Happy Feast of the Assumption!!

May Our Blessed Mother watch over and protect us all!!

Mary: The Milk and Cookies of Catholicism

Many Kudos to Fr. Z for linking through to this from his blog.

It resonated particularly with me, as I've been calling upon Our Lady through her various titles a lot recently, and I'm also working through the preparation to renew my Consecration to Mary for the Feast of the Assumption. It really was well timed, and sums up quite well how I feel about my devotion to Our Blessed Mother.

USCCB Media Blog: Devotion to Mary: The Milk and Cookies of Catholicism

Eric Whitacre and Opening Your Ears

Eric Whitacre is one of the world's greatest living choral composers, in my humble opinion. I was first exposed to his work in my freshman year of University, when our Chamber Choir studied his piece entitled "Water Night." It was also my first exposure to singing modern choral works, as prior to that my experience had been limited to Renaissance/ Sacred Polyphony.

Technically, this is one of the more challenging pieces I've worked on as a chorister. Whitacre's changing metre, long and demanding legato phrasing, and dense harmonic washes are difficult enough to master, but in this piece what was more challenging were the moments of perfect unison between the voice parts. When achieved, it takes the listener's breath away.

Whitacre's music also taught me something besides the technical challenges. This piece taught me to open my ears and to realise that there is so much beautiful music that works well outside of the traditional harmonic structures I'd been used to singing and listening to. "Water Night" isn't a difficult piece to open your ears and mind to, simply because of its transcendent beauty, but it still challenges the listener and served as a good stepping stone to the rest of the realm of modern music.

In addition, "Water Night" also introduced me to the wonderful poetry of Octavio Paz.

Praise God, that there is so much that is beautiful in this world!

Enjoy!

Debussy: Ballade slave

Some more gorgeous and soothing music that I've come across: Debussy's Ballade slave (1890) for piano solo. It's the only 'ballade' that Debussy wrote, and it is evident even in this early composition that he had mastered  the art of composing rich, lyrical single movement pieces.

Debussy hated to have his compositions described as "Impressionist," but I don't think the term can really be avoided, as his music almost instinctively evokes in the listener's mind images of Impressionist paintings. Even the harmonic structures are "impressionist" with their parallel chords and the seeming lack of tonality in the moving passages... Indeed, they are the aural equivalent of the out-of-focus painting technique of the period. Both the music and the visual art strove to obscure details/strict harmonics, allowing the audience to appreciate the art's poise and colour and to more directly affect their emotions.

But I digress... technical prose aside, this is, quite simply, beautiful music.

Handel's Messiah: How Beautiful Are the Feet

The past week has been a little more than hectic here, but I wanted to share one of the pieces of music that came up on my shuffle and was very calming. Handel's Messiah seems appropriate to listen to at any time of the year, especially when sung by the impeccable Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, whose voice was silenced far too soon. God grant that she's among the Choir of Angels...

 

EDIT- I almost forgot that I also wanted to acknowledge some of my readers. In the last week I've had readers from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands. Thanks all for visiting!

More Bel Canto!

And now for the same aria, sung by Spanish Mezzo-Soprano, Teresa Berganza. She's absolutely the best Rosina, in my opinion. She successfully blends impeccable acting with her effortless coloratura, and the results are breathtaking. She truly captures the effervescent joy of Rosina after she learns that Lindoro loves her. I can't help but to smile whenever I watch this!

Bel Canto- Beautiful Singing at its best

I don't think there are any words necessary for this:

When is it enough?

When is suffering enough? Or too much, for that matter?

There is redemptive suffering, for certain, but what do you do when that suffering adversely affects other people? And there is a possible way to relieve said suffering?

Is there ever a time when you're carrying the "wrong" cross, in a certain sense? Especially if your own stubbornness and pride have got you into the situation you're in?

*SQUEE*

Note: Please excuse my inner fangirl as she relates the most recent happenings... Your patience is appreciated.

So, last week I had one of the most awesome experiences of my life!!! My Mom and Dad took me to see Michael Bublé in concert!!!

First off, I just have to say that he puts on a FANTASTIC concert and encourages the audience to dance and sing along. Let me tell you, my Mom and I didn't need to be told twice, especially after having enjoyed a few pre-concert pints. *wink*

Anyway, we started off on the floor in Row M, which was pretty close, but still very far away from my perspective. So, when presented with the opportunity, my Mom and I rushed to get closer. Our caper pulled off, because he moved to a stage in the middle of the arena, and we ended up less than 5 feet away from him!!!

Michael singing only feet away!!

 

 

Michael posing dramatically during the bridge of Home.

 He ended up so close to us that I TOUCHED him!!!! *sudden fainting spell*

....

....

....

*revives*

After that, we followed him right back up to the mainstage and we were front row for the rest of the concert, dancing and singing our hearts out!!!

Michael's very cool stage set-up

The coolest shot ever!!!

*sigh* He is sooo amazing!!

 All of our dancing and singing paid off, because.... *deep breath, anticipatory pause* Michael sang right to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Michael coming over to sing to us!!! *swoon*

 We even caught the attention of the camera guy and ended up on the big screen!!!!

My Mom rather cleverly took a picture of the camera guy... before realising that he was photographing her, too!!

 The concert was over far too soon for my tastes, as I could have listened to him all night long. *sigh* However, all good things in moderation, I suppose.

Before it was all over, though, he showered us all in confetti and sang a song full voice with NO MICROPHONE to the whole arena. *wide-eyed admiration and amazement* It was breath-taking...

Soooo much confetti!!!

 *contented sigh* I don't think I've had so much fun since... well... I'm not sure when... All I know is I won't be washing the hand that touched him for a looong time... *dreamy sigh*

PS- I mustn't forget to credit my Mom for all the awesome pictures... I was too busy dancing and singing along to worry about photographs. ;)

Finally a New Post!

This time, I have no honest excuse for not posting sooner, especially since I've not got a job for the summer.

So, to make up for my long absence, I'm going to post some of the promised pictures from my trip with the Chamber Choir. I'm rather pleased with how a lot of them turned out, as I'm only an amateur photographer and my camera is quite old. However, that doesn't seem to have interfered with luck.

First off on the tour, we went to Philadelphia, PA. It was very nice to re-visit the city in less dire circumstances, and we had great fun sight-seeing.

Part of Independence Hall- The main façade was covered in scaffolding for restoration work.

The Liberty Bell

 Along with going to Independence Hall and seeing the Liberty Bell, a small group of us decided to do a rapid tour of the city in the time remaining to us. We stopped in for the noon organ recital in Macy's, which has the world's largest pipe organ in the store. It was nothing short of amazing! We also walked all the way to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and visited the rooftop garden. Then we walked down South Street to Jim's Steaks for the best Philly cheese-steaks in Philadelphia (they were!).

Next on the itinerary was Colonial Williamsburg, VA, where we had a three-hour guided tour. It was fascinating and very beautiful. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery, so I was only able to take a small handful of photographs, like the one below.

A sheep at Colonial Williamsburg keeping cool in the hot Virginia weather

 Close by was the historic Maymont estate. We didn't have time to visit the house, but we did wander through the extensive gardens.

A view of the gorgeous rose garden

The arbour looking out over the rose garden

One of the garden's many roses.

Peonies

 

 

 Finally, we went to Washington D.C. where we did a lot of walking. Our first day there we went to the Supreme Court building and toured the U.S. Capitol.

Dome of the U.S. Capitol building as seen from the Supreme Court building.

 Our next day, we visited almost all of the monuments- Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Washington Monument- and then did some museum perusing. We were permitted to go off and choose what museums we wanted to go to, so I chose to go to the Holocaust Museum. It was a very moving exhibit, and I was glad to see that the museum gave a fair representation of what happened, even devoting a fair amount of space to the persecutions of the Catholics by the Nazis. It took some time to get through everything, but it was well worth spending the time there.

The next day, we started at Washington Cathedral, which is an Anglican cathedral. The exterior was quite beautiful, although the interior left much to be desired. It was pretty and spacious, but the mix of architectural styles was a bit off-putting for me.

St. Peter outside Washington Cathedral's main doors.

 After that, we had another free afternoon for sight-seeing, so I opted to see the Gem and Minerals exhibit at the Smithsonian (amazing!!) and then went on to the National Gallery of Art. I was as happy as a clam there, as I spent much time in the Impressionist exhibit, viewing Monet, Manet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse... *happy sigh* I also wanted to see the Pre-Raphaelite paintings the museum had on offer, but as it was Sunday, that gallery was closed for cleaning. Instead, I wandered through the Renaissance art, and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon Botticelli's famous Madonna and Child, as well as numerous Tintorellos and Titians... I really could have spent all day there.

The last stop was the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and I didn't take any pictures, as I was there for Mass. All I can say though is that one should certainly make time to go to the Basilica of they are ever in Washington D.C. It is absolutely spectacular, almost rivalling some of the great Basilicas I've seen abroad.

Overall, the trip was a great success. We had a lot of fun, gave some very fine concerts, and learned a lot of interesting things at all of the places we visited.

I hope everyone enjoyed the photos!!

I'm alive!!!

The Rapture didn't take me! I guess that means I have to keep on blogging, then...

Life has been insane since I last posted, and although I say that after almost every hiatus, it is really true this time. Finals happened, 4 concerts, our parish Spring Dance, and then I went on tour with my University's Chamber Singers for 2 weeks.

I'll have more on the tour next time, including some neat photos, but for now I'll leave you with a beautiful recording of one of the pieces we performed: Ralph Vaughan Williams' choral song cycle Three Shakespeare Songs. Our whole program was choral settings of Shakespearian texts, and this was definitely ones of my favourites. Enjoy!

Seraphic Singles: A Day to Pray for Priests

Yes, I'm re-blogging, but Seraphic is right on the money here, and I couldn't possibly begin to add to what she's written.


Seraphic Singles: A Day to Pray for Priests


I hope everyone has a blessed Holy Thursday, and I'm thinking of recording our choir tonight, so perhaps I'll have some music to share with you tomorrow.

Missa Pange Lingua- Josquin des Prez

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was assigned to do an analysis of the Kyrie from Josquin's Missa Pange Lingua for Written Theory class. We were actually allowed to chose our own piece to analyse, and it was fun to see what pieces my colleagues had chosen to work on.

I chose the Josquin for a few reasons, the first being that Missa Pange Lingua is probably my most favourite polyphonic Mass out of the countless settings our choir has sung. I also chose it because I was always fascinated by the counterpoint that Josquin uses throughout the Mass. Years ago, when first starting out as Alto section leader, this Mass was a huge challenge for me to sing. In an attempt to make it easier, I went through the score and indicated all the places where the alto line mimicked or was mimicked by another part, as well as those passages in which the alto line moved with another part rhythmically. Little did I know that I was outlining in broad strokes Josquin's use of counterpoint. And it makes my musicianly heart swell with pride to see my teenaged handwriting all over my score, with the notes pointing out all the parallels between the voice parts. Also, the Pange Lingua chant is my favourite plainchant, and one thing I never had done, and wanted to do, was to figure out how much of the plainchant Josquin used in order to set the motifs for his paraphrase Mass.

As I worked on the analysis, I was amazed to find that in the Kyrie alone, Josquin pulled at least 3 motifs from the chant, and incorporated them into his polyphonic setting. The main theme, which is pulled from the first 10 notes of the chant, is used repeatedly, with different embellishments, and it jumps from voice part to voice part in an intricate fugue-like setting. Josquin also likes to set up his counterpoint between the Altos/Basses and then the Sopranos/Tenors. It's not until the third movement of the Kyrie that Josquin puts the counterpoint between the two outer voices, setting up a sequential motif that leads the Sopranos and Basses to move in parallel thirds, while the inner voices move in contrary motion to the outer lines.

It is just simply brilliant composing, which is even more impressive considering it's use of modality rather than tonality, as Josquin keeps the Mass in the Phrygian mode in which the original chant was set. This also explains the extensive use of counterpoint between two voices, rather than extensive homophonic writing, relying more on the implied harmony than harmonic progressions. Indeed, Josquin's use of an open fifth at cadences underscores his use of implied harmony, and to the listener it is positively striking.

Well, before I bore my readers any further, I'd just like to add that in my study of the piece, I learned that the Missa Pange Lingua is believed to be the last Mass that des Prez composed. As a musician, I cannot imagine having written a more fitting final piece.

Pange lingua gloriosi

Sing, O tongue,

Corporis mysterium

of the mystery of the glorious Body

Sanguinisque pretiosi

and of the precious Blood

Quem in mundi pretium

which the King of the nations,

Fructus ventris generosi

the fruit of a noble womb

Rex effudit gentium

shed for the sake of the world. 

More Debussy

A friend posted this on Facebook the other day, and I thought I would share it with you all. What follows is a beautiful and practically flawless performance of Claude Debussy's Reverie, transcribed and arranged for Harp.





Even more interesting is to compare this version with the original for piano; The same music with very different moods, due in part to the atmospheric effects of the different instruments.



I hope you all enjoy the pieces as much as I do!

Heh... and now I must stop procrastinating and get back to work on my paper comparing Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children with Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.

Counterpoint!

Yes, I'm re-blogging. Sorry.

Honestly, though, I'm glad I came across this, as I have to do an analysis of the Kyrie from Josquin des Prez's Missa Pange Lingua as my final assignment for Advanced Music Theory. The Kyrie is almost all imitative counterpoint, so this video was really helpful in clarifying some of my vague understanding of contrapuntal (I love that word!!) music.

Thanks to Jeffrey Tucker over at The Chant Cafe for sharing this!

Exciting News of Various Kinds!!!

So... yeah, I've been slacking off on my blogging, yet again. This time, however, I have a really good excuse!

So, when I last posted, I mentioned the recital I was preparing for. Well, for those who are interested in knowing, the recital went beautifully! In the days leading up to it I was ridiculously busy. My partner, (A baritone I shall nickname Barry for the purposes of this blog) Barry, and I spent a lot of time practicing amidst our already busy schedules as teachers. We rehearsed together, we rehearsed with the pianist, we rehearsed on our own. We practiced at my house, at my University, as his University (where he teaches), at the music school where we both teach, and at the venue for our recital.

When we weren't rehearsing, we were making translations for the texts we were singing- French, Spanish, German, Italian- and typing up the translation sheets to give to the audience. In addition, we designed and printed the programs, which took us until almost 2 am one night, both of us working together via Google Voice Chat and Google Docs (Have I mentioned how much I love Google?) to get the program finished. We experimented with type settings, formats, program orders, tweaked our bios, and surfed around (with much laughter and goofing around, I'll admit) for the perfect picture to adorn the front of our programs.

Then, I had to run about for my recital gown: buying new character shoes, doing the dress fitting, picking up the dress after the fitting, picking up the necessary essentials to go with the gown, playing around with different updos for my somewhat short hair. (What can I say? This was my debut recital. I wasn't going to do it halfway.)

Finally, the big day arrived. After singing at our respective churches for Sunday Mass, Barry and I met early to do the last minute preparations and run through some last minute changes with the pianist. Then, I got into my new gown, did my hair and makeup, and we waited backstage for the audience to finish arriving and for the clock to strike 3.

I won't say too much about the recital itself here, because I plan on posting clips from the recording as well as plenty of pictures. I will say, however, that it went exceptionally well. All of our loved ones came out to support us and then some. We both sang exceptionally well, the audience told us that we moved them, and we had a great time. We got a standing ovation at the end and everything!!

Most importantly, at the last minute, Barry and I learned that they would be recording the recital for broadcasting on our local NPR station!!!!

I could hardly believe it!! I still don't believe it, but the sound technicians were there, and they'll be sending us a copy of the recital for us to review before it gets put on the air! I also learned that our station streams live online, so when I know when the concert will be aired, I'll be certain to post the info here so that anyone who is interested can tune in! :D

After the recital was over, it was time to decompress a little, as the week or two before had been more than hectic.

(Oh! And in the middle of all the preparations, I had my 25th birthday!)

This week has been a lot more subdued and I've been able to focus a lot more on my coursework. I also got to pick out some new repertoire to fiddle with for the rest of the semester and some of it is really fun!

Now, for some more exciting news: I got to speak with Scot over the weekend and we had a lovely chat about how his study of the Faith is going (he's been wanting to become a Catholic for quite some time now). The happiest news of all was to learn that he may possibly be coming into the Church during Holy Week! If this is indeed the case, Husband and I will be going to Scotland for Easter to celebrate Scot's happy day with him. It isn't certain just yet, but I should know definitely by tomorrow the latest. In any case, we've already been prepping in case it does indeed happen, and things seems to be falling perfectly in place. Husband has been able to get the necessary days off of work, we were able to find reasonably priced airline tickets, and even my teaching schedule for the days we'd be gone straightened themselves out rather easily.

My question to my readers in the UK: Know of any good places to stay while we're in Edinburgh? Stuff to do? :D

Finally, I'd ask your prayers for Scot as he prepares for his entrance into the Church (whenever it may be). Thank you!!

Busy, busy, busy...

Lent so far seems to be progressing well... I'm doing okay at keeping to my resolutions, with the exception of the spiritual reading. It's no excuse certainly, but I have so much to do between school and work that it's hard to get it done on a daily basis. I find that I'm doing more doubling up to make up for missing a day, but I suspect that cramming a bunch of spiritual literature in my head is kind of defeating the purpose, as then I have too much to meditate on.

Hmm... I wonder if reading Fr. Z's Blog will count towards spiritual reading, as I seem to read at least one of his articles everyday?

Haha, just kidding! :p

Last night I sang for the General Recital at school. I sang three of the songs from Fernando Obradors' Canciones clasicas espanolas. It was good practice for my recital on Sunday, in which I'll be singing the whole cycle. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to record the recital, so that I can post some of the music here. :)

And speaking of said recital, I must go now and work on memorizing the recitative that comes before Batti, Batti (Mozart's Don Giovanni).

Ma se colpa io non ho...

PS- Go check out the latest post at Seraphic's Blog -Taxonomy of Trids-. It's hysterically funny!!

Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

There are days that I am so happy to be a music major...

Today was one of them, as one of my assignments for Written Theory was to do a harmonic analysis of Debussy's Prélude Á "L'aprés-midi d'un faune" or Prelude to "Afternoon of a Faun."

It's a challenging piece of music as it has little real harmonic function, lots of what he does is linear, and there's lots of chromaticism... and oh! whole tone scales! Yay!

Regardless of it's difficulties analytically, it's a pleasure to get to listen to it over and over while I complete my homework. Debussy is responsible for some truly beautiful music, and this piece is among his masterpieces. God truly blessed him with musical genius.

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did. It was a much needed respite from the craziness that is known as my life. Thank the Lord for beautiful moments like this...

Eep...

Wow, I've been pretty quiet here for a good while...

Sorry about that. Life, as usual, has gotten pretty hectic, especially since this semester.

Some big things have happened since I last updated. The biggest thing was that I auditioned for a BIG music conservatory over Spring Break. It's one of the top music conservatories in the country, to be honest. I auditioned as an incoming transfer, so I'd hopefully finish my last two years in my undergraduate program there... provided I get in, of course.

If I do get in, it'll mean moving to a big city, far away from everyone I know. The prospect is a little scary, but I think the change will be very good. The music program is better, they have an actual Opera Department (yay!), and just the shear size of the music program will hopefully negate some of the ridiculous politicking like what goes on at the University where I currently study.

The audition went very well, and I should hear back sometime this week regarding whether or not I've been accepted into the program. Prayers that God's Will may be done in this would be greatly appreciated!

The next most important thing is the big recital that I'll be singing in later this month. I'll be giving the recital with a good friend of mine who is also a fabulous baritone. It's pretty exciting preparing for the event, because it'll be the first big solo-ish thing that I'm undertaking, plus the venue is spectacular, our accompanist is top-notch, and the repertoire selection is challenging, but also a lot of fun.

However, this means that much of my spare time is spent practising and memorizing foreign languages. Oh, the life of a singer!

Speaking of Opera and singing and such, over break one thing that I did was to go into New York City to the Metropolitan Opera. I went to go and see the Season Premiere of the new production of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette.

It. was. AMAZING.

The cast was incredible. Piotr Beczala sang Romeo and, in a last minute change from Angela Gheorghiu, Juliette was sung by Hei-Kyung Hong. It was, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced.

Beczala was a perfect Romeo, delivering a performance that was breathtakingly nuanced. His voice is truly one that I could listen to for hours, and he didn't disappoint in this production either. The role of Romeo isn't easy, by any means, but Beczala owned it, with beautiful high notes and great depth of expression. I was reduced to tears in the final act.

Hong was equally impressive as Juliette. She was convincing as a young girl in love, yet torn by the rivalry that in the end destroys her happiness. She was in exceptional vocal form for the opening night, and the Je veux vivre was a delight to hear. I did miss Gheorghiu however, as she has more depth and body in her upper register than Hong does at times. Still, Hong's performance was effortless and the sparkle in her voice was gorgeous.

I definitely recommend going to see the production if you have a chance.

Finally, but not least, we are now upon Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Usually I cringe when I know Lent is approaching, but somehow not this year. On a personal level, things have been very trying in the last few months, and I know that Lent is the perfect time to help sort things out. I need to be more disciplined in my spiritual life, especially as I'm discerning a decision that may have a huge impact on my life. 

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I should do for Lent this year, and I think I may have come up with a good regimen. I'm going to try to fast and abstain for all of Lent this year, provided my health will allow (it hasn't in the past...). Also, I'm giving up dessert, as usual. I'm going to make sure I say morning and evening prayers as well as daily spiritual reading (which has sadly fallen by the wayside) and definitely saying the Rosary every day. One of the biggest sacrifices, which will help with the last one immensely, is giving up instant messenger.

For me, IM eats up a huge amount of free time, although I'm not sorry for it. Two of my best friends live quite far away, so phone calls are expensive and IM is the best way to keep in touch. However, all my local friends are on as well, so I always end up in random conversations instead of, say, cleaning or doing homework or praying...

So, we'll see how Lent goes this year. So far, so good, but I'm not even a whole day through yet. ;) I'm going to try and keep this updated more often, so I should be posting again soon.

Have a Blessed Lent everyone!

Best. Commercial. Ever.

So, I watched the Super Bowl this year... in it's entirety, actually.

I'm beginning to wonder what is happening to me... but then I remember that I'm so dang busy, that any excuse is a good excuse to just SIT STILL for two hours. And so, the Super Bowl counts as one of said excuses.

It wasn't a total waste of time, however. The food pickings were good, the company was fun to talk to when they weren't glued to the television screen, and then there was this:

My inner child leapt for joy upon seeing this. I hope yours does, too, 'cause it's just AWESOME on so many levels.

And now, I must be off to bed. I've got to be up super early tomorrow (5:30am). Don't ask.

*yawn*

Ugh... I hate early mornings. I am not a morning person by any means, especially when it is cold and dark out when your alarm clock goes off. Personally, I think that if the sun isn't up yet, no human being in their right mind has any business being out of bed.

Unfortunately, this semester I have early classes every morning, the earliest of which are on Tuesdays & Thursdays. On these days I feel some very anti-alarm clock leanings, and desire to chuck the thing out the window when it goes off... after hitting the snooze button three or four times, of course.

I suppose it's not so bad, but the 8:30 class on Tues & Thurs is my Intro to World Lit class, which requires having a fully functioning brain. The rest of the week my first class is one in which I can leisurely power up my brain cells. World Lit class, however, requires that I be on the top of my game, ready to make obscure connections, thorough character analysis and catch every iota of symbolism.

I was kind of worried about this World Lit class at the beginning of the semester, because the book list revealed that my teacher is obsessed with modern literature (Woolf, Rushdie, Marat/Sade, etc.). It's not even good modern literature! Where is Lewis, Chesterton, Waugh??

However, the beginning of the class hasn't been terrible, thankfully. I'm actually enjoying the reading we've done so far- Kipling, Yeats and Joyce- but we'll see what happens the further we get away from Romanticism...

Anyway, speaking of Joyce, I've just read The Dead, which is a lovely short story. It's full of depth and symbolism, and it resonated deeply with me, perhaps because I identify with some of the characters. Although a short story, by the end Joyce had hooked me, and the final paragraphs made me verclempt. I definitely recommend it, especially if you're looking for something to read that has some philosophical depth to it.

Food for Thought & A Prayer Request

Thanks to Fr. Z for this lovely reading- The Centurion's Prayer- Domine Non Sum Dignus

Also, please pray for two families from my parish. Tragedy has struck both of them in less than two weeks time...

The first lost their youngest son, John Matthew, who was only 6 months old. He died unexpectedly in his sleep.

Also, I learned that this morning the second family lost their 6 week old infant daughter- the first after several boys. Mary Catherine Elizabeth also died in her sleep.

Please pray that the Lord may strengthen these families in their time of suffering and loss.

As Catholics, it is of great consolation to know that these recently baptised souls are now seeing the Beatific Vision and can pray on our behalf.

St. John Matthew, ora pro nobis.

St. Mary Catherine Elizabeth, ora pro nobis.

An Ode to Baking

So, I promised that I'd blog about some of the things that had kept me busy over the holidays... and never actually got around to it... *headdesk*

However, University classes were cut short today due to the snow we got last night, so I have some free time on my hands. Finally!

One of my favourite things about the Christmas season is baking cookies with my Mom and my sisters. Our family is comprised of 12 sweet-loving-fiends, so when Christmas rolls around, we go crazy with the cookie baking (I think one year we had almost 8 varieties of cookies). This year was a little more low key, considering all the craziness that had happened with my Dad (he had just got out of the hospital from a bad staph infection less than a week before Christmas).

Despite the craziness, I was determined this year to make my "famous" Neapolitan cookies. (They're also frequently known as Rainbow or 7-layer Cookies... In my opinion, the excellence of an Italian bakery is measured by how well these cookies are made.)

I've been making these cookies for Christmas for several years now, but refrained from the project last year. This was due to having moved during the Christmas holidays and I didn't have time for the 5 hour project amidst unpacking boxes and arranging furniture.

This year, however, I was determined to follow through. Besides, who can resist the clamour of several small children with ridiculously cute voices asking you, "Are you gonna make your rainbow cookies for us, Celly?" Melt.

Usually, I bake these cookies between Christmas and New Years', but with the already full schedule of visiting that week, I opted to make them a few days before Christmas. I made the kids swear that they wouldn't touch them until Christmas Day, however. "It's not a Christmas cookie if you eat it before Christmas," I lectured them, and the logic seemed to make sense, because they all promptly promised. (Honestly, though, I didn't want to be eaten out of my fair share of them, having forsworn sweets for Advent. *sheepish grin*)

So, after dinner at Mom's house, I tidied the kitchen and then waited for the kids to get distracted. (It was episodes of Dr. Who, in this case. Thank you, Netflix.) Making Rainbow cookies is an intensive project, spanning over a few hours. Having children underfoot is not desirable... especially since I'm kind of a Nazi about my counter space. And as you can see, despite the grand size of my mother's kitchen, I needed it...

Three baking pans- lined with wax paper- & the two mixers ready to go!

For those of you who've never had Rainbow cookies, I just have to say that they are delicious, chocolate covered squares of almond-y goodness. The ingredients that go into them are top-shelf (which is also why they're only made once a year... they're expensive! How many cookie recipes do you have that calls for 3 cups of butter? *grin*)...

Some of the fantastic ingredients involved...

This year, I grabbed a latte from Starbucks to aid me in my endeavour, since I knew I'd probably be working late... and yes, I'll admit that I have a seasonal addiction to their Peppermint Mocha Lattes... yum...

Yay for Starbucks!

So, step one in the making of these baking marvels is to make the cake that the cookies consist of:

The cake batter is thick and kind of lumpy at this point.

Then, you have to beat a dozen egg whites into submission:

Oh, they'd better behave...

Once the eggs become obedient, they form up into fluffy, soft peaks:

So lovely!

And then, the now-foamy egg whites are folded into the batter to give it a lighter and smoother consistency:

Flufferizing action!

Once that is done, you have to separate the batter into three separate bowls:

All ready to be colour-ified!

At this point in the process, my Mom came in to chat with me, so I forgot to photograph the next few steps. Basically, I add food colouring to the batter so that I have the three traditional colours: red, green and yellow. Then, I add a good amount of amaretto to each bowl of batter. Then the amaretto-infused batters are spread into their respective pans and baked.

After baking and cooling, the layers are then assembled, and raspberry jam is spread between each layer. Then, the layers get compressed, so that the cookies become a little more manageable to eat:

Squish those cookies!

Once the cookies are compressed, you melt the chocolate chips (Ghiradelli are the best... the melt so easily and stay smooth):

I wonder if I can just eat the chocolate? *drool*

Then, the melted chocolate is spread over the cookie/cake monstrosity, sealing in the moisture. After that, the still "wet" chocolate is sprinkled liberally with Chocolate Jimmies for that fresh-from-the-bakery look:

Yeah, that's right. I made half a sheet cake of these cookies! *grin*

It was 2 am before I was finished and had cleaned up (although most of the cleaning was done throughout the process... I can't work with lots of dirty dishes around...). I stuck toothpicks in the corners and across the middle so that I could create a kind of plastic wrap "tent." The last thing I wanted was for that that creamy chocolate to end up stuck to the plastic wrap before it hardened.

I will report that my siblings stayed true to their word, and we cut into the finished product on Christmas Day:

It's so beautiful... *dreamy grin*

They were totally worth the long hours and hard work to make. *sigh* This batch was probably one of the best ever... And I can back that claim up, because the cookies were almost gone 5 days later!!! There were even complaints from the peanut gallery when I absconded with 6 to send to Scot in Scotland. The kids even suggested that I send less worthy cookies, instead of mailing away such a masterpiece!

I told them that we shouldn't be selfish, especially since we had 90-some of them all to ourselves... Deep down though, a little voice was telling me to follow their advice... *shhh*

Favoritism!? You don't say!

Alas, one of the greatest ills plaguing academia is favoritism.

I've always been staunchly opposed to it, even when I've been on the positive end of such nonsense. It does nothing for anyone, if you ask me. And personally, I'd rather come by a reward by my hard work, instead of merely because I knew the right person. I suppose my attitude is a nod to the Christian work ethic my wonderful parents instilled in me, but it's also only fair.

I suppose I've been naive, however, in thinking that others, especially those at a Catholic University, would hold that same ethic. Which makes some of the recent events at my University even more hurtful.

It's not right or fair to intentionally undercut someone's confidence and hard work. It is not right to only criticise one's students and never give an ounce of praise. It is equally unfair to only praise and never correct honest faults. As a teacher, I feel obligated to make available to my students every tool they need in order to fulfill their goals-- it is what they pay me for, after all, and they deserve my encouragement and support-- and happy will be the day when all teachers feel and acknowledge this same obligation.

However, principles set aside, one can learn from such hurtful and unfair circumstances. Confidence can be rebuilt, faith in oneself can grow, and those who truly care for your well-being can be discerned. All with grace, of course.

That being said, I shall hold my head up high, dust off my battered confidence, resolve to work harder and to become better than before, with the help of God. It is He, after all, who picks our crosses and He who knows what is best for us at any moment in time. I can only pray for the strength to carry my cross well and cheerfully, and in a spirit of humility.

To aid me in this difficult task, I rely on God's grace, especially those granted by reciting the following Litany:

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
 
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

A Belated Happy New Year!

And an early Happy Epiphany, to all of my readers!!

I apologise once again for being so remiss with the blog. The Christmas season is a very busy one in my family, with lots of visiting and cooking and parties and Masses, etc., etc..


Some of the highlights of this Christmas Season included:

1. A visit from all of my aunts and cousins-- it was the first time in years that we've all been together for the holidays! 20-some people in one house= FUN! :)

2. Successfully hosting a party on New Years' Day and getting to meet Fr. Braveheart's parents, who were in from Scotland for Christmas. They were lovely people and livened up the party considerably!

3. Getting to sing for the Bishop when he visited our parish Christmas Dinner. It's the first time the Bishop of our diocese has ever taken part in any of our festivities, despite the parish having been around for 15 years. He was really wonderful and seemed to have a great time! Word on the street is that he wants to come back for a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form!!! (And he also complimented me on my solo, which earned him major brownie points! ;) Haha.)


I'll be writing about some of the other things I've been up to soon-ish, as well, so look for those new posts in the near future. I'm sorry again for neglecting the blog so much, but besides being busy I haven't been in much of a writing mood.

To be honest, for a few days I've been kinda blue, as well. I'm suspecting it's just due to the fact that I'm getting a little bored on break, and I'm hoping that getting back to classes next week will cure me of my melancholy. I mean, really, when I think about it, I don't have much to be blue about. I've been incredibly blessed this past year, despite some of the difficulties, and so far 2011 has been pretty good. I think I also need to seek out some serious spiritual consolation as well... I've been a bit remiss with my daily Rosary amidst all the hustle and bustle, and I suspect that may also be contributing.

Anyway, here's wishing you and yours a Blessed Feast of the Epiphany!

Adoration of the Wise Men ~ Murillo