Hello! (:

All the best to everybody for Jubilate V! We've all worked very hard the past few months, and it's all culminating on the 30th and 31st. Just play your very best, not because you want to fulfill people's expectations, but because you enjoy the music. Hope everybody enjoys their performance (:

ALL THE WAY!!!

Love!
You-Know-Who

Hey guys. Jana here again..

I visited rongxuan today. Sent her all your wishes, didn't tell her about the cranes though, didn't have a chance. Will tell her when I have a chance to. I shall not lie but... she really does not look good. It breaks my heart to see a good friend of mine lying there on an ICU hospital bed with tubes stuck all over and looking all swollen and to not do anything about it.

But just keep on praying alright.

Just to inform you, the doctors already said that even if she does make it through, she will never be the same again. There may be paralysis, mental problems, memory loss - but to what degree they don't know till she wakes up. She was supposed to get off the morphine and drugs today so she could wake up but the doctor decided that she isn't ready. Give her 48 more hours.

I told her about Jubilate. I told her that she had to watch the video that will be posted on YouTube after Jubilate. I told her that we had to watch it together (we are in the same school here in Melbourne). Please play well k?

I wanted to plug in Shosta via my iPod into her ear but they were covered by bandages. And violas, you know her duck-that-doesn't-really-look-like-a-duck? It was right beside her... :) I smiled when I saw it. Keep the faith, keep on praying, hope that whatever happens, it's all God's will and it happens for a reason.

<3 you guys,
Jana.

hello everybody! just wanted to say that i'm really happy that all of you are really trying your best to fold the 1,000 cranes for rongxuan :) though i think some of the sec2s and most/all of the sec1s might not know who she is, you all still tried to help fold as many cranes as you could and that's something really touching :) i'm sure rongxuan will be very very touched :) we've folded more than 500 cranes today in an hour so its really good! with all your help we'll be able to get 1,000 tomorrow so yay very good :) :) :) i know its quite hard folding the hard white paper but yeah try your best okay! my thumbs are hurting from pressing the paper too hard hahaha. you can also write a small note to her if you want to, we'll include it in the box alright! (or like what amanda pan did which was very very very very very very sweet - she wrote (in chinese) jiayou on every crane she folded! i think. so you can easily tell which ones were the ones she folded :) )

anyway, there's only around 17 days more to jubilate! we can do it okay, don't ever ever ever stop practising! (note to mary-anne: i wrote it with an 's'!!!!!!!!!!!) we're halfway there - at least today most/all of you could memorise already so keep it up! jiayou and don't give up. the people from idontknowwhere will be coming on friday so play your best then! and please start sitting half-chair okay!!!!! we can do it, alllllllllllllll the way!

keep praying for vanessa, i'm sure she can feel our support even from melbourne :)

loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove (times 10^infinity),
cassandra :)

psssssssssssssssss whites and greens please please please let us know if you have difficulty getting the attire ready okay! try by this weekend. thanks :)

Hey juniors, Jana here again...

Would like to ask you to pray for one of your seniors, Vanessa Ong Rong Xuan (Red Badge 2007). She is currently studying in the same school as me in Melbourne. On Thursday, her hostelmates found her unconscious in the bathroom. She was immediately transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and has been there since (it's Sunday now). She is very seriously ill and is in the Intensive Care Unit.

It is reported that she has internal bleeding in her brain. Nobody is allowed to visit her yet but I will certainly update you all on her condition ASAP. Please pray for her, I'm really worried.

Jana

Hello all (:

Yes I am back here, again. I hope all of you will go download the recordings of the pieces okay, not cos some naggy senior is asking you to do so, and so you go download it and then chuck it aside somewhere in your computer files and never touch it again.

That's not the point. The point is so that you have a good idea of how the music should sound like, and that kind of sound is what everybody should be working towards. I don't mean that you should blindly attempt to sound exactly like the recording. It should work as a good reference point for everybody.

Some checkpoints for everybody during rehearsal:
1) How is my tone? (ie steady, wavering, scratchy, inconstant etc)
2) Am I following the composer's directions? (ie dynamics, articulation etc. It's amazing how many people overlook this)
3) Do I blend in together with the rest of my section?
4) Am I satisfied with my level of playing? What can I do to improve? (ie phrasing, intonation, mood, tone etc)
5) Do I pay attention to the conductor during rehearsal? Do I respond to him?

These 5 points are the basics that everybody must pay careful attention to. So instead of talking during rehearsal, you can think about these 5 points!

All the way, only 26 days more to Jubilate! (rhymes)

<3 Mary-Anne