Fionna. Fifi. 18. Female. III-BS PSYCHOLOGY student. Single (and lovin' it). Shy. Sensitive. Spontaneous. Beautiful. Stern. Sweet. Compassionate. Determined. Talkative. Dramatic. Calm. Cool. Confindent. Snob. Passionate. Sensible. Sentimental. Cry baby.
Cosmo Book Collection: No Boyfriend since birth. Have Baby, Will date. Getting Married. Confessions of a drama queen. Break-up diaries. Tough Love. Vince's Life. et al.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Let's Dance!
Music, magic, and mystery
Last Wednesday, the Yuchengco auditorium was graced by my ever astounding presence… Haha... just kidding! But seriously, I together with my fellow blockkies and classmates in artapre were there to witness the mini concert by the DLSU chamber ensemble. Actually, that event was sort of… a music workshop. During the first few minutes, we were introduced with the ethics that one must follow when a musical concert is ongoing. Benefits of music to the audiences and to the musicians as well were also discussed during the workshop. Moreover, we were familiarized to the different musical instruments both from our very own country and the western society. After all the introductions and “lectures” were given, the mini concert began. The DLSU Chamber ensemble played Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” by Lucio San Pedro, and “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika” by Ryan Cayabyab.
The mini concert was well-performed, at least for me it is. I’m not the type of person who criticizes things such as music so fervently. I admit that I do not know a lot when it comes to reviewing classical music or any kind of music at that. But for me, as long as the music sounds pleasant to the ear, I can say that the performance was well presented.
I really like classical music pieces. The way the different musical instruments play in unison has a great impact to me. Classical pieces never fail to send shivers down my spine. I always view classical music, especially concertos, as an act of making love to your partner. It gives a very different aura. The way the musicians play their music- is so strong, intense and passionate. It is an overflow of emotions. Just like how two lovers expressing their love to each other. Every part expresses different passion. Now, I wouldn’t want to be too sexual here so I will not discuss this in perfect detail.
The instrument that I love best is the violin. I agree with Juan Ekis when he mentioned - in his short story entitled "Twenty Questions" - that the sound of a violin is like "a naked woman in surrender." The sound that the violin emanates is very soulful and sexy. It gives off the feeling of honesty. Its’ sound envelopes your existence with a sense of security. You can actually feel protected and safe whenever you hear its’ melodic echo...
Music. Music is some kind of a universal language. Anywhere in the world, you’ll find people who are passionate about it. No matter where you are, no matter what you do, no matter what your language is, it is music that makes our lives more livelier and worth living. You can never find a place that is not inclined to music. I’m sure that music has been a part of every one of us, even only at one point in our lives. After all, music is like food for the soul. It gives us energy whenever we feel weary, consoles us whenever we are sad, and enlightens us when we are confused. How can music bring these? It is very simple actually, the melody and the lyrics of songs that we hear around us is a living testimony to that. Isn’t it that whenever we feel gloomy, we listen to music that is mellow and calm? Isn’t it that upbeat music brings our energy level up a notch? See how music can affect us? :)
Magic. Has it ever occurred to you that music has a big impact in our lives? It’s not actually big as in BIG. But somehow it really has significance to us. Isn’t it that when we’re inlove we feel that every romantic love song is made for us? We even say that the song really portray our [love] life. We kept on insisting that every love song represents our life and thus it makes us more inlove and blooming. On the other hand, whenever we are heartbroken, we deduce that every sad love song is created for us. And so, we feel even more morose and ominous. Isn’t it funny? The way music affects our feelings? It works like magic doesn’t it?
Mystery. During the music workshop, the presenter said that music, particularly classical music, enhances brain activity. It is believed that music can make a person’s brain more efficient. That is, anyone who listens to classical music performs better in class. It suddenly occurred to me that my aunt once said that classical music is good for a pregnant woman for the baby in her womb will definitely be smart when he/she grow up. Hmm… I think I’ll do just that when the time comes… :) Another mystery is that a person who is in comatose can actually be cured with the help of… can u guess what it is? Haha… Well, with classical music too of course. Anyway, can you believe that instrumental music can help ripen grapes? I got this info from the music workshop last wednesday. I find it amusing really. I mean... music can make grapes grow? Nah... It seems impossible since grapes, unlike humans, do not have senses. This surely is one thing to wonder about. It really is a mystery on how music can do these things. But it wouldn’t really do any harm if we try doing these, right? After all, if it intends to do well to others, then it must be something that we should encourage. :)
To sum it up, music for me plays a vital part in one’s life. Music binds all of us together. We identify with each others’ feelings and emotions through music thus it helps us get to know the people around us better. It is also an outlet where we can pour our emotions, a stress-reliever perhaps. Furthermore, it gives us inspiration to go on with our lives and make our existence meaningful.
Music will forever be magical and mysterious in my eyes.
P.S. Pictures will be posted tomorrow.
The story is all about a man’s love for movies and his undying friendship with a movie projectionist. The first part of the story showed how Salavatore a.k.a. “Toto” became Alfredo’s friend. Toto, being a very young child, adored watching movies in their local movie house, the Cinema Paradiso. And that is where he met Alfredo. They have gone through a lot as they go on with their lives. Alfredo became Toto’s confidant. He taught him lessons about life and love. He was also the key onto Toto’s success in movie making. He encouraged him to study well and pursue his dreams. Alfredo is the father that Toto never had. And at the same time, Toto is the son that Alfredo never had. Their bond can be seen as Father-son relationship.
Cinema Paradiso was told in a way that the character, Salvatore, was lamenting about his memories of the past. To put simply, it was told through flashbacks which make it a bit different from the other films that I watched before. The things that we’ve learned about camera positions were obviously applied in this film. The long shots, medium shots, and close-up shots that I explained on my previous post were used. Up until now, my most favorite among all is the close-up shots. Nothing beats close-up shots! Haha! In the film, I love the scene where Salvatore’s mother showed him his room full of his belongings when he was a kid. Then the camera focused on a picture of Toto and Alfredo. Another scene that I like is the time where Salvatore went to the Cinema Paradiso just before it is demolished. For me, those scenes brought up a myriad of memories and emotions.
Nobody knows where they might end up… Nobody knows…
Grey’s Anatomy is really addicting. I am obsessed with it. I love the story… Yes. And I think the characters are HOT. But aside from those, I like it because the story revolves around medical practitioners. They not only deal with their personal problems but also their struggles and adventures inside the hospital walls. Watching it makes me more enthusiastic with things that are related to medicine. As you can see, I plan to take up medicine proper after I’m done from my undergraduate course, which is BS PSYCHOLOGY. And I dearly hope to practice neurosurgery someday. I know that I need to work harder, not to mention study HARDER and LONGER for it will take me another 10 years to accomplish my goal. Well, what I’m trying to say is that, somehow, the television series Grey’s Anatomy inspires me to persist on my plan to be a doctor.
I did not write about my obsession on Grey’s Anatomy in this blog entry for nothing… It’s just that while I’m watching episodes ten to seventeen, I observed that what we learned last meeting are applied in the said episodes.
Last Friday, we talked about screening things in different perspectives. I am already familiar to the first, second, and third person perspectives but I had no idea that there are more. Ms. Jewel brought a book named “99 ways of telling a story”. She basically showed us a number of slides pertaining to ways in which one can present a story. It was really cool to know that one can create a unique and endearing story just by means of different POV.
We also talked about framing and basic camera positions. Framing is very vital in films. When directors frame something, it means that out of the objects/people in his surroundings, he chooses to focus on one particular thing. What does that entail? It entails that that particular object/person/scene is important. So, how does the director frame the world? There are a number of ways in framing the world one of it is through Camera positions. There are three varieties of camera positions. The long shots that intends to show the subject in relation to the environment. Medium shots that stresses the relationship between the characters is another one. And the close up shots that aims to show the emotions of the subject.
From the 7 episodes that I watched, I noticed that these types of shots were used. The most vivid long shot that I remembered was used in one of the episodes where Dr. Bailey is standing at the middle of the emergency room and observing her surrounding while everybody is moving so fast. Another one is shot in a dock where Dr. Bailey and the interns came across the chaotic area (there was an accident or something…). Medium shots were used most of the time during the show. These shots are usually utilized during conversations among the characters. And my favorite shot among the three, the close up shots, were used during intimate moments and poignant part of the episodes.
Close-up shots are my favorite because it captures the facial expressions of the characters. When you see them so close, it’s like you’re able to feel the emotions that they are feeling at that moment. I am a very emotional and overly-dramatic person. I love the scenes where people look so glum, solemn, and disheartened. Storyline that is heavy on angst and tragedy appeals to me. Apparently, Grey’s Anatomy has a lot of tragic stories. People dying, lost relationships and the likes… I am keen on scenes and stories that make me cry. Every time I watch Grey’s Anatomy, I always end up with an empty box of tissue and a very sore, not to mention – awfully red eyes. I feel satisfied every time I cry a bucket of tears just because Denny Ducat died of heart failure or because Meredith and Derek’s dog died of bone cancer… I don’t know how to explain this… but I just love to cry over tragic things. Heck! I even cry over simple matters!