Now Playing: Every Breath You Take - Emi Fujita
*surfaces and dusts off the journal*
I am definitely not good at keeping a journal… its been 2 weeks since I’ve last updated! Darn… must work harder at this..
What’s new in the life? School started which is the major reason for the lack of updates, been dizzy running around recently busy with the CCA which did 3 shows recently, 2 for the orientation and the last which isn’t really a show but had so many darn rehearsals for a less than 3 minutes “welcome” and a less than 2 minutes finale…for 5 minutes worth of show, it took numerous rehearsals through the past 2 weeks and 2 full days down at UCC. Is it worth it? Well… all I know was I breathed a lot easier when it was all over.... there was so many nitty-gritty little things to look out for… minor ones including the fact that the lion heads must have someone looking after them at all times, there was two shows at the UCC therefore two guest-of-honors arriving and I had to make sure the lion heads only appeared after the other show guest-of-honor arrives (it didn’t help that I’m not into politics and had absolutely no idea what the minister of state looked like and had no idea who among the many vvips is the guy!). Added to all is the incessant chatter of my girls… I have a near-migraine by the time I get home each night…
My co-teacher-in-charge was laughing at me when I muttered for the darn guest-of-honor to get in the hall so I can get my boys to carry the silver cart with the enormous drum across the hall and stow it away safely for the night. Yes, carry, coz UCC is afraid that rolling it over with it rubber-soled wheels will scratch their precious marble floor... but at that point… all I wanted was for it all to be over…
Thank goodness 50 years only comes once every… erm… 50 years… hopefully the next time another 50 years rolls around, I’ll only have to turn up before the show starts and settle in comfortably to enjoy it…
Still, it’s a worthwhile experience… for the whole school to work together to put up a show, one can really feel the school spirit… like BH said… 50 years doesn’t come by easily…
And although I didn’t tell them, I’m really proud of my wushu kids… they did really well for both the wushu show in the orientation and the welcome and finale last night… I can really see the change in them… from the nervous first time they had to perform on the parade ground for the “lighting of eyes” ritual, to the poise they showed last night… I was biting my nails for fear that they’ll miss the finale cue but they came exactly on time…
They have been training almost daily since the holidays started last year and for long hours each time (I’m talking from 11am to 6pm)… I know they are tired and their parents aren’t very happy with the long hours and frequent trainings… but other than the few times they come to me and ask when their last performance is, they barely complained… they are good kids, incessant chatter and all… and the poor things will have a long time to wait before they can take a break... the upcoming show for cny is due in two weeks and after that is the Chinese Culture Fortnight...
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Saturday, December 31, 2005
New Year's Eve
Now Playing : Casablanca - Bertie Higgins
Went dancing last night with Nick and Adrian, had lots of fun and it was a great stress-reliever after a work-filled week. It was wonderful to see Nick again although he looks so tired… he had a work-filled holiday compared to me. Hope the 3 hours of dancing helped, we only got home after 2! Met a cousin whom I didn’t recognize, he changed so much but we did grow up together… so bad of me…I don’t meet my cousins often enough except for Jia… Perhaps we should organize another cousin outing for CNY? Hm… in addition to organizing the darn CNY celebrations itself for the school. Argh.
School started early for us ‘chers with full day seminars and meetings and before-start-of-school work this week… its also the time when our work throughout the year gets distributed…. Feeling extremely overwhelmed with the sheer workload lined up….the first half of the year looks geared for insanity. But now there’s a 3 day respite before the madness begins. Will try to get in more rest than fun for these 3 days… But going down to Union Sq for the countdown tonight again to get in more dancing after meeting Shimei for dinner :p
Watched a couple of films recently too… Caught Narnia yesterday… it’s an excellent film, gorgeous vistas and the acting was marvelous considering the child actors…and from what I remembered, it remained quite loyal to the book. It made me want to re-read the entire Narnia series…remember loving the novel when I read it as a kid..
Also watched Pride and Prejudice… now I understand why Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are the favorite fiction couple of many of my friends. They are amazingly subtle and romantic and so snarky! Have never read the novel but its now near the top of my list.
Going to catch Letters Home tonight at the concourse… anyone else goin sms me! Also going to try to catch Merry Christmas at Cathay before school starts somehow… otherwise, the first two days of the year is looking to be quiet and relaxing… hope it’ll be a good omen for the entire year… *dreams as my outlook calendar mocks me*
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
August Wilson
Now Playing: Brahms Lullabye - Kenny G
When flipping open the Playbill for Altar Boyz, I was struck by the first page with line “two weeks to the day after playwright August Wilson died of cancer…”
I’m not really familiar with the works of August Wilson, having never watched any of his ten renowned long plays, but I did meet him once in Seattle in his solo autobiographical monologue, The August Wilson Project, subtitled How I learned what I learned. My major impression was the plate on the door stating that the play will run for 4 hours and 30-sth minutes which made P want to go home straightaway… it turned out to be joke on how long his plays always run.
I don’t actually remember much of the content of his monologue on his life but for bits and pieces… I remember that his life wasn’t easy and admired him of making so much out of it. I remember him as a somewhat cynical man who have seen a lot and done a lot, someone old and tough but not lacking in wit and extremely sharp. P actually remembers more details…
I didn’t know who August Wilson was when I decided to queue for the show at Seattle Rep. Theatre 2 years ago; it was more of an impulse thing… I still didn’t know who August Wilson was when we left but for the fact that this is one guy that has really lived his life… and now thinking back… I don’t think he has any regrets….
And I guess that’s all I know now about him...as a person that has really lived his life. And for that fact, I feel really lucky that we had a chance to see him and hear him share about his life… I’m glad we didn’t leave that night at seeing the plate stating that the play will run for 4 hours…
When flipping open the Playbill for Altar Boyz, I was struck by the first page with line “two weeks to the day after playwright August Wilson died of cancer…”
I’m not really familiar with the works of August Wilson, having never watched any of his ten renowned long plays, but I did meet him once in Seattle in his solo autobiographical monologue, The August Wilson Project, subtitled How I learned what I learned. My major impression was the plate on the door stating that the play will run for 4 hours and 30-sth minutes which made P want to go home straightaway… it turned out to be joke on how long his plays always run.
I don’t actually remember much of the content of his monologue on his life but for bits and pieces… I remember that his life wasn’t easy and admired him of making so much out of it. I remember him as a somewhat cynical man who have seen a lot and done a lot, someone old and tough but not lacking in wit and extremely sharp. P actually remembers more details…
I didn’t know who August Wilson was when I decided to queue for the show at Seattle Rep. Theatre 2 years ago; it was more of an impulse thing… I still didn’t know who August Wilson was when we left but for the fact that this is one guy that has really lived his life… and now thinking back… I don’t think he has any regrets….
And I guess that’s all I know now about him...as a person that has really lived his life. And for that fact, I feel really lucky that we had a chance to see him and hear him share about his life… I’m glad we didn’t leave that night at seeing the plate stating that the play will run for 4 hours…
Monday, December 19, 2005
Home sweet home…
Now Playing: Silver Bells - Kenny G
Reached home and am sick… miss Boston and P terribly… miss the days of lazing around in the room with snow on the windowsills and hot tea in hand and good book on the lap… miss being able to bug P to go out and the laughter in the crisp, cold air…. Didn’t get enough of either this time with the usual two months cut down to two weeks and the days in New York…
Wrote the diary of the past few days manually during transit in Detroit and am too lazy to repeat here esp with me sniffling and coughing every few minutes… have to report to sch in awhile too…and can anyone tell I’m feeling sorry for myself? Ugh, have to snap out of this…
Having my short list of 20 Christmas songs on a loop to keep me uplifted and in a X’mas mood… miss 106.7 with their endless christmas songs...
Two weeks left of holidays… minus the days I have to go to sch, I have approx 9-8 days to myself… want to watch a few films, Narnia, Pride and Prejudice and Geisha when it comes out… anyone interested call me…
Reached home and am sick… miss Boston and P terribly… miss the days of lazing around in the room with snow on the windowsills and hot tea in hand and good book on the lap… miss being able to bug P to go out and the laughter in the crisp, cold air…. Didn’t get enough of either this time with the usual two months cut down to two weeks and the days in New York…
Wrote the diary of the past few days manually during transit in Detroit and am too lazy to repeat here esp with me sniffling and coughing every few minutes… have to report to sch in awhile too…and can anyone tell I’m feeling sorry for myself? Ugh, have to snap out of this…
Having my short list of 20 Christmas songs on a loop to keep me uplifted and in a X’mas mood… miss 106.7 with their endless christmas songs...
Two weeks left of holidays… minus the days I have to go to sch, I have approx 9-8 days to myself… want to watch a few films, Narnia, Pride and Prejudice and Geisha when it comes out… anyone interested call me…
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Snow
Now Playing: Seasons of Love - Original Broadway Cast
Happy, wonderful snowy day today….
Woke up to a snow-covered Boston…went out to find that its still snowing, light and steady snow that covered the ground rapidly… When we got out of the T, the snow was getting icier and we wondered if its going to snow the whole day…
Watched Rent, the film version. It was as fabulous as the musical itself… they cut some parts but somehow, the real-life shots of Ave A itself, the iron-cast building Mark and Roger stayed in, the subway and the nightclub Mimi danced in… everything made the entire telling more coherent and realistic than the musical….not to say that that the film version is better thou.. they both have their qualities…loved Mark’s film at the end. Its what I missed seeing in the musical. It made for a very good conclusion of the show… and Mimi was gorgeous!
Emerged from the show to discover that the snow has actually gotten heavier! Huge flakes of the snow falling over Boston Common and its really gigantic flakes… we can see crystal designs..… It was stunning, the Christmas lights twined in the trees sparkling through the crystal flakes… We originally wanted to walk to the library but decided to opt for taking the T instead….Trinity looked like a snow-covered cottage through the blurred snowy view….…
Had a good haul in the library… even found a book on a shelf that I was on reserve for… althou what is it doing on the shelf when I already reserved it several weeks earlier is anyone’s guess…. I did a twirl on the lobby while waiting for the books and the librarian laughed and said that the snow is making me so happy that I’m dancing! Well, books and snow are always an intoxicating mix for me : )
We went to Copley Mall for lunch at the sushi bar and a spot of window shopping… originally wanted to adjust the bracelet P got for me for X’mas but discovered that there’s a 2 week wait… decide to wear it by hooking it through one of the loops instead… by now, there’s a wind to contend with together with the snow…. In the trek from the library to the mall, I can literally feel the icy chips striking at my face… it hurts like a blizzard! The roads are all covered and one can barely see the steps up to the library… We came out all frosted like an icing cake and I was laughing the whole time… its so fun :)
Went to the Coop to buy a couple of books that I wanted to get for the flight home… Wicked by Maguire and Brokeback Mountain… By now, the snow have cleared and the air was crystal clear… the scenery seems extra-defined, the silver-tipped trees and pristine powder-laden pathways and lawns…and a beautifully soft rose-gold sunset in the distance even though its barely 4pm…
Topped it all off with a warm bath, which after a freezing day is absolute bliss…
Film, music, books, snow, sushi, warmth and P by my side through it all… all my favorite things in the world…it’s a wonderful Christmas…
p/s: just discovered that the national weather service in taunton issued a winter storm warning of a snowfall of 6 or more inches for a 12-hour period from sunrise onwards..."anyone planning travel should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to modify travel plans"... guess we were too late for that *grins*
Happy, wonderful snowy day today….
Woke up to a snow-covered Boston…went out to find that its still snowing, light and steady snow that covered the ground rapidly… When we got out of the T, the snow was getting icier and we wondered if its going to snow the whole day…
Watched Rent, the film version. It was as fabulous as the musical itself… they cut some parts but somehow, the real-life shots of Ave A itself, the iron-cast building Mark and Roger stayed in, the subway and the nightclub Mimi danced in… everything made the entire telling more coherent and realistic than the musical….not to say that that the film version is better thou.. they both have their qualities…loved Mark’s film at the end. Its what I missed seeing in the musical. It made for a very good conclusion of the show… and Mimi was gorgeous!
Emerged from the show to discover that the snow has actually gotten heavier! Huge flakes of the snow falling over Boston Common and its really gigantic flakes… we can see crystal designs..… It was stunning, the Christmas lights twined in the trees sparkling through the crystal flakes… We originally wanted to walk to the library but decided to opt for taking the T instead….Trinity looked like a snow-covered cottage through the blurred snowy view….…
Had a good haul in the library… even found a book on a shelf that I was on reserve for… althou what is it doing on the shelf when I already reserved it several weeks earlier is anyone’s guess…. I did a twirl on the lobby while waiting for the books and the librarian laughed and said that the snow is making me so happy that I’m dancing! Well, books and snow are always an intoxicating mix for me : )
We went to Copley Mall for lunch at the sushi bar and a spot of window shopping… originally wanted to adjust the bracelet P got for me for X’mas but discovered that there’s a 2 week wait… decide to wear it by hooking it through one of the loops instead… by now, there’s a wind to contend with together with the snow…. In the trek from the library to the mall, I can literally feel the icy chips striking at my face… it hurts like a blizzard! The roads are all covered and one can barely see the steps up to the library… We came out all frosted like an icing cake and I was laughing the whole time… its so fun :)
Went to the Coop to buy a couple of books that I wanted to get for the flight home… Wicked by Maguire and Brokeback Mountain… By now, the snow have cleared and the air was crystal clear… the scenery seems extra-defined, the silver-tipped trees and pristine powder-laden pathways and lawns…and a beautifully soft rose-gold sunset in the distance even though its barely 4pm…
Topped it all off with a warm bath, which after a freezing day is absolute bliss…
Film, music, books, snow, sushi, warmth and P by my side through it all… all my favorite things in the world…it’s a wonderful Christmas…
p/s: just discovered that the national weather service in taunton issued a winter storm warning of a snowfall of 6 or more inches for a 12-hour period from sunrise onwards..."anyone planning travel should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to modify travel plans"... guess we were too late for that *grins*
Friday, December 09, 2005
New York, New York
Juz came back from 3 days in New York. As my brother was there... it was 3 art-filled days...
Spent the first day in MoMA where I was mesmerized by Monet's triptych and Pollack's huge drip-art painting. Also saw a number of paintings that I've only heard of before.. Dali's Persistence of Memory, Van Gogh's Starry Night... There was also an amazing photograph gallery. It snowed at night when we were at West 4th...
2nd day was back to Chelsea's art galleries. There was a collection called Liquidation that I fell in love with... the dreamy landscapes and secretive trees... If I have the money... I'll definitely buy at least 2-3 of the works... We split up to different shows at night and I went to Altar Boyz, an off-broadway production that had all its audience in stitches. It was great fun althou I felt it could have gone deeper. But the songs were wonderful and it had a lot of heart in it. They got a standing ovation and the entire theatre setting was very intimate which is what I liked. For a TKTS ticket, I sat 3rd row centre which was unbelievable luck by itself. The theatre itself left an impression. Its the same theatre we watched Naked Boys Singing in, but I didn't notice it at that time. Its a cineplex converted into a 5-theatre ...erm.. theatreplex? Quite unique in a sense and thus all the theatres are quite small.
3rd day morning was spent wandering around the snow-covered Central Park while my brother searched for the elusive Bethesda fountain. We started from our hostel st. at 106th and walked by the Conservatory and North Meadows which is a area I've never explored before. Spent approx 2 hours simply crossing from one point to another... after which I left for my play while they went off to the Met.
Watched Seascape by Edward Albee...It was a very deep play with a veneer of comedy... I originally thought it was about the relationship between an old couple, the quirks and the way they live and think together... however, when the lizards appear, everything took on a different dimension. It turned out to be about evolution instead... but it still seems to be able to play another way... Went to Albee's Q&A session at the Lincoln at 630 and after hearing his piece and seeing the way he answer questions... I came out with more questions than answers... Its a really interesting play. For a play written 30 years back, its still very much related to the current day situations... or perhaps its becoz people never really changes...
Had some time in between before I was to meet my mom and brother for the Wicked lottery, so I went to the library... took some time to walk through the Christmas Fair at Bryant Park which really gets one into the X'mas spirit. All the red and green and white tents done up in sparkling lights and twines... the little trinkets... There was a couple of exhibitions in the library as well to take up my time and Astor Hall was simply beautiful... a huge Christmas Tree with all the golden light reflecting off the marbled halls and steps...
Left the library slightly late and did a 10 block sprint from the 40th and 5th to the 50th and 8th in order to make it for the lottery which of coz we didn't win... argh. But In My Life cancelled on us so we'll try for the cancellation line on our last night in New York..
Anyway, one amazing piece of news... was on a search for this cosy restaurant on the Upper West Side...above 63rd... that P and I went to on our first trip to NYC. Remembered it had a fireplace and the food was delicious... I always thought that I read about it in my trusty DK guide but after a couple of searches, I could never find it. Spent almost an hour trawling up and down between 69th to 71st yest. afternoon with no luck. I almost gave up and thought it a lost cause. But yesterday night, mom and I left Lincoln for dinner and was just walking up Colombus planning to stop at the first promising restaurant, I actually saw it! W 68th St.! I almost couldn't believe my eyes! And the place is still the same with the roaring fireplace and we were sat right back at the same table. The dinner menu isn't as good as the brunch menu we ate the first time but the smoked salmon is still delicious. I'm so happy that I found it again :)
Was almost late for my 10pm bus at Chinatown.. did a sprint down Canel St (I seem to be running everywhere yesterday) and just made it in time. Left at 10pm and reached Boston at 2am... Slept through most of the trip...
And now its the first lazy day I've had in weeks... woke up at 12 and cooked lunch with P and JL... going to spend the day doing absolutely nothing....
Spent the first day in MoMA where I was mesmerized by Monet's triptych and Pollack's huge drip-art painting. Also saw a number of paintings that I've only heard of before.. Dali's Persistence of Memory, Van Gogh's Starry Night... There was also an amazing photograph gallery. It snowed at night when we were at West 4th...
2nd day was back to Chelsea's art galleries. There was a collection called Liquidation that I fell in love with... the dreamy landscapes and secretive trees... If I have the money... I'll definitely buy at least 2-3 of the works... We split up to different shows at night and I went to Altar Boyz, an off-broadway production that had all its audience in stitches. It was great fun althou I felt it could have gone deeper. But the songs were wonderful and it had a lot of heart in it. They got a standing ovation and the entire theatre setting was very intimate which is what I liked. For a TKTS ticket, I sat 3rd row centre which was unbelievable luck by itself. The theatre itself left an impression. Its the same theatre we watched Naked Boys Singing in, but I didn't notice it at that time. Its a cineplex converted into a 5-theatre ...erm.. theatreplex? Quite unique in a sense and thus all the theatres are quite small.
3rd day morning was spent wandering around the snow-covered Central Park while my brother searched for the elusive Bethesda fountain. We started from our hostel st. at 106th and walked by the Conservatory and North Meadows which is a area I've never explored before. Spent approx 2 hours simply crossing from one point to another... after which I left for my play while they went off to the Met.
Watched Seascape by Edward Albee...It was a very deep play with a veneer of comedy... I originally thought it was about the relationship between an old couple, the quirks and the way they live and think together... however, when the lizards appear, everything took on a different dimension. It turned out to be about evolution instead... but it still seems to be able to play another way... Went to Albee's Q&A session at the Lincoln at 630 and after hearing his piece and seeing the way he answer questions... I came out with more questions than answers... Its a really interesting play. For a play written 30 years back, its still very much related to the current day situations... or perhaps its becoz people never really changes...
Had some time in between before I was to meet my mom and brother for the Wicked lottery, so I went to the library... took some time to walk through the Christmas Fair at Bryant Park which really gets one into the X'mas spirit. All the red and green and white tents done up in sparkling lights and twines... the little trinkets... There was a couple of exhibitions in the library as well to take up my time and Astor Hall was simply beautiful... a huge Christmas Tree with all the golden light reflecting off the marbled halls and steps...
Left the library slightly late and did a 10 block sprint from the 40th and 5th to the 50th and 8th in order to make it for the lottery which of coz we didn't win... argh. But In My Life cancelled on us so we'll try for the cancellation line on our last night in New York..
Anyway, one amazing piece of news... was on a search for this cosy restaurant on the Upper West Side...above 63rd... that P and I went to on our first trip to NYC. Remembered it had a fireplace and the food was delicious... I always thought that I read about it in my trusty DK guide but after a couple of searches, I could never find it. Spent almost an hour trawling up and down between 69th to 71st yest. afternoon with no luck. I almost gave up and thought it a lost cause. But yesterday night, mom and I left Lincoln for dinner and was just walking up Colombus planning to stop at the first promising restaurant, I actually saw it! W 68th St.! I almost couldn't believe my eyes! And the place is still the same with the roaring fireplace and we were sat right back at the same table. The dinner menu isn't as good as the brunch menu we ate the first time but the smoked salmon is still delicious. I'm so happy that I found it again :)
Was almost late for my 10pm bus at Chinatown.. did a sprint down Canel St (I seem to be running everywhere yesterday) and just made it in time. Left at 10pm and reached Boston at 2am... Slept through most of the trip...
And now its the first lazy day I've had in weeks... woke up at 12 and cooked lunch with P and JL... going to spend the day doing absolutely nothing....
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Back and Gone..
Now Playing: 珊瑚海 - 周杰伦
Touched down this morning at 6am, but was delayed at the airport due to my dear student who left her passport in the magazine pocket of the plane… haiz. Blur like sotong... but she’s a sweet girl that reminds me a lot of myself. That’s something I would do when I was young too, I remember leaving my diary which was never recovered in the exact same place when I was twelve… She supposedly looks a lot like me too! Rendy kept telling me that a girl in his class resembles me and apparently its her.
The 6 day trip is full of little details that are swimming around my mind now… my first experience of being in charge of students overseas… too many to say so I’ll probably end up not saying anything… kinda miss my dear kids that are very guai but never shut up… the bus journey filled with laughter and songs and lame jokes and non-understandable games…
Met kq for dinner one night at Wu Dao Kou that looks nothing like the Wu Dao Kou I remember… wanted to go Yu Tai Lang but he recommended another Jap place with half price for sushi, it isn’t anything like the jap places that I remember but the food was delicious and we went to Sculpting in Time Wu Dao Kou’s branch for cake and tea. Yes, Diao Ke has a branch in WDK and also god-knows-where around Beijing… remember the times when there was only one branch and the afternoons I spent there staring out of the window with my work in front of me and a jug of lavender tea…. This new branch looks exactly like the Diao Ke I remember…
The Ps and Heads knew I wanted to go back to PKU for a visit so they arranged it that I could join the Beida Fuzhong group on the afternoon of the PKU tour as I was actually in charge of the Shida Fuzhong group… they are really nice pple and took great care of me when I was there… the campus was still the same… from Weimin to Wumei… I wanted to go back to Weimin at night…. But didn’t get a chance…
Met Lin in the afternoon for chestnuts. Heard so many good things about it that I had quite high expectations. It was pretty good although the first part had way too many star wars and it was a little too pink. But I loved the Rent spoofs and the past year theatre review which summed up the local theatre year scene pretty well. It’s a good way to end the year and both Jon Lim and Hossan Leong are quality humorists.
And now… to pack and bath before I have to run for another flight…and my dear brother only just got home. He was attending a full day film workshop of some sorts for the past few days and has yet to pack as well (althou he did win some film competition of sorts)….it’ll be a rush for time for the next few hours….
Touched down this morning at 6am, but was delayed at the airport due to my dear student who left her passport in the magazine pocket of the plane… haiz. Blur like sotong... but she’s a sweet girl that reminds me a lot of myself. That’s something I would do when I was young too, I remember leaving my diary which was never recovered in the exact same place when I was twelve… She supposedly looks a lot like me too! Rendy kept telling me that a girl in his class resembles me and apparently its her.
The 6 day trip is full of little details that are swimming around my mind now… my first experience of being in charge of students overseas… too many to say so I’ll probably end up not saying anything… kinda miss my dear kids that are very guai but never shut up… the bus journey filled with laughter and songs and lame jokes and non-understandable games…
Met kq for dinner one night at Wu Dao Kou that looks nothing like the Wu Dao Kou I remember… wanted to go Yu Tai Lang but he recommended another Jap place with half price for sushi, it isn’t anything like the jap places that I remember but the food was delicious and we went to Sculpting in Time Wu Dao Kou’s branch for cake and tea. Yes, Diao Ke has a branch in WDK and also god-knows-where around Beijing… remember the times when there was only one branch and the afternoons I spent there staring out of the window with my work in front of me and a jug of lavender tea…. This new branch looks exactly like the Diao Ke I remember…
The Ps and Heads knew I wanted to go back to PKU for a visit so they arranged it that I could join the Beida Fuzhong group on the afternoon of the PKU tour as I was actually in charge of the Shida Fuzhong group… they are really nice pple and took great care of me when I was there… the campus was still the same… from Weimin to Wumei… I wanted to go back to Weimin at night…. But didn’t get a chance…
Met Lin in the afternoon for chestnuts. Heard so many good things about it that I had quite high expectations. It was pretty good although the first part had way too many star wars and it was a little too pink. But I loved the Rent spoofs and the past year theatre review which summed up the local theatre year scene pretty well. It’s a good way to end the year and both Jon Lim and Hossan Leong are quality humorists.
And now… to pack and bath before I have to run for another flight…and my dear brother only just got home. He was attending a full day film workshop of some sorts for the past few days and has yet to pack as well (althou he did win some film competition of sorts)….it’ll be a rush for time for the next few hours….
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Ramblings...
Now Playing: Light My Candle – Rent Original Broadway Cast
Dead tired… Its 2am and I woke up at 7am this morning due to a disgusting spam mail that got my mom all paranoid. Argh. Still very vexed at the thought that I got woke up for a spam mail! Got so mad that I emailed P to do some darn thing to kill off the spammers’ email acct.
Went back to school to attend to a few misc. stuff regarding tmr’s trip and to finish up the lesson plans. Most of the staff are back as it was the 50th Anni concert rehearsal as well as cca day. Met many of the teachers that weren’t around for the past 2 weeks due to marking. Felt very happy : ) I really like the rapport and r’ship that our department share… appreciate it even more after hearing the horror stories some of my friends share about their school. We really care about each other in our department, teasing and helping each other out… I actually sit nearer to the English dpt and we also share a lovely r’ship. They feel more like friends than colleagues… All of them know that I’m flying off tmr and they all teased me, knowing that I’m the type that won’t have packed yet. And when I left for the day, many of them esp “sent” me off with well wishes and requests for stuff from China… felt like part of a family…
Only left the school at near to 5 despite plans to leave earlier… work is always never ending… whenever I go back to school, there never seems to be time to even sit down properly… there’s always people to see, tasks to complete, errands to run… whenever I’m preparing to leave, something else would come up…. But finally got most of the little errands done and the lessons plans completed at stage 1… yes… there’s still a stage 2 waiting for me when I get back…
Met Nekko for Rent at night. Our seats were actually horribly far back… but expected nothing more as we bought the cheapest tix (which already cost 80 bucks!) But the musical was excellent! There were a few screw ups with the lighting and acoustics as it was the first day I guess, but it didn’t detract the quality of the musical. Its still pure power. The music is amazing, all the rage and energy vibrating… We were so far back that I can’t see the faces at all but I still cried when Angel died… Karen Mok was better than I expected too..
Went down to Union Sq. to meet my salsa classmates after Rent… its really insane and I only reached Union Sq. at 1130pm. But I really wanted to dance! And I did manage to dance a lot tonight. Danced mostly with Nick who showed me the new moves he learnt in his two classes of LA style. Danced with few other odd guys that asked and had one dance with our Cuban instructor. The Latinas sang live at about 1am and they were really fabulous. I discovered a quiet room at the back of Union Sq with live singing of ballades. It’s a good hideout when we want a short rest from dancing! Danced for 2 hours till about 130am and Nick sent me back…. Exhausted from the day but its worth it…
But now its about 230 am and I’m due at the airport at 2pm tmr and I haven’t even touched any of my packing yet! Not to mention all the little misc. stuff I have to do before flying… of which I can’t remember any at all…except I know the fact that I haven’t got moisturizer yet…
Still… I’m sleeping first…everything else will have to come later…hitting the bed the moment my hair dries…
Dead tired… Its 2am and I woke up at 7am this morning due to a disgusting spam mail that got my mom all paranoid. Argh. Still very vexed at the thought that I got woke up for a spam mail! Got so mad that I emailed P to do some darn thing to kill off the spammers’ email acct.
Went back to school to attend to a few misc. stuff regarding tmr’s trip and to finish up the lesson plans. Most of the staff are back as it was the 50th Anni concert rehearsal as well as cca day. Met many of the teachers that weren’t around for the past 2 weeks due to marking. Felt very happy : ) I really like the rapport and r’ship that our department share… appreciate it even more after hearing the horror stories some of my friends share about their school. We really care about each other in our department, teasing and helping each other out… I actually sit nearer to the English dpt and we also share a lovely r’ship. They feel more like friends than colleagues… All of them know that I’m flying off tmr and they all teased me, knowing that I’m the type that won’t have packed yet. And when I left for the day, many of them esp “sent” me off with well wishes and requests for stuff from China… felt like part of a family…
Only left the school at near to 5 despite plans to leave earlier… work is always never ending… whenever I go back to school, there never seems to be time to even sit down properly… there’s always people to see, tasks to complete, errands to run… whenever I’m preparing to leave, something else would come up…. But finally got most of the little errands done and the lessons plans completed at stage 1… yes… there’s still a stage 2 waiting for me when I get back…
Met Nekko for Rent at night. Our seats were actually horribly far back… but expected nothing more as we bought the cheapest tix (which already cost 80 bucks!) But the musical was excellent! There were a few screw ups with the lighting and acoustics as it was the first day I guess, but it didn’t detract the quality of the musical. Its still pure power. The music is amazing, all the rage and energy vibrating… We were so far back that I can’t see the faces at all but I still cried when Angel died… Karen Mok was better than I expected too..
Went down to Union Sq. to meet my salsa classmates after Rent… its really insane and I only reached Union Sq. at 1130pm. But I really wanted to dance! And I did manage to dance a lot tonight. Danced mostly with Nick who showed me the new moves he learnt in his two classes of LA style. Danced with few other odd guys that asked and had one dance with our Cuban instructor. The Latinas sang live at about 1am and they were really fabulous. I discovered a quiet room at the back of Union Sq with live singing of ballades. It’s a good hideout when we want a short rest from dancing! Danced for 2 hours till about 130am and Nick sent me back…. Exhausted from the day but its worth it…
But now its about 230 am and I’m due at the airport at 2pm tmr and I haven’t even touched any of my packing yet! Not to mention all the little misc. stuff I have to do before flying… of which I can’t remember any at all…except I know the fact that I haven’t got moisturizer yet…
Still… I’m sleeping first…everything else will have to come later…hitting the bed the moment my hair dries…
Thursday, November 24, 2005
workshop completed
3rd day of the workshop.
Qingliang started by sharing some of experiences in using drama techniques for vocational institutes students who are more hyperactive. The idea is to be flexible and to do something that they can identify with. What he used was to ask them to do an action or an image for every hour of the day and a mood/hour demographic graph.
从他们的剧象/动作中，找出他们的问题。
QL kept reminding us not to do psycho-analysis. We are not psychologists. Too often, teachers see a problem and rush to take over and solve it. No, what we should do is to seek the problem, uncover it for the students to see, take a step back, and allow the students themselves to solve it. Sometimes, we don’t even need to know what the root of the problem is, as long as the students themselves know… that’s enough…they are the one that would know what to do… not us.
5 roles of a teacher
- 操控者（尤其操控节奏）
- 参与者（施与受的平衡）
- 引导者（提问的技巧）
- 扮演者（地球妈妈的例子，教师扮演妈妈，让学生问）
- 观察者（聆听的重要性）
The activities and games aren’t there to arouse interest. They are there to create 冲突。 激发学生，挑起他们的身心意。We should never use the games juz to arouse interest… All the games have a certain element of danger. That’s becoz that’s life. Games reflect life… and in every game, we see a miniature society…
游戏往外fox 往内net
Games of the day:
- Couple up with one blindfolded and the other making a sound. Seek the other by sound - >emphasis on the process,
- 1,2,3…..+1 game. For every one in the group to say one diff number without setting a plan beforehand -> emphasis in 默契/节奏
- Dream sequence 冥想 using the vocab from a text -> coupled with music and imagination. .. it quiets the class down.
- >They might play a fool and not take part, but some part of it will go in
to them subconsciously… - 最珍贵的宝贝 vs. 扶持你的人：对比
- Magnetic Image. Use a short play to express your feelings of the 3 day course
- > ideas brought out by others’ play… what do one give up for teaching?
Tableaux
Grp 1: intertwined hands of yesterday
Grp 2: Image
Ideal -> real step by step.
Use Internal Monologue before asking them to use 2 words, color, sound to express their thought. Ask them to make the sound in the end. 内心独白的酝酿再表达。 声音更能把情绪表达出来 – 是创作的起点
Give 3 wishes to each of the participants to change the image.
Grp 3: Image
Ask the audience which who do they identify with in the image and to join them in the same pose. Then do a mass monologue. Ask “I want…?”
寻找共鸣点。 群体运作。观众进入画面，不再有观众，画面不再单独。
压迫者教学法-〉非个人，而是社群互助。
听了大家的独白后，深化原来摆画面的人的内心，累积了全部人的独白。
再启动一个人去改变画面（画面的主体）
改得不真实？问观众能否接受。 Reverse forum technique
Dropping to the universe – freeze the image/action and ask his emotions/thought. Going from subjective to objective
Grp 4:
Ask “What are you afraid of? …Why?...” Peeling off the onion layer by layer
To seek the fear and the root of the fear. (go back and write, why are you afraid as the role)
Tableaux
- uses many diff technique
- centers around “ what I want”/ “what I fear”
- 欲望和恐惧
- 彩虹的欲望与恐惧 – 多色多层，两者交战
- cops in the head – 以不同的技巧拨开剧象的多层面
- remember to do it progressively... from want to fear, going deeper step by step
- Never assume you understand the tableaux
- Honour every word
- STOP. LOOK.THINK.TALK
- Aternative: Boxing match. Lots of action with the audience coming up to give the roles ideas in what to do. Eg. Mom/Daughter fight
- HW: write letters/reflection and exchange them the next day. Online Blog
Importance of rituals:
Starting the day off sitting in a circle and ending the day off sitting in a circle and doing a monologue.
Rituals give a sense of completeness and security
Way to break thru the first sense of awkwardness ：Doing pair tableaux. One person to use the other to form his/her image. No ownership and thus no awkwardness?
戏剧课常用的就大策略
1．热身游戏
2．剧场游戏（训练听、看、集中力、合作关系）
3．角色扮演：学生入戏、教师入戏
4．剧象
5．思路追踪
6．坐针毯
7．过程戏剧 & 专家外衣 Process Drama
8．论坛剧场 – 不同人上前取代角色解决问题
庆亮问了我们一个问题
我们在备课时，看的是一个礼拜，还是一年？
我们看学生时，看的是一年还是一生？
我们是在备知识，还是备生命？
我们是以教师的角度看，还是学生的角度看？
我的问题：我是在用心教书。但我有没有将心比心地以想过学生要的是什么？
我知道，太多时候，我只看一个礼拜，没看一年。
反思时，思绪太乱，我说不出什么。但一个老师说，我在扮演剧象时，无意间说出了一句话。庆亮问我怕什么，我说怕课永远无法上完。为什么？怕无聊。为什么？没意义。
没意义。我们有没有想过。上一堂课的意义在哪
Qingliang started by sharing some of experiences in using drama techniques for vocational institutes students who are more hyperactive. The idea is to be flexible and to do something that they can identify with. What he used was to ask them to do an action or an image for every hour of the day and a mood/hour demographic graph.
从他们的剧象/动作中，找出他们的问题。
QL kept reminding us not to do psycho-analysis. We are not psychologists. Too often, teachers see a problem and rush to take over and solve it. No, what we should do is to seek the problem, uncover it for the students to see, take a step back, and allow the students themselves to solve it. Sometimes, we don’t even need to know what the root of the problem is, as long as the students themselves know… that’s enough…they are the one that would know what to do… not us.
5 roles of a teacher
- 操控者（尤其操控节奏）
- 参与者（施与受的平衡）
- 引导者（提问的技巧）
- 扮演者（地球妈妈的例子，教师扮演妈妈，让学生问）
- 观察者（聆听的重要性）
The activities and games aren’t there to arouse interest. They are there to create 冲突。 激发学生，挑起他们的身心意。We should never use the games juz to arouse interest… All the games have a certain element of danger. That’s becoz that’s life. Games reflect life… and in every game, we see a miniature society…
游戏往外fox 往内net
Games of the day:
- Couple up with one blindfolded and the other making a sound. Seek the other by sound - >emphasis on the process,
- 1,2,3…..+1 game. For every one in the group to say one diff number without setting a plan beforehand -> emphasis in 默契/节奏
- Dream sequence 冥想 using the vocab from a text -> coupled with music and imagination. .. it quiets the class down.
- >They might play a fool and not take part, but some part of it will go in
to them subconsciously… - 最珍贵的宝贝 vs. 扶持你的人：对比
- Magnetic Image. Use a short play to express your feelings of the 3 day course
- > ideas brought out by others’ play… what do one give up for teaching?
Tableaux
Grp 1: intertwined hands of yesterday
Grp 2: Image
Ideal -> real step by step.
Use Internal Monologue before asking them to use 2 words, color, sound to express their thought. Ask them to make the sound in the end. 内心独白的酝酿再表达。 声音更能把情绪表达出来 – 是创作的起点
Give 3 wishes to each of the participants to change the image.
Grp 3: Image
Ask the audience which who do they identify with in the image and to join them in the same pose. Then do a mass monologue. Ask “I want…?”
寻找共鸣点。 群体运作。观众进入画面，不再有观众，画面不再单独。
压迫者教学法-〉非个人，而是社群互助。
听了大家的独白后，深化原来摆画面的人的内心，累积了全部人的独白。
再启动一个人去改变画面（画面的主体）
改得不真实？问观众能否接受。 Reverse forum technique
Dropping to the universe – freeze the image/action and ask his emotions/thought. Going from subjective to objective
Grp 4:
Ask “What are you afraid of? …Why?...” Peeling off the onion layer by layer
To seek the fear and the root of the fear. (go back and write, why are you afraid as the role)
Tableaux
- uses many diff technique
- centers around “ what I want”/ “what I fear”
- 欲望和恐惧
- 彩虹的欲望与恐惧 – 多色多层，两者交战
- cops in the head – 以不同的技巧拨开剧象的多层面
- remember to do it progressively... from want to fear, going deeper step by step
- Never assume you understand the tableaux
- Honour every word
- STOP. LOOK.THINK.TALK
- Aternative: Boxing match. Lots of action with the audience coming up to give the roles ideas in what to do. Eg. Mom/Daughter fight
- HW: write letters/reflection and exchange them the next day. Online Blog
Importance of rituals:
Starting the day off sitting in a circle and ending the day off sitting in a circle and doing a monologue.
Rituals give a sense of completeness and security
Way to break thru the first sense of awkwardness ：Doing pair tableaux. One person to use the other to form his/her image. No ownership and thus no awkwardness?
戏剧课常用的就大策略
1．热身游戏
2．剧场游戏（训练听、看、集中力、合作关系）
3．角色扮演：学生入戏、教师入戏
4．剧象
5．思路追踪
6．坐针毯
7．过程戏剧 & 专家外衣 Process Drama
8．论坛剧场 – 不同人上前取代角色解决问题
庆亮问了我们一个问题
我们在备课时，看的是一个礼拜，还是一年？
我们看学生时，看的是一年还是一生？
我们是在备知识，还是备生命？
我们是以教师的角度看，还是学生的角度看？
我的问题：我是在用心教书。但我有没有将心比心地以想过学生要的是什么？
我知道，太多时候，我只看一个礼拜，没看一年。
反思时，思绪太乱，我说不出什么。但一个老师说，我在扮演剧象时，无意间说出了一句话。庆亮问我怕什么，我说怕课永远无法上完。为什么？怕无聊。为什么？没意义。
没意义。我们有没有想过。上一堂课的意义在哪
NYC plans...
Woke up with my back aching… so looking forward to tonight’s pilates class. Haiz. Getting old liaoz… nowadays always back ache neck ache like that..
P morning called me this morning, reminded me of some things I’ve been neglecting for the states trip… jotting them down to remind myself.
- Find a salsa place to social on the 1st night of the 4th at NYC
- Find a play to watch on the 7th
- Settle the tickets for Brokeback Mountain/Rent on the 9th
- Find out if I need to sign up for the workshop on the 13th and sign up for it
- Settle the bus tickets to and fro from NYC and Boston
- Cash in the darn usd check!
Now… a rough guide of the itinerary… mostly for P
4th – Land, meet P, check in at Jazz on the Park. Dinner at Live Café, Salsa, send P off
5th – Brooklyn Bridge and Heights in the day, Chelsea Art Galleries, Comedy Cellar
6th – Wicked at night. Don’t remember what in the day…museums/east village?
7th – Don’t remember what in the day again… watch a play at night and leave for Boston
8th – at boston.
9th – watch brokeback mountain/rent
10th – watch brokeback mountain/rent
11th – Mom arrives/Salsa social
12th – bring mom about boston
13th – bring mom about boston… salsa workshop at night
14th – P have exams/bring mom about boston
15th – Leave for NYC… Strand. Watch Woman in White
16th – don’t remember what in the day… watch In My Life at night
17th – Fly back to S’pore
Hm. A lot of empty days that are probably in Lew’s planner… or any reccs on what to do? Any recc for a good play to watch in NYC too? I don’t want any more musicals…Also need a recc on a good place to salsa in NYC…
P morning called me this morning, reminded me of some things I’ve been neglecting for the states trip… jotting them down to remind myself.
- Find a salsa place to social on the 1st night of the 4th at NYC
- Find a play to watch on the 7th
- Settle the tickets for Brokeback Mountain/Rent on the 9th
- Find out if I need to sign up for the workshop on the 13th and sign up for it
- Settle the bus tickets to and fro from NYC and Boston
- Cash in the darn usd check!
Now… a rough guide of the itinerary… mostly for P
4th – Land, meet P, check in at Jazz on the Park. Dinner at Live Café, Salsa, send P off
5th – Brooklyn Bridge and Heights in the day, Chelsea Art Galleries, Comedy Cellar
6th – Wicked at night. Don’t remember what in the day…museums/east village?
7th – Don’t remember what in the day again… watch a play at night and leave for Boston
8th – at boston.
9th – watch brokeback mountain/rent
10th – watch brokeback mountain/rent
11th – Mom arrives/Salsa social
12th – bring mom about boston
13th – bring mom about boston… salsa workshop at night
14th – P have exams/bring mom about boston
15th – Leave for NYC… Strand. Watch Woman in White
16th – don’t remember what in the day… watch In My Life at night
17th – Fly back to S’pore
Hm. A lot of empty days that are probably in Lew’s planner… or any reccs on what to do? Any recc for a good play to watch in NYC too? I don’t want any more musicals…Also need a recc on a good place to salsa in NYC…
xenbar
Now Playing: 逍遥叹 - 胡歌
Tired....Today was the last day of the course and I really should type my notes out... but my bones feel like liquid...
Met Fen for dinner just now. She had lots of work due tmr, but I still pulled her to xenbar for a hour of dancing... She's way too kind as she said... Haven't seen her for a year, apparently she went thru another r'ship... but she's still the same girl I met back in jc... sometimes, life works in ways we can't understand... and we take more detours than we want. but as long as things work out in the end... everything will end up alright... hope things work out for you faster...
Xenbar is way smaller than I expected... cosier somehow. 7 bucks for a hour of dancing is abit steep... esp when we spent 1 hour waiting first... but its an alternative when I can't make it for jitterbugs's friday social and still want to keep to my at-least-once-a-week dance resolution. And guys there take the initiative to ask girls to dance! Danced with almost all the guys there and I don't spend as much time waiting in between dances as I do at Jitters.
Back to school again tmr and friday... back to work.. (somehow the 3 day workshop doesn't feel like work at all!). Feeling slightly despondent. Well... at least there's Rent on Friday to look forward to!
Tired....Today was the last day of the course and I really should type my notes out... but my bones feel like liquid...
Met Fen for dinner just now. She had lots of work due tmr, but I still pulled her to xenbar for a hour of dancing... She's way too kind as she said... Haven't seen her for a year, apparently she went thru another r'ship... but she's still the same girl I met back in jc... sometimes, life works in ways we can't understand... and we take more detours than we want. but as long as things work out in the end... everything will end up alright... hope things work out for you faster...
Xenbar is way smaller than I expected... cosier somehow. 7 bucks for a hour of dancing is abit steep... esp when we spent 1 hour waiting first... but its an alternative when I can't make it for jitterbugs's friday social and still want to keep to my at-least-once-a-week dance resolution. And guys there take the initiative to ask girls to dance! Danced with almost all the guys there and I don't spend as much time waiting in between dances as I do at Jitters.
Back to school again tmr and friday... back to work.. (somehow the 3 day workshop doesn't feel like work at all!). Feeling slightly despondent. Well... at least there's Rent on Friday to look forward to!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
2nd day of course...
Now Playing: My Confession - Josh Groban
2nd day of the course. Today’s activities were lesser than yesterday’s, but dug much deeper. Qingliang talked about the connection between Drama and Life, how Drama *is* Life. Without life, there won’t be any Drama. Drama, also known as Play, of how the games we played were really mini-plays in action.
Indeed, today is a day of reflection. As I said, its really a good refresher course. Through the day, I’m reminded of the me I was before I truly started teaching, the inspirations I had. I remembered the film, “To Be or To Have”, the play, “The Taboo Games of Youth” and Dr. Ng’s course. I remembered the line. “我们是教人，不是教书”. The nurture and values. And thinking back the last few weeks of school when I was rushing to finish the syllabus and preparing the students for ‘O’s, focusing on systems and methods and cramming as much info as possible into the students’ mind. The disappointment I felt when they were so much more interested in playing than studying… How much do we neglect and forget?
今天，庆亮说创作就是质疑。戏剧就是质疑。只有质疑才能打破惯性，才会有新的体会，才会学会珍惜。但，在进入教书后，我却忘了质疑，也忘了教学生去质疑。
Notes on today’s classes:
- Fox in the hole –fun! Emphasis on the changes, esp role changes
- Usage of the space and area, deliberate positioning and placing affects the environment. Something I neglect to use in both classroom and cca… how you place and position yourself do have an effect
- Most un/comfortable and powerful/weak position and place reveals yourself
- To heal psychology and understand pple’s psyche/reasons through drama- monologues, tableaux –sculpture feelings
- Sculpture through tableaux –> something that really can be used in essays- 1st Description -> from 客观 to 主观. Describing first objectively than subjectively. Builds their description skills.- 2nd 戏剧性/故事性 of the tableaux. 立体化. Adding lines and to think of the story behind. There’s lots of area for creativity. To give a line and shape and color of the unseen, eg. Vision, air- to go from 1D (Qns) to 2D (pic) to 3D (sculpture)- possible to get the students to do a tableaux from the essay qns and then to build stories from the tableaux? 以塑像诠释题目，再由塑像诠释故事, going thru the description and story- going from ICONIC (符号) to SYMBOLIC (象征) to METAPHORIC(意象) = scaffolding
- Web game (running blindfolded into a web of hands) – overcoming one’s own fears and self preservation instinct. To deal with one’s fear and to stand by your decision
- 希望教学：“我要…” – Idealism vs. Realism- used monologue and reflection again.内心独白 - one grp’s did a play on surface support and hidden agendas…互助变束缚
- Prompt: 5W+1H
- Image Theatre
A lot of teachers really reflected at the end of the class. Can see that the class truly made a difference to a lot of our lives. Its not the normal workshop we go to when we sign up at trasci… and its not just the games that makes the difference.
Its been raining for the whole day today...
2nd day of the course. Today’s activities were lesser than yesterday’s, but dug much deeper. Qingliang talked about the connection between Drama and Life, how Drama *is* Life. Without life, there won’t be any Drama. Drama, also known as Play, of how the games we played were really mini-plays in action.
Indeed, today is a day of reflection. As I said, its really a good refresher course. Through the day, I’m reminded of the me I was before I truly started teaching, the inspirations I had. I remembered the film, “To Be or To Have”, the play, “The Taboo Games of Youth” and Dr. Ng’s course. I remembered the line. “我们是教人，不是教书”. The nurture and values. And thinking back the last few weeks of school when I was rushing to finish the syllabus and preparing the students for ‘O’s, focusing on systems and methods and cramming as much info as possible into the students’ mind. The disappointment I felt when they were so much more interested in playing than studying… How much do we neglect and forget?
今天，庆亮说创作就是质疑。戏剧就是质疑。只有质疑才能打破惯性，才会有新的体会，才会学会珍惜。但，在进入教书后，我却忘了质疑，也忘了教学生去质疑。
Notes on today’s classes:
- Fox in the hole –fun! Emphasis on the changes, esp role changes
- Usage of the space and area, deliberate positioning and placing affects the environment. Something I neglect to use in both classroom and cca… how you place and position yourself do have an effect
- Most un/comfortable and powerful/weak position and place reveals yourself
- To heal psychology and understand pple’s psyche/reasons through drama- monologues, tableaux –sculpture feelings
- Sculpture through tableaux –> something that really can be used in essays- 1st Description -> from 客观 to 主观. Describing first objectively than subjectively. Builds their description skills.- 2nd 戏剧性/故事性 of the tableaux. 立体化. Adding lines and to think of the story behind. There’s lots of area for creativity. To give a line and shape and color of the unseen, eg. Vision, air- to go from 1D (Qns) to 2D (pic) to 3D (sculpture)- possible to get the students to do a tableaux from the essay qns and then to build stories from the tableaux? 以塑像诠释题目，再由塑像诠释故事, going thru the description and story- going from ICONIC (符号) to SYMBOLIC (象征) to METAPHORIC(意象) = scaffolding
- Web game (running blindfolded into a web of hands) – overcoming one’s own fears and self preservation instinct. To deal with one’s fear and to stand by your decision
- 希望教学：“我要…” – Idealism vs. Realism- used monologue and reflection again.内心独白 - one grp’s did a play on surface support and hidden agendas…互助变束缚
- Prompt: 5W+1H
- Image Theatre
A lot of teachers really reflected at the end of the class. Can see that the class truly made a difference to a lot of our lives. Its not the normal workshop we go to when we sign up at trasci… and its not just the games that makes the difference.
Its been raining for the whole day today...
《发如雪》
《发如雪》，方文山的词。那天读阿萍的部落格时，看到一句“我焚香感动了谁”，触动我去找这首歌来听。没想到，是这么动人的歌。昨天去木船，明知这首歌难 唱，一时贪玩点了。民歌餐厅的歌手抱怨说唱了会吐血，但却唱得很用心，似乎比原唱者还好。原来只为歌词惊喜，但在那时却真的爱上了这首歌。
听说这首歌是先有词再谱曲。好久好久没看到这么好的词了。一首词，写得那么美，那么深情，那么传神。从那一句“我举杯饮尽了风雪”起，整首歌就染 了一层淡淡的沧桑。仿佛是一段牵扯了千年的恋，如今伊人早已云鬓生雪，不知是朝青暮雪或岁月留痕，总唤不回原来的红颜绝色。但早说过，弱水三千，只取一瓢 饮。在男子眼中，看到的依旧是那最初扎着马尾，无邪的脸蛋。只是几世轮回，这番坚持，究竟苍老了谁？是冤是孽，又有谁参得透这一个“缘”字？
而其实，一段月光涤清的回忆，又有多少真实多少梦幻？
整首词用的意象都带着一丝古意与无奈，梁祝化蝶、焚香祈月、醺酒度日、映镜愁发、碑文留誓。眼前浮现一位挽着髻的女子，一颦一笑都只为一个人。挽起青丝，挽不起情思。等待一生，换来一句“你若撒野，今生我把酒奉陪”，应该也无憾吧。
听说这首歌是先有词再谱曲。好久好久没看到这么好的词了。一首词，写得那么美，那么深情，那么传神。从那一句“我举杯饮尽了风雪”起，整首歌就染 了一层淡淡的沧桑。仿佛是一段牵扯了千年的恋，如今伊人早已云鬓生雪，不知是朝青暮雪或岁月留痕，总唤不回原来的红颜绝色。但早说过，弱水三千，只取一瓢 饮。在男子眼中，看到的依旧是那最初扎着马尾，无邪的脸蛋。只是几世轮回，这番坚持，究竟苍老了谁？是冤是孽，又有谁参得透这一个“缘”字？
而其实，一段月光涤清的回忆，又有多少真实多少梦幻？
整首词用的意象都带着一丝古意与无奈，梁祝化蝶、焚香祈月、醺酒度日、映镜愁发、碑文留誓。眼前浮现一位挽着髻的女子，一颦一笑都只为一个人。挽起青丝，挽不起情思。等待一生，换来一句“你若撒野，今生我把酒奉陪”，应该也无憾吧。
Drama course and notes...
Now Playing: 昨天 - 梁静茹
Just got in and falling asleep over the keyboard, but wanna write some notes about today’s course before I forget…
I found today’s course a good refresher course… after teaching for half a year, somehow, I forgot what it is like to be a student, the easiness of it, simply taking in all the teacher has to give, the joy of learning…
Actually, a lot of what is touched on today is stuff that we learnt back in the drama technique course in NIE, but of coz, there’s always something new to learn. 温故知新. To learn from revising the old. Plus the fact that I realized I actually forgot a lot of what I learnt back than… after been caught up in the daily grind of teaching. And Qingliang’s class is always fun, filled with games. All of us are teachers, and more than half teachers that have been teaching for more than a few years, but all of us were like kids again when playing the games…
Some notes on the games:
- Push/Pull – which do you like best? Trust issues
- 1,2,3 tongue twister – gets progressively harder with sounds and actions
- Angel/Devil – good for doing reflection on choice and prejudice
- 7 doors – erm, too loud. Not a good idea to do in class
- Blind guiding (stepping back and forth) – trust issues
- Seeking hand/Vampire – more blindfolded games. Not really suitable but good for doing reflections afterwards
- Tableaux/Image – solo and multiple, very workable on training creativity and observation skills
- Image construction/modeling (line up in 2 rows) – good for training observation skills and memories. And kids will love it for the chance to sabotage friends as we did today!
Tableaux is a very good idea which I remember making a note of back in NIE, but forgot all about when I started school. Hm… pictorial image would also be a way to work it in. Kinda similar to the changed ending idea that I did, except this will be using visual stimuli instead of words.
Qingliang touched on the issue of edging in which I found thought provoking. A lot of times, I find myself making subconscious decisions to stay in my comfort zone instead of taking steps to change the environment around me… hiding instead of facing… hmm…
Praxis: Action + Reflection. Too often, language lessons focuses too much on reflection without action…
K, that’s enough of the course… Met JX after the course today and we went to the Ark for dinner. The Monday group turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The vocal instructor that I went to check out was very impressive. Its not so much his technique which was good, but the fact that he sings with genuine feelings….it makes one really sit up and listen when he sings… Also, there was a female singer that actually knows all the folk music that I asked for and almost sang every single one of my requests :p The group has a lot of chemistry as well and works well together. Not to forget, the company was wonderful as well : ) Its always lovely to meet up with Jx…. he really gave me a shock when I saw him all dressed up for his interview. We are so different from when we first met all the way back in jc… all the changes and different stages of life… We don’t meet all that often any more due to work and life commitments, but he remains the only guy friend I’m totally comfortable with; somehow, we’ve been through so much and seen each other through the years… He’s someone I know would understand me no matter what decisions I make and someone I know who will still be my friend no matter what changes in my life… And he had some great news today as well! Congrats again : ) You deserve it and I do hope all goes well for you.
And now, as someone reminded me… I have to wake up at an unearthly hour again tmr… so its off to bed…
Just got in and falling asleep over the keyboard, but wanna write some notes about today’s course before I forget…
I found today’s course a good refresher course… after teaching for half a year, somehow, I forgot what it is like to be a student, the easiness of it, simply taking in all the teacher has to give, the joy of learning…
Actually, a lot of what is touched on today is stuff that we learnt back in the drama technique course in NIE, but of coz, there’s always something new to learn. 温故知新. To learn from revising the old. Plus the fact that I realized I actually forgot a lot of what I learnt back than… after been caught up in the daily grind of teaching. And Qingliang’s class is always fun, filled with games. All of us are teachers, and more than half teachers that have been teaching for more than a few years, but all of us were like kids again when playing the games…
Some notes on the games:
- Push/Pull – which do you like best? Trust issues
- 1,2,3 tongue twister – gets progressively harder with sounds and actions
- Angel/Devil – good for doing reflection on choice and prejudice
- 7 doors – erm, too loud. Not a good idea to do in class
- Blind guiding (stepping back and forth) – trust issues
- Seeking hand/Vampire – more blindfolded games. Not really suitable but good for doing reflections afterwards
- Tableaux/Image – solo and multiple, very workable on training creativity and observation skills
- Image construction/modeling (line up in 2 rows) – good for training observation skills and memories. And kids will love it for the chance to sabotage friends as we did today!
Tableaux is a very good idea which I remember making a note of back in NIE, but forgot all about when I started school. Hm… pictorial image would also be a way to work it in. Kinda similar to the changed ending idea that I did, except this will be using visual stimuli instead of words.
Qingliang touched on the issue of edging in which I found thought provoking. A lot of times, I find myself making subconscious decisions to stay in my comfort zone instead of taking steps to change the environment around me… hiding instead of facing… hmm…
Praxis: Action + Reflection. Too often, language lessons focuses too much on reflection without action…
K, that’s enough of the course… Met JX after the course today and we went to the Ark for dinner. The Monday group turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The vocal instructor that I went to check out was very impressive. Its not so much his technique which was good, but the fact that he sings with genuine feelings….it makes one really sit up and listen when he sings… Also, there was a female singer that actually knows all the folk music that I asked for and almost sang every single one of my requests :p The group has a lot of chemistry as well and works well together. Not to forget, the company was wonderful as well : ) Its always lovely to meet up with Jx…. he really gave me a shock when I saw him all dressed up for his interview. We are so different from when we first met all the way back in jc… all the changes and different stages of life… We don’t meet all that often any more due to work and life commitments, but he remains the only guy friend I’m totally comfortable with; somehow, we’ve been through so much and seen each other through the years… He’s someone I know would understand me no matter what decisions I make and someone I know who will still be my friend no matter what changes in my life… And he had some great news today as well! Congrats again : ) You deserve it and I do hope all goes well for you.
And now, as someone reminded me… I have to wake up at an unearthly hour again tmr… so its off to bed…
Monday, November 21, 2005
Upcoming stuff...
Now Playing: Good Night - Emi Fujita
The upcoming week is another busy one… with 3 full day courses from Mon to Wed on drama technique. Starting at the unearthly hour of 830am. A reason why I really should go to bed when I finish this entry. Now old liaoz… can’t do late nights without repercussions. Not that that’s stopping me…
Back to school again on Thursday for the last few details for the China Immersion Trip. Have to figure out a way to inform all the kids to come back on Thurs. Seeing how I left the contact list in school, it seems to be an impossible task. Except I have one of them on my msn list. (And I just missed him!) Now to cross my fingers and hope he comes online tmr.
Haiz. I’m flying on Sat and I haven’t done anything to prepare yet. Bags unpacked, Currency unchanged, necessities unbought. I’m such a very bad example. And I have activities lined up every single night for the remaining five nights. All planned to end around midnite except for Pilates and dinner with Xuan on Thursday.
Which reminds me, my last pilates class left me with aching muscles that screamed at me that regular classes are a necessity. God, 3 weeks of missing class is something I should never repeat. But I’m going to miss 4 straight classes after this week! The class after that is not a class I’m looking forward to….
And not to mention the NYC trip. Flying the very next day at 4am after I land and I still squeezed a play in between. My dad thinks I’m better off doing hara-kiri. Lew came back on Mon to plan the trip. I managed to find salsa clubs and a workshop to attend in Cambridge as well. P says he can make plans to be in NYC on the 4th itself as he’s doing a interview in NYC on the 2nd anyway. The tentative plans look good, now to find a time to cash my usd check.
Managed to catch up with this incorrigible brother of mine as well. He leads a way more interesting life than I do! I envy his free and easy uni life…Of all my past years, the uni years were definitely the best…
Bought 5 cds recently in a mad cd-shopping spree… Includes a 4-cd salsa set which gives me no excuse for not practicing at home. Also bought Corrinne May’s cds, was recently introduced to her songs and I love her heartfelt lyrics and simple melodies. The feelings just seems so real and the lyrics rings true. Also bought a Chinese folk singer 2-cd set. Originally wanted to just pirate the cds off Shuhui who said she’ll be buying them and I wasn’t so sure I’ll like all his songs. (just wanted that one song). But in the end, decided to just show support for the local folk music scene. After all, his efforts in upholding the Xin Yao spirit is worth the support.
And now… iTunes is playing “Good Night”…. Even my music collection is telling me to sleep…
“Now’s the time to say good night… good night, sleep tight….”
The upcoming week is another busy one… with 3 full day courses from Mon to Wed on drama technique. Starting at the unearthly hour of 830am. A reason why I really should go to bed when I finish this entry. Now old liaoz… can’t do late nights without repercussions. Not that that’s stopping me…
Back to school again on Thursday for the last few details for the China Immersion Trip. Have to figure out a way to inform all the kids to come back on Thurs. Seeing how I left the contact list in school, it seems to be an impossible task. Except I have one of them on my msn list. (And I just missed him!) Now to cross my fingers and hope he comes online tmr.
Haiz. I’m flying on Sat and I haven’t done anything to prepare yet. Bags unpacked, Currency unchanged, necessities unbought. I’m such a very bad example. And I have activities lined up every single night for the remaining five nights. All planned to end around midnite except for Pilates and dinner with Xuan on Thursday.
Which reminds me, my last pilates class left me with aching muscles that screamed at me that regular classes are a necessity. God, 3 weeks of missing class is something I should never repeat. But I’m going to miss 4 straight classes after this week! The class after that is not a class I’m looking forward to….
And not to mention the NYC trip. Flying the very next day at 4am after I land and I still squeezed a play in between. My dad thinks I’m better off doing hara-kiri. Lew came back on Mon to plan the trip. I managed to find salsa clubs and a workshop to attend in Cambridge as well. P says he can make plans to be in NYC on the 4th itself as he’s doing a interview in NYC on the 2nd anyway. The tentative plans look good, now to find a time to cash my usd check.
Managed to catch up with this incorrigible brother of mine as well. He leads a way more interesting life than I do! I envy his free and easy uni life…Of all my past years, the uni years were definitely the best…
Bought 5 cds recently in a mad cd-shopping spree… Includes a 4-cd salsa set which gives me no excuse for not practicing at home. Also bought Corrinne May’s cds, was recently introduced to her songs and I love her heartfelt lyrics and simple melodies. The feelings just seems so real and the lyrics rings true. Also bought a Chinese folk singer 2-cd set. Originally wanted to just pirate the cds off Shuhui who said she’ll be buying them and I wasn’t so sure I’ll like all his songs. (just wanted that one song). But in the end, decided to just show support for the local folk music scene. After all, his efforts in upholding the Xin Yao spirit is worth the support.
And now… iTunes is playing “Good Night”…. Even my music collection is telling me to sleep…
“Now’s the time to say good night… good night, sleep tight….”
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Talks, musicals and films...
Now Playing: Beneath a Rowan Tree - Emi Fujita
I seem to keep digressing! At this rate, I won’t ever finish this update.
Ok. Must stick to the topic. My recent activities.
Went to two academic seminars. The first was by Anthony Yu on religion and politics. For the seemingly uninteresting title, it was turned out to be quite fascinating, esp the Q&A in the end when Prof Yu got quite passionate. The topic brought back memories of the Buddhist text studies module I did back in my honours year. The lecture was chock-full of info and thought-provoking. In comparison, Prof Yuan’s lecture Classical Poems and Life was more relaxing as it was aimed at the masses but no less inspiring. I really miss academia… the lectures, the mind-exercise and the pure scope and area of knowledge… Will have to keep an eye out for more of these lectures in the future.
Next, my films and musicals!
Went to two musicals. First was A Twist of Fate with Dr. Lin. My mom was commenting on the unlikely friendship one builds with one’s prof. But Dr. Lin and I really hit it off. We never seem to stop talking whenever we meet up and we have similar tastes. She also learnt salsa and its such a pity that ATOF ended so late and we couldn’t go for social. The musical was incredibly fun though with all the funny plot twists and turns. The ending was certainly unexpected althou cliché when one thinks back. My favorite song was the one between Emma and Richard, althou Emma Yong and Ah See’s couple was hilarious as well.
Also watched Theatre Practice’s Lao Jiu with my mom who had the advantage of understanding the background and speaking the dialect. Went in without expectations becoz Lew gave it such a awful review. But I liked it. The male actor for Lao Jiu was cute and not a bad actor. My 1st row center seat allowed me to catch all the fleeting expressions. I admit, the actors aren’t great singers and even the lyrics could be better. As a musical, its not really up to standard, but still, its not all that bad. The plot was moving and had me in tears at one point when the Dad expressed his hopes whereas Lao Jiu expressed his unhappiness of being trapped. Enjoyed all the comic parts as well. Lew was even more critical when we talked about it, but as long as I come out from a play knowing I enjoyed myself and took some thoughts away, I would think it was a good play…
Will be watching Rent this Friday with Nekko. Now that’s one play I’m really looking forward to. Esp with all the trouble I went into to change the tix after Tuesday’s show was cancelled!
Also caught two films. The first was Cold Showers. A French film which was… hm…different? The ménage a trois scene was erotic…but the film itself overall was well crafted and deftly executed. The male protagonist was esp. good. The complex feelings a teenager has and the troubles one faces at the point of life was all subtly expressed… The way he went into the relationship and the jealousy and anger he had later… the regret and hunger… it was all so true and real. I only didn’t like the part at the end when he broke down in the dressing room… that seemed slightly overboard…
The next film is naturally HP/GOF! Caught it on the very first day, sneak preview, with Sher. We couldn’t wait another day :) I can’t imagine watching HP with any one else. No one would be able to understand our language! We were grabbing each other at the impt h and d scenes. And the scenes and relationships we highlighted and gushed on was definitely not what other people would expect. Watching it with another one else would be so much less fun and fulfilling. I liked the film althou it seemed like a fast-forward version of the book and a waste of all the good sets. Hope that the dvd will come out with a whole slew of deleted scenes incorporated in. And god, the kids are growing up on us! Dan Radcliffe is so hot. And Cedric is way better than I expected. The chemistry between the actors are tangible. Emma Watson is a whole new person altogether. But I still dislike Ron.
Also wanted to watch Saving Face with Shufen coz a friend strongly recc-ed it. Made the date with Shufen only to discover that its no longer showing! Argh! Why??? Now I can only wait for the dvd... does anyone have it???
Procrastination and Friends
Now Playing: All that I Need - Corrinne May
ok. I've established the fact that I can't work. Supposed to write up a lesson plan today, but after spending the entire day at home... I haven't written a single word. Argh. Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with me. I have all the info on my fingertips, but I juz can't get up the motivation. Is it becoz my subconscious don't want to work on a Sunday? Hm. So I spent today as I spend a typical Sunday… slept late. Went online and messed around. Went on msn for the first time in months. I got the salsa videos of the workshop I did in oct last nite and I bought a salsa cd recently, attempted to teach my mom some basic salsa steps coz I’ll be bringing her along for salsa social nights in NYC and Boston. Had a lot of fun :) Didn’t manage to do social this Friday coz the musical ended late so the practice is good.
Since I can’t work, might as well continue with the update. Hm. On social, I only managed to do it once in the last two weeks! That’s not very good. Went with Yee Pern and he brought his gf along! Haha…he finally got himself attached with a girl willing to take him in. Am happy for him except that he only told me 4 months after the fact! But he made it up by introducing us today. Both of them learn at ADS and somehow our styles are very different. But its still fun :)
Been bringing different friends to the Friday social nights…But I missed a few Fridays and will be missing the next one too due to Rent. I really should do more to practice else by my next salsa class in Feb, I’ll be utterly useless. I only recently realized how many of my friends do salsa. Going with Weifen to Xenbar next Wednesday, a new place for me. Wonder how it will turn out. Hopefully, there won’t be as many smokers as Union Sq.
Haven’t seen Fen for a year now. Met up with Xiaogua on sat as well with her boyfren. Also haven’t seen her for a year! But it was as if it we only met last week with the rate we chatted non-stop. That’s the beauty of old friends I guess. We know each other so well, the time doesn’t matter anymore and it just seems to stop for us. Feelings don’t change and our inner personalities and quirks remain the same. Its like how Lin can go into Macs, call me and ask me what I want, and when I said nothing, she hangs up and orders nuggets instinctively, knowing that I only eat the nuggets in macs and that I only said nothing becoz I had something on my mind. The comfortable feeling on being with an old friend…. Some things just don’t change…especially friendship built up over years… can’t believe I’ve known some of these people since I was 6… the way I don’t have to be anyone else but myself when I’m with them… I just feel so blessed…
ok. I've established the fact that I can't work. Supposed to write up a lesson plan today, but after spending the entire day at home... I haven't written a single word. Argh. Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with me. I have all the info on my fingertips, but I juz can't get up the motivation. Is it becoz my subconscious don't want to work on a Sunday? Hm. So I spent today as I spend a typical Sunday… slept late. Went online and messed around. Went on msn for the first time in months. I got the salsa videos of the workshop I did in oct last nite and I bought a salsa cd recently, attempted to teach my mom some basic salsa steps coz I’ll be bringing her along for salsa social nights in NYC and Boston. Had a lot of fun :) Didn’t manage to do social this Friday coz the musical ended late so the practice is good.
Since I can’t work, might as well continue with the update. Hm. On social, I only managed to do it once in the last two weeks! That’s not very good. Went with Yee Pern and he brought his gf along! Haha…he finally got himself attached with a girl willing to take him in. Am happy for him except that he only told me 4 months after the fact! But he made it up by introducing us today. Both of them learn at ADS and somehow our styles are very different. But its still fun :)
Been bringing different friends to the Friday social nights…But I missed a few Fridays and will be missing the next one too due to Rent. I really should do more to practice else by my next salsa class in Feb, I’ll be utterly useless. I only recently realized how many of my friends do salsa. Going with Weifen to Xenbar next Wednesday, a new place for me. Wonder how it will turn out. Hopefully, there won’t be as many smokers as Union Sq.
Haven’t seen Fen for a year now. Met up with Xiaogua on sat as well with her boyfren. Also haven’t seen her for a year! But it was as if it we only met last week with the rate we chatted non-stop. That’s the beauty of old friends I guess. We know each other so well, the time doesn’t matter anymore and it just seems to stop for us. Feelings don’t change and our inner personalities and quirks remain the same. Its like how Lin can go into Macs, call me and ask me what I want, and when I said nothing, she hangs up and orders nuggets instinctively, knowing that I only eat the nuggets in macs and that I only said nothing becoz I had something on my mind. The comfortable feeling on being with an old friend…. Some things just don’t change…especially friendship built up over years… can’t believe I’ve known some of these people since I was 6… the way I don’t have to be anyone else but myself when I’m with them… I just feel so blessed…
Recent Life...
Now Playing: Everything in its Time - Corrinne May
The past week has been activities-filled...plays, talks, films, dance and music cafes...
A short record...
Been going to the Ark quite often... went with Gabriel, Shuhui and Yijing the first time. Two different group of friends?! Called Gab and Shuhui and didn't expect both of them to agree readily. And Shuhui asked Yijing along and Gabriel originally wanted to bring another guy friend. Made me feel like I was matchmaking! But it turned out quite fun, Gab always mixes well even when he's meeting new people. Within the hour, he was spilling my deep, dark secrets, git that he is :)
Went down to sign up for vocal classes, my new year resolution of making myself as busy as possible. But we did enjoyed the tuesday group. They were pretty good although they had the curse all folk music singers have of making awkward jokes. They had a good repertoire and actually know most of the songs we asked for which is new. Usually when Shuhui and I go to music cafes like Music Dreamers, we can’t get more than half the songs we ask for coz we always ask for the obscure ones that they never heard of before. But this group actually do know a lot of the folk songs and even know the sbc themes! Not bad. Tuesday is a good nite to visit the Ark. That was also the last week the Ark would be at their old site at Apollo Centre and I’m glad I managed to catch at least one night at this place.
Went next Thursday again with XP coz she wanted to support her instructor. The grp wasn't as good though her instructor was good. For one, this group is one that again doesn’t know more than half the songs I asked for. Another was probably becoz it’s a new location and the system wasn’t set up properly yet. Will be going down again on Monday with JX to catch the other vocal instructor. Hope the system is set up properly by then. Looking forward to seeing JX as well. He’s taking the time out from studying for exams to meet up with me before I fly off.
Eh, this isn’t all that short. Will go do some work now and do the others later.
The past week has been activities-filled...plays, talks, films, dance and music cafes...
A short record...
Been going to the Ark quite often... went with Gabriel, Shuhui and Yijing the first time. Two different group of friends?! Called Gab and Shuhui and didn't expect both of them to agree readily. And Shuhui asked Yijing along and Gabriel originally wanted to bring another guy friend. Made me feel like I was matchmaking! But it turned out quite fun, Gab always mixes well even when he's meeting new people. Within the hour, he was spilling my deep, dark secrets, git that he is :)
Went down to sign up for vocal classes, my new year resolution of making myself as busy as possible. But we did enjoyed the tuesday group. They were pretty good although they had the curse all folk music singers have of making awkward jokes. They had a good repertoire and actually know most of the songs we asked for which is new. Usually when Shuhui and I go to music cafes like Music Dreamers, we can’t get more than half the songs we ask for coz we always ask for the obscure ones that they never heard of before. But this group actually do know a lot of the folk songs and even know the sbc themes! Not bad. Tuesday is a good nite to visit the Ark. That was also the last week the Ark would be at their old site at Apollo Centre and I’m glad I managed to catch at least one night at this place.
Went next Thursday again with XP coz she wanted to support her instructor. The grp wasn't as good though her instructor was good. For one, this group is one that again doesn’t know more than half the songs I asked for. Another was probably becoz it’s a new location and the system wasn’t set up properly yet. Will be going down again on Monday with JX to catch the other vocal instructor. Hope the system is set up properly by then. Looking forward to seeing JX as well. He’s taking the time out from studying for exams to meet up with me before I fly off.
Eh, this isn’t all that short. Will go do some work now and do the others later.
streaks and scribbles...
Now Playing: Let it Go - Corrinne May
Always had a notebook with me for scribbling since I was a kid, or I would scribble on scrap pieces of paper everywhere...
I do have a journal elsewhere for entries that are more.. hm... well thought out? But I hardly have any time for well-thought entries anymore... so decided to set up a journal for scribbling short records of my life and streaks of odd thoughts... hence... streaks and scribbles....
Always had a notebook with me for scribbling since I was a kid, or I would scribble on scrap pieces of paper everywhere...
I do have a journal elsewhere for entries that are more.. hm... well thought out? But I hardly have any time for well-thought entries anymore... so decided to set up a journal for scribbling short records of my life and streaks of odd thoughts... hence... streaks and scribbles....
Monday, November 14, 2005
润物细无声
星期六听了袁行霈教授的《古典诗词》讲座，谈了许多词句，其中都是一些极好的名句佳词。但不知为何，脑海里只记得浅白的《春夜喜雨》中一句“润物细无声”。
《春夜喜雨》一诗，我教文史课时曾教过。记得当时，也没花多少时间。教的也多属技巧，谈的是诗眼，用词的恰当与传神。内容，只简单带过，因为一读即了。
但，这几天，却一直反复想起这一句，和袁老师的那一句感叹。“润物细无声啊，润物不难，但要做到细无声，却不容易。”
其实是最简单不过的道理，只是知易行难。记得，我在和学生讨论《春夜喜雨》这一个题目时，问他们，题目中最重要的一个字是什么。聪明的学生马上回答： “喜”。不错，一个“喜”字，带出整首诗的感觉。但，我却忽略了“无声”这点，把重点放在了受益者身上，忘了施福者的默默付出。
人，往往如此。其实，很多道理我们都懂，但却在日常生活中忘了。不由得对自己的遗忘感到失望。但也记得，我曾跟学生说过，尽管我们也许做不到，但我们也要知道，真的有这么真，这么善良的人存在，因为这是一个希望。对人，对生命的希望。
真的，有人是“润物细无声”的。
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