Well tomorrow (April 23) I’m going for my blood test at my family GP. Hope the results will come back OK (it usually takes two days or so). I was naughty and missed last year’s checkup; hopefully all my swimming routines till now will not be in vain!
Well, I thought Sarah (another good friend and fellow staff member of BigBlueBall) would be pulling a Nessa on me, but fortunately she was just fighting the flu virus, and she’s now back in action. And LOL, she’s going to be taking a bunch of computer exams this week! Just what we need: another computer geek 
. Anyway, best of luck in those exams, Sarah!
OK, confession time. When I started to build up my classical CD collection way back in 1992, one genre I left out was opera. At that time, I thought (rather foolishly, I might add) of opera as grown-up women and men belting out their voices at shockingly high levels in languages foreign to me.
It was only in the past few years that I began to see the beauty of opera, realizing that it was the ultimate combination of voices and instruments. I also began to appreciate it without even knowing the languages, especially Italian. What satisfied me was knowing at least the synopsis of the opera, and then just letting the music and voices transport me to faraway lands where the action takes place.
Oh, another confession. During my student days in London, there was this one time where I paid an inexpensive student rate to see Wagner’s complete Der Ring der Nibelungen (The Ring) in Covent Garden. This is probably the longest opera on record, clocking in around 16 hours and consisting of four parts or sub-operas. I attended all the four parts in four nights, and needless to say, I fell asleep half-way through each night!
Now, where was I. Oh yes, my opera collection now consists of 4 operas. In no particular order:
All are very good CD recordings. The latest acquisition was Turandot, recorded way back in 1972, but my, what a marvelous sound!
I guess it’s a case of better late than never.
And what do most of us do? We fight, we argue, we bitch, we complain, we worry, we gripe… the list goes on and on. And the saddest thing is that we do this ever so often with our loved ones, or our friends. It would be such a blessing if all of us would just live life to the fullest by not indulging in these negative and destructive acts.
I personally whisper a short thank you prayer to God before I go to bed each night, and I do the same when I get up in the morning (and find that the sun is shining, I still have my senses and can wiggle my fingers and toes, the roof is still over my head, etc. etc.)
Joann Javons has written a nice little e-book here entitled 20 Little Ways to Stop and Smell the Roses. It won’t take you long to read through it, and it’s free to download and save in your computer if you wish. I especially like #14 “Laugh Yourself Silly.” Yes, a lot of us, myself included, tend to take life too seriously at times. Humor is just the perfect antidote.
Dr. Phil’s 2-minute personality test (PDF)
Thanks to my friend and computer client, Justin, for sending this to me. This is a really simple 10-question test which will take you 2 minutes to do. Get a pen and paper ready, and total up your score at the end of the test.
I scored a 39, and Dr. Phil says this of me:
Others see you as sensible, cautious,careful and practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who’s extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.
Well, there is some truth in that! 
Now it’s your turn. Take the test.
Alfred’s Piano Level Chart (pdf)
This spunky 9-year old has been learning with me for the past two years or so, and never ceases to amaze me! Augustine has a very playful disposition, but at the same time has a willingness to learn and to do what has been told. I must also thank his parents especially Juliana, for their very supportive roles. They normally attend Augustine’s lessons, and that does keep him in check! 
Augustine is currently finishing Alfred’s Piano Level 1B; I’ve decided that at the rate he’s going, he will be moving on to the Level 2 & 3 Complete book. Well done, and keep up the good work, Augustine!
Some thoughts from my piano learning experience:
