MOSAIC music festival 2009!!!

It seems that the music and arts scene in Singapore is thriving, and it certainly is encouraging :) The MOSAIC music festival is coming! Looking through the acts these year, I am really excited!!! Looks very interested and varied... Anyone interested, lets go together man! Its great to have something to look forward to :)

-LeB-

a simple post of everyday life...

22nd Jan, Thurs. Woke up at 9am and started practicing my classical pieces for my piano lesson. Classical pieces are nerve-wrecking at times, given the amount of black stuff I see on the paper. I probably only managed to practice for about 2 hrs before my lesson in the noon.

Piano lesson today was again "discouraging". I played my self-composed piece for Ai Cheng and we talked a little about Berklee. She showed me some of her stuff, resume and such. I began to feel so little and thus... discouraged. The wonder, will I ever achieve something in this field? Well, I have chosen this path and God leads...

Spent the rest of the afternoon out with my younger brother. Ha... Brotherly bonding. We literally had a food feast that started with Laksa, "Black" Carrot Cake, Tang Yuan followed by Goreng Pisang and Durian waffle with Ice-cream. I cherish the time that I spend with him very much and thank God for the close ties we have. It is definitely time well spent!

Night was spent rehearsing for a Xinyao gig next week. Just like one year ago, I am doing this gig together with Edmund. How time flies. I saw my pictures this afternoon, I have celebrated 2 of Minhui's birthday and now, doing 2 CNY gigs with Edmund. I hope it will be a good performance and certainly enjoyable too! Caleb will attempt to speak more in Mandarin.

Supper with Simon, Minhui, Chuanfeng and Denis seems like the usual fair; indeed it is but it is definitely great company each time and enjoyable time spent together. :) Thank God for friends!
Following supper was another ROUND. Supper time again! But it doesn't matter as it was a welcome meal for Frances! Welcome back to Singapore ONCE AGAIN. Haha... The guys, Jon, Zac, Joel, myself and Fran's family went to the airport to welcome her arrival! How GRAND! And so we've concluded how "worldly" Frannie is now! Hahha... You probably need a more Godly person???? I think we suppered for 2hrs? But it was REALLY great catching up with one another once again. Although I see the rest rather often in church, I haven't been having time to catch up with them as well. We used to hang out so often, although not so much now, but I am glad everyone is doing great and the bond is still there! So Philippines in June? Got to make it happen man!

Its going to be a busy busy busy weekend and Chinese New Year. Wishing all a happy Chinese New Year! Tata!

-LeB-

the Lord spoke...

in a little dilemma and feeling uneasy, I went to seek solace in God's Word. I flipped through my Bible and read today's passage of daily bread. And shockingly, it spoke RIGHT TO MY HEART. Solved all my doubts. Indeed, the Word for today is FAITHFULNESS. It came as a very very timely reminder and I am glad :)

In my prayers I often ask God to help me bear the 9 fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Many times I would focus on the first 4 qualities but this time round, faithfulness is what I need to be reminded of.

Quoting from Daily Bread, "We can do very little about the unfaithfulness of others. But we can do a lot about OUR faithfulness to others......... Ask God to make you a person whom others can count on----a person who is tried and true."

Nothing else matters except to seek ye first the Kingdom of God :)

-LeB-

Cafes in Korea...

One thing that was unique about this holiday I had were the many cafes that we visited. For a cafe-lover like myself, I totally loved the experience. I could fall in love with Seoul simply for the varying selections of cafes. There are many coffee houses, cafes located all around and each of them look pretty and alluring. In total we went to about 4 cafes? And that is in a span of 4 days. Not only do the cafes look good, the food, deserts and drinks served are of top quality. Many times, I which I had plenty of time and my book with me; to simply spend an hour or 2 sipping my coffee away while reading. Much said, take a look at the pictures below :)


The first cafe we visited... Another charm about the cafes was that they are a shelter for us to keep away from the COLD!!!


Cafe Iceberry... One of the BEST waffles I have ever tried! Anyone going to Seoul have to try their waffles! Light and crisp! (in awe of the deserts)


DA waffle!


A bombing device. Its quite an interesting invention. The waitress would pass us one of these after we have placed our orders and we would go back to our seats and wait for these to light up, which would mean that our orders are ready! It vibrates too! They should have these in Singapore :)


Group photo again! In courtesy of Markolele photography...


Tom N Toms! I like this cafe! And this cafe provided us with free internet access, good deal! WendyMAMA and Minny look like theives ready to do their job... Haha! Come on! Lets relive the days by doing this in Singapore!


Tom and Toms! Great drinks we had!


Sadly, some cafes like these look so good but we didn't have enough time to simply lack our days away. So we could only snap pictures but didn't manage to go in. Nice looking cafe :)


The drinks we had! Looks good! And tastes great!


And our deserts... Even better!


Sheesh, I can't really remember the name of this cafe, I think its Neal's Boyle? Was it? Anyway, I love the decor of the interior. A mixture of vibrant colours with interesting tile choices that brings the place alive :)


Designs that make you feel like you're on the outside instead of indoors. Architecture and designs appeal to me... very much!


Our final cafe in Seoul for the trip!

-LeB-

Back from yet another holiday! Seoul, Korea...

The past 2 years I have been very blessed to be able to travel to various countries... From America to Malaysia to Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and this time round Korea. Every time is a different experience and this time round, it was great, great and GREAT!

Great company... Great weather (-7 deg)... Great place... Great itinery... Great food! What more can I ask for. Initially we thought that in Korea, we definitely would need to follow a tour. But we found the best package, a half-half win-win situation. We had a tour guide for 1 day, a local bus tour for 1 day and 2 1/2 days of free-and-easy. I must say it isn't all that difficult! You can always act out what you want to tell the person. Example, when you want to hand carry your food and eat while you walk, or that you want to go to the war memorial museum. Just act it out! Although it isn't a total guarantee they would understand or that they would listen to you. Ha... But whats surprising is that many can actually speak Mandarin and they do it more fluently than me!

4 1/2 days seem short but it was a very very very fulfilling trip. We did many things, we slacked, we ate, we had fun, we enjoyed! Thats what most important in a holiday :) Praise the Lord for everything and that we were all well! :)


Getting accustomed to the weather~! In middle of the road :)


Our all time favourite past time... Eating~!


Caleb's favourite dish! Oh how I love this and their amazing TRULY non-stick pan. Totally love the GARLICS!


Kam-sum-ha-mi-da! In very traditional Korean costumes...

-LeB-

different stages in life, differing tastes...

These days I am quite very into jazz. Been listening to Diana Krall, Hiromi, Charlie Parker, Harry Conick Jr... etc... I have finally moved on to another spectrum in music and to really appreciate jazz. So much so that I could feel "high" listening to it; especially on Diana Krall's piano playing. It was just about a year ago when my piano teacher introduced me to Hiromi. She lent me her CD, I took it home, listened but nothing much sank into me. Months later, probably after more influences, I listened to her songs again and it means so much to me! So much creativity, life, expression, technique... She's awesome! Inspiring!

I have always liked the sound of jazz, but thats probably easy-listening jazz. Listening to the likes of Diana Krall, Michael Buble some jazz-influenced chinese pop. But truth is, there is so much to jazz, so much more in depth. And as I began to explore further, listening to more variety... its refreshing :) I never thought I would appreciate these, but, the time came. And its now... this stage in my life.

However, some songs would always remain close to my heart. Simple songs with emotive melodies. Those chinese and canto oldies. There's where my "old man" instincts come into play. A few days back I was watching an old hong kong serial and when the show ended, they played one of Eric Moo's canto songs. Oooh... It immediately caught my emotions... And songs... bring back lots of memories. I always akin songs and music to a box filled with memories and our past.
So although I have "evolved", "moved on"... But some things just don't change. I have only perhaps been filled with more...

-LeB-

Leaving in 4 days time! ... Korea, here I come!!!

We booked our air tickets and accomodation last Wednesday and this coming friday, we are flying! Really flying! Haha... Getting really excited for the trip. Thinking about the extremely cold weather with a possibility of snow, the hot steamboats or hotpots, a different culture, different place, language barrier, a visit to the jazz pub and much more! So fun! Its gonna be a great trip!

Counting down...

-LeB-

Its a New Year~!~!

To start off the new year, there definitely has to be a post on the very 1st day! Many things happened in 2008 and it seems like the busiest year in the whole of my entire life? Making major decisions, adapting to changes, more opportunities and getting busy the whole year round. Indeed, God's grace and mercy has been with me through 2008. But whatever it is, 2008 has passed! Its history... Lets embrace the new year in a whole new light!

I haven't really reflected much on the past year or sat down to really make my resolutions. I probably would do it soon. But there are some things that I have already planned out to do; to acheive as goals.

1) A closer, deeper more intimate relationship with God. Spending more time praying and soaking in His Word. Its also my wish that I have the 9 fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Godness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

2) To be much more diligent, disciplined and passionate in the area of music. Daily practicing and improving by leaps and bounds in both instruments, the piano and cello. To do my utmost to prepare for Berklee's audition and to GAIN ENTRY into the college this year! It really is my dream, I have to admit it.

3) In the area of relationships, to be even closer with my family and friends. To be involved in other people's lives :) To reflect the love of God in a greater capacity.

4) To lead a healthy lifestyle. Regular rest, healthy diet and to be active and exercising. Especially since the break I had after the operation. I want to exercise!

It ALWAYS is easy to say I want to achieve this and that, but later on, we often fail to follow up on them. Hopefully this very first post of the year would serve as a reminder for myself. Lets start the year with a blast and make it an awesome year! Of course, continue chasing your dreams! *Caleb believes in dreams and passion.* Haha...

Lastly, I want to say a word of thanks to everyone, all my friends out there, all those who care about me. A very big THANK YOU to all and I really appreciate everyone that is in my life. Thank God for the lovely people around me :) I too would want to be a positive influence to the people around me! Love all lots...

-LeB-