THE OLD MAN

he's gone ahead into eternity... he's nowhere to be found in here... his tomb seem deserted... only the epitaph remains... an almost perpetual reminder of who he has been -- to me, to my bro, to my sis, to my mother... he'd been our "old man"... he'll always be... he'd been hated... sometimes made fun of... even cursed... but eventually forgiven... now being missed... Wherever you are now "papang" -- we surely miss the "old man" that you were...


THE OLD MAN
(Sung by George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder)
URL1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cw1yorwijY
URL2: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=44876940

The tears have all been shed now
We've said our last goodbyes
His souls been blessed
He's laid to rest
And it's now I feel alone
He was more than just a father
A teacher my best friend
And He'll still be heard
In the tunes we shared
When I play them on my own

(chorus)

I never will forget him
For he made me what I am
Though he may be gone
Memories linger on
And I miss him, the old man

As a boy he'd take me walkin'
By mountain field and stream
And he showed me things
Not known to kings
And secret between him and me
Like the colours on the pheasant
As he rises in the dawn
Or how to fish and make a wish
Beside a fairy tree

(chorus)

I never will forget him
For he made me what I am
Though he may be gone
Memories linger on
And I miss him, the old man

I thought he'd live forever
He seemed so big and strong
But the minutes fly
And the years roll by
For a father and a son
And suddenly when it happened
There was so much left unsaid
No second chance
To tell him thanks

For everything he's done

Oh, I never will forget him
For he made me what I am
Though he may be gone
Memories linger on
God I miss him, the old man

Note: George squeezed my heart with his rendition of this song...


This is George Donaldson. Photo taken from http://www.glogster.com/media/1/2/94/74/2947409.jpg

This post is also available from http://farland.tigblog.org/

Celtic Woman

This group is known as CELTIC WOMAN...
An ensemble of five angelic voices from Ireland, and one stunningly gifted violinist!
They's awesome in ensemble repertoire and equally wondeful in solo performances...
Photo sourced from http://www.awesome-tickets.com/celticwoman.jpg




Photo sourced from http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/entertainment/2008/04/large_Celtic_Woman.jpg

BROTHERS IN ARMS

My simple tribute to those who have dedicated their lives to the defense of their homelands, to the security of their and their posterity's freedom, to the integrity of their nationhood, to the maintenance of a better environment to live in... THE SOLDIERS of HUMANITY!!! to the soldiers of the COUNTRY! to the SOLDIERS of GOD!!!


This is Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder. Photo taken from http://a7.vox.com/6a00d4142454586a4700f48d00411f0001-200pi

BROTHERS IN ARMS
(Sung by Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder)
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7hlvJi-gkM (copy & paste on the web address bar)

These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I've witnessed your sufferin'
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell
And, the moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the star light
And every line on your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms

Note: Celtic Thunder is an all-male Celtic (1 Scottish and 4 Irish) ensemble...

This is also posted here: http://farland.tigblog.org


This photo was taken from http://www.stephanspage.info/bilder/Brothers%20In%20Arms%20-%20Earned%20In%20Blood.jpg


This photo was taken from http://www.reliantpark.com/attachments/wysiwyg/8/CTBannerWeb.jpg


From left to right:
Paul Byrom, Ryan Kelly, Keith Harkin, Damian McGinty, George Donaldson
This photo was sourced from http://www.brandtcentre.com/files/image/brandt/Events/ZK4F8917.jpg

LIFE...

life may have its ups and downs... vicissitudes... turbulence and tranquility...

nonetheless, life has to go on... it must traverse its destined course... it must reach a designated level of trnasformation... it must lead to eternity...

just like the rattan vine that perpetually struggles to get a modest share of sunlight while she is almost hopelessly incarcerated in between the huge trunks of the towering jungle trees, the individual must strive for survival... for refinement... for a meaningful existence... for the ascertainment of the purpose of living...


Photo taken from http://www.lanting.com/images/products/books/ju_lanting_life-1.jpg

to be continued...

this may also be read here: http://farland.tigblog.org

TEACHING and LIVING...

i've been teaching for four years now... ever wonder what a young man ever thought of so he stayed that long in the "noblest profession"? well, it may be called an accidental choice of career... it may also be "the only choice" left in a situation of desperation and need. it may be passion. or vocation? hehehe. Calling as others say it is.

nonetheless, it is where i am now. am i stuck in here? who knows? am i of significance in here? only my students know. am i ever gonna stay? only time can tell. am i ever gonna make impact in here? God will help me for sure.On 15 December 2008, i received a message from my good friend ("Lorenzky"). It was truly heartwarming at the same time heart-rending in emotional and matter-of-fact content! The SMS reads:

I REALIZED THAT BEING A TEACHER IS INCOMPARABLE.
AS WE CARE FOR OUR STUDENTS,
WE LEARN HOW TO COVER OUR SORROW WITH A SMILE;
WE LEARN HOW TO STAY VIGOROUS DESPITE ALL THE TASKS WE ENDURE;
WE LEARN HOW TO GIVE HOPE EVEN THOUGH OURS IS UNCLEARLY SEEN;
WE LEARN HOW TO GIVE STRENGTH EVEN AT TIMES THAT WE ARE WEAK.
NOBODY WOULD KNOW WHAT KIND OF LIFE A TEACHER HAS...
UNLESS HE/SHE BECAME ONE...

is teaching really the noblest among the professions? or it is just one of the four cornerstones of the edifice of humanity? queries that remain... queries that are answered only by experience and understanding... queries that reflect the reality of the teacher's vocation... queries that do not just ask the world for answers but more importantly tells the world of the desires and cravings of the teacher...

live and let live! live peaceably with all men... God be praised! God be glorified! For God is the source of all things that are and the cause of all things that be.

(i also posted this here: http://farland.tigblog.org)