Bundle of Joy

For she's a jolly good fellllow, for she's a jolly good feeellow, for she's a jolly good fee he loooow,which nobody can deny. Hip Hip, HOORAY!!!

We welcome the birth of Abia Katherine Elizabeth Robinson to our double tenor family. (I hear seh we have more than one man dere to so m nah bodda call the odda D word, yuh zi mi)

While I must express my disappointment that at the last moment they did not choose my name to grace their daughter, I am satisfied that they chose and even better one. (I'd be a real chump if I said "Honeybee" trumps "God is my Father")

Here's to a future filled with glad tidings, joy and prosperity and above all, strong wrists.

For she's a jolly good fellllooww, for she's a jplly good feeellow, for she's a jollly goood fee - ee looowww, an so say all of we.

Great Evening

Just came from a pann jazz concert held in Exodus' panyard. Fabulous. There are a series of panjazz concerts being held during the month with the final one being held this Saturday . Not all of the acts play pan or perform jazz but in the main they stick to that theme. On Friday there'll be a street parade in Port of Spain, and tomorrow another concert in Port of Spain.


The one I just came from featured Exodus, a Canadian band called canefire (double seconds, keyboard, sax, horn, congos, drums, bass guitar) and the final act for the night, Black Stalin and the Roy Cape band.

Did I mention that this 3 1/2 hour concert was completely free?

Yep. Safe to say I had a great evening

The week in review

Had our first test on Monday. Pitch and rhythm, managed to pass so that's the first hurdle over. Next week's test I don't think will be as good but we'll see. So I'm basically in the swing of things here.

Work in the morning, class in the afternoon, practice and lunch in between, review of classwork and assorted lyming afterwards. Saturday mornings I'm at school for 8 am, a part of our Instrumental music course was an option for community service in arts with children. So I assist along with teachers and other students with the running of activities for little pickaninees like art and recorder class etc. A bonus for me is that the recorder teacher will be helping me to boost up my music theory after class for an hour. YIPPEE!!

All of this is highly new to me since this is first time I've been exposed to very young children for any length of time. Worse I actually have to interact with them. They're not ten bad. They actually kinda grow on you. (Don't be getting any smart ideas now ppl).

Happy to say that I made contact with "our" (aka Panoridim's) (former?) tuner today. Seems the remnants of Hurricane Omar that lashed the Eastern caribbean blew him down to Creative Arts Centre. Now all I have to do is come up with a sure fire way to get him to loan me a double tenor since the school only have THREE!!!!!!! Oh yeah and I made contact with the bass section leader from Exodus on saturday. Cool lady. Yeah, practice for Panorama starts sometime around the second week in January. If I didn't have exams and a performance in November I'd try to jump in on their practice for World Festival now.

Practice tomorrow morning Oooh bwoy. Rolls for 16, on chromatic. Yeah, just now I go start writing wit my toes. practice, and practice and practice and...

Trinidad Update

Thanks to David for warning me about some things here.

When you go to an abm trinis come inside. I thought he meant friends... Yeah, so like why should they all wait outside in the hot sun when there's ac and space in the abm machine. With you.

Now is when I realise how paranoid I am. Not everyone walks with their bag hitch up under their arm like they think someone's out to rob them. Ppl don't turn around ever so often to check who's walking on the road behind them. And they certainly don't think that coming into the abm machine at the same time you're in there is weird. And no, I'm not talking about those huge spaces that have multiple abms.

Apart from that trinis like their roadkill in this order:

1. Frogs
2. Snakes
3. Pedestrians

As of yet no one has told me that I am my mother's vagina (Ask David/Gay to break that one down for you) but that may be because I don't use the pedestrian crossing! HAHAHAHAH , (don' mind I not gone crazy yet)

So far I am having a ginormous blast in Trinidad. I live in a small apartment building about 5 mins walk from my school and 12 mins walk from the main campus. My classes are cool (you tube rocks!) and I never think twice about why I'm studying in this area. Peace of mind in that area is a wonderful thing, and if I had not done my first degree and spent x number of years working before I did this, I would not have appreciated it as much.

The best class for me is contemporary workshop ie a jazz band class. 5 -8PM on a friday and its like going to a jam session not a three (or more) hour class. Oh yeah, we have a UWI performance mid November and we still don't know all the pieces we're gonna play :-D but ayy, ain't no scene.

I also realise just how behind the rest of my peers in certain areas I am (is one thing to play an instrument but then to discuss the different aspects of what you do and what you're hearing is a separate matter). I was telling a friend that I was more than a bit intimidated. I did come here to learn however, and that's what I'm doing. Classes finish on Nov 28 which is kinda scary (I hate exams) and part of my assessment is to play for 4 mins in front of my peers and teachers (not too bad as long as I can get some decent music and polish it up properly. No skating for this diva!!)(Oh yeah, don't forget the performance on the 12th or 17th).

Okay so plan for tomorrow. Go to work in morning. Leave exactly on time (noon). Practice your homework again for at least 2 hours this time before your half hour session with Mrs Headley @ 4. Study group after class (make sure to tidy up your room before you leave the apartment) Touch a pan again sometime in the evening. Look over notes for next day. Lyme at Aunt Deborah's when I'm done all of that. Go over your sight reading solfa exercises for the test on Monday on aunt Deborah's keyboard. Eat at various points in between all of that. Sleep.

Yep, good to go.

Woooiiii, Rayyyyy!!

MUhahahahahah, and so it began..

They let the diva into the land of oil and soca..


Wow, I still can't believe I'm really in Trinidad. LOL, would you believe that there are relatives who still don't know I've left?

Man this campus is bigger than I thought. Nuff nuff walking up an down, and bear sweat jus a run.

Classes are in the afternoon, non of them start before 4 and on Wednesdays I have only half an hour for individual pan lessons. For now Fridays are free but that will change in october when I do a jazz class from 5-8pm, and I am happy.

Yes , I still have no definite idea about how I'm going to turn my degree into a career but I no longer have doubts about coming to Trinidad. Nuff respec to all the crazy ppl who had faith in me , especially Seeker, Rae and Katherine for helping me to clean house and pack :-D

I still haven't reached to a panyard yet but time enuff for that.



Mel

Pedestrians and Passengers

And yet another of the group has caught the spoogiedom train. As a lowly pedestrian still waiting for the train I can not but notice the benefits of finally catching said train. For example, the relaxation one feels now that the load of life has been made less burdensome. Passengers it has been noted are more friendly, patient and flexible.

There is also the good cheer of fellow passengers/pedestrians when one has gotten on board after waiting at the train crossing for some time. This is of course only highlights the nature of the train system which as they say is "never on schedule but always on time" (shrug that's public transportation for you :-)

For us pedestrians whether waiting patiently or walking to another train track, please remember to observe the rules of the road. (Yes they apply to pedestrians as well). Simple things that you learned from your parents will keep you safe; Look both ways before crossing, do not step out into oncoming traffic etc. Granted these days buses trains and all manners of vehicles seem to be jumping the curb and bouncing us pedestrians, but it still pays to follow these simple tips. Selah.

Moving Out

(sniff sniff) I feel like the proverbial child that's finally leaving the roost (sniff sniff) Come Monday morning I will start a new job. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

I'm happy that I'm finally moving on to something else but I'm sad to go. I've been here since I was a still a student. I know everyone and their habits. Plus I can walk to work and pan! Ahh well.

I go to a position with definitely more responsibility, challenges and pressure. But I'll also have more opportunity, meet new people and be that much closer to reaching my final goal of a music degree.

Wish me luck guys!

But ah wah di eyy!!

I looking at this ting now an I realize is actually 89 PUBLISHED posts!!!! This means I actually have 11 more posts to do. Like Duh stupid :-S

Anyway, simplify di ting. Can't bodda stretch out this post thing I'm just going to give my top 3 picks and y'all can pitch in with your own picks (whether your own blog or mine).

• At number 3 - I pick a more recent post For Want of Questioning .Solid stuff. Looks at my spirituality and some reasons for the path I'm on. It also puts out questions that most persons will have asked themselves somewhere along the line.
• Next in line 2 - Coincidentally called Take Two it's one of my earliest pieces. Again it's solid food for thought, giving way too much insight into me and the things that make me who I am.
• And the grand finale 3 - Pansong. My passion.

Countdown to 100

mmm, not feeling very bloggy today but since I am only 6 blogs away from the 100 mark I feel I should put something out there. What I shall do in fact is to count down my 5 best posts to date going from number 5 to the top.

now I'm feeling all enthused :-D

For Want of...questioning?

I believe everyone is familiar with that poem that tells how a battle was lost all for want of a little nail. It's a reminder to pay attention to the little details for they are more important than they might seem to be. For want of consistent prayer I have little faith. Given a religious background that indicates that in addition to faith one needs grace things might not seem so desperate... yet. I don't buy into the concept of doing things out of fear, not for anything. If you are going to do. say. believe anything you should do it for the love. But the reality is that I am I am not Duncan McLeod and ain't no theme music playing for me. In much the same way that I have been pro active about looking for employment I should take the steps to effect positive change in my spiritual life.

There needs be a difference however, starting fromt the basic building blocks upward with simple questions. What do I hold sacred? Do I believe humans possess souls? Do we have a lasting effect on our spiritual environment ? What are my perceptions of my role (if any) in life?Do I believe that there is a divinity that controls the course of life ?

Like I said. Simple questions.

I come from a background of a middle class Christian family who followed the spirit not the letter of the Bible and were curious about their place in this universe. At a crucial point in life when I was having some strong and seemingly daily conflicts with my immediate family members (read teenage years) I started attending yoga classes with my godmother on life management. Talk about getting a dose of pain relief. It was only a starting point however, as it made me start to question many assumptions I didn't realize I had. Later down the road after another influential point in life (death of mother) my pastor (Methodist church) informs me that the church I grew up in and that my grandmother was a lay preacher for (Unity) was not Christian. (Honestly I haven't even begun examining that one yet). Bwoy, yet another assumption highlighted.

Today it only now strikes me that there might be a non mental reason why I seem like a rolling stone to myself (although you never can tell :-D) but it only points out further reasons to put my faith on a sure footing. Wherever I may eventually choose to place it.

Learning Curve

I learn at the feet of the great ones before me
The storied and laurelled
The unsung and devious

Where I wait they are swift,
My eyes blinkered by things I am barely conscious of

the awe of the student becomes annoyance
the painful lesson
the wheel cannot be reinvented

annoyance fades to acceptance
fluidity of understanding
temperance of time

I learn at the feet of the great ones before me
my eyes now open
to see the cracks of their soles
and the weariness of their smiles

M. Woodham March 2007

Music I love: 2

Yep this is going to be a regular series. Here's another song by Yoko Kanno from the Cowboy Bebop movie soundtrack, once again lyrics are provided courtesy of stlyrics.com . I found an amv with the song from the last post "No Reply" on You Tube but nothing for this one unfortunately :-(

Artist: Yoko Kanno
Song: Gotta Knock A Little Harder
Lyrics: Tim Jensen

Happiness is just a word to me, and it might have meant a thing or two
If I'd known the difference
Emptiness, a lonely parody, and my life, another smokin' gun
A sign of my indifference

Always keepin' safe inside,where no one ever had a chance
To penetrate a break in
Let me tell you some have tried, but I would slam the door so tight
That they could never get in

Kept my cool under lock and key, and I never shed a tear
Another sign of my condidtion
Fear of love or bitter vanity, that kept me on the run
The main events at my confession

I kept a chain upon my door,that would shake the shame of Cain
Into a blind submission
The burning ghost without a name ,was calling all the same
But I wouldn't listen

The longer I'd stall, the further I'd crawl
The further I'd crawl, the harder I'd fall
I was crawlin' into the fire
The more that I saw, the further I'd fall
The further I'd fall, the lower I'd crawl
I kept fallin' into the fire

Suddenly it occurred to me, the reason for the run and hide
Had totalled my existence
Everything left on the other side, could never be much worse than this
But could I go the distance?

I faced the door and all my shame, tearin' off each piece of chain
Until they all were broken
But no matter how I tried, the other side was locked so tight
That door it wouldn't open

Gave it all that I got, and started to knock
Shouted for someone to open the lock
I just gotta, get through the door

And the more that I knocked, the hotter I got
The hotter I got, the harder I'd knock
I just gotta, break through the door

Gotta knock a little harder, Gotta knock a little harder
Gotta knock a little harder, Break through the door

Music I love

I discovered one of my favourite artists and composers through watching anime ( in particular the series Cowboy Bebop ). While reading throught the credits I realized that all the music from the series was original and had been composed by one person namely Yoko Kanno . Subsequently I've been googling and youtubing and downloading and all that jazz to find out more about her and her music.

Here are the lyrics for one of my favourite songs which comes from the original soundtrack of the Cowboy Bebop movie. (Eventually I will learn how to put music on this site). The lyrics were taken from www.stlyrics.com

Artist: Yoko Kanno
Song: No Reply
Lyrics: Tim Jensen

Like the perfect ending, It won't be long,
Till everything I've ruined has seen me gone,
In time, I pray you'll forgive,
Now you know the man I am, Can you forgive me?

I fall, Like the sands of time,
Like some broken rhyme, At feet no longer there.

If only I could call the rain to melt and wash away the pain you feel
I would
You gave yourself to me and showed me what the truth could be
For that, I say thank you
This was my life
It never made much sense to me...

With every lie that I lived, Part of me would fade,
Into this empty shadow I've become, And now I feel so numb,
I no longer know myself, But I still know you.

I call, And there is no reply,
Like some phantom cry, On ears too far away,

I close my eyes and watch as my life passes by,
The only thing I see is you,
For all the times you walked the line for me and standing by my side, I say thank you,
Here lies my life, It never felt that real to me.

You'll always mean so much to me
And there's no reply, And there's no reply,
You'll never know how much you meant to me,
And there's no reply, And there's no reply,
You'll never know how much you meant to me.

If only I could call the rain to melt and wash away the pain you feel. I would.
You gave yourself to me and showed me what the truth could be.
For that, I say thank you.

This was my life.It never made much sense to me...

I close my eyes and watch as my life passes by,The only thing I see is you,
For all the times you walked the line for me and standing by my side,
I say thank you,
You in my life,
It all meant so much more to me.

Changes 2

Circular thoughts like a dog biting it’s own tail
What breaks the sado- masochistic cycle?
(Assuming a circle can be broken stretched and recreated into a line with an end)
The true desire and willingness for change

Change is frightening
It’s new
I have no experience with it

What is frightening is my refusal to shed childish thinking.
What other universal truth exists but that
Change is constant

Yes! Change with a Capital or common c.
I have already changed without being consciously aware
My root complaint must then be that I am cowardly
And live in fear of the change that I should be

The comfort of the same or the exhilaration of the future?
Bearing in mind change is already unfolding
Without me
How does it end?


Mummy Mel Feb 2007

KES the band

KES the band performed on stage along side Nadia Batson last Friday at mas Camp. When I tell yuh seh a show sell off!! I had no idea that KES was so good. They really left a good impression and kept the crowd going for the entire time that they were onstage. If any one wants more info on them just check out their website. As a matter of fact I'm putting some other links here as well that everyone should check out.

http://www.kestheband.com/
http://www.rootzunderground.com/
http://www.machelmontano.com/

Dutty Wine vs any other wine

In response to this topic all I can say is, "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet"

Four days and counting

I had a great time at Mas Camp. It was a literal homecoming. The dj was horrible , but I suppose it shows how great a time I had since he couldn't spoil the night. Nuff respec going out to the latest additions to the posse; Raeven , Thinkbass and the Percussionist.

"Chip chip chippin an we chippin an we chip chip every night everyday.." -Insomnia-Rupee

Carnival Again

It's that time of year again folks. Yep. The mas camp posse has returned bigger and better than before. As of tomorrow there will be no need to ask what my plans for the next ten fridays are.

"Wave to the sky, carnival. I see everybody jumpin
Wave to the sky, bachannal, I see everybody jumpin
Take a jump take a jump take a jump take a jump take a jump take a wave
Everybody jumpin !"

Wave -Destra Garcia

Roar

I am lion hear me roar
I am a sound too large to be ignored
I rumble and fuss and growl and stalk
I will dog your steps and watch you walk

"Roar!" said the lion to the unsuspecting girl
"I am the king of this here lair and everything within this world
To survive on this path you must pay the toll
Two orders from Dragon City of their very best spring rolls"

(Posted by a very hungry person)

Inside Jokes

The door to my office has a control arm to prevent it from slamming shut. Apart from just being a big heavy door, the control arm was recently tightened so its even harder to open the door. I am amused every time I see someone attempting to struggle with the door, most of all one of my co-workers. This individual was asked (on more than one occasion while it was being fixed) to make sure that it would not be too difficult to open. Well guess what, said same person finds the door too difficult. It's also quite hilarious to see the number of persons who are convinced that the office is locked because they cannot open the door.