TIGblogs - Jenny's TIGBlog http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/346341 I've had no internet connection for a week (I know, you ask how I survived so primatively) therefore this post is written somewhat belatedly.Friday 14th March I saw the HK Chinese Orchestra perform at the Royal Festival Hall. It was the first time I had ever seen a full set of 85 traditional Chinese instruments arranged in a set-up similar to that of the Western classical orchestra. I surprised myself knowing as many names of the instruments as I did - from the Erhu/Gehu string section to the Dizi/Sheng wind section, the Chinese have instruments which have a direct counterpart in the equivalent Western orchestra but also some rather unusual plucked stringed instruments such as the Guzheng and Yangqin which are rather more unique and elaborate.


The beautiful traditional music they performed inspired me to want to pick up my Erhu again. I took some basic lessons last summer (I haven't told many people this) in an attempt to pay hommage to my Chinese roots by playing a traditional instrument. Can anyone suggest a simple, traditional piece? I would really like to master one. Just one will do.


Mentionable moments in the concert include a very animated Sanxian player and singer who was from Heilongjiang province, near my hometown. I could tell he even had my local accent. The conductor also involved the audience by making us sing at the appropriate times during an encore of a popular HK soap opera theme song.


OK, I'm so tired I can't be bothered to write anything more constructive tonight. I hope everyone enjoys the Easter weekend! I'm heading up to Birmingham, preparing to be fed a lot of delicious Chinese food (we're not Christian but we make the most of it). However, it means I'll probably have to sit through hours of traffic on the motorway to get there...]]> Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:03:00 EDT http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/346341 Blog Action Day - UM MDG Environmental Sustainability http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/342919 I registered my blog to take part in Blog Action Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the current environmental situation through all bloggers dedicating their thoughts to this subject on this particular day.

I have decided to focus on Goal No. 7 of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs) which states that by 2015:

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

  • Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources

  • Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water

  • Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020

Though the latter two bullet points are issues which remain to be resolved at a governmental and bureaucratic level, I believe that the general public have much to contribute to environmental sustainability by integrating lifestyle choices which reduce the use of unnecessary resources.

So many people opt for the easy disposable option now. Whilst I understand the benefits of this to time management, would it really kill you to wash your own cutlery and dry your own plates? It's amazing how many people choose to use disposable paper or plastic utensils in their home and then don't even recycle them! I'm really frustrated by the lax attitude my government is taking towards the simple issue of recycling. It is neither encouraged or emphasised amongst the young which I believe is the best time to educate them on environmental development since they're probably going to be affected in their later lives by our wasteful habits.

When I was in China this summer I was impressed that the Chinese government have placed recycling bins next to general rubbish bins thus making it simple and accessible for the public to recycle materials they need to dispose of. I haven't once seen a public recycling bin in the UK nor do people even know the difference between materials which can and cannot be recycled.

In my flat, my housemate and I have a general recycling bag which is collected on a weekly basis and we try to buy environmentally friendly household resources. Last week I bought toilet tissue made from recycled paper at the local supermarket, though pleased I made an ethical choice, I was worried to learn that normal toilet tissue is not made from sustainable resources! Society makes it so hard to lead a sustainable lifestyle!

]]> Sun, 14 Oct 2007 07:10:00 EDT http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/342919 Midweek revelation http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/342927
Stay tuned for the weekend!]]> Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:10:00 EDT http://Jenny87.tigblog.org/post/342927