Try and Try and Try

During yesterday’s church service, we had the boys brigade over for the youth service. My church takes a certain company of the boys brigade from a certain secondary school under its wings, and from time to time, they have certain functions and ceremony held in the church. I have interacted with such a group of boys brigade before when my former discipleship group mentor held the Alpha course for them. Not everyone of them are Christians, but there is certainly a drive within the Boy’s Brigade to bring these members to Christianity.

So before the service commenced yesterday, there was this group of people whom I have not seen in church before who were advertising for a programme for youths below the age of 20 to come for this event called Playmax. It was targeted at the Boy’s Brigade and those younger members within the youth service. Two girls and a boy who were probably from a sister Lutheran church who were participating in the event came forward in the hall to feature a song that they would be singing for their programme. It had the lyrics for the chorus, “Where there is desire there is going to be a flame, where there is a flame someone’s bound to get burned, but just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re going to die, you’ve gotta get up and try try try, gotta get up and try try try.”

I thought it had a nice tune to it, and I did a quick check on my ipad for the lyrics and discovered that it was a song by the US artist Pink. It seems to be a song talking about the value of perseverance when one does not achieve the things he or she sought to obtain. It got me wondering though what is the Christian view with regards to failure in life. For example, things like failure in school or in work. Do we talk about the virtue of perseverance like how contemporary self-help philosophy promotes? For I hear from my Christian circle a certain disavowing first of all, of personal desires or interest as being wrong. “Serve God first in your heart, and not money and all the other things.” I am told. So if there is anything that I suspect certain Christians there would find dubious about Pink’s song, it is this presence of an overpowering desire within someone, analogous to a flame that burns. It probably sounds a lot like a sin of greed and pride. My Christian friends would talk of failure as simply that not being God’s will for one in life. I don’t hear as much of a ‘try and try again’ approach to failure. And I don’t read much about how to deal with failures in one’s life from the bible. Like it doesn’t address things like failure in school or in work, and I have no doubt that Christians experience these things in their life in society.

So ought we to say when we experience repeated failures, “try and try again”, or “This be God’s will, accept it”?

Anyway, I went to look for the music video on youtube when I was at home after the church service. Truthfully, I can’t understand the relevancy of the music video by pink to the lyrics of the song. It shows the singer Pink with this rather ripped dude dancing in a rather physically abusive tango towards each other. But I went to click on this version by this two asian girls calling themselves Jayesslee who did a duet on the song, and I must say I like their version of the song so much more. In addition to their beautiful vocals and harmony, I think they are really beautiful too.

NTU CAC String Orchestra Performance - Prism 13

I went to watch the NTU CAC String Orchestra at the Esplanade Recital Studio this Tuesday evening.

I was invited by a friend who played in the orchestra to come watch his performance. I suppose being on leave from school allows me time to go for the performance. It’s nice to put law school on hold and take a break. It is nice for life to be carefree. I miss being carefree, that is, being able to do what I want and when I want to do it.

It was a classical music performance featuring the works of Mendelssohn and Mozart. I like classical music. It has a nice aristocratic feel to it. I think I began developing an appreciation for classical after picking up the piano when I was 18. I am not very good at the piano, and I don’t practice much these days. I like classical piano pieces from the romantic era. My favourite composers includes the likes of Frederick Chopin and Debussy.

There were quite many musical talents at the concert. There was this China Chinese student who was quite a virtuoso at the violin. And this Singapore Chinese student who gave a brilliant rendition for his solo part on the piano for a Mozart piece.

It’s nice to see a segment of life of NTU students. I don’t have much interaction with peers my age outside of law school. And being able to see other students from other faculties allow me to appreciate that life is so much more than law school. You find people of many kinds that you would not find in law school.

Watching a student music performance reminds me of my days in St Andrew’s Junior College where I was in the choir. I don’t think that it is very convenient to join the choir while I am in law school, and besides, given my struggles at law school, I ought to put in as much time as I possibly can into my law studies. But it’s nice to see students my age participating in the orchestra. They must have practiced together a lot before they gave the performance. And being in a music performing arts group is a nice forum for getting to know people and building bonds. I do wish to get to know people and to make friends, but I do struggle socially due to my having Asperger’s Syndrome. I didn’t get along much with my choir mates back when I was in SAJC. I couldn’t exactly associate with the loud, extroverted kinds. But I did manage to find a few friends who were more introverted in disposition. There are many activities and things in life in which I would avoid because I am afraid I cannot handle the social demands. And moreover, my lack of sociability does affect my ability to do well in my social environment. Even if I try to be more sociable, I am alienated by my peers. Maybe I come off as being weird or oblivious in certain aspects of my social personality. I do try to accept myself, but I don’t want to become too comfortable with simply being myself and alone, and not learn to operate in a social environment.

I have ever considered the idea that I might want to join the Singapore youth choir. Perhaps being in a performing arts group would give me some sense of fulfillment in life. I like music, and I like singing. I just wish that I can build friendships better in the social context that I am placed in, and not feel socially alienated all the time.

Favourite Christmas songs for the year

I have been hearing these two christmas songs playing alot in restaurants and department stores. They are Britney Spear's Santa can you hear me, and Dana's It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas. They do give a nice christmasty feeling.

Some of my all-time favourite christmas songs are Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is you and Wham's Last Christmas. I hear them playing on the radio where on car rides and there is a sort of nostalgic sentiment whenever I hear them.

I have grown to like Japanese pop as well since encountering it. Here are Christmas songs from two of my favourite J-pop music groups, Winter Story by Buono, and aitai lonely christmas by C-ute.

I started learning the piano during my time in the national service. One song which I fell in love with when I heard it being played by student at SAJC is Ryuichi Sakamoto's Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. It was the first piece I learned to play when learning the piano. Perhaps I should do a rendition of it and post it up here someday.

Youtube video - Wonderfull Chill Out Music Love Session on Amazing HD Video

I happened to come across this video when I was looking up youtube for music that would help me relax. This chillout video is perfect for listening to on headphones after a day at school. The music is beautiful and the video of various areas in mexico is scenic.

J Pop Star - You Kikkawa

It's been quite some while since I listened to J-pop songs. One of the channel that was recommended on my youtube account was this channel featuring the music of You Kikkawa. I clicked on this song while previewing the channel, and I would say I am hooked on this song. I have listened to it 3 times consecutively now. The girl is cute and beautiful, she has a nice voice, the song is catchy, the dance is cute, and the video is overall very nice. She certainly has the talent to make it out as a soloist in the music industry.

I looked up for more information online about this J-pop musician. Apparently, she is a member of Hello Project, the same music company that produces my favourite J-pop music groups like Buono and C-ute.

Buono! - hoshi no hitsuji tachi

One of my Japanese favourite songs of all time by one of my favourite Japanese bands, Buono! There is a nostalgic feel to it whenever I listen to this song, as if I had known this song since my childhood. I wonder why the tune seems so familiar to me, like a person recalling a lullaby sung to him as a child.

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

I heard this song playing overhead on radio while I was having my meal at the Bishan KFC restaurant in the afternoon before going to school to discuss on the presentation for company law that we have to give on Tuesday next week. I like the catchy tribal ornamental xylophone tune, and the passionate, pensive voice of the singer. I thought it would be a pity if I just forgot about such a beautiful song, and so I tried listening intently to the lyrics of the song, but I couldn't make out the lyrics except for the words "used to know". I googled it on my Ipad and found the music video on youtube.

It has quite an artistic music video. It seems like an allusion to the theme of the Garden of Eden. I checked out the lyrics. It speaks of a rather painful breakup experience for the man, who criticizes the woman for being so harsh in the way she seemed so callous in the way she behaved when she broke up the relationship, although he had the sentiment that the relationship was not fulfilling for him. And the woman gave her reason for having to do things the way she did, because she felt cheated in the relationship and was tired of being made to feel at fault when the man behaved badly in the relationship.

Such a sad relationship...