Music or noise?

"Music has to be the spark that lights up the fire in human spirit."
-- Ludwig van Beethoven.

Right, I have been learning to play the violin from a music school in Selangor, and every year they will organize a sort of an annual concert. Last year I was very lucky to be able to join their orchestra, and to perform in their annual concert.

This orchestra is initiated by one of the teacher, she even volunteered to guide and conduct the orchestra. And mind you, she VOLUNTEERED, meaning she was not paid for all the trouble.

The concert last year was a huge success, and every one was happy with the orchestra, especially the performers themselves. And of course, me!

Early this year, everyone was already anticipating the annual concert. Finally in May, the concert pieces were out. Every one was really excited about the pieces. And like last year, the rehearsal session was held once every fortnightly.

But unlike last year, the attendace was poor. Despite the poor attendace, every one still work very hard. Although we will never be perfect, but if we work harder, we can be almost perfect.

And because of the limited rehearsal session, some of us organised a group practice session every alternate rehearsal session. Making it a practice session every week.

Why do we do this? Was it only because we want to take advantage on the school just to get more practice session? No! Because we want to play better in the concert, because we do not want to disapoint the school and the teacher.

As of last week, I received a memo from the school, infact every performer received one, it is a memo requiring the performer to pay a tution fees of RM100 per person for joining the orchestra, and because the attendace was poor.

Tuition fees?? But the teacher wasn't pay a cent for that. Then was it for utilities charges then? But isn't RM100 too much for utilities charges?

Or is this just another business opportunity for the school?

I don't know. But all the sudden, the school seems like a filthy beggar that will do anything for money, instead of the advocates of music and arts.
I wonder how hurt the teacher would be when she heard the news.

RM100 may not seems to be very much, but money is not the concern.
It is about how the school treat you, how the school value you, and how the school appreciate the orchestra.

Do they started up this music school to teach music because the love of music and they enjoy sharing it with the others? Or, just because the students are a bunch of idiots that they can exploid to make more money?

If so, was what they preached, music or noise?

edited 30th June 2005

Earth Angel

Earth Angel, earth angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear, love you all the time
I'm just a fool, A fool in love with you


Me and my angel in Penang

Came back from Penang on moday, literally escaping the monday blue. haha....

But this week was a good week for me. I felt more energetic and motivated to work after the short break in penang. It was a really physically and mentally refrehing.

My angel and I together with an "Ang mo" friend of mine and his fiance visited the old fort Cornwallis. Though I have visited this place plenty of time during my secondary school years, but this time it somehow felt different. Well ya, they have done a very good job on the building conservation, but I think it felt different because there was an angel by my side.

Earth Angel, earth angel
The one I adore
Love you forever, and evermore
I'm just a fool, A fool in love with you
-- Penguins

Be it the truth or lies........

It has been all about "AP"s in the news lately.

"AP", or approved permit is a permit that will allow the holder to import cars into the country. It was also a tool for the government to help the bumiputra entrepeneurs to build up their empire. To help them get their shares in the chinese majorities' economy.

Recently, the ex-prime minister, Tun Tan sri Dr. Mahathir, claims that some of the AP holder are exploting the privilege, to escape the high taxes that imposed on imported cars, thus threatening the national car, Proton's, market shares.

In responding to Tun's claim, prime minister, Dato Badawi, also revealed that a few of the bumiputras are actually holding the majority of the APs. All this points to the Ministry of International Trades, and it raises doubts, in the procedure to approve the APs. Rumour even has it that cronism were involved.

The minister of international trades, Rafidah, denies involvement in the approval of the APs. And, ironicly, as of yesterday, another minister from the ministry of international trades admit that he was the one who is responsible for all approval of the APs and that minister Rafidah was unaware of any of this approval.

Well, even more irony thing is that, the APs was a supposingly bumiputras economy boosting program initiated during the time of prime minister Tun Tan Sri Dr. Mahathir.

Which is truth and which is lies, we will never know......
At the end of the day, the only one we needs to answer to, is ourself, our conscience.

"You can fool all of the people some of the time,
and some of the people all of the time,
but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

-- Abraham Lincoln.

What do you want in life?

Got a link from a colleague of mine. It is about the speech of Steve Jobs and how he affected her life.

A truely good read.Very insipring.
Something we all need from time to time. A reminder, or perhaps a ring of bell to awaken our innerself.
YouthCurry

If you are looking for the full article of Steve Jobs' speech to Stanford University (June 12, 2005), you can get access to it from this site:
Stanford

another good one... very thought provoking indeed..
shanxank's guide 2 face the world

* Make sure to download it to your local machine.

"I know what I need to do. What about you?"

The symbol of patriotism.

"Patriotism is a feeling of love and devotion to one's own homeland."
--Wikipedia.


Negaraku

Negaraku, tanah tumpah-nya darah ku,
Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju.
......
--"Negaraku", The national anthem of Malaysia.

As promiss, the picture taken somewhere near my office.
How shameful. The symbol of our country, torned and ruined.

Hang not our national flag, if you do not value her. Buy not out national flag, just because you wanted to show your spirit of patriotism on the National day, and then let it rot after the event. It is sad to see our national flag scattered on the floor, like rubbish.

If you want to hang our national flag, treat her right. If you want to show your spirit of patriotism, do it right. Starts with the man in the mirror, and love your national flag, love your country.

If you cannot even do this, what is the use of singing the national anthem in the cinema?
By the way, how many of us can still remember the lyrics and truely appreciate it? How many of us know the official version of the national anthem?

"How to love our country, when the country is treating us like a 2nd grade citizens?" you ask.
Yes, this is a difficult question to answer.

The truth is, it is very conflicting. In one hand, our country is among the safest in the world, harmonious, multi-races united and politically stable. In the other hand, corruption, cronism and no races equality.

What has our country did for us, especially to the chinese???

"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."
--John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America.

What have we done for our country, other than endless critism??

What have we done?
......

Why do we fall?

" Why do we fall, sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up."
--Alfred Pennyworth, Batman Begins.

But what you would do? If you do not even realised that you are actually falling? In the world that relativity do not work (as einstein would have expected), there are no such thing as falling or flying... They are all the same. The distortion of falling is simply because of the benchmark you relate it to. Otherwise, you may even be flying now.

This is why success and failure is only inch apart. No, success and failure are one. Neither there are good nor evil.

This is something that the school, the society never teach... This is the greyish side the world. Part of the world that we seems to have forgotten or some of us choosed to ignore.

But of course, if you never learn to fall, you will not understand flying. Sounds confusing? Who told you life is easy.

Life is short. Live it.

"Why do we fall, sir?"
-- So that we know that we were standing. It is only cause and effect. It is only "karma".

You do not understand what I am trying to share? It is ok. I my self do not understand.
Perhaps next time. Perhaps......

C'est la vie, mon ami.