The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
I have noticed that classical guitar strings easily break compared to acoustic guitar strings. The quality of both strings are different and acoustic guitars have metal strings while classical guitars have nylon strings. I had my first guitar as a college graduation gift from my brother. Starting from the day I got it until now, I think I replaced the strings for about 5 times already though I seldom play it like thrice a week to once every 2 months depending upon the availability of my schedule.
Brother bought me a classical guitar because I have been playing Mom’s guitar in our hometown in Bicol when I was in high school. But when I got here in Manila back in college, I have been messing around with brother’s guitar which he doesn’t usually approve of, by the way, because it’s always out of tune after I’m done playing. Hahaha Sorry brother dear, but thanks for lending me your guitar anyway, anyhow. 😉
But I had these broken strings to be grateful for – I learned to tune the guitar without the help of any tuning device. I always play by ear so it was easier for me to recognize if a string is slightly off-key. It was also this playing by ear that made it easier for me to replace the chords of a song if the music sheet isn’t reliable or the notes are too low and I don’t want to use the capo.
Strike a pose before strumming.
If you are asking me why I have two guitars in my possession and you might think I am too greedy or in the habit of collecting guitars, well, my answer is no, I am neither of those. It was my hubby’s request to buy a new guitar and become my apprentice. I thought I’ll choose metal strings for him because it’s usually recommended for beginners. But if you are to ask me which one sounds better, I think that is one tough question because personally, I love both. Each of the two has its own unique sound quality depending upon the type of song you wish to play.
If, for example, you love that “stringy” and clear-sounding guitar music, choose an acoustic guitar especially if you’ll be doing a lot of plucking. But if on the one hand you prefer a more solid guitar sound which is achieved in full strumming, I suggest go for the classical guitar.
Brother chose the classical guitar for me because of its nylon strings. It’s less painful to the fingers especially if you’ll be strumming for longer periods of time but ironically, I am enjoying the metal strings of the acoustic guitar for now because it sounds more clear. 😀
Awesome eye candies at Benjie’s Music Store. 😍
Got these and the guitar case as freebies! God is good all the time, eh? 😀
Going back to me and hubby, let’s just say, my “me” time at home includes playing the guitar while my hubby is having his “me” time too and I think he got inspired while listening to my belting. lol Seriously though, he usually sings along while I am playing but what I hate about this is that he usually gets, you guessed that right, LSS-ed for yup, you guessed that right again (or not), let’s just say…a week.
A week?!?!?!
Yeah, yeah, I know you are squealing with laughter right now. Just imagine how irritated I am for the entire week as I listen to him singing usually one part of the song over and over again more than the national anthem during flag raising every day. 😀
But well, you know my husband, he usually does this to tease me. *sigh*
But now, it’s a good thing that he gets to play with me. Oh, but I forgot to tell you and this will be a secret between us – (whispers) he sometimes sings off-key. lol 😀
But he is a very willing student and I am a teacher by passion and by profession.
So….
Three “buts” in a row are no good for an article thus I am ending this with my husband as a willing apprentice and I am more than glad to inspire and teach as always. 🙂
P.S.
For our duet performance, uhm, I believe it’s going to happen in about 10 years from now. *insert chuckles here* Practice makes perfect, as they say. Oh, and my favorite musical pieces? It’s none other than worship songs, of course. ❤
This movie review is a Father’s Day tribute to honor the roles of the father in the family and in society. If you are wondering why I don’t have a Mother’s Day tribute here in my blog for this year, hubby and I went home to my province and celebrated it with my 69-year-old Mom and 91-year-old grandma – two great matriarchs in my family.
Circumstances won’t allow me to visit my hometown again and celebrate Father’s Day this June 19 with my 76-year-old Dad. I thought about honoring my Dad here instead. Since he is not updated with thetechnology-driven world, he’d probably joke around saying what I wrote about him over social media will already “expire” before it reaches him. Yup, that’s how funny my Dad is. 😉
This photo of us taken around year 2011 is enough proof on how funny we are. 😀
Before I proceed with the movie review, I’d like to share some snippets on who my Dad is. My brother wrote an essay about him 11 years ago, which was selected as one of the articles read during the graduation rites of my brother’s class (Sanlingan 2005) at the Philippine Military Academy. When the announcer started reading Kuya’s essay during the ceremony, there came the gushing and shedding of tears – our tears. It did bring us all to tears because my brother was right, our Dad is “The Unsung Hero” and yet loved and respected by all.
Taken inside the cockpit of the Cessna aircraft during Kuya’s Naval Aviation Group Graduation in 2010.
Our Dad is a man of few words and yet he cracks the silliest of jokes. He is seldom the disciplinarian and yet when discipline comes from him, we all remembered this need to hide as his discipline would mean leaving a mark for the rest of your life. He seldom gets angry but when he does, it is the kind of anger that you would not want to see.
I am grateful though to my Dad that he got to “discipline” us.If it wasn’t for this, our lives might be in a total mess right now and without direction. Now that I am a believer, I have learned that discipline in a family is very important not to show who’s the boss in the household, but for parents to guide their children in the right way because they love them and only because they wanted the best for them. It’s just like how God, a Father to His sons and daughters, disciplines and rebukes us so we could live fruitful and better lives.
My Mom is never the stage mom type and when I was in grade school, I was always invited to participate in dance numbers, presentations, oral declamations, etc. So you’ve probably guessed who was with me most of the time during these activities – my Dad. 😀
It is a #FlashbackFriday today so please allow me to backtrack a little bit to when I was in grade school just to share some photos of moi and the extra curricular activities I have mentioned:
Here we are preparing for an Ati-Atihan folk dance number when I was 6 years old. That’s me second to the right.Before The Walking Dead, there was zombie dance. lol Seriously, this is a Hawaiian dance number.Grade 3 Star Scout Camping. There’s another star scouter wanting to have her photo taken with me – except that she became a photo bomber. Tsk, too late. 😀I totally love my childhood because of Girl Scout Camping. This was taken during our hiking and swimming at Obou Falls along with my childhood friends and classmates. That’s me in the middle wearing a white shirt.I played the role of a bridesmaid during a school program.Competed with other schools in the folk dance category during the Literary & Musical Contest.Performed during a school play when I was in Grade 6 and played the role of Thisbe in one of the stories in Greek mythology, “Pyramus and Thisbe.”
I’d just like to give credit to my Dad for being our all-time photographer – these photos and memories wouldn’t have been made possible. Nope, I am not a Daddy’s girl and I do not consider myself as one. I never experienced being so absolutely clingy to my Dad, but at some point I did feel a deeper connection with him more than my Mom when I was in high school. But when I got into college, I felt that both my parents did so well in raising me and my siblings, and they never had any “favorite” among the five of us.
I believe one thing that I am forever grateful to God for is the fact that I grew up with both my parents present through every milestone that we went through. Though we all had to leave home when we all went to college, we always looked forward to the days when we will all come home together and both our parents were there to welcome us.
As for my Dad, I admired him for being a civil engineer by weekdays and farmer by weekends (tending farms is difficult) just to make sure we have enough for all our expenses as a family, while Mom was a grade school teacher on weekdays and stayed at home cleaning, gardening, cooking, and doing take-home work on weekends. But this kind of setup didn’t mean Dad had no time for us at home. It was, on the other hand, quite the opposite. Despite juggling through a lot of responsibilities at work and at home, my Dad made sure all our needs (not just material things) were well-provided for including emotional support, bonding time, etc.
Dad, the civil engineer, fresh from oath taking during his late 20s.Dad, the farmer, and me, the farm girl. I mean, the photographer. 😉
I’d like to share at this point a little trivia on me – I was Daddy’s little maid. We all are actually, but I believe it is more of a “youngest” thing. *wink* Yes, every time he cuts grass in the garden with the lawn mower and he was all sweaty, you’ll hear him calling out to his “errand girl”:
“Nen (my nickname which is short for Nene)! Please get me a glass of cold water and towelette and wipe my back dry.”
Then, after a hard day’s work at the farm, Daddy would ask me to give him a back massage while he is resting. When I was little, back massages for my Dad meant doing my “cat walk” on his back while he’s lying face down. Well, that was when I was still skinny and little. When I grew older, it became just the regular back massage.
It was only when I was in college and the only child in the family still studying that my parents were able to gather enough funds for our house to have it completely constructed – the product of all their hard work, patience, and perseverance. But it is more than just constructing a house that they have built – they have built something greater in us over the years.
While reminiscing our younger moments spent with our parents, it just dawned on me how we were taught to value hard work over riches and accumulation of possessions, why quality time with loved ones is better than splurging and being with a lot of people on grand occasions, and being content with whatever we have. They didn’t particularly instruct us with Bible verses on how to live our lives, but now that I am slowly learning the Bible day by day, I realized that my parents brought us up according to the Scripture – live life simply with fear in the Lord.
To end this part, I’d like to share this text message that my Dad texted me about a difficult situation that I am going through. This was in the vernacular (Bicol), so I’d just translate it for you:
“As long as you trust in yourself, you trust in God and if it is meant for you, it will and it will come.”
Of course, Mom also has something similar regarding another event which I informed her yesterday:
Never mind the exclamation point because my Mom wasn’t angry nor excited, she just wanted to emphasize the last statement.That is how my Mom texts – stressed words in capital letters accompanied by exclamation points at the end a.k.a. generation gap. lol I’m just kidding. It’s a good thing my Mom doesn’t read this. But if she does, errrr, love you Mom! 😀
Another thing, praise God for Skype – long distance relationships are now easier to deal with. After reading this, you might have this impression that he is a perfect man. But honestly, like any Dad in this world, he is not perfect, too. Well, let’s just say he’s close to being perfect. I chose to see him that way despite his imperfections. He is our hero, anyway.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12
A portrait of Mom and Dad talen in 2012. 🙂
Courageous: The Movie
Now, let’s get on to the movie review. This is, by far, one of the best movies I have watched that focused on fathers. If I have to commend the Kendricks brothers for producing such great Christian films, it’s because a majority of the scenes portrayed all depicted real-life scenarios. Although we can say that some were tweaked to fit the entire theme of the movie. If all the scenes were to happen in real life though, some may take quite some time to happen, unlike how the timeline progressed in the movie.
Not all relationships and marriages are the same. They’re always a case-by-case basis and yet watching this movie now made me realize what to expect and what to do if time comes I am faced with the same situations. I highly encourage all the young men out there, fathers, and soon-to-be fathers to watch this film, and I am praying you will step up to the place that God has called you to be – as Godly leaders and future leaders of your homes. My husband and I watched this film together, and what he blurted to me after watching was this,
“Honey, can you look up on the internet for more movies like that?”
Ah yes, that’s an affirmation, a positive response. I was just glad that was the kind of response that the movie elicited from him. I wasn’t expecting anything at all regarding my husband’s reaction though I did my research what the movie was all about prior to watching. I just thought we’ll view it like any regular “chill time” movie that we come across and watch during rest days.
Praise God for sending the Spirit to guide and prepare our hearts, minds, and souls on how we are going to interpret the movie. I only recommend movies if I rated it with 5 stars (very good) meaning it made such a life-changing impact on me i.e. how I view things, how it changed my perspective on certain things, such as my lifestyle, my attitude, and my character, and so on. So yes, please do watch this movie.
Hubby and I watched it a couple of weeks ago, and we both agreed this is the perfect movie to watch on Father’s Day. Thus, I’ll cut this short for now and let you watch it. But first, don’t forget to shower your Dad with much love and appreciation on his special day as a father. 🙂
The Ginete family at Dad’s ancestral house circa 1993 and my favorite sheepish, no-teeth smile which I never seem to outgrow. 😀
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS and most especially to my ONE, GREAT FATHER from up above, FATHER GOD! ❤
RESOLUTION
“…I now believe that God desires for EVERY father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven.
A father should love his children, and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God. He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect, and should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.
Some men will hear this, and mock it. Or ignore it. But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence He has given you. You can’t fall asleep at the wheel, only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value, but the souls of your children do.
Some men will hear this and agree with it, but have no resolve to live it out. Instead, they will live for themselves, and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.
But there are some men, who regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did NOT do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same.
And whenever possible to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction. And we are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous, to join us in this resolution.
In my home, the decision has already been made. You don’t have to ask who will guide my family, because by God’s grace, I will. You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will.
Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family’s history? I will. Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will.
I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and His blessing on my home. Any good man does. So where are you men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord? It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say I will. I will. I will!”
I’ve been playing Flicka, my guitar, since 2006 and all I could ever remember was the countless of times I had to replace the D string. And if I am not mistaken, it is the only string that I’ve been replacing for the past how many years.
If only I have the answers as to why it’s the D string that always gets broken. Because I believe I am not the only one seeking for answers. 😉
When I bought the new set of guitar strings yesterday, another guy approached the music store salesman and I heard him inquired if a new stock of D string is already out. The salesman informed him that new stocks for the D string are not yet available.
There has been a shortage in supplies of the D string in all music stores here in Manila and I’ve been waiting for a restock but to no avail. What they do suggest though is that for you to be able to replace your broken D string, you have to buy the whole set of guitar strings which could be a big waste of money. I, for one, already have like 3 sets of nylon guitar strings still complete except for the D strings.
So yes, I am planning to give them away to anyone who has a broken nylon string other than the D string. This, I guess, is the story of the ODD string.
But then again, why does it always have to be the 4th string? 🙂
One of the gifts I received last Christmas was wrapped with a beautifully written message. The gift came from none other than my sister of course. Well, sisters know better, don’t they? 😉
When I got the gift and read the message, the first two things that popped in my head are God’s love (that’s why He gave us His only son, Jesus Christ) and yes, love in Frozen, the movie. The movie is about sisterhood, anyway. Now, ain’t it perfect? 😀
I must admit I’d never ever get tired watching that movie over and over again. It just completely raised my expectations in Disney movies and princesses to a higher level. It certainly surpassed the true-love-kissed-by-a-prince ending for one and the villain is not the usual step mom or a step sister.
The movie is a perfect notion of fairy tale movies portraying attitudes and conflicts of today’s generation that is why it wouldn’t be a wonder at all if it will be one of the blockbuster movies of this year.
The story line isn’t dragging at all with its well-written plot and very different setting. Definitely no scenes were lifted from classic Disney stories and fairy tales making it very unique and yes, modern. No unnecessary dull scenes are present in the movie as well as it is a comedy. And yes, the songs used in some of the scenes in the movie are also well-arranged. It doesn’t sound too classical and yet appropriate to all ages though it is a cartoon movie.
If you are to ask me about the movie in general, all I can ever say is that I am all praises. Yes, it indeed deserves the loud round of applause and a standing ovation.
Oh and being the feminist me, I just love how they developed the character of a brave, confident girl in the characters of Elsa and Anna – overcoming fears, celebrating breakthroughs and dealing with conflicts.
Just the perfect movie to watch during the holidays – makes me feel all the love and the warmth and say or rather sing “the cold never bothered me anyway.” 😉
Yes, I know all too well how overrated this phrase may seem, but it never ceases to remind us the part that music plays in our lives – a big part.
Just like art and writing, music can never be out of the scene. I believe art, music, writing, literature, and poetry are all entwined to create beautiful masterpieces that speak to and connect with the soul.
So, here comes my baby girl. 🙂
Flicka
She goes by the name of Flicka. I named her after the 2006 movie entitled Flicka, which is about a beautiful horse and a girl and the special bond they were able to form through a series of challenges that they both went through. It was a very beautiful movie – both melodramatic and inspiring.
My brother gave this guitar to me as a college graduation gift back in 2006, supposed to be. But I was never able to graduate on time. So Flicka (my guitar), became my best friend instead. She has been my best friend for 7 years now.
She does carry some ‘scratches’ all throughout those years and like me, she has lots to say about those ‘scratches’ too. That is, if she can only talk or write. But one thing’s for sure, they are good stories, for the most part. 🙂
“Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
I have been dancing ever since I can remember. My earliest would be when I was 6 years old. Yep, that picture of mine below was taken during a school program, and we were dancing in the tune of “Da Coconut Nut” by the Smokey Mountain.
Hawaiian-themed Dance Number, 1991
This was only one of the many dance presentations that I participated when I was in grade school. Dance rehearsals were exhausting and yet very fulfilling. I performed in school plays, too, but it happened only once or twice. Unfortunately, I am not a good actress. 😃
As with declamations, there were 3 instances where I did an oratorical piece in the vernacular as well as in English. But again, not as much as compared to writing during essay contests and dancing. Dancing is just love.
When I was 12 years old, the Folk Dance Troupe in our school (where I was a member) participated in the Literary Musical Contest. We won in the District level (participated by the schools in Bulan, our town) as well as in the Zonal level (participated by the nearby schools in our town), and we were able to compete in the Division level (which comprised mostly of schools in the entire province).
Literary Musical Contest, 1996
When I was in high school, I became a member of the Folk Dance Troupe under the coaching of our ever graceful and ever beautiful, Ms. Malou Lanuza, and been performing since 1st year until 2nd year. I learned from her that dancing is not just a combination of steps and poses. But it is more of a skill that you slowly craft to create a beautiful masterpiece. You give a piece of who you are to your dance – an expression of who you are. It was through our rigourous dance training with her that I got to learn all about dedication to dancing and to be diligent in perfecting the moves. We would practice from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon every day. All our hard work paid off though as we were able to target fluidity in movements (balance and timing) and perfection of grace, poise, aura, and performance.
During my Junior and Senior years, I quit dancing as I joined the CAT (Citizen’s Army Training) and became an S2 Intelligence Officer of the Corps. We also spent two years doing community service, drills every Saturday, exercises, and exams. I started missing folk dancing at this point, but I also looked forward to the kind of training that the CAT would provide. Below is a photo of me during the Officers’ Induction Night.
CAT, 2000
I was able to perform mostly in folk dances though I also know a bit of ballroom dancing or social dancing (tango, cha-cha, rumba, and samba). In the provinces, folk dancing is usually more common and more popular than social dancing.
Filipino Day, 2012
Our costumes for the folk dance numbers were the traditional costumes of the Filipinos: the barong (for boys) and saya (for the girls)and the Maria Clara dress. You can check out this link for more information regarding the history of the Maria Clara dress, which is also our national costume.
I never got the opportunity to dance again when I was in college because I didn’t have the time, and I was busy with the school requirements. It was only after graduation that I have decided to dance again. I thought dancing will be a good way to exercise and work out since I had an office job during weekdays, and I badly needed physical activity. I did not try folk dancing this time though. I tried something quite new and difficult – street dancing.
Oh yes, it was indeed the complete opposite when it comes to form, beat, style, and techniques. I was totally blown away, but IT WAS SO FUN. 😊
Street Dancing, 2013
Learning something new, for me, is and will always be fun. I got to learn just the basics only, unfortunately. I had to focus on the heaps of workload, and I was extremely exhausted after I got off from work at that time.
But surprise, surprise. YES, my wish was granted. The UP Street Dance Club in my alma mater, the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City sponsored a workshop as a fundraising event. My schedule? So free and available to reserve a slot! Wohoo! I was so glad I was able to hit the dance floor again after 3 years of hibernating. And this time, I got to support a good cause, too. Indeed, the wonders of answered prayers. 😊❤️🙏
Body and Soul Grooves 5 by the UP Street Dance Club
The Journeyman's Moments 