Envision

Sweat was dribbling down my face, and I cursed myself for not switching on that damn fan. Immediately after picking up my instrument I was reluctant to get off it just to switch on the bloody fan. So there I was, my fingers dancing across the fingerboard with adequate strength and gusto to amplify the raw emotions of the song.

It was a sad, slow and tender song known as Schindler's List Theme (for solo violins). Images of the horrors of war brought to the Jews in Europe back during World War II flashed across my mind, just as a phrase of the song ended with a long note. With all my might, I conjured the best vibrato I've ever done before, projecting a concrete melancholic effect. And then I paused. The next part of the song was simply too difficult.

But I noticed something else. There was an eerie silence around me. It was quiet. Too quiet.

More images of the blood and gore of World War II flashed across my mind instantaneously. The sadness of the song injected that sense of insecurity inside me, made me timid and afraid. What the heck? The piece was supposed to picture the utter obliteration of an entire human population, the sorrow of losing everyone alongside you, the wretched sense of hopelessness. Why was I playing this song? It's not as if I'm attending a funeral of some sort.

The immediate silence made the hair behind my neck literally stand up. Goosebumps popped all over me. My heart fell like it was suspended in a void by threads yet weighed down by fear. It was in an insecure position, ready to collapse anytime soon.

I was alone.

I realised, I was sweating even more. My hands shivering, I put down my violin and spun back the computer to check my e-mail. Yet again, gruesome pictures of the genocide of the Jewish population in Europe flashed before my eyes. It was etched in my mind - that experience just now.

To conclude, I'm impressed by this piece of music. After that shock and awe experience, I realised how a splendid piece of artistry can emotionally affect someone. It's not just the notes, the clefs, the rests written on a paper. It's all about the passion within the musician.

Perhaps for that moment I did have some passion. It all happened mainly because I was alone. Here I quote Mr Lam (a music maestro I personally know) - "We play our best music when we are alone." We play it best because we're not trying to showcase our skills, but we play to please ourselves. Also when we're alone, we do not feel nervous. We just... play.

So, playing violin alone at night is spooky and not for the faint-hearted. (Only applies to sad, dark songs)

P.S. Schindler's List is a movie based on World War II set in Poland. It is very much related to the Holocaust (massacre of Jewish people) and is a very depressing show. The music - the main theme song - is beautiful. John Williams did an awesome job in composing this masterpiece.

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Lately, I've been reading plenty of newspapers. And as I always do, I look for the interesting articles to read. Hmm... nothing much interesting really at the moment: Anwar's sodomy trial postponed, Tiger Woods no longer has any girls hanging off his golf stick. Well you might think I'm off my mind reading all these obscene/personal stuff, but I insist it is only human for me to do it and I am being very honest here - I like reading them!

So, out of nowhere the sports section came up with a sex scandal relating to England and Chelsea footballer John Terry. His news poured all over the headlines of the sports sections on newspapers. I loved the way the editors make use of his name to write the headlines. They came up with titles like "A TERRYBLE STATE OF AFFAIRS", "WHAT A TERRYBLE MESS", "IT'S TERRYFYING!"

It is indeed rather terrifying for such a respected sportsman. Generally speaking, John Terry has a prominent sense of leadership no one else, except Beckham, in the England team has got. To see him spectacularly fall from grace is such a disgrace. Terryble, really. Cheated on his wife, his family, hanging out with some (insert 18PL word). Stripped off his captain armband and booed on the pitch of a football match, things went gloomy.

So, almost immediately after that, there was a little bit of silver lining. John Terry led his Chelsea team to a win in the Premier League. He played very well and showed good leadership qualities. Headlines came out, "TERRYFIC!"

Immediately, something came to my mind. Why on Earth does the English language use such close-sounding words to describe overly contrasting definitions? Terrific is a positive term, while terrible is a negative term. TERRIFIC basically means GOOD, while TERRIBLE technically means BAD.  Both seem to have relation to the terry, although the English language does not prove that right.

Terrific and terrible are like brothers of the similar origin, but grew to become foes. Like a divorced couple, they make the bitterest of each other after divorce. Very metaphorical my words, I know. But it's something that doesn't quite make sense.

I know I'm not getting anywhere by writing this out, but it's just some inner workings of my head I need to blurt out. Some food for thought lah.

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Only a couple of years ago, we were watching classic alien movies like Independence Day and War of the Worlds. We enjoyed every bit of them, of how man depict extraterrestrials. The whole thing was entirely imagination-based, and drilled into everyone's mindset how ugly and terrible aliens would actually appear. Classic alien movies always feature aliens as strong, intelligent, powerful, advanced, monstrous, ugly, destructive, cruel and most of all, superior. In truth, movie producers may seem quite biased about alien supremacy over mankind, crushing planet Earth with a familiar iron fist.

Turning the tables are two 2009 films, District 9 and Avatar. These two films were outstanding contrasts to each other, set in different aspects, with totally different themes and moral values to be learned. What do they both share in common then? They strayed from the usual alien-movie-plot-formula, and forming one by their own. Both films depict man as, sort of, the superior species. And oh, they're not just action-packed alien vs human sorta show, they both symbolise moral values laid out indirectly.

Basically, District 9 is a low-budget film trying to make a film that will have a great impact on us. Everything in this fockin' film has got a fockin' awesome meaning to it. It's not just about the fockin' prawns strolling about our fockin' planet. Alright, I gotta stop it. So District 9 has got some issues on bad language but you must read between the lines, watch between the pixels. It's about how mankind alienate a person who is different. It's also about how bloodthirsty mankind are, exploiting advanced weapon technology from another species. District 9 depicts how, when a man is in a position of power, he can do inhuman things.

Blockbuster film Avatar also delivers a message to most of mankind. It isn't just about biolumiscent trees and animals with parasitic problems. The film puts man in a position of power too, this time invading another planet trying to exploit the land filled with a mineral they want. Consequently, this would involve deforestation and destruction of natural habitats. This movie has a very eco-friendly theme, warning humanity not to develop too much as nature will strike back ultimately. Avatar portrays how greedy mankind are, ignoring all circumstances to achieve economic and financial growth, albeit destroying the environment and indigenous species.

Finally, we get a chance to see humans depicted as baddies. For once, we tend to cheer for the aliens instead of human heroics. Boring old "man vs alien" films have changed.

Henceforth, both Avatar and District 9 are awesome shows of their own category. This new movie formula is a breath of fresh air needed. They remind us humans of what we're capable of, not just getting invaded by aliens. They remind us not to be too greedy or power hungry. We know not even aliens can destroy us, but our behavior and mentality can ultimately do so.

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There is a Chinese proverb which states, "approach the colour red and you'll be red, approach ink and you'll be black". It doesn't make much sense here, but the true meaning behind the saying is that bad social company will influence someone negatively, and vice versa.

After spending a rather awesome Chinese New Year, it is clear the Chinese have a sort of obsession for the colour red. To them, red symbolises prosperity, wealth, courage, luck and... aiyah, everything good lah. Firecrackers and decorative articles are all crimson in colour. Red is by far the favourite colour among the Chinese, with a history stretching thousands of years relating to the colour red. So, what is it with the Chinese that favours red but despises the colour black? Among most of the global people, white symbolises purity and essence and opposes the attributes of black, as they are totally opposite colours in the colour chart. But what does red have to do with black with almost nothing in relation in terms of colour?

Back then, Chinese were strictly forbidden to wear black in every occasion. We are now quite lucky to be able to wear black, but not during Chinese New Year of course. It is a tradition we must uphold. Coming to think of red and black, these two colours click well. Instead of antagonising black and adoring red, make use of both and you get a sassy new trend.  Red and black are now officially IN!

Yesterday I was watching American Idol on TV and then only I realised something changed. The American Idol logo had gone from blue to red. It gives the logo a little bit of a sinister look, but at the same time it provided a new sense of classiness and elegance. Looking back, the colour blue actually sucks.

Recently, electronic manufacturing company LG took advantage of the red-black trend by launching the Scarlet series LCD TVs. It was a groundbreaking success due to the eye-catching design with red and black dominating the visual structure. It gave electronic media a new face, as Samsung followed on with red-black coloured computer monitors which had achieved quite decent sales.

Even in football, Manchester United made good use of the red-black blend with the introduction of the new 09/10 jersey. The shirt is still largely red but has a black V shape across the chest. Yet again, it provides the jersey with a sense of elegance and style no other football team jersey possesses.

Oh and did I mention? Red goes well with white too, in interior design. Red-white combinations are now very popular among modern homes. Red-white goes well in living halls as well as kitchens. The white gives a feeling of purity and serenity while red symbolises joy. All goes well right now, as long as there is red.

Now as you can see, there is more to it than meets the eye. The Chinese were indeed very right in adoring the colour red, but by blending red with neutral colours of black and white, we get the new contemporary chic like never before.

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It's been exactly half a year since the last time blogged. Reasons being a total lack of inspiration, too much idling and lack of a life. And heck does time fly.

With reference to the title above (gosh I've been writing too many letters as a secretary), I was somewhat intrigued by this year's school Cross Country Run. Long distance running has never been my cup of tea, especially under the hot sun of Malaysia.

A special mention to our school running champion. Even though I do not know him personally, I salute this guy. Doing the feat twice in a row isn't an easy task. I noticed, when I began running down the slope of the school towards the car park adjacent to the school hall, I caught a glimpse of this fella sprinting down the 100m running course.

Our top two runners did two significant feats:

1 Break the school record of 35 minutes for 8km

2 Overtake the L2 boys' category champion even though starting 10 minutes after L2

Our champion runner reminded me of the African marathon runners I watched in the Olympics. Tall, slender, tanned, agile, fast and most of all; full of stamina. Olympics level marathon is indeed very far-fetched for us, with an average of 42km for men. I can only run for 3km, which is only 7% of the run. If I continue walking, I'd take half a day to complete the course.

Being realistic, running 8km is really difficult for an ordinary person. 42km? These African runners are well trained in their respective countries. Currently the records are dominated by only two nations: Ethiopia and Kenya, whereby the only Ethiopian record holder is by far the very best we, mankind, have.

To be entirely frank, I could've run for much more than I managed on Cross Country day. What's most important is mental endurance rather than physical abilities. My PE teacher constantly reminds us to push ourselves when running. Quote the PE teacher: Run at your own pace constantly. Never stop, slow down or speed up. Just run. I can only do that when pushed by him during PE lessons, and I am always in awe of what I am capable of. But I just can't conjure up that mentality when running during Cross Country. I needed someone to constantly push me, a motivational hydraulic to remind me of what I'm able to do. Special thanks to Mr Lim Chee Keong who made me a stronger person physically, mentally and psychologically.

So basically, the thing about these runners is their mental strength, it's what pushes them, powers their legs to go forward, and never give in. It is something not everyone has. I salute these people because I personally cannot do that. They are able to self-motivate, to constantly stretch their body (machine) to perform at its best, beyond what is expected. That, by itself, is a gift.

The African marathoners are symbols of mankind's willpower and mental capabilities. What they are achieving does mankind proud.

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