Sunday, July 28, 2013

Update on Piano Lessons

Nice pic, eh?
 After taking time off piano lessons for 5 months (from January to May) due to school, I was able to  resume these lessons during the beginning of June. The good news is that I have recently upgraded to Level 4. Now that I'm currently on summer vacation, this means I have more time to practice on the piano. 2 more levels to go until I can be able to play effectively. Now looking at piano sheet music gives me less of a headache compared to when I first learned the piano since I am able to read most of the signs/symbols. From the last lesson, my teacher introduced me to the arpeggiated chords where the lowest note had to be played first followed by adding the next higher notes one at a time until the chord is complete.

Learning a classical music is a must when playing the piano. During my leisure time, I have tried playing some classical music and one of them I was able to play decently is the simplified version of Frederick Chopin's "Nocturne".  As a beginner, it took me quite a while to memorize all the keys and try to play as smoothly as possible. The most frustrating part was trying to get the timing right but after much practice, I was able to get the hang of it. I have to admit that learning a new instrument is difficult and requires a lot of time and commitment but perseverance is the key to success. Since I have already started, I won't give up when I run into difficulties because if I do, then all my efforts would be wasted. My piano teacher told me that a lot of people have given up by the time they have reached levels 5 and 6 because they find it too difficult to handle but I promise myself that I would not be like them. As long as I'm committed to the piano, difficulties will not be a factor for me. 

To end today's post, here is a video I have recorded of myself playing the simplified version of Chopin's "Nocturne":

 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Jay Chou's 2nd self-directed and self-acted movie, "The Rooftop"!

"The Rooftop" pose is a combination of martial arts and dance



For the past few weeks, I have been keeping track of the latest news from Jay Chou's upcoming movie, "The Rooftop" which will be released in Asia on 7/11/13 and in North America only in selected theaters on 7/19/13. I'm so excited because the movie will be shown at a theater near my area. Also, it will be shown at the New York International Asian Film Festival which will be a great opportunity for Jay to promote his movie to international audiences and to get more people to know about him in America. "The Rooftop" is actually Jay's 2nd self-directed and self-acted movie since the release of "Secret"  6 years ago. "The Rooftop" is about a love story between a poor, young man named Lang Zi Gao (Jay Chou) who lives on the rooftop and Li Xin Ai (herself)  who belongs to the wealthy class and lives below the rooftop. Both of them face many hardships trying to be together because of the differences between the two classes. Basically, this movie shows the differences between the people living on the rooftop who lives a normal and carefree life and the bourgeois class who lives more of a complicated life surrounded by money and fame. The setting takes place during the 1980s', which is Jay's favorite time period. Something unique about this movie is that it will have some musical scenes inspired by India's Bollywood; this will be Jay's attempt in introducing a Chinese-style musical film to international audiences. All the genres you want to watch is incorporated in this movie: romance, musical, action, comedy, drama, etc. I cannot wait to watch this movie and definitely looking forward to it! :D Here is the link to the awesome trailer of "The Rooftop"!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq6uEC-1U8E&feature=plcp