Firstly, a lot of the contestants from the junior and senior sections suffered from nerves. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again—nothing destroys your playing faster than nerves. It’s easy for me to tell the contestants to relax and enjoy themselves; after all I’m not in the hot seat. But if you let your nerves overwhelm you, you’re in big trouble. Everybody experiences some nerves before a competition such as this, but you have to learn to keep it under control. I heard a lot of runaway trains, where the tempi got faster and faster as their nervousness edged up; what a pity.

Secondly, some contestants decided to get creative and added in their vocal abilities for this competition. Bad move. As far as I’m concerned, this is Piano Idol. Moreover they didn’t think about the balance between their vocals and the piano (they sang without amplification so I could barely hear the vocals with the piano being played so loudly) You can’t just throw things into the pot like this and hope and pray it’ll work, it won’t! A good chef doesn’t do this, so why should you? And if you really want to sing, you should enter in the Ensemble category, where singing is permitted.

Thirdly, most of the contestants didn’t have a winning attitude. People, this is already season 3 and you don’t enter this competition just for the sake of entering. You need to motivate yourself to do the best you can, and you need to have that winning streak inside of you. Your teachers too, should help with this.

After saying all this, I was impressed with the performances in the Ensemble section. The contestants here were more at ease and I pretty much enjoyed judging them.

I dunno, perhaps it was my presence that made all the contestants go haywire. Well I have some good news for you—I won’t be judging the Finals on October 10, so there. If you’re one of the lucky ones who qualified for the Finals, you have one less thing to worry about!

I happened on this game at the Big Fish Games website and have been hooked on it for the past few months. The object of the game is simple—zombies are invading your home and trying to eat your brains. Your only hope is an arsenal of plants which include peashooters, melon-paults, cherry and chili bombs, etc. You have to strategize, think fast and plant your weapons in order to prevent them from invading your home and finishing you off. There are obstacles like a setting sun, creeping fog at night, and a swimming pool. Hilarious characters abound, including one resembling a pop singer (they pulled that one out, I think)

And if you get tired of invading zombies, there’s always a Zen garden to find some peace in. There are also mini games, puzzles, and even a survival mode (yeah, see how long you can last, buddy) If you make it to the last stage you’ll encounter the evil Doctor Zomboss in his giant robotic machine who controls the zombies—I managed to clobber him, heh heh.

This is a great game to play and it’s amusing. It’s available for only $6.99 at the Big Fish games website. You can even try out a demo first.

Last but not least, check out this great video the plants and zombies made, just for you. Now if that doesn’t bring a smile to your face, I don’t know what will!

And here are pictures of some nice flowers (I dunno their names, but I think the purple ones are bougainvilleas; I’m not a flower expert) If anybody knows what the orange ones are called please drop me a comment, thanks.

I sit frequently on one of these swings to meditate, to contemplate—or just to waste time!

Here’s a part of the garden which I really like. The nice thing is that you can sit here on the grass during most mornings or afternoons and be by yourself. Solitude is good for the soul sometimes.

Last but not least, two pictures of the big swimming pool. Yes, there are three cute dolphins in it.

Hope you enjoy these pictures!

I haven’t been the bookworm I used to be. However, about two months ago, I happened to spot Regina Brett’s book on a website (I forgot which) and the cover said it all—God Never Blinks: 50 lessons for Life’s little detours. As luck would have it, Regina’s book was available here at a bookstore, so I bought a copy. It was the best money I’d spent in a long time. And for those of us who lament or complain about how crappy life is, here’s an excerpt from Regina’s website and I quote:

“It took me 40 years to find and hold onto happiness. I always felt that at the moment I was born, God must have blinked. He missed the occasion and never knew I had arrived. My parents had 11 children. While I love them and my five brothers and five sisters deeply, some days I felt lost in the litter. As Kathy pointed out, I seemed to be the runt of that litter. I ended up confused by the nuns at 6, a lost soul who drank too much at 16, an unwed mother at 21, a college graduate at 30, a single mother for 18 years, and finally, a wife at 40, married to a man who treated me like a queen.

Then I got cancer at 41. It took a year to fight it, then a year to recover from the fight.

When I turned 45, I lay in bed reflecting on all life had taught me. My soul sprang a leak and ideas flowed out. My pen simply caught them and set the words on paper. I typed them up and turned them into a newspaper column of the 45 lessons life taught me.

When I hit 50, I added five more lessons and the paper ran the column again. Then something amazing happened. People across the country began to forward the column. Ministers, nurses and social workers requested reprints to run in newsletters, church bulletins and small town newspapers. People of all religions and those of none at all could relate. While some of the lessons speak of God, people found in them universal truths. I’ve heard from agnostics and atheists who carry the list of lessons in their wallets and keep it tacked to their work cubicles and stuck under refrigerator magnets. The lessons are posted on blogs and websites by people all over the world. Every week since the column ran, people have emailed from Australia to Zanesville, Ohio, asking for copies. That column is the most popular one I’ve written in my 24 years as a journalist.

Some of these essays originally appeared in The Plain Dealer or the Beacon Journal. Some of them are originals. These lessons are life’s gifts to me, and mine to you.”

The one thing I liked about this book was the fact that each life lesson was essentially a story on its own, never spanning more than 4 or 5 pages, so it was easy to read, digest, and ponder. You can find them in her website but I’m listing them here for the benefit of my readers (the ones in italics are my favorites):

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift..

I’ve read through the entire book twice and I still want to read it again and again! The writing is extremely candid and lucid. Some chapters will make you smile, some will make you cry. But all the lessons will tell you this—our life on this earth is very, very short. What you want to do with it is your choice…but God is watching over each and every one of us, without batting an eyelid.

Enjoy life.

In a way life is funny and strange. You’re coasting along, thinking you’re in complete control and then…BAM!! It hits you and you realize that you relinquished control a long time ago, without even knowing or admitting it. I’ve made my share of mistakes in the past, just like everyone else, but sometimes I tend to ignore it. To forget. To imagine that no, those mistakes never happened. Bad move.

Then I received this text message from someone I hadn’t met in ages:

Whatever comes, accept it. Everything that happens happens for the good. A positive mind turns it into a blessing. This will dawn upon you later.

I hate to use the D-word, but I’ve been feeling depressed on and off. Fortunately it has been mild so far, not to the point where my whole system shuts down, whether I like it or not. My appetite’s still there, I manage to do my work, etc. Beyond that the depression tends to rear its ugly head at me from time to time. My blogging has faltered, just because I couldn’t muster myself to write—my head refuses to let me focus and I lose my thoughts. So it has been a difficult past few months.

Some good has come out of all this, though. I’ve begun to appreciate the soothing power of friendship and I’d like to thank all my friends who have given me an emotional shoulder of support to lean on. I have to give time time. And continue to trust in the Lord that everything will turn out alright as and when He sees fit.

I asked God to take away my bad habits…
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.                                                                                                                                                                          Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;  
it isn’t granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.  
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things  
that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.
God said… Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea!  

Microsoft boss, Steve Ballmer, just gave a fantastic preview of the new Windows Live Messenger as part of a discussion with students at the Universidade de Sao Paulo. This marks the first official look at Windows Live Wave 4, with additional disclosure moments happening around Hotmail and Essentials in the coming months.

At the event, Steve highlighted some of cool features of the new Messenger. Some of my favorites include:

• World’s best IM.  Letting you enjoy rich, beautiful chat experiences that enhance your conversations with photos, videos and your webcam.  Our goal is to improve those personal interactions with your close friends, so that you continue to connect in even richer ways with the people you care about most.
• Best way to stay in touch with close friends and what they’re doing across the web. The new Messenger is the most complete view of what your friends are doing across the web with a specific focus on prioritizing and helping you stay in touch with the people that matter most and delivering this in a rich and enjoyable fashion.

For more information, check out the links below:

• Watch a new Messenger launch video at www.messengerpreview.com
• Watch Steve’s presentation from Brazil at www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/windowslive/default.mspx
• Read the announcement blog post for details at windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowslive/default.aspx

Tweet: Ballmer just previewed the new Windows Live Messenger. Check it out! http://bit.ly/9sszG7

It has been a long time since I last posted a video here so I thought now would be an appropriate moment. This is the Prelude to Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel. I’d like to thank my wonderful friend Crystal for encouraging me to “get on with it.” Actually she wanted to see my fingers fly so Crystal, I hope you enjoy this video. And the same to all my other readers too.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer who is perhaps best known for his orchestral work Bolero (it was featured in the 1979 movie 10 starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, and Bo Derek. It was used for a lovemaking scene, *blush*) I’ve loved Ravel’s music since my days at the University of Arizona. Although his musical output wasn’t extensive (his complete piano works fill just two CD’s; his orchestral works three) nonetheless he wrote very captivating and original music. I remember my Orchestration professor telling me that Ravel ranks up in the top three of best classical orchestrators, the other two being Berlioz and Rimsky-Korsakov. So there you have it.

The wooden paneling floor seems to have given my Yamaha Clavinova more bloom in its sound. My Creative 2:1 speakers also seem to sound better here. Perhaps it’s just me.

Here’s a picture of my humble bedroom. Not much, but I call it home!

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Moving here and bonding again with Mom has been wonderful…we each talk when we can and during lunch and dinner (pizza occasionally, yay!) and more often than not, we give each other space—Mom likes to be GTTT (you know what that means, Miss Miller) and I like to be glued to my tube too (aka the computer) I’m eating very much like a piglet here, and what with Mom being a fruit fanatic, it’s fruit all the way—apples, mangos, watermelon, bananas (that’s for you, Miss M) etc. And let’s not forget my yogurt and dark chocolate—yummy!

Till the next post, this is your friendly host, signing off…