Ashley Chiu's Podcast - Classical Adventure

JINGLE IN*

Welcome back to Classical Adventure!  In the last episode, Peter sneaked out of the gates and followed a mysterious butterfly, which led him to a tall brick wall. After Peter was able to flip to the other side of the wall, he discovered something extraordinary. What do you think will happen next?

“No way!”  Peter exclaimed. 

He didn’t even know how to describe the beautiful sight in front of him. It was as if he found a secret garden inside of the fields! It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that had already broken out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, some into bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that Peter thought he could just sit here listening to their harmony all day long. 

{Wait, but why did the butterfly lead me here?}

Peter’s consciousness came back. He looked around to see if the butterfly was around him anymore, and to his dismay, it wasn't. He was left here, all alone, not knowing answers to either why he was sent here or what the butterfly wants. 

Peter found this experience quite useless, and decided to go home earlier to prevent listening to his Grandfather’s lecture. {Hmm, but maybe I should explore this place a bit before heading back. I do see a hut or house in the distance, perhaps I can go there for a while.} 

Peter hurried to the other side of the garden, where the small hut was. He gently opened the old wooden door, which sent creaky sounds loud enough to disturb the entire neighborhood. Suddenly, Peter heard whispering. 

“Hey, be quiet!”“Shut up! Why did you steal my food?”“Guys, shh, be quiet, I’m trying to-”“Give me my food back!”“Gosh, just listen to me for a second!”

Confused, Peter opened the door to its full extent. Right in front of him stood a bird, a cat and a duck, all with shocked expressions. Peter himself was also astonished. So many different questions flooded in his head. Why were these animals here inside this hut? Were they captured by someone evil? And most importantly, what was a bird, a cat and a duck doing together? Isn’t that, like, the weirdest combination of all times?

“Um, hi, I’m Peter, nice to meet you guys,” Peter nervously spitted out. 

Nothing happened. Nothing at all. It was as if the animals were a stone image in front of him. After a few minutes, the cat gathered enough courage to step forward and say:

“Um, Peter, or whatever your name was, we need your help”“Okay, what can I help with?”At this point, the bird flew beside Peter and said, “well, let’s see, you might be wondering why a bird, a cat and a duck are together?”Peter immediately nodded his head.“We are foster animals. Our families abandoned us when we were little so we had nowhere to go. Luckily, a wolf named Andrea was kind enough to accept us. She is now our mommy,” countrined the bird. “Wow, I…I’m sorry your family left you guys. That was really unfortunate. But, how does that do with anything you need help with,” Peter asked. “Oh, that was just random background information. The real problem is them two fighting,” said the cat, pointed towards the bird and duck. 

In the rest of the afternoon, Peter stayed in the hut, resolving any conflicts between the bird and duck, playing games, chatting on the grass, and picking fruit from the garden. At the end of the day, all of them seemed so close as if they could become a family. At 6pm, Peter decided that he had to leave otherwise he would get grounded for the rest of his life. He promised to come back again. 

As he climbed over the brick wall again to the other side of the field, he could already see his angry grandfather furiously waving his cane at him. But Peter only chuckled, knowing that everything he did today was worth it. 

JINGLE OUT 

*this podcast features my friend Ming Yan who plays the voice of Peter

JINGLE IN*

Welcome back to Classical Adventure! Join me on a journey with Peter and his animal friends! In the last episode, Andrea the wolf decided to go on vacation in the arctic, leaving her children behind the high brick wall she built. But a few days later, there was a knock on the front wall! Who do you think it could be?

Peter is Andrea’s next door neighbor. He is in 3rd grade, and is currently on his summer break. But poor Peter rarely goes out, even on summer breaks, because his strict grandfather, who is a history teacher, wants him to study history all day long. But Peter can never understand historical events; 

{I only enjoy science, especially Biology. I would love to have the time to go out to the fields and observe all the amazing plants and flowers.} 

One day in his lovely summer vacation, the sun was smiling brightly at him and the clouds in the blue sky danced gracefully to the summer breeze. 

{Wow, the weather is  so nice, I have to take a walk outside.} 

He tiptoed to the living room to check on his grandfather. When he saw him snoring on the couch, Peter decided it was safe enough to sneak out of the gates, just for a while. He grabbed a rope that was in his backpack and lassled it around one of the spikes of the gate. Then, using all of his might, he pulled himself higher, higher, and higher off the ground until he was on the other side. 

{“Geez, it feels so good to be out in the open. That small damp study room was literally KILLING me,” Peter complained to himself.}

He happily skipped through the fields and to his favorite tree that was located between his house and his next door neighbor. It was his favorite tree because it provided great shade for Peter to take his ‘quantitative observations’ notes down, and it was full of life. Everytime Peter sneaked outside and visited this tree, he would always discover new things. Therefore, he named his favorite tree the Tree of Mystery. 

“Woah, these plants have grown so much since the last time I’ve seen them. Must be the sun providing them with enough energy everyday so that they can go through the process of photosynthesis” Peter thought. 

Scribbling his notes down, Peter suddenly felt an itching sensation on his left hand. Turning his head over, he saw something small land on his hand. It was a beautiful blue butterfly with black polka-dots on it. Peter smiled, he loved seeing creatures of all sorts, and he has never seen a butterfly up so close. As he raised his hand to take a closer look at the butterfly, the small creature flew out of his hands and into the air. Peter stood up, making direct contact with the butterfly. 

{Wait, what’s happening? Why do I feel a sort of energy transmitting from the butterfly, as if it were communicating with me?}

Follow me… Said the butterfly’s voice. Peter flinched, not sure if he was imagining this entire scene. The butterfly’s voice was very mellow and sweet, so Peter trusted it. He obediently followed the butterfly, each step of his curiosity thudded loudly and left footprints behind. 

Suddenly, the butterfly stopped. 

{What? Why did it stop? Why am I even following it?}

Peter started to look up from the ground. He saw a huge brick wall in front of him. He took out a grappling hook from this backpack. He carefully aimed the hook at the top of the brick wall before grabbing the rope and pulling himself higher, higher and higher. 

When Peter finally made it to the other side of the wall, he couldn’t believe what he saw. 

“No way!” Peter exclaimed. 

JINGLE OUT

*this podcast features my friend Ming Yan who plays the voice of Peter

—--------------JINGLE—------------------------

Welcome back to Classical Adventure! Join me on a journey with Peter and his animal friends! 

Once upon a time, there was a wolf named Andrea. She lives in Chugwater Bay and is a single mother to three adopted children - a duck, a bird and a cat. She owns a very beautiful garden and enjoys the season of spring. 

As a mother, Andrea has several responsibilities, the most important being keeping her children safe and sound. One day, she was so tired of the endless hours of daydreaming everyday, and decided to do something special in her eventless life.

Andrea says,”Ah, I am so tired of doing the same thing everyday! It’s so tedious!”

She looked to her left and up to the mountains. Suddenly, an idea popped in her mind.“Wait, I haven’t gone on a vacation for a long time. Perhaps I can do that now!” Andrea exclaimed. 

But, what about my kids? Who will take care of them? Andrea thought. She considered asking the next door neighbor, who was a history teacher, but was too worried that the human being would cook her kids for dinner. And besides, where exactly? Andrea thought for the entire day. 

The next day, Andrea went out for a while to collect some bricks to build a high wall around her house. She started from the bottom, and worked all her way up for the rest of the day, with her baffled children staring at her. 

“Mommy, what are you building?” asked the duck“Mommy is building a giant brick wall.,” Andrea answered. “But why are you building a brick wall, mommy?” the cat questioned. “Because I don’t want anyone attacking you guys.” Andrea said. 

She has also decided where to go on vacation: the arctic. Andrea has always lived in a warm temperature area, so she decided to try something different and see how other wolves lived. “Besides, when I come back, I can enjoy my favorite season of the year: spring!”

So, our dear Andrea sets off for the arctic. She remembers to fill up the food feeders and water tanks all full. She leaves her cubs behind the tall brick wall that she built to keep them safe. Nothing could possibly go wrong!But a few days later, there was a knock on the front wall…

JINGLE OUT

JINGLE IN

Max groaned. He carefully opened his eyes and looked around. They were beside a lake. Oh, this must be when we visit the Swan! Max thought excitedly. He gently woke up his friends.“Wow, I have never been out of the aquarium. This is absolutely stunning!” Finley exclaimed. “Is this where we meet the Swan?” Scar asked curiously.“Yeah, I think so. Swans live in lakes,” Cact answered.“Okay everyone, listen up. When we visit the Swan, we will have to talk formally. No slang words. We have to show our courtesy” Max explained.“Well how do we do that?” Daisy asked.Before Max could answer Daisy’s question, he felt a rumble. He was pretty sure his friends felt it as well. How strange, Max thought. Rumbles usually came after they met the animal, not at the very beginning. Max started to become dizzy. Very, very dizzy. Everything around him was spinning, spinning, spinning…’’

Thud! Max and his animal friends landed in a place that looked like a temple. Max saw swan cupids with arrows and the other swans were playing harps. As Max looked over his shoulder, he saw swans making fun of Finely for being the “clownfish” in Max’s group. Finley tried his best not to show it, but Max could see the fury under his eyes. Finley attempted to shout at the swans making fun of him, but closed his mouth instead. With the accompaniment of Finley's heavy breathing, Max said, “Forget about them, just focus on what you are doing. My dad always said that it’s harder for someone to walk away than to fight.”Finley nodded and felt reassured after Max’s comfort. Suddenly there was a sharp and blinding light in front of Max. He immediately covered his eyes with his hands. After a while, Max peeked through a small gap through his hands. He was absolutely shocked. In front of him, stood the most elegant and graceful swan Max has ever seen. “Hello, I have been expecting a visit today. You can call me Eve”, said the Swan in a soft tone. Eve was subtle, majestic, and dignified. It was just a swan named Eve that could solve problems, but to Max, she appeared to be like nobility.“H-Hello Miss Eve. Um, I’m Max, and these are my animal friends: Scar the lion, Daisy the chicken, Cact the cuckoo, and Finley the clownfish”.“And I expect that you, Max, have come so that you can complete today’s challenge?”“Yes miss”“Yes, very well indeed. No need to explain the problems to me once more, I have already noted them down during your journey. Scar, you have shown your ability to not be aggressive in the chicken coup. You resist your urge to attack the chickens. Therefore, I will definitely have a meeting with God and tell him to give lions more animals to hunt and more vegetation in the savannah”“Thank you, your Majesty,” replied Scar, bowing down to show his respect.“And Daisy, you have shown your ability to stay quiet while you were visiting the jungle. Chickens and hens shall be rewarded with bigger space in the coup. Cact, you learned to share things with others when Finley gave you the four packs of seaweed. The value sharing is not easy to learn and therefore cuckoos should not have their trees chopped down” Daisy and Cact thanked the Swan many times. “Finley, you showed your ability to control your temper even when others were teasing you. Willpower is not something easy to learn in such as short amount of time, so I definitely shall ask God to insert a new filter into the Aquarium”“Last but not  least, Max, you would like to go home, don’t you?” Max nodded. “Well, how can I put ths, Max, you ARE already home, just breathe deeply and close your eyes” the Swan calmly said. 

Max looked confused, as he did not understand how that would help him get home. But he decided to listen to the Swan. “Hey guys, I have had an amazing journey with you all, I have learned so much from all of you, and I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you guys. I don’t know if we will meet again, but just promise me that you teach the new skill that you learnt to all of your friends. I believe that we can make this world a better place by doing so. ”“Yes, of course, Max, don’t worry” Scar said“We’ll definitely miss you” Daisy add“You HAVE to come visit us later on” Cact emphasized“We won’t let you down, Max,” Finley replied. 

Max laughed and carefully shut his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing. 

Max started to become dizzy. Very, very dizzy. Everything around him was spinning, spinning, spinning…

Where do you think Max will be in the end? Thank you so much for staying tuned to all of the Carnival of Animals episodes. Have a great day!

JINGLE OUT

JINGLE

Welcome back to Classical Adventure! Let’s continue our journey with Max and his animal friends! 

In the last episode, Max, Scar, and Daisy met Cact the cuckoo and are willing to travel together to visit the swan to solve their problems. Scar hopes that the swan can grant the lions more food in the savannah, Daisy hopes that the swan can grant the chickens more space in the coup, and Cact hopes that the swan can persuade God to stop chopping down trees. Max is trying to complete today’s challenge and return home. 

Splash! Max, Scar, Daisy and Cact all landed in water. In fact, they landed in very deep water. At first, Max panicked, as he wasn’t the best at holding his breath. 

“Guys!” Max screamed. He was very surprised that what he just said came out loud and clear.“Guys can you hear me?” Max asked. “Yes, Max, we can hear you, loud and clear,” Scar replied, covering his ears.“Where are we?” Cact shouted.

Daisy swam around, squinting to avoid the water from entering her eyes. Bonk! Daisy accidentally bumped her head against a glass wall. “Guys, we aren’t in the ocean, we’re in an aquarium!” Daisy realized. Max looked around. He found the waters dark and mysterious, ominous yet majestic. The colossal rocks laid polished and the neon green seaweed swayed side to side. Swish. A beautiful array of clownfish reminded Max of eternal beauty. 

“Come on people, let’s go talk to the clownfish, we haven’t got all day” Cact shouted, interrupting Max’s illusion “Shh Cact, you’re going to interrupt the peace!” Daisy whispered.

“Hey, back up, what do you want?” said one clownfish.“Oh, we don’t want anything. We just wanted to know, um, how everything is going in the aquarium” said Max with a shaky voice.“How everything’s going? Well, it has been going…horribly” admitted the clownfish. “You see, ever since the quarrels in the aquarium started, God got very annoyed and removed the filter pipeline to our aquarium. Ever since, our water has become murkier and murkier, and a lot of fish are dying due to this condition”“that is a big problem. But you can definitely join us if you like. We are on our way to visit the Swan to solve our problems.” Scar suggested.“Yes, I would really like to join”“Great! I’m Max, and these are my friends: Scar, Daisy and Cact”“Nice to meet you all, I’m Finley. and you just have to try some of this cooked seaweed, it’s the best”Finley passed 4 packs of seaweed to Cact. Cact hesitated for a few moments, but eventually gave his friends the other 3. “Woah, guys, I think it’s happening again!” Scar blurted out. Max and his friends linked arms, getting ready to face their final adventure together. 

What do you think will happen in Max and his friend’s final adventure? Make sure you stay tuned to the next episode of Classical Adventure. 

JINGLE OUT

JINGLE

Welcome back to Classical Adventure! Let’s continue our journey with Max and his animal friends! 

In the last episode, Max and Scar the lion met Daisy the chicken. Daisy describes the problem the chickens and hens are going through: there are too many chickens in the coop, but God isn’t giving a bigger space. Max agreed to let Daisy join his group, and together as a trio, they are visiting the swan to solve their problems. In this episode, Max and his animal friends will be entering somewhere mysterious. Where do you think it will be?

Swish! Max heard something. He carefully opened his eyes, only to find himself in the middle of a jungle. He woke Scar and Daisy up, hoping that they can help him figure out who they are going to meet this time.

Max was surrounded by the green leaves in the jungle. Suddenly,“What was that sound?” Max asked.“I think it was coming from the trees,” Daisy suggested. “Well hello there, I see that you have entered the cuckoo’s jungle. I’m Cact, the leader of the cuckoos!” “Hi Cact, I’m Max, and this is Scar the lion and Daisy the chicken.” “And, why are you three invading the cuckoo jungle?” “Calm down, Cact, we are just here to see if the cuckoos have any problems.” Scar answered.“Well, if I’m being honest, yes, we do have a problem. You see, the cuckoos have always been taking over other nests, because they want to claim everything for themselves. God thought that we were very selfish animals, and therefore sent people to chop down some of our trees as a punishment. But the cuckoo population is growing everyday, and we soon won’t have enough space for everyone!” “Well Cact, Scar, Daisy and I are paying a visit to the swan to solve our problems. You can join us if you like”  Max offered.“Hmm” Cact thought deeply. “Fine, I’ll come, but it doesn't mean that I will share anything with you or, wait, what is that rumble?”“Guys, hold tight, I think we will be going somewhere!” Daisy shouted out.Max and his three animal friends braced themselves, getting ready for their next adventure. 

What adventure do you guys think Max and his friends will go through? Make sure you stay tuned to the next episode of Classical Adventure!

JINGLE OUT

PODCAST 3 (Chickens and Hens)

JINGLE

Welcome back to Classical Adventure! Let’s continue our journey with Max and his animal friends! 

In the last episode, Max entered the Carnival of Animals world and received a mission to meet the swan. During his journey, Max met Scar the lion and promised to bring him along to visit the swan to solve the lion’s problems! In this episode, Max and Scar are going to find another animal! What animal do you think it will be?

Cluck! Cluck! Max rubbed his eyes and discovered himself in a chicken coop surrounded by hundreds of chickens! 

“Wow, where are we?” asked Scar. “I think that we are in a chicken coop?”Max replied happily. “But why in the world are we in a chicken coop?”“I honestly have no idea, but check out all of these chickens. [Music plays] Max enjoyed playing with all of the hens, but one in particular caught his attention. That chicken kept pointing up at Max with his claws, as if attempting to speak with him. “Hi, chicken, what are you pointing at?” Max kindly asked.“Oh, you can speak? That’s great. We have a massive problem. Back in the time when my great-great-great grandmother was still alive, God had a headache everyday because we were too noisy and clucked too much. Therefore, he punished us by limiting the space we live in. There are too many chickens in this coop and with eggs cracking everyday, this coop might explode!”“Oh, my, that is a huge problem. But how can I help?” Max questioned.“Well, we heard that you were paying a visit to the swan. Maybe you could take me and we will figure this problem out!”“Sure, no problem! What’s your name?”“Oh, you can just call me Daisy.”

[Music plays (2nd verse intro)]“Woah, why is everything spinning?”Daisy was right. Everything was spinning again. Max started to become dizzier, dizzier, and dizzier…

Where do you think Max, Scar, and Daisy will go? Make sure you stay tuned to the next episode of Classical Adventure.

JINGLE OUT—--------------------

JINGLEWelcome back to Classical Adventure! Join me on a journey with Max and his animal friends!

Max was playing with his animal toys on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon. He lined up the lions, chickens, fish and cuckoos, all set to go to the carnival. The lions were all dressed up in their circus costumes, ready to perform in front of the crowd. The chickens were in their cages, waiting to show off their new tricks. The fish were communicating with each other, discussing the new carnival games. And the cuckoos were polishing up, getting ready to impress the audience.  

Suddenly, Max felt a peculiar sensation at the tip of his finger and sparks began to appear. Everything around him was growing in size. He carefully shut his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. 

Max started to become dizzy. Very, very dizzy. Everything around him was spinning, spinning, spinning…

Max came to a halt on dry land.  Max looked down and saw a blue card. He bent down and carefully picked up the card. 

[Hmm, how strange. Why would a blue card be in the middle of a savannah? Max started reading the card: Hello, player! You have entered the carnival of the animal’s world! Your challenge today is to visit the swan.]

[Music plays]

Suddenly, Max heard footsteps. When he turned back, he noticed a troop of lions approaching him! 

“Hey, you there”, grumbled a lion. 

“Me?” Max asked. 

“Yeah, you, can you please help the lions?”

 “Sure, what can I do to help?” “Well, you see, the lions have always been very aggressive animals. So one day, God punished the lions by sending us to the savannah. Ever since, we can only eat plants, as it is the only thing we have here. But lions eat meat, not plants. Therefore, a lot of us are starving to death because of these harsh conditions.”

“Oh, I am very sorry about that. But what can I possibly do to help you? I have to visit the swan in order to complete today’s challenge”“Well, perhaps you can take me with you to the swan.” “Sure! I’m Max, by the way”“Nice to meet you Max, I’m Scar”

Max was so busy talking to Scar that he didn’t even realize the small tingle coming from his hands again…. 

What do you guys think will happen next? Make sure you stay tuned to the next episode of Classical Adventure.

JINGLE OUT

Carnival of the Animals - Ep 1