Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! :)

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! :) May the spirit of Christmas grant you peace, the joy of Christmas give you hope and the warmth of Christmas bring you love. :) The cutest display this Christmas, discovered on my way to pipe-organ lessons.........

Awwwww.......STITCH! at Bugis........I haven't yet watched the cartoon though, but the display is most adorable! :) Huge eyes, button nose, long tattered ears......heehee ;)
2010 passed by really quickly, and I cannot believe it's is almost 2011! :) I just want to take this opportunity to say "Thank you!!! Hugs!!!" to all my wonderful students & parents for making 2010 a happy, enjoyable teaching year! :) I simply love piano, music, teaching, and I am very thankful for all the wonderful students I have! :) Currently, I am on a year-end teaching break, but I look forward to seeing all my students again in January 2011!!! :)))
SMILE ALWAYS!!! ;)))

Happy Children's Day 2010 :)

Happy Children's Day 2010! :) I made little cards and got pretty pencil cases for my "children"/students this year for fun, instead of the usual packages of candies/chocolates I give every year. :) That little round chop in red is my Chinese name, 陈蓁楹， written in ancient Chinese script. One of my students, Jarryl, started to collect/stick his weekly piano sticker reward on his pencil case, since the pencil case is made of embroidered cloth wrapped in clear plastic....I found that really cute and ingenious! Cool. ;) Heehee ;) I am glad that my students are putting those pencil cases into great use!! ;) SMILE! :)

中秋节快乐！Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

中秋节快乐！ Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! :)
I love Mid-Autumn Festival! I am not really into mooncakes, though they are always nice :), but I love playing with the lanterns every year! :) [Haha, the child in me. ;)] The traditional paper lanterns with hand-painted flowers are really pretty. I still do not quite understand the point nor fun of the battery-operated plastic ones that play rather annoying, flat electronic tunes. My mum says that when she was young, playing with lanterns during the festival was a luxury, and they used to sell pretty hand-made, hand-painted paper ones in different animal shapes, which they do not do anymore. Then, lantern-making was considered an art....now cellophane plastic is used instead, which makes it much more durable. In addition, we find many factory-produced and machine-printed lanterns.......the "advancement" of technology versus art. Ah well. ;)

Have a beautiful celebration! :)

Teachers' Day! =)

Thank you very much to all my sweet students for always making Teachers' Day a very happy one for me! :) Their thoughtfulness touches & lights up my heart a whole lot! :) Thank you for all the well-wishes and presents! :) Hugs! :)

Below are all from my dear students this Teachers' Day 2010. ;) Thank you! :)

The above are from Ling Kee, who has recently passed his Grade 8 ABRSM practical with Merit! Congratulations to Ling Kee! :) It makes me very happy to watch & guide Ling Kee as he grows....I have taught him since he was in Primary 3, starting from his Grade 3 examinations, when I started teaching in 2001, and now he is waaaaay taller than me. ;) Thank you too to Mr. & Mrs. Ang, who sms-ed on Teachers' Day saying, "You are the best teacher I have ever met." Awwwww.....Sherina's heart melts.... :)

This cute pink shirt is from Hilary Mah! :) Hilary was wearing a smaller grey version of it at one of her piano lessons, and I commented that I love her shirt because I love shirts with puffy princess sleeves as they tend to go well with skirts. I asked her where she got it, and she replied she didn't know, but I guess she must have asked her mum after her piano lesson! ;) How sweet! :) Thank you Hilary! :)

This pretty Korean dress is from Mrs. Viena, Ray's & Russell's mum! :) Mrs. Viena is very fashionable and trendy. I find it difficult to find dresses which fits me, due to my petite size, and Mrs. Viena thoughtfully got this cute dress for me! Thank you Mrs. Viena! :)

This cute thermometer is from Grace Ng! :) It is currently hanging in my kitchen...heehee! ;) Thank you Grace! :)

Thank you Rui Yee for this nice tea mug! :) Congratulations to Rui Yee for recently passing her Grade 7 ABRSM practical! :)

Thank you Natalie and Nadya for this thoughtful bookmark! :) Congratulations to Nadya for recently passing her Grade 3 ABRSM practical with Merit! :)

Thank you Kelly and Mrs. Michelle for the sweet hand-made sticker-filled card & bookmark, and delicious healthy honey! :)

Thank you Jarryl for this adorable care bear, which is currently sitting on my piano! ;) Congratulations to Jarryl for recently passing his Grade 1 ABRSM practical with Merit! :)

Thank you Angela for this humorous hand-soap, which I am currently using! :) All my students have been commenting how cute and funny it is! ;)

Thank you Isabel for the thoughtful card and yummy chocolates! :) Congratulations too to Isabel for recently passing her Grade 1 ABRSM practical with Distinction! :)

Thank you Weijie for this yummy box of chocolate and for his always being considerate! ;) Congratulations to Weijie for recently passing his Grade 6 ABRSM practical with Distinction! :)

Thank you Jia Shan for this adorable lucky cat/horse! ;) I am born in the Year of the Horse....Jiashan is very thoughtful! ;) It is currently sitting on my piano looking cute! :)

Thank you very much again to all my wonderful students!!! :) Your thoughtfulness means a lot to me!!! :) I appreciate it lots!!! :) Thank you lotsy!!! :))) Hugsssssss!!! :)))

Ramayana Under the Stars Pictures :)

I just realized I forgot to post pictures from Ramayana Under the Stars! :) Somehow, June just kinda flew by without my noticing and we are in July! ;) Here are some pictures! :)

The Dance Family!

(From Left) Jan, Helena, Nunuk, Mazlan (behind), Ferninda (in front), Me, Xinwei. Jan is our amazing gamelan director! Nunuk is our amazing dance director, as well as the mastermind and choreographer and teacher behind all the dances, and a fine dancer herself! :)

Prince Rama and Princess Sita


Princess Sita flicking her sampur



Demon Rahwana in preparation



Demon Rahwana tempting Princess Sita



"The tourist shot": Prince Rama, Princess Sita and the Golden Deer



Wayang Kulit by Pak Midiyanto


(From Left) Me, Heni [the pesindhen], and Gloria [my godmother :), also a pesindhen]

Musical Gathering; May 30, 2010

On May 30, 2010, we had a mini-musical gathering at Helena's place. Helena is a piano student of mine, and I am sad because I will be missing her for a year when she goes to Prague soon, as her parents will be having their sabbatical there. However, it must be a fun adventure for Helena, so I am excited for her too! :) I hope to visit her in Prague sometime, when she is there for the year.

The musical gathering was fun! :) I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was all thanks to Helena's parents and Helena, who kindly and generously provided their home for the event! :) Numerous pieces were played by students, some in preparation for their upcoming piano exams, while others simply for the love of performing. Helena and I ended the event with Slavonic Dance piano duet by Dvorak. Below are some pictures! Thank you to Weijie too for the pictures! :)

My students and I, :) waiting for Hilary, who is therefore not in the picture

Helena and I, playing our duet

The snacks at the end! :)

Ramayana Under the Stars

Do come for "Ramayana Under the Stars", on Saturday May 22, 2010, which is held in conjunction with the Peranakan Museum exhibition! There will be gamelan performances, wayang kulit, and dance performances that day, amidst other workshops, booths etc! The museum would also be free admission that day...a good family outing trip! :)

I will be dancing as Sita in the Ramayana dance drama, "Sita's Entrapment". In this interpretation of Rama and Sita, I look forward to portraying Sita as a materialistic, spoiled brat....heehee ;) I believe I wasn't ever a spoiled brat as a child, and certainly don't think I am one now, nor do I think I am materialistic, so it would be super-fun for me to have this opportunity to be all these in this dance drama! ;) Whine whine whine....haha ;)

For those who know the typical ending to the Ramayana, Sita is made to undergo a test of fire by Rama, after Rama saves her from Rahwana, in order to prove her "purity", since she did stay at Rahwana's palace during her abduction. Sita survives the sacrificial fire, being raised from it by the Lord of Fire, attesting to her purity. Whenever I think about this part it makes me sad. First of all, trust between Rama and Sita seems to be absent, and yet, he claims that he loves her. If he did, how could he possibly bear to see her jump into the fire?! And obviously the concept of forgiveness and understanding went straight out the window as well. Did Rama save Sita to prove his ego, and just to compete and prove that he can win? Well, I certainly hope the concept of "purity" has changed in the society today. I hope that purity in the heart & mind can transcend the physical, and forgiveness prevails.

So the story continues that after many years of blissful marriage and togetherness as king and queen, the rumors among the people concerning Sita's "purity", causes Rama to yield to public opinion, and banish Sita to the forests, whereby she gives birth to Rama's twins. -_-" Sad. I guess to be "fair", it's difficult when your relationship is in the view of and being judged by the public, especially when you are king. But I still think one's love relationship is one's "business" with one's partner and no others, just like one's relationship with God/gods/goddesses etc is ultimately one's "business" with God/gods/goddesses etc and no others. Eh....in any case, to end on a more pleasant note, on love, I vehemently agree :) with William Shakespeare, quoting Sonnet 116:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose Worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

How to Train Your Dragon :)

I watched "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D last Thursday! I highly recommend it to all out there. :) I got my ticket one minute before the show started, out of inspiration, and I am glad I did. I came out walking in an absolute straight line too...not dizzified at all by the cool 3D effects. :) Toothless is so adorable, both physically, and in character! ;) I love the disappearing teeth, button-round face, intelligent eyes, etc. The intelligent, wise, childlike, yet kind character of Toothless enhances it's cuteness all the more. Loved the movie!!! :) Do go watch it if you haven't already! ;)

March 22, 2010 Concert at YST

The gamelan concert at YST went well........it was sooooo fun!!! :) Here are just some pictures. :)

The Audience :)


Me on the bonang; Javanese gamelan


Javanese gamelan; Last piece


Blocking for Tari Karonsih (Javanese) before the concert

With our dance teacher Nunuk (right) and dancer Ferninda (center)

Me stressing out on the wayang gender Bali with Jan


Rehearsing the Balinese gamelan before the concert
Our amazing guru for Balinese gamelan, Pak I Dewa Ketut Alit, is on the right in green

Helena and I "messing around" with the Steinway grand, which was in a corner of the hall, at the end of the concert :)

Name in Arabic :)

Benjamin, a piano student of mine, went to Egypt recently, and he very thoughtfully brought back this key-chain for me. :) It has my name in Arabic. I thought it's pretty cool, so I thought I would share it. :) i wonder if it sounds the same in Arabic. It is very sweet of Benjamin to remember to get me a meaningful oleh-oleh. I appreciate it lots! I am now hanging the key-chain on my bag. Thank you Benjamin. :)

Gamelan Concert March 22, 2010 :)

Nodame Cantabile :)

Since it is my week of break this week, I went to watch the Nodame Cantabile movie yesterday. This was my first time watching Nodame Cantabile, in that I haven't watched the popular series before. It was cute! I found it amazing how the movie was so true to its manga feel.........I felt that I was totally absorbed "reading" a manga, but in a movie format! ;) Of course I love the music in there too.....so many beautiful masterpieces from the classical western music repertoire! The piano music in there is performed by Lang Lang.

I must admit I do identify with the vivid imagination of Nodame character, though hopefully, I am not as nutsy because life is not an anime after all. ;) At the end of Nodame's playing of Alla Turca by Mozart, pearls were coming out of the piano and happy cartoon characters were dancing/marching in time together in exuberance.....I could sooo totally see that as I was teaching that piece to a student recently, though not in those exact pictorial forms. I must admit I naturally do translate things, not limited to music, pictorially in my mind, and tend to go off at tangents/be "distracted" in my own world......or as a friend of mine say, I have a vivid imagination. After seeing Nodame, it makes me wonder if other musicians do that too. Or is it just a made-up anime characteristic after all.....but art emulates life ya? ;) Ha! So I am not alone in my "nuttiness". ;) I love the curry incident in there......so funny!!! ;) Maybe I find that especially most amusing because, unlike Nodame, I am a super-neat person. Plus, the words, germs, death, etc, put in by the animator, makes the situation super-cute.....Haha ;)

I love how the movie gives a little informative historic background background/introduction to the music being performed, which I imagine, makes the music all the more interesting for those not into classical western music. So to all classical western music fans out there, it's a must-watch movie!!! :)

Happy Lunar New Year! :)

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! :) 新年快乐！ :) May the year of the Tiger bring prosperity, happiness, good health, peace, and roaring success to all! :)

Happy New Year! :)

Happy New Year 2010!!! :) Yup, it's been a long time since I last wrote on my blog....sorry O:) I had been busy because my dear sister, Esther, came back to Singapore for her holidays, for two whole weeks! :) So there were many family outings & gatherings, and extended family gatherings etc. to attend, especially since it was the festive season too! :) Esther is currently doing her MBA at Sloan MIT.....way cool, isn't it?!? :)))))))

I would like to thank all my students who gave me Christmas presents this Christmas 2009!!! :) Also, thank you too to all my students who came back from their vacations with various souvenirs for me!!! :) I deeply appreciate the sweet thoughts, and being remembered!!!.....awwwwwww :) I am too a little child at heart, who love little surprises ;) Thank you!!! :) I apologize for not putting up the photos of those beautiful pressies this year....The holiday season 2009 was really fun, but super-duper-busy! :) However, the sweet thoughts and pressies are definitely very much appreciated and well remembered in my heart. Thank you very much again!!! :)))))))

Some of my students did a one-hour performance at Orchard Central during this Christmas 2009 season. We were invited by Charmaine, the organizer of such events at Orchard Central. Charmaine is sweet, friendly, and easy to work with....it was way fun!!! :) Below are some photos of the performance. I was so busy emceeing that I had forgotten to take pictures. ;) Thank you to Helena for sharing her photos. :) However, we have been invited back for the upcoming 2010 Lunar New Year season....I must remember a group photo the next time....hee hee ;)

Dearie Helena in deep concentration :)

Me emceeing ;)

The audience at Orchard Central :)


In addition, here's a photo my sister took, with her camera, of me & one of my adorable students, Jarryl, during one of his lessons.....heehee ;)
That's all for now. Thank you again to all my sweet students, and Happy New Year 2010 to all! :) May happiness find you always! :)