tsewei’s blog

I’m suddenly in a mood for all those retro hits. Can’t help but boogie when I have Earth, Wind & Fire playing on my iTunes. Undoubtedly the coolest band ever to exist.

Got into this whole retro thing tonight ‘coz of that Madagascar soundtrack website that I was surfing earlier on. That movie, I tell you, does something to you. The story isn’t great, jokes are okay, but somehow it just sticks to your brain.

Especially THAT song. You’d go: “oh my god I can’t believe they used that stupid song!”, but then later you’ll realize those lines of “I like to move it, move it” are seared to your brains, and you catch yourself in mid-step of a bit of that lemur rave party dance sequence. It’s not a great song, but it’s so silly and fun at the same time it makes you wanna boogie like those half-crazed lemurs.

Well, if you’re up to it for another dose of THAT song, you can go listen to it here. There’s a playlist and you don’t have to pay to listen. If you truly hate THAT song, I’d say skip on to the Earth, Wind & Fire, and BeeGees selection on that soundtrack.

Retro disco definitely rocks. Always works in lifting my spirits up a bit. Especially when I miss my darling and had nothing to do for the entire day. Was feeling kinda restless the whole day, and realized that I have a habit of stuffing myself with all forms of media consumption to cure boredom. Watched Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (Jim Carrey overdid it this time: his Ace-Ventura antics don’t belong in this dark whimsical film), continued reading Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards!, spents hours combing through the Star and the Malay Mail (I hate this tabloid but I was bored), surfed the net and hung around online… etc etc.

Well, I’m feeling much better now after managing to place a call to Tokyo.

Hotel frontdesk: *highly animated voice talking full speed in Japanese in really lo0ong sentence* “blablabla..”
Me: (Totally forgot that they’d be speaking in a different tongue there) *what happened to “mushi mushi”?*
Me: “Er, Hel-lo. Can I have room x-x-x-x please?” (slowing down and enunciating those numbers real well)
*long pause*
Frontdesk girl: *garble garble in something but I don’t get it* “blabla room xxxx?”
Me: “Yes yes room xxxx! Thanks!” *JOY!*

The line connected to the room, and I totally forgot about using those Japanese phrases I know like konbanwa and arigato gozaimasu. Damn. But I was happy the call went through.

I think I’ll try saying arigato tomorrow night. Meanwhile, it’s back to boogie-ing with my music!

Saw a piano concert at Ithaca College’s Ford Hall. Pianist Yundi Li was performing.

And he was excellent. I was very much enthralled by his playing — his expression, and his technique, everything.

He started the concert with a Mozart piece. Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330. It was beautiful. I always got frustrated whenever I play Mozart ’cause it’s so0o hard to play it correctly with just the right touch in the tone. But Yundi Li’s performance was perfect. Wait, more than perfect.

And he played Chopin’s Grande Polonaise from Op. 22!! I love that piece, and needless to say, it was yet another flawless performance.

The best was in the end, he gave an encore performance, and he played a ‘classicized” version of a popular chinese folk song. I can’t remember what song it was, but I’m damn sure it’s chinese and it was a popular folk tune (or something like that). Playful, cute, yet moving at parts. Lovely! yay!

He’s quite a successful pianist — only 23 (only 1 year older than me! and what am I doing with my life?) and he’s been playing all around the world. wow. *respect*

Wonder how the college managed to get him to come perform in lil’ Ithaca. And I only paid ten bucks as a student. Definitely worth all that I paid, and more.

Silje Nergaard’s Dance Me Love, from the album Nightwatch.

Love the slow sway of the song. Clear tinkling of the piano notes against light jazz drums and sax, backed by warm strings in the background. Really puts me in a relaxed mood.

Especially love this part of the song:

Your fire I know
Can warm those bleak tomorrows
The dark must not enter in
So let the dance begin

Dance me, love
Dance me through the dark
Dance me, love
Dance me through the dark

Perfect song for a slow dance, in a literal sense.
Love the song. (minus other parts of the lyrics, which i think, actually suggests a tinge of sadness, and desperate hope of a couple working to move through a difficult time.)

*clicks on iTunes window, and replays the song*
*sigh*
I’m so not focusing on the essay that I’m writing.
oh well.
*sits back and immerse self in the music*