Before we get to the main event, I just want to highlight a few random facts.
1.) After many months, Megami has finally released the final episode of Zegapain! The ending...could've been better, but it was definately better than the endings of some other animes *cough cough Flame of Recca cough cough* So now, once Sheng gives me back my HDD, I can transfer the last 3 episodes of Zegapain onto it and mark it "COMPLETE"! Now, I'm just following Bleach, Soukou no Strain, and Death Note.
2.) No rehearsal this Saturday for strings (which is just as well...read the main part of my entry below), so instead, Sheng is throwing a barbecue for all those born in '87 and attended RSS Primary during our time. Should be interesting...I've seen some of the names of the people coming and I vaguely remember them.
3.) Got my haircut on Sunday and the auntie that does my hair told me I have a lot of white hair on top of my head. OHHH NOOO!!!!
4.) Finally, that same day, I got a new black shirt, and a suit that actually fits me from Mark's and Spencer's. It's very comfy :D
Coming back to Saturday...everyone commented I looked very tired/sian that day. I guess it was mostly the fact that I didn't sleep as well as I should have the previous evening, the stress from work and the upcoming audit on Monday (which is finally over), I ran late coming from Esplanade for the choir rehearsal and just...a lot of other things, that resulted in the way I looked on Saturday.
Anyway, rehearsal was horrendous. The kids were up to their usual antics, practicing had not been done at home, they were being disruptive, etc etc. I tried, I really, really tried to keep my temper in check (something that used to be quite difficult to do when I was about 14 or so), but by the end I had had it. People not listening and watching, purposely being rude and disrespectful while Yew Kay or myself was speaking, walking into the middle of the rehearsal ring WHILE I WAS CONDUCTING...so...
At the end I lectured them. I wasn't shouting, but I most certainly wasn't talking at my usual, Guangyi-like voice. I could feel my pulse in my head, I could feel myself flushing, but I fought my instinct to scream and throw things and scream obscenities (the worst thing I said during my lecture was "crap").
Basically I told them something along the lines of I knew they could do better than what they were doing; that it was unacceptable for their playing to still be so uncoordinated and not being able to hit their notes was not an excuse because they've had the music for so many months; that in the end they'd be the ones up there embaressing themselves on stage if they really didn't care about the music. Something like that. Then, afraid that I would start yelling and/or crying spontaneously, I left the room.
Now that I've cooled off, I can sort out my feelings a bit better. I'm extremely disappointed that (no names) certain individuals do not deem this as something that is important to them. Their priorities are not straight. They think that this is a sort of "come-and-mess-around-and-just-fool-around" session every Saturday. Bad sitting posture, not practicing the music...some of them even going as far as using the excuse "we're not learning anything" for their behavior. Honestly, I haven't felt quite so offended in a long while.
I voluntarily give up my Saturdays to come for rehearsal. I do it because I love music, I do it because of the friends I've made and the people (obviously I'm referring to the SWE people), I do it because I want to support the cultural groups of SSA that strive for world peace through music and the arts. I could easily just opt not to come every Saturday that there's string rehearsal. I don't HAVE to put up with your nonsense...I don't HAVE to see your childish antics every Saturday...I could think of a host of other things I'd rather be doing on a Saturday than playing Discipline Master for you lot. You really need to learn to respect and behave yourselves among people that don't treat you as kids, but as professionals. Maybe you'd like it if I just mollycoddled (learned that word from Mrs Rowling heh) you all like the young, angsty teenagers you are.
Now, I just have to see how they behave on the 23rd, the next time I see them. We'll have percussionists that day, and I really hope I won't be wasting their time, and I really hope the kids would have woken up their bloody idea (thank you Sgt Faizal) and start behaving like the adults that I treat them as.