The Refiner's Fire

One day, a man came upon a silversmith's store. Out of curiosity, he asked, "How do you purify silver?"

The silvermith replied, "You have to hold the piece of crude metal in the hottest part of the fire, only the hottest part! Because only there will the impurities be removed."

"Oh okay, but is it true that you have to stand in front of the furnace during the whole process?"

"Yeah, if it's taken out from the fire a split second too early or too late, the whole piece of metal will be ruined."

"How would you know then, when it is ready?

"When i see my reflection in it."


To Him, we are that very piece of metal. He watches over us as we are moulded into what He wants us to be.
Like the proverbial woman who broke her precious alabaster jar just to honour Jesus before his death, i will be broken on the inside out for Him, and invest my life into something which will outlast it.

who am i

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow.
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapour in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
You catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.

where are you now?

at least you're happy now

LOL i just realised how long i havent written. hehe it shall be dead from now till after promos, then im gonna get it nicely decorated up! (:

a cry from within

panic? desperation? nah. none of that. just an ache that buries itself so deeply within your being. even the usual deluge of emotions are numbed and tucked away at the back of my mind. but their inexorable manifestation beckons.
just like drinking hair tonic, seeminly innocuous but deadly. it is a death of the old and a death of melancholy and passion, all anachronistic treasures of our time.


lol. just an attempt to use chim vocab.

surreality

no one's really strong you know? for at the end of the day it is all a facade.
for all that you portray yourself to be, ever so independent and wise in the ways that only you know, you're not exactly all that and you know it.
i dont know why either, everytime i talk to you im not even sure if thats myself. and i'll never be right in your eyes, forever a little boy succumbing to the whims and fancies of this world, an irritant that you cant bear to quell.
but still, you'll never know how much i admire and respect you. dont feel any guilt or regret because i never asked to be accepted or loved.
regrets are for angsty teenagers and the old people who sit around at hdb void decks. we're not one of them, are we?
the most important day of the week is today. so dont dwell on what we couldnt and do what we can. and you'll find that the answers to your many questions are right in front of you. just open your eyes and see.

euphonium - well sounding

so that above is the meaning of the word euphonium, my instrument of 4 weeks so far.

Tokyo Kosei workshop - 2 sep
it was really enjoyable. mr miura is extremely cute! he looks like a dwarf :D and he's not at all snobbish as i thought professionals were. such a nice guy awww.
his playing is totally ownage. really inspired me to practise on my instru.
i shall list down the key points of his lesson lest i forget and for anyone who is interested.

Most importantly, the 4 keys of being a musician
1) Reading (score - bass clef, treble clef)
2) Practising
3) Listening (to band music!)
4) Feeling - bringing your heart to the audience

More about practice
* Stabilise embrochure by making sure the two ends of your lips and your chin are tight and immobile. note that you should play all types of notes with only ONE embrochure.

* Train your air by inhaling DEEP and WIDE, and hold your breath till you cant any longer. this will cause you to inhale again naturally. and do NOT make weird sucking noises when you take breaths in between bars =D

* Slurring. Very important if we want to reach high notes, and essential for the euphonium player. Practise everyday, increasing the pitch as you get better.

Take a bath together!
* Use brass soap, or detergent will have to do.
* Remove all the valves and what-nots.
* Fill your instrument up to the brim with water, then pour the water out of the hole where you put your mouthpiece. it should be very dirty water if you havent washed since as long as you can remember (algae, food bits, etc >.< )
* Use brushes to clear the insides of the instrument, esp where the valves are. and maybe find the secret as to why your valves keep getting stuck!
* Wipe your instru! and use a polishing cloth for the outside.
* Make sure its DRY, if not algae will proliferate inside and must wash again..

yup this is most of the things we learnt. also managed to get a eupho karaoke book weee =)
truly well-worth the money and time spent. TORU MIURA ROCKS!