Flesh and Blood

I was on my way to church in the MRT this morning when I started thinking about people and their problems (in general) and about healing (whether emotional or spiritual). Don't ask me why, but I just started pondering lah. It was something like a conversation and this came upon me:

Even if others may not fully understand what you're going through, GOD does and feels the same thing as what you're feeling (you know, the "I understand how you feel" tagline). Why? Because you are His flesh & blood.

Woah. How is this so? Firstly, we are now His heirs. And what does "heirs" translate to? Sons & daughters, which translates to being His flesh & blood.

Secondly (hope I put this across correctly), we have been redeemed by the price of? Yes, you've guessed it - His flesh & blood, the Son of GOD, Jesus.

Wow, that's the extent of GOD's love and doesn't it tell you how precious you are to Him? Amazing.

Violin Masterclass with Dr. Maurice Sklar

Hee hee...this is long overdue. Attended the masterclass last Saturday. My church had invited a worship violinist, who's a Messianic Jew, to play at our Sanctification Weekend services, so in between, they organised a masterclass session with him. (It was also the church's bid to recruit a string ensemble...not that I'm ready to join now lah).

Well, I had stopped playing the violin for more than 10 years and had stopped at Grade 3 (used to be in my primary school's string ensemble). I had for some time thought if I should pick up the violin again, especially for worship purpose...ok, it's not really a "should", but have been procrastinating.

Good thing I discovered that my ear was still sensitive to the sounds of the violin and was a little inspired to start practising my violin again. However, what was really enriching was Dr. Sklar's sharing during the session. He's a very humorous person (haha...he joked about his name that if he was at a restaurant and wanted more rice, it was like calling his name. "Mau-rice" vs "more rice").

He talked a bit about how the musical instruments evolved even from the time of David & its relation to worship. Also, he gave some examples of instruments that have already reached perfection and you can't really make anything better in this age (a some were already perfected centuries ago), e.g. the violin, the oboe, the timpani, etc. Also, the violin is regarded as an acoustically perfect musical instrument.

What really stayed in my mind was when he mentioned about the old & new tabernacle worship. In the Old Testament days during the old covenant with GOD, only Levites were authorised to perform the necessary in the courts, so people would need to go through the Levites (priests) and were not really permitted to enter His presence unless authorised or else he/she would be put to death.
However, we are now in the covenant of grace, which is the foundational truth we believe in, that Jesus died for us and redeemed us. So we have been given the authority to enter into GOD's presence directly. Hence, we do not need to go through priests, etc. to commune with GOD.

(It's sometimes amazing how things that you think you know sort of get "revealed" to you in a deeper way.)

And indeed, he mentioned something that I firmly believe in - that when in heaven, all we will be doing will be to worship GOD... can you just imagine the sight, the sound. It's (forgive the pun) heavenly.

Brainteaser

Hee...so happy I managed to solve this brainteaser which a trainer posed during 1 of my courses. It was the easier of 2 where the 1st one couldn't be solved by anyone in our class of 7. Ok, let me try to recall what the words were:

"There are 3 switches outside a room which are each connected to a lamp. The room has no windows and is only accessible via a door, which is closed. You are outside the room and cannot see the lamps from outside the room. You are only allowed to enter the room once. How can you determine which switch is connected to which lamp?"

(See comment for answer)

yanokami

This was the last performance of the Mosaic Fest that I attended. It's electronica pop, with Akiko Yano and Rei Harakami in a collaborative effort. Check out their music here:

http://www.myspace.com/yanokami

http://www.yanokami.com/

Nice, though she spoke a lot of Japanese which I didn't understand (she didn't translate all that she was saying, although her English was quite good...hey! she lives in NY!). Probably time constraint. Rei does the electronic part while Akiko does the singing, with bits of piano, which is fed into the mixer (hard disc recorder).

Yes, another CD. Sadly, there wasn't time for an autograph as their next session was at 9.30 pm (my session ended close to 9 pm). 

Vusi Mahlasela

This was a break from what I heard in the last 2 shows.

Though African (the rhythm & style), I found the music soothing. As I listened, his music was like songs of peace and freedom. I could imagine myself like a bird, soaring in the air, like in the African wild. Check out his site: http://www.vusimahlasela.com/

As he is an activist for his country, his lyrics are full of meaning...not the angry kind, but more for a call of peace and reflecting the issues, past & current, that happened.

Actually wanted to ask for his autograph, but then he was having a post-concert talk and I didn't know what time it was finishing. Furthermore, I wanted to get to our monthly Songcraft session. 

But I did get his CD.

Ok, now I'm left with yanokami.

David Marshall symposium

I attended this symposium yesterday at Raffles City Convention Centre. It was about David Marshall's life & legacy, in all areas of his influence in Singapore (and abroad). There were the legal aspects, political aspects and diplomatic aspects. Speakers were ambassadors and other academic professionals.

I was very moved by what the speakers had to say. This was one of our founding fathers. I had read about some of his trials and what struck me was that he was a man of justice, a man of compassion and someone with a very strong core within. What speakers said further affirmed this. This was a great man.

(on the side: interestingly, he married a Jean Gray...X-Men?...he indeed has gifts)

The Bird and The Bee

This was my first time attending a free standing concert and we could go up close to the stage & groove to the music. The ticket price actually included a glass of heineken (it being 1 of the Heineken Music Club nights), but I didn't take it...not really 1 for beer.

Their songs were nice! It was sort of modern retro style, and as my friend commented, "whimsical" (in a good way). Seems UK-style, like the 60s (not very sure) style of singing, but with electones/synthesizers! The funny thing was that even though I didn't know their songs, I could sing along with them. You can sample their music here: http://www.myspace.com/thebirdandthebee

Initially, the Mosaic crew were like trying to stop people from taking photos, but during 1 of the last few songs, the band said we could take pictures during that song...and the song was "I Hate Camera"...haha...how ironic. I forgot to bring my camera, so could only make do with my low res phone camera:

And...I bought yet another CD.

I like Mosaic Music Festival. It gives me opportunity to sample various artists' music and exposure to these genres of music.

(on the side: Before the show started, I actually saw Sondre Lerche there! I don't really know much about him, but there some people were asking for autographs and taking photos with him...unfortunately, I forgot my camera! Or else I would have made some friends "jealous" :P)

Raul Midón

Went to his concert tonight and all I can say is he's AWESOME!

Never have I seen someone play the guitar like that, nor knew that the guitar can be played this way. I'm amazed really. And he is the ultimate 1-man band; he is the trumpet, saxophone, drums and of course guitar. All these with just his guitar and his mouth (he does a mean sound imitating).

He was humorous too and the songs were nice, with him having a good range in vocals.

And he writes all his songs! Check out his sites:

http://www.raulmidon.com
http://www.myspace.com/raulmidon

Enjoyed the performance very much. I managed to buy his CD and had it autographed. I was pretty curious at how he would be doing that as he was blind...he used a small card as a position marker.

(sideline: he has a twin brother (blind too) that works in NASA!)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I just finished reading this book and I must say I rather enjoyed it. It's rather fable-like, but it was, to me, rather easy to read as the language was simple but meaningful (something that can be completed in 1 night should be easy to read?). I kinda liked it too because it's one of those that you can reflect upon.

The gist of the story was about a boy who followed a dream that he had of hidden treasure. Along the way, he met a wise man, and of course, an alchemist. I shan't tell you the story, but I'll much rather share on some philosophies I gleaned from it, reflections and quotes.

A recurring theme I found was that in all things, they all come back to the original point. Sometimes, you might end up going 1 big round to realise this, that your treasure was actually there all the time, in your heart. Always listen to your heart and not forget what it tells you. Just like in the book, there was a story about a boy who went to seek a wise man, who had asked him to walk round the grounds carrying a spoon with oil. The 1st round, as the boy was concentrating on the spoon, he missed all the sights. On the 2nd round, he took in all the sights, but the oil in the spoon had gone. Quote: "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon". Don't we get distracted?

The book also talked a lot about omens, about following the signs. As I thought about it, yah, we do have omens around us, but do we see/follow them? Also, this led me to think, don't we always ask for signs? But do we always accept these signs for what they are & follow it, or rather, just reject it because it was not the sign you wanted, or can't believe it? Hence, the advice given was actually to "always ask an objective question".

Some quotes I liked:

"Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams?...Because that's what makes a heart syffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer."

"When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."

"And then there were the others, who were interested only in gold. They never found the secret. They forgot that lead, copper, and iron have their own Personal Legends to fulfill. And anyone who interferes with the Personal Legend of another thing never will discover his own."

"It's true that everything has its Personal Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized. So each thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new Personal Legend, until, someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only."

A personal reflection I had was that sometimes, you need to try new things to realise your dream, and if it's really your destiny (personal legend), whichever path you take to pursue it, will lead you to that destination as it has already been written, your calling. Just like what was written in the book, once you follow your destiny, "all the universe will conspire to help you achieve it". Although this sounds rather optimistic, I feel that it does not mean that it is definitely smooth sailing. You might go the long way round or meet obstacles, but once you perservere, you will achieve it, and in that way, the "universe" sort of conspires to help you achieve it, whichever route you choose. After all, GOD will not give you a task which He thinks you can't carry out. Also, the closer you get to realising your personal legend, the more the personal legend becomes your true reason of being.

How does this relate to me? For example, when I decided to follow my heart, to become a librarian (of course with GOD's blessing), I found that this step of change brought me into what I loved to deal in most...the arts. Also, despite my feelings of inadequacy in certain art forms (visual mainly), when I tried something new that I hadn't done before, it really opened my heart to pursue my dream and confidence too in achieving it. Although it was a totally different art form altogether, it fired up in me the passion for pursuing arts, which for me is music. Of course, this was made more possible in a library environment than accounts I guess. I felt 1 step closer to my dream, though I know what I create is not pro, but it makes me happy.

Does the universe "conspire" to help me achieve this? I believe so as it opened my eyes to new possibilities, not to mention new paths ahead. I found Songcraft (note: I probably wouldn't have known this group if I hadn't become a librarian coz I found it through a colleague's blog) and I'm even on a professional development track to specialise in (Asian/Singapore) music. How cool is that! This book prompted me to reflect and made me start to realise this connection, which is awesome. GOD's workings are amazing isn't it? He has led me so far since the day I asked if I should become a librarian.
What's 1 of my biggest dream? To write worship songs and through this, minister to people. (Well, maybe writing about reflections might help too. :P) I'm not sure if this is my destiny, or maybe it is only what I can see now...that it might lead me on to other things. But the idea is to find & pursue your "personal legend".

And what does all these tell us? That all dreams converge at a point or rather 1 big dream, and that is to fulfill GOD's purpose in our life. That is truly our true reason for being, isn't it?

Just the notion?

What if you get to know someone that you think you like? However, as you're shy, you don't dare to approach the person. Slowly, your feelings grow, but it seems only one-sided, and you get all sad over it...like unrequited, but uncertain. However, you always imagine the day of a final face-to-face "showdown" or the outcome, always asking yourself "what if?".

Then one wonders...let's say your feelings grow & grow so it's like so "big" and you begin to focus on the feelings. But then 1 day, the person you like does asks you out. Will you feel happy? Will you feel sad, because you're uncertain of the outcome? Or would you have become so accustomed to feeling sad & having no return in feelings that this sudden reciprocation actually kills the feelings as you don't know how to react (sounds masochistic?)?
Don't you ponder, did you really like the person or you liked the romantic notion of this uncertainty and unrequited love?

Ain't it so with those sad love stories...one always find the "sob story" part romantic melancholically.

Loner in a Crowd

As mentioned before, I've finally completed this song, or rather, finished coming up with the melody/tune & lyrics. You can hear a raw version, i.e. just singing with a rather flat software instrument (from garageband...didn't add in modulation) playing the melody on myspace. Here's the lyrics.

Loner in A Crowd
Everyday you see people passing by
Everyday people pass you by
They are just shadows
As you stand alone

You find that you don't have a place
In this world of far away
Strangers come and go from you
Never close to your heart

Chorus:
As you stand fading away
From the masses to the rain
None can see you
As they see you
A loner in a crowd
Now you face the world today
An out-of-place charade
None would see you
None should see you
An outsider to stay

© 2005, 2007

How the song came about:
I started writing this when I was in a 'loner' mood one day. It also arose from a discussion with my friend about the "visible" and "invisible" loner. That was back in 2005, when I wrote the verses. However, I got stuck at the chorus, and didn't get to pen it down till 2007. Due to the lapse of time, the chorus doesn't loop back to the verses, but it's what I can come up with!

About the lyrics:
Sometimes, one feels a loner, like someone inconspicuous, in a sea of crowd. Loner In A Crowd is a depiction of this and the lyrics gives a form of visual image of this loner, who fades away into the crowd. Nobody can be close; even though they might see you (physically), none can understand you, an outsider.
I especially like the first 2 lines because of the playing around with words by re-arranging the same words to give you an image, which pretty much sums up the feel of the song. If you noticed too, in the chorus, there's a slight change in auxiliary verbs used for "none can see you" & "none would see you", which has a purpose. The 1st half of the chorus is rather passive, as the protagonist just fades out, like some invisible being...also like none can really understand you even though they "see" or think they see you. The 2nd part with the "would" is more the stand of the protagonist - like putting on a "mask" so that none should see you (charade in an "alien" world).

What's next:
As you might notice from the audio clip, it's just the tune that I have. As my music composition basics (i.e. theory) has been "thrown to the wind" many years ago, I'm rather weak or unable to create a full score. So I intend to see if any of my songwriting friends can help with this, if they're willing...so don't be surprised if I ask you! ;P

The Meow Aria

As I was taking the bus home today, I saw this amusing broadcast on mobile TV. It's 1 of those "Just for Laughs" segments.

There was a man & woman who came out dressed formally and a pianist at a grand piano to accompany them. As they started their aria (oratorio-style), the words were just "Meow". It was very funny. So they went "meow, meow, meow...Meeooww..."!

After watching for a while, it occurred to me that it is actually the same with the actual thing (no offense intended)! How often, when we go to an opera, we don't really understand a word the singers are singing, especially when most of the time, they are in a foreign language. So it really makes no difference if they are meowing or singing normal words. What we understand most is the music itself, along with the players' gestures and expressions. Of course, if you understand the language, it is all the better, but by the way they sing it, it's sometimes hard to make out what they're singing. Even if you understand every single word they're singing, if there's no expression, then the words won't mean a thing coz the singer has not brought out its essence.

Just a thought.

述

沉重的心，慢慢侵蚀着我
丝丝抑郁，任意搏动心弦

Finding Rest in the Midst of Resistance

Recently, I have been moping around and somehow, I had many things on my mind (work wasn't really 1 of them but I did feel a little stressed with the FY, aka deadlines, ending soon). I prayed hard each day for peace and stillness in my heart. I felt I needed some distractions (work was counted as 1 of these), coz if I paused, then I sort of dwelt on things.

Anyway, I was strongly convicted to go for service this weekend. Not that I don't go for service, but this week, there was a strong compulsion. It was like some need/urge arose in me (I think we understand there are sometimes different moods about going for service). Of course given the state of my heart, there is definitely a need!

And what do you know? Today, it was all about how to still you heart/soul (Psalm 62)! Although this year's focus is all about Sabbath & rest, and "rest" pops up every week in service, this must be divine, to quieten our soul. It's amazing, like the answer to my prayers. I hope that indeed, my heart will settle down.

Anyway, on the side, I had missed last week's service (overslept *guilty*) and going for service today made me feel like I had missed service for a long time.

He Is Not An Impostor by George Chua

I know George Chua from the art installation project that I did last year. He was 1 of the judges cum consultant then. George is a sound artist and he has been involved in various performances, including the Hadaka series I went to last year.

Besides the reason of being an acquaintance of George, I found the synopsis interesting. I received the Esplanade e-flyer which goes like this:

I didn’t know what to expect of the performance (knowing he’s a sound artist) and I only vaguely knew about his genealogy project. Was it going to be a sound-only performance like Hadaka? But the description included a storyline. So I called along a friend to watch it together. (ok, another reason was that it was free :P…all the more should go & give support to someone I know right?)

Anyway, as I went with an open mind, not expecting anything, the show was indeed not what I would expect based on the description. I felt it was very well done.

It has tunes/songs (some familiar) used to bring you through the cycle or passage of time, from the 1980s to present time and tells of a story of an illusionist called Chew Chong Choy. Indeed, a real magician was playing the role (maybe that’s where “he is not an imposter” comes in?). the protagonist was put on trial for a murder he didn’t commit and another person portrayed his “voice” and recited some form of poetry. It was really interesting. I didn’t expect a live magic show and the magician performed real tricks that one doesn’t often see, like passing a bottle through a person’s body, card tricks with someone from the audience being the “magician”, etc. However, there was a part that was a bit disturbing. It was the first trick he did, but described as the last trick he performed before he went to jail (he was later cleared of the charges). He used a skewer to pierce through his forearm, just under the skin and pulled it in & out. And there was indication of blood! Though after that he managed to “rub” off the “wound”. But as it was the first trick shown in the performance and the context solemn, the audience didn’t really know how to react…were we supposed to clap? Was it for real? However, later on, there were some reminiscences of the time before his implication in the murder case, and he performed the tricks, clearly displaying he’s for real & we clapped with every trick performed. Some parts were funny, if you read the words on the screen. There was some abstract portion like the beginning talk of a powerful businessman taking revenge.

Of course, it being a magic show is beside the point. What struck me most was the part about reference to time travel. This was done using a trick of a can of coke. The can was empty & flattened, but with some magic, the illusionist manages to get the can back into shape, filled with coke and even re-sealed it! Then, he opened the restored coke and drank some of it, poured it out and eventually it returned to being a squashed can. The underlying message was that, even if we could go back to the past to change our mistakes, would it really make a difference? Would the outcome still come back to the same? Are we trapped by destiny? Just like the can of coke, even when you reverse the process, eventually, the can of coke still turns up empty and squashed.

Yup, it’s well done and I enjoyed it. Something different when you don’t know what to expect. It was only 1 hour though.