UOL Pageant...

I have been waking up late these days, around 11plus or sometimes, 12pm. Sighz, what a waste of time. On friday, I was woken up by a call at 11plus in the morning. The in-charge for the UOL Pageant called me to tell me I got through the auditions and will be in the finals. For those who didn't know, I went for the audition for pageant in my school. Someone approached me and I decided to just give it a go. People have been encouraging me to join, like Wanping... So I thought maybe I should really try it this time. I have been busy and joining such an event would only make me more occupied. Hopefully the experience is worth it and I get to win attractive prizes. Wahahha!

The audition was about 2 weeks back. I did not know what to expect, I thought they would just ask questions and get to know me better... etc. However, the format of it was like Singapore Idol. Ha... Reminds me of my experience at Idol. But of course, Singapore Idol was far more daunting. For this, I went into a room with about 8 students accessing me. I guess cause I knew they are fellow students and they looked quite friendly, I wasn't nervous. In fact, I sailed through the audition. I was fluent all the way :) I told them that I was a stammer but they were in disbelief. Then they asked common questions like your commitment level, who nominated you, which part of your body do you like best, do you have a girlfriend... then they said there is a swimwear section during the pageant and whether I would be fine with it. I said I'm ok with it. Next, they asked me to take off my top and do a catwalk! I was totally caught off-guard! I haven't been exercising enough to flaunt my body. In fact, I never had a body nice enough to flaunt. But still, I did it. Ha! Was I brave or nuts? We had to walk to four spots and pose for the camera. Bad bad! Ever since that day, I feel so FAT and FLABBY. What a disgrace. So... from now till the day of pageant which is about 1month and 3weeks away, I better do something about my physique. I can't imagine parading in swimwear...

I had wanted to turn them down and just get on with life. People said its wasted cause I have such an opportunity, so why not try out. Rochemochi said its so fun to join a pageant. Whats so fun about it? I guess I am doing it cause of support from friends and I want a platform to improve myself. Hope I do good.

Exercise... exercise... exericse! Its good...

-LeB-

A night @ Oosh...

I finally went to Oosh and listened to a live performance there. Its supposedly quite a well-known place with reputable singers like Joanna Dong and Tay Kewei. I would say the place is nice... having a nice ambience, looks good and good performances. I wouldn't mind going back there. Actually this is my 2nd time there. My first was with Ashley, Frances, Yilin, Jon and Joel. But we sat outdoors so I didn't catch the performance. This time round, I went with WangDajie, WendyMAMA and Smintz... Thanks for going together despite being tired and sick. :) *Minhui was so sick that she sounded like a MAN, literally! Wahahah!*

Joanna Dong was the singing that night and watching her sing is quite a pleasure. She is charming :) 2 highlights of the night were when Joanna did the trumpet sound using her mouth and the keyboardist using different instrumentation. Joanna did it so well I initially thought the sound came from the keyboard. Impressive! She has very good diction, a nice tone and groove to her voice that is suitable to sing jazz. For people who do not know her, she was top 32 in Singapore Idol 1, sang for 'if there're seasons', a recent chinese musical that I managed to catch, and now, a frequent performer at pubs. The keyboardist, an 'uncle' but plays superbly well. He knows what to play and when to play, not playing too much and using the right instrumentation. There was a part when he played 'singing' on the keyboard, so cool! For people who like jazz and pubs with live performance, I recommend Oosh. Its at Dempsey Rd, near Holland V. Anyone who wants to go, call me along!

We left after the performance and, we didn't fail our stomachs... We set off for supper again. Pics below...


A pic of our drinks and Joanna Dong singing. I love my drink 'Virgin Peach Margarita', its a mocktail, I'm still a small boy.


A pic of the girls. They look reddy...


Scandal! Scandal! Do we look like a couple or more like mother and son? She is WendyMAMA. :)
(I don't like the colour of the pic though, so green... taken with the wrong settings)


Smintz, Minhui and I...


As requested by Wendy. A cute pose. Gosh...

-LeB-

next gig...

My next gig is confirmed! 4th Nov @ Borders... This time round I'll be teaming up with Meilian. I don't really know her but I have heard her sing and heard a lot about her. Its my honour to perform with her. I hope I'll do a good job. *some inside info... Meilian sings like Tanya Chua! So cool!*

More details to be confirmed...

Caleb is feeling excited yet nervous...

-LeB-

Spontaneity!!!

Another day of spontaneity... I was out the whole day on Monday. 8.30am lessons and had to stay in school till 6.30pm. I rushed down to Bugis to teach at 7.30pm and met up with 2 sec school frens at 8.45pm. The meeting was a last minute arrangement... it was good to meet up with them, I haven't seen them in quite a while. Then at about 9plus pm, WendyMAMA called. Asking if I would like to go for karaoke. Ha! On! I had the urge of 'karaoking' for the past few days. How timely. I had a great time singing and listening to them sing. Simin, Wendy and Minhui are such good singers, its a joy hearing them. Especially when Minhui sang 'bu bi zai hu wo shi sui' by Sandy Lam. And Wendy is actually quite a 'dong gan' singer! Simin knows tricks on how to sing any difficult song. When you reach a difficult part, cough naturally and continue. Ha!

We ended karaoke at 2.30am and that wasn't the end! We almost wanted to go home but, we went to eat! We cabbed down to Geylang for dim sum! Good dim sum! We had to pester Wendy to go cause she was already 3/4 asleep. When it reaches 2am, Wendy's eye bags will grow and cover her eyes, leaving her with really small eyes! The weather was so cold then that it felt like we were overseas... like we were in 'Hiong Kong'. Especially after singing many canto songs and attempts on trying to converse in canto. Nice weather!

After good dim sum and company, we finally left for home and I reached home at 4.15am. Showered and slept at 4.50am. A really long day! Tired!

Wendy in an attempt to cover her already covered eyes...

Weird expressions that people have when they are too tired! *Don't kill me Minhui...*

A more normal pic of them... still, Wendy's eyes are gone...


Our barley! Minhui recommended the barley and I thought they would come in cups... but, NOT! Its good stuff :)


Chang Fen! A very different sauce used here... nice nice!


Banana and Mango fritters...


Golden Yam Balls...


Chicken Feet! The best I've eaten so far. The flesh is not too soft or hard and the sauce is good! Highly recommended!


A final group pic... still without eyes. @ 3am...

-LeB-

Jesus... Worship... Humility...

Just came back from a brief church worship meeting. Eng Kwang shared on 3 things today... I simple sharing but it was a good reminder. All of us being so active in church and serving in the worship ministry, sometimes it becomes so mundane and routine that we forgot the purpose of everything. We were told to share on the word 'Jesus' and 'worship', what it meant to us. There were contributions like... Jesus is our saviour; Jesus died for our sins; Jesus helped me through NS; Jesus is my first love and will always be... etc. I said that Jesus is the reason we live. And I guess its so true, there is no greater cause for living. May Jesus be and always be the focus of our lives. Amen!

On 'worship', people said it means... an expression of our love to God, a testimony of our lives, adoration to God, giving God His due praise and glory, blessing the Lord's name. Thereafter, Eng Kwang shared a short paragraph of what worship is. What he said was initially too abstract, but as he repeated, it made sense. It encompassed all that was contributed. Indeed 'worship' is not what some people term as 'slow songs' that are sung in a church service. I guess it was coined that way for convenience. I was reminded that our lives are a worship to God, that worship and Christian living is not just a Sunday thing. I ought to live out the standards of God in a greater capacity.

Humility... nothing said about it, just an act done by brother Eng Kwang. He washed our feets. It was a true humbling act and he wanted to set an example. May today's message be a reminder to all of us.

I need to be disciplined and set my priorities right.

-LeB-

放纵的一天... and my lazy days

My past few days have been lazy... Days where I do not feel any sense of accomplishments; I just slack and time goes by. No doubt we all need to rest and enjoy, but I seem to be procrastinating about the things that I need to do. I need a balance!

Today we carried out a spontaneous plan, that is to play badminton. Played with Minhui, Wendy and Chuanfeng (Markolele). First time playing badminton together... not bad, not bad. We shall have more of such next time. Exercise! And after badminton, we continued with our all-time-favourite activity. Eating! Went to the Clementi Market to eat. We had real good 'Goreng Pisang', carrot cake and satay. Following which, we had donuts. We then proceeded on to Minhui's place to wash up... After some rest, it was dinner time... and, we decided to eat something good which was 'Sakura Buffet'. I spent a bomb on food and ate tons again. Whats new... ? I really think I'm becoming fatter. Ha... there's a reason for that. Well, my verdict on Sakura Buffet. I think its alright. $26.30 for some variety, alright taste. They have sashimi though. :) Like Wendy said, it was really a 放纵的一天... We have planned for more activities, that is, 'Ooosh' next week! Yeah!

My meals these days always seem to be what I look forward to. Maybe also cause I have made friends who love to eat too! Hahaha... Just the previous night before badminton, I had 'Fish Head Pot', 'Apple Fried Chicken', 'Kailan' and my beloved 'Cereal Prawns'... that was for a late dinner cum supper. Great meal!

Away from food, I went to the hairdresser with my brothers. Yes, the 3 brothers. It was the first time that my younger brother went to the hairdresser to change his hairstyle. He usually cuts his 'bowl' at the malay barber. People who have seen him would know... :) Pics below of his hairstyle in the making!


Beginning of the hair-cut...


In the process and not wanting to look at the camera...


Nice change! :) This is the side view and I think he looks so cute. Wahahah... Nicely spiked. I'm envious of his hairstyle. Looks better than mine. Still, I love him. :)

-LeB-

late nights...

Its 2.24am and I just reached home. Back from a Sunday outing with friends from "Echo". Like Edmund calls it, an 'echo outing'. Ha... It was fun. Went to 'Ai Qing Hai' a 'Ming Ge Can Ting' to support Denis and Simin... They are great musicians... I'm inspired to be like them. :) I haven't gone to 'Ai Qing Hai' since the age of 15.

After their performance at 'Ai Qing Hai', we proceeded on to bowling! The much anticipated match between Denis, Minhui and I. Sadly, there wasn't much of a competition... Ha, our scores were too lousy. For the 1st game, everyone got below 100. It was only the 2nd game that I had a close fight with Minhui, scoring 113 and 114 respectively. I lost :( I want a RE-MATCH! Since all of them did not have to work the next day, we went on to play pool. The night was still young. Denis introduced a funky place called 'pool something', I can't remember... I just know its near princep street. It looks classier, with groovy music, television and a nice menu. I played about 3-4 games of pool. I think its a record for me! But, I am still bad at the game. :( Minhui claims to be the best cause she won Simin. Simin defeated the rest. I suspect its because she plays the game slowly, leaving her opponents no patience and thus losing. Ha... Simin and I had the longest game yet. And we had beer while playing. Ha... My 2nd time drinking in a week. I had beer when we went out for supper the other time. 'Hoegarden'... its supposedly smooth and good. Till now, I still can't appreciate. I just drink. Ha... Maybe it goes with age. I'm not even 21 yet! Soon soon...

Somehow, I seem to feel at ease with people older than me... Do I? I feel old and different among people my age. Not all but at least some. I don't seem to do what friends of my age do... Clubbing? Outings on a weekend? I don't do those. Am I old at heart? Still, I cherish all my friends around me. Hanging out with echo people is like being with a family. Just like how it was when the 'indecisives' used to meet up often. Now its like left with the 'jaded' boys... even so, we don't meet up that often. Frances!!! You are missed!

Caleb is cherishing all his friends... Friends forever~!~!

-LeB-

a picture...

A picture of my hand with a maple leaf, representative of Canada. This picture was taken in Canada and I love how the picture turned out to be. I feel that it was a good shot! Ha... The lighting, sunlight and details of the pic complements each other. Feels natural and colour of it gives a feeling of HOPE. Just like how I love the mornings, evenings and sunny days. Makes me feel recharged and full of hope. May our lives be filled with love, hope and joy :) God bless!

-LeB-

巫启贤的演唱会!!!

I just came back! Its 1.46am now. Caleb is feeling high, happy, contented and great! Yeah, I just came back from 巫启贤的演唱会! Eric Moo's concert. I was very much looking forward to his concert. It is a highlight... And, it was great and enjoyable.

I have gone for 3 of his concerts. Ever since he had his first concert in Singapore in 2003, then 2005 and now, 2007. 2 yrs once and its always something I look forward to. 巫启贤 is what made me really listen to chinese songs. I first heard him sing on a music programme on channel 8 called 'music happenings'. And back then, I was captivated by his voice. He can really sing. Plus, his range is very wide, something that interest me too. Since then, I have bought many of his albums and I know practically all his songs. Wendy was saying how can it be that you grew up listening to his songs? Well, I did. I started listening to his songs at the age of 15. Back then I could just listen to his album for 1-2 months. His songs are those that are '很耐听' and have stood the test of time. A career as a singer for 24 years, he has gone a long way...

What was different this time round is that I went to the concert with some friends! Yeah! However, I still sat alone cause I bought the ticket alone. The concert must have been more fun with them beside me. Still, at least after the concert I could share my excitement with them! Haha... Sorry WangDajie if I kept harping on 'Eric Moo + Ruth Ling'. I have gone for 3 concerts alone but this time, I had company, cool... I also saw Diya and Carrie. Carrie was quite high. Haha. Back to the contents of the concert...

Sadly, we were slightly late for the concert. Haiz, that is one of my regrets. 'Cause to me, the beginning part of the concert is always the most exciting! And, Eric Moo did a medley! Medley's are interesting and fun! Yet, I missed 3/4 of it. I only heard a little of <想着你的感觉 and 遗忘过去> Sad, 'cause both are my favourites... After so long, 巫启贤 still sings very well and is very stable. Thats so good. However, some parts of the concert wasn't that exciting for me cause I've heard the songs too many times, even live, over and over again. Now, the highlight!!! The highlight of the concert for me was when he sang <太傻 and 叫阮的名> Both songs are piano-fied. Ha... Especially 太傻! The rendition they did was great! The first verse and chorus, it was just the piano and 巫启贤's voice. I love acoustics... When they started that song, 'I couldn't take it!'. Yeah, it was just too nice!!! Arggh! Ruth Ling was on the keyboard. This is my first time listening to her playing. She is a well-known keyboardist in the Singapore music scene and I've heard much about her. Simon used to learn from her and my piano teacher, Ai Cheng is her friend. Well, she is good! What an inspiration! The second highlight was the hokkien song. The piano started the song, it sounded great and, I have not heard the song for song long.... so listening to it again was FANTASTIC. The song has so much emotions, and to listen to it live... just GREAT!

巫启贤 also shared a little about his past and happenings. Very interesting... I would think Wendy, Simin, Minhui and Xiuping would be able to relate to it. Well, my only 'performing' period was when I was in JJC together with Jiarong and Jasmine. I started to think about how we used to write songs... Songs that sound plain, simple and bad :( but, we loved them. How we recorded the songs hours after hours, had rehearsals... etc. Those days are great memories for me. Well, I really hope my path in music will not stop or end here and that it will carry on. Like what Minhui said... looking and hearing 巫启贤 spurs her on to do good music! Yeah... I totally agree!

After the concert, we went for supper... Supper at LauPaSat. Its been sometime since I had supper. Nice to gather together with them. :)
Great day! :) Caleb has got to work hard!

Praise the Lord! Anyway, Eric Moo is now a Christian also... :) I ever prayed for his salvation... Hahah... Am I crazy or am I crazy? Still, it is a good thing that another person is in the Kingdom of God. May I be a salt and light to the people around me...

*Smilez*


Blurred Pic of 巫启贤...


巫启贤 and his 2 guests... 方文琳 and 裘海正


A clearer pic... :)


This is "THE" pic! I actually caught 巫启贤 introducing Ruth Ling!


Xiuping, Simin, Minhui and I at the concert...


Spot the 3 girls shouting "encore!"


Diya and Carrie were at the concert too... :)


I have long wanted to take a pic with these 2... Simon on the right, my former keyboard instructor and his girlfriend, Minhui, my current vocal instructor. The both of them are very talented! and, they are my mentors! Thanks lots for all the opportunities, chances and faith you have in me :) I truely respect and thank God for the both of you!

I've finally come to the end of my post. Great night! :)

-LeB-

Simin's Birthday Celebration :)

I just reached home about 15mins ago. Its late considering I did not drive.... but, I had an enjoyable time at echo. I went down after school today to celebrate Simin's birthday. Its my first birthday celebration for someone at echo. I think birthdays are good to be remembered and even a smallest celebration would do good. Hope Simin had some memorable time. :) I gave her a pair of 'birthday socks'. And, we had 'birthday cake' made by WendyMama, interesting! Hahah... Wendy, continue to bake more, we will be your guinea pigs. We had good food and long conversations through the night.

It was good 'cause I seldom interact with Dennis and Edmund. Edmund suggested that we have an echo overseas trip. Sounds real fun considering what they told me about Cameron Highlands. Hopefully I wouldn't be hugged. Wahahha... I really enjoy going overseas, so, if there can really be an overseas trip, I'll be looking forward to it. Anyway wanting to go overseas, call me along! Being with them is interesting cause they would talk about their experiences and past being a performer. That has always been what I wanted and it is still my goal. It does not bore me talking about music and entertainment. Hopefully I will embark on something soon. :)

Simin, happy birthday! Jiayou for your dreams and aspiration! God bless!

Tata!

-LeB-