Saturday, September 18, 2010

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!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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。:-)