Notes Abroad

Bob Dylan: Duquesne Whistle - video exclusive

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:43:53 +0300

Bob Dylan: Duquesne Whistle - video exclusive

Photo

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:06:50 +0300

This is legendary, this...

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:35:28 +0300

This is legendary, this is.

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether:

Tom Waits, David Bowie and Bette Midler

Yes, lesson learned. pleatedjeans: madeleineishere

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:24:49 +0300

Yes, lesson learned.

pleatedjeans:

madeleineishere

sugaryumyum: I have this quote written on my mirror. It’s a...

Fri, 04 May 2012 18:41:12 +0300

sugaryumyum:

I have this quote written on my mirror. It’s a reminder I need often.

think-progress: nilesarthur: humanscalecities: Garbology Our...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:59:14 +0300

think-progress:

nilesarthur:

humanscalecities:

Garbology

Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash

This dude was great on Fresh Air.

Checked it out on Fresh Air last night and learned this crazy fact about how much we waste: The amount of plastic in the ocean (in pieces small enough to enter the food chain) is equivalent to the weight of 40 aircraft carriers.

He’s back and channeling Dylan. Great...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:55:23 +0300

He’s back and channeling Dylan. Great stuff!

jhnmyr:

Shadow Days music video - directed by Philip Andelman

update on lack-of-updates!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:48:32 +0200

Hey guys/gals,

Just writing to let you all know that I will be returning to Canada in less than 48 hours, thus ending my 3-month long adventure in Israel.

I apologize for not keeping up with my posts.. but I promise that when I am settled in at home I will continue to ‘retro-post’ the rest of my travels, as recorded in my journal.

So stay tuned and you will soon find out about my trip to Greece and all the other awesome places I visited in Israel!

Thanks for following :)

retro-post...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:19:34 +0200

Jan. 4th

So I’m in Jerusalem now. Since I’ve decided to continue to pursue a career in opera singing, I am looking to find professionals who will agree to listen to me and give me their feedback on whether or not I have what it takes (gotta have a second opinion, right?) A girl I met in Jerusalem told me about a woman who gives voice lessons and I after I looked her up online, I found that she also works as a vocal coach for the Israeli Opera and as a teacher at the Rubin Academy of Music here in Jerusalem.

I crossed my fingers and called her up. She agreed to meet me at the Rubin Academy tomorrow to hear me sing!

Next on my list is a gentleman I met through my ex-voice teacher, who has worked in the opera world for a long time and is not a cantor at a synagogue in Tel Aviv. When I spoke to him, he said that he is very busy and asked if I would call him back in a few weeks.

retro-post...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:10:59 +0200

January 2nd

Today my trip to Jerusalem was fantastic! I was a little distracted by my troublesome situation but did my best to enjoy myself.

I met with my new friend Mo and his mom Dr. Donna at the bus station. We walked down Jaffa St. and meandered along the side streets until we found a little glass-blowing workshop called Neker Glass. It was amazing. At the doorway there was an old man blowing glass and along the wall next to him were shelves, lined with a vast array of beautiful vases, perfume bottles and ornamental pieces, each piece unique from the rest. I bought a little vase as a thank you to my former hosts and we continued. Next we stopped at a place that sold olive wood products. Mo bought me a fan made of wood and we were on our way.

We continued along Jaffa St to Old Jerusalem…

…and headed through the Arab market until we reached the Western Wall. Now I’m not a religious person but I figured I would go up to the wall and say a little prayer. It certainly couldn’t hurt.
The wall is separated by a dividing wall; one side for men, the other for women. I went to the right side and waited for a spot to open up. As soon as I approached the wall and put my hand against it, a powerful vibration took hold of me and I almost immediately welled with tears. There came a spontaneous prayer asking for strength and insight into my emotional struggles and for help with the present state of affairs. Finishing my prayer, I backed away (traditional way of leaving the wall) and met up with Dr. Donna and Mo.

Next we stopped into this cute little waffle shop and they treated me to a waffle, half chocolate and half apple sauce + sour cream (yup, it was amazing.) Before heading back to the bus station, we walked through the shuk to a bakery called ‘Marzipan’ and I bought some pastries for Itamar.

At the station, I said goodbye and thanked Mo and his Mom for a wonderful day. It was afternoon and I still hadn’t figured out my new arrangement, so I walked back up Jaffa St. hoping for a sign. Right away, it started to rain and I had to stop and buy an umbrella. I went back to the Arab market and did some shopping, buying lots of gifts and boarded a bus to Givat Schmuel around 8pm.

On the way home, I stopped and call my parents. It was so nice to hear their voices and they offered plenty of moral support. They told me they would send money so I could afford to stay in hostels and continue the trip.

Thank goodness for my wonderful parents… in the past, I’ve judged them pretty harshly, not realizing they never claimed to be perfect or to have all the answers. But still, they were always there with buckets of love… maybe not the Hallmark-card, puppy dog brand of love I was looking for, but love all the same.
I wish I could have realized this without having to go through this terrible ordeal, but I’m glad that it happened so my eyes could me opened.

Love you, Mom and Dad. xxoo

retro-post!

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:50:00 +0200

January 1st, continued…

Well, my hosts just asked me to make other arrangements and informed me that voice lessons would no longer be taking place. It’s incredible how quickly someone’s opinion of you can be changed. Quite a shock.

Need to make plans for the next 6 weeks, don’t know if the budget will hold.

retro-post...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:48:55 +0200

January 1st!

Yesterday (NYE) I had a very lazy day, filled with reading and a viewing of Citizen Kane. At around 7pm, I went downstairs and my hostess asked if I had any plans for the evening. Since it was Shabbat, I didn’t think the buses would be running but it turns out that after sundown, the buses start running again!

So, I decided it would be fun to go out and see how Tel Aviv rings in the New Year. I got off the bus in front of Mann Auditorium and walked down Rothschild St. looking for some excitement and a place to grab a quick dinner. The boulevard was full of young people walking and riding their bikes, some with beers in hand and most in groups. When I came to Allenby, I turned and found a little shop selling slices of delicious looking pizza.
After finding food, I started taking a more meandering route to enjoy the general feeling of celebration. I knew I wanted to end up at Mike’s Place before midnight and once I finished my pizza, I stopped and checked the map and turned myself towards the Port. Along the way, I stopped at a corner store and bought a Goldstar beer for my walk.

Finally around 11pm, I arrived at Mike’s Place. It was pretty full and so I grabbed a Guinness and sat near the pool table to gauge the crowd. Before long I was approached by a real winner wearing a denim suit (no joke) and he told me he was a stand-up comedian. Later we were joined by his friend and I started getting a creepy vibe from the two of em, so I excused myself and went to find a spot at the bar. At the bar, I met a really cute couple named Uri and Dorit, who were really sweet and said they had children my age. We had a lot of fun and they gave me their number, saying that if I needed anything to give them a call. When they left, I started talking to the guy on my other side, a sweetie named Yarden. He said he was a cinematographer and had some great stories about famous people he’d met through his job at a local entertainment news channel. We had a great conversation about art, film and making your dreams your reality. It was pretty empowering. Before I left, he told me to never stop singing and then I grabbed a cab and was home, sleeping in no time.

retro-post!

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:31:30 +0200

Dec. 28

Today I took the bus by myself into Tel Aviv for the first time! I know, I know.. kinda sad. lol
I went to meet up with a fellow named Micheal (Mo) who is friends with my buddy from Cornwall, Itamar. While I was at the bus station, I grabbed a bus pass. Hooray!
Mo and I did A LOT of walking. We went from the bus depot/train station to Yarkon Park, then walked along the ‘river’ all the way down to the Port. Following the boardwalk, we walked all the way down the Port, past the marina and turned east at the Opera Tower.
From there, Mo took me to the arts shuk, through the clothing district and up to King George. On King George, he showed me which bus to take to get me back to the bus station, then I headed back towards Givat Schmuel… my legs and feet a big aching mess. It was a great feeling to be out and about on my own!

retro-post...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0200

Dec.26

Last night my hostess invited me out for another evening of music as a Christmas celebration. Before the performance began, we enjoyed hot cider and a delicious, tapas-style dinner at the nearby Cafe Nimrod, along with some of her friends.

The concert took the form of a piano recital for the very young (21 years old!) and very talented Russian pianist, Daniil Trifonov. He played a number of incredibly challenging solo piano works while displaying perfect technique and ‘freaky’ emotional intensity. As he continued, it seemed to me that he played as if possessed, completely embodying every subtle nuance of each piece.

The program was as follows:

Chopin’s ‘Ballade no. 4 in F minor, Op. 52’
12 Etudes, Op. 10

Intermission

Transcriptions by Liszt
On Songs by Schubert
Fruhlingshlaube, Die forelle, Auf dem Wasser zu Singen, Erlkonig

On Widmung by Schumann
On Etude no. 3, “La campanella” by Paganini
Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz no. 1

Trifonov was also gracious enough to play two encores, which I did not recognize but were nevertheless a pleasure to hear.

-S

retro-post...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:42:24 +0200

Dec.23

My hostess invited me to join her last night for a concert featuring the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and Murray Perahia as the guest pianist. In the few minutes before the concert began, we stealthily moved from the last row to the fifth row from the front. Needless to say, it wasn’t sold out.

It was the third day of Channukah, so the concert began with a small boy singing a traditional holiday song and lighting the candelabra. He had a pure, gorgeous voice which was added to by the audience and the orchestra, who sang/played along.

The theme for the evening was Beethoven and the orchestra began with…

…the ‘Overture to Egmont (Op.84,) before they were joined onstage by Perahia to perform the ‘Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (Op.19.)’ It was a joy to watch Perahia and being so close we could clearly observe his face and intense concentration. Once he sat down at the piano, he immediately lost himself in the music - portraying all the playfulness and seriousness embedded in the concerto.

The final piece was performed by the orchestra sans Perahia (who left the stage after the concerto and encouraged by the audience’s rhythmic clapping, returned six times yet refused to play an encore!) was the beautiful and illustrative ‘Symphony No. 6 (Op. 68, “Pastoral.”)

What a wonderful evening of fine culture and music!

-S

more retro-posts… Dec.20 My Experience at a...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:16:50 +0200

more retro-posts…

Dec.20 My Experience at a Modern/Traditional Jewish Wedding!

Started at the reception, with plenty of food, drink and conversation. The location was a huge indoor/outdoor convention area with a large lounge and canopy/ceremony areas and a huge adjoining banquet hall, complete with two separate dance-floors.
When the reception portion was ended, the groom was escorted by all the men and groomsmen to see the bride who was in the banquet hall having pictures taken, singing and dancing. This is when the groom covers the brides face with a veil and this fellow did a little something extra and played a lovely trumpet solo for her!

After the reception came the wedding ceremony. The bride was lead up the aisle by her mother and the groom’s mother while the band played. Once under the canopy, the bride and the two mothers circled the groom seven times. There was one rabbi who acted as a master of ceremonies and throughout the ceremony seven blessings were given by men (who all also happened to be rabbis) who held special relevance for the couple. The music continued at every pause in the scriptural readings and it was very lively, accompanied by clapping from the crowd.
At the end, the couple drank a glass of wine and then the groom took another glass that had been wrapped in cloth and broke it under his foot.

Following the ceremony, there was a huge banquet in the next room. I think there were a total of 4 or 5 courses, served throughout the evening after breaks for dancing. The ladies danced on the separated dance-floor, dancing around the bride in a circle while singing and yelling exclamations. There were garlands, pompoms and noise makers and everyone had a wonderful time.
On the main dance floor, the men also danced in a circle around the groom and sometimes broke off for solo dance moves. The groom and his father were lifted up on chairs and carried around the floor. At point point, the groom was seated and men came up and performed feats of strength and did silly things to amuse him.
Both the bride and groom were brought water and fanned constantly, as they had fasted all day and were understandably exhausted.

Along came more food! Everything was quite good and since the Israeli beer provided was so tasty, I indulged myself and had a couple! Then we had dessert and coffee and the dancing continued. The pace slowed down a bit, so the circle dances just slowed their speed. Once or twice I thought I heard Hebrew covers of epic eighties ballads but otherwise the male band was very good.

Before we left there was a final blessing where the heads of all the families were invited to come sit at a table and bless the new couple. We thanked the bride’s parents, said final goodbyes to everyone left and were home shortly after midnight.

It was a very interesting experience and something I will surely remember for the rest of my life. I hope the new couple enjoy a long and happy future together!

-S

more retro-posts...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0200

Dec.14

My hostess took me into Tel-Aviv to go concert-hopping! First we went to the Tel Aviv University campus to hear a piano-viola recital. The two instruments created a beautiful sound - the piano very poetic and unobtrusive and the viola very warm and full-bodied, yet quite agile. The highlights were a couple very creative ‘caprices,’ written by the violist that I found interesting and modern, using uncommon scales and creating an eerie sound.

Next we jumped on a bus and headed downtown to Cafe Bialik……to hear the original songs of a young woman named Omer. She was very composed and elegant for someone performing in public for the first time! Of course I couldn’t understand the lyrics but her phrasing and inflections were enough to give me a vague idea of her subject matter. Most impressive were the accompanying band. There were a two guys; one playing guitar and piano and the other on flute, sax and oboe. The music was really wonderful, the room was packed and the ambiance in the cafe was very comfortable (they also served a delicious lentil soup - YUM!)

After the show, we walked around the downtown and into the older neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv. It was quite late and almost deserted. We passed a few sad and unnerving characters but were mostly left alone. At one point we were stopped by a very morose man, who talked the ear off my hostess telling her about his tragic history of surviving a terrorist attack at a military base, then after discharge was left with psychological stress and no means of supporting himself and his sick mother. Sob story or awful truth? Hard to say for sure but judging from his voice and mannerisms (since I was unable to understand, I observed) I felt that he was telling the truth.

Before we knew it, it was 1:30am so we hailed a cab and were home, sleeping in no time (thanks to my generous hosts.)

-S

Retro-post from Dec. 6th, visit to Ceasarea ruins, north of Tel...

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:26:01 +0200

view from inside Roman theatre

detail of Roman capitol

ruins of Herod's 'reef palace'

detail of mosaic floor

Retro-post from Dec. 6th, visit to Ceasarea ruins, north of Tel Aviv

The ancient Roman port city of Ceasarea, hugging the Mediterranean coastline, was built as an exclusive community for the rich and noble by Herod the Great in 25-13 BCE (wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea.) It survived for centuries, was even fortified by Louis IX in 1251 and eventually fell to ruin at the hands of invading Egyptian baibars. Around 1884, the area was resettled by Muslim immigrants and in 1940, a kibbutz was established nearby.

Now there is a beautiful community of residential homes that we toured in passing, filled with sprawling houses and exotic gardens. In fact, the current prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu keeps a personal property somewhere in Ceasarea.

Overall, it was a wonderful, sunny day filled with interesting and informative sights. Touring with a student of art history (my teacher, Rosie) was an additional treat, considering that I wouldn’t know a sarcophagus from a hole in the ground!

(More photos on my FB page)

nickoftime: perspective

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:39:20 +0200

nickoftime:

perspective

ONE FORTY PLUS: If you want to be truly intimidating, If you want to make an...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:42:55 +0200

ONE FORTY PLUS: If you want to be truly intimidating, If you want to make an...:

jhnmyr:

If you want to be truly intimidating,

If you want to make an impact,

If you want to have strong connections with others

just be sincere.

Sarcasm is not an attitude, and it’s not a personality trait. It’s a style of rhetoric meant to be used occasionally to highlight a larger point. Saying…