AhDoe – Music as an International Language

Hey, check this out and go back to your childhood!

This is my favourite Tom and Jerry episode other than the in-house ice-skating episode!

I never knew that this piano piece was from Franz Liszt and to my horror, it is DAMN difficult!!!

I don’t think a Grade 8 piano student can handle this song!

This song, is S244 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, from the Prince of Piano, Mr. Franz Liszt.

See Maksim play this piano piece…you felt his agony?

I will definitely have a cramp after I finish the whole song! Or maybe I will never have a cramp because I will never get to play the whole song?

Hmmm……let’ see.

You can download the PDF version of S244 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 piano sheet for free here.

I am showing my crave for Lust and Caution! Oh oh oh, don’t get me wrong, I mean…the movie Lust Caution!

First of all, it is from Lee Ang, the same director who directed the movie “Brokeback Mountain” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

Secondly, the plot is based on Eileen Chang‘s (Zhang Ai Ling) famous novel of the same name.

Thirdly, this movie is partially filmed in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Fourthly, the leading actress, Tang Wei is gorgeous!

Fifthly, and most importantly…the nudity scenes of Tang Wei and Tony Leung are widely discussed in the press.

Ok, please ignore point number 1 to 4 and take point number 5 as the whole. (Blushing)

For those who haven’t watched this movie yet, please take note that this movie will be shown in cinema within these few days, but before that, it’s good to have a preview on the trailer before you enter the cinema for the show. This preview will also make you understand how IMPORTANT it is, for not taking your young little children into this theater.

Oh yeah, perhaps a little trivia about the story. I am not gonna let you know the story, but it’s meaningful to let you know a key person that is portrayed in this movie, who really existed in real life.

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On the 21st December of 1939, Zheng Ping Ru requested Ding Mo Cun to accompany her for a shopping session. Ding noticed two fishy men outside the window while Zheng was busy picking the clothes. Ding ran out of the store when he realized something was wrong with the situation. By the time these two men (who were actually the secret agents) tried to gun him down, Ding had already safely took cover in his bullet-proof car.

Lust Caution is a film based on this event. It was all about this young lady secret agent called Zheng trying to assassinate Ding, who was recognized as a traitor against Chinese government at that time.

Zheng was prosecuted in the end, due to a betrayal by someone from the same organization when this assassination took place.

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Anyway, the younger sister of Zheng stood out and clarify that there is nothing between her sister Zheng Ping Ru and Ding like what the movie said. Maybe it’s just some modification on the storyline in order to make this movie more interesting.

It’s up to you on whose words to take.

Oh yeah, I forgot something, I would like add another point besides the five points above, regarding “The Reason why I wanted to see Lust Caution”

The music is beautiful…you can listen to it in the trailer. I am quite sure that I will hunt for its OST after seeing this movie!

You can also download Lust Caution Piano Sheet for free here.

Oh my God! Corrinne May is a Singaporean Chinese!

That’s amazing isn’t it? If you have heard her songs, I bet you can’t tell that she is a Chinese.

Just saw her on the MyNewspaper.

So sorry, it’s in Chinese, I will translate it into English for your convenience. 🙂

(Can I get any translation jobs in the future?)

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Dempsey Road is no stranger to Singaporeans. There are wine cellars and restaurants here. This place is filled with countryside atmosphere instead of the suffocating forests of skyscrapers.

Block 8th till 11th has been acquired by Country City Investment and developed into a unique spot for working and living. It’s named “Dempsey Hill”.

Currently residing in L.A. US, Corrinne May came back to Singapore for the release of her 4th album “Beautiful Seed”. Mynewspaper invited her to discover the joy of life at Dempsey Hill during her break.

Corrinne May started her singing career in US, year 2000. Some famous songs from her are “Fly Away” and “Safe in a CrazyWorld”. Her low-pitched and powerful voice touched many fans.

There are numerous Corrinne’s fans around me (The reporter) and they felt that her voice has healing-ability. It’s relieving and comfortable after listening to her voice despite of the frustration and stress resulted from a hard day.

After graduating for NUS, Corrinne further studied Music in Boston. I think that she is quite mysterious because she can be hardly seen in the local for the past 10 years.

“Mysterious? Actually not, just that I seldom return to Singapore, but I will go home at least once a year to visit my parents, relatives and friends. My life is plain, my daily routine is composing, working, sleeping for more than 8 hours, keeping myself optimistic and praying hard.”

“This album is named as “Beautiful Seed” because the concept of seed is often forgotten. Even the tiniest, unobvious object plays a big role.”

“The initial point of our life is a seed. I hope to write songs that bring optimism and hope to people. My songs are very organic, original and fulfils the definition of seeds.”

About her favourite song in her album, she recommends “City of Angles” that depicts the bright, shiny side against the poor, fallen side of L.A. “Five loaves and Two Fishes” is another favourite song, inspired by her favourite fable in the Bible.

On the very day during photography session, that was her first time to Dempsey Road.

“I think this place is beautiful and comfortable. It doesn’t feel so Singapore. It’s a pity that we are short of time today, I will come back in future during my spare time.”

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I first heard her “On the Side of Me” at Class 95 and started to pay attention to this female singer. To my surprise, she is not as famous as some other singers whose songs were repeatedly played at the same radio station. Anyway, I waited for her songs everyday.

Today, she appeared in the newspaper, and to my surprise, she is from Singapore!

Well done! She is another precious (No, not that Sm顧ol in LOTR) of Singapore….

Just watched a French movie called “La Pianiste” by coincidence.

You know, the first impression that this poster gave me is romantic, artistic, touching etc. The image of this leading actress resembled Holly Hunter who starred in “The Piano”. Moreover, it’s a French movie and how often do we get this chance to experience something like this in Malaysia and Singapore?

Storyline:
This movie tells the story of a highly talented piano teacher, Erika (Isabelle Huppert), who lives together with her mother in a small apartment. Their relationship is a little strange. You will see how she fought her mother and got along with her again in the next minute. I mean, it’s lunatic to me!

At school, Erika is strict and demanding towards her students. Of course, she behaved quite normal outside her apartment until….she met a handsome guy called Walter (Benoî´ Magimel), who is surprisingly talented in piano as well. To make it short, Walter expressed his interest to Erika and an unusual relationship began between them two!

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Today, the 25th of September 2007 marks the birth of my very own blog!

Before this, I have been questioning myself about the motive of  having one. Well, I am not that type of person who is very high-profile and in fact, I’d prefer to be secretive most of the time. Guess that makes me more Scorpion…*Scoffing*

The truth behind it is: The passion towards Music and Life!

At this time while I am writing this post, I am STILL an engineer. To be specific, I am a product engineer who works in semiconductor field. Due to unforseen circumstances, an idea of switching profession struck me. In fact, I have never given up to pursue my opportunities in music. During these years, from schooling time till today, my subconsciousness drove me to teach piano and yangqin as a part-timer, to perform during wedding dinner, to edit and compose ringtones and etc.

I am extremely touched when my closest kins and friends congratulated me for having the thought of switching to this field.

Today, this blog marks the best rewards I can give to them and myself. I will continously update this blog with some information ranging from Musical Scores, sharing of my research and views and of course, some interesting stories and journeys throughout my life.

Ta dah! 25th September 2007!