e-mail from Berklee College of Music

the e-mail came, the verdict is out...

I didn't get accepted... Caleb didn't get into Berklee College of Music. I thought chances were 50/50 and was hoping very much to get in. Definitely I am saddened and lost at the result. Well, got to move on... Thinking about my plans, but I am thankful that I have God. I know He is in control, as long as I commit everything to Him :) Yeah!

I have been slacking for months, as xuan said... "wsss" 无所事事. I think I'll go back to do relief teaching, continue teaching and strive harder in music. :)

I thank God for his blessings :)

-LeB-

Ruth Ling in concert...

Just got back from Ruth Ling's concert... It was great! Inspiring in many ways and enjoyable!

It was inspiring to see how good she is... Her arrangements, song-writing abilities, singing, playing and more! To see how blessed she is with many opportunities and how she uses her abilities to glorify God. Amen! She is indeed an inspiration :)

After that, it was a very enjoyable chill out time with the music family. And, welcoming back Wendy from HK (as if she had left for a long time), only 5 days man...

After all that is seen tonight. There's one conclusion... We got to work so much more and many harder man!

-LeB-

a God of miracles...

they have been such a blessing in my life... in our lives...

and I know probably more than anyone else how grave the matter is...

I am praying... praying and praying... for a miracle...

God, please grant healing and a miracle!

-LeB-

My Genting Trip + Malacca and JB...

This post should have been up quite some time back. But I haven't had time or maybe, I have been lazy... I had a short getaway last week. Just after my audtion, Simon and Minhui drove to KL to look for me. And up we went to Genting... :) It was a very relaxing, nothing much planned but very enjoyable trip. Just spending time together. But... Mark pulled out last minute from the trip and I became an obvious LIGHTBULB. I am glad they didn't mind also. Besides, they are still very loving even if I'm there or not! Whahaah... 'Cause of Simon's membership, I had free hotel stays and a hotel room to myself :) Thanks a lot! We needed 2 rooms... How could I disrupt the couple. :P

This trip sparked my first official entry into a casino. I have walked through casinos in Vegas but, I was underaged then and I didn't see what was going on. This time round, we went in and I saw how "big, small" was being played. It was tense! But I am glad I'm not really lured to play at the casino :)

We had one MAJOR highlight...

On our way back from Genting to Singapore, when we reached Ipoh (quite near to Johor), Simon asked us to check our passports. I was rather sure that I had mine in my lugguage. He had asked me to checked for his and Minhui's and... it wasn't there! The whole situation became tense... I knew it was no joke to be losing passports in a foreign land. I helped looked around and it REALLY wasn't there. They analysed the situation and confirmed that they probably left it at the hotel. Good thing Minhui was quite calm... in fact, she seem quite happy... wahhah! Cause if she left it at the hotel, means we would spend another day in Malaysia. Haha... It being a grave issue, I began praying... and praying and praying... :) We found the hotel's number on a tissue box that Simon had taken from the hotel room. Haha... And asked them to check the room for us. Thank God and thank God that the passports were there! Really really thank God :) So at 12am, we drove back up to Genting, a 4hrs drive back up. Though it was tiring, I thank God for everything. For being in control and for being there... and with the journey up to Genting again, I had quite a good talk with Simon. Some things that I have wanted to say for some time. And I am glad we talked :) I really cherish the time spent together...

Thank God for Simon and Minhui as mentors, colleagues, close friends, fellow music lovers in my life :)


We slacked and slacked... Ate and ate and this was our usual routine of using the net.


At the middle of a mountain enjoying teh-tarik...


The mushroom farm that we failed to enter...


Hahaha... China boy and Mr. Sleepy at A&W... Talking about A&W... When I saw it, I was elated! But... the standard has dropped so much! Its no longer nice. :( I miss the A&W from my childhood...


A&W... Look at the colour of the waffle... :(


At the happening street of Malacca! I love the street... it was bustling and different!


Famous Chicken Rice Balls and Kampong Chicken...


My wonderful photography! I think I am talented in photography man... 2 heads + a restaurant! Wahhah...


Our only group pic together... taken with a pair of shaky hands... wahhah


This is the "hui guan"... Something like a community centre for different groups of people with the same dialect to gather and have activities... It looks so traditional and happening. I didn't know such a thing exist!


In japan... Handmade sushi. I actually enjoyed it. Although Simon had warned us about its hygenie. But its nice!


A rainbow we saw on our drive back :)

This was our 3 trip overseas now... How many more will there be?

Thanks for the time... :)

Thank God...

-LeB-

My Berklee Audition

This is part 1 of my Malaysia trip and it is the main reason why I went to Malaysia, KL in specific. I had arrived 1 day before my audition and when I woke up on the day of my audition, I almost couldn't believe that THIS IS THE DAY. Being alone in Malaysia was quite lonesome. I've realised that travelling alone you would tend to talk to strangers more. There was this guy from UK who asked me if the shop that I had dinner served good food. And from there, we continued with a conversation. There was also this guy from China who talked to me... Why? Cause he said he came to Malaysia to look for a friend but his friend went overseas, he has no money and needs some for a meal. And... He is a GM! Its just absurd! No money, no credit card? Best was... a day later, he approached me on the streets again! Arggh!

Back on my audition, many have asked me how it went. Thanks a lot for the concern! :) And thanks to those who prayed for me and wished me all the best! Yeah! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT... My overall thoughts about the audition, I didn't meet my own expectations. I really practiced hard for my 2 pieces but at the audition, I made many mistakes :( Other components went pretty fine, I HOPE! The examiners were very nice and encouraging though... It wasn't like ABRSM exams. When I went in they said, "Hi! Welcome!" Shaked my hand and we introduce ourselves. It was like making new friends. Really quite cool. I was mainly tested by this female examiner, I have quite a good impression of her :)

Apart from the audition itself, I talked to quite a number of people who went for the audition. It is not exactly quite me to talk to strangers. But, I enjoyed talking to them! Many were from other countries, I was the only true-blue Singaporean there? There was a Malaysian who studied in Singapore and a Japanese who has been living in Singapore for 11years. The rest were from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam... They were all rather young too... An average age of 17, 18 years old? I am... 23 years old this year! I exchanged contact with one of them, so at least if the both of us make it to Berklee, I would have 1 friend! Haha... I hope we all do well :)


My hotel room at KL, Grand Seasons Hotel. First time staying in a hotel alone. With a big bed to myself...


ICOM (International College of Music), the place where the audition was held. This is also my piano teacher's school.

Results of my audition will be out early next month. I certainly do hope I get selected. It is my dream to go to Berklee! And of course, to improve by leaps and bounds... But whatever it is, I am certain that God has plans for me :)

Another reason is... I wish to save my friend's head...


-LeB-

BACK!~!~!

I am finally back in Singapore. Supposed schedule was supposed to get me back yesterday, but... We had a really EVENTFUL trip.

And the Berklee audition is finally over, a load off my shoulders... Friends have been asking me how I did. I have to say, I didn't do as well as I thought I could have done. The 2 pieces that I prepared, I had a lot of mistakes :( However, the interview and talking went fine. I thank God for it :) Whatever it is, I entrust everything into God's Hands.

I covered KL, Genting, Malacca, Genting, Johor on this trip. I shall update soon...

Thank God for everything, for being with us through the trip, His protection was definitely with us. Lord, I thank You :)

-LeB-

the day is really coming...

11 March '09 Berklee Auditions at ICOM, KL... It really is going to come.

I am leaving in a few hours time, not on a plane though. Just on a coach to KL. And I am officially travelling alone for the first time! I have always wanted to do that. Sounds really exciting :) It got to be safe too...

This time however, the agenda is different. Its not like any other travel plans that I have made. I am going for an AUDITION. Seems so surreal. I don't even really know how its going to be like. Shall do my best...

I commit my hands, my mind, my thoughts, my nerves all into the Hands of my Almighty God.

Whatever the outcome, I thank God, I praise the Lord :)

-LeB-

My Compositions...

I had always thought of becoming a songwriter, music producer... I started off writing Christian songs when I was about secondary 3, something I did with my church friends in the past. Together with Zichao, Joyce, Esther, Dawn, Su Jun, Joel, Isaac. Looking back at those songs, its interesting... :) We simply wanted to use our own songs and expression to worship God. Indeed the songs were simple, yet, they did have that special meaning. Those were the beginnings.

When I went on the Junior College, I met 2 other budding songwriters... Jasmine and Jiarong! Hahah... together we formed "JJC", which in coincidence is the college we came from. We wrote qutie a number of songs. All 3 of us did. It was the time when I started listening to more chinese pop. And because I had loved Eric Moo's songs so much, my songs ALWAYS had that xinyao-super cheenah feel. Sadly, in that era, it was no longer popular! I am a backdated songwriter. Being rather handicapped in Chinese didn't exactly help either, most of the lyrics were penned by Jasmine and Jiarong who were Chinese A'Level students. Not just AO level. I remember a duet that I wrote the tune and Jasmine did the lyrics, the chorus contained the words 山盟海誓. Totally out of my vocabulary! Thinking back about our songs, every song contain SO MUCH SO MUCH memories. We would record 1 song in... 1-2hrs? It was that difficult to get a good take. We had 距离，是否，梦想, the charity song, and other songs I don't remember their title. Jasmine and Jiarong, if you all do remember, refresh my mind. But its unlikely Jiarong remembers... She could hardly remember the lyrics! My JC days were almost the kick start of a greater passion in music.

Recently, I composed another 3 songs. But this time round, they are instrumental pieces. I have tried at times to compose pop songs, but often I am unable to complete a full song :( It didn't quite occur to me that I could try composing instrumentals as I listening to mainly music with singing, although these days, I have more instrumental tracks in my playlists. These 3 composed songs are what I plan to show to Berklee's "auditioners"? And hopefully get an edge and be accepted into the college. Going into Berklee does mean a lot to me, 4yrs of a very different life. I am really committing everything to God, wherever He leads me. God has blessed me so much... just so much that things seem so impossible :) I will be recording my tracks and hopefully they'll turn out fine. Possibly, I could share it around :)

2 encouraging responses I have had so far...

1 day my cousin came to my place and heard me play my 2nd composition entitled "Final Hope". She didn't ask me anything about the composition until she suddenly messaged me on msn... She said, "How come I can't find anything on the song "Final Hope", the song that you were playing at your place? Who is it by?" I was surprised. Haha... I didn't know it would appeal to her. Although she is only secondary 4 this year, I feel glad that someone appreciates my composition and feels that it is nice :) Goody!

2nd encouraging response. On my 3rd composition, my piano teacher said, "I didn't expect that you could come up with something like that..." I certainly take that as a compliment. :) Thanks! Honestly, sometimes I do not know how I get the inspiration or creativity for a song. I have been doing up the scores for my song and my scores look really BLACK.

Creating one's music is definitely a joy to do. And I hope that one day, some day, there will be more people who would appreciate my compositions. Provided I continute churning out songs. Haha... May God inspire me more :)

My audition into the Hands of God :)

-LeB-

巫啟賢 - 英雄熱血 (純歌曲、清晰版) (TVB電視劇《大刺客》主題曲)

Wow great! So I happen to find this obscure song from youtube. Sung by my favourite singer in 1997. I think that was when his tone sounded the best, and I love it when he sings cantonese songs. A very "jiang hu" flavoured song, probably a composition by himself. Love it!

Much as I love jazz and all, these old canto songs appeal so much to me... Very contrasting I would think. But, I can't help it. They really SPEAK to me. I have decided. I would want classic jazz songs at my wedding and also... classic canto songs. Aww... Minhui and Wendy can help me sing them right?

A contrasting and "dilemmic" Caleb...

-LeB-