I should get a blog, shouldn't I?

Who found out that nothing could capture a heart like a melody can?

2011-06-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

Been feeling like time has been drinking extra coffee lately (cause we all know time is a coffee drinker. okay, not really) and is just running by at twice the speed. For example, yesterday was Monday. But before I know it it'll be Friday. The day after would be Saturday. And Sunday comes after. (but I gotta get my bowl everyday. then decide which seat I should take.) okay enough kill-age of brain cells. :P

So anyways, this post is just an attempt to keep this blog alive. Music video time! (hopefully this one won't be removed by youtube)

Wow. O.O Just, wow. All bow down to Arthur Rubinstein. <3

(did you notice how many of these brackets I used?)

oh em double-you pee ayh (OMWPA XD) - Overseas Malaysian Winter Piano Academy

2011-02-25T03:09:00.000-08:00

OMWPA was amazing.

During the camp, we were privileged to attend masterclasses with four highly
qualified professors; Mikhail Kazakevich, Andrew Ball, Murray McLachlan
and Bobby Chen himself. We got to sit in to each other's masterclasses
as well as attend composition, chamber, improvisation and piano
mechanics workshops delivered by Dr. Stephen Goss, Dr. Cheryl
Frances-Hoad, Professor Michael Dussek, Douglas Finch and John-Paul
Williams respectively. Most nights there were performances given by
talented musicians including Martin Fogel, Simon Callaghan, Andrew Ball,
Doulgas Finch and Murray McLachlan.

At night we all got together for an activity not listed in our handbooks -
“Common-rooming”. This was a time when we gathered in the common room
to watch TV, chit-chat, play pool, eat the delicious food that Bobby and
ZiWei so kindly bought for us or just relax.

An unforeseen, but much hoped for (at least by me) event was snow!
Snowball fights, snow angels, snowmen, even just waking up to the snow
covered grounds was amazing. Interestingly enough, it seemed that we
Malaysians had brought the snow with us, as when we arrived the school
grounds were still in their late Autumn/early Winter phase. As the days
progressed, the weather got colder and colder and the grass became increasingly frosty, until
midway through the course (on the day that we had London outing), we
returned from a snow-covered London to an even more snow-covered Cobham.

We were ecstatic. Most of us had never seen snow before (“Well, real snow
lah”, we’d say. “I’ve seen snow in Singapore only.”) and suddenly we
more snow then we had ever dreamed of. There is nothing else like being
snowballed in the face or making snowmen, and some of us found out why
that’s probably not a good idea when we got sick. Indeed almost all of
us seemed to have gotten sick, if not there then when we got back home.

Luckily, we had extra healthy food on hand. Yehudi Menuhin was a very healthy
person, and his lifestyle influenced his school cafeteria is nothing
else. Meals were generally salt free, sugar free, fat reduced and
sometimes taste free. The popularity of the food varied day by day, chef
by chef and the people you asked. Maggi Mee was a relief for some,
while for others it was chocolate or bananas.

While the food kept us healthy, we unfortunately had no form of exercise
besides the snowball fights. Though there was an indoor swimming pool,
no one brought their swim suits, so the pool was sadly underused. Next
to the swimming pool was the Menuhin Hall, which was built after its
namesakes death. A warm, cosy and acoustically brilliant hall, we were
excited to perform in it at the end of the course in the gala concert.
What made it even more special, was knowing that Lord Menuhin and his
wife Dianna’s graves were right next door to the hall.

Besides
the masterclasses, workshops etc, the whole atmosphere was the great
learning experience. From as early as 6am in the morning to 11pm at
night, people would be practising on the pianos in their rooms, in the
hallways or in the numerous music studios throughout the school. Walking
through the hallways hearing piano music 24/7 was magical, though near
the end, it was a treat for your ears to hear the sound of a violin,
cello, flute or just silence.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or the snow, or the wonderful
non-competitiveness of the course, but by the time it was time to go,
everyone was like one big family. As we sang in the song we composed
especially for Bobby and the OMWPA;

“Some experiences last a lifetime, this one surely will,
We're all together in the Menuhin School,
Some experiences last a lifetime, treasure it all our lives,
We thank you Bobby with all our hearts.”

How is it already December? O_O

2010-12-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

5 days 'til we leave.

3 days to the Cello Concert.

1 day to ...well, nothing but somehow every countdown is not complete with out a "1" :D

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333781/UK-snow-blanket-closes-schools-AA-busiest-day-ever.html

Check that out! I hoped there would be snow and then... XD Be careful what you wish for, haha.

:')

2010-11-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already (heard) listened: http://bfm.my/young-music-maestros-yehudi-menuhin-school.html

1 hour...

2010-10-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

...to my birthday! :D :D :D Or thereabouts. I shall be 15. omg it seems like just yesterday when I was turning 14 and I was like "D: D: D: I'm so old" hahaha. Now I'm even older. D: Though some how this year I don't mind. In fact, I'm embracing it. :D

Okay, so even though I rarely update, I've linked my blog to networked blogs. Go follow it! :D

http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/i_should_get_a_blog_shouldnt_i/?ref=mf

wooooooooooOOOOOOO, for the longest time~

In other news... http://www.mmail.com.my/content/52829-ballad-bobby-chen

That's right. Get ready London, I'm coming at'cha! Seriously though, I can't wait. Also, I'm going to be on the radio with Ryan Lum and Chris Syer on Nov 1st. So tune in to BFM 89.9 at 3.00pm (I think)! Which is awesome, but slightly scary. XD I am totally hoping I don't mumble.

*insert compulsory youtube video here*

cause when you're Fifteen, and somebody tells you they love you something something something~

and lastly, since everyone should be aware :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhoY88XIHM4

AWELLA EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE WORD~

PAPAPAPAPAPAPA OOM MOW MOW PAPA OOM MOW MOW~

it will get stuck in your head. :D

oh cello...

2010-08-26T04:25:00.001-07:00

changed mah layout. now you can actually see the pictures i post. XD

violin audition this sunday. :O and i had a piano audition last monday. the stress/wonderful experiences never ends...

for lack of a proper update...

2010-08-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarlieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. must. stop. watching. >.<

why are there so many songs about rainbows?

2010-07-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

i want my voice back. D: and i wonder if the insect that bit me in the shower was a spider. then i would become... Spider-Girl! oh yeaaah. but whatever it was it probably wasn't radioactive, cause my sore throat would probably be gone by now and i'd suddenly have upper body strength. and lower body strength. and strength in general.

(click on the poster cause my blog sucks and tends to cut-off pictures)

are YOU going? :D it looks and sounds like an awesome show, and everyone has been working their butts off to the point of getting actual pains in the butt. XD

so, come! seats are FREE but they're running out fast and are at a first come first served basis. so if you want an invitation (or a reserved seat) you can get one by donating only RM30. :D

can-can? can, can

2010-05-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Please allow me to introduce a group of young musicians, the “AM String Ensemble” from Anne Musikschule, who will be performing today together with their teacher Miss Savy.

They will be playing three songs on the violin and cello:

1. You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

2. Matsuri by Kitaro

3. Can Can – a popular folk song

They would like to dedicate their performance today to Mr Brian Tan, their beloved violin teacher, who is also Resident Conductor of the KLPAC orchestra. Brian, unfortunately, is unable to be with us here this evening as he is overseas undergoing chemotherapy.

The children miss him a lot, especially his music instruction and great sense of humour. They wish him a speedy recovery and want him to stay strong and win his fight with cancer. They are confident that he will emerge the winner.

Here are the children:

1. Andrea

2. Andrew

3. Debra

4. Emma

5. Joshua

6. Joon Wei

7. Shu Wei

8. Suzanne

9. WeiQian

10. Edward

Performing the first song: You Raise Me Up, the children wish to say

“Uncle Brian, this is for you!”

---

About two weeks ago, Josh and I were asked to be a part of the Anne Musikschule Strings Ensemble which would play at the Relay For Life organised by the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.

I was pretty excited about it and I went around wearing the awesome T-Shirt they gave with each registration. When the big day came, I must admit I was nervous, but all nerves went away when we got there because it was stinking HOT. Sound check was at 2pm. Here's a tip, at 2pm, in Malaysia, try to avoid playing a fragile, sensitive-to-the-elements instrument. But unfortunately there are times when it can't be avoided.

As you can see, everyone was feeling the effects of the heat. Fortunately the weather calmed itself down and we managed to perform in comfortable weather. The performance itself exceeded expectations. :) We had an awesome crowd who honoured us by asking for an encore which we had not prepared, so we repeated the Can-Can. I swear at one point during the Can-Can I saw one lady go wild. XD

Living in a tropical country like Malaysia, we have two main type of weather: extremely hot and thunderstorms. The weather gods decided to treat us to both in one day. In a stark contrast to the sound check, by the time we had begun our encore it was drizzling, and by the end it was pouring so hard that we couldn't get off the stage.

The whole experience was a whole load of fun, and it was all the more memorable as it was dedicated to Mr. Brian Tan, who was the conductor of the AMPAC strings ensemble and KLPAC. We all wish for his speedy recovery.

Sooo, this next month or so is scheduled to be crazy. There is the Jamboree on June 26th at the DFP, where Josh and I are performing a duet so come and watch/support/clap loud-loud/all of the above. :D And then I'll be performing the with the Philharmonic Society of Selangor on July 10th and possibly 11th. Again, come and watch/support/clap loud-loud/all of the above. :D Both sound like it's gonna be a good show!

I CAN HEAR AGAIN! DANCE PARTYYY warning, image heavy

2010-05-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T HEAR YOU, SCARLET FEVER

2010-05-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went swimming (cue round of applause, I actually exercised!) and after that my right ear was annoyingly blocked. I don't think it's water stuck there, but more like the water dislodged something. Ahem. Anyway. I feel sick, though I'm not technically but.

Your ears are very important for your body's balance. And coherence. Like, literally I can sense that everything that comes out of my mouth right now is either mumbled or illogical. Same with my typing. I can see words strung together in a sentence and I know that it's not making sense.

See, that past sentence did not make sense. I think. Also, there is this high pitched shrill thing sound constantly in my right ear. Oh, god, that didn't make sense either. But anyway, it's annoying.

I have to ask people to repeat themselves almost constantly. I feel like that guy from Glee, you know, he was all SCARLET FEVER. At least I remember what it was like having to fully functioning ears, but those poor kids...

ANYWAY IF YOU COULDN'T TELL I AM FEELING JUST DANDY. /SARCASM :D

/and end rant

i'm deaf in one ear

2010-05-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

via http://www.learnsomethingeveryday.co.uk/ - click it for more random facts which you could not have lived without.

choir - it's stuck in my head.

2010-04-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Bumi yang tiada rimba seumpama hamba

Ia dicemar manusia yang jahil ketawa

Bumi yang tiada udara bagai tiada nyawa

Pasti hilang suatu hari tanpa disedari

Bumi tanpa lautan akan kehausan

Pasti lambat laun hilang duniaku yang malang

Dewasa ini kita saling merayakan

Kejayaan yang akhirnya membinasakan

Apalah gunanya kematangan fikiran

Bila di jiwa kita masih lagi muda dan mentah

Ku lihat hijau

Oh anok-anok tokleh meghaso mandi laok

Bersaing main ghama-ghama

Aleh lo ni tuo umonyo berjuto

Kito usoho jauh ke daghi malapetako

Ozon lo ni ko hok nipih nak nak aghi

Nok make asak hok bisa weh pasa maknusio

Sehemuo bendo-bendo didunio tok leh tehe

Sampa bilo-bilo

Bumiku yang kian pudar siapa yang melihat

Di kala kita tersedar mungkinkah terlewat

Korupsi…operesi… obsesi diri

Polusi…depresi… di bumi kini 2X

Di bumiku kini 3X

2010-04-07T04:20:00.000-07:00

Is it April 14th already?

so...

2010-02-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

who thinks i should update this blog?

you know that i could use somebody

2010-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

So 2010 is here! It seems like just yesterday when 2009 was just starting. Well, it's been a whirlwind year and I'm sure it'll only get... windier. :P

Anyways, here are my resolutions for 2010. I've cello (no, not the violon type. :P) taped it to my cupboard so that I'll see it everyday.

(click for a bigger pic)

But sadly I haven't woken up with a smile yet. More like with a groan. lol Well, here we go. Here's to a great year! <3

BTW check it out: 13 Lessons I Learnt As A Parent :)

numbers having genders

2009-09-29T02:10:00.000-07:00

"Each number has its own personality - masculine or feminine, perfect or incomplete, beautiful or ugly."

-Pythagoras

Well, if Pythagoras said it it must be true. :) I personally think that -

1 is a male
2 is a female
3 is a tomboyish female
4 is a female
5 is a female
6 is a female
7 is a male
8 is a male
9 is a female
0 is a male

Hmm, I have a lot of females on there. lol Apparently even though this totally makes sense to me some people think that numbers having genders is crazy. Anyway.

What I'm wondering, is if numbers has its own personalities, then how come 7 ate 9? :P

I just wanna jump. JUMP! :D

2009-08-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

WHEEE! I'm really excited! (warning, when I'm excited I tend to use caps. lol)

...because the results for my Gr. 4 Piano Practical exam has come out and I'm so happy because I got a... DISTINCTION (136 marks)!! WOO! :D The fact that it's my first exam makes it all the more wonderful. The only thing that pulled me down was my sight-reading (15/21 marks). I thought I would have gotten better marks but oh well.

However, my Aural was FULL MARKS!! (18/18) So that's awesome. My scales went a lot better than I thought they would on the day so the mark that I got was awesome (18/21).

Luckily the examiner didn't say anything about me not bringing the book. LOL So I got 28/30 for the Bach my 1st piece, 29/30 for the Vaughan Williams, my 2nd, (I'm kinda surprised at that one, actually), and 28/30 for the Bartok, my 3rd.

Went to watch Harry Potter yesterday. :D I really enjoyed it. Liked it a lot more than the 4th and 5th ones, actually, maybe it's because (as people have said) it's a bit more of a chick-flick with all the romance. lol

Anyway, Josh did really well on his exam as well, with 138 (distinction) marks. :D He said that he was just hoping he would pass. lol

Woot!

boom, boom...

2009-07-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

It's scary, man.

So on Thursday Mum noticed smoke coming from the kitchen (the kitchen is where all the main switches are). After some experimenting, we discovered that it was the heater.

As we are rather kiasu lol, we decided to not sleep with the a/c on that night, and thank goodness we didn't, because when the electrician came over, he showed us a red wire which had burned and was now black, and he said that if it had touched the wire next to it, we would have gone ka-boom!

Okay, I didn't explain it very well, lol so here's a picture.

Better safe than sorry.

:)

2009-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

8 days a week... or 6, rather

2009-06-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

6 days ago I took my Piano Gr.4 exam. :D It went pretty well, I mean, it was over very quickly. The only thing was I forgot the book that had the alternate piece. the Bartok. ooops.

5 days ago was the 1st Annual Grand Piano concert hosted by the Chopin Society. It was scary, we were bumped up to the 1st performance because Twinkle, Twinkle was moved to the 13th instead of being the 1st. We didn't start together, but after that it was okay, I think. However, my fingers were ever so slightly frozen because backstage it was freezing.

It was much fun, though I didn't get to listen to the rest of the Junior concert cause I was in the dressing room, where it was pretty hot because our particular dressing room's a/c was not working. But after the blizzard of back stage it was just perfect for me. lol

Well, a chess game awaits (I'm gonna get trashed). :) Bye for now!

onezbom has added you as a friend!

2009-05-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

I've moved! :) Whatever sadness I felt about it has gone because... we painted the walls! Goodbye faux-wallpaper-paint!

But I am dead tired after moving. Because it was only from the 6th floor to the 4th, we kids had to help carry stuff down. A lot.

And we have internet! An internet that drops off a lot, but internet, nonetheless.

I'm reading Eldest, the second in the Inheritance series. It's awesome.

I just discovered Nodame Cantebile!

2009-05-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

You know how we're moving downstairs? Well, it's been delayed because we decided to paint the house. It looks a lot nicer now though. :D

So because we're moving, we ordered for our internet to be cut then turned on again at the new place. We ordered to be cut on 29th April. It got cut 11th May.

So now I'm at McDonalds. Internet should be back max. 3 days time. So... yeah.

doo doo doo...

2009-05-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Wii've got it! :D

(no typo here.)

so no one told me it was gonna be this wayyy...

2009-04-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

We are moving! But just two floors down so it's not so major. lol. Still, it'll be pretty hectic. We may paint the walls which would be cool. :D

Watched the finale of Chuck yesterday. It was "awesome". haha. ha. yeah.

So anyway, AI in half an hour!

...

2009-04-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!! I'm wearing my green RESPECT YOUR MOTHER with the earth logo on the t-shirt. :)

And I'm typing on an iMac. Which is not very green, but cool all the same! It's not mine sadly, it's my mum's friend's.

I REALLY hope Allisone Iraheta from AI does not get eliminated. Now that the judges save has been used. It would suck.

And... well I don't really have anything to make this post interesting... except... everything looks so cool on an iMac. ...don'tcha think?

Did you know...

2009-04-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

...people who use dishwashers save water? You did? Well I didn't. But that handy tip will... er, come in handy when it's Earth Day. Which it will be soon, on April 22nd.

I shall wear one of my many Go Green-ish t-shirts. And try to save water and electricity and not rip up paper randomly while laughing evilly. Not that I do that anyway, but you get the idea.

i'm lifting you up, i'm letting you down, i'm dancing til dawn, i'm fooling around...

2009-04-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

We made Tong Yuen the other day. :D

Up close.

The colouring and chopsticks and water and the dough plate. (from Heritage hotel, yes. XD)

Boiling. :)

Remember that infamous scene in Star Wars where Jabba the Hut kidnaps Princess Leia? lol Well, Josh and I (I found the parts, Josh did most of the actual work lol.) built a Lego version. It was pretty complex, but cool. :)

i'm moving through the crowd...

2009-04-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Woo! New internet! Yesterday we got Josh a new phone, it's really cool, a Nokia Xpress music and it's red and nicer than mine and I'm a tad jealous. lol

so anyway, the shop where we bought his phone had Celcom broadband wireless and since our streamyx dropped off yesterday, we decided to switch to Celcom! However, it's rather slow, so we'll see...

Anyways, before that, we went to Ikano Power Centre to buy a guitar for Josh and I (yesterday was the day of new things lol) and to get some internet from starbucks because our internet was out, when Dad saw a RM1 Char Koay Teow and Sri Penang!

Sure it wasn't as nice as some coffee shop Char Koay Teow, but for one dollar it was pretty good hey. :D

And I got a hair cut! Though you can't really see in that pic. And my hair looks all flat. :( lol First time I cut it this short since I was like seven.

Eek, I'm nearly out of battery, okay, till next time!

right now, all your dreams are waking up...

2009-04-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

CARRIE UNDERWOOD WON THE ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR!

For those of you who don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Carrie Underwood, ever since American Idol. This is quite a big milestone for her because the last time a female artist won this award at the ACMs was in 2000 by the Dixie Chicks. :D

So... yay!

Anyway, American Idol was yesterday, and apparently Adam Lambert was spectacular. I wouldn't know though, as AI was cut short before we got to see him. lol but, never fear, there is always youtube.

Yesterday we went to Allegro to play our duet for Prof. Panovska. You see, in June there will be a piano festival in the KLCC convention centre. Josh and I will perform our duet at the same time with three other pianos. Yeah, scary. lol

Anyway, yesterday went a lot better than I thought it might. I think we were quite in sync with the other pair, two kids who are also home schooled. :) Thankfully I think we didn't speed. lol You see, when I play the piano, violin or heck even sing I speed. So does Josh.

Speeder + Speeder = tempo of about 180. lol Srsly. It's a tad frustrating. But I think we were quite in sync with the other

I've been craving food lately. All sorts of food. Indian food, italian food, japanese food, even chinese food. Mmm, pasta... I wonder if I'm going through a growth spurt...

This is like, my 3rd draft.

2009-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

So apparently, it's not April Fool's (yet), nor is it Merdeka. I feel so confused. XD

Maybe I'm just in a festive mood. lol

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(well, it's kind of like always Christmas in the south & north pole so this one in slightly legit?)

2009-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sick. It sucks.

Excuse my grammatical mistakes in my previous post, it was late, I was tired. Yeah.

:) <3

2009-03-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

My mouse is broken. :( But the pebble that was under my "ctrl" button is gone! Yay!

Oh, but my mouse doesn't work anymore. Boo. Aaaand, I'm losing in Monopoly (Malaysian Edition :D).

I'm performing tomorrow, technically today, lol. Six Hands, Chamber (yeah, I didn't think so too), Strings and Choir.

I just became nearly bankrupt. In Monopoly, that is. lol It's not fair, Josh is totally dominating the game. Even Ashley owes him RM2,000. I owe Iza... RM220. Bella is the banker, which makes it Bank Of Bella (BOB).

Oh, man, it's pretty late. I would go to sleep if not for someone. *coughashleycough*

Okay, I'm going green and is turning of my computer. Till next time!

You're the new classic...

2009-03-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yay! My short story for the MPH competition is finished. And by finished I mean final draft, ready to print. :D

Do YOU Twitter? If so, add me = http://twitter.com/simyixian

But, er, let me know who you are, because I may think you're a random stranger that added me for the heck of it. But if you're someone that I know that added me for the heck of it, that's cool.

In other news, my "ctrl" button is broken. :( There's a small pebble under it. I don't know how it got there. lol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

2009-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

...JOSH! In celebration of his birthday, we went to watch Bedtime Stories yesterday. It was so good. :)

Aww, my little brother's growing up. *tear*

we're in trouble

2009-01-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

stupidness, thy name is Bloggers auto saving draft feature.

I had a whole post, but then I somehow pressed something and it's all gone!

what the fudge. >.<

what is 32 x 20?

2009-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

i wonder how many malaysians have blogs? not only do about all the teens have blogs, but some of politicians too. haha.

either we're a blog addicted country or we're just entering the 21st century. lol

while on the topic of the internet, facebook app. of the moment: pet society.

oh yeah, and hi! ^_^