Hm! Well after reading Elainey's blog I feel much better, but I figured I'd post about this anyways. So I went in for the Harmer scholarship which is this thingy where you send them a recording you've made and if you're good enough they give you monies. And it is for people who play either the viola or the pipe organ, and have been living in queensland for more than 10 years... which is a bit rofltastic. So I made what I thought were some pretty good recordings (at the time! I listened to them few weeks ago and i was like ergh) and was pretty much expecting to get something. And then the notice came in the mail today that I didn't, and that was actually kind of shocking. By shocking i mean the mildest sense of the word, it wasn't like I fainted or went hysterical or anything but I was just kind of expecting something. Also I don't particularly need the money badly - I mean, it would be very very useful, especially considering my viola is starting to rattle again (poooo youuuuuu ms vla!!!!!!) but there are people who need it a lot more than me. But I'm still pretty disappointed. I think the main thing was that I was expecting to get something, rather than just maybe hoping or something - that'll teach me!
Oh well, I'll get over it xD
Hm. It's quite hard being a violist and also being bad at saying no to things, because most often there are not many if any other violists who you know will say yes. I am trying my hand at this refusing thing... I really would like some semblance of a break next week, so maybe I'll just lurk and not reply to Em's email. Sorry Em! I will probably end up doing it anyways because Phoebe probably won't be able to do it. *sigh*
In other news... Uni is nearly over!!!! ish!!!!!!! We only have 3 more weeks of class then swotvac then exams then FIN.!! Amazing. The time's gone really quickly... and I don't particularly want it to! Uni is a fun lifestyle! There are far too many exclamation marks in this... oops xD Uni work is also not so hard (for me. for people doing almost any other course i think it will be heaps harder lol) but it's still something to aim for - get that 7, make the next lesson a good one with Patricia... Speaking of whom!!!!! My gosh but is that lady just incredible. I have never ever ever in my entire life met someone so completely ingenius in her teaching - so inspiring, an amazing musician, high expectations and is not afraid at ALL to go into the nitty gritty - she'll tell you when she's disappointed and DAMN does that suck. Which makes you work so much harder!! And you can completely tell she's not just teaching for the money - she could easily just be a concert violist and do gigs, but no, we are lucky enough that she loves to teach people as well. Woo for Patricia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She deserves every one of those exclamation marks and probably a whole post filled with just them and and and and yeah.
:D:D
Also, she said something interesting today in my lesson: we have 24 hours in a day - 8 hours sleep, 8 hours work and guess what! 8 hours play. Which COMPLETELY does not seem like there could be 8 hours in which you could just do anything - I know I was kind of like o_O;; when she said that, but it's true! But, for most of it (if not all) I just fritter it away, staring blankly at a computer screen or something, thinking I don't have enough time to do what I would really like to. So with that, I am going to drown my sorrows in doing a bit of crafty stuff and seeing what I can come up with xD
ciao!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
hmmmm
Some interesting things have been happening lately. First! Sleath string prize was on tonight, which I was going to go in but then pulled out at the last minute (well 2 days before) because i had a lesson with Patricia and we decided that I wasn't ready. I still can't get over how incredible she is. So many ideas and she knows exactly how to make them work, and aaaaahhhhh just impossible to describe. Just. Completely inspiring :) I wish I could live up to that!
Anyways Sleaze (er. Sleath.) was really good - I'm super glad I went along because there wasn't much audience at ALL, which was sad, but it was actually really really interesting and good night. I am bad at adjectives at the moment, by the way. Josie ended up winning, with Flora coming second and Rob got honourable mention. I thought Josie's performance was just incredible, but to me there were a lot of really, really musical and technically pretty damn good performances. The names probably won't mean anything to you, so let's just leave it at that. Very very glad I pulled out though, it would have been a poo heap!!!
So from the lesson I had on the weekend, I've been thinking about some things. Like, I never thought myself to be a lazy person - sometimes I procrastinate and all, but I felt generally that I can work really hard when I need to. However! It seems that maybe I am in fact quite lazy, when it comes to long term things. In particular, viola. Which is bad!!! bad bad bad!!! because I need to have stamina for viola otherwise I will lose interest which I really really don't want to do. I say this because Patricia was saying how even though I pick up things in lessons really quickly, I will only apply those concepts to the particular part that she said to do them to - and sometimes I forget or try a few times then give up, and then don't do them. And then when I come back to my lesson next time, and she says, where is -bla- that I asked you to do last week, it suddenly occurs to me that what she says -is- right, even if I might not have thought it before. So maybe it is not laziness, but stupidity or blindness.
Hmm!
I have to go do my theory assignment (joy of joys) so I shall run along now like a good little girl. I want to stop procrastinating, dammit!! again i say, hmmm!!
(that is my new thing, along with zing!, both picked up from dinosaur comics which are the awesome of the world!! Just thought I'd let you know)
P.S. this post would be less crappy if I had more time to write it so sorry!!! if you can't understand it xDDD;;
Anyways Sleaze (er. Sleath.) was really good - I'm super glad I went along because there wasn't much audience at ALL, which was sad, but it was actually really really interesting and good night. I am bad at adjectives at the moment, by the way. Josie ended up winning, with Flora coming second and Rob got honourable mention. I thought Josie's performance was just incredible, but to me there were a lot of really, really musical and technically pretty damn good performances. The names probably won't mean anything to you, so let's just leave it at that. Very very glad I pulled out though, it would have been a poo heap!!!
So from the lesson I had on the weekend, I've been thinking about some things. Like, I never thought myself to be a lazy person - sometimes I procrastinate and all, but I felt generally that I can work really hard when I need to. However! It seems that maybe I am in fact quite lazy, when it comes to long term things. In particular, viola. Which is bad!!! bad bad bad!!! because I need to have stamina for viola otherwise I will lose interest which I really really don't want to do. I say this because Patricia was saying how even though I pick up things in lessons really quickly, I will only apply those concepts to the particular part that she said to do them to - and sometimes I forget or try a few times then give up, and then don't do them. And then when I come back to my lesson next time, and she says, where is -bla- that I asked you to do last week, it suddenly occurs to me that what she says -is- right, even if I might not have thought it before. So maybe it is not laziness, but stupidity or blindness.
Hmm!
I have to go do my theory assignment (joy of joys) so I shall run along now like a good little girl. I want to stop procrastinating, dammit!! again i say, hmmm!!
(that is my new thing, along with zing!, both picked up from dinosaur comics which are the awesome of the world!! Just thought I'd let you know)
P.S. this post would be less crappy if I had more time to write it so sorry!!! if you can't understand it xDDD;;
Friday, September 19, 2008
Some interesting things
Why is it that you can hear trains going by three suburbs over in the night, but you can't hear someone talking to you from the next seat in orchestra?
Why is it that the male uni students (maybe some female but it doesn't sound like it) have exactly the same 'call' at nearly the same pitches at their parties or something? If you live near campus you'll know what I'm talking about - an AAARRRROOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOO kind of thing.
Loud noises scare us but the complete absence of noise is more scary (at least to me).
That's about it!
Things are incredibly busy at the moment yet I still find time to procrastinate and be bored. What is wrong with me!?
arrrgh sleath comp on monday and am completely not ready. oh well. i will just have to try my best!
Why is it that the male uni students (maybe some female but it doesn't sound like it) have exactly the same 'call' at nearly the same pitches at their parties or something? If you live near campus you'll know what I'm talking about - an AAARRRROOOOOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOO kind of thing.
Loud noises scare us but the complete absence of noise is more scary (at least to me).
That's about it!
Things are incredibly busy at the moment yet I still find time to procrastinate and be bored. What is wrong with me!?
arrrgh sleath comp on monday and am completely not ready. oh well. i will just have to try my best!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
What I am doing
Here's something for you:
"Foweles in the frith, The fisses in the flod.
Much sorw I walke with, For beste of bon and blod.
And I mon waxe wod."
Isn't that awesome? It's the words that Britten set to music in one of the 8 songs in his 'sacred and profane' collection kind of thing. You can probably figure out the first two lines (Birds in the air, the fish in the water. Much sorrow I walk with, for best of bone and blood) - don't ask me what they mean, but that's what they translate to, and the last line means 'I must go mad'. I would show you a youtube link but there is none which makes me sad because it's an awesome piece and it freaks me out a LOT. If you come to one of So-La Voce's concerts we'll be singing it soon!! Which will be fun.
I should be practising right now. I am ridiculously busy, which is why I haven't updated this in a trillion years. At the moment, I'm quite taken with the whole hyperbole thing, it's outrageously fun.
Apparently the music school has not heard of 'midterm' exams, because they like to just give us assignments and exams, whenever they like. Which means all the time. Which is a load of bum, because it means I have the first part of an assignment due tomorrow, a kanji exam (not set by the music school, just ftr) next monday, a theory assignment due goodness knows when but soon, and a competition to play in in two weeks for which I still haven't gotten an accompanist better ring him now!!!
5 minutes later: accompanist ACQUIRED! Hooray.
Damn but that comp is close! 22nd and today is the 11th eeeeeeep.
I have 20 minutes... should I practise or should I just do nothing? 20 minutes of practice... hm... I think I'll go do that.
P.S. I have been making things (not very much); mostly hair ties and what have you, but I haven't been able to take photos of them yet because zea izu no taimu. aiya~~!
"Foweles in the frith, The fisses in the flod.
Much sorw I walke with, For beste of bon and blod.
And I mon waxe wod."
Isn't that awesome? It's the words that Britten set to music in one of the 8 songs in his 'sacred and profane' collection kind of thing. You can probably figure out the first two lines (Birds in the air, the fish in the water. Much sorrow I walk with, for best of bone and blood) - don't ask me what they mean, but that's what they translate to, and the last line means 'I must go mad'. I would show you a youtube link but there is none which makes me sad because it's an awesome piece and it freaks me out a LOT. If you come to one of So-La Voce's concerts we'll be singing it soon!! Which will be fun.
I should be practising right now. I am ridiculously busy, which is why I haven't updated this in a trillion years. At the moment, I'm quite taken with the whole hyperbole thing, it's outrageously fun.
Apparently the music school has not heard of 'midterm' exams, because they like to just give us assignments and exams, whenever they like. Which means all the time. Which is a load of bum, because it means I have the first part of an assignment due tomorrow, a kanji exam (not set by the music school, just ftr) next monday, a theory assignment due goodness knows when but soon, and a competition to play in in two weeks for which I still haven't gotten an accompanist better ring him now!!!
5 minutes later: accompanist ACQUIRED! Hooray.
Damn but that comp is close! 22nd and today is the 11th eeeeeeep.
I have 20 minutes... should I practise or should I just do nothing? 20 minutes of practice... hm... I think I'll go do that.
P.S. I have been making things (not very much); mostly hair ties and what have you, but I haven't been able to take photos of them yet because zea izu no taimu. aiya~~!
Monday, September 1, 2008
My Needles...
... Have become magnetically charged. Odd.
(yes the quality is horrible and you can barely make out the needles, my camera died so I had to use my phone)
I've been making those birdies like mad. Which is not so good, because I have an essay to start, and the draft is due next week i think. Maybe this week. Lots of fun! XD
During the making of one of them, and because of my lovely callussed fingers from playing viola, this happened:
Went right through my finger, and I didn't realise till it was this far through. Sad.
Ok that's it for today, had two exams and my vla lesson so I'm a bit buggered. Oh - I tried out my violin again for a little long-time-no-see whirl, and it's amazing how PUNY it is. And so easy to play! Gawsh, but violinists have it easy! Still, I was glad to go back to my viola - even if it is buzzing again. If I take it to be repaired again, that will make it the 4th time in the year. Ridiculous, if you ask me.
Side note: Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble is made of awesome.
Side note of the side note: (does that make it on topic again?) it's spring today! I am filled with an odd sense of constant nostalgia - is this because I actually haven't been in Australia for all of a summer for the last few years? It smells like Japan in early summer when I wake up. End of strangeness. so tired must sleep grammar deteriorating.
(yes the quality is horrible and you can barely make out the needles, my camera died so I had to use my phone)
I've been making those birdies like mad. Which is not so good, because I have an essay to start, and the draft is due next week i think. Maybe this week. Lots of fun! XD
During the making of one of them, and because of my lovely callussed fingers from playing viola, this happened:
Went right through my finger, and I didn't realise till it was this far through. Sad.
Ok that's it for today, had two exams and my vla lesson so I'm a bit buggered. Oh - I tried out my violin again for a little long-time-no-see whirl, and it's amazing how PUNY it is. And so easy to play! Gawsh, but violinists have it easy! Still, I was glad to go back to my viola - even if it is buzzing again. If I take it to be repaired again, that will make it the 4th time in the year. Ridiculous, if you ask me.
Side note: Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble is made of awesome.
Side note of the side note: (does that make it on topic again?) it's spring today! I am filled with an odd sense of constant nostalgia - is this because I actually haven't been in Australia for all of a summer for the last few years? It smells like Japan in early summer when I wake up. End of strangeness. so tired must sleep grammar deteriorating.
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