on american soil

the purpose of this blog is not to say anything profound.  all that needs to be said is that i am in berkeley writing a blog when i should be sleeping.  boo jetlag!

and about my trombone, i walked onto the plane in taipei with it on my back and nothing was even mentioned about the size.  on top of that, nothing that i brought back from malaysia in my checked bag was broken either.  good work china airlines.

i hope you slept wonderfully!

same same but different

as i sit in the airport in taipei, not only am i accompanied by my backpack, but my trombone as well!

the entire morning had been filled with anxiety over whether my trombone would cause trouble at the ticket counter, first gate, first screening, second screening, or at the gate of the plane. it can almost become a game right? i bet the gamblers out there would go crazy betting on the winning location!

i was told that i might have trouble getting it on the plane at each stop, but was told they would let it slide through. if nothing else, i would have to gate check it. i was very thankful for each step but still anxious over the final stop, the flight attendants. turns out, my horn was treated better than i could have ever imagined. they were concerned that i would sue them if it was damaged while in the cabin, so i signed a waiver and all was well. once i put it in the overhead compartment, they even surrounded it with pillows! needless to say, it is just fine.

the next step is facing the flight attendants here in taipei. we will see!

i board the plane around 2300 and will arrive in san fran 4 hours earlier.

have a wonderful day!

sad departure

just as i wrote about the things that excite me about my return to the states, i would like to spend this time discussing what i am sad to leave.

amazing food; nasi kandar, indian, japanese, vietnamese, and the list goes on. yesterday i mentioned that the spices here cause my stomach to react unfavorably, but that does not mean it isn't worth it. for those that know me well, you might be thinking that i just like that it costs about 3USD for a huge meal. while i really like the prices, that just allows for more frequent indulging.

100PLUS. americans have gatorade. malaysians and singaporeans have something better called 100PLUS.

a view of mountains out my window. i know i will have the view at camp of the woods this summer, but it definitely doesn't exist in new haven or missouri.

amazing thunderstorms almost daily!

32C (90F) and humid. i never thought i would say it, but i love it.

respect and kindness. we all know that doesn't exist in the northeast. well, it doesn't really exist in a lot of the usa, but we sure make it look like it does.

the brass section of the mpo. not only has their great playing been fastastic to work with, but their kindness and welcoming of me into the section for 6 weeks has made my stay comfortable, exciting, and something i won't forget.

a steady paycheck.

a steady job.

monkeys on the golf course.

cheap taxis.

having my bed made, dishes washed, and new towels brought daily.

there is so much i will miss about this place that i can't even begin to put into words at this time. give me a few weeks after my return and i will be able to tell you more.

(the pictures are of me teaching english to a couple girls in cambodia and the boy i mentioned a few posts back that immediately brings a smile to your face. he does doesn't he!)

excited return

with the departure date approaching, i have been thinking what i am excited to return to and what i am sad to leave. today's post will list in no particular order, with occasional discussion, the things that excite me about my return to the states.

i need a steady diet of food that is much less spicy for a couple weeks. my stomach has not been feeling the best as of late, and folks in the orchestra say that it can take a couple months to fully adjust to the different spices.

easy communication with friends and family is something that i took for granted while in the states. i didn't realize how blessed we are to have cell phones and computers, and, really, a three hour time difference is not that inconvenient.

baseball! while at chili's the other day, i was able to watch a game of the world baseball classic, but that is all i have seen. you may think that the season hasn't started yet, but i beg to differ. spring training is in full swing and the world baseball classic is bound exhibit great baseball. there is no doubt that i have daily explored the espn, mlb.com, yahoo, and si.com websites.

auditions!! .....just kidding.

being tan while everybody else is just now breaking free from winter will be a sweet feeling. i won't have to say anything to rub it in!

i can't begin to explain the shock and immediacy of the gag reflex that took place the first time i tried the yogurt at the hotel. thank you, nate tighe, for saying that yogurt is the best thing for you stomach while failing to mention the 'no sugar' bit. yogurt with sugar definitely makes the list of things i am excited to return to.

i just want a properly cooked egg. generally, i am a guy that doesn't mind runnier eggs, but when the whites of the egg aren't cooked i get a little grossed out. also, fried and over-easy are easily confused.

pork pepperoni. well, for that matter, new haven pizza.

watching 24 and the office.

the cherry blossoms in dc.

i can't wait to share all of my experiences with everyone. what i have experienced during my time here has not only shaped me musically through my time with the orchestra but has also shaped me as a person through daily encounters of all types. everything from being given a fried banana by a group of boys in cambodia to thaipusam to joining in worship at church has been something that i wouldn't trade for anything.

calling matt and mom and seeing them in may.

seeing emily the same day i leave kuala lumpur, though 24 hours later.

entertainment

things take place in a third world country that i had never even thought about. among the many things that take place, one of the funnier things that i saw was a man on a motorbike driving through the middle of town with a live pig strapped upside down to the back. first of all, it was strange to see a pig because pigs don't exist much in malaysia. second of all, this pig was strapped down so tight that its legs weren't even moving! all i know is that in a matter of 10 seconds, i heard the most amazing squealing of my life, saw an immobile pig strapped to a motorbike, and witnessed something that nobody else on the street even gave a second thought.

you know how children possess the power to make you smile? it doesn't matter if you have had the worst day ever, but, if you see a young child smile, laugh, bonk his head and look confused, or burp, you can't help but smile. it is just a fact of life. let me tell you something...there isn't a child in america or happy baby youtube clip that has made me smile as much as the children in cambodia. i was just walking around angkor thom when out of nowhere a little boy was running straight at me wide-eyed while smiling so big his mouth was open and his tongue was hanging out. i just wanted to grab him and do a few airplanes, but his brothers and sisters were sitting on a wagon 20 ft away. his powers were being used, and we were smiling like crazy. because we didn't know what else to do, we walked on towards some remote ruins. we made it only about 50 ft before he ran at us again, this time not stopping until he got to us. mr. cutie was barely old enough to speak cambodian and definitely didn't know english, but he knew the universal sign for piggy back ride. i pointed to my back and lowered myself. he climbed on, and we were off, both of us smiling all the way!

as a tourist in cambodia, i was approached by easily 100 women and children trying to sell me souvenirs or food. some of them were successful and many weren't, but the items they were selling never ceased to intrigue me. it didn't matter if i had seen the same bamboo flute 50 times, i wanted to buy another. the thing, though, that caught my eye almost more than anything was a printing on a shirt that was at every tshirt stand. the printing had the words "same same" on the front and "but different" on the back. everytime i saw that shirt i would look at sam and ask, "what could that mean?" finally, while walking through a market on wednesday, i asked a young gal what it meant. she just looked at me like i was crazy until she realized i was serious. at that point she began to laugh with her friend. i asked again, "we see that shirt everywhere, but what does it mean?" she knew plenty of english to carry on a conversation, but all she could do was laugh. thinking at this point that it can't mean something politically, which we had considered as a possible meaning, she just said, "joke. it's a joke." could we have possibly been that dumb? sure enough, we had overthought a joke, a joke that i still don't get.

mike, sam, and i decided to get a massage on wednesday night. we nearly felt obligated because the most expensive hour-long massage is a mere 7USD. the conversation during the hour was quite amazing, and, along the way, the girls started calling mike "michael jackson." then, trying to simplify english, mike, meaning to say that he enjoyed talking with the children selling things at the temples, said "i like little children."

have a great day!

catch up blog

it has been a good while since i have blogged, and, though i would love to tell you all about everything, too much has happened to fit it all in one blog. the purpose of this is to simply catch you up all that i have done and "let you know i am alive and well."

i had a weekend of great concerts last saturday and sunday. sergio tiempo definitely proved himself to be a very fine pianist.

after a great concert on sunday, a trip to chili's was in order where a lot of chips and salsa were consumed. i was also asked to go on a 3 day trip to cambodia with sam and mike.

monday was spent practicing, exchanging money, and packing for a trip to cambodia.

tuesday morning, we flew for two hours northeast to lose an hour and arrive in siem reap just one hour later, 8am. upon exiting the amazing airport, we were greeted by our cab driver and complete poverty. if the government is trying to give the impression of wealth by the airport, just one step outside of the airport shoots it down. as a tourist, we were sure to check out angkor wat and angkor thom. seeing those sights more than took up the day.

the following day, wednesday, was largely spent walking around siem reap.

what needed to happen happened on thursday: i practiced my trombone. buzzing on the mouthpiece is a good thing to do, but it does not substitute for at least 4 hours of playing.

friday, the low brass got together at 2pm to play for a while before grilling. i like burgers and tossing a frisbee.

all of that brings us to today, saturday. richard kaufman is conducting the mpo pops concerts both this weekend and next. i love the movie "hook," and we are playing music from it. i don't think i could be happier than i am while playing that piece.


because i care so much about you all, i will blog tomorrow! and since the last few blogs have been serious or boring, i will write a blog filled with only funny stories...or at least things i find entertaining.

(the top photo is from the south side of bayon. the photo of the school girls was taken while on our tuk-tuk ride wednesday evening.)


have a fantastic day!

hope

5 experiences since my last post have prompted me to constant thinking on hope.

i haven't mentioned much about the large amount of reading that i have been doing since i have been here, but, as proof, i finished david wilkerson's "the cross and the switchblade" in a mere 40 hours. being quite sick and mostly inactive provided me just the opportunity i wanted to immerse myself in the lives of the boys and girls wilkerson encountered in nyc gangs. the book is about his "crusade...into the streets and slums of ny to preach the gospel of redemption..." (back cover) what a heartwrenching book to see how the lives of the children were changed. they were given hope in a world where their idea of hope was in brotherhood, drugs, and sex. the herion addictions were real, but the new life was real too. hope was given.

all the while i was reading that book, i had been doing reading in mark's gospel paying close attention to who, how, and why Christ loved the people He did. in mark 9 and 10 alone, i read about a demon possessed child, rich young ruler, blind man, and children all being shown love and hope. Jesus knew whether or not they were going to receive it, yet He still loved them. i want to share that love. i want to share that hope.

my old pastor, pastor tom, once said that he wouldn't be comfortable going to a church that wasn't multiethnic. to be honest with you, i had trouble with that statement. i had, after all, grown up in an all-white country church in rural missouri and, as far as i was concerned, i had turned out just fine. as i gave it more thought, though, my trouble with the statement went away. while at eastman, i was active at a korean church with other white, black, korean, chinese, and japanese people, and there was something to that time that made it very special; seeing that Jesus' love had no boundries. i was a white country boy who taught sunday school with a korean ex-gang member, but we were both shown and were showing Jesus' love. what i came to understand is that pastor tom didn't mean just multiethnic but instead meant multi-professioned, multi-classed, multi-educated, multi-aged, and multi-personalited just to name a few. what i have continued to experience after leaving rochester are, thankfully, more of the same. new haven has been wonderful. what i experienced on sunday, though, brought me joy that i couldn't hide and even now makes me nearly jump for joy as i begin to replay it in my mind. i attended sunday school and a service at st. andrew's presbyterian church, international church of kuala lumpur. initially i was nervous not knowing anyone, but was immediately welcomed by a chinese man and a couple 7 yr old malay girls. after i found the room at which we would study colossians 1, i was welcomed not only by the smiles and handshakes but by biblically sound discussions of Christ, our sinfullness, and the redemptive plan through Him which brings limitless thankfulness. while that alone is enough to make me smile until tomorrow, the service is where i was nearly brought to tears. it began with my seat between an irish lady, shirley, who's husband works for exxon and a malay man, definitely can't pronounce let alone remember his name, with his wife and two incredibly cute daughters in front of us. this old building that you would have thought was built in england in a beautiful green field before being delivered to kuala lumpur was completely packed with men, women, and children from all areas of the world. during singing, a single pew had chinese men lifting hands, malay girls with eyes closed, african men dancing while wearing traditional african clothes, and an american man with one hand raised and his other arm around his wife. the service was directed by an indian woman with the sermon preached by a man from new zealand. there is hope for a world where men, women, and childern of all nations can worship freely together regardless of anything. that is hope and love expressed freely. if only malaysia were a nation where men and women of muslim descent were allowed to leave that religion freely. i was denied prompt taxi service to the church and was mocked while holding a bible on the walk back to my hotel, but that isn't a cause for anger. it is a cause for sadness and a prompt to love.

just two nights later i was invited to celebrate a fellow orchestra member's birthday. after an amazing meal at a vegetarian indian place in little india, we walked through a part of town that showed me the two extremes of kuala lumpur juxtaposed on opposite sides of the street. on one side of the street there were amazing restaurants and bars while the other was the slums. i have lived in rochester and new haven and visited nyc, san fran, dc, macao, tokyo, taipei and many other large cities but never had i experienced the two extremes literally on the same street. it was simply a case of a wealthy contractor buying one side of the street. i didn't see anyone on the slum side of the street since it was night, but i would guess that in their eyes, looking at the wealthy side of the street, would either be a bit of hope for some wealth or a bit of fear that they would soon lose their homes to yet another hopeful contractor trying to make some more bucks.

the fifth experience occured just last night, and it was the viewing of "slumdog millionaire." if you know anything about the movie you can definitely see why i have lumped this experience into this blog. i am not going to provide commentary because it won 8 oscars and plenty of movie critics could do a much better job, but i will say that my viewing wasn't a happy ending. instead, i was left prompted to constant thinking on hope.

shopping, swimming, sunburn, and sickness

after six days without an update on life in malaysia, i am sure you are very eager to read this blog. actually, i just hope this update will provide you with sufficient enjoyment proportional to your level of eagerness. with that being said, here it goes!

my last post was a mere two hours before i was able to meet emily at the airport, and this post is a mere two hours after leaving her at the airport. it goes without saying that the last post was filled with excitement. i have to say though, that dispite your possible assumption, this post is filled with excitement as well. it was really hard to say goodbye, but now i get to look back on six amazing days and share them with you.

shopping in malaysia is so much fun. as a man that generally arrives at a mall and leaves within 15 minutes, my time in malaysia has proven to be quite the opposite. the time with emily was just the same. though just one purchase was made, over two hours were spent between our time at the central market and feasting on indian food. following that time, as well as a visit to independence square, we walked back to klcc. this 25 minute walk proved that swollen feet don't fare well in sandles that aren't frequently worn. a rather large blister formed on emily's left foot, but she was quite the trooper then and the remainder of the trip. the only time complaints were made were when the sticky part of the band-aid moved over the actual blister. that seems like a cause for complaint to me.

the following day was amazing! travel in malaysia is amazingly cheep which made it possible for a three day trip to langkawi. arriving at the airport was exciting. airasia was the airline of choice and all of the gates to check in were quite long. getting nervous, i happened to notice a bored counter worker with nobody in line. looking above her head was a sign that read "check-in: langkawi." we got our tickets, ate a tasty mcdonald's biscut sandwich, attempted to drink scaldingly hot tea, and went to board the plane. what i experienced next is something i will not soon forget. i used that phrase in my blog discussion of thaipusam, but this is quite a different memory. i always knew emily loved to travel, but to see her jet-lagged self express the excitement and thankfulness for my making this trip possible brought me so much joy. flying over acres upon acres of palm trees, amaing rainforest covered mountains, and the ocean was one thing, but to fly over at least 25 islands and the beach that we would later explore and relax upon was quite another.

we were quite unsure what to do once we arrived, but we knew to exchange some money and head to the beach! after our 20 minute taxi ride, we checked out the beach, grabbed some amazing fruit and indian breakfast to be washed down with pineapple juice, and wandered down to a hole in the wall travel agency. we decided not to rent a car that was offered to us for 70RM for a day's use without our possession of a driver's licence (we both forgot them in kuala lumpur), but we settled on a four hour boat ride that would take us through all of the islands we had just flown over and drop us off to explore and relax on three islands. this proved to be a really wonderful decision. the first island was exciting from the first minute. as soon as we got off the dock, a monkey had alread grabbed a grocery bag from a lady and was having its way with the contents. the island suprisingly had a fresh water lake in it where we rented a paddle boat for half an hour. the quality of the boat was not great as was evidencied by our 15 minute non-stop paddling that only moved us a few hundred yards, but exercise was good and it brought great laughs. another island we visited had the most amazing beach i had ever seen being nothing short of a perfect postcard beach. getting back to our original destination around 6:30, we had just enough time to eat an indian supper in air conditioning before watching the the beautiful sunset. it was a perfect day i didn't think could be any better.

the following day was more than enough to prove me wrong. we spent the day simply enjoying pentai cenang. this is the amazing beach where we watched the sunset the night before. i had always thought that chilling on a beach all day was a waste of time and there was so much more to see, but i couldn't have been farther from the truth on february 18th. emily and i spent the day applying sunscreen, talking, applying sunscreen, swimming, applying sunscreen, talking...i think you get the routine. the only time there was a break was when i went to get us more water or we left for a meal. oh and speaking of a meal, the red tomato cafe in langkawi is amazing! we got a few pineapple juices, mango lassi, and two plates of a mix of scrambled eggs, potatoes, the most ridiculous bacon ever, cheese, sprouts, onions, and so on, with a homemade roll on the side. it sounds basic and you may be thinking that i was just really needing an american meal, but that is just not true. it was amazing! to top it off, the cafe had free wifi, so emily and i were able to email our parents. that was cool.

our last morning, thursday, before heading back to kuala lumpur was when we were able to ride langkawi's cable car. riding this was our priority while we were there, but it was closed for maintenance tuesday and wednesday. the view of the entire island as well as the islands surrounding langkawi are quite unique. it was quite a treat to get our sunburnt bodies to the top of the mountain for the amazing view it provided. being a wee bit afraid of heights, walking across the bridge was definitely the hardest part of the trip, but i couldn't get that high and not see the view from the bridge. unfortunately our trip was cut short because of our need to get to the airport, but it was a trip very well worth while.

the rest of that day, i was getting sick and we were both pretty exhausted so we ate at chilli's in the petronas towers mall and watched "the music man."

friday i was definitely sick, so we lounged around. it seems like a lame way to end the trip, but it turned out to be a really great day. we caught up on "24" and watched "rocky."

emily left today at 10am.

the final countdown

after a sweet crazy 3 days of rehearsals and concerts i get to see my lady. sweet.

just 2 hours.

quickly about the concerts, it was amazing. we played 4 concerts of "night on bald mountain and pictures at an exhibition." not all of them were flawless, but there was an energy that was amazing. i say that they were not flawless, but that does not mean that they were bad. the orchestra is really good and has an amazing brass section that is a blast to play with. john dante sounded like a beast.

one more quick thing about the concerts. the idea behind this concert was to involve local schools in the performance. this was done by having students create visual art through drawing and painting of the different movements of "pictures at an exhibition" that would be on display in the lobby at the performance hall. not only was that done, but the art was copied to be projected on a large screen behind the orchestra while we were playing. in a sense, the audience was taken on a walk through the art students' exhibition. neat concept that was well received.

alright, time to pick up emily! have a wonderful day!

humility

wouldn't you think that after haggling prices with folks just a mere 27 hours ago that i would understand that having 50 ringgits is not the same as 50usd?

after a mediocre practice session, that gave me the opportunity to almost finish "from ghetto to glory: the story of bob gibson" during a break, i decided it was time to buy some food to save some money. that reason but also to have something in the cabinets for a late night snack. i meandered to the first floor of the mall where there is a small grocery store that is a bit overpriced but convenient to find just the items i was looking for; pasta, pasta sauce, bread, pb, j, honey, and, of course, chocolate cookies.

waiting patiently in line, i began to wonder the cost for all of these items. sure enough, i was way over the amount i had in my pocket on the only evening i didn't have a credit card. also, as i am sure you would have guessed, the items i came away with did not only exclude chocolate but also excluded any two items that would make a meal. the bag contained pasta sauce, pb, j, and honey. awesome...

to finish of the humbling evening, i tripped right in front of folks and forgot that cars drive on the opposite sides of the road than they do in america. about the cars, though, tonight wasn't the first bit of confusion. i have almost been hit by a motorbike more times that i can count simply because i can't remember which direction they come from.

just a couple more notes about my day and i will let you go on your merry way!

i woke up. i warmed up. i played quintets (4 trombones and a tuba) and worked through "night on bald mountain" and "pictures at an exhibition" with the section for this weekend's concerts. what a treat! playing is wonderful, but playing with really great players and musicians is always such a joy. the meal today was vietnameese pan, a bowl of chicken, veggies, crushed peanuts, and noodles that had a sauce to pour over it all. to wash it all down was a glass of watermelon juice. i then came back to chat with the lovely emily just before she went to bed. what happened next is pretty chill. i finished hoosiers, watched the recent episode of 24, read, tried to sleep but failed, and left to go practice, which brings us full circle to the beginning of this blog.

fyi. emily will be stepping on malaysian soil in about 3 days and 14 hours. i believe that explains my listening to michael bublé's "everything," being cheesy, and almost being hit by motorbikes more regularly lately.

have a wonderful day!

visit to the old british stomping ground

i have had a couple really awesome days here in ol' KL.

yesterday i met up with the principal trombonist, kevin thompson, who is a wonderful man and musician. we met up just before 11 and played duets for a while. and for you trombonists out there, the david uber duets require lots of clef and meter changing. to say the least, i struggled.

after that experience, we headed out to the old british stomping ground, merdeka square which used to be used as a cricket field. today merdeka square, also called independence square, marks the spot where the 100 meter flagpole raised the malaysia flag on aug. 31, 1957 in independence from british rule. the picture is of the park and gives you just a taste of the british influence on the architecture surrounding the park.

as we walked to central market, kevin was sure to point out a beautiful mosque. most mosques around KL are quite large, but masjid jamek, the oldest mosque in malaysia (100yrs old), is quite unique with smaller rooms/buildings within the fenced area.

central market was sure to be a thrill, but not before we stopped to get indian food! man, i love indian food. we ate like kings! garlic naan, fish curry, tandoori chicken, two rice dishes (can't think of the name), chicken soup, and four glasses of iced lemon tea only brought the tab up to 24 ringgits. (www.xe.com for currency conversion) we began walking off our meal at the central market where there are more deals than you can shake a stick at! what a blast.

i then returned back to practice some more before heading back to the room to experience an amazing thunder and lightning storm.

TODAY was awesome as well. after a morning of eating, warming up, and skype-ing, i went to practice for a while. marquez and johan, the other two trombonists were there and we decided to play trios. practicing is so much more enjoyable when it is playing with others!

after a fun filled hour or so of trios, i made my way back to central market to buy a few things. the trip was quite successful as i made a purchase for myself and a couple for my valentine. (cheesy i know, but whatever...it is almost valentines day like it or not...and fyi, i think it is overrated. show her you love her on a day you don't have to. that is more special)

i used haggling techniques such as 'the walk away,' 'really?,' and 'i am sure i can get it cheaper elsewhere' to save myself 26 ringgits.

good times.

random tidbits and thaipusam (graphic pictures)

as i begin this blog, i would like to say that you should view the pictures and videos AFTER reading the blog.

and now that i have peaked your curiosity, i will tell you a few off topic and general things about my life and activities since i have been here.

i bought a sim card for a borrowed cell phone. in case you are wondering, unless you are mom, matt, or emily, you may not have the number. it costs a pretty penny, or should i say sen, to call the states.
i drink about 4-5 nalgenes of water a day.
my dress code is generally khakis and a button down shirt with the top two buttons open to flash the chest hair. well, that isn't really the reason (it is just wicked hot), but it is fun knowing that as i walk through the mall on my way to rehearsal that i am showing more chest hair through the top of my shirt than most of the guys in the mall have on their entire chest.
i have found that it is quite easy to get things done and find things if i ask the right people.
my room key card doesn't read well in the elevator to take me to my floor so sometimes i just ride on it for a while and see where it opens next.
the pool is a salt water pool which freaked me out when i jumped in.
i started hoosiers 4 days ago and still haven't finished.
i can't watch the office or 24 online because i am not in the states.

that is enough randomness for today. now on to what you have been prepped for.

for the past 3 days, including today, a hindu festival called thaipusam has been going on at the batu caves just norteast of kuala lumpur. i strongly urge you to take a minute to wikipedia search the thaipusam festival and google image search the batu caves. this will give you a much greater appreciation for what i experienced. i had heard from folks that i should go to the batu caves if there is any opportunity. we had an afternoon concert yesterday and the bass trombonist offered me a ride to the celebrations. after accepting his offer, johan's advise was to "wear shorts and bring a water bottle, camera, and open mind." sound advise since it was very humid, about 85 deg.F., and even hotter once surround by multiple 100,000's of people. all in all, about 1mil people will attend the celebration at the batu caves, the most attended of all hindu temples in the world. not only was his advise about the temperature acurate but also to bring a camera and an open mind because what i was about to experience was more overwhelming that i had expected.

among the things experienced were clothing and food shops, stalls for shaving heads, tourists, hindu families, the world's tallest statue, disregard for the enormity of significance in the hindu faith, ignorance of the enormity of signifance in the hindu faith, dedication, and reverence. the actions of some of the men were so overwhelming that i was unable to look in some instances and couldn't take my eyes off in others. the look in the eyes of some of the men showed determination that i have rarely seen. i only have pictures of the backs of these men, but what i saw in their eyes will not leave me soon.

as i was making my way through the crowd to gain a front-of-the-line view of this procession to the stairs, up them, and into the temple, my senses were on overdrive. the touch of pushing, shoving, and perspiration; the smell of food, body odor, and smoke; the sounds of music, cheers, and groans; and the sights of the masses, dedication and fear. had i been by myself, it would have been more than i could handle.

we finally arrived at the base of the steps where loads of shoes were left behind both by the dedicated and by accidental loss. as we made our way up the steps there was never a moment that a hand was not on our backs pressing us closer to the entrance of the cave. the only moments i would stop were to allow familes to pass who were making their way to the top with their jars of offering on their heads. women were weak from fasting and were literally crawling up the stairs while others held the jars on the heads of the weak.

once in the cave, bats were flying around and trash was everywhere. how americans think of worship in churches, cathedrals, mosques, or other temples is quite different than what was seen here. statues of gods were colorfully located in various places throughout the large opening in the mountainside. it was not clean or quiet, yet, for the dedicated hindu, it was sacrifice and worship.

my prayer as i left for the celebration was that i would gain a greater respect for the hindu and that i would be strengthened in my faith. i say that i was desiring a greater respect for the hindu because wether or not i believe anything about hinduism, there are reasons they believe so passionately what they believe and reasons for me to love them. i saw passion and dedication that exceeds far beyond many folks' passion and dedication for anything outside of money, sex, or fame.

just some thoughts. take it as you will.

second day of rehearsal

what a beautiful city.

rehearsals are going really well. lutoslawski's 3rd symphony can be a pain at times sitting through rehearsals as a trombonist because of the large blocks of rests, but i have got to tell you that i am loving it. for one, it is great music, but, mainly, i am playing in a really great section in a really great orchestra. i have been told by folks in the orchestra that lutoslawski's and symanowski's music don't bring out the best in this orchestra, suprise suprise, but they still play with an energy and love for music and playing that i don't see in all that many orchestras.

my schedule is pretty light which will give me an opportunity to see much more of malaysia than just the park in front of the towers (which are pretty amazing, huh?) it also gives me a lot of time on the horn.

i have touched on the music.

it is humid as crap!

and now to the meals. first day was a club sandwich (i wanted my stomach to have something familiar because i hadn't eaten more than scrambled eggs and a cookie for 24 hours). second day i had the breakfast buffet, chicken teriyocki and miso soup for lunch, and garlic naan, chicken tikka with fresh squeezed orange juice for supper. i love indian food!!! today was breakfast buffet (it is free so why would i have anything else?), nuts and reeses hearts for lunch (something that required soldering and a lot of work needed to be fixed for electricity in my room to work again. i needed to be here and all i had in my room were reeses hearts and nuts), and cheese naan, chicken tikka, and fresh squeezed orange juice for supper (you will be seeing a lot of that. the restaurant is 2 min away and the entire meal costs just 19 ringgets) amazing.

that's all.

view

here are a couple pictures from my hotel room from this morning.

and about the trombone. i decided not to comment on it last night because i wasn't the happiest man in the world. truth is, it is amazing that the entire horn isn't destroyed. 3 of the 4 latches were opened upon arriving on the baggage claim belt. there is a crease on the bell about 3-4 inches long. not that bad, but still stinkin lame. i was compensated around 95USD. so, there it is.

just had rehearsal. it was sweet. what a beautiful hall too! pretty nuts that the concert hall is connected to a 6 story shopping mall and two stinkin tall towers.

i will have more pictures tomorrow.

kuala lumpur

i finally arrived at my hotel at 3:30pm, chilled a bit, slept for a few hours, walked to where rehearsal will be tomorrow and ate.

tired. holy cow i am tired.

night.

taipei

just landed in taipei and thought i would check to see if there was free wireless. sweet.

so, the first leg of the trip turned out to be exciting. turns out that china airlines has no consideration for musical instruments. after a 20 min discussion, they decided that they would gate check my trombone and then i could pick it up in taipei. then they told me the most frightening thing i could hear as a trombonist; "at least yours is a somewhat hard case. we have definitely had to put trombones in soft cases below the plane."

i arrived ready to pick up my trombone only to find that they have decided to ship it on to kuala lumpur without notifying me. let's just hope it comes out ok on the other side.

besides that, it was a great flight. i drank a ton of water, watched a movie (the one about ford getting sued, don't know what it is called), and listened to a bunch of music. all of that happened after i slept the first 8 hours of the flight. it was amazing. i put the blanket over my head and when i woke up i was so confused. someone was tapping my shoulder and i didn't know that the blanket was over my head so, needless to say, i looked a bit ridiculous.

more to come later.

pre-trip post

for those of you that don't know, i am hopping on a plane for malaysia (with a 2 hour stop in taipei, tw) in about 10 hours. i was asked, after an audition, by the malaysian philharmonic to join and play with the orchestra for 6 weeks. the time spent there will serve as my trial period, and, during that time, i will be performing various works such as lutoslawski's 3rd symphony, pictures at an exhibition, night on bald mountain, rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony, theme music to the natural, the godfather, ben hur, et, and much more as the sub-principal trombonist.

many things will happen during this trip that i would like to share with you all individually, but, because of the time difference, cost in calling, and lack of time to contact you all seperately, i have decided to create a blog. at this point i forsee having internet access in my hotel room, and, if that is the case, i will probably update the blog several times a week with stories, thoughts, and photos.

please keep me in your prayers and thoughts as i consider, along with the orchestra, if it would be best for me be with the orchestra beyond my trial period. also, that i would enjoy the beautiful creation and people that i will be surrounded by in malaysia (and hopefully singapore and a couple other countries!).

enjoy!