Going SHORT. LOVE your short hair!

As you know, I've welcomed 2014 with short hair. A bob, to be exact. And to think that I thought doing that was being adventurous... until I got it cropped again a few weeks back by talented Wei from Buoy Hairdressing, something so close to being a long pixie cut!

I was his model for his final hairdressing assessment, and he passed! Seriously, Wellingtonians, trust this man with your hair and try something new. Life's too short to have boring hair.

For the assessment, I was a cut and colour model. So the mini  makeover was red, assymetrical cropped hair, more angled towards the front and also a huge parting change. Heck, I love it so much. The first thing Doug said when he saw it was Jean Grey.... must be the red.

After washing the styling products off and just blow drying for 10 minutes, it looked like this!

Such a refreshing change! And since then, I've been styling it like this, pinning one side behind my ear.

 I like it like this! Stays put on windy days as well. I've tried curling it but didn't love it, so I styled my  hair like so for my final recital this year! A little bit of styling wax and some bobby pins were all I need, and 5 minutes. :)

I was so relieved to have finished 2nd year of uni. One year left! It's been a tough year, but it'll just get tougher from now and I've gotta soldier on. Plus, I've learnt so much... Don't think I'll ever get the chance to have this much change in my playing if I was still in KL.

I jumped on the bandwagon of making FB event pages out of our final recitals and I sort of regret it, at the same time I don't. It's so lovely having to see all the familiar faces supporting me as I supposedly do my thing on stage, even having someone from the NZSO come to listen to my performance, I was so honoured! 

But I was nearly a nervous wreck. I tried not giving a f*** when I screwed up but during the 30 minutes of playing, my brain just got lost somewhere for 1 second, and came back....I just carried on. Nonetheless, I am appreciative of all the support I got from all of you who came. Thanks guys :)

 Big thanks to Mr.Lee who fulfilled his boyfriend duties, recording my performance with a steady hand. They're on YouTube now.

 Oh! His hair was done by Wei too. <3 Thanks for making us look fabulous!

After the recital, Doug rewarded me with  one of the best lunches ever. We went to try out Big Bad Wolf on Blair St, and were far from being disappointed!!! The place was cosy and modern, menu not too big, pork everywhere and the prices were reasonable.

Big portions ahead!

Porchetta with gourmet potatoes.

Cajun BBQ Pork Ribs. 

HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO PORK RIBS.

Pulled Pork Sandwich for $8.50. Nothing like I've ever had, and it's so cheap compared to the many sandwiches I've tried at several cafes here.

For 2 people who ate like dinasours, everything came up to $50 ish. 4 dishes, including drinks. I'll be coming back for you again, ribs. 

So hey, new hair, recital done, summer on the way and a long awaited road trip to the NZ Art and Tattoo Festival at New Plymouth come end of Nov. Looking forward!! Thankful for everything so far.

PS. Hope you had a good Halloween!
 I stayed home and gamed all night. Best Halloween ever.

photo by James Carroll FB Page
makeup by talent Kendra Herrick FB Page Website

xxx,

Ashley Mah

End of Trimester :: My musical experience in NZ

Spring's here! 

It's end of trimester! 

A whole first year of university has passed!

LEMME SHOW YOU HOW MUSICIANS PARTY!!

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It was the NZSM End Year Party last Friday.
We reminisced over the fun and crazy times over wine, pizza and jazz music playing from the speakers. Some of us recovering from making it through the 2 trimesters of the year.

Welll...how do you think we party here at uni? 

...though you'll never know behind closed doors now, do ya? :))))

(Though weekend nights in town is a whole different thing.)

I just can't believe first year of uni is over so soon! After all the drama of Airport Day, which is still a bit fresh in my mind (I refuse to think about it sometimes), I met some incredible people and had unforgettable experiences in this new world of music.

I wasn't even planning to come to NZ, honestly. When my mom was notified that there were auditions held at the Curve in Damansara, she told me to go for it. I had no idea how the auditions were gonna be like. 

Were there gonna be lots of people fighting for the scholarship? Umm, yeah?

Is it gonna be scary? Maybe. Most likely.

Am I ready? !@#$ no.

"It's in two weeks, mom, I'm gonna play crap for them to hear and embarrass myself to death," thats what I told my mom. She just told me to send an email to the email address given to her, and I was corresponding with a nice lady called Belinda, who arranged the auditions with two people from NZSM, who are lecturers in this uni.

I was never so reluctant to do something, aside from cleaning up after something gross had died in my house like a lizard or something. This was different. So, I thought, they weren't gonna remember me anyway. Might as well give it a shot.

...Which I did. And surprisingly, I passed the audition with a scholarship. 

I don't know whether to be shocked or die of excitement - because the problem lies in the fact that it was still a lot of $ to send me abroad, and I was currently prepping for my ATCL Violin exam under a private teacher in KL. 

 Months passed since the audition and I constantly emailed the school about documents that they might need from me, etc. There was a lot of drama, hard thinking, long discussions and stressful moments within those few months. I even told mom that I didn't have to take the offer, if it was too hard on us. I could settle with what I had. But she was more than determined to let me chase my dream to become a professional musician with experiences abroad.

 Dad made sure that I had everything to live comfortably away from home too. He even told my mom to get me a coffee machine, in case I didn't have proper coffee to drink in the morning. Lol. How sweet is that? :') So blessed to have a lovely family. 

Before I knew it, I was waving goodbye to my sobbing sister, Charms and Chee holding her, my bro Evan and Don. Deym. It was a crappy day, and a tough flight. I was told to watch LOTR before going to NZ, but since I had no time, I watched it on the plane.....but fell asleep watching it. Don't kill me but I guess it just ain't my thing. 

Then, I met Doug after Charms pestered me to message him on Facebook. He's a lifesaver to 2 blur people ; mom and I, in a foreign land. Lol. He even brought my mom and kept her company during the NZSM orientation. We became good friends after.

At orientation, I got to know few of my close friends now - Becca, Laura and Craig. They were also first years and were really friendly to me. Spent lots of time talking, whining, gossiping and laughing over nothing. :) Awesome bunch of people, I might add.

 I also am happy that I had people whom I could speak music to, making lame musician jokes, then laughing at our jokes and feeling proud of ourselves for coming up with jokes like those.... because we're musicians. That's why. :P

Performing in the NZSM orchestra was a huge thing for me too. I've only played in the KLPAC Orchestra in 2011, and playing with these really skillful music students really opened my eyes to the standard of music here. I enjoyed performing in the orchestra so much! I was so excited when I realized that it is a course in my first year studies. Dang. This so beats Accounting & Economics in A-Levels!

I really can't thank God enough for the way this year unexpectedly turned out. Pleasantly unexpected. I'm so thankful to the lecturers who had passed my audition and rewarded me with a scholarship, all the new friends I've made this year, my new boyfriend (who stepped out of the friendzone, actually) and my more than supportive parents.

It was definitely hard to be away from home, family, friends and events. But I've learnt to accept the new lifestyle here and get comfortable with my new surroundings. These people in the pictures above just made it all the easier to enjoy things here! <3

All I've left at the moment is the big one -- the end year recital, happening in 2 weeks time. Oh yeah, also my last written paper on opera. 

Wish me luck!!

Cherishing my musical journey here. 

Feeling awesome because it has just begun!

xxx

Ashley Mah.

NZSO Lunch Date

[Upcoming Concert]

Hungry?

 

Fancy some lunch?

 

What about a lunch date?

Screw the picnics, they're too troublesome.

 Here's something for a change.

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NZSO brings you to a lunch date like never before.
Let the NZSO and conductor Hamish McKeich fill your appetite with an orchestral antipasto to start your noon! Bring a date, bring friends, or just bring yourself to indulge in this musical banquet!
 

MENU

 

VERDI     La Forza del Destino Overture

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 MENDELSSOHN   Symphony No.4 'Italian', Op.90

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MASCAGNI  Cavalleria Tusticana 'Intermezzo'

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RESPIGHI  The Birds : The Hen

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ROSSINI  Ii Barbiere di Siviglia Overture

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ROSSINI  William Tell Overture

 

Best part of it all ; this is a FREE CONCERT.

 

View Larger Map

 

Date : Friday 19 April

Time : 12.30-1.30pm

Venue : Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
111 Wakefield St, Wellington, 6011
 

General Admission

Free Entry
No ticket required

Doors open 12pm.

For more info, head on over to :

www.nzso.co.nz

Don't forget to "LIKE" their Facebook page and Follow them on Twitter for more updates!

www.facebook.com/newzealandsymphonyorchestra

www.twitter.com/nzso

Bon Appétit~
 

xxx

Ashley Mah

Monologue : Oh the embarrassment!

It was a loooong weekend indeed. 

After the Halloween party by Carlsberg and Jagermeister, my weekend was far from over! 

The weekend goes into a 180 degree change and before I knew it, it was a Sunday afternoon, and I was in my long red gown, performing classical music at my violin recital at my music school in Puchong.

Firstly, all the clubbing music I've been listening to the past two days just flew out of the window when I was up onstage in front of parents, and other students. It was just me, Bach, Stravinsky and Schumann.

It was the most horrible recital in the entire universe.

Embarrassing especially! Not only did my playing sounded rather awful, which I think it always is.. My dress made me feel so uncomfortable that day, no idea why.

 And almost tripped over my long skirt a few times that day. Not gonna lie, but there were a few mistakes here and there. Think my teacher would have gone berserk if it weren't for her cool composure.

My problems don't stop there. There was a bug that decided to be IN the building, fly around, and landed on my HEAD. Had to tell myself not to freak out while trying to concentrate. Obviously I was distracted and when there was a longer rest in a particular bar, I smoothed my hair in the hopes of having the bug to get the hell away from my head. 

Good news : no more bug. 

Bad news : distracted and got lost in the passage for 0.2 seconds.

Oh the embarrassment! All the mistakes I don't usually make from hours of practice manifested during the recital! I felt so horrible. It was godawful. Oh yeah. The entire thing was recorded on camera!

 Had ran out of the studio right after bowing and gracefully getting down from the stage, into my car, and sped home. *shakes head*

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At least now I know how to handle such distraction during a recital or my exam itself, that's the only positive way I can look at it. Plus, I guess what I learnt from this incident was that anything crazy could happen - even during a classical performance. Hence, I should be more prepared next time!

 Same red gown worn at my cousin's wedding dinner earlier this year..

Ps. still don't know how on earth a flying bug could get into the studio.. which was upstairs, of a shop lot. Stupid bug. Pfft.

xxx

 Ashley Mah

Heineken Bottle Launch Party ft. DJ Ferry Corsten @ KL LIVE

It wasn't your usual Wednesday night on the 11th of July because it was the Heineken Bottle Launch Party at KL Live!

DJ Lapsap started the engines of the party crowd spinning some music on the decks. Everyone was seen with the new designed Heineken bottles in their hands. The venue was a rather adequately sized venue, I was pleased that it was pretty spacious to walk around in. 

Naomi, Alicia, Tim Chew, myself & Michelle Ooi

Although the place was packed with Heineken lovers and Ferry Corsten fans, I managed to find familiar faces of bloggers to spend the night partying with.

There were pretty cool dancers for the night. Check out the effects of the green laser lights shone onto the dancer's highly reflective sequined costume! Specs of green light on everyone's faces. I thought it was an amazing and creative idea for a costume. That's 3 points to the costume designer! It kinda looked like the dancer was emitting some super power rays or something. Haha

As soon as the clock ticked 10.20 pm, you could definitely feel the party spirit in the air! Everyone had their party mode on when the God of Trance, DJ Ferry Corsten appeared on the decks and started spinning signature songs.

It would be impossible not to enjoy the party because, great music and free-flow of  Heineken beer make the perfect recipe for a party to remember!!

Ps. Stay tuned for the proper post! ;)

xxx 

Ashley Mah

Calvin Harris @ Vertigo, Mid Valley

Hello! It's been awhile. It's almost a week since the Calvin Harris came to KL and spun for the crazy crowds at Vertigo last Wednesday night (15th Feb). What a nice way to spend the day after Valentine's! And how else would I spend it without my best buddy and fellow Calvin Harris fan, Sabrina. :) who also brought some friends and her cousins.

Wore a jumpsuit into a club for the first time. At first, I wasn't used to it but a few hours later judging by the humongous crowd that filled Vertigo to the brim, I was quite thankful I wore something comfy too. Bumped into Daniel L & the guys, Andy Kho too!

Other than Calvin Harris, there were a couple of other DJs who spun as well. When Calvin Harris went onto the deck, everyone went wild. People whipping out their phones to take pictures and videos of him.

Calvin played a couple of his well-known songs like Flashback, You Used to Hold Me and Bounce. Bounce is my current favourite! Grinned like an idiot bobbing my head nonstop.

Here's a little video of Bounce. Just spreading the love. :)

Just look at the amount of hands.

The man himself. :)

It was insane. Music was awesome despite having very little space to dance, aching feet and sweating! Saw some familiar faces there as well. What a night! I was pretty sure I injured my feet but it was so worth it.

Ps. I've waited 2 years to see him live! There was once when he came to perform at Zouk, 2 years ago, when I started becoming a fan.. and was so devastated that I couldn't go. Thus, I'm so blessed for this chance of a lifetime.

xxx

Grand Launch of The Library Subang Jaya

Johanna, Samantha, Jia yeen & myself.

So here was what I was up to last Thursday night, aside from being crazy in the whole wedding song chaos, etc. I joined Tim & some MHB babes at The Library, First Subang for its Grand Launch.

If you're wondering, I actually dressed up as a Japanese school girl that night tofollow  the "Japanese" theme, just for the heck of it since I've been rotting at home anyways.

The night started off with free flow of Asahi beer of course, and a drum performance!

Everyone with their beers.

With MHB's Naomi Tham

Dance performances to Kpop music.

A really unique and cool band who played for the rest of the night, known as Mad Sally. I was exceptionally drawn to them because they don't play your usual mainstream nonsense! They played a mixture of songs like Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire, Stayin' Alive, F*ck You by Cee Lo Green, It's My Life by Bon Jovi & a whole lot more which I was busy bobbing my ponytail back and forth to.

Most of the band members are studying in UCSI too, which explains their talent. Seeing them play, especially the bass, makes me wanna start playing my bass again.

Soren rapping

And us enjoying the music.

It was a really fun night out after such a dull week. Good music, good food and good beer too! All thanks to Malaysia's Hottest Bloggers. :)

You can find out more info on asahi at www.carlsberg.com.my!