Echeng.com is having difficulties. Can’t leave comments, either. So… I apologize! I’m sure things will fix themselves soon. :)

You know what? Even *I* was nervous when she showed up on stage. It must have been nerve-wracking to be on the same show as Simon Cowell of American Idol, who spent his entire interview talking about talentless musicians. But Vienna performed marvelously. I can’t wait to see where she goes from here! I have some photos that I snapped of my TV, below.

“Our next guest is a talented singer/song-writer from the Bay Area who is making her television debut with us tonight. This is her CD entitled ‘Waking Hour.’ I’ve heard the entire CD and there’s not a dud on this. You get your money’s worth here, ladies and gentlemen.” - David Letterman

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Approximately 28 of us gathered tonight to celebrate Adam Nash’s birthday. Apparently, BJ’s Brewhouse & Restaurant in Cupertino is quite the place to be on a Saturday night; there was a 1 1/2 hour wait for a parties of two when we arrived, but thanks to Carolyn’s fantastic planning, we had a section of the restaurant set aside especially for us. For some reason, the majority of those who arrived to celebrate were wearing black leather jackets. Anyway, as usual, I have photos to show.

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I dropped by Vienna’s place tonight to wish her luck and to drop off some home-brew DVDs and a camera (so she can take non-film photos of NY for us!). Tips for not getting nervous: it’s just another gig. It isn’t, in fact, a national tv show that over 5 million people will be watching. Right? :) (read more »)

Jan 8 -> Jan 15, 2003. “22:26 - Wellington - We arrived in Picton before 11am, returned the car a “day” early, and boarded the 11:30am Lynx back to Wellington (the Cook Strait was extremely choppy, with 3m swells. most of the ride included shrieks of both delight and light terror from the passengers), giving us the entire afternoon to explore the city. Luckily, as we were driving by we happened to see that the Te Papa Museum by the harbor was having a Lord of the Rings Exhibit; it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip! The exhibit featured comprehensive video specials (many of which are also in the special edition DVD), props, costumes, miniatures, concept/test artwork, and weaponry/armor, organized by character and peoples…” [go to journal]

This is sooo exciting! Vienna is going to be performing on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night at 11:30 pm ET/PT! Everyone tune in! I wonder where she will end up next…? :)

Instead of heading to bed after returning home yesterday, I met up with Vienna, Oliver, Mel, Emile, and Zhenya in the first row of the lower orchestra section of Davies Symphony Hall to hear Lang Lang perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. I actually planned my trip around coming back into town to see him perform. He was absolutely stunning! At times, he literally vibrated with an energy that I felt might make him burst; it was thoroughly infectious, and none of us cared that we were sitting under the piano, unable to really hear a “proper” balanced sound from any of the instruments (it helped that all of us know the piece fairly well). I had the same reaction I had when seeing him play last year: he is the best pianist I have ever seen perform. I write that because I enjoy his performances more than I do other ones. The two performances of his I’ve seen stand out in every way I can imagine.

Oh! Ozzie’s CD “Yiddishbbuk” with the St. Lawrence String Quartet and Todd Palmer was nominated for two Grammies! It’s very exciting. :)