists do not have to perform any pieces over there, 'cause the original Yueliang and Xiaocheng have been cancelled. Just go there to interact with the old folks. The tentative time to meet on Thursday is 1.30 pm. The tentative dismissal time is 4.30~5.30 pm. The timings will be confirmed by the EXCO via the Yahoo Group! Join if you haven't!

4. As such, Kaicong and Gabriel get to skip 3rd lang.

5. Group C people (bassists) will be going to Dover Park Hospice in the morning of 29 March, Thursday. As such, Group C people will not be going to school on 20 March, Thursday. Yay! Only I should be performing. But since there won't be any lorries avaliable, I don't have to play the only piece with bass parts, which is huanxin. More information coming up~ Join the Yahoo Group for updates!

6. As such, Shi Kang and Kenneth Ooi, 3rd lang should still be on for you if your class has students from other schools too. I don't think I have to go for 3rd lang 'cause my class only has RI people, so I think the whole lesson is cancelled. As for Hao Sheng, MEP should be cancelled.

7. By the way, there are sectionals this coming Monday (17 March).

8. There is no dazu on Saturday (22 March) 'cause it's day after Good Friday (aka Good Saturday, LOL).

9. There are also no sectionals on Monday (24 March) 'cause it's Track and Field Championship.

10. 29 March dazu will only be for Sec 1s.

Schedule for today (1/3)

2008-02-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

This is the schedule for today. If you have not joined the RICO Yahoo Group, here is the link: http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/ri_chinese_orchestra/

3.15 pm – Meet at RJCCO room	SLs to take attendance Sec1 helpers to help move percussion instruments on lorry Chun Yin, Vincent to give briefing on schedule for the entire day.
3.45 pm – Departure for Bukit Batok CC	Members to bring tuned instruments, scores, stands on bus. SLs to be in charge of the accessory boxes.
4.30 – Arrival at Bukit Batok CC	Helpers and members to unload percussion instruments from the lorry to the stage Buses to arrive at CC, members to put down bags, tune, and get ready for soundtest.
5.00 – Sound test begins	Rehearsal of pieces by conductor
6.00 – Dinner	For the hungry.
7.00 – Standby	Members to get ready.
7.30 – 9.00	Performance by RICO
9.05	Pack up and leave
9.10 – Departure for RI
9.45 – Arrival at school and Dismissal

Change of meeting time

2008-02-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

This Saturday come at 3.30 instead of 2! Got it?

Song List for March 1st Performance

2008-02-25T06:11:00.001-08:00

Here it is. =D

大合奏　青年进行曲	3.40
大合奏　家家乐	3.18
大合奏　月亮代表我的心	3.13
大合奏　小城故事	2.42
二胡齐奏　赛马	2.00
二胡齐奏　菊花台／大长今	7.00
二胡齐奏　战马	4.00
二胡齐奏　查尔达斯舞曲	5.00
古筝独奏（2）4＋5	9.00
中阮三重奏	5.00
弹拨齐奏　欢欣	4.48
琵琶双重奏	5.00
琵琶独奏　彝族舞曲	7.00
笛子齐奏　梭椤河	4.00
打击乐齐奏　秦王点兵	5.00
大合奏　心贤	4.20
大合奏　问天	2.30
大合奏　传灯	6.00
Total	~ 85 mins

Jia Jin tell me if you are posting next time

2008-02-17T01:49:00.001-08:00

For this week, practice will be pon Monday and Saturday only. Mr. Voo will be coming on Saturday

Please state your availability for the June Japan trip, and also if you want to apply for EXCO (including conductor). If you dont want to do it on the tagboard, feel free to email me.

Black Cello

In case you don't know

2008-02-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

Please take note of the schedule this friday (15 Feb):

3.30pm - meet at RJCCO room
3.45pm - start dazu
4.45pm - move instruments to hall
5.30pm - standby at hall backstage
6.00pm - performance start
6.25pm - performance end
6.30pm - move instruments back to RJCCO room
7.15pm - likely dismissal time
7.30pm - latest dismissal time

Thanks.

Schedule and Songs for 15/2

2008-02-13T04:41:00.000-08:00

Note that ALL Sec 2s have to play XiaoChengGuShi and YueLiangDaiBiaoWoDeXin. JiaJiaLe and ChuanDeng will be played by those who performed during CNY Eve performance. Cheers!

Schedule
3.30pm - meet at RJCCO room
3.45pm - start dazu
4.45pm - move instruments to hall
5.30pm - standby at hall backstage
6.00pm - performance start
6.25pm - performance end
6.30pm - move instruments back to RJCCO room
7.15pm - likely dismissal time
7.30pm - latest dismissal time

Songs

传灯	6.00
家家乐	3.18
月亮代表我的心	3.13
小城故事	2.42
打击乐齐奏　秦王点兵	4 to 5
古筝独奏 (2)	4 + 5
Total	28-30 mins

Drumroll...

2008-02-12T04:00:00.001-08:00

Practice tomorrow from 3.30 - 5.30!
Compulsory and no arguments! Hurrah for the RICO EXCO!

Black Cello

Practices

2008-02-12T03:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry but there will be sectionals tomorrow, Wednesday 13 Feb, from 3.30 to 5.30pm. Wednesday's sectionals are on for subsequent weeks 8, 9 and 10. There will also be dazu on Saturday 16 Feb, for all non-Sec 1s, from 9am to 12pm. =D

As far as I know, here are the pieces that we will definitely be performing for 1 March.
1. Jia Jia Le
2. Chuan Deng
3. Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin
4. Xiao Cheng Gu Shi
5. Qing Nian Jin Xing Qu
6. Xin Xian
7. Wen Tian

Practise hard! Make sure you can play pieces 5 to 7! We MIGHT be performing Jin Se Nian Hua and/or Lai Fo Shi Tong Xiang Qian De Xia Xiang. The song list will be confirmed soon.

Short Post

2008-02-11T04:21:00.000-08:00

No Prac this Wednesday til further notice!
Performers remember come this Friday!

Black Cello

Happy CNY

2008-02-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

For those going/helping out at the performance tmlw:
RED SHIRT
WHITE LONG PANTS

Meet at Hall at 645 a.m.!
------------------
Happy CNY!

Black Cello

Welcome Sec 1s

2008-02-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

Formalities' sake, Welcome Changjie and Javingo! Hope I remember your name properly (coz I tend to mix up), and Gambatte!

Okay, now for Admin issues:

1) CNY Rehearsals
Practice tomorrow Tuesday 5th of Feb, 2pm - (LATEST) 6pm for the following people:

Cello:
Me
Vincent
Kaicong
Zhonghao

Bass:
Jia Jin
Kenneth Ooi

Attendance is Compulsory.

2) Sec 1s Contact information
For the 2 newcomers, please either email me or leave your email on the tagboard. Our emails are:

Kenneth: regitrio@hotmail.com
Jia Jin: oto-otokonohito@hotmail.com

And for Kenneth Ooi's sake:
MY NUMBER -- 91343186

3) Movie Outing
The arrival of Sec 1s is nice timing, so I've decided to organise a outing!
Tentatively, it's a movie outing, including lunch, and who knows what else?
If you have any suggestions please reply on tagboard.
The date will be around 2 - 3 weeks time

4) Blogs
Again, to the newcomers, our own blogs are located below the tagboard under the 'Friendz' section!

5) Blog Admin Status
Tony, can I have Admin status now? I want to change the blogskin

Regards,
Black Cello

Okay...

2008-02-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

Today was crappy. Period.

Kaicong, Haosehng and Shikang, pls give me a reason why u didnt turn up for the 1 30 practice.

Tomorrow is another day~ *sigh*

Black Cello

Update on Performances

2008-01-26T19:16:00.001-08:00

Hi, there is a change in the songs we are going to perform for Arts@Atrium on Friday 1 Feb.

Here are the pieces we will be performing.
1. 家家乐
2. 传灯
3. 月亮代表我的心
4. 小城故事

The 3rd and 4th pieces are compulsory for Sec 2s.

As for the 1st and 2nd pieces, it's for people who CAN play. As such, I think Zhong Hao, Kaicong, Kenneth Ooi, Vincent, Kenneth Siah and me have to perform those two pieces. However, the rest can perform if you can play.

Cello Bass Shopping~

2008-01-23T02:04:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, 26th Saturday, Tony, Jia Jin and I are going to Esplanade to get some supplies, including stoppers, strings, casings, bows etc. It is a pretty good experience to see what a Music Shop sells fro Cello Bass, so if you do have the time, please come!

Not compulsory, but highly encouraged. We will spend the afternoon there, so you know roughly the timeframe. Bring a bit of money if you want to spend on yourself OR for the section (which mostly should be able to charge to RICO fund).

So yea, see you there!

Black Cello

Blogskin change!

2008-01-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

Yupps, new blogskin coming up =)

No Wed practice. Friday prac is 1.30 - 4.30, so be punctual!

Regards,
Black Cello

Extra Practices

2008-01-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

1) Practice timings this week:

Monday 19th Jan -- 3.30 to 6.30 p.m.
Wednesday 21th Jan -- 3.30 to 6.30 p.m.
Friday 23th Jan -- 1.30 to 3.30 p.m.

I have kindly decided to let Friday to be 2 hours only, so count your blessings.

Howevver, from now onwards the LATEST practice has to start is 15 minutes later that the original time. This is so we can make full use of our time.

Those that come later than that are counted as LATE and no attendance will be marked.

Those that come before 3.45 p.m. but finish preparing after that are safe, but you will be scolded for not being able to set up your instruments on time.

2) Songs
- Xin Xian
- Ji Liu
- Yue Liang and Gu Shi
- the NEW song (forgot whats it called)
- Jia Jia Le

PRACTICE HARD

3) Boss level: WARNING

Dear all,

This is primarily directed at SLs, but I'd like all of you to see it as well.

In alignment with our directive to tighten discipline as a large core CCA, we will be implementing stricter rules with regard to attendance.

With effect from 21st Jan (next Monday's sectionals), all SLs will take attendance during practice and send an sms to myself by 9pm, with a list of absentees and excuses (if any).

Practice excuse forms will be finalized one last time and will become mandatory by February.

All SLs are required to send attendance for their charges for all practices this year to date - the 5th, 7th, 12th and 14th of January - to Samuel as well as myself ( tdaoming@yahoo.com.sg and yoongrenyan@gmail.com) by this Sunday.

We will be doing the necessary tracking, and figuratively hunting down those who choose to absent themselves at their own will.

Appropriate actions will be taken and implemented along with the demerit point system by the March holidays.

We cannot tolerate members who persistently waive their obligation to this CCA.

We trust that members will be responsible enough to tell us of any other commitments warranting missing practice as early as possible.

Thank you all for your cooperation.

Regards,
Ren Yan
----------------------------------------------------------
Hope you go the message!

Signing off,
Black Cello

Irrelavant and Unimportant

2008-01-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

1) Mr. Voo's English name is Brandon!! Lol, didn't noe until now.

2) If you are interested in buying a yangqin for $200 - 300 instead of the original $800 (second hand), please leave ur details here. You can bargain for a lower price. Even if you dunno how to play, u can always pick it up.

3) http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
Watch and cry for them. Seriously. This is really damn sad.

Contact Details

2008-01-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

All Cello/Bass people, please submit your particulars to your respective SL (Bass --> Jia Jin Cello --> Me) asap, so that we can update the contact details. It should include as follows:

1) NRIC No.
2) Birthday
3) Passport Expiry Date
4) Your HP No.
5) Your House no.
6) Your Mom and Dad's HP No.
7) Any allergies
8) Nationality (If you are not Singaporean)
9) Class
10)Food Prefrences (E.g. Vegetarian)
11)Your Chinese Name

For those who I have already called in my section, please email me your Chinese name will do.

-- Also note that there is da zu this Sat and we will be playing Jia Jia Le, so please do turn up!

-- Gabriel and Zhangjie pass your M.Cs to me OR LSH asap or u will get into trouble. You should be familiar with the system already!

Signing off,
Black Cello

Practice + $$

2008-01-12T23:51:00.001-08:00

Sectionals tmlw at 3.30 - 6 as usual -- 4A Classroom a.k.a Oto's dirty one~

Bring $10 to pay for the usual fees, which include new instruments and CO fund.

Interest will increase by $5 per day, so please bring on time!

Regards,
Black Cello

Song List for Arts@Atrium and CNY Performance

2008-01-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Take note of the songs you have to learn in order to play during Arts@Atrium and CNY Performance.

Arts@Atrium (1 Feb 08)
1. Percussion Piece (not our business)
2. Moon Represents my Heart (Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin)*
3. Tale of a Town (Xiao Cheng Gu Shi)*
*Sec 2s have to play. There should be no problems for Kaicong, Zhonghao and Kenneth Ooi since they performed on 14 Dec 07. The rest of the Sec 2s, please make sure you know how to play them.

CNY Performance (6 Feb 08)
1. Jia Jia Le
2. Passing on the Light (Chuan Deng)

The song list may change any time, so in the meanwhile do make sure you start learning or practising those pieces.

Cheers,
Jia Jin

New Year ahead

2008-01-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lag time, but we have been busy lately, so no time to come online to post lol.

Anyway as I said b4 while munching oreos, welcome aboard everybody to the year 2008 for Cello/Bass Sections!

Since I had already given my speech in class, I'll go straight to admin matters.

1) Gabriel, you are in big trouble, so you better come. I think LSH should have looked for u.

2) Zhangjie, come back soon! Dun wan LSH to get the wrong impression.

3) Practice as much as you can because we don't want to mess up the performance do we? Especially since we sec 4s not performing.

4) Ian, once u come back from OBS contact me ASAP

5) Practice this Saturday at the usual timing!

Okay, that's all for now. Any requests leave at tagboard <------

Have a good year ahead,
Black Cello

Well Done

2007-12-15T17:20:00.001-08:00

I must congratulate the Sec 1s for your first performance, and even those who helped out also learnt that being stagehands is not as easy as you think. Thanks Jia Jin for working with me, and most importantly, thanks to the seniors who hae put in effort in trying to build a solid Cello/bass base (geddit? Bass/Base? lol). I will really miss Edmund's lame jokes =/

Hopefully everyone will be as hardworking as ever, and prepare ourselves for future challenges such as the 2008 Aug 31 Concert and SYF. Let us be the best we can.

Off to Korea,
Black Cello

Concert Details

2007-12-11T23:50:00.001-08:00

Hi all, here are the details that you need to know for the concert.

1. All performers and non-performers (stagehands) are to meet at RJCO Room by 7.40 am and start loading the instruments.
2. Double basses (x4) will go onto the lorry while cellos (x4) will go onto the bus.
3. All performers are to wear white long-sleeved shirts, white long pants, school ties, school badge, black socks and black shoes.
4. All non-performers (stagehands) are to wear black shirts and black long pants.
5. No eating or drinking is allowed at the backstage; only plain water is allowed.
6. Lunch and dinner will be provided.
7. Everyone is to put on your best behaviour at all times.
8. We will be back at RJCO Room at approximately 11.00 pm.
9. Everyone is to go back to RJCO Room and help with the unloading of instruments.

10. Stagehands (i.e. Vincent, Gabriel, Zhang Jie and Hao Sheng) are to check RICO Yahoo Group for some information on the stage movements.

11. There is only 1 entrance point and 1 exit point. Entrance is at the left of the stage from conductor's point of view (i.e. where the percussion will be) while the Exit is at the right of the stage (i.e. where the cello/bass section will be).

Here is the song order.
1. 青年进行曲 (Default stage arrangement; no movement at the end)
2. 家家乐 (Default stage arrangement; all cellists and d.bassists are to exit at the end)
3. 划船舞曲 (tanbo ensemble piece)
4. 欢欣 (cellists and d.bassists who are involved are to enter)
5. 莱佛士铜像前的遐想 (Default stage arrangement; all the other non-Sec 1s cellists and d.bassists are to enter)
INTERMISSION
6. 心贤 (Default stage arrangement; cellists and d.bassists not performing Sec 1 pieces are to exit at the end)
7. 小城故事 (Sec 1 piece; no movement at the end)
8. 月亮代表我的心 (Sec 1 piece; Sec 1 cellists and d.bassists are to exit at the end)
9. 感怀 (Default stage arrangement + Siong Leng guest performers; All the other cellists and d.bassists are to enter)
10. 激流 (Default stage arrangement)

Practice next week

2007-12-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

It is utterly crucial that every performer turns up for all practices stipulated.

Monday 10 Dec

Dazu 9am-12nn
Lunch 12nn-1pm
Sectionals 1pm-5pm

Tuesday 11 Dec

Dazu 9am-12nn
Lunch 12nn-1pm
Dazu 1pm-5pm

Wednesday 12 Dec

Full rehearsal 9am-12nn
Final briefing 12nn-1pm

Thursday 13 Dec

NO PRACTICE. Please rest at home.

Friday 14 Dec

Concert, probably 7.30am-11.30pm, to be confirmed.

For all lunch breaks, please return promptly. 15 minutes to walk to J8 (or where ever), 30 minutes to eat, 15 minutes to walk back.

Dazu on Sat 24/11

2007-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ed here.

I must say this. I just have got to say this.

I am so happy. T.T

B'cos there was a

cello SECTION!!!!

OMG.

T.T

Thank you Zhong Hao for being there. And of course Ian.
(Oh, and, maybe the rest might want to do some reflection... Just a suggestion.)

I hope that on the 14th of December I can be as happy, or even better, GLAD.

T.T

Onwards people!

I'm back

2007-11-20T01:37:00.000-08:00

Jia Jin, thnks a lot for covering me for these 2 weeks. Will make up to you,

Ffrom what I heard so far, poort ticket sales, ok practice, and some cool stuff. Alright, so that's RICO.

I am back, and will show up tomorrow, so update me!

Hope my cello skills are up to snuff.

Kenneth

Concert Performers

2007-11-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

大提琴
袁玮翔 Yuen Wee Siang Edmund
庄正礼 Vincent Brian Arifin Tjeng
谢耀骏 Siah Yeow Joon Kenneth
萧凯聪 Seow Kai Cong
區仲濠 Ow Zhong Hao
程章杰 Thia Zhang Jie

倍大提琴
郭佳叡 Kwek Jia Rui Lawrence
廖荣耀 Liew Yong Yew Tony
李家进 Lee Jia Jin
黄文睿 Ooi Wen Rui Kenneth

Sectionals tomorrow

2007-11-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

Please note that sectionals tomorrow is from 3.30 to 6.30 pm. Meet at RJCO room.

Unsold tickets + Money

2007-11-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Please bring your unsold tickets and ticket money along for this Saturday's dazu. Remember that dazu will be from 9 to 12 on 10 Nov. Seeya all there.

Practice Schedule + Poor Attendance + Tickets

2007-11-05T16:55:00.001-08:00

Hi all. There is an update to the holidays practice schedule. It is available at the RICO Yahoo Group.

If you have not yet joined, the URL is http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/ri_chinese_orchestra/. Join asap. The Practice Schedule can be found under the Files section.

Also, a lot of you didn't come for the sectionals yesterday without informing me in advance. From the DB section, Lawrence. From the Cello section, there are Ian, Zhong Hao and Gabriel.

In the event that you have a valid reason for not coming, please use the Practice Excuse Form which can also be found under the Files section at the RICO yahoo group. Download it, print it out, fill in the form, and attach any verification documents you have.

To Shi Kang: Yes, your arm is injured, but you have to use the Practice Excuse Form too. Attach any MC which certifies that you are unable to play the instrument.

To Tony and Edmund: Both of you also have to use the Practice Excuse Form. Attach any verification documents you have...

The Practice Excuse forms are to be handed to Ms Lim... 'cause she seemed unhappy with our attendance yesterday and wanted me to call the absentees up to ask for their reasons for not coming and then email her the reasons. Therefore, please do me and yourself a favour and come for practice!!! The concert is on 14 Dec! Just 1+ more month left!

Next, please tag on this blog the number of tickets you have already sold (a rough number if people have booked your tickets but have yet to collect). Please specify whether it's matinée or evening. Note that the collection of unsold tickets and money should take place next week. Thanks for your cooperation!

Poor attendance

2007-11-03T06:04:00.001-07:00

Guys, I am very disappointed with the attendance today. Only Kenneth Ooi came, and the rest of you didn't even tell me or Jia Jin you are not coming. Mr. Voo came by the way, so please answer yourself. Hope this will not happen again in the future..

Anyway, i'm leaving so Hanoi, so yeaps, hope you all will train hard, and make use of these practices I would be sadly missing. I suck.

Sincerely,
Black Cello

Harloz~

2007-11-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

Harlo everyone!!!

Tony here ><. As you all know, we sec 4s have graduated liao, so... ya lor, kenneth, vincent n jiajin are taking the reigns of cellobass section and leading to a new goal, new age. So... I hope that you juniors do not make life difficult for them... (you know hu i'm referring to rite? hohoho). And to the new seniors, pls do not be too strict to the juniors as well. It's true tt you have to be strict, but you cant be too strict either rite? If not the juniors wouldn't wanna speak wif u ><, and that'll be dam sad rite? LOL... And well, I dun tink I've been bias to any instruments, but i've gotta say tt i'm a little bias towards/against people. Heez >< tts just my personality... But no matter what, I'm always nicer towards juniors than my peers. Heres a few messages that i wan to give the new seniors.

To Kenneth(Siah, durh rite? obviously not Ooi...) : Hmm, regarding what u said bout me...., i feel rather sad ><><>< gambatte

To Vincent : hihi, i dont really noe u tt well rite? and i dun tink u really noe me tt well either rite? Well, jus to say, u r very musically talented, but u have so many other commitments. So, i feel tt u should tink about what u are really passionate and interested in, and put the majority of ur effort into that you are passionate in. Well, as always, do come for practices more often... to improve ur cello skills, as well as to fulfil ur job as the new CO music director. I'm sure Thomas Ang would be more than glad to teach euu... >< Fun to have worked wif u! haha. Work hard!!

To JiaJin: Harloz... as i would always say... improve ur skills!~!~ You are now the lead bassist, and since lawrence and me are leaving, you would have to produce the amount of sound, quality and tone on the bass, that can equal to what both lawrence n me have done so far. Do try your best coping with the juniors okay? Don't let them climb over your head and step on you... tt would be bad... u would have to become more strict, as i feel u r too kind... as u can see from me always suanning you upside down... LOL!!! I'm glad to see you work hard to improve your skills, even though i always suan you... I sincerely apologise for all the damage I've done to ur heart... hohoho... Anyways, really very happy to have u as my junior, so that i can teach u what i've learnt. Do not be afraid to ask qns regarding playing the bass. So... its enjoyable to work with u ne... gambatte.

To my peers: What subject combi u taking ah? I taking Bio, Chem, Maths & Econs. My love for Bio n Chem is strong as always, and my fiery passion for them will burn forever!! HOHOHOHO Anyways, nice to have met u all. Fun to lame around with Edmund, and nice to combine forces with lawrence to start a suanning spree. So... hope we keep in touch and rmb each other in RJC, and even if we walk our different pathways in the future okay? :')

To my seniors: Thank you very much for nurturing me, from a slacker in RICO, to what i am today...haha, i really have to thank you all, u really have made my life in RICO fun. When u all left, i was actually at a lost of what to do... lol... quite sad rite? Nonetheless, chatting with you seniors is always the best and most fun of all.

So... I thank you all for being nice to me, even though how nasty i've been to you >< And i apologise for all the suanning and slapping tt i've bestowed upon you all... Enjoyable to work with u all, and keep in touch ok? Tis should be one of the las few posts that i will post... Cos it isn't really farewell with RICO rite? The real farewell comes much ltr, in december. So.. matane~

With lotsa love and warm regards,
Your amiable senior,
Tony~

Happy Graduation seniors!

2007-11-02T01:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Graduation seniors!
Wish you all the best in RJC, and hope to see you all around.

I think that without you guys, my life in RICO would not have been so memorable. Though we fought a lot, but it is really those moments which at the same time I feel oddly happy, and I feel a sense of belonging in RICO.

I will continue to do my best, and I think Jia Jin and Vincent will feel the same way too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
As you have seen this morning, i am in OIP, hence my occasional disappearing act, haha. I will be away from 5 - 19 Nov in Hanoi - Vietnam, and somewhere during December for a week in Korea, so you know where I am at when I am not around.

There will be practice tomorrow, Saturday, so please come on time. Failure to come on time by 9.00 a.m. without valid excuse will result in no attendance. Please do yourself a favour and come earlier to let me fix your cellos, as you always do. Same goes for bass section.

Lastly, someone PLEASE find zhangjie andf tell him to come. I don't want him to become another UFO.

Anyways, while I am not around, please listen to Jia Jin, and any other problems ask Vincent, Edmund and Mr. Voo. They are there to help you, so don't be mice.

Off to Hanoi,
Black Cello

So Happy.

2007-10-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

So happy. XD

On that note...

2007-10-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

(sidetrack: Tony, who says Jia Jin Overall SL?? Cello players are as good in and every way as double bass players! Cello rocks!)

*Coming back to real announcement*

Okay, this is mainly to cello players.

1) Gabriel, please promise me that you really use your friend's cello to practice

2) Kaichong, any problems with the neighbours? Anything please call me

3) Zhonghao, Remember to bring your cello back on Saturday! If not you wont have any cello to practice on

4) Zhangjie, your attendance alraedy not so good, and you have yet to take tickets from me, so please come or I have to look for you personally

Next, as Mr. Voo always requests me to do in training, go listen to more pieces, both cello and double bass. Go to youtube and search for 'Devil Trill'. It is full of double stops and is extremely hard to play, and it should be a good piece to admire.
Sec 1s, remember even though we are in RICO, our instruments are also part of Symphony Orchestra, so we must have a wide variety of musical knowledge.

Also, since its after EOY I found a addictive game that may help you improve your listening skills and timing skills for cello/double bass. Go try it at this link:
http://www.hallpass.com/media/supercrazyguitarmaniacdeluxe2.html

Even though it's rock music, the concept of able to time and focus is still critical in your normal instrumental training.

Finally, as a whole, please do not be like Tony, so instrument-bias person. Cello/bass section is not Cello and Bass section, but Cello AND bass section. It is important we work together!

Now that I have said all the cliche and boring stuff as an SL, sayonara
Signing off...
Black Cello

Dazu this coming Saturday

2007-10-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hi, Jia Jin, the Bass SL, here.

Note that there will be dazu this coming Saturday, 27 Oct, from 9am to 12pm.

Sec 1s: You will not be playing in the orchestra, but it's compulsory for you to come and self-practise outside the CO room. Remember to bring your scores. If you are not able to make it for some valid reasons, please go to http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/ri_chinese_orchestra/, join the group and, download and print the Practice excuse form.doc which can be found under Files. Hand in to either Kenneth or me.

It's also compulsory for all Sec 2s and 3s to attend. Do the same thing if you can't make it.

Regards,
Jia Jin
家进
ジャジン
리자진

长江后浪推前浪

2007-10-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Tony is back once again, after a long period of mugging... This post is to inform you that the sec 4s of cello/bass section have retired and the sec 3s have taken over.
Kenneth Siah is the Cello SL.
Vincent is the Music Director a.k.a. Student Conductor
Jia Jin is the Double Bass SL, as well as the overall SL.
I believe you all know the results already, but it is the time for proper handover lerz. So its time to say goodbye to the sec 4s. :P O ya, and say farewell to the anymore french/german in the blog, and welcome japanese. (Cos the sec 4s, Lawrence takes german, Edmund takes japanese, I take french - see a wide range of culture, now tt we are gone, there's only left with JiaJin and Kenneth Siah who takes Jap, Vincent who takes MEP.) All in all, have fun.

P.S. Sec 4s SHOULD be coming back after our O lvls.

Kudos
Tony

No practice until after EOY exams.

2007-09-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I am pleased to inform you that there will be no practice until after your EOY exams. Mug hard~ and see you then~

Tony (mugging mode)

Next Sectionals with Mr Voo, 22/09/07, Saturday.

2007-09-15T03:45:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

The next sectionals with Mr Voo is on saturday, 22/09/07, as Ms Lim has requested sectionals to be changed from wednesday to saturday. There will be NO practice on Monday, 17/09/07.

Tony

Practice tomorrow, saturday, 15/09/07

2007-09-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

There is practice tomorrow, saturday, 15/09/07. All are required to come, including the sec 1s. The secondary ones who have taken the music proficiency test and met the minimum requirement to enter dazu are now required to come for every dazu practice which are held on saturdays, weekly.

Tony

Practice on Wednesday, 12/9/07

2007-09-10T00:20:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

There is compulsory practice on Wednesday, 12/9/07. All MUST come. Mr Voo will be coming on this Wednesday as well. For those who have not taken the music proficiency test will have it on this coming Wednesday. Do work hard and enter dazu~!

Excuses for ponning practice such as:
1)I did not know of the existence of this blog. ( no excuses, an email was already sent out notifiying you all of this blog. If u dare say u din check ur mail, u ought to get smacked, cos its ur responsibility to check your email, since u created your email account.)
2)I forgot there was practice. (wad rubbish, forgetting about practice is same as forgetting who are your parents)
3)I did not read this blog. (wad a load of crap, cos u were already commanded to check this blog at least every 2 days)
4)I have some important thing that I must attend. (without stating what's the "important thing", it isn't important)
5)I don't feel like coming. (ya rite, don't come & u'll get it from us!)
6)Oh, I didn't feel well, so i didn't come. (well, produce an MC or parent's letter the next pract.)
7) *Any other stupid, crappy, nonsensical, "creative" excuses that are not stated in the above*
THESE ARE NOT ACCEPTED!!!

So, why not come for practice? Instead of us chasing after you. It makes life easier for both you and us. So, why not choose the easier route?

Tony

PRACTICE TOMORROW, 8/9

2007-09-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

There is practice tomorrow (saturday), 8/9. It is COMPULSORY for ALL members of cello/bass section to come!!! Meaning, ALL SECONDARY 1S MUST COME!!! Thx~

Tony

Attendance.

2007-09-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

Hi all. Attendance hasnt been very good lately and i guess u all know why.
Some common excuses.
1) Sickness - Nothing very wrong with this, IF and only IF it is real. Throughout my 4 years in RI, quite alot of people reporting to be sick I see are usually fake...
2) Family outings - CCAs are also a part of the school curriculum, so this is no excuse to use to pon CCA.
3) Injury - Not much problems as well. If it disables one to carry out some task as required in the CCA. However...For example, injuring your right hand's last finger or injuring ankle is just a petty reason to, again, pon and slack.
From my experience, I saw injured people even going for Judo training...So no excuses.
Mr Voo not coming- This is the lamest and weakest excuse ever... Even If Mr Voo doesnt come for practice, us seniors will be here to guide you, unless we have valid reasons for not coming as well. I vow by my SL-ship that us sec4s wont pon compulsary practices without any rhyme or reason. By which case you WILL practice on your own, or ask the sec2 or 3s for help.

This list is non-exhaustive, up to the ponner's creativity =.=. You will not gain in missing CCA practices. Lets take a look.

Advantages:
3 hours of free time.

Disadvantages:
Lack of Attendance, lack of practice, leading to a dismal CCA record...
Getting owned by teacher*S*.
Not having a good time in school because teachers want to own you.
Seniors chasing you...
ETC...

Therefore, the bottom line is, CCAs are part of the school's curriculum time and ponning it wont bring you anywhere far.

On a lighter note,
1f j00 23@y -@\/3 @ \/@!D 23@50\ f0r \/!55!\6 p2@c+!c3 +h3\ TELL ME EARLY.

Once again, practice from now onwards is every monday afternoon 3.30 pm till 6.30 pm and every saturday 9 am to 12 pm. Including this coming Saturday. If you are not needed to come for practice then you WILL be informed. I'm typing all of this out merely for the sake of you all to see the value and need to come for practice.

Regards,
Lawry

Practice on saturday, 8/9

2007-09-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Pls be reminded that there is practice on saturday, 8/9. Practice starts from 9am, and ends at around 12noon. All sec 1s are required to come, as Mr Voo will be coming to conduct the basic music proficiency test. Have fun ~

Tony

Regarding announcements.

2007-09-01T02:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I'm not sure if all sec 1s know about the existence of this blog, but I believe that I have sent out an email to all sec 1s. So, if you did receive the email, and know about this blog, would you all please tag, or give me an email reply? Thanx very much for your cooperation.

还有，本博客不是为了消遣而被制造的，而是为了让信息的传达更方便，以致所有的低音组员们得晓通知。身为本组的一分子，你们应该负起责任，每一、两天左右浏览本博客。因此，以“忙”为无法浏览本博客的借口，是无法接受，无法容忍的。这只表示你们的无可奈何，表示你们不关心时事，缺乏责任感。如果你们的电脑坏，或者是互联网发生事故，你们应该发简讯，或拨电话给本组的主任，或其他的学长，向我们得知排练时间与其他的信息。如果，非常不幸的，你们的电脑坏，互联网发生事故，电话、手机等沟通系统全部都无法操作，你们还是得找办法，譬如去附近的公共电话，或向父母借手机，照样拨电给任何一个学长们。

好啦，我别在唠叨了！就此搁笔吧！

祝学弟们
学习进步
笑口常开
努力排练

低音组学长
荣耀(Tony)

Monday Sectionals 3/9/07

2007-08-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sectionals on Monday will be from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm if there are no violent objections.

For Sec 1s who have not taken the proficiency test, you are expected to make good use of the time tomorrow to prepare for the coming test on Saturday 8/9. If you do not get at least a 70%, you are expected to take the retest.

Bring your scores, don't be late and meet at the RJCCO room.

Happy September Hols~

2007-08-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Pls note that there is no practice on 1st of September, as it is Teacher's Day. Practice will commence on 3rd of September, a Monday, where sectionals will take place. Mr Voo will only be coming on Saturday, 8th of September, so all sec 1s pls come on 8th of September, a Saturday, as well. If not, there would be dire consequences... ><

On a lighter note, the September Holidays have arrived!!! This is the time for you all to take a break from all the CCTs and project works during term 3 and relax yourselves. Reflect and look back at what you have gone through in term 3, and you would be surprised to have survived the most hectic of all the terms. You all deserve a pat on your shoulder for your hardwork! So, relax and enjoy yourselves, but don't relax too much until you forget to revise~

Les testes ont fini, et les vacances de septembre sont arrivées. N’êtes pas triste si vous ne faisiez pas bien pour vos testes. Si vous aviez déjà mis beaucoup d’effort, vous ne devriez pas être triste. La meilleure solution pour obtenir de bons résultats est d’étudier dur pendant les vacances. Néanmoins, vous devez se reposer pendant les vacances, mais pas trop. De toute façon, bonne chance pour vos examens finals. Après les vacances de septembre, il y a des DMPs. Donc, je suis heureux! Et vous?

À bientôt!

Tony

Contacts...

2007-08-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, Lawrence here

YAY...new blog >.>
Anyway, just for everyone to get to know everyone better... E-mail addresses! (as of 2007) . Feel free to provide more ><.
J2s Shu Zhang a.k.a. Susie: q_610@hotmail.com
Shaun: shuqun89@hotmail.com
Mervin: chunyi89@hotmail.com

J1s Derek: quazecotlhoo@hotmail.com
Lowell/JJ: ley_jun_jie@hotmail.com
Yi Fei: fifeimyf@hotmail.com

Sec4s
Lawry =): lollipopkwek@hotmail.com
Tony: lockton_91@hotmail.com
Ed.: swirling.dust@gmail.com

Sec3s
Vincent: vincent_tjeng@hotmail.com
Kenneth: regitrio@hotmail.com
another JJ ><: oto-otokonohito@hotmail.com

Sec2s
Ian!!!: crazypaw@hotmail.com

Sec1s
Gabriel: gabeegoh@hotmail.com
Kaichong: kaicong@hotmail.com
Zhang Jie: zhangjie_sg@hotmail.com
Zhong Hao: shadow_rawks94@hotmail.com
Shi Kang: ngshikang@gmail.com
Hao Sheng: paperburner@gmail.com
Kenneth Ooi: kenneth_ooi_kenneth@yahoo.com.sg

Sec 1s Gambatte!!! =x Year end concert songs really easy xia...

*editted by Tony*

Hello minasan

2007-08-26T02:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

This is the first post. Firstly, i would like to give credits to jiajin, for helping me with the source code of this blog (i suck at such stuff). Then, i would like to give a lot of credits to myself for designing the background!! Nice eh? =X. So, let's celebrate the birth of Cello/Bass section blog!!! *clap & cheer* YAY!!!

Okay, on a more serious note. There will be no practice on Monday, as Mr Voo is unable to come, and your seniors are unable to make it as well. Sec 4s have chinese prelims on tuesday. Edmund and me have 3rd lang prelims on monday, tuesday, wednesday & thursday. There will still be practice on saturday, for sec 2s, 3s & 4s. (shikang, you have to come for dazu, cos you got 3.6 gpa for your test.) To all sec 1s, there will be a cello/bass music proficiency test on Monday, 3rd of september. If you get 3.6 gpa, then you are eligible to join dazu. If not, you have to continue practising and take the retest. And most importantly, there WILL BE practices on EVERY Monday and Saturday, unless otherwise stated, on this blog, or SMSes from Lawrence. Pls refer to this blog REGULARLY to check for announcements. Thank you.

Your senior,
Tony