Bam!

I've just been hard hit with a bad bout of nostalgia.

When I couldn't think of anything else to contribute to my assignment (which now stands at 3 minutes 10 seconds), I started browsing blogs and dug up some band pieces from the dusty folders of my laptop. Listening to band pieces just brings back all the memories of secondary school and junior college days, which actually revolved around band activities more than anything else to me.

Sadly, I only have a few band pieces left. I hope there might be some in the computer back in Singapore, but somehow I think they might have been in the very old (and now replaced) computer's hard disk. Then I remembered I used to download band pieces from mIRC, so I downloaded mIRC and tried to find the correct channel. Pretty sure it's #bandmusic, but it was a ghost town in there. Not sure whether it's because everyone stopped using mIRC already (I sure did), or whether it's only because of the Taiwan earthquake so nobody is there. Will try again when people announce that the connection is good again.

Missing my band friends!!!! Very badly. And the music making.

I miss playing in a band. Don't own a euphonium so I can't play in the band here, and although I have a trombone in Singapore (long story) I suck at playing the trombone much more than playing the euphonium. So, no go. Although I did consider bringing it back with me this year so that I could audition to join the orchestras or band, but I didn't have the time to practise over summer. So better not. Plus, I don't think I have enough courage when I play so badly.

However, I just spent the last one and a half hours browsing through web sites looking for second hand euphoniums. The plan is to sell my trombone when I go back to Singapore in summer. And buy a second hand euphonium (either in Singapore or here in UK). But my dream model (at least a Besson, Prestige model would be a plus) is usually quite expensive. Found two BE-[some numbers] models, one for £400+ and another at £500. Might consider, but the £500 one (which is a preferred silver coloured one) doesn't come with a mouthpiece and the fit is larger so I'm not sure if I might run into trouble trying to buy a mouthpiece.

Or this just might be a daydream... not sure if I can tighten my purse strings to squeeze out 500 pounds to spare on a euphonium. But one day, I'm sure, I will buy one. And play in some CC band in Singapore. Just hoping that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to play in the wind band here next year... last year before I leave and probably not get to come back again. If I manage to own a euphonium I will really work hard and make sure I make it past the auditions!

Better go sleep, gotta wake up real early tomorrow. Start of the sure-to-be-hectic work week in the cafe!

The craving strikes

Whilst doing work this morning I was feeling very cold, and I had a sudden craving for congee. So it was that I boiled a pot of rice and water and left it to simmer from about 1pm until I had dinner at 7 plus in the evening. I was really surprised that my skills of agar-ation was that good; I poured the rice into the pot completely by random! And water is of course variable, I added more water sometimes when it started to get less at around 3pm and it was too early to eat.

Hmm, of course, in my dictionary there's no such thing as 'too early to eat', and to be honest I couldn't wait to devour all that congee. But the consistency wasn't what I really wanted anyway, so I decided to be patient. And it paid off. Nothing like a piping hot, hearty bowl of congee with a generous helping of sesame oil on a cold day! It was surely worth all the wait, the occasional stirring, and it was even worth cleaning out the sticky pot in the end. Yum... should have cooked more... I need food right now!

It's funny how most of my food cravings are for the simple, home-cooked things and seldom what other Singaporeans here will crave. Like, they will crave char kuey teow, laksa, etc... although these can also be cooked at home, but I usually crave for simpler stuff. Like congee. Soup. Oh no, I'm thinking of fried bee hoon now... lucky there's no bee hoon in my cupboard, or I think I just might go down to the kitchen and fry some.

Just have to control myself now... and anyway I don't want to gain too much weight like last winter :(