Goodbye...farewell and thank you

We started Grace Notes since year 2006 and we have been assembling to rehearse and gathering to minister to others in music and songs for 14 years. 

And we are so extremely grateful and thankful to Chinese Methodist (Cantonese) Church Kuala Lumpur for their generosity and grace in providing a place for us to practice and rehearse all these years. 

But it is time to say goodbye...

...the church will be undergoing renovation work and so we looked for a new place for our rehearsals and again by God's providence, we have been offered a place. 

With that, we will be moving and today is our final rehearsal in this location. 

I must say, some of us are indeed very sad to go.

Goodbye...and thank you.

pearlie

From the heart of a loafer

I was randomly playing songs in my Apple Music when out of the thousand over songs I have, this was played and I had a nostalgic moment

This is a song by Sam Hui and to me it really showcases the beauty of the Cantonese language. Notice the wealth of meaning with the economy of words.

I like the song except for the part where he says life destines you, which of course I don't agree. I make my decisions in life and in Christ I decide and have life.

And the part on clear conscience and living a just life deserving greatest joy would make a good discussion because it doesn't happen. Who is to say your conscience is clear and your life is just to begin with.

For those who don't know the language, I found the translation here which I've added to the lyrics below.

浪子心聲

Long ji sam seng

From the Heart of a Loafer

難分真與假

Nan fan zhan yu ga

It's hard to tell the true from the false

人面多險詐

Yan min do him za

People's appearances are deceitful

幾許有共享榮華

Gei hui yau gung heong wing wa

Who will share in your glory

簷畔水滴不分差 

Sim bun sui dik bat fan ca 

Water droplets from the eaves is in one stream (meaning not willing to share success and wealth with others and only enjoy it alone)

無知井裡蛙

Mou zi zheng lui wa 

I was as ignorant as a frog in a well

徙望添聲價

Tou mong tim sing ga

Hoping to find fame and fortune

空得意目光如麻

Hoong dak yi muk gwong yu ma

Overeager and short-sighted

誰料金屋變敗瓦 

Sui liu gham nguk bin bai nga

Who knew my golden palace would become a wreck of failure

命裡有時終須有

Ming lui yau si zhong sui yau

If life destines something for you, you will have it in the end

命裡無時莫強求 

Ming lui mou si mok kheong khau

If life destines you never to have it, there is no point forcing it

雷聲風雨打

Lui sing fung yu da

When lightning strikes, and thunder roars, and wind howls, and rain patters

何用多驚怕

Ho yung do ging pa

There is no need to be afraid

心公正白璧無瑕

Sam gung jing bak bik mou ha

So long as your conscience is clear and your heart is just

行善積德最樂也 

Hang sin jik dak zui lok ya

The person who does good deserves the greatest joy

命裡有時終須有

Ming lui yau si zhong sui yau

If life destines something for you, you will receive it in the end

命裡無時莫強求 

Ming lui mou si mok kheong khau

If life destines you never to have it, there is no point forcing it

人比海裡沙

Yan bei hoi lui sa

People are as the sand of the sea

毋用多牽掛

Mou yung do hin gwa

There is no point worrying too much

君可見漫天落霞

Gwan ho gin man tin lok ha

You see the sunset in the sky

名利息間似霧化

Ming lei sik gan ci mou fa 

Fame and fortune disappear like that mist

君可見漫天落霞

Gwan ho gin man tin lok ha

You see the sunset in the sky

名利息間似霧化

Ming lei sik gan ci mou fa 

Fame and fortune disappear like that mist

pearlie

My Four Favourite Songs, no longer in English

My hubby quipped the other day, "Where is my wife (who only used to listen to English songs like I do)? I want her back."

I still have playlists of my usual favourite English songs, mostly melancholic and sad ones, and many of them by Ed Sheeran, still love him, as well as a whole lot of classical and sacred songs. 

But my latest playlists do not have a single English song in them. And I have created a playlist today with just these four songs that I really, really like--for now--and which I can listen to over and over and over again. 

I don't really understand much of this song yet by Eric Chou. I couldn't find any English translation of its lyrics and Google Translate was hopeless. Anyone can help?

This one by Yoga Lin is what distopia is to a movie. It talks about destroying the world and just letting the useless self be, it is hopeless anyway. Not a good message and yet, there is some truth in it what with the state of the world we are in right now. And I find the musicality and lyricality of the song very interesting, and it has a really good tune too. 

I've blogged about this by Bai Ann several days ago. I simply love her deep rich voice and it how it talks about how one can find love even if they themselves are lost in vastness of the universe. 

Ah...who cannot but adore a love song, when one pours out one's heart and adoration to another. And how lovely it would be when someone like Seo In Guk calls you his flower. 

pearlie

Find Us Faithful

We at Grace Notes are required to pen down our testimony based on the songs we will be singing in our upcoming thanksgiving event at the end of this year. 

I have been procrastinating it and not being too sure what to write about. I am thinking that my life at this point of time is rather mundane, and I am actually feeling guilty, rightfully or not, about it. 

And so when I looked at the list, this song stood out: Find Us Faithful by Steve Green. 

I found this video by this young lady, which I find is quite a good interpretation of the song. 

I will need to take the next few days to listen and delve in the song in order to be able to write about the ordinariness of life. 

I hope my so-called writer's block will be unblocked soon. 

pearlie

Lord, purify my heart, correct me, discipline me

Our sermon this morning by Rev Wong Fong Yang is on Proverbs 3:11-12, entitled Do Not Despise the Lord's Discipline. 

We would normally accept discipline when we know we have done wrong and the Lord disciplines us, but it is when we have not done anything wrong, the Lord still disciplines us. Why?

The answer is pretty straight forward, though hard to take: it is because He loves us and wants to mature us.  If you imagine yourself not having gone through any difficult periods in your life, how would you have turned out to be? Not a very matured or nice person for that matter I'd say.

So be glad for the Father's discipline on us, his children, whom he loves. 

I was worship leading today and I picked Refiner's Fire as the song of response which was most appropriate. I had the privilege to have my former vocal teacher, Charity Lee, to be my back-up (what are the odds? We ended up attending the same church!). It was fulfilling to sing the song with her, calling out to God to purify and cleanse us. 

I found this video by Jeremy Passion and The Katinas who did an amazing job on the song. I kept listening to it over and over again as I work on this post. What a lovely interpretation of the song. 

Do take a listen. 

pearlie

My Chinese Songs Playlist

With my latest project in learning and brushing up on my Mandarin, I spent some time listening to some Mandarin songs and ended with this new playlist that only has six songs to date - the playlist will grow as I add on to it.

But I am just amazed that with just this short list itself, there are five languages being used: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Korean and English. And what more, with an artiste with a Malay-sounding name, Khalil. Other than my two all-time favourite oldies that I have blogged before, and one old Faye Wong cover song, the rest are pretty new. Don't ask me why I like them, they just sound good to me. 

The lyrics that Apple Music use for these songs are all in Traditional Chinese, whereas I am learning the Simplified one, but I can still figure it out here and there, unless the song is too fast for me to catch up. 

I can't really believe it, I am actually singing Mandarin songs looking at the lyrics. 

pearlie

The Perfect Wisdom of Our God

A beautiful modern hymn with superb lyrics: The Perfect Wisdom of Our God by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

The perfect wisdom of our God, 

Revealed in all the universe: 

All things created by His hand, 

And held together at His command. 

He knows the mysteries of the seas, 

The secrets of the stars are His; 

He guides the planets on their way, 

And turns the earth through another day.  

The matchless wisdom of His ways, 

That mark the path of righteousness; 

His word a lamp unto my feet, 

His Spirit teaching and guiding me. 

And oh, the mystery of the cross, 

That God should suffer for the lost 

So that the fool might shame the wise, 

And all the glory might go to Christ!  

Oh grant me wisdom from above, 

To pray for peace and cling to love, 

And teach me humbly to receive 

The sun and rain of Your sovereignty. 

Each strand of sorrow has a place 

Within this tapestry of grace; 

So through the trials I choose to say: 

“Your perfect will in your perfect way.”

pearlie

La Bohème by Kuala Lumpur City Opera

My friend, Wee Yin and I attended an opera performance this evening: La Bohème by the Kuala Lumpur City Opera. 

I went for two reasons. My good friend Ee-Tan is in the chorus and I wanted to support her. The other reason is I have not been to an opera before and thought it was time I go see one. 

It was very good. The tenor Yap Jin Hin who played Rodolfo is  an excellent singer, as well as Fang-Hao who played Marcello. Excellent voices. 

The only one thing I did think whilst in the midst of watching was that it is indeed a little weird to see Chinese people singing in Italian and playing Italian roles. 

We got very good seats in the middle of the auditorium. 

 

The only not so good thing was that the screen where the English subtitles were displayed was at the top of the hall. We had to look up and down way too often. I'd either lose the understanding of what they were singing or lose concentration of what they were doing. 

At the start of Act 3.

During Act 3. 

Wee Yin and I agreed that the next opera we should watch is a Chinese opera. 

pearlie

Who am I that you would care for me?

Psalm 8 (NLT)
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

pearlie

Pie Jesu by Gabriel Fauré

I started a playlist in my Spotify account of sacred music and this is my all-time favourite: Gabriel Fauré's Pie Jesu. I couldn't find one with just a Pie Jesu that I like, so here's the video of it with Agnus Dei, also by the same brilliant composer. 

pearlie

Opera Extravaganza

Anvil Chorus, Il Trovatore, by Giuseppe Verdi

(Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra and Kuala Lumpur City Chorus)

I have not been to the Civic Hall in Petaling Jaya most probably since my school days 30 years ago. I was there this evening to attend the Opera Extravaganza to support my good friend, Ee-Tan who was in the chorus. 

I like their presentation of Va, Pensiero (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves), Nabucco, by Giuseppe Verdi but I did not record it. I should have. I only recorded the above, Anvil Chorus, Il Trovatore, also by Giuseppe Verdi. 

It was well done but I felt that the first half was much better than the second. The sound system wasn't that good making it difficult to hear the soloists and chorus sometimes. 

But all in all, well done. 

Ee-Tan with her parents

Ee-Tan and I 

pearlie

Please be my strength

This is a song I like to listen and sing with, especially when I feel I need God so much to be my strength, especially when I don't have much of it anymore.

Please be my strength by Gungor
I’ve tried to stand my ground
I’ve tried to understand
But I can’t seem to find my faith again
Like water on the sand
Or grasping at the wind
I keep on falling short

Please be my strength
Please be my strength
Cause I don’t have anymore
I don’t have anymore

I’m looking for a place
That I can plant my faith
One thing I know for sure
I cannot create it
I cannot sustain it
It’s Your love that’s keeping me

Please be my strength
Please be my strength
Cause I don’t have anymore
I don’t have anymore

At my final breath
I hope that I can say
I’ve fought the good fight of faith
I pray your glory shines
Through this doubting heart of mine
So my world would know that You

You are my strength
You and You alone
You and You alone
Keep bringing me back home

pearlie

The Flimsiness of Our Lives and the Weight of His Glory

I think my fellow partners in the recent production of Handel's Messiah would be quite amused that I am still listening to the choruses! They would have moved on but I am still happily listening and singing along with it.

For one, I will be singing the Part 1 of The Messiah in the KL Wesley choir this coming Christmas season and we have started on our practice and rehearsal. The other reason is because this piece of music is just so wonderfully amazing, profound and brilliant. The musical movements and melody are unequaled. And on top of that, I simply love to sing this kind of music - sacred, oratorio, classical. And the fact that I know the soprano part and all the lyrics is a boon for me because I can sing along in car--my "studio"--as I commute to and fro work. All the 22 choruses!

And this morning, as I was listening and singing to All We Like Sheep, I recalled what our conductor said about it.

All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray
The Messiah, by Handel

This chorus is found in Part 2 of the oratorio, where it is centered on the death and suffering of Jesus. Paul, our conductor, remarked why on earth would Handel interject amidst the seriousness of all the arias and choruses in the Part 2 with something so flimsy as this. I know I did say something in reply but I cannot remember exactly what I said.

But as I thought more about it this morning, it is even more apparent to me why Handel did it. And he was a genius for doing so. The very message is in the words and the music of the song. 

The lyrics of the first part of the chorus are: "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way." It is then followed by a complete change of mood in the music (2:42) when the lyrics moved on to "And the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all."

It is a fact that we are like sheep and we have gone astray from God. And the music depicted that perfectly in how we live our lives in flimsiness, aimlessness and indifference. Note how the word "astray" and "turned" is sung: erratic and shifty.

And then comes the magnitude and the gravity of what God has done for us, that he has laid on Jesus the weight of all our sin.

Isn't that amazing, the message of the Gospel, how God saved us from our own calamity, and how Handel has so beautifully brought it out?

pearlie

Let us find strength only in You Lord

O Abba Father, help us know that it is not in trying but in trusting you, it's not in running but resting in you and it's not in wondering but praying to you. I pray O God that we will find the strength that is only found in you. Amen.

pearlie

The dreaded passagio

In my singing, I have my passagio which is the transition area between the vocal registers, from my chest voice to my head voice at A4. With that I find it so hard to sing and lead worship songs in church because songs are usually in and around my passagio. I am quite okay in my transitions but if the phrase begins or ends with a A4, I find so hard to bring it out nicely. 

I had a one and a half hours practice in church today and by the time I sang all that time in my lower range, I could no longer sing the anthem song, one which I have picked in my higher range. I only hope I don't stretch my voice in the lower range this Sunday so I could actually sing the anthem. 

I pray I will be able to sing the song well so that the people will only hear the words and the song, and be ministered by it. 

pearlie

In the presence of the King, bow the knee

Bow the Knee
Words and music by Chris Macken and Mike Harland
Arranged by Tom Fettke

We began learning this song in our Grace Notes practice today and I found the words so beautiful and meaningful.

Bow the Knee
There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

pearlie

Need to talk? Someone will listen

It was just last week when I felt I needed someone to talk to. However, I didn't want it as a baggage with a friend. And so I thought how nice it would be to have a stranger to talk to, someone caring enough to just listen and help me through some thoughts and issues. I googled for "free online counseling services" and found 7 Cups of Tea. 

It is not a counseling website per se but a community of trained active listeners-volunteers who offer an ear to anyone who needs one. It is a free service, unless you request for extras or if you need a certified therapist. 

I thought I'd give it a go and requested for a connection.  I was hooked up with a listener in just a couple of minutes. It started off slowly as I treaded carefully but it turned out to be a very pleasant conversation. The listener I had was a good one and he practiced emphatic listening. He did not advice or lead me along with his interest or questions but spent time helping me bring out my issues and even answer my own questions. It was an excellent way for me to have a good sounding board. And it's comforting that the connections are anonymous and all conversations are deleted. I just let it all out and then I move on. I need not worry about any follow-up conversations that would be necessary with a friend. 

I then signed on to be a listener myself and completed the online training and tests yesterday. I did the practice chat this morning and went ahead and got connected to a couple of people. It was not easy and I hoped I had been a good listener for them. And I will be praying for this one person from now on as well. 

Do check it out. You can try it and get connected to a listener for a start, especially if you have something that is nagging at you, or some things you need a fresh perspective on. And after that, think about how you could also be a listener too. 

I also wondered why it was called 7 Cups of Tea. It was named after a Chinese poem by Lu Tong. The poem is beautiful and fitting. It brings you seven cups of tea as seven levels of healing. It is like going into a deep connection while sitting down with someone and have that seven cups of tea. Beautiful, profound, brilliant. 

7 Cups of Tea, by Lu Tong (795 - 835 CE)

The first cup kisses away my thirst,

and my loneliness is quelled by the second.

The third gives insight worthy of ancient scrolls,

and the fourth exiles my troubles.

My body becomes lighter with the fifth,

and the sixth sends word from immortals.

But the seventh—oh the seventh cup—

if I drink you, a wind will hurry my wings

toward the sacred island.

Translated by Christopher Nelson

pearlie

A humorous self-deprecatory prayer

I pray O Lord that you will help

Me when I'm oh so clueless

I seem to have no idea

What's happening around us

I am just not able to put things 

Together or make things clear

I go round and round and round and round 

Others say I don't seem to cohere

I need to realise my predicament

But I don't because I'm so blur*

And why do others keep muttering

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear

pearlie 

* A Malaysian slang for being in a daze and unaware of what's going on

Bono and Eugene Peterson

My hubby showed me this video today which I thought was very good. This short documentary was released by Fuller Studios, which I presume is tied to the Fuller Theological Seminary. 

It is quite insightful to listen to them both talking about music and lyrics, the inevitable violence in this world, and the honesty of Christian music. It's worth a watch, and what a lovely to live in where Eugene Peterson's home is. What a spectacular view. It's also quite amusing how Mrs Peterson was chiding Bono at the end of the video as he was leaving. 

It is also featured in this article in Huffington Post: Bono Wants Christian Music To Get More Honest. 

pearlie

This cello piece really speaks to me

This piece of music really speaks to me, in every level. I was taught by my music teacher once that the violin is the closest to the human voice, or did he say strings instruments? In either case, the cello then is closest to the speaking human voice. When I listen to this piece, I feel like a good friend is seated with me and talking me. Depending on my different moods, he could just chatting or he could be counseling me, advising me or simply telling me his story. 

I have played the cello back in my school days. Wished I had reached the proficiency to play this amazing piece by Bach. 

pearlie