GIS EYE
a group of students' view of everyday going-ons in an international school, providing the BIG PICTURE for your sensual enjoyment
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
GISEYE EXCLUSIVE Ex-GIS Breakthrough Artist Act Report
Smashing the past
GISEYE can report that precisely five months ago, in a bout of severe manic melancholy and smashing her previous project, the online faecal-name-inclined musings of ‘anniepoooooo.blogspot.com’, into the proverbial gutter, Ann Choong (known simply as ‘LilAnnieC’ to her close personal friends) bought a guitar, laptop and chair, and proceeded to sing songs written by other artists, record herself doing so, and upload them to popular video site, ‘youtube.com’.
While initially attempting to challenge the spoken word releases of Clement Chew’s famed GISEYE blogcasts, 'LilAnnieC' - the name being a clever play on the health supplement 'Vitamin C' - quickly found that her melodic drones were building a fan base somewhat in excess of that of Clements’.
Early days
Garnering an impressive 26 views in her first week, Ann Choong swiftly capitalised on the interest stirred in ex-GIS music and soon found herself tentatively treading the path to modest musical stardom formerly home to ex-GIS musical dignitaries Brian Tan, Leon Jala, Gregory Das, and Johan Abdul Rahman. Notwithstanding other ex-GIS eminents to have expressed an inclination towards music: Andy 'drums' Chan, Adzim 'either drums or guitar' Halim, Mohammad 'classical guitar' Aboljadayel, Jeon 'piano' Chae-Won, and the shortlived yet impactful vocal duo of Menzie 'Skeleton' Kee and Verun 'Chopra' Narula.
Indeed, Clement Chew, off the record, notes that Matthew Rust enjoys playing the guitar.
Inspired by such a bastion of ex-GIS musical talent, passing the critical 100 views mark over the next few months, Ann Choong faced a trilemma:
1. Thrust forward into the classically-inclined world admist eminents such as piano-dabbler Clement Chew and Malaysian Concert Violinist Jia Wii Hue.
2. Mount the pop ‘golden years’ pedestal formerly occupied by the now defunct soft rock cover band ‘Black Shirt Mondays’.
3. Venture into the uncertain world of singer-songwriter-dom currently home to such luminaries as ex-GIS U18 A team goal poacher ‘Ben Rynjah’.
In a revealing interview with GISEYE, Ann Choong humbly implied but did not confirm that she had chosen the latter route.
Response from fans
Response on the ground has been positive. Ex-GIS notable, Aarti Samtani, who co-starred (though did not sing) in a play during Sixth Form stated in a hard-hitting observation, ‘Ann genuinely surprised me with her talent and unique voice. I sincerely hope she puts herself out there more because there just isn't enough real talent in the music industry anymore.’
Chris Ho, who, along with being regularly chosen for a number of key leadership positions, personally setup the sound stage for a number of important assemblies throughout a glittering tenure at GIS, was unavailable for comment.
GIS luminary, spectacles wearer and author of 'The Narrow Road', Lee Weng Yew, commented, 'she sounds pretty good.'
The enigmatic Jeremy Goh, fellow spectacles wearer and veteran of the GIS lunch time football scene, enthused, 'she sounds amazing.'
Elsewhere, self-styled ‘Pro’, Henry Yen, lumped over a healthy chunk of constructive criticism: ‘She has a unique tone. Possibly due to lack of equipment, her voice is overly gentle. So improvement on equipment may cause improvement in singing.’ Off the record, Henry Yen informally retorted with yet more constructive commentary along the lines of, ‘she might consider an intro, like a 10sec intro.’
This cumulative praise has though not gone to the head of the level-headed Ann Choong. In an offhanded comment that will no doubt appeal to fans that prefer informal ‘street speak’, Ann Choong self-effacingly admitted that she is ‘still no where close to being a pro’ and announced that she ‘definitely need the groove in anything’.
Spanner in the works
The road to moderate musical stardom has not been easy for Ann Choong however. Damning criticism has been lashed out at the quality of her recording equipment. Further, several prominent ex-GIS music scene critics have noted that at key points in her recent releases she sounds like she is singing in a large room. In response, the University of the Arts London student ambiguously stated that she is, ‘generally shy when you don’t know me.’ Only by being pressed further did she admit that she is currently struggling with sound quality issues, curtly shouting, ‘no fancy mic, just the built in mic’.
A perhaps enraged Clement Chew, who reports indicate has taken Ann Choong's venture as a personal attack, is reportedly planning to release a flurry of self-composed piano movements to counter Ann Choong’s meteoric rise to fame. Malaysian Concert Violinist Jia Weii Hue is currently taking his exams and thus was unavailable for comment.
A bright future
Everyone else though has given their full backing to Ann Choong’s ambitions. Along with this, we here at GISEYE offer forth the totality of our support and burgeoning fan base for Ann Choong’s future endeavours.
In other news, Ann Choong recently won a competition by Warner Music Hong Kong.
LilAnnieC can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/LilAnnieC
Ben Rynjah can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/benrynjah
- GISEYE
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
New members on the scene
Penned by: Hue Jia Weii
http://huejiaweii.blogspot.com/
CHRIS'S BLOG
Penned by: Chris HO
http://chrisho88.blogspot.com/
ladeedew
Penned by: the almost forgotten Faisal Hassan, GIS U15 B team goalkeeper
http://www.faisalhassan.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Special Edition - DOE '07 #3
:: Day 2 ::
(Narrator: Matt Rust)
We woke up around 8am and settled down to some breakfast. Rumors were circulating that Blonde Squadron had appointed Thomas Maxwell as Blonde Leader, instead of the almighty Ho. After breakfast we set of for our reportedly 5km jungle trek.
The trek took its toll on some members of the party, and this was only a warm up for the real mountain. Not good signs. The race for the showers was on once we returned from the jungle trek, and as Chris Ho was part way through his recollection of the infamous straightflush incident of 99 the stampedes began. It became apparent that there was infact hot water available and this greatly calmed the panic attack of Blonde Leader, who did not wish to shower in cold water owing to the fact that it is cold.
That evening we successfully built a fire and cooked on it, just like real cave men. Chris Ho grudgingly conceded that it was infact a military standard fire and something we should all be proud of. High Mage YX who has for some reason not featured until now, concurred and gave the fire a GG rating. (The highest possible rating). THE END
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Special Edition - DOE '07 #2
:: Day 1 - continued ::
(Narrator: Matt Rust)
Once the plane touched down we streaked across the hot tarmac of the Kota Kinabalu airport and passed through immigration. Chris Ho came under some close scrutiny from the immigration officer but was eventually allowed to enter (apparently he’s wanted in 3 Australian states for terrorist activities in relation to Aires Rock).
Upon leaving the airport we had to pile into standard issue taxis, much to the dismay of Ho who had been hoping for chinhooks. In groups of 3-4 we traveled the 1.5hr journey from airport to Kinabalu National Park. The sight of the magnificent Kinabalu National Park gate rising in the distance brought a tear to the eye of Chris Ho, as he recalled previous attempts to scale the mighty mountain that had sadly ended disastrously and culminating in the death of his entire Australian SAS team. Sergeant Major Christopher Ho had been attempting with his SAS team to climb the mountain in a record 1minutes 41seconds, unfortunately though as night descended a fierce rain storm soaked the slopes of the mountain in water and many of Chris Ho’s compatriots fell and died. Chris Ho was the only survivor and eventually returned to the base camp alone, 6years later, covered in shiiiiit.
Once we arrived at KNP (Kinabalu National Park) we made our way to the headquarters where we were assigned rooms at the Rock Hostel. Many members of the group agreed that “rock ‘n’ roll hostel” would be much cooler, with the exception of Kit who though that Stoner Hostel was infinitely cool. The reason for such a name became apparent as we walked into the living area, the walls were made of rocks and resembled vertical cobbled roads. Chris Ho immediately declared himself satisfied with the apparent military standard of the walls, and this was a relief for everyone. We had settled into our new surroundings by around 3pm, but were told that we had no scheduled activities and had free time till about 7-8pm when there would be a briefing. Chris Ho was outraged.
Later, at the briefing, we were put into groups for the following day, as we would be walking through the treacherous and dangerous jungle. Chris Ho expressed his dismay that he had not been entrusted with the formation of such groups and vented his anger by registering a very high blood pressure. After the briefing was over, Chris Ho declared that it would be wise for everyone to go to bed early so that they would have plenty of energy for the following day. The innocent Thomas Maxwell began a rebellious party known only as Blonde Squadron who intended to resist Ho and his early bed time policies. Violent pillow fighting ensued. Consequently Chris Ho saw the error of his ways and joined Blonde Squadron in their quest for Blondeness and Blonde Rights/Equality.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Special Edition - DOE '07 #1
:: Day 1 ::
(Narrator: Matt Rust)
The DoE, Mt.Kinabalu experience started off like a typical school day. Waking up at 6am was something we thought we had escaped. Curtains were pulled back and bright light temporarily blinded us.
After being forced from our comfy beds and quickly taking the last opportunity for a civilized shower kit and I made the short journey to Chris Ho’s sacred abode laden with our huge heavy bags.
Upon arrival it became apparent that either Kit and I had under-packed, or that Ho himself had severely over-packed. This conclusion was drawn from the sheer enormity of Ho’s bag and the rumors that it had cost in the region of 15squillion Australian dollar. (We were later to be told by Ho himself that Australian dollars are infact BETTER than any other type of dollar or currency currently in circulation).
We traveled to the low-cost-carrier-airport in the comfort of the Ho-mobile, driven by the lovely Mrs. Ho, mother of the notorious Chris Ho. After arriving at said airport, we enjoyed a MacDonald’s breakfast and our last fast-food intake of the week. FREE REFILLS! Ah yes, and the obligatory burnt tongue which is inescapably suffered on each and every DoE trip was acquired before we’d even cooked a thing ourselves. Chris Ho however was simply not going to accept Ronald mcdonalds extortionate prices and bargained his way down 10cents on a mcflurry.
Once the bags had been checked in (Ho tucked his military grade bag away in some kind of protective all weather/all eventualities condom for extra protection) we headed for the gate, and as I’m sure the reader is familiar with the layout and workings of an airport, I’ll spare you the details...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Remarkable occurrences
Newsletter 15 January 2010
'Photo taken of whole school'
Available for purchase at RM150 per copy. On view in the Secondary Office.
- GISEYE
Thursday, December 31, 2009
4 GBP Nasi Lemak
Precisely more than four weeks ago from today, along with another stalwart of the post-GIS blogging scene, Matthew Rust; this humble editor commenced on a flamboyantly metaphorical and physical journey through the perils of football team organisation, a gripping four hour coach trip, and ultimately what turned out to be an enjoyable day on Saturday the 31st of November at the Nottingham Malaysian Games 2009 Sports Competition & Family-Fun Day.
Team DetailsLustfully thrusting themselves forward upon the Ben Teo heartland of Nottingham, United Kingdom a team comprising: Nikesh ‘Safe Hands’ Chahal, Andy ‘Pec-heavy’ Chan, Ben ‘Suspect Match Practice’ Bradley, an up for it Matthew ‘Perry’ Rust, Menzie ‘Furious’ Kee, recent Singaporean import Vincent ‘Solskjear’ Au, and the ever-present team official and administrator Clement Chew Sdn Bhd - equivocally represented the remnants of the fabled Garden U18 Team of 06/07 (forth best team in South East Asia due only to some consistently gregarious refereeing malpractice throughout their tenure), in this the perennial competition in the British Universities Malaysian Sporting Calendar.
Possessing the rare qualities of negligible match practice in the months prior to the game and a carefully selected average of two hours of sleep the night before, preparations never looked better for what became known as Team Punggol War Clan, as this troop of drained yet talented individuals collectively descended at 0800h upon the Power League Nottingham stadia, adjacent to a resplendent British Tobacco Processing Plant and the best of Nottingham’s marshlands.
In a nod to the fabled efficiencies of Chris Ho, by 0835h all non-tournament logistics and administration had been taken care of by the assured Clement Chew. All necessary tournament information was then garnered by team organiser B Bradley at the pre-tournament briefing given in succinct Bahasa Melayu. It was learnt that a grand total of 64 teams were present.
Foundations in place, at 0900h Team Punggol War Clan commenced a quick and efficient warm-up using a ball generously temporarily procured from an unsuspecting nearby team.
Preparations were dealt a blow however when the nearby team turned about face and aggressively commenced retrieval of their ball, cutting short Team Garden’s pre-game warm-up to an efficient 25 seconds.
Match 1: Birmingham ‘A’Adrenaline surging through the veins, Team Garden lumbered through their first game against Notts Games 2008 Champions Birmingham University A. Presenting the lead to their furious opponents in the first half, a lethargic run from M Rust combined with a lazy Andy Chan back-heel were sufficient for Team Garden to finish the game at level pegging with the final score 1-1.
The game also concluded with Acting Defender B Bradley on the receiving end of a torrent of nationalistic abuse from a vertically-different member of the opposing team after this upstanding individual unfortunately managed to collide with a wooden buttress.
Match 2: Leicester ‘A’ (2-3)Eventualities aside however, Team Garden entered their next game going through the motions against a ridiculous Leicester ‘A’ side.
Nevertheless whatever the final score line it could be safely said from a neutral perspective that Team Punggol War Clan stood firm in retaining the moral victory in this their penultimate game of the tournament.
Match 3: King’s College London ‘A’Highlights here included: ‘Shut the fuck up, no one’s talking to you’, ‘Fuck you’, and ‘Go learn English and go home.’
Team Garden won 4-1.
Highlights here included a last minute penalty awarded to the opposing team after keeper Nikesh Chahal opted to touch the ball with his feet.
This malicious act proved to be the final straw for the tournament organizers and thus ended Team Punggol War Clan’s brief and bittersweet campaign in the Notts Games of 2009.
Compliments to Adzim Halim for the gracious loan of his personal car as the official team transport vehicle for the day.
Other luminaries who featured on the day were:
Colin SayProvided both moral and physical support to Imperial College London volleyball team.
Jonson TanVolleyball action for Loughborough University (alumni including Matthew Rust).
Lee Ky-LingClement what did you want to write here?
Datuk Ahmed Shabery Bin Cheek, Minister for Youth and SportsWho took time out of his personal schedule to meet and greet players, fans and indeed team officials and administrators.
- GISEYE