1/8/2006 - nostalgia for SPSMB

The Saint Patrick's School Military Band Crest



SYF 2005-Singapore Conference Hall, 13 April 2005 (Hanover Festival and Singapore Rhapsody)
im on the 2nd row from the left, percussionist, nearest to the audience.

ROD Ceremony. Batch says farewell to juniors individually in drills position



Our Band Motto when things are down: F**k IT!! (FIT if u can see what we are trying to do haha..)




Band of Brothers!! 2002-2005 Batch << ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE!! >>


nostalgia. absolute nostalgia. as i was playing the piano this evening, something i dont do very often, i realized what has been missing in my JC life. Thoughts brought the terrible feelings of being off school on a early day. yes, early days are starting to feel really terrible, so much so emulsified in solitude. i thought back, as each note was pounded by my fingers, of what i took as my forte for 4 years of my life. yes, the days where i would play the xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, cymbals, drums, and occasionally the drum set came rushing back to my mind. the epitome of my nostalgia, yes, i was so waiting to graduate from band even on my ROD day, 8th August 2005. but its amazing how things just come flooding back like golden memories. the tingleness of giving anything to reliving the moment when it seemed like it'll never end. its gone now; the walking around the school at night during the band camps, the stories of the central classroom on the central staircase, the tales of the japanese soldiers, the bodies buried in the brother's quarters, the library being a wartime hospital, and the bandroom, where i slept many a time, to be the execution room, the boy and the tree and the symbol on the ground, the chute to the old science lab ghost stories. each is a story on its own, told in the fabrics of friendship and bondedness between bandsmen. i miss the camaraderie, the bondedness, the punishments we took,the suffering, the pains, as well as the glory and the happiness. i miss st.pats as a whole, but the band the most. yeah, cant believe i used to dread going to the band like 3 days a week, make that 5 prior to SYF, and i must say with a tinge of regret that i never really gave my heart and soul. still, memories like this linger forever..the soccer we play after practice, the sectionals although its slacktionals for my section haha, the batch outings, the way we standed up for each other( the one for all all for one culture), teaching the direct juniors, performing at places like macRitchie resevoir, botanic gardens, esplanade, victoria concert hall, st.michael, st.steven, siloso beach, brisbane's griffith university, istana etc. the band has given alot to me, i once had a real lack of confidence, stage fright, and ultimate pessimism. the band gave me confidence, gave me the chance to experience what its like in a top top level in their category, SPSMB has had 8 consecutive top accolades at the SYF in a row, and i am honoured to have taken part in 2, in 2005 and in 2003, maintaining the standards set in 2001,1999,1997,1995,1993,1991. yes, the band is a legacy and culture unparalled. i miss the drills, i miss the carrying of benches for 4 hours in the hot sun to prepare for Passing Out of the recruits in Secondary 2, i miss the full band rehearsals, the jokes the laughter the banter the spirit, i miss everything. From my first piece twinkle twinkle little star to persis to batik to golden jubilee to hanover festival just to name a few, every piece brings special memories, every moment brings valued sentiments. i will never forget my seniors, no matter how ''interesting'' they may be, the daily charade of collecting funds, the practicing for the music etc. I really didnt feel all that great when i was in the band, but now, i realize how much it really is, the true value of SPSMB. and today incidently is the anniversary of which it was born, the 73TH anniversay of the band, and it should stand tall and proud. i think what was the most important aspect i missed most was the batch: the batch of 2002-2005, they all came, all 60+ 0f them in secondary one, by sec four, we were left 19 strong, but a bonded, closely knit bonded my blood and brotherhood. im serious, it was really an awesome experience. i look back in laughter at some of the funny sides of things once more, the policy of getting a new pair of drum sticks by the school once a pair is broken, it resulted in alot of broken sticks!! haa. i still remember i broke in total about 3-4 pairs of sticks la, and i still remember that drum performance i made for the piece "We will Rock You" at the concert in sec 3. truly, i could go on and on, i remembered the best band teacher ever, Miss Chen Li Yan, who happened to be my bio teacher as well, and well, the trip to Brisbane in 2004. we are the lucky batch to have 2 SYFs, and i remember tiny me in sec 2 playing Golden Jubilee and Tales of the Sea at the Victoria Concert Hall in 2003, we got 2nd in Singapore that year. and i remembered me just last april playing my swansong Hanover Festival and Singaporean Rhapsody at the Singapore Conference Hall. we finished in the top 5 last year, i think 3rd. i wished i treasured the moments then,the walking about like in 2am in the morning during band camps, the fervent number of practices every week especially nearer the SYF, the jokes the seniors play like putting colgate on juniors when they were asleep, the march in rolls during the National Day Celebrations, Speech Day, Scouts Day, POP (Passing out Parade etc.) sigh, i wished i was in SPSMB for longer than i did now, and thus there is a notion that secondary school years are more valuable then JC. while i said before that JC should be the most memorable, today sentiments for St Patrick's pride the band runs high in my heart. it was fate i missed the soccer trials in the first week of school, it was fate i decided there was no alternative, and the band has really moulded me to become a better person. nostalgia nostalgia. so much more to say about the band, but unexplainable in words, what i know though, it will remain with me for the rest of my life. i plan to go back and relieve the feeling again, no matter the feelings will not be the same ever again, it was too good to last, and i shall try my best to taste the sweetness of it again. that fateful day when a young boy so lost in th world came into the realm of music with no background, which has left a mark for the rest of his life. i miss the band, and i hope to visit it again, happy 73th anniversary to SPSMB!!

ok, so about today well. i still got alot of catching up to do. the cheong season is supposed to be back, but i got too taken by nostalgia today. haix,wishing i could do more than what i am. today was alright i guess, played pe with the class for once, it was the captain ball thingy, and it was great to be back with the class again, altough i know mr.foo let us off today coz there are not enough guys. lol. must work that out too huh. besides that, im hoping to MAKE other things fall into place like studies,fitness,social etc. Fencing tommorow, i say again, i better get my blade or im really going to continue to feel out of place. Ho-hum...

Things are starting to look brighter, but i will not let my guard down. Its time to do what i need do. enter into yet another day...