E-mail Exchange Re Tagboard Postings By People Claiming To Be From West Winds

Hello, as promised. Sorry, I'm just back. Sunburnt, exhausted, stinky after two weeks of dragging my carcass through the mud and sand and probably will be quoted in PIONEER magazine supporting ICT (sigh - yes for that crucial moment I sold my soul to the dark side), here is the e-mail exchange I had between the West Winds Advisor and myself.

Both my e-mail and the e-mail reply from her are dated 17 Feb 2008. The contents have been posted up in their entirety.

SS

PS Yes my English sucks. The second sentence should have read

"...inform you that a poster or posters claiming to be members from your band (using the names WW_Member and WW_Elite and WW_Super) have made several childish remarks which potentially serve to create a rift between our members and yours."

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Hello West Winds exco members,

I am the head of the Toa Payoh South Community Centre - Moulmein Wind Symphony IT Squad. I feel that it is my responsibility to inform you that a poster or posters in our tagboard from people claiming to be members from your band (using the name WW_Member and WW_Elite and WW_Super) has come to our blog (http://mirificus.blogspot.com) to say that your band was better than ours in your tagboard and have made several childish remarks which potentially serve to create a rift between our members and yours..

Here is an example of the remarks made.

Quote/
WW_super: Why hide my postings? Afraid to face the truth that you guys are sucky? or afraid that other people might see. You moulmein craps will never beat us WW in music muahahahaha
/Unquote

As a former member of West Winds, I know that the band is made up of plenty of good amateur and professional wind band musicians whose greatest joy lies in making music in a wind band. West Winds members would never need to go to other bands' blogs to put them down to make themselves feel good in such a manner. After all, anyone can claim to be from anywhere in cyberspace, especially so in tagboards. Just because people claim that they are from West Winds doesn't make them members of West Winds.

Thus, while I agree that it is a small matter, I wish to obtain an official e-mail from your band stating what you feel about people claiming to be your members to put down our band and "glorify" your own.

It is my guarantee to you that your reply email shall be posted in its entirety on our blog.

Thank you for your kind attention in reading this, and I wish you all the best for your performance in March this year.

Best regards,
Lim Si Seng
Head, IT Squad
Toa Payoh South Community Centre - Moulmein Wind Symphony

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Dear Si Seng

Thank you for writing. We appreciate your feedback and if the situation was reversed, we will likely feel upset too. Like you wrote, anyone can claim to be a West Winder. Hence we need your help to trace the person down. I believe my webmaster - Bernard will be in touch with you to get the IP addresses so that we can help with the tracing.

Be assured that the person who posted these messages will be dealt with heavily and my end has no hesitation to lodge a police report if it turns out that the person is assuming our members' identity. We, at West Winds, do not condone such acts.

On our part - I will highlight to my band today (after rehearsal) that such an incident has taken place and that we will be to tracing the person down. Moving ahead I certainly hope this does not result in a tit-for-tat situation, as it will serve what the poster had in mind - to create animosity between our groups.

Our bands have no quarrel or conflict with each other and as fellow community bands we had always maintained a cordial relationship. It only serves to benefit all community bands if we exist in harmony and collectively improve the music standards in Singapore.

Your sincerely
Tan Ai Lin
Advisor, West Winds

Chill...

Yo Moulmein members,

I was surfing the internet when I read an interesting article. Excerpt from Insane Polygons:

Why get upset over what people think about our english. Frankly speaking, it is what it is- singaporeans do speak a funny form of english and the singaporean accent is something we all have. If other people choose to laugh at it, so be it. It matters not.

Finally someone going by the moniker of eagleeyes has been visiting my blog quite regularly leaving behind many comments. Honestly, I appreciate it...The fact that the comments are rarely complimentary really matters not to me.

He doesn’t agree with me.

He thinks I am some stupid loser whiner who don’t know shit from sunshine.

He thinks I suck as a teacher.

Again it matters not to me. If he wants to vent and venting makes him feel better, then more power to him. Stupid stuff happens in life all the time and sometimes, you just have to learn that those stupid stuff- when you get right down to it, really matters not.

Take a chill pill, mates: -

1. Anyone can pretend to be anyone in the tagboard.
I've played in West Winds before, and although I've left the band last century (!), I still know quite a few of the people there. The band is made up of very good amateur and professional wind band players who will certainly not sully their own band's name by coming across to our blog to flame our band.

2. It is good to show pride for your band...
...but on the other hand, please do not put other bands down when people who say that they are from other bands come into our blog and slimeball us. And please refrain from using vulgarities of any sort to slimeball them - that's just playing to their level.

Instead, let us in the exco handle it. We are going to send an e-mail off to members from West Winds soon and tell them that someone or a group of people claiming to be from West Winds has been smearing their band's reputation by putting remarks of this sort, and ask them to issue a statement to put up on our blog in response. [In fact I am going to do so after I finish this blog posting]

Let the music we make in the next concert speak for itself.

In the meantime, to the temporary tagboard resident(s) signing off as WW_Elite, WW_Member and WW_Best (assuming you're from West Winds): thank you very much for your comments.

Our members know that we can always do better. On behalf of the Toa Payoh South Community Centre - Moulmein Wind Symphony, please send my best regards to the West Winds conductor, exco as well as members. I heard their version of Symphonia Hungarica early this year and I congratulate them for a job well done. Moulmein has much to learn from them and I hope that we will have a fruitful band exchange not too long into the future.

While at this, it is important to take note of the following to all members from Moulmein (and those of other wind bands) who are reading this:

The TPSCC-MWS exco takes a serious view of anyone who claims to be from Moulmein and uses our name to put other bands down in cyberspace. It has never, does not, and will never encourage such childish, destructive and foolish behaviour from our members and any bands who encounter such trolling behaviour is highly encouraged to report the matter to us as soon as it occurs.

Peace and joy to musicians of goodwill. :-)

SS
IT Squad
Toa Payoh South Community Centre
Moulmein Wind Symphony