Band Of Brothers

There are some intriguing movies that you have watched or books that you have read where the story is told from back to front. Such plots can be quite interesting. Let me share with you this interesting movie "Memento" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0.


Dealing with memory loss can be quite a terrifying thing as the character in this movie suffered from short term memory loss. I mean you don't even know who you are and the people around you. Worse, if there are people out to get you and meant you harm. Ask Jason Bourne of Bourne Identity (Matt Damon). If you haven't even seen these movies what are you waiting for? Memory loss?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-uQreIwEk (Bourne Identity)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOLviFy9inA (Bourne Supremacy)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJoVljaZP0k (Bourne Ultimatum)


I am not crazy or fixated in life over certain things like the 5Cs or the dream and the charmed life. Life's not just about gaining but also the losing. Like is friendship and relationship high on your agenda? Do we remember our acquaintances? Childhood friends in your neighbourhood or from school? Today, I'll tell you a story of our Band of Brothers backwards from here and now to the there and then.


Band of Brothers


Watch this trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ehwsOL04og (Band of Brothers)


Nothing could possibly have happened except for one man. You can see him gesticulating at the far end. I think it's a love for people despite your own busy schedule. An universal love. People will not understand because most people crave for individual love not universal love. Not even your wife. This is Mr. Lim Eng Chong. I will vote for you if you go into politics but actually I am not talking about him. I was talking about me! You can see Subronto here in the middle, trumpeter extraordinaire and Beng Wee - a French Horn maestro and today the school's teacher-in-charge.




























So we gathered at Muthu Curry expecting more people but we have a crowd of 12 or more which is already an illegal assembly. You see when we were playing music in school the cohorts range from Secondary 1 to Pre-University 2. So you can imagine the years in between and the number of people you may know. Mind blogging. Humongous! Yet for some reasons, music was what connected us and shall still connect us. Yin Chiang is on the right,our great soccer captain. His level of soccer fitness is tremendous. I am a passionate soccer player and I thought there will be few who could outlast me. I was wrong when I met folks like Yin Chiang. My biggest contribution to the soccer team? I gave it a name - the Bandz Bazookas. That's my legacy. Just make sure it doesn't shoot backwards.





























A few old folks still unwilling to give up their glorious past and still playing soccer came a wee bit late. Ha ha. Here is Eng Chong so passionate as ever. Eng Chong for President! Eng Chong himself is a multi-instrumentalist and in the literary world, he gives me a run for the money. You can see Yew Hon here another maestro of brass.





























Such gathering of old friends even when some of us are not totally familiar with one another does not matter. We feel a connection, a certain common destiny because we slogged and fought together so we have a comradeship as we understood our own suffering thereby a great relationship has been forged. I like to quote Shakespeare: "We few, we happy few, we Band of Brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother". So you guys who vomit blood on the golf course are also my brothers! Blood is blood regardless of whether you shed it, spill them or vomitted.

Our soccer team with renewed success - the now famous Bandz Bazookas! You see you retire some older generation and invite some new blood.





















Well, when I was still in the team.























Some many years ago in the not so distant galaxy we were in the school band. We trained very hard by coming to school early, take your musical instruments and go to the corner facing Jalan Besar Stadium and blasted away. We trained very hard for our outdoor marching band competition. They only have awards for the top ten and in our time we have always been there in the top ten. Then later they introduced the indoor concert band where they only award the top three bands which in my time we made it to the top three throne! Back in those days I thought we have great student leaders who ran the shows and were completely dedicated. We raised funds ourselves and they created the Musical World. Please see pix.























I thoroughly enjoyed the Musical World. We came up with the lightnings too by using coloured paper. We formed a Junior Stage Band. Tickets were completely sold out at 50 cents each. Even the Cedar Girls were craving for more. I knew because I have a few admirers whom I sold tickets to. Our stage band performed in school events. We are lauded for our encore specialty - Hawaii-5-O. In every performance we end the last piece with Hawaii-5-O. We would leave the stage only to come back for a rousing encore! Here is it! (Yours truly on the left, not bad looking right?)



Each time when you perform and you hear the crowd cheering and you feel their adulation especially with the girls screaming you feel an adrenalin rush. That's why when you play competitive sports it is the same. This always happens when we are into Hawaii 5-0.























Elite Squad Badge


This badge to me is much treasured, priceless. I wonder if any bandsters still have this? The VSMB! This is to me like "Who Dares Wins" or the Purple Hearts. Talking about Purple Hearts let me share with you a previous article on Purple Hearts.
























Now, please allow me to share some of the great music we have played during our time. During the Musical World we always start with the grand and amazing "Also Sprach". This was the music in a dark school hall when the curtains slowly opened and the light came on. Shiok!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4IRMYuE1hI


Blue Danube - Strauss - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTYymbbEL4


Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -


We have even added the Theme from S.W.A.T. as an encore item on top of Hawaii-5-0!


Now tell me honestly after playing to the beat of Hawaii-5-0 and SWAT can you feel the heat?


During the younger days, I remembered unwillingly helping mum to pluck towgay (bean sprout) sometimes. Reading musical notes is the same. If you don't pluck towgay for some time, you could never do it again. You lose it. As it is right now, my memory can only recall this much from the music which I managed to piece together above.

Although the only instrument I play today is the CD player, music is in my soul, in my grooves and in the blood. All I have are the memories. I hope you like this article. I feel very emotional now. I have to end here. Ciao!

P.S. Makes me feel like forming a band and call ourselves The Old Fogeys but our apertures are already too stiffen with the facial muscles collapsed, it is going to be tough. Even smiling takes some effort these days.

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