May I always bear this mind and be encouraged when things don't go well. =)

但两个人一起欣赏日出，总比自己一个好。

It's been worrying about the 6 songs ever since VV10 ended, and it was a steep learning curve for me - having been thrown directly into the heat of things as bass SL and more so as ASC. Nonetheless, I have many people to thank for guiding me through the process, for throwing me tips and advice, trusting that I am capable of the job and just letting me do my thing, and of course not forgetting the many many prayers rendered by many friends which I could not have done without.

Through this trip, I realised that I am so insufficient. Well, I still have much to learn with regards to vocal techniques, with regards to correcting vocal faults, with regards to picking out mistakes acutely and coming up with appropriate remedies, with regards to conducting the choir, with regards to putting across my ideas... Indeed, I'm not as vocally competent as gabriel, not as linguistically impeccable as gerald, not as musically/choreographically talented as harris, not as sharp and acute as seng hong, not as light-hearted as jeremy, not as piano competent as adit; I still have much to learn from my seniors. Alas, time is not on my side. I need to reflect on the past 2 months and sieve out the essence from each of them, meditate on it and then incorporate into myself. I know I may not be the next Gabriel nor Harris; neither am I striving to be such. I am myself and I have my specialties, preferences, strengths and weaknesses. What is important is to learn from them, amplify my strengths, and be much aware of my weaknesses and blind spots. Only with that would I be well poised to lead the choir into Caroling 10 and VV11.

Technicalities aside, I must say that I'm really thankful to be in the competition group - to learn more about my friends and seeing sides that I otherwise would never have the chance to. To learn more about the people who have been slogging together the past 7 weeks for this competition - especially so to the fellow non-extenders jeremy, joel, carol and chee kian.

So after a paragraph talking about things I've discovered about myself, and then a short paragraph to sum up my thoughts about learning more about my friends, what's next?

Perhaps it's apposite to think back on how my choral journey started. Yes, with rioHC. All the SL responsibilities and choir memories aside, I would really want to go all the way back to how it started. All the way in 2005, choir auditions. I almost didn't make it into choir. Just that wee bit and I might have never been in a choir, much less the many more choral journeys I made thereafter. I remember big jonny, my bass SL back in HC, telling me that I actually didn't make it through the first round of auditions. But by some strange reason, or divine providence or fate, he decided to ask me back for a round of re-auditions. He didn't understand why he did it either, and I never knew such things were happening at the back. I do remember that the next day Felyna asked me to go back for auditions again. And that was how close I was from being left out of choir. And so it struck me that had jonny not follow the strange irrational feeling he had, I would never have been in rioHC, perhaps I would never have joined NUSChoir, and the Minhai leading Glory Youth Choir would be an utterly different person - someone who is unable to speak with definitive knowledge of what and how choral singing is.

I know you might never come across my blog nor read my posts, but if ever you stumble upon this, thanks jonny. And the number one thing that I've learnt from you is how to conduct sectionals - something which I have incorporated into my style. And of course thanks to the SCs of my batch, emmett and linx, for giving me an idea how a conductor should be in front of the choir. And to Ms Lim, I'm lucky to have you as my first choir conductor. All the best to rioHC in France!

And people always ask me, in varying permutations and nuances, if I feel conflicted singing for NUSChoir having been in rioHC. Well, the obvious answer would be no. While different conductors would undoubtedly have different styles, it's about adapting to how each choir functions and then learning from there. The bonds and memories forged with rioHC are undeniable. On the same note, the bonds and memories forged with NUSChoir will be unforgettable too. It's about doing my best for the choir I am in at that point in time, without losing sight of my roots and connections.

As I told the choir on the night after the competition, as with each choral experience, we grow and mature as an individual, as a singer, as a chorister. And I hope such a process never end as we all inspire those around us to strive for greater heights as an individual, as a singer, and as a chorister. Together, we can.