When the world seems far beyond me, And I have no place to go, When my life seems cold and empty, And I feel I’m all alone, Then a song that I remember Helps to ease my troubled mind...
I had a dream the other night. I dreamt that I was asked to sing. It seemed odd to me because I haven't really sung all by myself--I've always sung with a choir. Since it was a dream, anything is possible! The one thing I remember in that dream was that I actually sang a song that I used to sing with the choir.
The next day, I started looking for that song. In the process, it led me to a video--actually two videos on Youtube. I was surprised but at the same time ecstatic because it was a live performance of a choir that recently participated in the Asia Cantate International Choral Festival 2012.
Words could hardly express the joy I felt when I heard these voices sing. I was utterly speechless; I've had goose bumps and a pleasurable tingling sensation that seemed to have lifted away all my worries and pains. It is no wonder that this choir won the top prize in this competition. It gives me great honor to share these two videos with you.
I was told that I
need an outlet for my strong emotions. I need to find a way to let it out
without hurting others or myself. I used to have that outlet--same as the
heavenly voices I heard from a video on Youtube that my sister was playing.
Turns out that the young singing voices came from a group called Scala and
Kolacny Brothers.
Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian
women's choir, conducted by Stijn Kolacny and arranged and accompanied by
Steven Kolacny on the piano. Formed in 1996 and
winning the Belgian 'Choir of the Year'-contest in 2000, they have made five
studio albums, starting with On The Rocks
in 2002, in multiple languages. via Wikipedia
"With or
Without You" is one of my favorite U2 songs. Scala's rendition was so good
that it gave me goose bumps. The young girls sang so soothingly that it's truly
a choir that's worth listening to for relaxation and entertainment. Here's a
video of the choir. The girls' innocent looks and laughing reminded me of the
time when I was part of the choir. Once you sing in a group and have gone to
tours with them, the joy of singing extends to the joy of friendship. Don’t get
me wrong though--singing in a choir requires discipline too. But the reward is
simply priceless!
Coffee and/or tea
has two functions for me--keeps me awake and relax. Ironically, enjoying a cup
of coffee or tea is one of the things that I do in order to relax. Whenever I
do my so-called nothing day--no worries,
no work, no obligations whatsoever--I make it a point to have a cup of
coffee or tea just to cap it off. On the other hand, coffee could also cause
tension and unrest especially on busy and hectic days. But to me, coffee
doesn't necessarily keep me awake. I will admit that I was told to drink coffee
so that I could stay awake. But in recent years, no matter how much I drink
coffee or tea, sleep would still creep in every chance it gets.
While thinking about
this subject, I'm reminded of one of my favorite songs that I used to sing with
the choir--Java Jive. To all coffee and tea drinkers out there, this is one
song that perfectly complements that cup or mug of coffee/tea. I like the rendition
in this video because it's faithful to the arrangement done by Kirby Shaw. I
also like the soloists here compared to the other videos I've heard. Hope you
enjoy this relaxing song.
JAVA JIVE
I love coffee, I love tea
I love the Java Jive and it loves me
Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (Boy!)
I love java, sweet and hot
Whoops Mr. Moto, I'm a coffee pot
Shoot me the pot and I'll pour me a shot
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup
Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug
And I'll cut a rug just snug in a jug
A sliced up onion and a raw one
Draw one -
Waiter, waiter, percolator
I love coffee, I love tea
I love the Java Jive and it loves me
Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup
Boston bean (soy beans)
I say those itty-bitty green bean (cabbage and greens)
