A short emo post (text heavy)

Today's Gii-tan's birthday~ because it's the day I bought my guitar after a week or two of hesitating and wondering whether I should get it or not. Just like how people get all indecisive when they're buying a pet or something, I get indecisive when buying musical instruments... because... well, musical instruments are meant to be as close to you as your own child, as some hard core musicians would put it.

From Week 5, 2010

I didn't have a choice when it came to buying a piano- that was solely decided by my parents. We had an old one that was brought over from HK when we were living in a small apartment in Singapore, and my parents decided to buy me a new piano for one of my birthdays.

From Week 5, 2010

I remember they were kind of disappointed when I wasn't overjoyed about receiving such a big present. Well, considering how at that time, I detested learning music because it was forced upon me (blame Asian parents), how could they expect me to be happy, right?

From Week 5, 2010

To me, it was like giving a child a stack of revision books for Christmas, which is even worse than giving socks.

From Week 5, 2010

Then my violin... was handed down to me from my dad, who bought that violin with his very own savings when he was young. At that time, money was really hard to come by and my dad comes from a poor family, so it was a big thing. He didn't have enough money to pay for tuition, so it was all self-taught. I remember as a kid, he kept playing the same songs over and over again, and I got a bit annoyed, but now I feel guilty for being annoyed because... it's really not easy and requires lots of self discipline to learn an instrument by yourself.

From Week 5, 2010

Then he had me learn the violin too, and when I grew into a full-sized violin, he gave me his. Back then, I didn't appreciate that gesture at all. It was a second-hand violin, kind of ugly because it was a reddish shade of maple colour, didn't particularly have a nice sound to it either. It felt like those cheap, made-in-China violin that sounds squeaky when played. Nowhere near a Strad.

Took me years to bond with my violin. Took me years to get it to open its sound and age into its potential volume and richness. Took me years to discover that what appeared to be a cheap and horrible-sounding violin had actually become something completely opposite. My dad kept telling me if our house gets robbed, my violin is the most expensive thing they can take- and they probably won't even know how to sell it for the price it is worth now. Other things might degrade and become of lesser value once bought, but not this violin.

From Week 5, 2010

Now to add to the family, I have a guitar. Been wanting to learn the guitar since we had to learn some chords in high school during music classes, but was discouraged from getting one (they always think I'm just going to get it and let it collect dust after a month or so). Now I have to get it because... well, I don't want to fail my Master course.

From Week 5, 2010

I admit, I fell for its look (it's so pretty!), but I'm not totally superficial- its sound is pretty nice and resonant too, due to its steel (not nylon) strings.

From Week 5, 2010

Even comes with a built-in tuner, though that isn't really necessary... When I went back today to get it, much to my horror, it wasn't hanging on the rack with all the other guitars. There were two others that were green and black... even the purple one was gone! I told the store owner that I came last week and was going to get it, and he said that it was on lay by... but he sent someone into the back to find it and sold it to me anyway. Does this mean I bought someone else's guitar? ._.

=D Managed to score some picks for free too, so that was good.

I guess after all these years, I really have to thank my parents for initially forcing me to learn music. It's been almost like a road all paved out for me- from not letting me give up on music even when I was always trying to skip out on practicing all the time and getting Cs and Ds in my exams (and getting beaten for it, haha), to an auntie getting me to join an orchestra, to my music teacher motivating me into loving music and giving me a chance to tutor students (gain experience) and to being able to get into music therapy.

So if I'm feeling so priviledged, why is my reader and textbook sitting on my desk gathering dust for two months when I should be reading them in preparation for uni starting in a month's time? Laziness... is my weakness T T

Anyway, a proper food post after this one... will get that up possibly tomorrow or day after. Goodnight.