supernutjapan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
supernutjapan) wrote2022-07-31 11:15 pm
supernutjapan) wrote2022-07-31 11:15 pm
Entry tags:
The Friday Five & the Weekly
1 Who is the messiest person you know?
Alex. LOL Julian is probably the neatest among my kids. Audrey is like hubby. The way she deals with her stuff is not to organize, but to leave it all in the living room so she can keep her bedroom clean(er). Alex...needs work.
2 What is the most useless talent you have?
I have double jointed thumbs. Completely useless.
3 What is the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week??
Interesting is what you say about something that is not boring, but is not brilliant. Those kinds of things are hard to remember, they make such a low impact. I've been reading the Martian Chronicals by Ray Bradbury. So far, it seems like this might qualify for the term.
4 If you could get a ticket to any show or event, what would you want a ticket to?
I'd like to go to CATS. In English.
5 if you could live in someone’s head for fifteen minutes, who would you want it to be?
My dog! :D I would love to really find out what she is thinking/feeling.
We had an incident yesterday, where hubby was out drinking with his friend and he couldn't get in touch with his mom so Alex and I went by car to see if she was ok. It was just something wrong with her phone. She wasn't lying on the floor unconscious as we feared, so we were relieved. But it had me looking up resusitation to make sure I knew it. I was talking with Alex afterwards and found out he had learned CPR for his driver's license. I thought it was pretty cool that that is a requirement for driver's licenses here. Also relieved I could ask him to do it if push came to shove. I only did CPR in highschool and that's long time ago.
The chorus festival last Sunday was pretty fun. We had never participated in this festival before. We started out early, meeting at our station at 7am. We practiced a bit at a practice hall near the festival hall, got dressed there and loaded ourselves into taxis. Our group was the only one with dresses on. I guess because we didn't get to get dressed (or practice) at the hall because of COVID, all the other groups wore costumes that could be worn normally outside. We were required to write comments for all the other participating groups. I took turns with another member of our choir. I was also in charge of carrying the placard of our choir up to the stage (from the audience, due to COVID). All the groups were super friendly and nice in their comments. We also had comments from "judges." Most were very positive. Especially with regard to the altos, which I was, soo that was really nice. The sops have some work to do with their high notes. All in all, I think it went pretty well. Here's a picture:
One of the songs was a latin song by Ko Matsushita called Tota pulchra es. Basically a song about how the Virgin Mary was the perfect woman/mother. Aside from the words, the music is beautiful. The piano part is superb. Here is a link
The other is a Japanese song - also composed by Ko Matsushita, lyrics are a poem by a poet, Shuntaro Tanigawa. Part of a set of songs called On a Quiet Rainy Night. Here is a link. The song translates something like this:
I want to sit like this forever.
Listening to my new sadness sink quietly
Taking advantage of the scent of the God I do not believe
Picking up a leaf of a country far from home
Gazing at the slideshow of past and future
Believing in the warm sofa of the blue ocean
And, most of all, loving myself
I want to sit quietly like this forever
I sang this song imagining myself and the others of the choir at some European city, crouching on the beach, hands around our knees, watching little pebbles sink into the waves, carrying whatever sadness - maybe a disapointment, maybe loneliness, a breakup, .... with it. And maybe, in the distance, a cathedral or little church where we've just been and emersed ourselves in the faith of ages.
Again, the piano part in itself is enough to melt the brain. You don't even have to listen to the words LOL
I've been watching Blacklist. I am really enjoying it but I don't like the main girl Elizabeth (Liz). She is such a typical American hero girl. She's so stupid and emotional, and also not really a badass LOL I was sad but also kind of happy when she "died" and it was just her husband LOL But now she is back. Anyway, I am hooked. It is getting more interesting with Tom's past coming to light as well. I really like him.
Alex. LOL Julian is probably the neatest among my kids. Audrey is like hubby. The way she deals with her stuff is not to organize, but to leave it all in the living room so she can keep her bedroom clean(er). Alex...needs work.
2 What is the most useless talent you have?
I have double jointed thumbs. Completely useless.
3 What is the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week??
Interesting is what you say about something that is not boring, but is not brilliant. Those kinds of things are hard to remember, they make such a low impact. I've been reading the Martian Chronicals by Ray Bradbury. So far, it seems like this might qualify for the term.
4 If you could get a ticket to any show or event, what would you want a ticket to?
I'd like to go to CATS. In English.
5 if you could live in someone’s head for fifteen minutes, who would you want it to be?
My dog! :D I would love to really find out what she is thinking/feeling.
We had an incident yesterday, where hubby was out drinking with his friend and he couldn't get in touch with his mom so Alex and I went by car to see if she was ok. It was just something wrong with her phone. She wasn't lying on the floor unconscious as we feared, so we were relieved. But it had me looking up resusitation to make sure I knew it. I was talking with Alex afterwards and found out he had learned CPR for his driver's license. I thought it was pretty cool that that is a requirement for driver's licenses here. Also relieved I could ask him to do it if push came to shove. I only did CPR in highschool and that's long time ago.
The chorus festival last Sunday was pretty fun. We had never participated in this festival before. We started out early, meeting at our station at 7am. We practiced a bit at a practice hall near the festival hall, got dressed there and loaded ourselves into taxis. Our group was the only one with dresses on. I guess because we didn't get to get dressed (or practice) at the hall because of COVID, all the other groups wore costumes that could be worn normally outside. We were required to write comments for all the other participating groups. I took turns with another member of our choir. I was also in charge of carrying the placard of our choir up to the stage (from the audience, due to COVID). All the groups were super friendly and nice in their comments. We also had comments from "judges." Most were very positive. Especially with regard to the altos, which I was, soo that was really nice. The sops have some work to do with their high notes. All in all, I think it went pretty well. Here's a picture:
One of the songs was a latin song by Ko Matsushita called Tota pulchra es. Basically a song about how the Virgin Mary was the perfect woman/mother. Aside from the words, the music is beautiful. The piano part is superb. Here is a link
The other is a Japanese song - also composed by Ko Matsushita, lyrics are a poem by a poet, Shuntaro Tanigawa. Part of a set of songs called On a Quiet Rainy Night. Here is a link. The song translates something like this:
I want to sit like this forever.
Listening to my new sadness sink quietly
Taking advantage of the scent of the God I do not believe
Picking up a leaf of a country far from home
Gazing at the slideshow of past and future
Believing in the warm sofa of the blue ocean
And, most of all, loving myself
I want to sit quietly like this forever
I sang this song imagining myself and the others of the choir at some European city, crouching on the beach, hands around our knees, watching little pebbles sink into the waves, carrying whatever sadness - maybe a disapointment, maybe loneliness, a breakup, .... with it. And maybe, in the distance, a cathedral or little church where we've just been and emersed ourselves in the faith of ages.
Again, the piano part in itself is enough to melt the brain. You don't even have to listen to the words LOL
I've been watching Blacklist. I am really enjoying it but I don't like the main girl Elizabeth (Liz). She is such a typical American hero girl. She's so stupid and emotional, and also not really a badass LOL I was sad but also kind of happy when she "died" and it was just her husband LOL But now she is back. Anyway, I am hooked. It is getting more interesting with Tom's past coming to light as well. I really like him.
no subject
Did you understand the Latin in the song? Mr. Matsushita is Catholic and has written various church music. I'm glad you enjoyed the imagery! The piano part is rolling and the song is partly 4.5 beats per measure and helps to imagine the waves.
The restrictions of being unable to dress at the hall made it difficult to wear anything formal. For some of the groups, it may have just been their "style" though.
no subject
I'm not sure why restrictions on dressing at the hall would prevent anyone from wearing formal attire, unless it was some kind of costume that you would never wear out in the street but only to perform. Otherwise, most women change into their formal or evening clothing at home and stay out all day or night, as the case may be. My idea of formal, for me personally, is suits and ties, but my previous statement would still hold, especially for those of us who love antique menswear! It would take forever to change! haha
no subject
I'm sorry, I just realized why it might be difficult to understand. You live in in a place where everyone travels by car. Roads in downtown Tokyo are crazy. Narrow, crowded and very hard to find parking. Most people travel by train. I guess groups could rent a bus, but because this is a Tokyo festival, all sIngers live in Tokyo. It is cheaper and more reliable to use public transportation.
Otherwise the formal wear - our dresses anyway, are long flowing evening gowns that would be very difficult to wear even driving a car. It would be like driving with a wedding dress on. We travelled a short distance by taxi and it was quite enough.
Most singers here will usually take the clothing to the concert hall and dress there. I thought that was pretty standard worldwide. I guess none of the other groups thought of getting dressed at another location close by like we did.
Some womens groups wore nice blouses and skirts, like one would wear to church. We did similar things before making our dresses. Not too formal for train travel.
no subject
no subject
Thank you!