Monday, January 01, 2007
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05:15| Counting my blessings
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2006 was very good to me:
- My family moved from Pasig to Las Piñas. The decision to move was made in March, and by the 1st of May we were already here, and I was depressed during the two months that we were packing up. I'm very happy now, though. I love LP, I love our house, I love our neighborhood, I love our neighbors.
- I was given the opportunity to work for GE. I had to quit my old job at Pasig when we moved, and several days before my last day, the GE job offer practically fell onto my lap. GE is the most admired company in the world, and I'm glad I got the chance to see for myself why. The work is easy, the pay is good, and I met a lot of great people. Plus, the location is very accesssible from my house. I probably won't be staying for very long, but I'm really thankful for the experience.
- We got a lot of pets! I never thought that such little creatures could bring so much joy. I love them all--the rabbit, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, fishes, turtles, and the partridge in a pear tree. ;-) I wasn't able to buy the Siamese cat that Mako has long been asking me for (I don't like cats) and Papa's yellow Lab (I can't afford it yet!), but hopefully, this year, I'll be able to get those, and a marine tank that I've always, always wanted.
- I finally learned how to play the instrument of my dreams, the cello.
- I learned how to play the alto saxophone. From Paul. If things go as planned, I'll have my own instrument by year's end.
- My mom had her uterus and myoma or something taken out. I don't actually know, hehe! All I know is that she had an operation, and my health card had been used, not my dad's, and that was a big deal to me. I've been working for a total of 12 months now, and I really haven't had any major contribution to the household except for some random groceries, luho stuff and food, pasalubongs, etc. and eating out with my siblings and spoiling them with money. I don't contribute to bills, and my dad even pays for my cellphone bill. So when they didn't have to spend for Mama's surgery, that made me feel pretty happy with myself. Para bang may nagawa naman ako para sa pamilyang 'to, kahit papaano.
- Momon graduated from UP, BS Business Administration and Accountancy--and passed the October 2006 CPA board exam. He's now working for SGV, which he had hoped to do after graduation, just like what my dad did.
- Mako is now in his last semester of Nursing. In a few months he'll be done with school and we'll have a nurse in the family.
- May, my sister with the perfectly-aligned teeth, is now in her freshman year taking up dentistry and wants to be an orthodontist. She also started studying classical guitar, and she's doing really well. Her teacher, Jeremiah, is doing a good job of teaching and encouraging her. My parents and I are trying to get her to do a mini-recital on her 18th birthday this May.
- Joe is great on the cello! I'm so proud of him! He is really passionate about the instrument, and is serious about his lessons and practice. Chances are, he'll be taking up cello in college.
- I bought a car. Well, it wasn't actually with my money, but I found it, got a good deal from the previous owner, put it in my name, and I'll be using it mostly. I just hope my brothers don't learn how to drive a stick shift anytime soon.
- And finally, I fell madly in love with a beautiful, amazing guy who adores me and respects me and takes care of me and makes me laugh and smells nice and has a gorgeous smile. Looking back, it was probably crazy to go for it after knowing him for only four days, after being single all my life, but it was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. He makes me so deliriously happy. He truly is one precious, precious gift.
--=-=--
Welcome, 2007! What do you have in store for me?
[música: a Mozart aria by this 8-year old opera singer on Jay Leno]
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| Sunday, November 26, 2006
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07:46
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| Saturday, November 11, 2006
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17:55| Inlab!
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| Thursday, November 09, 2006
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14:06
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| Wednesday, May 31, 2006
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17:13
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| Sunday, April 30, 2006
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03:40
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I left the house this afternoon for my music lesson, lugging that bulky set-up of plywood, glue, and varnish that is currently my most prized material possession.
On the way, I just psyched myself up over meeting up with my teacher and going over my E-flat major scale and polishing the Bach piece I'm working on. It almost took my mind off the fact that I won't be going home to that house again.
Almost.
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| Sunday, February 12, 2006
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10:44| Joe-Joe Ma
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When you open my wallet, the first thing you'll see is this picture of Joe when he was little:
I can't believe that my baby brother is now 14 years old.
Happy birthday, Joe! I'm looking forward to the day we'll be doing the Vivaldi Double Concerto in G minor together!
[música: Memoirs of a Geisha OST]
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| Friday, January 27, 2006
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22:12| Happy 250th, Wolfy!
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| Thursday, January 26, 2006
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12:58| Your cello was silenced too early...
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From http://www.jacquelinedupre.net :
Jacqueline du Pré
Jacqueline du Pré is arguably the greatest talent to ever play the cello. She combined mind, heart, body and soul to produce the most expressive tones ever to emanate from the instrument. Shy and at the same time bold, she was not only expressive, but played with precision, fullness and purity of tone.
Talent, Ability & Heart
She was born in Oxford on January 26, 1945 into a middle-class family in which music was important: her mother was a fine pianist and a gifted teacher. The French-sounding name came from her father's Channel Island ancestry. Just before her fifth birthday, when she was already showing musical promise, she heard the sound of a cello on the radio and the course of her life was set.
A Tradition of Artistic Excellence
At ten years old Jacqueline du Pré studied under William Pleeth. She then studied with Casals, Tortelier and Rostropovich. In 1965 she recorded the Elgar Concerto with Sir John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra, a recording which established her stardom. Her unselfishness made her a brilliant chamber music player, collaborating with many of today's greatest names in music. Her friendship with Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and Pinchas Zuckerman, led to the famous film by Christopher Nupen of their Schubert "Trout" Quintet.
In 1967 she married pianist Daniel Barenboim. TIME magazine wrote, "Thus began one of the most remarkable relationships, personal as well as professional, that music has known since the days of Clara and Robert Schumann." Their marriage led to some fruitful collaboration, evidenced in many recordings with Barenboim as pianist or conductor.
She could not pinpoint the time when she started losing feeling in her fingers, and her arms, as she said, felt like lead. By the fall of 1973 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She continued to teach on occasion, but the deterioration of her health gained momentum and finally, on October 19, 1987, she died at the age of forty-two.
--=-=--
She would have been 61 today.
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| Friday, January 20, 2006
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11:43
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| Saturday, January 07, 2006
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09:55
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Lots of things I would have loved to write about. No time.
December was good. Birthday no. 23 was good. 2005 was, errrm, good.
Love, laughter, music--my wish for you all this 2006.
[música: Woman on Top OST]
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| Sunday, November 06, 2005
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03:04
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I just recently found out from Judy Blume that turd can be pluralized by adding -s. Turds. I find it so funny. I mean, we don't say shits or craps...
When I woke up today, I was thinking about what day it is, and then I realized that the word 'Saturday' has the word turd in it, and I was like hihihihihihihihi, still groggy from sleep lying in my bed.
--=-=--
Is there an award for Most Juvenile/Shallow Blog or something? I'd really like to know.
Turds.
Hihihihihihihihihihihi!
[música: George Crumb]
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| Tuesday, October 18, 2005
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22:18
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| Monday, October 17, 2005
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21:59
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So, here I was, alone downstairs, happily Y!M-ing with Kid, when I heard a very low, "Tidei..." from behind me.
Anak ng tipaklong, si Mako, nasa likod ko, naka-full Grim Reaper costume! Sa sobrang gulat ko, I swear pati balakubak ko napatalon! I didn't know that he had a Grim Reaper get-up, and I didn't hear him come down, AKALA KO TALAGA SINUSUNDO NA AKO!!! Nabigla talaga ako! I freaked out and threw at him everything 'hurlable' I could get my hands on. Shit talaga. Iiyak na dapat ako, buti na lang I still had enough sense left to realize that my brother would never let me live it down if I cried.
So. Not. Funny.
At siyempre dahil pa-cute ako, I just had to try on the offensive outfit (after I recovered, of course):
[música: Parokya ni Edgar - Ordertaker]
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| Thursday, October 13, 2005
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11:53
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| Tuesday, October 04, 2005
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00:13| Happy 4th anniversary, Momon and Ros!!!
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Pwede ba, magpakasal na kayo para mabigyan niyo na ako ng pamangkin.
Kahit 'wag na lang 'yung kasal, pamangkin na lang agad. Ako mag-aalaga.
I'm just kidding.
Well, no, I'm not.
Love you both!
--=-=--
At dahil anniv ni Mon and Ros, I'd like to share two versions of a piece by English composer Sir Edward Elgar:
Salut d'Amour, op. 12 (Love's Greeting)
*click*
Enjoy!
[música: Gershwin - Cuban Overture]
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| Sunday, September 25, 2005
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22:29| Happy birthday, Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович!
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I first learned about Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich when I took this quiz/meme on April 2004 after watching an MPO performance at The Podium:
This was before I became literate in classical music (at that time, I did not know the difference between a sonata, concerto, and symphony) and familiar with orchestral slang. I didn't know what "shosty 4" was, and after a quick Google search, I found out that "shosty 4" is Shostakovich's Symphony no. 4, and that Shostakovich was a Russian composer in the Soviet period. I was amused that he looked a lot like Harry Potter, but didn't really get interested.
Many months later, when I really started to listen to classical music, I got to hear the second movement of his Cello Concerto no. 1, and I IMMEDIATELY fell in love. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. I craved for more of his music and got my hands on some of his string quartets. At that time, I have only heard the string quartets of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart, and none of those affected me like Shostakovich's music did. I knew I was hooked.
Last month, I saw in a documentary about classical music on Arirang TV that Shostakovich wrote Jazz Suites. A few days later, I purchased The Jazz Album containing Jazz Suites nos. 1 and 2 for orchestra, Concerto for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, and an orchestral arrangement of the jazz standard Tea for Two (known as Tahiti Trot in Russia), which, according to the liner notes, Shosty orchestrated in 40 minutes. That CD is currently my favorite in my collection.
In celebration of Shosty's 99th birthday, I'm putting some of his music available for download on my Multiply site. Kunyari may interesado sa inyo. ;-) Actually, masaya na ako kase at least you guys now know that Dmitri Shostakovich existed. I have there the entire String Quartet no. 8 (the most popular among his 15 string quartets), the entire Symphony no. 5 (the most popular--and my favorite--among his 15 symphonies), the second movement of the Cello Concerto no. 1 (which started it all for me), and other stuff. I'd love to upload the Jazz Suites and some piano music, but I only have those on CDs and I don't have a ripper.
*EDIT*
Nagloloko ang pag-upload ko sa Multiply, not all the files are in yet, but I'll upload all these as soon as I can:
String Quartet no. 8 in C minor, op. 110
I. Largo
II. Allegro molto
III. Allegretto
IV. Largo
V. Largo
Symphony no. 5 in D minor, op. 47
I. Moderato
II. Allegretto
III. Largo
IV. Allegro non troppo
Cello Concerto no. 1 in E-flat Major, op. 107
II. Moderato
Festive/Festival Overture for orchestra in A Major, op. 96
Quintet for piano and strings in G minor, op. 57
I. Prelude
Click here!
--=-=--
It turns out that these colorbars are for spreading the love, so here I am--spreading love! (I got this from the Shostakovich community over at LJ.)
Shostakovich is Love
_________________
My two favorite composers are actually Bach and Beethoven, but I don't think I'd be making a big deal on their birthdays. ;-)
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| Tuesday, September 20, 2005
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19:23| Tagged by Leng
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Write 20 random things about you and tag as many people as the number of minutes you took in doing this.
1. I consider myself eternally indebted to whoever invented the Drumstick (the ice cream treat).
2. My dream guy is Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
3. I walk really, really fast, and I can walk for hours.
4. I can whistle well.
5. I know how to slaughter a chicken.
6. I am dependent on psyllium husks (fiber) for 'regularity.'
7. I don't care much for clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, etc., I can't even be bothered with combing my hair; but--
8. I am maarte when it comes to my skin. I need my creams, cleansers, soaps, lotions, toners, etc.
9. My guitar's name is Rodel. Long story.
10. I discovered the music of Benjamin Britten, a contemporary British composer, last week. I've been listening to little else since.
11. I am very poor at remembering faces. It sucks (and is embarrassing). Gah.
12. I put Bailey's in my Milo. I don't like it any other way.
13. My mom trimmed my eyelashes at least five times when I was a baby. Thank you, Mama. =)
14. I bought a pair of Tribu rubber slippers last July 2004. I wear them to death. I've not worn them for at most only twenty occasions. I'd wear these babies every day of my life if I could.
15. I cannot poo if I'm not reading anything (unless I really, really, really have to that I can no longer hold it).
16. I'm using the wallet I used when I was 13, so it's 10 years old now, because it has a Neoprint of me and my siblings taken 9 years ago.
17. I am going to marry Adam Scott, Peter Cincotti, Joshua Bell (whom my violin is named after), or someone whose middle name is Halili. (Um, Damon Halili Bradley?)
18. My flute is named Herbie after jazz flutist Herbie Mann and jazz pianist Herbie Hancock.
19. I made fruit salad earlier this evening. Hindi masarap kase I used fruit salad cream instead of the usual condensed milk+cream.
20. I'm eating mango ice cream right now.
It took me all of 5 minutes to come up with the list, so I'm tagging:
-Momon
-Rosana
-Job
-Derek
- quinnzap
[música: Pablo Casals - Bach Suites]
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| Monday, September 19, 2005
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00:38
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| Saturday, September 17, 2005
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01:22
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Ang gugma murag tae. Usahay mura ni syag igit, kalit-kalit lang. Usahay mura pud ug tubol, lisod igawas. Ug labaw sa tanan, abi nato tinuod na, pastilan otot ra diay!
Pastilan!
[música: P.D.Q. Bach]
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