The GE and me

I'm not one who follows politics much, but with the General Elections coming soon, thought maybe I should post something about it, especially since its Nomination Day (all contested except Tanjong Pagar).

Generally, being the docile folk I am, I've always kind of supported PAP, though more for historical reasons. All those nation-building stories. But somehow, my confidence in them has kind of wavered a little as they have not been handling issues well, and especially in their response to the recent spate of opposition arguments. An amusing article highlights this.

Sadly, I don't see them rising to address the issues raised with convincing arguments, but just going round & round the topic or point fingers. I can't say I'd really followed in detail all the "crossfire" going on, but it seems there's some difficulty in raising a comparable younger generation of politicians in PAP.

Hmm...

Russian Night with Midori

I've always loved Russian classical music. I love its exuberance...so soulful, passionate and expressive.

And it was an all Russian programme (except the encore) on 23 April, with works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. This was my first time sitting in the Gallery (area behind the orchestra) as the other seats were already sold out by the time I bought my tickets. I could bask in the illusion that I was part of the orchestra, and a second violinist at that. Haha! Actually, I was more concerned with how well I will be able to receive the sound being seated as such.

As it was also a Goh Keng Swee Memorial Concert, there was a special addition (Rachmaninov's Vocalise) to the original programme to dedicate the concert to Dr. Goh, who was instrumental to the formation of the SSO as the founder. It's been almost a year since he passed on and with that, the concert was opened.

Being Easter weekend, it was not a surprise that the Russian Easter Festival Overture was chosen. These two pieces were a fine lead-up to the feature of the day, Midori's rendition of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major. I've heard a lot about Midori and was very expectant of what I would hear that night. And she did not disappoint.

Known for its technical demands, Midori tackled the concerto with great proficiency. Although I could only see her back view from where I was, one can't miss the precision and great control. Every note played had their own power in them and even the soft notes were clear and sharp, yet not overpowering. I literally held my breath whenever she was tackling such notes for fear of breaking the moment (ok, I might be exaggerating). On top of that, she plays with such feeling that it rings in our hearts. I especially loved the soulful second movement Canzonetta (Andante). Only thing was that I wished I could have seen her expression and a clearer view of her playing, and of course, being at the back, some of the sound projection would have been lost.
The encore, if I heard what she said correctly, was the Prelude (and Fugue?) to Sonata No. 1 in G minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (I'm very bad at recognising pieces). Nice.

autograph signing during intermission

The second half of the concert heard the SSO playing Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3 in A minor. After the long earlier half (at least an hour), I felt it was a rather long piece for me that night. But I could hear the conflict between Rachmaninov's nostalgia and bravado, as the programme notes suggested, as each theme was explored by the SSO consistently through the 3 movements. I liked the ending where "...in the end it is the mood of bravado which brings the Symphony to its exciting if slightly ambiguous conclusion".

My first accident

It's been 12 years plus since I got my driving licence, and today (of all days, Good Friday), I got into my first car accident, which I hope to be my last, on my way to my cell group TGIF event, on CTE.

I thought my life would flash before me, but that, of course, didn't happen since it wasn't so serious, but the brakes did feel that they took a super long time to bring the car to a complete stop. And so I heard the 'bang'. It seemed pretty loud and I was like, oh no, was it serious? I admit I was driving a little fast, so I didn't stop in time. But it was a relief when I stepped out to check the damage. My car's licence plate was slightly dented. But if I didn't point it out, nobody would have noticed it (my parents both asked "where?" when they investigated).So no repairs for our car will be needed. As for the taxi, there was a slight dent in the back.

 

Honestly, I've heard so many horror stories about taxi drivers, that the first thing that came to my mind was "don't forget to take photo" and how to handle the situation. Am feeling a little guilty about that, but good thing the driver only suggested I let him know my workshop and I just pay the damages. Hopefully he really sticks to that. That should be settled tomorrow. As it was really minor, we didn't see the need to go through all the hassle of filing reports and claims. I think he doesn't want the trouble too. I also apologised to the passenger in the taxi for the delay. The whole saga ended in about 10-15 minutes I think.

Already a little frazzled, what irritated me were the cars behind that started sounding their horns. An accident just happened!

But thank God nobody was hurt. I pray that it will be a simple settlement. Hope my heart settles down soon. Probably only when everything is over. Thank God I got my cellgroup to pray for me, and my heart is a little warmer with friends asking if I was alright (posted update on FB & Twitter).