Old friends

(posted by email) Went for a late dinner with reinnesse, kak nancy, ully, & dipsy, after the service at kharisma. It was a good way for me to get a feeling on what's what & who's who in gp effatha, and especially in psgp in particular. Oh. That's just me using big words. In a much simpler word: gossip! Hahaha...

Naturally, i felt at home. I've known these people for quite some time now. I think ully was quite surprised to see me there. We updated each other in no time. Even with dipsy,whose real name i'm still not sure what. I've just known her for about a week now, but somehow we just clicked. Also with alda, who wasn't at the dinner, btw. We've known each other for about a week, but we can talk like two old friends.

I really like this current "incarnation" of psgp. I've said this before and i'll say it again: i came back just in time! And i'm proud to be a part of it!

blah blah blah

i'm in aksara now, typing this blog on my notebook, and with wifi, of course. it feels strange and a bit creepy. i usually went here with my sis, her hubby, and chelsea. and we stayed veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy loooooooooooong. now i'm all alone (not counting other guests and waiters, d'oh!) and i'm sitting on the same spot we usually take. weird. no, not weird. sad. i feel sad. they'll be back, some time in the future, but for now, i can't help remembering talking, joking, and doing everything we did here. i miss them.

Power is everything

(posted by email) I lost my power. That's it. My previously good singing prowess has disappeared. I can feel it, and kak daisy confirmed it. That means i'd have to start all over again. Ahhh... Becoming a rookie, again... But how can i lost it? The only possible explanation i can think of is that i was away from singing for too long. The last time i trained, properly, was with simplicita choir for gramedia's christmas celebration in 2003/2004. That was 1,5 years ago. After that, it was sporadic. Especially after i had my surgery.

No, don't get me wrong here. I can still sing. I can still read the notes. Those are easy. Zero effort. What i lost is power. I can't turn my volume up AND still sing properly. I also lost the ability to sing very low notes, one thing i could do quite easily in the part.

Now what i've got to do is to get as many "singing hours" as i can. Singing was one thing where i stood out. I'm determined to be able to stand out again!

The good and bad things of being pick

(posted by email) Swollen blood vessel. Sounds scary. That's what's causing the brownish circle on my right eye. Nothing critical, though. Medicines are enough.

The good thing is, i get two stay out of office for 2 days. Obviously, i have some discomfort seeing, but the appointments with the doctor all happened during the day. That's why i couldn't come to office.

The break gave me time to familiarize myself with my new computer. I've been tinkering with it since day one. I also discovered the joy (and also pain) of video conferencing. At least, now, my sis & donny can see chelsea in real time.

I also had the chance to tidy up my ipod. It's now fully synchronized with my notebook. The downside is it takes about 12gigs of harddisk space for all my ipod's songs.

Next is, naturally, the internet. I must put some real strong mental dampeners in my mind to not getting carried away and stay connected for too long.

And while on the subject of internet, i couldn't resist checking friendster again to see this girl. And i was suprised to see that she's older than my sis! Wow! That's a big no-no. It's kind of reminder for me to stay on track. Hmmm...

3-in-1

(posted by email) Wow! So many things've happened last week.

First, I NOW HAVE A COMPUTER! Hahaha... Yeah, after being undecided for so long, i went to buy a laptop. At the computer exhibition. It's an acer aspire, so it's more a desktop replacement than a notebook. It has a nice spec, so i won't be worrying about upgrading soon (read= who am i kidding here?!) Hahaha... On a more serious note, i won't have to ask didin for it division's laptop anymore, everytime i need to do something from home.

Second. I'm going to a doctor to check my right eye, which has been bugging me for a week now. Hopefully it's not anything serious.

Third. It was reinnesse's bday last saturday. He invited the choir to his house for a little party. It was my chance of getting re-acquainted with the choir, especially the new guys & gals. "new" from my perspective, btw. And i wasn't disappointed. I'd say this "version" of psgp is the most close-knitted one i've ever been in. Everyone's getting along just fine, and i feel welcomed. I'm getting more convinced i made the right decision. However, i feel intrigued when i see this particular girl. I'm sure i'd never met or known her before, but she added me in friendster. She was also very nice to me that night. Interesting. I can't deny the fact that i'm attracted. There's one big turn off, however. She's older than me. In fact, at least according to her profile in friendster, she's almost as old as my sister. Damn! Hahaha...

"what is ipod?"

(posted by email) I still can't believe i'd hear someone say: "hey, what does an ipod do?" What the?! But i heard it just today. From someone who knows how to use computers, nonetheless. It amazed me. Really. To be fair, ipod is still somewhat new here. But it's now almost synonymous with "mp3 player", much as "walkman" is synonymous with portable cassette player. Heck, i bought mine, because it's an ipod, not just "an mp3 player". Otherwise i'd buy one of those creative jukeboxes. So what am i saying here? I'm saying that as someone who works in an IT industry, i still need to realize that there are people who know zip about IT. Perhaps i can think of some topics to write. Hmmm... That gives me an idea or two. Let's see... But i'd need a computer first. I must go to FKI!

not a good day

(posted by email) my cold is getting worse. luckily i don't have a running nose *note: how scary it is to imagine seeing a nose running around on its own*, but there's something wrong with my eyes. can't seem to focus correctly. hmmm.. maybe i need one of those autofocusing sony ericsson k750i's ya. oh well.

 

while on the subject of phones, my n-gage has been acting up again. i suspect it's because of agile messenger. i've removed it, and hopefully the problems will go away. my other phone, or rather, my cdma account, has been re-activated. it's been de-activated for over a month because i over-used it for internet. what a bum.

 

in the meantime, i don't have the spirit right now to do anything. there's one presentation has to be done by tomorrow the latest. let's see if i can borrow a laptop and do it at home.

the more things change, the more they stay the same

(posted by email) My first "show" with psgp in almost two years. I expected i'd struggle to keep up with the "younger" ones, learning new songs, getting acquainted with new people. Yet, there i was, almost going solo. Yeah, if reinesse didn't show up, it was a certain i'd sing solo. Not that i'm complaining, though. I can adjust myself (and my voice's power) accordingly, quite easily. It's what i did previously. But i'm really concerned. No new male members! This is a step backward for the choir. I guess this is a sign that it was the right time for me to rejoin. Oh well. But i'm now in just for the singing. And i sing not to prove anything to anyone. I'm there to keep my promise i made 11 years ago.

Been away for too long

(posted by email) My singing ability is rusty! I didn't realize it on monday, coz kak daisy wasn't there. Today, she told me right away. And i felt it myself. Damn! And this sunday psgp will sing at the 8 o'clock service. In the morning! What a nice way to start, eh? Hahaha... And to make things more interesting, there'll only be 3 of us for the bass. Kak daisy has stated that only those who came and practice today can sing on sunday. Fortunately i knew one of the two songs. Unfortunately, i've never felt comfortable singing it. Oh well, it's a challenge, right? And anyway, i always liked sitting in the front of the church with the choir. It's a privilege. And nothing can take it away from me.

Back in the loop

(posted by email) Well, i said i was going to rejoin paduan suara gerakan pemuda effatha. And i did. Under an unfortunate circumstance, however. I sent a message to kak nancy, asking if there was going to be a practice tonight. And then she called me. And she brought a sad news: feris was dead. Feris was one of the most unselfish guys at effatha, i must say. I had the chance to work with him once so many years ago, and i saw how full of energy he was. It turned out that he always worked hard at everything he did. And it took a toll. I heard he had a stroke. And the cause of his death is coroner related. I'm sad.

The funny thing was, if i wasn't planning on coming back, i wouldn't have known about his death at all. This made me sure that i made the right decision.

The practice itself was a mess. It didn't begin until 20h50. And we had to sing at the service. Luckily the chose a very familiar song, one that i like so much. So no problem there. Back to the practice, things were actually worse than when i left. So few people. I didn't have the time to ask around whether it was a one-off or not. I hope i can somehow contribute to this choir again. For this, i must give a big thanks to kak brenda/jeff, who opened my heart and eyes.

One more thing. There was nola. I had a crush on her back before i "retired". But the relationship became so bad, i hated her very much. I once wrote an article in the church's youth magazine, with "friendship" as the theme. In it, i actually ripped on her, in a way that only she, and some friends who knew the situations, could understood. And one person called me. She told me my article hit the spot. Bullseye! Hahaha... So, naturally, i expected myself to feel something when i came to the practice. She is, afterall, the choir's president. And i think i still feel some animosity towards her, but hey, i'm a grown up man, and i'm better than that.

The story of me being sentimental

(posted by email) There she goes, there she goes again... *sixpence none the richer* What an appropriate song for my sister. She went thru all those unnecessary troubles to bring her daughter here, to be kept under the clutches of our parents. No, i wasn't joking. I still think it's a bad idea to separate a child from the parents. And now she realized what i'd been saying was right. Too bad. I doubt my parents can be two good guardians. Heck, look at me! I'm just praying Chelsea won't have to stay long here. When my sis & hubbie are settled, they'll pick her up. In the mean time, i'll have to act as a watcher. *sigh*

That leads me to the topic of me getting settled. Now, i'm quite happy being what i am, thank you. But if people ask me of a significant other, the answer is a big NO. I'm quite aware of myself, to know that the solitary life is good enough. Sure, i enjoy some companies here and there, but i'm not going to drag a poor girl into my bizarre life. And i don't want to be held responsible for creating children who are as strange as me. Sorry, world!

That being said, i sure do like those time i spent with this one particular girl. Hell, i even went the distance and said for movie, meal, and coffee. Hahaha... And i must admit i had a crush on her once. She's a good friend. Keeps updating me of any new happenings (or: GOSSIPS!) at gramedia. Doesn't mind being annoyed (or at least she's a good pretender, hahaha...). Do i like her? As a good friend, yes. Period. End of story. No more questions! Hahaha...