I'm suspecting myself of having an advanced stage of 'Obsessive compulsive examinomania(OCE)'. It's a type of sickness characterized by endless (maniac maybe) pursuit for challenge and examinations, typically manifested by overstimulation of brain receptors for cognitive and limbic response to a steady-state condition termed 'examination'.
なんてね。
Don't know what got into me but in the span of a week, I committed myself to 2009 Violin ABRSM Grade 2 exam and 2008 JLPT (Pre-Advance) Level 2 exam. This is on top of my PhD confirmation exam at the end of this year.
And I'm here mimicking a pharmacist-wanna-be, memorizing a gazillion drug names for my Pharmacology exam the day after tomorrow.
But I haven't come across any drug for treatment of acute OCE. Anyone got a cure?
Update edit: Official word came that the airing will go on as per normal. And the leak was a technical+human error.
Some disgruntled staff leaked the last 6mins of Code Geass R2 third episode supposedly to be aired this weekend, so I heard. And rumors had it that CGR2 this week will stop broadcasting. And that the production company may want to rewrite the plot. And that we may not get to see the Lelouch/Zero-Rollo confrontation.
Just after the SSO concert last week, I had the privilege of attending another concert, played by Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra last Wednesday. PB had a complimentary ticket to spare and graciously invited me to make full use of the ticket (Thank you PB!).
I haven't listened to other orchestras apart from SSO, so this is quite an eye opener. YSTCO is comprised mostly of the Conservatory's undergrads, and for that evening, they were conducted by Maestro Wang Ya-Hui. The theme for the concert was Poetry Passion Power.
Repertoire:
Barber - Adagio for Strings Op.1
Korngold - Violin Concerto in D major Op. 35
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.4 in F minor Op.36
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I went in without high expectations, and came out thoroughly entertained. Maestro Wang was really good, and this was especially evident when they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony. It was very dynamic and expressive, at the same time, ended with much pomp and dignity. Korngold's Violin Concerto was led by soloist Qian Zhou, and it was quite a beautiful rendition. That said, I still prefer Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D over Korngold's.
The audience was not as enthusiastic as last Friday's SSO's, and it seemed they gave pretty lukewarm response to what I deemed great performance. So it came to my surprise that the orchestra obliged us with encore TWICE. And SSO didn't oblige us any regardless the thunderous applause. Hmm.
In any case, I enjoyed the concert alot. My only complaint would be the players were not acutely sensitive to Maestro Wang's conducting. They could have done better. But it was good nonetheless.
Hopefully there'll be more enjoyable concerts to come!
A stunning duet between the violin and the cello, played by Itzhak Perlman and Yo-yo Ma. This is the most beautiful rendition of Dvorak's Humoresque I've heard ever.
Lelouch Lamperouge is back with revenge. Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 is not to be missed. Why, it's worth just to sit in for half an hour of Fukuyama Jun's voice acting. My favourite seiyuu can Geass even better this round.
A 5-minute refresher of Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion.
Finally, I get to listen to Brahms' Symphony #1 in C minor, LIVE!
Last Friday, I towed Sis and WW to the concert hall for an evening of symphony orchestra. And I must say, apart from having a pain in the neck (from sitting too close to the stage), I'm so glad I went to this concert.
Repertoire:
Wagner - Tannhauser: Overture and Bacchanale (Paris version)
Brunch - Concerto for Clarinet and Viola in E minor
Brahms - Symphony No.1 in C minor
Maestro Claus Peter Flor conducted the concert and I'm very glad he did. Under his baton, I enjoyed every song rendered that night. The dynamics were incredibly flowing and simply beautiful.
I loved the graceful expression of Wagner's Tannhauser Overture. The harmony is so flowing, graceful and dynamic. I don't know how to put it in words, but it's like watching the entire opera with my ears. Also, I didn't expect to enjoy Brunch's Concerto for clarinet and viola so much. The melancholic duet between the viola and clarinet was simply marvelous. The pairing of the instruments is simply appropriate and the hollow alto sound alternated between melancholy and gentleness so sweet I could actually see imaginary maple leaves falling in an autumn sky. It was simply the loveliest music I've heard from these two not-so-high-profile instruments.
Of course, my ultimate enjoyment of the night was Brahms' First Symphony, also famously called Beethoven's Tenth. Maestro Flor conducted without a score and his interpretation of the symphony was more dynamic than the recordings I've heard so far. The first and final movements were fast and ferocious, whereas the second and third movements were gentle, sweet and graceful. I was trembling in resonance (I was like 3 rows away from the stage) when the final movement was played with such ferocity. Thoroughly, completely enjoyed every bar of it.
I'm so so so so happy I decided to go for this concert. And I hope the next one will be just as exciting!
If you could leap through time, what would you do?
I haven't watched too many anime movies, and while I'd safely say at anytime I would prefer animation series over one-time movies, there are certain works which I find fascinating and entertaining. It's as if they take you to the forbidden world of fantasy that only exists in the realm of imagination (think Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Byousoku 5 cm). These films give me a surreal feeling.
Until I watched 「時をかける少女」 (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) that is. Madhouse Animation Studios scored with this piece of production because it delivered what the previous movies I watched didn't: it engaged the audience.
時をかける少女, also affectionately known as TokiKake, is a very simple, straight-forward yet thought-provoking story. It tells about a bubbly and naive high school girl, Konno Makoto, who by accident, gained the ability to leap through time. Once she realized how to use her new time-reversing/forwarding abilities, Makoto didn't hesitate to use it to her advantage on routine things, such as leaping back again and again so that she could do better in her quiz, or to have unlimited karaoke sessions, or to set up her good friend Kousuke with his fangirl. However, when faced with a situation she would rather avoid, such as when her best friend Mamiya Chiaki confessed he liked her, Makoto used her time-leaping power to wield her out of facing the circumstances. In other words, she is manipulating her ability to avoid problems, which consequently produces messier problems. At one point of time, Makoto realized the number of times she could leap through time is limited, and in a turn of events, she used her last jump to reset time back to the point before she gained the ability to time-leap in order to rescue the existence of Chiaki, whom she came to accept and reciprocate his feelings for her.
I'm not keen to review the entire movie here, because I feel that you have to watch it to feel the impact. While the movie didn't seem to have any extraordinary appeal (animation designs are simple and plain, no stupendous visual effects), the slice-of-life feel delivered by the movie is incredibly real. I find myself relating to Makoto; it's like you can understand her honest emotions and straight-forward thinking. Her character is very well-written because it engages the audience.
For instance, it makes you think: What would you do if you gained the ability to leap through time at your own liberty?
Would you use it to leap back to yesterday, so that you would wake up on time and not miss the bus, which had led to your being late for meeting?
Would you use it to leap back to several hours earlier, so that you would be in the queue for the last ticket to the concert you were dying to attend?
Would you use it to leap back a few seconds earlier, so that you would take a different turn and prevented the traffic accident led to your premature death?
Would you use it to leap forward a few seconds later, so that you will avoid the pressure of replying the confessions of your best friend?
Would you use it to leap forward to tomorrow, so that you will not have to face the pain of losing someone or something important to you?
To me, the writers are trying to convey the message that everything in life, the good and the bad, we need to face them. We cannot run away from them, deny them, or refuse to take them at face value, because regardless how joyful or painful they are, it is everything in life that we experience everyday that will shape us and help us grow. The joy and the pain will make up the precious memories that give meaning to our existence. The people that we meet, the things that we do in company, the sadness that drowns us, the happiness that lifts us, the anger that rips us, the warmth that envelopes us... we just have to accept all the things life have to give us.
It didn't take a complicated plot, or elaborate designs, or sophisticated music to captivate me in TokiKake. All it had was a simple story, a flowing story-telling, a gentle combination of subtle color scenes, a line of expressive voice actors and straight-forward direction. And with these, TokiKake had me overflowing with emotions. It didn't need to fly me to the forbidden realm of fantasy to captivate my interest. I'm already taken by the simplicity and honest reality portrayed.
Seriously, everyone should watch TokiKake at least once. If you are to watch an animation movie, it can only be 時をかける少女.
Little Raincoat Girls
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Little girls in raincoats are so cute.
[image: Photobucket]
Saw a little girl decked in a mini-raincoat and carrying a mini
strawberry-shaped umbrella on ...
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