Welcome, visitor #to the revamped Nienor.net! This site has
undergone a bit of an overhaul, and has been turned into what I’d like to call a
Journal of Impulse, meaning that regular content has been removed in favour of
a more original journalling system. I will merely be posting for the purpose
of whimsy, adding entries here and there on any little theme, idea, song or
picture that has me captured at that moment. Most recent entries may be found
below.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
UPCOMING FUN & FRIVOLITY
Adam
and I are to take a trip to Sydney next month for a night or two to catch a
performance at the Opera House of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Handel's Acis & Galatea. I
bought the tickets a while ago as his birthday present, the two operas are
being performed one after the other since they are both relatively short. I'm
immensely excited about seeing Yvonne Kenny as Dido.
Just before we leave Half-Blood Prince will have come out at the movies, so
I'm also very excited about that, and perhaps having a party to celebrate.
Nienor.net is definitely going to receive another overhaul also, but I can't
say when. There is a layout and a big idea, but now it's a matter of producing
it and getting the ball rolling, and I wonder if I haven't set my ambitions a
bit too high. We shall see...
Saturday, March 28, 2009
FROCKS, FOPS & FASHION
Last
month's alternative fashion show in Melbourne,
Circa Nocturna, was a big success, and very
enjoyable. I spent hours in hair and makeup, sporting the quintessential
mid-late-18th century hairstyle. It took several days to brave the hairbrush,
a serious of brushing sessions which now belong to the "repressed memory" area
of my mind.
My inamorato lent me enough to get the
Steinmayer upright piano, and it now graces the room I sit in (the room is
serving as a base for computers, music, domestic goods storage for when we
eventually move out, and wardrobe space). The keys are loosening up but they
are still annoyingly stiff, and it needs tuning before I upload any more
videos of my playing (which at the best of times, leaves something to be
desired in my opinion).
Michael Nyman will be in
Australia for a few shows in July which I'm very excited about. I think I'll
travel to Sydney so I can see him more than once. I found out because he personally sent me a FaceBook
message telling me he hoped I'd make it to a concert when he came here. I
haven't leaped around the house in glee at anything for a long time.
I wanted to post here tonight because I'd been having such a private little
feeling of loss at the fact there aren't many "elite" Tolkien sites in
existence anymore. The most talented work by far was that of Winter at
Gilthoniel.net. Sadly, the website (and my means of contact with her) no
longer exist; at least I do not believe the current holder of the domain is
the original. At any rate, what this nostalgia means is that I'm coming back
to wanting Nienor.net to be a website that actually relates to Middle-earth
again. Perhaps a site all about Nienor, perhaps something else. The online
presence of quality Lord of the Rings etc. websites needs a bit of a second
renaissance. Nienor.net needs to feature things for its namesake...
I also finally registered
www.ElvenDesign.net. which will eventually feature my business' website. A
forum I have been running for a few weeks has also been going fairly well. My
desire to open another message board manifested itself in the form of
Aletheia Nocturne, a place
where any soul with an ounce of creativity is encouraged to share their work,
thoughts, inspirations, or just babble.
I attended the
Melbourne School of Philosophy's Cultural Day this month also, at the
invitation of my piano tutor. The sessions I elected to partake in included a
talk on Greek Goddesses, the music of J.S. Bach, and Calligraphy. We also
listened to a presentation about Beethoven's spiritual side. By far, the
calligraphy was the most enjoyable and informative because it was hands-on and
beautiful to learn a bit more about. My archaic and amateurish quill-cutting
and calligraphic/cartographic forays paled in comparison to the elegant work
of the professional who led the session. Thoroughly inspiring though.
Monday, January 12, 2009
ROCHESTER'S FAREWELL...
I
now present scanned sheet music for 'If', later adapted for 'Rochester's
Farewell' from my Michael Nyman music book. Please print for your own
personal use and do not redistribute:
Pages 1
2 3 4
In other news, my birthday tea party last month (sans picnic,
because the weather proved dismal) was a great success. I also greatly
enjoyed the Melbourne Twilight convention (though the 'cocktail party' left
a bit to be desired). Christmas, under the tense circumstances, was without
any spirit, but wasn't bad on the whole. I'm now doing well with controlling
my funds and am soon to replace my current piano ("get rid of it as soon as
possible" -tuner) with another, a Steinmayer, in rather better condition.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Ahhh. Life is not too bad right now. Birthday plans are underway:
venue, menu and guests are sorted, I shall buy a pretty wooden chaise longue
next week, now to think of a few more games and activities.
I'm just about to log back in to play some more Wrath of
the Lich King now! I really like the new continent.
I have quite a bit to look forward still: Twilight
convention, my 22nd birthday, Twilight movie release (not that I haven't
already got it *ahem*), my birthday party, Alice's Alice in
Wonderland birthday party, and Christmas! I'm not looking forward to the
serious lack of funds which will be inevitable, though.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
BIRTHDAY PLANS
I
have decided that a Baroque/Rococo picnic and tea party will be an ideal theme
for my 22nd birthday in December. Now to plan a dress, stock up on suitable
items, reserve the Singing Gardens (owned by my boyfriend's aunt), cut down a
long playlist of baroque music, and write a list of invites! The idea came to
me the other day, but there was also a bit of inspiration from Viona-Art
lurking in the back of my mind; though I want to move away from "gothic"
nowadays.
Myself and nine others attended a local ball on the weekend which
proved very enjoyable. We all exhausted ourselves dancing to 60s/70s rock. I
didn't get more than a couple of hours' sleep before having to leave to play
at another piano recital. The recital was very enjoyable and my lesson the
next day also left me pleased. I'm to work on some more Rachmaninov and Chopin
and start 7th grade soon.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
HOLIDAY, CIRCA NOCTURNA, ETC.
Adam and I took a hastily-planned mid-week holiday for a
few days last week down to the Bellarine Peninsula. It was quite enjoyable,
and I couldn't resist two visits to my favourite bookshop ever! Next year at
some point the two of us and Lowana (and whomever she brings) will go down
that way again and stay in the
Queenscliff Hotel
for a few days where we shall play the part of 19th century Victorian
aristocrats and wear only authentic Victorian garb. The entire hotel is still
styled with period furnishings, sitting rooms and a conservatory, which would
also make for some lovely photos.
Adam, myself and another friend will also be modelling for
Vanyanís, Lowana's
business, at Circa
Nocturna 2009 show in Melbourne. (The guy who owns the CN website is also
getting me to redesign it for them in the next few months!) Happily, we'll be
flouncing around in 17th century/Rococo French gowns and coats and corsetry.
Adam will be in a striking gold and greenish ensemble while I'll probably have
a dress of silver-grey and lilac. But the rest is a surprise! I'm absolutely
obsessing over anything 17th and early 18th century, Italian baroque opera,
French rococo architecture and fashion, cantatas, oratorios... I wish there
were some way to immerse myself more fully in this part of history. Perhaps I
shall make plans to decorate my room accordingly, instead of in its current
mismatch of Victorian gothic paraphernalia.
We also had another photo shoot a week ago and there are some
gorgeous shots of me and Adam in our matching outfits. They will appear on the
Vanyanís website soon.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I'm planning to attend "TwiCon", a convention for fans of the
Twilight series and movie, at the start of 2010, and while I'm up in Sydney (hopefully
for the better part of a week) there is no way I'm going to miss paying a
visit to this place:
Carey Beebe Harpsichords.
I can only dream at this point of ever owning one, but I'm sure playing one
isn't counted among the impossible for me.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
J.S. BACH - GOLDBERG VARIATIO 4.
At
midnight I wanted to be at the piano playing (or, rather, struggling through)
the fourth of the Goldberg Variations. I've had to content myself by listening
to them instead, and reading along in my new copy of the score (as opposed to
nearly-illegible print-outs).
Tomorrow I'm going to go through and mark the variations I'd like
to work on to begin with, and take one to my teacher.
Oh, and Glenn Gould's performances remain my favourite. Something
about his mind (I guess I have a respect for those [allegedly] affected by
Asperger's syndrome) brings across something so delightful that most other
performers don't seem to be tapping into fully.
Links:
Essay
on the "Goldberg" Variations
View score for Variation 4 (pdf format)
Buy/Listen to Gould's second recording
