Just Having a Good Time

03 January, 2006

Speaking about holidays, I did have a great time for sure. Although we couldn't go down North Carolina as usual in other years, we made it earlier two weeks before Christmas for exchange-gifts between family. One of my presents is the expensive equipment I wished to have this year from parents-in-law and certainly the equipment would encourage me to improve a certain skill I won't name it here.


Singing in church choir is the best part I had on Christmas days. It was first time for me, as a new choir member, singing Christmas carols together with the group since I just joined the group five months ago. We sang two days in a row, Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday. Surprisingly Katie who was in 9 am mass choir group and who used to play tambourines in choir asked me to play tambourines for 10.30 am mass on Christmas Sunday, the schedule I use to sing in choir every other Sunday. Though I told her I couldn't play it, she kept convincing me that I could do it. Diane, our music director, didn't push me to play the tambourines, only she said "if you feel comfortable playing the tambourines, do it but if you feel uncomfortable, don't play it". How wise and encouraging she is! I took a chance anyway because it's just for one song. Thank God I did it real well as what they had told me at the end of mass. Sure, I prayed to God before playing that kind of music. Moreover, I was influenced also by street singers in Jakarta who like singing dangdut (pronounced as "dunk doot" in English) together with playing tambourines. The Dangdut is a kind of Indonesian music which is derived from Malay Orchestra and sort of a mixture between Indian, Arabic and Portuguese music. Well, this music is not my kind but I do like to hear some of them especially "Kopi Dangdut" song (Dangdut coffee in English term).


The point I could underline from this story is "don't underestimate yourself" and "respect something you might say worthless because someday it could be worth much for you".