Bevlyn Khoo

I survive September with the x to the power of n weddings!

Ok, am going to rant a bit here about SOUNDMAN. Pls click on the x button on the top right corner of this window if you are/were a soundman before.

Ok, first of all, I nearly wanted to kill a soundman with my bare hands last Sun at a wedding at xxx hotel ballroom. If you claim you are the soundman, pls make sure you give me good sound. Few near fatal mistakes he made (fatal as in, he could have been killed by me post-show):

1. During the soundcheck everything went well. 1hr later when we were back, wedding started, door was about to be  opened to welcome the couple into the ballroom, I was supposed to sing but was horrified to find my mic was not ON! I was waving my hands to the soundman like ‘Save me!’, but of course, the soundman was so high up in the sound room, and the whole ballroom was SO dark and all eyes on the door, nobody would have known if I had dropped dead from exasperation (except my musicians). I mean, how could you off the mics for the live band when you know the live band is performing LIVE for the march-in song?! My ex used to say - there’s no cure for stupidity and I agree. More to come:

2. Prob #1 was resolved after quickly changing to male singer’s mic. Finally the soundman looked down at me after the march-in and realised that my mic was still not on (No, I did not show him my read-between-the-line fingers –> I only hallucinate when I’m extremely fired up). Then I realised that my mic was softer than male singer’s mic. This needed to be resolved because I did not wish to expend my energy screaming into the mic to match his level, for solos, and most importantly for the balance in vol for duets, and it was just 2 songs into the whole 1.5hr performance. Apparently, the soundman was in the control room - I doubt he can hear the sound balance in the room, so I don’t know why that is the control room, but anyway. While male singer was singing, I stormed into the kitchen and asked for the manager because he was nowhere to be found in the ballroom. Asked manager to pls get the soundman to up MY vol to MATCH the male singer’s vol. Guess what, he upped the male singer’s vol so male singer now sounded even louder. i.e. he confused our mic channels –> Either you were on drugs in the room during soundcheck, or ………honestly, I can’t think of any other reason.

3. Finally he realised the mistake and upp my vol, until REALLY LOUD. Then strangely, he went to decrease male singer’s mic till it’s rather soft for no good reason. I’m like –> wordless in the mind because his behaviour was too bizarre for me to comprehend at any level.

4. I think male singer was also praying hard that I would not self-combust and jeopardise group’s reputation as I was trying very hard to get a grip on myself while communicating to the manager. But really, among the many types of people I really hate, like dishonest/fake/attention-grabbing pigs, unqualified soundmen are equally ranked up there.

Yes, I may not be the best, but I spent so much time crafting the art, what gives you the right to steal what I could deliver with mere incompetence on your side?!

Ok, ranted. Zzzz.

See how Obama rocked here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7639075.stm

Q: Much has been said about the lessons of Vietnam, what do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

McCain: “I think the lessons of Iraq are very clear..that, (clear throat)…you cannot have a failed strategy that will then nearly cause you to lose your conflict.” –> ?? I mean, that sounded more like what a con prophet would say, or what the daily horoscope in the ST would read. WTH!?

It’s such a fantastic morning to remain asleep with such rain outside. So waking up so early to run an errand, –> what a torture. Suddenly I remember my French teacher saying “C’est un jour pour rester au lit” (It’s a day to stay in bed) to me one Sat rainy morning during lesson. Wails –> Aujourd’hui, c’est un autre jour comme ça (Today it’s another day like that). Nevermind, I shall get my revenge payback in Dec.

So I went online to surf around and chanced upon the blog of another local girl (marrying a Frenchman soon) who has requested for me to sing at her wedding. In one of her blog entries, she described the proposal:

“Frenchie: “Est-ce que tu m’aimes” (do you love me)
Me : “Oui…” (thinking, something is up, this is the FIRST TIME he used the word LOVE ‘aimer’ with me, till now he has never said those three words I LOVE YOU)
Frenchie: “Moi je t’aime tres fort….” (I love you very much)
Then he gets down on his knees, holds my hand and i start tearing…
Frenchie: “Est-ce que tu veut t’engager a rester la reste de ta vie avec moi, ensemble?”  (Do want want to spend the rest of your life with me, together? - Or something like that, i can’t really remember)
So he takes out this box, opens it and shows me ze ring
Me: ”’Oui!”
And so that was it! Short and sweet, no drama, i like….”

This tickles me, not out of disrespect for proposals (I mean, they’re touching), but because I suppose you have heard proposals in English and Mandarin, but this for me is the first time I’m hearing it in french. Can’t wait to attend their wedding!

I love political jokes :’D

ahlu - 7, originally uploaded by bevlynkhoo.

20 Sept afternoon, i had to go sing a duet with Yet for his album launch and so had to skip Crowd Lu’s performance at Bugis Junction (I was at Intercontinental Hotel for a lunch wedding yet I couldn’t be there after that, what a torture).

So I was pretty panicky that I would miss the 21 Sept perf at Causeway point because of any random things that could possibly come up and ruin my only chance to see him for his trip here in Spore.

Blur Dengli and Tienyao’s suggestion of it being held at Compass Point (Sengkang) nearly made my murder impulse come out through my nails - like ACHA! Shing! Don’t confuse me!

My first thought when I saw Crowd Lu was: erm, his eyes are really small, his nose is really big, and his mouth is erm, really big too. Wow. what an alien (don’t pretend, I know you feel the same way too). But HE IS SO ADORABLE at the same time!!!!

I feel like buying a baby taylor now that I’ve seen him play. It seems easier to play. Wails –> always waste money on things I don’t touch as often as I want to.

His charisma is when he performs whole-heartedly, eyes close 99% of the time, balance on 1 side of his buttock while he squirmed up and down the high-stool –> He really performs with his whole body OMG! He can be the masterclass of the whole-body performer. Totally awe-some!

My favourite song from the album:

A part of the perf which will always stay in my mind is: he went into a solo guitar for one of the songs, revealed a ’shit-i-know-i’m-gonna-play-wrongly’ smile, really played wrongly, paused for split second, drew in a breath, looked down and yelled ‘重来!’ (Again!) and replayed the whole solo. This imperfection perfectly captured everyone’s heart. Ok, at least my heart.

He’s having a concert on 7 Feb @ Esplanade. I feel like kissing the floor that I’ve yet to be booked for any wedding.

Ever full of tricks, Ken surprised me with this. Yes, sung by Crowd Lu!

Photo courtesy of Dengzpui productions.

21092008_Bev + Bass, originally uploaded by bevlynkhoo.

I love this electric upright bass!!!

First time gigging with Wah Yong the bassist last Sun, and he brought along this bass. Conversation went something like this:

Me *wailed*: WAH!!! This is such a handsome bass!!!!
WY: Err, how do you know it’s not pretty?
Me: Err, cos I’m female? Tsk tsk, it’s a matter of perspective.

I think it looks handsome when it’s next to me. When it’s next to Wah Yong, it’s a pretty bass. What precious value-added versatility on top of its EQ and vol and whatever-other-bass random functions!

It costs $4k.

That’s why I say musicians are asset-rich. :’D

Can’t wait to blog about Crowd Lu for my next entry!

Over the weekend, I sang 4 times Valentine, 2 times From This Moment , 2 times Kiss Me, 2 times The Gift, 2 times Can’t take my eyes off you. and many other songs which I’ve sung too many times.

I mean, seriously, they’re overkill(ing me).

in times like this, I do wonder how i can NOT be a machine. maybe i just need inspiration to transport myself to another world when i sing these over-rated songs.

4 weddings over the weekend means swollen feet, half-filled stomach or with lousily-digested food, 5-hr sleep per nite (no thanks to French class + homework), and dark eye circles. I think I need better planning - so guess what I just did –> for the 2009 calendar, I’ve shaded and blocked off a Sat if I’m booked on a Sun, and vice-versa. What a bliss!

The thing which threw me offcourse was the emergency call from another fellow musician friend on Sat night, just after finishing a post-wedding bak kut teh supper - she suspected her boyfriend of 4mths was cheating on her online and needed me to fly to her for comfort. I couldn’t close my gaping mouth when she told me the flirting lines - it was so surreal. I thought those lines were only said in sitcoms/comedies. You know the strange twist in your guts when you see someone too handsome and you feel so turned off cos he doesn’t seem real and really should just walk back into the magazine /TV screen where he belongs?

The guy IS a jerk, and he turned out to be more than a playboy; on top of it, he’s a morph-to-anything-depending-on-who-he-is-near-to kind of chameleon i.e. super PR person. Suddenly my life is more exciting because of his personality (like, should I actually go and thank him for colouring my life). My sweet and demure friend kept asking me ‘why is he like that’, ‘why am I meeting these kind of men’, ‘do you think he feels sad’ etc blah blah blah. I told her if I know the answers, I could be the almighty more commonly known as God.

The best thing I’ve learnt this year is, don’t bother asking other people about what they think when the matter concerns me. 99% of the times, the answer is already in me . I’m confused only because I refuse (or neglect) to respect my feelings. Most people prefer to counter their feelings with cognitive thoughts more accessible by words. Hello feelings, you poor dudes, you have no alphabetical representations so I don’t know how to suss you out!

‘Counselling’ her requires me to use certain personal experiences, and suddenly I see the contrast in a 24 and a 29 yr-old person. I don’t like to use the word jaded, but I feel good to be where I am now; because of what I’ve experienced; I feel more sculptured, think I’ve attained more clarity, and more sure of who I am, what I want, and what qualities I like and dislike about certain men. It’s 6-months before I hit 30, but I’ve been feeling more than many times that my life has actually just begun (omg i can’t believe i’m bloggin such a cliché line, but it’s the truth so shall remain in this space).

Because I like who I am better, now.

C’est la vie. sometimes there’re no reasons. Just deal with it.

So many wedding songs to sing this month, most of them I wish I had a recorder inside of me and I can just press ‘play’. But luckily for me, there’re sweeties this month: I’m ecstatic I got to entertain myself tremendously with:

Just Because by Anita Baker: I can hear this song on repeat mode forever, and I thought I struck lottery when a couple requested for me to sing this at their wedding:

Crazy September has begun. 6 weddings in just the past week. 6 more coming this week.

Breathe.

There’s something about brides-to-be. It’s the glow on their faces…

And I noticed something, after seeing a gazillion photo montages and wedding pictures - 90% of the couples have the same smile. Lips are shaped the same, especially when they smile.

But I’m determined to continue with French lessons, Waltz lessons and erm, my pseudo-bf guitar-learning which I haven’t touched for n days.

In bad times I just tell myself it’s too easy to give up, and when I do, that’s when I can be sure I won’t succeed in that stuff. Like erm, the tap-dancing shoes which lie silently in the shoe rack.

And OMG, other than new vocab, I can actually understand and hear word for word what my French teacher says in class! What tearful achievement :’D <– tears of joy. Only thing is, wth do I squeeze time to do les devoirs?

I’m bored I want to PLAY

This is so cool!
Go yearbook yourself here: http://www.yearbookyourself.com/