=716= Word: The Moment

“When was the moment you knew that you cannot trust that person?”

“When was the moment you knew you like her?”

“When was the moment you decided to do this job?”

It just seems that in our culture, we celebrate the exact moment when certain things happen. If you asked me when was the moment I decided to play drums, I would always say my mum asked me to learn something during the holidays and I chose drums.

Perhaps moments like this changes our lives drastically. When put to choose between two options and you choose one. Why did I choose my course in poly? I was struggling between two courses. Product design or Audio Visual Technology, I sat down and talked to my mum and she broke down the options for me. The thing was that product design clearly had more plus points, but I decided to go for AVT instead, simply because I wanted to learn more.

Other moments aren’t so definitive. When did you two become good friends? Honestly, when it comes to friendships, I really don’t know how it would get stronger. My good friends just got closer due to several incidents. There was never a definite moment. Perhaps there was a moment or an incident that helped bring people together, but I am sure it isn’t just because of that moment. If it was only because of one moment, man, you will probably go down deep VERY fast.

Why do we want to know when exactly certain things happen? Are we all looking for a very special story? What if the special story is just a mundane thing?

When did you meet?

Oh, we met in class/army/tekong.

Oh, we were in class and he was the best student for math, I needed help with math so I went up to him for help!

Oh we were cleaning toilets in tekong together then I heard him singing RHCP, then we just sang together without knowing each other.

Perhaps even the mundane moment can become significant when held with sentiment. An ordinary pen won’t be ordinary to you if given by someone special.

Perhaps we look back to these moments and we miss the experience we had. It isn’t a bad thing. We just love what these moments mean to us.

Perhaps there was never a single point or a milestone for certain things. Maybe if someone asks you, when did you decide to pursue music. Maybe you will scramble to find an answer. Perhaps there were too many moments. I guess when those time come, we just have to stand firm and share as many as we can and have the other party try and figure it out. I mean, why must we do all the legwork? AHAHA

If life is meant for the moments, God has given me plenty already and I give thanks. Praise you Lord, for my moments are all blessed by you.

-Kelvin-

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=715= Word: All I Need

Oh Father my Lord, thank you for giving me the support I need. Thank you for giving me worth. Indeed Lord, you are all I need.

-Kelvin-

=714= Word: Warm Again

It is a wonder, how do friendships get warm again?

Recently, a friendship that has gone cold warmed back up again. I really wonder how did that happen? I mean, was it because of a common interest? Or did something change?

Is it timing? Is it the right words? Is it sentiment?

Nevertheless, whatever it is, I am thankful, I am so thankful for your presence back in my life again friend. So nice to be able to chat with you once again. It has been too long! 🙂

-Kelvin-

=713= Word: Murphy’s Law Duty

-sigh- I just did my worse duty ever in my span of PG duties. It is a amazing how things can all go wrong on the same day.

All in one day:

1. Number to the oc was down
2. Got into an argument with my batch mate because of his manners and not my rank
3. Noisy people came by the guardroom
4. My No1 was stepped on.
5. My guys came back late
6. Went to the pick up point and the bus came late
7. As the number was down I had to do some other things, thank God WHQ was there.
8. Got called by ps and pc to tell me that we took the wrong bus.
9. Late for dinner.

-sigh-

Nevertheless, I still need to thank God for some things:

1. Duty is still done properly
2. Guardroom is clean
3. I know how to handle certain issues without asking for help
4. I think the way I handled things with the other platoon was good
5. WHQ was there!
6. I had a car ride home
7. My family was willing to hear my rant and complain
8. I am at peace now.

Praise you Lord. You keep my feet grounded. You keep me humble. You keep me a servant. Help me to continue to love unconditionally. Help me to not be discouraged. Help me to praise you more and more each day!

You are amazing Lord. Thank you for being in my life that I still have things to give thanks for today!

-Kelvin-

=712= Word: Clean Up Your Own Mess

Is it really THAT difficult?

If you made a mess, you clean it up is it really THAT tough?

It is really disappointing that my own batch is like that.

Making a mess, then did a half assed job of cleaning the table. It wasn’t as though I did not help at all man. Seriously.

Then when I confront you, you have the gall to tell me that what you spilled was just water not soya bean. Seriously, if I spilled water all over your bed, will you ignore the water and just sleep on it? Or will you clean it up? If I spilled water in your locker, will you not wipe it until it is dry? Seriously, how hard is it for you to wipe the mess you made?

I wonder was it because you were spoiled. I wonder was it because there was always someone cleaning up after you? Horrible. I hope that you will grow up and learn to be sensible.

There is no need to be super clean, but the least you can do is to clean up after yourself.

=711= Five Word Post: Heavy

Heavy

Pain

Disappointed

New

Begining

~

It is really sad. My heart is heavy for you. Jiayou for tmr man! All the best!

=710= Reflections: Rest

I probably have quite a few posts on rest. From the top of my head I can remember a protected post named, “Sleepless Rest.”

I probably posted quite a few more on how I probably need more rest or how thankful I am for rest etc etc. Today I want to post on my one year break from ministry.

I remember talking to DL during one rehearsal, he asked if I have been practicing. I answered that I have been working on quite a lot of different things from before.

When I was serving twice a month in R-AGE, the things I had to work on was drastically different. I had to work on click discipline and being in the pocket a lot more. I had to prepare for sets during my practice time. I almost never ever worked on drum fills or chops because I knew that it was secondary to nailing the groove and beats down. Besides, after playing for so many years, certain fill-ins are so ingrained in me that I play without thinking about it.

This year, I had quite a lot of freedom. I was at most serving once a month. The rest of the time I had to practice, I spent on working on things that I never had the time to. Things like sextuplet chops, quintuplet chops, 32 note fills, odd time signatures, buzz rolls, push-pull technique, groups of 3/5 in a 16th note fill, open hand technique and basic polyrhythms are just a few things I worked on this year.

I must admit that not all will be used in a song. I mean, I have yet to find a song situation that would require me to pull out a quintuplet fill. There was once JK asked me what should he teach someone under him. I told him certain things and techniques that I thought was cool and useful. He then made a statement, “I want to teach what is needed.”

Kinda like I don’t want to teach something that is unnecessary. It kinda thrown me off a bit. I think that if you have been playing long enough, you will reach a point where you think you are pretty stable. You are able to keep time effectively, you are able to play and lead the band. Your grooves and fills are stable enough to get you by. Once you reach this point, if you are satisfied with your playing, you will stop trying to be better and I find that as a musician, that will be the start of the end as a musician. A musician should always want to improve. If you manage to be stable in one instrument, why not try another one? If you manage to play triplets, why not try developing a triplet fill that is usable in a song?

How are certain techniques unnecessary? Just because 80% of the songs you play don’t need you to use this certain pattern or technique doesn’t mean you don’t need it. What about the other 20%? Are you just going to stay there and be unable to play these songs properly?

And seriously, I never thought that playing an eighth note and eighth note triplet polyrhythm will be so useful in my playing for worship songs! Or more recently, I noticed with a cleaner buzz rolls technique, I am able to give nicer ghost notes feel.

I may not be as accurate and tight as when I was playing regularly, but I can safely say that I sound better now. Sometimes a perspective shift can help a lot in playing. I now don’t worry as much about being totally on time because I realised that you don’t have to be. Sometimes it is the flaws and out of time bits that makes it nice and beautiful. Certain things just works. You don’t have to be the best musician to play music. You just need to be playing until you improve.

As a result of the break, I was also involved in a lot more projects. Things like the Christmas marching band piece. It really forced me to practice certain things that I never would. Man, I really do love buzz rolls. HAHA

Thank you God for making me a better musician every year. Help me to continue to grow! Thank you Lord!

-Kelvin-