Personal Blather!

Today was an interesting day indeed...

I started out with only Chinese tutorial which was cut short due to the fact that we had our oral test... and since I took mine last week, I was free to go early. YAY!

Bought back lunch (Jap food) and ate it with Jacob. Had more with Boon Gee and Yee Kiau. Then I went to study a little for my Signals paper, finishing yet another chapter. Went for tea and had a couple of games of bridge, so a pretty slack day if you ask me. Dinner was at Brewesk at Clarke Quay where I had a huge burger with bacon, melted cheese and onion rings. Reason for going to Clarke Quay? I was going to visit Club Momo for a One Night Stand.

Before you start raising your eyebrows, let me explain. One Night Stand was organised by Yujun, a fellow hall mate for Start Up Singapore where people can do pitching in a more relax and fun environment. It was an interesting concept, and I went there to support him as well as try to learn a little. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, I arrived late after all the presentations were done, and although I don't think I missed anything much (the general feedback was that it was boring), I still felt a bit bad for not being able to see the main event. Still, we can't go back and change things, so that's that.

So what did we do then? We headed to small little room at the corner of Club Momo, called Momo Live! This little room about the size of two shoplots featured a LIVE BAND. I was blown away by the quality of their playing. The singers had awesome voices, the drummer was very good, the lead guitarist was a true natural being a master of almost any solo, the bassist was awesome and IMHO, looked a little like Brandon Frasier, the keyboardist certainly knew how to play with effects, and the lead singers had voices that were spectacular. Hall band has got a LONG way to go... but they ARE professionals, so they should have a certain standard no? The sound balance was cool too...

How does this relate to me? Well, it was Thursday night, and on Thursdays they have a live jamming session. Patrons are welcomed to join in the singing, sort of like a karaoke session... And I decided to give it a go... I don't fancy myself a very talented singer, but I do know I can hold a note. I picked something I knew I could sing, which I had practiced before, and which hall people may find overdone... but I liked the song nontheless. My rendition of Wherever You Will Go by The Calling may not be as good as Alby's IMHO, but I really like it... Prior to going up, I had butterflies in my stomach... I always get nervy before going on stage... but it left as soon as I was there holding the mic. The band was very accomodating and I'm really glad they gave me the opportunity to sing.

The first thing I realised was that the monitor was working perfect. I could hear myself and my voice was strong enough that I knew I wasn't doing too bad. There WAS a hiccup in the middle of the song, but on the whole, I think I did pretty well... Having a professional band behind you makes a LOT of difference... When I stepped down, I didn't know what the reaction would be. The only noise I heard was those from my friends... which was normal I guessed... That was until people came up to me and introducing themselves to me. No, they weren't people looking to sign a contract, but I guess I did decent enough to warrant a few praises, which I appreciate and am grateful for. I got a high from going on stage, and it was a lot better than getting drunk like a lot of other people in that room. I even had a whole jug of beer 'gifted' to me... which I quickly passed on to my friends... Sorry I didn't drink my share guys... I just don't drink!

I think the experience was great. It gave me a boost in confidence that sometimes, you can do things you never thought you ever could. It's a first step, and I pray that I can step out and do something extraordinary like this again sometime.