Decisions, decisions

I may have to drop the option of meeting Ricordel this month or next month due to my A2.

But, anyhow, I’ve come up with a critical path – only that I can’t draw it here. Rather, I’ll put up the list of processes we’ll need to adhere to.

A. Recruit members
B. Arange songs
C. Call up the Sunset Band
D. Organise committee meetings
E. Obtain equipment
F. Obtain sponsors
G. Hold training sessions
H. Record music
I. Record voice
J. Obtain PrintShop to design album cover
K. Print covers
L. Call up logistics companies/find ways to distribute
M. Place it in shelves

These projects can be carried out simultaneously :

A, B and C. E and F. G and H. J can be carried out in my own spare time but it has to be done by the time voice recording is done. I can consider hiring Sonia and Pasquale to do the designing job, if I run out of ideas. I can even consider meeting Ms Susan next Sunday before the concert begins, and I can talk things out with her - and perhaps reel in a few more potential members too ! Sponsors will come in because most of the Sunset Band members are working. If their respective companies know we're doing our bit for charity, they'd be more than willing to help (but of course, we won't expect very much, as they'd take cost-cutting measures during this economic recession).

For those of you who are doing Business Studies, try to draw the critical path with the information I’ve got : consider that tomorrow is the 16th of February, and recruitment of members and arrangement of songs are already in progress. Meetings have to begin in June, training has to begin in September, and the album has to be out in shelves latest by the 10th of December.

I want to make this come true. I truly want to.

Today, I added one more member into the fray.

I informed another friend from the Sunset Band, Daniel C, about the plans. I told him that I have to defer National Service, seek out details for the LLB course, attend mom’s first death anniversary and, gather all the people together to discuss the Charité project. I told him, if no one actually comes to an agreement, we might take three months to discuss. The latest finish time for discussion is the 1st of September.

And the latest finish time for the entire album (i.e. getting it in shelves) is the 10th of December.
Any later and it won’t work.

That album is going to feature a minimum of 11 songs and a maximum of fourteen. Right now, I’ve already got ideas for “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “One Small Child,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Silent Night” (this one is going to be a cappella – without music, voices only), “We Three Kings” and “O Holy Night”. And I noticed that most of these carols are rather slow. I have to think of faster numbers to complement these.

Well, I keep telling myself I’ll talk to Aunty Sharm, the current leader of the Sunset Band, but I keep putting it off. I have to talk to her……. when my cell phone number is registered, of course.

I’m still considering getting sponsorship from those guys at the Alliance Française – but I wonder if they’re willing to support me… ? Also, what a time to approach them ! – I’m still in the midst of my A2 !

I dare to be great

Taken from Tyler Hurst's blog :

There has never been a better time to dare to be great. What the hell more have we to lose? The economy is terrible, business as we know it is falling apart...

Pick something. Pick something you’re good at, pick something that makes you feel good, pick something you WANT to be good at and DO it.

We are limited only by our imaginations. Let’s make magic.
What do you want to do with it?

Ever since the previous Thursday's episode with DK, I felt so down. Demotivated. I had never filled myself with self-pity but while some of his accusations may be true, he himself is a tyke. A tyke with no proper belief of his own.

I'm not gonna just rush there and say, "Here I am ! Take me !" because they're not gonna take me that easily. I know the Lord is with me, and with Him I can do anything. And I know I will live my dream of beocming an acclaimed singer-songwriter. I have the capability. No one but the Lord can tell me what to do with it.

There are other things placed in front of me that I have to accomplish too - and the Lord tells me that all these things, if affronted, will make me stronger. That, I will do.

I have prayed about the Charité album project and I’m still praying. I want to get this show on the road this year, and I will do anything to see to its success. I know the hurdles ahead but I'm not gonna shy away from them. I have a mission, and I want to accomplish it.

I'm not gonna take the right road to extreme light or the left road to extreme darkness.

I'm gonna take the middle road. The road to dawn.




And on this Federal Territories Day, I'm making a pledge :

I'm not turning back.

Moleskine entries (or, Aw crud !)

This journal isn't exactly a moleskine journal in the strictest sense of the word. I just turned it into one. It was actually supposed to be a yearly planner. But because there were lots of empty sheets at the back, I decided to write stuff in them. I'd record key events, ideas and my deepest thoughts - perhaps a strictly filtered version of what I write here on troisnyx* officiel, but in French, so that no one who reads it will understand. Also, my writing is almost illegible, as many people say...

I named this journal Rapport T (T stands for Ténèbres) – an exact translation of Re : Chain of Memories’ “D Report”, where D stands for Darkness. I've been doing every single entry in the Rapport T in metallic pen.

All pictures of the Rapport T are in their original size, and not cropped as I would usually do on troisnyx* officiel (portrait pictures 2MP, landscape pictures VGA) :

Plans for a Kingdom Hearts-themed party. Notice the Kingdom Hearts logo on the top left, the Keyblades on the bottom right, and six main characters in the middle.

This is the very first entry I did in the Rapport T. I had to tone down the artsy bits because I was going to insert a lot of text. This is the exact e-mail I sent to the attachée linguistique, Fabienne Ricordel, and her reply to me. Kept it for remembrance.

The post I did for my AS results. It was in doing this post that I learned a new technique - filling colour into silver pen so that it'd seep underneath. Take a good look at the words "J'ai reçu" (I received) and “Résultats” (results) - notice the subtle colour on top of the silver pen ?

My green metallic pen is still with Ms Sunbeam.

On another note, remember the High School Musical franchise ? I'm not a fan of it - not like I used to be. I watched the first and second instalments. I have to say that I loved the first one, but I didn't really like the second one. Zac Efron's hotness could very well be a redeeming factor, but that's all. HSM has totally stopped piquing my interest. So here I was, trying to wean myself off the High School Musical mania, when one day, I went into the master bedroom...

... and found THIS in the shelf !

Someone just had to spoil my day, didn't he ?

Apparently dad got this for Narin. I mean, the music isn't discord, but it isn't palatable for me anymore. Could she be watching it for the music/formations/choreography, or could she want it for Zac Efron's and Vanessa Anne Hudgens' apparent compatibility ?

Talking about High School Musical brings me to another thought : music. I'm still thinking about the trouble ahead in our musical endeavour, and how I'm gonna tell DK about this. It won't be easy, I know.

Aw crud, does it really have to be a chanson ? I'll die if that is the case. No one wants to work with me over French songs. And I mean no one. I hope Ricordel might lighten up about the song part... if I do tell her, that is.

Uh-oh, I'm in trouble

Guys - especially the ones whom I recruited for the Christmas album project - remember I said that it'd be great if we could make our names known in the Fête de la Musique ? So that the attachée linguistique, Fabienne Ricordel, may put in a good word for all of us and that our album will sell better ?

Looks like we're in deep trouble.

I was thinking of three items for the 21st of June : two French songs and one English song. Since the only song Adoravelle knows is Pour que tu m'aimes encore by Celine Dion, I reckoned that she'll lead that, I'll pick my title, while Kimberly or any other lead will take the English item - I'd like it if Kimberly could take The Carpenters' Mr Postman. I know it sounds all vintage, but I love it !

Why we're in deep trouble is because of this : to actually get a space in the Fête, we have to audition. And when I say audition, I mean three months before the real deal. Which means by February, we have to finish our first item.

Adora, Kim, Joanne, Talitha and Eve, if you read this - we'll have to get ourselves good voices. Pronto. I'll work the pronunciation with you guys. And we'll all listen to the song so we can get a good idea. What I'm thinking of doing is this (because we're actually running out of time ; we've only got a little more than one month) : I'll write parts. We'll be like some kind of a cappella, vocal group for now - because we can't seem to find band members, and I haven't gotten the accompaniment for that song yet (and even if I can pick up fast, do you think piano keys will ever be enough ?).

Omigosh. Omigosh. Omigosh. Even when I don't realise it, I'm living life in the fast lane. But if we do manage to pull it off successfully, Ricordel will be pleased - and she'll go all out to help us. I know it. Thing about her and the team is that they've got a lot of funds - unused funds - and I know it can go for the Charité cause, if we manage to convince her by staging a great show.

A-Levels students, are you all set and ready for tomorrow ? Or, the horror done by MQA officials

Tomorrow is the day of the results.

Now, I know that'll send shivers down your spines (it did send shivers down mine). The college officials told us that we'll be getting our results in the afternoon. Tomorrow morning, we have a class with Ms Sunbeam. I wonder how it'll ever be possible to read a few chapters from Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge" when everyone is anxious about tomorrow.

After the break in today's Literature class, we just couldn't concentrate on Thomas Hardy anymore. Everyone was talking and chatting away about the results. There, some students mentioned the thoughts of barely passing, failing and resitting. Some celebrated lines from the second half of Literature class (Ms Sunbeam will be represented in these dialogues as Soleil, the French word for "sun") :

Harvey : How much do we have to pay to resit a subject ?

Soleil : That should make you worried and say, "I should be studying hard." That should deter you from wasting your parents' money !

Harvey : Does U (ungraded) mean a pass ?

Krishna : How much do we have to get to pass ?

Daween : What is the A mark ?

Harvey : Ma'am, I'm scared that my parents will turn me out of the house. If that happens, please may I stay in your house ? (to which everyone laughed)
Soleil : If you think of doing that, I'll force you back to where you came from !
Krishna : You come my house lah...
Soleil : *places hand on forehead and shakes head in disbelief*

And while reading chapter 14 in "The Mayor of Casterbridge", I cried.

Not that I was scared of tomorrow. I just miss mom. She used to be there with me, going shopping with me before the results day ; or maybe having a light moment with me, talking, or sharing with me a passion for music. I wept bitterly. And everytime Kimberly, Preet and Adoravelle (who were sitting next to me) looked at me, I wept even more and told them, "I can't."

____________________________________________________

Meanwhile, I remember posting yesterday that I awaited Eve's response for the album project. She seemed quite interested in it and even asked for more information. She even wanted to contribute. Well. I'll take that as a yes. :D

______________________________________________________

Another thing I wanted to talk about was the trivialism of the Malaysian Quality Association (MQA) officials when they came to do a spot-check on Brickfields Asia College. Not only did this come from the lecturers' mouths, I heard this with my very own ears - and I believe that it should be brought up.

Do you know why they rapped us and bad-mouthed us ? Just because we speak English in class ! And they expect classes to be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia ?! Not that I have anything against the national language, it's just that the MQA officials are educated enough and should have enough horse sense to understand that practically all syllabuses are from the United Kingdom, and they are to be conducted in English. They should also know that by not conducting classes in English, we miss out on a lot !

Then, the MQA officials interrogated our Malaysian Studies/Moral Studies lecturer, Ms Vivien. The thing about our college is that Malaysian Studies are carried out in Malay, while Moral classes are in English. But being the bodoh sombong (stupid and conceited) MQA officials that they are, it's hard to change them anyway. They terrorised her. They made racist remarks, such as...

"You're teaching Malaysian Studies ? Shouldn't a Malay be teaching Malaysian Studies ?"

The MQA officials went on asking Ms Vivien if she could speak in Bahasa Malaysia. Of course she can ! I mean, only a dickhead would believe that a Malaysian Studies teacher is not capable of speaking the national language fluently.

I've already sworn not to use expletives, but here's what I have to say to the MQA : get the asses of those racist officials out of my sight, out of my college, out of my Federal Territory, and out of my country ! Malaysia is not a place for Malays, nor Chinese, nor Indians. Malaysia is the hiding place of Malaysians, and this'll be it for the rest of our lives ! And when Dr Chantheney, our Business Studies lecturer, revealed this to the whole class, I was fuming mad - even more than before, and I said, "Bring those blasted MQA officials to me. I know how to deal with them."

Yes, bring them to me.

They will never want to set foot in Brickfields Asia College or in Kuala Lumpur ever again.

Three minutes to tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, before Business class, I'll be showing Adoravelle the three AMR drafts I've done so far. I'm trying to give her, as well as Kimberly and Talitha and Joanne, a preview of how it'd sound.

So far I've done these :

+ One Small Child (excluding the prologue, because the prologue consists of a mélange of chords).
+ God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
+ We Three Kings.

And where I didn't know the lyrics entirely, I had to do scat singing. Honestly, the voice in an AMR file sounds terrible ! But I've gotta make do with what I have, I guess. :(

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I really hope all of us will be able to understand what I'm getting at, when they listen to the files and read the ideas.

Meanwhile, I recruited Eve and her band too (they do rock music, by the way) - I told her to give it good thought. I'm awaiting her response and I hope to meet her tomorrow. Of course, the material will not be so punk-rock (except for We Three Kings, which has a slight rock influence), but the more the merrier - especially when we're actually playing, singing and recording for a cause !

So that makes how many interested people already (including potential buyers and supporters) ? Eve, Adoravelle, Talitha, Joanne, Kimberly, Petra (she sent me a Yahoo ! Messenger message), Sherilyn, Suita, Dinesh, Nancy, Vanaja, Muhammad, Zara, Jolynn, Noorfakhriah, DK, Aunty Jas and me. That's seventeen names. If I've forgotten any names, or if you'd like to support this Christmas album project, leave a comment in the comment box, please.

My current missions : first, inform the Sunset Band about this. That's the first thing I've gotta do - after getting a response from Eve, of course. And after that, I've gotta start corresponding with the higher-ups at the Alliance Française, and at the same time, meet the attachée linguistique, Fabienne Ricordel, on one occasion – for the Fête de la Musique on the 21st of June : we gotta audition some time before the real day, and perform on the real day, which is a Sunday. Three songs. Two of them gotta be French. And we need a full group.

If we’re successful in doing so, then we’ll get ourselves a good name and more supporters – and perhaps a sponsor too ! DK told me they’ve got loads of funds, only unused funds – because hardly anyone merits them. Who knows, maybe we just might get our hands on these funds and make our project successful ?

I pray God that it all works out. Dad told me this afternoon that he's willing to support me provided that I put my studies first. I hope he really means it.

Should I tell... ?

The Fête de la Musique is hitting KL on the 21st of June (which is a Sunday, and yes, it falls long after the end of A-Levels) and I already told Kimberly about the plans. Soon enough I’ll have to tell Adoravelle. By participating in the FM I reserve hopes that the attachée linguistique, Fabienne Ricordel might put in a good word for us so that our Charité album may be well received.

Thing is, we can’t just do with three people singing on stage ! We need a full ensemble ! And just where do we get one ? Also, I have to drill both Adoravelle and Kimberly on pronunciation – because one French song isn’t enough. We need at least two. And one has to be from Mylène Farmer or even Alizée because us French-speakers, we know their songs really well. Maybe better than those of other artistes. Then… after all that camaraderie I guess we can slide in one English track.

Should I tell her ?

My heart pounds. And quickly, too. Kimberly seems okay with the idea (especially now, because she saw Ricordel’s name right below hers).

I hope it’s well received. If it is well received, expect this change : on the right (i.e. on the sidebar), under “Currently running projects” you will see a Fête de la Musique thumbnail – which means the show’s on.

The number of supporters has mounted - again !

From seven, it became eleven, then fifteen.
Though I have to admit, almost all the supporters are college students.

Soon, I hope to create awareness in Brickfields Asia College about this project. At least we won't just have a fan base here ; we also will be doing our bit to help the poor ! And I know two lecturers who are musically inclined : law lecturer Raja Singham and his brother, economics lecturer Aria Singham.

Should I do the persuading, or should I leave Adoravelle to do it ? She's more assertive than I am, and she can easily get a point across (while knowing me, I'd just sit down in a corner and wait)...

I pray God that it all works out ! This period is a period of creating awareness and recruiting. The more members, sponsors and supporters we get, the better !

DK's idea and response

I told DK about Mme Ricordel's e-mail reply.

He smiled. I even went on telling him that that e-mail made my day.

We've got a new game plan : perform for the Music Fest on the 21st of June, and La Francophonie (if possible), which falls in April. Chances are that we might only show our faces from June onwards.

Okay, fine, so I told Adoravelle and Kimberly about this idea. But here lies the problem : it's a partly French affair. We'll need at least two French songs. The only French song Adoravelle knows is Pour que tu m'aimes encore by Celine Dion (while I listen to loads of them songs !). I have to get whoever's involved to learn up the pronounciation and finally master at least two songs. Titles are yet to be decided.

True, I wanna be involved in the whole culture-linguistic thing, but there's another underlying reason : if Ricordel sees that we're good, that we have potential, then and only then can we tell her about the Christmas album project that we have in mind. And if we do a spectacular performance on the 21st of June, then who knows ? Maybe she can put in a good word for us, and the album will be well received among French-speakers !

Now, I have to lay my cards down on the table and see how everything works out. I'll have to tell DK about it next week.

By the way, I'm in the PC lab, typing this in a hurry because Ms Eunice is already in the lecture hall and the class has already started. My home PC is still zonked.

I shared my ideas with Adoravelle

Someone pooh-poohed my idea today. It was Johanna. No, not that she said anything derogatory, but she told me, "If I were you, I'd sell stuff."

To that I reply, yes, we're selling stuff. But unlike you, who'd only distribute the surplus to charity, we're giving all. Also, it's something that people will cherish for years to come - people can listen and relisten to the songs in the Christmas album, these songs will be timeless ! - I believe I have the way to make things memorable. I have the will. God has a way. And He'll have His way in me. So why do I need to worry ? I don't need people to say ridiculous things about the idea when I know, with the right people, the right timing and the right songs, it will come to fruition. And this idea comes straight from the heart, let me tell you this !

During the break in Ms Sunbeam's Literature class yesterday, I asked for a black pen (as mine was running out of ink), and I grabbed a few foolscap sheets and sat down to drafting my arrangement ideas. Till now I've only got ideas to add these tracks into the Christmas album :

+ Prologue/One Small Child. (This'll be the first track.)
+ We Three Kings.
+ O Holy Night.
+ God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
+ Feliz Navidad (this'll be the last track).

As you can see, they focus on the Christmas story rather than the merrymaking. The only exception is Feliz Navidad, which serves to wish all listeners, supporters and believers well for the season. In my hardly legible handwriting, I wrote down whatever I could think of, and as I have these ideas in my mind already, I decided to share them with Adoravelle (as she'll be working with me, and she and I are equally qualified when it comes to music). She's still got them - she just started perusing through the ideas this morning, during the break.

The ideas were about two pages long. They were mostly performance directions. If I should put them on troisnyx* officiel, I have to present them in a way in which the public can understand. Because not everyone knows musical technicalities....... and what I wrote was really technical. Rest assured that you might be in for something you wouldn't expect to hear in a Christmas carol, let alone a Christmas album.

Ms Sunbeam's class has just finished ; I'm in the computer lab, still thinking of what more to add to the album. It's sad because I can't listen to my playlist for inspiration, the only function I can use is Internet Explorer (that too, with limited functions because it was locked by the main user), and yes, being without a PC is depressing.

So here's the game plan : I'll spend these few months recruiting people, and in June (once our A-Levels is over), if I successfully defer from National Service (you know the reasons), I'll call for a meeting and we'll discuss about this. I want this project to really take off ; I've had enough of waiting for a miracle to happen - let's make one ! And then, not only will we be happy, not only will our listeners be happy, but the poor will be happy too.

Now, let's hope the government doesn't intervene and ruin my plans - because if they insist that I go for National Service, this project is going to fail. Because we wouldn't have met up. And if I have to return to KL on the 5th of September, we wouldn't have decided anything, and we'll have to decide promotion/distribution/logistics in a huff - and the whole project will be ruined. No. I'm not gonna let you motherf*ers ruin my chance to help my fellow Malaysians around me ! This is patriotism, not your blasted physical-activity-cum-class-training !

The support is mounting...

To date, seven people expressed their interest in joining me for the Christmas album project. That's a significant improvement from yesterday's figure of three.

I yearn to do this for a good cause - God's cause of helping the poor and deprived. This may be a shot at the music industry for many of us, but deep down, I really want to help the poor by doing what I truly love - and I pray that this effort may come to fruition.

No, I'm not warped or anything. I have told many people around me - my friends in particular - that I want to touch people's hearts. This may very well be a shot at it.

Dear Lord, I submit into Your loving hands all thoughts and ideas that come to mind, all the people who have expressed an interest, and all the people who may join us in future. This effort to help the less fortunate comes from deep in our hearts ; please guide us and lead the way for us. And if it be Your will, O Lord, please make this project a great success.

I make this prayer in the most holy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The CHARITÉ symbol

It's about the same text as the one in the sidebar... only that this time, I did this !

Just like all my past symbols/montages, I did this one on PowerPoint. What do you think ?

Well, excuse me for not being able to do brushes. And if you guys can do some major improvements to the logo (if you feel there should be), you're most welcome to do so. Post the link to your improved picture in the comment box.

If this one gets good feedback, it'll end up at the album's back cover (while the text alone will make the front).

Looks like I'm slowly getting response

Yes, I am getting response over that Christmas album project ; the response is good, but a bit too slow... maybe because it hasn't landed in everyone's e-mail inboxes yet.

Dinesh, one of my Sunset Band friends (I mentioned his name in the previous post), told me in an e-mail,

"It's a good idea and I suggest that you discuss it further with the rest of the group. If we intend to pull this off with great results, we'll need as much support and help as we can get."

What ? Bring the entire Sunset Band along too ? That'd sound good... if everyone complies, of course.

So right now, here's what I need to look for/decide on :
+ Sponsors.
+ Future members. I need to recruit them.
+ Promotion/distribution decisions.
+ Sales turnover vs whatever we spent on.

This being a non-profit activity, we won't need to talk about profits - there're people who need all that profit more than we do.

I've started on the song arrangements already - right now, they're in my head, because I don't have any manuscript paper at home.

Now, if only Chrishandra could come online.

Remember the Christmas album project for the poor I was talking about few days back ?

I’ve decided to codename the project, and I have also come up with an end date.

The Christmas album project is going to be codenamed “CHARITÉ” (French for “charity”, pronounced “shah-ri-tay”). And for two reasons : firstly, we’re fully supporting charities, and secondly, the word “charity” also means “love”.

All works, practices, promotion and distribution efforts should be complete by 2009.12.10 – seems like a long way away but it actually isn’t. So I need to recruit as many interested people and parties as I can to make this one a success !

If you want to know what the project is all about, take a look here. And please, don’t hesitate to drop your comments in this comment box.

I conceived this idea only yesterday

I found a way to raise funds for the poor next Christmas.

Forget about packing old clothes, that's just too overrated.

Forget about giving cash in hand, because many people would only give the loose change they have.

I'm thinking of gathering my USJ friends (especially those who are musically inclined), head over to a recording studio, record a good (and I mean good) Christmas album, sell it at market price, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the less fortunate. This won't just be a moment of discovery for me - I'll also get to use my talent to touch others !

I conceived this idea while in church yesterday. When I told dad, I knew he was skeptical of this idea. What's there to be ? If he knows we're a bunch of musically talented people, then he needn't worry - we're using our talents for a good cause.

Well, if Father Patrick Massang did it, we can ! And we're youth, anyway ! Among my friends (the ones I have e-mailed), I'm the eldest of them - I'm now 17. The youngest of them is now 13. Sure, if there're more interested people who're willing to join us, then the age range will change... :)

Two possibilities can arise from this situation :
+ If the demand is low, then the proceeds will go to a charity of our choice.
+ If the demand and sales are high, then we can help as many people as we can !

Now, time to enlist people. Also, I have to figure out a way to promote it - apart from putting the progress on troisnyx* officiel.

I've e-mailed four people in my circle of friends, and it looks like I'll have to revive my Windows Live account just for projects and discussion. But I told them, all e-mails go to my Yahoo ! account.

E-mails hidden for confidentiality.

Those of you who are interested, and are living in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur, kindly leave a comment on this post. If you're already in my contacts, you may very well e-mail me or IM me about it.