Pharmacy interviews began this week and because I had nothing to do, I decided to help out! I originally put down my name for all three days, both morning and afternoon sessions. A week before though I thought that maybe two days will be enough so I pulled out of the last day.
I wasn't sure what to expect, except that this might be a good chance to meet some new people. At least that part was right. There were quite a few interesting people from as far as Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch! My job was to chat to the students waiting in the foyer for their interviews, to calm them down, relax them, and then take them to their right interview room! The helpers I was with were mostly first years, fortunately people I knew which was cool!
We started off assigning one interview room to each person - we would take students to that particular interview room. As the day wore on though I ended up spending more and more time just hanging in the foyer chatting up the girls...and guys...
Most of the students who had interviews on the first day were students who had just completed their first year at uni. Sadly most of them were biomed students, and even sadder was the fact that many of them had medicine interviews and were just treating the pharmacy interview as practice! How dare them!!
There were one or two school leavers on the first day who we thought must've had a special reason for having their interview so early (as usually school leavers have their interviews in January!). One of those people was Grammy, this girl who used to learn the violin with us till she found another teacher and has become heaps better!
The afternoon session on the second day though was full of school leavers so they must've run out of students to interview for alternative admissions! The second day wasn't as bright and fun as the first day wihch could be attributed to several possible reasons - different helpers, the weather was miserable on the second day, or the school leavers were a lot more tense and not as talkative!
There were quite a few familiar faces who came by too. Chen for one had his interview in the morning of the second day. Not too long after my intermediate school friend Lance rang me asking me to help him get to the Pharmacy School for his interview! Later in the day this girl asked me if I was Szelin's neighbour, and then told me she was her friend from St Doms! This other girl also asked me if I was Aonghas's brother, as she went to this science camp with him eariler this year and I looked like him!
The most memorable moment must've been on Monday, the first day, when we were waiting for this person to arrive for his/her interview at about 10.50am. This guy came in at about 11am and we assumed he was that person and told him he was a little late and sent him to the interview room. A little while later he was sent out and we were told there was a bit of a mix-up! He was supposed to have his interview at about 11.30am. He had a very similar name to the 10.50am girl! He told us his interview started off along the lines of
"So you play badminton?"
"Noo........"
So that guy was lucky and got an interview and a half!
Another memorable moment was when I took this girl to her interview room and she asked me if I used to Rutherford College as she just finished school there! Rutherford represent!!!!
So my pharmacy pride started to shine and grow thanks to those past two days. That's the REAL reason why I wanted to help out of course...oh and also because of the really nice morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea we were provided! Niiiiiiiiiice.....
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Music Madness
My brothers and I performed with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra in their carols concert at the Auckland Town Hall on Friday night which was really fun! I sat with Hamish right at the back of the viola section and right next to the drums which was deafening at times! Aonghas was filling in for the second violins so he was on the other side of the stage to us.
Prior to the performance we had to look all over the place for black dress shirts as it is the Auckland Symphony Orchestra uniform. I can't believe how much black shirts cost! Some places like Hallensteins cost over $100! The cheapest we could find was at Farmers for $30! Even then there was only one left of each of our sizes!
The programme was fairly similar to previous years' Christmas concerts except for the solo performances by various choirs that formed the combined choir which performed along with us. The solo performances were mostly own compositions by the respective choirs' church music directors and they were really catchy and moving songs! Our section leader (our violin/viola teacher) gave us all reindeer antlers to wear just before we played Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I brought along my mini-santa hat as well but when I tried putting on both of them they fell off not once but twice! Hopefully nobody saw that! Then again I was at the back so probably not!
After the show we got a photo with the conductor Gary Daverne who asked us when we were going to join permanently, so we might have to think about that over the holidays!
--
Yesterday morning was the end-of-year concert at the music school where I teach recorder. I was a little worried as I wasn't too sure how ready my students were and this concert is usually my best chance to prove myself as a teacher. I guess the students sorta reflect how well I teach!
Fortunately recorder was in the middle of the concert so I was able to go through a few pieces with my students in one of the back rooms before they had to perform. My students were a little unfocused though and after one student discovered that poking me in the side with her recorder gives me an 'electric shock', they all started doing it! Unfortunately there was this girl from my church who learns flute there who was warming up in the same room and started dissing me and the recorder! I'm going to have to get her back next time I see her at church!
Anyway my students went up on stage. My two youngest students who were only about 5 years old and had never played together till the performance performed Jingle Bells. I made a little booboo when I introduced them to the audience - I got them mixed up! My older Korean first year students each performed a duet with me by memory which was sooo impressive, before they peformed a duet together on their own! The recorder section of the concert concluded with my two more advanced students performing on treble recorders.
My students did so well! I was so proud of them! I gave them their reports and some lollies afterwards and I got a present from two of my students, the most I ever have in one year since I started teaching two years ago! I wanted to take a photo with my students but I didn't have a camera so one of my students' parents took one but just before I managed to get their email address I had to rush back on stage to perform violin!
After all the prizes were awarded and the concert finished, I had a chat with my boss about next year. I've been a little worried about how many students I'll be getting next year since quite a few of my students are going to learn other instruments like violin and flute next year. It turns out that next year there will be a policy that if you are under seven years old and want to learn violin you must do one year of recorder before you can, so they'll just give me all the younger students who know nothing! I've also asked if they can advertise that I can teach music theory too, so hopefully I'll be able to get some students to sit some music theory exams!
Us three brothers were about to leave when our violin teacher invited us to coffee at a nearby cafe which was nice. I tried a spirilina, which apparently has seaweed and some other stuff to give it a green colour. It tasted a lot better than it looked though!
To continue with the music, we had to off to church afterwards for a meeting about the upcoming children's summer camp we're helping out with at camp and also our first string group rehearsal! Let's just say we've got a bit of practice to do before the Christmas Eve concert...
Prior to the performance we had to look all over the place for black dress shirts as it is the Auckland Symphony Orchestra uniform. I can't believe how much black shirts cost! Some places like Hallensteins cost over $100! The cheapest we could find was at Farmers for $30! Even then there was only one left of each of our sizes!
The programme was fairly similar to previous years' Christmas concerts except for the solo performances by various choirs that formed the combined choir which performed along with us. The solo performances were mostly own compositions by the respective choirs' church music directors and they were really catchy and moving songs! Our section leader (our violin/viola teacher) gave us all reindeer antlers to wear just before we played Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I brought along my mini-santa hat as well but when I tried putting on both of them they fell off not once but twice! Hopefully nobody saw that! Then again I was at the back so probably not!
After the show we got a photo with the conductor Gary Daverne who asked us when we were going to join permanently, so we might have to think about that over the holidays!
--
Yesterday morning was the end-of-year concert at the music school where I teach recorder. I was a little worried as I wasn't too sure how ready my students were and this concert is usually my best chance to prove myself as a teacher. I guess the students sorta reflect how well I teach!
Fortunately recorder was in the middle of the concert so I was able to go through a few pieces with my students in one of the back rooms before they had to perform. My students were a little unfocused though and after one student discovered that poking me in the side with her recorder gives me an 'electric shock', they all started doing it! Unfortunately there was this girl from my church who learns flute there who was warming up in the same room and started dissing me and the recorder! I'm going to have to get her back next time I see her at church!
Anyway my students went up on stage. My two youngest students who were only about 5 years old and had never played together till the performance performed Jingle Bells. I made a little booboo when I introduced them to the audience - I got them mixed up! My older Korean first year students each performed a duet with me by memory which was sooo impressive, before they peformed a duet together on their own! The recorder section of the concert concluded with my two more advanced students performing on treble recorders.
My students did so well! I was so proud of them! I gave them their reports and some lollies afterwards and I got a present from two of my students, the most I ever have in one year since I started teaching two years ago! I wanted to take a photo with my students but I didn't have a camera so one of my students' parents took one but just before I managed to get their email address I had to rush back on stage to perform violin!
After all the prizes were awarded and the concert finished, I had a chat with my boss about next year. I've been a little worried about how many students I'll be getting next year since quite a few of my students are going to learn other instruments like violin and flute next year. It turns out that next year there will be a policy that if you are under seven years old and want to learn violin you must do one year of recorder before you can, so they'll just give me all the younger students who know nothing! I've also asked if they can advertise that I can teach music theory too, so hopefully I'll be able to get some students to sit some music theory exams!
Us three brothers were about to leave when our violin teacher invited us to coffee at a nearby cafe which was nice. I tried a spirilina, which apparently has seaweed and some other stuff to give it a green colour. It tasted a lot better than it looked though!
To continue with the music, we had to off to church afterwards for a meeting about the upcoming children's summer camp we're helping out with at camp and also our first string group rehearsal! Let's just say we've got a bit of practice to do before the Christmas Eve concert...
Friday, 5 December 2008
Auckland Symphony Orchestra Christmas Music Concert
If you want something to do tonight, come watch me fill in for the Auckland Symphony Orchestra at their Sing-Along Carols and Popular Christmas Music Concert! I'll be right at the back of the viola section, right in front of the drums (so if I have problems hearing after this concert, you'll know why!):
Future CONCERTS with the AUCKLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conductor: Gary Daverne ONZM Concert Master: Michael Hunter
Conductor: Gary Daverne ONZM Concert Master: Michael Hunter
FREE FAMILY CONCERTS
SING-ALONG CAROLS
and
POPULAR CHRISTMAS MUSIC
CONCERT
with the
AUCKLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
CONDUCTOR: Gary Daverne O.N.Z.M.
Featuring
The combined Church Choirs of
Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints
Greyfriars Presbyterian Church
Manurewa E.F.K.S. Choir
Tangaroa College Choir
Great Hall - Auckland Town Hall - THE EDGE®
FRIDAY 5 December 2008 at 7.30 p.m.
(Duration about 80 minutes, no interval, tickets not required)
Song Sheets provided
FREE ADMISSION - ALL WELCOME
The Auckland Symphony Orchestra
acknowledges the support of the Auckland and North Shore City Councils and Creative NZ
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Weekend Barbeque
Saturday night was the first time our Sunday School class ever socialised outside of church. We had a barbeque at the house of one of the girls. Jennifer and her mum who helps out our class kindly hosted the occasion at their house!
We were a bit rushed as we were coming from accordion lessons over in North Shore and we decided to take a detour before coming home to meet our mum! We heard about some car audio sale at this shop and so decided to check it out. One of the girls offered to have a look at the speakers in our car and when she saw the wiring, she commented
"This is hori wiring!"
So to the barbeque...Their house is massive! Most people were there by the time we got there but at least we got there before anyone had started eating! We arrived at the same time as their neighbour, who turned out to be a pretty cool guy!
Most of the night we just spent talking to each other, making conversation, and of course eating! This time I didn't eat any mussels for fear of getting sick! After dinner we all sat around and shared our favourite Bible verse, what it meant and why it was our favourite. I hadn't thought about it much and so I just came up with a random one!
We finished the night off by hanging out in the lounge and talking for a while longer before all going our separate ways.
The next day at Sunday School there was even talk of another get-together! One can only hope..
Angie turned up to Sunday School for the first time in aaages! It was good catching up with her! I felt a little bad because I didn't tell her about the Sunday School barbeque! Hopefully the next get-together will be enough to encourage her to come more regularly!
We were a bit rushed as we were coming from accordion lessons over in North Shore and we decided to take a detour before coming home to meet our mum! We heard about some car audio sale at this shop and so decided to check it out. One of the girls offered to have a look at the speakers in our car and when she saw the wiring, she commented
"This is hori wiring!"
So to the barbeque...Their house is massive! Most people were there by the time we got there but at least we got there before anyone had started eating! We arrived at the same time as their neighbour, who turned out to be a pretty cool guy!
Most of the night we just spent talking to each other, making conversation, and of course eating! This time I didn't eat any mussels for fear of getting sick! After dinner we all sat around and shared our favourite Bible verse, what it meant and why it was our favourite. I hadn't thought about it much and so I just came up with a random one!
We finished the night off by hanging out in the lounge and talking for a while longer before all going our separate ways.
The next day at Sunday School there was even talk of another get-together! One can only hope..
Angie turned up to Sunday School for the first time in aaages! It was good catching up with her! I felt a little bad because I didn't tell her about the Sunday School barbeque! Hopefully the next get-together will be enough to encourage her to come more regularly!
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Not So Happy Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AONGHAS (for Friday)
Besides having his chemistry exam on that day, he had a happy day going out to lunch with his friends after the exam and got a few presents from them. Unfortunately for the rest of the world it wasn't such a happy day with the Air New Zealand plane going down over in France (29 years after Erebus; Aonghas's birthday isn't a great day for flying is it!), the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the airport in Bangkok being held by anti-government protesters!
As for me I went into the city for a meeting with some of the Dessert Club committee members. We ended up going to Tonys for lunch. I'm going to end up knowing all these restaurants in the city thanks to Dessert Club guys!
I also went to try photocopy some Christmas string quartet music in either the public library or the university's music library but it was all gone! They were all borrowed! Arggh!
To end Aonghas's birthday we had youth group at night where we played some games involving feet...yes I know...a little weird, but there was some meaning to it!
I also went to try photocopy some Christmas string quartet music in either the public library or the university's music library but it was all gone! They were all borrowed! Arggh!
To end Aonghas's birthday we had youth group at night where we played some games involving feet...yes I know...a little weird, but there was some meaning to it!
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