"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ~Mahatma Gandhi
I came across this quote, and really liked it, as I can see the truth in it. Forgiveness takes strength because it requires seeing past, and letting go of each other's weaknesses and mistakes and loving them in spite of it. And of course, forgiveness isn't limited to other people. Forgiving yourself can be the toughest thing. But it does take strength. The great thing? We're all strong enough.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Beethoven, and Wagner and me, oh my!
I just came back from a mind blowing symphony concert. Katherine Chi playing the Beethoven Emperor Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 5) and Die Meistersinger: An Orchestral Tribute (Arranged by Vlieger).
Katherine Chi played the concerto magnificently, every note just perfect. The first movement was just exquisite. Ahh. Gosh, I just love this concerto, and this being my first time hearing it live, it was pretty darn fantastic.
*A side note: Okay, between movements, if you ever attend the symphony, you've probably noticed that people tend to cough between movements. It confuses me, but I tolerate it (what can ya do, anyway?) Well tonight, the audience positively erupted with coughing. It was thunderous. I just don't get it. When I get a cough, I can't usually control when I cough, so I try to do it quietly. But it seems that for the majority of symphony goers, they can hold in their coughs and spew them forth at every possible break. Weird, imho.
Anyway, the Wagner. Oh my goodness, the Wagner. It was heavenly. I could live on it. The orchestration was so lush, and rich and delicious and beautiful that I just wanted to shout with joy. I didn't. As much as I adore the Beethoven (it's one of my favourite concertos), the Wagner was the highlight of the evening. Just glorious. The musicians were evidently loving it too, and I saw of number of them with happy grins on their faces at certain places. It was exquisitely, beautiful, satisfying, nourishing, exhilarating. My goodness, it's good stuff.
All in all, a brilliant concert and one that I shall remember for a very long. Anyway, thanks for reading, and stay posted for more posts!I have a bunch coming up. It feels great to be back blogging.
Katherine Chi played the concerto magnificently, every note just perfect. The first movement was just exquisite. Ahh. Gosh, I just love this concerto, and this being my first time hearing it live, it was pretty darn fantastic.
*A side note: Okay, between movements, if you ever attend the symphony, you've probably noticed that people tend to cough between movements. It confuses me, but I tolerate it (what can ya do, anyway?) Well tonight, the audience positively erupted with coughing. It was thunderous. I just don't get it. When I get a cough, I can't usually control when I cough, so I try to do it quietly. But it seems that for the majority of symphony goers, they can hold in their coughs and spew them forth at every possible break. Weird, imho.
Anyway, the Wagner. Oh my goodness, the Wagner. It was heavenly. I could live on it. The orchestration was so lush, and rich and delicious and beautiful that I just wanted to shout with joy. I didn't. As much as I adore the Beethoven (it's one of my favourite concertos), the Wagner was the highlight of the evening. Just glorious. The musicians were evidently loving it too, and I saw of number of them with happy grins on their faces at certain places. It was exquisitely, beautiful, satisfying, nourishing, exhilarating. My goodness, it's good stuff.
All in all, a brilliant concert and one that I shall remember for a very long. Anyway, thanks for reading, and stay posted for more posts!I have a bunch coming up. It feels great to be back blogging.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Questions!
So, a while back, Raine posted some questions in the comments. She asked:
1. If you listed your favorite Shakespeare plays in a particular order, what would it be?
Hmm... That's a really hard question. I'm going to think on it more and see if I can get it into a list... Really, really, tough.
2. "And I think you would enjoy Elijah Bossenbroek, he is a pianist/composer"
At your suggestion, I googled him and listened to some of his stuff. I liked it a lot, and very beautiful! Where did you hear about him?
3. When you listen to music do your fingers play along with the music? As if you were playing it on a piano?
All the time! And as if I was playing the flute too, no matter what position my fingers are in! But yeah, my fingers are always moving!
Post your questions in the comments below! They're fun to answer! :)
1. If you listed your favorite Shakespeare plays in a particular order, what would it be?
Hmm... That's a really hard question. I'm going to think on it more and see if I can get it into a list... Really, really, tough.
2. "And I think you would enjoy Elijah Bossenbroek, he is a pianist/composer"
At your suggestion, I googled him and listened to some of his stuff. I liked it a lot, and very beautiful! Where did you hear about him?
3. When you listen to music do your fingers play along with the music? As if you were playing it on a piano?
All the time! And as if I was playing the flute too, no matter what position my fingers are in! But yeah, my fingers are always moving!
Post your questions in the comments below! They're fun to answer! :)
Back into a schedule
Ahh, bliss. After getting H1N1 (which really through me off my normal schedule) and then getting into the really intense period of rehearsals and performances, I finally feel like I'm back on my regular schedule of things.
My normal weekday schedule looks something like this.
0700-0800- Read in bed, eat breakfast, check email etc.
0800-1100- Practice piano
1100-1200- Practice flute
1200-1300- Lunch, email,
1300-1500- Math
1500-onwards- French, reading etc. It really depends. I have supper around 1730/1800 and then every 2nd day, I use the ellipticle for an hour, and stretch etc. And then I spend the rest of the evening unwinding, etc. And then I'm in bed at 2230.
It works really well me, and when I stray off that schedule, I tend to get grouchy and feel useless. It's a fairly loose schedule, and with lessons and other appointments, I never get 5 days just like that in a week, but it puts some form to my days and makes me a lot happier. So it's nice to get back to my happy, little schedule.
What do you do to ensure your general sanity?
My normal weekday schedule looks something like this.
0700-0800- Read in bed, eat breakfast, check email etc.
0800-1100- Practice piano
1100-1200- Practice flute
1200-1300- Lunch, email,
1300-1500- Math
1500-onwards- French, reading etc. It really depends. I have supper around 1730/1800 and then every 2nd day, I use the ellipticle for an hour, and stretch etc. And then I spend the rest of the evening unwinding, etc. And then I'm in bed at 2230.
It works really well me, and when I stray off that schedule, I tend to get grouchy and feel useless. It's a fairly loose schedule, and with lessons and other appointments, I never get 5 days just like that in a week, but it puts some form to my days and makes me a lot happier. So it's nice to get back to my happy, little schedule.
What do you do to ensure your general sanity?
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Tempest!
Hey everybody,
I'm back to posting! The Tempest is over! Yay! I mean, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm sad it's all over, but it's nice to have the weight off my shoulders. How did it go, you're probably asking? It was fantastic! Okay, I'm pretty (extremely) biased, but honestly, it really went well. On the marketing side, we had everything together (dates, advertising etc.) way sooner and that was really nice. As a small little theatre company, we're constantly improving and growing and learning, and this was definitely our best production. Hands down.
*The following section is unbiased*
We had a killer company too. First off, we had Nicole, who was a stage manager/lighting/understudy and general on-top-of-everything kind of person. Honestly, five days before opening, we found out that our actor playing Gonzalo couldn't make one of the performances. So we called in Dorothy, who was playing a spirit/mariner and asked her to play Gonzalo for that performance (the Saturday matinee) and in five days, she had Gonzalo's lines solid, all the blocking learned and the acting was all there. And then because Dorothy was now Gonzalo for the matinee, we asked Nicole if she would stand in for Dorothy. At a rehearsal, we went to run through the dance in Act II with Nicole, and gosh darnit, Nicole didn't even need that runthrough, because she already had it all perfect. I was honestly in awe. I've never understudied, but from what I've heard, if you can understudy, you can do anything, because when you understudy, you're not only learning your part, you're learning somebody else's! And for the record, the matinee was practically perfect and Dorothy and Nicole were fantastic! Yay Nicole and Dorothy!
And then we had Josh, who was brilliant as the grief-stricken King Alonso. Josh, you were really great in a really dramatic role! And Calla, who played Ariel, was totally fantastic as Ariel. Lots of energy, but perfect at pulling out the dramatic moments and hope in Ariel. Everybody else was great too, but as they don't have blogs to link to, they don't get reviews. :P
*Okay, unbiased section ends*
But we heard lots of great reviews for the production and I (personally) think we really did it justice. Now, I'm all sad and I miss it.
Anyway, this is getting long, and it's getting late (for me), so I'm going to end it here. I'm going to get back to my daily posting, now that I have more time, so you will actually get a post tomorrow!
-Daniel
I'm back to posting! The Tempest is over! Yay! I mean, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm sad it's all over, but it's nice to have the weight off my shoulders. How did it go, you're probably asking? It was fantastic! Okay, I'm pretty (extremely) biased, but honestly, it really went well. On the marketing side, we had everything together (dates, advertising etc.) way sooner and that was really nice. As a small little theatre company, we're constantly improving and growing and learning, and this was definitely our best production. Hands down.
*The following section is unbiased*
We had a killer company too. First off, we had Nicole, who was a stage manager/lighting/understudy and general on-top-of-everything kind of person. Honestly, five days before opening, we found out that our actor playing Gonzalo couldn't make one of the performances. So we called in Dorothy, who was playing a spirit/mariner and asked her to play Gonzalo for that performance (the Saturday matinee) and in five days, she had Gonzalo's lines solid, all the blocking learned and the acting was all there. And then because Dorothy was now Gonzalo for the matinee, we asked Nicole if she would stand in for Dorothy. At a rehearsal, we went to run through the dance in Act II with Nicole, and gosh darnit, Nicole didn't even need that runthrough, because she already had it all perfect. I was honestly in awe. I've never understudied, but from what I've heard, if you can understudy, you can do anything, because when you understudy, you're not only learning your part, you're learning somebody else's! And for the record, the matinee was practically perfect and Dorothy and Nicole were fantastic! Yay Nicole and Dorothy!
And then we had Josh, who was brilliant as the grief-stricken King Alonso. Josh, you were really great in a really dramatic role! And Calla, who played Ariel, was totally fantastic as Ariel. Lots of energy, but perfect at pulling out the dramatic moments and hope in Ariel. Everybody else was great too, but as they don't have blogs to link to, they don't get reviews. :P
*Okay, unbiased section ends*
But we heard lots of great reviews for the production and I (personally) think we really did it justice. Now, I'm all sad and I miss it.
Anyway, this is getting long, and it's getting late (for me), so I'm going to end it here. I'm going to get back to my daily posting, now that I have more time, so you will actually get a post tomorrow!
-Daniel
Thursday, November 12, 2009
My life
After my last post, I took all of my own advice, (which really is good advice, honest)...and promptly got sick. Very unpleasant. Without getting a swab, it's pretty tough to tell exactly what it was, but it's looking like I had H1N1. I had like, all the symptoms. Honestly, I went through the list of symptoms and I had every, single one. Almost funny. Almost. But now I don't have to get the vaccine because I have the natural immunity. Yay?
Anyway.
The long and short of it is that I've missed three rehearsals that I should have been at, a piano lesson, a piano masterclass, a cello class (that I am supposed to accompany on piano), a flute lesson, a voice lesson and who knows what else. So I'm grumpy. Grrr. But I had a good music rehearsal today with the musicians for the Tempest. Actually, with only 3/5 of them, and then I had to play the other two parts on the piano. But it was good, and we went through all the pieces with the script and worked them in where they should go.
That's all for now.
Anyway.
The long and short of it is that I've missed three rehearsals that I should have been at, a piano lesson, a piano masterclass, a cello class (that I am supposed to accompany on piano), a flute lesson, a voice lesson and who knows what else. So I'm grumpy. Grrr. But I had a good music rehearsal today with the musicians for the Tempest. Actually, with only 3/5 of them, and then I had to play the other two parts on the piano. But it was good, and we went through all the pieces with the script and worked them in where they should go.
That's all for now.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
How to avoid getting H1N1
So wow, this H1N1 thing is getting pretty crazy everywhere. Everywhere I look, people are getting sick (even if it's not with H1N1). So here are my tips for staying healthy. They've all been said before, but they bear repeating and they've kept me healthy so far!
1. Drink lots of water/herbal tea. Lots and lots and lots. It's good for you.
2. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. So eat more then one. And other fruits and veggies. They are also good for you. (Duh)
3. Get exercise, keep in shape. This is also important, as you need to be active in order to sustain a strong immune system. So walking, running, dancing, whatever. We have an ellipticle trainer that I hop on for an hour 3-4 times a week.
4. Wash your hands! Every time you shake hands with someone, before you eat, after you use the washroom, and at least once an hour!
5. Take Vitamin C + Echinacea. And possible ColdFX. That's what I take.
6. Cut down on/eliminate sugar. Freeze the rest of your halloween candy, until the flus have past.
7. Stay warm! Don't let your body get cold or your body will spend it's energy on warming you up, rather then fighting viruses. Put on a sweater, or run around the house.
8. And get lots of sleep!
1. Drink lots of water/herbal tea. Lots and lots and lots. It's good for you.
2. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. So eat more then one. And other fruits and veggies. They are also good for you. (Duh)
3. Get exercise, keep in shape. This is also important, as you need to be active in order to sustain a strong immune system. So walking, running, dancing, whatever. We have an ellipticle trainer that I hop on for an hour 3-4 times a week.
4. Wash your hands! Every time you shake hands with someone, before you eat, after you use the washroom, and at least once an hour!
5. Take Vitamin C + Echinacea. And possible ColdFX. That's what I take.
6. Cut down on/eliminate sugar. Freeze the rest of your halloween candy, until the flus have past.
7. Stay warm! Don't let your body get cold or your body will spend it's energy on warming you up, rather then fighting viruses. Put on a sweater, or run around the house.
8. And get lots of sleep!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Honens
So, about a week ago, I had the great fortune to be able to go the Esther Honens International Piano Competition. Actually, I had great company too, as I went with my wonderful mother and my great friend Josh. Hey, speaking of Josh, why don't you hop over to his blog and remind him that he hasn't posted since March and that he should get back at that?
Anyway.
In short, it was just fantastic. Totally inspiring, and very exciting. It's an international competition, and the level of performance is incredible. We spent almost the entire time listening to concerts by the quarter-finalists, or master classes taught by the jurors to Alberta piano students, and heard a lot of great music. We all got kind of music-ed out. Wait, no, forget that. That's not really possible. But we did get a little exhausted from sitting in the performance hall just listening. By the end of it, my fingers were just itching to touch the keys. I couldn't wait to get home and practice. But yeah, very inspiring, and hopefully I'll be able to go to the next one (in three years from now).
Anyway.
In short, it was just fantastic. Totally inspiring, and very exciting. It's an international competition, and the level of performance is incredible. We spent almost the entire time listening to concerts by the quarter-finalists, or master classes taught by the jurors to Alberta piano students, and heard a lot of great music. We all got kind of music-ed out. Wait, no, forget that. That's not really possible. But we did get a little exhausted from sitting in the performance hall just listening. By the end of it, my fingers were just itching to touch the keys. I couldn't wait to get home and practice. But yeah, very inspiring, and hopefully I'll be able to go to the next one (in three years from now).
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