Thursday, January 03, 2008

Final Post

While many people were busy celebrating Christmas and New Year, many others were also suffering at the same time. This whole period is the busiest for Police, as a result I didn't even feel that the new year has come. For the past 6 months, I have really seen too many things, so much selfishness and ugliness in mankind, so much so that I may even start to hate mankind. It really takes a God to want to love and save mankind.

Anyway, I won't be updating this blog in a long while. Too busy to do so.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

The Revolution of Action



Cabal Online. Anyone interested?

Friday, October 19, 2007

KE7 ICN '07

Thank God for a good tour during my night shift, and i was able to make it for ICN '07 last night. This year's program was really on schedule. i missed almost the first half of the show, including Taekwondo (their very first performance in hall!) and the hip hop dance. Caught the other two dances. Anyway the main highlight was Wushu right at the end, and that was also my main reason for being there. All i can say is ... totally excellent! The parts which i liked most are...

1) The guy calling out the timing for the second group performance. i dunno his name, but the feeling he gives on stage was incredible! Even with such simple moves, he brings them all to life.

2) Zheng Hao and Irene's duet and duel. So much more smoother and perfect as compared to last year. Pity they did not want to act further and make it look more like a Romeo and Juliet show. Dying at the end with the two families were still at war with each other doesnt seem like the perfect ending. Then again, with all the action scenes, who cares?

3) Mass fight against Zheng Hao and Irene. i never imagined that a mass fight can be choreoed in such a way.

4) Jeremy and Sharon's duel. i could almost see the aura within the fight. Sharon's poses were incredibly beautiful this time as compared to what i saw last year, and Jeremy improved a lot in terms of expression, much fiercer than before. Good job!

5) Kan Foong and Yen Ling's duet. This is really my favourite part! Kan Foong's two hand wielding blade against Yen Ling's rapier, and Yen Ling's taichi battle against Kan Foong was super cool! The effect was amplified by Kan Foong's 'flying' skills when he was being hit by Yen Ling. i was really impressed with this choreography, it reminded me of House of Fury.

And of course the rest did a good job too, especially Huey Shin and Ye Dan for seeing this through. Makes me feel proud to be part of KE7 wushu, or even VJC wushu. And as usual, i wished i had the time to perform this sort of thing again. Videos please!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Past Week

Haven't had the time to really sit down and blog these few days. Really overwhelmed with work. So here's a quick summary:

6 Oct: The first of my cousins to get married on this day! (cousins meaning within my generation.) Held at Mandarin Oriental, and they get a complimentary suite to stay in for a few days. The suite was really beautiful! Breath-taking view, big bathroom, visitor's area, LCD TV with lots of channels and surround sound speakers. Now the pressure's on me to get married cause i'm next in line...

8 Oct: i've been upgraded after three months of work, and now the cases i handle have been upgraded as well. Today marks the first of my tours. Everything was okay until the end when three coroner cases hit me at the same time the following morning...

10 Oct: Dear came back from Korea, but i did not know of the time as there was no news from her until she reached back home. haiyo... =p

11 Oct: Quick meet up with dear for dinner at AMK Hub. Would have reached there earlier if it wasn't for some case i was handling...

12 Oct: Chatted online with dear very briefly in the night, but had to rest early for the next day...

13 Oct: Deployment for Istana Open House since 6am. Knocked out straight when i came home at about 3pm. Managed to catch Catwoman and Chicago in the night before knocking out again...

14 Oct: Day shift duty. So there goes my weekend. Fortunately nothing went too wrong...

Extra: I want to watch Resident Evil 3, but it's so hard to find people to watch with. Sigh...

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Back to KE7 Wushu

Visited KE7 Wushu with Yie Hui today. Sure surprised the whole lot of them. Pity my leg was still injured from the previous overstretched incident at NUS Wushu, could not kick properly. But it sure is nice to come back. In fact it's the first KE7 Wushu training that i have come back for. They were all busy preparing for the upcoming ICN performance on 18th Oct, and for the IVP competition on 20th Oct. A real challenge they took up. Nice to see Zheng Hao, the earliest one there. Also Irene, Huey Shin, Ye Dan, Wu Hong, Colin, Kan Foong and brother, and of course the lovebirds Jeremy and Sharon. Got to know some of the juniors too. Finally met the new coaches who were actually teaching in VJC. As expected they forgot who I was. But they do remember Zhong Hao and Jia Wen though. A very different style of training, but i still prefer my own teacher's style. Also tried to choreo some duel as requested by Ye Dan' I kind of miss those times where i could see through the whole performance. Now due to work, i can only make it back on certain days. Nevertheless, it's still refreshing to go back once in a while.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

7th National Wushu Display 2007

Today was the long awaited National Wushu Display held at the Indoor Stadium. To me, this is not just a display, but a big wushu gathering, because almost every wushu practitioner in Singapore will come for this event. Interestingly, my favourite number 7 also shows up three times: 7th Display 2007, starting at 7.00pm.

Anyway, when I reached the stadium, I could see the crowd ranged from the very old to the very young. Other than the current NUS wushu batch, glad to see some old NUS wushu faces too like Zu Ming, Jin Quan, Donny, and Loon Chew. Also from KE7 wushu, the lovebirds Jeremy and Sharon, Han Wei, Wu Hong, Ye Dan, Huey Shin and Colin. Only saw Kang Hao from ATS wushu though, but I was surprised that he knew Vincent Ng who was there too. Chatted with both of them for a while. Also met my very own teacher Xue, and also Coach Liu who used to teach Ke7 wushu. And of course Coach Guo and Xu from NUS wushu were there too. Pity some who could not make it due to other events on this day as well, like the MAF in HCJC, and Dance Reflections in NUS.

Overall, I thought the display was much better than the previous one. There was still a lot of Taichi, but they were placed in the second half. This means the young children can watch all the exciting performances and go home early, while the older folks who do not need as much sleep can stay on to watch the Taichi performances.

Some highlights from the performances which I thought was interesting:
1) Lion dance had stands which were moved using an electronic control system! One was when the lion jumped off the platform, the whole platform dropped. The other was when the lion posed, and the stand rotated the lion.
2) The Russian Wushu performers was not too bad, but I think they were too ambitious to perform 7 to 8 items with just 2 people. They were looking so tired halfway through.
3) Tao Nan Primary School performed the Tao Nan Fist! The Tao Nan Fist is compulsory for the school's PE lessons! To think I used to be from there.
4) Performers from China... Need I say more? Although they seem to be the best performers for the night, I really think China sent their lousiest to come here and gain experience. Talk about a big gap in standard. There was also a few new and surprising moves I have never seen before. Really well done!
5) Silat was very artistic. They transitioned in and out so flawlessly that it was not noticed.
6) Shaolin monks from China and North America really showed the vast variety that wushu had to offer, from Eagle claw to monkey staff, from carpet fist to breaking poles and unbelievable flexibility. And to further emphasize the point, wushu is not just long fist and southern fist!
7) There was a couple of chain whips and double chain whips which I think had some unique moves that I do not know of. But every time when a chain whip performer comes out, everyone around me will look at me.
8) There was this old grandma doing a group routine of Taichi fan, but she really looked so professional and healthy, and her moves were executed so well that I really think she deserves the best performer award. See who can now give the excuse of being too old for wushu. I think her name is Liu something.
9) The Singapore Taichi coach also did a very difficult routine involving sudden jumps and unnatural balances, almost of equal standard to the Taichi performer from China. Then again, both of them are from China.
10) The Indian martial art coach spins the cudgel in a very unique way, almost as if he was handling a two-hand sword.
11) The Ba Kua Sword was really huge, like from a video game.
12) The Malaysian Wushu performers had a couple of nice choreographed team movements.
13) I really wished there was a soundtrack made for this event. From the traditional chinese music and those of slower tempo, to techno, rock and new age music. Some were familiar while others were fresh and interesting, especially the new age ones.
14) Some Singaporean wushu group called Xing Xiu i think, who performed pretty well. Apparently they are suppose to be famous, but i do not know of them.
15) The team from China performed again towards the end of the second half. The pu dao qiang duel was very fierce and impressive!
16) The last item was dragon dance, but i had already left as it was quite late.

Guo Yuan and I also had this interesting discussion, that when an wushu practitioner reaches a certain standard, there will be two paths from there. One is the path of the ego (bad), and the other the path of the humble (good). Really sounds like some comic book, but it does have some truth in it from our experiences with wushu people.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Happy Teachers' Day

Wishing all teachers a happy teachers' day! Especially to my wushu teacher who have been teaching me since 1993. Visited Aitong today to visit her and celebrate teachers' day together with many of her ex-wushu students who specially came back for this occasion. Thanks to Huizhi for spoiling that surprise when she visited the Chinese Dance Troupe performance yesterday. Anyway, without this teacher of mine, i would not have started learning the chain whip, and i would not be who i am today. 15 years of teaching and still going strong! All of her students, including me, still respect her very much.

Friday, August 24, 2007

CMAD 2007

Combined Martial Arts Display is a NUS event where all the different martial arts in NUS come together and put up a show. Martial arts like Capoeira, Muay Thai, Kendo, Judo, Karate and Aikido, just to name a few. Glad to be a part of it again, with Junkai and Benedict too, not forgetting the current NUS wushu people who have worked so hard to make the performance possible. i'm particularly impressed by Junkai's spear routine, creative and impressive, almost like China's standard. As for me, did my chain whip as usual. Wasn't as smooth as before, but still managed to pull it off. Heard from my wushu friends that there was some girl backstage saying "Song En, my idol!" Haha, flattered by that, though i don't really know who was that, and i don't remember inviting any friends to come and watch CMAD. I really wonder if i had a hidden fan club. But seriously, i really wish to perform something other than chain whip.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Float 2007



And so the day finally came where i was a part of the wushu segment of the KE7 float together with Irene, Kan Foong and Yannick. This year, i find the KE7 float concept very unique, the national stadium. i seriously cannot imagine a float based on that. The performance was also very unique, there was almost no dance in it at all, a very big risk taken. But still, they managed to pull it off.

Things i was pleased with:
1) This year's Rag Day committee is very good. Firstly they managed to bring Rag Day to the Padang after so many years. Secondly, they provided big and well sheltered resting points with fans and lights and changing rooms for the performers. Thirdly, they provided three large viewing stands with seats for the audience to watch the performance, so much better than the SRC ones.
2) Wushu is finally used for KE7 float after so long.
3) To have a small but good bunch of wushu atheletes to perform with.
4) Yuan Feng blaming me for not inviting him to join in for the Wushu segment, which means there could have been more Wushu atheletes to help perform for float! Zheng Hao is the other one whom i could have asked too.
5) All the encouragements from the alumni and seniors.

Things i wasn't so pleased with:
1) The stupid guy who was squatting in front of me when i was doing my sequence, blocking my cudgel movement and disrupting my whole momentum and routine.
2) Having only 3 bars of music for Wushu is simply too short a time to be spectacular. I could have choreographed better sequences given more time. Plus it is not shiok enough after the performance.
3) Being unable to do an air cartwheel when the time calls for it.
4) Having face paint and shiny sprinklers on my hair. It irritates my face and head, and i need to spend a lot of time to get rid of the paint and sprinklers.

Anyway, i do hope that Wushu can play a bigger role in next year's float. Last time Wushu wasn't used because there was simply no one who can do Wushu. However it's different now. The talents are slowly coming in. Time to utilize them!

Btw, to everyone who can help, please send me videos and photos for this event.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Crazy Night Tour

24 hours of work is really no joke. Don't wish to go into details. Slept 17 hours straight too. I really think that Police officers are seriously underpaid.