CLAUD

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A thousand words

A thousand words

If a picture could paint a thousand words,

then why can't I paint you....

Ah....so nostalgic....(that' was Bread's If by the way)

today my mum bought a extremely cheap CD. dunno if it's pirated, but doesn't seem so.

so anyway, put it to play and many long-ago-songs came up......Integration simply cannot win over M.J's Ben....hahahaha

hence, i've decided to come online to blog...(oh man, i'm starting to sound like an econs essay)

song after song after song of beautiful memories...if i've got to categorise them under one song, it would be Yesterday onces more by the Carpenters.

so much music have been lost to us you know....

it's not only the "oldies" that i'm hearing now, but much much more....

sometimes when life is too stressful, or just full of things, i like to turn to them. they're like a goose-feathered pillow, soft and palatable - more than that, they're a reliable source of comfort.

and last of all, they remind me why i love music,why i spend hours studying it....

not that i call myself a learned musician - it just happens that i'm interested in the seemingly uninteresting rules that shape music....

yeah yeah~ call me a bore

hahahaha....but really, so yesterday i was taking my time-off and watched television. oh man....i thought i'll forget how to use he bloody remote control. and just realised the gleam of dust on my CD shelf...that long since i've touched them.

so the story of Li Hwai Min-the founder and choerographer of Cloud Gate(Taiwan). his dream of being a dancer...and his family teachings.

one thing he mentioned (which was equally nostalgic) was the value of community service.

It's one thing to speak of it, and another to truly grasp the meaning of it....

he recalled one day, his father asked him what was his dream i his life.

he said quite simply: he'll have a room filled with books and he'll be reading them, with a cup of tea.

yes, let's pause here and consider that sentence - seems simple and innocent enough don't you think?

but his fater retorted: shame on you, what about the people around you? You only think for yourself.

like you, my dearest reader....i was taken aback at what his father said. read book, lim teh got problem meh?

then if we take a step back, and a step deeper to consider

what Lin Hwai Min said was a simplication of what is happening today. Many people, when pursuing their goals think only of the things THEY want to achieve. keyword: only.

yes, Minyi you can say that everyone is self-centered to some extent.

but to say the least, it wasn't like that all the time...

teachers these days ask, "what do you want to do in the future"

that take 200 years ago and you'll get stares because the society then was so family-centric

because people usually asked questions like, "what do you want to do for your family in the future?"

hahaha.....no, i'm not implying that historic times were better....i just want to make a point that we no longer value the people around as much as we used to.

Truly, most of the divorces that happen is due to monetary factors. being the issue of his-hers-money

it's not easy to maintain a balance between allowing time for yourself and giving yourself to others.

If words of authors and lyricists can move millions, then i gladly give twice the amount for a better world.

But a better world cannot be, because it would be boring.

mankind never fails to find issues to talk about, to fight about - to agree about.

so make time, take a step back and look at the moving pictures around you.....

because a thousand words you make, can simply be summarised in a single silent picture.

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So today i finally got my fingers into the september humour issue of Reader's Digest....hahaha yah i don't order, so i'll ravage my aunt's the first opportunity i get...

so i was reading the 5 inspirational people featured, one of which was a screenwriter....

his story was very much too surreal.

imagine like standing at the disc rack in a CD shop called Life and picking out the CD which you'd like to listen to. but you realised you didn't bring enough money and the ATM machine or what-not machine is unavailable. So you have to limit your choices to only 3 CDS.

1) To try something new, a new genre of music people rarely hear to

2) To stick with the top 10 hits compilation

or 3) Pick out the Oldies because your dad will probably praise you for being so thoughful.

hahaha....that particular screenwriter's story was like the first CD.

he took acting classes behind the knowledge of his parents(shy mah) at age 17.....wrote a few screenplay and many many times later rejected.

he sacrificed alot....really alot, to get where he was today. i'll assume that he's not very rich, because screenwriters don't have exactly a satble income....but you do what you love....

it's not impossible-the sudden notion that dawned me-to be a screenwriter/playwright/lyricists....

it's just that time("the money" mentioned above) don't give us many choices to pick from. yuo cannot simply put in the ATM card and draw it, neither can you debt it you some bank accound like a credit card does....you can only spend what you have (or what's left of it).

then time is too short. we spend 1/3 of or lives studying (some of us even die from studying) all for what? To please your parents?

it's not selfish to disappoint yuor parents. it is not unfilial either.....

because if you end up doing what you love best, and if your parents(provided they're not insane) sees you happy, it'll be more rewarding for both of you.(It's not a shame to be a primary school teacher or a coffee-shop owner)

they'll regret that you didn't take the path they thought you would. but at the end of the day, it's worth it...because their regrets were not a result of your own decision making. It is because they have pre-concieved expectations, that is why there's something to be disappointed about.

Probably why we're unhappy right now(one of the reasons), is because we don't see the people around us made happy from our contributions.

I'm truly exhilarated, when I see your eyes laugh with joy,

Squint in disgust,

Close in thought,

Open with surpirse

that is what attracts me most about writing.

To be admired from your reactions towards my writing is the best compliment you can give me....

21:50