Sitting in front of the counter in Mekong, my favourite Southeast Asian takeaway, waiting for my food to be ready. A group of three walked in and started ordering their food, three feet away from me.

"Hey, what's that?" one of them pointed to my pipa bag lying against the counter. It was one day before SOAS Music Day and I was lugging the pipa from SOAS home to practice.

"Oh, it's a pipa - erm ... a Chinese traditional musical instrument".

"Oooh show us what it is like!" The other two guys were also looking at my direction now.

I unzipped the top of the bag - exposing the carved head of the pipa with its unmistakably Oriental design.

"Shit, how cool is this?" the first guy commented to his friends. "Is it very old?"

"Hmmm.... the instrument has a long history - but this particular instrument is probably not that old"

"Is it made by hand?"

"Erm .... maybe the carving and the finishing? But most of it is probably machine made and mass produced." I feel like I am disappointing them by pointing out that the instrument is not a handmade relic from some ancient Chinese dynasty.

"Why don't you play us something?"

I hesitated.

"Come on! Show us!"

I decided I cannot afford to disappoint them further - so I took out the whole pipa and played a verse, without bothering to put on the artificial nails which will probably take me a good ten minutes. Dance of the Yi people - with its characteristic sliding notes evoking the Orient.

"Shit, how cool is this?!" the guy repeated.

"Ah - I recognise the sound. It sounds very Chinese or Japanese."

I smiled. The Vietnamese girl who took our orders has reappeared from the kitchen, realizing that there was a mini-recital happening in her small little takeaway shop.

"This is traditional music... yes? I am Italian. We love and respect our tradition too."

Our food orders are ready. I started to put the instrument back into its bag.

"Your playing was great - good luck and cheers!" The three of them smiled broadly at me before they collected their food and left the little shop.

Music is a wonderful way to connect with people. Much of my social life in London revolves around the SOAS Thai Music Society, the Silk and Bamboo Ensemble, and the community orchestra at St. Silas Church. In fact, many of my friends were musicians who had played and made music together with me in some point of my life, and I have joined more musical groups than I can count. Sadly my last few years working as a teacher prevents me from taking part in music as actively as I would have liked. I am sure it will not stay this way after I go back to Singapore.