Musicians, Make-up and Marriage

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!