sorry for the flood of youtube links - the music and health discussion forum is about rhythm now and i've just got to share all these ear-candies with all of you :) think this is one of the best discussions so far. ah i should have played the drums in band.
guitar-hero should have this song!!!
i really like their instruments.
it's quite weird to see a row of guys holding hands and dancing together. different culture. pontian-greeks. don't know what that means. think it looks easy but is hard to do.
Monday, August 24, 2009 @ rhythm
@ Stayin' Alive
BeeGees keep you Stayin' Alive - crucial for those trying to save lives, ie doctors-to-be!!
jema - we must do this for bs farewell some day!
Saturday, August 22, 2009 @ "Puppets"
are we all puppets? controlled not by strings but something strong and invisible. our desires? the economy? the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.
to dream, and to be free. a common theme throughout the arts scene i'd say.
will a puppet with a dream save the world? will you trust in the graven images which you have made yourself? is there no thirst for the truth, a sure rock in this shifting world?
Freedom. only He can give it. Only you can choose it.
I chose it, and i'd say it's not easy having freedom. i glory rather in his ruling over me with Love.
where there is lawlessness, people say where is Justice?
where there is law, people say where is the Love?
we are all a confused lot. indeed to us belongeth confusion of faces.
some quotes in the booklet accompanying the musical:
"The grass is greener on the other side, but celery grows on the other side. Looks great but tastes terrible."
"My dream?... Let me sleep on that.."
If i'm to come up with a quote on dreams, it'd be:
"Dream BIG, for we have a GOD who is BIGGER than all our DREAMS :D"
Eph 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Peter was acting as multiple roles, but he ended the show as a puppet.
with ashlee
with jolleen
with amy
with robin
all of us
--- detailed analysis starts here (i was picking the musical to bits) ---
the music was not very good but the story and the themes behind it were thought provoking. the music and lyrics were all composed by a student involved in the club. the rhythm and key were changing so quickly that the audience could not make sense of the music at all. at times i was wondering whether it was the singers singing out of tune or the music is supposed to sound disjointed. the composer should have used variations on a same theme (which can be as hard to catch as he wants) and keep repeating it throughout the show, or else just use rhythms and tunes that are more consistent. there were places where i find that the music does not fit the lyrics/atmosphere well and does not express the meaning to the fullest potential too.
singers wise, there were bad ones (unfortunate that the solo singer in the opening scene dashed the hopes of all who came to the show) and there were really good ones too. i think it is quite hard to find singers whose voice itself has that musical quality in it. perhaps they were nervous and not that warmed up yet so the sound was not coming out right in the first half of the show.
i was rather disappointed during the intermission, but the second half made up for it. i was impressed by how they ended with the beginning, leaving you to imagine the possible alternative scenarios, choosing alternative paths. there is also the subtle hint of the choice to reject the puppet-life and the associated tragedy, but to choose to follow their dreams. inspiring.
for me, the song was long gone from my soul. the parchness, the darkness, it overwhelms me. the constant firing and the dreary weariness. the forgotten rest. then finally i was reminded, i was turned and the song returned to my heart. the health of my countenance, the living spring of life. not gushing forth as before, but still delightfully refreshing. every time i can sing, i truly thank God for the music.
there are so many things happening in my life that i can't catch up with myself.
i like how sunlight turns the leaves translucent. the glowing reds and greens. then it bounces off the blades of grass, a stippling of golden wonder. i never fail to be inspired by God's creation :) i had the best nap in ages on the grass listening to the birds and wind.
to dream, and to be free. a common theme throughout the arts scene i'd say.
will a puppet with a dream save the world? will you trust in the graven images which you have made yourself? is there no thirst for the truth, a sure rock in this shifting world?
Freedom. only He can give it. Only you can choose it.
I chose it, and i'd say it's not easy having freedom. i glory rather in his ruling over me with Love.
where there is lawlessness, people say where is Justice?
where there is law, people say where is the Love?
we are all a confused lot. indeed to us belongeth confusion of faces.
some quotes in the booklet accompanying the musical:
"The grass is greener on the other side, but celery grows on the other side. Looks great but tastes terrible."
"My dream?... Let me sleep on that.."
If i'm to come up with a quote on dreams, it'd be:
"Dream BIG, for we have a GOD who is BIGGER than all our DREAMS :D"
Eph 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Peter was acting as multiple roles, but he ended the show as a puppet.
with ashlee
with jolleen
with amy
with robin
all of us
--- detailed analysis starts here (i was picking the musical to bits) ---
the music was not very good but the story and the themes behind it were thought provoking. the music and lyrics were all composed by a student involved in the club. the rhythm and key were changing so quickly that the audience could not make sense of the music at all. at times i was wondering whether it was the singers singing out of tune or the music is supposed to sound disjointed. the composer should have used variations on a same theme (which can be as hard to catch as he wants) and keep repeating it throughout the show, or else just use rhythms and tunes that are more consistent. there were places where i find that the music does not fit the lyrics/atmosphere well and does not express the meaning to the fullest potential too.
singers wise, there were bad ones (unfortunate that the solo singer in the opening scene dashed the hopes of all who came to the show) and there were really good ones too. i think it is quite hard to find singers whose voice itself has that musical quality in it. perhaps they were nervous and not that warmed up yet so the sound was not coming out right in the first half of the show.
i was rather disappointed during the intermission, but the second half made up for it. i was impressed by how they ended with the beginning, leaving you to imagine the possible alternative scenarios, choosing alternative paths. there is also the subtle hint of the choice to reject the puppet-life and the associated tragedy, but to choose to follow their dreams. inspiring.
for me, the song was long gone from my soul. the parchness, the darkness, it overwhelms me. the constant firing and the dreary weariness. the forgotten rest. then finally i was reminded, i was turned and the song returned to my heart. the health of my countenance, the living spring of life. not gushing forth as before, but still delightfully refreshing. every time i can sing, i truly thank God for the music.
there are so many things happening in my life that i can't catch up with myself.
i like how sunlight turns the leaves translucent. the glowing reds and greens. then it bounces off the blades of grass, a stippling of golden wonder. i never fail to be inspired by God's creation :) i had the best nap in ages on the grass listening to the birds and wind.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 @ sick
feeling sick from the chocolate
feeling tired and tortured from the neighbour-war
the headache, the strain in the brain, that makes people want to inflict harm on themselves so at least the pain becomes something you can understand and control
they refused to keep quiet. no more. it is now music all day.
woke up with the ear plug gone but ear still stuck.
the hail outside is a good expression of what's inside.
this is one of the times when it is so hard to look on the bright side
even if i try it seems as if i'm just trying to put skeletons into a nice rainbow coloured gown. hypocrisy. wretchedness all dressed up.
feeling tired and tortured from the neighbour-war
the headache, the strain in the brain, that makes people want to inflict harm on themselves so at least the pain becomes something you can understand and control
they refused to keep quiet. no more. it is now music all day.
woke up with the ear plug gone but ear still stuck.
the hail outside is a good expression of what's inside.
this is one of the times when it is so hard to look on the bright side
even if i try it seems as if i'm just trying to put skeletons into a nice rainbow coloured gown. hypocrisy. wretchedness all dressed up.
Saturday, August 8, 2009 @ of funny daddies and screensavers
recently you don't need to run to hear the wind in your ears.
today i met a family with a funny daddy carrying his kid on his shoulders and being totally silly and comical, playing with his legs, bouncing around so the kid will be bumping up and down on his shoulders etc.
my dad loves the aquarium screensaver. the screen will turn black with some corals in the foreground, and then you can see the different fishes swimming past. he'd put the sound on loud so you can hear the blub blub blub of the bubbles.
someone should create a sky screensaver. the screen will be a beautiful blue sky with your favourite cloud formation, with some branches in the foreground (deciduous or evergreen depending on the time of year, or your preference), and then different kinds of birds will fly by at different distances. the sound will be the chirpings of birds and murmurrings or laughters of groups of people going past or playing games, the sound of the grass and leaves rustling when the wind blows. for those birds flying past near you you'll be able to hear the fluttering of their wings.
today i met a family with a funny daddy carrying his kid on his shoulders and being totally silly and comical, playing with his legs, bouncing around so the kid will be bumping up and down on his shoulders etc.
my dad loves the aquarium screensaver. the screen will turn black with some corals in the foreground, and then you can see the different fishes swimming past. he'd put the sound on loud so you can hear the blub blub blub of the bubbles.
someone should create a sky screensaver. the screen will be a beautiful blue sky with your favourite cloud formation, with some branches in the foreground (deciduous or evergreen depending on the time of year, or your preference), and then different kinds of birds will fly by at different distances. the sound will be the chirpings of birds and murmurrings or laughters of groups of people going past or playing games, the sound of the grass and leaves rustling when the wind blows. for those birds flying past near you you'll be able to hear the fluttering of their wings.
Friday, August 7, 2009 @ The Persistence of Memory
although i would agree that Dali had a rather disturbed mind, i still love how he likes to tickle the brain with surrealism. the ideas are rather playful and enjoyable at times, like the photograph he produced by throwing cats and water around. haha. i never knew he did such a broad range of work, from sketching and painting to fashion design to jewellery to film making to photography to stereoscopy to ballet to building a real surrealist place. i really enjoyed the short film that Dali made with Disney. how the music and the graphics made you want to dance and bounce away together with the characters. and loved how the forms merged and morphed into another. i think even if you are convinced that Dali is a nutcase, you would not deny that his drawing skills are just awesome, having the same kind of proficiency as Leonardo da Vinci. I was amazed at his ink sketches. jema was amused by how he made the cracks on the paint deliberately on certain objects in his paintings. and one random thing i found: his scrawly notes near his sketches are even smaller than shulin's handwriting! and he managed that even with his cursive scrawly writing style!
the next day i had the first lesson of the semester. it was quite a trauma to suddenly acquire a whole load of group work and also find out that i was leading BS the following week. besides, i don't think i had gotten over my previous trauma from skiing and was feeling lethargic and having bluish/purplish toes. but thank God this week was a lot better. the run helped, the wind is crazy, the purple toes persisted, but i am happy working away. maybe i am a workaholic?
i realised i haven't blogged about my skiing trip. i think my favourite part of the trip was the sleep on the bus. haha! i was sleep-deprived and it was so nice to sleep and wake up finding snow all around you outside the bus! poor agnes' skis were too slippery and she couldn't get anywhere or do anything before her knees started hurting so she had to stop early. the rest of us completed the proper training by the instructors. after that andrew and gang persuaded us to take the lift up and ski down since we've already paid so much for the lift pass. i shouldn't have listened to them knowing that i've got speed-phobia :\ the part when we were transported up the mountain was the coldest of the whole experience with the wind blowing in your face and not being able to move, but it's also cool to see the people skiing down below you. when we reached the top, i was scared and didn't dare to ski down, started cramping (prob cos we skipped lunch), kept falling (made myself fall whenever i got afraid of the speed which is very often) and took very long to get up and into my skis again after each fall (i think it's because i don't know how to do the asian squat), found out that we were late halfway down the mountain (and that wasn't good at all cos we came with another church group on a bus) so i started panicking and the trauma sets in. but we prayed and though at first i was feeling like jonah with the vehement (cold) wind that grew stronger, God proved Himself faithful cos we found a shuttle bus in the middle of the mountain because we had to walk as it was taking more time trying to ski and falling all the time. so we all got back down to the bus safe and in once piece and within half an hour late. will i ski again? wellsss, i'd say i'll need a lot of persuading. i wouldn't mind going just to sightsee and to build snowman though! :)