Week Six of 2007 on the doublebass

I've managed to reach my target, but I hope I could have time to practise more frequently.

4 Feb 2007, Sun: Practised Marcello's Sonata in G major and first half of Faure's Sicilienne. I still need more work on Faure's Sicilienne. 40 minutes of practice on the double bass.

6 Feb 2007, Tue: After a long day at work, I have managed to find 30 minutes to practise on the double bass. It was fun playing the Rondo movement of Keyper's Romance and Rondo.

7 Feb 2007, Wed:There was double bass sectional that day and it felt nice that we spent time working on Hindemith's Trauermusik for Viola and Orchestra. I like the dark colours of the music, and by the way, I delight to share that we will be playing the Singapore Premiere of Hindemith's Trauermusik in our orchestra's upcoming concert, Sturm und Drum.

Our dear double bass tutor, GM, got us to play passages from Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. Initiailly, I had thought it would be an easy affair, but I realised GM has great insights. Those passages are actually more challenging than they seem. Soon, before I realised, double bass sectional that was one-hour in duration was over.

For orchestra tutti rehearsal that evening felt a little empty. For some reasons, there was no cellist showing up for rehearsal until the later half of the rehearsal. It felt weird to a double bass player that there is no cello to serve as a bridge between the higher strings and the double basses.

Anyway, we rehearsed Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture, and I was trying hard to count correctly while trying to manage a slight headache. It was satisfying to hear how the overture is taking shape, and sounding better with each rehearsal.

We worked on the third and fourth movement of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 that evening too. In hope to play a few of the most difficult sections better, I went up to the conductor after the rehearsal to consult him. He shared some insights on how to play that syncopated section that bridges the third movement and the the fourth movement. For what I gather, it seem that the whole idea is not to push. Accuracy in counting does not necessary work in such sections. The better way is to listen to the main melody, and come in approximately between the pulses of the melody. The advice does make sense, the challenge would be that of putting it into practice.

8 Feb 2007, Thu: Double bass lesson for the day proved to be a recharging one. I am glad that I have managed to play the entire Marcello's Sonata in G major in one single seating.

I am feeling that I have been short of time to do the things I wish to. I realised that I need a little more rest of late so as to nurse my state of health. Maybe working on keeping my body in a good state of health would make my practices on the double bass more effective and efficient?

Not in the festive mood

A New Bloom, A New Beginning by Eric Chan. On display at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore.


Chinese New Year is round the corner. To be exact, the first day of Chinese New Year starts on 18 Feb for this year. The Chinese New Year (also referred as Chun Jie, which literally means Spring Festival) is traditionally celebrated over a period of 15 days. It is common for many to prepare for the Chinese New Year as early as one month before the festival. Preparations would commonly include: cleaning of one's home, putting up auspicious couplets on one's door and in the home, preparing food items, and buying new clothes.

Well then, I am certainly not in the festive mood. Several of my clients were asking me if I would be taking leave during the Chinese New Year period to prepare for the festival, and I would reply a definite "no". I could see no reason why I should be preparing for the festival.

My room may not be the cleanest room in the world, but it is certainly not messy. I don't see any reason to do any cleaning of my room just for the Chinese New Year.

Some weeks ago, my father asked me if I could help decorate the home. Forgive me Dad, my only possible reply to your question is "No", "But if you wish to decorate, you may do so on your own", with an implied "just please don't get me to do it". I simply want to live in a simple home. I have no wish to spend time and money on anything fanciful just for the Chinese New Year.

My mother could have understood me well, she has been smart enough not to ask me to help her buy any food for the Chinese New Year. Three cheers to Mom. If I do offer to do so, she would probably take it as an extra bonus.

It is just a week to Chinese New Year and I have not actually brought any new set of clothing or pair of shoes for the Chinese New Year. My motivations to get closer to getting my dream $42000 double bass must have been so strong that unless there is a need to buy new clothes or new pair of shoes, I won't buy any.

Furthermore, I cringe at the idea of going out to buy clothes. Apparently, many people are out buying new clothes for the Chinese New Year and the streets have been awfully crowded and noisy! I would rather give myself some breather, and get away from the crowd and the noise. In addition, most shopping malls are playing Chinese New Year songs at very loud volume. My ears are biased and only like certain Chinese New Year music. I don't like Chinese New Year songs.

All I need for Chinese New Year is some peace and quiet, and some time to catch up on practising and reading. I can't see what is so particularly joyous or festive about Chinese New Year except that Chinese New Year is itself a social construct, with some useful functions.

Perhaps the closest that I can get to enjoy some brief moments of the festive mood is when I visit the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. Eric Chan's A New Bloom, A New Beginning is now on display there. Here are some snapshots of his works for your pleasant viewing. Do check it out at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay if you find yourself liking it.

If you are in the mood to celebrate Chinese New Year, I shall wish you a Happy Chinese New Year.

Total Defence Day on 15 February

Acroamatic shares about events and activities coming up this weekend and next week to commemorate the day that Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1945. I believe that there are a lot of invaluable lessons we can draw from the past.

Check out his posts: Commemorating, Remembering and Reflecting

Breakfast with friends

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I make a point to take breakfast everyday not matter how simple it may be.

To celebrate the birthdays of two of my good friends, J and T, I had proposed that the three of us meet for breakfast at the Hong Kong Tea House. The place came to my mind when J was asking for suggestions for a place for breakfast. Thanks to the recommendations of Eastcoastlife, Hong Kong Tea House came to my mind. Furthermore, I figured that J may like dim-sum for breakfast. T may like the novelty of having breakfast in the East part of Singapore. So it was set that we would have breakfast last Saturday at Hong Kong Tea House.

Come to think of it, having breakfast at Hong Kong Tea House was a refreshing break away from the usual eating places that J, T and myself would dine at when we meet. Most of the time, we would meet in the central town area of Singapore. I suppose it has to do with the fact that the three of us generally hang out in the Northern and Central parts of Singapore most of the time.

Prior to our breakfast meet-up, it took me a while to figure out how to get to the Hong Kong Tea House. T was nice to give me a lift there on the car. Thank goodness that the three of us managed to get there in time. I heard that J's father drove her there. I must say that her father is one of the most wonderful dads around.




When I stepped in the Hong Kong Tea House, I have a feeling that I would enjoy my breakfast there. I have a liking for places with high ceilings, and the ceilings of the Hong Kong Tea House happen to be high, creating a sense of spaciousness. The Hong Kong Tea House is located in a building that used to be the former Joo Chiat Police Station (now Katong Village). According to the Uniquely Signapore Katong/ Joo Chiat Walking Guide, the architecture of the former Joo Chiat Police Station is similar to many government buildings built in that time.

The next thing we could do after entering the Tea House was to find a seat, look at the menu, and order our breakfast.

Eastcoastlife came by to meet me for a brief moment that morning to kindly pass me pieces of sandpaper. If you wonder why on earth I would need sandpaper, you could read my post dated 28 Jan 2007. The more thoughtful thing that Eastcoastlife did was that she gave me a copy of the Uniquely Signapore Katong/ Joo Chiat Walking Guide so that I could have a walking guide to guide me in my walk around the Katong area after I was done with breakfast. Thanks a lot Eastcoastlife.

So what did J, T and myself order?

Just look below, and if the name of an order isn't mentioned as the caption, it is most likely that I had not remember its name.

Dan Dan Mian. J said it was different from the same dish available from Crystal Jade in that it has minced meat.

T said the Bread with peanut butter tasted nice, so I tried it. It had a nice, unique taste indeed.

I can't remember the name of this dish except that I know it has to do with beef brisket. I like its unique taste.

I think these were called lotus root patties This is a nice dish.

T said from this angle, the food would resemble a face with large eyes and moustache. J however said that when rotated 180 degrees, the food would resemble a butterfly . What do you think?




Whatever it is, I enjoyed my breakfast at Hong Kong Tea House. J and T are good friends and company. We got to know each other as we were from the same Junior College's (JC) orientation group. They were there to give moral support or simply their quiet company during a few of the darker moments of my life.

The fact that we went through the entire routine of the JC orientation together also means that we have shared memories to reminiscence about. I actually did not like the games and activities that I have been made to play during my JC orientation. Whatever it is, those moments are still flash in my mind from time to time. Before I know it, a decade (slightly more than that though) has passed, just like that. Cheers to a decade of friendship with J and T. They are the kind of friends who make life more bearable and interesting.

With a mood for nostalgia, it seemed most apt to have our breakfast gathering at Hong Kong Tea House. Its architecture just gave me a fairly nostalgic feel.

For those who would like to check out the Hong Kong Tea House, please read below for the address:

Hong Kong Tea House
86 East Coast Road Block A
Katong Village (formerly the site of the Joo Chiat Police Station)
Singapore 428788
Tel: 6345 1932
Opens 24 hours

Music exams

Practical Exams
My music practical exams (Grade 6 ABRSM) will be on 10 Mar 2007. It is now only a month away, and I wish I could have the time to revise music theory. Yet, work responsibilities, practising schedules, orchestra rehearsals, time for walking about all seem to compete for my time.

The good thing is that I don't get this panic feeling that I would be failing my music theory exams. I am thankful that for the past one year and two months, my music theory tutor has been helping me build a fairly good foundation in harmony. That gave me good preparation for the exams. Wish me luck, and please wish that time would be on my side.

Registration for ABRSM Practical Exams
On the side note, I would need to register to sit for ABRSM Diploma practical examinations soon. If I would like to sit for the exams anytime from July to September 2007, the registration dates would be from 12 February to 2 March 2007.
(Source: http://www.abrsm.org/?page=regions/sg/eng/dates.html)

At the rate that I am going for my practices on the double bass, I think I may be ready to sit for practical exams this year, would I?

If I do, I must work on sight-reading. I failed today when I was sight-reading in tenor clef during my double bass lesson.

My recharging double bass lesson

It has been a fairly tiring week. I could only be thankful that I have worked so many extra hours at work seeing clients that I could claim time-off-in-lieu to leave the office slightly early this afternoon.

Double bass lesson today was scheduled at 6.15 p.m. On my way to my double bass class, I felt so tired that I dozed off on the bus. Thank goodness that I was able to wake up in time to alight at the appropriate bus-stops.

I had dinner at an eatery at Coronation Plaza. Coronation Plaza holds a special place in my memory. I didn't like the place very very much as compared to the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay and the many museums. However, this place brings nice memory of my good old secondary school days because it is located very near the previous school building of my secondary school. I simply had to walk past Coronation Plaza in order to cross the nearby overhead bridge to get to the bus-stop on the other side of the road, before getting a bus home.

Enough about reminiscing. I was in such a rush for time today that I had to inform the one of the personnel at the eatery that I only have less than 20 minutes to wait for my food and to finish my dinner. He was kind enough to help ensure that my dinner was cooked and served as soon as possible. While I was gobbling down my dinner, I wondered if I could ever survive my double bass lesson being so awfully tired and drained from the day. I think it would be a shame to waste my lesson away playing senselessly, all because I was tired.



Well, it proved that my worries were unfounded. Double bass lesson proved with my tutor, MJ, proved to be a recharging one. I get to learn how to play my selected pieces musically, and not just play the notes! I am loving the endeavour of playing a piece as musically as possible so as to communicate effectively to my imagined audience.

In addition, the vibrations and the sounds from the double bass feel so healing to me, I simply love to have more and more of it. I think I have biased ears. My ears cringe at hearing sounds from loud-volume television sets, but they love the sounds of a double bass played musically. My ears would then send me messages that makes me feel as if I am living in heaven. How blissful. I am enjoying my marital relationship with the double bass.

For today lesson, my tutor did a reading of Lennox Berkeley's Introduction and Allegro (for double bass and piano) with me. I requested to work on this first as I needed to have a clearer understanding how I could practise this piece on my own. Actually, while Introduction and Allegro seemed weird and difficult to digest when I read the scores, it actually sounds very interesting.

I could have chosen a work from either the Classical or Romantic period and then I would be spared from reading those not so conventional rhythms and harmonies, but I shall listen to Emily's advice and perform a work from the contemporary period. Hopefully it would impressed upon the examiner that I am a versatile performer of music from the various periods.

The remaining half of my lesson was spent playing all the four movements of the Marcello's Sonata in G major for my tutor. There were some glitches. Yet there were some moments when I felt a sense of achievement: I could play some of the fairly difficult passages which I was struggling with a few weeks ago. Yes, I can totally agree with the maxim: Practice makes perfect.

For today's lesson, my tutor shared with me that for one of the passages where I have to do strings-crossing from the first (G) string to the second (D) string, my hand and arm movement would be as if I was drawing a figure "8" with my hand (and bow in the hand). I like this analogy, it works.

My rendition of the second and fourth movement of Marcello's Sonata in G major is taking shape. My task for the weeks to come would be to practise the first movement diligently with the help of a metronome. In addition, I would need more work on the third movement. It is a seemingly easy piece, with easy notes and fairly slow tempo. However, I think it is the most difficult movement of the sonata to play. It is easy to play the notes, but it is just very challenging and demanding to play the music when it comes to play this very third movement. I shall remember the golden rule: Practice, practice and more good practice.

I hope that one day when I do perform a solo on the double bass, my audience could understand what I am playing, and I can deliver the music effectively.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be about my recharging double bass lesson, so I cannot help but emphasise that I felt so recharged after the lesson that for a moment, I did not feel any tinge of tiredness. But the toils of the day eventually set in some hours later, and I could only be honest that I am actually feeling physically drained while composing this post. Nevertheless, I found my mind getting excited as I share about my double bass lesson with my readers.

Double bass lesson is fun!

With my boyfriend, the double bass. Isn't he tall, dark and handsome?

Veron's list of Best and worst Restaurants

Graze: Voted by Veron as the best restaurant for year 2006.

Food. That is something that we can't do without in our lives. Food is one of the items necessary for survial.

Eating well can be a challenge when there are so many choices out there.

Do check out Veron's list of Best (and Worst) Restaurants here: http://sparklette.net/archives/best-worst-restaurants-in-2006/

I think her post gives a very good idea on the good places for good food, good ambience and more!

Now, after her post, I am thinking hard how to find a good company to check out Graze with me.

My infatuations with...

...the double bass.

Of late, I realised I have been infatuated with the double bass.

I shall be proud to announce that after an extremely long day at work (I only left my office at 10 p.m.), my intense love to practise has motivated me to start practising on the double bass from 11.20 p.m. to 11.50 p.m. I worked on selected sections from the Rondo movement of Keyper's Romance and Rondo. I felt accomplished to be able to play those sections more fluently than I did several weeks again. It was a good feeling.

Had it not been the fact that my mind was starting to lose its concentration due to a long day of mind-challenging work, I might have continued to practise till way before midnight. It felt fun to be working out the fingers and simply feel the vibrations of the double bass. Of course, to be considerate to my neighbours, my dear double bass had to be muted with a practice mute.

Folks, I have been dreaming to get myself a $42K double bass by virtue of my own merits. How am I going to achieve this dream steadily even if it would take time? Share with me your ideas.

Sunday out with Mystic

National Museum of Singapore.

One of my good friends, Mystic, has so graciously and kindly put aside time to spend with yours truly yesterday. As a gesture of appreciation to her friendly gesture, I shall blog about my Sunday out with Mystic.

I met Mystic at about 11.30 a.m. yesterday. She was dressed in black from top to bottom yesterday, and I casually remarked that she indeed looked like "lady in black". We had wanted to have German brunch buffet at Paulaner Bräuhaus yesterday, but we were told that all the seats for yesterday's brunch had been taken up. As such, I suggested that we could check out Swiss Culture at Suntec City. Yesterday marked the my first time having a meal at Swiss Culture.

Folks, I have no photo of my meals at Swiss Culture to show you. Partly, it was difficult to take photos when the very hospitable staff of the restaurant just stood nearby us eager to lend us their every attention. Service was great. Next, we were fairly hungry that we started eating before I realised that I should take some photographs of the food first.

We ordered the following from the menu: Swiss Pork Sausage, Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Pasta, Golden Wings, the salad, the potato chowder, Home-made Tiramisu, and the marble cake.

My friend, Mystic, who is quite a critic when it comes to food, was singing praises of the food. I too agree that the food tasted yummy. First the Golden Wings make a delightful appetiser. I can't tell what seasonings were used but the wings simply tasted good. I love the rosti potato that came with the Swiss Pork Sausage, the sausage tasted nice too.

The Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Pasta stole the show for the day. The cream sauce tasted fabulous. I love the mushrooms too. They tasted fresh and nice to chew on. It pleased me to know that my friend was enjoying the food. By the way, it came to my mind that Emily may like the Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Pasta too.

Mystic, who claimed that she does not usually eat Tiramisu, sang praises of the Tiramisu at Swiss Culture. I think the Tiramisu that we had yesterday at Swiss Culture was delightful, and gave a pleasant conclusion to our meal. Yet, I still think Romano Ristorante Italian Casual Dining has one of the best Tiramisu in Singapore (click here to see my post on it).

Afterwhich, Mystic led me to the Candy Empire outlet located in the shopping mall, Millenia Walk. After that, we headed to Marina Square shopping mall. Perhaps one of the benefits of going out with friends is that I get to learn new things about the world around me. Mystic brought to my attention that there is this shop named Taiwan Lao Zhao Pai located in the Marina Square shopping mall. It was sweet of Mystic to share one of the Grape Jellies that she had bought with me. It tasted nice though I definitely know I won't spend my money on these. Thank you Mystic.

I pity Mystic, and I think my readers here ought to take their hats off her. Mystic had to bear with my weird sense of humour and my endless rantings throughout the entire time that she was with me. I should be impressed that she could still respond with wit to most of my rantings.

In addition, when we were at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Mystic had to listen to me play on the double bass. Not on one, but two. We were at one of the music shops there yesterday, and I could not help but try the two double basses on display. After testing out the double basses, I have been thinking what on Earth I would need to do to earn enough money on my own merits to buy the $42K double bass from the shop. Please tell me if you know how I could do so.

In the afternoon, Mystic was most obliging to take up my suggestion to visit the National Museum of Singapore. What else could I say? I can only say that I am thankful to find a friend in her. Not many people can bear the torture that I would put my company to. I use the word torture because Mystic practically had to walk quite a lot for the entire time when she was with me.

While walking with Mystic, Mystic pointed out to me that she observed that I seemed to be walking using my hips instead of my legs. I do agree that my hips have been hurting since a while ago. Gosh, after receiving her comments, I realised that I would need to be more mindful of the posture that I adopt while walking.

One thing that I appreciate in Mystic is her honesty and that she is so kind enough to honey-coat all her truthful comments so that I would find it bearable to hear them out. Pardon me, yours truly can have quite a fragile heart.

Anyway, yesterday was one of the few occasions when I have a company with me when I visit the museum. We visited the Singapore History Gallery and all the four Singapore Living Galleries together last afternoon. There was so much to see that Mystic agreed with me that one must take time to slowly assimilate the vast sea of knowledge that one can gain from visiting the museum.




For instance, while learning about the Chinese philanthropist, Tan Kah Kee (1874 - 1961), I was impressed by this very quotation that I had heard: "Money's like fertiliser. It can only be put to good use if spread around"



One thing for certain, Mystic reminded me that I had actually used some of the currency notes found in the photo right above, when I was younger.

Mystic said that her favourite galleries in the museum were the Singapore History Museum and the Singapore Living Galleries: Food (section).





I shall also be thankful that Mystic has been most patient to wait for me whenever my eyes caught sight of a beautiful view, and would cry out: "Nice view." and then I would stop everything just to take a snapshot of the view.





In the evening, we headed for one of the eating outlets located in this building that was called Capitol Building for our dinner. We ate at this outlet that is known for its Hainanese Chicken Rice. Mystic kept singing praises of chicken rice and the milo that the outlet had served. I like the crispy texture of the Hainanese Pork Chop that I had ordered.

Deep inside me, I felt pleased that Mystic liked the meal that we had. It can be quite challenging to go out for meals with her for I felt obliged to do my best to recommend delicious and value-for-money food for this dear friend of mine. Oh well, it isn't quite a high price to pay to have a friend who would be willing to walk almost the whole day with me, without a single complaint.

Thanks for your friendship, Mystic. This post is for you.

My visit to the Mystery Men exhibition last Sunday

Join me on my visit to the Mystery Men exhibition last Sunday: At the Asian Civilisation Museum: Mystery Men.

Note: Emily, do check the post out. I wrote it to share my visit with you.

Week Five of 2007 on the doublebass

Now it seems like I have developed the habit of updating my progress on the double bass here. Read on if you wish to.

It looks like I have managed to reach my target set, i.e. practise four times a week, for at least 15 minutes on each occasion.

28 Jan 2007, Sun: I spent about close to an hour practising all the four movements of the Marcello's Sonata in G major. I practised the first and third movement with a metronome. For the second and fourth movement, I practised certain sections at a slow tempo just to work on getting the intonation and articulation right. It was a satisfying practice session despite the fact that my body felt pretty tired from the day.

31 Jan 2007, Wed: Orchestra rehearsal was from 7 - 9.30 p.m. Prior to the rehearsal, I stole some time to practise the 4th movement of Marcello's Sonata in G major.

For the rehearsal, we practised Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture and Sibelius' Second Symphony. I am beginning to like Sibelius' music.

After the rehearsal, I stole yet some more time to practise the 3rd movement of Marcello's Sonata in G major. It was very much easier playing the 3rd movement on my boyfriend (the double bass that I use in the orchestra) than my husband (my personal double bass). I wonder if it was due to the instrument itself, or the fact that I have had practised the 3rd movement for quite a couple of time.

If it was solely the instrument, I should start dreaming that someone would love my playing so much, and would offer to be my sponsor for a $40000 double bass. My boyfriend doesn't cost so much, but I know that there is an Italian handcrafted double bass standing in one of the music shops at this price-range.

1 Feb 2007, Thu: I had double bass lesson that evening, and I hope playing on the double bass during the lesson would be considered a form of practice? Anyway, I deemed that to be such. I practised Keyper's Romance and Rondo. By the end of the one-hour lesson, my tutor commented that my rendition of the Romance section sounded better than when I had first started out.

3 Feb 2007, Sat: I was not in the mood to do have a too intensive practice session for today. As such, I decided to practise a work that is not part of the DipABRSM syllabus. I worked on Pachelbel's Canon in D major, scored for a double bass quartet, arranged by David Heyes so as to figure out suitable fingerings for several of the challenging sections. 35 minutes on the double bass today.

With workload piling and other commitments demanding my time, I shall keep my fingers crossed here that I find enough time to practise on the following week.

Music can heal

Knock. Knock. It is the pain that is knocking. Striking. The pain is on strike! First it was the headaches, then the cramps, then the headaches, then both. Does life throw so much pain at a person at a single point in time?

Nevertheless music heals. I attended a concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) this evening. The title of the concert was Rach II: Nikolai Demidenko. To date, it was one of the most well-attended SSO concerts for this year.

I love this concert. In this one single concert, I got to listen to one of my favourite piano concertos, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 and one of my favourite symphonies, Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98. There was quite a lot of good playing by the SSO's musicians. Bravo.

I could say that music heals because for the entire duration while Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Brahms' Symphony No. 4 were being played, I could manage to cope with the pain.

While I quite like tonight's rendition of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, I was too tired from the day that I was struggling to stay awake. In addition, perhaps it was extra challenging for me to relate to Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun when I was simply struggling to cope with pain as well.

I wish I could have a whole night of music to numb me from the pain. However, the concert had to come to an end. After the concert, I was left to my own device to cope with the pain. The headaches can be hard to come. I know I might be exaggerating, but I felt as if soon my head may blow up from the pain.

I would like to practise at this time of the night, then again, I realised it won't be effective practising because of the pain.

Feeling the pain, and ironically, that is an indication that I am still alive!

**
*Em* has a post on this concert too. Check her post here.

Crazy day

The day appeared to be a crazy day. Mid-afternoon, I felt I was being attacked by moments of pain. Had my colleague, HP, not given me a painkiller, I think I might have fainted from pain in my office. Folks who know me would know that I dislike taking painkiller, but it became a necessity for the day. No amount of reasonable singing out aloud would be able to relieve the pain, it seemed.

Right after I knock off from work at 5.35 p.m., I had to take a taxi to rush down for double bass lesson. No time-off to take for this afternoon. At the start of the double bass lesson, I discovered with much disbelief that I had left the scores for Marcello's Sonata in G major at home! I had wanted to go through it. Then again, it wasn't the end of the world. I had the scores for Keyer's Romance and Rondo, and after going through the entire Romance and Rondo, my dear tutor got me working on playing the Romance section with good tone and good sense of musicality. I love feeling the vibrations of the double bass. Those vibrations can be very healing. At least the sense of pain gradually left me by the end of the lesson.

Double bass ended a little late at close to 7.50 p.m., then I have to take another taxi to travel to the venue where I have music theory classes. On the way there, I could not help but feel hunger pangs. I hardly had time to take a decent dinner from such a packed schedule. When I reached Toa Payoh, where the music theory classes were held, my first instinct was to find the shortest queue and grab a quick dinner.

I felt quite ill-prepared for music theory classes. I hardly could find time to revise music theory for Grade 6, and the music theory exams will be on 10 Mar 2007! Anyway, my dear music theory tutor has helped me lay a fairly good foundation in harmony, and if I take care and prudence in answering the exams questions, I should pass at least.

Right now, I can't help but feel the pain returning back again. What can ease the pain? Some kind of pain can make me feel like I am dying. This is one of those.

Strength in Numbers - Blue Men of the Sahara

I chanced upon this video when I was reading one of the posts on Jason Heath's blog. I love the double bass solo that starts this piece.