At a festival

6 days and nights, full on, hard work, making coffee and waffles for 12 hours in a row (mostly at night), sometimes longer, standing on the legs. Almost every day also a shopping trip before and/or after the shift, more supply..

Sleeping time, hard to fall asleep, exhausted but also hyped up, in the early morning loud music, and not the kind to fall a sleep to... in the late morning sun shining on the tent, sauna inside.. 5 more days to go, can I do this?

2^nd day, after 3.5 hours sleep and some walking around; back on the shift, the shift got longer, can not leave the stand, legs are screaming, what can I do?

Too hot outside to practice, the only time available was in the afternoon...

So what is the practice of yoga? All books says yoga practice is not just on the mat. It's a way of life, it's how you operate in life and so in different situations. Yoga teaches 'Accept', 'accept and let go...' So yes, I accept, no one made me do this, it was my own choice, I knew what I was going to do and I chose to do it. So, conditions are not favorable for the mat, do what you can.

Some simple stretches outside the tent after waking up, constantly keeping in mind the posture in whatever movement doing; simple standing by the coffee machine, the waffles trolly or in line to the toilets – Tadasana. Lifting high up a 5L water container to fill the coffee machine, extending high to get something out of a box above the fridge – partial Urdhave hastasana. Bending down below the counter to get different condiments or constantly searching for supply under all counters/tables – Uttanasana. Going on a water run to fill the 5L and 10L containers, not balanced, need to add some more weight somehow on the side carrying the 5L container... keeping the shoulders rolling down and arms rotating out baring the weight...At the end of the shift, lying down in the tent - Shavasana. A few breathing exercises to calm down and try to sleep.

This was my practice for last 6 days. Tomorrow, a restorative session...body is aching, need some rest and definitely needs a practice.

End of another chapter

One end is another beginning.
It was a lovely journey, I enjoyed it so much. Not every day was as rosy but then again, should it be..?
Again routine, a different one this time, conditions not as favorable as the last, in some ways better in some less, over all, to watch it all, observe, explore, record, experience....loved it all.
Routine, how weird, can actually be nice. Same same but also different :)
Same route of morning walk, same breakfast at the forest, lunch, lunch break, afternoon walk, dinner and each day different actors, different background; the conditions around, rain/sun/wind/sunshine, power cut, no travelers, more travelers, full moon, new moon.
Life.
 

Morning walk

The morning walk, 6:30, so peaceful and beautiful. The same morning route, but different. Seasons changing.
The sun low in the sky behind the hills of the east bank of the river. The non-shiny color of the water in the river. The temples on the other side, along the river. The birds on the trees on both sides of the road. Today no Peacocks.
Birds singing, no cows, no monkeys, no dogs, no cars, no trucks, no engine fumes, just stillness, quiet, peace. Then the wind blows slightly, leftover of the night blows, before the sun comes out and heat up the earth. How nice to walk, how nice to be here...
A relaxing walk to wake up and prepare for the hard concentration of the morning's Zubin's class.

Swiss Garden

Swiss Garden

Sitting at the most farther table at the back facing the forest. Sound of the generator in front of the restaurant which is now to my back.
The crow on the tree next to me keeps crowling, maybe he's annoyed by the loud sound as well... or maybe he's just conversing with the other crows and birds on the other trees...?
It is hot today, so nice to sit in just a T-shirt while out of the sun again :)
It is different; different activities, people, season, food, facilities, sounds, practice, same place, same swiss cottage for the past 40 days but very different. Cool. Nice. Fun.
The crow just landed on a table spilling the sugar jar all over. I turned to look by the sound of the metal sugar jar falling, he saw me looking and flew back to his spot on the tree above.

Great sound of Moustachio7 in Maastricht

Moustachio7 18.08.12

Henk burned in the sun
Bouke too lazy
Tijs had a pepper before the show... to speed things up
and Jason was the only one who didn't complain about the heat...

Henk lost his voice a bit in Jeremy but was making the show with his moustache...  and the crowd went wild...

The crowd at the start

Bouke focusing on his groove was noticed by their loyal fan (me)... I didn't have the 'aauch' moment on his sound through the whole concert :)


Looking forward to the next gig next month 29.09.12 in Zeist. More details will follow so check it out soon.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moustachio-Seven/271286876268595

The crowd at the end

Moustachio7 - funcky wacky groove

Moustachio7 on Queen'sday Amsterdam

 A great Dutch band with an international touch. 4 talented musicians bringing together different styles and groove. They are not new in town, since 2003 they are practicing regularly in DB's (Utrecht), but this year they have more gigs than ever. The next gig is tomorrow, saturday 14:30 in Maastricht. It is serious summer time in NL this weekend and I'm expecting the show to be extremely hot...







Website, Youtube channel and Facebook:
www.moustachio7.nl
http://www.youtube.com/user/Moustachio7
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moustachio-Seven/271286876268595

Maastricht Corversplein-feesten 18-19 August info and lineup:
http://maastricht.dichtbij.nl/gastronomie/c%C3%B6rversplein-feesten-keren-terug
https://www.facebook.com/events/324057431018206/

Investilosophy - by Ofir Hirsh

This book is exactly how it is described and more; interesting views about investments wrapped in a nice adventure story. Ofir combines the investment views in the story with colorful and humoristic descriptions of the world we live in; the current financial crisis, mobile technology, nature, music, human behavior and more. The way in which Ofir builds up the plots kept me interested from beginning to end. Waiting for the sequel :)

Investilosophy on Amazon

Investilosophy page on Facebook 

The colorful painting on the cover is also Ofir's own creation. This is his first book but not his first painting. If you're interested to see more of Ofir Hirsh art collection, visit his gallery at:

http://www.ofirhirsh.com/

No Carnaval 2012 for me...

I didn't make it to the Dominican Republic this year. I wanted to write a 'continue story' for after another year at the Fundacion Marlee Jo, but I can only do it as 2nd hand and not from a personal view. Instead, I add links to their media and social channels for you to check out yourself what was happening in the foundation the past year.

http://www.fundacionmarleejo.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/fundacionmarleejo

http://www.facebook.com/fundacionmarleejo


fundacionmarleejo@gmail.com 

Israel Philharmonic orchestra in Rotterdam

I was at "de Doelen" concert hall in Rotterdam this week, went to hear the Israeli Philharmonic orchestra. We passed some security guards outside and inside the hall then I realized it must be a strange sight around here.

After the concert I learned that 2 weeks earlier on the orchestra’s tour in London, at the Royal Albert Hall there were demonstrations against Israel and the concert was disrupted a couple of times.

We got to our seats and I was surprised to see many empty seats. How sad. I felt very bad for the orchestra and the maestro Zubin Mehta.

The performance was beautiful. They played the Passacaglia by Webern followed by Iberia by Debussy in the first part. Both pieces are from late romantic- modern period.  In the second part they played Mahler’s 5^th symphony, it was fantastic! Beautiful performance, we enjoyed it very much.

And then there was silence...

The night after the storm, clear sky and (almost) full moon...

Open air concert all night long - 10/09/2011

Last night, the sky over NL gave us a world class performance that lasted a good couple of hours of amazing scenery along with exquisite sounds. 

It came from the south; light thunders were heard in the distance, flashes of lights between the clouds. Within less than an hour the whole sky around Utrecht were clear and shiny as if it was broad day light; 

lightning’s from all over directions lit up the sky accompanied by the hard sound of tropical rain hammering on the roof, loud bangs of explosions as the thunders were sitting right above us, then the rain turned into a hail storm with hail balls the size of 3-4 cm, the wind got stronger which added a soft background sound to the strong, hard sound of the solo instruments.

The show is highly recommended, in case there will be a second performance…

Misty forest (Short story 14)

Rain drops. Then a bit harder. You look up to the sky, then far in the horizon, no clue of the sun, no brightness, only shades of grey and black. The way it looks you think the sun will never be seen again. And then it stops. The sun is picking through the clouds. They’re moving fast, you can actually see their movement, as if in a hurry to get somewhere.

“Run to the forest”, the voices in her head woke her up from the glooming feeling of the grey and the darkness, “run, run now, before it starts again”. And so she did. With her backpack ready, rain jacket, hat, camera and water, sunglasses on her head and out of the door on her morning adventure.

The smell, just as it is, wet grass, wet wood, wet air, so fresh it makes you sneeze. So quiet, you can hear the rain drops falling off the trees with the movement of the branches from the calm breeze. Between the water, the bushes, the trees, flowers, corn filed on one side, farm house on the other, the magical scene is intensified by the mist ahead. She stopped on the side of the track to look, observe, listen and enjoy. 

She took out the camera to try and catch the moment. She put the camera in the side pocket of the backpack when she felt an itch, a scratch from the itchy bushes that sting forever. 

The rest of her walk she was dancing in the woods…

Restaurant Pont 13 - Amsterdam

A short distance from the busy streets of Amsterdam, on the water as well but with a different view. Pont 13 is nicely located on the west port of Amsterdam. An old ship sitting in the water renovated as a restaurant with a nice terrace on board for the nice sunny days in the summer and a heavy heater inside for the cold winter days.

The food, in my view, is superb; 
First, every dish I had tasted fresh. The fish, sea food, meat, lamb, side dishes and the desserts, all tasted as quality ingredients.

Second, everything was cooked just right, not over, not less, nice and tender, just as it should be. From the raw dishes, steak tartar, oysters, ceviche, you could taste the quality, in addition to the interesting flavors and spices. I was trying hard to identify the ingridients and flavors of each dish as they all had a slight twist that was hard to recognize.

Overall, I enjoyed the food and will definitely go back there again. Highly recommended!

You can find all info including the menu (changes monthly), directions, photos and more on their website:

Pont 13 website

Enjoy!

Sounds of nature (short story 13)

The orchestra

She woke up like every other sunny morning feeling the gentle touch of the sun coming through the curtains into her bedroom. With a big smile on her face she slowly stretched out her legs, arms, feeling every muscle in her body and then remembered the forecast for today; rain, thunders, no sun. She already planned in her head the night before how she will spend the rainy grey Sunday afternoon with her toys in her living room, but when the day starts differently than expected the plans as well are once again proven to be made only to be changed later.

Heading towards one of her favourite forests she was all excited about the world she will see today. She chose a track and walked on. She walked a bit further, still able to hear cars driving on the road, passed by people only to notice them when they’re already behind her thinking "how rude of her not to great them…”, but then again, she was in her own world and didn’t really noticed the human intruders.  

As she was walking further deep in the woods, no more cars to be heard, no sounds of other humans talking or stepping on branches, no dogs barking in the background, as if the whole world has stopped moving, stopped living, “how loud the silence is!!” She was amazed to realize. And just then, at that point when all is standing still, enjoying this particular moment, the wind started blowing. It started calmly and slowly, increasing both the strength and intensity of the blow. Different sounds of whistles, deep, light, high, low, some are forming together a theme, some are individually introducing themselves through the melody, as if she was standing in the middle of an amphitheater listening to a live concert by a top orchestra, discovering a new piece of music she cannot remember hearing before.

Cleveland piano competition - the winners

The winners of the Cleveland International Piano competition were announced last night at the end of the final concerto round:

1st prize: Alexander Schimpf (29, Germany)
2nd prize: Alexey Chernov (28, Russia)
3rd prize: Eric Zuber (26, USA)
4th prize: Kyu Yeon Kim (26, Korea)

Congratulations to all!

The prize ceremony will be held today, Sunday 7th at 3pm (EDT). Live broadcast on WCLV 104.9FM

Enjoy! 

Cleveland piano competition - final - listen online

The final performances are not broadcasted online. It is possible to listen to them live on Cleveland radio station WCLV 104.9 FM.

At the end of tonight's performances the winners will be announced.

Enjoy!

Cleveland piano competition - Final round

Today is a rest day for the audience. The 4 finalists will practice today their concertos with the orchestra to be played in the final, firday and saturday evenings.

Schedule and program:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5                                                                    

8:00 PM
Finalist #1 – Kyu Yeon Kim, Korea                                                                

Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 J. Brahms
Maestoso
Adagio
Rondo: Allegro non troppo

INTERMISSION

Finalist #2 – Eric Zuber, USA                                                                                                 
Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 S. Rachmaninoff
Moderato
Adagio sostenuto
Allegro scherzando


SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

8:00 PM
Finalist #3 – Alexey Chernov, Russia                                                           

Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 J. Brahms
Maestoso
Adagio
Rondo: Allegro non troppo



INTERMISSION

Finalist #4 – Alexander Schimpf, Germany                                                             

Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 L. Beethoven
Allegro moderato
Andante con moto
Rondo (Vivace)

Christopher Wilkins, Conductor
The Cleveland Orchestra

And again, no final without Rachmaninoff... :)

Good luck to the contestants.

Enjoy!

Cleveland piano competition - Semi final

The eight semi-finalists were selected last night at the end of the second round. The names are listed as the performance order for the next 2 days.

Kyu Yeon Kim
Yunjie Chen
Jae-Weon Huh
EunAe Lee
Eric Zuber
Alexey Chernov
Alexander Schimpf
Mateusz Borowiak


Each of the contestants will play a recital of 1 hour, the performances will start at 1pm and 7pm EDT on tuesday and wednesday.

For semi-final schedule click here

To see the program click on the name of contestant via this link

Enjoy!

Daniil Trifonov - concert schedule

For Daniil's fans, there's an updated concert schedule of Daniil for the next year on his website:

http://www.daniiltrifonov.com/concerts
http://www.trifonov.us/concerts/

The reviews of his concerts continue to praise Daniil on his performances. Well Done!

Enjoy!

Cleveland piano competition - End of Round I

Friday night’s performances concluded round I. I didn’t listen to all performances but it seems that the young contestants are in a hurry to get somewhere; especially Lu Chen (25, China) who almost made me jump off the chair with his Beethoven sonata No.23. A bit too aggressive with very sharp mood changes, almost frightening, in my view. 

Round II will start today, Saturday 1pm EDT. All 26 contestants will play another recital, a bit longer than 25 minutes. The order of performances is the same as in round I. 

You can find the schedule on this link:

Performances schedule 

For the program, check the contestants information on: 

Links to contestants info 

Note: I find the quality of the live webcast much better than the archive on YouTube. It makes it very hard get a good impression of the music listening to the archive. If you want quality, I suggest making the time to watch and listen to the performances live.

Enjoy!