Mind and Body

It's been more than a month since I pulled my hamstring tendon, and just when I thought I've made good progress recovering, it starts to hurt again. I'm somewhat bothered by it because it slows down my practice. I'm gonna massage it more and hope this can help.

On the other hand, I went to a Parkour lesson last week and it was so much fun. I was vaulting over bars and obstacles in the gym. For some reason, I have become more interested in all these physical activities. (Dance, Taekwondo, Parkour, bike, balls) I do realize how I always take things seriously (too-seriously) and don't seem to know how to live in the moment. Exercising definitely helps me regain my environmental awareness.

As usual, I enjoy reading (and recently) about psychology, behavioral economics, and relationship among social media, entertainment, millennials and US politics. But love it when I can let my mind rest, while interacting with the physical world like how I often with the conceptual counterpart.

Hard Work Works!

It's not easy at all! Trying to focus on a few things is a challenge for me, but definitely doable. Since September, I've tried to refocus my energy on a few things that matter most as of now: school, and Taekwondo. Life has never been simpler for me. I refused unnecessary responsibility. For example, when school began in Sepetmber, I quit tutoring so I can spend more time studying.

I've spent more time studying and stretching. Yes, you've heard it right. Not only that, but to also improve in my kicking and poomsae. It's painful at times, and only a month ago I tore my tendon at my hip. It was excruciating, but it was even more excruciating not being able to stretch. It was then I knew I love Taekwondo. I iced my hip, and went on paying $50 bucks for a physio drop-in appointment hoping I could stretch and practice as soon as possible. I'm a lot better now.

I've never invest on myself as much as now (compare to some of you, what I'm doing is nothing) In the past, I often focus on others and haven't taken good care of my well-being and priorities.

I have things to look forward to. After my January Taekwondo Instructor Test, I'm gonna go for black belt third dan, and get back to dancing and start parkour. Of courese, ONE AT A TIME =] But I'll do them all. I can't bear not doing what I love and just sit still dreaming bull shit.

"Find Your Gifts, Live Your Dream, Change the World."

Proud 2ba millennials!

Came across too a post called, "Open Letter from a Millennial", Here I quote him a few lines,

You have done our work for us, then called us lazy.
You have threatened our teachers, then told us “just an A” isn’t good enough.
You have gotten our jobs for us, and called us underachievers.
You have made us trophy-seekers, then mocked us for our walls of worthless awards.
You have given us a world in which even our college degrees are meaningless because there are just too many of us.

The truth is, we never thought we were special. You did.
You thought we were special because we were extensions of you.
We were supposed to fulfill all your unrealized potential.
We were supposed to live your dreams.
We were supposed to have what you never had, do what you never did and be who you never were.
We can’t.

If you are reading this, you are likely to be part of the cohort. We should stop portraying our generation as people who are lazy and naughty.

Yes, we haven't experienced poverty at a young age, or may not be as skillful as the boomers and gen-x-ers (our parents) in terms of washing dishes and stuff like that. But we are the generation which has brought the SAT score way up, drug use, teen pregnancy, and even school violence has gone down! Partially, because the media's coverage and the parents response made it seemed otherwise. Comparing the year of the Columbine shoot-out, and our parents' generation particularly the gen-x, we have half of their percentage of school violence.

Parents always say how come our music are so sensual and shallow, and emphasis on sex and parties so much. WELL, we didn't make them. It is the boomers and the gen-x producers who make them and try to sell it to us. Here's a poll by PEW research that reflects our priorities:

Report Summary

Past Few Years Ballad mlog

I'm feeling happy from within and I love the freshness inside me. Why? I simply spend more time before God and less time searching around, contemplating, engaging in nothingness, that's why.

So with the extra hours I have got, I spent more time to read, play music, refocus on my other interests. I've learnt to solo over the dorian and lydian mode. These are useless jargon saying a scale beginning with 2 and 4, maybe I can explain in my later post, but I'm just so happy to be able to do that. I feel much more free on the keyboard now to express what I want to express. I have almost forgotten this was one of my goals when I began to learn the piano, another goal was of course to help in ministry.

For those who wants to know, the beginning part is played with the Dorian mode, and at 1:06, it becomes the Lydian mode. The music is a little child-like, so don't laugh at me as I'm not very good at it still. But may you enjoy this somewhat impressionistic music-y dino- mlog. Oh yeah, what's a mlog? It simply stands for music log. =]

A little bit about the music: I had been spiritually lost over the past years and although it seemed quite pretty outside and sounded like I was satisfied, I was not. I then tried something else(1:06), and even harder to satisfy myself, but it didn't work either. Fortunately at the end (1:42), I have found it - it is that when I go back to God, I can be truly satisfied and that's my way out.

103 - 110: How to play the piano

Piano can be really fun and I know a lot of people always want to learn it. I am not the best pianist, but I consider myself a pretty good teacher. I always believe that music is not a privilege to some, but an advantage to all. I hope these videos can sparks your interest and make your learning experience efficient and effective. 

103: How to make use of the 88 keys on the piano

104: Adding 7th chord to your playing 

105: Adding the 9th to your chord 

106: Magical thumb on the piano 

107: Solo with the Pentatonic Scale 

108: Two notes that you can always play 

109: Key notes for good melodies 

110: How to play an intro, solo and ending with licks 

Poem: I miss You

I have exams. Well, many people have got exams. Like my usual self, I have been a little off the line, sleeping later than usual and my daily routine deconstructed. That's not good especially when it affects my draw near God time in the morning. But at the end of the day, "Lord, let's take it from here!" :)

This is a poem I wrote in January, which expressed my feeling pretty well.

-------------------------
What do I need?
I need You.
My cry from the heart reaches heaven.
For I am weak and dependent on You.
My beloved, the self-condemnation sounds loudly in my ears;
Yet though my ears have been temporarily impaired by it,
My heart yearns for Your work on me - for I'm the craft of Your hand.
The Holy Spirit has come, and You dwell in me.
Let not my spirit forget; let not it be silent.
Let me climb up the mountain of my God, salvation and help.
There, I escape from Your wrath; there I treasure Your grace.
There, I shout for joy and leave things behind: my family, my love, my possessions and the promises of the world.
You are my portion, my only gain.
I don't want anything, I miss draw near to You.

102: How to play any simple music BETTER?

I remember in the beginning of my piano playing, I always wonder why although I'm playing the same chord as some pro people, but mine sounds so boring and theirs a pleasure to listen to. From my humble experience, there are 3 things that separate a beginner from a pro player.

1) Chords Variation

2) Rhythm

3) Melody line

For this post, we are going to learn about Chord Variation. 

Chord Variation

Now turn to your piano and play the following chord variation for C chord, and notice the added sound to the chord.

C = C,E,G
C7 = C,E,G,Bb
Cmaj7 = C,E,G,B
C6 = CEGA
C add9 = CEGCD (D is the 9th key of the c scale, thus called the C add9)
C9 = CEGBD (It's different from a C add9, it has a B in it and no high C)
C11 = CEGBDF ( If D is the 9th key, F would be the 11th)
C13 = CEGBDFA (A =13th)

Explanation
I can say in almost all situation, you can at least play any ordinary chord (ex. C chord) with the added 7(C7), in the case of the IV chord though, maj7 chords are much preferred.

In the key of C:

C7 = C,E,G,Bb 1,3,5,7b        // Sometimes, you can also play Cmaj7 C,E,G,B 1,3,5,7 

Dm7 = D,F,A,C 2,4,6,1

Em7 = E,G,B,D 3,5,7,2

Fmaj7 = F,A,C,E 4,6,1,3

G7 = G,B,D,F 5,7,2,4

Am7 = A,C,E,G 6,1,3,5

Experiment

Sample:

So if you have a song that goes like this:

C         *B/G         Am         G      F      G    C     C

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down;

C         C         C               Dm    G      C

London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady.

With 7th chord:

You can play it with the added 7:

C         *B/G7          Am7   G7     Fmaj   G7   C        Cmaj7

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down;

C         Cmaj         C7               Dm7   G7      C13

London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady.

*B/G means G chord with B as base, so: B,D,F,G 7,2,4,5

After that is master, substitute all of the 7 chord with the 9 chord:

Cadd9   *B/G7  Am9   Gadd9    Fadd9   Gadd9    C7       C9

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down;

Cadd9   Cmaj         C7               Dm9   Gadd9     C13

London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady.

C9 = Cmaj7 +D

Cadd9 = CEG + D

Gadd9 = GBD + A

C13 = Cmaj7 + Dm on top C,E,G,B+(D,F,A)

Am9 = Am7+B (A,C,E,G + B)

Dm9 = Dm7 + E (D,F,A,C+E)

In a nutshell!

1) Begin a song with and add9 ALWAYS sounds good! (C > Cadd9), You can always open a song with a maj7 chord as well if you want it a little moody (C > Cmaj7)

2) Turn all the F > Fmaj7 or F9;  G> G7or Gadd9

3) give 7th or 9th to all minor chords: Am7, Em9, etc. 

4) End with Cmaj7, C9, C11, C13 for a special effect!