something beautiful, something kind

I know I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I've just finished my work for today, and I WANT to end the day doing something I really like, like writing this :P Okay, I'm not writing much, because I don't have to. He actually beat me to this---I had wanted to blog about the person who is the subject of the post earlier, but haven't found the angle. But 'sokay, how many times could I actually say that "Leehom has done the job for me"? Hehehe.. So yeah, I'm just gonna plug the entire post here:

王力宏 Wang Leehom
I made an inspiring friend last week. Her name is Yvonne Foong, and she has neurofibromatosis, a genetic illness with no known cure, which has left her completely deaf. It's rare for a deaf person to come to one of my concerts, so I was fascinated to hear what she had to say after the show. She told me that eight years ago, when she had her hearing, she saw me perform live. Now, with no hearing at all, she could still "hear" the concert, but with all of her other senses. She excitedly described the show to me, in vivid detail. It was amazing for me to hear her go on and on, obviously moved by the music, having heard not a single note.

It made me think of Beethoven, one of the greatest musicians of all time, who wrote some of the most celebrated music in history, while completely deaf. It's incredible to think that his music, which millions know and love, was never even once heard by its composer. Yet there's no doubt Beethoven, like Yvonne, could still "hear" with all his other senses, and profoundly, at that.

When a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? People have debated this cliché question for centuries. Some say no, that sound must be perceived in order to exist. Some say yes, that sound doesn't have to be heard to exist. The argument is interesting because, either way, how can you prove it when no one heard it? But can music exist when the notes are inaudible? Is there something more to music than sound waves with varying amplitudes and frequencies?

One of my favorite musicians, Leonard Bernstein, would have us think so. Toward the end of his life, he wrote:

In the beginning was the note,
And the note was with God.
And whosoever can reach that note,
Reach high and bring it back to us on earth,
To our earthly ears…
Partakes of the divine.

I don't know if anyone can prove or disprove that Yvonne heard my concert, but when I met her that night backstage in Malaysia, looked into her eyes and saw her excitement, I had my answer. And I want to thank her for reminding me that music goes beyond sound waves, and is not a tree falling in the woods. Thank you for reminding me that Bernstein was right, music comes from the divine, and what a blessing it is to reach higher and higher, reaching to bring those notes down to earth.

Read Yvonne's blogpost here.
Support her foundation here.

Her story was really inspiring and I was touched by what she's been through, and also the kind gesture of her friend and the fan club people to arrange for this. I'm happy that of all people she got to met him, and I think it was really nice of him to have spent the time with her after his exhausting 2.5 hour concert (he has done something similar before this---in another post-concert clip I've seen before, he went to say Hi to a group of cancer-stricken kids who were at his concert courtesy of Lovelife---the charity organisation founded by his best bud Blackie)... :)

And that quote attributed to Leonard Bernstein---I love it! It's so beautiful and what I imagine good art is all about---divine, a gift, to be shared, inspiring, thought-provoking, uplifting. It reminds me of this other quote I saw floating about recently, which I agree with. This is a subject somewhat close to my heart, and maybe one day I'd have enough substance to actually write about it.

For now, I'm going bed happy. Good night, folks.