Gingerbread Latte

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Starbucks fans, I do NOT recommend the Gingerbread Latte. Tried one yesterday, and it did not taste good. (In my hubris, I got a tall, confident that I would like it. Next time I try something new, I will get a short.) On the other hand, I’ve never tried real gingerbread before, so I’ve never developed a taste for it.

Helped fix DZFE’s computer today; installed a new modem. What a trial. I’ve found that in all my experiences installing hardware, internal modems on Win95 systems are the most troublesome. Plugging them into the motherboard PCI slot is easy, but when it comes time to install the drivers and assign IRQ and port settings, the tribulation is well nigh unbearable. But I got it done, praise God.

Philippine Madrigal Singers

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[12/5/2000 8:38 pm] Mobile Watching the Philippine Madrigal Singers right now at St. Andrews Church in BelAir. They’re really nice. Right now, it’s “Lead Me Lord,” after a couple of Christmas carols: “Adeste Fideles” and “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.” Aahhh, full chords and perfect pitch.

This is a tribute to bring awareness to Punla, a home for mentally handicapped children. They’re mostly children with Downs or cerebral palsy. They’re sitting right behind me now. Tiff’s up on the altar, at the pulpit, emceeing the event. She looks pretty up there. = )

Now the Mads are singing “Heal the World.” Yup, the Michael Jackson one. Oh, well, this is a church crowd, after all, not classical music connosieurs … Well, now it’s a multi-handicapped girl named Aileen. This is touching. She’s a dwarf, hunchbacked and heavily deformed, and blind. But she’s up there on stage, singing “The Greatest Love of All,” with a thin, slightly wavering, yet confident and strong voice. She was trained by a woman whose mission in life is to give the gift of music to handicapped Filipino children. And the Madrigal Singers are accompanying. Like angels from heaven.

Standing ovation. Now the special children will all sing. I should put my phone away; low battery, and it’s bad etiquette to be texting or sending email in church at a performance. It’s very heartwarming to see these volunteers giving their lives to help these poor children.

G.A.R.B.

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I know this page looks horrible in Netscape 4.x. I’m sorry to say that I’m not going to do anything about it. If you’re using Netscape 4.x, do yourself a favor and get a better browser.

I just tried viewing in Opera; look’n good! I’m blogging now from Opera, too. It’s okay, nice and compliant, with a few kinks here and there. I still like IE5 best.

Fight Club and Stu Weber

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Interesting, how Russ just watched Fight Club a few days ago, just when someone starts a Fight Club thread on Pinoyexchange.

I like what “Theophilus” put there: “If being a man is about nothing but aggresion, hatred, and anger, then count me out. I know what a real man is, and aggression, hatred, and anger are qualities of weakness, not strength. However, an excellent book I read by Stu Weber does acknowledge that a man is a warrior; a fierce contender for what is true and upright. In that sense, yes, a man is a fighter. But far more than just a lost man fighting to free himself of his material trappings in the middle of a nihilistic film.”

I wonder who “Theophilus” could be? ;) Sounds like he’s been reading Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart. = )

Migraine

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Yesterday I had the worst migraine I’ve had in over a year. That’s all I can say for now. You reading this, Raffy? Remember that headache I got which was so bad I skipped work the next day to see a neurologist? I’m going to go see one again. Wait another day.

“Gloria, Gloria…”

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Back from church! Despite my poor rest last night, today has been an invigorating day, praising and glorifying God in song and worship. Just one more week to the Christmas cantata at GCF South Metro! Any of you reading this, I have free tickets: four for the 3pm matinee and four more for the 7pm gala. Interested?

No irony is lost on the choir that the theme song of our cantata (which goes, “Gloria, Gloria, Glory to God on high!”) is also the name of our country’s upstart vice-president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is actively campaigning to unseat the current incompetent-in-power, Erap Estrada. Especially funny is what I call the “prophetic” last line of the anthem: “So rise and shine, your light has come, praise the Chosen One… Gloria!!!” Of course we’re talking about the glory of Christ’s birth here, but it sure sounds like Gloria is the “chosen one,” doesn’t it?

If I could change our anthem, I probably would, considering the political situation. Then again, perhaps I wouldn’t. = )

Hardly slept.

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Hardly slept.

And the shower was icy cold.

Can’t sleep.

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I’m songleading at church tomorrow, but I can’t sleep. Must sleep. Must… sleep… Ugh. I can’t.

Orange kitten!

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It’s been a good day. On my way to choir practice this morning, I saw the cutest orange kitten downstairs from my apartment. And he was soooo sweet, rubbing up against my hand and purring and being a generally cute dear. Aawww!!! I wanna cat of my own. But it’s not allowed in my apartment, and even then I’m not sure I have the time to care for one. (I did harbor a stray kitten once a few months ago, but she disappeared after two nights.)

Choir practice was fun. We spent the afternoon rehearsing and preparing for the Christmas cantata, complete with choreography, and it’s coming together nicely, praise God. We’re singing on Dec. 10. That’s just a week to go!

Right now I’m listening to Handel’s Tochter Zion. It sounds remarkably like a song we sang in my Catholic church choir way back in high school: Canticorum Jubilo. Whoops, the track’s over. That was fast. Just 53 seconds. Now it’s a rather slow rendition of Torelli’s Concerto in Gm Op. 8 No. 6. I think I’ll go back to this thing by Schmelzer: Sonata per chiesa et camera. Aaaahh, that’s nice. Strings, brass, and timpanis are always pleasant to listen to. I shall now get off the web and settle into bed to read Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince, while a cool, rainy night wind blows outside my window. G’night!