Today is Sunday, December 21st, 2008 and it is now 838 PM here in the Philippines.
Well, before I get into my music, books and bloodshed, I wthough that I would let you guys in a little secret of mine. Although I recently mentioned my taste for exotic cookery, I also have a little junkfood habit.
Sure, alot of folks like their Mickey D's, Wendy's and of course Jollybee (if they are stuck in the Philippines), but how many of you blokes can claim to be a regular at Pepperbee's?
Pepperbee's has the finest food, the nicest servers and , well, the owner is one of my idols. Anyone who loves service that much has got to be A-OK in my eyes! See what I mean:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1EV5H7Ru8
With that out of the way...
Music wise I do like all kinds of music, even the rare country tune. I have been listening to a rendtion of Madame Butterfly (opera) by Placido Domingo and Leontyne Price who sad to say, are my least favourite performers in the roles.
I have also been listening to Saami music. Saami, or as they are better known, "Lapps" are an indigenous People who live, generally, north of the Arctic Circle in Scandanavia and Finland. They are known as the semi-nomadic herders of reindeer but in actuality that is a dying custom.
The Saami are considered to be, along with the Basque (shoutout to Dtergent) to be the oldest inhabitants of Europe, as far as continuous cultures. Physically they usually look like like an admixture of Scandanavian and so called "Eskimos." Very beautiful People.
The southern Saami have a form of traditional music known as "Yoik." Most Yoiks, as the plural is known, have no real lyrics but rather , like the "Eskimos' " "Throat Singing" are spontaneous expressions of mood. the difference being that "Throat Singing" is, as the label suggest from the thoat and Yoiks are from the mouth like Native-American chants, etc.
Chassidic Jews have a similar culturism known as "Niggeem," chants without words based on mood.
The Yoik I chose for a video I will link to is but a brother and sister duo whom I really enjoy, "Adjagas."
Unfortunately, the url will not work so if you are initerested, it can be found at Youtube by typing in their name.
The other song I will link to is a great Chillout song for the holidays, a song I have loved for almost 20 years, by the "Pat Metheny Group," agreat modern Jazz and Rock Fusion group and the song is, "Last Train Home.":
www.youtube.com/watxh?v=Sq5oqY3-vhg
Book wise I have been again hitting the Guttenburg Project up, this time I have been reading the works of "Eusebius," a 3rd and 4th Century CE/AD Christian leader who lived in Jerusalem.
At the time that (Roman) Emperor Constantine was convening the Council of Nicea in the early 4th Century CE/AD, to codify the Christian Bible, Eusebius was working hard in the libraries of Caeseria and Jerusalem to catalouge all the many hundreds of Christian documents that made up the uncodified Christian Scriptural collections.
In the end Constantine had a Bible made, 50 copies actually by hand as was the way it was done of course, on fine vellum but none survive. It is my personal dream to come across one, or at least a fragment. Forget the fact that I would be richer than anyone can imagine materielly from it, but what a find for a book lover such as myself!
Almost 200 years ago a Euroepan was journeying through my part of the world, the Middle East and came into Sinai, and what has been called for eons "Mount Sinai." In truth noone knows where that mountain is but there is a mountain since at least Constantine's age that has had the label attached to it.
A Greek Orthadox monastery, St. Catherine's sits atop the mountain, which I have been to both when it was in Israeli control and now that it is back in Egyptian control.
Then, as now, the monastery gets very cold in winter evenings and the traveller was very sick but was startled, once he had convalesced sufficiently, to see the monks reading ancient manuscripts, after one caring for him had described them.
He did his best not to show any emotion though, knowing full well that should he, it would be impossible to obtain them. He then struck up a relationship with a Bedua who worked there. The Bedua invited him to his hovel and lo and behold the traveller was terrfied to see the Bedua's mum throwing vellum into their fireplace!!!
Vellum is very , very fine parchment from the ancient times. Cheap books and notes were composed upon papyrus, and paper made from plants, and sometimes upon cheap leather. Vellum though is a thing of great value used for extremely important wirtings and so he knew it to be worth saving and ended up paying a pitannce for what is now known as the "Codex Sinaiticus," the "Sinai Book."
It is full of wirtings that were heretofore unknown, but Christian in origin. Fascinating that Christians have no idea, most anyway, that their New Testament is not their true set of Scriptures.
On to reality...
Last time I was talking about the white man inIligan City, here on Mindanao, who did not believe the isaldn to be dangerous. Some might remember the posting. As luck would have it, that next afternoon I woke up and heard that iligan had just been bombed!!!
2 men in tradtional white Muslim attire walked into Unicity Deprtment Store and checked a black backpack in at Baggage Checkin where 2 young cousins were working. Sadly both cousins were killed, and more than 40 people were hurt, 2 who are thought to be too critical to survive.
The next day, Friday December 19th, another bomb was found on that same street. An IED made out of an 81 mm mortar shell sired to an alarm clock was placed inside a very large papaya, which was then in turn bagged and placed inside a sack.
2 teens sat down to eat at a bakery, and after texting and conversing left. Still sucpicious from the previous afternoon the workers noticed the sack and called authorities. Finally a K9 alerted onto the sack and thank G-D noone got hurt from it.
The same afternoon in General Santos, or as we call it "Gen San." another bomb was found but again taken before exploding.
For the last 2 days things have been quiet as far as artillery and bomber jets although the gunships (copters) are still all over the place. However, in honour of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) anniversary on 12/26, thier military arm the NPA (which I talked about at lengrh) is calling a unilateral Cease Fire.
On 12/24, 12/25, 12/26 and then again on 12/31 ans 1/01 there will be no violence says the group. The army as well has promised a holiday Cease Fire but has left the orders ambiguous so that it is really up to the local COs who command each Battalion.
Rizza, her nanny, and my brother in law Nigel who also lives in Cebu are coming on the ferry, leaving tomorrow night, so by Tuesday they will all be here.
Mom is happy, but mad at her friends. I told about the American who said he was CIA, right? Well now he is romancing a second woman whom he met from the 40 soemthing nun whose virginity he stole. A nice "Novela," (Soap Opera). Now Mom hates this pal as well and I am glad.
I do not celebrate Xmas at all, as a Jew, but the food is great (smile). Amapalaya though, "Chinese Bitter Melon" takes some getting used to.
Well, before I get into my music, books and bloodshed, I wthough that I would let you guys in a little secret of mine. Although I recently mentioned my taste for exotic cookery, I also have a little junkfood habit.
Sure, alot of folks like their Mickey D's, Wendy's and of course Jollybee (if they are stuck in the Philippines), but how many of you blokes can claim to be a regular at Pepperbee's?
Pepperbee's has the finest food, the nicest servers and , well, the owner is one of my idols. Anyone who loves service that much has got to be A-OK in my eyes! See what I mean:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1EV5H7Ru8
With that out of the way...
Music wise I do like all kinds of music, even the rare country tune. I have been listening to a rendtion of Madame Butterfly (opera) by Placido Domingo and Leontyne Price who sad to say, are my least favourite performers in the roles.
I have also been listening to Saami music. Saami, or as they are better known, "Lapps" are an indigenous People who live, generally, north of the Arctic Circle in Scandanavia and Finland. They are known as the semi-nomadic herders of reindeer but in actuality that is a dying custom.
The Saami are considered to be, along with the Basque (shoutout to Dtergent) to be the oldest inhabitants of Europe, as far as continuous cultures. Physically they usually look like like an admixture of Scandanavian and so called "Eskimos." Very beautiful People.
The southern Saami have a form of traditional music known as "Yoik." Most Yoiks, as the plural is known, have no real lyrics but rather , like the "Eskimos' " "Throat Singing" are spontaneous expressions of mood. the difference being that "Throat Singing" is, as the label suggest from the thoat and Yoiks are from the mouth like Native-American chants, etc.
Chassidic Jews have a similar culturism known as "Niggeem," chants without words based on mood.
The Yoik I chose for a video I will link to is but a brother and sister duo whom I really enjoy, "Adjagas."
Unfortunately, the url will not work so if you are initerested, it can be found at Youtube by typing in their name.
The other song I will link to is a great Chillout song for the holidays, a song I have loved for almost 20 years, by the "Pat Metheny Group," agreat modern Jazz and Rock Fusion group and the song is, "Last Train Home.":
www.youtube.com/watxh?v=Sq5oqY3-vhg
Book wise I have been again hitting the Guttenburg Project up, this time I have been reading the works of "Eusebius," a 3rd and 4th Century CE/AD Christian leader who lived in Jerusalem.
At the time that (Roman) Emperor Constantine was convening the Council of Nicea in the early 4th Century CE/AD, to codify the Christian Bible, Eusebius was working hard in the libraries of Caeseria and Jerusalem to catalouge all the many hundreds of Christian documents that made up the uncodified Christian Scriptural collections.
In the end Constantine had a Bible made, 50 copies actually by hand as was the way it was done of course, on fine vellum but none survive. It is my personal dream to come across one, or at least a fragment. Forget the fact that I would be richer than anyone can imagine materielly from it, but what a find for a book lover such as myself!
Almost 200 years ago a Euroepan was journeying through my part of the world, the Middle East and came into Sinai, and what has been called for eons "Mount Sinai." In truth noone knows where that mountain is but there is a mountain since at least Constantine's age that has had the label attached to it.
A Greek Orthadox monastery, St. Catherine's sits atop the mountain, which I have been to both when it was in Israeli control and now that it is back in Egyptian control.
Then, as now, the monastery gets very cold in winter evenings and the traveller was very sick but was startled, once he had convalesced sufficiently, to see the monks reading ancient manuscripts, after one caring for him had described them.
He did his best not to show any emotion though, knowing full well that should he, it would be impossible to obtain them. He then struck up a relationship with a Bedua who worked there. The Bedua invited him to his hovel and lo and behold the traveller was terrfied to see the Bedua's mum throwing vellum into their fireplace!!!
Vellum is very , very fine parchment from the ancient times. Cheap books and notes were composed upon papyrus, and paper made from plants, and sometimes upon cheap leather. Vellum though is a thing of great value used for extremely important wirtings and so he knew it to be worth saving and ended up paying a pitannce for what is now known as the "Codex Sinaiticus," the "Sinai Book."
It is full of wirtings that were heretofore unknown, but Christian in origin. Fascinating that Christians have no idea, most anyway, that their New Testament is not their true set of Scriptures.
On to reality...
Last time I was talking about the white man inIligan City, here on Mindanao, who did not believe the isaldn to be dangerous. Some might remember the posting. As luck would have it, that next afternoon I woke up and heard that iligan had just been bombed!!!
2 men in tradtional white Muslim attire walked into Unicity Deprtment Store and checked a black backpack in at Baggage Checkin where 2 young cousins were working. Sadly both cousins were killed, and more than 40 people were hurt, 2 who are thought to be too critical to survive.
The next day, Friday December 19th, another bomb was found on that same street. An IED made out of an 81 mm mortar shell sired to an alarm clock was placed inside a very large papaya, which was then in turn bagged and placed inside a sack.
2 teens sat down to eat at a bakery, and after texting and conversing left. Still sucpicious from the previous afternoon the workers noticed the sack and called authorities. Finally a K9 alerted onto the sack and thank G-D noone got hurt from it.
The same afternoon in General Santos, or as we call it "Gen San." another bomb was found but again taken before exploding.
For the last 2 days things have been quiet as far as artillery and bomber jets although the gunships (copters) are still all over the place. However, in honour of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) anniversary on 12/26, thier military arm the NPA (which I talked about at lengrh) is calling a unilateral Cease Fire.
On 12/24, 12/25, 12/26 and then again on 12/31 ans 1/01 there will be no violence says the group. The army as well has promised a holiday Cease Fire but has left the orders ambiguous so that it is really up to the local COs who command each Battalion.
Rizza, her nanny, and my brother in law Nigel who also lives in Cebu are coming on the ferry, leaving tomorrow night, so by Tuesday they will all be here.
Mom is happy, but mad at her friends. I told about the American who said he was CIA, right? Well now he is romancing a second woman whom he met from the 40 soemthing nun whose virginity he stole. A nice "Novela," (Soap Opera). Now Mom hates this pal as well and I am glad.
I do not celebrate Xmas at all, as a Jew, but the food is great (smile). Amapalaya though, "Chinese Bitter Melon" takes some getting used to.
