The Division in Music

What is music to you?

Last night, while in the car with my cousin and a bunch of friends, we had a slight dispute over the music we listened too. They didn't agree with my playing foregin language songs on the car radio and wanted to switch to other radio stations. Their excuse being that they couldn't understand what is being sung.

There are people like me, who appreciate music, regardless of the language used to sing the songs; but there are those who claims that it is pointless to listen to songs you do not understand.

The absurdity. I cannot disagree any more than I already can. 

To me, you do not have to understand the meaning of the song intellectually to love the song. Even if I do not understand what is being sung, I always believe in the capability of the soul to feel the emotions of the songs through the singer's voice. That is why, I also believe that a successful singer is a singer who can strike the hearts of others with their voices and infect others with the emotions they are singing with. If you cannot feel the songs, it is either 1. the melody of the song is bad. 2. the singer's not eloquent enough. 3. you don't know what is the true meaning of the enjoyment of music.

I generally understand three languages: English, Chinese, and Malay. But I enjoy Japanese and Korean songs more than any of my main languages'. Despite not comprehending the lyrics, I love the flow of music. Thumbs-up to the development in the Korean music industry, especially. 

Mozart and Beethoven's music is liked globally. It's instrumental. No lyrics. Does that mean it is not worth listening to? Today, we have spectacular music writers like Kajiura Yuki (Japanese), Nobuo Uematsu (Japanese) and Yiruma (Korean). Their music widely used in dramas and animes - widely accepted and loved. You have Vanessa Mae (Singaporean) and Joshua Bell (American) -examples of celebrated musicians. 

Hence, where does the barrier in music lies between individuals? Should there BE a barrier in music?

Some would get offended by my statements. However, I think it is a sad thing if you do not know how to appreciate music just because it is in a language you cannot understand. I feel it is absurd. If it is good music, it is good music. At least give it a try and not just condemn it. 

Allow me to provide you a few analogies. It is likened to saying that because you do not understand French, you refuse to go to France for a holiday or a business trip; it is akin to a man who has never eaten durian before and already claiming that it is 'not nice' just because it is 'smelly'. 

In order to words, total naivety. 

I have listened to Chinese, English, Malay, Indon, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Latin songs. How many languages of songs have you listened too, hmm?

Music, mon'ami, is universal. It is a wonderful blessing from the Big Guy Above.

*Please note however, in my context for music, Black metal and other satanic forms of music are not included.

A Day of Charity

On the 23rd of August, I voluntereed to help out in a charity football competition for the children of the poor, namely the Faizal Cup. I know, it's already September and this entry is so late. But whatever... I still want to post some pictures up and show what I did that day.

Besides the football competition which was held outdoor, the organisers (Adidas is one of them, I can't remember the others. ==) also prepared indoor activities. There were a huge range of them. 

I drew that. Yeah, so not even at the amateur level but what the heck. This table is for children who are interested in drawing. I was actually in charged of the origami section but I roamed around a little. XD

This is the games section. The kids would line up to play games. I'm not really sure what this game is... I think you're supposed to throw the bear across the rope or something to win. O.O

Cool eh, the children also get to make their own hand-made bracelets from beads and other accessories. Oh, trust me, it's not only girls. There were boys doing this too. Hehe 

This is one of the most busiest section. The play-dough table. The kids just love this thing. I've no idea why. You get to see all the weird stuff they make. They can roll alien-looking things and claim it to be some kinda.... I don't know... cake????

Ah, my section! Origami! Oh, but I'm hopeless in it. I met a Burmese friend though, named Amos. He is a genius in origami. He told me that he likes it as a hobby anyway. You should have seen how he folded that paper star. I was... awed. How on earth can a human's fingers do something so intricate? Or maybe mine are just too clumsy for these little works. 

I hate clowns. Clowns are frightening. They give children nightmares. Clown-ship should be abolished. I will so move for that motion. ==

Oh!! They gave free haircut too. There was a team of hair stylist from... that profession body that starts with an 'S' and ends with a 'korf'. I can't remember the spelling nor pronounce it. Sorry. 

The outdoor activities...

More board games....

Well, overall, I think it was a great effort to bring joy to the less unfortunate. It's like... the world is showing a little more love for one another. I think more of this activities should be organised. It's really nice to see kids smiling and just being happy. 

Which reminds me... I miss my Sunday School kids a lot!!! 

Still loving Chong Wei <3 - Saranghaeyo!

To people who have always been skeptical about Chong Wei, his match against Lin Dan would be a reinforcement to their statement, "I told you so. Malaysia tidak boleh harap."

No, I will not say Lin Dan is not a good player though he is still in my opinion, an arrogant bast**d. Lin Dan, in many ways, plain to the eye surpassed Chong Wei in terms of speed and strength.

But Chong Wei has always been in my eye a true sportsman. Though he lost, he lost in a gentleman's way. He shook hands with Lin Dan, congratulated him, embraced him. do not make me recall what Lin Dan did during the last Malaysian Open

When I saw Lin Dan from the live telecast, sitting out at a mamak stall near college, the first thing I noticed was the size of his arm muscles. They. Were. Huge. They were twice, if not triple, the size of Chong Wei's. Chong Wei looked overshadows by Lin Dan in terms of physical size already.

And is it me, or is Lin Dan playing at super speed today? He was everywhere on the court. Despite Chong Wei's countless trademark's cross-courts, he picked them up quick and accurate. It was scary. His body shots and mid-court takings were... VICIOUS! Even in slow-mo, his arm was still moving at high speed. I'm not kidding. I gaped when I watched a couple of his slow-mos.

It was obvious our dearest Chong Wei was in the mercy of the 'ready-to-kill' Lin Dan. It was amusing that one of my friend commented that he was playing as though he was told that he would be sentenced to death if he lost the match.

I'd say Chong Wei lost on the psychological ground. He didn't manage to keep his cool and with the whole stadium booming with cheers for Lin Dan, it was easy to judge that it unnerved him. It's not easy to be in his shoes. The pressure must have been unbearable for a normal person.

Before you start criticising Chong Wei, please ask yourselves, "Could I have done better if I were in his spot, in his shoes, holding the racket against the world's best?" If you can logically tell me 'yes' in that circumstances, you can speak all you want.

For what Chong Wei has done, earning Malaysia our first and currently only silver, I still am proud of him. He finished the game without giving up, though the situation was hopeless.

I hope you have a good rest, Chong Wei. Tomorrow will be another day.

Lee Chong Wei - The reason for me to be proud to be a Malaysian

Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's top player in badminton has charged his way into the finals for men's single in badminton for the Beijing Olympics 2008! He has secured at least a silver medal. Consequently, it is safe to say he has broken a national record. The last time Malaysia won the only bronze medal in Badminton was the year 1996 by Rashid Sidek in the Atlanta Games. He has also become the first Malaysian badminton single player to enter the Olympics final!

The grand showdown between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan will start at 8.48 p.m. on 17th August 2008. I am SO anticipating the match! I hope Chong Wei will carry on to create history for Malaysia.

Chong Wei gives coach Misbun Sidek a BIG HUG!

Birthday recap!

It's been a while since I last blogged and so many things happened. Recently, I participated in a workshop 'Sustaining the Culture of Peace through Education'. I had a blast of a time and learnt many valuable lessons and knowledge. I will talk about it in more details after I complete my assignments and presentations which would be roughly around next weekend.

Also, on the 12th August 2008, I turned 18. Though away from home, I felt blessed too. This is greatly thanks to J9. They're a bunch of sweet people. I didn't expect them to get me a chocolate cake from Baker's Cottage (it's quite a famous bakery shop). Guess what they told the dude in the bakery to write in icing on top of the cake?

"To Stalker, Happy Birthday, from the Cheah Family."

Okay, okay, long LONG story, people! Don't ask me. I didn't write THAT story. It was the girls in class who made it up. Apparently, Jie Hui has a wife (Florence) and three mistresses with daughters of their own. I can't remember the entire family tree but trust me, it's superbly SCREWED. Mega weirdness. I'm dubbed the so-called stalker of Jie Hui. (Please, I'm so not. I'm still sanely straight.)

Anyway, I'm still thankful for them bunch of people. They made my birthday a pleasant one.

Oh, and in between our little celebration, I received a phone call. A pizza delivery. I was super shocked. coz the pizza man claimed to be at casa subang and that he was there to deliver the pizzas i ordered. But i did NOT order pizza. heck, I don't even know how to order one. ==

Well, it turned out to be Reening. I would have give him a big slap on the arm if I was in Kuching. Then, I had birthday wishes from him, Luke and Sophia. Thanks, guys! It's good to hear your voices!

Then at night, I went out with my cousin Nick and a few friends (Han Khee, Larry and Lucky) for dinner at Sunway Pyramid, Kim Gary Restaurant. I loved my Cheese Baked Rice with chicken chop. Yummyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Really enjoyed the dinner. ^^

Not forgetting the birthday wishes through smses I received from my family (my bro smsed me like at midnight sharp and my sis 'sang' the birthday song through sms... lols), from old friends including Larry Ellee and Daniel, birthday wishes through the MSN and FB from new friends from the workshop I just mentioned and thanks Albert, for calling me through Skype! ^^

Overall, I'd like to once again thanked everyone who made my birthday memorable even though I am away from home and down with flu. I didn't really look forward to my birthday but I'm glad you guys remembered.

May God bless your many days!

P/S: I edited this post due to persistent polite request. The head of the family is Cheah Cheng Wei. He is the 'father' of Jie Hui who complaints that he has no grandsons.

Oh oh, and!!!! I want to thank Maggie for designing this birthday art for me. Feel so honoured and touched yo!

J9

I'm pretty sure you'll be wondering about what on earth J9 is. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you... my class in Taylor's!

The lady in the utmost center is Miss Julianne who is our class mentor!!! She is the coolest class mentor EVER! Thank goodness for her, I'm keeping the 'sleep in English class' phenomenon far far away.

I love my class a lot, though it's like just two weeks or so that we're together. Different characters and personalities. I was really happy that I'm in the same class with Joo Ann, my new found close friend. I met Joo Ann since Registration Day and she was the first person I spoke to when I first arrived in Taylor's.

The one on the left is Joo Ann. In the middle, it's Iris and on the right,
it's Diyana. (Yes, Larry, it's the same Diyana you told me about! XD)

But Joo Ann gets annoyed when I don't pronounce her name correctly (though I could almost swear I always pronounce correctly!!). She claims that I keep pronouncing her name as Joanne. It wouldn't have been so much trouble if our gang of friends did not coincidentally include a Sabahan girl called Jo Anne! XD So everytime I call Joo Ann, both would answer despite my very clear pronunciation.

(Interruption: Anyway, Joo Ann, I'm so sorry I did not make it for the pizza party last night! Please forgive me liao la. I cannot stand you ignoring me... T_T)

This is Jo Anne, the very fashionable girl in J9!

She loves the camera because she knows the camera loves her too. LOL!!! Sorry, guys, she's taken already! XD Anything about makeup and clothes, ask her. You will get your answer!

Iris and Diyana (picture shown above) are like a pair of very good buddies. They normally go everywhere together. They didn't know each other until just recently too. It was their fathers who knew each other earlier and introduce their daughters to one another. Interesting, eh? They're both very sweet people. And gosh, did I mention? I love Iris' curls! So pretty!

Then, we have the mangaka of our class, Maggie! Yes, she draws the japanese anime style and she prefers the bishounen style! ^^ She is also the treasurer of the Anime Society in the College yo!

Oh, oh, lemme introduce to you my current roommates.

The one in orange is Sher Rin. Fyi, she kicks butt in debate! Champion status. Woot! Way past cool. You know how much I salute great debaters! XD Next to her sitting down is Lih Fern. She's another pretty girl in J9. She's like Jo Anne. Fashionable! But unlike normal pretty girls, she has a warm-hearted attitude. She's easy to talk to and funny too! Then next to Lih Fern and not looking at the camera is Clarine. Clarine plays the clarinet because her name is Clarine. (I hope you caught that.) She's a tendency for cold humour but I love hanging out with her anyway. Hehe

I can't introduce all 21 of my classmates but last but not least, the girl who actually made me questioned my straightness for two seconds.

That's Jay/Jie Hui. I seriously blundered and mistook her for a bishounen (pretty boy) for two seconds when she first entered the class. I actually thought, 'Cute guy' before I went 'Holy cow!'

Jie Hui kinda reminded me of a Korean teen actor, Kim Hye Sung

It's just her style, dressing very sporty-ish and slightly guy-like. But she does look good in her own ways. AND PEOPLE, I AM STRAIGHT! Jie Hui mentioned before though, that since a few months ago, after cutting her long hair (yes! Long hair indeed!) short, she has attracted more girls than guys. I do not want to be part of that statistic. Thank you very much.

For some weird reason, I'm being teased about her just because I stupidly out of nowhere said to Joo Ann, "If only Jie Hui's a guy." Aish... that was just a random statement for crying out loud!

But despite Joo Ann's constant poking fun at me, I actually find it amusing because it's the first time I'm actually accused of being not straight. It must be the karma reversing on me for teasing Larry and Daniel in the past. LOL

Nonetheless, to prove my straightness, I shall proclaim my love for him.

Yes, I'm still in love with Kim Jae Joong. LOL!!!

City Survival Workshop

Just today, I was one of the many girls who attended the City Survival Workshop which was organised by the College.

Let me tell you this. I did not one bit regret stepping into that workshop. When they call it a City Survival Workshop, they really mean it. The workshop was hosted by Captain Bala. He is one of those Malaysians I would take my hat off too. He was the one who saved the Indonesian maid who tried to escape her boss from the 17th floor of a condominium and was stuck clinging onto a rope made out of clothes, dangling from the 12th floor. He also led a rescue teams to acheh during the tsunami event to help victims. He did many things.

And this afternoon, he taught us how to protect ourselves. No. No martial arts involved. Just streetsmart. He taught us how to take care of ourselves and prevent from being victims of crime like rape and snatch. He told us how rapists attack, how they think and stuff. Really COOL!

By the end of the workshop, I am aware of the different dangers I am constantly exposed to. Captain Bala said anything could happen to you; Don't trust anyone. He also mentioned that no one else is closer to you than your family.

If you girls out there come across a chance to listen to Captain Bala's talk, please, take the time to attend it. It's worth your life. I really mean it. What you learn then might even save your life one day.

I can't post any photos of the workshop since we weren't allowed to take photos.