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! :)

October Birthday :) and Panji :)

This year's birthday was nice and fun, despite spending the day itself being ultra-busy. ;) It was a busy week, occupied by the usual piano teaching, as well as extra rehearsals, due to the Panji performance. The gamelan group I am in, SingaNglaras, celebrated my birthday with & for me with a thoughtful card, as well as a yummy green pandan cake with a froggy chocolate on it! Thank you to my dance partner, Xinwei, for organizing it! Xinwei is a very sweet, thoughtful person. :) I am lucky to have him as my friend and dance partner. :) Here's a picture of the celebration! :)

From left to right: Pak Sidik, Nunuk, Helena, Didik Nini Thowok, Jan....
In addition, my dear student Nicole got me a card, which she thoughtfully chosen to match the musical theme of my piano studio. ;) Thank you Nicole! :)My sweet students Natalie and Nadya made a lovely card for me, as well as gave me some home-fried ikan bilis & dried mango, which I love to snack on! Natalie's and Nadya's handwriting are beautiful! My mum was especially amazed at their handwriting, since both of them are only in primary school, and yet their handwriting is so neat, mature & pretty! ;) Thank you Natalie and Nadya! :)Thank you all!!!!!! :)


Below are some pictures from the Panji performance:

The group picture after the performance....
Didik Nini Thowok, Sherina, Pak Slamet.... Thank you to Xinwei for the picture :)
Sherina, Nunuk (Sherina's Javanese dance teacher), Cisy....
Xinwei and Sherina....Panji was a fun performance! :) The Head of Cultural Department of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, who attended Panji with his family, thought that Panji "was indeed a spectacular event that helped promote Indonesian culture in a language which was close to the heart of young spectators." Yippee!!! ;)

What a happy & fun month October 2009 is for Sherina! ;)

Panji: A Javanese Mask Dance Drama

Happy Children's Day & 中秋节快乐！ :)

First of all, I missed including this Ponyo DVD from Wende for Teachers' Day.....Sorry. O:) Thank you Wende! :) The cartoon is way cute! I loved it! ;) Wende is a hardworking and intelligent Grade 2 piano student, who is full of character. ;) Thank you Wende! I appreciate your thoughts and present lotsy! :)
Next, I want to wish all children a very HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY!! Have lots of fun!! :) I hope that my students like the Children's Day goody bag this year.....quality candy and snacks, NOT from China.....I was so shocked/sad at the China milk scandal last year. I always make an effort to check the goodies thoroughly, before I buy them for my students. :) HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY!! :9

中秋节快乐!! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!! :) I love the festive feel of this festival, and I love playing with paper lanterns every year!....heehee....there's definitely a little child in Sherina I guess ;) I do hope the skies will be clear, and the moon round and bright this year!! 中秋节快乐!! :)

Teachers' Day :)

The ABRSM examinations have finally ended for my studio, and the results & certificates are all out. :) All students passed well, with 2 Merits and 3 Distinctions. :) Congratulations!!! :) I am very happy for my students, who put in a lot of effort and hard work practicing & improving! :)

Thank you to my sweet students who thought of me this Teachers' Day! I am very touched. :) Aawww..... ;) Below are the presents from my students for Teachers' Day 2009! Thank you very much! :) I appreciate the thought & care & pressies lots! :)


This pretty box of yummy English orange & lemon cookies are from Ling Kee, a student I have taught since he was in primary school. ;) Now, he is way tall!! ;) The beautiful box makes a nice sewing box, after the cookies are finished. It was beautiful wrapped by Ling Kee's parents, who has always been very thoughtful. :) Thank you Ling Kee! :)

This beautiful and thoughtfully-chosen Japanese pencil case is from Hilary Mah. :) Hilary and her mother chose it out together for me. What touches me most is the fact that later, I found out from Hilary's mother, that Hilary actually bought it for me using her own pocket money, but Hilary's mother (probably upon seeing the cost of the pencil case relative to the child's savings) volunteered to sponsor half the cost. Hilary is a kind and sweet girl. Makes my heart melt. :) Hilary is rather shy, but I remember her face was beaming the whole lesson when she gave me the present, and I didn't understand why till later when I knew the story from her mother and opened the present. Now, I carry this pencil case, which holds my handcream, lipbalm & perfume, whenever I go out. I feel the kindness whenever I look at the pencil case. :) Thank you Hilary! :) Congratulations too to Hilary for her hard work/practicing and her obtaining a Merit on her first ABRSM practical examination at Grade 4! :) Continue practicing lots ya? ;)

This card is from Jia Shan, a LRSM diploma student. :) It's very adorable! It must be that I use the word "good" a lot during lessons.....I love encouraging my students. :) Jia Shan is a very diligent student, who learns very seriously, and has a mature, responsible, yet relaxed attitude. She is currently learning Chopin's Ballade in G minor at an admirable pace. Thank you Jia Shan! :)

This box, which I termed "Happy Box" is from Sze Wing, a diploma student. ;) It was stuffed with cute, adorable stuff....very cute....hee hee ;) Sze Wing has a natural feeling for rubato, and is now learning a Liszt's Liebestraum. Thank you Sze Wing! :)

This box of yummy bean cakes and bookmark is from Candy, a diploma student too. :) These are my mother's favorite pastry, so her eyes lit up when she saw them....hee hee :) Candy is currently awaiting her diploma results, and is learning Ravel's Sonatine and Rachmaninov's Prelude in g minor. Candy is a very enthusiastic and responsible student, with high note accuracy in her playing. Thank you Candy! :)

In addition, Candy gave me this pretty straw bag as an early birthday present. :) I love it and carry it around lots. :) I am nuts about the summer-straw look! Thank you Candy! :)


These are more yummy sugar cookies from Ee Meng! :) Ee Meng is an adult student, who has improved lots with her persistence and hard work and lots of practicing. :) Thank you Ee Meng! :)

These pretty flowers are from Jarryl, who is a beginner going into grade 1. :) Jarryl is a very intelligent and sweet boy. Teaching him is always fun. :) Jarryl if you are reading this though, practice more practice more! ;) I very much wish Jarryl will fulfill his potential in music and piano, and do justice to his gift and intelligence. ;) Thank you Jarryl! :)

These two bottles of delicious honey are from Kelly. :) Kelly is also a beginner, and she lives just right upstairs...haha ;) So I get to know if Kelly has been practicing patiently & correctly, or not. Kelly practices a lot. ;) Thank you Kelly! :)


This yummy bar of chocolate is from Isabel, who is going into grade 1. :) She is too my neighbor, and actually started her piano lessons with me on Teacher's Day! Isabel is an intelligent girl, who learns/corrects very quickly, and I believe that she will be doing her grade 1 exam sometime soon. :) Thank you Isabel! :)


This card and pretty blue pen are from Natalie and Nadya, who recently passed their ABRSM practicals grade 4 and grade 2 with distinctions. Congratulations! :) Thank you Natalie and Nadya! :)

Last, but definitely not least, are well-wishes from Ruiyee, Grade 7, who is currently taking a two-month break to concentrate on her upcoming PSLE in October. I wish her the best of luck too! ;) I hope she'll get into the secondary school she wishes to attend! :) Miss you Ruiyee, and see you soon in October again! ;) Thank you Ruiyee! :)

Thank you very much again to all my students!! :) It makes my heart all warm and happy. ;) I appreciate all your thoughtfulness lotsy!! :) Thank you!! :) Smile ;)