My Favorite : Quiet Storm at Breaktime

Umh.. seems like it's sunny day here. Where the sun shines brightly and I just wanna stay home for this midday, or letting myself burnt under the sunshine out there. Yep! Mungkin sebagian orang sedang bekerja saat ini, di kantor atau mungkin di pabrik. Mungkin juga sedang mengajar atau sedang di sekolah. Breaktime pada pukul setengah 12 mungkin akan terlihat sedikit seperti oase di tengah gurun pasir (at least, Pepsi or Lipton Ice Tea would be a good choice). Hmm, apalagi kalau breaktime ini ditemani dengan musik. Yeah! Tentunya harus yang sesuai dengan keadaannya. Tapi bagaimana dengan mereka yang masih bekerja?

Tidak ada salahnya menikmati Pringles sambil bekerja, atau mungkin secangkir kopi atau coklat panas sambil mendengarkan musik jazz? Seems like keep working all the day, over and over again. Isn't it exhausting?

Seperti sebuah keharusan adanya snack ketika kerja di depan laptop (kebiasaan!)

Kucing aja suka..

Quiet Storm! Itulah pilihan saya kalau di siang yang panas ini sedang bekerja di depan laptop (atau setidaknya menghabiskan waktu istirahat dengan ngemil snacks). Station yang biasa saya dengarkan di Yahoo! Music. Station ini menyediakan musik-musik dengan genre R&B, Soul, dan tentunya mellow. Bagi saya, membalas wall di Facebook, mengetik tugas sekolah, atau sekedar membuka e-mail dan post tweet di twitter sambil mendengarkan lagu-lagu di station ini seperti.. entahlah, atmosfer online seolah berubah, ada sedikit suasana cozy dan mewah dari lagu-lagu yang ada. Dan dari station inilah saya punya referensi lagu-lagu untuk di download :P

Quiet Storm, station ini bisa di search di Yahoo! Music

Beberapa lagu sengaja saya masukkan di playlist Quiet Storm yang saya buat sendiri di laptop dan ponsel. Mungkin bisa jadi referensi juga.

Usher's "Separated", taken from album 8701

Mariah Carey's "Mine Again", taken from album Emancipation of Mimi. Lagu ini saya suka, salah satu favorit diantara lagu-lagu Mariah Carey favorit saya. Feel café nya cukup kerasa. Mungkin kalau cuacanya sedang hujan rintik bakal lebih nge-pas.

Sedangkan dari album "The Ballads", saya ambil "Through The Rain" dan "Reflection". Cukup mewarnai suasana terutama saat hujan.

Fergie, dari album As The Dutchess ini saya ambil 2 lagu. "Close to You", sama "All That I Got" (The Make Up Song). Dua-duanya enak. Bahkan lagi Close to You saya masukkin juga ke playlist "The Late Sleeper", cukup buat bikin saya ngantuk dan istirahat dengan nyaman (bukan untuk selamanya tapi!).

J.ae, penyanyi Korea yang satu ini me-release album bertitle "Sentimental". Beberapa lagunya jadi andalan saya di playlist Quiet Storm. Salah satunya "Angel's Disguise" yang didominasi alunan piano dan "거 짓말". Link download bisa didapat di kpopdream.wordpress.com

Shin Seung Hun, dari album "Love o' Clock" saya pilih lagu (yang lagi-lagi titelnya berhuruf Hangeul jadi saya ngga ngerti artinya apa :P). "그 랬으면 좋겠어" lagi-lagi bisa didownload di kpopdream.wordpress.com . Sedangkan dari album "8th : The/Shin/Seung/Hun", saya ambil lagu "I Believe". Pertama lagu ini saya dapet kesan 'agak' sakral. Entah kenapa, sudah kesekian kalinya menemukan lagu-lagu 'sakral' LOL

Keyshia Cole, saya ambil "Love". Lagu yang menurut saya pas buat didenger kalau lagi di perjalanan. Siang-siang begini sambil minum Lipton Ice Tea mungkin lebih fresh kalau sambil dengar lagu ini.

Tamia, dari album ini saya ambil lagu "Officially Missing You". Buat saya kedengarannya lagu ini lebih pas didenger di pinggir pantai, sambil menikmati angin sore hari dan es kelapa muda (or what else? Lipton Ice Tea?). Kesan acoustic dihadirkan dari petikan gitar, dan dengan ending yang didominasi oleh strings section, akhir lagu berkesan dramatis.

John Legend's "Another Again". Taken from album "Once Again". Bisa jadi pilihan buat yang kejebak macet siang-siang. Atau buat yang ingin sedikit hiburan dan sedikit feeling jazzy sambil kerja atau ngobrol sama temen-temen di siang hari.

Destiny's Child, dari album "Survivor" ini saya ambil lagu "Brown Eyes". Referensi dari teman saya, Merry :P ternyata lagunya enak juga. Lagu-lagu sejenis ini ngingetin saya sama Alicia Keys.

Epik High, trio rapper dari Korea ini ternyata ngga selalu nge-release lagu-lagu up-beat. Ada juga beberapa yang cenderung mellow. Salah satunya bertitle "1 Minute 1 Second" sama "Umbrella" (featuring YounHa). Epik High sering muncul di update lagu-lagu Audition AyoDance. Makanya di folder KPop saya, lagu-lagu Epik High ada banyak banget. Dari album sebelumnya juga ada beberapa yang mellow.

Drama Korea berjudul "Sorry, I Love You" ini bisa jadi pilihan. Sebuah lagu dari Park Hyo Shin bertitle "Noon Eh Ggot" bisa jadi pilihan. Sebenernya lebih cocok didenger sore-sore, apalagi kalau di café dan lagi hujan rintik. I bet it would create a sweet melodrama atmosphere.

M. Street! Boyband asal Korea ini bikin saya gila dengan single-nya "The One For Me". Yang pernah jadi 1st rank di playlist Most Played. Muncul juga di Audition AyoDance. "The One For Me" ini menurut saya bisa dikasihkan buat siapa aja, sahabat, kakak, adik, pacar, karena dari videonya juga tentang persahabatan dua orang perempuan (I thought they were 'lesbian' at first LOL)

Paran. Dari album ini saya ambil lagu bertitel "First Love". Mengingatkan saya sama drama Taiwan berjudul "Love at The Aegean Sea".

At least, saya juga punya dua lagu dari Agnes Monica yang diambil dari album Whaddup A!

"What They Called Soulmate" dan "I'll Light A Candle" (featuring Keith Martin), bisa jadi pilihan buat menemani kesepian atau giving something fresh into the atmosphere. Khusus lagu "I'll Light A Candle", lagunya buat saya romantis. Untuk Candlelight Dinner, bakal pas dengan theme song lagu ini.

It's half to one. I gotta have my lunch. See ya :)

My Favorite : Unique Art-Cased Pianos

I've got those pics from Mark Goodwin Pianos' Picasa Web Albums and Best Brode Pianos. Both of the site had cool pics of unique pianos. I love it! Well, I can't say anything for more, they are TOO FABULOUS! Most of them are old pianos, but have been restored and tuned. Just like the time machine, I am brought to the past. Where the pianos were looking good and perfect. Some of them might look.. umh.. weirdoo, but might be so glamorous and precious. When I found the gothic art-cased one, it was.. a bit scary for me. Just like a piano which Count Dracula used to play in his castle. Rawrrr! But at least, they are great. Wish I could own one.

Allison Upright with Bronze Mountings

Besbrode art-cased upright, it looks modern :)

Double-curved Carl Ecke baby grand piano. I dunno why it looks weirdoo..

Debain et Cie upright piano. It looks so glamorous. It would be shiny and luxurious, should be put in a 70's or 80's ballroom. I am interested in this piano by the design and it has candlesticks on body. Yay! Blinkie, is it gold? Because it looks goldie!

The candlesticks. Imagining this piano and its glorious moment in the past. Someone must have played this in the midnight, and lighted the candles. A bit spooky, but sounded romantic.

  Manufactured in Paris. Yeah, Paris.. Probably, that's why this piano was made beautifully. As I've known that Paris has been famous for its arts.

Dulcitone instrument, looks frail...

Gebruder Knake, rosewood case. Decorated with brass, pewter, and mother of pearl. Expert design, artistic. But it has only one big pedal.

Joseph Streicher, oyster mahogany and satin finish. This piano has two-piece bone keyboard, unlike the others or the one we own at home.

Two-piece bone, cool! But again, it looks weirdoo. The keys look rustic.

Knake lift-tail grand piano. Phew, looked.. I dunno, am I stupid? Looked very unusual, I wouldn't get used to playing this piano.. I guess..

Pleyel grand piano, hand-painted case. Signed by Georges Meunier.

Rippen upright, walnut body. Asymmetric-cased, looks unusual. Unique! Let's see the instrument inside :

Hmm.. the instrument board follows the shape of the case. But in this section, the board seems proportional with the case, unlike the outer-face.

This is it, the piano that I've told you before. It looks frightening, reminds me of Count Dracula. Rare Gothic designed, great piano for the old-cathedral or spooky mansion.

Steinway & Sons grand piano. Rosewood case, hand-painted.

My Favorite : The World's Most Expensive Grand Piano, Okay I'll Hang Myself!

I didn't know what to post so I kept looking for ideas. Recently I saw a grand piano picture and yeah I got an idea. Had seen unique pianos all over the world, and then I asked about the most expensive grand piano ever.

And I got the results from the search :

Swarovsky Piano, plastered with Swarovsky crystals

Oh my God.. plastered with 8,000 hand-cut Swarovsky crystals? It was priced US$750,000, yeah the auction started in 2007 (it must be long long ago). And just imagined to put it under the spotlight, wtf it would be so shinee (it might look 'bling-bling'). The piano reminded me of Barbie movies. Dunno, I imagined Barbie as a princess dancing elegantly with a young prince in a royal ballroom, then playing a music accompanying the dance until the late night. But honestly, it made me think for a while, "It was simply ordinary grand piano, but the crystal plastered within made it so precious. So why don't people by only the crystals or the piano itself? It was kinda wasting money."

I wouldn't spend that much for the piano, I'd be better to find the cheaper one. Think economist, save the money!

Another source stated that Alma Tadema by Steinway & Sons has been the most expensive grand piano ever.

Alma Tadema by Steinway & Sons, note the rustic keys and little mural on the lid

I have seen this picture before, but I didn't know that what I've seen is the most expensive grand piano. Like this one, except for the rustic keys (someone has to clean it before). Simply it looked antique, with a pair of stools (2 stools, what for? looking for more spaces to sit and play?), and dark brown color (or maple or what's that I dunno, burgundy?). It was sold at auction in 1998 for $1.2 Million. O God, I didn't know what to say (should I hang myself?).

There might be other expensive pianos in other places, and I couldn't imagine for the price. If I could make a comparison with the upright one in my house, well I think I should kill myself to afford the expensive one LOL. But at last, just try to love what we own. Mine one is upright, brown, Richard-Meyer, but still I can play my favorite pieces there. So do the expensive pianos. I can also play my favorite pieces on it. If the comparison could be made based by this point of view, so what's the difference?

My Favorite : Wishlist for These 4 Months

Baseball jackets

I like this one! It looks cool from this side :P

I prefer the blue one than the red one, truly

I guess, stuffs about Prince of Tennis would be listed to my wishlist for these months.

Seigaku Cap

Don't forget about the polo shirt, dude!

And the jacket when \winter comes..

At last I find this stuff from Gonzo on SALE section >.<

Whoaaa! Kakkoi!

What I've been dreaming of for so long, a yukata!

LOL Tamaki Hiroshi as the model zz

Gakuran (gonna look cool when wear this gig to school, rawrr!!)

I just found this stuff from gonzo-asian.com. Gotta save my money again.. (interested in harajuku today)

Wanna buy this one for her LOL (K&S, yeehaw!)

Cool! Gotta wear this one for my classical concert -_-"

Popeye The Sailor

Cutie!! *Is there bigger size for me?

Costumes, sometimes I wish I can act with these costumes :

Yogi Bear!

Koala :P

Lion King! Yeehaw!

even a Pharaoh zz -_-"

 

Angemon, eh?!

Chotto! This rocks!

Another wishlist, eh?!