Alright, I like this article a lot. Afternoon naps improve memory... This may explain why my recital prep works.. I warm up and practice a little in the morning or early afternoon. Usually it would be followed by lunch and I'll study the score one last time. I must have a good nap. It's a blessing to be relaxed enough to sleep before a recital. :)
Goodness! It looks like this year is going to be an adventure. Some pretty interesting turn of events. I'm dancing or doing something for "Dancing with the Stars" UA version in late Feb?? Hahaha. Justin has already kidded me as to whether I'll take up acting next. Means I'll have to practice seriously and those leather shoes better be here soon. Semester in China is coming up in the fall. All the prep work for that.. I'm forcing myself to speak Mandarin at the Chinese restaurants here. Who would have known huh?
Signing off one last time as a 27-yr-old ;D
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
My Fruitcake Recipe *laughs*
Ok ok I know .. I'm sorry to those of you who were expecting a fruitcake from me. Since I usually start the planning process during Thanksgiving, I didn't this year. I was down in Gulf Shores at the beach. I bought all the ingredients though but never made it. Life got real crazy with two last minute gigs and lots of accompanying. Here it is adapted from my godma's recipe.. in a typical Gloria sort of way:
Fruit Cake Recipe
1. 4 cups (675g) mixed fruit & nuts: red & green cherries chopped, black & golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts etc.
2. ¼ cup mixed peel: orange, lemon rind fresh (Don’t use candied citron!)
3. ½ cup dark rum (Myers Jamaican is my preference) or peach brandy
4. 1-2 tsb plain flour
5. Two sticks of butter softened (250g)
6. 1 cup brown sugar
7. ¼ cup of light corn syrup
8. ¼ cup marmalade
9. 1 tsp vanilla essence
10. 3 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
11. 1 ¼ cups of plain flour
12. 1 heaped tsp of baking powder
13. 2 tsb mixed spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
14. pinch of salt
15. 2 loaf pans & wax paper to line
16. Extra pan for water
17. Foil to wrap
Directions:
1. Macerate mixed fruit and peel with dark rum or peach brandy in a large bowl and cover. If possible, let it stand overnight.
2.Cream butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, marmalade and vanilla essence together. Beat until fluffy.
3. Whisk eggs lightly in separate bowl.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, mixed spices and salt together.
5. Pre-heat oven to 300 F.
6. Add eggs and flour to batter alternately.
7. Dust fruit mixture with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
8. Add fruit mixture to batter a little at a time. Stir to mix evenly.
9. Line 2 loaf pans (4x10) or 3 smaller foil ones 3X6.. with greased wax paper. Tip: Save the butter wrapper to grease paper.
10. Pour batter into pans.
11. Place a pan of water in the oven. Bake in top rack of oven for 50-60 mins at 300F. If cake browns before it’s done, cover sides with foil.
12. Check cake by poking a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
13. When cake is done, remove from oven & let it cool in the pan. Brush top of cake with rum.
14. When it is totally cool, remove cake from pan and place on piece of foil. Brush all sides of cake with rum and cover with foil. Place in fridge or cool place.
15. Brush rum again the next day.
16. Let the cake sit for a few days to a week and THEN enjoy!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
True Hero Ignored...
A family friend of ours lost their son, Kerk Zi On and this was ignored by the Malaysian press altogether. He is being recommended for the National Bravery Award for saving the life of a complete stranger and losing his in return. His parents were part of the organizing committee for the recital series in Malaysia two summers ago.
Dec 30, 2007 Letter from Zi On's Parents
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Dec 7, 2007 - THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.Zi-On Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Zi-Lu Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own."He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears."He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile"."He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Tan said.She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland."We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Tan said.
Mr Keng said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.Inspector Mark Jones said Zi-On's family would accompany water police to Moreton Island tomorrow to view the search area.
Dec 30, 2007 Letter from Zi On's Parents
-------------
Dec 7, 2007 - THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.Zi-On Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Zi-Lu Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own."He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears."He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile"."He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Tan said.She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland."We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Tan said.
Mr Keng said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.Inspector Mark Jones said Zi-On's family would accompany water police to Moreton Island tomorrow to view the search area.
Dance and I
I have been thinking about this subject for the past few months. I wonder how directly or indirectly dancing has influenced my piano playing. I finally had the chance to review the video recording of the last recital in Winfield. I couldn't help but notice the motions and timing of the phrases. Of course, they have been consciously (theoretically and historically studied) planned but often times the actual performance is not what I intended. For the first time, the outcome matched my intentions. Certainly in the playing the piano, I could take on another character but often times I am unwilling to let myself do it.
I wonder whether the long hidden extrovert is finally coming alive again. I think I have suppressed that side of me for sometime now. I know for sure dancing has given me a great outlet and enlarged my circle of friends here in AL. It has improved my coordination and keeps me in better shape. It takes a certain amount of self-confidence and courage to get on the dance floor when it's not contra! If my former roomie is correct, I love attention but hate to admit it. I guess if I do enjoy performing, it means about the same thing. :)
I don't really have a favorite dance. I really enjoy contra because it involves a whole group and it is not exclusive. You end up dancing with everyone and it doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has a great time. I like a good partner who can swing properly, I don't mind a fast twirl. Even though it looks like everyone is doing the same thing, a lot of us improvise within the dance. When it gets close to recital time, I wear my wrist brace to contra since some people don't allemande properly. I like Celtic and bluegrass music for down time so it's my cup of tea.
Ballroom is a different game .. I like it for different reasons. It's more ... like my former dean said.. "even your leisure time is structured!". I guess I'll get to wear my recital dresses more often, although at times I just don't want to be dressed up. I have found out that people watch other people on the dance floor. Scary! Half the time I don't know what I'm doing. Oops.. I'm not allowed to say I don't know how to dance anymore. I get asked often so maybe I do know how to dance. I have been blessed with the opportunity to dance with good partners. Most of my lessons occur on the dance floor. One thing I know, if he leads, I'll follow. (It would be frustrating to dance with someone who doesn't.) It's been a good experience coming out of my shell.
In the meantime, I'll have fun turning every pair of shoes upside down to find leather soles ;)
I wonder whether the long hidden extrovert is finally coming alive again. I think I have suppressed that side of me for sometime now. I know for sure dancing has given me a great outlet and enlarged my circle of friends here in AL. It has improved my coordination and keeps me in better shape. It takes a certain amount of self-confidence and courage to get on the dance floor when it's not contra! If my former roomie is correct, I love attention but hate to admit it. I guess if I do enjoy performing, it means about the same thing. :)
I don't really have a favorite dance. I really enjoy contra because it involves a whole group and it is not exclusive. You end up dancing with everyone and it doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has a great time. I like a good partner who can swing properly, I don't mind a fast twirl. Even though it looks like everyone is doing the same thing, a lot of us improvise within the dance. When it gets close to recital time, I wear my wrist brace to contra since some people don't allemande properly. I like Celtic and bluegrass music for down time so it's my cup of tea.
I would love to dance some more international folk. I know it would help my sense of rhythm when it comes to changing meters and assymetric rhythms. I finally feel comfortable with 5/8 and 7/8 time signatures after the sessions with Daniela Ivanova. This would definitely help my sight-reading at the piano. Hopefully, I can teach some of these to my world music students.
Ballroom is a different game .. I like it for different reasons. It's more ... like my former dean said.. "even your leisure time is structured!". I guess I'll get to wear my recital dresses more often, although at times I just don't want to be dressed up. I have found out that people watch other people on the dance floor. Scary! Half the time I don't know what I'm doing. Oops.. I'm not allowed to say I don't know how to dance anymore. I get asked often so maybe I do know how to dance. I have been blessed with the opportunity to dance with good partners. Most of my lessons occur on the dance floor. One thing I know, if he leads, I'll follow. (It would be frustrating to dance with someone who doesn't.) It's been a good experience coming out of my shell.
In the meantime, I'll have fun turning every pair of shoes upside down to find leather soles ;)
Christmas & the new year 2008
Where did the year go? I guess it's Happy New Year 2008... To those of you whom I didn't manage to send a Christmas newsletter to, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! There are many things for me to look forward to this year. There will be several firsts and new opportunities for me. As with the new and unknown, there will also be many challenges ahead.
I am continuing to teach music appreciation and world music this spring semester. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed with planning the world music class. I have too many ideas right now and haven't figured out the course outline. Our dept has also decided to include more classroom technology for music appreciation so I'm spending quite a bit of time learning to manage this. At least, all the paperwork for this class is finished. That's the teacher side of me.
The student part: ... hooray.. no more music classes!! I won't be graduating this semester as I originally planned. A mistake in the filing deadlines has put me behind. With this setback comes a great opportunity to spend a semester in Beijing this fall. I am very excited about this possibility. Going to China would also allow me to spend my entire summer & also eventually Christmas in Malaysia. :) Since I have no obligations in the US, I am taking this chance now to spend almost 7 months in Asia.... reverse culture shock is going to hit me. It would be good to utilize the Chinese I learned a long time ago and do some research in China.
As for the piano, I'm learning a new program for my final recital. After playing the 40 min Schubert, everything seems short (no offense to anyone). I intend to have all the pieces memorized this semester and play the recital after I return from Beijing. I will have a more technically challenging recital this time. Some of the pieces on the program include Beethoven's Sonata in E minor op. 90, Schumann's Papillons op. 2, Tcherepnin's Five Chinese Concert Etudes and yes, yes, I know... I'm giving in.. Chopin's Barcarolle!
Other developments:
- I have finally given in to the mp3 player and digital camera craze. I'm definitely not a technophobe since I maintain the dept's equipment. I just didn't want to spend the money on it.
- I'm dancing way more than I have (or should perhaps). I have several invitations to check out some dance groups.. swing, international folk, contra, & ballroom. I went to a contradance on New Year's Eve and ended up dancing a waltz followed by a polka to usher in the new year. Fun!
- I am still looking for piano students and will try to teach with some of the music schools here. I think it is time I came out of piano teaching hibernation.
I am continuing to teach music appreciation and world music this spring semester. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed with planning the world music class. I have too many ideas right now and haven't figured out the course outline. Our dept has also decided to include more classroom technology for music appreciation so I'm spending quite a bit of time learning to manage this. At least, all the paperwork for this class is finished. That's the teacher side of me.
The student part: ... hooray.. no more music classes!! I won't be graduating this semester as I originally planned. A mistake in the filing deadlines has put me behind. With this setback comes a great opportunity to spend a semester in Beijing this fall. I am very excited about this possibility. Going to China would also allow me to spend my entire summer & also eventually Christmas in Malaysia. :) Since I have no obligations in the US, I am taking this chance now to spend almost 7 months in Asia.... reverse culture shock is going to hit me. It would be good to utilize the Chinese I learned a long time ago and do some research in China.
As for the piano, I'm learning a new program for my final recital. After playing the 40 min Schubert, everything seems short (no offense to anyone). I intend to have all the pieces memorized this semester and play the recital after I return from Beijing. I will have a more technically challenging recital this time. Some of the pieces on the program include Beethoven's Sonata in E minor op. 90, Schumann's Papillons op. 2, Tcherepnin's Five Chinese Concert Etudes and yes, yes, I know... I'm giving in.. Chopin's Barcarolle!
Other developments:
- I have finally given in to the mp3 player and digital camera craze. I'm definitely not a technophobe since I maintain the dept's equipment. I just didn't want to spend the money on it.
- I'm dancing way more than I have (or should perhaps). I have several invitations to check out some dance groups.. swing, international folk, contra, & ballroom. I went to a contradance on New Year's Eve and ended up dancing a waltz followed by a polka to usher in the new year. Fun!
- I am still looking for piano students and will try to teach with some of the music schools here. I think it is time I came out of piano teaching hibernation.
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