Monday, March 29, 2010

Alice in Wonderland

Yesterday, I took time to watch Alice in Wonderland (the 3D version). The movie kind of stretched my imagination.

At the end of the day, the message that I get is that we live our lives, and we have the power to decide and choose for ourselves. It reminded me of the theme of the search for one's destiny. Overall, this is quite a thought-provoking movie. It is entertaining too.

Now I wished I had the patience to read from cover to cover Lewis Carroll's original book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when I had a copy of it when I was younger.

Here's a link to a trailer.

Monday, March 15, 2010

This week: The concert


NUS Symphony Orchestra
Presents
Romantic Fantastique
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall
Date: Friday 19th March 2010
Time: 7.30 pm

Featuring multi-award recipient Natasha Liu on the cello, the NUS Symphony Orchestra will bring you Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, a composition known for its charm and grace.

Led by conductor Lim Soon Lee, the orchestra will also perform the popular Symphonie Fantastique composed by Hector Berlioz, one of the most important works of the Romantic period. The audience can look forward to an exciting musical journey as it unfolds the various episodes of an artist's life.

Tickets: $12(stall), $15(circle)

For more details, visit www.nusso.org

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I personally thinks that Natasha Liu plays well on the cello. You may also like to listen to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

One of my favourite places for breakfast

This morning, I met one of my good friends, Mystic, for breakfast. We had breakfast at Dome Singapore Art Museum.

I like the very fact that this cafe serves breakfast, every morning. More importantly, it is situated just next to the Singapore Art Museum. This means that if I could conveniently treat myself to visual treats after a lovely serving of breakfast.

If you are like me and find that the sounds of church bells have calming effects, you will be treated several different kinds of church bells if you were to be seated at the outdoor seating area of Dome Singapore Art Museum. At least that was my experience when I was there having breakfast this morning. If one is lucky, one can also hear the soothing voices from church choirs singing in a distance. Then if I pay attention, I could hear the gentle voice of the breeze caressing the leaves of the nearby trees. An auditory treat.

For breakfast, I ordered the Muesli, Fresh Fruit, Honey & Yoghurt. It was a healthy choice and I was happy with it. The serving is generous, and I felt pretty satisfied after having it. I could have been so relaxed that I didn't even think of taking photographs of the food.

Many thanks to Mystic for her kind company over breakfast. She helped gave me some invaluable inputs and much listening ear. I hope she may find relief and peace.

Summing up, if you like visual arts and love breakfast,  Dome Singapore Art Museum is one place to consider.

****


Dôme Singapore Art Museum
71 Bras Basah Road
#01-01 Singapore Art Museum
Singapore 189555
Tel : 6339 0792 / Fax : 6339 0287
8.30am to 10.30pm (Sun - Thurs & PH)
8.30am to 11pm (Fri, Sat & Eve of PH)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

101 Guide to the Instruments of the Orchestra

If you are interested to learn about the various instruments of the orchestra, you may like to check out this concert.

NUS Symphony Orchestra
12 Mar 2010, 8pm
UCC Courtyard
Free Admission

What makes up an orchestra? Ever wondered how the various instruments sound when played on their own? You'll have fun finding that out at this concert.

Each section of instruments perform an item, showcasing their distinctive melodies and sound. Be captivated by the warm tone of the woodwinds, the majesty of the brasses, the power of the strings and the versatility of the percussions, and hear how these contrasting voices weave together a wonderful tapestry of sound!

Monday, March 08, 2010

Read: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

John Izzo
(2008)
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die
Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

This was the book that I had been reading for the past three weeks while I was commuting on the public transport and while I was waiting in queues. I felt that reading the book was like listening to the guidance of many wise elders sharing with me how they have led life in a meaningful way, with happiness and purpose.

In short, if I understood correctly, the author and his team interviewed 234 people ranging from age 59 to 105 years old who have been identified by others as people who had found happiness and purpose.

I find the findings from the many interviews to be very insightful. The author's findings suggest that the five secrets to living a life of happiness and purpose are as follow:

1) Be true to oneself
2) Live a life of no regrets (taking more risks)
3) Become love (love more)
4) Live the moment
5) Give more than one takes.

Aside from this five secrets, I've also learnt from this book that happy people are not afraid to die. The thing is that when people have lived wisely, they will not fear death, but will accept death as part of life. Strangely, this concept reminds me of the Egyptian. The Egyptian, as best as I know, embraces death. Actually, I think they also live pretty wise and good lives if I were to compare them with their contemporaries.

One very consoling point that was highlighted in the book was that it is never too late to live the secrets. So here I am, taking steps to learn and practice the secrets.

This book is written in a very accessible way. It is a book that is worth a place in one's collection of books as it serves a constant reminder to the secrets to a happy and meaningful life.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Spread the Love



I was reading an article from Karl's Blog.com entitled Spread the Love. Karl the author proposes that his readers' mission for today is to go out and share the love!

Here's beautiful ixora flower for all of you and myself included. May it brighten your day.

I shall also share one thing that was lovely today. During my double bass lesson today, I felt inspired when my tutor played several beautiful double bass solos during the class when I asked for suggestions on what repertoire I could work on to improve techniques and musicality. I felt like a sponge absorbing the beauty of the music played on the double bass. My tutor also reminded me the value of hours of good practice. Good practice sets the conditions that are necessary to create beautiful music.

So as you receive this image of the ixora, please also imagine that the image is accompanied by beautiful music. May you have a lovely day blessed with love and joy.