Cute, aren't I?
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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Happy post time! Happy post time!

The weather is turning out to be quite pleasant. We're in the early stages of autumn, and the air is noticeable colder. I like! I like!

Maybe it's because I come from a hot and humid country where summer is the season all year round.

I like winter because...
That's all I can think of for the moment. I will add to that when winter actually arrives, which is in about two more months. I can't wait!

1 question(s)

?dael had a question at 5:43 PM



Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I've always doubted my Classical piano playing.

I know I shouldn't compare myself to other pianists, but I really can't help doing just that. There are so many great Classical pianists here and I feel like I should be as skillful.

Sadly, I'm not. At least I don't think I am.

I almost broke down in my piano lesson today. Let me just say that my new piano teacher is a very insightful, knowledgeable, and virtuostic pianist. She really knows how to teach and bring out the musical sense in her students, and each one of them has nothing but praise for her. And even just being with her for two months now, I couldn't agree with them more.

I just haven't been able to rise to her expectations. And although she doesn't show her frustration, I can feel it. I can't pull off the techniques she has taught me, and this just kills me. I've got most of my notes, and even when she tries not to be over-my-shoulder, I still make mistakes here and there where a pianist at my level shouldn't be making.

I'm not sure if she has picked up that I don't believe in my own Classical playing.

This killing me. Piano lessons are supposed to make you appreciate your pieces more in addition to improving your techniques and all that, but I feel like I dread them even more after lessons. The good thing is, my skills getting better. But I'm afraid I'm not getting there fast enough.

I feel like quitting. But I don't want to give up. (Not like I can quit anyway.)

Sorry for this depressed-sounding post. I just have to let it out, get it down on writing, and (hopefully) leave it there.

I seriously need a cheer-upper. Anything to make me feel better about my Classical playing.

1 question(s)

?dael had a question at 3:17 PM



Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Promise had the first ever gig today.

I don't mind putting in the hours to learn and memorize a piece, staying back to practice with the group, and exhausting the voice and breathing mechanisms. I really don't.

But waking up early? Yeah, I friggin' mind that. A LOT.

That's what I had to do this morning. I'm not an early riser (I don't do sun salutations anymore), mainly because it's difficult for me to go to be before midnight (which is only 9.00PM in Malaysia) every night. I'm still operating on Malaysian time. (Excuses, excuses...)

But that's not the point of this post.

We sang at Macquarie College... which turned out to be a high school. In Britain, Canada, and now Australia, the term "college" is applied to private secondary schools. Funny, eh?

Our performance went better than we had expected. It was our very first one, which means we had to learn new pieces in a relatively short time. I think most of us, with slower memory, crammed last night. I did.

And thank God we didn't screw any of the song up. Well, at least not obvious screw ups.

I had lots of fun. And the guys (and girls) I'm singing with are great! Some of them are really crazy though. I'm looking forward to more performances this year!

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?dael had a question at 12:56 PM



Saturday, March 08, 2008

Okay, so I decided to do the long overdue brow grooming this morning. It's been a while since I've tamed them. Not that I have bushy eyebrows, it's just that they need a little help now and then.

So I took out my tweezers and plucked the first hair.

And then there was this pain that caused my eyes to tear.

It's been quite some time since I've pulled out any hair from my body.

I hope that the redness will subside before church...

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?dael had a question at 6:15 AM



Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Okay, so maybe being 5'6" for an Asian male isn't too bad. Asians are not typically tall or big bodied. And sometimes, that's a good thing, like being small enough to navigate the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

But, of course, there are always exceptions, some kind of fluke of nature. The lucky bastards get to be 6' or just slightly below that. Not that I'm bitter at tall Asians. It's just... unfair wei!

There are many reasons why I'm so envious of my fellow tall brothers, one of which is the difficulty of finding clothes for short men. And this is where being 5'6" becomes really bad.

Why they don't make clothes for short people ah? They think everybody is 5'8" and above is it? Why, wei, why?

Buying a pair of jeans can be such a nightmare.

Which brings me to my dream. A really nice dream. Too bad it was ONLY a dream.

In that dream, I found myself in a shopping mall, in a clothes store. And I found the perfect pair of jeans, just right for my height and size. The assistants led me to the dressing room, which later turned into a dark fortress that people began fleeing from...

Uh, I'll just stop there. That was the only good part of the dream anyway, before the whole bizarre fortress-slash-construction site, I'm-a-naked-thief-armed-with-a-telephone-wire scenario...

If that's not enough, it's just so convenient for taller dudes to make me their freakin' armrest.

It's not fair...

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?dael had a question at 6:48 AM



Monday, March 03, 2008

I've just finished my first class for the week... a class that I rushed to get to.

I'm not one to be late for class habitually (it does happen, just not on a regular basis). If I am late for a class, it is usually because I choose to be late, reasons mainly because I feel less than enthusiastic about it. And yes, there have been occasions where I've intentionally been late for, e.g. Thai Language and Culture... ugh, bad, embarrassing memories... not being able to distinguish an aspirated 'T' from an unaspirated one...

But not this morning. Imagine my horror when I woke up and looked at the time, which was 8.31AM. My class would begin in 29 minutes. That's more than enough time to prepare, some of you might say.

Well, that's not the case with me.

You see, I'm a very high maintenance person; it takes me almost an hour to get ready for the day. If you had unruly hair, dry skin, and facial skin prone to breakouts, then you would understand the steps needed to be taken in order to get those things under control. And those steps take time.

Because I needed to wash my hair (the last time I washed my hair was Friday morning), I knew that I would take much longer in the shower. On average, I would say that I take about 12 minutes to take a shower without washing my hair (which, I do on every other day).

I got out of the shower with less than 15 minutes to spare. A few minutes were wasted on dragging myself out of bed, gathering toiletries, and walking to and from the bathroom.

The thing that puzzles me is how I managed to sleep through the alarm. I don't quite remember even hearing it. Maybe I do, just vaguely, but that would probably just be me inventing a memory just to make myself feel better.

Nevertheless, I did get to class, and not more than 5 minutes late. There were others who came later.

Although I applaud myself for beating the clock, this is not something I want to repeat. Ever. Not a fun experience, especially getting some acne medication in the nose...

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?dael had a question at 6:09 AM



Sunday, March 02, 2008

There's something that makes me feel so grown-up-ish about being to navigate the railways of an unknown city.

Sydney is hardly an unknown city, but, for me, it is, and not just unknown, but huge as well. And there's nothing like the complex railway system to intimidate first-timers.

I spent my first weekend in Australia at a good friend's place. The reason I'm blogging about this is because I found my own way there and back. Initially, I was anxious about the whole idea of just plunging into something that no one has taught me of. But, of course, there was nothing to be worried about. I was armed with a timetable of trains, and, if I really did get lost, there were always people to ask for directions.

Now the only thing holding me back is money. It's not really cheap to travel, especially when taking country trains from the city. (Avondale is a good two hours away from Sydney.)

Another accomplishment to add to the list. The next thing to tackle: navigating the college library.

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?dael had a question at 5:58 PM