My Little Piano Trio

This is only a simple melody (for the sake of zayn) that I had arranged for them; but it is a setting/combination that I had wanting to see for so long...

Hence, I was very very moved when this trio happened... :')



My lovely 3 little pigs!!! (Lyon - 9yr 3mth old / Ynez -7yr 4 mth old/ Zayn - 4yr 1 mth old)

8 Hands on 1 Piano

There's a Chinese saying - 3 women = a market! If this saying is valid, then the getting together of 5 women = a megamarket :P

Since 2009, we had come together to put up a combined student-concert to showcase our pupils' performing. With this group of ladies, concert preparation had never been more fun. Our meetings are like catching-up sessions, yet we are very productive and efficient. Most importantly, we are completely comfortable with one another's company and are totally honest when it comes to views and opinions.

This year, we had decide to perform 8 hands on one piano.

Souvenir of Hot Springs, Ark - Composed by Albert de Chaudron/Arranged by Michael Gurt in 2007.
A programme we had prepared for our students' recital, Nachtmusik 2010. CM didn't join us becoz she was busy with her 2nd pregnancy. However, she was with us in spirit, all the way!!! This short video clip, for instance, was done by her, during one of our practices... :) Love you, ladies... :) Kisses~





Nice angle... thanks CM~

One of my favourite photos...

One of our practices ~ not the perfect one, but definitely one of the interesting ones... :)

Books-Music-Shanghai

贺绿汀音乐厅 - 一所坐落在汾阳路，上海音乐学院里的我很喜欢的音乐厅.​.. :)

上海音乐学院~

帮镜子拍照~ hehe~~

我好爱的一间书店的分店... :)

在陕西南路地铁站地下一层，那所很有味道的总店~ :)

季风书园总店里能边看书边喝咖啡的很写意的一角... ^,^

或许那几天走得太累太累了... 一坐下来, 我便不想站起来了~

A surprise gift for my 女人们 ~ 另一本郎朗自传！但我们有个难题, 因为库存货只有6本... 我已向书店订购, 但需要稍微迟些时候才会送到~ :)

一本连上海书城都没有, 却意外的在中等规模的书店里找到的书... 找得我好苦... 却仍然差3本... :( Anyway, 我已向书店订购还差的那3本了, 需要稍稍等等~ :)

我的收获~ :)))))

我的收获~ 换个角度拍~ :)))))

另一收获~ 买给羽亮的手工小提琴... 尤其喜欢它的低音弦~ ^^

上海音乐书店 - 另一个很爱的书店，很小，但似乎什么都有。老板常爱说：​“帮你找找噢，不一定有。” 但常常都十找九有, 哈哈 ;P

郎朗与牛奶广告...？ 好象不是很搭的样子... ;)

与朋友在一家上海式的老面店里与茶壶的合照~ ;)

赶得及，却只逛了整个世博会的冰山一角... 连走马观花的机会都没有... :(

又帮镜子拍照~ 呵呵 ;)

一个挺别致的圆形舞台... 在网上看图片与到现场看场地的感受毕竟不一样。喜欢! :)

从观众席往下拍... 挺近距离吧~ :)

上海东方艺术中心~ 我喜欢的圆形舞台的家... :)

上海东方艺术中心~

快回家咯... 看见我身后的行李箱吗？重达 36.4 kg！;)

我的宝贝女儿做给我的... so sweet~~ :)))

Dinosaur Stickers

As a reward, a 5-year old pupil of mine requested for ‘dinosaur stickers’.

Apparently, dinosaur stickers aren’t as common as I thought they would be.
I spent two weeks searching for it, but to no avail.
Yesterday, I happened to chance upon a small bookshop so I went in to try my luck.
The lady shopowner told me that she doesn’t sell dinosaur-stickers, but she did have lizard stickers instead.

Shopowner: Are these lizard stickers ok?
Me: No lah, I don’t think so, my pupil requested for dinosaur, not lizard
Shopowner: But you see, these lizard stickers are so pretty…
Me: Yah, I agree… but still, no lah, dinosaur and lizard has a very different social image ya.
Shopowner: It’s ok, you can always tell them this is the ‘long time ago’ dinosaurs!

Hahahaha… what a cheeky marketing strategy, what an imaginative shopowner ;D

Summer Chats

In London, summer holiday is almost over...

Alma and I had been on the phone quite a lot this summer. Things we talk about? making and amending plans, constructive or sometimes creative talks, relating to each other's daily events, be it major or minor, or simply some regular, healthy but insignificant women’s gossips.


We were on the phone for 5 straight hours 2 weekends ago. Other times, we would speak for at least 1 or 2 hours. Yeah, I too, was very surprised I was able to be on the phone for such a long stretch of time, since long hours had always been my struggle.

We often speak around 4:00am, Singapore time; which is also 9:00pm, London time. Thanks to my newly-revamped bedtime hours.

Of course, we aren’t always able to do this. There are times whereby I wish to sleep in a little more or that she was totally drained from her day schedule.

In whichever case, all these talks had been as therapeutic to me, as my usual writing times. Afterall, women talk to de-stress.

It’s amazing how we had come so far with just phone calls, texts and emails. I’m so pleased to know we are still staying on the same page and speaking the same language, after all these years.

All the best to our plans - Plans that are in action, plans that are in the queue, plans that are in the process, plans that are happenning and plans that are still brewing... :)

Brahms' Birthday 2010

Had decided to give myself a quiet treat on Johannes Brahms' birthday today. It's been a habit since i started to adore him many years back... Brahms loved strong black coffee with sweet rolls, but i'd love to have a different combination every year~

Had made a little wish, on Brahms' behalf... but for my sake... :)

I chose a pretty and cosy corner... perfect for book, cake and an afternoon latte~ :)

Brahms’s Museum 2000

This happened in Hamburg 10 years ago.

I was planning to visit Brahms' museum in Hamburg but had mistaken a particular address as it, only to realise my mistake when I arrived. I then went around asking for the correct location, but no one seemed to know... Finally, a receptionist from a concert hall tended to my queries and pointed to me (on the map) the correct location of the museum.

Pleasantly surprised, it was only a 20-minutes walk from where I then was. However, when I'd arrived at the museum, (it's a very small museum, approximately the size of 2 Singapore shop houses) I buzzed the doorbell for a couple of minutes but there was no answer. I buzzed it again but still, there was no reply. That was when I noticed a little German note sticking at the door - the museum only opens on Tuesday and Thursday, from 10am to 1pm. I glanced at my watch immediately, which read Thursday, 1:25pm.

I had already made plans to move on to Hannover the very next day, and 2 days later to Vienna. Then I would get back to London and head back to Singapore 3 days after. Hence, I wasn’t prepared to make any alterations to my plans and bookings and stayed over the weekend to make it for the museum the following Tuesday.

Which means, I have to give Johannes Brahms Museum a miss!!!

I couldnt believe what had happened! There was no way I could accept it and I was honestly, absolutely unprepared for it!

How could my long awaited Johannes Brahms museum brushed past my shoulder just like that? I went around the nearby shops asking if there were other possible ways of entering the museum; I phoned the museum, buzzed the doorbell, but no, nothing changed.

I cried outside the museum, for a good whole 45 minutes!

I cried like a kid unable to grab her toy; I refused to leave; I couldn't bear to leave; and I was reluctant to leave!

After the long cry, though I wasn’t totally convinced, I had finally decided to come to term with reality. Anyway, there was absolutely nothing I could do on my side. My closest encounter with Brahms was at the entrance of the museum, a sculpture i could vaguely see through from the thick-glass door.

It was so near, yet seemed so far!!! :'(

My mood was dampened the whole day, and I was extremely extremely sad. However, at the back of my mind, I believed there must be a reason behind this entire encounter, about why I should miss this museum. I firmly believed.

There wasn’t any concrete reasoning at that point to support the way I felt, but I knew for sure there must be a reason which wasn’t explicitly made known to me at that particular moment - I might get to know it the very next minute or perhaps many years later, or even never at all. In whichever case, I believed there must be a reason.

Later that evening, I was scribbling on my diary when a thought suddenly dawned upon me – Brahms’s life had been unofficially ruled by the thought of ‘so near yet so far’, especially with his love for Clara Schumann. And by feeling so intensely about ‘so near yet so far’, I was actually getting a glimpse of his thoughts and a glimpse of the summary of his life!!!!!

That is, by not able to gain entry to his museum, I was actually a step closer to his world!

With that thought, I was thrilled, close to tears and was most thankful. :')

To travel from Hamburg to Vienna all by myself was a romantic dream comes true. I was extraordinarily pleased that I did it at that point of my life. It was something I had wanted to accomplish, and it was a dream fulfilled. It might not make sense to many people that Johannes Brahms was the only reason why I travelled that far, but I didn't think it matters.

What matter was I had always wanted to see what he had seen; had always wanted to walk where he had walked; wanted to coffee where he had coffeed and continue to love what he had loved...

I had also longed to get closer to him - his world, his thoughts, his emotions... And the ironic part was, all these were fulfilled only by not able to gain entry to his museum!

So, even though I wasn’t physically closer to his museum, I was emotionally closer to his thoughts and life. I'm contented enough.

I couldn't describe how thankful I was. And I still am :')

Footnote:
On my second visit, I finally get to go into the museum. That was 11 years later :')
~ Brahms Museum 2011

Fate & Time

时间常常因为缘分而关闭或暂时关闭，
而缘分又总是为了时间而开启或永不开启。

Because of fate, time shuts the door or temporarily shuts the door...
Because of time, fate opens the door or temporarily opens the door...

I used to think fate is the most important element, transforming itself in various modes, from events to events.

I recently discovered timing is just as crucial!