I didn't go to school today not because I caught some disease from Chua, but because I have a run-through later in the evening (so I need to prepare). And I'm taking this day off also as a musical/spiritual retreat.
Posting this paragraph after my second run-through! I find myself getting more and more confident, although I've learnt from this run-through to control my tempo and maintain precision plus accuracy.
Laser-beam accuracy.
Otherwise I'm off to Germany in a couple of hours - tomorrow 11am. During DMP week I'll be leaving for Spain for the Ibiza Competition.
I have such a exciting life...Wouldn't be blogging for a week then. I'll be back on August 10, just as the city is burning with nationalistic pride. Hope the tarmac doesn't burn.
To be honest I've been trying very unsuccessfully to download Operation Flashpoint since this afternoon. Operation Flashpoint IS a complicated game. Complicated games are for complicated people.
I'm complicated.
A gorilla IS an ape.
Hopefully there will be more than one people doing the send-off tomorrow morning, otherwise it'll be a bore. And I'll get all of you guys souvenirs. By the way to ALL MUSICIANS TO ALL MUSICIANS.
ANYONE OF YOU WANT SCORES PLEASE SMS/CALL before 11am tomorrow. I will write them down and try to buy the second-hand/new scores in Germany, armed with €1/2K. Just enough to buy an xBox. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
barry manilow in hellboy 2
I felt compelled enough to do a Google search for "Jonathan Shin" again and at the same time (call it 'might as well'), "Zhang Aidi".
Well guess what. Girls are seemingly more popular people. Fact is, girls blog about girls more than guys blog about guys. That's the only reason I can think of. And I think it's the only reason. Also, guys can blog about girls but girls cannot.
Which is why I'm increasing her 'google hits' by typing this post now. Google can be a bitch sometimes.
I managed to catch Hellboy 2 at 11.10pm with my dad, two days back. Hellboy's attitude rocks, and Selma Blair (playing Liz Sherman) was cute.
Just had to post this song. It's the 'theme song' for Hellboy 2, (spoilers alert). Currently a top song in my head! Some people may say it's a wimpy ballad, but I just find the tune strong and touching at the same time...
Well guess what. Girls are seemingly more popular people. Fact is, girls blog about girls more than guys blog about guys. That's the only reason I can think of. And I think it's the only reason. Also, guys can blog about girls but girls cannot.
Which is why I'm increasing her 'google hits' by typing this post now. Google can be a bitch sometimes.
I managed to catch Hellboy 2 at 11.10pm with my dad, two days back. Hellboy's attitude rocks, and Selma Blair (playing Liz Sherman) was cute.
Just had to post this song. It's the 'theme song' for Hellboy 2, (spoilers alert). Currently a top song in my head! Some people may say it's a wimpy ballad, but I just find the tune strong and touching at the same time...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Showering Cold
Cold showers really bring the best out of you.
The evening turned cold and there were clearly showers outside the MRT train I was in. I was already partly shivering from the sweat which I got a few dozen minutes ago while playing soccer back in RJC with a bottle-cap, alongside MEP counterparts.
We went on our seperate ways, and I decided to settle down later back home with simply a cup of hot Ceylon (Sri Lankan) tea, several biscuits, and after my dad's request, a banana.
It's like how I previously yearn for warm Milo whenever I am drenched in cold sweat, and would always be grateful to anyone who would hand me one. Nowadays I go for tea, after the SPI week when I frequently went for tea and a burger in the morning, before the day started.
My dad bought the teabags a week ago, and I learnt how to prepare them for myself, in case I suddenly felt this urge to fill my guts with a little warm liquid. Boil the water, pour it into the cup with the satchet, add in a spoonful of condensed milk, and TA-DAH!
Set for life.
The LRT was crowded as per usual at 6.30, and thankfully with the shirt I managed to get everyone avoiding me like they thought I had chicken pox or something. Why not, just look at what's above the neck...
I got a couple of stares, particularly because the shirt wasn't really the opaque kind today, and it didn't look like it came from Bibi and Baba anymore. Constantly pulled my shirt outwards in case I became a walking M18 - not advisable. Everyone on the LRT train looked really grumpy and shitty, either from a bad day at work, or from the weather.
The guy beside me was constantly nodding off, and he was standing up. I sort of sympathized with him, because I remembered how I actually slept standing up, and accidently collapsed on my knees after they couldn't support the slumbering weight.
But he got a little to engrossed with nodding off because he did 3 in 10 seconds for a minute - a grand total of 18 nods in a minute. Bet he had much to agree with whatever/whoever he was dreaming about. On the flip side he left at Admiralty thankfully, otherwise I would risk embarassing myself if he placed his bald 18-year old head on my really wet shoulder.
Not good, really.
Got home, served the net, looked at my email. Drank the tea, off to shower.
Cold showers really bring the best out of you. The weather was really cold, and I just waited for the heater to deliver the warm water. After 5 minutes waiting I decided I might have as well just dump myself.
It begins with the dousing. It's really cold - probably 10-15 degrees today. And then by the time it trickles to the feet, the entire body starts to shiver. When the showerhead goes on full blast, there's this profound stillness. I felt fortunate I got the chance to feel this vivid experience, because everything was so real.
I realised again I was a pretty lonely person. Again, because when there's two people in the house only life sometimes gets lonely. But life never gets boring. I feel lucky to be surrounded by people who are genuine and nice.
Of course shit happens, and detractors do appear. But whenever I think about that, I realised that we do need our challenges, be them easy or difficult.
It's really important to maintain this positive attitude in life. Even when the cards are down and everything looks shitty, that's probably just that slimmer of light somewhere there. Unfortunately we have to find it ourselves. That part sucks. But yeah, we will kickass.
Suddenly after that shower I feel cleansed. Fresh. New. Clean. Partly we can save some electricity by not using the heater, but if allowed it could offer some spiritual cleansing.
Shin's recipe:
-Showerhead
-Shower Place
-Cold water (prefebly 10-15 degrees cold)
-Lots of preparation before you douse yourself
Good luck larh.
The evening turned cold and there were clearly showers outside the MRT train I was in. I was already partly shivering from the sweat which I got a few dozen minutes ago while playing soccer back in RJC with a bottle-cap, alongside MEP counterparts.
We went on our seperate ways, and I decided to settle down later back home with simply a cup of hot Ceylon (Sri Lankan) tea, several biscuits, and after my dad's request, a banana.
It's like how I previously yearn for warm Milo whenever I am drenched in cold sweat, and would always be grateful to anyone who would hand me one. Nowadays I go for tea, after the SPI week when I frequently went for tea and a burger in the morning, before the day started.
My dad bought the teabags a week ago, and I learnt how to prepare them for myself, in case I suddenly felt this urge to fill my guts with a little warm liquid. Boil the water, pour it into the cup with the satchet, add in a spoonful of condensed milk, and TA-DAH!
Set for life.
The LRT was crowded as per usual at 6.30, and thankfully with the shirt I managed to get everyone avoiding me like they thought I had chicken pox or something. Why not, just look at what's above the neck...
I got a couple of stares, particularly because the shirt wasn't really the opaque kind today, and it didn't look like it came from Bibi and Baba anymore. Constantly pulled my shirt outwards in case I became a walking M18 - not advisable. Everyone on the LRT train looked really grumpy and shitty, either from a bad day at work, or from the weather.
The guy beside me was constantly nodding off, and he was standing up. I sort of sympathized with him, because I remembered how I actually slept standing up, and accidently collapsed on my knees after they couldn't support the slumbering weight.
But he got a little to engrossed with nodding off because he did 3 in 10 seconds for a minute - a grand total of 18 nods in a minute. Bet he had much to agree with whatever/whoever he was dreaming about. On the flip side he left at Admiralty thankfully, otherwise I would risk embarassing myself if he placed his bald 18-year old head on my really wet shoulder.
Not good, really.
Got home, served the net, looked at my email. Drank the tea, off to shower.
Cold showers really bring the best out of you. The weather was really cold, and I just waited for the heater to deliver the warm water. After 5 minutes waiting I decided I might have as well just dump myself.
It begins with the dousing. It's really cold - probably 10-15 degrees today. And then by the time it trickles to the feet, the entire body starts to shiver. When the showerhead goes on full blast, there's this profound stillness. I felt fortunate I got the chance to feel this vivid experience, because everything was so real.
I realised again I was a pretty lonely person. Again, because when there's two people in the house only life sometimes gets lonely. But life never gets boring. I feel lucky to be surrounded by people who are genuine and nice.
Of course shit happens, and detractors do appear. But whenever I think about that, I realised that we do need our challenges, be them easy or difficult.
It's really important to maintain this positive attitude in life. Even when the cards are down and everything looks shitty, that's probably just that slimmer of light somewhere there. Unfortunately we have to find it ourselves. That part sucks. But yeah, we will kickass.
Suddenly after that shower I feel cleansed. Fresh. New. Clean. Partly we can save some electricity by not using the heater, but if allowed it could offer some spiritual cleansing.
Shin's recipe:
-Showerhead
-Shower Place
-Cold water (prefebly 10-15 degrees cold)
-Lots of preparation before you douse yourself
Good luck larh.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Performances on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
I haven't blogged much in the month of July for a good reason.
It's because of the many things that I can look forward to other than blogging! Yesterday I went busking at Vivocity (with a license) along with Ben Wee, Zhiyi, and Haotian. Alright so we were a quartet who had only 2 pieces on our repertoire - Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st movt, and the Tango from the Scent of a Woman.
So our guide for yesterday was this Malay Sec 1 guy from Whitley Secondary School called Ricky, who brought us around to our performance venues.
Our first performance had stands, because I was smart enough to liase with Bishan Park Secondary School band for 4 stands, to which I was hailed as "great" and "fantastic" and "lord". No, the last one doesn't count.
Marched in with the four stands a-blazing, and started with the Tango. Initially we argued that the Tango sounded nicer and wouldn't chase the parents and shoppers away, so we decided to play the Tango first. And then they could suffer with the Eine Kleine.
It was ok, although there was lots of wind blowing into our scores, which rendered us helpless when the 2nd page of Tango flew into the sky or the 1st page of Eine Kleine got stuck into our faces.
Wasn't that bad, but it nearly did.
On hind note we snubbed the prize presentation at the end without intention. We were too busy. I'm serious! We left our guide shell-shocked, although we did give him Miss Shen's hp number. Shit. We shouldn't have.
Tomorrow I'll be having a performance with the Sec 2 boys playing Schumann. And I'll be playing a Faure Impromptu solo. This event is called: National MOE MEP Concert.
Where will it be? Anglo-Chinese School (Independant)
What time will it be? 7.30pm
Who is it for? Since it's the matinee performance, it's for kids aged P5.
Does life suck? No.
On Tuesday, there will be the 'actual' performance, which means it's open to non-kids. Young-at-heart people will definitely be allowed to watch it though. So everyone, cash in ON THIS ONE! Watch the tuesday one if YOU DON'T WANT TO BE WITH KIDS!
Tomorrow I'll be wearing ear plugs and carrying a toy handgun to intimidate small kids should anyone question whether I'm carring a bazooka in the silver casing. I shall scream yes and then take out the bazooka and play it on stage.
Achtung! Might kill you.
On Wednesday, I would be having a lunchtime recital at RI, where I will be performing my competition pieces. So RI guys who are reading this, do come down on Wednesday 1.35 to support me at the Gallery...or intimidate me also.
I know I'm jumping around many topics, but just saying, I've watched the Dark Knight.
It was great.
Especially the part where...spoilers coming next week.
Referring to my title, I lurve performing.
It's because of the many things that I can look forward to other than blogging! Yesterday I went busking at Vivocity (with a license) along with Ben Wee, Zhiyi, and Haotian. Alright so we were a quartet who had only 2 pieces on our repertoire - Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st movt, and the Tango from the Scent of a Woman.
So our guide for yesterday was this Malay Sec 1 guy from Whitley Secondary School called Ricky, who brought us around to our performance venues.
Our first performance had stands, because I was smart enough to liase with Bishan Park Secondary School band for 4 stands, to which I was hailed as "great" and "fantastic" and "lord". No, the last one doesn't count.
Marched in with the four stands a-blazing, and started with the Tango. Initially we argued that the Tango sounded nicer and wouldn't chase the parents and shoppers away, so we decided to play the Tango first. And then they could suffer with the Eine Kleine.
It was ok, although there was lots of wind blowing into our scores, which rendered us helpless when the 2nd page of Tango flew into the sky or the 1st page of Eine Kleine got stuck into our faces.
Wasn't that bad, but it nearly did.
On hind note we snubbed the prize presentation at the end without intention. We were too busy. I'm serious! We left our guide shell-shocked, although we did give him Miss Shen's hp number. Shit. We shouldn't have.
Tomorrow I'll be having a performance with the Sec 2 boys playing Schumann. And I'll be playing a Faure Impromptu solo. This event is called: National MOE MEP Concert.
Where will it be? Anglo-Chinese School (Independant)
What time will it be? 7.30pm
Who is it for? Since it's the matinee performance, it's for kids aged P5.
Does life suck? No.
On Tuesday, there will be the 'actual' performance, which means it's open to non-kids. Young-at-heart people will definitely be allowed to watch it though. So everyone, cash in ON THIS ONE! Watch the tuesday one if YOU DON'T WANT TO BE WITH KIDS!
Tomorrow I'll be wearing ear plugs and carrying a toy handgun to intimidate small kids should anyone question whether I'm carring a bazooka in the silver casing. I shall scream yes and then take out the bazooka and play it on stage.
Achtung! Might kill you.
On Wednesday, I would be having a lunchtime recital at RI, where I will be performing my competition pieces. So RI guys who are reading this, do come down on Wednesday 1.35 to support me at the Gallery...or intimidate me also.
I know I'm jumping around many topics, but just saying, I've watched the Dark Knight.
It was great.
Especially the part where...spoilers coming next week.
Referring to my title, I lurve performing.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
These Days
I had no choice. I was forced to do this!
I really don't know what to type now. I've missed school for 2 weeks! Missed school last week because of Summer Piano Institute, missing school this week because there's no school. The school missed me!
Now friends, that's what they call, smart.
I'm sure they literally did. While I was walking today towards the physics lab to take my physics concept map test I saw RISE members in their break playing soccer! Being the zany ass I was I decided to run with my adidas(TM) bag on and my Disney(TM) jacket with a polo t-shirt tucked in into a Levi(TM) jeans and play soccer.
Didn't know fashion models could play soccer while in their costumes. NOT.
After my physics test I bumped into my ex-Chinese teacher who questioned me about the recent facial erm. facial...whatever. Pimples. She suggested that I must sleep early and drink lots of water and wash my face.
Why not. I do that every day!
Which brings me back to how I like to imagine my class being so lonely and quiet without me. You know, it's part of the ego process - to know your presence, and to quote Mr Teo, to acknowledge your presence. If anyone's going to presume I'm being emo here, you're wrong.
Which really brings me to what Ricker Chan from Australlia commented about the infamous Facebook photo/MSN DP I posted. If none of you have seen it, here it is:
Embarassingly stupid, that is. But it was a near imitation of the Beatles haircut, which really was a mop-top.
We interviewed Dick Lee today! With that I shall hang with a cliff-ender.
I really don't know what to type now. I've missed school for 2 weeks! Missed school last week because of Summer Piano Institute, missing school this week because there's no school. The school missed me!
Now friends, that's what they call, smart.
I'm sure they literally did. While I was walking today towards the physics lab to take my physics concept map test I saw RISE members in their break playing soccer! Being the zany ass I was I decided to run with my adidas(TM) bag on and my Disney(TM) jacket with a polo t-shirt tucked in into a Levi(TM) jeans and play soccer.
Didn't know fashion models could play soccer while in their costumes. NOT.
After my physics test I bumped into my ex-Chinese teacher who questioned me about the recent facial erm. facial...whatever. Pimples. She suggested that I must sleep early and drink lots of water and wash my face.
Why not. I do that every day!
Which brings me back to how I like to imagine my class being so lonely and quiet without me. You know, it's part of the ego process - to know your presence, and to quote Mr Teo, to acknowledge your presence. If anyone's going to presume I'm being emo here, you're wrong.
Which really brings me to what Ricker Chan from Australlia commented about the infamous Facebook photo/MSN DP I posted. If none of you have seen it, here it is:
Embarassingly stupid, that is. But it was a near imitation of the Beatles haircut, which really was a mop-top.
We interviewed Dick Lee today! With that I shall hang with a cliff-ender.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
1st two days
Correction, Summer Piano Institute.
Besides this entire week has been a joy. Didn't kill me much, although there were unhealthy moments. Last Saturday was Christopher Taylor's concert, where he played the People United Will Never Be Defeated!, a near one-hour long piece in a theme and 36variations form. I had the score with me throughout, thanks to Dr Chang!
Yay. And I got to know everyone at the meeting and tea session that was a few hours before the concert.
Taylor also played the Goldberg Variations, composed by the man in the limelight this year, Johann Sebastian Bach. Here's some trivia:
"...[the Count] ... often stopped in Leipzig and brought there with him the aforementioned Goldberg, in order to have him given musical instruction by Bach. The Count was often ill and had sleepless nights. At such times, Goldberg, who lived in his house, had to spend the night in an antechamber, so as to play for him during his insomnia. ... Once the Count mentioned in Bach's presence that he would like to have some clavier pieces for Goldberg, which should be of such a smooth and somewhat lively character that he might be a little cheered up by them in his sleepless nights. Bach thought himself best able to fulfill this wish by means of Variations, the writing of which he had until then considered an ungrateful task on account of the repeatedly similar harmonic foundation. But since at this time all his works were already models of art, such also these variations became under his hand. Yet he produced only a single work of this kind. Thereafter the Count always called them his variations. He never tired of them, and for a long time sleepless nights meant: 'Dear Goldberg, do play me one of my variations.' "
Ok.
I'm continuing this after 2 days simply because I've been struck lazy recently.
Today is MONDAY, start of the APCG week, where there's no school. I shall continue writing about the Institute week.
During the tea session where we were introduced to each other everyone of us peeps were shy so we didn't talk much, but at the end the situation changed. So we were all handed packages containing our nametags and access cards, and schedule for the WHOLE WEEK.
Mr WeiBoon is a genius. Now it's easier to follow. (I have yet to pay him ticket money, cannot keep owing people money)
The next day (Sunday) we - YST people - watched a rerun of Dr Hecht and Mr Tiu's duo concert, played with the most detail as per usual. Had individual practice for the next 3 hours before I went for the Scherbakov concert, the last piano concert of the 2008 Singapore Piano Festival. Went for the pre-concert talk, which featured Pianophiles like Mr Phan, Dr Chang, and two others I can't remember.
Concert was rad, but I felt the transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony was too boring for me to take. Orchestration is a huge factor in maintaining interest - with the different timbres and colours for the human ears to engage in, orchestration definitely is a big part in the business.
But once we have an exact copy on the piano, with no attempt to ornamentate it or even make it more 'showy', this is the result.
I slept halfway through the 9th.
Shall stop blogging here...
Besides this entire week has been a joy. Didn't kill me much, although there were unhealthy moments. Last Saturday was Christopher Taylor's concert, where he played the People United Will Never Be Defeated!, a near one-hour long piece in a theme and 36variations form. I had the score with me throughout, thanks to Dr Chang!
Yay. And I got to know everyone at the meeting and tea session that was a few hours before the concert.
Taylor also played the Goldberg Variations, composed by the man in the limelight this year, Johann Sebastian Bach. Here's some trivia:
"...[the Count] ... often stopped in Leipzig and brought there with him the aforementioned Goldberg, in order to have him given musical instruction by Bach. The Count was often ill and had sleepless nights. At such times, Goldberg, who lived in his house, had to spend the night in an antechamber, so as to play for him during his insomnia. ... Once the Count mentioned in Bach's presence that he would like to have some clavier pieces for Goldberg, which should be of such a smooth and somewhat lively character that he might be a little cheered up by them in his sleepless nights. Bach thought himself best able to fulfill this wish by means of Variations, the writing of which he had until then considered an ungrateful task on account of the repeatedly similar harmonic foundation. But since at this time all his works were already models of art, such also these variations became under his hand. Yet he produced only a single work of this kind. Thereafter the Count always called them his variations. He never tired of them, and for a long time sleepless nights meant: 'Dear Goldberg, do play me one of my variations.' "
Ok.
I'm continuing this after 2 days simply because I've been struck lazy recently.
Today is MONDAY, start of the APCG week, where there's no school. I shall continue writing about the Institute week.
During the tea session where we were introduced to each other everyone of us peeps were shy so we didn't talk much, but at the end the situation changed. So we were all handed packages containing our nametags and access cards, and schedule for the WHOLE WEEK.
Mr WeiBoon is a genius. Now it's easier to follow. (I have yet to pay him ticket money, cannot keep owing people money)
The next day (Sunday) we - YST people - watched a rerun of Dr Hecht and Mr Tiu's duo concert, played with the most detail as per usual. Had individual practice for the next 3 hours before I went for the Scherbakov concert, the last piano concert of the 2008 Singapore Piano Festival. Went for the pre-concert talk, which featured Pianophiles like Mr Phan, Dr Chang, and two others I can't remember.
Concert was rad, but I felt the transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony was too boring for me to take. Orchestration is a huge factor in maintaining interest - with the different timbres and colours for the human ears to engage in, orchestration definitely is a big part in the business.
But once we have an exact copy on the piano, with no attempt to ornamentate it or even make it more 'showy', this is the result.
I slept halfway through the 9th.
Shall stop blogging here...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
These Weeks
Utterly killing me, these weeks.
Next week would be the Singapore Piano Institute held at YST, where I will be taking classes with Mr. Gabriel Kwok from HongKong. And then I'll be involved in a final project, (with the imbalanced Zhang Aidi, who has been a really tough contemporary [which is really great!]) titled "Fantasies and Impromptus".
I'll be going for Christopher Taylor's Concert on Saturday, where he will be playing Rzewski's The People United Will Never Be Defeated!. And a pre-concert talk by Dr John Sharpley about this piece.
I currently have a ticket to sell for this concert, and anyone interested in getting this ticket and watching this concert, please buy it from me! It's $45.
Then after that I'll be preparing to go to Germany - I still have one more piece not yet HEARD. Liszt's Sonnetto del Petrarch - the second one.
And then I have to prepare a masterclass with Mr Tiu on Tuesday.
An interview with famous Asian/Singaporean composer Mr. Richard Lee, otherwise known as Mr. Dick Lee (Yes, an interview with Mr Dick Lee) on Wednesday.
Then following that a Mozart performance on Thursday.
And on Saturday a performance at the Concert Hall, playing Griffes.
And finally, a poster of this Summer Piano Institute - my promise to put pictures has been fulfilled.
There.
I reckoned talking about Dr Vivian Balakrishnan visiting our school today and giving an amazing lecture would take up lots of my time, so I'll not put in here. Maybe after next week.
Next week would be the Singapore Piano Institute held at YST, where I will be taking classes with Mr. Gabriel Kwok from HongKong. And then I'll be involved in a final project, (with the imbalanced Zhang Aidi, who has been a really tough contemporary [which is really great!]) titled "Fantasies and Impromptus".
I'll be going for Christopher Taylor's Concert on Saturday, where he will be playing Rzewski's The People United Will Never Be Defeated!. And a pre-concert talk by Dr John Sharpley about this piece.
I currently have a ticket to sell for this concert, and anyone interested in getting this ticket and watching this concert, please buy it from me! It's $45.
Then after that I'll be preparing to go to Germany - I still have one more piece not yet HEARD. Liszt's Sonnetto del Petrarch - the second one.
And then I have to prepare a masterclass with Mr Tiu on Tuesday.
An interview with famous Asian/Singaporean composer Mr. Richard Lee, otherwise known as Mr. Dick Lee (Yes, an interview with Mr Dick Lee) on Wednesday.
Then following that a Mozart performance on Thursday.
And on Saturday a performance at the Concert Hall, playing Griffes.
And finally, a poster of this Summer Piano Institute - my promise to put pictures has been fulfilled.
There.
I reckoned talking about Dr Vivian Balakrishnan visiting our school today and giving an amazing lecture would take up lots of my time, so I'll not put in here. Maybe after next week.
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