new hair cut

Hari ini jalan2 ke Pittsburgh bareng Khesin, Yohan, Yew Choong, and Jerry. We had a big feast celebrating the end of our 'fleeting' Spring Break di "Sun Penang" the most authentic Malaysian Resto that we found in Pittsburgh. Duh senengnyaa.. hehee, biasa.. dikasih makan [enak] udah seneng ;P

Anyway, waktu mau grocery di Lotus Asian Grocery di Strip District, tiba2 mata ini melihat a new hair saloon, owned by Asian a couple shops away from Lotus. Hasrat hati ini buat potong rambut tiba2 muncul dengan begitu kuat. Alhasil, gw buru2 grocery then kabur potong rambut. Hahhaa...

Definitely Asian style! Soalnya yg motong orang Malaysia; motongnya cepet, tapi teliti. I said, i wanted a new style, this particular length, trendy but easy to maintain, and, do whatever style you think is most suitable.

Dan inilah hasilnya... :-)

newly found: Calvin Symposium Picture

Just found this picture in my friend's blog.
Picture taken during the farewell reception for International guests.
In the pictures: Jimmy Setiawan (Calvin Seminary's student from Indonesia, my host during the symposium), myself, Shen Lang (the girl that i mentioned in my report "Of Divine Glory"), and Maureen (kontingen dari Malaysia, alumni of Singapore Bible College).

What a memorable trip!

Lord of the Dance

He was the Word, a wild and dancing Word,
before the world began; he danced in flame,
and galaxies were born, and songs became
the sinew of our bones, and he was Lord.

He danced in bread and wine, and in the bright
blue fountains of the Water of our birth,
and all the bells rang, and along the earth
the incense of a prayer rose, fresh and light.

He danced in speech, in names that had a power.
in dreams with symbols vibrant and unknown,
and all that was and is and is to come
was whole in grace and worship in that hour.

But we have fenced him in and tied him down;
we think he comes as words and not as Word,
as only what we prove, what we have heard--
not seen, not tasted, and therefore not found.

We preach a thousand sermons, and we lift
a thousand prayers in notions memorized,
and stumble home and have not realized:
the dance is mind and heart-- the dance is gift.

He seeks us in the bread we fear to break,
the banners that we lift with trembling hand,
the images we fail to understand,
the steps in God's strange dance we fear to take.

He is the Word, a wild and dancing Word;
he sings; his joy is fierce, his longing deep.
He calls us from ourselves and bids us weep
and dance and worship him, for he is Lord.

Jennifer Lynn Woodruff

Weavings, XVI no. 2, March/April 2002, p.20-21.

Passionate Audience

Baru pulang nih dari nonton cello concert 2 bersaudara kelahiran Italy, Alberto and Fabio Parrini. Abang di piano, adik di cello. Magnificent performance! Solid program with lots of 'meat'.. yup, great music. So glad i attended coz it's held in W&J College where I teach. My total of 90 mins driving was totally worth it.

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?

May He grant your wish

Orang Cina kalo lagi Imlek suka mengucapkan kata2 berkat kepada sesama, wejangan dari orang tua buat anak2nya, atau encouragement yg bersifat nasehat. Salah satu ungkapan berkat yg sering dilontarkan adalah: "Sin Siang She Chen", yg kalau diterjemahkan artinya kira2 seperti ini: semoga pikiran yg ada di hati akan terwujud. (sin=hati, siang=berpikir, she=hal, chen=terjadi). Hmm.. how nice kalo semua impian kita akan tercapai tahun ini. Tapi atas dasar apa semua impian yg ada di hati kita akan terwujud?

We know too well that we can only plan, but God has the final say. Ini mengingatkan ku akan Mazmur yg ditulis oleh raju teragung bangsa Israel ribuan tahun yg silam. Raja Daud; Raja yg punya segala sesuatu.. tahta, kuasa, kemakmuran, kemasyuran. Kepada siapa bersandar? Kepada siapa dia minta bantuan?

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
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!

LHAJW

Currently I'm reading a book entitled Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would by Chad W. Thompson. You might wonder why I'm reading such a topic. Well.. this issue has been tagging my heart for many reasons for the past years. I was caught off-guard with facts revealed by some of my close friends. Honestly speaking, I was so unprepared and unequiped while confronted with such contemporary issue in relation to my conviction and belief.

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

Extra (BIG) Blessing

Sekitar bulan October 2006 yg lalu, sehabis gw ngajar anak2 class Piano level 0, Dr. Sturm sang koordinator class piano (my superior) hampiri gw dengan secarik kertas dan nanya: "Pink, i got an e-mail from an old classmate of mine.. See if you're interested in it." Gw dengan bingung baca e-mail itu.. Ternyata Dr. Woodard, classmatenya itu head of the music department in Washing and Jefferson (W&J) College in Washington, PA mau sabbatical semester ini dan mau cari guru pengganti. I was like... YES, I'M INTERESTED IN IT! Basically the college is looking for an adjuct faculty that could cover 6 applied piano students of Dr. Woodard. The offer to have an invitation for an interiew caught me by surprise. I've never even thought about it before..

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.. ;-)

Of Divine Glory

Itu lah tema dari Calvin Worship Symposium yg gw hadiri Jan. 25-27 yg lalu di Grand Rapids, Michigan. Trip ini udah gw nanti2kan sejak dikasih tau sama temen.. since ngajak temen2, walaupun sangat berminat, tapi akhirnya ngga ada yg mau ikutan [initial Z and Z hehehe..] akhirnya gw pergi sendiri dehh.. I took 3 days off from school, melarikan diri gitu ceritanya buat winter vacation di Michigan.. hehehe.. Hasilnya: more than i ever imagined! Thank you God for answering my prayer..

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!

Strolling on the snow

Hari ini jadi hari bersejarah... soalnya gw pertama kali bawa mobil di tengah derasnya salju dan tumpukan salju yg udah nempel di jalan setinggi 4 inches. Gilaaa... it's the most stressful driving experience I've had so far. Lebih bikin jantungan lagi, hari ini ada 3 penumpang tambahan di mobil (1 regular, 2 bukan regular customer) ^-^ Semuanya ngga terlalu jauh dari apt gw sih, tapi tetep aza under this kind of weather. Oh, 1 more thing.. setelah nyampe di gereja gw baru sadar ternyata gw ngga bawa dompet!!! (tapi tetep persembahan lho soalnya udah siapin cek yg diselipin di Alkitab) hehehe... Karena ngga bawa dompet, itu artinya gw drive illegally jg soalnya SIM ada di dompet..

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 ;-)

Even When It's Free...

All time is valuable.

• 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-

Russian Tea Cake

Tahun baru ini mau bagi2 resep ahh... :-)
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.

Psalming 2007

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
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.

[Author: King David]

Shades of the Season

Kemaren, gw Khesin dan Yvonne berkesempatan maen ke Pittsburgh lagi.. tujuan utama kali ini adalah Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden. Yup, kabarnya sih bagus banget makanya kita jg penasaran... Ternyata lokasi kebun bunga ini ada di tengah kota, deket sama pusat administrasi pemerintahan, monument2 penting, dan gereja2 besar di downtown Pittsburgh. Tiket masuk $8 for students.

Let's see how much it is worth.. :-)

We are ready!!

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...

ada yg lonjong, tajem, bulet, lancip..

Ada jg "Orchid Room" yg dipenuhi dengan anggrek berbagai jenis, rupa, warna, bentuk dari berbagai negara...

Pas masuk salah satu ruangan, tiba2 tercium bau harum yg familiar... eh, ternyata bunga melatiiii... hahaha.. that one i know! Tapi yg pasti lebih banyak lagi bunga2 indah yg gw ngga ngerti namanya..

Wahh... pokoknya puas banget deh lihat bunga2 indah. Kita bertiga2 udah foto abis2an selama disana.. hehehee.. Gw yakin ini cuma sekelumit bukti betapa serius, kreatif, imaginatif, dan detailnya Allah Pencipta pada hari ke-3 penciptaan alam semesta ini. Ini cuma segelintir dari maha karya-Nya. How can we not bow down and worship Him?

I am in awe of You... How Great Thou Art!

Makan terussssss....

Christmas lunch at home with Khesin and Yvonne

Thank you Lord for the gift of friendship in our lives.

This Christmas..

... i spend it in Morgantown. hehehe...

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!!

Well, ada beberapa hal yg mesti dilakukan sih selama liburan ini:

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!

Connecting people

THANK GOD FOR TECHNOLOGY!
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?

Thanksgiving Prayer

thank you for summer, thank you for winter..
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..

To all of you:

have a Happy Thanksgiving 2006

Iron sharpens iron

Seperti yg udah gw kasih tau di postingan sebelumnya, tgl 12 November gw accompany 2 recital: 1 double bass (3.15pm), 1 trombone (8.15pm). Yup... cukup puas, well.. puas banget dengan hasilnya soalnya ini pertama kali gw nyanggupin accompany 2 recital dalam 1 hari. What a stressful day; mentally drained by the end of the day. 1 pelajaran yg bisa gw ambil: you won't know what you can do until you push yourself to the limit. I guess i pushed myself, or was pushed far enough ;-)

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.

Besi menajamkan besi, orang menajamkan sesamanya.

Amsal 27:17

God is near

There is music in the quietness of morning's flaming dawn;

There is melody in the garden even when the flowers are gone;

Everywhere are signs and wonders that should make our hearts rejoice;

Everywhere, ...if we but listen..., is God's still small voice.

"Be still, and know that I am GOD."

(Psalm 46:10)

Weekend lai liau....

Akhirnya weekend tiba jugaaaa......
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... ;-)