March 09, 2007
Passionate Audience
The playing was totally wonderful. Beberapa kali waktu ada not2 penting on the climactic points the cellist was making sure that we all got it: his facial expression, gesture, body languange, the tone, intonation, intensity.. wiuw, as if that's the most important note in the entire universe. Not to mention the transitional figurations that were tastefully executed. My heart leaps! That is what i call passion in playing. Ngomong2 ttg passion, tiba2 gw teringat akan ajang yg totally beda.
Gw jadi inget waktu taon 2000. Waktu itu gw masih kuliah di Kuala Lumpur dan pas taon itu Thomas Cup diselenggarakan di Malaysia, tepatnya di Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, KL. Gw dengan antusias ngantri beli tiket 2 minggu sebelon pertandingan. hehehe.. Lu tau laa.. M'sia musuh bebuyutan Indonesia di ajang ini, jadi antrean tiket panjang jg soalnya mereka (M'sian) jg support badminton abis2an. Anyway, pada hari H, gw naik bis IntraKota #32 sampe ke stasiun LRT terdekat, dari sana meluncur sampe ke Complex Bukit Jalil yg super megah dengan berbagai indoor facility buat berbagai cabang olahraga [Senayan-nya KL], yg dibangun khusus buat jadi penyelenggara/tuan rumah Commonwealth Games (2nd largest sport event in the world after the Olympics). Turun dari sana, langsung deh gw jalan menuju Stadium Putra, stadion khusus badminton. Yup, malam itu Indonesia melawan Korea, semifinal Thomas Cup. Gw sengaja beli tiket di kawasan supporter Indo. Btw, yup.. gw pergi sendiri.. soalnya ngga ada yg mau ikutan! That was a fantastic experience duduk bareng supporter Indo yg berisikkkkkkkkk banget.. dari gendang, terompet, tari2an, topeng, bendera, sampe yel2 yg seru abis.
Back to passion, gw masih inget ikutan teriak2 bareng supporter yg laen buat kasih semangat buat pemain Indo. Waktu itu ada Heryanto Arby, Taufik Hidayat, dan Hendrawan. Same thing, every time they had the jumping smash, kita semua tau kalo that hit meant the universe for them; waktu Hendrawan yg cerdik mempertontonkan permainan net yg menawan; waktu Taufik dengan liciknya meluncurkan drop shot silang.. Wiuuuu.... we all went crazy!
Well, nonton classical concert sama nonton Thomas cup cukup berbeda kali yaahhh.. tapi sebenernya menurut gw tuh banyak bedanya, tapi banyak samanya jg. Bedanya udah jelas, kalo classical concert dilarang bikin bunyi2 selama pertunjukan. People will give you 'dirty look' if you talk! So disrespectful.. Meanwhile, nonton badminton di stadion.. gileeee, kalo ngga teriak2 ikutan supporter yg laen ngapainnnn nonton di stadion?! Persamaannya: dua2nya tuh wadah tempat pertunjukan passion yg paling nyata. Bukan cuman itu. Menurut gw, music and sport are the two media that could bring the world together. Who cares about our social, political, and religious differences when it comes to music and sport? Nonton aza Van Claibun Piano competition sama Piala Dunia! Who cares?! I definitely don't.
Gw personally bersyukur banget bisa duduk anteng nonton classical recital dan savoring every moment of it, dan jg bisa ikut jantungan sambil teriak2 kalo nonton sport event. Hehhee.. i guess i'm a passionate audience and spectator. After all, ini ajang pelampasian passion yg paling nyata sedunia, kenapa kita yg menikmati nggak bisa ikut merasakan?
Anyway, that's just my thought. By the way, are you a passionate audience/spectator?
February 18, 2007
May He grant your wish
may the name of the GOD of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of our heart and make all you plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our GOD. May the LORD grant all your request.
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our GOD!
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!
Psalm 20,
king David
May this be your prayer too in this Chinese New Year..
Continue to trust in Him and may He grant your wish...
Happy "Piggy" Chinese New Year everyone!
February 10, 2007
LHAJW
I bought this book at the Book Exhibition during the Calvin Worship Symposium that I attended in the end of January. For some reasons, this book attracted me instantly; I only read the title and the content, and that's enough for me deal with the book keeper. I made the right decision. The author, Chad Thompson identifies himself as an ex-gay. I know in an instance that I would learn many new things "first hand" from the author. Indeed, in this book I learn about homophobia, the struggle, the cause, scientific/social/psychological reasoning, the hope of change as God's image bearer, and how we, as Christians should act and respond to the matter. Even though I can't fully comprehend the issue yet, but at least I could learn to identify with them. This is definitely an eye-opening book for me.
May the Lord grant us a sensitive heart to care for His image bearer.
If you are interested:
Thompson, Chad. Loving Homosexuals As Jesus Would. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006.
ISBN: 1-58743-121-1
February 06, 2007
Extra (BIG) Blessing
Pas Thanksgiving break yg lalu, gw diundang buat interview, sekalian teaching demonstration, dan perform dihadapan faculty members yg laen dan murid2 yg ada disana.. Fiuhhh... what a gruesome and rigorous day! Everything went really well.. and at the end of the process, Dr. Woodard udah kasih tau kalo gw yg bakal gantiin posisi dia.. Agak2 ngga percaya.. hehe... I was thinking: are there no other candidates?
Akhirnya setelah semua paper work di finalize akhir semester lalu, gw ditugaskan mulai 'ngantor' alias ngajar hari ini.. hehehe... What a day! W&J is a charming little Liberal Arts college in the heart of Washington, PA. Since ini private school, fasilitas lengkap dan bagus.. Lokasinya sekitar 48miles from Morgantown. It took me 40-50 mins on I-79N to get there. (tadi pagi gw rada ngebut sih.. around 75-80miles/hr hehehe.. soalnya takut telat).
Gw kebagian 6 murid yg level permainannya jauh banget satu dengan yg laen. Ada yg boleh masuk ke class piano level 0 (no piano experience at all in the past) sampe yg udah bisa maen Brahms Rhapsodie in Gm. Six students in a row.. No break from 9am-3pm soalnya gw mesti balik ke WVU, my own school, for my other duty. What an experience! Enam jam non-stop menghadapi murid2 dengan kebutuhan, kepribadian, pengalaman, latar belakang yg beda2.. Very interesting. Btw, 4 dari 6 murid gw tuh pre-med students.. 1 biophysics, 1 bio major.. ada 2 yg double major! Gile benerrrr... kok bisa yah??!!
Anyway, it started really well today.. Hope that it will be a fun and wonderful semester for me and them as well.. Diharapkan dukungan doanya.. Semoga selasa depan ngga saljuan, biar jalan pergi dan pulang bisa aman terkendali.. hehehe.. ;-)
February 03, 2007
Of Divine Glory
Disana gw baru tau kalo Symposium ini dihadiri oleh peserta dari 30 negara, dari Asia sampe Afrika, Eropa sampe Amerika Latin.. We are one big family in Christ! Yg sebenernya paling bikin gw excited is the fact that I get to meet ppl from all around the world who share the same passion and burden in worship and music ministry. Those 4 days were so full of worship, knowledge, fellowship, and friendship. Not to mention the opportunity to network with many music ministers around the world; reunion with some friends that I met in church music camp in the past; and of course making new friends.
The location.. very nice and suitable for this kind of major symposium. Calvin College is known as 1 of the top 10 Christian Colleges in US. The environment is very friendly, buildings are well kept, facilities are great, housing is well maintained, and most importantly they have a great Fine Arts Center (FAC).

A praying snow sclupture outside Calvin's housing
Tahun ini Indonesia menerbangkan 7 kontingen ke Calvin Worship Symposium. Salah satunya Christina Mandang, one of the presenters of the workshop. So proud to have a fellow contry(wo)man to be 1 of the honored presenters. Dosen STT Jakarta, lulusan M.Mus dari Rotterdam Conservatory in Organ Performance ini membawakan kelas "Creative Accompaniments to Enliven Congregational Singing." What a great and fun class.. We get to learn songs from different parts of the world and learn how to accompany those songs creatively.
Yg pasti kelas2 yg dioffer semuanya bermutu banget. Kita semua pilih kelas sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan keingintahuan kita terhadap topik yg disediakan. I was exposed to gospel piano playing and choral literature. Sooo much fun! Great teachers.. God bless African American! I wish i had some of their 'blood and soul' in me... ;-)
Sebenernya yg paling mengesankan tuh bisa melihat dan menyaksikan dedikasi dari begitu banyak pastors, theologs, professors, musicians yg begitu setia meningkatkan mutu dan kepedulian gereja2 terhadap ibadah, which is the center of Christian life. Ada yg masih muda, ada yg udah super senior.. begitu banyak pengarang2 buku, pencipta lagu, guru2 besar, semuanyaa... dengan penuh kerendahan hati membagikan ilmu dan pengalaman mereka buat kita2 ini.
New friends... yeah, new friends!
I get to know 7 kontingen dari Indo... 2 pastors, 2 anak remaja, Christina, George, Pak Indra Lazuardi (ketua komisi musik PPGII), dan ngga lupa anak2 Indo yg lagi kuliah di Calvin Seminary: ada Ci Mega (red. ibu Pdt. Benny Solihin), Jimmy Setiawan -- Jakarta, Amos dan Yuso -- Surabaya. Selama disana diajakin makan Chinese buffet 2x!! hehehe... biasa...
Disana jg kenalan sama orang2 yg ternyata punya banyak common friends sama gw.. waktu cerita2 nanya "... jadi kamu kenal si x,y,z jg yah?" yah... ternyataa... what a small world! Ada jg cerita lucu aneh tapi nyata, Jimmy yg accidentally ketemu sama long lost cousinnya di Calvin. I'm serious: real cousin, same blood, from father's side. Baru sadar waktu masing2 tulis nama Chinese di tissue dan 1 temen bacain in Cantonese. hehehe.. ternyataaaa... Dua2nya jg kaget kok bisa2nya ketemu di event seperti ini. hahaha..
Tapi mungkin yg paling impressive adalah experiencing Divine Glory selama Symposium, not from the elaborate well planned morning/evening worship or the classes, tapi dari kesaksian 2 temen: a pastor from Iraq that shared how God protected his life, and from my new dear friend Shen Lang from China. An attractive, intelligent, and passionate girl that within a couple minutes of casual chat during the farewell party for International guest shared her personal testimony of her life on how she became a Christian and how miraculous God is through out the process!
Just like the message we heard at the opening worship, "Divine Glory" happens every day in our lifes.. It is God's power and divine glory that enables us to love, to forgive, to accept, to change, to repent.. and to enjoy the assurance of His salvation, knowing that He will raise us up on the last day. Let's worship Him as we wait for the coming of that glorious day!
January 21, 2007
Strolling on the snow
Gw cuma bisa doa.. Tuhan, don't let anything bad happen to the 4 of us. Serem jg sih soalnya no matter what ini pertama kali bawa mobil di salju (yg udah kira2 12cm), bawa 3 orang penumpang, ngga bawa SIM lagi! God is good... tadi cuma slide sekaliiii doang.. hehehe :P serem banget.. out of control.. break pun ngga ada guna.. untung masih ada sisa beberapa inches sebelon nabrak trotoar. Pheww.. gw sampe deg2an!!
Anyway, I'm just so thankful that everybody's home safely..
What an experience. Di luar beberapa tetangga yg udah mulai maen snowball nih.. finally it looks like winter outside ;-)
January 12, 2007
Even When It's Free...
- To understand the value of 1 year:
ask a student who has failed a final exam - To understand the value of 1 month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby - To understand the value of 1 week:
ask the editor of a weekly newspaper - To understand the value of 1 day:
ask a daily wage laborer who has 10 kids to feed - To understand the value of 1 hour:
ask the lovers who are waiting to meet - To understand the value of 1 minute:
ask the person who has missed the train, bus, or plane - To understand the value of 1 second:
ask the person who has survived an accident - To understand the value of 1 millisecond:
ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics
Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special
-unknown-
January 08, 2007
Russian Tea Cake
Namanya sih Russian Tea Cake, tapi sebenernya tuh kue kering yg mirip kue kacang atau kue bangkit yg sering kita makan waktu Imlek. I had it on Thanksgiving dinner in my pastor's house brought by a church member and i felt in love with it right now.
Here's the tag line: these powdered sugared pecan (or walnut) filled cookies melt in your mouth!
Bahan:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup good quality butter (kualitas makin bagus, kue makin wangi)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar
Cara buat:
Heat oven to 325F. Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scrapping bowl occasionaly, until well mixed (sebenernya pake tangan aza lebih gampang!) ehhehe..
Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls (kira2 ajeee!). Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 18-25mins or until very lightly browned. Cool 5 mins; roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.
YUMMY!!! Yvonne tamu gw aza tergila-gila sama kue ini dan bikin 2 resep bawa pulang Ohio buat makan sendiri.. hahaha.. try it out if u like baking or if u like to treat yourself to good snack.
January 01, 2007
Psalming 2007
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue YOU know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in-- behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumbers the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
December 29, 2006
Shades of the Season
Let's see how much it is worth.. :-)
Ternyata benar2 tidak mengecewakan... mata gw [yg walaupun sipit] ini serasa dimanja dengan warna-warni yg menakjubkan, terutama ditambah dengan penataan lanscape dan design khusus dalam rangka merayakan hari Natal. Daku serasa tenggalam di lautan bunga-bunga yg bermekaran!!
Didalam botanical garden ini, ruangan di-sekat2 sesuai dengan "keluarga bunga" masing2.. Since it's winter and christmas time, bunga poinsettia dengan berbagai ragam warna mendominasi hallway dari satu ruangan ke ruangan lain.
As u can tell, we went crazy taking pictures sampe orang2 ngeliatan kita.. hehee.. biasaa.. it's APT (Asian Picture Time)!!
Ada ruangan yg diberi nama "Desert Room" yg dipenuhi oleh kaktus dengan berbagai bentuk dan rupa...
December 25, 2006
Makan terussssss....
December 24, 2006
This Christmas..
Walaupun ngga ada big trip tapi banyak small trip lho Christmas break ini. Yvonne Ng, temen dari Bowling Green State U lagi berkunjung ke Morgantown dan tinggal di apartment gw, jadinya kita ikutan seruu.. apalagi anaknya yg fun, suka makan, suka masak, suka nonton Korean drama.. klop deh!!

LEARN:
- Brahms' Handel Variation (memorize the super hard fugue!)
- Mozart's Rondo in A minor
- baking and cooking new dishes
READ:
- the Bible and spend more time with GOD
- J.I. Packer's classic "Knowing God"
- Thomas Harris' "Hannibal Rising" --read this if u want to know more about Hannibal Lecter and his childhood (hehe.. i'm a 'Silence of the Lamb' fans!)
- Jeffrey Archer's "False Impression" --kabarnya sebagus Da Vinci Code.. let's see! [those are new books of Harris & Archer, 2 of my fav authors :-) ]
WATCH:
- more Korean drama.. YEAH!!
- movies that i missed out for the past year, including Pirates of the Carribean 2, Superman, the new 007, etc.
But on top of everything, i would like to relax and reflect of God's abundant blessings for the past year.
Dear friends: May you have a Merry Christmas!
December 11, 2006
Connecting people
Gw abis ditelpon sama temen yg udah lost contact selama 12 taon. Kakak kelas gw waktu gw masih duduk di bangku SMP (Methodist 3, Medan) ternyata sekarang ada di University of Hawaii, Honolulu. Dulu waktu kelas 1 SMP, dia udah kelas 3 SMP.. but for some reasons kita sempet hangout bareng and made common friends. Thanks to friendster!! ;-) Sekali ngobrol, semua peristiwa lucu waktu masih ingusan dulu semua diungkit kembali; termasuk cerita2 cinta monyet di bangku SMP, ngga lupa sekalian update keadaan dan entah berantahnya si A, B, C, temen2 yg dulu pernah maen bareng.
The world seems so small with technology..
Did you find an old friend lately, or did an old friend find you recently?
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Prayer
thank you for stormy day, thank you for sunny day..
thank you for sunshine, thank you for flaky snow..
thank you for tears, thank you for joy..
thank you for heartache, thank you for laughter..
thank you for the mountain, thank you for the valley..
thank you for parents, thank you for siblings..
thank you for teachers, thank you for students..
thank you for friends, thank you for partners..
but above all..
thank you for sustaining me through all of the ups and downs..
thank you for granting me courage, patience, wisdom, faith, hope, and love..
especially in times when i need it most.. You are always there!!
Thank you for all of your blessing O Lord...
I will continue to count them..
and I will continute to name them.. one by one..
November 13, 2006
Iron sharpens iron
Kedua recital berjalan dengan lancar dan sukses; jauh lebih bagus dari dress rehearsal masing2. Beda banget deh maen buat trombone sama maen buat double bass. Buat trombone: piano lid all the way up, and still gurunya suruh maen lebih kenceng lagi -- you know, trombone tuh low brass instrument yg dasarnya emang udah kenceng! Buat double bass: piano lid all the way down, malah masih di bilang kekencengan-- you know, double bass tuh string instrument yg paling rendah registernya, makanya high control and sensitivity towards the balance, sound production, and the accoustic of the hall are of the utmost importance.

Di sebelah kanan-ku berdiri Trevor Jones, the double bassist. Tinggi banget yah.. kalo ngga salah 6'2'' (sekitar 186cm). Sejujurnya, gw seneng banget bisa maen sama dia: double bassist paling ok di kampus, orangnya fun, charming, dan yg paling penting, good musician. Biasanya gw bakal tertantang buat maen dengan lebih baik lagi kalo partner maen gw tuh good musician dan passionate sama apa yg mereka lakukan. Hasil kerja keras kita selama 8 minggu bener2 paid off kemaren sore. Walaupun ngga sempurna tapi the ensemble was great, balance was good, and the chemistry was definitely there.
Yg berdiri di sebelah kanan Trevor tidak salah dan tidak lain adalah gurunya Trevor, Dr. Andrew Kohn... Nah ini dia orang yg pernah gw sebut2 di beberapa postingnya awal semester. Ayah beranak 1 ini adalah guru double bass di kampus, guru favorit gw di kampus, guru yg paling gw kagumi dan hormati, salah satu anggota komiti doctoral degree gw, dan yg paling penting dosen pembimbing dissertation gw.. hehehe.. ;-) Banyak banget deh yg bisa gw ceritain ttg guru yg 1 ini.
Postur tubuh sih boleh kecil.. tapi muatannya itu lhoo bener2 mengagumkan!
Dia tuh excellent bassist; kemampuan dia maen instrument yg ukurannya jauh lebih besar dari badannya bener2 mengagumkan.. selain itu dia seorang guru (theory) yg luar biasa kalo lagi ngajar di kelas: terkesan santai, suara bass-nya yg cukup lembut tapi berwibawa tidak terkesan pushy kalo lagi lecture, open minded dalam menerima pendapat murid, sangat demanding sama murid2 tetapi selalu dalam batas kewajaran yg pantas, rendah hati banget padahal gw bilang sih genius, dan yg paling gw suka, he won't embarras you or make you feel stupid if you don't know the answer to the question he asks! No question dia salah guru yg paling gw suka dan hormati di kampus.. hmm.. ada unsur nge-fans dikittttt... eehheehee :P
Kelas2 theory yg ambil sama dia: 18th century counterpoint, 19th century analysis: An Alternative to Monotonality, and 20th century analysis. Semuanya advance music theory analysis class and highly demanding. Penguasaan bahan dan approach yg dia ambil selalu bikin gw salut sama dia. Saat ini, secara dia dosen pembimbing gw, tiap hari jumat jam 9 pagi gw conference sama dia membahas dan memantau perkembangan bahan2 dissertation gw. Well, kadang2 bisa ngelantur jg sih. Pernah sekali conference yg malah jadinya gw "interview" dia. Waktu gw tanya gimana cara dia mengasah dan mempertajam naluri analisa theorynya, guru keturunan Yahudi yg bersuku Lewi ini menjawab: Are you familiar with book of Proverb [27:17] that says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another"? -- hahaha... dia mengutip ayat Alkitab!! Maklum dia jg orang Kristen yg taat.. ;-) Well, basically manusia mempertajam manusia, jadi semakin banyak kita membuka pikiran kita terhadap pendapat (analisa) orang laen, semakin "tajam" juga kita jadinya.
Well, bersyukur banget sih punya dosen pembimbing kayak dia walaupun tiap jumat abis ketemuan sama dia gw berasa kayak 'amoeba' dibandingkan sama dia hehehee.. :P Tapi yg pasti dia tuh encouraging dan inspiring banget.. and i need that in the process of writing my dissertation.
November 09, 2006
God is near
November 04, 2006
Weekend lai liau....
Minggu yg penuh dengan ketegangan akhirnya berlalu... Kemaren gw masih sempat accompany audition buat 1 flute doctorate candidate. Amit2 dehh... gw cuma sempet practice piecesnya dia 2 hari (rabu-kamis, padahal selasa malam gw baru selesai solo recital, lagunya complete Mozart flute concerto in G, Bach flute sonata in Em). SUSAH BANGET! Akhirnya gw harus mengurung diri di kamar 2x3 alias practice room berjam-jam. I was wondering, ngapainnn yah gw nyanggupin padahal kan udah saatnya relax? But anyway, gw ngga nyesel at all.. she's such a great musician, extremely strong floutist. I'm honored to have had accompanied her..
Walaupun ketegangan udah berlalu, tdk berarti udah bisa lepas bebas.. Up coming important dates are coming. November 12 (hari minggu depan) gw bakal accompany 2 senior recital, 1 trombone, 1 double bass. Pieces mereka lumayan challenging.. i just need to brush things up for now. Hmmm.. mau ngapain lagi yah? oooohhh.. mau grocery dah udah pasti makan2 ntar malam buat ngerayain ultah Imelda.. ehehehe.... 3 hari ini makan terus: selasa malam abis recital makan2, kamis malam nonton WVU vs U of Louisville (walaupun kalah) sambil makan steamboat, kemaren malam farewell dinner buat Wayen Wang temen gereja diajakin makan2 jg sama Elder Mei..
Udah ahhh... gw mau jadi "putri duyung" dulu ah di REC center.. target hari ini 40 laps! hehehe.. (kan mau persiapan buat makan2 nanti malam) hehehehe... ;-)
November 01, 2006
Mission Accomplished
Everything went really well.. Since today is Halloween, some really dress up.. it's kind fun :-)
Here's a glimpse of the recital:
actionnnnnnnnn.....my super anthusiastic supporters

my level 0 class-piano students

my church friends

my adorable roommate (khesin) and my make up artist - hair dresser (Imelda)

getting really silly...

the gank...

SOLI DEO GLORIA!
October 27, 2006
Rest, Relax, and Recharge
Well, gw minggu ini mau kabur dulu sebentar dari Morgantown buat ikutan retreat tahunan gereja di Jackson's Mill, lead by Pastor Paul Shiao, with the theme: Balancing your family, career, and service. Sounds challenging and interesting. Will share more once I come back ;-)
Have a nice weekend teman-teman..
Off i go for my RRR retreat.
October 20, 2006
Emotional Check-up
Some people are naturally expressive. They show their emotion with no reservation; they show it with their facial expression, body language, tone, gestures, tears, and laughter. But some are very reserved in this area. They don't show much emotion outwardly even though it's totally opposite inwardly. Are you emotional? Do you show it? Take this test and see which category you fall into.
- Do you feel guilty crying in public? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you think that crying is a symbol of weakness? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you think that men shouldn't cry?[Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you feel embarrased if you cry when you watch a movie or read a book? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you hold your tears in a funeral? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Is it Ok for a politician to cry in public? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you think it is necessary to express your emotion with tears? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you allow anybody to comfort you while you are crying? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Will you blush when you see an adult man cry? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Do you tend to say that "something got into my eyes" when somebody spotted you crying? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Can you hide your anger? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Can you hide your disappointment? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Have you ever lost your control when you get angry? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Does your anger cause troubles for others? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you think that it's good and essential to release your anger? [Y: 1 / T : 0]
- Do you always think of the reason you get angry? [Y : 0 / T : 1]
- Are you affected by atmosphere (situation) easily? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you express yourself with physical gestures? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you enjoy physical gestures of love? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you show affection when you see tiny babies? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Are you happy when you hold the hand of your loved ones in public? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you enjoy massage? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you express your feeling regularly to your loved ones? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you like pets? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you enjoy being kissed and hugged by someone your like? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you laugh loudly when you watch a comedy? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you tap your foot when you listen to music? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you clap at the end of a concert or a sport match that you enjoy? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you cheer for your favorite sportsmen or movie heroes on TV? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
- Do you remember the times when you laugh at people or when you are laughed at? [Y : 1 / T : 0]
Hehehee... mine is 20.. ;-) What about yours?
Scores between 17-30
You are emotionally healthy! You are not embarrassed to express your emotion once a while and there is no question that you will get healthier emotionally because of your attitude. You seem to be a good social counselor for others.
Scores between 8-16
You seems to know the way to express yourself, but you often feel restricted to do so. You should express your emotion more often. Express yourself with tears when you are sad, anger when you are mad, and laughter when you are happy. Let go of your emotion and it will do miracles to your physical and mental health.
Scores below 7
You are really tough. You really need to release and express your emotion, at least a tiny bit. There is nothing wrong with showing others how you feel. The more you hold your natural emotion, the more damage it will be for your health. Don't advice others on social matters, cause you are not an expert in it!
