Missed the Boat? No Way! - adult violin lessons

Learn the violin with Eileen

Eileen Chai picked up the violin in her first semester at the university and spent a year to achieve an Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 Certification. Soon after, she took the Theory and Piano examinations as well. She has since played in the National University of Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Youth Orchestra, The Chamber Players and many other chamber groups.

She is also a Ministry of Education (MOE)-certified teacher in both Physical Education & Music. Her years in group and individual teaching has served her well in sharing music knowledge with her students in MOE and music schools.

She has been performing since 2005. Her music repertoire ranges from pop to new jazz to alternative to trance. From an acoustic violinist, playing in hotel functions, at sports events and entertainment gigs to an electric violinist, playing with both local and international DJs, and rock and symphonic new metal bands.

As a former national athlete, her attitude towards elite sport play helped her pick up new skills with much ease, that includes the learning of violin. She is the youngest athlete to have participated in the Southeast Asia Games at seven-years-old; a gold medallist at the Asia Pacific Diving Championship at 15-years-old; and an ex-national record holder in the 100m Hurdles at 27-years-old. Her accomplishments have not been possible without the dedication, perseverance and passion for sport, music and art.

It's never too late to learn the violin. Speed-dial 9396 5354.
 Thank you.

~ Missed the Boat? No Way! ~

The First Step

My Violins - Spot the "renegade"!

“She doesn’t know what she wants in life.” I’ve heard this so many times. I would simply brush it aside, keep my focus and move towards my mountain—even if it has to take me 10 years to do so.

My past blog entries were simply about myself. I've found it to be pretty self-indulgent. I had friends who told me that it was good to share my past experiences--for people to understand that sporting life journeys to the top of the field is not an easy one. However, I felt uncomfortable with the me-emphasis and was limited by what I could write about. I had to change my topic.

Recently, I’ve made the huge leap to hang up my corporate attire to freelance. I want to write more, and do what I’ve always loved, music. I’ve received mixed responses of my decision. They ranged from positive support to negative “put-me-down” comments. Through our lives, we learn to seek for and learn from the constructive criticisms. Ultimately, we lead our own lives—we absorb what is relevant, make a choice and make it good.

My immediate goal is to provide myself some financial security. It’s a blessing to be able to marry both passion and work. Today, I posted an advertisement in The Sunday Times Classified—violin lessons for adults. I will have my first student this coming week.

To create the relevance and maintain the continuity in what I’m going to do, it would be appropriate for me to blog about music. Sport has been a part of my life since childhood, and it will remain so. Once in awhile, I will sneak in some sporting stories.

In whatever we strive to accomplish, we need to take that first step out of our familiar grounds, and opportunities would appear in more ways than one.

I've just taken my first step.

Not Alone

A snapshot of my training in China (1991) 

"Ringggggggg!" - 5:00am, my daily wake-up call. I open my eyes and look up at the bed above me - feeling cold and hearing my lonely heart beat.

It is the cold winter in Guangzhou, China. Every day, the gymnasts attend their morning workouts at the running track, followed by stretching and strength training at the gymnasium. The track is dark and chilly. All of us gather in a circle in our thick winter clothes to do a quick warm up to prepare for the fearsome 400m sprint. If the run is unsatisfactory to the coach, we have to go for a few more rounds, till he says 'stop'. In the gymnasium, after being pressed down on our hips in our front splits by our coaches to improve our flexibility, we proceed to do either 10 sets each of 10 continuous back somersaults, 10 continuous press-ups (to handstand) or 1min handstand holds. Should we break the continuity or fall from our handstands, we have to redo that set. No one talks, no one makes eye contacts, no one dares to go against the coaches - everyone was afraid.

The daily noise begins at breakfast in the cafeteria. My Chinese gymnastic friends start to act their age - smiling, laughing and poking fun at each other. Their ages ranged from 5 to 13 years old. I was 10 then. 

My bedroom in China (1988)

At the 13th Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in 1985, the Singapore gymnastics team went to Bangkok, Thailand in full force of six to compete. My teammates were Srina Shari, Chua Sze Muay, Gan Sock Hong, Tan Yuen Yuen and Suzanna Shari. My debut at the games caused quite a stir in Thailand as at the age of seven, I was the youngest participant in the history of the games. We competed to the best of our ability and we were placed fourth in the team overall (originally a team bronze due to non-appointment of neutral technical delegate. Another story to be told). I had a lot of fun with the media, the senior gymnasts, and the athletes and officials of other sports. My mom was my acting "public relations" representative, encouraging and helping me to answer all kinds of questions which included the age I started training, the reason behind the choice of sports instead of music, and the ultimate sporting goal of my life.

13th SEA Games Gymnastics Team - Srina Shari, Chua Sze Muay,
Gan Sock Hong, Tan Yuen Yuen, Suzanna Shari & Eileen Chai (1985)

My goal - to compete in the Olympics. One thing I learnt from the games - the huge gap between my gymnastic skill level to the regional competitors'. I had to improve to close that gap and reach my dream. At the age of nine, the Singapore Amateur Gymnastics Association sent the national team to the Beijing Sports Institute in China for a three-week training stint. The trip was fantastic - there was no distraction of television, the training was well structured, and the facilities and apparatuses were of world-class. I was so excited! I got to know a Chinese gymnast, Alan. He shared with me the story of his life and told me where he used to train. We exchanged contacts, and one year later, I was training in Guangzhou, China.

The Chinese gymnast, Alan whom I met at the Beijing Sports Institute  (1987)

London 2012 Olympics is just around the corner. Lim Heem Wei is about to fulfil her dream. She has walked the path that no other gymnasts have gone before - silver medal for balance beam at the Commonwealth Games 2010; team gold, individual all-around bronze and floor exercise silver medals at the SEA Games 2011; qualified at the World Championships 2011 for the London Test Event 2012; qualified at the London Test Event 2012 for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and becoming the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for the Olympics. Behind all the glamour of donning the red-white national colours of her gymnastic leotards, and Team Singapore track suits and polo shirts, lies the tears of aches when her feet lands with a thump on the four-inch-wide balance beam, the pain of her blistered and torn palms as streaks of blood coagulate in the whitish powder, and the weariness of training twice a day, everyday - her sacrifices for the nation.

The journey to become the best in what we do, can be long, arduous and exhausting. We take a step back every now and then to reflect why we put ourselves through such agony, grief and anguish. Is it to bring glory to the country? Is it to please our parents? Is it for self-fulfilment? No one can answer that question, but yourself. One thing for certain, we are not alone in our journey. Let's celebrate what we have achieved thus far, and treasure the love from family and friends.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. Here's A short video clip of my gymnastic years. Enjoy.

Hope

Eileen Chai, a gymnast

"When a star is born”. That was the headline of the first feature article in The Straits Times, Thursday, 21 November 1985. Hakikat Rai, the then reporter, interviewed me for my Southeast Asian Games debut at the age of 7. He quoted US gymnastic coach Ryan Fleck in the article, "Look after her for another five years and she'll be a dynamite." On the sideline, coach Ryan said to me that my passion, commitment and determination for gymnastics would see me to the Olympics - the Olympic Dream. 27 years passed, I did not fulfill my dream.

"When a star is born" - The Straits Times

Every four years, vivid memories of my sporting past flash before me. First few years of life after sports was tough: I didn't know how to manage the pain in my heart that was yearning to give sport one more try; I didn't have friends who I could talk to for advise and guidance; I didn't have social skills to seek for life resources. The intensive training in China during my school-going years didn't help much in my social networking. I was lost, and my life seemed hopeless.

Yin and yang are complementary opposites that exist in relation to one another - a downward-spiraling life balances with a promising one. I've been blessed since I was born - opportunities to do what I loved, supportive parents who provided me financial, emotional and moral support, and friends who lend their helping hands in times of need. All these combined, I managed to find my footing in the society, the love of my life and ways to cope with my aching heart. Life is a journey filled with excitement, isn't it? :D 

Our heart wares have withstood the test of time because we have found pathways to happiness. I am happy when I play sport and make music with my friends - the emotional connection we feel in our jam sessions, the friendship we develop during the after cycling prata sessions and the family bond we build on weekend get-togethers.  We find motivation to better our lives in ways that make us happy.

Stories recount past events that have made significant impact on our lives in different environments and situations. Everyone has different life journeys and own stories to tell. My life is a myriad of colourful experiences - from dark hues of life after sports to bright shades of romantic spiels. Close friends have suggested that I share snippets of my life with people, to peek at a few memorable snapshots of my sporting experiences and images, to recognise the challenges elite athletes face, and to understand the motivation behind my sports and music.

Coach Ryan presenting me with a medal at Pesta Sukan 1985

Life stories that we relate to can help discover our desire to live better lives. I may not have fulfilled my dream of becoming an Olympian, but I've found hope through sports and music.

TLC to your heart and keep smiling.