The Final Product

Besides reading and hanging out with friends, another hobby of mine is playing the piano. I remember the awe I felt when I first touched the keys of a piano. I think I was about five years old at the time. We had friends over that day and I remember sitting on the way-too-high piano bench in our family living room and banging the keys to my heart's content. It felt freeing and relaxing.

These days, piano still remains one of the places where I can tune out the world and just play my emotions out. I began taking piano lessons when I was six years old and haven't stopped since then. So, I've been playing for about ten years. I'm nowhere near a maestro yet I simply enjoy playing.

There's something exciting about beginning a new piece. For example, I remembered when I began Debussy's "Claire de Lune" a few weeks ago. I had heard so much about this piece--I've listened to it on the computer, seen others play it, etc--but I had never played it before. It's a beautiful yet rather difficult piece (I encourage anyone who is unfamiliar with it to listen to it). So, when my piano teacher suggested the piece as my next assignment, I was very overjoyed.

The first week, I practiced "Claire de Lune" and not without struggle. It was difficult trying to understand what the composer intended. I kept forgetting to emphasize certain notes. I put my pedal down at the wrong places and often blurred notes. While I am used to messing up in practice, I messed up a lot more when I practiced "Claire de Lune". It was so difficult sometimes that I ignored it and practiced other pieces. Yet, by the end of the fifth week, I could play it smoothly from beginning to end. And now I understand what the composer wants--I can grasp the abstract feeling of the piece. At the same time, I also add in my own personal signature so that the piece becomes my own unique version of "Claire de Lune". This final product, this understanding of the piece, is the main reason why I practice.

In college, I won't have that much time to practice piano. I'll be busy with different things. I'll be making new friends and exploring new interests. Yet, when I do have the time, I think I'll sit down at my piano and play the pieces I remember. For old times' sake.

Asian Dramas (Well, Mostly Korean Dramas)

People do different things to alleviate stress. We do activities and seek outlets to get our mind off whatever is stressing us out. One of my friends goes running at five in the morning as her escape. Another turns to drawing and sketching. I often journal and write stories as my own escape. But lately I've been using another medium to get my mind off stress from college applications.

Lately (three months ago), I've gotten into watching Asian dramas. Especially Korean dramas. It began in Stanford, California, when my roommate introduced me to the Korean drama The Heirs. I loved it. I wanted to try more. Pretty soon, I was watching other Korean dramas such as She Was Pretty, Kill Me, Heal Me, Healer, and much more. I began watching Chinese dramas, too, like Empress of China, Prince of Lan Ling, etc.

I love Asian dramas, K-dramas in particular. They're very different from American shows. For one, they're bubblier, happier. There can be dark parts but in the end, characters usually get a happy ending.

Also, each K-drama is about one season long; unlike American shows, they never go past one season. While this may seem awful, I now realize that by being one season long, K-dramas remain fresh and interesting in the minds of viewers long after they've finished watching. It also helps that Korean actors and actresses are very easy on the eyes :)

K-dramas get my mind off the stress and uncertainty that is so common during the college process, much like writing does. But while I love watching them and seeing my favorite characters getting a happy ending, I have to be careful not to lose myself in them. It's so easy to plop down on the couch, sink into a fantasy world, and forget my own.

Still, if anyone reading this likes watching TV shows, they should definitely check out Asian dramas (especially K-dramas)!


Here are a few Asian dramas I recommend:
Chinese-Prince of Lan Ling 
Chinese-Empress of China 
Korean-She Was Pretty
Korean-Kill Me, Heal Me
Korean-Healer
Korean-Let's Fight, Ghost 
Korean-Descendants of the Sun 
Korean-K2 (currently watching this!)