Playfulness. Parent and Child. Taken near Paragon, Orchard Rd, Singapore. 

The view from my window. 

A picture speaks a thousand words

There was a saying, if I have remember correctly, and it goes: A picture speaks a thousand words.

Maybe this saying is a reminder that it is high time to put up some pictures on this blog. Furthermore, I have recently gotten myself an average digital camera. This camera will aid me in taking snap shots of the visual world around me. Without it, I probably won't have sufficient resources and capacity to put up pictures on this blog. Hopefully, I could do the camera some justice. My photography skills are merely that of a layman, I must profess. I shall try to improve as I go along. Please bear with me for the moment.

Thank goodness that I have managed to download the Hello software using my brother's laptop. I have had difficulties doing so on the personal computer that I usually use. That should help start me off with the task of uploading pictures onto this blog.

Having said all these, please be kind and patient with me and the photos that I would be sharing on this blog. I must say that though I may appear to be strong, hey, I can really have a "fragile heart". ^_<

Me and the double bass. We are in the orchestra pit of the University Cultural Centre. 

Guide to Understanding an INFJ

Reflecting upon my experiences, I think what could hurt me deep enough is to be misunderstood. And I suspect that when I feel misunderstood, I get so upset that I needed time-out to work through and process internally. At times of feeling misunderstood, my first instinct is to cut off with the external world.

At the same time, one thing that could make me pissed off is when I sense that someone is not making any attempt at all to try to understand me. I tend to have an instinctive reaction not to wish to communicate further. I think I needed time-out to process and wait for the time when I feel it is worth the effort to communicate again. Well, admittedly, I must say I ain't someone who can be understand easily.

My MBTI profile states that I am an INFJ. Of course, there is some slight chance of error, but until evidence points otherwise, it does appear quite an accurate profile.

This is a humble attempt to list down some resources which discuss the characteristics of an INFJ. While I don't necessary agree with all of the things that have been stated, the general characteristics of INFJ do appear to be a good start to understand an INFJ. I don't necessary possess all the characteristics in full degree, I suppose that is what MBTI terms as uniqueness within the same MBTI type.

Meantime, thank you for bearing with the technicalities on this post. Hope you could gain some insight to the personality of an INFJ like me.

• http://www.uta.fi/~kt22588/profile/profile.htm (Kalman's INFJ page)
• http://www.infj.com/INFJ_Handbook.htm (The INFJ Handbook)
• http://www.infj.org/infj-list.html (INFJ Mailing List)
• http://www.infj.org/infjcharacter.html (INFJ Characteristics - INFJ Mailing List)

And for your convenience, here some characteristics of INFJ taken from: http://www.infj.org/infjcharacter.html

• private
• sensitive
• quiet leaders
• great depth of personality - intricately and deeply woven, mysterious, and highly complex, sometimes puzzling even themselves
• introverted
• abstract in communicating
• live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities - part of an unusually rich inner life
• artistic (and natural affinity for art), creative, and easily inspired
• very independent
• orderly view towards the world but within themself arranged in a chaotic, complex way only they could understand

For those who know me personally, please do give me your comments as to how far you think the INFJ profile fits me. Thanks.

Infection. Again.

Sigh. I am down with infection again! The right side of my lower jaw has been swelling. It has been 4 weeks since my wisdom teeth removal, and it started swelling yesterday. Perhaps it has been swelling a few days earlier than that, but I had only noticed the swell yesterday.

I am not too sure if the swell could be attributed to my attempts to chew on the regular food. I have been on soft diet for 3 weeks after my wisdom teeth removal even though my dentist assured that I could go back to regular food from the sixth day after the removal. I guessed even if I could be faulted to be a little paranoid, I would rather go on soft diet for a few more days because it is admittedly harder to brush certain areas. But a week ago, my cautious side gave way. I went back to regular food now and then.

Today, I went to visit my dentist after work. My dentist told me the infection is likely a result of the fermentation of bits of food which got themselves stuck in the cavity of my jaw where my lower right wisdom tooth used to sit. He said there was pus when he had tried to inject the anaesthestic. He helped clear the pus. I am glad and relieved that the pus has been cleared. And now, I am once again on a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

My dentist shared with me how to clean the affected area so as to reduce the chance of another infection. I hope I won't have to go through another infection anytime soon. It just doesn't feel nice to be ill.

I suppose it is at those times when one is not at a good health that one appreciates the value of health. At other times, I think I would have taken health quite for granted. Maybe I must learn to internalise the maxim that health is precious.

Boring Sunday

It's Sunday. A boring Sunday, it seems, today. My jaw seems to swell a little. I ain't sure if it was due to the removal ofwisdom teeth that I have had about 4 weeks ago. There seems to be no mood to go anywhere. There is a sense of general tiredness, perhaps as a result of an overwhelming week that has just passed?

I went out to buy lunch an hour ago, but I don't have any intention to go anywhere beyond my neighbourhood. The air outdoor has not been fresh, and that has killed any slight temptation to go outdoor for longer than half an hour. So, here I am, back at home, writing this post.

Well, the good side of it is that this morning I have managed to more or less complete the slides for a presentation due about a week and a half later. This gives me a slight sense of accomplishment.

No clue do I have of how to spend the rest of the day. It is one of those days whereby my mind just hate to make any decision. Perhaps it is time to just give oneself the permission to idle, both mentally and physically? Yet, secretly, a part of my mind keeps nudging me with this thought: "Hey, it's Sunday, can't you go out and spend it more fruitfully? It's so boring to stay at home!". I suppose part of the mental fatigue that I have been experiencing since this morning could be attributed to the battle between these two different schools of thought that exist within one single person's mind: to idle, or to pack it with activities.

This could be the real dilemma of this seemingly boring Sunday. Who could be wise enough to determine what entails a fruitful day? I won't dare to say I am. Truly, I think I am feeling lost. What could I do? It is a Sunday.

(Anyway, hang on there, I told myself. It isn't that bad, and it will be over soon enough.)

Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, Live!

It is a pleasure to listen to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra play the Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto this evening. The best thing is that it is a live concert!

Playing on the piano for the concerto this evening is Dmitri Alexeev. While I wish the sound of the piano could be a little louder in volume so as to penetrate clearly through the sounds of the orchestra, I should say I pretty enjoyed the pianist's rendition of the Piano Concerto. Somehow, I have a special liking for this piano concerto. Perhaps this could partly be attributed to my positive experience playing this piano concerto with the NUS Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Konstanti Scherbakov. It is so fabulous to listen to this concerto live, I must say. A live version beats the recordings, in my humble opinion.

Somehow, I ain't sure if it is an issue of personal preference, I did not enjoy the Shostakovich's Symphony No 5. in D minor that was also featured in the same concert. Perhaps I don't quite know how to relate to this particular piece of symphony. Whatever it is, I am glad that I have caught the Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto live.

Tonight I play...

Tonight I played on the double bass. The one that is rightfully mine, kept in the premises of my own home. It has been a while since I have played on this double bass.

It feels nice to be able to play on it. Yet again, I secretly wish that it could have a more richer and "open" sound just like the double bass I have been playing on in the University orchestra. I am contemplating if I should keep playing on it and hoping that one day this double bass would be seasoned enough to give that rich, seasoned and "open" sound I have long yearned for. If my skills had been much much better, it may not have mattered what kind of double bass I am playing on. Anything will sound just as great. Of course, admittedly, a good instrument produces a good sound with less effort. Then again, skills of the player do play a part too.

I am not sure if I could wait that long. There is no guarantee that the more I play on this instrument, the more likely that it will sound the way I wish it could be. I often find myself entertaining the thought that one day I would find another master for this double bass, and I could find myself another double bass with a sound closer to what I wish to hear. I hope for a double bass that could produce a clear, rich, seasoned and open sound with minimal effort. Such is a double bass that could motivate me to practice longer and more effectively.

Now I just have to pray hard that I could find another double bass that would please my ears, and my playing. At the same time, I pray hard that I could find someone who is willing to then acquire my existing instrument for a good price. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please?

Penang: Pearl of the Orient

One of my good friends and I are planning for a trip to Penang later this year. I am looking forward to it. Perhaps with me tied down to work of late, I am looking forward to have a recharging vacation there. The trip is also meant to celebrate my pal's entry into the first quarter of a century. Hopefully, this will be a pleasant entry into the next phase of life for my pal.

Partly because I am largely visually-inclined, I had made sure that a map of Penang was purchased to help with navigation. Truly, I hope the map could have been more comprehensive. There wasn't much details about how to get places beyond Georgetown, capital of Penang. Maybe it would be nice if I could find a more comprehensive map there. But Alas, it is likely to be in Malay language, and then, it means that I will need to a Malay-English dictionary to help with the translation.

I wonder where are the good spots to go to when one is in Penang. My first instincts will be to check out the museums there. I heard that the Penang Hill is worth a visit too. Articles on Penang also seem to suggest that Penang is famous for its local cuisine, and one should not leave Penang without having sample some of these cuisines.

I shall invite the Bloggers community and all readers of this post who have been to Penang, or have sufficient knowledge about Penang to be contributors. Could you please help contribute some ideas about where could be worthwhile landmarks to visit in Penang? You are also welcome to contribute information about Penang that would be helpful in the planning of this trip of mine. Thank you very much for your attention and contributions.

Finding Balance in a Busy World

Lately, I have been feeling overwhelmed with work. There seems so many things to do, and yet there's only so much time to spare. I can feel my mind swirling at many times of the day. A sign of feeling overwhelmed and overloaded with too much thinking and work.

I suppose my best bet now is to find a way to attain a level of balance in this busy world that I am living in. Too much work, it can tire a person and may lead to insanity. Yet again, too little work, it can lead to boredom, a lack of satisfaction and a lack of good sense of purpose in one's life.

I am trying to reflect if I could have been more effective, and then working on the little steps to become more effective. There is a need to be productive, yet again, there is a need to bear in mind that time spent trying to do work is not equivalent to productivity. In fact when one tries to still stay in the office when one is feeling dead tired, thére's usually no productivity, but perhaps a false sense of security that one is trying hard to do something! Being wise to know when it should be time to stop and rest can help one find the time to recharge, and to continue to be productive the next day.

In such times when there is so much to do, I must be more conscious of my own MBTI profile. Being a "J", I must admit that I can have a tendency to wish to reach closure in the external world. There seems to be a tendency to wish to complete things in order to find a sense of relief. At such times, it helps to remind oneself, "Work can never be really done. More just keeps coming.", we are human beings, not human doings. There is certainly more in life than to complete the work at hand. Of course, it does not mean one should be irresponsible and not to do anything at all. It is simply a shift in focus that there is more to life than work, and well, we often need to lighten up a bit, and learn to accept that we can't do it all. So I have to consciously learn: When it is time to work, work; When it is time to play, play.

Maybe this blog is meant to be a pep talk for myself. I needed some encouragement and support admittedly. Some things just have to be done, but somehow it seems that I have been feeling out of sync because I feel that I am a little behind the pace that I have set for myself. I am not sure if I could have been too hard on myself, but I must admit I have more backlog and work on my hands than I could handle with poise.

Balance, learn to find that balance. I guess for the moment, I just have to hang on there, and hopefully, time will help, and things will get better slowly but surely?

Capturing good scenes: A quick press on the camera's button versus 10 minutes of quick sketching

Yesterday I went out and walk around the Esplanade and the Singapore River, and I have the pleasure to have a good friend as a company. It was nice to be out, I haven't really been to that part of Singapore for quite a while, ever since I had my wisdom teeth extracted. I was secretly thankful that my friend didn't utter a single word of complaint when I had to stand under the hot scorching sun (and she had to stand with me as there was no shelter nearby) to sketch a scene of the Fullerton Hotel.

Technology has certainly make the pace of life much faster. What could have used to take hours to complete, may take just a few seconds with the latest technology. In the long past when there was no plane, travelling from one country to another can proved to be an arduous journey, be it by foot or by marine vessels. With the advancement of science and technology, travelling across continents have become so much more easier than ages before.

I am a little envious that the camera has this power to capture a scene within a mere few seconds simply by pressing the button to trigger the camera's shutter. I was walking nearby the Esplanade and I wanted to sketch this scene of the Esplanade's famous "durian-like" dome with cladding. The process of starting a sketch will involve taking out my marker pen, flipping to a blank page on my sketch book, observe the scene, plan the composition, visualise how I would want the final product to look like, and then, start sketching.

Just when I had started sketching for less than a minute, a tourist walked near me, saw the pleasing looking scene, took out his camera, turned it on, chose a composition, made sure the lenses were focused on the right spot, press a button on his camera to release the shutter, and there he had a quick shot of the scene in less than a few seconds. Then he moved on. But I still had to stand where I was standing, to complete my sketch.

For the next five to ten minutes, I had to continue to complete my sketch of the scene. I had to constantly look up to see the Esplanade's dome, then look down onto my sketchbook to work on my sketch. What had taken the tourist a mere few seconds to capture using his camera, took me about ten minutes to do so by sketching.

Technology does do some wonder and add in some convenience. Yet again, sketching can be fun in itself despite it being a little more time-consuming. I find that by sketching an object, it forces one to observe and to concentrate. A good sketch could usually come only when the artist finds a way to connect with the scene, and then delivers the scene through his/ her sketching skills onto the sketch book. When I sketch, I find myself becoming more conscious of the lines, the curves that the scene chosen presents. I usually become more aware of the relationships between the various shapes and elements present within the chosen scene. Having to concentrate on the task of sketching and to attempt to find a way to connect with the scene, I often find myself more aware of some of the thoughts and feelings that passes through me while I am sketching. To some extent, I find that sketching can be rather therapeutic for myself. It allows me to direct my energies into something creative and constructive, and somehow urges me to find a way to connect with the environment I have chosen to sketch. I find that it is a nice experience to feel connected, and to be in touch with myself.

Do you have a similar experience to share?

At the same time, I am also tempted to try to learn photography at the advanced level. It is not that I want to stop sketching, it is just in hope to extend the range of medium that I could use to present some of my ideas through a visual manner. If you happen to have information about how to take good photographs, especially of night scenes, please keep me posted. Thank you in advance.

ART Z Scraps

ART Z Scraps

I chanced upon this blog that has several links to art-related website. I find some of the links to be rather informative.

I understand that the owner of this blog happens to be an artist with her own websites. To support or to view, click on this link: http://artzscraps.blogspot.com

I Passed ABRSM Grade 7!

Early this morning when I was still half asleep in bed, my mother who is going to leave for work uttered to me in my room, "Does this letter contain information regarding your exams results?". How could I be expected to jump up of the bed when I am just only half awake, and there isn't a life and death situation involved? So I thanked her and told her I will have a look at the letter when I am more awake.

I think I was quite interested to know the results anyway, so it took me just about ten minutes to get myself out of bed, and clear-headed enough to read the letter. Perhaps I wasn't fully awake when I first read the letter, I had difficulties knowing where to start. Then again, perhaps it is because this is the first time I ever took the ABRSM Exam and received an examination mark form.

I passed. For the ABRSM Double Bass Grade 7 Exams that I had taken about a month ago. This was a relief, I thought I might end up failing because I felt I had fared very poorly during the exams in the scales and arpeggios section.

I was right, I needed two marks more before I could pass for the scales and arpeggios section. The examiner commented in the mark form that "the playing wanted more fluency and accuracy". This is a clear lesson for me to take that I should spend more time with scales and arpeggios to be more ready and fluent in playing them. I have procastinated. I have yet to start on practising scales and arpeggios since the end of the examinations. I think I needed some kind of pep talk.

My best performed piece among the three programmes that I had played in the exams was the Marcello's Sonata in G minor (For String Bass and Piano). Possibly, one of my friends could be right: The more one likes a piece a music, the more one would practise it, and the better it would sound. It seems that the moral of the story is Practice makes Perfect, and Play the music that you like if you want to play better?

Then again, I think there are still areas to improve on for the Marcello's Sonata. According to the examiner as indicated on the mark form, in the Largo section, "the tone wants to keep flowing more readily thoughout the phrases to give a more shapely, expansive line". As for the Allegro section, it "was energetically presented, not always focused in the one, but rhythmic and finding some lively shaping".

For the Jacob's A Little Concerto, my friend who played for me as the piano accompanist during the exams was right, somehow I haven't done as much vibrato as I could have. This friend of mine certainly learns fast. I think she has picked up the ear to listen out for vibrato on the double bass after just two practice sections with me and my double bass tutor. Whatever it is, I am very very thankful for her kind help in playing the accompanient for me. She is an encouragaging piano accompanist who listens and accompanies well, and yet will dare to strict enough with me to make sure I work on my rhythms and pitch.

Credits also go to my double bass tutor. I think he has taught me well, albeit I still have a way to go in achieving all the suggestions he has had on how I could better play and deliver the three programmes and the scales. Many thanks to him for his kind patience and inspiring guidance.

For the sight reading section, it was a borderline pass. This is one other area for me to work on with more effort.

Strangely, though I thought I may fail for the aural test due to the limited aural training that I had prior to the exams, I passed. Well, I supposed the few days that I had spent just before the exams to work on the aural did help afterall.

Last but not the least, while I was pleasantly relieved and pleased to pass, I couldn't help but to think that if I had done better in the scales and arpeggios and sight-reading with more practice, I might have passed with a merit. Oh well, maybe it is human nature to wish for more. The best I could do is to be contented with the results and put in more effort in practising the double bass. Only then, could I play good music, and enjoy the music-making process.

So much so on my ABRSM music exams results. Hopefully the certificate will be on its way soon.