Puzzle fascinates me!
In many ways, it resembles what happens around us, and the people around us.
Every right piece would take us a step closer to the picture; so does every wrong piece, as it confirms what is not right.
There are people who like to begin a puzzle by searching pieces for the corners; while others prefer to find corners for the pieces.
There are people who thrive to avoid mistakes right from the very beginning; while others go easy and allow themselves with any mistakes they make.
There are people who only allow themselves to make a mistake once; while others repeatedly make mistakes. Worse are those who repeatedly make the same mistakes.
There are people who prefer to begin from fixing the corners; some prefers to start fixing from the edges; while others simply cruise and fix along without much clues and rules about where they are heading.
There are people who determined to fix with careful calibration; while others simply go along with reckless wild guesses.
There are times we can’t find what we want; there are also times where we keep stumbling across what we do not want.
There are times when the right seems wrong and the wrong seems right. It’s all due to our positioning, perceptions and blind spots at one particular moment.
The amazinging thing that moved me is – despite the very similar in shapes for all pieces, there is only ONE missing piece to each missing part. Comfortably fitted, like Cinderella in her glass slipper.
That’s fate, to me.
A beautifully captivating one.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Brewing
I’m beginning to like the word ‘Brewing’.
It comprises of time, distance, wait and anticipation.
Many things are being forced to slow down, in the process of brewing.
Slowing down doesn’t have to feel like holding back. It can be an opportunity to create a space between a certain object in focus, to chill our thought, also to calm our mind.
This process produces energy.
Such is the energy that gives rise to many unexpected inspirations and strength.
Which in turn, perhaps, generates more brewing...
Slow, is a new speed! ;)
It comprises of time, distance, wait and anticipation.
Many things are being forced to slow down, in the process of brewing.
Slowing down doesn’t have to feel like holding back. It can be an opportunity to create a space between a certain object in focus, to chill our thought, also to calm our mind.
This process produces energy.
Such is the energy that gives rise to many unexpected inspirations and strength.
Which in turn, perhaps, generates more brewing...
Slow, is a new speed! ;)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Unfinished
I did a totally bizarre thing at the concert last evening featuring Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 and Mozart Requiem – I was tearing from the audience seat, right from beginning to the very end, with intermittent yawning, possibly from the exhaustion of crying.
I wasn't feeling crumpy when the first movement of Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 was playing across the stage, yet tears just fell uncontrollably; I recalled similar emotional entanglement on my first close encounter with this movement - alternating my mood between strolling on the cloud and walking in the thunderstorm had, for some reasons, touched me so much that i eventually have to break down into tears, as I was totally unprepared for that repeated back and forth journey between the cheerful melody and the melancholic notes. I remembered feeling so annoyed with this movement and with Schubert; yet at the same time, feeling speechlessly beautiful and utterly complete.
My beloved Mozart Requiem came in right after the intermission. Being my third live encounter yet hearing it for the first time in Singapore, I was filled with much anticipation. I knew I am at my weakest, from the past two experiences, whenever this piece performs right before my eyes. As expected, I was sobbing and frowning at the same time, and was making a conscious effort to sniff silently so as not to produce any disturbing noise to my neighbouring audiences.
Both Schubert and Mozart had unintentionally sealed the fate of their unfinished masterpieces. And in our era, unfinished matters don’t seem uncommon too, for many people.
Unfinished matters, acting like a connector, as well as a junction, seem to be putting together what will happen in the future and what had happened in the past. And this could well appear to be so interestingly moving – it, on one hand, behaves like an answer; yet on the other hand, leading to more answers.
What happens at this moment could well be the bearing of what had once happened; it could also be the clues of the many future possible happenings…
Timing, a crucially critical element in that whole string of happenings, as well as not happenings. What should have happened 10 years ago chose its perfect timing to happen just 10 minutes before, simply illustrates how things, always happen for a reason, would fall into places on their own when timing turns right.
A fine example would be the creation of this blog and the birth of QuarterNotez.
Thank you Timing. :)
I wasn't feeling crumpy when the first movement of Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 was playing across the stage, yet tears just fell uncontrollably; I recalled similar emotional entanglement on my first close encounter with this movement - alternating my mood between strolling on the cloud and walking in the thunderstorm had, for some reasons, touched me so much that i eventually have to break down into tears, as I was totally unprepared for that repeated back and forth journey between the cheerful melody and the melancholic notes. I remembered feeling so annoyed with this movement and with Schubert; yet at the same time, feeling speechlessly beautiful and utterly complete.
My beloved Mozart Requiem came in right after the intermission. Being my third live encounter yet hearing it for the first time in Singapore, I was filled with much anticipation. I knew I am at my weakest, from the past two experiences, whenever this piece performs right before my eyes. As expected, I was sobbing and frowning at the same time, and was making a conscious effort to sniff silently so as not to produce any disturbing noise to my neighbouring audiences.
Both Schubert and Mozart had unintentionally sealed the fate of their unfinished masterpieces. And in our era, unfinished matters don’t seem uncommon too, for many people.
Unfinished matters, acting like a connector, as well as a junction, seem to be putting together what will happen in the future and what had happened in the past. And this could well appear to be so interestingly moving – it, on one hand, behaves like an answer; yet on the other hand, leading to more answers.
What happens at this moment could well be the bearing of what had once happened; it could also be the clues of the many future possible happenings…
Timing, a crucially critical element in that whole string of happenings, as well as not happenings. What should have happened 10 years ago chose its perfect timing to happen just 10 minutes before, simply illustrates how things, always happen for a reason, would fall into places on their own when timing turns right.
A fine example would be the creation of this blog and the birth of QuarterNotez.
Thank you Timing. :)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
In Aberystwyth
This was taken in the train, right after the 'crying-at-the-railway station' episode... walnut n puffy eyes + pale face huh, gosh... :-/
oooh... finally arrived... after a longggg journey... esp with my HEAVY luggage...
was totally captivated by the sea view outside The Old College, where the class took place...
beautiful... at any time of the day; with any mood of the weather... :)
The Old College, where we have our classes... cool isn't it, a friend said it is very Harry-Potter-Style... perhaps we should all be carrying brooms... ;p
strolling along during a morning break, accompanied with the breeze n a cuppa coffee... :)
love this view...
The sun only gets sleepy around 9:12pm, UK time... actually this had always been my main issue with summer in the UK - the sun stays up far too long, for my personal preference. i simply couldn't handle this in the past... but beginning to get easier with it now... gotta do with age i supposed :)
practising, during a lunch break...
In the Uni hostel. Yep, curtains are always drawn up, no matter what is the weather outside, and it is obviously SUNNY in this case... that's me!
Galaxy Chocolate & i went a long way... i started loving it since 12 years ago, and it was my daily dosage at one point... however, had lost sight of it since i got back to singapore coz i can't seem to get hold of any of these back home. Grabbing hold of it all over again after 9 years... i realise i'm still loving it! Some sentiments just doesn't go away, does it? Time is so patient, and can be so so sweet... :)
Chelsea Bun... my favourite :)
Chelsea Bun + Latte... perfect! ;)
had this for dinner last night, after many days of lagsane/pizza/pasta... and it tasted heaven ;p
We went out one afternoon to view the Kite-feeding. This is what we're aiming at...
...and this is the amount of work involved...
After the Kite-feeding, my bunch of mates are in for this...
... while i'm hoping to do my pretty afternoon tea... ;p
Coffee & scone, not quite exactly how a traditional english afternoon tea should be like, but it's definitely MY typical version of afternoon tea ;p
Coffee+ scone + diary... enough to squander my whole afternoon away, happily... :)
Yeah you're right, i stood on my bed, which was absolutely the most sensible thing to do when i gotta do the self-timer shot at the level of the shelf ;p
yet another self-timer shot... again, standing on the bed... ;p
In One of the afternoon discussions, which took place in this pretty Tea Room... :)
Apparently, i'm the youngest teacher in this course... the most senior being Gillian, a heroic lady in her 76 :)
The keyboard of...
a chamber pipe organ...
awesome view, isn't it... :)
A seagull... i was waiting for it to flap its wings, but it didn't...
Our Fish&Chips takeway evening...
We did Angels cards in the class today... and this card really touched me rrrrightttt there... on the button!
As i read on, tissues were offered from all directions... coz i was crying non-stop n just couldn't stop my tears... I was completely filled with amaze n disbelief - the one single card that we had each chosen for ourselves was incredibly relevant to our very own issues at this moment, n it was totally relatable... Truly amazing!!!
On my normal days, I would only order the same one item from the menu, occasionally the other, but it would never have been this - Mocha with marshmellows & creams! Coz marshmellow are, more than often, too sweet for my liking. However, on that particular afternoon when i decided to add a little alteration to my ordering habit, i was delightfully surprised to discover that THIS was exactly what i NEED at that very moment, and it really DID inject into me, that required amount of warm energy which i badly needed that VERY afternoon... i was soon drowning into the luxurious cream n the yummy marshmellows!
Inside The Old College... near the entrance...
Sue & me...
My home is right at the other other other end... :)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Carola Grindea
Carola, a very special teacher in my musical life, had passed away 3 weeks ago at 95. Felt very comforted at least I was able to make it to her place just before I leave london, and gave her this single white Cerbrea :)
Carola once joked, "Hohoho, Beethoven had a cold." Afterwhich she laughed like a little child... cute Carola ;p Was happily surprised this little statue is still lying around... :)
Everything in Carola's flat remains just the same... had very fond memories of her little full-of-wonders-and-treasures kitchen :)
Nadia, Carola's daughter, also a marvellous piano teacher... and I absolutely love her bright oriental vest ;)
My favourite corner of her flat...
Everything in the flat is a memory... i hence proposed to Nadia to leave everything as they are, as a little museum for Carola's grandchildren n great grands; also for the many hundred's of musicians Carola had helped...
The poster that sticked behind her door... the wordings on the poster... they are Carola's expertise :)
Aberystwyth
Yes you were right. Aberystwyth really IS a long way from London, especially with NO direct train ride. You’d probably had no idea how I struggled my way there with a more-than-I-can-manage luggage, and how weepy I had felt throughout the journey. No I wasn’t actually feeling sad, I just felt ridiculously overwhelmed, for some reasons.
A few other episodes happened along the way. First, a crying spell suddenly hit me at the railway station, while I was sipping my cup of latte away. Next, both my local mobile phone and singapore mobile phone wasn't working well. Then I literally have to drag my over-weight luggage as the luggage roller ceased to function properly.
As a result, I felt stranded. As soon as I got into the train, I chose a window seat at the 2nd row, dropped my huge luggage onto my neighbouring seat, and tears started to well up my eyes. It was only the next instant, that I burst into big cries. I must have felt safe and wrapped, since I was surrounded by seats and my huge luggage.
However, I soon was glad I made it here. As soon as the first hour had gone past for the first day, I was pleasantly delighted, with that wonderful reassuring thought that - I was absolutely RIGHT to have decided to come!
I wasn't entirely prepared, but was pleasantly surprised to be in an environment whereby the entire group of us, being so open, so willing to unwrap, so willing to put down our guard and our professional armour and be utterly honest about our individual inner fear and expectation! I must say I was tremendously moved indeed.
We could have gone through the lectures and discussions, at some point, in a typically British formal-polite system, but it was extremely comforting to know that wasn't the case.
Of course, a huge part of the credit had to go to this charmingly amazing lecturer who had skilfully gone to the under level to address the roots of our individual music-stress-related issues... I was touched, was literally touched, and am still feeling touched... :)
A few other episodes happened along the way. First, a crying spell suddenly hit me at the railway station, while I was sipping my cup of latte away. Next, both my local mobile phone and singapore mobile phone wasn't working well. Then I literally have to drag my over-weight luggage as the luggage roller ceased to function properly.
As a result, I felt stranded. As soon as I got into the train, I chose a window seat at the 2nd row, dropped my huge luggage onto my neighbouring seat, and tears started to well up my eyes. It was only the next instant, that I burst into big cries. I must have felt safe and wrapped, since I was surrounded by seats and my huge luggage.
However, I soon was glad I made it here. As soon as the first hour had gone past for the first day, I was pleasantly delighted, with that wonderful reassuring thought that - I was absolutely RIGHT to have decided to come!
I wasn't entirely prepared, but was pleasantly surprised to be in an environment whereby the entire group of us, being so open, so willing to unwrap, so willing to put down our guard and our professional armour and be utterly honest about our individual inner fear and expectation! I must say I was tremendously moved indeed.
We could have gone through the lectures and discussions, at some point, in a typically British formal-polite system, but it was extremely comforting to know that wasn't the case.
Of course, a huge part of the credit had to go to this charmingly amazing lecturer who had skilfully gone to the under level to address the roots of our individual music-stress-related issues... I was touched, was literally touched, and am still feeling touched... :)
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