In photography: my old pointe shoes...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
"Pale kid raps fast" video
George Watsky appeared on Ellen, after she saw this youtube video ... he's so good!
Appearance on Ellen:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Disappointed in "The Dilemma"
As you can tell from the title of the post, I went to see the movie 'The Dilemma' last weekend... and what a waste of 2 hours of my life! It was advertised as a comedy movie, and I was really looking forward to it especially because it starred two actors I really liked : Vince Vaughn and Kevin James! Granted, the trailer wasn't hilarious but then some comedies don't show their funniest moments in their trailers.
Anyway! It was more of a serious drama with few (moderately) funny moments sprinkled throughout i.e. a Drama disguised as a Comedy. Vince Vaughn still had a role where he talks really quickly and rambles most of his lines - which I love in his movies, and Kevin James was goofy at times.
Throughout the entire film, there wasn't a single laugh-out-loud from the audience.... I was actually a little bored. I know that some people did enjoy the movie, but maybe they were not looking forward to a comedy as much as I was.
I give this movie a 3.5/10.
Photos from movie review site
Anyway! It was more of a serious drama with few (moderately) funny moments sprinkled throughout i.e. a Drama disguised as a Comedy. Vince Vaughn still had a role where he talks really quickly and rambles most of his lines - which I love in his movies, and Kevin James was goofy at times.
Throughout the entire film, there wasn't a single laugh-out-loud from the audience.... I was actually a little bored. I know that some people did enjoy the movie, but maybe they were not looking forward to a comedy as much as I was.
I give this movie a 3.5/10.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Piano Solo: Theme from Love Story
Theme from "Love Story", arrangement by Henry Mancini... Enjoy! (even with a few mistakes in there :p)
I don't know why the sound is off.... but it took soo long to upload it that I don't want to do it all over again! But it's not that bad...
I don't know why the sound is off.... but it took soo long to upload it that I don't want to do it all over again! But it's not that bad...
Friday, January 21, 2011
Artwork slideshow - updated
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Upcoming posts
So there hasn't been a lot of time in the past couple of days to update the blog..... and I'm already behind on my study schedule :S I do have some ideas lined up for future posts...I'm looking forward to sharing a piano solo of Henry Mancini's arrangement of the Theme from "Love Story" (I'm still working on Chopin's Valse Op.64!), and perhaps doing some photography of my old ballet shoes :)
For now, let me leave you with a few photos my sister took of Burj Khalifa, when we were in Dubai:
For now, let me leave you with a few photos my sister took of Burj Khalifa, when we were in Dubai:
Sunday, January 16, 2011
An oldie...
This song has been stuck in my head for the past week! I think the Bee Gees are one of the greatest groups... along with the Beatles... this was back when music was real art, and the lyrics were like poetry...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Over the holidays, we visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi! Oh - em - gee! It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates, and overall the 3rd largest in the world! It took its name after the founder and president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan... he is also buried next to the mosque. The total construction cost for the mosque was 2 billion dirhams (or 545 million US dollars!!). It has also made some world records; having the world's largest carpet from Iran, as well as the largest chandelier. They have seven imported chandeliers from Germany, made from gold-plated copper and Swarovski crystals.
The mosque was so peaceful inside, and the view of the courtyard was incredible! Anyone could visit the mosque (i.e. not necessarily muslim), however women had to wear the abayas and shailas (robes and head scarves) which were provided at the entrance. Some men were also asked to wear the kandooras (white robes), which depended on what they were wearing. Here are the pictures we took:
The mosque was so peaceful inside, and the view of the courtyard was incredible! Anyone could visit the mosque (i.e. not necessarily muslim), however women had to wear the abayas and shailas (robes and head scarves) which were provided at the entrance. Some men were also asked to wear the kandooras (white robes), which depended on what they were wearing. Here are the pictures we took:
Here are some other pictures of Abu Dhabi, and the Emirates Palace Hotel we visited:
Videos of the interior of Sheikh Zayed Mosque to come....
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Video: Classical performances during Gala dinner
Two more videos of the performances during the DCC 15th anniversary gala dinner
Monday, January 10, 2011
Video: Classical performance during Gala dinner
Here is one of the performances in between courses at the Gala dinner.... Boganyi on the piano accompanying the classical singers (more videos to come)
You may have to turn up the volume to be able to hear the piano well at the beginning!
You may have to turn up the volume to be able to hear the piano well at the beginning!
Dubai Concert Committee 15th Anniversary Gala
Well, I'm back... and already missing Dubai. 2 weeks really isn't enough. I'm just counting down the days until summer now :(
Anyway! The day before we left, I attended a classical music (piano) concert at the Madinat Jumeirah. It was am-ah-zing!! I'm so glad we went! It was the 15th Anniversary Gala, organized by the Dubai Concert Committee, to celebrate the committee's commitment to providing high quality classical music concerts in Dubai since 1996! Back then the concerts used to be held at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza. The main artist who performed the piano concert at the beginning of the evening was Gergely Boganyi, and he was the best pianists I had ever seen! He performed various pieces from Liszt and Chopin, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Liszt (this year) and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Chopin (last year). I loved his expressive performance, and since Chopin is my favourite composer, it was very special! If you want to find out more information about Boganyi, you can take a look at his website: http://www.gergelyboganyi.com/
The evening started off with a Welcome Reception (where they served champagne, and some canapes), followed by the piano concert. We then moved into the Joharah Ballroom, where we were served a three course Gala dinner. In between each course, Boganyi would perform various pieces on the piano (placed in the middle of the room, with the tables surrounding it). He played several popular classical pieces accompanied by two opera singers: Ildikó Gaál Wéber (mezzo-soprano) and Xavier Rivadeneira (tenor). An auction was also incorporated into the evening before dessert.
Here are some pictures of the performances during dinner:
Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of Boganyi during the main piano concert, but my sister took some of the piano afterwards...
http://www.dubaiconcertcommittee.com/htm/Gala.htm
Anyway! The day before we left, I attended a classical music (piano) concert at the Madinat Jumeirah. It was am-ah-zing!! I'm so glad we went! It was the 15th Anniversary Gala, organized by the Dubai Concert Committee, to celebrate the committee's commitment to providing high quality classical music concerts in Dubai since 1996! Back then the concerts used to be held at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza. The main artist who performed the piano concert at the beginning of the evening was Gergely Boganyi, and he was the best pianists I had ever seen! He performed various pieces from Liszt and Chopin, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Liszt (this year) and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Chopin (last year). I loved his expressive performance, and since Chopin is my favourite composer, it was very special! If you want to find out more information about Boganyi, you can take a look at his website: http://www.gergelyboganyi.com/
The evening started off with a Welcome Reception (where they served champagne, and some canapes), followed by the piano concert. We then moved into the Joharah Ballroom, where we were served a three course Gala dinner. In between each course, Boganyi would perform various pieces on the piano (placed in the middle of the room, with the tables surrounding it). He played several popular classical pieces accompanied by two opera singers: Ildikó Gaál Wéber (mezzo-soprano) and Xavier Rivadeneira (tenor). An auction was also incorporated into the evening before dessert.
Here are some pictures of the performances during dinner:
Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of Boganyi during the main piano concert, but my sister took some of the piano afterwards...
http://www.dubaiconcertcommittee.com/htm/Gala.htm
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Christmas Show at Wafi Pyramids
So here's the talked-about christmas lights show... it was projected onto the Wafi Pyramids building in Dubai! Sorry, the filming here isn't the best but I wanted to get all of the buildings on tape and watch it live at the same time.... I always found filming a show annoying, cos I couldn't enjoy it myself and watch the entire show properly lol
Anyway, here's my (very shaky) youtube video... enjoy!
Anyway, here's my (very shaky) youtube video... enjoy!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Busy during the holidays... and new books!
I haven't been very good at keeping the blog up to date recently... afterall, it is the christmas holiday!! I'm overseas at the moment, and I've been planning to upload a few videos I took.... one of them will be included in my next post: Christmas Lights show at the "Pyramids" in Wafi City, Dubai! I've tried to insert the video into the post but it takes sooo long to load, so I've decided to wait until I get back home to do that. Or I might upload it onto you tube and embed it...
In other news, I bought a couple of books... one is the sequel to the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's called The Lost Symbol, and I'm looking forward to reading it! If you're interested in mystery fiction novels, I highly recommend these books, as well as Angels and Demons.
For those interested in art, I also purchased a "Masterstrokes" book about Pastels by Hazel Harrison . It describes many techniques artists can use when using any kind of pastel medium, as well as examples of reproduced world-famous artwork which illustrate the secret behind these techniques and composition. It's great for beginners, as well as artists with a little more experience who are looking to try different tehniques, surfaces for pastel work, and gain more information about certain artists' methods such as Degas, Van Gogh, and Turner. I'm not sure I would use this book alone if I were starting out with Pastels, but it is a good complementary 'course'.
In other news, I bought a couple of books... one is the sequel to the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's called The Lost Symbol, and I'm looking forward to reading it! If you're interested in mystery fiction novels, I highly recommend these books, as well as Angels and Demons.
For those interested in art, I also purchased a "Masterstrokes" book about Pastels by Hazel Harrison . It describes many techniques artists can use when using any kind of pastel medium, as well as examples of reproduced world-famous artwork which illustrate the secret behind these techniques and composition. It's great for beginners, as well as artists with a little more experience who are looking to try different tehniques, surfaces for pastel work, and gain more information about certain artists' methods such as Degas, Van Gogh, and Turner. I'm not sure I would use this book alone if I were starting out with Pastels, but it is a good complementary 'course'.
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