God. Life. Literature. Music. Peace.

Back in Shanghai

2009-01-03T21:45:00.006+08:00

This morning, I drove my family to Changi Airport to see me off. Something seems wrong with that sentence, I know. Cos usually the person who's being sent off doesn't drive the people who are seeing him off. But then, I drove because I won't get to drive for the next 6 months that I'm here in Shanghai so I was grabbing all the opportunities to drive in Singapore this time while I was back.

Yeah, so I had been doing lots of driving over the past 2 weeks, I even drove half of the way from KL back to S'pore (my Dad and I took turns). It's actually more interesting to drive along the small roads in M'sia. The roads are quite winding, you frequently have to overtake and get overtaken, and there are many road hazards (cows, dead cats etc) that you have to watch out for.

Although I'd not driven for the 5 months I was away from S'pore (25 July- 20 December), my driving skills hasn't deteriorated. Do you know why? Because I've been 'practising' my driving in Shanghai. Let me tell you more about it.

Those of you who have been here will know how brave (aka reckless) the drivers are. You need to have nerves of steel to drive here really. I kid you not! They simply weave in and out of traffic, drive against traffic etc etc. So since I sit beside the driver (a wonderful chap my age with lightning quick reflexes) on our school bus, I get to 'simulate' driving by observing the road conditions. I guess that's why my driving skills are not rusty. Or maybe I have wonderful psychomotor skills haha.

Anyway, this visit to Singapore was very short, so the majority of the time was spent catching up with my family members. So glad to be able to revisit our favourite haunts like Marina Square, Vivocity, the Taman Jurong Food Centre (!) etc. I'm also very encouraged by the fact that my Dad went to church with me twice in a week. First, we attended Wesley Methodist in KL, which was where his old school was. It was a nostalgic moment, because he found most of the old buildings where he spent his high school days intact - he even took a picture at his old boarding school and later I found an old photograph of him with his friends taken at the exact spot more than 40 years ago! Then, my Dad also went to the Christmas eve concert at Glory Presbyterian Church. Our church always has wonderful Christmas concerts.

I also went back to NYGH and had said hi to my ex-colleagues and had dinner with a few of them in the boarding school. I also saw a few of my ex-students. Talked to a few of them about how they are doing but some others pretended not to see me. I can't understand why they behave like that. It's true that I was a little strict, especially in 2007, but I've never scolded anyone without explaining the rationale later on and anyone could see that everything I did was out of concern. I don't know why there might be some who think that I'm not approachable.

I think to understand me, you've got to know that I often speak tongue in cheek and you've got to understand some of my sarcasm. I guess younger students might misunderstand my sarcasm. And the sarcasm is never meant to hurt. I don't use sarcasm in a bitter and cynical way. For example, when a student does not complete her work, instead of punishing her, I would ask 'Did you use invisible ink to complete your assignment?' I think sarcasm is good for diffusing tense moments, and I love sarcasm because I am someone who always sees the ridiculous side of life.

I wrote this poem in 2 minutes today!

2008-11-23T23:11:00.002+08:00

Winter's the perfect time for poetry
Because when it's cold,
You look into yourself
And think of the possibilities
Or the impossibilities
To be happy.
Then you either wallow in self pity
Or cry out to God,
Both of which
Inspires poetry.

Chinglish encounter!

2008-11-16T22:41:00.004+08:00

New revelation today.

I've finally realized why I've had trouble at the ATMs of this particular bank for months. (here in China, you can withdraw money from the ATMs of any of the local banks, provided they have this 'Union Pay' logo)

What happened was each time after I keyed in the amount I wished to withdraw, the machine would prompt me to enter one of 3 options:
1) Correct
2) Confirm
3) Cancel

So I'd always press 1) Correct

but what happened was the amount I'd keyed in would disappear, and then I'd have to key that in again and I'd press 1) Correct again and I'd get the same result.

What's wrong? I'd keyed in the amount I desired, and I should press 1) Correct, isn't it? That was the CORRECT amount I wished to withdraw.

Then today, by some stroke of good luck and wisdom, instead of 1) Correct, I pressed 2) Confirm, and voila, I was successful!

And then it dawned on me that the machine's using 'correct' as a verb and not an adjective, as what I thought it was.

correct (verb)
-- to set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from:
eg. The native guide corrected our pronunciation. The new glasses corrected his eyesight.

correct (adjective)
-- conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate:
eg. He gave me a correct answer.

The poets lied! There's nothing romantic about Autumn!

2008-11-02T18:30:00.005+08:00

Aha, here's finally a post in months that isn't about music. Yeah I know, recently, my blog has become like a classical music review site. But that's because I've been attending so many concerts since I've been here. There are simply so many top acts that stop by Shanghai. And most of them don't visit Singapore. So, going for all these concerts will be something that I hope to achieve during my stay here in Shanghai.

Apart from that, here are a few more things that I hope to accomplish while I'm here..

1) Travel around the city and beyond, to learn more about Chinese culture and improve my Chinese (my Chinese has sadly regressed after my final HCL lesson in Sec 4)

2) Continue attending bible study and be an effective and loving teacher in the children's class (my new area of service here)

3) Eat lots of good Shanghainese food! (just for the record, yesterday for dinner, i gorged on 6 xiao long baos and 4 large fried dumplings for a grand total of 10 yuan - 2 singapore dollars! yes, food is that cheap here)

4) Learn a foreign language (no, not Chinese nor Shanghainese haha...i will tell you more if this plan of mine ever comes true)

5) Be a nurturing form teacher to my primary 6 class (i had hoped to teach sec sch here, cos i've always been teaching at that level in Singapore, but since God led me otherwise, I want to do my best for my class....well, so far so good.)

Okay, I shall stop at 5 items for now....no point being too ambitious and end up accomplishing nothing.

Anyway, I think I've been spending a little more than I should on winter clothing these few days. The temperature's falling drastically and winter clothings abound in the department stores. Just to let you know, I'm quite a goondhu when it comes to shopping. What I mean is that I ask the salesgirl very silly questions sometimes.

I remember back in Singapore when I was buying jeans and I couldn't differentiate between male and female jeans so I had to ask the teenage salesgirl. Afterwards, the whole bunch of them starting whispering behind my back and giving me dirty looks.

Then today, I kept asking the salesgirl whether a certain white or blue jacket's nicer, even though everyone knows they undoubtedly give politically correct answers and will tell you that you look nice in everything.

Okay, I'm going to mark my students' compositions soon. They wrote mystery narratives....I hope there will be some outstanding ones, and not too many about ghosts and gore!

I think I shall post a picture of my form class.

Hilary Hahn!

2008-10-28T23:24:00.005+08:00

i attended a concert by the Vancouver symphony and Hilary Hahn on the 19th of oct. for those of you who don't know, hilary hahn is a grammy award winning violinist who also played on the soundtrack of 'the village'.

anyway, she's only 28 and i find her playing a little too 'serious'. she's one determined lady who makes no compromise in her music, but sometimes i hope she can relax a little.

I had a hard time taking this photo. And it didn't turn out well too. The concert hall had these super enthu custodians waiting to pounce on trigger-happy people.

Hilary Hahn signing autographs....and my 10 secs of conversation with her

Scene: Hilary Hahn, looking smaller in person, tired after playing the horrendously difficult Tchaikovksy concerto has changed out of her fabulous brown evening gown and is now wearing an ugly blue shirt. She beams her megawatt smile. She is flanked by 2 irritated-looking minders.

Me: Hi.

(Hilary continues to beam her megawatt smile as she receives my CD and begins signing her name)

Me: I've got your Mozart CD at home.

Hilary H: That's great.

Me: Will you be recording any chamber music soon?

Hilary H: I hope so.

She has finished signing the CD.

She beams her megawatt smile again.

Exeunt Me.

North German Radio Symphony Orchestra

2008-10-11T19:35:00.003+08:00

The North German Radio Symphony Orchestra performed here at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre on the 10th of October. On the programme was Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Sibelius' Violin Concerto and Brahm's Symphony No. 2.

Conducting the orchestra was Christoph von Dohnanyi, who at the age of 79, is one of the greatest living maestros. He is a master well versed in the German symphonic tradition, and his grandfather is the Hungarian composer Erno von Dohnanyi.

Beethoven's Egmont Overture is a grand and heroic work (like a lot of Beethoven's music) with plenty of brass fanfares and a climactic finale that is simply so triumphant. It's great to start the evening with this short but effective overture. I was seated flanking the orchestra so I could observe the conductor closely and I must say he beats time so clearly. Any orchestra would love that.

Next on was Sibelius' Violin Concerto. I love this work because although it is somewhat dark and forboding, like much of Sibelius' music, the solo writing is very violinistic (Sibelius once aspired to be violin virtuoso) and lyrical as well. The work opens with murmuring strings -- almost like nothingness, and then the solo violin floats in above this. To me, this is such a beautiful moment, it rather reminds me of the opening of Beethoven's Choral Symphony. The dark sounds of the orchestral parts remind one of the dark and sombre Nordic landscapes and there lies the irresistible attraction of the work -- though you know it's dark and all, yet you are attracted to its mysterious ways.

The soloist for the evening was the German violinist Frank Peter Zimmerman. He has such immaculate technique and wonderful intonation. It really was a note-perfect performance. When something like that is said, people will think the performance is cold and without emotions. But the thing about Zimmerman is that he gets right into the heart of the music without any idiosyncracies in his interpretation and he plays each note just as what the composer wants. And he is such a modest performer too. Anyway, he is not known for his looks, so my reasoning is that if someone can be such a superstar without banking on his looks, he must be really talented.

For the encore, he played this variations on 'God save the King' by Paganini which was super entertaining, with all the violin acrobatics.

The second half of the night featured Brahms' 2nd symphony. This is a favourite work of mine because of its pastoral feeling, the sense of repose and the lovely long melodies. It is such a sunny work which gives you a sense of warmth but there are many tragic moments too, such as the angsty slow movement. I love the last movement the most and the climactic finale, with blazing trumpets and horns is really so triumphant. It was a great experience listening to a German orchestra play a German symphony, conducted by an expert of German music some more (Dohnanyi's grandfather knew Brahms personally). After listening to their rendition, I really felt that this symphony is one of the greatest in the world -- I mean the rich sound they drew out and the deep understanding of the work's structure and architecture, these are things only a German orchestra can do.

For the encore, they entertained us with a Hungarian Dance by Brahms and when the applause refused to die down, they brought the house down with a Chinese piece!

La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra

2008-09-16T19:08:00.003+08:00

Last Friday, we attended the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra's debut concert at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre. Led by Korean conductor Myung Whun Chung (the younger brother of the famous violinist Kyung Wha Chung), the Italian orchestra played Rossini's overtures to William Tell, The Italian Girl in Algiers, the Intermezzo from Puccini's Manon Lascaut, Verdi's overture to La Forza del Destino and Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony.

We were late by 5 minutes (that day being the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, we couldn't get a cab to the subway station) and we missed the opening piece. Luckily for us, they decided to play the overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers first. I'm not saying that piece's lousy. Well, to some extent, it really is just full of bubbling good spirits and not too deep, but there are some buoyant good tunes in it as well. But why I'm saying that is because I wouldn't want to miss the William Tell overture for anything.

The William Tell overture has a famous finale that even non-classical music listeners would recognize. I can bet you a considerable sum of money that you would know the tune, although you might not know its name. Curious? Well, go 'you-tube' it! Anyway, the orchestra did a decent job of the overture, the cello ensemble in the first section of the work neat and refined, gradually building up into the 'storm' section, which was a little subdued I think. Then came the lovely woodwind solos in the third section. The cor anglais player and flautist did their parts beautfully, and finally, with the heralding trumpets came the famous 'horse-riding' finale. The famous finale really resembles riding on a horse. So overall, very competent playing, but I did feel that the players were not 100% warmed up at this point. They didn't lose themselves totally in the music, and there was perhaps a little too much care in their playing.

Next came the Puccini and Verdi. I shall not go into this too much, for these are pieces I've never liked very much. Puccini to me is a very soppy composer and this particular Verdi is not one of my favourites - it sounds very much like loose bits patched together.

After the interval came the main course of the evening - Tchaikovsky's dramatic and sonorous 4th symphony. Tchaikovsky's a pretty neurotic guy who has unmatched pessimism and who always thinks his life's extremely screwed-up. So he is one guy who always wears his heart on his sleeve and it shows in his very passionate music. You can always hear him wailing and sighing his heart out. The final 3 of his 6 symphonies are his most famous. In this one, the 'fate' motif, blared out by the brass in the opening bars dominate the work, but thankfully, it is transformed into a theme of triumph in the finale. Chung controlled the structure of the work very well, shaping each phrase, making most of each dramatic moment, yet never overdoing it. He is known as a master of the orchestral sound -- under his baton, no orchestra has a bad sound. That's why he is such a master interpreter of French music, with wonderful recordings made of Berlioz's music.

That evening, the orchestra really livened up with the Tchaikovsky symphony. They had excellent brass and wind players and the work really gave them the opportunity to shine. But overall, I still felt that their paramount concern during this concert was for a beautiful sound and perfection, I didn't really feel the infectious Mediterranean passion until the encore work. After receiving at least 5 curtain calls, Chung shushed the audience and shouted 'Viva Italia!' and they played the finale of the William Tell overture again, to the rapturous delight of the audience. This time, the orchestra really played with their hearts and we definitely felt the passion. I saw a few audience members beating time to the exciting music and more than a dozen persons gave Chung and the orchestra a standing ovation.

Well, not too bad an experience, my first visit to the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre. More to come!

Sheltie!

2008-09-06T13:58:00.003+08:00

my cousin, Eunice's new sheltie pup.

he's incredibily quiet.

he hasn't had his first bark.

he loves Eunice's room and his own cage.

he is half toilet trained (ie. he doesn't shat in his cage but does it on the floor outside it).

he loves being petted on the head.

he walks in a sort of gallop, rather like a pony.

he has this habit of lifting and suspending one paw in mid air when in hesitation.

he simply melts your heart when his eyes meet yours.

his name is Tyler.

i miss my piano ;/

2008-08-28T20:47:00.002+08:00

i can't believe it.

i've not played the piano for more than a month.

i don't think i've ever had such a long gap without touching the piano since i began playing when i was 5.

but the comforting thing is i'm doing choir in my school.

i'm going to volunteer to play accompaniment for all of the choir pieces!

A perfect storm!

2008-08-25T18:25:00.005+08:00

First day of school. And we were all caught in a terrific storm.

The sky was grey and the wind was howling when I woke up and by the time I left the house, it was a full blown storm.

My bus pick-up point is a 15 minute walk from where I stay. (NB. i realized on the way back that this bus actually stops just outside the house! yayness! <--i learnt this term from my ex-students)

After walking 10 minutes with my tiny umbrella and no raincoat, I was completely drenched! But I continued walking, thinking of the terrors if I were to miss the school bus.

But by the time I was almost at my destination, I realized I just couldn't go on. My bag was completely soaked, my feet was squishing in my water-logged shoes and my drenched clothes were almost 2 times as heavy as before.

So what I did was to flag a cab to take me back (I know, it was only about 500 metres) and I came up, got changed and then took a cab to school.

I was late for half an hour. And when I rushed to my classroom, I saw only 4 students there. Apparently, more than half of the school was late due to the storm.

It was flooded everywhere -- all the roads, the buses, and even the school canteen.

We later heard on the news that it was the day of the highest rain volume in a hundred years! Sheesh! On the first day of school some more.

I managed to snap a few shots of the flooded roads while I was on the taxi.

1st day of school next week

2008-08-24T13:17:00.006+08:00

sorry i've not been updating a lot here. have been putting up photos and updates on facebook, yeah, so do add me jacktanhj@gmail.com

anyway, i've been in shanghai since 12th august. the first 2 weeks were spent touring and shopping. i must say s'poreans are really good at shopping, the expat teachers in our group were amazed at our boundlesss energy in shopping.

school starts next week, and i have a primary 6 form class. i will see them everyday, because i'm teaching them english, math, social studies, civics, and health education (!!).

i've got an interesting class consisting of students from korea, singapore, malaysia, china, hong kong, taiwan, japan, canada and russia.

okay, gottta go, will update soon.

oh, i should mention that i do rather miss nanyang girls high, my supportive colleagues and all my students, but i guess life has to go on.

A lecture during my last weeks in NYGH

With the speaker, Dr Ho, during that lecture

I miss my desk. It's a little sad thinking how it is now empty and all. I have a great attachment to places. Even if I have only been somewhere just 2 days, I feel sad when I have to leave.

Bug in my Soup

2008-07-30T10:25:00.003+08:00

This post is titled as such because I've just fished out a dead bug from my bowl of wanton soup which I've ordered from this cafe where I am surfing the net from.

But I've decided to go ahead and eat my soup. After all, if the bug's in a bowl of piping hot soup, it would've been cooked anyway. In fact, I could've eaten the bug if I wanted to. What's the difference between cooked chicken and cooked bug? Anything that you take in is eventually broken down to carbon, if you get what I mean.

Unless the bug only fell in while the waiter was delivering the soup to me, somewhere along the way from the kitchen to my table. Okay, I better stop pursuing this point, or I might decide to abandon my soup altogether.

So it's been almost a week since I arrived at KL. So how's Malaysia like? Well, I've not been here for years, but I feel quite at home. Things move at a slower pace than in Singapore. People don't seem to be in a hurry all the time. There's also much more space here and you feel freer. Of course, the walls around the malls are not as polished as those in Singapore, people just dump their rubbish openly in front of the shops and the traffic seems more chaotic, but there's just this freedom and openess about things.

There's a school in front of our house. At 2.30pm, school dismisses and everybody (yes, EVERYONE, including the teachers) go home. This is so unlike Singapore.

I've been busy helping to take care of my granny who just had a minor stroke. She's rather alert, only that she's unable to talk. We suspect it might be because she's taken out all her dentures. So maybe one day, we will put them back, and voila, she would be able to speak again!

I've also met so many of my relatives that I've not seen for ages. Now, I have the company of two very interesting aunts -- my 1st aunt, who's a TV addict. She spends her free time, watching all the HK and Taiwanese soaps on cable TV (called Astro here). When I sit down in front of the TV with her, she always switches the audio to Mandarin but I tell her to switch it to Cantonese with Chinese subtitles so I can learn some Cantonese. It's a dialect I really wish to learn.

Then of course, my very resourceful 4th aunt who runs the house so effectively and she's helping me a lot with my visa matters too.

I've also met my precocious 4-year old cousin for the first time. She's the daughter of my Dad's youngest brother. My Dad's the eldest in a family of ten, so that accounts for the age gap between my cousin and I.

Why do I say she's precocious? She can recite the names of my Dad and the 9 of his siblings, she has such boundless energy - she's awake till midnight and she talks somewhat like an adult. She likes to order us around. Among the things she has made me do are putting her toy Mickey mouse to bed, carry her downstairs and push her around in a swirling chair.

When she was about to leave for home, I made her an origami boat which she promptly crumpled and refused to accept!

What can I say?

Children are such enigmatic and unfathomable creatures.

Goodbye Singapore!

2008-07-25T02:20:00.002+08:00

I'll be leaving for KL later today and will fly straight to Shanghai to teach in August.

Before I go, I'd like to thank the classes I've taught this year - 301, 308, 313 and the International Scholars, for all the fun we've had writing commonwealth essays, digging into poems deep and dangerous and sharing your experiences from your obs trip in the reflective essays.

Of course, I haven't forgotten my classes from last year, those are the current 207, 208 and 211.

Take care all of you, and do keep in touch!

Email me at jacktanhj@gmail.com and let me know how you are doing!

Mystique Reverie

2008-07-15T14:59:00.003+08:00

I had a weird dream last night.

I dreamt that I was a student of Nanyang Girls' High School.

Stop laughing, you!

I wasn't a girl in the dream!

Nor had Nanyang Girls' become co-ed.

In my dream, I was walking around the school, and somehow, I just knew that I was studying there. I think I was late for a test or something, and I couldn't find my classroom, so I was walking along the various floors of the school frantically.

But the really weird thing was that the school building wasn't what the real NYGH looks like, but in my dream, it rather resembled one of those old tacky shopping centres, like beauty world shopping centre, ginza plaza or katong shopping centre.

I often have dreams where the different people from the different phases of my life, and the different places I've been to are all mixed up. For example, I might dream that I'm at my primary school classroom, talking to my present colleagues, and then the teachers there are my secondary school teachers, that sort of dream that is all messed up, you get what I mean?

Crossroads of my life

2008-07-14T17:05:00.004+08:00

i am at a point of my life when big decisions have to be made.

yeah, i might be going abroad to work.

earlier on, i had thought i would be going to study, but there has been many new developments recently.

not that i do not want to study anymore. i still look forward to the day when i will go do my postgraduate studies, preferably in the united kingdom, the states, or new zealand.

okay, i cannot reveal too much now, because things are not too certain yet.

it has been a very busy and stressful week, full of ups and downs, rather like a roller coaster ride.

i am sorry if i cannot reveal too much now. but a time will come when i will tell people who are interested to know, all that has happened. or maybe i will write a novel or play of my life. (haha as if anyone would be interested to know the details of my boring life!)

but anyhow, i am depending on God's grace to lead me through this period of my life. i have depended on Him in the past and i know He can be depended upon.

okay, a former piano student of mine commented on facebook that i am a 'reserved and politically correct person'. i guess that is true to some extent, i am a very careful and methodical person. but close friends of mine would know that there is more to me than that.

i guess i have been very 'reserved and politically correct' in this post too, since there are so many things i would not reveal. well, all i would say is, if you are my good friend, and the time is right, i might just tell you more some day.

and by the way, i am not typing in 'twit' language today, whatever that is, since kylie reminded me not to do so. in fact, i do not think i had even used a single contraction in my entire post.

but aiyah, even an engerish tr's blog posts no need to b so formal lah, u say rite or not?

God will alleviate your pain

2008-07-08T23:11:00.003+08:00

I've been viewing some blogs and i see a lot of 'emo-ness' around.

Here's a verse that might alleviate your pain:

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'
from Philippians 4:6-7

The phrase 'transcends all understanding' means a lot to me. it means that the peace and security that God will grant you if only you would cast your cares upon Him in prayer will be beyond anything that you can ever imagine.

You must learn to trust God to take care of you, even though you can't see Him.

If you still don't grasp what i'm trying to tell you, let me tell you a story...

A boy was trapped on the second storey of his burning house. As the flames grew wilder and the thick smoke was all around him, he heard his father's voice from the ground.

"Son! Jump! Jump down! I am down here and I will catch you."

The boy, choking from the smoke, and his vision totally obscured by it, exclaimed:

"But...I can't jump, I really can't. I can't see you!"

The father, in a most reassuring and gentle voice:

"But I CAN."

That's what God promises you. He is able to carry you out from your trouble, but you have to take the first step in trusting Him.

What singing you?

2008-07-05T00:39:00.002+08:00

lovely song by candy lo & wang lee hom. lovely not just because of the attractive melody but because half of it is in a language i don't understand (cantonese), which makes it rather mysterious.

Lazy to blog!

2008-06-20T12:21:00.002+08:00

Because I have no patience to type out a blog post, I shall conveniently copy an essay I wrote 3 years ago and plonk it here! (sec 3 & 4 students, it might give you some ideas on reflective essay writing)

My most memorable musical experience
My most memorable musical experience was in 1999, when I performed on stage for the first time. It was a students’ recital organized by my piano teacher and he wanted me to play a work for two pianos with a fellow student, Ching. I had known Ching for sometime already and we got along well because we had similar musical interests and we both loved J.S. Bach. It was not easy to find a Bach work for two pianos but our teacher suggested that we do his Trio Sonata in C in a version arranged for two pianos by Victor Babin.

Ching decided to do first piano and I, second. We examined the work away from the piano initially, and realized that the two parts are rather equal, with no one part subordinate to the other. The challenge of this piece lies in playing the notes articulately and cleanly, and blending the two parts into one harmonious whole. With that in mind, we began our rehearsals. At first, it was sometimes difficult keep up with each other, especially when we were too much engrossed in our own parts. But as the rehearsal went along, and as we knew our own parts better, we learnt to listen more to the other person as we played, thus seeing the logic of the whole piece better. I also learnt to project my playing more whenever I had the principal melody while to play softer and ‘act as accompaniment’ when Ching had the melody.

Finally, the big day came. We were performing at Victoria Concert Hall and staring out at the many rows of seats from the stage before the concert was rather daunting. How were we going to project ourselves and our music to the rows of audience out there? However, our teacher kindly advised us to just enjoy the music and be our usual selves.

The moments before going onto the stage to perform the piece was indeed nerve-wracking. Questions flooded my mind. “Will everything turn out alright?” “How will the audience respond to our playing?” As I pondered on these, I took a few deep breathes and calmed down by telling myself that I love music and if what I am about to do is what I enjoy, then why should I be nervous?

It is strange that at the moment when my fingers touched the keys, most of the nervousness that I had felt before disappeared and I thought only about the music. I realized that when you are totally focused on the music and desire to communicate through your playing, worries about the presence of the audience and what they think of you disappears.

As I played, what engaged me was projecting myself more than what I usually do because I was then playing in a big hall and my teacher had always reminded me that the playing must reach out to the person seated at the very last row. I was also paying attention to Ching’s playing, listening to how he shaped the phrases and trying to match them so that the playing sounds homogeneous. As I engaged more with the music and desired to share my love of the music with the audience, inhibitions were overcome and I began to enjoy playing the piece more.

I think what made this experience so memorable was that through it, I came to realize that the nature of performance is one where you have to engage with the audience and to communicate your ideas about the music. To do that, you must realize that you are doing something you love and desire to share this love with the audience. Easier said than done, although I always tell myself to abide by this philosophy, as I performed more in the following years, nervousness still creeps in from time to time. But during times like that, I will look back on this first performance on stage and remember that to perform with naturalness and confidence is to be fully engrossed in the music and to be focused on projecting the music to every member of the audience. Of course, I have to remember to ‘be my usual self and just enjoy the music’ too.

Recommended Books

2008-06-06T08:05:00.004+08:00

Dear students, as promised, here's the list of recommended classics for you to read during the June break. Happy reading!

1. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
This is a story about genetic engineering, but the amazing thing is it's written in 1932! It tells of a dystopic world where permanance and deep relationships are things of the past. You will like this if you've read 1984 by George Orwell.

2. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
When the protagonist meets a strange woman dressed all in white on the lonely road at night, he becomes embroiled in a tale of deceit, suspense, romance and murder. This sensational novel is totally unputdownable.

3. The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins
Another classic by Wilkie Collins. This is a classic detective story involving the loss and recovery of a gem. You will be guessing at the identity of the master thief till the very end.

4. Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
A famous (and very short) story about the duality of human nature.

5. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
This famous horror classic about man trying to play God and the need for love and companionship needs no intoduction.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Another gothic tale about a narcissistic man who sells his soul to a beautiful portrait of himself so he can remain charming and young forever.

7. Tess of the D'urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Some people find Thomas Hardy long-winded and whiney. But his lovely descriptions of nature and the countryside is second to none. This is a moving (and very sad 'aka EMO') story about how our protagonist Tess is tossed about by fate in her family and love life.

8. Any book by P.G. Wodehouse!
I'll heartily recommend any book by Wodehouse, especially the 'Jeeves and Wooster' series. He is, in my opinion, the funniest writer ever.

Happy reading!

patience, jack, Patience!

2008-05-28T19:37:00.005+08:00

I'm typing this while eating my dinner (hope I don't make any typos!), the reason being that I have no patience to blog. I have great patience for many things but updating my blog just happens to be something I have absolutely no patience for. The process is so tiresome.

Anyway, the dinner today was cooked by my Dad. Cooking happens to be something I have no patience for either. Sweeping, mopping, washing dishes, washing clothes, folding clothes, wiping windows...I don't mind doing. But cooking and ironing are no-nos. So either my wife or maid will have to do it next time. Haha, but I will do all the other household chores listed above, so all's fair and square. I'm no MCP okay.

Today I was at the Esplanade library and from the glass windows facing Marina Bay, you could see a magnificent storm brewing. So I went up to the rooftop terrace, bore the rain and took this rather threatening-looking picture.

On another note, I recently discovered in my CD collection this lovely Adagio by Mozart. It sounds very innocuous and simple but at the same time a little sad. It's the feeling you get when your good friend is going away and you sit by the window, gazing at the falling leaves and the darkening sky, realizing that you won't be able to see her and talk to her again. That sort of quiet melancholy.

It was also in the French movie called Turning Pages I watched a few years back. In it, there's this girl who'd just flunked her major piano audition, and as she walked out of the music room, knowing that her dream of becoming a pianist was dashed forever, this music was played. Really appropriate.

I managed to find it on youtube. Listen to it and see if you get the same feeling. (I don't really like this version though. The pianist doesn't shape off his phrases nicely.)

10 things you didn't know about me

2008-05-26T14:21:00.002+08:00

Some people have complained that my blog is quite boring and that I'm quite elusive. So today, for the first and only time, I shall list 10 things I bet you didn't know about me.

1. My mother is Taiwanese.

2. Harmonies in music can make me cry easily.

3. I'm afraid of spiders but I think lizards are cute.

4. I had a Snoopy toy which I carried everywhere when I was small.

5. One of my childhood ambitions was to become a bus driver. I love to ferry people.

6. My father used to teach at ACJC.

7. I gave away a penalty for handball the first time I played soccer back in Sec 1. That was also the last time I played soccer.

8. Mrs Chitra was my form teacher at Chinese High in Sec 4.

9. I used to be a piano teacher. (I taught beginners to DipABRSM levels)

10. I used to work part time at HMV (Classical & Jazz) during my university days.

irreconcilable differences

2008-05-24T00:38:00.020+08:00

The twilight turns from amethyst

To deep and deeper blue,

The lamp fills with a pale green glow

The trees of the avenue.

The old piano plays an air,

Sedate and slow and gay;

She bends upon the yellow keys,

Her head inclines this way.

Shy thoughts and grave wide eyes and hands

That wander as they list--

The twilight turns to darker blue

With lights of amethyst

The images don't seem to go with the words. But isn't life often like that? ~sigh~ :/

Here comes the Bride!

2008-05-17T21:04:00.008+08:00

Joanne (my JC classmate)'s wedding @ Wesley Methodist Church today.

Photos!

Joanne's Dad walking her down the aisle to give her away to the groom. They were walking mighty slowly. It took about 4 verses of Amazing Grace for them to complete the walk.

A badly taken photo - all blurry and fuzzy (because the photographer was me)

From L to R: Jasmine, Lynn, Andre, Joanne, Me, Liwei and Stan

This one came out better (because the photographer wasn't me)

The wedding service was short and sweet.

And very Christ-centred. Immediately after the exchange of vows, the Reverend told them that the first thing they should do as a wedded couple was to kneel in prayer to the Lord.

Then later there was this moving bit in Joanne's speech where she thanked her Dad for always being so encouraging. Her voice was trembling as she recalled the incident after her PSLE when she felt she didn't do well and called her Dad, in tears. Then her Dad spoke kindly to her and told her it didn't matter. And how her Dad never compared her with other children.

That made me think about how stressful a lot of school children are with all the expectations from parents, some of which are overly high. I think though academic scores are important, especially in a meritocratic society like ours, whether or not you eventually succeed in life, or whether or not your life has quality depends not merely on your grades but also on other factors like strength of character, perseverance and luck. Personally I think faith in religion is very important too. That's why Joanne's Dad did the right thing in not comparing her with other children and not fussing over her grades.

I think school children today are lucky, especially IP students, because they don't need to go through the burden of the O Levels, and can thus spend time on enrichment stuff. Similarly, project work and daily classroom assignments count towards the final score, so that the final paper doesn't seem that 'all important' and stressful.

Anyway, congratulations Joanne on being the first person in our class to get married! Will always remember the lame jokes we shared whenever we sat together during lectures and how you recommended 'Jane Eyre' to me though you were not a literature student. All the best on your married life to Andre!

Tick, tick....boom!

2008-05-16T18:32:00.005+08:00

My mum bought this cheap and ugly looking wind-up clock from malaysia which plays a very metallic and brittle sounding version of some lullaby when wound up.

Just now, in her over-enthusiasm, she wound up the thing thrice instead of twice, and so, that cheesy lullaby tune blared out more metallic and brittle than usual and then the silly thing whirled around unsteadily and finally exploded, throwing its glass panels in all directions. Kaput. Finita. Mati.

We were saying yi1 fen1 qian2 yi1 fen 1 huo4

(I realize I've composed 2 very long sentences)

Goodbye.

Guzheng Concert

2008-05-11T20:47:00.005+08:00

Guzheng Concert yesterday.

I was manning the ticketing counter and some people were coming at 340pm though the matinee began at 3pm.

I saw some students who looked very different from how they look like in school uniform. There was this girl in gothic costume.

Then in the evening, I was 'coerced' by some of my ex-students to buy bubble tea, and I decided to be nice and support them (and the choir). For the record, I've never ever bought bubble tea out of my own free will. I mean, I don't mind the tea itself, but I can't stand those rubbery 'agar agar-like' pearls.

Yeah, all things jelly and gummy are no-no for me. I can never make myself love the flimsy texture of those bubble tea pearls. Furthermore, you'd be sipping happily at your tea, and then those irritating pearls will every now and then shoot up your straw into your mouth, and you'll almost choke!

Then after the concert, the performers' friends all rushed up the stage to present them with flowers, balloons and other gifts. I think this part is very important for them because girls like receiving such 'nice girlie things'. Anyway, we've even allocated 10 minutes specifically for this purpose in our concert itinerary.

I can't remember what my friends gave me after my string ensemble concerts when I was in school. Probably they didn't at all. I guess boys don't go for such things. As long as their friends buy tickets and come, that's good enough already.

Boys are such boring and unsentimental creatures!

Anyway, the concert yesterday was great.

I managed to slip in and caught a few of the pieces. I think I'm beginning to appreciate Chinese music more.

I've always thought that Western classical music is more subtle, has more interesting harmony and dynamic/expressive variety while Chinese music is more celebratory and 'in-your-face' but I guess those are prejudices.

I shall just keep to my old maxim that anything with good melody is good music!

Abortion

2008-04-23T17:56:00.003+08:00

Today I sat in a class discussion on abortion.

Two thoughts came to my mind -

1) Legalizing abortion will deter illegal or black market abortion (perhaps even by unqualified practitioners), which poses a health risk to the women involved. However, legalizing abortion does not mean that it becomes morally right. Legalizing betting will not stop some religious groups and individuals from resisting it.

2) Does the unborn foetus have any say regarding abortion? Do we accord the foetus any rights? When do we consider the foetus an individual? When its heart is formed? When its features are formed?

Untitled

2008-04-04T06:47:00.006+08:00

The Uncertainty of the Poet (from the Sec 3 Poetry Lecture)

I am a poet.
I am very fond of bananas.

I am bananas.
I am very fond of a poet.

I am a poet of bananas.
I am very fond.

A fond poet of 'I am, I am'-
Very bananas.

Fond of 'Am I bananas?
Am I?'-a very poet.

Bananas of a poet!
Am I fond? Am I very?

Poet bananas! I am.
I am fond of a 'very.'

I am of very fond bananas.
Am I a poet?

Wendy Cope

Yummy!

Oink oink tinkle tinkle (onomatopoeia)

************

3rd April 2008. 7pm. I discovered my first white hair

90th post, and it's Mozart again!

2008-03-18T22:17:00.005+08:00

You shall pardon me for gushing about Mozart here again x0 What you will listen to below is from his Jeunehomme Concerto, written when he was 21. It's a real miracle, given its boundless energy and never-ending vitality. One thing so remarkable about Mozart is that he's able to come up with music of such optimism even during times of sadness. Not that he was experiencing any disaster when he composed this concerto, but if you listen to his later works, (Concerti 23-27, the Jupiter Symphony), you can hardly believe that he was in debt and dying as he composed some of those cheerful works. However, to a discerning listener, he will discover some tears behind the smiles in some of these works.

Anyway, to me, Mozart is the purest musical voice ever. His music is touched by God because it flows so naturally and unaffectedly. There is no pretence in him at all and he has maintained a childlikness throughout his tragically short life. To play his music well, you must get rid of every bit of ego in you and just let the music speak naturally, without imposing your idiosyncrasies on the work. The piece you are about to hear contains a middle section where the restless music comes to an abrupt halt, the tempo slows considerably and we get a rather quaint minuet which to me is infinitely beautiful - you feel as if time has come to a halt and suddenly, you begin to notice all the beautiful things around you that you've failed to notice when the pace of life gets too fast.

Okay, enough blabbing. On with the music!

Ode to the greek god statues at the National Museum

2008-03-13T17:54:00.004+08:00

Hail, statues of Greek gods,
how far you have journeyed to our humid abode.
You'd better take care of your naked marbled bodies,
and mind you don't catch a cold.

In the dark recesses of our national museum,
your light shines forth.
Four out of five visitors come for you,
bypassing the relics of Farquhar and Sang Nila Utama.

One of them sighs at your high cheekbones,
praying she will find one in real life at least half Greek and a quarter God.
Another rubs his flat nose,
"It can never be as high as those," and into his hanky he blew his nose.

Posing with Keat's Ode on a Grecian urn

We have our Socratic seminars because of this guy

Head of a veiled woman. She looks sad.

The goddess Athena

Eros, the little god of love

I can't remember what this is, but it looks nice and orderly

Beethoven is...

2008-03-12T00:04:00.003+08:00

Beethoven is....

...simple and childlike (Fur Elise)

...so full of worship and goodness (Ode to Joy)

...stormy and full of anger (Symphony No. 5)

...full of manic energy (Symphony No. 7)

...so mysterious and reflective (Moonlight Sonata)

...so melodious and full of sweetness (Spring sonata)

...playful and cheeky (Turkish March)

...oh so romantic! (Romance in F)

How all-encompassing he is! His music embraces all the emotions of the universe.

This House believes...

2008-03-10T23:48:00.003+08:00

i watched the telecast of 'the arena' on tv just now

one of the boys actually rolled his eyes (on national tv!) when his opponent said something he disagreed with

the judges were seated on this elevated platform and the debators had to look up to behold them when they delivered their verdict

gaurav keerthi is a good adjudicator because he gives a fair and balanced verdict with practical advice for the debators. he is also very calm and articulate

My big fat pretentious rap

2008-03-04T23:30:00.000+08:00

Yo girl why so bored?
There's more to life you know?
Yo girl why so bored?
Your life's what you make of it.
Yo girl why so stone?
You can't forever sit there alone.
Yo girl why so glum?
It's time to get up from the slump.

There're many things you can do,
to make your life more full.
Ways of thinking you should change,
to give your life more range.

Start by smiling more,
accept others who are different,
listen to others more,
don't always insist on your way.
Respect your elders,
though you don't know why they always scold,
but they care a lot, you know?
Don't befriend someone just because they can help you,
but befriend them because you want to help them.

Yo girl why so bored?
There's more to life you know?
There're many things you can do,
to make your life more full.

Love someone not to feel good,
but love that someone because your heart tells you so.
Your life might not always be filled with rainbows,
shooting stars do not come by every day.
But the gentle morning breeze,
the warm sun on your skin,
the happy voices of playing children in the evening,
mother's simple but familiar dinner,
father's encouraging smile,
and your best friend's friendly squeeze of your hand,
are simple things to be happy about.

Yo girl why so bored?
There's more to life you know?
There're many things you can do,
to make your life more full.

PS I will give you 50 bucks if you can fill in the music for me.
Disclaimer: I know nothing about raps, except that you stick out your index and baby finger and go 'yo yo yo'.

Inspired

2008-03-03T18:58:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I was at Amazing Grace Presbyterian Church at Upper East Coast for the Good Friday Choir Rehearsal and the choir pianist was my piano teacher. After hearing her, I'm now quite inspired to practise the piano.

Schumann's Carnaval, here I come!

Paper cuts

2008-03-01T17:50:00.007+08:00

I've been getting some strange cuts on my hands recently.

Last Sunday I was pulling out this file from a cabinet in church and the sharp edge sliced my left palm. Okay, the word 'sliced' makes it sound quite horrific as if blood spluttered in all directions but actually, it's only a 1cm cut and not too deep.

Then on Thursday, I was helping a colleague open her newly-bought IT gadget (can't remember if it's a thumbdrive, laser pointer or something like that), which was so securely sealed that you have to make cuts in all sorts of directions before you could pull the thing out. After that, I discovered a small cut on the left hand of my baby finger, opps...I mean the baby finger of my left hand.

Then, this afternoon, I discovered another cut at one of the joints on the back of my right baby finger. I don't know how I got that cut, but it must have been there for some time, because there was dried blood around it on the wrinkly skin around the joint, forming a web-like pattern of brown. Must have cut it somewhere this morning.

Why am I writing this boring account of the misadventures of my hand?

Anyway, on my last lesson with 301 on Thursday, the Language Arts rep gave a tiny impromptu 'tribute' to me on behalf of the class. Anyway, the gist of her speech was thanking me for giving them worksheets :) They are a very responsive class who are always on task.

I'm sorry to those of you whose links on my blog have disappeared. The cyber bogeyman invaded my site and swallowed them! Haha.

To Live

2008-02-28T00:18:00.002+08:00

Here's a quick one before I go to sleep.

Today, we watched the 2nd part of 'To Live' during the joint lecture. There was this poignant bit where the boy (Youqing)'s parents packed a tin of dumplings for him and sent him to school though he's so tired. In school, he was killed when the district chief's car knocked down the wall while he was asleep on the other side. At his grave, his grieving mother opened the pack of uneaten dumplings (still perfect albeit a little brown) plus another bowl of freshly cooked ones and implored her dead son to eat, and thereafter to have a good sleep, because he had never had a good night's sleep when he was alive. It was at this point when I noticed many of the students brushing tears from their eyes. It was indeed a moving scene, the quiet melancholy very tastefully done without histrionics.

Then, another scene of note happened towards the end of the film, where Fengxia (the protagonists' daughter) was giving birth in a hospital run by ridiculously young doctors, who reigned supreme because of their socialistic fervour rather than medical expertise. Worried, Fengxia's family brought in an aged professor of obstetrics, who had been labelled as a 'reactionary' and jailed, to see to Fengxia's delivery. The family then made a tragic error by buying 7 buns for the straving professor, and to add fuel to the fire, pumped him with water after he's eaten the buns (they later said 7 buns become 49 (7x7) with the water). Thus, when Fengxia suffered serious internal bleeding after giving birth, the hapless young doctors could do nothing while the professor was totally bloated and knocked out. We were all panicky as we watched the family running to and fro, between the gasping Fengxia (who's dying from loss of blood) and the similarly gasping professor (who's 'dying' of overeating). It's really a tragicomic moment. It's funny because the situation's so absurd. The professor who could save Fengxia having gorged himself with numerous buns because he was starving as a result of persecution by the young doctors who were too useless to help Fengxia. Tragic because we see a life - a new mother that is - ebbing away and no one could do anything. It's a moment where you don't know whether to laugh or to cry because you realize the whole situation's so ridiculous, and it's the most memorable bit for me in the film.

The well documented painter

2008-02-20T23:54:00.003+08:00

Today I bought 2 inner painting snuff bottles from this cny fair.

They are small bottles with paintings inside them, where the painter has to insert a small calligraphy-like brush through the small neck and make those fine drawings.

This painter had a whole series of certficates and newspaper cuttings of himself pasted all over his store, and he showed me a photo he took with Goh Chok Tong and a listing of himself in some 'Who's who in Chinese Art' book. He was very eager to show how famous he is with all these documents.

Anyway, I picked a snuff bottle with cat pictures, and he said he could write my name in the bottle on the spot. Well, I certainly was thrilled, so I wrote my Chinese name for him. Then, being kiasu, I asked him (half thinking he might charge me extra) to write my English name too, which he gladly obliged.

Seeing how nice and obliging he was, I picked another bottle with crane pictures, and asked him to write my Dad's name. He wrote using this super thin calligraphy brush with the help of a magnifying class.

Then, the cheapo part of me kicked in and I asked him if there's a discount since I'm buying two. He seemed very scandalized (but he didn't lose his cool) and he said how can a master artist like him give a discount (yes, he actually called himself da4 shi1).

Okay, guess I should have just kept quiet and pay up for the pieces of art with gratitude and awe. (But anyway, the bottles were not too expensive lah, he had a huge range and I got the lower end ones)

Then, as I was leaving, I asked him if he resides in Singapore. He said he lives in America, and being the document lover that he was, he immediately pulled out his green card to show me as proof :) What a funny chap, but he really has great skill and patience to do such drawings.

PS. There's this strange anonymous person that's tagging a lot on my CBOX. I wonder who s/he is...

I love The Phantom of the Opera

2008-02-08T08:49:00.000+08:00

The Phantom of the Opera main theme

Angel of Music

Think of me (Christine's big break. Lovely coloratura at the end)

All I ask of you (An incredibly lovely song. When Christine (Emmy Rossum) sings, time seems to stand still)

Masquerade (The people celebrate joyfully, unawares of the massive catastrophe that is to follow)

Music of the Night

Will Ferrell's version of Music of the Night (he is such a nutcase and a comic genius!)

CNY and 'music therapy'

2008-02-06T17:11:00.000+08:00

Okay, first things first.

I shall proudly declare to the world that THIS IS MY 80TH POST! Ok. 'Nuff said.

At the CNY concert in school today, the Chinese dancers did a good enactment of peacocks (or rather, peahens!). My colleagues and I were reminded of the ‘arch of the back’ of the woman in Maya Angelou’s poem. Something only a woman can carry off.

Just done with spring cleaning. I was assigned all the doors of my home to wipe. As I did the work, I played Beethoven's 1st piano concerto on the stereo. Great, invigorating music to go along with the grueling work. It really kept the spirits (and my arms) up and going. I've always found music touching at various points of my life. I remember the warmth I felt listening to the brass instruments while playing for the first time in a combined orchestra during a music camp in JC. I remember always listening to Bach's Bradenburg Concertos to cure my headache when I was young(er). I remember feeling very emo(tional) one day years ago, and as I played Chopin's A flat etude on the piano, tears just kept streaming down my cheeks because the harmonies were just so lovely....the list goes on.

BTW, now that I'm done with the spring cleaning, I've changed the disc on the stereo to Chinese oldies by Feng Fei Fei (this Taiwanese singer who always dons a cap on stage. and her name means 'Phoenix Fly Fly' in English btw) to please my parents. One should not blast symphonic music at your elders all day.

Happy CNY to all. May you all have a good rest from the hard work and go back to school/work refreshed next week!

The Ultimate Mother Tongue Regression

2008-02-03T23:24:00.000+08:00

This morning, I was writing a note to my mum and I realized I've forgotten how to write 'fridge' in Chinese!

I was trying to write the words 'bing1 xiang1' and I had to look up the Chinese dictionary for the 'xiang'.

That's how much my Chinese has regressed!

I remember vividly my final Chinese lesson in Sec 4. Our teacher was giving us a pep talk on scoring well for the O Levels and she said if we passed our Chinese, she would be our 'mo4 dai4' (final) Chinese teacher.

Well, I did pass and so that was the last time I'd ever attended a Chinese lesson.

That was in 1997, and ever since, there hasn't been an occasion when I need to write anything longer than a sentence in Chinese :(

I love Mozart

2008-01-24T21:51:00.000+08:00

Take your time to listen to these.

Symphony No. 40

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music)

Turkish March

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The Queen of the Night Aria (yes, the human voice can actually sound like a piccolo!)

Clarinet Concerto

Sheltie!

2008-01-12T20:49:00.000+08:00

Today I was at the pet store at Vivocity (pet safari, I think) and there was this person who brought her shetland sheepdog (which I think is the cutest dog breed, such beautiful snouts and lovable manners they have) to look at the two sheltie puppies on sale over there.

Then I observed something rather peculiar. The adult sheltie kept turning its head away, as if embarrassed to look at the two puppies behind the glass panel, while the two pups became very excited and began to fight and bite at each other.

Can any dog expert explain to me what this means?

Back!

2008-01-04T07:05:00.001+08:00

I'm finally back in school after being away for 2 days at a course.

How's everyone doing?

2008 Beckons!

2007-12-31T06:47:00.000+08:00

On this last day of 2007, I'd like to wish one and all a very blessed new year (in about 17 hrs and 15 mins!). May love, joy, hope and peace be with you throughout 2008!

Especially for all the students I've taught this year:

Form and Language Arts class 107

Language Arts class 108

Language Arts class 111 (1st semester)

FPS classes 105 & 110

EL Elective 'Hear me, hear me' with students drawn from 413, 414 & 415

PRC Scholars from 401 & 403

Playwriting sabbatical with students drawn from 101 & 102 (Term 1)

Playwriting sabbatical with students drawn from 110, 111, 112 & 113 (Term 2)

Everyone from NYGZ

My wish for all of you in 2008:

Give of your best in all that you do. Learn from the past, seize the present and plan well for the future.

Romeo and Juliet

2007-12-29T00:41:00.000+08:00

Hello Sec 1 students of 2007! Many of you would have bought (and read) Romeo and Juliet by now. Here are some of my thoughts on the play.

a) Romeo and Juliet is probably the most famous love story in literature, or even in the entire world. I kid you not!

b) If you think Shakespeare's language is strange and hard to understand, use the footnotes to help you. Or get hold of an additional edition of the play that contains a parallel modern English version.

c) Shakespeares's lines are pure poetry. Notice the rich imageries he uses and the regular rhythm whenever the characters (usually the upper-class) speak in verse. His understanding of human nature and psychology is also second to none. He is not one the very greatest writers of the English language for nothing.

d) The Prologue in Romeo and Juliet is very important. It basically tells you what's going to happen in the rest of the play.

e) The theme of 'fate' which figures prominently in the play is immediately apparent right from the Prologue. The ill-fated lovers are called the 'star-crossed' lovers (ie. their tragic fate has been fortold in the stars). Also note the sense of premonition before Romeo meets Juliet.

f) Other themes in the play include 'love' - different characters' perception of this; 'light' - Juliet is often associated with light, what does this signify?; 'the old vs the young' - the different perception of love and marriage shown by Juliet's parents and herself etc.

g) Romeo's interest in Rosaline and Juliet are interesting points of comparison. With Rosaline, Romeo is "in love with the idea of being in love".

h) The character of Juliet is very well portrayed. While Romeo comes across as a rash young man, Juliet grows and develops from an innocent young girl at the start of the play, to a newly-wed young woman who is thrown into such dire circumstances and has nobody to depend on at the end.

l'orchestre

2007-12-26T08:35:00.000+08:00

Done!

Began on 17th Dec

Completed on 25th Dec

2 days of non-activity.

So, it took me 7 days to complete my first jigsaw puzzle. Thoughts after the process? I had great fun piecing the bits together using hints such as the composers' hair, bow ties, coat colour, face colour, fiddles, bows etc. Somehow, the woodwinds section got done rather quickly. The trickiest parts were the bottom corners (Beethoven and Grieg). Hmm...I think I will not be attempting another puzzle in the near future. I realized I'm not really a jigsaw person and I did this one only because I like the picture. So, unless I find another picture I love just as much, then would I make myself repeat this arduous (but rewarding) process.

Oh, do check out the pictures from our Christmas carolling at Bukit Timah Plaza. http://pengmun.zenfolio.com/p79109084

Merry Christmas! :))

2007-12-24T22:37:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas & A Blessed New Year to all readers of my blog!

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Mini Poetry Lesson 3

2007-12-23T23:01:00.000+08:00

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Today, we will not go into anything technical. We will just think about why this poem's so beautiful.

Isn't this such a lovely poem? It's one of my favourite.

Before we go any further, read the poem again, aloud. How do you feel as you listen to the words? Do you feel that it's so lyrical, musical, fluent but at the same time, filled with a sense of melancholy?

Can you guess whether it's written by a male or female poet?

If you guessed female, then you're right. The author of this poem is Christina Rossetti, one of the greatest female poets who ever lived.

Your reason for guessing that it's written by a woman is probably because it is so sensitive and gentle in tone and the poet is very aware and in touch with her innermost feelings. Women are usually better in such things than men. (Okay, this is a general statement)

Why is this poem so beautiful?

a) It is about sadness and parting. Things which strike a chord with most people.
b) The pair of loved ones are far apart. The poet is speaking of a time when she has 'gone far away into the silent land' (most likely implying death).
c) There is a sense of nostalgia and regret in the parting of the poet with her loved one. This is movingly described by the poet in that her loved one can no longer 'hold her by the hand', 'tell [her] of [their] future that [he] plann'd', and to 'counsel' and 'pray'.
d) The poet's desire to be remembered is quite moving, because we all hope that people whom we care for will never forget us.
e) The last 6 lines of the poem displays the poet's generosity towards her loved one. Read it again.

'Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.'

Although she has been asking (almost pleading) with her loved one to remember her, she is now telling the other person not to 'grieve' if he forgets her for a while. She assures her loved one that she would rather that he forgets her but remains happy rather than remember her and be grieved.

For those of you who enjoy a challenge, there's actually another way of interpreting the last six lines (in fact the whole poem). Do some research on Christina Rossetti's life. Find out her views on religion, and how this affects her ideas of romantic love. Does her religious convictions make her sort of ambivalent towards how she hopes the one she loves will remember her? Is it her puritan religious ideals that make her generous towards how her loved one will remember her?

If the above paragraph is too much for you, it's okay. Don't worry too much about it. Just read and enjoy this poem as a lyrical and beautiful piece.

That's all I have for you for poetry for now. I hope you are at least a little bit more interested in poetry now. I'm sure your teachers next year will tell you more.

Mini Poetry Lesson 2

2007-12-22T22:08:00.001+08:00

Welcome to the 2nd installment of our 3-part poetry series! Take some time off from soaking up the festive mood and immerse yourself in the wonderful world of verse!

We are going to look at a poem by local poet Kenneth Wee entitled "Festival". This is in your very first handouts (Sec 1) given at the beginning of the year. We didn't have time to go through it then so I thought I'd discuss it with you now.

Festival

Kenneth Wee

1 We sit in a corner, my friends and I

2 In a house filled with the roaring of the

3 Docks and harbours of our ancestors, and the

4 Colours of the sun which burned their fields.

5 The old men talk at the tables,

6 Remembering old times. We know them

7 Not, nor the language that they speak,

8 Yet we are relatives, only two generations apart.

9 We watch the television, glued to its screen,

10 Not knowing the meaning of the lotus seed

11 We unseeingly eat.

12 They are just more candy to us.

13 When the dinner is brought on,

14 With special foods prepared by the elders,

15 We grimace at the "tasteless" stuff

16 And think longingly of cheesy pizzas.

17 Somewhere down the street

18 Lion dancers twirl to heart thumping music

19 In my room we, too, dance,

20 But to the latest rock hits.

21 On my door hang spring couplets:

22 Quotations from Shakespeare.

23 Door gods adorn our entrances

24 Posters of Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

25 We watch the organized festivities

26 And are reminded of our culture, our roots

27 And we think: "I'm proud to be Chinese,"

28 In English.

1. The title. The first thing you look out for in a poem is its title (obvious, isn't it?). However, a lot of poems do not have titles, so the first line of the poem becomes its title. In today's poem, the title "Festival" gives it a 'local' feel because in our multi-racial society, we experience a myriad of festivals all through the year.

2. What's the theme of this poem? A theme is an idea that keeps appearing in the poem (ie. the predominant idea). After the first read-through, keywords such as 'generation gap', 'old versus young' and 'changing customs' come to mind.

3. The way Kenneth Wee presents this poem is by showing the contrasts between the behaviour and activities of the younger and older generation. Let's look at the various contrasts in detail:

a) Distance: There is distance between the two generations. The younger ones 'sit in a corner' (line 1) while the 'old men talk at the tables' (line 5). We can gather that they're probably not close, and have nothing common to talk about, and thus do not sit together. The fact that the youngsters back themselves 'in a corner' in a house that is 'filled with the roaring of the docks and harbours of our ancestors' also suggests that they are uncomfortable being in an atmosphere that is filled with things of the past.

b) Customs/Activities: Although the youngsters are eating lotus seeds (a traditional food), they eat it 'not knowing the meaning' (line 10), they eat it 'unseeingly' and it is 'just more candy' to them. This suggests that they have lost touch or they simply do not care about the story behind traditional customs and foods. For dinner, the elders prepare 'special food', which we can assume to be traditional food. The youngsters openly 'grimace' and show their disdain for the 'tasteless' stuff and 'think longingly of cheesy pizzas', which is a Western food. The traditional activity of lion dancing is also contrasted with the dancing to the 'latest rock hits' enjoyed by the youngsters, though both are 'heart thumping music'. In the 6th stanza, we are given a humorous take on the shift of customs. The Chinese traditionally hang 'spring couplets' with words of blessing and good fortune on their doors. The younger generation still hang 'spring couplets', but replacing the words of blessing are more Westernized stuff - 'quotations from Shakespeare'. In the same manner, the door gods of these youngsters are the movie stars they worship - Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

4. The impact of the last stanza. A strong poem needs a punchline that ends it on a high note. Often, the poet leads us to think in a certain way and then breaks our expectation and when that happens, it has great power. This is what happens here. While the youngsters 'watch the organized festivities', they feel 'proud to be Chinese' (line 27). When we read to the end of this line, we are comforted, thinking that although the entire poem has been about how these youngsters are losing their traditional Chinese customs, there's still some consolation in the end, because they still feel proud about being Chinese. However, the powerful last line breaks this consolation when we realize the irony of it all - these youngsters are so entrenched in their 'Westernized values' that even when they think of their Chinese-ness, they think in English. This strikes a chord with many of us who speak English and embrace Western values so much that we are losing our 'Asianess'. The little pause that we take between line 27 and 28 also make the last 2 words 'In English' more impactful.

5. Share this poem with your grandparents, they might identify with the situation well. Perhaps you can feel for the situation too.

Seen at Parkway Parade.

Guess the ages of Mickey, Minnie and Donald right and you stand a chance to win these large stuffed toys (worth $888 each!).

Did a quick google and found that Mickey and Minnie were created in 1928 and Donald in 1934.

Which makes...

Mickey and Minnie Mouse: 79 years old (!!)

Donald Duck: 73 years old (!)

I wonder what an innocent kid will think if you tell them that. That these cute creatures are older than their grandaddies!

(on 20th December 2007) Finally did the borders, which should've been the first step to do. Didn't work on this yesterday & today. But think it should still be in time for the 31st dec target.

Mini Poetry Lesson 1

2007-12-19T14:54:00.000+08:00

For those of you in sec 1 this year, you would have done unseen prose and learnt something about literary analysis.

Literary analysis is about a few things:

1) In-depth reading/reading 'in between the lines'

2) What's the SUBJECT, PURPOSE, EMOTION & TONE of the piece of writing? (Recall your SPEC & SLIM)

3) Reading beyond the literal meaning and going into the metaphorical/symbolic (hidden or abstract meanings)

4) Giving an individual response to the piece of writing

In sec2, your teacher will be doing unseen poetry with you. Many of you hate poetry. I know because I've asked you in class, remember? Here are a few things about poetry I'd like to share with you. I hope that you will be really open-minded about it and perhaps it will help you appreciate your poetry lessons more next year.

1. Don't expect to understand the entire poem in just one reading. That's impossible, unless what you have is a kid's poem or some soppy pop song lyric disguising as a poem. Always read a poem many times through (no excuses for not doing that, hey, most poems are so short ok!) and often, the meaning will become clearer to you like magic.

2. Always read a poem out loud. A poem is meant to be read aloud. When you do that, you can feel the rhythm, hear the sound of the words, the stresses, pauses etc. better. Go attend some poetry readings and see (and hear) for yourself. Having said that, in an exam, don't read so loudly that you distract your friends and invite unwanted attention from the invigilator. What you can do is to mouth the words under your breath. The idea is to feel the words in your mouth and as long as you can hear it yourself, that's good enough.

3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (who on earth is he? good question. aiyah, must be a famous poet lah! go google!) said "Prose is words in their best order, poetry is the best words in the best order". This means that the words in a poem are meticulously chosen by the poet and each word has great significance. That is also why we find it hard to comprehend a poem in our first reading. It is simply packed with so much meaning and imagery.

That's all I have for you now. Your teacher will no doubt tell you more next year.

Just remember:

-> Don't be afraid if you don't understand a poem after reading it once through. You're not alone.

-> Every word in a poem counts, and it is your task as literary detectives to find out how.

-> Poets often use symbols/metaphors/imageries in the poem. Find out what they represent and you are halfway to understanding the poem. Never take things too literally.

(on 18th December 2007)

(on 19th December 2007)

LOL

2007-12-18T14:55:00.000+08:00

I hadn't intended to blog today, but I just saw this MTV that I simply must write about.

The Song: Luo4 Ye4 Gui1 Gen1 (loosely translated as 'Returning to your roots') by Wang Lee Hom

The Story:
1. Wang Lee Hom as a little boy playing his violin under a tree in a park.
2. A crowd of people listening to him.
3. Out of this crowd, a little girl emerges and hands the boy a green clover leaf shyly.
4. As the girl walks away, she keeps turning her head back to look at the boy.
5. Gradually, she disappears into the crowd...
6. Will they meet again?
7. Will their parting be forever?
8. Many years later...
9. Wang Lee Hom has grown up and is now quite the dashing young man.
10. He is still busking under the same tree in the same park with his fiddle (!)
11. He seems distracted as he plays.
12. Is he waiting for the little girl from so long ago?
13. Waiting....waiting....
14. And she appears!
15. Wang Lee Hom pulls out the (now brown-coloured) clover leaf that the girl gave to him many years ago.
16. They stroll in the park, they chat, he teaches her how to play the violin.
17. Eventually, they embrace--
18. But the girl pushes Wang Lee Hom away abruptly and dashes off.
19. The girl is back home.
20. We realize she has an ang moh husband. (a chorus of groans for Wang Lee Hom)
21. The girl has fallen asleep.
22. She is still clutching onto the clover leaf.
23. Her hand loosens.
24. The clover leaf is carried by the breeze out of the window.
25. The girl wakes and chases after the leaf.
25b. (Can you guess where the leaf's blown to?)
26. And you guessed right! It flies towards the familiar tree under the park.
27. And Wang Lee Hom is still playing his fiddle there!
28. The girl is totally engrossed in getting her beloved leaf back --
29. and she does not notice--
30. a car coming her way!!
31. She is knocked down and killed.
32. The clover leaf lands in her hand.

Do you find this touching? Do you feel like weeping now?

The song is quite nice though. But why the need for so much melodrama in the MTV? LOL

piecing up the pieces piece by piece

2007-12-17T22:58:00.000+08:00

(on 17th December 2007)

started on a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle today. composers cartoon. they're playing in an orchestra. the conductor is berlioz. my. writing. is. rather. broken. up. today. in. the. spirit. of. jigsaw. puzzle. labour. :)

as of now, only dvorak's face is complete. mendelssohn's right eye's missing. so is chopin's. rossini's forehead and chin are missing. half of mussorgsky's forehead and a quarter of his beard's not there.

i'm currently using the classified ads (CATS) page as the base. that accounts for the multitudinous cats. am thinking of switching to mahjong paper tomorrow. or any huge cardboard piece i can lay my hands on.

aim to complete this puzzle by 31st dec. wish me luck!

Grinning Geckos and Maestros

2007-12-16T21:47:00.000+08:00

This morning I caught a baby lizard crawling on my kitchen counter and all over my oranges. I secured it in a plastic bag and released it (to know why I did that, refer to point 3 below) outside my home later.

Here are some things I've heard about lizards over the years.

1. Ms Sarah Birchwood said lizards like nibbling on the tails of aquarium fish.

2. A friend of mine told me how her grandpa used to feed lizards, and the geckos would tap their claws on the table as a sign of gratitude (or so she claimed)!

3. You can see a lizard's heart pounding hard against its chest when it's caught. So poor thing!

4. Lizards have a forked kind of tongue and are supposed to eat mosquitoes.

This is a comic I saw in today's newspapers.

It's making fun of the ongoing global debate on climate change, where you get plenty of differing voices and opinions from the international community.

It's just like in the comic, with so many conductors trying to direct the poor solo cellist.

Speaking of conductors, here are some thoughts.

1. Some people think that a conductor is just a human metronome who beats time. How wrong that is! The conductor is one who trains the orchestra/ensemble and is responsible for the overall conception of the music.

2. The conductor is a very powerful person in the orchestra. S/he has to be charismatic, a leader, a communicator and must know the technical and musical capabilities of all the instruments intimately (s/he doesn't need to be able to play all of them though).

3. Most conductors are male. However, there are also some great international women conductors, such as JoAnn Falletta (music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Marin Alsop (music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orch) and Wang Ya Hui (music director of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory orchestra at NUS), just to name a few.

4. A lot of players in student orchestras are buried in their scores/instruments most of the time and do not look at the conductor. This is very wrong because they will miss all their cues, won't know when the conductor's going to take more time/accelerate at certain places in the score and when to cut off. So don't be surprised if a conductor loses his temper when you are so preoccupied with your playing and fail to look up.

Random pictures

2007-12-12T01:53:00.001+08:00

Piano Competition. The kids had the best seats in the house!

The poor piano required some tuning during the breaks, after all those banging.

(From L-R): Mr James Tan, Mr Joseph Conrad & Mr Jack Tan

Goofy seems to be drilling something into the poor blue creature's(whatever its name is) head.

Come join us in song, amidst the silver snowflakes.

Wonderful photography skills. I had intended it to turn out all fuzzy & artsy. Really. I kid you not!

Tinkling the ivories for a prize

2007-12-07T23:55:00.000+08:00

I sat in at the biennial National Piano competition at Alliance Francais today.

Piano Artist category quarter finals. This is how it works. The participants will play a first work and then the adjudicators will pick one or more pieces from their repertoire list. I heard 10 participants today. Out of 15 participants, 5 withdrew. That's a third! Here's the lowdown.

Kwon Cheo Yong
played Chopin's Polonaise in A flat major Op.53 'Heroic', Scriabin's Etude in C sharp minor and Prokofiev's Suggestion Diabolique
The Chopin Polonaise started off a bit stiff. The use of pedal was rather sparing and the approach quite metronomic. I thought the logic between the sections could be better worked out too. Powerful playing though with good left hand technique. But having fully warmed-up, the Scriabin and Prokofiev came across much stronger than the Chopin. He really was suited to late-romantic pieces and the Prokofiev was really effectively done - excellent wrist technique and incisive rhythmic approach.

Huang Xuhua
played Granados' Goyescas No. 5 'El Amor y la Muerte' and Mozart's Rondo in A minor K.511
The Granados is such a difficult work to play, not only in terms of technique, but chiefly because it is so meandering and I think you really need to understand the Spanish idiom to evoke the mood effectively. I think she was quite drained after playing this, for when the adjudicators asked her to play her Kabalevsky, she was dazed and unable to carry on. They then settled on the Mozart Rondo - her right hand melody really needed more projection.

Zhang Xiaowei
played Bach's Italian Concerto
Kudos for not using pedal at all, this started off rather clean and neat, though the left hand became rather stodgy as the music progressed. A faster tempo would make it more buoyant, I think. Then something very unfortunate happened. She had a series of rather serious memory lapses and her confidence was quite destroyed, to the point that she couldn't continue at all. I really empathize with her. You really need nerves of steel to play in a competition.

Xie Xinying
played Chopin's Fantasy in F minor Op.49
This was played with quite a lot of colour, and she's obviously well-taught and the piece was well-prepared. There were some obvious wrong notes, and I don't know how this would affect how the adjudicators judge her. (the cruel fact is that competitors are often expected to have 'bullet-proof' technique)

Irene Margarete Setiawan
played Rachmaninov's Variations on a Theme by Corelli Op.42 and Mozart's Sonata in A Minor K.310
Indonesian pianists usually play with great spirit and freedom. The Rachmaninov was very well built up and she seemed totally comfortable on stage. The Mozart was not really to my taste. It was over-pedalled. There were some wrong notes but she overcame that very quickly - a plus point.

Koh Min Yu
played Copland's El Salon Mexico and Bach's Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue
The Copland was a very nice jazzy work, and a good choice too, because not many people play this and thus it definitely left an impression. The Bach started off really well, the improvisatory feel was very natural and this 'modern' piece had lots of colour and shaping. However, she broke down after some very unfortunate memory slips towards the end. I really hope she can stay on, as she's really talented.

Midorie Tjiawi
played Schubert's Sonata in A major D.664 and Debussy's Suite Bergamasque
I know Midorie because we have the same teacher. Her Schubert was very delicate, very feminine, but her right hand notes were sometimes missing. The Debussy was lovely, very characterful, sensitive with attention to detail. (Not surprising, as my teacher's a specialist in French music)

Chan Siang Lin Kelvin
played Ravel's 'Ondine' from Gaspard de la Nuit and Prokofiev's Sonata No.7 in B flat major Op.83
The stylo guy of the day. Dressed in tails and all. He was also totally immersed in the music, often looking up into space and shaking his head during the emotional bits. He looked like he really enjoyed performing, had flawless technique and a keen sense of the drama in the music.

Gao Chao
played Chopin's Scherzo No. 4 in E major and Mozart's Variations in D major K.573
Another very assured player. Very natural on stage and well prepared programme. Chopin was very good, but I felt that the Mozart, though very clean, could have been more nuanced.

Winnie Santia Soekojo
played Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor and Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy
A very strong girl, she played the Chopin Scherzo (one of my fav pieces, the slow bits can make you cry) with such energy, but she was quite drained after that, and her energy level clearly waned during the very taxing Schubert. A pity, because of all the pianists, I like her stage persona the most, which was humble and not exaggerated.

Okay, many more participants to go, and I don't know how many they are selecting to enter the semis, but from the 10 that I've heard, I think Kwon Cheo Yong, Irene Margarete Setiawan and Chan Siang Lin Kelvin stand a chance. If the later participants are so so, then Midorie Tjiawi and Gao Chao should make it too.

An early post

2007-12-07T07:08:00.000+08:00

I'm online early today.

Need to check on the schedule for something. Going for something later. Will update on that something later. I'm very elusive today, but it's just that time of the morning!

Time check: 7.10am. During school term, this will be the time when I'm in the staffroom doing the finishing touches to a lesson to be conducted that day, and getting ready to go down to the quandrangle for assembly cum flag raising.

During holidays, I usually sleep till about 7 or 8am. Yeah, I don't wake up late even during holis, because morning is such a beautiful time. Tranquil, peaceful, the air is fresh blah blah. I don't understand why some of my former classmates prefer to sleep at 3am and wake up at 12 noon.

I was browsing through my former online diary, and I've copied an entry I made back in 2003. It sounds quite moody...sheesh!

07/01/2003 -- ........
I don't know why I feel sad so easily......
Especially during the parting with someone i care for,
thinking that i may not see that person again,
or leaving a place where i have spent a part of my life at,
knowing that i will never go to it everyday again, like how i had used to.

You would say that there's always memories to keep that past alive,
but isn't it a fact that the person whom you have parted with
will inevitably move on to another person,
and you become just another person whom s/he has met and left behind
because everyone must move on in life?

But God is very fair to everyone.
i feel happy just as easily as i feel sad.
i remember being happy just to go for morning assembly
during the sec sch and jc days.
just to see everyone lining up in rows,
to see the huge patch of field infront of us,
the blue sky over us.
that's joy for me...

perhaps i should try to make myself feel sad less....how?

Those were the days

2007-12-06T00:37:00.000+08:00

Feeling nostalgic today, so I 'you-tubed' for songs I used to listen to when I was a pimply-faced secondary school boy in khaki shorts (haha). Yeah, I was a big Chinese pop fan back then, go ahead and laugh!

Bet you didn't know Jackie Chan can actually sing!

I used to be quite crazy over this song. Sigh...I was a corny teenager :/

Ok, I shall quit reminiscing here. It only makes me feel old!

And as promised, my next post will be something beneficial for students (aka academic stuff). But I promise it won't be boring. I hope. Check back soon.

(Added on 7th Dec: Looks like my next post isn't academic yet...hehe...check back in mid December. I will be writing about poetry and Romeo and Juliet)

William Tell & Islamey!

2007-12-04T18:16:00.000+08:00

Be patient when watching this, and you will be rewarded!

The following is for drum enthusiasts (Xichen and Joy!)

The next one is reportedly the most horrendously/nightmarishly/excruciatingly difficult piece ever written for the piano!

We're marching to Zion!

2007-12-03T22:16:00.000+08:00

Come, we that love the Lord,
and let our joys be known;
join in a song with sweet accord,
join in a song with sweet accord
and thus surround the throne,
and thus surround the throne.

Refrain:
We're marching to Zion,
beautiful, beautiful Zion;
we're marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God.

This is the hymn that I played in church on Sunday. You know what's so special about it? It shares the same tune as the Pei Hwa (Presbyterian) Primary School song. I sang that song for 7 years during my time there and I still remember the lyrics. It's been 14 years (!!) since I left that school, I think my former teachers have all retired. And my ex-classmate is teaching Chinese there now!

On another note, here's one of my favourite hymns. The lyrics are simply awesome. The entire thing is about us coming 'out of' our wants and 'into' God's abundance. All the opposites, you know? And see how it rhymes.

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessèd will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy throne,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

christmas songs with a twist

2007-12-01T23:44:00.000+08:00

i bot sarah mclachlan's wintersong album 2dae n i totally don't enjoy it :( mayb only silent night iz ok. e rest r all heavily jazzed up versions of originally-nice christmas songs and some of the more popular songs r patched 2gether with strange tunes which i can't recognize.

somehow wheneva i buy pop albums, they tend to screw up :(

tmr, i will be play9 for my church svc as the orig pianist sprained her fingers. i'm not realli gd at play9 for svc bcos u've got to play with all 10 fingers at once, and u've oso got to bang and bang on e keys so that u r loud enuf to lead the congregation in their sing9. i prefer a more intimate style of play9, like what i do when i play for e choir. but well, i will just follow God's lead9.

and after church, i will be rush9 to nygh 2 be with the guzheng for their evening performance at s'pore conf hall.

it's funny tt i'm do9 all this forecast9 for tmr here, cos ppl usually do more recount9 of past events when they blog.

anyway, hav u noticed dat my style of writing 2dae iz rather diff fr my usual?

hehe, juz experiment9 and hav9 some fun!

i've realized dat i've been post9 a lot of personal stuff (which wud bore ppl to death), n lotsa non-academic stuff here lately.

dis defeats e purpose of my blog. my orginal intention when i created dis was to share eng stuff.

okie, so i'll be put9 more academic stuff here in time to come. howeva, i won't do away with non-academic things, but it'll be more of a balance. i hope.

got to go now to study the words of the hymns i'm play9 tmr, so dat i can play with more understand9.

~gdnite
~ciao
~wan (3) an(1)
~bon soir (does dis mean gd evening or gd nite? me and my pathetic 6 mths study of french way way back in sec 1!)

Somewhere Out There X 3

2007-11-30T18:12:00.000+08:00

Here are 3 versions of the song 'Somewhere Out There' from the 1987 animated film An American Tail. This song is rather poignant for people with loved ones far away from them.

The original movie version sung by the mice. Cute, because the mice were slightly out of tune on the high notes!

This one's by Taiwanese singer Evonne Hsu on a variety show. Many people think she's very princess-like but I think she's a bit too tall and fair. She speaks and sings in perfect English cos she grew up in the States.

The original 'proper' version by Linda Ronstadt (really powerful vocals and wacky hairdo!) and James Ingram.

So which version do you like best? I think those that are young at heart will prefer 1, most guys will favour 2 and the connoiseurs/hard core music fans will like 3.

Cherish your Childhood! It'll be gone before you know it.

2007-11-28T00:16:00.000+08:00

Haley Joel Osment

Macaulay Culkin

A certain JT

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Ng Man Tat. I don't have (and won't care to see) his childhood photo.

Here's a song on childhood. What happens when someone grows up.

When she loved me by Sarah Mclachlan

This has all the hallmark of a great song.

One. The minimalist accompaniment and Sarah Mclachlan's poise and purity of voice is infinitely natural and touching.

Two. The shifts in harmony is so haunting/beautiful/unexpected. Unlike most pop songs, which have rather predictable harmonies.

Three. The utterly simple yet deep/meaningful lyrics.

Four. The universal theme - growing up, becoming hardened and losing one's childhood dreams.

Oh, if I only knew the road back,

The dear road to childhood's land!

Oh, why did I search for happiness

And leave my mother's hand?

Oh, how I long to be at rest,

Not to be awakened by anything,

To shut my weary eyes,

With love gently surrounding!

And nothing to search for, nothing to beware of,

Only dreams, sweet and mild;

Not to notice the changes of time,

To be once more a child!

Oh, do show me the road back,

The dear road to childhood's land!

In vain I search for happiness,

Around me naught but deserted beach and sand!

Klaus Groth

PSLE results

2007-11-23T11:37:00.000+08:00

The PSLE results were released yesterday.

Those who've scored well, congrats. But remember that's no guarantee to success in life. Those who've not done so well, take heart. I've seen so many cases of people who, despite of not-so-fantastic PSLE scores, go on to ace their O and A Levels, and vice versa, of course. So continue to enjoy learning, and be humble.

My only recollection of my own PSLE release of results and subsequent school posting was this silly classmate of mine who danced around the room shouting at us in glee, 'I'm going to RI, you are all not fit to talk to me!' :/

Here's a rather humorous (and slightly irreverent, especially to Rafflesians) spoof on the 'Founding of Singapore' featuring 'Sir Stamford Raffles' and 'William Farquhar'. Have a good laugh!

MDA Rap and all the Flak

2007-11-23T10:58:00.000+08:00

This is the infamous rap from the top brass at the Media Development Authority (MDA).

This has drawn a lot of flak since it's release a few days ago. Comments like 'they are so stiff', 'they shouldn't be in suits', 'pretending to be hip', 'humiliating' etc have been made by netizens and articles in the press.

But my question is, why be so hard on them? They aren't professional rappers. What do you expect? I think it's already quite brave for them to attempt to do something like that. I bet it's the first time most of them are actually rapping. So are the critics expecting them to rap like Snoop Dogg or Eminem?

It's true that the title of the rap 'MDA Senior Management Rap' is a bit of a put-off, and the lyrics are also pretty awkward, because they try to squeeze so many words into each line, but I think it's overall a very commendable effort. The message that the MDA is forward looking and creative is more effectively conveyed through a rap rather than via a standard, boring speech.

If you think that rapping is only reserved for the 'young and cool' and it's so 'high-brow' that it's only open to a select group who 'knows how to do it', I think that's rather unfair. We have seen memorable and funny moments where politicians such as former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and ex-Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi letting their hair down and dancing. So are we going to criticize them if their dance moves are inelegant ?

It boils down to the fact that people enjoy rebelling against authority. People have this mentality, that the more you tell them not to do something, the more they want to do it. Parents, teachers, the government and the law are all figures of authority who set rules and tell you what not to do. So people like to rebel against such figures. And the MDA is the authority who sets the policy for the local media, regulates media content, and tells us what we can and cannot watch. No wonder some disgruntled media players enjoy poking fun at them for their rap.

Let's talk about LOVE

2007-11-19T22:38:00.000+08:00

Some of you have tagged to say you think that girls and guys can be best friends. I think it's quite difficult. Okay, let's define what 'best friend' means first. If someone is your best friend, s/he is probably the person you talk to the most; his/her name appears frequently on your hp's call list; you share common interests and hobbies with him/her; you go out with him/her a lot; the 2 of you understand each other a lot. Well, I think it's rare if you can say that of a girl and guy, unless it's of the 'buddies' sort. Of course a girl and guy can be good friends, but best friends? Nah, I'm sceptical!

Okay, now to the main topic...

We are going to talk about love today. In case you are sticking out your tongue and feeling squeamish, relax. This is going to be very objective and healthy.

Teenagers often confuse love and infatuation. Infatuation is also known as puppy love or 'crush'. Sometimes, teenagers think that they are in love, when in actual fact, they are only experiencing puppy love.

So what's the difference between PUPPY LOVE and TRUE LOVE?

Signs of puppy love
1. You can't stop thinking about the other person
2. You feel inexplicably sad and distracted when s/he is not around
3. You feel that life is meaningless if you don't see him/her
4. You fall in and out of puppy love very quickly

Signs of true love
1. It is unconditional. You don't love to 'feel good'
2. You are willing to sacrifice/undergo some inconveniences and discomforts for love
3. You plan for your future with your loved one
4. You don't fall in and out of true love very quickly

As you can see, the major difference between puppy love and true love is that you can get infatuated with someone very quickly, just by something nice the other person say to you for example, or for some other superficial reason, such as an attraction to some physical characteristic of the other person (He has a nice smile...she is so pretty etc). However, it takes time and cultivation for 2 person to truly fall in love.

Teenagers who think of pairing up too early should consider these.

1. Why have a bf/gf so early? You should get to know more members of the opposite sex, be friends with them, go out with a group of mixed company before considering a serious relationship.

2. Being in a serious relationship costs lots of time and money. Will you neglect your studies? Is it burning a hole in your pocket?

Well, for me, I think the ideal is:

in your secondary school years, you should focus on your studies and make more same-sex friends (I think that of all the friends you make in your various schools, those from sec school tend to stay with you for life),

in junior college, you will have lots of opportunity to know more people of the opposite sex. don't rush into things and weigh consequences wisely. but don't forget the A level exams. it is not an easy exam,

in university, you should be wise enough and it's the best time to think of pairing up. ideally, you should pair up with the eventual aim to get married. that way, you will be responsible and serious, and not merely 'having fun' or 'feeling good'.

Well, for your interest, the Greeks defined for us 5 kinds of love, they are:

Eros, which is passionate love, to do with the senses and the physical
Philia, which is the love and loyalty you feel for your friends
Storge, which is the natural love parents feel for their children
Xenia, which is the love and hospitality a host feel for his guest/visitor
Agape, which is unconditional, self-sacrificing and thoughtful love

There is also a famous passage in the Bible where the Apostle Paul defines love as such:

'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.'

This is from the book of 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 verses 4-7. This is really a great kind of love, if anyone can love like that, s/he would be really noble. So which of the 5 kinds of love as defined by the Greeks does this biblical definition of love fall into?

Plenty of deep stuff today, hope it gives you some food for thought!

The Incident at this certain DVD store and my writing inspiration

2007-11-18T22:37:00.000+08:00

Today, this moronic sales assistant at this certain DVD store (I choose not to name this store, for certain reasons) made me very angry.

I was looking for a complete edition of a certain tv series but they've only got the 4 seasons sold separately. So I asked this sales assistant why the store does not carry the complete edition. Then, he gave me this incredulous, goggle-eyed look. Here's the transcript of what transpired between us.

Me: Do you have the complete edition?

Him: No. We only have the separate seasons.

Me: So can I place an order for the complete edition?

Him: No. We only have the separate seasons.

Me: I know. But why can't you order the complete one?

Him: Because we already have the separate seasons.

Me (getting quite exasperated): But isn't the complete edition more worthwhile to get?

Him: But there's already the separate seasons.

Me: So there's no way I can order the complete edition?

Him: No, because there's already the separate seasons.

Me: Is the complete edition in your catalogue? (As long as something is in their catalogue, they can try to order it, even if it's currently out of stock. That's how they work)

Him: No.

Me: Okay, it's alright. Thank you.

He was a real automaton - capable of repeating only 1 phrase throughout. And then he just turned away without even saying sorry. Such rudeness!

Later as I reflected, I think he meant that if they ordered the complete edition, then nobody would purchase the separate seasons and they wouldn't know what to do about it. But I guess he was just too dense to be able to express himself properly.

Anyway, I went to enquire from another staff and found out that they did have the complete edition of what I was looking for in their catalogue. So he was lying after all.

I was quite worked up initially after all these, but after reflecting on the circumstances, I was inspired to write a poem based on what happened. So it's in fact a blessing in disguise.

I always get my writing ideas from things that I feel strongly about.

To those of you who love writing creatively, especially those who are trying for CAP, think about things which you feel strongly about. Things that make you most happy, excited, furious, sad etc. Things that provoke strong emotions in you. You tend to write most persuasively if you write about such things.

My first quiz

2007-11-16T00:05:00.000+08:00

I've often seen others filling up quizzes, so since I'm free tonight, I'm going to attempt my first one here, for my own amusement (and maybe yours)...

1. name: Jack
2. sex: male
3. birthday: 30th Sep
4. siblings: 1 bro
5. hair color: black
6. eye color: brown I think, sometimes it looks black to me.
7. any tattoos or piercings: no
8. do you do drugs?: yes if caffeine’s considered one
9. what kind of shampoo do you use?: no fixed brand. Switch between sunsilk, ginvera, dove….
10. what are you most scared of?: losing my ideals/losing God’s fellowship
11. who is the last person that called you?: my dad (to say goodnight:)
12. where do you want to get married?: church. Where else?
13. how many buddies are online right now?: I don’t do msn any more :(

f a v o r i t e (s)
1. color: sky blue
2. food: steamed dumplings (shui 2 jiao3)
3. boys names: Jack (haha…I’m egotistical!)
4. girls names: Julianne (I intend to name my first daughter this)
5.subjects in school: English Literature
6. animals: cats and birds
7. sports: I don’t do much sports

h a v e y o u e v e r
1.given anyone a bath?: my terrapins counted?
2. smoked?: no. and never will I
3. bungee jumped?: no
4. made yourself throw up?: force vomit, no. but I’ve thrown up after seeing (and smelling) someone throw up when I was young(er).
5. skinny dipped?: no
6. ever been in love?: what do you think? ;)
7. made yourself cry to get out of trouble?: of course not, that’s weakness of character!
8. eaten a lemon in its entirety?: nope.
9. run away from home?: I’ve stormed out in anger before, but not ‘run away’ as in don’t come back and disappear
10. cried when someone died?: in soap operas? Yes!
11. lied? : who hasn’t lied before?
12. fallen for your best friend?: what a strange question. One’s best friend is usually of the same sex. And I’m not gay!
13. been rejected?: am not saying ;)
14. rejected someone?: am not saying ;)
15. used someone?: no, I’ve never and will never do such a base thing
16. done something you regret?: many times

c u r r e n t
1. clothes: a ‘holey’ shirt and pyjamas (super unglam!)
2. music: nil. Can’t compete with the telly
3. make-up: haha
4. annoyance: I’m barely halfway through this quiz
5. smell: huh? You mean the smell around me or if I smell?
6. favorite group: ?? you mean band? Then don’t have!
7. desktop picture: nothing, just a blue background.
8. book you are reading: heart of darkness by joseph conrad
9. color of toenails: haha…I’m beginning to suspect this quiz is designed for girls.
10. last person you touched: the ‘uncle’ on the bus, tapped him to say ‘excuse me, please move in’
11. hugged: I don’t give away hugs anyhow :0
12. instant messaged: refer to final question. Section 1
13. you yelled at: I rarely yell
14. you kissed: I don’t give away kisses anyhow :0

a r e y o u
1. open-minded: not with morality issues
2. arrogant: not really. It’s bad to be.
3. insecure: not really. One feels more at ease with things as one grows older
4. random: no. I am usually quite focused.
5. hungry: nope. Ate a full course meal at delifrance, a mos burger and orange for dinner.
6. moody: not now.
7. organized: yes. after I’ve tidied up my room tomorrow. haha
8. difficult: if you are difficult to me, I will be difficult to you too.
9. attractive: that’s not for me to say.

d o y o u e v e r
1. sit on the internet all night waiting for that someone special to you?: of course not at the moment. But I think I did do some silly juvenile things of that sort when I was young(er) which I cringe to think about now.
2. wish you were a member of the opposite sex?: nope
3. wish you were younger?: sometimes. Then I could be a student again. Being a student is one of the best things in life. Trust me on that, you will only realize that when you are no longer one.
4. cried because someone said something to you?: who hasn’t? unless you have a heart of stone

N u m b e r of times
1. i have had my heart broken: not telling ;)
2. no. of hearts i have broken: 0. I’m no casanova
3. no. of guys ive kissed: I was coerced to kiss a boy my age when I was 4, at his birthday party. It was disgustingly sloshy.
4. no. of girls I’ve kissed: you think?
5. no.of continents i have lived in: 1

F i n a l Q u e s t i o n s
1. do you like filling these out?: this is my first one. So far so good. But I tend to be coy sometimes haha
2. gold or silver?: silver. Gold seems vulgar sometimes
3. favorite cartoon/anime?: teenage mutant ninja turtles, carebears, transformers and masks, my favourite ones when I was a small boy
4. what did you have for breakfast this morning?: fresh milk with oats and cheese cake
5. who would you love being locked in a room with?: Jeeves (haha, I’ve been reading something by wodehouse)
6. could you live without your computer?: I guess so. Computers only became a household item when I was in my teens. So I’ve experienced life without one.
7. would you color your hair?: never. I don’t like to tamper with things given by God and my parents
8. could you ever get off the computer?: of course.
9. habla espanol?: espanol=spain, habla=?
10. how many people are on your buddy list?: refer to final question. Section 1
11. Drink Alcohol?: sometimes. But I’ll go for fruit juice/water/milk anytime.
12. Your name spelled backwards?: kcaj (looks like some unit of measurement)
13. Where were your parents born?: dad:m’sia; mum:taiwan
14. Have you ever moved?: yes
15. What's your Favorite place to go: where my heart is
16.What's your favorite sport to play?: don’t do much sports
17. How many kids do you want?: Maybe 3?
18. Type of music you dislike most?: Music without melody/music with blasphemous lyrics/classical music with a disco beat (Vanessa mae/maksim haha)
19. Colour of your school bag?: Rats, now I know this quiz is not only meant for girls, but school girls specifically!
20. Do you have cable? Yeah. My mum watches lots of Taiwanese programmes
21. Favorite 80's song?: somewhere out there. Linda ronstadt/james ingram
22. Ever prank call anybody?: no, I’m very guai
23. Ever get a parking ticket?: nope
24. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?: hasn’t this question appeared before?
25. Ever bowl a 300?: nope. Don’t bowl
26. What's your favorite comic strip?: Garfield, dilbert, the born loser, the one with the short king (can’t rem the name)
27. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?: s’pore or m’sia? But I notice many people mixing up ‘bersatu’ and ‘berseru’ in the s’pore natl anthem. It’s “Marilah kita bersatu” and “Semua kita berseru”
28. Bath or Shower?: shower.
29. Favorite pizza topping?: meat! I’m carnivorous!!
30. Beer or ale?: yucks.
31. Have you ever smoked peanut shells?: nope.
32. Do you eat skin on chicken?: not if it’s too fatty.
33. Apple juice or Orange?: apple juice’s more special and refreshing.
34. Favorite type of chocolate bar?: I currently love toblerone.
35. Your favorite fruit?: orange, pears
36. Your favorite vegetable?: I like most green leafy vegs
37. Are you a good cook?: hahahaha!!!!
38. Bought something from an infomercial?: nope. Rem slim10?
39. throw up in public?: thankfully no
40. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?: true love
41. Do you believe in love at first sight?: no. attraction at first sight is possible, but you’d be belittling love to think that you can love someone at first sight. Love’s too noble and unfathomable for that.
42. Ever call a 1-900 number?: yes.
43. Ever been stood up for a date?: I don’t think so.
44. Biggest turn off of the opposite sex?: either overly loud/brazen or overly shy. Both are not good
45. Ever Been Cheated on?: no
46. What are the names of all your pets dead and/or alive?: my terrapins are called riperoptocus and riperopsaurus. Haha, dinosaurish names cos turtles have been around for as long as dinos, I think.
47. Can ex's be friends?: yes, but a tad awkward.

Florestan & Eusebius

2007-11-15T11:05:00.000+08:00

Lights

Eusebius is at the piano, playing a sentimental and lyrical Chopin Nocturne. In a while, Florestan barges in.

Florestan: What's this infernal din?

Eusebius: Shh...

Florestan: Stop this monstrosity at once! And at this hour...sheesh!

Eusebius: Quiet. I'm trying to concentrate.

Florestan: Shut up! Shut Up!! SHUT UP!!!! SHUTTTT UPPPP!!!!!!!

Eusebius stops playing and throws his hands up in despair.

Eusebius: What's wrong with you?

Florestan: Bloody son of a b. What in the name of the devil were you playing?

Eusebius: It's a nice piece, so beautiful, so tender.

Florestan: Such soppiness, fake tenderness.

Eusebius: The harmonies touch me so. The warmth of A flat major caresses my whole being...

Florestan: What rot! Incorrigible!

Eusebius: Poetry in music. Pure lyricism.

Florestan: The mad gibbering of a fool.

Eusebius: Chopin put his heart and soul into the music. All his emotions are poured into the lovely melodies and lush harmonies.

Florestan: You are beyond hope.

Eusebius: I wonder which girl he was thinking of when he composed this? Oh how lucky that girl was...

Florestan: You are still dreaming such foolish dreams.

Eusebius: If only things in real life could be so beautiful.

Florestan: Ha!

Eusebius: What?

Florestan: You have just said it yourself. 'If only things in REAL life could be so beautiful'. That means you know that REAL life could never be like that.

Eusebius: Why do you always catch me like that?

Florestan: I'm talking sense. Cold hard sense, my dear boy.

Eusebius: Why don't you ever let me dream?

Florestan: Wake up, silly boy. The REAL world is never like how you dream it to be.

Eusebius: But even so, we all dream. Of a place more beautiful than we could ever have imagined. People all kind and lovely.

Florestan: Hahaha, you bloody moron!

Eusebius: I will keep dreaming.

Florestan: Shame on you!

Eusebius: Let me play it for you again.

Florestan: It's time for work.

Eusebius: Shucks.

Florestan: Back to the petty little arguments, jealousies, back-stabbings, outwittings blah blah with the guys in the office.

Eusebius: Groans.

Florestan: Welcome to the real world!

Eusebius and Florestan do not move. They stare at each other.

Lights out.

Peach shake

2007-11-14T23:39:00.000+08:00

I have a (not so secret) craving for the Peach shake from Yami Yoghurt.

Slices of sweet juicy peach (straight from the can no doubt, but do I care?) mixed with chilled yoghurt and milk. Mama mia!

I developed a liking for shakes because I like ice-cream but I'm too chauvinistic (haha) to eat ice-cream openly in public. So having a shake is second best.

Musicians, Make-up and Marriage

2007-11-13T07:43:00.000+08:00

Musicians
It's amazing how many Koreans and Japanese make it to become international classical music stars. You have Mitsuko Uchida, Seiji Ozawa, Midori, Akiko Suwanai, Kyung Wha Chung, Myung Wha Chung, Myung Whun Chung, Sarah Chang, Han Na Chang, Sumi Jo and the list goes on. When you think of Chinese representatives in this field, only 3 come to mind, all pianists - Fou Tsong, Lang Lang and Li Yundi. Of course the last 2 are world famous at the moment, making heaps of money with their international tours and albums. (Erratum: I had forgotten about Yo Yo Ma and Cho Liang Lin!)

I remember this story told of the young Japanese violinist Midori, who as a very young child of 10, played for the famous violinist and pedagogue Pinchas Zukerman. She played for him Bach's Chaccone, and Zukerman was astounded by the incredible maturity shown by little Midori in interpreting this musically and emotionally very difficult piece. After all, she was only 10! When Zukerman asked Midori what she thought the piece was about, she said it's about 'a dear dog, who has died and has gone to heaven'.

Zukerman's eyes were filled with tears after hearing that. There before him, was this precocious girl who played and felt for this piece of music with the emotional maturity of someone thrice or four times her age, and yet, when she described her feelings for it, it was done with the simple innocence of a child.

Well, Midori has grown from a child prodigy to an internationally well known violinist, unlike many child prodigies, who burn out after the initial spark fizzles out due to overexposure and the constant media attention.

Here's her personal website: http://www.gotomidori.com/

Here's Bach's Chaccone, the piece the young Midori thought sounded like a dog having died and gone to heaven. (The version here isn't played by Midori though):

Make-up
The issue of make-up is very interesting. Girls and women look very different after putting on make-up. When young girls put on make-up, they look very much more mature (provided the make-up is done properly of course, haha there's always the risk of looking like ghosts if it's done by an inexperienced hand); when women put on make-up, facial flaws are often very effectively covered.

I think I would not like my future wife to wear lots of make-up, it's good to be natural what.

A colleague once told me that she does not wear make-up because she doesn't want her husband to wake up in the middle of the night and get a shock to see the person beside him looking so different from her daytime version.

This same colleague said she had a room mate who wore very heavy make-up, and whenever she shed the rouge, she looked like a ghost, because her complexion was greenish due to her smoking. In her case, make-up was necessary to cover some flaws.

So you see, make-up can do lots of things for women, but I think if you have good complexion, it's best that you use all the lipstick, foundation and mascara sparingly. Being natural is still the best.

Marriage
I attended a JC friend's wedding on Sunday. Actually, it's 2 JC friends since I know both of them.

It was at Sheraton Towers. It's my first time there, never expected the interior to be so posh and beautiful.

Anyway, I'm very happy for them. 9 years of courtship, and the love between them never wavered. They are quite compatible - both of them so kind and mild-mannered. It's also quite sweet, thinking of how they got together - being in the same CCA, she played the cello while he played the violin, and they both went to the States to study.

I quite miss my JC days. It was the year when all the guys in the rj chamber orchestra came from chinese high - 9 of us! So although I didn't go to hcjc, like most of my classmates, I still felt very much at home. It's quite funny actually, even the orchestra girls from my batch were from st nics, scgs and dunman - not a single rafflesian!

I miss the old school building, though not very impressive but there's always a comfy feeling about it, and all the nooks and crannies where you could chat with friends. Though the toilets were perennially smelly (haha) but I still love that place! And not to forget the back gate which leads to the Ghim Moh market, and how we often boycott canteen food and have our lunch there. There's even this dessert stall with a concoction specially for rj students!

Acting as a guy

2007-11-09T23:52:00.000+08:00

Oh, gotta say something, before I forget.

On the last night of choral n drama nite, there was this sec 2 play (205??) where a girl played a guy. After the show, I overheard lots of people gushing about how shuai he(she) was and how convincing she was in playing a guy.

It made me think about this a little. Actually, it's not tough for a girl to play a guy. Here's how:
1) Lower your voice and speak mostly in grunts
2) Speak in monosyllables (Mmm, Uh, kay(ok), fine, orh, no)
3) Wear a perennial blank expression
4) Don't make eye contact with the person who is talking to you/you are talking to (better still if you face away from that other person)
5) Don't flap your arms (something many girls do a lot unwittingly)
6) Drag your feet when you walk

That's how a teenage guy with 'attitude' behaves, I think.

Girls, don't emulate that in real life though. Use it only if you are acting as a teenage guy in a performance.

Girls should be girls, no gender bender stuff puh-lease!

Carmen Fantasy

2007-11-09T23:23:00.000+08:00

This kind of fiendishly difficult music is certain to bring the house down. Curiously, it has the same effect as watching acrobats in action or viewing a fireworks display.

Part 1

Part 2

Choral & Drama Nite - The Aftermath

2007-11-08T10:40:00.001+08:00

Was so tired yesterday and slept immediately after coming home. And I woke up only at 10am today! (that's very late for me)

Well, it's finally over - 5 days of Choral and Drama Nites.

For the Sec 2s, it's their last time doing this. Next year, they will be doing other EOY programmes - regional CIP to China, India etc. It's also probably their last time together as a class (sob sob), they will all be in different classes next year.

For the Sec 1s, they will be moving into the realm of English drama, and will also be learning the various aspects of theatre - lighting, stage/props design, scriptwriting, directing etc.

I was present 4 out of the 5 nights for C & D Nite this year. Last Thurs and this Mon as stage manager, and this Tues and Wed as an audience member, so got a general sense of how the performances were like this year. Initially, I had said that the Sec 1s did mostly slapstick and the Sec 2s had more serious stuff, but judging from yesterday, I'm gonna change my mind.

These were some of the things in the Sec 2 plays yesterday:
1) Father with a feather duster chasing son round and round the stage.
2) President Duncan drinking poisoned soup served by Prime Minister Macbeth and dies. PM Macbeth was not arrested at once!
3) A minister named Frankenstein (in the same Macbeth play).
4) A mother introduces her Daughters as Daughlly (Dolly) and Terlly.
5) An impressively dressed but goofy Sherlock Holmes.
6) 2 policewomen running onto stage and introduced themselves by spelling out the letters 'P-O-L-I-C-E with big hand gestures.
7) The rich husband is going out with his wife. He tells his wife to wait for him at the bus stop as he gets the car! (Don't they have a garage, a porch and driveway? They are supposed to be HSBC directors)
8) Boy gives a flower to Girl, and he says 'I want to show the flower how pretty you are.' (The best pick-up phrase I've heard this week).

That's why I changed my mind, as you can see, the Sec 2s are perfectly capable of slapstick.

Is there anything wrong with slapstick? Not at all, since it's entertaining, most audiences (esp younger ones) love it, it's very accessible and you don't need to think too hard to get it.

But those who delight in slapstick, do ask yourself, beyond the laughs, is there a message in your play that you let the audience take away? That's what all good drama should have.

Those who want to learn how to write good comedy, go read the farces by Alan Ayckbourn and Georges Feydeau. These are all very silly but expertly crafted comedic plays. Also try The Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, my favourite piece of slapstick farce, but with a relevant political message. All these plays can be borrowed from library@esplanade. Happy reading!

Choral & Drama Nite Day 4 - The Lowdown

2007-11-06T23:19:00.001+08:00

Finally attended C & D Nite as an audience member today. I could watch the plays properly and here's my take on them.

107B - Mai chi bang de xiao nan hai 'The Wing-seller boy'
So glad that my class was the first one to go. I think you must have something solid to be the opener in any performance. The chorus bits (where everyone spoke together) sounded quite musical, I think their voices blended quite nicely. This is a touching story of selfless love - how a boy supplied wings to needy people and animals all his life - blessing those around him. When he eventually died of exhaustion, he received a pair of white wings and became an angel. I think there must have been some wet eyes in the audience after the performance.

202A - She's Watching You
Have you received chain mail? Do you dutifully forward it to others? Will you really suffer some terrible fate if you do not do what the chain mail asks of you? These were some of the question this play asked. This was also a ghost story - with eerie green lights and a spirit which refused to let the protagonist Clara go, until her body was discovered. Some funny moments - a newscaster announcing the discovery of a dead body, then wishing viewers a happy halloween. I thought the opening, when Clara laughed off the 'threats' of the chain mail, could be played up more, to make her subsequent 'possession' more compelling.

107A - Zui chu de meng, zui zhen de meng "Our earliest dreams are the truest"
The second group from my class. This one is more idea-based than 107B's, and thus more abstract, but it touched me a lot. I think the idea of losing one's innocent dreams and youthful friendships as one grows up is very touching. As we grow up, we are often too caught up with the realistic requirements of society - chasing after money and career, trying to outdo others in school (especially so in competitive Singapore) etc, that we forget the true and childlike dreams and friendships we once had. The image of the childhood friends stacking up their chairs after playing their childish games, and waving goodbye to them, and in the next instant, they have grown up, and could hardly recognize one another on the street, was quite moving.

106A - Tai zi xuan fei ji "The Prince chooses his bride"
This was a very effective play, with fantasy and realistic elements, song, narration, dance and even martial arts (Cinderella hacking a 'brick' with her head!) thrown in. And very well put together too. The most memorable moment was when the three contenders for the prince's hand - Snow White, Cinderella and this impish girl in black and white (whom I couldn't recognize who) doing a talent show. They even asked the audience to vote the winner. (Whether or not the audience vote really counted, audience participation is one winning strategy for any live performance. Kudos!)

204B - I oso wanna learn Engerrish
A crowd-pleaser. This one is about a group of foreigners learning Engerrish (English) in a language school. And this group is as colourful and diverse as you can get - you have the overly frank Punjabi (who speaks of the language school principal's 'large bosom' without a blush and as casually as if he's referring to the ripe watermelons in the market); the serious Japanese student (done with perfect accent); the Ah Lian manicurist (who is aptly named Chow Ah Lian); the seductive French (or Spanish??) student who keeps making advances at the teacher; an overly preachy Ah Ma who perennially thinks others are not showing enough respect for her etc. Throw in a potential romance between the two new teachers, this was a rather good play. And one which I hope would be developed into a full length one. Lots of room for expansion. To keep to the allocated 15 minutes, a lot of things had to be hastened (eg. the burgeoning romance between the two teachers). Some things could be cut too - the national pledge bit didn't really work. Some roles could be expanded too. (I really wanted to see more of the comical Malay food seller!) But this certainly ended the first half with a bang.

106B - Qing xu guai shou - EMO
I wasn't able to catch this. Went in late. Was bombarded by the fund-raisers outside the audi and I consumed a lipton tea, 2 muffins and nacho with cheese (which I shared with Ms Lydia Teo and Ms Sarah Birchwood) :@

204A - A Happy Ending?
The ultimate screwball comedy of the evening! Judging by the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, they probably had the most fans present tonight. But what a riduculous plot and eccentric characters! You have this loud and over-the-top character who ejects his wife from the plane. She survives, but becomes a savage in a tribe. He remarries and his 2 kids have to put up with a horribly naggy stepmother. By some fantastic twist and turns in the plot, the original family of 4 are reunited and they all join the savage tribe! And who should they bump into but the horrible stepmother! And they cannibalize her!! All these drew mad laughter from the audience. I think our audiences enjoy slapstick a lot.

113 - Lao ren jia de da xiao gao di (sorry, i can't translate this, my chinese skills have sadly regressed :()
I like how this one's staged. They have this 4 groups of elderly people at 4 points in a circle, and they are all frozen until they are rotated to the spot at downstage centre (the spot closest to audience), where each group is in turn tricked of their possessions by this gang of swindlers. Natural acting throughout with a relevant (though familiar) message.

202B - Amore Cache
I checked up the title of this play. I think it means a place where you keep your love. After watching it, I guess it referred to the father's diary where the children discovered his unspoken love for them after he died. This one's about how a father has to cope with a mentally challenged daughter, a spoilt daughter, an unfaithful wife and his worsening health. He tries his best to protect his disabled daughter and to prevent his wife from leading the spoilt daughter further astray. His mercenary wife then runs off with another man. In order to hide his wife's unfaithfulness from his children, he lies that she is dead. The highlight of the show is the wonderful acting of the actress playing the spoilt daughter. She gets the 'Best Actress Award' tonight, if there was one. In the closing scene, she reads out her dead father's diary, and discovers how much he actually loved them. This was done with real emotional depth, with her voice gradually cracking and her person visibly breaking down. I couldn't see her face from where I was, but I heard that her eyes were puffy and teary while doing this scene earlier during the rehearsals.

C & D Nite Day 3 'cont

2007-11-06T00:23:00.000+08:00

And finally I can attend the c n d nite as an audience member tomorrow (today -> time check 12.20am now)! Yay!

I'll be writing about what I think about the plays here.

Basically, what I've gathered so far (I have to say I can't see or hear much when I'm backstage) is that the sec 2s did mostly more serious stuff while the sec 1s were mostly slapsticks or fables.

And I have a surprise for tomorrow.

Anyway, while backstage today, I found this Barbie doll left behind on the grand piano. Hate that doll - that perpetual smile, impossibly perfect figure, flawless curves and tan -- all so fake.
(No offense to those who love Barbie dolls, it's just me.)

So I was telling another teacher lots of mean things about that Barbie doll backstage. Like how Barbie's jilted by her bf Ken and she strangles herself with her luscious blond locks, or how she plunges into the murky depths by throwing herself off the Bosendorfer piano. Evil!!

Which reminds me of this silly Barbie doll song by Aqua which I've not heard for quite a while. In it, Barbie sounds so sickeningly whiney while Ken sounds like a pervert :{

Choral & Drama Nite Day 3

2007-11-05T14:42:00.000+08:00

I'm in school for Choral & Drama Nite again today. We've just finished our super long rehearsal. Lots of ambitious plays today, so plenty of things to iron out. 3 of the teams rehearsed a second run of their plays. I hope things will turn out fine later.

I'm now going to complete my work review form, and if I have time, to do some filing.

I've also just had my lunch - Nissin Cup Noodles (Chicken flavour).

This is my second time eating instant noodles in 2007. How exciting.

The canteen's completely not operating, so I couldn't get a Kit Kat Bar.

I'm so looking forward to my dinner in 2 hours' time - Unif Super Bowl Instant Noodles-Artificial Stewed Pork Chop Flavor. Sounds so exciting ;0

Choral & Drama Nite Day 1

2007-11-01T23:34:00.000+08:00

I was on duty as stage manager on Day 1 of Choral and Drama Nite today. My duties were mainly a) to ensure the smooth flow of performers going on and coming off stage, b) maintain discipline in the wings/backstage and c) to ensure the curtains in the wings were drawn during the show. Actually I didn't have a hard job because the stage hands (consisting of theatre club and chinese drama people) were super efficient and sharp. They were the sort who'd understand you completely with minimal prompting.

My class 107 was selling foodstuff for charity. And I bought from them
1) 2 orange juices
2) 1 egg tart
3) 1 doughnut
4) 3 sugar rolls
Well, to show support for them and also to do my part for charity. But I think I'll be getting fat!

I also bought an (Ikea) hotdog and a root beer from 113. Celine and Sim Hwee came to ask me, and when the 2 of them appear together, they have this strangely persuasive power that makes their requests hard to put down (don't you 2 get any ideas, if you are reading this haha). I think it must be partly because they look slightly similar in some way so when they ask you together, it's like the request is multiplied many times.

On another note, I have a large pimple on my left temple. I get pimples even by drinking coffee or eating fast food. It's darn irritating. So it's either I'm very heaty at the moment, or perhaps it's a sign that I'm still young. Aren't pimples called qing1 chun1 dou4?

loud movies, brave new world

2007-10-30T23:29:00.000+08:00

today i accompanied my mum to johor bahru.

she wanted me to watch 'bourne ultimatum' with her
but i refused. :/
i have this strange aversion to action movies.
i think this started after watching the 'infernal affairs' triology a few yrs back.
(those of you who have no idea what 'infernal affairs' is about
can go google it...it's this blockbuster chi movie with big names
like andy lau, tony leung, leon lai, shawn yue and edison chen etc..)
'infernal affairs 2' must be one of the most violent movies i've watched.
the dead bodies just kept piling up.
the worse thing was that i was seated in the very first row,
and thanks to the marvelous technology known as DTS surround sound,
every gunshot was amplified,
which meant that the violence was magnified manifold.
i wonder what the heck DTS's for?
its main purpose seems to be to amplify
screams, (from the horror flicks)
gunshots,
and other assorted sounds of battles.
tsk tsk such things make me very nervous.

i've friends who tell me that if they are to go to a movie,
it must be something spectacular, like
epic battles,
virtuosic fight sequences,
eye-boggling computer effects,
exhilarating and heart-stopping car chases.

but for me, i'm not impressed by
grand stories of one man trying to save the world
from the slimy paws of some terrorists by jumping from planes,
or emerging unscathed from a ferocious gun fight
after singlehandedly shooting all the enemies,
and doing other superhuman stunts.

i'm not thrilled to watch helicopters exploding in balls of fire,
or how people could fight suspended in air.

i don't care for a film that is set in the sahara desert or the himalayas,
with plenty of superhuman adventures,
and grand gestures.

i would rather watch a quiet little film
that is set entirely on a sofa in a living room,
but with meaningful dialogue
and wonderful human sentiment.

on another note,
i most unexpectedly bumped into a student and her family
at JB.
i think she was initially quite shocked
that she completely did not acknowledge me.

so for a full 5 seconds,
i was there waving at her and nodding at her family,
and they looked positively surprised.
they must've been thinking
'who's this strange person gawking and waving at us?'
until a few secs later,
when i identified myself and things became clear.

quite amusing.

on yet another note,
i've given up trying to read haruki murakami's 'a wild sheep chase'.
i've read about 80 pages of it...
deep stuff, very philosophical...
and it's so full of malaise--
the characters are all living such
meaningless and depressing existences.
what's more, the plot gets increasingly confusing,
so i've decided to put it aside for now.
i'm certainly not in the mood for meandering narratives right now.

and i've started on 'brave new world'.
can you believe someone could write
about genetic engineering as early as 1932?!
that's what this book's about.
cool stuff.

should i post more often?

2007-10-29T10:58:00.000+08:00

hmmm i'm thinking that i should post more often,
so that this would become more like a diary,
and since it's the holis now
and i've got more time.

but then the posts would have to be short.
anyway, i've just finished a meeting in school.
considering watching this movie
called 'lars and the real girl'...
about this man who buys a s-- doll (chong1 qi4 wa2 wa1)
and pretends it's his gf.
(again i don't spell out s-- as not to corrupt the minds
of my students, whom i'm sure are 'pure and innocent' haha!)

hmmm what an interesting premise this movie has.
should i go watch it? should i? should i??

Moliere

2007-10-28T23:34:00.000+08:00

I watched 'Moliere', a biopic of the French playwright today.
Anyway, something silly, before I talk about the movie proper...
Today I watched the movie alone -
When I watch a no-brainer movie,
or one purely for entertainment,
I would go with somebody.
But when I'm in there to learn something
about the writing, the plot/story...
I prefer going alone,
as I tend to get distracted with someone beside me.
Strange habit I have!

And I have digresssed!
Back to the silly thing that happened...
As I was alone,
I wanted to get a seat that is hidden at one corner.
So I chose seat A1, at one corner.
But when I entered the theatre,
lo and behold,
there was this strange looking guy seated at seat A2,
while the entire row was empty!
The idea of 2 guys who don't know each other
sitting side by side in a dark corner of a theatre for 2 hours
didn't seem very welcoming to me,
so I invaded the seat at the other corner of the empty cinema,
praying very hard that that seat had not been bought.
In a while, 2 guys came over and sat in my row beside the aisle,
leaving a few empty seats between us.
The film then started,
and I thought I was safe.
But a few minutes later,
a group of 5 persons came in and proceeded to my row.
There were only 4 empty seats,
and just as I was preparing to evacuate my stolen seat
to prevent a row,
the 2 guys beside the aisle gave their's up
and saved me!
Hmm, actually I suspect that the 2 guys were also not sitting
at their designated seats,
since they stood up for the latecomers so readily,
but I do feel a bit guilty since I was in the wrong too!

Anyway, 'Moliere''s quite a silly movie.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
It's about how Moliere was thrown into prison for not paying his taxes,
and how a boorish rich man Jourdain bailed him out,
on the condition that Moliere teach him acting skills,
so that he could woo a young coquette.
In the process,
Moliere fell in love with Jourdain's wife,
and she inspired him to become the great comic writer that the world would know.

The plot is non-linear,
starting with Moliere receiving the news that Mrs Jourdain's dying,
and then we were brought back 13 years earlier to where the main plot happens,
and finally back to Mrs Jourdain's deathbed again.

The autumn-summer romance between Mrs Jourdain and Moliere
was a bit weird.
She was visibly so much older than him,
and Moliere looked so much more compatible with her daughter.
The premise of their romance was also rather tacky.
He merely stole a glance at her bare back through a window,
and then became head over heels in love with her.

Jourdain provided the comic moments in the film.
Here's my favourite one (I've forgotten the actual lines, so I'm making some up):

Jourdain: Help me write a letter to accompany the ring I'm giving to my lover.

Moliere: What do you want me to write?

Jourdain: "My fair maiden, if thou accept this ring, I shall die of love." But write it in a prettier way.

Moliere then suggests something pompous, (I've completely forgotten the lines) which Jourdain rejects.

Moliere: Then my suggestion to you would be "Fair maiden mine, if thou this ring accept, I shall die of love." Or "Maiden fair mine, this ring if thou accept, die of love I shall." blah bah.

Basically, he changes the word order of Jourdain's original lines - quite funny.

Anyway, the movie's NC-16, for a very minor making out scene.
Actually, the actors were fully clothed.
Granted there were some 'cries of passion',
though I've seen far worse things on TV,
but I guess the local censors have to ensure that the
'pure and innocent' minds
of our youths do not get corrupted,
and hence the rating.

I agree (from both religious and moral standpoints) that unwholesome images
should be kept out.

Having said that,
when we are talking about 'control' and 'regulation' generally,
it may/may not be (delete as you wish) good to be too absolute.
Leaves little room for freedom and creativity.

Chopin's concerto

2007-10-25T16:45:00.000+08:00

Today, I'm going to talk about Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1.

Chopin is known as the 'poet of the piano' for his dreamy and tenderly poetic piano works.

His piano works (the majority of his compositions were for this instrument) contain long-breathed and lyrical melodies that could melt your heart.

The slow movement of the 1st piano concerto is the epitome of Chopin's poetic writing. In Chopin's own words, this movement "is intended to convey the impression one receives when the eye rests on a beloved landscape, which calls up in one's soul beautiful memories, for instance, on a fine moonlit night in spring." (see, even his description of the movement is so poetically done.)

In the recording below, you will hear the prize-winning performance of one of the hottest property in classical music today -- Li Yundi. At age 18, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000. This recording is from the final round of the competition. (ie. he was announced winner after this performance)

Music clips

2007-10-19T21:33:00.000+08:00

Here are some great music clips...

Nicola Benedetti, the 20 year old Scottish (I think she probably has Italian blood, looking at her name) violinist with both looks and talent. Here she's playing the Meditation from Thais by Massenet (I hope I got the piece right, I don't always have good memory for such cheesy pieces:)). This girl's really talented. Let's hope she doesn't do a 'Vanessa Mae' (ie. pose in a translucent dress in the sea and switch over to play classical music with a disco beat!) http://www.nicolabenedetti.co.uk/

Andras Schiff, one of my 'favouritist' pianists playing the lovely Schubert Arpeggione Sonata with an unknown cellist.

Krystian Zimerman playing and conducting the buoyant and energetic Beethoven 1st piano concerto. This is great fun to watch. I think he's one of the three pianists in the world(together with Stephen Hough and Maurizio Pollini) whose technique is so out of the world that he has probably never played a wrong note before.

Russian ironist

2007-10-18T11:47:00.000+08:00

i'm listening to some cds by shostakovich
while preparing for the 'family day' discussion with my class later.

shostakovich's music is interesting -
his is a curious mix of sarcasm, parody, military harshness and jazz.
very eclectic and versatile he is.
his music runs the gamut of emotions
from deepest despair,
to the frivolity of 'clown' music.

he lived through a very tough period in russian history-
the overthrowing of the tsars,
the revolutions,
the rise and fall of Stalin,
who denounced his music.

i just love the acerbic quality of his music,
and also the various jazz elements.

Private blogs

2007-10-10T10:34:00.001+08:00

Some people have private blogs.
The reasons why they want the restriction might be:
1) They've scolded someone on their blogs.
2) They've written something sensitive or potentially embarrassing. (eg. my crush is_____, i think XXX is cute)
3) They want their blogs to be very exclusive. (only a select group of friends permitted to read)

For me, I post on my blog
to share information which I think might be useful for my students.
or occasionally to air my thoughts so that students and friends
can know more about my beliefs.

There is nothing that is restricted.
If I have something to say that might embarrass anyone,
I wouldn't post it online at all.
For example,
if I need to reprimand a student,
or to correct a behaviour,
I will go talk face to face with that student.

You might ask me if everything I write on my blog is really what I think.
Well, I will say that I try to be as sincere as I can when I write.
Because I'm one who values openess and hate any kind of pretence.
But being one who is interested in creative writing,
I do assume a kind of blog persona when I post too.
So I choose what to write and what not to write.
But I would say that whatever I write, I believe.

Stephen Hough

2007-10-06T23:10:00.000+08:00

i just have to post this.
i've just attended the best concerto performance of my life.
stephen hough was just amazing.
i've always thought that british pianists are predictable, safe and boring,
but hough just shows otherwise.

he's so naturally one with the music,
he sat quite still during his playing,
and never for once resorted to histrionics.
yet his octaves had so much power,
his hands glided over the keys with such fluency,
and he played with a ravishingly beautiful tone.

his playing of the third movement
made me see it in a totally different light.
i didn't know it could be so 'hungarian' with all those accents.
he played with such ease in such a difficult piece of music.

i must have attended over a hundred live classical music concerts since 1995,
never for once have I been so impressed before.
and the brahms concerto isn't even one of my favourite concerti.

i will now definitely put stephen hough as one of the world's top 3 pianists.
okay, enough of gushing.
more marking to be done tomorrow.

Of Compre, Brahms and Psalms

2007-10-06T09:24:00.000+08:00

All the very best to those taking the L.A. Paper 2 on Monday.
Make sure you read the passage and questions very carefully.
Don't make any careless mistakes,
or else I will....

be very disappointed.

________________________________________

I'll be attending a SSO concert later.
Grieg's peer gynt suites (nice norwegian music)
and Brahms' 1st piano concerto.
The latter is a most monumental work-
symphonic in scope,
but intimate in the loving exchanges between piano and orchestra,
and definitely very concertante in the very idiomatic piano part.
At >50 minutes, it's a really taxing and demanding work for any pianist.

Tonight we'll be hearing british pianist stephen hough.
a cool customer who is never showy but has a stupendous technique.
Though he was in the news recently for the wrong reasons,
over some 'gay' remarks he made.
http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/6569.html

Stephen Hough

________________________________________

One of my favourite Psalms

Psalm 139 (verses 1-10)

O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in - behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

My concert

2007-10-04T07:12:00.001+08:00

I played in a concert yesterday.

It was okay overall.

Small and intimate audience of about 50.

Nice and cosy for chamber music.

Ying Ning, Ying Liang, Mel, Huiwen and I

Our programme cover

Our programme page 1

Our programme page 2

A Birthday Poem

2007-09-30T12:29:00.000+08:00

Here's another poem.
It wasn't natural for me writing this one,
cos I usually don't try to rhyme.
For me, it's restricting, unnatural and it may end up sounding like some sentimental lyrics from some soppy ballad.
The last stanza is a bit removed from the earlier ones,
cos my cynical streak kicked in then.
So you may read it as two separate poems if you wish.

Some expect presents from all,
saying "It's MY day after all".
Some give presents all around,
"It's my day, and love will abound".
Some give presents to their moms,
for the labour pains before they could come.
Yet some refuse presents and all those stuff,
saying they don't care for 'all those fluff'.

Some boys like the notion of getting older,
cigs, beers, R21 movies will soon be in order.
Most girls don’t like getting older,
it’s goodbye to flawless skins and slender shoulders,
Some remain child-like as they age,
Unclouded innocence their image.
Some become jaded before their time,
cynical and scornful before their prime.

Some like to celebrate at home,
with candles, cake and champagne foam.
Some would rather celebrate away from home,
to avoid the ‘So when are you getting married?’ in mom’s usual tone.
Some kids prefer celebrating at McDonalds,
they get ‘Happy Meals’ and a photo with Ronald Mcdonald!
Some eat noodles and eggs on that day,
for longevity and health they pray.

Some say:
presents,
notions of getting older
and celebrations
are but things
that mark a most randomly begotten date.
But others maintain:
coveting nice presents,
watching their first adult movie on their 21st birthdays,
or posing with the red-haired clown with a perpetual smile,
prove that they are not here by chance.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

2007-09-24T23:49:00.000+08:00

Someone WISE and MIGHTY once said that we should all keep as much spontaneity, inventiveness, curiosity, child-like faith and innocence in us, even as we are growing up.

This simple video tells it all. For your viewing pleasure while you are taking a break from your revision. (Don't forget to go back to your books though!)

A Lomantic Poem

2007-09-15T22:29:00.000+08:00

i was at east coast park
doing my marking by the beach today.
here's a poem i composed as i sat looking out to the sea.

The Lomantic Beach
This stretch of artificial beach
is what we call
nature -
an escape
from the burdens of city life.
a row of evenly spaced out stone benches,
neat state-planted coconut trees
(make no attempt to pluck the coconuts, lest you get fined).
a pair of young lovers strolling on the narrow beach,
she brushing an imaginary itch off her thighs every now and then,
her city-acclimatised skin unused to being touched by nature,
he whispering into her ear:
'dis place not bad leh,
got sea, got sand, got wind,
more lomantic den orchard load leh.'
they tread cautiously,
she almost stepping on a half-eaten burger king broiler
(the CIP students chose somewhere else for their mandatory mission today),
the breeze grows stronger,
bringing in an incense from the nearby refineries.
we thank them.
for we would not have our beautiful city without the income they bring.
soon it will be night.
the lights of the oil tankers will brighten the horizon.
but just for today -
we will imagine them to be luxury cruise ships
and the lights are but
decklights warming the soft skins of young lovers reclining on the decks.
- just to be lomantic

* if you don't understand the poem, try sticking out your tongue and putting it in your cheek. do that and read it again.

Dying Young

2007-09-14T22:54:00.001+08:00

the pccg lesson we had earlier today was on resilience.
we looked at the lives of terry fox, and closer to home, dr william tan.
both are persons who are immensely resilient -
able to face their physical handicap bravely,
and despite of their disabilities,
thought about people who needed help
and worked tirelessly to raise funds for the needy.

as i was preparing for the lesson,
i thought about another example of a resilient person.
that is joan chan, an ex rgs/rjc girl,
who died at the age of 19.
although her physical body succumbed to cancer,
her spirit did not.
she was described as a 'fighter' by all who knew her,
and in her own words too.
you can read what she said on her blog http://onlyskindeep.blogspot.com/
and on the blog her friends created for her http://joanchanshufang.blogspot.com/

it's a great loss when someone young dies.
the only instance when i've experienced someone from school dying,
was when i was in my second year at junior college.

2 first year girls (one formerly fr rgs, another fr nygh) drowned after their raft went under water on an obs trip.
i remember on the next day,
the student council put out 2 condolence books
and we all went to put in our messages of sympathy.
the whole school was in mourning,
and the atmosphere was quite gloomy for some time.
the vice principal teared when she addressed us a few days after that,
she told us how she'd make sure she kissed her own children every morning from that day on,
knowing how fragile life could be.

i later learnt that one of my friends was the 'angel' of one of the deceased girls,
(the girl was in his junior class, and was his 'mortal' in the angel-mortal game)
and the day before the accident,
she'd written a letter to him.

it's sad when young lives are lost,
when we think of the unfulfilled promises and aspirations,
what they might have achieved.

in the case of terry fox and joan chan --
when we see how resilient they were before they passed on,
and how their spirit touched thousands of people -
people who used to complain about minor discomforts in their lives
but became converted and found new meaning in their lives
when they realize what they're suffering is nothing compared to terry fox and joan --
then we know that their legacy and their fighting spirit have lived on,
blessing the generations to come.

having said that,
do value your life
and try to achieve your dreams!
The Best is Yet to Be!
(pardon me for stealing the acs motto, though i'm no acs boy, but that motto's apt here :)

Online SRQ 1

2007-09-03T08:10:00.000+08:00

Will my Sec 4 students please respond to the following paragraph, or to any part of the essay I've given to you.

Click on the 'Comments' hyperlink at the bottom of this post and start posting. Remember to leave your name at the end of your post. You may also respond to comments by your peers and I will also comment on your comments (:

'Some critics of the stand that war produces no winners, only losers, may claim that wars are fought for heroic and noble causes by providing examples of wars fought for unification of territory as in China, or against barbarians such as in the case of the Crusades. However, they have forgotten that these are merely excuses for more sinister and dark agendas, such as genocide and for the lust of power.'
~ Ng Khiang Ching Rona (RJC 1997)

SSO Concert

2007-09-02T00:26:00.000+08:00

i've just come back from a sso concert.

i love symphony concerts.

i remember my first sso concert.

it was in 1994 -

an outing with my sch's string orchestra.

that was how i started getting interested in classical music.

i love the sound of the different instruments playing together.

it's a joy that you can't get from playing the piano.

the concert today started with richard strauss' tone poem-

till eulenspiegel's merry pranks.

i don't really fancy richard strauss.

think he's a bit excessive and over the top.

but the performance today was okay.

the swiss conductor thierry fischer made the textures sound very clear.

and there was actually some attractive waltzy bits.

the highlight of the night for many was

venezuelan pianist sergio tiempo playing chopin's piano concerto no. 1.

yest's newspapers described him as one with a 'tousled mop of dark hair and liquid brown eyes...looks more handsome in person than he does in his publicity photos'.

but i didn't see lots of screaming female fans or groupies leh.

i guess classical music will never have the same appeal

as pop and rock,

which are more immediate and 'in your face'.

the typical audience you meet at classical music concerts are

ang mohs, music students and corporate sponsors.

anyway sergio tiempo was an amazing pianist -

highly virtuosic and completely effortless in his playing.

his fingers ran up and down the length of the keyboard with such ease.

i didn't realize chopin's concerto to be so difficult,

though tiempo made it look easy,

the runs are hard to execute lah,

and to play it so delicately and poetically,

no joke man.

okay, my top 4 of the most difficult piano concerti:

1) brahms' concerto no. 2: its sheer length of 50 mins is enough to kill. added on to that is a solo part that sounds so symphonic, chordal and requiring large hands and immense strength to play.

2) chopin's concerto no. 1: difficult to achieve the delicacy and poetry required of the piece. the bland orchestral part is quite redundant, really.

3) rachmaninov's concerto nos. 2 and 3: okay, here we have the ultimate 'hollywood' concerti - gorgeous and soaring melodies, wears its emotions on the sleeve, lush and thick orchestrations. you would know rach 3 if you've watched the movie 'shine'. again, music which is not really to my taste, a bit over the top. i like things subtle.

anyway, after the concerto was the intermission,

and when i came back from my toilet break,

lo and behold,

sergio tiempo was there signing autographs for his 'ardent' fans,

flanked by a policeman and an esplanade representative.

well, i'm neither a screaming female fan nor is he my favourite pianist,

but i took some pictures of him signing the autographs,

just for the thrill of it.

the pictures are rather blur,

cos i was using my lousy 2 megapixel phone cam. here they are:

next on the programme was berlioz's symphonie fantastique

this is my favourite symphony after schubert's unfinished symph.

it's a loud and bombastic work.

berlioz is crazy,

the symphony was inspired by his mad infatuation for an irish actress.

there's a story in the music.

it's about an artist's unrequited love for some girl,

then he takes opium,

and in his drug-induced stupor,

he hallucinates about killing his beloved,

he is sent to the guillotine,

and it ends with his beloved turned into a witch who mocks his dead soul.

the 3rd movement (slow movement) was the most boring,

at the end of it,

about 5 people evacuated from the hall -

most of them were families with young children.

i never understand why parents bring their young children

to such symphony concerts.

they are wasting their money

and boring these poor kiddies to death.

how can you expect a 6 year old to sit quietly

and listen attentively to straight-laced musicians

in their serious-looking black suits and pants

play serious-sounding music for 2 hours? sheesh

those concerts in the park at botanical gardens

or the afternoon matinees for kids (which sso does once in a while)

would be more appropriate for these kids.

the 4th n 5th mvts of the symphony were my favourite.

in the 4th, entitled 'march to the scaffolds',

the artist is led to the scaffolds

for 'killing' his beloved.

the music is so darn descriptive:

at the moment just before the execution,

this recurring tune is heard (which represents his beloved)

and then it's the chop of the axe,

which is depicted by a swift stroke on the strings,

and we can even 'hear' the decapitated head dropping

and blood dripping as represented by the string pizzicatos.

the final movement is the most grotesque of all.

the artist's beloved has now turned into an ugly witch

and is now mocking him.

the clarinets play the recurring tune in a grotesquely modified form.

berlioz even quotes the dies irae theme (G F# G E F# D E E)

and turns it into a bombastic and macabre dance of death

in the rousing finale.

i like music like that,

slightly irreverent and grotesque.

though, i didn't quite enjoy tonight's performance.

i thought that the conductor was playing things a bit too safe.

i mean, sure he's swiss

and they are known for their precision, accuracy, efficiency (you know how a swiss watch is yah?)

but i would've preferred it if he had roughened up the music a bit,

and bring out the passion more.

sure, he opted for neat ensemble

and the sound was really opulent,

but i just wish he could've taken some risks.

well, but i'm sure impressed with the sso.

they've improved so much.

the winds and brass parts in tonight's works are so hard to play.

richard strauss's winds/brass parts are designed to kill them.

a story goes whereby a frazzled horn player told the composer imploringly,

"mr strauss, the horn part is too difficult! It doesn't mean that if it can be played it on the piano, it can be played on the horn!"

and richard strauss replied "my dear boy, i can't play that on the piano either".

sabbath day tmr,

gotta go and sleep now. bye

Thank You!

2007-08-31T19:24:00.000+08:00

Thanks for the kind gifts and greetings you have given to me!

Really appreciate it!

Chill out and have a smashingly good holiday!

The Amazing Resurrecting Cockroach

2007-08-24T22:42:00.000+08:00

i'm the official cockroach buster in the english department.
whenever a cockroach is spotted in the toilet in our staffroom,
i'll be tasked to get rid of it.

the roaches in our staffroom are quite amazing.
they alway look like they've died,
lying on their backs.

but when i try to pick them up with tissue,
they will suddenly flip over
and attempt to make a desperate getaway.

either they were playing dead,
or they were half dead and semi-conscious.
somehow, when i try to pick them up with tissue,
they will resurrect and try to run away.
freaky!

Corny Korean drama

2007-08-22T19:27:00.000+08:00

my mum's watching this corny korean drama on cable channel 50

they have the most corny dialogue and cliched situation.
in today's episode (i had to watch it as i was eating dinner),
the mother reconciles with her estranged long-lost son.
the son calls his mother 'ma' for the first time in his life.
here's their exchange:

Son: Ma, why didn't you attend my wedding engagement?

Mother: What did you say?

Son: My wedding engagement...

Mother (begins trembling): No...what did you say before that?

Son is quiet.

Mother: Wh..whaat d..did you ca..call me...me? (her voice is now trembling violently and her eyes are teary)

Son: Ma...?

Mother: My son!

Son: Ma!

Mother: Oh my son!

Son (he starts to cry too): Ma...Ma!

Mother (she moves her trembling hands towards son's face) : Oh my dear dear son!

Son: Ma!

Mother: Can I embrace you? (Does she need to ask this unecessary question now?)

They embrace.
More crying.
A soppy and sentimental ballad comes on in the background.

Mother (weeping very badly now): How have I longed to embrace you, my son!

Son (weeping just as badly, muscus glistening at his nostrils): Ma, I'm sorry, so sorry.

Mother: How many times have I told myself, if I could just embrace you, I am willing to die right now, contented!

************

Eeuww....such soppiness!

it reminds me of those yucky taiwanese soap operas.
i think one criteria for acting in these dramas is that you must be able to cry a lot,
if you show some mucus, that's even better.
it shows that you are really crying,
and not like lousier actors,
who have to use eyedrops.

there was this equally bad local drama a few years back-
legend of the condor heroes,
starring fann wong as xiao long nu (little dragon girl) and christopher lee as yang guo.

in that drama,
for 80% of the time,
xiao long nu will move around looking forlorn and downcast...
and her only line will be -

"Guo er, ni wei she me zhe yang dui wo, ni wei she me bu ai wo? Ru guo ni bu ai wo, na wo huo zhe you you she me yi si?"*

*eng translation: "Guo er, why do you treat me like this? Why don't you love me? If you don't love me, why should I carry on living?"

:\

Harry Potty

2007-08-17T22:43:00.000+08:00

seen: banner outside orchard road presbyterian church (orpc) -

God is the Potter, not Harry.

quite creative sia.

the message is...
don't get so crazy over harry potter
that you let it take over your life...
that it becomes like a potter moulding your life.

do everything in moderation.

links

2007-08-11T23:58:00.000+08:00

anyone wants me to link you?
just drop me a note.

just came back from the gala dinner.
tired.
will post the pix another time.

gdnite!

national day

2007-08-09T23:20:00.000+08:00

national day holiday...
i didn't go anywhere the entire day,
apart from buying the newspapers
and some bananas (haha i love bananas, they are cheap n good you know!)
from the stores near my home in the morning.

and i've heeded my own advice-
to do the important and non-urgent things (Priority 2 things -refer to my july 29th post below) when i can.
so i've started writing the qualitative remarks for my sec 1 classes.
have done nos. 1-15 of 108 already.

things to do over the next few days....
1) mark the sec 1 sia scenario writings
2) mark the sec 4 prc scholars' srq writings
3) continue writing the qualitative remarks for 108 and 107
4) do the unseen prose revision lesson plans
5) be at the gala dinner music rehearsal from noon at raffles city on saturday

i had the luxury to practise the piano for 1.5 hours today.
1.5 hours' not too bad and i'm quite pleased with myself.
it's difficult to put in that amount of time during school days.
i'm practising for a concert i'm playing with some friends in october.
the piano part for mendelssohn's piano trio is not easy...
i must really practise hard
so we can resume rehearsals soon.
well...will talk more about the concert next time.

i watched the ndp telecast on tv just now.
i've attended 2 live ndps,
once when i was very young (the details i can't recall at all)
and the 2nd time in either 1998 or 1999.

this kind of event is supposed to instill
a sense of patriotism in the citizens.
and it's very effective i should say -
seeing the impressive-looking military fleet marching past,
the beautiful formations executed by the fighter planes,
the heroics of the marine and air divers and so on.
this is what they call psychological defence (re - NE)
and to cap it with the singing of the rousing national day songs,
i bet many would gladly sacrifice themselves for their beloved country after this!

anyway, the 1st part of the parade,
with the various military displays,
was rather spectacular.
added on to that
was the scenic watery surroundings
and the beautiful Shenton Way skyline.

this year's ndp was rather artistic
and highly representative in nature.

they had 3 roller bladers dressed like characters from 'transformers'
and they spouted 'mythical' lines
about mother nature, water, the earth etc

there were also
people dancing with strange spiky things protruding from their backs;
a male singer with highlighted hair, all dressed in white,
emerging from an all-white car to sing a national day song;
and even the new song was delivered in an operatic version first
before they tried a more contemporary style.

not surprising as the creative director, goh boon teck
is one of singapore's most promising young theatre directors.

anyway, kudos to the organizers for the great effort put in.
the nation enjoyed the solid military display,
the rousing fireworks (especially spectacular this year),
the singing of the familiar old favourites like
'stand up for singapore' and
'count on me singapore'
at the beautiful marina bayfront.

happy 42nd bday, singapore!

Something funny during contact time

2007-08-07T21:58:00.000+08:00

during class contact time today,
the students had to go to the hall
to practise the 90th anni song.

(btw, the song is very nice and tuneful,
it's by this well known local musician called iskandar ismail,
check this out if you don't already know how prominent he is.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/cfa/groups/music/jazzband/bio.html)

i was having some difficulty locating my class initially,
as the sec 1s and 2s were scattered all over the place.
so i was walking up and down,
looking left and right
for quite some time,
before i finally turned around
and lo and behold, they were behind me
all the time!

from the cheeky grins some of them had,
they must have been quite amused
at my confused demeanour
as i searched high and low for them.

but at least i found them.
my babies were safely settled down.
(i'm beginning to think of my students as my 'babies', like how some of my colleagues do)
but they are 'big babies' already --
in a twinkling of the eye, they will be sec 2s,
and they will have a batch of sec 1 juniors to take care of.

i hope they will always remember what i've told them
at the start of the year.
even if they've been treated not so nicely by some of their seniors,
they shouldn't do the same to their juniors.

some students think that it's natural to follow everything their seniors do,
so if the seniors shout at them for no reason,
or force them to do menial things very matter-of-factly and scorn at them,
they will replicate these unruly behaviours
in their subsequent dealings with their own juniors.

this is very wrong,
it's as if you are venting your frustration for your seniors
on your poor juniors.
And you might be starting a vicious circle,
for your gullible juniors might imitate your behaviour just as well!

but don't misunderstand me,
i'm not saying that if your seniors ask you to do things which might seem insignificant,
they are bullying you.
things like doing backstage work during performances,
carrying props and equipment,
or cleaning up,
which many sec 1s do,
especially during ccas,
are tasks which will build up your character,
and make you humble and willing to serve the common good of the cca.

however, if your seniors command you to do these
in an unreasonable manner,
overwork you, or take you for granted,
then it is wrong of them.
it infringes on your right as an individual
in a democratic society
and you ought to raise this to your teacher.

if you do meet such unreasonable people,
there's some consolation for you...
in time to come, only 2 things can happen to them.
either
1) they 'mature' and blush when they recall their childish action of ordering you around just because they happen to be one or two years older, or just a little more experienced than you.

or
2) they continue their unreasonable behaviour and get cast out by all their friends.

but remember, my big 'babies'....NEVER BE UNREASONABLE TO YOUR JUNIORS IN 2008
you might make others fear you for a while,
but the true mark of a good senior is when you earn the respect of your juniors.

okay, enough about that now,
let's talk about the 90th anniversary rehearsal yesterday at raffles city.

we left the school at 11.30am,
did 2 runs of the programme at the venue,
and only managed to leave for school at 5.30pm.

the 'musical' in the performance
neatly chronicles the history of nygh.
the dancers were all very good,
and our choreographer mdm chen lili
has done a wonderful job in making everything so oriental,
something befitting a school that prides herself
for upholding good chinese values.

i saw some of my students wearing thick make-up
for the performance.
it takes me some time to get used to something like that..heh
because they look suddenly so grown up with all that rouge.

when we were waiting for our turn,
i had some interesting conversations with some of my colleagues.
one of them told me how posh the ladies was,
with a couch and all.
so i went to check out the gents,
and was disappointed that there was no couch,
but lots of mirrors!

i was also asked to pretend that i was the conductor of the guzheng ensemble,
and had to walk up the stage upon cue.

i had once dreamed to be a conductor (of a symphonic orch, not a guzheng ensemble!),
it's nice to be able to stand in front of a hundred musicians,
and to draw out beautiful music with the wave of your arms.
hmmm...maybe someday.

ps did i ever tell you that one of my very first wish was to be a bus driver? :\

Music trivia

2007-08-05T22:57:00.000+08:00

here's a little trivia about me...

My pianistic lineage...
My teacher is Lim Tshui Fang,
whose teacher was Patsy Toh,
whose teacher was Yvonne Lefebure,
whose teacher was Alfred Cortot,
whose teacher was Emile Decombes
whose teacher was Frederic Chopin.

Which means that Chopin is my great great great great grand teacher!