2002 Japan 4th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2nd Day

This is the city in Atsugi, the street very clean, but the weather is very hot.......

There is a place to let you put your bicycle.

The event is held in this building........


This is the front entrance.




This is the entrances part of the building, and you can see there's a lot of different harmonica, video tape, CD, music score you can find it there......



This harmonica toy very cute, after you have on it, it will play a harmonica tune and his body will keep swinging left and right...... hahahaha.....



Hong Kong people also prepare their brochures and to start promote the 5th Asia Pacific Harmonica event. Because in 2004 Hong Kong is organizing the Asia Pacific harmonica event......



Three of them is from Irael, their playing are very good and all of them are full time in playing harmonica. As they told us, there are only 6 people playing harmonica in their country, that is their family.hehehe.......





This is a short video that taking during the opening ceremory... all of the audience is so enjoy...




While we go back to our hotel, we saw there is a Mc Donald nearby our hotel...

2002 Japan 4th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 1st Day

This is my first time travel to Japan,the first picture is taken in KLIA. Most of the people is our parents and friends.Not all of them are going to Japan.

This is the aeroplane wing, haha..... the sky are so blue and their logo is so cute, is a bird flying in the sky.

The seat is comfortable although we were sitting at economic sit.From right hand side, Madam Chong, Black Pearl, Me, Choon Siang, and Keng Hong. The one who stand up is passenger hehehehe....

From right hand side, Boon Hean, Ying Huei, and Hock Chuan. They also took part in this event.

Three of them is just go for fun, from left hand side, Kelly,Shui Yun and Ling Zi.

We arrived at Japan airport. They have arranged a bus for us and fetch us to Atsugi. While on the way to Atsugi, we were practicing in the bus....

I don't know what is the name of this place, this picture was taken during on the way to Atsugi.But if I don't misstaken, there is a Japan movie call Over Time, and I remember I saw this in that movie.









As you can see it in the photos, the air in Japan city is not so good, you can see there is a little haze surrounding the city.......

6th Malaysia-Singapore Harmonica Competition

The 6th Malaysia-Singapore Harmonica Competition just finished on 3rd and 4th June 2006.I am so happy that can met so many harmonica lover from others country and stage.Thank you very much to the organizer Harmonica World Sdn Bhd and Co-Organizer YMCA Kuala Lumpur. Without their hard work, will not have chance to watch such great performance on the openning ceremory as well as all the contestent who took part in this competition.

Thank you for all the people who coming to this event, and I thanks to the organizer too, because they have gave me a chance to hold a "Blues Harp" seminar in this event.Beside that, I also thanks to all the participant who attend my seminar.I hope that you undertand what I have shared in the seminar and I hope in the future, I can have chance to hold for intermediate level and advanced level. So that I can let more people to know more about blues harp harmonica, rather than playing it without any guildlines.Beside that, I have to thanks to all the volunteer, and MC. All of you are great and make this event go well.

I will post this event in my blog as soon as possible, but I need your help also.For those who have took photos in the event, please send me a copy of your photos, so that I can select some photo to post it and let oversea people can read it.If possible, send me the video file as well. Thank you very much... my email address is owenharmonica@yahoo.com

For all the contestent who took part in the competitions, you are really doing well and getting better and better.I hope this coming Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival in Taiwan can have more people attend.For those who have won in Malaysia-Singapore Harmonica Competition, congratualation to all of you. But remember, you just have nearly 2 month to do your best and improve yourself.1st of august, you will go to Taiwwan to take part The 6th Asia Harmonica Festival and Competitons in Taipei.Good Luck and wish you all the best.....

But please remember email your photo to me..... hehehe... Thank you.....

Last Day we leave Bournemouth to London airport....

Morning, we stil have our wonderful breakfast, but we need to finished our breakfast before 8am, because the bus will arrived at Bournemouth bus station at 8.30am,and we have to arrived London airport at 10am,because our flight was 12pm.

We stil manage to catch up 2 taxi and drove us to the bus station, and when we reach there, my friend Ming Chek (Black Pearl) you can see his picture at the bottom.The one who have double size of my body hehehe..... because he didn't brought 2 way ticket, so he need to buy the bus ticket at the bus station and we already brought 2 way ticket from the airport and before that, we have call up to make sure our ticket can come back to London airport. So we just wait for him and we all take que and waiting for bus coming.

8.30am, bus arrived, very sharp on timing.Black pearl is infront of me, he goes up to the bus and then I show the driver our tickets, and do you know what's the driver told me??? He said : "your tickets haven't confirm and you have to confirm your ticket before you enter the bus". Wow???? what is haven't confirm???? and he said : "you have to go to the ticket counter to show your ticket and confirm that you want to take 8.30am bus to London, and their will give you another tickets".

Oh my god.... no body tell us about this and even the ticket didn't print it as well, how we know about this??? we quickly ran to the ticket counter and change our tickets, but is too late, because the bus already full seat and we have to wait for the second bus. Unfortunetely, the second bus will arrived here at 11.30am. Crazy.... we will not able to catch up the flight,because from Bournemouth to London airport need 2 hours travel......

I really scared at that time and don't know what to do... The next plan that we could do is take taxi, but the taxi fees is very expensive, I can't remember how much is it, but is roughly 200 to 350 pounds. Crazy..... we don't have enough money to pay for it..... I'm so so so scared at that moment, and really don't know what to do.....

Luckly, my pianist Mr. James he goes into the information office and tell them about our case, and finally, they can arrange a taxi for us and we just need to pay for 50 pounds. Wow..... I really don't know how to explain in words the feeling that I know we stil able to catch up the flight.hahaha....

9.10am we settle our case and 3 of us were waiting the taxi coming.Time goes very fast 9.25am taxi stil didn't arrived, I am starting worry, because we need 2 hours travel to London airport.9.30am taxi arrived and we quickly put our luggage into the taxi and we left Bournemouth at 9.40am.

Sigh, finally we are on the way to the airport, but I'm stil worry we can not manage to get the flight.I slept in the taxi,when I woke up, I saw we reach the airport already.It was 11.35am, we only have 25 minutes.

Luckly black pearl were arrived early and he quickly pass us the trolly and show us where to check in.After we check in our luggage, already 11.45am. We ran like mad, we pass through the hand luggage scan, body scan already 11.55am. 5 minutes left.As Black Pearl told us, he just heard two words came out from us, that is "where" and "Fast" we don't even say goodbye to him..... and his flight was night flight.He is so lonely when are left the airport....

Finally, we reach the boarding room, our gate number is number 9, and i saw gate 1 just on my right hand side and gate number 9 should be the last gate. 3 of us ran like hell to the end of the gate. I think is almost 200 meter from gate 1. I keep looking on the gate number because I scared we pass the gate. gate 2, gate 3, ..... gate 8 then...... gate 10???? huh??? where is gate 9????? I quickly asked the guard, and he said gate 9 is the last gate, just go straight you will see it... Oh my god.... stil have 100 meter to go.... my whole body is so tired and my shoulder is very pain, because my shoulder is carrying a bag while my hand is carry another bag. Both bag is my harmonica and music score.... is so heavy.....

Finally, we are able to reach the boarding gate and after we get into the plane,The lounges were pull out immediately. 3 of us is the last people who enter the plane.... I stil remember my whole body was sweating like having bath....But all is over.... I am able to go home,thanks god......

Harmonica Paganini

Before I post my Japan trip in 2002, I would like to introduce a harmonica lengend in Brazil. His name is Eduardo Nadruz. His greatest achievement was the recording of Nicolo Paganini’s "Moto Perpetuo", originally composed for the violin.It took him eleven years of practice to acquire the skill required to play 2400 notes in at most four minutes without any pause whatsoever. In June 1956, he succeeded in playing this piece in three minutes and 21 seconds, becoming the first in history to play it on a wind instrument, and leaving no doubt that the harmonica is a complete musical instrument worthy of respect.

You can check out his website here http://www.edudagaita.com.br/Introduction.htm

and this is the Moto Perpetuo that Mr. Eduardo Nadruz recorded. Have a listen to it, then you will know how amazing harmonica also can achieve this level.

Moto perpétuo - N. Paganini - Edu da gaita

England 2000 My First World Champion

This is the 1st time I travel to western country, we took MAS airline, it's need about 15 hours direct flight to London airport. If you transfer to Singapore airline will need 18 hours...

I feel very boring in the aeroplane, although they provide you TV show,Music, and games... When I reach London airport, I really no idea how many hours and what is the time now... I think is around 4 o'clock something in London airport, and the bad news is, got a lot of aeroplane also landed on the same time. Wah... suddenly the airport get crowded by all people around the world.... and the que to enter custom is damn damn damn damn long.... I think is more than 2 hours then only get our turn... is so so so tired.....

One things I'm proud of Malaysia is, our KLIA is very grand, big and beautiful, compare with London airport. because I saw the screen that show departure and arrival time is stil analog type, not digital, and the airport is very small.

After we pass throught the custom, then we all going to look for our luggages.Another bad news is, my pianist luggage get lost.sigh.. we have spend more than an hour to find it, but we fail... Finally we make a report in the airport lost and found department. Do you know what's the time we come out from the airport??? 8 O'clock...so hungry and tired....

We have brought the bus ticket to Bournemouth, and we have brought 2 way ticket, because we all not sure where to buy bus ticket at Bournemouth.The next bus is 8.30pm arrived and from London airport to Bournemouth it needs 2 hours travel... Wow..... when we reach Bournemouth already 11pm... This is the 1st day we reach England...

The second day when we wake up, we have our great breakfast that provide by the hotel.After that, we go out to look around. The weather is very very nice... because it is Autum season, the temperature is around 16 to 20 degree.The air is very fresh and the enviroment is very clean.The first things I saw is almost all the house have planted flower, and their flower is so so so beautiful until you can not believe that is real flower.Because the colors of the flower is very sharp.

You can see it, the flower colors is very sharp and beautiful....

They have a garden, and the garden is full of beautiful flower....

He is my jazz pianist, Mr. James Boyle.. very happy and kindest person.

This is the city of Bournemouth town,feel so good and comfortable. But after 5 o'clock, all the shop will close and the city will suddenly become very silent.

This is a building in Bournemouth, it's look so classic....

I don't know what is this building for, but it's really tall and look old.I think mostly nearly hundred years has been built or even more than that.

Guess what is this house for??? It is a public toilet.

We walk around and my pianist brought a lot of shirt, because his luggage lost already, and he don't have much shirt to wear. Luckly, after 3 or 4 days, someone has took his luggage return it to airport and sent back to our hotel.

The other side of the city is beach, very beautiful sandy beach, I am loving it so much. Especially in night time, the moon is hanging in the sky and the water reflected by the moon, it's look like a shining road on the sea floated by star.Em...... is so so beautiful and romantic.......

There is a small wharf on the beach...

Hahaha.... is so beautiful and nice.... strong wind blow from the sea, white sandy beach, beautiful and clean water.... you also can see swallow flying in the sky.......

Beside the beach, there is a Oceanarium, I can not remember it is no fish in the oceanarium, because I just took 1 photo only.

Is so nice to see this.... actually I wan to have a ride on it, but nobody dare to do so..... sigh.... feel regret that I didn't go for it...

So I just took a picture only.........

He is the harmonica legend Mr. Larry Adler. I am so happy that I can met him at this event.... although he already 86 years old, but he played very well at the concert night... Amazing.... but unfortunetely he pass away at the age of 87.

I can not remember the 1st left hand side and the 4th person from left. I just can remember the 3rd person from the left is Mr. Douglas Tate. He develop a new Chromatic harmonica call Renaissance. Unfortunetely he pass away on 16th November 2005.

3 of them is from Poland, the girls who stand in the middle play blues harp very well, her name is Beatta Kossowska. The others two guys stand beside her is her band member, play drum and bass.

He is the President of IHO organization(International Harmonica Organization), Mr. John Walton. But he pass away already......

On the right hand side, is Mr. Alexandre Thollon. Our first met in England, and our second met in Japan. That's so unforgetable when we play on the opening dinner ceremory.... everybody was dancing on the floor while our music is keep going on the stage....

I am doing solo on the stage, that was the final round. I took part in 2 categorys,there are solo open category and trio open category. I am so lucky, both category also goes to the final round.All the champion from each category was playing on the stage to get the "Harmonica Player Of The New Millennium" means Overall Champion.

3 of us playing on the stage at the final round too... Our group name is "Non-Pareil"

I received my solo champion from Mr. John Walton.

Finally, I can't believe that I am the Overall winner, when John Walton announced my name on the stage, I really can't believe on the moment. Because I just think of get experience in this international festival. I am so happy to received this Overall Winner for the "Harmonica Player Of The New Millennium"..... This prized is so important and meaningful to me....

So happy on the stage and thank you to them,I gave them a big hug, and John Walton very tall... hahaha......

This is the official website from IHO, you can see all the winner photos and result publish on this website.