13/7/05

Wanted to start work again but mood dies after a while of surfing the law database. I'll just leave it to next week.

When I thought that my day would be a normal gaming day, a surprise call from my friend in Westwinds lighted my fire for the whole day. He had tickets to give away for the afternoon concert and the evening concert. Afternoon- Stadtharmonie Zurich Oerlikon-Seebach, Switzerland. Evening- Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Wind Ensemble, Japan. Of course, I sat alone during those 2 concerts, got used to it. I was looking for musical satisfaction.

Afternoon

The Swiss band was quite like the Westwinds. Loud sound and forceful brass. The players were of mature age too. Adults in short. However, it seems like they had the same problems as us (westwinds). Tuning, and entry of notes. The commendable thing was a flute player who expressed well the solos in the pieces. Somehow they didn't impressed me, perhaps due to my seat location. I was located on Circle 2 on the right. It was a side seat. Luckily the seat could be turned to make myself comfortable. The sad thing was that I only discovered it during the second half. FIrst half.... neck pain. ha

Evening

The senzoku wind ensemble. When the performers walked out, "OMG" came up to my mind. They look so much like secondary school students. Perhaps some look like JC students. Age estimation, 14-20. I have always know that japanese bands focus on precision, accuracy and tuning. I thought today's band isn't going to express much. I was wrong.

One piece that i remembered clearly was the last piece. It was entitled Jupitar's fantasy, composed by ITO Yasuhide. The composer conducted that piece himself. I remember seeing him when I was in the SAF band. He came down to Singapore from Japan to give a workshop on conducting. No doubt that his conducting skills is great. His composition is excellent! The melody, the decoration, the texture, the style, all combine to portray a story beautifully.

That piece, A Jupitar's Fantasy started with a solemn tune adopted from the famous Jupitar of the Planet Suite by G.Holst. It then moves into a fast pace section that is light and powerful. How can that be possible? Jazzy beats- light. Solos within- powerful.

THe trumpeteer started the solo that showed the power of a jazz trumpet. I was astonished by his skills and improvisation ability. On top of that, he looked very very very young. Drop Jaw.

The soprano sax took over, showing its versatility and precision. The notes played were so high that I thought it would be impossible for a player of such an age to reach it. Very young.

Before the piece ended, the solemn section came back after the jazzy part and started with a flute solo, playing the melody Jupitar. The sound and expression of that flute sound seems to resonate with the E string in my heart. The Emotional string. I could feel the dryness in my eyes, gone. Beautifully played. The eupho solo that followed after that gave a little slow jazz feel to that melody. Amazing composure showed... better than me, i must say.

The whole piece ended with a pause on the peaceful chord that triggers off thoughts and tastes of the colours of music. THe conductor then beautifully used his hand to run through the wind chime that was placed beside the podium before the start of that last finale. Bravo.

Another feature of the evening concert is an accordian solo piece. It's the first time I come across an accordian. Beautiful sound, beautiful expression from the soloist. Each movement on the fingers, each pulling and pushing of the instrument itself seems to create the beautiful harmony of colours that was represented by sound.

The Japanese band sound was the loud and forceful kind that is not irritating at all. Compared to the german band sound, the Japanese band is just in a different side of the ball. Both are good sound, both represent different culture backgrounds, both represent different expression. They are both great.

This band, changed my thought about japanese bands. "Japanese bands CAN express music".

After so many concerts in Esplanade, I have a feeling of connection of being an audience of big concerts. Its some kind of feeling that cannot be described easily by words. When I sat there, I felt as thought its my home. So comfortable, so close, the feeling. I like to attend concerts. World class concerts. Perhaps i'll attend more orchestra concerts in the future, who knows.

SLice of Life

Be Open to Possibilities

When you imagine your future, do you see unlimited potential or do you see a lack of opportunities? Almost everyday, we are overrun by bad news, bleak outlooks, and people who complain about how miserable their lives are. In such a climate, it's no small task remaining upbeat and optimistic. But it is precisely that kind of positive attitude that will open your eyes to the opportunities that are always present.

According to Rosamund Stone Zander, author of "The Art of Possibility", many of the circumstances appear to block us only because of the assumptions we make. In other words, if we colour our view of the world with negative energy, our behaviour towards it will appear to elicit an unfavourable response. If you look at your environment through cracked and grimy glasses, you won't see a pretty picture.

When you participate in negative dialogue, either with yourself or with others, you are setting yourself up for failure. It's almost as if there's an instinct to prove oneself right, and if you think things will turn out badly, your thoughts and action will contribute to that result. When you retreat from a world you perceive as grim, you're closing yourself off to the possibilities.

But what happens if you remain open to the possibilities? When you view the world from a perspective of unlimited potential, your attitude will shift. So will the way you engage your employees, customers, friends and family; everyone you come into contact with. You will project an image of abundance, and your drive and hope will inspire those around you. You will become a motivating force in a climate of openness and courage, a climate that gives back to you just as much, if not more, than what you gave to create it.

When we're open to possibilities, we see further and are more inclined to take risks. Risks that may not always yield the results we want, but which create more paths towards our goals. You're only a failure if you stop trying. Because opportunities for success are limitless - when one doesn't pay off the way you imagined, there's always the next, and the next. One of them will be the one to catapult you forward, and it could just be the next one.

Being open means that you have to stand confident in the realm of possibilities - no matter the competition and no matter your fear. If your entire focus is on what your competitors are doing, your attitude will be passed on to your employees, and, ultimately, your clients. But if you focus on what you do best and how to better satisfy your clients and engage with them in new and powerful ways, your results will be quite different!