Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Going the Distance
The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated!
You can judge a person by the company he/she keeps.
What can you deduce from the person's company when his dearest friends forgets his birthday?
You can judge a person by the company he/she keeps.
What can you deduce from the person's company when his dearest friends forgets his birthday?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ashkenazy's Pictures
Colleague was right about living in the city - at least I don't have to worry about getting home after the symphony since the opera house is just in my "backyard".
Really enjoyed tonight's Russian Tribute!
Sasha Rozhdestvensky was extremely lyrical and I was almost moved to tears when he was able to make his violin sing so lovely and sweetly within the wonderful acoustic variables of the concert hall! Must admit I nodded off at the 3rd movt of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto only to be jarred awake at the 4th... which is really the only movt I liked anyways.
During the pre-concert lecture, the speaker said Ashkenazy's version of Pictures from an Exhibition is a true-er and more Russian orchestration of Mussorgsky's as opposed to the frog & escargo munching impressionist that is Ravel's.
I felt it definitely is more Russian with darker colours, but the orchestration itself fails to give the huge orchestral sound of Ravel's strangely lacking in mid-range for most of the first half that is corrected later with the introduction of a wide variety of percussion which is especially notable in Kiev which I felt was the redeeming movt both for Ashkenazy and the SSO.
Post concert conclusion is that I like Ashkenazy's too, although it lacks the certain je ne se qua of Ravel's; My favourite still remains with a version that continues to elude my collection: Leo Funtek's.
What strangely struck a rather elongated chord was that this diversity is a good thing. It's actually both startling and great that classical listeners do not have to agree that the de facto is Ravel, that there is such a diverse range of orchestrations to choose from that one could use the melancholic darker Ashkenazy's to brood on a rainy day, or choose to revel in the colourful Ravel's, both preferable by the beach with a nice cup of coffee in hand. Is it not after all often said that a picture paints a thousandnotes words?
Over the Air: Ashkenazy's Picture from an Exhibition
Really enjoyed tonight's Russian Tribute!
Sasha Rozhdestvensky was extremely lyrical and I was almost moved to tears when he was able to make his violin sing so lovely and sweetly within the wonderful acoustic variables of the concert hall! Must admit I nodded off at the 3rd movt of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto only to be jarred awake at the 4th... which is really the only movt I liked anyways.
During the pre-concert lecture, the speaker said Ashkenazy's version of Pictures from an Exhibition is a true-er and more Russian orchestration of Mussorgsky's as opposed to the frog & escargo munching impressionist that is Ravel's.
I felt it definitely is more Russian with darker colours, but the orchestration itself fails to give the huge orchestral sound of Ravel's strangely lacking in mid-range for most of the first half that is corrected later with the introduction of a wide variety of percussion which is especially notable in Kiev which I felt was the redeeming movt both for Ashkenazy and the SSO.
Post concert conclusion is that I like Ashkenazy's too, although it lacks the certain je ne se qua of Ravel's; My favourite still remains with a version that continues to elude my collection: Leo Funtek's.
What strangely struck a rather elongated chord was that this diversity is a good thing. It's actually both startling and great that classical listeners do not have to agree that the de facto is Ravel, that there is such a diverse range of orchestrations to choose from that one could use the melancholic darker Ashkenazy's to brood on a rainy day, or choose to revel in the colourful Ravel's, both preferable by the beach with a nice cup of coffee in hand. Is it not after all often said that a picture paints a thousand
Over the Air: Ashkenazy's Picture from an Exhibition
Monday, May 11, 2009
That's what friends are for?
For my birthday, you gave me -
For your birthday, I gifted you -
- Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie that you baked
- Dinner at The Wharf Restaurant
- Pilobolus at Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay
For your birthday, I gifted you -
- Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk outing
- Rice crackers dipped in Dark chocolate that I made as snacks
- Ham & Egg with Rocket Turkish Roll that I packed for the walk
- Blueberry & Vanilla Cake that I baked
- Dinner at Libiamo
- Sendstation PocketDock AV + iPod Skin
Monday, May 04, 2009
Shut up & Sit Down!
The best thing since slice bread, the invention of the "Shut up & Sit Down" phrase at the recent event in Singapore has now enabled the instant empowerment of countless of denizens!
Instead of a verbal invocation, which is often considered rude, you can now voice your peaceful disagreement by just donning on this sensible piece of apparel.
Wear it at your next lecture to show your indignation of the quality of education you're receiving!
Instead of screaming "Referee Kayu!", show your colours with the "Shut up & Sit Down" tee at your next football match!
Be forever known in the annals of history (and BMT) as the "Shut up & Sit Down" platoon as you and your platoon mates fall in for morning call wearing this military grade armour!
Other uses include, for example -
- at the next PAP rally
- at correctional training
- at a meeting where you know your colleague is going to be wasting time talking about some useless new policy
- wear it to a rock concert
- to the opera
Wear it on the bus, at church or even family events!
Forever keep your peace as you silently protest against any daily events that irrate you for only $19.99*!
* Price not including legal fees, medical costs and eventual re-location program enrolment due to loss of citizenship
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Life Begins at 30
Today was the best birthday I've had in a long time.
Possibly the best that I've had in Aussieland so far... certainly comes close to the joint one that Bernise and I had back in Villiers Street ages ago.
Started off with me heading to Bondi Beach for some brunch, had Fish & Chips @ Fishmongers. It was just something I stumbled into coz it was quiet and $10 was all I had in my wallet. The shaved sweet potato chips were a nice touch, the grilled fish was nice and fresh and dressed with plenty of herbs, pity I could taste mostly the oil though. The hand cut chips were really good and the tatare sauce had oregano in it. The whole vibe was rather organic or maybe it was just the organic lemonade that I bought.
Walked barefoot down the length of the beach on the sand, been ages since I last felt the beach between my toes, missing my walks with Bohdi very much. Lotsa dogs running around the forecourt, lifesavers out in force most likely due to the expected long weekend crowd which probably didn't bother coz the weather was rather gloomy, it drizzled and it's mid-autumn. Still there are your ubitious surfer school peeps, the brave backpacking tourists and crazy cold water braving swimmers and sunners on the beach.
Got too hot rather quickly at the end of the walk so I decided to catch a bus back to town pronto instead of walking around the quaint shops of Bondi Beach... cept it was even hotter on the bus since it was packed so I got off at Bondi Junction and did my usual window shopping...
Got some glass air-tight containers to store food since they were 35% off, eyed a $169.99 down feather pillow going at 30% off but can't bare to plonk down so much since the 4 pillows I bought so far are write-offs... all of them give me either a sore neck or an aching back...
Did the usual magazine perusal with a Gloria Jeans Irish Creme flavoured Regular Iced Coffee with Soy milk... which was really bland and horrid and ended up giving me a bad headache, so called ABC to come pick me up instead of me making my way down to Pyrmont for BD dinner.
ABC cooked me an amazing Chicken, Mushroom and Leek pie... well 2 actually. One we ate for dinner and the other was given to me to take home!
Watched "How to Alienate and Lose Friends" which turned out to be not some slap-stick comedy but to have actually some depth and meaning. SG friends called to send their love and wishes. Do miss them HEAPS, I love you guys!!!
So here I am, back in my bed... satisfied that the beginning of this new decade is turning up to be an upper so far!
Cheers to all my friends & loved ones!
Possibly the best that I've had in Aussieland so far... certainly comes close to the joint one that Bernise and I had back in Villiers Street ages ago.
Started off with me heading to Bondi Beach for some brunch, had Fish & Chips @ Fishmongers. It was just something I stumbled into coz it was quiet and $10 was all I had in my wallet. The shaved sweet potato chips were a nice touch, the grilled fish was nice and fresh and dressed with plenty of herbs, pity I could taste mostly the oil though. The hand cut chips were really good and the tatare sauce had oregano in it. The whole vibe was rather organic or maybe it was just the organic lemonade that I bought.
Walked barefoot down the length of the beach on the sand, been ages since I last felt the beach between my toes, missing my walks with Bohdi very much. Lotsa dogs running around the forecourt, lifesavers out in force most likely due to the expected long weekend crowd which probably didn't bother coz the weather was rather gloomy, it drizzled and it's mid-autumn. Still there are your ubitious surfer school peeps, the brave backpacking tourists and crazy cold water braving swimmers and sunners on the beach.
Got too hot rather quickly at the end of the walk so I decided to catch a bus back to town pronto instead of walking around the quaint shops of Bondi Beach... cept it was even hotter on the bus since it was packed so I got off at Bondi Junction and did my usual window shopping...
Got some glass air-tight containers to store food since they were 35% off, eyed a $169.99 down feather pillow going at 30% off but can't bare to plonk down so much since the 4 pillows I bought so far are write-offs... all of them give me either a sore neck or an aching back...
Did the usual magazine perusal with a Gloria Jeans Irish Creme flavoured Regular Iced Coffee with Soy milk... which was really bland and horrid and ended up giving me a bad headache, so called ABC to come pick me up instead of me making my way down to Pyrmont for BD dinner.
ABC cooked me an amazing Chicken, Mushroom and Leek pie... well 2 actually. One we ate for dinner and the other was given to me to take home!
Watched "How to Alienate and Lose Friends" which turned out to be not some slap-stick comedy but to have actually some depth and meaning. SG friends called to send their love and wishes. Do miss them HEAPS, I love you guys!!!
So here I am, back in my bed... satisfied that the beginning of this new decade is turning up to be an upper so far!
Cheers to all my friends & loved ones!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
TSSS
Was a last minute invite to the Tallis Scholars Summer School (TSSS) Gala concert tonight, it was really quite an awesome experience seeing these people had only 1 week to put it together and the first thing that struck me was the humongous range of ages of the participants. Sure there were your usual teenage youths but there was also your old grey haired needing walking aids aussie! Lifelong learning is definately alive here!
Okay, must admit the concert wasn't the highlight, it was the pre-concert dinner and post-concert celebrations... the un-official one that is! =P
Was at the Hughenden Hotel for dinner, apparently sitting outside was a bad choice since the summer buster was in full swing and our food had some added stuff brought upon by the winds. Which isn't such a bad thing since earlier on, I was literally baking in my room from the 40 degree heat!
We choose 3 entrees - An anti-pesto platter, duck patte with brioche and some salad with buffalo cheese thing which I advoided. Yum....
After the concert, we were off to Newtown for some drinks but since I was designated driver I only had my usual lemon-lime and bitters. Got the other 2 blokes to down some Long Island Black Tea. =O
Had to drive a manual E36 BMW 335i and those uphill starts are a killer!!! Nerve wrecking when there's stop-start traffic and them horribly quick signal changes. So relieved when we got to Kingscross for supper at Cafe Hernandaz. They're opened 24/7! Can just imagine them clubbers from Kingscross stopping over for a night-cap or caffeine boost just before errrm... an adrenaline dosed "night-cap". =P The cafe's really quite beautiful, if not hot inside. It was midnight and they were still roasting and grinding coffee!
Anyways, it was kinda weird for me, since ABC's guests was kinda inappropiate at times, I think I was invited back to stay over at Canberra for the Australia Day long weekend but I declined since there was some under table over affectionate that I deemed rather inappropiate... Oh well...
Still, thought my long weekend was going to be boring but today had been a full-on day must say!
Happy long weekend!
Okay, must admit the concert wasn't the highlight, it was the pre-concert dinner and post-concert celebrations... the un-official one that is! =P
Was at the Hughenden Hotel for dinner, apparently sitting outside was a bad choice since the summer buster was in full swing and our food had some added stuff brought upon by the winds. Which isn't such a bad thing since earlier on, I was literally baking in my room from the 40 degree heat!
We choose 3 entrees - An anti-pesto platter, duck patte with brioche and some salad with buffalo cheese thing which I advoided. Yum....
After the concert, we were off to Newtown for some drinks but since I was designated driver I only had my usual lemon-lime and bitters. Got the other 2 blokes to down some Long Island Black Tea. =O
Had to drive a manual E36 BMW 335i and those uphill starts are a killer!!! Nerve wrecking when there's stop-start traffic and them horribly quick signal changes. So relieved when we got to Kingscross for supper at Cafe Hernandaz. They're opened 24/7! Can just imagine them clubbers from Kingscross stopping over for a night-cap or caffeine boost just before errrm... an adrenaline dosed "night-cap". =P The cafe's really quite beautiful, if not hot inside. It was midnight and they were still roasting and grinding coffee!
Anyways, it was kinda weird for me, since ABC's guests was kinda inappropiate at times, I think I was invited back to stay over at Canberra for the Australia Day long weekend but I declined since there was some under table over affectionate that I deemed rather inappropiate... Oh well...
Still, thought my long weekend was going to be boring but today had been a full-on day must say!
Happy long weekend!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Fare thee well, 2008!
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3
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