Marin Alsop

This week, Marin Alsop was conducting at the Tonhalle. It is the restart of the concerts after the seemingly barren April month....

It was so great to listen to something that was not Mozart and definitely more challenging. On the program were Willians, Sibelius(violin concerto with Viktoria Mullavo), and Dvorak's 7th.

Conducting for Williams and Sibelius were very well controlled, well paced. Each bated note entered with close perfection. It was challenging for the violin, viola and cello, with a 3 voice fugue coming into play for the Williams...

Communication with the orchestra, as well as with muullaloolocve was great. My prefered team for the orchestra was playing,... definitely increasing the pleasure.

What was impressive was the dvorak's... Conducting was done without the score, but with such fury and such coaxing and command. Although I think she almost forgot herself and was almost grunting to the piece, it was forgivable.

So more to this lady, she is really shy, the orchestra had to force her to take her applause... I think she only wants to conduct. Currently it sseems she is facing problems with the Balitmore Sym (Balitmore:??) but, so which conductor doesn't ....

The only drawback was, conducting was good, somehow the captivation didnt linger for too much... Which was confirmed by the NZZ commentary on the piece. well conducted, which is a virtue on its own...

Manners

Something to share.

A good fren just recently reminded me of the importance of manners and the role it plays in our daily lives. Think about it -- As long as you have to communicate with someone else, manners is involved. It is such an important part of society, yet it is rarely recognised, or taught properly. No doubt we've all been told to be respectful to our elders, to greet pp when you meet them, to say "please" and "thank-you" since the childhood years but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Manners -- Good manners, go far deeper than that. Good manners involves empathy and most importantly, self control, especially emotionally.

In general, very few people wake up in a good mood every single day of their live, so what suffers is their manners. And if someone gives you attitude, pisses you off -- you're likely to pass that anger on to the next person you meet, hence the viscious cycle.

Good manners disappears quickly in times of stress, emergencies, despair, grief or fear. In the work environment, when pp are often pushed past their comfort zones, or made to work long hours constantly without the feeling of satisfaction or having accomplished anything -- bad manners sets in. Gone is any consideration for others -- the general feel would be "why should i bother".... "i dun care"... "it's not my problem"... OR "i want it done NOW"... "why are you so useless!!".. etc.

Does stress or grief give a person the excuse to behave badly?

Of course not. People will tolerate it to a certain extent because they sympathise with the unfortunate situation -- but it's still not right. Being stressed out or feeling like your whole life is shit still doesn't give a person the excuse to take it out on another innocent party. You are still expected to be civil to the pp around you. They are human beings too -- and have every right to be treated as such.

Good manners involves more than just being courteous. It ivolves a recognition that everyone is valuable in their own way and should be treated as such, not just stepped upon in convenience or anger, or just 'cos they won't/can't retaliate.

The importance of having Good manners just isn't emphasized enuff. It not only reflects a person's upbringing but how much grace a person possess. It is the posture of personality. Ironically, children are the ones with the best manners amoungst us. Firstly, it's because they are usually closely monitored and reprimanded swiftly in our current society. Mostly importantly however, it's because they haven't lost the innocence and the heart to care.

As we get older and experience more things, it comes to a point many times in our lives we'd ask ourselves -- what's the point of all this. What am I living for? What do i want to achieve in my life. A digression, but it plays a great role in what we do daily. How we treat others daily. If we don't even value ourselves, why would we value others? Why would we then bother to be considerate or even empathise with others.

Perhaps this is not so much about manners than human relationships?

Do we ever put others above ourselves, even our loved ones?

I know we do try. We always try, but i do think we rarely succeed no matter how much we say we love someone more than ourselves.

This is something i preach daily to myself -- yet sadly, it doesn't seem to be something i'm even close to achieving yet.

So...

this new fantastic choreo by Nicole - our temp lyrical jazz teacher
plays with this song... by JAMES BLUNT

"Goodbye My Lover"

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?

'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,

Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.

So I took what's mine by eternal right.

Took your soul out into the night.

It may be over but it won't stop there,I am here for you if you'd only care.

You touched my heart you touched my soul.

You changed my life and all my goals.

And love is blind and that I knew when,

My heart was blinded by you.

I've kissed your lips and held your hand.

Shared your dreams and shared your bed.

I know you well, I know your smell.

I've been addicted to you.

[x2]Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer and when i wake,

You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.

And as you move on, remember me,

Remember us and all we used to be

I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.

I've watched you sleeping for a while.

I'd be the father of your child.

I'd spend a lifetime with you.

I know your fears and you know mine.

We've had our doubts but now we're fine,

And I love you, I swear that's true.

I cannot live without you.

[x2]Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.

In mine when I'm asleep.

And I will bare my soul in time,

When I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me.

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.

I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.

I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

And for me...

for me -- i feel this way.

It's a permanent part of my life now & forever.

Rest is the KEYWORD... Damn

Chondromalacia patella is a common cause of kneecap pain or anterior knee pain. Often called "Runner's Knee," this condition often affects young, otherwise healthy athletes.

Chondromalacia is due to an irritation of the undersurface of the kneecap. The undersurface of the kneecap, or patella, is covered with a layer of smooth cartilage. This cartilage normally glides effortlessly across the knee during bending of the joint. However, in some individuals, the kneecap tends to rub against one side of the knee joint, and the cartilage surface become irritated, and knee pain is the result.

Chondromalacia is due to changes of the deepest layers of cartilage, causing blistering of the surface cartilage. The pattern of cartilage damage seen with chondromalacia is distinct from the degeneration seen in arthritis, and the damage from chondromalacia is thought to be capable of repair, unlike that seen with arthritis.

Chondromalacia is interesting in that it often strikes young, otherwise healthy, athletic individuals. Women are more commonly affected with chondromalacia. Exactly why this is the case is unknown, but it is thought to have to do with anatomical differences between men and women, in which women experience increased lateral forces on the patella.

The treatment of chondromalacia remains controversial, but most individuals can undergo effective treatment by resting the knee and adhering to a proper physical therapy program. Allowing the inflammation of chondromalacia to settle is the first step of treatment. Avoiding painful activities that irritate the knee for several weeks, followed by a gradual return to activity is important. In this time, cross-training activities, such as swimming, can allow an athlete to maintain their fitness while resting the knee. The next step in treatment is a physical therapy program that should emphasize strengthening and flexibility of the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication is also helpful to minimize the pain associated with chondromalacia. Treatment with surgery is declining in popularity for two reasons: good outcomes without surgery, and the small number of patients who actually benefit from surgical treatment.

Sometimes chondromalacia is not cured by conservative therapy, and it may be determined that surgery is needed for definitive treatment. By looking into the knee with an arthroscope, the surgeon can assess the damage done to the cartilage. He or she can also assess the mechanics of the joint to ascertain if there is an anatomic misalignment that could be corrected.
One common misalignment is due to abnormal tracking of the patella (tracking is simply the movement of the patella as the knee moves) caused by tight tissue on the outside (lateral) of the kneecap. For this problem, a procedure known as a lateral release can be performed. The lateral release involves cutting the tight lateral ligaments to allow for normal position and tracking of the patella. If this is not sufficient to correct the misalignment there is more extensive surgery that can be performed.

The beautiful women