Thanks...

Summer...

Time to go home for a while and leave everything in New York behind for two months...

Well, not everything, but you know what I mean...

But before I leave, I have to list out a few names --- people who treat me so well that I dunno how to repay them. Without these people, I'd say, I might have become very broke, not known in the scene, or.... well, let's just say, I might not become who I am today.

Thanks to

Ray Pizzi --- he's my improvisation Jedi master, but at the same time my father figure who taught me so many things in life.

Daniel Phillips --- my classical violin teacher who made me the musician I am right now.

Christian Howes --- my friend and some-time teacher whom I met at the subway, the first person in New York who really cares about my career as a musician and later signed my artist visa application, he's the whole reason I'm still around. He also changed the way I play jazz --- like how he changed many others.

Claudia Wigent --- if Ray Pizzi's my father figure, then Claudia's my mother figure. She's a great harpist and music contractor of various big wedding events. She is also one of the few people who really cares about my career, both artistically and monetarily. She's always watching my back. I am very touched what she'd done to me. *hugs*

Jenny Lin --- say, if Ray is my father figure, Claudia is my mother figure, I guess Jenny is my SISTER figure. I dunno how she trusted me so much, first time we met in her concert she said she wanted to play with me (she'd never hear me play before). And she's always very supportive about the weird stuff I have been trying to do. She just has that strange faith in me, somehow. *hug hug*

Mike Block --- this is my Jewish bro who approached me for the Sirius Quartet position. If it ain't this guy, nobody in the scene would take note of me still.

Yuko --- my dancer/choreographer friend. Even though we have only met for 2 weeks to date, she became my first ever loyal fan. She followed every single show that I played since we met. I should include Yoshiko and Rio's names here too but Yuko is definitely the leader of the fan base!! I also have to thank her strange faith in me (similar to that of Jenny's), hiring me as a "composer" in her project, knowing that I'm not actually a composer.

Last but not least, my hip hop brotha, Akim Funk Buddha. Yes man, you're another person who've been appreciating what I do on my fiddle and making good use of it. You brought me to Kennedy Center, Joe's Pub, all those places. What can I say except giving a big hug to you?

Thanks to all of you, I won't forget any of you for my whole life.

Ray Pizzi back with some words of gold (updated)

My dear musician friends, please, watch this! This man is my improvisation teacher and he is one of the few people I know who loves music more than his own life ---- and now he's teaching you how!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezUAUg1A6NU

This is the reason how he could survive on top of the food chain in the Hollywood industry.

Hollywood is a tough place to be in, and it's usually recording industry as everyone knows, which is hectic and super-organized --- to the point of "anal-ity". I've seen too many money-minded Hollywood musicians and composers who already forgot about the true meaning of music when I was there in LA. It's kinda scary to imagine what would I become if I lived there for 10 years as a studio musician. But under this kind of environment, Ray has been able to be on top of his form and makes good music every day and still loves every minute of making music. What does it take to stay in such good shape?

Now this is what I call "Practising what he preaches"!

Diuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Sometimes I really hate New York subway.

I was running over to Panoramasian rehearsal today, thought I would get there on time this time (been late last time). Jules wanted to come along to Manhattan, so naturally, I had to wait for him a bit. Then he fucked up, he found out that his card was done and had to buy one at the vending machine.

"BRRRRRRROOOOOOM", one train pass by above my head.

Fuck, right?

So we waited for the 7 train, it took quite a while to come over to the station. 12.16pm, supposed to be there by 1pm. It's OK, I can make it because F train is fast.

Tried to transfer to F train, it was an E train right there and it went away as soon as we got to thr platform. And we thought F train will be next...

About like 10 minutes later... E TRAIN!!!

By then it was already like 12.30pm or some shit. If the train was F, I should've been able to be there on time...

OK, nevermind, I took E, thinking of transferring to F in West 4.

Fuck, when I finally got to the first stop in Manhattan, 12.50pm.

I'm fucked, I thought. So I got out of the train, ran up to street level and got a cab.

I was late still...

Diuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

My friend, Daijiro's "speech"

My buddy, Daijiro, went back to Japan after his short stay in Germany, studying with Roger Norrington. I was puzzled by his move. After many months, he finally gave me the reason why, and his words deeply touched me. And you asshole out there who think that we should all wear suits and night gowns into the concert hall! READ THIS!!


well this is why i came back to japan. i need to do this as soon as possible. otherwise, in 30 years, we are dead. I sound like making a speech below. well i intended to.

The environment where people get cultured



There is surprisingly a lot of concerts and exhibition in Europe.

There are concerts in numerous amounts of churches in a city every week, in music hall daily. Addition to it, there is operas. Beside, inexpensive tickets are always available.

This means that enjoying cultural events is normal act. And the environment for it is ready for people.

There are as many concerts in Europe as in Tokyo. However, the ticket price is much higher than it is in Europe. And the concerts take places in the same 4-5 concert halls which is located in City Center: therefore, it is quite far from the place where people live. The concerts begins early, therefore there is no time to have dinner before the concert. Hence audiences have to eat sandwich in the hall. This means that unless you have flexible schedule (who has it anyway in Tokyo?) and earn good, you cannot really enjoy concerts COMFOTABLY in Tokyo. In other words, most of people have to make effort or sacrifice in order to go to live performance. And top to all, Kids are not welcomed here.

When children grow up n this situation, they understand that going to concert is something special, something tiresome. They think participating cultural events, which enrich their life, is actually unproductive and waste. But they are the future audience. Is this OK? Off course not. Then, what should we do?　　　　　　

Children must attend cultural events as frequently as possible with their parents and enjoy. For this, creating such an environment is crucial, otherwise, we cannot hope for future.

The success of the Festival La Folle Journee in Japan is suggestive. The success is largely depends on its inexpensive ticket and flexible schedule. People are eager to engage themselves to these concerts if they do not have any stress both financially and time wise.

Unfortunate thing is audience for the festival does not listen to Classical music in normal situation. It means, there is no increasing in the amount of audience in professional music organization such as orchestras in Tokyo.

A big event does not help Classical world to have more audience. A fashion of listening to classical music does not help increasing audience. Because it is the big event, people come. Because it is cool only RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT, people listen. These things would not educate our future audience. NEVER!

Then what do we need? As I mentioned above, we musicians must frequently provide concerts which people can come without stress with their kids. In churches, public governed halls and Buddha temple and etc. If children grow up in this environment where they taste arts as daily food, they will be willing to go to those big halls where 100 people is playing together (this is really something abnormal you know that!), and therefore they understand that the ticket has to be expensive.

So please we have to spend our time and energy to create this environment. I hope you agree with me and do something together.


and this is my response to him:

Dude, well said! I have a lot of same thinking as u. Same thing happens in Malaysia --- well, even worse, because our level is not as high as Japan!

Going to see Malaysian Philharmonic is like going to a temple or shrine to worship the gods. And the stupid hall asks people to wear suit and night gowns to attend those concerts, otherwise they won't be allowed into the hall. Now what does that mean??? It ended up that most of the people attending are either hardcore music lovers who can afford to spend or yuppies who think going to concerts make them look cool and cultured, yet they don't know a thing.

I really hate this. I hate it from my guts. That's why I want to go home too. But not yet, not until I do something good here until people will believe what I say.

I wish you all the success u will get in the future! And please, if you can find sponsors to get me to Japan, let's play again!

Good luck my brother!

Petrol~~

Oil price rising
Extra 78 cents per litter.
Buddy asked me what to do.
I said, "Nothing."

Yea but seriously
What to do?

NOTHING!
Life goes on.

He repeated the same question
I said,
Can't sell your car because Malaysian public transport
Sucks ass
Just live
A simpler life
Less expensive, branded clothes
Cook at home
Less entertainment
Less socialising
And most important of all
Divorce your wife
or
Break up with your girlfriend

And then
Life goes on

Back to Civilisation

Bitches, I'm back!

I can't believe I finally got back after a 14-hour drive from South Dakota dammit!!

We had a 4-day tour since Monday, visited Badlands, stayed there for a night, then checked in to Black Hills, went to see the four dead guys' heads in Mt Rushmore, crossed over to Wyoming to look at Devil's Tower.

In between those, we went to see some wildlife in Custer National Park, watching bisons, deers and shit... oh and the cute little prairie dogs.

In a summary, it's an ass-hurting journey of total boredom from old people saying garbage (am referring to my sis' mom-in-law) and lots of exciting wild animal action.

Tired tired tired...

But the views were nice, air was fresh, and people were nice out there.

Somehow I feel that the people there in the mountains are like Malays... Very nice people, very sincere, but when they do things they're very slow...