Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Monday, September 29, 2014

Vocal Range ~ Michael Jackson

I read this on Wikipedia (Scroll down for Wikipedia Article) about Michael Jackson that "His vocal range as an adult was F2-E♭6 (or F2-Eb6)." This is notation for Pitch using the Scientific Pitch Notation (see Image below).

I doubt that this is accurate. That F2 would be the 2nd F below Middle-C. That's what the Choir Basses are hitting. If anyone out there know in what song he does this please let me know. 

Wait! Let me search on YouTube. There's always someone out there doing something like this. Ah yes... here it is (Scroll down for Video)... but title wrong lah... the F1 should be F2. 

Alamak! If his  vocal quality of the F2 is like that one, so lousy still can be officially recorded in Wikipedia. Than... like that... i also can easily go down to a C2 and maybe go pass it to even reach a G1... or lower... sometimes.

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Michael Jackson's Vocal Range (F1-C6)


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Image 1 ~ Scientific Pitch Notation


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Michael Jackson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson


Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor.[371] His vocal range as an adult was F2-E♭6. Jackson first used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's G.I.T.: Get It Together album.[372] Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video.[42] With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded. At the time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly".[373][374] 1982 saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling Stone was of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".[358]

A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelled "c'mon", "cha'mone", or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him.[375] The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective albumDangerous. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone".[364] When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals.[364] When commenting on Invincible, Rolling Stone were of the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies".[376] Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".[359]

Very concerned about a transparent rendition of this identity, the sound engineer Bruce Swedien opted for some technical approaches and studio strategies aiming at keeping as truly as possible the singer’s intimate and natural expressions : mikes, analogic recordings, special techniques elaborated to design vocal prisms, creation of natural acoustic spaces, conversion of stereophonic fields in tri-dimensional sound spaces playing with early reflections, plywood, Monstercable or Tubetraps.[377]
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Ascii Music Symbols

It is easiest just to copy and paste.

This is a work in progress and I welcome all suggestions.

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= Alt+13

= Alt+14

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[ ] Quarter Note (1/4)

[ ] Eighth Note (1/8)

[ ] 2 Eighth Note (1/8) Barred, single bar note

[ ] 2 Sixteenth Note (1/16) Barred, double bar note

[ ] Flat

[ ] Natural

[ ] Sharp

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[ ¼ ] fraction 1/4

[ ½ ] fraction 1/2

[ ¾ ] fraction 3/4

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Quarter Note Rest (1/4 note rest)
ʒ
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CA%92

Letter
ʒ lower case (upper case Ʒ)
ʒ lower case (upper case Ʒ)

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Quarter Note Rest (1/4 note rest)

Ʒ

This is the closest to a Quarter Note Rest (1/4 note rest) that I've found so far. 
Pronounced almost like 'jar'  with a 'zh' added in as in 'jzhar'. 
And you can hear it's pronounciation at this link, 
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Quarter Note Rest (1/4 note rest)

Ʒ ʒ

Ezh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezh

"Ʒ" redirects here. It is not to be confused with [3 (number)] or [Ȝ (yogh) caps Ȝ and small ȝ].

Ezh (Ʒ ʒ) /ɛʒ/, has its small letter used in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA),

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Quarter Note Rest (1/4 note rest)
ʒ
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CA%92

Letter
ʒ lower case (upper case Ʒ)
ʒ lower case (upper case Ʒ)

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Roundabout

If I wish to drive elsewhere other than in Singapore, I will have to get use to the Traffic Flow.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is what we will see in Singapore
Movement within a roundabout in a country where traffic drives on the left
Note the clockwise circulation.



This is what we will see elsewhere in the world
Movement within a roundabout in a country where traffic drives on the right
Note the anticlockwise circulation.


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Elvis Presley

I found these pictures on the internet.



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Pachelbel's Canon in D

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Pachelbel's Canon in D
~ Duet for Soprano & Baritone
~ arranged by PGA (Best Last 2 Lines)

Click to Listen only.

Click on image to enlarge.

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

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Quote:
"Not... everyone likes me...
but not everyone matters."
~ Lucille Ball



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Too many iDiOTs!

There are just too many on the roads. These includes drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists & even pedestrians. Get out of their way. Avoid them. It takes 2 of them to cause an accident. Do NOT be the 2nd one. Practice Defensive Driving & Defensive Riding.

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Pictures Do Lie

Pictures do lie... or at least... they don't tell the whole truth.

Can you believe they're all pictures of the same guy?
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Jeremy Meeks, 'Hot Convict,' Used To Look Pretty Different
The Huffington Post  | By Hilary Hanson
Posted: 06/23/2014 12:18 pm EDT
Updated: 08/06/2014 12:59 pm EDT

The Stockon, California convict dubbed the "Hot Convict" didn't always look like he did in his most recent mugshot. Jeremy Meeks, 30, was arrested on 5 weapons charges and one gang charge last week. The Stockton Police Department posted his mug shot on Facebook and the Internet promptly went berserk over Meeks supposedly "sexy" looks. However, this isn't the first time Meeks was arrested. He's spent time in prison before, including a 9-year sentence for grand theft auto and a 2-year sentence for grand larceny. On Friday, The Smoking Gun did some digging and uncovered two of Meeks' prior booking photos. It's unclear whether these photos, which are from 2009 and 2002, correspond to those convictions.
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Life's Experiencences

People do get tricked in life.
We do need to be on our guard,
for ourselves, 
and for others as well.
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SINGAPORE
Widow wants to revoke Lasting Power of Attorney she granted Yang Yin: Lawyers
By Eileen Poh
POSTED: 23 Sep 2014 21:41
UPDATED: 23 Sep 2014 23:46

Madam Chung Khin Chun's niece, Madam Hedy Mok, and their lawyers gave this update to reporters on Tuesday (Sep 23). 

SINGAPORE: Madam Chung Khin Chun, the elderly widow whose S$40 million assets are at the heart of an ongoing legal tussle, has applied to the Office of Public Guardian to revoke the Lasting Power of Attorney she granted to Chinese national Yang Yin in 2012.

According to Madam Chung's lawyer, the 87-year-old has been medically certified to be mentally capable of doing so. Madam Chung's niece, Madam Hedy Mok, and their lawyers gave this update to reporters on Tuesday (Sep 23).

Yang, 40, is a former tour guide who met Madam Chung in 2008 when she was on holiday in Beijing. He and his family later moved into her bungalow in Gerald Crescent, off Yio Chu Kang road

The Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) allows another person to act on one's behalf, in the event he loses his mental capacity, in areas such as financial matters. Madam Chung's lawyer Mr Eugene Thuraisingam said he has met Madam Chung and "received instructions" this afternoon to revoke the LPA.

Mdm Mok's lawyer Peter Dorisamy also said a suit has been filed against Yang for allegedly abusing his powers under the LPA. "He has breached his powers and therefore, certain losses have risen from, we say, those actions and we are recovering loss and damages," said Mr Dorisamy.

At the centre of the saga is the S$30 million bungalow owned by Madam Chung. Madam Mok said the house is now occupied only by the maid, as Madam Chung is currently living with Madam Mok.

Madam Chung was described by Madam Mok as being "very well now". Madam Mok is also applying to the court to be appointed as deputy to Madam Chung, which will give her control over Madam Chung's assets.

Madam Mok said if appointed, she will deal with the assets according to her aunt's original wishes and that is to donate to charity

Police confirmed on Sep 17 that 40-year-old Yang has been arrested for suspected criminal breach of trust. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry had earlier lodged a police report against him for misrepresenting himself as the association's director.

- CNA/xy
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http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/tour-guide-from-china-moves-into-sporean-widows-bungalow-and-allegedly-took-over

China tour guide moves into S'porean widow's bungalow 
-- and allegedly took over her $40 million assets
Posted on 06 September 2014

Mr Yang Yin is flanked by Madam Chung Khin Chun (left) and 
Madam Chang Phie Chin in a photo taken in Beijing on Oct 23, 2008.
-- PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES

A 40-year-old tour guide from China got close to a Singaporean widow and, in 2009, moved into her Gerald Crescent bungalow, allegedly taking over her assets worth $40 million and bringing his family to live with him there.

However, on Tuesday (Sep 2), a seven-hour stand-off between the 87-year-old Singaporean widow and a 34-year-old woman from China, the tour guide's wife, ensued.

It ended after the younger woman agreed to leave the widow's $30 million bungalow, where she had stayed for a year without rent.

It was the latest twist in a saga that began in 2008, after the widow, retired physiotherapist Chung Khin Chun, met the Chinese woman's tour guide husband while on holiday in China.

Before she met a 40-year-old tour guide from China, Madam Chung Khin Chun threw lavish parties, had a large art collection and several employees loyal to her, reports The Straits Times.

But after the tour guide moved into Madam Chung's $30 million Gerald Crescent bungalow, he prevented her from seeing her close friends, sold her jewellery and art, emptied her bank accounts and even sacked her long-time maid and driver.

These are the claims against Mr Yang Yin, who has not given his side of the story, in a court case.

Madam Chung's niece, Madam Hedy Mok, 60, has applied to lift the Lasting Power of Attorney which has given Mr Yang control over her 87-year-old aunt's assets, alleging that he had taken advantage of a vulnerable woman who was this year diagnosed with dementia.

The application includes a lengthy affidavit by Madam Chang Phie Chin, 84. In or around 2004, Madam Chang was asked to move in with Madam Chung and her husband, Dr Chou Sip King.

Dr Chou, a wheelchair user who died in 2007, had wanted Madam Chang to take care of his wife.

In 2008, Madam Chang introduced Mr Yang to Madam Chung during a holiday to China. She had first met him in Shanghai in 2005. "I looked up the defendant to act as our tour guide since I already knew him," Madam Chang said in her affidavit.

Mr Yang kept in touch with Madam Chung and, over time, got her to remit between $4,000 and $40,000 to him.

In 2009, he moved in to live with her. Madam Chang, who has known Madam Chung for more than 50 years, said Mr Yang "manipulated" and "took advantage" of her friend's feelings.

"He would frequently make physical advances towards (Madam Chung), shamelessly hugging and kissing her in front of myself and the maids and driver," related Madam Chang.

"He would have his meals with (Madam Chung), uttering sweet nothings to her." Mr Yang "acted as if he owned the house, bossing the maids and driver around rudely", Madam Chang said in the affidavit, adding that he eventually "ordered" certain people, including neighbours, not to visit Madam Chung.

He terminated the services of the widow's driver in September 2009, saying the man had attacked him. In 2012, one of Madam Chung's maids also had her employment terminated by Mr Yang.

She had told Madam Chang that her employer had to ask her for money to buy food as she was afraid to ask Mr Yang, the affidavit said.

Madam Chang, who moved out in 2011 because of Mr Yang's behaviour, accused him of selling off her friend's art collection, and spending the money on his frequent overseas trips, where he supposedly stayed at luxury hotels.

In her affidavit, Madam Mok also stated that she understands Mr Yang had taken people to view the $30 million bungalow.
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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Poached Egg ~ With or withOUT Vinegar?

I was first introduced to Poached Egg by my Dad. He did NOT use vinegar. He cooked it with Butter in an Egg Poacher (a useful apparatus, arguably, for cooking Poached Eggs). I loved it. Anyway... I do NOT like vinegar.


An Egg Poacher
(my dad used one similar to this)

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Updated:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 11:49 AM

No, vinegar is NOT necessary in the making of Poached Egg. I did a research on the internet and I like this answer, although it is arguable if vinegar is really needed.... or NOT. This is what Wikipedia has to say about using vinegar in a Poached Egg Recipe.

Quote from Wikipedia :
"To prevent dispersion of the white of the egg, it can be strained before-hand, removing the parts of the white that are likely to disperse and creating a perfect, compact poached egg every time, with very little effort and without resorting to other risky methods such as vinegar. Another method states that a small amount of vinegar may be added to the boiling water. However, this technique is risky, as one may add too much vinegar into the water, resulting in a dry egg and an acidic taste. Stirring the water vigorously to create a vortex may also reduce dispersion."

Quote from www.huffingtonpost.com :
Vinegar Helps ~ Adding a few drops of distilled white vinegar to your poaching water is a controversial method. Pro: It works to keep the whites intact. Con: It adds a slight vinegar flavor to your eggs. If you don't like that, skip the vinegar and just cook them gently according to the 'rules at this link'.

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1st Posted:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 11:17 AM 

Yes, there is vinegar in Poached Egg (according to Gordon Ramsay, Celebrity Chef). 

Quote from news article below.
"For instance, when reviewing their poached eggs, he (Gordon Ramsay) asked if they had added vinegar to the water and if they had swirled the water in the pot before cracking the egg into it; and how long they cooked each egg for."
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News Article:


ITE College West student wins cookoff for Gordon Ramsay internship
by Rebecca Lynne Tan, Food Correspondent, PUBLISHED ON SEP 22, 2014 2:44 PM
rltan@sph.com.sg, follow Rebecca Lynne Tan on Twitter @STrebeccatan

SINGAPORE - First-year culinary arts student Koh Han Jie, 21, from ITE College West's Institut Paul Bocuse beat three other contestants to be the first intern at Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands.

Koh, along with three other students representing Shatec, Culinary Institute of America and At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, had 10 minutes to cook a mystery ingredient, which later turned out to be eggs.

The cookoff was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Monday morning. Ramsay is slated to open an offshoot of Bread Street Kitchen at the integrated resort in April next year.

The contestants had to cook eggs three ways: omelette, poached and soft-boiled. Ramsay said: "The humble egg just got serious."

He added that he was keen to see which style of egg each young, aspiring chef would cook first. For the participants, the 10 minutes passed by too quickly.

As Ramsay went from station to station, tasting and critiquing each participant's eggs, he also quizzed them on the cooking methods and the rationale behind them.

For instance, when reviewing their poached eggs, he asked if they had added vinegar to the water and if they had swirled the water in the pot before cracking the egg into it; and how long they cooked each egg for.

Mr Koh's eyes lit up when Ramsay cut into his runny-yolk poached egg and pronounced it "perfect".

His omelette, which included a touch of cream to create a richer texture, was slightly runny in the middle, and was brushed with melted butter to add flavour and a sheen to the surface.

Mr Koh says: "I was very nervous at first and my hands were shaking. But I kept telling myself not to sc*** up."

-- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
First-year culinary arts student Koh Han Jie, (centre), from ITE College West's Institut Paul Bocuse, being congratulated by Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay. On the right is George Tanasijevich, president and CEO of Marina Bay Sands, who was a judge at the cooking audition. 

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Poached Eggs:


 




---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 11:23 AM
Subject: Poached Egg Recipe ~ Has Vinegar

Monday, September 22, 2014

Ways of Typing Names

Interesting way to type our names.
Click HERE for more.

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fONS & eLIZ
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fONS & eLIZ
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aLPHONSUS & eLIZABERH
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Alphonsus & Elizabeth
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Alphonsus & Elizabeth
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Alphonsus & Elizabeth
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