Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Friday, November 22, 2013

Memories of a Frustrated Singer


When Macrine( my spouse of 57 years) and I were students at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City (early-1950's), we joined the University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Choir (UPSCA). This was an extracurricular activity that we both loved and enjoyed.

So every time I heard choral music it reminds me of my student days, making me feel young again. This video is one of the best choral music that I have heard so far from You Tube. Enjoy "the Prayer" as sang by the world renown Philippine Madrigal Singers. The background are scenery's of nature, animals and birds with most of the photographs highlighting the four seasons in the US. A couple of photos show children from the Philippines and India. This will be my tribute to the thousands of victims from Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in Central Philippines.

Macrine and I loved singing in the choir here in Northern California. In our younger days, we sang in our church choir on Sunday masses in Pinole, as well as with the UP Alumni, Berkeley Chapter Choir based in El Sobrante, California. Five years ago, we sang in the Church Choir here in Fair Oaks. We even sang a duet of Silent Night in Tagalog at the concert before the Christmas midnight mass. Macrine and I had also organized the Marinduque Association of the Capital Area( MACA) Christmas Caroling Group in Colesville, Maryland in the late 1990's.

Macrine used to be a soloist. She sang soprano coloratura in her younger days. Today her voice is ruined by her cigarette smoking. I sang baritone, also comfortable with tenor. I could read notes, and took piano lessons, when I was a kid. I have taken only about six months of voice lesson, but did well on my first concert singing "O Solo Mio", an Italian song and Buhat, a Tagalog song. This shows that I am not only a frustrated writer but also a frustrated singer.

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