Every two months, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will present a weekend programme called Family Fun Day. It is a great way to introduce children to orchestral music in a fun, colourful and interactive manner. Last Sunday was one of them which ACE took the opportunity to enjoy. The Orchestra titled their performance 'Sun and Surf' and it was truly apt for this season of summer that many countries experience at this time of the year. Although here in Malaysia it is sunny all year round, many of the orchestra members come from countries with the four seasons and are looking forward to taking a summer break for some R&R from their hectic performance schedule.
When we mention 'orchestra', we tend to think of having to sit in our formal wear in a dim but grand hall, seriously concentrating on classical music played by the orchestra which members are all dressed formally in black gowns, suits or tuxedos with the conductor striking his most intense pose, baton in hand. No clapping in between movements, no shuffling in your seat and god forbid if you start chatting or coughing, or worse, allow your phone with its Lady Gaga ringtone shock the audience. No noisy kids or crying babies. It is an activity for the 'cultured' some would say.
But at Family Fun Day (note: they included the word 'fun'!), it's totally different. The dress code is smart casual (no sports attire, sneakers, slippers, jeans) and you can bring children. Children feature prominently on Family Fun Day. Now back to Sun and Surf. The usually boring rich wood-paneled stage with its rows of black chairs and music stands was decorated with just enough props of fake coconut trees and children's rubber ring floaties to let you know that you've arrived at the right place. And when it was time, an announcement was made to remind us to turn off our handphones. Then the entire orchestra, dressed in colourful floral shirts, many of them holding their instruments, walked onto stage! What a sudden burst of colours that changed the entire ambience. Some donned straw hats and sunglasses too!
Usually at Family Fun Day, there will be a presenter on stage to introduce the songs that will be played, giving a short background story of the song and its composer. He/she also gets the audience movin' and groovin' with some physical activities like getting the audience seated at one end of the hall to bounce a ball to audience at another end (that was at a previous performance we attended), standing up to do actions, dance and clap along, answering fun questions, and some kids also get to go on stage to do stuff.
At Sun & Surf, the presenter stepped onto stage with a rather large straw hat, gaudy Hawaiian shirt and shorts, beach slippers and gigantic plastic-framed sunglasses, giving everyone a bright and cheery greeting. He then introduced the condcutor who was also dressed in a blue floral shirt and huge sunglasses. They looked really funny. But this did not steal the limelight from the amazing, mesmerising, foot-tapping, hand-clapping music the orchestra played marvelously well that made you feel like getting off your seat to dance along -- which I could see many cute children doing with their parents swaying along. The presenter also got us to do some actions such as making wave-like motions, sunshine actions, flamenco finger snapping, clapping and at the finale, we all got to get up and shake or dance.
Songs that were played included (Sir) Cliff Richard's Summer Holiday, the classic Hawaii Five-O theme, Herb Alpert's Spanish Flea, an African lullaby (which included the use of the vuvuzela of the Fifa World Cup fame - a young girl got to go on stage to give a few blows into it), Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnole and the popular Brazilian Carnavale music. A male Brazilian-looking dancer came onstage and managed to persuade a female cellist to join him dancing to the lively Carnavale at the finale.
The array of instruments, besides the regular ones in a typical orchestra, that were used and highlighted through their respective solo parts also helped the audience learn the names, hear the sounds and see what they looked like. Other than the vuvuzela, there were the cowbell and timbales, glockenspiel, marimba, and castanets. The electric guitar and modern drum kit were on stage too. Listening to music played live in a concert hall by an orchestra is a totally different experience from just listening to it over the radio or watching it on TV or Youtube. Your entire body is involved and all your senses just come alive watching the various instruments and musicians in action and listening to how they all blend.
Family Fun Day is a good and exciting way to enjoy classical (and pop) music and widen our musical knowledge and experience. I would recommend all families, especially those with young children, to attend this event. Ticket prices are affordable from as low as RM15. It is held bi-monthly on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Photography and video recording of the performance is not allowed so I'm not able to include any pictures in this post. I hope my description of it helped to give you an idea of what ACE enjoyed last Sunday at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas with the MPO.
Check out this website to learn more about the MPO and the many things it has to offer. Other than concerts, they have activities such as forums, chamber/ensemble performances, master classes, and talks.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Trains and Chinese Weddings
The train of life keeps going "chugga, chugga, chugga..." and doesn't seem to run out of steam, or diesel or electric (whatever trains use as fuel these days anyway). And sometimes I feel like I'm running late and have to run alongside the train and try to catch up so that I can jump up onto one of its open doors, sigh a big sigh of relief, plonk myself down on one of its empty seats and say to myself "Aah, at least I can stop running for a while until the next stop..." before I have to get down and start chasing the train again.
Even with this blog, I feel like I'm getting left behind as there are things to write about or report here but they just keep getting postponed. There's always something that keeps me busy or occupied every day, every weekend, all the time. And when there's nothing, I'm just what I pictured earlier, plonked down on a seat, sighing with relief until the next time I have to start playing catch-up again.
Last week, we were playing catch-up with getting back into our daily routine after having our rhythm disrupted by the school holidays. This week, we're almost there but still feeling rather tired. For C, it meant getting back into the swing of relatively long school hours, homework, extra-curricular activities and erratic sleep cycle. For me, it involved having to manage everything that concerns C, and the usual household chores. For E, I think it wasn't much different because he still kept to his usual routine of fighting traffic jams, going to work and dealing with the stresses of his job, and coming home to walk Rusty.
Over the weekend, we went down south to Melaka (or Malacca) to attend my cousin's wedding. The event included the Chinese tea ceremony in the morning and wedding dinner at the Bayview Hotel later that night. I may write with more details about our overnight trip to Melaka in another post (still running alongside the train...)
After attending so many Chinese weddings, it suddenly dawned on me that usually these weddings are not just about the newly-wed couple (aiyo, why have I been so blur all this while?). It is about their parents too. Many of us don't realise it but it IS usually about the parents of the bride and groom as they are overjoyed and proud to announce the marriage. That's why most of the time, the invitation card is worded such: Mr & Mrs So-And-So invite (your name) to the marriage of their son/daughter (name of child) to (name of bride/groom), son/daughter of Mr & Mrs So-And-So.
Who's the host of the dinner? I would think it'd be Mr & Mrs So-And-So since the invitation is worded such. Usually, the bride's parents will throw a dinner for their side of the family and friends and so will the groom's parents for their side of the family and friends. That means the wedding couple will be the stars of the 'show' twice, and maybe once more if there is a church wedding.
Who pays for the dinner? I think it would be the parents, who will then keep the angpows they receive from the guests. That means guests should address the angpows to the parents, right or not? Who organises and makes the decisions for the dinner and invitations? Most likely the parents in collaboration with the bride and groom. How much say the couple has on the arrangements and decisions depend on the intricacies of their relationship with their parents/parents-in-law. It may be easy for some, complicated for others, and definitely require lots of discussions, compromise, negotiations, especially if there is a generation and culture gap.
I've also seen invitations worded as such: Bride & Groom (their names), together with our parents, Mr & Mrs So-And-So (groom's parents), and Mr & Mrs So-And-So (bride's parents) invite (your name) to share in the joy of our marriage... That means the bride and groom are the hosts, right? But of course, the parents will also share the limelight and be given a say in the organisation and decisions as most filial children would accord their dedicated parents. As for who pays and who keeps the angpows, that could be a rather tricky question I think. It still boils down to the intricacies of their relationship with their parents/parents-in-law I would think. Some parents are happy to pay for everything regardless of whether they or their children are the hosts. Some children would prefer not to burden their parents and pay for the wedding and dinner themselves. Some share the cost? But I, as a guest, would address the angpow to the bridal couple in this case.
Whatever the case may be, there are many grey lines everywhere in such matters. It's a tangled web when it comes to the Asian extended family concept.
Getting married and making plans for the celebration is a tedious, lengthy and stressful affair for sure, amidst the joy and excitement. I'm glad I've 'been there, done that', whatever anyone may say, comment or complain -- why no wedding dinner, only tea reception, no banquet with sharks' fin soup, not enough food......
My conclusion is, there'll always be people who will comment and have different opinions. That's human nature. For the bride and groom, if they are hosting and organising, they just need to try to do it the way they want while considering their parents' viewpoints. For the parents who want to be the host, they should consider their children's needs too. Disagreements without compromise will just lead to an unhappy occasion and tarnish the family relationship. At the end of the day, what everyone wants is happiness, and how that's achieved may differ from one generation to another, the young and old, black and white, rich and poor. Mutual respect and love are needed. Newlyweds want the blessings and support of parents, family and friends, and also their God if they believe in one. And also to be a blessing to their parents, family and friends in return.
So here's to joyful and lasting unions. Yuuuuum seng!
p.s. I don't believe in love at first sight! ha ha....
Even with this blog, I feel like I'm getting left behind as there are things to write about or report here but they just keep getting postponed. There's always something that keeps me busy or occupied every day, every weekend, all the time. And when there's nothing, I'm just what I pictured earlier, plonked down on a seat, sighing with relief until the next time I have to start playing catch-up again.
Last week, we were playing catch-up with getting back into our daily routine after having our rhythm disrupted by the school holidays. This week, we're almost there but still feeling rather tired. For C, it meant getting back into the swing of relatively long school hours, homework, extra-curricular activities and erratic sleep cycle. For me, it involved having to manage everything that concerns C, and the usual household chores. For E, I think it wasn't much different because he still kept to his usual routine of fighting traffic jams, going to work and dealing with the stresses of his job, and coming home to walk Rusty.
Over the weekend, we went down south to Melaka (or Malacca) to attend my cousin's wedding. The event included the Chinese tea ceremony in the morning and wedding dinner at the Bayview Hotel later that night. I may write with more details about our overnight trip to Melaka in another post (still running alongside the train...)
After attending so many Chinese weddings, it suddenly dawned on me that usually these weddings are not just about the newly-wed couple (aiyo, why have I been so blur all this while?). It is about their parents too. Many of us don't realise it but it IS usually about the parents of the bride and groom as they are overjoyed and proud to announce the marriage. That's why most of the time, the invitation card is worded such: Mr & Mrs So-And-So invite (your name) to the marriage of their son/daughter (name of child) to (name of bride/groom), son/daughter of Mr & Mrs So-And-So.
Who's the host of the dinner? I would think it'd be Mr & Mrs So-And-So since the invitation is worded such. Usually, the bride's parents will throw a dinner for their side of the family and friends and so will the groom's parents for their side of the family and friends. That means the wedding couple will be the stars of the 'show' twice, and maybe once more if there is a church wedding.
Who pays for the dinner? I think it would be the parents, who will then keep the angpows they receive from the guests. That means guests should address the angpows to the parents, right or not? Who organises and makes the decisions for the dinner and invitations? Most likely the parents in collaboration with the bride and groom. How much say the couple has on the arrangements and decisions depend on the intricacies of their relationship with their parents/parents-in-law. It may be easy for some, complicated for others, and definitely require lots of discussions, compromise, negotiations, especially if there is a generation and culture gap.
I've also seen invitations worded as such: Bride & Groom (their names), together with our parents, Mr & Mrs So-And-So (groom's parents), and Mr & Mrs So-And-So (bride's parents) invite (your name) to share in the joy of our marriage... That means the bride and groom are the hosts, right? But of course, the parents will also share the limelight and be given a say in the organisation and decisions as most filial children would accord their dedicated parents. As for who pays and who keeps the angpows, that could be a rather tricky question I think. It still boils down to the intricacies of their relationship with their parents/parents-in-law I would think. Some parents are happy to pay for everything regardless of whether they or their children are the hosts. Some children would prefer not to burden their parents and pay for the wedding and dinner themselves. Some share the cost? But I, as a guest, would address the angpow to the bridal couple in this case.
Whatever the case may be, there are many grey lines everywhere in such matters. It's a tangled web when it comes to the Asian extended family concept.
Getting married and making plans for the celebration is a tedious, lengthy and stressful affair for sure, amidst the joy and excitement. I'm glad I've 'been there, done that', whatever anyone may say, comment or complain -- why no wedding dinner, only tea reception, no banquet with sharks' fin soup, not enough food......
My conclusion is, there'll always be people who will comment and have different opinions. That's human nature. For the bride and groom, if they are hosting and organising, they just need to try to do it the way they want while considering their parents' viewpoints. For the parents who want to be the host, they should consider their children's needs too. Disagreements without compromise will just lead to an unhappy occasion and tarnish the family relationship. At the end of the day, what everyone wants is happiness, and how that's achieved may differ from one generation to another, the young and old, black and white, rich and poor. Mutual respect and love are needed. Newlyweds want the blessings and support of parents, family and friends, and also their God if they believe in one. And also to be a blessing to their parents, family and friends in return.
So here's to joyful and lasting unions. Yuuuuum seng!
p.s. I don't believe in love at first sight! ha ha....
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The stage - Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
I took this picture with my BlackBerry, lighting in the hall was dim.
Monday, June 13, 2011
The past two weeks
In a blink of an eye, the two-week school holidays are over. Today, C goes back to school. Having gone to bed around 11.00pm every night, past her usual bedtime of 9.00pm the past two weeks and waking up late after 8.00am, I was afraid she'd have trouble waking up this morning. I had tried getting her to return to her normal bedtime hours the past few days but failed. Thankfully, we managed to wake her up this morning without much fuss. But I wonder if it'll be the same tomorrow since she might be tired out from today's relatively busy day at school compared to the two weeks of rest and relaxation. As usual, I'll have to take it one day at a time.
Workwise, C spent the two weeks catching up with piano practice, and going for music lessons and Malay language tuition. Playwise, she read and re-read numerous books, played with her toys, watched tv and we went out a bit.
The highlights were outings to malls, catching Kung Fu Panda 2 with E and me, and getting a free tour of the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), the concert hall in KLCC, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
C also made her official first ride on her bicycle without the training wheels. While I had noticed that she could do so already earlier on, those wheels were still attached to the bike although they were slightly raised.
The visit to DFP on a weekday morning required us to leave home at 8.15am to 'wade' through office-hour traffic. We got there at 9.00am, 45 minutes early. To kill time, we took a walk around the KLCC park and studied trees and plants. The park provided good opportunity to revise our knowledge of plants. We saw a number of bird's nest ferns, an epiphyte according to C, other tropical trees like those from the palm family. I pointed out other ferns growing on host trees, lichen on tree barks and learnt from C a lichen genus called Cladonia which she said she read about in Guardians of Gahoole. Then I showed her 'duit duit' or felt fern, another epiphyte. We took a look at the deserted children's water playground in the park which is usually crowded with kids on weekends. Then, it was time to head to DFP.
We joined another 20 or so adults and children inside the concert hall for a short talk about the place and later went on a backstage tour. The conductor and soloist have their own rooms while the other musicians share a common lounge. The lounge has comfy sofas and dining tables, a piano, tv, dart board, books, notice board, pantry, lockers, dressing rooms, washrooms and shower stalls. Backstage was a maze of corridors and staircases (there are lifts too but we didn't take any). In my hurry to leave the house that morning, I had forgotten to put my camera in my bag so I had to use my mobile phone camera to take pictures which I've yet to download to my computer.
The DFP conducts free tours every first Monday of the month and you can make an appointment for it online here.
Workwise, C spent the two weeks catching up with piano practice, and going for music lessons and Malay language tuition. Playwise, she read and re-read numerous books, played with her toys, watched tv and we went out a bit.
The highlights were outings to malls, catching Kung Fu Panda 2 with E and me, and getting a free tour of the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), the concert hall in KLCC, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
C also made her official first ride on her bicycle without the training wheels. While I had noticed that she could do so already earlier on, those wheels were still attached to the bike although they were slightly raised.
The visit to DFP on a weekday morning required us to leave home at 8.15am to 'wade' through office-hour traffic. We got there at 9.00am, 45 minutes early. To kill time, we took a walk around the KLCC park and studied trees and plants. The park provided good opportunity to revise our knowledge of plants. We saw a number of bird's nest ferns, an epiphyte according to C, other tropical trees like those from the palm family. I pointed out other ferns growing on host trees, lichen on tree barks and learnt from C a lichen genus called Cladonia which she said she read about in Guardians of Gahoole. Then I showed her 'duit duit' or felt fern, another epiphyte. We took a look at the deserted children's water playground in the park which is usually crowded with kids on weekends. Then, it was time to head to DFP.
We joined another 20 or so adults and children inside the concert hall for a short talk about the place and later went on a backstage tour. The conductor and soloist have their own rooms while the other musicians share a common lounge. The lounge has comfy sofas and dining tables, a piano, tv, dart board, books, notice board, pantry, lockers, dressing rooms, washrooms and shower stalls. Backstage was a maze of corridors and staircases (there are lifts too but we didn't take any). In my hurry to leave the house that morning, I had forgotten to put my camera in my bag so I had to use my mobile phone camera to take pictures which I've yet to download to my computer.
The DFP conducts free tours every first Monday of the month and you can make an appointment for it online here.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
A touching video clip
He ran away from an orphanage at the age of five and have been surviving on his own since. Watch the video for more details of his life and listen to him sing. Amazing, inspiring....
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