Well, what happened to November? This will be a short post. The Secrets of Harry Potter panel members (Ari, Denise, Jim, and me) recorded another show earlier tonight, and we had a special guest with us. Ah-ah-ah! You'll have to wait to find out who that special guest is! We hope to bring this person back again for another episode. Suffice to say, even though we fangirled and fanboyed him, he also fanboyed us, especially Denise. :)
It was a nice exercise to try to blog every day in November. I just might do the same for December. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to post my music lists, so those will definitely be back-dated when I get around to it.
Oh, and my impressions of how well the people adjusted to the new English translation of the Roman Missal will have to wait until Sunday. I was travelling last Sunday morning and was unable to attend Mass the first Sunday in Advent. Considering I'll be the one behind the Grand Orgue this Sunday, I'm sure to be there. All I have to do is acquire enough music theory in order to come up with a passable accompaniment for the Chant Mass we'll be doing. (I have zero training in that department, so what might seem easy for most is like pulling teeth for me. :( )
That is all for now...
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Will you join me in prayer?
I find what he had written back in 2008 particularly moving:
As I deal with a brain tumor, I am not sad that it may eventually cause me to suffer and die. This will eventually happen to all of us, and we must be prepared to face death at all times by remaining in the state of grace. The single worry I face every day is that because of various circumstances - some of which are beyond my control - I may never know what it is like to serve God as the alter Christus I desire with all my heart to be. It brings tears to my eyes to imagine departing this world without pronouncing the words of Christ at the Last Supper, "This is My Body; This is My Blood," before gazing upon Our Eucharistic Lord in the greatest miracle ever known to man. I pray fervently that I may one day have the privilege of absolving sins - even if I only live long enough to absolve one - showing the same mercy that God has so often shown me despite my weaknesses and sinfulness.
Philip is in need of our prayers. Will you join me in prayer? Click here for the Novena prayer.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Last week of November. Now what?
Goodness. I'm still very tired. I guess I haven't quite caught up on sleep yet.
Time continues to march on. Cindy will be back tomorrow, and I'm sure the resident purring machine (i.e., Purrly the cat) will be very happy to see her. Purrly certainly was happy to see me when I came in. She was at the door when I opened it, and she has stayed by my side ever since. When I'm standing, she's winding her way around my legs. When I'm sitting down, she's on my lap. Starved for attention much, Purrly? ;)
November, where did you go? You passed by way too fast.
Happy birthday to my brother, Hermie! He's reached a milestone: the big four-oh. His celebration started last week, and it continues on. Rock on, brother, rock on. :)
Time continues to march on. Cindy will be back tomorrow, and I'm sure the resident purring machine (i.e., Purrly the cat) will be very happy to see her. Purrly certainly was happy to see me when I came in. She was at the door when I opened it, and she has stayed by my side ever since. When I'm standing, she's winding her way around my legs. When I'm sitting down, she's on my lap. Starved for attention much, Purrly? ;)
November, where did you go? You passed by way too fast.
Happy birthday to my brother, Hermie! He's reached a milestone: the big four-oh. His celebration started last week, and it continues on. Rock on, brother, rock on. :)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
A new experience in tired
That is all.
Well, okay, not quite. Even though I said I wasn't going to do this, I did it anyway: I left Chantilly at 5.00 am this morning. But I was so tired, and traffic on I-95 and I-85 was heavier than usual... and I ended up just barely making it in time for my 10:30 am service. I'm so lucky I have choristers who are capable of running a rehearsal on their own. (Thank you so much, Joel M., for pinch-hitting for me! And the choir did sound lovely on the anthem. :) )
I am so glad to be home... you have no idea how happy I was to see the "Entering the City and County of Durham" sign on I-85.
Tiredness Gaffe #2. At the 5:15 pm service, even though the priest announced "Hymn 59" for the opening, for some reason, I played Hymn 57. I played three lines of music before I realised, "D'oh! He said 59, not 57!" A quick glance at the hymnboard revealed I played the closing hymn instead of the opening hymn!
So I stopped playing, announced loudly that I started the wrong hymn, the congregation laughed nervously, I flipped a couple of pages ahead, and voilá: back on the right track.
After the service, the priest approached me, and he said, good-naturedly, "I knew I had announced the right hymn. Back in the old days, I worked with a cantankerous old priest who would have rapped his knuckles very hard on a pew and announce in a booming voice to the organist that he is playing the wrong hymn. I didn't do that with you, and I was ready to just announce we'll switch the opening and the closing hymns, but you caught it in time."
And this from a member of the congregation: "I love that closing hymn, and I can see why you wanted to get to it sooner." And he gave me a pat on the back as he walked past me.
It's time for bed. My eyes don't want to stay open anymore. So I'll obey the body and... zzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Adventures in Lumpia-Making
Today was the last day we were going to be together in Northern Virginia. T. is on a bus back to New York City, and after dinner, I'll be driving back down to North Carolina. It was wonderful seeing my cousins again, and I hope we'll have the chance to see each other more often.
Today we decided to roll lumpia. Lumpia is the Filipino version of egg rolls. The filling is a vegetarian version using tofu (tokwa) instead of ground beef or pork. Ate S. made the filling before she went off to work.
We were going to do two varieties: fried (lumpiang pritong tokwa) and "fresh" (lumpiang sariwa). We had store-bought wrappers for the fried variety. We decided to try making our own for the "fresh" variety.
We had a lumpia rolling party. Kuya M. started us off, and he showed S2 how to roll one. (It's really more like rolling a burrito.) T. and I joined S2. The picture below shows our efforts before Kuya M. fried them.
And here is T. modelling the fried version:
I tried my hand at doing the fresh lumpia wrapper. I couldn't help but be mesmerised by the guy making it at this stall in the Philippines:
He makes it look easy, doesn't he? It wasn't, really. My finished product, even though it had the right taste, didn't look nearly as pretty as his, plus mine was much thicker. I suspect I didn't use the right pan. I do remember my mother using a an electronic griddle when making it.
How did I make it? Well, when I called my mum this morning, she said there were no proportions. "Just put flour in a bowl, add salt if you want, and then make a well in the middle. Add water slowly until you get the right consistency."
When I cooked the wrappers, I used a 10" pan with a non-stick surface. No oil or butter of any sort. I just heated it under medium heat until the surface got hot, and then just like the guy in the picture, I took the dough in my right hand, rubbed it on the surface of the pan, and when the edges started to come up, I picked it up with my left hand, turned it over briefly, then placed it on the plate.
And that's it. It's something I'll definitely practice more in the future.
Today we decided to roll lumpia. Lumpia is the Filipino version of egg rolls. The filling is a vegetarian version using tofu (tokwa) instead of ground beef or pork. Ate S. made the filling before she went off to work.
We were going to do two varieties: fried (lumpiang pritong tokwa) and "fresh" (lumpiang sariwa). We had store-bought wrappers for the fried variety. We decided to try making our own for the "fresh" variety.
We had a lumpia rolling party. Kuya M. started us off, and he showed S2 how to roll one. (It's really more like rolling a burrito.) T. and I joined S2. The picture below shows our efforts before Kuya M. fried them.
And here is T. modelling the fried version:
I tried my hand at doing the fresh lumpia wrapper. I couldn't help but be mesmerised by the guy making it at this stall in the Philippines:
He makes it look easy, doesn't he? It wasn't, really. My finished product, even though it had the right taste, didn't look nearly as pretty as his, plus mine was much thicker. I suspect I didn't use the right pan. I do remember my mother using a an electronic griddle when making it.
How did I make it? Well, when I called my mum this morning, she said there were no proportions. "Just put flour in a bowl, add salt if you want, and then make a well in the middle. Add water slowly until you get the right consistency."
When I cooked the wrappers, I used a 10" pan with a non-stick surface. No oil or butter of any sort. I just heated it under medium heat until the surface got hot, and then just like the guy in the picture, I took the dough in my right hand, rubbed it on the surface of the pan, and when the edges started to come up, I picked it up with my left hand, turned it over briefly, then placed it on the plate.
And that's it. It's something I'll definitely practice more in the future.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Black Friday?
After all the excitement of yesterday, we had a very late start this morning. I had intended to make breakfast this morning; after all, I had put the rice on before I went to bed last night. I guess I woke up a little too late; Kuya and two of the three kids already had their cereal, so T. and I ended up having leftovers from last night while discussing what we might be doing for the day.
Kuya had a surprise up his sleeve... it is, after all, Ate S.'s birthday today, and like a good hubby, he wanted a nice surprise for her. So we decided to go visit Tita Edith's grave in Maryland before putting the birthday surprise into action.
Tita Edith was Kuya's mother, and had passed away in 2005 from breast cancer. So actually, this is T's first visit back here since Tita Edith had passed away. We got some flowers to lay at her grave, and we spent a bit of time there. S3 went along with us for the ride, so the four of us were there, and we had prayed a decade of the rosary before we went on our way.
The surprise: a new smartphone. We suspect Ate S. is happy with it, especially now that she can check Facebook more oftenand request vociferously to remove pictures of herself she doesn't like. ;)
A feast at Todai followed. All in all, it was a nice day, and it also allowed more bonding time for the Yalong cousins.
With regards to S3 (the six-year old)... she had found a ladybug this morning that still appeared to be alive. She decided to put it on a tissue paper and then let it go outside. I told her she did a very good thing by putting the ladybug outside.
Finally, Black Friday. Ate S. works at Walmart, and she had to work the midnight - 10:00 am shift early this morning. She said it was crazy with a capital C from the time she was there until 2:00 am. It was so packed, you couldn't even walk without bumping into someone. After 2:00 am, she said the crowds lessened considerably.
My friend, Sherrye, put it very well in her Facebook status. She is based in Long Island, NY, and it's a post-Thanksgiving tradition for her and her husband to spend the day in New York City. Of course, now that they have a toddler, they have to cut their daytrip short. Now it's an annual trip to FAO Schwarz.
She says:
I never remembered it being like this in years past. I do remember the sales at the Navy Exchange, and my mom would drag my brother and me with her, where we would be looking for the sales, but I don't ever recall it being as crazy as the Black Friday or even post-Christmas sales can be nowadays.
Time flies so quickly. Tomorrow, T. will be returning to New York City, and I will probably start driving back to NC tomorrow evening as well. I'm glad we're here, spending time together. :)
Kuya had a surprise up his sleeve... it is, after all, Ate S.'s birthday today, and like a good hubby, he wanted a nice surprise for her. So we decided to go visit Tita Edith's grave in Maryland before putting the birthday surprise into action.
Tita Edith was Kuya's mother, and had passed away in 2005 from breast cancer. So actually, this is T's first visit back here since Tita Edith had passed away. We got some flowers to lay at her grave, and we spent a bit of time there. S3 went along with us for the ride, so the four of us were there, and we had prayed a decade of the rosary before we went on our way.
The surprise: a new smartphone. We suspect Ate S. is happy with it, especially now that she can check Facebook more often
A feast at Todai followed. All in all, it was a nice day, and it also allowed more bonding time for the Yalong cousins.
With regards to S3 (the six-year old)... she had found a ladybug this morning that still appeared to be alive. She decided to put it on a tissue paper and then let it go outside. I told her she did a very good thing by putting the ladybug outside.
Finally, Black Friday. Ate S. works at Walmart, and she had to work the midnight - 10:00 am shift early this morning. She said it was crazy with a capital C from the time she was there until 2:00 am. It was so packed, you couldn't even walk without bumping into someone. After 2:00 am, she said the crowds lessened considerably.
My friend, Sherrye, put it very well in her Facebook status. She is based in Long Island, NY, and it's a post-Thanksgiving tradition for her and her husband to spend the day in New York City. Of course, now that they have a toddler, they have to cut their daytrip short. Now it's an annual trip to FAO Schwarz.
She says:
So, I was wondering where the hell everyone was today. We drove to Manhattan (no traffic), drove down 2nd Ave (no traffic), and parked in Midtown. Had lunch (not busy), saw people on 5th Ave and in FAO Schwarz, and returned home w/o traffic... THEN I found out where they were.... sleeping, because apparently, a lot of morons ran to the stores in the middle of the night. (Emphasis mine.) Toys R Us looked like a tsunami hit it, but had no people in it. Weird culture we have.
I never remembered it being like this in years past. I do remember the sales at the Navy Exchange, and my mom would drag my brother and me with her, where we would be looking for the sales, but I don't ever recall it being as crazy as the Black Friday or even post-Christmas sales can be nowadays.
Time flies so quickly. Tomorrow, T. will be returning to New York City, and I will probably start driving back to NC tomorrow evening as well. I'm glad we're here, spending time together. :)
Catching up
So much for posting every day. Kind of hard when you're travelling. I'm in the metro Washington DC area (Virginia side) spending time with my Yalong cousins, one of whom I haven't seen since at least 2005.
23 November
After I left work, I went straight to Virginia Beach, where there was a Red Ribbon Bakeshop. Here is a little blurb from their Philippines site:
So it was no surprise that I would be asked to drop by Red Ribbon on the way to my cousin's house. They had specifically requested: Ube Cake (A uniquely Filipino treat, ube chiffon cake covered with delectable white cream frosting and ube crumbs), Cake Sansrival (Tempting layers of crisp meringue wafers with creamy butter cream icing and scrumptious nuts), Classic Mamon (Soft, golden crown-like chiffon made with just the right heavenly sweetness and moisture that delicately melts in your mouth), and Pork Siopao (Steamed mini sweet buns filled with sweet, saucy pork (available in packs of 20)). Unfortunately, I was not able to come away with the sansrival because of its delicate nature and special processing needed. So I made a note to myself: call ahead of time, and bring a cooler equipped with dry ice. The cake would need to be frozen in order to be transported without it falling apart.
Now one would ask, "Lyn, you love cooking and baking. Why don't you try to make the sansrival yourself?" Good question. I've tried. Twice. They were both spectacular failures. Perhaps I'll try again in the future. We'll see.
I didn't get to my cousin's place until midnight. S. returned from work after 10.00 pm, and M. would not return from work until at least 1.00 am. It's just as well I was late, then. We ended up staying up until at least 5.30 - 6.00 am, chatting and doing some genealogy research on the Yalong, Sablan, and Miranda families.
24 November
I opened my eyes this morning, and the first thought that came to my mind was, "But I turned off the lights before I went to sleep at 6.00 am!" I rolled over... and realised that the brightness did not come from the lights overhead but instead came from the light streaming through the bedroom window. I noticed I had slept for about an hour and a half. So much for sleep. The old Alison Moyet song, "Where Hides Sleep" ran through my mind as I realised I would not be able to fall back asleep. I uploaded pictures of my Virginia trip to my Facebook account (which you may access by clicking here) and did a bit of knitting (and yes, I brought projects with me). I finally got around to booking my plane ticket home for late December. Could you believe there was at least a $200.00 price differential between leaving Christmas day and the day after Christmas? There was also a $150.00 price differential between leaving Jan. 3 as opposed to leaving Jan. 4... and it would be an overnight flight anyway (admittedly, my favourite kind... it helps that I can easily sleep on planes). So I'll arrive in San Diego on Christmas afternoon and stay for 12 days, 11 nights. I'm looking forward to it!
I ended up emerging from my room late morning and ascended to the kitchen, where I found my cousin rummaging around for breakfast. We ended up continuing our discussion from hours earlier, but we ended up fading a bit, so we decided on what we were going to do as far as the timing of the afternoon was concerned. T. was busing in from New York City, and her bus, was expected in during the 6.00 pm hour. I also spoke with my mum in the afternoon before finally dropping off for a much-needed nap.
It was great to see T. again, and I met her as she got off the bus at Union Station. After going on a soft drink run, we returned to the house and was greeted by the smells of wonderful food cooking in the kitchen. It was a veritable Filipino feast. (I didn't take pictures, but S2 did take a few pictures, which I'll probably "steal" from her at some point in time...) On the menu: broiled tilapia, ginataang labong (fresh bamboo shoots cookied in coconut oil), laing (spinach or other greens cooked in coconut oil... Bicol style is usually spicy, but this one was relatively mild), chop suey with tofu, roasted chicken, and marinated pork ribs and chops. Ginataang halo-halo (a sweet dessert soup generally consisting of saba bananas, sweet potato, glutinous rice balls, simmered in sweetened coconut milk) was dessert. We also had some sparkling apple cider that I brought with me from NC.
After dinner, we Skyped with the Yalong cousins in San Diego, and we chatted for a couple of hours. We announced that M., T., and I were going to try to track the Yalong, Sta. Maria, Sablan, and Miranda families. It was a happy coincidence that T. was constructing a genogram of the Yalong family as she was on the bus... especially since M. and I stayed up all night, discussing genealogy.
The Yalong cousins in San Diego are looking forward to seeing T. and me again for Christmas. It'll be nice to see them all again.
25 November
I'm starting to fade, so I'd best put this post to bed. Thanks for taking the time to read this little summing up post. I think on the plans for later on today, after S. returns home from work (dealing with Black Friday crowds... wish her luck!), will be more relaxing and spending time with each other, nomming on the ube cake from Red Ribbon, and then to celebrate S.'s birthday, eat out somewhere. T. and I will be visiting until Saturday afternoon, when we'll both return to our respective places.
I think that catches me up. So much for blogging every day. And now for a lovely nap. (I'm doubtful I'll be able to get a full night's rest tonight. :( )
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Cheers, and love to all,
Lyn :)
Well, I'm starting to
After I left work, I went straight to Virginia Beach, where there was a Red Ribbon Bakeshop. Here is a little blurb from their Philippines site:
From its store in Timog, Quezon City what started out as hobby-induced business in 1979, turned out to be a proudly Filipino-owned and professionally-run business network. Red Ribbon has grown to over 200 outlets all over the country and 39 stores in the US with locations in California, Las Vegas, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, Virginia, and New York.
So it was no surprise that I would be asked to drop by Red Ribbon on the way to my cousin's house. They had specifically requested: Ube Cake (A uniquely Filipino treat, ube chiffon cake covered with delectable white cream frosting and ube crumbs), Cake Sansrival (Tempting layers of crisp meringue wafers with creamy butter cream icing and scrumptious nuts), Classic Mamon (Soft, golden crown-like chiffon made with just the right heavenly sweetness and moisture that delicately melts in your mouth), and Pork Siopao (Steamed mini sweet buns filled with sweet, saucy pork (available in packs of 20)). Unfortunately, I was not able to come away with the sansrival because of its delicate nature and special processing needed. So I made a note to myself: call ahead of time, and bring a cooler equipped with dry ice. The cake would need to be frozen in order to be transported without it falling apart.
Now one would ask, "Lyn, you love cooking and baking. Why don't you try to make the sansrival yourself?" Good question. I've tried. Twice. They were both spectacular failures. Perhaps I'll try again in the future. We'll see.
I didn't get to my cousin's place until midnight. S. returned from work after 10.00 pm, and M. would not return from work until at least 1.00 am. It's just as well I was late, then. We ended up staying up until at least 5.30 - 6.00 am, chatting and doing some genealogy research on the Yalong, Sablan, and Miranda families.
I opened my eyes this morning, and the first thought that came to my mind was, "But I turned off the lights before I went to sleep at 6.00 am!" I rolled over... and realised that the brightness did not come from the lights overhead but instead came from the light streaming through the bedroom window. I noticed I had slept for about an hour and a half. So much for sleep. The old Alison Moyet song, "Where Hides Sleep" ran through my mind as I realised I would not be able to fall back asleep. I uploaded pictures of my Virginia trip to my Facebook account (which you may access by clicking here) and did a bit of knitting (and yes, I brought projects with me). I finally got around to booking my plane ticket home for late December. Could you believe there was at least a $200.00 price differential between leaving Christmas day and the day after Christmas? There was also a $150.00 price differential between leaving Jan. 3 as opposed to leaving Jan. 4... and it would be an overnight flight anyway (admittedly, my favourite kind... it helps that I can easily sleep on planes). So I'll arrive in San Diego on Christmas afternoon and stay for 12 days, 11 nights. I'm looking forward to it!
I ended up emerging from my room late morning and ascended to the kitchen, where I found my cousin rummaging around for breakfast. We ended up continuing our discussion from hours earlier, but we ended up fading a bit, so we decided on what we were going to do as far as the timing of the afternoon was concerned. T. was busing in from New York City, and her bus, was expected in during the 6.00 pm hour. I also spoke with my mum in the afternoon before finally dropping off for a much-needed nap.
It was great to see T. again, and I met her as she got off the bus at Union Station. After going on a soft drink run, we returned to the house and was greeted by the smells of wonderful food cooking in the kitchen. It was a veritable Filipino feast. (I didn't take pictures, but S2 did take a few pictures, which I'll probably "steal" from her at some point in time...) On the menu: broiled tilapia, ginataang labong (fresh bamboo shoots cookied in coconut oil), laing (spinach or other greens cooked in coconut oil... Bicol style is usually spicy, but this one was relatively mild), chop suey with tofu, roasted chicken, and marinated pork ribs and chops. Ginataang halo-halo (a sweet dessert soup generally consisting of saba bananas, sweet potato, glutinous rice balls, simmered in sweetened coconut milk) was dessert. We also had some sparkling apple cider that I brought with me from NC.
After dinner, we Skyped with the Yalong cousins in San Diego, and we chatted for a couple of hours. We announced that M., T., and I were going to try to track the Yalong, Sta. Maria, Sablan, and Miranda families. It was a happy coincidence that T. was constructing a genogram of the Yalong family as she was on the bus... especially since M. and I stayed up all night, discussing genealogy.
The Yalong cousins in San Diego are looking forward to seeing T. and me again for Christmas. It'll be nice to see them all again.
I'm starting to fade, so I'd best put this post to bed. Thanks for taking the time to read this little summing up post. I think on the plans for later on today, after S. returns home from work (dealing with Black Friday crowds... wish her luck!), will be more relaxing and spending time with each other, nomming on the ube cake from Red Ribbon, and then to celebrate S.'s birthday, eat out somewhere. T. and I will be visiting until Saturday afternoon, when we'll both return to our respective places.
I think that catches me up. So much for blogging every day. And now for a lovely nap. (I'm doubtful I'll be able to get a full night's rest tonight. :( )
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Cheers, and love to all,
Lyn :)
Well, I'm starting to
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Prelude to a holiday
For those of you travelling: be safe. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Once Upon a TV Show
Many are comparing Once Upon a Time with Lost. I've never heard of Lost, but then again, I never really was much of a TV watcher. (Must be the influence of those at SQPN...) So I'll leave it to those more knowledgeable to compare and contrast these two shows.
Admittedly, I'm watching more TV now than I did in the past several years combined. I also tried watching Pan Am, but I will admit that it hasn't really caught my attention as much as Once Upon a Time has done. I'll probably have a look at the next episode when I have a chance.
And I'm sure people will encourage me to have a look at Lost. Perhaps I will... one of these days.
In the meantime, speaking of SQPN, go to shows.sqpn.com to have a look at SQPN's line-up of podcasts. It also includes a little podcast with which I'm involved, Secrets of Harry Potter.
Related to this post, do listen to Secrets of Once Upon a Time. It's more than just a recap show. Fr. Roderick, Dave, and Lisa actually do some analysis and comparisons, using the Secrets formula that has worked for SQPN over these many years. Click on the picture below to go to the Secrets of Once Upon a Time homepage. While you're there, why don't you subscribe to their iTunes feed? And while you're on that page, why don't you leave a positive review? Remember: reviews are love.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
More gratefulness
I went to the usual Sunday evening Compline service earlier tonight. It seems we had a smaller than usual group (as well as smaller than usual attendance...) but we put out a good sound, according to a couple of people who spoke to me after the service. (Just as a reminder, the Compline service is attended mostly by college students, but there are also members of the community who attend. Chapel of the Cross staffers have acknowledged that the Compline service has become their "seeker" service, and they do their level best to ensure those who go to this service feel welcomed and that they are part of the community.)
What a couple of them told me, however, came as a complete surprise to me. There was a father (maybe in his 70s) and his son (maybe in his 50s). They told me they were discussing the choir and their sound during the post-service refreshments. For them, Compline is one of their favourite services. The younger man, who loves baking, makes sweets and treats, which are well-received by the students.
So these men pulled me aside and told me that, in their opinion, there are two choristers who they consider "essential" to the success of this group. One of the basses (and a very talented vocalist at that) was cited as one of those "essential" choristers. Much to my surprise, they felt I was the other one. My reaction: "Oh, come on!"
I'm very flattered that they feel this way, but truthfully, there are others in the group who are better sight-singers, and just better overall singers than I am. Yes, I've been singing with this group on and off since 2004, but still... I'm just one part of the whole, and together, we make the sublime sounds we do every Sunday night during the academic year.
After tonight, we'll have another three Sundays before we take a break for the Christmas holidays. I believe we'll be back the second Sunday in January, 2012.
Oh, the grateful part of this post? It truly is nice to be appreciated, and I am grateful to these men for that. There is the American Guild of Organists' slogan, Soli Deo Gloria, and it's true: we do this all for the glory of God. I am grateful that I am able to offer my talents for this purpose.
I'll post my music lists shortly.
What a couple of them told me, however, came as a complete surprise to me. There was a father (maybe in his 70s) and his son (maybe in his 50s). They told me they were discussing the choir and their sound during the post-service refreshments. For them, Compline is one of their favourite services. The younger man, who loves baking, makes sweets and treats, which are well-received by the students.
So these men pulled me aside and told me that, in their opinion, there are two choristers who they consider "essential" to the success of this group. One of the basses (and a very talented vocalist at that) was cited as one of those "essential" choristers. Much to my surprise, they felt I was the other one. My reaction: "Oh, come on!"
I'm very flattered that they feel this way, but truthfully, there are others in the group who are better sight-singers, and just better overall singers than I am. Yes, I've been singing with this group on and off since 2004, but still... I'm just one part of the whole, and together, we make the sublime sounds we do every Sunday night during the academic year.
After tonight, we'll have another three Sundays before we take a break for the Christmas holidays. I believe we'll be back the second Sunday in January, 2012.
Oh, the grateful part of this post? It truly is nice to be appreciated, and I am grateful to these men for that. There is the American Guild of Organists' slogan, Soli Deo Gloria, and it's true: we do this all for the glory of God. I am grateful that I am able to offer my talents for this purpose.
I'll post my music lists shortly.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A very brief post
I felt like my entire day was off. I woke up feeling very sleepy, but I had promised to take a friend to the airport. So I did that... shared a breakfast with her at a favourite breakfast spot near her home... took her to the airport... then went back home and felt sleepy for the rest of the day. Not a very productive day at all.
I knew there was a reason why I try not to stay up too late... or if I stay up too late the night before, I stay in bed until I have at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Perhaps this is a reminder that I'm getting older. I cannot function on little sleep anymore.
Back to bed...
I knew there was a reason why I try not to stay up too late... or if I stay up too late the night before, I stay in bed until I have at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Perhaps this is a reminder that I'm getting older. I cannot function on little sleep anymore.
Back to bed...
I fail.
I managed to miss a day during this month of blogging. The NaBloPoMo gods will be angry. (Not really.)
I had a good reason for missing out on blogging on November 18. Er... well, if I were in Hawaii, it would still be November 18 as I write this... they would just have two hours of November 18 left.
Back to my good reason for missing out on blogging. My friend (and very occasional co-blogger) Tyler had a business trip that took him to, of all places, Gastonia, NC. Once he finished in Gastonia, he drove to Chapel Hill, where we met for a late dinner at Whole Foods before continuing on to the Chapel of the Cross for some quality time with the Dobson and Kleuker organs. I told Tyler to take as much time as he wanted to... because of all the travelling he does for his job, he doesn't get the opportunity to practice as much as he'd like, so I'm more than happy to give him access to an organ or two for that purpose.
It was fun listening to him play... and I played through a few hymns as well. (It was a good excuse to practice the hymns I'll be playing in church on Sunday. :) )
We didn't leave Chapel of the Cross until well past 2:00 am. He's staying in a hotel in Research Triangle Park before catching a flight back to Vancouver sometime tomorrow afternoon. So at least he'll have some time to rest before travelling across the country, back home for a few days before he goes travelling again.
So that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
In the #gratefultweet department: it's really, really nice to be remembered. I received an unexpected surprise in my mailbox earlier today. Kyria (one of my fandom friends) sent me a postcard from England. That is really sweet of her to think of me. Thanks much, Kyria! I hope you enjoy your stay in England, and safe travels upon your return home.
That's it for now. I guess I'll have a couple of 19 November posts... more if I feel up to posting my overdue music lists...
I had a good reason for missing out on blogging on November 18. Er... well, if I were in Hawaii, it would still be November 18 as I write this... they would just have two hours of November 18 left.
Back to my good reason for missing out on blogging. My friend (and very occasional co-blogger) Tyler had a business trip that took him to, of all places, Gastonia, NC. Once he finished in Gastonia, he drove to Chapel Hill, where we met for a late dinner at Whole Foods before continuing on to the Chapel of the Cross for some quality time with the Dobson and Kleuker organs. I told Tyler to take as much time as he wanted to... because of all the travelling he does for his job, he doesn't get the opportunity to practice as much as he'd like, so I'm more than happy to give him access to an organ or two for that purpose.
It was fun listening to him play... and I played through a few hymns as well. (It was a good excuse to practice the hymns I'll be playing in church on Sunday. :) )
We didn't leave Chapel of the Cross until well past 2:00 am. He's staying in a hotel in Research Triangle Park before catching a flight back to Vancouver sometime tomorrow afternoon. So at least he'll have some time to rest before travelling across the country, back home for a few days before he goes travelling again.
So that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
In the #gratefultweet department: it's really, really nice to be remembered. I received an unexpected surprise in my mailbox earlier today. Kyria (one of my fandom friends) sent me a postcard from England. That is really sweet of her to think of me. Thanks much, Kyria! I hope you enjoy your stay in England, and safe travels upon your return home.
That's it for now. I guess I'll have a couple of 19 November posts... more if I feel up to posting my overdue music lists...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
As we go hurtling towards the end of the year...
I chuckled when I read that on his Facebook page. Alarming? Maybe so because the time has just flown by. Where has November gone? Admittedly, it has been a very busy month for me thus far, and December will probably be even busier for me.
At least I have a couple of trips to look forward to. I'll be spending Thanksgiving with my cousins in Northern Virginia and Christmas with the family in Southern California. It'll be wonderful to see them again.
So today at choir practice, I spent a bit of time going over the music we'll be singing during Advent. There was a request from the Liturgy Committee to try to slow things down a bit as a reminder that we are waiting in expectation for the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. What better way to remember that than with the wonderful wealth of music available during Advent! It's one of those times when I wish Advent were longer than 4 weeks. So much wonderful music. So little time in which to hear them.
I'll close this post with a YouTube video of a Taizé piece: Wait for the Lord. Blessings upon you all.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Time flies...
It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since the first Harry Potter film was released. On November 16, 2001, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone premiered in theaters.
Ten years and 8 films later, the Potter story unfolded on film. I've been looking at the teasers for this film, and it's fun looking through them. I'll embed the videos here. These come from Movies History on YouTube.
Teaser Trailer:
Trailer #1:
Trailer #2:
TV Spot:
Ten years and 8 films later, the Potter story unfolded on film. I've been looking at the teasers for this film, and it's fun looking through them. I'll embed the videos here. These come from Movies History on YouTube.
Teaser Trailer:
Trailer #1:
Trailer #2:
TV Spot:
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A very full day, indeed
It's been a very busy day today... but a very satisfying one.
The Durham-Chapel Hill AGO had a chapter event earlier tonight at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Durham. It was a choral reading session, led by the chapter dean, Daniel Steinert. The featured publisher was Hinshaw Music, based in Chapel Hill. It was a small group, but it was fun singing through the pieces. There are a few that I can imagine my choir singing, so I'd say it was a success for me, personally. I just wish we had more people turning up. Note to self: Tuesday evenings are not a good when trying to schedule an event for a group of organists. Too many people wrote back and said they had rehearsals or some other plans.
The evening's event was preceded by a soup and salad supper. I had hired one of First Presbyterian's members to make the soup and put the salad together. Margot, who runs a catering business, did a great job, and everyone really appreciated the soup.
We also held a used music sale, and those present really dug into the music. I was chuffed that I only had 1 1/2 boxes of music left (having started off with 3 full boxes and one box about 1/8 full). The proceeds of the sale went towards a newly-established scholarship fund.
All in all, it was a great evening. In order to help out the sexton, I washed all the dishes and put all the food away. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised to see how clean I left the kitchen. Having a nice dishwasher really helped immensely.
Now I'm tired tired tired. Onward to the next adventure... after a good night's sleep.
The Durham-Chapel Hill AGO had a chapter event earlier tonight at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Durham. It was a choral reading session, led by the chapter dean, Daniel Steinert. The featured publisher was Hinshaw Music, based in Chapel Hill. It was a small group, but it was fun singing through the pieces. There are a few that I can imagine my choir singing, so I'd say it was a success for me, personally. I just wish we had more people turning up. Note to self: Tuesday evenings are not a good when trying to schedule an event for a group of organists. Too many people wrote back and said they had rehearsals or some other plans.
The evening's event was preceded by a soup and salad supper. I had hired one of First Presbyterian's members to make the soup and put the salad together. Margot, who runs a catering business, did a great job, and everyone really appreciated the soup.
We also held a used music sale, and those present really dug into the music. I was chuffed that I only had 1 1/2 boxes of music left (having started off with 3 full boxes and one box about 1/8 full). The proceeds of the sale went towards a newly-established scholarship fund.
All in all, it was a great evening. In order to help out the sexton, I washed all the dishes and put all the food away. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised to see how clean I left the kitchen. Having a nice dishwasher really helped immensely.
Now I'm tired tired tired. Onward to the next adventure... after a good night's sleep.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sense of Entitlement?
I couldn't help but notice when that young man had told the beggar that. "In this credit card world, no one carries cash with them anymore." It's so true. I stopped carrying cash because I could pay for everything with my debit card or hop on-line and buy stuff that way.
I also noticed the man begging for money didn't take no for an answer. I didn't stick around to see how their conversation ended, but I assumed it was not long after I had left them because this group of young men caught up to me at an intersection whilst I was waiting for the light to turn green. It made me wonder where the beggar got his sense of entitlement. There seems to be a lot of that going around.
Earlier today, a rather irate caller started scolding me and demanded to speak to 'only a pastor' after having stated that he was on the verge of being evicted. He had called us two weeks ago, asking for assistance for rent. I referred him to someone else since I generally do not deal with calls asking for financial assistance.
This person ended up speaking in a rather rude manner to the person I passed the phone to, ranting on about how "all [particular Christian denomination] churches should close because they are poorly run and cannot honour the request of those begging for help." I was shaking my head. This man was staying in a hotel and demanded that we and other social agencies pay his bill? He was single had no dependents. In the meantime, there are others who have children to feed, bills to pay, etc., who needed assistance more than this guy. (I know, it sounds mean when I put it that way.) It's almost like he was saying that because we are a church, we are obligated to help him because that's what churches do, throw money at people who beg for it.
Now that was someone with an inflated sense of entitlement. What makes this single man, staying in a hotel, more worthy of assistance than a single woman (or man) with dependents, who were trying to genuinely support themselves, but the money, stretched thin enough as it is, was not enough to cover food, bills, rent?
And then there is a single man who keeps coming to the doors, insisting we have to give him food or give him gift cards to the local grocery store. Same reason: we are a church, and we're obligated to help everyone who comes to the door. Well, I have news for you and all the other people with an exaggerated sense of entitlement: Sometimes the answer is "no."
And sometimes, you will have to accept that "no" answer.
Enough of the rant. Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'm looking forward to an event with the Durham-Chapel Hill chapter of the American Guild of Organists: a choral reading session, featuring anthems published by Chapel Hill-based Hinshaw Music. It should be a good session.
But first... bed. And reading the insides of my eyelids. ;)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Jacob Reed, organ
Jacob Reed, organist, is an eleventh-grade student at East Chapel Hill High School and studies organ with Dr. Van Quinn, organist/choirmaster at Chapel of the Cross.
He gave a wonderful organ recital earlier this afternoon. It's hard to believe he's only been studying the organ since July 2009. He's a musical genius, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he'll go far if he chooses to make the organ his career.
Here is his program.
Fantasy and Fugue in g minor (BWV 542)—J. S. Bach (1685–1750)
Organ Sonata Nº 3 in A, Op. 65, Nº 3—F. Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
I. Con moto maestoso
II. Andante tranquillo
Trois Pièces pour Grand Orgue (1881): I. Fantaisie in A major, M. 35—C. Franck (1822–1890)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H, S.260—F. Liszt (1811–1886)
He gave a wonderful organ recital earlier this afternoon. It's hard to believe he's only been studying the organ since July 2009. He's a musical genius, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he'll go far if he chooses to make the organ his career.
Here is his program.
Fantasy and Fugue in g minor (BWV 542)—J. S. Bach (1685–1750)
Organ Sonata Nº 3 in A, Op. 65, Nº 3—F. Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
I. Con moto maestoso
II. Andante tranquillo
Trois Pièces pour Grand Orgue (1881): I. Fantaisie in A major, M. 35—C. Franck (1822–1890)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H, S.260—F. Liszt (1811–1886)
Yay for young pianists!
I'm sitting in the parlor at Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill, waiting for Compline. (I was here for an organ recital, whose program I'll post here shortly.) I decided to stick around here to get some work done. (I have the laptop with me.)
The EYC usually have a Sunday evening program after the 5:15 pm service which includes dinner. I noticed that a young boy, I'd estimate to be no older than 8 or 9, sat down at the very-out-of-tune baby grand piano and started to play pieces from memory. He's really good! He also has excellent posture and technique at the keyboard. I hope he continues his lessons at the piano. If he's this good now, I can only imagine how good he'll be a few years from now.
Going back to the reason why I'm hanging out here in the first place... I listened to a young (11th grade) organist play a recital today. Wow. That's all I can say. He played some "big" pieces, and he managed them well. He's very talented, and if I recall correctly, he's only been playing the organ for at least the last 2+ years. He also plays the piano and the cello.
I'll post his program in the next post.
The EYC usually have a Sunday evening program after the 5:15 pm service which includes dinner. I noticed that a young boy, I'd estimate to be no older than 8 or 9, sat down at the very-out-of-tune baby grand piano and started to play pieces from memory. He's really good! He also has excellent posture and technique at the keyboard. I hope he continues his lessons at the piano. If he's this good now, I can only imagine how good he'll be a few years from now.
Going back to the reason why I'm hanging out here in the first place... I listened to a young (11th grade) organist play a recital today. Wow. That's all I can say. He played some "big" pieces, and he managed them well. He's very talented, and if I recall correctly, he's only been playing the organ for at least the last 2+ years. He also plays the piano and the cello.
I'll post his program in the next post.
RIP, Erna Dorn (1928-2011)
I first met Erna and her husband, Louis, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. We were singing in an Evensong for the Epiphany. I still remember after the service, Louis approached me and started to speak to me in a language I thought was French. So I asked him, "Répétez s’il vous plaît?" He did, but in a language I realised was not French but Tagalog! So we proceeded to have a conversation, he speaking in Tagalog, and me responding in English. People around us were astounded: how were we communicating?
I later learned they spent 21 years in the Philippines as missionaries before returning to the United States in the 1970s. They referred to their time in the Philippines as their '21-year honeymoon."
We saw each other from time to time over the years. They eventually left Durham for the Chicago area to be closer to one of their children, especially after the health problems Louis experienced. I know their children probably felt better about having them nearby.
I had received a phone call a couple of days ago, informing me that Erna had passed away. It was sudden; she and Louis had finished having their supper, and then Erna said she wasn't feeling well. It was a blessing that she was taken so quickly, and that she didn't suffer.
I'll miss you, Erna. I'll miss your smile, your hugs, and your stories. Rest in peace.
Condolences also to Louis, as well as to their children and grandchildren and other family members and friends.
Click here to read the obituary.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Tongue Twisters!
This morning, I was hanging out in Mikey Bustos' uStream chatroom while getting some work done. The chatters, a lot of who were in the Philippines, were trying to encourage Mikey to speak in Tagalog continuously for at least 2 minutes. I thought, oh, my, that is a tall order. (Mikey is a Canadian-born Filipino.)
At least, I know if someone were to ask me to do that, I'd be tongue-tied. Being an American-born Filipino, I at least can understand Tagalog when I hear it spoken (all bets are off with the other Filipino languages... Mr. Bisdak, you know exactly what I mean!) but ask me to speak it, and I freeze. I tell my cousins and my friends, "Maliit na kahon ang Tagalog ko." It's my broken Tagalog way of telling them my Tagalog vocabulary is so small, it fits in a small box ("My Tagalog 'box' is small"). If I'm around Tagalog speakers (and I insist they speak Tagalog around me), one might even hear some Tagalog escape my lips.
My Tito Paeng used to tell me if I were to spend 6 months to a year in the Philippines, I would be able to speak the language, especially since it's in my brain already. Maybe he's right.
Anyway... one of the chatters put a Tagalog tongue twister in chat and dared Mikey to say it with his trademark Filipino accent. I don't think he ever tried it.
I had a look at it, and I thought, "Neat!" Of course, I know of the English tongue twisters (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers; she sold seashells by the seashore, etc.) but I had never heard of the Tagalog ones, so naturally, I was intrigued.
Pitongpu't pitong puting tupa. (Seventy-seven white sheep.)
Pitongpu't pitong butong puting patani. (Seventy-seven white bean seeds.)
Minikaniko ni Moniko ang makina ng manika ni Monika. (Moniko fixed Monika's mechanical doll.)
Butiki, bituka, butika (Lizard, intestine, drugstore)
Bababa ka ba? Bababa din ako! (Are you going down? I am also going down!)
Ang relo ni Leroy Rolex. (Leroy's watch is a Rolex.)
Usong usong isang isang salu-salong nagsisi-usyosohan ang mga aso sa asosasyon sa Ascuzena. (The dogs are busy sharing and talking at a dog association in Ascuzena.)
Kakakanan lang sa kangkungan sa may kakahuyan si Ken Ken habang kumakain ng kakaibang kakanin kahapon. (Yesterday, Ken Ken just turned left to go to the swamp near the woods while eating a weird ricecake.)
I'm sure there are others. If you can think of others, let me know. Oh, and have fun saying these. ;)
At least, I know if someone were to ask me to do that, I'd be tongue-tied. Being an American-born Filipino, I at least can understand Tagalog when I hear it spoken (all bets are off with the other Filipino languages... Mr. Bisdak, you know exactly what I mean!) but ask me to speak it, and I freeze. I tell my cousins and my friends, "Maliit na kahon ang Tagalog ko." It's my broken Tagalog way of telling them my Tagalog vocabulary is so small, it fits in a small box ("My Tagalog 'box' is small"). If I'm around Tagalog speakers (and I insist they speak Tagalog around me), one might even hear some Tagalog escape my lips.
My Tito Paeng used to tell me if I were to spend 6 months to a year in the Philippines, I would be able to speak the language, especially since it's in my brain already. Maybe he's right.
Anyway... one of the chatters put a Tagalog tongue twister in chat and dared Mikey to say it with his trademark Filipino accent. I don't think he ever tried it.
I had a look at it, and I thought, "Neat!" Of course, I know of the English tongue twisters (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers; she sold seashells by the seashore, etc.) but I had never heard of the Tagalog ones, so naturally, I was intrigued.
Pitongpu't pitong puting tupa. (Seventy-seven white sheep.)
Pitongpu't pitong butong puting patani. (Seventy-seven white bean seeds.)
Minikaniko ni Moniko ang makina ng manika ni Monika. (Moniko fixed Monika's mechanical doll.)
Butiki, bituka, butika (Lizard, intestine, drugstore)
Bababa ka ba? Bababa din ako! (Are you going down? I am also going down!)
Ang relo ni Leroy Rolex. (Leroy's watch is a Rolex.)
Usong usong isang isang salu-salong nagsisi-usyosohan ang mga aso sa asosasyon sa Ascuzena. (The dogs are busy sharing and talking at a dog association in Ascuzena.)
Kakakanan lang sa kangkungan sa may kakahuyan si Ken Ken habang kumakain ng kakaibang kakanin kahapon. (Yesterday, Ken Ken just turned left to go to the swamp near the woods while eating a weird ricecake.)
I'm sure there are others. If you can think of others, let me know. Oh, and have fun saying these. ;)
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