As the weeks go by, our neighbouring block adds floors, my students add new clusters of knowledge and experience, and I add new travel plans to my already capacious inventory.

It's been a musically rich week, with two visits to the MPO.

Tuesday evening brought a delightful chamber concert, mostly on the theme of night: Estrellita (Ponce, arr Heifetz); Apres un reve (Faure); Violin Sonata (Franck); and Verklaerte Nacht (Schoenberg).

This last takes its inspiration from a stunningly beautiful and atmospheric poem by Richard Dehmel.

The first few lines are straight from German Romanticism: a bare, cold grove; moonshine on tall oaks; black mountain peaks.

Then the woman confesses she is pregnant, with a child that is not her fellow-walker's, but the result of a fleeting relationship contracted out of desperation. Having then met her current (clearly much more worthy) companion, she feels as though life is punishing her for her impetuousness, because -- surely? -- he will bolt on hearing her news.

But the man doesn't run out on her, or fill her ears with rebukes. His response is full of reassurance and enthusiasm. To him, the child of his companion is a blessing, filling their world with warmth and light.

The two walk on, through a night now transfigured. No longer bare and cold, it is clear and bright, and full of promise.

Tess, this is how it could have been...



Saturday brought Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Shostakovich's 8th, which we remembered from a couple of years ago. It was no less gripping or spine-tingling this time round.



Aside from this musical education, there have been a number of discoveries.

In looking for a place to light a candle in memory of our friend, we discovered Sin Sze Si Ya Temple. We've walked past the entrance countless times, but the temple itself is hidden away in the courtyard. It's the oldest in Kuala Lumpur, and was built by Yap Ah Loy, whose grave we visited recently.









On a lighter note, we tried out a couple of new after-work places this week. Rass & Rusty is a bar/restaurant in the same building as The Bean Belt. The music was a little loud for our taste; and it wasn't what you might call cozy (still looking for cozy, or at least tranquil). But the sauv blanc was good (and generously poured); the Caesar salad was very acceptable; and the price was not bad.

7TNine, an Indian restaurant cum bar cum beer garden, was a good place to celebrate seven years in Asia, especially as Delhi was the first of the Asian stops in this phase of our lives. The portions looked small, but were very filling, and the garden, to which we repaired for a closing masala chai, is lovely.



Breakfast treats this week have included badam milk (with almonds, saffron, and cardamom) from Kader, and paratha stuffed with methi (variously translated as mustard leaf or fenugreek leaf) from Nice Chapati (I'm a huge fan of the texture of chapatis and parathas).

Junk Bookstore was one of our retail discoveries. We've been aware of this place for a while, but had never managed to catch it open. It's quite the little treasure trove (although future plans mean that our book acquisition is strictly limited at the moment).



And no week goes by without the pleasure of night trees, surely KL's best invention this season...