Darius Lim

www.dariusmusic.org

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i've been in a practice mode these few days. its kinda like non-stop practice sessions at work everyday since monday. until my both thumbs and index fingers started bleeding. well i think its also because i had clipped my nails too short.

re-learning my old pieces really brings back so many memories of days when i was practising in the sch practice rooms. but now of course things are much more different. you see things in a different prospective, and somehow you picture and feel the same piece of music differently. its good to give your pieces a long break sometimes and attempt it after a few months or even years. you might just see a different side of the piece.

now i see so much more to the beauty of schumann's piano writing in his symphonic etudes. its just so beautiful man; his melody lines and the harmonies he uses. it sorta needs time for all of them to sink into me and blend as a whole. haha...but its a truly passionate and very emotional piece.

have been trying countless different touches to play mozart. oh man.. mozart is really the hARDEST to play of all the composers. this i really need my teacher. mr loh. . . where are you. . . hah

you know i realised that recording your practice sessions on video really helps you to improve a lot on your playing. it helps one to be much more aware of his or her style and interpretation; from a third person's point of view. to all my pianist friends; you should try it!

well might just post some practice videos up for fun the next time. till then... remember the music is in you...

This is my first visit to Thailand, and its been the most amazing short trip I've had in quite a while.

I had a 4day 3night stay at the town of Krabi with my family and relatives. Its said to be one of the most beautiful spots in asia, and really it is! The people there are really friendly and somehow everything seems so relaxed and calm.

It was also my first flight on Tiger airways. Considering that i've flown on singapore airlines all my life i must say that tiger provides really good quality service for a budget airline. cheers to them!



Upon arrival at the airport we went straight for some good food at the hotel's restaurant. The food was really delicious! Their cheapest noodles, the Phat Thai, only costs 45 bhat! thats about $1+ to $2. Yum.





One of the most amazing sights of Krabi would be her islands. We went on a full day tour around the islands at krabi and it was really beautiful! The waters are crystal clear and you literally swim with the fishes! And the overlapping sand dunes are simply amazing.

Whole group of us!




They look like little swimming pools. haha


"The breeze!"


Mom and dad


We went around the islands on a long tail boat. Its really unstable man! haha... you can't move around during the journey because it might just capsize! But it was really fun, and there were quite a number of singaporeans on the tour too.



Family





We also went snorkeling at two islands and the fishes would actually swim all around us! There were many sea urchins though, so we had to be quite cautious not to touch them.

my cousin and sis


me and my headgear. hah


I fed them my lunch.




My sister, walking with the fishes


We went to one of the islands and saw this really funny looking cave where there were hundreds of long sticks which littered the sand. The tour guide told us that single thai women would come here to pray for a husband, and when they found one, they would come back to the same cave to offer a wooden penis stick as thanks giving! hahaha.. oh my. you should see the look on my sister's face when the tour guide was explaining. how hilarious!

Hundreds of them. or even thousands i think. hah. Theres more in the cave


my mom and aunt, sitting on a big one. hahahaha!


The second morning, breakfast by the beach was never more beautiful!


Krabi is also famous for their elephant trails, and it was one hell of a experience to sit on an elephant and travelling through the wild forests! The girls were even screaming at times when we went down really steep slops! hah..




The hotel that we stayed in was nice too! and it was only about 1000 bhat a night, thats S$45 a night!

The lobby


On the last night, we had a delicious seafood dinner by the beach


In krabi you can ride a motor cycle without a licence, so i didn't hesitate to get one myself!


And on the last day, we all went for some thai massage. my mom was so satisfied she insisted that we come again end this year. hah

The Tailors are also famous for their really great work, so i took my chance to try one of them by making two suits for myself! And they turned out just the way i wanted it. It costs only S$150-S$180 to make an entire suit! Gosh... thats a really great buy.











All in all this short trip was really enjoyable and a great time to relax and unwind from the world. I would really wanna go back soon!

Received this in an e mail

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This picture was taken on the banks of Sumatra Island (the height of waves was of approx. 32 m = 105 ft). It was found saved in a digital camera, 1 1/2 years after the disaster.

We cannot know for sure, but very likely the one who took the picture is not alive any more (it was just a matter of seconds).

Today we can see the last image he/ she saw..

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The past few days have been quite relaxing. Caught up with many friends and had loads of fun!

One of the rare times I get to finally spend time with my close friends. Thanks guys...

Went to watch the RJC piano ensemble with the guys, it was really interesting!



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Then the following day i went to cycle with keegan ryan and wei yuan at east coast park.



it was a crazy ride man. keeg and wy cycled sooo fast they sorta disappeared in front of us. hah.. leaving ryan and i slowly taking our time cycling and enjoying the breeze. Love the sea man, and thankfully the weather that day was quite good.



Unfortunately while keeg and wy were cycling infront of us, wy met with a horrible accident and when his bike lost control as he was going uphill and he fell into a drain! he had scratches all over and his fingers on his right hand were so badly scratched the skin was peeling off the nails!



We waited with him at mac till his parents came to pick him. And while waiting we crazily decided to snap a few pics with my new cam phone. hah. u can see wy with his glum look. Hope you're recovering well bro!






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Also met my nafa pianist friends lynn, shuting and lixing for a day of KTV, drinks, chats and movies.

The KTV was really fun! haha.. many funny things happened and we snapped quite many hilarious pictures.








All these reminded me of the good old days in nafa when we used to be so carefree... =))

p.s Coffee Club's drinks are great!









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Also met giddy in the evening. Thank god for his company man. At least some of my headache is almost gone. Sometimes all i need is just that little perking up. Thanks dude!
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And today i went to meritus mandarin hotel to visit my aunt who has just came back from australia to visit! the hotel room was really nice man, with a king size bed and a really nice view,

my sister was even using my phone to take pictures!








Thank God for this week, i can finally relax and unwind....

Finally got a new phone after almost half a year of torment from using my almost-spoilt tiny LG phone.




I will never by the mentioned brand again. On the 3rd month after i bought it the tiny buttons started turning faulty and insensitive! How upsetting! Have been waiting for this month to come because its the month when my mobile plan expires, which enables me to do a phone upgrade at a rebate price!

I got the phone i always wanted, the Nokia E65!



After trading in my old phone and extending my contract i paid only $98 for this phone which originally costs $778!

Its a really beautiful phone man. And the functions are quite amazing. I can surf the WLAN internet anywhere where there is WLAN access..which includes any shopping center or any mac or other burger king outlets (its absolutely free)




Moreover, its 3G and other latest functions plus its slim design, (all my phones must be really slim. thats my requirement. haha)makes it the best and most ideal phone for me! =)

Cheers to my e65. Haha