Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Jon's 7th letter: On to the next stage of life - Curtains up! , MyPaper SCREAM'07Hi there, Jonatics!
Here's Jon's first letter after his examinations~
"On to the next stage of life- Curtains up!"
"And so it is, just like you said it would be..." thank you all for all your patience. It has really been a very long semester for me in school. The half year which I spent in school really seemed to take forever to end. I mean, honestly, I was never a big fan of academics though I get by ok, I have my secondary school english teacher to thank me for that though. She is the one who kinda put it into my head that whatever it is, I should go get a degree in NUS. Her reason being that I don't like taking orders from people. Haha. I guess she wanted me to at least have some form of academic standing so people would take me seriously. Though I didn't really enjoy the process of school because it was really tiring while juggling my night job singing with the band till the wee hours of the morning for my pocket money while having to wake up really early the next morning for classes struggling to stay awake, I am still very grateful to her. I am rather lucky in my life in that though I might not have alot of things by luck, I am blessed to meet very good teachers. When I was in secondary school I had an excellent fencing coach that went by the name of Jeff Lopez, he guided my love for the sport into something more than mere interest, from the time I was 13 to the time I entered national service, he helped me (very patiently I might add) to understand the beauty and art of swordplay, of sportsmanship and of competition. He taught me what it was to chase a dream. He was more than a coach for sports, but he moulded alot of my determination which got me not only into the national team for a few years but also alot of the tolerance for physical hardship which got me through my stint in the commandos as well. I wasn't exactly the model student in school, I was more interested in what was outside school than what was in it. I disliked teachers who ordered me around without reason and I was always flouting rules which to me were not logical. Needless to say I got into alot of trouble with the school authority, my thursdays were more often spent in detention than anywhere else. But the point is, there was one particular teacher who saw some promise in me and I am very grateful to her for that. When other teachers yelled, she reasoned, when the rest called my parents to complain, she sat me down to explain... that was the beautiful part about her, I heard truth in what she said because it made sense and I knew she was right. It was funny that I got on so very well with a teacher and we are still very much in contact even now. I believe she is one of those that are called into service. I know that teaching is a thankless job and not everyone is cut out to handle the hardships of it. But if any of you are teaching or know any nobody who is in it, tell them that their job is a really noble one in my opinion because they truly can make a difference in people's lives and the administrative nonsense and top down structure is not as important as the students they have under their care. I'm one example of someone that was really guided by great teachers.
I've been reflecting a little about the line of work that I am getting myself into and I have come to realise how very shallow it can be. I mean, I love my art, singing songs, music, maybe even acting, the main reason why I love it is because I get to express myself and say things through lyrics that I would never dare to say in real life. If I act, I would be playing a role that I would never dare to be in my life. It's a form of escapism I guess. But many don't really see that part of the entertainment business, which is in essence, the creative part of it. Most people only want to look at the superficial part of the business, criticising the clothing, the hair, the makeup, the money, it is kind of sad in my opinion, and a big waste. That isn't the way to promote the arts in my opinion. Music, writings, art they are all meant to bring us closer, in my opinion, to humanity, to help us learn about what we are, and what is important in life, not just money and having this credit card or wearing this brand of underwear with some guy's name on it. But, then again, money drives many people to doing things they never thought they would. hers's something that I would like you to ask of you, if ever you feel like I am going the way of materialism please tell me by way of email (jonathanleong01@yahoo.com) or just write a letter to my agency(artiste networks) because I don't want to get lost in the ways of men, if you know what I mean. I will seriously have to 'realign' myself if I stray from my initial intentions.
That being said, ever since the end of my exams I have been busy catching up with my close friends and family. I tend to block everyone in my life out when I am immersed in a particular project or work so I have to make time for them when I can. It's important to keep the people you care about close to you because they help to ground you in my opinion and you also remember that there are people out there who care about you and want the best for you. Everyone knows that my main priority is to get my mandarin standard up to scratch because of practical language and also that it helps me get closer to my roots. I am doing what I can but I fear that its not enough, if you know anyway of helping me out please let me know... its really important to me to improve my mandarin. It's my raison d'etre now.
Once again, thank you for being there despite everything, I haven't been very active in the music scene of late and its the way it is because of the way the competition brings one to public view without songs of your own. But be patient, I will do my utmost to come up with an album and will put in the effort to make the best of what i have right now. Thanks for the constant emails and gifts and cards. It means alot, I am not really good in conversation in person and I hope you forgive that I look aloof or distant, its still very foreign to me this whole public image thing. And it doesn't help that I am quite private and quiet by nature. On another note, I paid 2 visits to the national library this week and I am really impressed with the amount of material that they have now compares to before, reading is really good for me and I hope to read alot of books now that I don't have to study. You should go there too, its so convenient now. And you won't clutter your house with books that you've already read.
Ok, I am rambling. You take care and I will catch you soon.
Smiles,
Jon.
It sure is good to know that Jon is getting on fine since we hear and see so little of him nowadays. We'd be waiting patiently for a "comeback", Jon!
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At the same time, we are glad to inform you of another upcoming event involving Jonathan. Details are given below in this web-banner.
Many thanks to MyPaper.sg and Wanran aka Caroline.
Do send in your requests quickly! Only 3000 readers will be invited, and all sms must be sent by 25 May, midnight. Also, do note that the participants must be 18 years old and above. You may wish to visit this website and the related forum thread for more details and discussions on this party.
Coincidentally (or not), Jon's birthday will be the very next day after this party, 2 June. Do try your luck and we hope to see many Jonatics at this exciting event.
Remember to join in the forum on after-event discussions on Jon's Miss Singapore Universe performance as well.
See you soon!
@ 10:13 PM
