Dear Mozart,

Sleep eludes me... I have been thinking about a particular letter by Mozart for the past few hours and glanced through the second letter. Something a lecturer said some time ago proves true. The wee hours of the morning seem to be a perfect time for one to think about the music. But this is not an ideal situation as I have piano class in less than seven hours time!

I remembered Nodame, an Japanese anime character, who played quite a number of pieces by Mozart in the live series. Watching it again made me realize how beautiful Mozart's music is. It is absolutely necessary to produce just the right sound...like pearls. Hopefully ranting will help me to feel drowsy. I almost wish I could just faint...which seems to be a form of rest.

fourth week of holiday...

I notice every time I find it hard to fall asleep, I would come here and type away. Well, here goes... =)

While swimming a few weeks ago, I came to a point where I was gasping for air. Maybe I was kicking too hard or...missed a stroke? Come to think about it, it was more likely that I was out of stamina...haha. I continued and felt a voice telling me to "let go". Not the suicidal kind of "let go"...! In my situation, it translated as "relax"! I decided to heed the voice and really just let go as I swam. I noticed I swam faster... Also, there were no more "out of stamina" situations. It has surely been lingering on my mind in terms of playing them black and white keys!

Something else quite profound which has lingered... As a teacher, one will always wonder whether his/her teaching would have an impact as well as effect on students. Here is something a teacher shared in class. "I don't like to scold students; I like to build them up." If this were a Facebook status, it deserves a double like.

It's All Right to Dream Again...

The lesson? Three words. Don't give up.
Is the trail dark? Don't sit.
Is the road long? Don't stop.
Is the night black? Don't quit.

God is watching. For all you know right at this moment he may be telling the angel to move the stone.

The check may be in the mail.
The apology may be in the making.
The job contract may be on the desk.

Don't quit. For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers.

God still sends angels. And God still moves stones.

- taken from He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado

dic.tion.ar.y

There is something deeply comforting about flipping through the dictionary in search of that particular word. A better word for the feeling would be "nostalgia". Maybe it is the deja vu of looking for one word after another to satisfy the word puzzle, the smell of an old dictionary... As I flipped through my Webster dictionary in search of the word "metaphor", which I sort of knew but failed to explain properly, that is exactly how I felt. I remembered those childhood days when gadgets like computer or laptop did not exist yet (at least not in my home) and the only way to look for the definition of a word was by using the dictionary. In this era, all I have to do is type the word into google and within seconds, there's my answer. Do you? Or maybe I am one of the few who has been lazy. Haha.

A road accident

Accident or road accident used to be a somewhat foreign term in my family. When it did happen, all I could cling on to is the hope and faith that good will come out of it because there is no accident about each detail that happens in our lives. There is a purpose for each event, each accident, each loss, each celebration, and the list goes on. The choices are clear: to take it and let good come out of it by having a hopeful and optimistic attitude or drowning in the negative effects.

It is a privilege to witness the first choice happen. Lying next to my dad's bed is a hopeful nineteen year old who could still smile even through his pain. He had taken some sort of injury to his spinal cord while helping out around the house. The doctors had explained that he might lose the ability to walk. But he clung on and my parents witnessed him being able to wiggle his toes after surgery. He has been walking around and healing well. Not forgetting an important part of this courageous life story is his younger brother who accompanied him throughout this time. He sat by his brother's side most of the time, feeding him, cleaning him, and even playing some Chinese mp3 from his cell phone to cheer him up. I could hear their laughter as they conversed in their dialect.

In the bed next to this young teenager lies my dad who has fractures in his tibia and fibula. He was so glad to be on his way home from work to see his family, only to be knocked down from his motorbike. The healing will be a long process, but there is hope in his eyes. There is no best way to explain why things like these happen, but God works all things out for good.

The last minutes of 2010

What a year! I just received a text and realized that soon it will be dawning of a new decade. Like what a friend said, I left another year in college. It started with the finals for the first term, now its ending with preparation for the third term exams. Reflections are inevitable...cherished moments, regrets...but I can say that not a day has gone past without God letting me realize that He is always with me, watching over me.

Limited time...
The exams are looming...two more days to be exact. Will it be enough--the practices & preparations? Perhaps I should not be anticipating what will come after the next two weeks, but grasping each day and charging forward.

As I contemplate what to do next...with Bill Evans accompanying me through the speakers, here's to wishing you a Blessed New Year 2011! :) May your hearts be filled with much love & joy to face each new day. Take care!

Reminded of the simple joys in life

It does not have to be something big... just something small, but having and leaving a big impression upon our hearts.

A little girl around the age of nine sat beside me on the train today. Her hair was parted into two braids. She glanced at me shyly and responded to my smile. It is amazing what a smile...a genuine smile...can do. :) I regret not talking to her then as I worried her sister who was on the other side of the train might not like it. She seemed a friendly girl. Maybe I might bump into her again someday...