Hainan 2006, et cetera

I figured that I might have missed posting some of the not-too-bad photos from my trip to Hainan last November, so here's a post with more photos to share.


My grandmother's neighbours from the village. I heard that they are also my distant relatives.


The hammocks


The house


My grandmother's neighbour's vicinity.


My grandmother's neighbour's vicinity.


The yard


The drain. There was no sink in the premises of the house, and the folks (including yours truly who was a visitor) brushed my teeth right next to this drain.


Looking towards the door to the kitchen


Firewood


The countryside









For all my cat-loving readers: This cat kept avoiding me, so I was very lucky to even get a snapshot of it.


Enjoy the sights of Hainan meantime.

Music enriches and inspires

On An Overgrown Path has a noteworthy post titled: Music can be magic, it enriches and inspires.

I totally agree that:

Music can be magic. It calls for and calls forth all human virtues: imagination, discipline, teamwork, determination. It enriches and inspires.

Check the post out to find out more about the Music Manifesto.

On 20 Jan 2007: Social Worker's Day

Tomorrow, on the 20 Jan 2007, is the inaugural Singapore Social Workers’ Day 2007. There would probably be quite a bit of media coverage on this event. Already this morning, I read an article on one of the Chinese newspapers about one social worker and her undying passion for the profession.

I shall take this chance to point to readers a URL that pays tribute to pioneer social workers for their achievements and contributions to the profession. Let's appreciate their contributions: http://www.sasw.org.sg/swday/appreciate.html

Edited (on 20 Jan 2007): The Straits Times has a 7-page Special Report on social work profession. Get a copy of The Straits Times dated 20 Jan 2007.

Bye Hainan

(Hainan, Nov 2006)

While writing about my trip to Hainan, I realised that I hadn't take much photographs at Haikou. It seems that the novelty of village life had got me to take lots of photographs as mementos. Furthermore, I didn't seem to like the life in a busy city. I figured that I prefer life in the sub-urbs than the cities.

On 12 Nov 2006, my parents and I did some shopping. I have no interest to share with you about the shopping experience because I don't have a fancy for shopping in general (except shopping for books, and double bass related stuffs).

Before I knew it, I found myself waking up early in the morning of 13 Nov 2006. My parents and I checked out of the hotel, and took a taxi to Meilan Airport about 15 minutes ride away.





I realised that for passengers taking international flights from Meilan Airport, it isn't quite worth the effort to come too early (e.g. two hours before the departure time). One can't check in one's baggages until a specific time (about 45 minutes before departure). My parents and I were spending our time waiting. But then again, we were thankful that we were at the airport a little earlier, because there were already a queue waiting to check in baggages at about 1 hour 10 minutes before the departure time.

Before I knew it, I was back in Singapore.

It was fairly pleasant onboard Tiger Airways. I won't mind taking Tiger Airways in the future. However, I think a bit more could be done to help make Tiger Airways more friendly for the elderly, especially when the folks have to get down the plane at the Budget Terminal, Singapore.

The overhead bridges in Haikou

(Hainan, Nov 2006)

I could not help but pay some attention to the overhead bridges in Haikou. I have not seen similar sights at the overhead bridges in Singapore.

In Singapore, it would be almost impossible for me to find people setting up make-shift stalls to put things up on sale along the pathways of the overhead bridges. However, in Haikou (and many other parts of China), folks selling things on the overhead bridges are fairly common sights.










Occasionally, one can see people without limbs lying down on a corner of the pathway of the overhead bridges, begging for money. I observed that some of these beggars would have write out in Chinese characters the reasons why they were appealing for money.

I didn't mind donating money to the beggars, but I was very wary about doing so as I have had heard tales of syndicates that maim its victims limbs so that its victims could beg and generate income for the syndicate, at the victims' plight. It is a strange world, where acts of kindness to donate to people who seem to be in need actually encourage illegal syndicates to continue to do further harm. I wonder if China has any social welfare services to reach out to the deserving people who truly need help?

For your information, most of the beggars and folks selling things on the overhead bridges were very wary of people taking photos of them. As such, please lower your expectations of the photographs on this post.

I was also quite fascinated with the structures of the overhead bridges in Haikou. I rarely see those kind of overhead bridges right here in Singapore. Most of the overhead bridges have narrow but wide-enough ramp-like pathways just next to the stairways to allow bicycles and trolleys to travel up and down the overhead bridges at greater ease. I think this is quite a good design.

The next time when you visit the city of Haikou (or any cities in China), do take a closer look at the overhead bridges.

Lunch: 12 Nov 2006

(At Hainan)

After the visit to the Five Officials' Temple, my cousin led us to take a bus to head for a place for lunch.

According to what I had heard from my parents, we were heading to a part of Haikou city where the largest shopping mall in Haikou was located. I figured that while this mall may be the largest at that point in time, it would soon be replaced by yet more larger malls. I could confidently say so because I could see quite a couple of constructions going on in the city of Haikou, and one site was supposedly constructing a shopping mall that would be next largest shopping mall in Haikou. I could not help but feel how fast progress could be made.

Anyway, I remember that my aunt was feeling very hungry that day. The first task of that afternoon was to find a place for lunch. We ended up in a restaurant that sells Hunan food. I love the yam and the sauce that came with the fish. The vegetables tasted yummy too. I love vegetables that taste nice.

I couldn't help but to share a few of the photos of the lunch with you.




My dad had wanted to pay for the lunch, but my dear cousin insisted on treating us to the lunch. He shouldn't have, though. But thanks cousin.

Bus Services in Singapore in the 1960s

Yesterday.sg points us to a post by Good Morning Yesterday, and readers can look forward to take a peep into how the bus services in Singapore was like in the 1960s.

Check the post out here: Masuk Dalam, Masuk Dalam.

And find out what “Masuk Dalam! Masuk Dalam!” means.

The crazy sing-aloud gal

Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not
Good enough for anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing a song

- Sing
Produced by Karen and Richard Carpenter
Written by Joe Raposo
Published by Jonico Music, Inc. (ASCAP)


My mind has been feeling tired for much of today. In addition to sleeping late last night, I woke up early at about 5.50 a.m. today. In hope of beating the fatigue spells, I have been singing out aloud on various occasions. I didn't sing songs with lyrics, but instead I found myself singing tunes from excerpts from several well-known Symphonies, and from the works that I have been practising on the double bass.

At the beginning of this post, you will find part of the lyrics of Sing. If I am not wrong, it is one of the Sesame Street's sing-a-long. I like its bittersweet mood, and particularly, Karen Carpenter's beautiful voice.

**
I had double bass lesson this evening. My tutor went through Marcello's Sonata in G major, and the first three-quarters of Faure's Sicilienne today. I am beginning to love the third movement Grave of Marcello's Sonata in G major. The notes seem quite easy, but it is actually a very difficult movement to play well. But I like the challenge, and I have a liking for melancholic tunes. I am developing a liking for this sonata, even though I usually prefer sonata in minor key than in major key.

When it was time to practise Faure's Sicilienne, I was eager to learn how to play it more expressively. Sicilienne has such a beautiful melody, and the challenge is to play it musically. I like the tune and I realised that I started humming it fairly loud when I was travelling home in the MRT train.

Well folks, the next time that you hear someone sing aloud in the MRT train, please bear with the person. Maybe he or she is just like me, feeling too enthuasiastic over a tune that rings in her mind, and couldn't help but sing aloud. Oh yes, maybe the person who is singing out aloud isn't crazy, but she just feel like doing crazy things.

Folks, if you have a tune that you are burning to sing, "Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear. Just sing, sing a song."

Going nuts but there are things to be thankful for

A double bass bridge

Midnight ramblings:

I live in a world
Which isn't exactly meant for me
I don't wish to fit in
Ask not that the world change itself for me
I only ask that I be allowed
To co-exist with the people in this world
And find something worth living for

***
Wednesday, is a day to look forward to as there is usually double bass sectional and orchestra rehearsal. I have been practising from 6 p.m. to about 9.20 p.m. on the double bass, but the long hours on the double bass did not kill my interest in the double bass. I felt good over the fact that I didn't have to be the only double bassist playing for the rehearsal today. For several of the past orchestra rehearsal, I was one of the few around playing. Today, the double bass section has a commendable strength of four!

Maybe I am going nuts. At 11.50 p.m., I decided to start practising on the double bass. At such late hours of the night, the best way for yours truly to remain a fairly considerate neighbour while still being able to practise on the double bass is to use a practice mute. If you have no idea how it looks like, please click on this link. Basically, I would place the practice mute directly onto the bridge of the double bass. Doing so dampens the sound of the double bass by about half.

I was work out the fingerings for one of the passages from Faure's Sicilienne. Earlier today, Emily (who also plays the double bass) gave me some insights to the fingerings to that passage, and I was eager to try it out on the double bass. Hey, it felt good to have a better sense of how to play that particular passage. I stopped at about 12.15 a.m., since I figured it was getting late (and I was getting tired). I hope to work on that passage again for my double bass classes tomorrow.

Although my behaviours are now starting to manifest the many streaks of craziness in me (e.g. playing the double bass at wee hours of the night), there are things to be thankful for:
1) Emily showed me how to play that passage from Faure's Sicilienne.
2) Emily corrected and reminded me the more appropriate direction where I should draw my (down) bow towards.
3) My dear conductor gave me a DVD recording of the concert on 10 Jan 07. It is so kind of him. I felt very touched that he actually remembers my request to him.

Now, I have ask for my brother's permission to use his laptop (which has a DVD player, and recorder) to view the recording sometime soon.

The next task to do will be to find out how to edit away other segments and cut out that segment of our double bass quartet performance so as to put it up online. Emily also wants a screen-shot of the recording of the performers playing her Suicidal Tendencies.

Does anyone know how to do these? Please advise. I will be most grateful. Thanks in advance.

4) Another thing to be grateful of: The rain had stopped when I was about to leave for home after a night of rehearsal.

Overcoming the fatigue bug

The "humming queen" continues to hum her way through much of the day, in hope to beat the fatigue bug. The emotional fatigue with the world whose pace is different from mine.

Last night, I declared myself the practising freak in my block. Today, I shall declare as the crazy lady who tries to beat the fatigue bug. The physical and mental fatigue from having worked about 12 hours today in office. By the way, social workers' day is coming this Saturday, on 20 Jan 2007. I wonder what the media would have to say then about this profession that yours truly is in.

When I was back, my body physically protested at my intentions to practise on the double bass. My target is to practise 15 minutes per day, for at least 4 days per week. Once I sat on the chair near my personal computer, my body just felt so comfortable with the chair that it felt like sitting there forever. But, wait a minute, I have planned to practise on the double bass! A normal chair is too low to sit on for playing the double bass.

After much tensions between the body and the mind, I was standing up next to my double bass (whom I affectionately address as my husband), and I started tuning it. Next step was to play the C major scales. And it was already 11 p.m. when I started out playing the C major scales.

While I started playing selected sections from the Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, my body was already sending me signals that my mind is on its verge of blanking out from fatigue. But my mind was shouting that I want to be disciplined and at least practise 15 minutes today. So I decided to adjust my practising plans. Instead of playing "The Storm" movement from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony (which I think requires a lot of concentration to play), I practised on some other passages from this symphony.

Then I went on to play selected passages from Sibelius'Second Symphony just to get the fingerings more registered into my mind. Yeah, I have managed to work one tricky passage out, I hope. I particularly like practising the last section from Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture, for I realised I have to play on three different strings within the duration of one single bar.

Before I knew it, it was 11.30 p.m. I decided to be kind to myself, and stopped the practice for the day. I have had enough practice for the day to prime my fingers for the orchestra-rehearsals tomorrow evening.

By the way, in case you aren't aware, I will be playing in a concert held on 16 Mar 2007 (Fri), at NUS, University Cultural Centre, Hall. Please click on this link for more details.

Now, I think I shall go to bed soon. Good night folks. Sleep tight.

The practising freak in my block

There's a practising freak living in my block, and that could be me!

It was a long work day today. I only reached home sometime after 10 p.m. After reaching home and taking my shower, I started practising on the double bass from 10.55 p.m. I started with a simple C major scale, then the rest of the time was spent practising the melody for Pachelbel's Canon in D major, scored for a double bass quartet, arranged by David Heyes

Folks, if you hear a rumbling bass sound at the night, it could be me practising, and I could be your neighbour. Isn't the world so very small?

I decided to be a considerate neighbour and had put on a practice mute on my double bass tonight. The practice mute helps to dampen the sound of the double bass. It also reduced the amount of vibrations from the double bass so that the double bass does not resonate as much as it usually would.

While I don't particularly like the sound of a muted double bass (it sounds like a double bass having a bad case of flu and blocked nose), having a practice mute helped me to be a considerate neighbour. Hopefully, by putting a practice mute, my neighbours would be willing to bear with my playing even after midnight. If they could bear with the playing, I figured that I will have no trouble practising even during the wee hours in the future.

Anyway, I was too tired from the work day to play beyond midnight today. I stopped practising at 11.20 p.m., but yeah, I have managed to practise at least 15 minutes without much effort. Pachelbel's Canon in D major has some beautiful melody lines, and I hope to master it one day.

Aside from being a practising freak, I may soon earn the reputation of the "humming queen", but I shalln't care. I just want to test out what would be suitable ways to articulate and express some of the tunes ringing in my head.

Maybe I have too much within me to express, I kept humming out aloud the tune from Faure's Sicilienne when I was at my work cubicle today. I kept humming the tune even on my way to lunch and to dinner, and back from lunch and dinner.

If I was not humming Faure's Sicilienne, I could be humming Rachmaninoff's Vocalise for today. If you would like to hear how Vocalise sounds, you may click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqgkR1_eLQ for a rendition of it, not by me, but by jcobalis. I think he has played marvellously well on the double bass. I won't mind if he were to be one of the practising freaks living in my block.

Meantime, wishing you a pleasant night, and may the practising freaks (if any) living nearby you play you some beautiful music to soothe you to a good sleep.

I am now feeling sleepy and bottled-up.

Week Two of 2007 on the doublebass

Earlier this year, I strived to practise at least four days per week, for at least 15 minutes on each of the days. I have achieved this goal for the week two of the year 2007.

Since I consider Sunday as the first day of the week, let me start writing about 7 Jan 2007. I can't exactly remember what I had practised on that day, but I remember that I definitely had spent at least 15 minutes practising Emily's Suicidal Tendencies, and not forgetting, the double bass solo part for Tchaikovsky's Neopolitanian Dance (from "Swan Lake").

**

On 8 Jan 2007, I had taken half-a-day of leave of work hoping to find time to practise, but my practice hours were dramatically reduced because of the "missing double bass". Thank goodness that it was "lost and found". Anyway, I practised at least 20 minutes on my own (on one of the orchestra's other double basses) before 6 p.m., the supposedly time to start the quartet rehearsal.

Quartet rehearsal started later than scheduled, but I was practising on the double bass while waiting, except for a few short breaks that I had taken. Rehearsal only ended at 9.30 p.m., but after I settled the missing bass issue with the person responsible for it, I continued to practise for a very short while. Conservatively, I would have practised at least 3 hours on the double bass that day, if not, more.

***
9 Jan 2007: Tuesday, I took half-a-day leave in the afternoon to practise. The main objective for my practice that day was to work on playing Emily's Suicidal Tendencies. I also spent some time practising Dragonetti's Solo in e minor though not too long. G major scale has become part of my regular warm-up regime, so it was definite that I had played at least 10 minutes of G major scale.

I can't remember how long I had spent practising that day, but it was definitely more than 15 minutes.

**
10 Jan 2007: Wednesday was the day of the concert. In the morning, I had spent quite some time playing G major scales and Emily's Suicidal Tendencies. About close to an hour, I think.

In the afternoon, since I had arrived way before the scheduled time for loading the double basses onto the lorry, I had spent at least 15 minutes practising in the storeroom where the double basses are kept.

For the rehearsal, it was another several minutes of playing, but well, it didn't matter if it didn't count.

***
11 Jan 2007: That was the day I had my double bass lesson with my tutor, MJ. I realised that he gave me 1.5 hours of lesson instead of the usual 1 hour. We did quite a bit of things that day. I played one-third of the second movement of Dragonetti's Solo in e minor until MJ and myself decided I may not play Dragonetti's for my exams.

MJ demonstrated to me how several of the double bass DipABRSM exams pieces would sound. I sightread Marcello's Sonata in G major. It was fun. I also sightread a quarter of Faure Sicilienne as well as Apres un Reve, Op. 7 no. 1. Sicilienne is nice. Apres un Reve makes quite good use of the lower registers, but I felt it was not a piece that would go well with my other selected exams pieces. In that short 1.5 hours, I managed to have a clearer picture on my programme for the DipABRSM exams, and felt confident that I could sit for the exams later this year. In short, it was a good lesson.

***
12 Jan 2007: No practice on this day. I went for a concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. But perhaps I was too tired that day, I wasn't able to give my fullest attention throughout the concert.

**
13 Jan 2007: I was basically at home for most of that day, and had spent a few hours practising on the double bass. Here are what I had practised: G and C major scales, Marcello's Sonata in G major, first half of Faure's Sicilienne (because I can't quite figure how to play some sections of the second half), Keyper's Romance & Rondo.

**
Concluding, for the second week of 2007, I had practised on the double bass for at least 15 minutes per day on six of the days. Well beyond my target set. Would anyone care to give me some encouragement please?

**
Meantime, let me start writing down what I had practised today, so that I can write a similar progress-report post at the end of week three. I was practising intermittenly in the late afternoon and the night:
- C major scales
- Marcello's Sonata in G major
- first half of Faure's Sicilienne
- the melody for Pachelbel's Canon in D major, scored for a double bass quartet, arranged by David Heyes

Gloomy darkness and agony

I particularly like the guitar solo and the vocals fade in Carpenters' Goodbye to Love.

I'm feeling gloomy. I hope it is just because of the recent bad weather. I hadn't had the mood to go out for any walk this entire week because of the very wet weather. Meantime, let the darkness and agony find their outlets of expression.

I'll say goodbye to love
No one ever cared if I should live or die...

...What lies in the future is a mystery to us all
No one can predict the wheel of fortune as it falls

(And then the music fades off with my favourite guitar and vocals fade.)

- Goodbye To Love
Produced by Jack Daugherty
Written by Richard Carpenter; John bettis
Published by Almo Music Corp./
Hammer and Nails Music (ASCAP)

Five Officials' Temple Part III

(12 Nov 2006, Hainan)
(continued from Five Officials' Temple, Part II)

There were quite a lot of things to see at the Five Officials' Temple. I could not help but awe at the architecture of the place, and how this entire place has managed to survive after so many years. It definitely has seen more of this world than I had.

At the Five Officials' Temple, I saw a starfruit tree for the first time in my life. I liked the way its branches seem to entangle among themselves.


The starfruit tree





As we walked steadily about the premises, we came to a bridge that would lead us to a new building that was built recently. This building contains exhibits of many of the well-known figures known to the folks in Hainan. I took no particular notice of the bridge until much later. My cousin told me much later that the bridge is called Qiqu Qiao, which literally means a bridge whose path keeps winding and isn't smooth.

There is a reason behind its unique design: As one walks from one end of the bridge to the other end, one is to be reminded that life is never smooth and easy. One may have to experience many twists and turns in life before one reaches one's final destination. What an interesting concept behind the design of this bridge, I thought to myself.







At the exhibition galleries found in the new building, there were exhibits that gave visitors a better understand of the Five Officials (namely: Li Deyu, Li Gang, Li Guang, Zhao Ding and Hu Quan). There was a three-dimensional map that showed the route that each of these five officials had taken when they were being banished to Hainan Island (for speaking up against what they felt were wrong practices by the Emperors of their times).





There were exhibits that gave visitors insights to the lives of each of these five officials, and their contributions to Hainan. Some of the poems of the five officials were also being displayed.





The verses from a poem by Li Gang approximately mean: "If the people could be adequately fed, I am willing to have suffer sickness and have my life-span shortened."



There was also an exhibition gallery meant for well-known personalities from the contemporary days. One of such personalities who was featured in that exhibition gallery was Song Qingling, whose father is a native of Hainan.





One interesting trivial that I saw while I was at the new building was a coconut triplet. From one single coconut fruit, grew three coconut trees with the same genetic make-up.





And I shall end this post with photos of the beautiful sceneries of the Five Officials' Temple. More about my trip to Hainan in my future posts.