Sunday 24 December 2006

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Merry and Blessed and Splendid and Wonderful and Fantastic and Awesome and Timeless and Happy and Joyful- and all those other adjectives proper for use here- Christmas! :P

Sandi Patty



Yes, I do seem to have a penchant for her, don't I? :D But she has a wonderful voice!

Saturday 23 December 2006

Just to inform you.

NEW! I have posted about the train ride to Adelaide here.

Thursday 21 December 2006

Emmanuel & In the Name of the Lord





This one is very good. I like it, even though I have not heard it before. I copied the lyrics by ear so you can follow it as you listen. Here it is:

Verse 1:
The crowds have lined the narrow street
To see this man from Galilee
He’s just a carpenter, some say
And he’s leading fools astray
Yet many kneel to give Him praise
And in His eyes He glimpse the power
That sees the hearts of all men
And He knows His Father’s mind
He speaks His Father’s Word
For He comes in the Name of the Lord

Chorus:
And there is strength in the Name of the Lord
There is power in the Name of the Lord
There is hope in the Name of the Lord
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord

Verse 2:
When my plans have fallen through
And when my strength is nearly gone
When there’s nothing left to do
But just depend on You
And the power of Your Name
And as we call upon Your Name
Your strength through our weakness to show
We can know the Master’s plan
We can extend the Master’s hand
When we come in the Name of the Lord

Chorus:
And there is strength in the Name of the lord
There is power in the Name of the Lord
There is hope in the Name of the Lord
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord

Bridge:
And His Name will be worshipped forever
As Creator, our Redeemer and King

Ending:
There is strength in the Name of the Lord
There is power in the Name of the Lord
There is hope in the Name of the Lord
Blessed is He who comes
Blessed is He who comes
Blessed is He who comes
In the Name of the Lord!

Wednesday 20 December 2006

Lotsa fun!

heheh...

I've been having plenty of fun, sleeping late into the night (until 2am!) and waking up as late as 10am! :D (Yeah, my dad won't let me get up any later.) :P

Now that things have calmed down (like wedding over, auditions over, and the hussle and bussle of holiday has sort of worn off) I am enjoying myself a lot! It's relaxing and yet enjoyable. :) I can shop whenever I want to, too! There are 2 shopping complexes within a 5-10mins walk from our residence, so its really convenient. If I feel bored I can go for a nice stroll.

Oh yes. I think I forgot to mention the library! How could I??!!! I begged my aunt to make a library card (cos my cousin left for Singapore with hers) so that I could borrow! Sam is happy with his tintin dvd, nat with his barbarossa book, (what a name!) and me with my 3 dvds... I've had a fancy to watch Audrey Hepburn starring in War and Peace (since I found the book so boring and read it only halfway through despite keeping the book for more than 6 months)! Oooops. :D I was delighted to find it right at the back of the library shelf... whoopee! Yes, I found Mansfield Park as well as Murder in the vicarage by Agatha Christie (one of the marple series)on dvd too! hmmm.... I just finished watching the last.

Well.. ok. Despite all the good things in Sydney (convenient stores, good universities, impressive libraries and relatives) I admit I prefer good ol' Perth. I kinda miss Perth already... (awww so sad, I know) :P Even the libraries here couldn't tempt me away from home back in Perth. I think I will always love Perth better than Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra or Gold Coast. Perth is BEST!

Sunday 17 December 2006

An Aussie Wedding!

This was my first ever aussie wedding in my life! So interesting! :D The bride, bridesmaids, flowergirl, matron of honour as well as the bestman came in a horse driven carriage! The horses dressed up as if for a parade!

The wedding was simple and beautiful, and I thought the music choice perfect. I loved them even though I have not heard them all before.

We had a picture taking session.

After the marriage ceremony, we all adjourned to Batesman Bay (the ceremony was held in Moruya) for dinner. I had egg and cheese salad followed by roast. Delicious. :)

Then dancing began. This was particular activity was of immense interest to me, as I have not danced before, and neither seen anything like it. So this was my first shot at this art. The bridegroom himself danced with me (he's my cousin after all) and told me that I would need to learn how to dance, so that I could dance with my boyfriend next time! :D

ok. Picture time.






The auditions

I'm SO glad they are over, as much as enjoyed them. It's a big burden off, and now I can have a stress-free holiday with no more practising and no more cutting of nails! I've never been able to do that before. :D

I really enjoyed both of the Melbourne universities auditions. In Melbourne University, I was auditioned by the professor himself in his office, and I actually got to play Liebestraum on a Steinway and Sons piano! I just couldn't believe it! I'd always wanted to play on one ever since I gaped open mouthed at Lang Lang's performance on a 'Steinway and Sons' on tv. I got the right sound I wanted too.

Monash was a little cooler. In fact, out of all the universities I auditioned at, Monash is my favourite. I absolutely loved the place and the people there! Let me tell you something: Melbourne people are the most friendly, outgoing people I have ever met in all my travels around Australia. I mean I didn't even ask for directions or anything, and these people come up to me and ask if I need help! just wow... I only wish Monash were a little more well known in the world. *sigh*

Sydney Conservatorium of Music? Impressive building and all, but it's so intimidating and so competitive. I can't imagine studying there. It's like trying to study for an exam in an eisteddfod hall and its tensed atmosphere! Seriously. Even before the audition, I told myself that I didn't want to study here. And somehow, my wish came true. I played so badly- I've seriously never played so badly in my entire life- that I'm pretty sure I'll not get in. I'll think the audition panel nuts if they actually accept me. I really flunked my Sight Reading too! The sight reading was so mean! It's actually like trying to perform a Schumann piece without even looking at it beforehand. (I chose Schumann because the piece looked so much like Schumann's compositions. I wouldn't even be surprised if it is.) They had chords, demi-semiquavers, quavers, triplets, crotchets in just 2 bars!!! It was crazy. It think it was so mean to give such a piece.

Australian National University in Canberra came next in line. I had to wake up at 5am just to drive down there to take the aural test at 9:15am, and I only just made it because the professor in charge of the aural test was kind enough to wait for all the late students. The morning traffic didn't help at all. There seemed to be only one road to the university, and every person staying in Canberra had to use it that time of the day. Any other time would've been fine, but just then when I was already rushing for time! ANU seemed so deserted! There were no staff to show people around. I had to get help from a librarian! And the condition of the piano I played on in the practice room was simply atrocious. (To be fair, nobody wanted that room because it had no lock or even doorknob! So it must have been the worst piano in the whole level.)

The audition for this went well, really well, and I had a nice chat with the 4 'judges' telling them why a person from WA would want to come all the way over to ACT to study music there. Well, I told them that I actually didn't choose ANU (supposedly the no. 1 ranking uni in all of Australia) as my no. 1 choice, and that if I had a choice I would've like to study at either of the universities in Melbourne. Yeah very nice stuff to tell these people huh? I had to tell them the truth! I don't fancy being stuck in boring Canberra for the next 4 years of my life! To be sure, I would practise the piano a lot harder if I studied there, but that is NOT the point!

haha... the funny thing is, I am only supposed to know whether or not I'll be accepted, in January, but one of the ANU 'judges' (the one who asked my why I chose ANU)came out not long after I was dismissed, and met my mum and I waiting for my dad to drive the car around. He introduced himself to my mum (or tried to, at least, because we were talking -my mum and I- and she didn't hear him, so I... uh... introduced them? This person who I've only known for less than 1/2 and hour of my life to my mum. lol. Anyway, he offered me a place there instantly, and seemed to be really anxious for me to go there (I guess it was from his anxiety at my recital of the different unis I applied to!) so he decided to show me around! He brought both of us (my mum and I) to the concert room- that was probably the NICEST room in the whole school and told us that ANU had the best concert hall in Australia. :) Better than Sydney opera house? hmmm.... it was very nice.

Yes, so I already have a place in Canberra if I wanted it! yay. I'll have only to wait for the acceptance letters from the others in January...

University of New South Wales audition just went okay. Not bad, but not excellent either. The best part of studying at UNSW is that I get to choose my own teacher from outside, and then UNSW will fund my lessons. UWA doesn't do that. I'll be stuck with the teacher assigned to me. ugh.

Oh yeah, and I also got ripped off at the cafe there. They actually charge $3 for a bottle of pepsi! It's got to be the most expensive bottle of anything that I ever bought in my life! humph. I thought I packed my bottle of water, but it ended up that I left it somewhere else besides my bag, so... after waiting a long while, I gave up and finally paid the $3 just for a drink! grrr....

yes, and during the aural test for UNSW, the student conducting the test had the same last name as me. He collected my sheet, caught sight of my name and then told me so about 15 seconds later. No wonder he was smiling at me after he collected my sheet!

Ok, enough done recounting done I think. I better go. Catch up next time. adieu.

Thursday 7 December 2006

My holidays so far

Hey everyone!

I just came back from Gold Coast 2 days ago, and I've been having so much fun since then! (And yes, I had lots of fun before that too!) Sea World at Gold Coast was great, but I think I prefer the one in America. It is more impressive, with the killer whale Shamu for public viewing. :) The Sea World in Australia has dolphins, seals, penguins and sharks - not counting the other rock pool creatures- as well as 2 wet rides, a viking, a corkscrew (one of those rollercoasters that go upside down and around like a corkscrew) and some kiddy rides. I really enjoyed myself!

To this day, I still can't believe my brother actually persuaded me on that corkscrew ride. It felt like I was going to fall off during the turning, not during the upside down times, surprisingly. I couldn't lift my head, so I couldn't see what was coming up ahead of me, which is both a blessing and a curse I guess. :) I brought my 2nd brother on all the kiddy rides. (Yes, I actually sat the merry-go-round on a horse with him, and sat in a stuffy helicopter pressing these buttons to make a loud wailing siren noise just to pass time.) And I'm so proud of myself for going to the Shark bay!!! I actually plucked up enough guts to face those tamed and complacent captives of a glass aquarium ferocious predators of the sea. Whoo hoo!!! Three cheers! :P

We also went to this 4D show in Sea World, called SOS. It's about saving the environment- sea life and land life. VERY interesting, and at times, freaky too. I gasped when this eel made a dash and stopped inches from my face... :O

The rest of the Sea World trip? I spent shopping, swimming and walking along the beach. :)The beaches are beautiful by the way.

I leave soon for Moruya, about 4 hours out of Sydney. My cousin's wedding will be on Saturday, and I can't wait for it! Till after then. ciao.