Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hello Guzheng,

when I went back on Saturday, I realised you guys have grown so much. I didn't use to understand what did seniors meant when they said that guzheng have grown, but now I know and I am very proud of all of you, and I can feel pride welling up inside me whenever I tell my friends about Guzheng.

Like I said on Saturday, you guys have the potential and there's no denying that. You have the mental capability, you are a cut above the rest, you have that ability to do well, but it all boils down to how badly you want it. So what if you want Gold with Honours? You have got to want it badly enough, want it so badly that guzheng becomes your priority, at least for this period of time.

I remember what Laoshi said to us a few weeks before SYF 2 years ago, and I am going to repeat to all of you now. And that is at the end of the day, Gold With Honours is just a cert, nothing more. A piece of 100gm paper. What you should, all of you as musicians should go after is not just that 100gm paper, but more than that. Like I said, all of you have the potential, its just a matter of how badly you want it. You can, be the best musicians and guzheng players I've ever seen in my life. But what makes you, Nanyang Guzheng the best? What makes people go wow when they hear Nanyang Guzheng?

You cannot just go after that cert, if you do, you're not doing yourself and your music justice. You, should go after devoting yourself to perfection. And I stress on the perfections because that's all it takes to separate you from the other guzheng ensembles.

Stay focused. You have a mere 1 month left and even though it is just a competition, it is the competition that can change how other school teams look at Nanyang Guzheng.

Being in Crescent has shown me this big group of people who wishes to do well but they simply cannot because they were not blessed with amazing brains that all of you have. But being in Crescent has also shown me that with hard work, he who has perserverance and determination can surpass the doings of someone more intelligent than he is. You have the brains to do things extremely well, you're just not putting in the effort. You're just not wanting it badly enough.

I saw good effort, but not good enough. I saw people who focused, but you are not focused enough. I saw the hardwork, but you are not putting in enough hardwork.

Being in an ensemble, it shows something and that is you you can never stand alone because once you do, you bring the whole team down. If Nanyang Guzheng wants Gold With Honours, then the whole of Nanyang Guzheng has to want it. Not just Hanyi, or Tingyi, or Tongzhen, or Jiayun, or Huiker...the whole team. And I cannot stress this point enough.

To the seniors, 辛苦你们了. As for the juniors, I want to see more than what you've been putting in.

Practicing is hardwork, but it is essential for crude metal to transform into pure gold.

'Devote yourself to perfection in everything that you do.'
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