where I’m at…

My mind has been racing recently about a whole lot of things. One thing in particular being how my life seems to be at a stand still. I have fallen into the mundane trap of being in a routine. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been one for routine and a sense of organisation but right now all I long for is an adventure! Some sort of release! I feel like I am stressing over nothing right now. I don’t really have much to be stressed about and yet I feel like I am in a slight state of turmoil. Everything inside me seems to be screaming about something unsettled going on…but I don’t really know what that something is or how to make sense of it! I just feel this restlessness in my routine! Yes, I had resigned myself to the fact that I am going to be working in my job for the next year or two. Well one year is down , so I guess the ‘or two’ is coming true! But it seems to be consuming a lot of my time! I have also acquired two more flute students, partly because I don’t be able to say no to people and partly because I thought to myself, well I’m going to be around for at least another year, I may as well share my gifts as best and can and earn some extra money in the process.

I thought I was content. I thought I was happy. But it just seems that since February, when my granny died, nothing seems to matter any more! I feel like I have to be strong for my mum and so I don’t really let my emotional grief out. I have no outlet for that! It was six months ago. I keep thinking that surely I should be feeling some sort of healing. I was for a while, but it all just seems to be catching up with me again! I’m also finding it hard to connect with God. It seems that every time I get close to Him, something, from somewhere, or out of nowhere,  just blocks my way. I don’t even know what. I just feel distracted and disconnected! This scares me for so many reasons. In a weeks time I am going up to the North Coast to be part of a team that are going to be leading a Holiday Bible Club and to be honest I feel in no way equipped – spiritually, emotionally, mentally or physically. I am exhausted and I feel like I am going as a completely broken and lost person right now. But the thing is, I know full well that God uses me in my weakness. As much as I feel disconnected from God, I can still feel His presence and love and reassurance. Which confuses me even more. How can that even be possible? I know God’s love and yet I can’t bring myself to talk to Him. AH!

I’m not so sure if this is even making much sense. My head and heart don’t seem to be making much sense at the minute.

I’m heading down to Greystones tomorrow for a little over night trip to bid farewell to friends I met at the start of June. It will, I’m sure, be bittersweet. I am thankful, though for the friendships I have established. I just pray that they continue, even thought separated by thousands of miles of water and land!

Anyway…for now, to lighten to mood, I will leave you with a little taster of my current favourite musical. It is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, ‘Love Never Dies’.

This is ‘Til I hear you sing once more’ performed by the very amazing Ramin Karimloo

a little excuse to share some beautiful music with ya

Last week, I was on the train back from a little dinner outing in Dublin. I sat back and relaxed and put my ipod on and this piece of music started playing.

Being the musical geek that I am, I couldn’t help but hear the constant movement of the accompaniment underneath beautiful melody played on the Cello and think about my walk though Dublin just a few hours earlier! I was in absolutely no rush, just dandering about, very relaxed, just like the Cello,  while absolutely everyone else around me rushed and pushed to get to their destination. No sense of calm. Not stopping even just for one second.  Just in a hurry constantly dodging about in the need to be somewhere immediately.

just some thoughts…

greensleeves!

a few videos for download :)

My brother has kindly uploaded some videos of my performance…didnt really wanna out them on youtube though…so, if you really really want, you can download them from the links below and have a little look/listen!

Hypnosis

Donizetti

CPE Bach 1

CPE Bach 2

Mad Hatter

and hey, if ya watch them…let me know what ya think!!

greensleeves ;)

ps…my dad recorded these…hence the major close ups that occur!!…mort!

this is it…

Where have the past 3 years gone?!

Tonight…is my last recital! Probably the biggest deal in the whole of my university life! 30 mins (or well…33 mins lol!) of playing the flute and sweating like I’m at the gym, not that Id really know because  I don’t go to the gym, but I imagine a good work out would produce the same amount of perspiration as playing the flute constantly and fairly actively, with the addition of nerves and all the the rest of it thrown in, will!

Nervous?! YESS!!!

Excited?! … getting there?!

looking forward to the relief?? most definitely!!

sad that it’ll be over?! yeah :(

The end of my uni life is very very much in sight! Which is scary but at the same time a little exciting! I’m stepping out into the slightly unknown! Yeah ive got a job in a coffee shop, but that is short term! I want to use my musical gifts! I’m not sure how, but I guess continuing to seek God in everything I do and committing everyting I do to Him will help me to figure out the next steps…

After having just receiving a text message there wishing me all the best for tonight, and reminding me that God’s already there…It made me excited! I’m excited to show off the gifts that God has blessed me with! Thank you God for music!

Anyway…My apologies most sincere go to C.P.E. Bach and Gaetano Donizetti! You did a great job writing your music, a little to good haha… I have to admit, I have had to cut a few passages out of their beautiful compositions to make it slightly more playable and manaegable!! But…isnt everyone entitled to a bit of artistic license!??!

So…heres my programme…

Sonata in B flat for Flute and Piano – CPE Bach
(i) Allegro
(ii) Adagio ma non troppo
(iii) Allegretto

Sonata for Flute and Piano – Donizetti
(i) Largo
(ii) Allegro

Hypnosis – Ian Clarke
The Mad Hatter – Ian Clarke

I do highly recommend you go and listen to the Ian Clarke pieces, better still, buy his CD! Truly inspiring!!

I’m gonna get my daddy to record my performance…so u never know, there maybe be a little snippet posted at some stage! We’ll see how it goes first!!

hope you’re all well!

from, a nervous, but excited greensleeves!

another assignment

I’m just flicking about the internet looking for some quotes about music and film for a film music assignment due on thurs..eeeek…but i came across this

if you wanna be happy, be  - Leo Tolstoy

This made me smile because recently, while flicking through postsecret I found this postcard..

My most hated question in the world at the minute is…what do you wanna do when you leave uni?! what do you wanna be?

well….here’s my answer! I wanna be HAPPY! I don’t know how? But God does! And God will make me happy…

I just wanna be happy…so i will just be! Thanks Leo!!

greensleeves!

x

writing mode…

i’m finding it very hard to get into ‘writing mode’ today! to be fair…i always find it hard to get into ‘writing mode’ when i’m writing a formal piece of work!! i could chat away on facebook chat or write a blog any day, or write in my journal and just waffle my life away…but when it comes to writing about specific things, using references and  making it make sense first time round without writing something down…writing about more then changing my mind but leaving it all in the paragraph or whatever…hardtimes!!!

anyway…my aim today is to write a good solid 1000 (out of 10000) words!! ive got 283 so far!! better than nothing!! i jut thought id take a wee break and blog for a minute!! it is always when i have work todo or lse its the holidays and ive nothing to do that i log most…so watch this space!! with my dissertation to write and a musicology essay to write all for around the 12th january…i might be cloggin my frustrations a lot!! we’ll see!!

i cannot be-leeeeeve its narly Christmas!! :)

hope everyone’s starting to feel festive! I am in a funny sort of...i-have loads-of-work-to-do-but-screw-it-christmas-is-coming sort of way :D

greensleeves - needs to keep smiling!