Is happiness a choice?
And if so, is sadness likewise a choice?
What is depression, if emotions are all chosen?
And what is the feeling of spontaneous joy if or sudden heartbreak if it is all by choice?
What is life with emotions by choice?
And what is choice?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Post-Graduate Aspirations
It's the start of a school year, and high school seniors throughout the country are spending countless hours at university fairs, booking guided campus tours, and surfing an uncountable number of university websites. Despite the wide variety of available resources in our quest to identify our post-graduate aspirations, many of us still feel overwhelmed and confused.
With application deadlines quickly approaching, there is not only the pressure to improve and maintain grades and demonstrate commitment to extracurricular passions, but the 'obligation' to discover one's interests (and potential careers) seems stronger than ever.
It is important to remember, however, that post-secondary studies and activities are not about setting one's life path in stone. Rather, post-secondary studies is just another stage in life where each individual as even more opportunities to delve into the areas in which he or she enjoys, be they traveling, sciences, thinking, music, research, medicine, entrepreneurship, volunteer work, and so much more.
The difficulty therefore lies in determining one's passions and identifying what areas and fields are enjoyable. What does one do when one would like to do it all?
With application deadlines quickly approaching, there is not only the pressure to improve and maintain grades and demonstrate commitment to extracurricular passions, but the 'obligation' to discover one's interests (and potential careers) seems stronger than ever.
It is important to remember, however, that post-secondary studies and activities are not about setting one's life path in stone. Rather, post-secondary studies is just another stage in life where each individual as even more opportunities to delve into the areas in which he or she enjoys, be they traveling, sciences, thinking, music, research, medicine, entrepreneurship, volunteer work, and so much more.
The difficulty therefore lies in determining one's passions and identifying what areas and fields are enjoyable. What does one do when one would like to do it all?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
New Name, New Focus
Earlier today, I decided to change the title of this blog to Roundabout Contemplations. Inspired by Henrik Ibsen's master play "Peer Gynt" and Grieg's famous music to Peer Gynt, this change of title reflects a shift in focus. After much thought, I decided that a blog focused solely on my love for music isn't what I'd like to devote my writing to. I want this blog to not only be about music, Classical or otherwise, but also about the various thoughts that come my way and give me a new and different understanding of the world.
Of course, this focus change doesn't mean that I'll stop writing about music; after all, so much of my life revolves around playing piano, playing cello, studying music history, listening to Beethoven, Wagner, Jason Mraz, Dispatch, and much more. However, with this new blog focus, I will have a wider span of writing topics in which I may indulge.
It is also worth noting that along with the name and focus change, my blog will now be located at the following URL: http://roundaboutcontemplations.blogspot.com/
Please continue to enjoy my blog.
Of course, this focus change doesn't mean that I'll stop writing about music; after all, so much of my life revolves around playing piano, playing cello, studying music history, listening to Beethoven, Wagner, Jason Mraz, Dispatch, and much more. However, with this new blog focus, I will have a wider span of writing topics in which I may indulge.
It is also worth noting that along with the name and focus change, my blog will now be located at the following URL: http://roundaboutcontemplations.blogspot.com/
Please continue to enjoy my blog.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Recall
I'm trying to recall your face,
I haven't managed yet.
Why are half-remembered things
The hardest to forget?
- by JonArno Lawson
"Recall" is one of many of Lawson's short but thought-provoking poems in Think Again, illustrated by Julie Morstad. In only four lines, Lawson evokes the very particular feeling of struggling to remember something, be it a person's face, someone's words, a thought that you planned to write down but never got around to finding your pen, the name of someone important to you, the time you were supposed to meet him or her, or perhaps the name of the song whose melody haunts your mind.
I haven't managed yet.
Why are half-remembered things
The hardest to forget?
- by JonArno Lawson
"Recall" is one of many of Lawson's short but thought-provoking poems in Think Again, illustrated by Julie Morstad. In only four lines, Lawson evokes the very particular feeling of struggling to remember something, be it a person's face, someone's words, a thought that you planned to write down but never got around to finding your pen, the name of someone important to you, the time you were supposed to meet him or her, or perhaps the name of the song whose melody haunts your mind.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Study Music and Exam Finals
You know it's exam week for us students when you see us retreating into our homes, sticking the CD into the CD player, creating playlists with our Youtube account or on our Windows Media Player titled 'study music,' sitting outside with our textbooks and pens and papers with headphones practically permanently glued to our ears.
Music helps me study, and I know for a lot of other people, it helps them study as well. The question is, why? There is both value in music and silence, and it would be an absolute shame to think that silence is not as important as music because it is at the very least equally important. Muisc, however, provides something that silence does not. It fills in the parts of your brain that would have gotten filled in with junk thoughts, with trash distractions, with oh-wow-it's-really-hot-this-summer and I-wonder-what's-for-dinner-tonight, which are all valuable thoughts, but not necessarily the best sort of thoughts that you want to have during focused study time. Music, to me, when it's background study music, really puts everything in focus. It keeps your mind from wandering off to trivial things, and keeps you focused. It sets you free to delve deeper and deeper into your subject without getting too far off track.
And it's a stress reliever. Which we all need during exam week, of course.
Music helps me study, and I know for a lot of other people, it helps them study as well. The question is, why? There is both value in music and silence, and it would be an absolute shame to think that silence is not as important as music because it is at the very least equally important. Muisc, however, provides something that silence does not. It fills in the parts of your brain that would have gotten filled in with junk thoughts, with trash distractions, with oh-wow-it's-really-hot-this-summer and I-wonder-what's-for-dinner-tonight, which are all valuable thoughts, but not necessarily the best sort of thoughts that you want to have during focused study time. Music, to me, when it's background study music, really puts everything in focus. It keeps your mind from wandering off to trivial things, and keeps you focused. It sets you free to delve deeper and deeper into your subject without getting too far off track.
And it's a stress reliever. Which we all need during exam week, of course.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thought as a Form of Music
Today was our last day of classes at school, and yet it didn't really feel that way. We had one of my favourite classes for last period; it's a very thought provoking course, so once we it had finished, my friends and I were all a little sad about it being over. I suppose it might've been just a way of extending the course and avoiding saying goodbye, or perhaps it was just an attempt to procrastinate and avoid actually doing work and studying for exam finals, but we ended up going to the music room at school and just hanging out, thinking, and talking about identity, life, and emotions.
We were in a music room, and we weren't exactly singing or jamming on the instruments. There were no guitar cases open, no violin bows in our hands, no clarinet reeds between our lips... And yet, there is some sort of music-like feel in the thinking that we did today. Thinking has a rhythm and a flow, much like the way music does. And when you finally pull yourself from your seat, from the conversations, from the spoken thoughts to go home and get back to your studying and day-to-day life, you carry with you the feeling of thinking, the feeling of music, the feeling of I-thought-today and I-feel-good-about-it.
There's a sort of beauty in this 'music.' It's not exactly the same as instrumental, vocal, choral, orchestral, and all the other sorts of music... It's not Classical, it's not Pop, or Hip Hop... but it's beautiful all the same, and I'm very glad that we got to experience this beautiful music this afternoon. I may have not studied for my science exam, but in all truth, this was so much worth it.
We were in a music room, and we weren't exactly singing or jamming on the instruments. There were no guitar cases open, no violin bows in our hands, no clarinet reeds between our lips... And yet, there is some sort of music-like feel in the thinking that we did today. Thinking has a rhythm and a flow, much like the way music does. And when you finally pull yourself from your seat, from the conversations, from the spoken thoughts to go home and get back to your studying and day-to-day life, you carry with you the feeling of thinking, the feeling of music, the feeling of I-thought-today and I-feel-good-about-it.
There's a sort of beauty in this 'music.' It's not exactly the same as instrumental, vocal, choral, orchestral, and all the other sorts of music... It's not Classical, it's not Pop, or Hip Hop... but it's beautiful all the same, and I'm very glad that we got to experience this beautiful music this afternoon. I may have not studied for my science exam, but in all truth, this was so much worth it.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A Spider-y Day
I don't mind spiders, but it's not exactly my cup of tea to wake up on a Sunday morning to find spiders laying in bed with me, or crawling on my legs. Not surprisingly so, I became more than a little jittery for the rest of the day so far. In fact, seeing two jumping spiders chilling on the wall beside my desk wouldn't usually startle me so much... but today I freaked out a little more than I should have.
Maybe I should take my own advice and do some meditative practice on my piano or cello.
Except the piece that I'm working on for my Grade 10 Cello Exam is called "Tarantella" by Popper, and it's about doing a dance to dance out the poison of a spider bite. How pleasant.
Piano it is.
Maybe I should take my own advice and do some meditative practice on my piano or cello.
Except the piece that I'm working on for my Grade 10 Cello Exam is called "Tarantella" by Popper, and it's about doing a dance to dance out the poison of a spider bite. How pleasant.
Piano it is.
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