Category Archives: cello

Our First Duet

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 Abet had this bright idea to have a first duet instead of the traditional first dance — him on guitar, me on cello. It’s mainly because he absolutely refuses to dance. I didn’t want to do it at first because our musical skills are not at par. Abet is a national champion (he won the NAMCYA for guitar in 2005), while I studied cello until Suzuki Book 3 (a children’s method). He practices six hours per day while I practice… once every six months. :P But then again, why not?  I haven’t seen it done before, most of my friends have never heard me play, and it will be oh-so Abet and Dea, so uniquely us. After all, it was music that brought us together.

I chose the piece we played, Salut d’Amour, op. 12 by British composer Sir Edward Elgar. It means ‘greeting of love.’ It’s a piece originally for piano and violin which Abet arranged (and super-simplified to Dea-level) for guitar and cello.

I was nervous about it, but Abet told me to just enjoy the moment, and I did. Even as I heard my notes go flat and my strings screech against my bow, I enjoyed it. I had fun, can you tell?

I am so glad that we got to do this. Our duet is one of my favorite wedding moments. I’ll forever cherish this comment left by my friend Bunny on my Facebook:

Most of the time that you were playing, I was watching how Abet looked so admiringly at you – and not at his guitar. Ikaw na, Dea. Ikaw na. =D

May this be the start of a lifetime of making beautiful music together.

*first 3 photos from my friend Maedeleine Chua’s Facebook, last photo by Mimi+Karl

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Happy Birthday, Uma!

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Our dear, darling mimingcat Uma is one year old today.

*wipes tear*

When my brother rescued her one rainy morning from the trash, her eyes were still closed and her umbilical cord was still attached. We didn’t know if she’d survive, she went a couple of days without a name so we wouldn’t get too attached. She was so thin and frail back then:

She has grown into this crazy, chubby beauty:

one of her favorite hobbies is to watch over Maisky the hamster

And what’s a first birthday party without party hats? My sister May made hats for all the pets.

Sophie

Apu

Cello

Robert & Raymond

I was supposed to bake her a cake but I was too tired today, we put her birthday candles on monggo bread instead:

For dinner, we had my parents’ wicked paella, which they slaved all day to make, but that’s because today is also their 33rd wedding anniversary. Uma has good timing, no? There’s bound to be good food every year on her birthday.

I can’t say enough how smitten we all are with this cat. She has brought so much joy into our home. We all went to her for comfort when we went through a difficult period last year, even my dad especially my dad. We enjoyed having a cat so much that we adopted a second cat, and now it’s double the fun.

Before we had Uma, I absolutely hated cats. Couldn’t stand them. Now, I’m a cat-lover for life.

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Hello, Cello!

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We have a new addition to our little collection of musical instruments: an electric cello! This is my parents’ gift to my brother Joe for his 19th birthday last week.

My brother is in love with his new toy, and so am I. I couldn’t stop playing it earlier. My brother and I name all our instruments, but Joe can’t think of an appropriate one yet.

I’m so excited about this instrument. It means that I can start practicing again! The main reason I’m not able to practice as much as I want to is because the only time I have to do so is in the wee small hours of the morning, and the traditional cello is too noisy for that. Now, I can just plug in the earphones and bow away! I want to be good enough so I can play the cello at my own wedding.

I think I like the electric one better than the traditional one, I’m thinking of getting one for myself after the wedding (I hope I save enough so I won’t have to look into easy personal loans).

This means that we have three cellos in our home now:

The new cello, the old cello, and Cello the dog!

EDIT: Click here for video of him playing Bach’s Prelude no. 1 in G Major, recorded yesterday.

***My brother is so handsome, haha!***

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And now for some animal news…

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We have a new kitten!

Actually, my brother Momon does. I woke up last Friday morning to something crying just right outside my window, and being in the just-awoken state that I am, I initially thought it was our rabbit, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. When I realized that rabbits don’t cry, I went outside to check, and I saw the cutest sight: Momon feeding the tiniest kitten I have ever seen using a baby bottle.

Momon saw the kitty near the garbage can outside our house as he was taking out the trash. It was a rainy morning, and the kitten still had its eyes closed and its umbilical cord attached. Being the softie that he is, my brother rescued it. He Googled about how to take care of a newborn cat, and upon reading that he needs to feed it a cocktail of evap, plain yogurt, pancake syrup, and an egg yolk, off he went to the nearest SM Hypermarket to buy all those, plus the feeding bottle.

We couldn’t think of a name for the kitty off the bat, because as the T.S. Elliot poem performed in the musical C.A.T.S. goes, “The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn’t just one of your holiday games.” My mom decided to call it Uma, though. So Uma it is. It fits right in my mom’s hand.

The kitten looks much better than it did two days ago. (I keep saying it because we still don’t know the gender). My brother actually went to Cartimar to buy a can of baby formula for animals. If there was an hgh spray for kittens (kgh spray, then?), I’m sure he would have gotten one too! He’s doing a good job of doing mommy cat duties. Just like when Cello was still a baby, the kitty stays in his room.

Meanwhile, someone wasn’t all too happy with the new addition to our little menagerie:

That’s Cello barking furiously at Uma. Total waste of energy, really, because aside from being blind, that kitten is still deaf.

I actually don’t like cats very much. Oh, who are we kidding, I HATE cats! But I’m getting fond of this little one, it’s just too adorable to resist. I hope Uma survives, and I hope it won’t leave once it grows up.

–=-=–

Our puppy got attacked yesterday.

Momon and Cello went out to buy some softdrinks, and our neighbor’s two dachshunds attacked Cello without any provocation. Now the poor thing has bite wounds on his backside. Ooooh, those mean dachs! I don’t know how they could hurt this little thing:

Mako the brother and Cello the doggie

Now you all know I’m a big dog-lover, but when I see those dachshunds, I’ll feed them some M&M’s mixed with Ajinomoto! (I keed! I keed!)

–=-=–

Apu is one happy rabbit these days. We don’t keep him in his cage now, he’s free to roam around the backyard. We actually wonder why we haven’t thought of that before.

I just love these animals, they keep me sane and happy like nothing else can.

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4 months to go!

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How cute is my brother and his fiancée’s Save the Date?

Momon and Ros's Save the Date

And how cute is Cello???

That dog has me wrapped around his dirty little paw!

–=-=–

Four more months to go until the first wedding in the family, and I am already so excited. Their wedding is going to be great, I can’t wait. I’ve set a new fitness goal for myself: slim down for my brother’s wedding, and that means I have four more months to go to get in shape (round doesn’t count).

Momon lost major weight the last few months, and while I’m envious, I’m also inspired. Envious that he can stand his gritty protein shake and of his discipline to diet and exercise, and inspired because I know I can trim down and shape up if I work hard enough.

Now, excuse me while I do some Pilates.

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Love + Cello

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Love is like anything; the more you nurture and focus on it, the better it becomes. You can’t expect to be a master cellist if you never pick up the cello. Do you think Yo-Yo Ma became who he is by laying on opposite sides of his cello in bed at night? Or by listening to the TV instead of it? I would guess not. I would think he held it. Touched it. Listened to it.

-from Gwen in Love, a new sex relationship blog I’m loving right now

–=-=–

This is Jacqueline, one of my loves. I miss her terribly. She’s in Baguio with Joe right now, where I’m sure she’s having a grand time with all the hunky boys around. :P

Seriously, I really do miss having the cello around. I miss taking lessons and practicing until my fingertips are sore. My siblings and I used to do these silly trios with May on the guitar and Joe on the violin, I miss that as well, those were fun times.

I really should buy my own cello, because I’m getting nowhere near my goal of playing Bach’s first cello prelude without an instrument around!

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Stinky puppy no more

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My brother Momon’s puppy Cello finally got his first bath!

Cello's First Bath

We’ve been itching to bathe this little doggie for weeks now, but we had to wait until he turned three months old.

Cello's First Bath
We used Django’s (Abet’s and my lab) shampoo on him, which Abet ended up giving to Momon. Tropical scent, mmmmm.

Three pairs of hands lathering him up right there. Momon’s fiancée Ros took photos.

Cello's First Bath
“The Circle of Life”

Cello's First Bath
Abet and I had blow-drying duties.

Cello's First Bath

Yay, Cello is all clean and fresh and fluffy now! Now that he no longer stinks, he’s more adorable than ever. I wuv you, puppy!

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Earth Half-Hour

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May, Mako, Cello and I went outside at 8:30 pm earlier to participate in Earth Hour:

Earth Hour

It was too hot inside the house with air-cons and electric fans turned off, and it was boring and dark. Well, there wasn’t much to do outside, either, but the dog enjoyed it:

Earth Hour

After 20 minutes, we were already deathly bored, and we knew we wouldn’t last a full hour without electricity and without anything to do.  By 9pm, May was watching No Country for Old Men on cable and Mako was on his laptop with an electric fan on. We still kept the lights off until the end of Earth Hour, though.

Next time, I’ll plan on something to do while everything electric is turned off/unplugged. I’ll prepare some board games, perhaps, and I’ll make sure to prepare beer and pulutuan. That way, my siblings and I will definitely survive Earth Hour.

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A Good Sunday

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… is when the whole family is complete:

P3212580-edited

… because our baby brother is home on summer break:

21 March 2010

… and there’s good food, like takeout from Savory:

21 March 2010
(Doesn’t my mom look amazing? She’ll be 60 next year.)

… and my siblings and I can bond and have fun with each other:

21 March 2010

… and my dear boyfriend is by my side:

21 March 2010

… and even if he’s a wee bit distracted, I completely understand:

21 March 2010

Joe will be leaving in a couple of days, it will be several months again before we have another Sunday like the one we just had.

I am grateful for moments like these, when I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have a wonderful family and to live in a home that’s full of love and laughter and happiness. I’m blessed.

I’m already looking forward to Joe’s next vacation.

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