patience, jack, Patience!

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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'

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

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

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!

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!

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

How's everyone doing?

2008 Beckons!

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

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

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! :))

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

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

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

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

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

(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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!)