Posted at 12:31 AM in 成长点滴 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
OSUSA Head Start / Pre - College Cello Recital 2012
(* OSUSA - Oklahoma State University String Acadamy)
Sisters playing together first time at Seretean Center:
Laura's very first appearance on the stage of OSU Seretean Center for Performing Arts, performing Minuets from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1:
Posted at 12:50 AM in Music, Video, 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 02:09 AM in 成长点滴 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Spring Cleaning. One of the biggest task is to sort Sophie's doodle pile. Not every piece is a keeper, but it's fun to look through all of them. I picked a few and put them into this album.
Posted at 11:16 AM in 成长点滴 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We originally went for the glass art by Dale Chihuly, but the show won't be open until the New Year's Eve. Instead, we were carried away by another exhibition called "Faded Elegance" --- the Photographs of Havana by Michael Eastman.
Although each photo is up to six feet, the scale feels right because when you look at the photo, you feel you could enter the print. I was never a fan of photographs. But I found myself enjoying thsoe oil-painting-like photos enormously. Girls also had fun looking at the details of each photo. The layout, the perspective, the color, the light, the texture, and the scale, it's amazing. "It’s very important for the viewer to be able to discover the narrative of that photograph and of the person that lives in that space. Those details are on the wall, they’re in the chairs, they’re in the artwork, they’re in the peeling paint, they’re in the chandelier..."
If you cannot make the trip, here is what I found on Youtube, beautifully composed, with much more photos by Michael. I especially love his photos of interior architecture. Enjoy (with Full Screen)!
Posted at 11:56 PM in Travel, 成长点滴 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sophie "preordered" these plushes, and I made sure they're "delivered" by Christmas.
Took pictures before wrapping them up. The girls are in bed. On the chair by the Christmas tree, set the food tray for Santa. This year, girls decided to put Clam Chowder instead of milk and cookies. Laura even put a lemon for Santa in case the sleighride "sick" happens.
We're ready! For the sweetest and happiest moment of the year (for the girls)! I wish you do too!
Merry Christmas!
Posted at 01:44 AM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
by Laura 雪盈
妹妹最喜欢紫色。因为我最喜欢紫色。可是妈妈只买了一个紫色的圣诞袜,是给我的。买的时候妹妹还小,踮着脚都够不着袜子尖。
那个紫色的袜子是用紫色的天鹅绒做的。上面用银色的线绣着雪花,因为我出生的那一天是个雪天。袜子上还有浅紫色的宝石。
妹妹今年五岁了。可挑!说好听的,有个性。说不好听的,就多了 - 难伺候,不讲理... 烦!!
快到圣诞节了。家里的圣诞树都支好了。就差圣诞袜没挂了。我把四个圣诞袜拿出来,摆在沙发上。
“妹妹,挑圣诞袜了!”妹妹飞快地从里屋跑出来。我突然意识到了什么,一把把紫色的袜子抓起来,攥在手里。妹妹跑到沙发前,扫了一眼,
“我想要那个紫的。”
“不行!”
“我就要那个。”
“No, 你只能选沙发上的。”
“为什么?”
“因为这个紫的是我的。一直是我的。”
“那该是我的turn了!”
“你一直用的就是这个红的。”我指着一个红色天鹅绒的袜子。
妹妹嘴巴紧紧地闭着,眼泪在眼眶里打转。“我只想要那个紫的... ”说完就拖着脚进了里屋。
吵的时候我想赢。可是妹妹一哭我又想去哄她。我把紫天鹅绒袜子塞在红袜子里,然后...
我喜欢看妹妹开心的样子。
*老师的评语:很温馨。羡慕你有个有“个性”的妹妹,更羡慕你妹妹有你这么体贴的姐姐!
*******************************
遥祝所有的朋友们圣诞快乐!
Posted at 02:07 PM in Laura's Making, 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
With all the dramas along the way, I have to say it's been a quite smooth ride. So much more pleasant than I expected.
Here are some moments captured along the "Journey". It's such a joy to watch her taking music to her heart.
She was 4 when she started, so she treated her cello pretty much as one of her toys. She played cello for her then-favorite doll, Selina. She got the doll from her auntie June in Seattle.
Sophie tucked her Cello for a cozy nap with her.
Both cellos were wrapped up cozy on carpet after a rainy day out for lessons. Sophie said they caught cold and needed medicine, a tomato and some bagels.
Sophie has been enjoying playing wherever she goes: 1- in kitchen showing me what she just figured out while I was cooking; 2- on backyard patio on a pleasant weekend afternoon; 3 - on driveway when the fall sky is high and sun is still warm; 4 - on the lawn in backyard in early spring.
Once Sophie insisted playing cello for the ostrich in the Oklahoma Zoo. She wanted to bring her cello and play outside the fence. Only for that request, we kindly rejected. But for others, they're quite acceptable: 1 - outside the local Community Center while Laura's having dance lesson inside; 2 - outside the Seretean Performing Arts Center right after her cello lesson(She looked pretty serious, she's playing a sad song she just made up); 3 - in the park; 4 - in our minivan( doesn't it feel like a limo?!)
No instrument, no problem. See how Sophie makes music on the go without her cello: 1 - in hotel on our Vancouver Trip; 2 - in car on the way back from our Houston Trip; 3 - in bed.
Posted at 09:19 AM in Sophie Cello, 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
This is one of her very first videos. Just started learning cello parts and how to hold the instrument.
Two months into learning. The variation of the first song "Twinkle". I love how she nodded her head when she thought she got it right.
One of her night time practice moments. The song is called "French Folk Song". She was playing for her "Ohmu", because she thought this song sounded like a lullaby.
Power outage didn't stop Sophie from practicing cello. She actually really enjoyed playing with only the candle light. The song is called "Allegro".
Sophie sang along as she practiced her new bow strokes in our backyard. The song is called "Oh, Come Little Children".
Posted at 01:30 PM in Sophie Cello, 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Sophie learns fast. She listens to the songs on CD, then she can play it on her Cello. By that I mean she can make the tune right, but not necessarily the right bowing strokes. "Mom, I want to figure out the next song!" That's what she likes to say most. And she always did, at least so far when the songs are not very complicated.
Once she insisted playing even after the shower. In her pajamas, she tried and tried the new song, but couldn't get it completely right. Even if she messed up at the last note, she would start from the very beginning.
"Sophie, just do the wrong part. You don't have to start again." It's already very late.
"No!"
"How about we try it tomorrow?"
She ignored me, which happened quite often when she's into her playing. So almost an hour later, she figured out the whole song and played perfectly right.
Then came the problem.
It's not fair to say she didn't try hard on the bow hold when she paid so much attention to get the notes right. Just as Sophie started to cruise along the songs in Book One, she was asked to slow down and do "Cello Stuff" right. Cello Stuff here means: loose relaxed bow hold, straight back, even shoulders, tucked cello hand thumb, curved cello fingers, raised elbow, playing in "pasta", the right place where the bow is supposed to land, and keeping "T" shape, the right angle of the bow and the string!
I felt that's too much to ask for a 4-year-old child. I assumed everything would fall into its right place when she's ready, or when she's bigger. But Dr. Blecha was very firm and clear about her expectations, even though I didn't understand her zealous attention to details until later on. "If the child learn incorrect bowings and fingerings, it's very difficult to undo the learning."
Now looking back, I felt so grateful that she didn't gave in. We got the right instrument, the right program, the amazing teacher, all we need is the right attitude.
So we decided to handle those "Cello Stuff" one at a time. This week, let's just do loose bow hold, and next, we made sure the shoulers were even and straight, the following week, tackle the elbow... bowing, posture, finger, tone, dynamics, rhythm... one at a time. Each time, she had only one thing to take care of, and she's more relaxed and less frustrated.
Every day we practise, every day, we take on new challenges.
Posted at 11:18 PM in Sophie Cello, 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The 30-minute lesson is offered twice a week, one as group, one as individual. They spent first few weeks learning the Cello's parts, clapping to different rhythms, playing by plucking rather than bowing the strings, which is called pizzicato, probably the first of many music terms I learned along the way. It was not hard. By the time they had their first Christmas recital, they got on stage and "pizzicato" two short songs. It was cute. I remember Sophie kept asking me when it was her turn to go on stage again. She couldn't have enough. She enjoyed it.
That was 7 weeks since she started. Things went real smooth until...
About 2 months into the program, Sophie started to learn a brand new bowing technique - push bow, or upbow. The bowing appeared in song No. 6 in Book One, called "Oh, Come, Little Children". Up to that point, every song started with a pull (bow), although she only leraned 5 songs before that.
The seemingly-easy bowing became the first ever obstacle. It seemed that she had to break her life-long playing habit for it. Every muscle and every nerve had to be tuned and "rewired". She tried, then realized she did wrong; tried again, wrong again; one more try, even worse. It's not just the beginning of the song. Every sentence of the song begins with the upbow. She got the first right, then messed up the second one; She made it through the first 3, then she lost on the 4th. She didn't throw the bow, or stop. She kept on going, with tears swirling in her eyes. She was not only upset, frustrated, she was furious!
"I don't like upbow!"
"I don't like it either!" I acknowledged her feeling.
"Why does it have to be upbow?"
"It's the way this song is composed, I guess." What could I say.
"I don't like this song."
"You're very upset! Why don't we just stop here today?" I admit I had to try hard to resist the temptation to let her try even one more time.
We didn't practice the next day, which rarely happened. I just didn't want her to associate the negative feelings, if there's any, to cello playing. I was thinking about that all along though. That's when I say, "She started. We all did". You just cannot break away from it. How could I do it to help her? Which part did I do wrong? Or when should I back down and when should I push forward? Are there any better approaches?...
The third day, just out of blue, she said,"Mom, I want you to hear me play."
"OK! Just pick any song you'd like to do."
"Mom, guess which song I'll do first." She gave me this very mysterious grin.
She played "Oh, Come, Little Children" from beginning to the end, with every push bow perfectly right. "Mom, this is my favorite song now!" I remember that smile on her little face. The enormous joy and pride.
You thought you knew your kids. Prepared to be amazed.
Posted at 12:01 PM in Sophie Cello, 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
This is supposed to be the last in the Cello Journal series, but I got caught up, AGAIN, in this hectic December schedules.
Sunday. Still felt guilty that I couldn't find a chance to say Happy Holidays to all my Chinese students at the last lesson, I tried to make myself concentrating on the next mission: baking cookies for friends who will come to Sophie's Recital. But I. Am. Not. A. Baker! I have this issue with measuring. Laura always complains to me, "Mom, will you ever use measuring cups? The ribs/cakes/soup don't taste the same."
"Do you like them?"
"Yes!"
"So, what's the point? Life is unpredictable!" I did say that.
So I spent the whole evening (not including the countless nights last week) baking, cutting, frosting and decorating. I wish I could say I enjoyed it. But I would rather do something else. Homemade cookies! Since when they become a required skills for moms?
Then Sophie fell sick two days before recital. Fever. Then my mind went frantic. "What if the fever doesn't go away for days?""What if she couldn'd do it? she's been preparing for this for the last whole month.""All the invitations are sent out. The room is reserved..." But those just went silently inside. Outside, I was calm.
To make things more complicated, my car broke down that morning. I was stuck in the parking lot of Walmart, with two bunches of fresh cut flowers in my hand. They're for Sophie's Cello Recital that night.
But things worked out just fine. They usually do.
1 year of learning. 33 group lessons, 35 private lessons. 17 songs in Book One, 5 variations. Over 3000 repeats of practice over the past year. It all came down to the 15-minute recital.
As she cruised along the songs near the end, I found myself trying very hard not to get emotional. She's so serious, at the same time, the way she played, the way she held her cello, she looked just so majestic!
It was a great recital. Almost flawless. I suppose I should be thrilled and content with where she's right now. However, I feel it's just the beginning. The beginning of another year's journey.
"Never hurry, never stop." It's good. Now, we're more ready.
Posted at 02:08 AM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sophie will have her Cello Book One Recital tonight.
Solo Recital.
It will be very special to her and our family. Now that she has finished Book One, I feel it's time I put something down. Not that I haven't wrote anything on her Cello learning before, I have a whole book of jounals full of detailed lesson notes, practice notes and "confessions". In retrospect, I feel more proud of her than she is of herself. So this is for her. ( I start to get teary. Silly me!)
One year ago, a friend called telling me that there was this music program offered by the professor at the University that teaches Cello. She asked me if we'd like to have Sophie to try with her girl since they were about the same age.
"Cello?" "The instrument Yo Yo Ma plays?" "That big?" "Who would want to start with cello, at age 4?" "How and where do we get the instrument?"
The friend called again. The program wouldn't be possible without minimum enrollment. It's a Suzuki program. I heard about it before, but I had no idea what that meant. Then I was told that every child could learn to play, all I needed to do was to go to class with her. Sounds fair to me. Sophie didn't have any class after school. She didn't like the dance lesson. We decided to give it a try.
I didn't want to get into details of renting the right size cello ( Sophie uses 1/8 ), the trouble with the shipping and returning (twice), the switch to the music store in New Mexco, the confusion of the diffrence between European size and Suzuki size...
She started. We ALL did, as a whole family.
Posted at 12:54 PM in 成长点滴, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
We spent a lot of time in our backyard this weekend, digging up the old dead roots, picking out the rocks and weeds, pulling up the old plants, preparing the soil for the new (winter) vegetables. Sophie was so excited to watch the seeds spilling out of the pods, that she insisted on doing it all by herself. I told her those seeds she helped getting out of the pods will be planted next year, and we'll have a brand new garden! The fresh start is an exciting thing to talk about at this time of the year. That's a good thing to keep in mind, ANY TIME of the year.
It never took much make little kids happy. We ended up listening to the song "Simple Gifts" afterwards, and Sophie even figured out how to play it. We made a short movie using all her recent drawings.
Posted at 08:43 PM in Weekend, 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sophie's Costumes ( Yes, I made two. The cello one is kind of "formal"looking, doesn't like a costume; that must be the reason Sophie wants to be a "Dust Bunny" for Trick-or Treating. She loves Dust Bunny very much!)
Posted at 03:34 PM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 05:19 PM in Weekend, 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
周末小蛙在复习中文,要我帮着听她读课文。课文叫“毛利村”。读得不是很流利,不过还算是通篇顺下来了。我正好有时间, (也有心情), 于是就想看看她对课文理解了多少。我边读边讲,不时停下来问问题。
“在毛利村,毛利人有着本族独特的文化。 ‘本族’ 的本是什么意思?”
“one's own.”
“独特是什么意思?”
“special, one and only."
... ...
“偶像的头约占雕像的一半,象征着超群的智慧;他的脸上刻有精细的纹路,是身份高贵和美的象征。‘约’是什么意思?”
“About, approximately.”
“占... 一半呢?”
“Takes about half the size.”
“象征?”
“Simbolize.”
“精细?”
“Detailed"
... ... 我注意到小蛙脸上的不耐烦,不过还是接着往下念。
“你会发现到处都刻有美丽的花纹图案,奇特夸张的雕像,它们形状各异,姿态逼真。‘夸张’是什么意思?”
“Exaggerating”
“形状各异?”
... ... ( 没有回答)
我抬头看小蛙,才发现她已是泪眼婆娑 。
?
“精细,奇特,美丽!只有他觉得美丽!It's all his own opinions! There are no facts, no description, no color, no shape, no nothing!"
? 哪儿来这么大的火呀?青春期?
“不停的重复,精细,精美,超群,精细,精美,超群... Does he ever learn how to write? Show, don't tell! ” 看来这火儿不是一天两天了。
态度有待改进,但句句在理。脾气发完,接着复习完全文。孩子大了,读过的英文书满满的几个书架。遇到好书,总愿意买一本回来。有的书,看完,就还了。问她怎么样?她会说,“还好,但不值得买。”有时读到一本好书,她会让我也去读,然后我们就会有新的共同话题。
“妈妈给你找一篇别的散文游记来读读,好么?”
她点点头。
***************************************************************************************************
这是在网上找到的一篇余秋雨的散文游记节选,题目是“寻常威尼斯”:
我一直在想,为什么世界各地的旅客,不管地区,不管老幼,也不管文化层次,都愿意先到威尼斯来呢论风景,它说不上雄伟也说不上秀丽;说古迹,它虽然保存不少却大多上不了等级;说风情,它只知忙忙碌碌,没有太多刺激性的奉献;说美食,说特产,虽可列举几样却也不能见胜于欧洲各地。那么,究竟凭什么我觉得,主要是凭它有趣的生态景观。
首先,它身在现代居然没有车马之喧。一切交通只靠船楫和步行,因此它的城市经络便是蛛网般的河道和小巷。这种水城别处也有,却没有它纯粹。对世界各国的多数旅客来说,徜徉于威尼斯的河道小巷,就像来到童年时代的梦境;其次,这座纯粹的水城紧贴大海,曾经是世界的门户、欧洲的重心、地中海的霸主、莎士比亚的话题。甚至一度,还是自由的营地、人才的仓库、教廷的异数。它的昔日光辉,都留下了遗迹,而主要遗迹便是水边那一栋栋紧密排列又不大清楚年代和归属的楼房,包括那些教堂和广场。这使历史成为河岸景观,旅客行船阅读历史,读得质感又读得粗糙。此间似乎有点象征在我看来,这种行船方式非常符合多数旅客不喜欢粘滞历史却喜欢浏览历史的中学生心理;再次,它虽然那么特殊又那么有趣,却拥挤着密密层层的商市,把自己和周边地区历史上最让外人喜悦的工艺品集中呈现,再加上品类各异的食肆,以便游客留连。更重要的是,它没有世界某些旅游地那种任眼花缭乱的低层次摊贩拉扯游客的喧闹,给人一种无须躲避什么的安全感。一个个门面那么狭小又那么典雅,轻手轻脚进入,只见店主人以嘴角的微笑作欢迎后就不再看你,任你选择或离开,这种气氛十分迷人。
Posted at 12:53 AM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
First day of fall!
And this is gonna be the First Fall Post, while I'm having First Fall Coffee and First Fall Toast. My little girl Sophie "invented" this FF thing. Last night, after bedtime story, Sophie said, "Mama, my teacher said tomorrow is the first day of fall."
So this morning, we had our First Fall Kiss and First Fall Hug. After that, She's very excited to have her First Fall Breakfast, and First Fall Trip to School. She said she's gonna draw a picture called "Happy Fall" at school today. She learned how to spell fall and leaf last night. She already known how to spell happy.
Happy Fall to everyone!
Posted at 10:13 AM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录, 随笔感悟 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
一.
。早上总想在暖暖的被窝里多赖一会儿。嗒嗒想早到学校,好能在画画桌子边占一个椅子。早饭好了,午餐盒也装好了,嗒嗒还不起。我走进卧室,小人儿还缩在被子里,“吃手”呢!
不的意思。
不愿意,可大拇指还在嘴里,依旧不翻身。
(声明:这不是我教的。肯定是爸爸!)


Posted at 12:02 PM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 11:37 PM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
"Mama, Grandma died in August?"
"Yes. Sister told you?"
Sophie nodded,"How did she die?"
"Do you know?"
"Cancer?"
"Yes."
"What is cancer?"
"A very evil kind of cell." Sophie loves drawing all kinds of cells.
"How evil?"
"It kills good cells in your body."
"Mama, Yuanyuan has this magic wand, and it can kill the cancer!" She sat up in bed, starting to look serious."Open your mouth, Mama, real big!" Then she pretended to put something in my mouth.
"Swallow it down!" She saw the look on my face."It won't choke you, Mama." I obliged.
"OK. Now Yuanyuan uses this magic wand and touches one cancer cell." Her eyes wide open, with the you-won't-believe-it-because-neither-do-I look, "all the evil cancer cells are destroyed!" she fell back down on her pillow, looking at me with that really proud smile on the face, as if she had just accomplished a mission impossible. Yuanyuan is one of her favorite plush ladybugs.
"Wow!"I was speechless for a moment."It's a pity Yuanyuan wasn't around when Grandma was ill."
She nodded again. "But we have it now."
I leaned down to give her a hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Mama."
The light was turned off. Tomorrow is Sophie's 5th birthday. The same day 6 years ago, my Mom passed away.
Posted at 11:05 PM in 成长点滴, 生活笔录 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)





