Summer Edition #1

I'm not sure how many summer editions there will be, but we'll see.
Having stayed up all night was amusing - I was determined to make it through the next day. However, my willpower is not that strong - the afternoon was spent napping. Haha. Oh well.

The summer so far has been fairly uneventful. I find that living in Melbourne, so close to the city and public transport, compels me to do stuff. Apart from overcommitting (which I am admitting to myself!) and rushing here and there - however much I enjoy it - I still feel obliged to take advantage of all the city has to offer. Even if it's just wandering around by myself, killing some time in-between appointments. For all of pains, uncomfort, tardiness, unreliability and who-knows-what, I do quite enjoy venturing out on public transport (read: only trams and trains) to different areas and checking them out. Okay, only in the daytime. Still. I know I have spent a large amount of hours probably doing next to nothing (read: listening to music, attempting to learn music, looking out the window, people-watching, falling asleep etc), it often is a good time to do just that: (next to) nothing! I enjoy the downtime that commuting offers, even though I always have that niggling feeling that this is time that could be more effectively spent. I'm pretty sure if I didn't have the downtime, I wouldn't take it. It might as well be in full view of my fellow commuters.

Perth, however, is a very different story. I'm quite happy to spend most of time chilling out at home. Doing....well, not much also. Or maybe lots of other stuff. These six weeks are about resting after a big year, getting rested as much as possible before another big year, catching up with some people, forward planning and practicing new repertoire! I find sleep much more indulgent at home - I often don't have to physically be anywhere - that is, go out of the house - and this is highly conducive to sleeping in! I wonder why I can't take my go-get-it attitude on the plane with me when I come home! It is nice to read the paper every day again though, even if it adds a significant amount of time to my breakfast routine. The crossword and the circuit breaker have again become my morning brain exercise - some days more succesful than others!

There is much practice to be done; it is getting there! I'm glad to have sorted out through some of the proposed repertoire, and decided to keep some, decided to discard some. So far, there is some Bach (including my weekly P&F project), Mozart, LOTS of Beethoven (concerto, trios, piano sonatas, violin sonata, cello sonata, quintet pending) and Debussy. Still in the wings is perhaps more Debussy, Schubert, Ligeti, Rachmaninoff, Haydn and some others. I think it's going to be a very large year.
And don't worry - there will be a VERY healthy does of collaborative piano. I would never give that up. I think it's one of the things that I enjoy the MOST!

The diary (read: note dairy, as this blog has previously stated in another year!) is filling up quickly! I'm coming home in April to play in a concert at my old school for current and previous staff in the school's 90th year. Another concert in May which looks like a super-busy week of Piano Festival!

We bought a new TV just after Christmas. I don't think it was just one of those 'Let's give ourselves a Christmas present' sort of buys; my family has been looking to upgrade for a while. We finally welcomed a HD TV, along with digital TV (!!) and a new piece of furniture into our house. Of course, this meant some farewells, of the trusty old 20" analog. But now - WOW! The options are so numerous. It is still quite a novelty to me, as I barely watch TV during the year, owing to time constraints, and in particular for last year - the lack of TV in our flat!

Throughout last year, I had started a list of things I wanted to do in 2011; sort of like a list of resolutions, thoughts and goals. When so much changed, so much of it was rendered a little impossible for this year. Oh well. There is still lots to look forward to.
And still lots that I'm so nervous, anxious about and approaching with trepidition.
What will change this year???