Dearest MK, my heart goes out to you

Dearest MK

All my fingers and toes are crossed for you. May there be light for you at the end of this tunnel. Stay strong and fight, and may victory be yours.
Lots of love

Elias xxxx

On Travelling Solo

Europe is crawling with people who travel on their own. As I said earlier, Munich was the first time I travelled on my own. And it was brilliant!! When you're on your own, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want and at your own pace. If you get bored, you can easily meet people at the hostel or go on an organised pubcrawl with other travellers. And best of all, there is no group politics. No arguing over where to eat or where to go etc. And because you're "forced" to make friends, you end up meeting interesting people from different parts of the world, which is great, and also useful if you ever decide to visit their part of the world. This definitely boosts your self confidence, in terms of socialising with other people.
And when you're own, you're more likely to open your mind to the local culture than if you're travelling with friends from the same background. You will be more inclined to try new things, even if they're weird.

I'm rambling

München

Diary entry

Before I left Europe, I decided to have a final European holiday. I chose to go to Munich again because of how much I loved it the last time and because I didn't have time to visit a few famous places the last time. It was also the first time I travelled by myself.

So on Day 1, I checked in and went to the Olympia Stadion (Olympic Stadium), which in all honesty, was really boring. It was like going to Bukit Jalil. Empty. But there was some sort of fair going on so I had some beer and sausage!
Then I left promptly to check out BMW Welt. BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), which is why it's such a big thing in Munich. On entering, it looked like a huge state of the art showroom. All the latest models were out on display and you could sit in them. This was of course, like heaven to me. Then, I managed to get a student discount for the BMW museum with my expired card (4 euros instead of 12!). This was just amazing. Many old models were on display, from the very first BMW, to the war vehicles of Nazi Germany to the gimmicky 3-wheeled vehicle.
Then I returned to my hostel and met JunSup (a South Korean guy backpacking across Europe on his own). We decide to go to the bar to hangout, where I meet 2 South Korean girls.

Day 2. Went on the walking tour again, and was reminded of some important history surrounding the Third Reich and Munich itself, and how Bavaria is such a wealthy separatist state. After this, I decided to check out the Residenz and then ventured a bit further to Schloss Nymphenburg. Upon returning, I decided to just chill out in the Englischer Garten, to find some nude sunbathers on the riverbank! Later, went out to dinner with JunSup and SiYoung, another South Korean travelling in Europe in a big beer garden near the hostel.

Day 3. Had breakfast with JunSup and said goodbye. Plan to visit Seoul in the future. I promptly left for the Müller'sches Volksbad, which is a public bath in Munich which was opened in 1901. The architecture was stunning both from the outside and on the inside. Then I went on a tour to Dachau Concentration Camp. It was slightly disappointing because most of the camp was destroyed by the local people after the war (compared to Sachsenhausen in Berlin, which was pretty much the size it was). There, I was told about the atrocities of the Nazies, which I was already very familiar with. Lastly, I visited some eccentric bits in Munich like the Asamkirsche (Asam Church) which was absolutely stunning.
Then I left.

The Mucus is back with a vengeance!

I used to suffer from hayfever all year round in Malaysia!! I remember leading a miserable existence due to constant sniffing and sneezing and due to a constantly blocked nose.
Then of course, I moved to the UK and my problems were gone overnight. But every time I return for a holiday, my problems always start again immediatly after I leave the airport. And of course now, I am constantly sniffing and blowing my nose. And my throat is itchy and I never stop sneezing.

I used to think that this was due to an allergy to dust and cats and dogs. But I was never affected by dust or cats or dogs in the UK. And so I then thought I was allergic to Malaysia. But now, I think it's the grass pollen that's in the air all year round in tropical Malaysia.

I've resorted to wearing this magnetic necklace, which is supposed to cure hayfever. Well pendant, I'm still sneezing!!!
Next step after magnetic pendant: steroid nasal spray

Good luck to me

The last few months in the Kingdom and ramblings

Before I left the UK, I decided to watch as many concerts as possible. I went to 3 Proms concerts which were

1. Britten: Requiem Sinfonietta, Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 and Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
   
2. Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 by the Australian Youth Symphony Orchestra
   
3. Mozart: Der Schauspiel Direktor (Overture), Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1, Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade and Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Of the three, my favourite was undoubtedly the second concert, which completely blew me away! It just amazes me to see young people (under 18s) play music to such a high level. It gives the concert a lot more meaning. That real music still lives in young people in the world. That not only old age pensioners listen to serious classical music. Also, concerts by younger orchestras tend to be more energetic in my opinion. You can feel the excitement just radiating from all the young faces on the stage. It's not everyday that they get to perform in the Royal Albert Hall. It's not everyday that they get to play in the BBC Proms, the biggest classical music festival of the world. And it's not everyday that they get to play for thousands of people. Whereas when I watch professional orchestras (especially where most of the members are quite old), I sense the feeling of boredom on stage. I sense the feeling that for some of the musicians, what they are doing is work. The same routine. It doesn't excite them to perform in the Royal Albert Hall. It's just another big famous hall among the countless others they've played in. Hence, I feel that when a youth orchestra plays in a magnificent hall like the Royal Albert, they are putting in a 110% of effort and concentration. You can feel them immersing themselves in the piece they are playing. You can hear the power of the accents that they play, or of the crescendos and decrescendos. You can hear every detail of the piece being executed with utmost perfection.
This was how perfectly Shostakovich's 10th was played on the night. The sad phrases were played with such sorrow that you can see a look of depression from the faces of the orchestra. You can imagine the suffering of the people of Russia under the tyranny of Stalin. How the freedom to be human was completely stifled and no one trusted anyone. The feeling of terror that lived portrayed with musical iciness. There was nothing to look forward to but death. But as the piece moves on, you start to hear hope. Stalin dies. And finally, the jubilant celebration ensues with relentless power and exaltation. The sheer volume of the piece was staggerring, in fact, deafening. And the return of individuality, marked by the DSCH motives in the last movement.








I was completely and utterly blown away. I was almost reduced to tears by the sheer perfectness of the performance. By the fact that it was performed by an orchestra of under 18s. Wow.

At times like these, I feel very passionate about starting a music programme in Malaysia. What would I do if I was a billionaire? Hmmm.
I would sponsor a nationwide music programme (something like the Simon Bolivar Programme in Venezuela) where schools would be provided with classical instruments and music lessons would be given free. Students would be encouraged to sit ABRSM grades, and their success would be rewarded by membership of State Youth Symphonies, which would regularly perform classical repertoire in concert halls in every state (newly built to the best specifications, of course, with acoustics like the Barbican centre). This would give the Malaysian public more exposure to this form of art, which they are currently severely losing out on. They would also be encouraged to excel in the music programmes (measured by ABRSM grades and acquisition of Diplomas) as it would be recognised by local public universities and would help them for entry into competitive courses. The musicians who do well would also be eligible for scholarships to read music in the best music schools and universities of the world, such as Guildhall, Juilliard, Trinity, Cambridge, The Moscow Convervatory and the St Petersburg Conservatory. The best of the best musicians in the country would be granted membership into the Malaysian Youth Symphony which would hold biannual international tours and perform in the best concert halls in the world.
Job opportunities would also be open to them by the formation of professional Symphony Orchestras in all the major cities.

This would not only enrich Malaysians with music, put also give them the power to express themselves and their culture in the form of music. The knowledge that they acquire can be used to compose pieces that showcase the vibrant culture of Malaysia that can be performed worldwide. Malaysia needs a Tchaikovsky, a Shostakovich, a Mahler, a Sibelius, a Mozart, a Beethoven. These amazing composers have contributed to the world with their timeless pieces and have given their countries such great prominence as a result.

This programme would also be the saviour to all those Malaysians whom the Education System has failed. The Malaysian education system is so out of date and does not encourage creativity at all. It only encourages science, which causes art to be viewed so negatively (viewed as a field for less intelligent people). Hence a lot of people who are artists at heart are forced into fields that they have absolutely no passion for, such a medicine and engineering. They will go on to live their lives thinking about the dream that could've been. And of course, for those who don't try to conform to the system, they will find it extremely hard to succeed in the country and will go overseas in search for better opportunities that suit their talents. Some would end up as rebellious youths who then turn into social delinquents as they give up on the system. Well, this programme would certainly be a godsend for all these Malaysians, and would give art and music the image it truly deserves in this country.

Will this dream of mine come true? I need to be a billionaire first!