No Holly For Miss Quinn

"So, do you play the keyboard?" friends would ask me.

"Very little, I'm afraid. So little that I'm even ashamed of admitting that I possess any skills whatsoever in playing it."

"But you can play a song, at the very least?"

"Oh, yes. Most assuredly, I can play a song."

"Errr, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, eh?"

"No," I would say, hiding a smile. "I play 'No Holly for Miss Quinn'."

And the look of utter surprise on their faces would tickle me somehow.

I doubt many people would know how the song goes. Who composed it. Who popularised it. But Enya fans everywhere would know what a wonderful piano piece it is.

Yes, 'No Holly for Miss Quinn' is the only song I can play thus far on my keyboard - with both hands. It's melodious, simple to grasp and so relaxing to play. I am woefully lacking in practice and patience - I want to be able to play like Yanni, Maksim, Enya but I haven't invested time in practicing on my scales, sight-reading and chords progression. But this is the one song that I found easy to sight-read and commit to my heart.

Today, I discovered another delightful fact about this song. That it is actually based upon the title of a book. A lovely Christmas tale written by a school teacher called Miss Read. It's definitely in my 'Books To Get' list. Somehow, I think I can relate to the story of a girl who wants to enjoy her holidays in peace and quiet. But unlike Miss Quinn whose holidays were rudely disrupted by family demands and the re-appearance of an old flame, I had the peace and quiet that I sought to immerse in hobbies long-forgotten, and having the freedom in declining to be drawn into tiresome and demanding activities. And people have said that I've never looked more rested and serene. Yes, not driving for almost a week has taken years off my physical self. I am convinced that driving on the road can prove to be fatal in more ways than one.

Today's plan to pose with a cat went askew, because the person who was supposed to fetch me to the cat owner's place decided to go straight there instead. And I felt it was too much of a bother to drag my lazy behind to sit in the hot oven that was my car, drive under the sweltering heat with the sun blazing into my limpid eyes - all the way to PJ. So I decided to stay at home instead and practice on the only song that I can play.

Still, there is only so much of peace and quiet that I can take. I do look forward to seeing some more old friends tomorrow. My friends have cheerfully offered to ferry me to and fro from one house to the other, of course.

Yeah, I really do think that I've evolved into an eccentric hermit during this very hot CNY. My apologies to my cat owner friend. I shall definitely pay you a visit once the weather has turned favourable.

I'll even play a song for you, if you like. I'm sure you'll love it