Composer
Can’t believed that I was not writing here for a while. It is 2019 now already. I wrote for a few weeks, then stopped, feeling funny to post all very personal things on the internet. But now, I looked again, I kind of wished that I recorded more of my life each day, even just for my self. I wrote in a journal sometime, but it seems here I can organized more of my ideas , researches, works, and connect to others more easily.
Maybe I will try it one more time, and see how I feels.
Realized Cartridge Music in our EM History class today. 
I did my on Tuesday, it was fun.
During the class, I just realized that I forgot to turn the reading response for this class… First time late for turning in my assignment. Da. Should have been more careful.
In the class, we talked about Brain Eno’s Ambient music. The story about how he came up the idea of ambient music during his hospital visit is very interesting. reminds me that “the basic decency everyone should have in them”. Some people just don’t have the decency and not respect others.
Be in UO campus all day, helping Fang’s recital setup and other stuff. I was helping her with the projector and also the camera projecting. Very nice to see Fang improved so much since the day I met many years ago.
Just wondering what I will be different 5 years later from now on my professional field.
We had a hot pot leftover from Kungfu Bistro again. Had it last night. After dinner, the girls gave me a surprise gift.. Josephine from Sweet Life! they are so sweet. Celebrating my birthday on and on, forever… : )
Invited families of Ian, Jay and Phil to celebrate Jeff’s birthday. We ordered Thai food and Sushi. It was very nice to have friends over and spending the night together. Kids were playing sword fights, singing, making some show. I missed the show because I was too tired and had to go to bed around 11pm. We bought two cakes from MOC. Pink Champagne, and Triple Berries. We cut the cake , sing happy birthday to Jeff (and me, perhaps). Other mom went outside a lot smoking. At beginning of the party, before Jay’s family arrived, we talked about the movie “Lard of the Ring” and the Hobbies. Not much remembered.
Leslie seemed having worries about her family issue. Not much I can help out. 家家有本難念的經
I hope Jeff enjoyed the party. I wish I could do more for his birthday. I was super tired around 11pm and went to bed then. They seemed staying up till 2am.
In Em history this morning, we realized the Lucier’s composition “I am sitting in a room.” Very interesting to see how this composition was being done originally. Well, not quiet, it was take back then, and now we are using all computer… But still, got the concept!
In MUS 118 class at LCC, we played back some of the assignment 12, mixing project. It was very fun. I had a nice group of students again this term. They are all very easy going, not too serious, I like them a lot.
Did not feel like cooking at all, so we went to hve India food. Everygreen India, moving to a new building. Yummy food and we all had a lot. But also very tired.
MUS 447 had midterm today. Most of the students finished in 20 minutes. That is impressive to me. But not sure if they did well or not. I glanced Quickly on the first listening questions. Many of them leave a lot of blanks… well. We will see.
Spend most of the day working on the Romntic era seminar term paper. Marian (the teacher) does not want us to use or check any information outside the score. It is kind of fun to do some analysis of the music, but not sure if I a, on the right track.
This morning went to Edison to see Jayshing’s Halloween parade. She is cute. It this morning at breakfast, she was acting up, making me feel so not happy….well, now she is laying in bed next to me. She gave me a huge hug when she came home and apologized to me. She is just 8. I should just enjoyed the time with her.
jeff took the girls to tricker treating tonight. I had a late OEDO class and stayed working at UO
Our bunny, churros, ran out his cage two days ago. We can not find him. Jayling was crying in bed earlier, missing him. I feel heart breaking. She must feel so bad as well. Poor churros, I pray someone find him and keeps him well.
still a lot of gradings to catch up…
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Did a Steve Reich’s P Music relaization in the History of EM class.
IT was very fun. Nice to listen to the “Sound of Air” that is what I called.
Tonight was RMS Drama night Jayshing did a great performance, while Jayshing volunteered some of the activities. Enjoyed the kids performance. It is a good age to enjoy the world simply just enjoying it.
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Today at UO, my lab class did not went too well. I was feeling frustrated that students seemed defiant towards my teaching, especially the first lab.. I do not want the class feel I am not on their side. There are a few students that I can tell they are not thinking I am with them. Well. I may have to deal with it next week.
Teaching is not an easy job at all, if you want to do it right. When I have a group of students, I look at them, thinking someday, some of them will take what I show them and move on to their life with it. And that is why I am here. Very simple, but not easy…
Q. What is the relationship between man and the sounds of his environment and what happens when these sounds change?
I always believed that human being should be always tied closely to the environment. What we are in right now, which we called civilizations: skyscraper, manufacturers, mass production, etc, is all just destroying the harmony of universe gradually. The industrial culture and civilization cause us lost our essential ability to live in nature. The degradation of our hearing and body strength is enormous. Centuries ago, human’s hearing was sharp, in order to survive, man needs to be very alert to all sounds. But the advent of machinery quickly take away the nature sound, and push all other species out of their nature habitats. For the time being, it may seems like human is controlling everything. But the truth is, someday, we will loose even more.
When the nature around us starting to disappear, our listening response gets dull as well. Mostly because there are too much “secondary sound” around us, like traffic and machine sounds. I can fell strongly that there is almost not a single moment that I can feel “silent”. Even when I sleep, I hear the sounds coming from the appliances around the house, the sounds coming from the traffic on the road. When I am working, I hear clicking sounds coming from my finger typing the keyboard, the hard drive spinning, sometimes, even the light bulbs hissing.
Q. Is the soundscape of the world an indeterminate composition over which we have no control or are we its composers and performers, responsible for giving it form and beauty?
I think we have some level of control over this “world soundscape composition”, but not totally. For the past 200 year, we used our power, change the world so much: the wars, the industrialization and the invention of all sorts of technologies. we do have the ability and power to shape the soundscape of the world. But what kind of sound we want? There seems to be two distinct groups in the world whose composition ideas are totally opposite.
We are totally responsible for the soundscape of the world, but I also believe that there are an unforeseen force (someone might call it God, and I would call it Mother Nature ) out there, once in a while, joining in the process of composition, bringing dramatic changes (storms, fires, tsunamis…) altering the composition we are writing.
Working crazy today. Home alone. reviewed the listening quiz for next Tuesday’s EM history. Finished two reading journals. Graded LCC EM history Discussion assignment. Prepped LCC EM History Week 4 materials. Did the laundry. (Not fold yet) Cleaned the living room and kids room… Super!
Tomorrow will be another productive day!
Talked to Jayling, Jayshing and Jeff, and Marilyn today. They seemed busy doing things in Chico. Once in a while, I thought of our tenant sending terrible text messages to Jeff, I just got so irritated by his words. I don’t like this guy at all. I want him out of my house!!