最近‧‧‧

最近，比較憂鬱。

可能是天氣，或者因天氣引起的種種問題。

可能是工作壓力大。

可能是頻撲，休息不夠。睡的時間夠長，也不夠優質。

可能是身體的小毛病纏擾近一個月。

可能是為自己的生活而煩惱。

可能是為自己的小毛病及生活煩惱而不能太開懷地吃。畢竟，某些食物我已經為了健康的緣故而小吃了。外出用膳亦要留意價錢，免得overspend。

總之，最近，比較憂鬱。

I'm Not Ready!

When you are in danger, what would you think about?

Today, my car got out of control as I tried to merge from Stoney onto Symons Valley Road, since I stepped on my break a little too hard. It started zigzagging. Within a few seconds, these things came in my mind:

1. 神啊！死火！ (God, oh no!)

2. I gotta switch my gear to neutral. (And I did it.)

3. If my car slid to the right, it would go off the side and I wouldn't be able to get back up without a tow truck.

4. If my car slid to the left, I would crash into (or be crashed by) the cars on Stoney.

5. If my car kept zigzagging in the middle area (the so-called "safety-zone"), my car would go into the exit pole.

6. I AM NOT READY TO GO TO HEAVEN YET!


After these thoughts, my car spun out, and I finally screamed, " 神啊！ (OH LORD!)" The moment after my exclamation, my car stopped. Where did my car end up? Oh, just somewhere in the safety zone. I was far from the exit pole. No harm done. I just switched my gear back to drive and steered the car to the right direction again. I arrived at my workplace 1/2 hour early.

When I said, "I am not ready to go to heaven yet!" I mean it wholeheartedly. Seriously, if someone asks me if I am ready to go to heaven in the next second or the next day or a few months down the row, I'd still give the same answer. Can't foretell my thoughts in a few years though. I know being in Heaven and seeing God face-to-face is a wonderful thing, and I love God. But, I do love my life, and I do want to live it to the greatest potential before I see the Lord. There are still many things I want to accomplish (for God, for myself and for others, whether I know them or not). Anyways, God knows my desires and I'm certain He will satisfy them as long as I seek Him first.


Praise the Lord that:

1. I am safe and sound.

2. I am a calm person and am able to keep things under control.

Nevertheless, I hope everyone would drive with caution in this terrible weather. Don't forget to pray for safety!

Brain Functioning Again ...

Finally!

My song-writing can continue now ...

Irony

I sometimes find life ironic. When you have a hectic work schedule, you would wish to be less busy. And for those people who have jobs that pay by the hour (such as mine), you are worried about your income when you don't get to work as much. Either way, I still have to watch my expenses carefully. :-P

Dysfunctional Brain

Lately, my life is full of teaching (and a little bit of A&W and socializing). I hardly have any leftover energy to write music when I get home. There are a few words I have yet to find for the song I've been working on for the past month. Can these words just ... come? Please?

伸出援手

早陣子，因為看到世界接二連三發生天災人禍，所以motivate我寫了一首關於natural disaster的歌。今天，當看到Indonesia又發生tsunami時，我便決定跟大家分享一下歌詞。希望大家忙於生活之餘，不要忘記為災民祈禱及以實際行動支持他們﹝for example, donation﹞。

來‧‧‧獻上 ﹝暫名﹞
曲、詞：黃筠詠

風雨驟降 摧毀了這片廣闊土地
人被汪水佔領 找不到家 眼流不息
山塌地碎 傾覆了這個可愛家鄉
埋在深淵瓦礫 總不見光 只見黑暗

人人在嘆 世界已變了這樣 混混亂亂又無常 彷彿主宰不在場
窮人在痛 眼裡滲透了哀慟 衣衫中只得冰凍 卻領教更多譏諷
用愛調和 憂傷苦痛 又再點起亮光

(Chorus)
來獻出關心 平伏了傷心 來平靜世界太多的怨憤
來傳揚陳述救主憐憫 隨時隨地聽禱告聲音
來獻出關心 不分附近或遠方
盼會望見 每一個都可擁抱歡欣 奏出歌韻
頌讚主愛永恆

(Last Chorus)
來獻出關心 平伏了傷心 來平靜世界太多的怨憤
讓和諧溶掉冷冰圍困 齊來重拾那心底的真
來獻出關心 哀傷絕望盡已失
盼會望到 每一個可以牽手頌主恩 奏出歌韻
直到天國降臨

Sweet Surprise

Today I met up with a junior high school friend whom I haven't seen since we met in Vancouver 5 years ago. Out of my expectation, she called me on Monday night and asked me if I was able to meet up for lunch with her. I said out of my expectation because she moved back to HK years ago and I wouldn't expect her to be in Calgary at this time!

I am super glad that she called me up. Given we have gone different ways after high school, it is hard to keep the friendship. Thankfully, we never forget each other, and we still care for each other. This is what true friendship is - sincere, pure, and doesn't change over time. May God bless her!

Nighttime (sometimes) is when one's musicality exuberates ...

After dinner with a sister tonight, I drove back to the studio I teach at to do some mixing and editing. This is about the only time when I think I can work quietly and productively (no distractions from next door; not being fatigued from teaching).

As a beginner at recording/mixing/editing, it would definitely take me a long time to figure out the buttons. Last time it took me 3 hours to do cut and paste for only the introduction. This time, with the two hours I spent there, I figured out two things: (1) where the mono switch was; (2) how to edit phrase by phrase. There are other little things I have done too, but I'm too tired to remember now. As I read through parts of the manual for the information I needed, there were so many question marks in my head. So many terms I didn't know about ...

I was ecstatic when I figured out how to do virtual crescendos and diminuendos to my vocal tracks. I have limited ability in singing (and at everything else :-P), so I would need the machine to help me. I really feel I have accomplished something great tonight, praise the Lord!

心中的那團火

今天母親大人帶我去做facial。講真，平日真的不會花費在這些「奢侈品」，但我跟母親大人輕描淡寫一句，她就請我去﹝as in, 幫我付錢那種﹞‧‧‧不過，真是很enjoy。

Anyways, 今日的重點不在這。完了療程之後，我跟母親在車上有短暫的談話時間﹝本人不是跟她住，而今天是我接載她﹞。當然又會談到工作問題。她時常都擔心我負擔不起生活，所以經常問我教多少學生。其實，我現在答不到她我有多少個，因為我studio的學生是每天增加的。每check一次schedule都會見到新學生名字，我怎能provide一個實際數字？不過，亦不能怪她緊張，因為早前個studio的situation有些chaotic，而我亦向母親大人傾訴過‧‧‧

我在家裡都有教學生，都是教會裡的人。我母親又怕學的人不認真，所以經常問我有否想過跳槽。在studio很chaotic時我曾經有想過，但現在我吃飯的時間都不夠，根本再沒有空間想跳槽了。講真，雖然我沒有太多錢，而且經常要想省錢辦法，但I trust the Lord will provide more than enough for me. 我是一個寧願賺錢少都要做到自己喜歡的事的人，otherwise I wouldn't have chosen music as my profession. 我教的學生由4歲到60歲都有，有些人有特殊情形，變了做老師的我有多重挑戰。不是我不想教一些易教的學生，但我反而very proud of我能夠跟不同類型的人相處。不是神給我有積極的attitude和耐性，那些人怎會願意給我教呢？

而且現在我教的studio讓我免費用他們的recording equipment. 可能有很多人不知，但我對作曲、填詞、編曲及唱片製作都很有興趣。自從我十一歲寫第一首歌以來，我一直都夢想自己終有一天能出唱片，but of course我知道不是那麼容易實現，而且我過去十多年都為了很多原因放低了這個dream. 現在有機會在這方面學習，當然不會錯過機會！但能否如願，就只有神才知了。

Anyways, I really appreciate my mom's concern, 雖然很難convince她完全agree with my thoughts。Actually, 她知道我一向有創作，但我從沒有跟她說關於我出唱片的夢想，因為她一定會說我是神經病。不過，無論如何，她都是可愛的。:-)

Anecdote

Q's student: Do you have a daughter or son?

Q: No ...

Q's student: Are you married?

Q: No, I am still single. Do I look like I'm married?

Q's student: Yeah ...

Q: But I don't even have a wedding ring on me!

Q's student: My mom doesn't wear her wedding ring either. How old are you?

Q: 27

Q's student: Wo! That's old! (Q thinks: =_=)

Q: *LOL*

Q's student: I mean, given your age, I thought you should have been married ... my aunt got married when she was 18 ..............................

And then my student's mother arrived ...


Hope you have a good laugh at this! :-D

Somewhere That You Can't Possibly Forget How to Get to ...

Today I dropped by my high school to see if my former band teacher was around. Sadly, she wasn't.

I haven't been in my high school campus since I left for Vancouver 5 years ago. Still, when I was there, I knew exactly how to get to the band room. Of course - that room was the one I spent the most time in in my high school career. This will never be wiped off from my memory.

I didn't take the advantage of touring around the school because I didn't want to be questioned by the staff there. I just walked around the basement. Almost nothing has changed. Pictures I've seen almost 10 years ago (I graduated in 2001, but it sounds prettier to write "almost 10 years" than just "9 years" right) were still there.

I wrote down my contact information and slipped the piece of paper under the band room door. Maybe my band teacher would decide to call me up for some work at school :-P ... Then, I'll get to visit the school on a more regular basis ... LOL ...

Rewarding or Annoying?

Teaching kids music is a bittersweet job. When they do well, you would find it very rewarding. When they don't, you would find it annoying. Today, thankfully, I was on the rewarding side.

There has been a period of time when P (who is 10 years old) did not like his lessons. He didn't say it, but he totally showed it on his face. Frowns on his face, not reactive to my commands ... I was thinking I would lose him sooner or later . Usually traditional Chinese parents would not let their kids quit their lessons, so he kept coming. But I really started to struggle; I didn't know how to encourage him more than I already had.

I went for a music camp for three weeks. I decided I'd worry about student issues when I come back. Of course, P came back for lessons after my trip. He looked different. He looked much brighter and happier and more confident. I have no idea what God has done to him. He became more attentive to what I say. He bacome more interactive with me. It seems he is more willing to work with me and is enjoying the process more.

I put him on a song project (I do that to all my drum students), which is to play along the recording of "Let Everything That Has Breath (Matt Redman)". At first he didn't think he could do it because it's fast. Really, it's not crazily fast, but I think it's a good time for me to put that song on him because he needs to start doing things out of his comfort zone. I told him to try it out for a couple of weeks to get familiar with the song and play eighth-note hi-hat along with it and see how it goes. If it's still too fast for him then we'll work other things out. Amazingly, a week later, he told me it's actually not that difficult. He said he was just lack of confident for something he had not done before.

Today was the 3rd time (I believe?) we worked on this song in his lesson. I analyzed with him the song structure and told him to put fills at the designated places. To help him get the hang of it, we practiced the introduction numerous times. A few times with me just counting the bars out, a few times with the music and with my counting, and a few times with just the music. He got very excited each time he successfully finished the task.

When I saw the smile on his face, I felt joy in my heart. I really look forward to his finished product.

I thank God for being able to teach. It's not an easy job, but it's all worth it when you see your students enjoying themselves and are really getting something out of what you teach. I hope to see P serve at church as a drummer! ;-)

咬文嚼字

This is an intermission from my painstaking word searching.

最近我正埋首創作一首新歌，歌詞是based on 聖經裡的哥林多前書十三章。其實我已經work on這首歌有大半年的時間，寫一點又放低一段時間，如是者重複了幾遍。一來during the school year我忙得不可開交，二來用自己的文字去paraphrase一章經文真是不容易。I want to personalize the passage without changing too much of the meaning.

歌詞差不多已完成，但有幾處地方還要修飾。這就是我這段日子不停查字典和看不同bible translations的原因。家裡有的resource我都盡用，又問一些年長一點的朋友意見。雖然我的中文尚算可以，但畢竟我在香港只讀完小學便移民到加拿大，很多字也未能靈活運用。But then, 我實在希望可以在作曲填詞方面繼續有進步 (regardless in English or in Chinese)，甚至將來有所作為。所以，I guess I should keep up the work ...

讓你看看我的瘋癲程度：

Powell River, Day 17

A.k.a. the last day ...

First thing first - my suitcase finally turned up! Praise the Lord! It was really just hidden behind some curtains. As my suitcase is very dark in color (though with shiny rubber around the pockets), it's not easy to spot. Thanks to those who helped me to recover the case. :-)

Second thing - today is so hot my roommate finally have to give in to the air conditioning. Other than the 2 minutes in one of the afternoons when I wanted some quiet time to pray, we have NOT turned on air conditioning at all until tonight. :-P

Third thing - my new song is finally finished!

Other than the top three pieces of news, all I did today was to relax before the final concert, and played in the final concert. I watched World Cup this morning. I never really follow World Cup, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch some when everybody is so into it. I still love hockey the most. LOL

I finally went to A&W today. I say finally because the hotel I live in is right beside an A&W restaurant, and I pass by it everyday as I walk to the complex but I never go in and get food. I craved chubby chicken this afternoon so I went and got some. The chicken was juicy. Yummmmm ...

Two girls from Jehovah's Witnesses approached me as I sat outside of the complex on a bench before the concert. These people always come in pairs and out of nowhere! Interestingly, they were holding two of their magazines in Chinese language when they approached me. I guess they put magazines in different languages in their car, and when they see a target, they will take whatever that fits into that person's cultural background. Anyways, I just simply turn them down.

I was soaking wet while I played at the concert tonight. Not because I was very active, but because the venue was screaming hot. I feel bad for the guys who have to wear tuxedos! Of course it didn't take away any enthusiasm from the audience. They were so stoked when Dvorak 9 was finished. Too bad I didn't get to play the timpani part again. I know that part really well because I have played in many rehearsals of this piece previously. But somehow I never end up playing this part at a concert. Will I ever get to? If God ever gives me a chance, I would like to play the timpani parts for Dvorak 9 and Beethoven 9 in a concert setting. Well, we'll see.

I will write a conclusion tomorrow because that's when I depart.

Powell River, Day 16

Not much to talk about today other than the Kathaumixw Gala Opening Concert tonight.

About two dozens of choirs from all over the world (i.e. Philippines, Uganda, Finland, etc.) gathered around the Great Hall tonight for the opening of this international choral festival. I never imagine a small town can host such a big event! SOAP was of course part of this wonderful event. It's an amazing experience to see people from different countries singing songs in their languages and that show part of their cultures. Apparently dancing along the tune is essential for the Uganda choir!

Once again, I must praise the Lord for creating music. It pulls people together. I hope all musicians, if you have not known the Creator already, would get to know the true Creator of this universal language!

Powell River, Day 15

My suitcase still hasn't turned up yet. Hopefully it will soon. :-P

The percussionists start to know about the missing of my suitcase (I didn't really talk about it). They are all very eager to let me borrow their mallets. Thanks for your kindness, fellows! :-) I still feel quite faithful at this point (though sometimes I am a little worried about its whereabouts); I believe God has all things under control.

Today was easy for me in terms of playing. New ideas for my song and next step of my life kicked in. Of course I am quite stoked with the progress with my new song, but with the life issue ... I will have to mull things over a little more.

We had an early dismissal from the afternoon rehearsal. It's good that the conductor has so much confidence in us. But ... Wednesday, which is two days later, will be the performance time! Are you really sure that we are ready? To kill time before dinner, I went to the beach with a couple of friends. Again.

3 more days. Honestly speaking, I am not ready to go home yet.

Powell River, Day 14

My last week of SOAP started with two unfortunate incidents.

First thing in morning I discovered I didn't return one of the percussion ensemble pieces to Bill, who has taken off already after the performance on Friday night. Thank God one of us will see him in the near future so I just handed my music to him.

Second incident is not that easy to resolve. This morning when I went to the rehearsal place, which has changed from one hall to another, I discovered my suitcase of mallets went missing! I wonder how it could happen (how people could misplace) while all I did was putting it on the stage as we did all along? I hope to retrieve it before my next show because it has more than $1000 worth of mallets and instruments in it.

I wasn't mallet-less during the rehearsal though. Of course, I could have just asked my fellow percussionists for mallets, but instead, God provided me some old sticks that were enough to cover all things I needed to cover. God's providence is always great uh? Anyways, I could still ask to borrow other people's because theirs are of better quality.

Other than that, rehearsals aren't all too exciting for us (percussionists) because we have smaller parts this time. We have earlier evenings too.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) I will chill for now.

Powell River, Day 12&13

Again, a beer after the performance last night put me to sleep quickly. Nevertheless, I had a blast yesterday.

I woke up really tired yesterday morning, unfortunately. Then I had a crappy (in my perspective) dress rehearsal. But praise the Lord, the percussion ensemble concert was awesome. I am not encouraging musicians to rely on miracles, but when you do your best, God will indeed do the rest!

Orchestra dress rehearsal immediately followed after concert and lunch because we had another performance the same night. When I had my break from the first piece, I found out that we had a possibility to play an encore. Having an encore wasn't a problem, but unfortunately I left the piece of music the conductor asked for at the hotel. So I walked as quickly as I could to the hotel to get the music. Good thing they rehearsed the Mozart Duo Concerto for quite a long time so I wasn't late for the next piece. :-P

The evening orchestra concert was another wonderful event. I was happy that I played my parts well. At least well enough to make the piece sound good. A woman approached me and said she enjoyed both the percussion and the orchestra concert. It's nice to see a supportive and enthusiastic audience!

This morning I woke up at the usual time - around 7:45am. Boy, why is my biological clock so functional, even on the free day? LOL ... I went back and slept for another hour before I got up. Just like being at home, I had to do laundry on the free day. This time it didn't take too long because I knew exactly what to do first - get the right changes before I even headed to the laundromat! I did some reading while I was waiting for my laundry to get done. I also had a few ideas on the lyrics for my new song. :-)

After laundry, I went out with a Taiwanese girl I met at the camp. We went to Tim's for lunch and then walked around the mall nearby. We also went to the beach and had sushi for dinner.

I wish we have two consecutive days off instead of just one ... I can't believe my break is almost over. :-P

Powell River, Day 11

"O Canada! Our home and native land ..."

To celebrate Canada Day and the beginning of HST - Powell River rained heavily today. :-P

The faculty of SOAP has kindly packed our day solid because they know there wouldn't be a lot of things opened in PR in this public holiday. In the first part of the percussion class this morning we ran through the rags for tomorrow's concert. I will be playing the solo part for "Rainbow Ripples". I have not played this piece since I was 1st year undergrad. That's 8 years ago. Boy, it's another of those "favorite number collection" incident (if you wonder what I mean by "favorite number collection", go to this post http://musicmonster47.blogspot.com/2009/04/favorite-number-collection.html) - it took 8 years for it to come back. I am quite amazed that I can put this piece back together in less than a week.

We went to McDonald's today at coffee break because the cafe we usually go to is not opened today. Good thing McD has cheaper tea so it didn't hurt my wallet too much ... :-P After coffee break, Bill went over the pile of timpani excerpts that he photocopied for us. Thanks Bill for providing amazing resources - apparently it cost him $80+ for photocopying everything for us. *bow*

After lunch I again spent some quality time with my lovely snare drum, for I was not needed for the first part of the orchestra rehearsal. It felt good to have some real practice time. We tried to play through Shosty 6 and Capriccio Italien non-stop at the rehearsal but both attempts failed. I wonder if we are even ready for the show tomorrow night.

Speaking of shows, tonight the faculty held another chamber concert. It was of course fabulous. My mind wandered in the second half of the concert though. I am drained after spending more than 12 hours in the same building for the past couple of days. Tomorrow will be another one of those long days. It would be even more tiring given I have two performances ...

Having said that, I should go to bed.

Powell River, Day 10

Today is the last day before HST intrudes the BC province. That'd mean getting tea at coffee breaks would be a little more expensive starting tomorrow. :-(

It is an eventful day today. Intense rehearsal for percussion ensemble concert in the morning. Boy, I thought I was awake when I arrived at the complex. But when I played the first piece, I realized I wasn't. I played terribly (at least in my perspective)! Good thing we were able to rehearse that first piece again. I hate this though; I hope to play well at all times.

I spent some quality time with my snare drum during the time when I was not needed at the orchestra rehearsal. It felt great to have practiced some rudiments. Sad reality is, when will I get to do this again? I hope to make this more of a regular routine, you know.

Harp concert came after the rehearsal. It was enjoyable. After dinner there was an audition workshop. Since I've been in auditions before so I know a lot of the stuff they talked about. I would have to mull over some of the career goals vs. reality things they mentioned though. Well, I have been mulling over them repeatedly, and even more so now ... Music is indeed a tough business, but I would not let this gift (that God graciously gives me) be wasted. I hope to keep this attitude until I die.

Powell River, Day 9

Went through some emotional ups and downs today ... Hai~

I wish to not have gone through all these roller coasters while trying to focus on playing good music, but it's part of life. How can I move forward with my life with all these distractions? Trust in the Lord, and He will give me strength.

Anyways, we played Der Rosenkavalier this morning. Oh boy, my legs felt like jelly while I was playing, and they still felt like jelly afterwards. Even though I have not played this excerpt much after the VSO timpani audition 4 years ago (it's 4 years already!?), I was so thankful that I learned it. Thanks Bill for giving us very detailed suggestions on what to do with this excerpt. It answered a lot of my questions. :-)

We watched World Cup after coffee break because two of the Spanish percussionists begged for that. LOL ...

After that, nothing too exciting happened. I must say the rehearsal was quite boring ...

Powell River, Day 8

A little behind with my blogging ... I spent a long time writing e-mails and by the time they were done it was already time for me to go to bed.

I did not play a lot yesterday morning because the pieces I usually play in weren't rehearsed. So the couple of hours I had free I did some meditation and score studying. I won't expose what I meditated upon at this point because I am still waiting and searching for an answer to what I have thought about. But to my Christian friends, please pray for me as I am waiting for God's guidance towards my next step of life.

Orchestra rehearsal is the usual. I tried to squeeze in practice times when I was on break or counting rests. It'd be great if I had real practice time, but that's better than nothing. I was thankful that I took 2 years of orchestral reading at UBC because it gave me myriad chances to get to know orchestral repertoire. I remember reading Capriccio Italien at one of those classes. I don't recall reading Shosty 6 before yesterday's rehearsal, but memory comes back as we played.

In the evening we went to the beach for "barbeque". What really happened was we had grilled skewers at the beach, not really a barbeque. We had to hike in order to get to and from the beach. It was nice; I haven't hiked for a while. Sadly the weather was not the most pleasant for hanging at the beach. A few raindrops when we were having supper. :-P

I tried to practice after supper, but my shins and (strangely) my forearms were so sore that I just had to call it quits after about 1/2 hour. I spent the rest of the night e-mailing.

Powell River, Day 6&7

I apologize for not writing last night. :-P It was 1am by the time I finally settled in my hotel room and I was so sleepy because of the beer.

2 performances down, 4 to go.

Yesterday's performances went quite well. Of course, Mahler 1 was a difficult piece of work and we only had one week of rehearsal, and therefore we weren't flawless. (What an excuse!) At least I skipped one measure of rest towards the end in the matinee concert. Thank God I was able to recover ... :-P

The more I play Mahler the more I appreciate his work. Such a gifted composer!

Next week will be Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien and Shostakovich 6. More intense work to do.

Today is a day off for us. I slept like nobody's business. But because I'm used to getting up early, I woke up at 7-ish am and decided to get up by 9am. Being wide awake makes breakfast taste better. Today is the first day when I finished everything I ordered ... lol. Doing laundry was a pain in the butt though. I'd rather not talk about the pain I went through, but I'd give you one piece of advice - when you are in a small town trying to do coin laundry - bring enough changes (that includes loonies and quarters) so you don't have to run around to get some. :-P

It's time for dinner. :-)

Powell River, Day 5

Another timpani mallet festival.

I must say I wasn't all wired up for it this morning. Actually, it always takes me a few hours to wake up in the morning. It takes even longer to wake up when you go through a relatively long and draining schedule everyday. Nevertheless, I still enjoy the camp very much so far.

Back to the festival. We talked more on mallet choices, and then went on talking about tone quality and technique. Even though I was sleepy, I was still very inspired. What Bill taught us gave me answers to a lot of questions I had regarding my timpani playing. Finally there are some hopes!

However, I am a little horrified with the mock audition list he has given us. I know the entire list but one excerpt, yet the one I am the most scared about is Der Rosenkavalier ...

We played through concert repertoire in the afternoon and watched the Faculty Chamber Music Concert at night. I must say, I really thank God for creating music. Not only because it's enjoyable and refreshing, it is also a very good tool to pull people together. :-)

Powell River, Day 4

Perhaps God gave me a lighter day today because I was sore and blistered from playing the monsterous cymbals yesterday. Seriously, both of my index fingers are still red right now.

Today started with percussion ensemble rehearsal. The rehearsal is so enjoyable when it is actually productive - working out details that would make the piece of music sound exciting, motivating each other to get better ... I have been longing for such rehearsals. Moreover, I miss the percussion trio that was sort of formed back in September. If God is willing, I hope the three of us (you know who you are, if you happen to read this entry ...) can reunite once again for more phenomenal percussion music.

After coffee break we had a timpani mallet festival. Such an eye-opener for me. When I bought my A. Putnam mallets, I was whining about how expensive they were. Well, I should shut up now as they are not expensive compared to A. Kato mallets, which are around $150/pair. They feel really nice though. I can also peacefully dismiss (well, I have not been a huge fan of them after a while) my Vic Firth general timpani mallets. I could still keep them for multi-percussion stuff. The European Classics ones are still cool.

I played around 20 cymbals notes (most of them are soft, and are played on suspended cymbal) at the orchestra rehearsal. With the stage light, I felt screaming hot at the rehearsal and became a little impatient with my counting. I sneaked out quite often ... lol.

There was supposed to be a mock audition tonight for every session of the orchestra, but Bill decided we should only have one audition next week. Therefore, we (percussionists) have tonight off. Well, he gave us a bunch of excerpts to look at ...

Maybe tonight I should listen to a ton of music and see if I can eventually get some inspiration to compose. Or ... score studying. :-P

Powell River, Day 3

There is a part called "Butt Kick" in the reality show "The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp" (which is about weight-loss, obviously). This is what I have gone through today - some serious "butt-kicking".

Today started with a group lesson on timpani. Bill made us to really focus on our wrists when practicing our strokes. He gave us a bunch of exercises to work on. I managed most of them fine until he asked us to play fast paradiddles on the timpani. Playing normal paradiddles is still manageable for me, but playing "syncopated" (when you accent the second note of the paradiddles) paradiddles is when I feel I am stupid. I never made very good friends with paradiddles; it's probably time to get acquainted with them again. Hopefully, we will become good friends this time.

We also spent some time with Bill's cymbals. He brought his 20-inch Istabul and 21-inch Paiste (hopefully I got the spelling right) for Mahler 1. I played with the Istabuls yesterday because they were less heavy than the Paiste, and today Bill just handed me the 21s and they were monsters! I had to put them down after about 5 hits ... He did say they were huge and stiff. If we could get a good sound from them then we can get a good sound from any cymbals ... LOL.

After the coffee break (yes we went for coffee/tea again!) we had a triangle festival. It's interesting to hear how the sound of a triangle travels to different parts of the hall. It's also interesting to find out how each person has a different opinion on what they think is the most favourable sound (or like Bill said, sound with characteristics) to them.

After lunch we had orchestra rehearsal. Playing with a pair of 20-inch cymbals gives me a massive upper-body work out. Better still, we had to rehearse this piece for 2 hours straight this afternoon, and another hour in the evening at the open rehearsal. So that's a 3-hour upper-body workout for me. My arms and my back were sore at the end of the day. Well, think of it this way, Bill said playing cymbal crashes should involve your back (Vern, do you agree?). If my back is sore, that means I have involved my back effectively. At least I tried to ... LOL ...

Most of the percussionists (myself included) got a break when the Beethoven's 1st piano concerto was rehearsed. We did a little snare drum circle outside the building. That's when my butt is kicked again. The Spanish guys introduced us to some technical exercises that they do in their studies. We also did MORE paradiddles. (!!!) Nonetheless, it was so much fun, and I strongly suggest this kind of "bonding" practice to any ensembles.

I'm looking forward to more butt-kicking tomorrow ...

Powell River, Day 2

Today is when the music comes.

I was well-rested last night so I got up before 7am quite energized. I was a little nervous about the seating audition, but it turned out there was no audition for the percussion section. Instead, we drew our parts in random order and worked on some percussion ensemble music (as we are playing a show next Friday). Our instructor (Bill Linwood) even bought us coffee/tea. :-P I have met him before through an orchestral audition; now as I communicate with him more, I find him quite a laid-back person. Well, he might become very critical when he gives private lessons. LOL ...

Yesterday I said I felt like going back to a high school band camp. Guess what, I feel even more so now with the setting we rehearse in and the equipment we use. You will understand what I mean when you see my pictures.Also, I am one of the older people. A lot of people I meet are under 20 or in their early 20s. My goodness!

The first piece we rehearsed in the afternoon rehearsal was Mahler 1. The part I got was cymbals. This is the exact same part I got last year when I read it at VPO! (Hooray) I played with Bill's 20-inch cymbals and I now have sore shoulders. I was a little disappointed with the ensemble's unpreparedness. I thought this camp is readying young musicians to get into the professional field and thus people should be a bit more up front with things. Perhaps things will get better as they go.

It's nice to find out that the hotel I stay in is only a 10-minute walk from where we rehearse. I'd love to exercise my limbs more, given we get fed really well at the camp.

With little there is to be done, I think I'll turn in early tonight and get some practice done tomorrow morning.

Powell River, Day 1

Beginning of the trip I have been looking forward to.

It's time for me to escape from reality for a bit - given my life has been chaotic for quite a while. I still had to play in an accompaniment gig this morning. :-P

Before I hit Powell River, I had to first pass by Vancouver because there is no direct flight to PR from Calgary (of course not!). It's nice to look at Vancouver once again. I miss this place.

Hauling luggages is always a pain in the butt for a percussionist like me because we have more to carry than anybody else in the orchestra. This time I have two suitcases (1 with clothes, 1 with mallets), a snare drum and a laptop ... Yikes. Thank God there are shuttle buses connecting between the Main Terminal and the South Terminal (where I take my flight to PR), which makes my luggage carrying a little less exhausting.

When I checked in at the South Terminal, the lady charged me for an extra luggage. She claimed that my snare drum wouldn't fit under the seat and therefore I couldn't carry it as a carry-on baggage. I wasn't impressed at first, but later I found out why. The plane was SMALL - you had to crawl your back in order to get in, and the plane can seat maybe 20 people at max. The PR airport was of course very small too and very primitive looking.

Originally SOAP says we'd be picked up by bus. And you know what - bus means people's cars. The staff from SOAP came pick us up. They drove us to our accommodations and helped us check in. By the way, my hotel is right beside A&W. :-P

When I finally arrived at my hotel (with my heavy luggages - phew!), there was an envelope on the desk which included the schedule, information on PR, and money for dinner tonight. It feels like being in a high school band camp again - when all your needs are well taken care of by the chaperones. As much as I want to be pampered, I am already not used to it ... haha.

Anyways, tomorrow is when the real camp starts. I am totally inconfident about the placement audition because I haven't practiced as intensely as I was when I was still a student. But it doesn't matter - I don't care if I'm placed last ...

(P.S. I went to DQ for dinner. I had a chicken strip basket, which included fries. I left 2/3 of the fries uneaten. I can't eat that much fried stuff anymore ...)

谷、谷、谷！

為了不要讓我以前的老師明白我寫甚麼，我唯有用多一點時間用中文打字吧。

我將會在6月21日到7月8日到Powell River, BC參加一個職青管弦樂團訓練營。這一個訓練營集合世界不同國家的青年人﹝有意就職於管弦樂團或已經在管弦樂團就職者﹞作音樂交流，當中將會有個人授課、集體綵排、演出及模擬面試。一說到模擬面試我便有一點不自在：因為我之前去過幾處地方考管弦樂團，每一次籌備都令我心力交瘁。練習從早到晚，不見天日。雖然當昨天我收到要預備的東西時，我發覺很多都已經練了幾百次，但我放低了差不多一年，怎能在半個月之間回復專業水準呢？敲擊樂組有七個人，當中有美國藉、西班牙藉，又有在安省的，只有我跟另一位從亞省出來的。其他地方的音樂教育豐富很多，今次實行甚麼都是排最尾了！

其實我想嘗試用一個輕鬆的心態去，因為今次是神特別為我預備的一個trip。本來我沒有想過要報名，但因人手不足加上我以前老師的推薦之下，我不單不用通過考試便獲取錄，而且還學費全免﹝當然，我還要付近$2000的食宿加機票費﹞。多年來我想去都沒有錢去，今次終於可以用自己掙來的錢去了！感謝主！

我相信神給我這次機會是要避一避世去尋求祂的心意。我在這一年實在忙得很慘，心裡不時不太安靜。不安靜又怎能聽神的聲音？

既然「托賴」有得去這個trip，那就盡我能力去努力吧‧‧‧

Meet Me In The Meadow: Assurance

Yesterday at 11:38am, as I opened my eyes from a prayer I made asking for God's assurance, I received an e-mail with the following message. And yes (amazingly), the e-mail was received at precisely 11:38am! May God bless you! :-D

Meet Me In The Meadow: Assurance

Economic Recession

The economic recession has finally made its harm on me ...

... Well, not entirely. But lately, the sales at Market Mall A&W, where I work as a supervisor at, have been dropping. Not as drastically as other shops at the food court, but enough that my mom, who is the manager, has to make big cuts to work hours to minimize labour cost. Don't think I'd be exempted from that because I'm her daughter. There have been a couple of times (including tomorrow) when my schedule is cancelled entirely. There are also times when the hours of my regular shift is cut short. It would have sucked really bad if this is my only job. But thank God, I still have my teaching job which schedule is continuously packing up, and I have been taking on a few performances lately. Therefore, my pocket is still fine.

Thank God also that I'm not a big spender. But with my 3-week study trip coming up, I'll have to watch harder what I spend ...

Well, at least I will have a bit more time to myself. I have been exhausted from the hectic schedule in the past few months. It's time for me to catch up with sleep, enjoy some downtime and think about the future.

Lord, You know all I need and You will provide abundantly. I should not worry but to rejoice for what You have given me. Amen!

Another Hymn Sharing

It definitely takes experience to appreciate this song.

堅定相信 Keep On Believing
(Hymn of Life #341)

1. 有時黑影來遮掩，濃霧隱蔽前路；
有時黑雲增無已，白晝竟亦似暮。
當記得我們天父，祂必護佑引導；
神仍愛祂的兒女，祂垂聽禱告。
Sometimes the shadows gather, and mists obscure the way;
Sometimes, the clouds grow heavy, and darken all the day.
How precious to remember our Father's loving care,
That He still loves His children, and He answers prayer.

2. 有時道路甚荒涼，孤單獨行淒苦；
已忘記慈悲天父，祂必保守看顧。
多少憂傷冤枉受，都因信心缺少；
神仍愛祂的兒女，祂垂聽禱告。
Sometimes, the way is dreary, we seem to walk a lone.
Forgetting that the Father keeps watch above His own.
How many needless sorrows the faithless have to bear,
For, God still loves His children, and He answers prayer.

3. 你若愁苦壓心頭，背負重擔難受；
路途縱崎嶇難走，記住神必護佑。
祂恩典必夠你用，足可忍受煩惱；
神仍愛祂的兒女，祂垂聽禱告。
O soul, weighed down with sorrow, beneath a heavy load.
Remember God will help you, however rough the road.
His grace is still sufficient for every load of care,
God ever loves His children, and He answers prayer.

副歌：堅定的相信，神垂聽禱告；　　　
堅定的相信，不要失望；　　　
你擔子雖然極重，愁苦又壓心頭，　　　
神仍然看顧引導，祂垂聽禱告。
Chorus: Keep on believing, God will answer prayer.
Keep on believing, never despair.
Though you be heavy laden, and burdened down with care
Remember God still loves You, and He answers prayer.

Lord, please help me to keep on believing because I am incapable of doing so myself. Amen!

When I Act, Who Can Reverse It?

The title is actually part of a bible verse: Isaiah 43:13. When I read Isaiah 43:1-13 last night at my devotion, that last verse truly hit me. I realized how much I have been trying to get things under MY control, which really means I am preventing God from doing His work. In the end, I have fallen many times because I fail to wait patiently for God's desire to be satisfied. Anyways, seriously, God is the One who can do great things, not me. So, I really pray for keeping my faith in God and patience in waiting.

The corresponding article from the Daily Bread also speaks to me a lot:
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2010/02/17/devotion.aspx

Help me to trust You, Lord.