Tocar y Luchar (Play and Fight)
By Geejay Arriola | May 15, 2009
At the CCP arts forum held at the National Arts Center in Makiling, Laguna, which some of us Mindanao artists attended, we saw this great video entitled TOCAR y LUCHAR.
The movie is about how the musician-conductor Jose Abreu set up what he calls EL SISTEMA or THE SYSTEM, which allowed for 250,000 poor youth from across Venezuela to learn and play classical music, and how they are all TRANSFORMED BY MUSIC.
The result is astounding.
Categories: Classical, MUSIC, Music Communities | 1 Comment »
My Vacation part six, my overall impression of the Philippines
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
I would like to take a moment to describe my general impression of the Philippines, the culture, the people, the landscape, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Personal | 1 Comment »
My Vacation part five, day two on Apo, the long descent
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
I still can’t believe I did it. Wow! I climbed the highest mountain in the Philippines and I did it with the woman I have fallen deeply in love with. I didn’t sleep well in the uncomfortable tent and when I did sleep I kept dreaming about hanging from sheer cliffs. But somehow Geejay and I both managed to sleep a few hours. After a nice leisurely breakfast we packed up and began the final ascent. There was no more cliff climbing, but it was no walk in the park. Read the rest of this entry »
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My Vacation part four, day one on Mount Apo
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
Sunday morning we left Davao city in two SUVs and made the 3-hour drive to Kidapawan. The long drive through the countryside was quite interesting. My eyes were glued to the passing scenery. I saw rice paddies, goats and other animals, including some sort of animal that resembled an ox. The ever-changing scenery had my eyes transfixed to the window. The rustic scenery was beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Personal | No Comments »
My Vacation part three, tropical paradise
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
Saturday morning we woke up early after having only a few hours of sleep. We road in a van that belonged to Geejay’s brother Tonex. It took us to a dock where we met up with some of Geejay’s friends and family members and got on a boat. That boat took us on a 45-minute cruise and anchored over a tropical coral reef. On the boat I met Geejay’s daughter and son. I also met her sister Wena and her brother Arnel. Shortly after leaving the dock, Geejay handed me Maan’s infant son Kunta. I love babies and was quite happy to hold him. That diaper-clad kid was fascinated with my beard. He kept feeling it, and also he kept touching my nose. I must say, this little baby had the most beautiful eyes that I have ever seen on a human being. His dark brown oriental eyes mesmerized me with their wondrous beauty. Such a beautiful baby he is! Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Personal | No Comments »
My Vacation part two, life in Davao
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
Geejay and I arrived in Davao City Tuesday afternoon and took a cab from the airport to a mall in which there is a grocery store. Armed security guards looked in my backpack and briefcase and in her purse before they let us into the mall. Before entering the grocery store I had to check my backpack into a place where they put it into a cubby hole and give you a card with the number of the cubby hole. Upon returning, you hand the person the card and he gives you your item. Again armed security guards looked in Geejay’s purse and frisked me before they allowed us into the store. Such tight security doesn’t bother me. It actually reassures me that things are safe. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Personal | No Comments »
My Vacation part one embarking on a great adventure
By Jeffrey B Langlois | May 3, 2009
As I sit here and type this I still can’t believe I did it. It was the greatest adventure of my life. I have been home for 36 hours now, and it all seems like it was some wonderful dream. On the morning of Sunday, April 22, 2009, I got on a Delta jet bound for Atlanta Georgia. I am, or at least was, very scared of flying, but there I was, sitting in a plane taxiing down the runway, my heart pounding. I booked aisle seats on the longer flights so I could have room to stretch my legs, and because it is easier to get up when I need to go to the bathroom. But on this flight I booked a window seat. I wanted to force myself to overcome my fear. I was looking out the window as the plane took off, and when it was only a couple of hundred feet in the air, I was so scared that I looked away. Then I told myself that I simply must look. I forced myself to look out that window. What I felt was a strange combination of fear and awe. The Florida and Georgia landscapes are fascinating to look at from high in the air. My eyes remained glued to that window throughout the short flight. Read the rest of this entry »
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Solar superstorm
By Jeffrey B Langlois | April 12, 2009
In the year 1859 there was a tremendous solar superstorm. It was preceded by sunspots that were so large they were visible to the naked eye. The Earth was hit by two Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), one right after the other. The first one had the same orientation as the Earth’s magnetic field, and it compressed the Earth’s magnetic field. It is believed that the first CME of this superstorm took between 40 and 60 hours to reach the Earth. That is about the average time for a CME to reach the Earth from the sun. As the plasma from this CME streamed past the Earth, it was gradually rotating. When it rotated enough to become opposite in polarity from the Earth’s magnetic field, the field lines reconnected into a simpler shape, resulting in a huge release of energy. This created awesome auroral displays and caused currents to flow through telegraph wires, totally disrupting communications. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: GENERAL SCIENCE | No Comments »
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