Of the Ride Upon Doris
Doris is the name of a bus in "Almost Famous",a movie about a young reporter travelling around the country with a band called "Still Water" while writing an article for Rolling Stone magazine.Doris is basically the bus the band travels around with instead of planes.They insisted on it because that was where the band started.So everytime they travel from state to state the band would play music and sing on the bus while the bus speeds down the long stretch of road down the Nevada desert.I felt like this on Wednesday when the guitar club travelled down from school to Bugis Junction for our public performance.

We grabbed our individual instruments and rushed onto the bus soon after it arrived.The harmonica people were already at the back of the bus practising while the guitar club occupied the rest.While they busied themselves with their songs we were fooling around on the bus.Ahmad and I sat together and we took out our guitars and started playing songs.It was real fun as none of us cared much of whether we hit the right note or not.We just played whatever we wanted and sang whichever way we desired.It was real fun,and i felt like a member of "Still Water" on Doris.Haha.Though it was really crammed up when we played,and Ahmad had to play the guitar while it stood vertically on his laps,but we played on.

There's nothing much i can say about the performance anyway.We continued to fool around backstage while we waited for our turn.The performance itself was pretty bad.I mean,the microphone clearly had some serious problems and the technician didnt know how to fix it.He probably was too busy puffing on his cigarette.I was playing as loud as i can till my thumb went red,and the back row was an utter silence.No offence,but the back row consists mostly the weaker players.In the centre actually.They totally forgot how to play.Oh well,who cares.I am not going to see those audience ever again in my life,so why should i care if i screw up or not.And as for the school's name,i dont give two cents about it.In fact,i am interested in anything that has got to do with the tarnishing of the school's name.Really.I'd love to hear it and tell everyone.Like how i told everyone about the "No Gel" rule.We are not robbing or raping anybody right?So what's wrong with gelling our hair up.Its not even a symbol of social outcast.Its not skin head or whatever?

Anyway,the performance ended and we got back on Doris again.This time Russell was sitting close and we played lots of songs.He turned the OC theme song "California" by Phantom Planet to "Rice Prataya".Haha.It was really funny and we sang to the song,though we dont necessarily know the lyrics.We played the song by Darkness too.Now,i hate that song.But its a real good one to goof around with.The girls were busy taking pictures and stuff,and we played a birthday song for nobody on the bus.I thought it was LiPing's birthday,but i just remembered that we celebrated it way before the holidays.Hmm.My memory is failing me indeed.

Nothing else happened this week.Nothing worthy enough to be written here anyway.My Parents' Day was fine.The meeting with Nirmala was short and brief,due to the fact that my mother didnt know much English and she didnt know Chinese.I mean,if you are the teacher you wouldnt spend much time with the parent of a student who doesnt understand half of whatever that is coming out of your mouth even if you have something important to complain about right.I was doing translations half the time.In fact,i did most of the talking.I told her my plans about my future,and explained why i had my results.She complained to my mother about how i go home before 1pm,which i find is still totally ridiculous as a school rule.Its dictatorship,and a reversed curfew.Totally lame.Anyway,i heard bad news from my friends.Not that it'll directly affect me anyway,but just something i feel that is really unfair.I dont know what Nirmala told my classmates whatever,but apparently some cried before her.I shall not say who did,but she has been a good students in terms of attitude and achievements.I mean,she is the least likely person whom you can associate with the word "Attitude Problem" whatsoever.Weird.Wait,or shall i say "They"?To be honest,what Nirmala knows is greatly limited to the numbers on the result slip and what other teachers tell her.Or perhaps what she sees during the mere 15 minutes during assembly every morning.What does she know?Nothing.Nothing much anyway.So she lacks the understanding of every student,so what gives her the right to judge the students?I know she doesnt have a choice on whether she wants to judge or not.But she does have the choice of what to judge on.I do think that that student who cried is in fact a great student every teacher would want to have.In fact both of them really.One of them achieves academically,while the other though not exactly the best student in the class result wise,but she's in a school team.That speaks a lot.I bet Nirmala didnt know how much time she gave up on their CCAs,or how responsible they are in class.She doesnt see all those because she dont know us.Its really unfair,but i dont think that by crying it is going to solve anything.At least it isnt the right way to feel.Pissed,yeah maybe.But cry?That reveals your vulnerability and shows that you just lost your war against this "Stranger" who knows nothing about you.So why the hell take in everything she says.Put corks in your ears and smile at her and say,"Whatever."What she says,really doesnt matter.

Song of the Moment---California by Phantom Planet