Down Time...

WOW!

It surmises all I can say from the past several weeks. Well, several weeks is an understatement(!)... since the early part of the year was more like it! I just looked back and re-examined my calendar from the early part of the year, and I just realized I hadn't stopped working heavily since March! Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed (and eternally grateful) the work, and I can tell ya... it was one hell of a ride!! Wouldn't trade it for anything else!

However, for the next two weeks, I'm taking a break. I won't be working. No gigs. Nada. And in all honesty, two weeks isn't much of a break, but it'll do for now, anyway.

Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop playing. In fact, if anything, I'd like to be playing more... practicing my horn, and learning tunes, and learning solos! REALLY practicing. One of the side hazard of working so much is that it somehow took out a lot of my practicing time. At least, with some of the stuff I was doing, it did. But at least I was still playing a fair bit, so in a way, it's still practice (in a slightly different way) as well. I only worry about sounding a bit too repetitious at times. And when it comes to saxophone TONE, that's also one of the things I'm still always working on, but don't get to, as much as I would have wanted.

Also, two weeks may also mean having to run more now, and get back into cycling gradually, as well as swimming! I've been dying to train again! There's the Putrajaya Marathon coming up, I could do the half. And there's the Mizuno Run, Terry Fox run, and then some! I fell short of my goal to do a duathlon this year. Running took a real backstep the last several months, and it shows, too!

But nevertheless, the last few months have been nothing short of exhilirating - not just in terms of gigs, but the things I've learnt and experienced, as well. From the opening of the Top Room and playing lots of gigs there (with my own groups and others), the whole month of March doing M! The Opera, meeting and watching Branford Marsalis at the Phil (that was a musical life-changing experience for me!), getting more serious with the Hardbop Band and David Gomes' own sextet, doing several World Tour concerts with one of the most prolific Taiwanese pop composers and working with Malaysian musicians nonetheless, even to the most recent David Gomes Sextet at the KL Music Fest @ Istana Budaya concert, and KL Hardbop Band concert at the KLPac.

Then of course, there's also some of the stress-related issues that comes with working so much, whether from the work itself or having to deal with certain work issues (which I will not get into in detail). The thing about music, is that it's not one profession where you can be emotionally detached from. You can't leave it behind in an office once you go home, like most jobs would. It sticks with you 24/7. Well one COULD choose to be detached, but for most part, it's no different from playing and performing without an ounce of soul. I'm just not like that... I'm not built that way, and I'm certainly not brought up that way. That's why I do what I do, and make the decisions I make. I'm not always right, of course, but for most part, I believe in what I do. The rest is up to faith.. and God. Yeah, I believe in God alright... if not, I don't think I'll be able to do what I do now.

Hmmm.. on a less serious note, I've been thinking of spending a couple of days alone in PD at my aunt's apartment. I'll do nothing but practice, run, cycle, swim, read, eat, and sleep. All this, away from city life, and people! LOL! Some alone-time... despite the fact that I'm still alone (as in unattached) enough already.

See how..

I'm gonna try to enjoy it a little bit. Maybe I might blog a little more, too.

Later.