Happy New Year

I wrote a review of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother some time back and the author's daughter, Sophia, is a very talented writer. In one of her blog posts, she wrote:

"when you play music, you are supposed to phrase and follow the melodic line as though you were singing. i'm not sure how to explain it, but somehow the sounds become synced with your breath and are naturally pleasing to the human ear.

one note almost always lives a double life. the last note of one phrase, my professor reminds me, is the first note of the next. it's so obvious, yet so easy to overlook. every end is also a beginning, and you have to feel both at the same time."

And this feels exactly like how 2011 is going to gently slide into 2012. As this transition takes place, may you never forget the lessons learnt in 2011 and to face 2012 with a positive outlook. May you appreciate the little things in life and to appreciate the beauty around you. Love yourself, love others. Respect yourself, respect others.

With that, here's a chapter closed in 2011, and a complete new chapter in 2012! Happy New Year!