Bess, You Is My Woman Now

Lacrymosa

Son Of Mary

Arlesienne

Frog's Song

Piggy Waving Her Bushy Tail

Watch This

 

Two men far away up above

Candle Light

Insects Flying

As I aimed at the  lamp I got insects flying around it.

Gosong Sekati Island

A Revelation

A Revelation

I have cared for my teeth as best as I can, yet slowly are they deteriorating. I have lost them one by one and they cannot be renewed as milk teeth can. I’m grateful for their service of more than half a century. Should I have the few remaining to be taken out, to preserve a good look, countenance by replacing them with a set of artificial teeth? When one day I’ve lost them all, I still can have an artificial set made, like some one using a wig when he is bald.

So, what about being toothless? A man wihout eyes has no sight, yet he can still “see” with his fingers. Hawking has lost his ability to speak and to walk. But his brain is sharp, brilliant. He still lectures and writes scientific books. Why worry?

We are endowed with incomparable, invaluable abilities and what I have lost is but a minor part of what I still possess. So did I tell Pak Arif.

Yes, that’s true, he said.

Most of us are ignorant or unconscious of the magnificent capabilities, performance of our senses and body, unless we lose them. We also ought to be grateful for our eyes: to be able to know, distinguish colors, what is red, green, forms, what is round, flat, large, small.

Then what about our ears, our tongue, our nose, our touch, … ? To know sounds, what is high or low, soft or loud, sweet, sour, bitter, fragrant, and endlessly more.

Not to mention of our hands, feet, fingers, Imagine what they can do, accomplish. Jump to almost 2,30 m high and almost 9 m far, run so fast the 100 m in less than 10 sec., climb, hold, work, play music instruments, catch, dance … ; we are equipped with superb brains; then we have sex, to maintain the continuance of the race.

And there still are such things as the mind and spirit, which are within us but nobody knows where exactly they are seated.

What is bestowed on us is invaluable. What they accomplish every day is unbelievable and that for as long as one’s life time. Besides, they have a lot of the most pleasant surprises in store:

My eyes have seen, read, the most beautiful and captivating books, things, sceneries. My ears have heard, listened to the most exquisite sounds of nature and music, my tongue has tasted the most delicious foods and heavenly drinks. My nose has scented the most fragrant scents, …

My heart has felt the happiness of loving and being loved. How engaging it was when we competed, quarreled - not in out-doing, harming one another -, but on the contrary, competed in generosity, in bringing the greatest happiness, self-sacrifice to each other. So

Pak Arif said.

He became silent and then continued.

I imagined life without eyes. Darkness, what could one see? Silent. What could one hear wihout ears? Dreary, cheerless, without taste, without memory, without hands, feet, and all other withouts.

And there still were such wonderful things as birth, life and death. I can’t grasp, what kind of Artist or Creator could create a universe and so brilliant a being in it, effortless through billions of years.

Pak Arif started, clapped and cried in elation.

And so I awoke, feeling grateful for having this dream.

Epilogue

After reading this, si upik smiled and said:

We certainly should be grateful for our senses and body. Yet, what is there to see were there no light. No stars visible were there no night. It would be dead were there no soul, no stir; of revolving, rotating planets, of sailing clouds, flowing water, waving trees, of crawling, fluttering, breathing life. It would be cold were there no warmth, or dull were there no forms, no shapes, no colors, scents and fragrances. Didn’t you say it before?

What’s the use, the purpose of having eyes, ears, a nose, a tongue, a mouth, a voice, a brain, a hand, a finger, were there no sun, no earth, no paradise to live on? Ha, ha, ha, she laughed.

Certainly, I inwardly reflected. We should also be grateful for this kind of bestowal. Yes, that’s si upik’s way, she’s always teasing, she always must make me the loser.

From Suara Karya, 14 Desember 1996 Berita Buana, 24 Pebruari 1997

Pak Arif’s comment:

Suppose you never knew, never saw an eye, an ear, an arm, a brain, … , before, could you create, devise, imagine a creature, a being with brains, eyes, wings, fins, legs, arms, bones, memory, breath, ... ? Could you ever create, conceive of matter, space and time, life and death when you never knew this before?

Sound Of Waterdrops Falling

Bamboo Flute And Gamelan Playing

Here is the bamboo flute, the gamelan playing in a village at the roadside.                       

Can you avoid the noise of motor-bikes, cars passing by when you’re recording? Except you could record it in the studio. So I comfort myself.

Still Pictures Moving

Imagine what the digital camera brought me. Even shooting pictures became fascinating, edit them with Movie Maker and make me a movie. What a joy it was as I learned by trial and error. How wonderful, superb is the camera, ZoomBrowser EX, the Movie Maker, Windows Live Photo Gallery, the Picture Manager. I could make me still pictures out of recordings, make these still pictures gently moving, I could color, crop, resize them, make them like pencil drawings, silhouet pictures and there’s a lot more I don’t know. 

Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring 2

Diasebad, some ten amateur singers, without having singing lesson, vocal training before, start exercizing, singing in old age of over 50 years since May 1999. Many are over 70, near 80 years by now.

Yet, we’re so proud and happy, we, old agers, still have the courage to perform, sing and enjoy this beautiful, dificult piece.

Though but poorly recorded with my digital pocket camera that is not very sound sensitive, compared to a good tape recorder yet am I grateful for it and have I preserved this in You Tube for us to live for ever every time we were visited.

Ducks Swimming

What The Digital Camera Brought Me

I was a bit disappointed with my digital pocket camera Canon Powershot A490, though I was glad that I easily could take it with me on my travels. I thought that it was just for shooting pictures. But as I read the manual did I know that it could also make recordings. I was so happy when I knew this. I could record my choir, my dogs, birds twitter, crickets, cicadas singing and I thought to record butterflies, birds in flight, fireflies, water spiders, rising smoke from a joss stick, a flame, glowing embers, running, gurgling, rushing, splashing water, live fish, sailing clouds, ... 

Imagine what the digital camera brought me. Even shooting pictures became fascinating, edit them with Movie Maker and make me a movie. What a joy it was as I learned by trial and error. How wonderful, superb is the camera, ZoomBrowser EX, the Movie Maker, Windows Live Photo Gallery, the Picture Manager. I could make me still pictures out of recordings, make these still pictures gently moving, I could color, crop, resize them, make them like pencil drawings, silhouet pictures and there’s a lot more I don’t know. 

As I aimed at the swimming ducks, I only captured a vague picture of them, yet I can darken it to be more visible. I cut away a lot which is superfluous, mute it and paste the parts worth it, together. The tall weeds look like beautiful trees outlined against the sky and I got a lovely marsh  besides to make me a nice video for You Tube and my videos blog. I made snapshots of the recording and again I got  a nice picture and a pencil drawing for my pictures blog. Great.

And whenever I turn out a poor picture, video, I myself  am to blame.

Woman Dalang Singing

Woman Dalang Singing

And there’s the woman dalang (puppeteer), Ny. Kenuk, conducting the gamelan (Javanese orchestra) with her knocking stick: tock, tock, ..., enchanting the wayangs or puppets to life, singing so beautiful. I couldn’t follow her narration as I haven’t mastered the Javanese language, yet it was so captivating. Imagine, it’s something as a puppet opera and this shortened version staged in the wayang museum takes 4 hours, the real show staged in the open air could hold the common folk the whole night.

 

My pocket camera couldn’t capture a sharp picture of her and the puppets, but most important is, I got her singing, the gamelan playing. Where should I start recording, where should I end?

I felt she sings as beautiful as wellknown professional opera artists singing in a concert hall or bewitching as a Lorelei. Just hear her and the gamelan. It is sad when the traditional wayang show will be forgotten, lost.

May 2012

Barmhartig en genadig is de Here

Diasebad, some ten amateur singers, without having singing lesson, vocal training before, start exercizing, singing in old age of over 50 years since May 1999. Many are over 70, near 80 years by now.

Yet, we’re so proud and happy, we, old agers, still have the courage to perform, sing and enjoy this beautiful, dificult piece.

Though but poorly recorded with my digital pocket camera that is not very sound sensitive, compared to a good tape recorder yet am I grateful for it and have I preserved this in You Tube for us to live for ever every time we were visited.

From Psalm 103 of Mobach 

Waving Plumes

On my travels into the country, I fortunately saw far away, plumes beautifully waving. A picture could never capture her graceful dance. But as I neared to record, the wind subsides. You never could command the wind to blow, you know? I had to wait before I could capture them waving again but they were not so lovely waving as before. Yet am I grateful as I took it home, make me a video, though not perfect for You Tube to be preserved for ever.

And as I mused, were it even (on) the moon, the sailing clouds,  I could have it in my computer at home also. Imagine, that's what's so wonderful. There are no barriers of place, space and time. I can view, visit it whenever I want, wherever I am. Were it not recorded they would be lost for ever.

What, were it great events of concerts, shows, olympics, the landing on the moon, ... when they are past, what of the water spider, the firefly, the crickets, the gelatik, the manyar, the owl, the eagle, the squirrel, the tiny snails, the weeds, water weeds, the springs, the forests, the lakes, the hills, ... when they’re extinct, I see no more in Indonesia? What a tremendous loss, at least to still have a recording to preserve, see them in You Tube, the internet when they’re gone.

And I thought of a painting, a picture, a photo, music, a flower, a tree, ... nature which has no barriers to language that’s what’s so wonderful too as they speak a universal language, without, speaking, learning any language.

Mother And Her Baby Chicks

Though how poor her environment, a mother chick is most happy among her baby chicks, having her chicks eating their food first, while she waits till they finished eating.

Mein Schoner Stern

Diasebad, some ten amateur singers, without having singing lesson, vocal training before, start exercizing, singing in old age of over 50 years since May 1999. Many are over 70, near 80 years by now.

Yet, we're so proud and happy, we, old agers, still have the courage to perform, sing and enjoy this beautiful, dificult piece.

Though but poorly recorded with my digital pocket camera that is not very sound sensitive, compared to a good tape recorder yet am I grateful for it and have I preserved this in You Tube for us to live for ever every time we were visited.

Music: R. Schumann-Lyrics: Ruckert-Painting: Sabar Subadri. footpainting artist.

The Choir Conductor, aged 82, exercising his voice, playing the piano, recording, conducting his choir, edit and broadcast it all himself.

Who Is Your Schoner Stern?

Imagine the Choir Conductor having his choir of old-agers still singing such songs as Mein Schoner Stern, The Man I love, Someday My Prince Will Come, ... which they enjoy as though they were teen-agers and sing it even in a church service. He said these songs are Solomon's Songs of this age.

No composer composes the Song Of Solomon, which are love songs, into music, no pastor dared to preach it.

"I  now can sing "Mein Schoner Stern" by heart" said Opa Johan's wife happily.

"Who is your Schoner Stern?" Opa Johan whispered. Then he offered her his cheeks to be kissed.

"You're really a scoundrel" she said "indignently".

So when you want to know what Schoner Stern means you can find the English version in You Tube and hear the beautiful music of R. Schumann.

Remembering Benji, The Unwanted Puppy

She should be called Lucky, not Benji as she was so lucky to be picked up by si Upik as a very little, dirty, stinking, shivering puppy, left behind in a garbage heap in the rain with her eyes so piteously looking. She had to be given away and was sent to a Hansip (a man in charge to guard our district) who kept street dogs. She was so small, she couldn't compete with the others for food, yet, almost unbelievable, she was so lucky this little puppy she could crawl and find the way back, entered stumbling through the trellis gate into our house the next day.  Then si Upik decided to take care of her despite her mother's wishes. She was treated  in a dog's asylum for her skin decease. She again was lucky she wasn't killed as the doctor might think that she should better be finished as she was so ugly, stinking,  no one would have, or buy her unless  si Upik  take her back. And she came back after a long time and paid the doctor for his care.

Benji was bald when she came back, grew up, became healthy, beautiful with long hair, so loved. She was regarded as a very loved member of our family. Our coming home was a joy to see her waiting for us on the balcony, then lively, excited welcomed us, running to and fro,  jumping up the stairs. She was so courageous that she jumped up,  raged when the thunder threatening roared and when I took her for a walk she gladly went with me, she wasn't ashamed though when she had her knotted, twisted hair badly cut.  There was no dog jeered at her foolish appearance. It was me that was ashamed, embarrassed walking with her. Ha. Ha.

These are the only pictures of her, I am happy I can preserve it  in You Tube, even though she was already old, feeble and sick. I still see her in my mind.

We all missed her when she died. If  Benji only could be retrieved back to life, I would gladly clean up when she vomits, or spoon her when she's reluctant to eat, ... But as I now think am I happy that she died. Peaceful now, free from her illness and piteous appearance, instead to live a life of sufferings in old age.

Ade, my little star singing Abendempfindung of Mozart, she also has passed away.

With His Girl-friend, Old Joey Is Young Again

I was disappointed as my recording in the dark turned out so faint, while they were so funny, more excited the day before, but then I wasn't ready. You can't want them do what you want. They're no actors. If I enter from behind the glass window, I might disturb their playing together. And you're not sure whether they would be funnier the next time. 

Shooting, recording them, a bird, a dragonfly, a butterfly in flight is hard. You can never be well prepared before.

Yet am I happy, listen to a bird's twitter as I've captured that precious moment which  will never come back. Joey and his girlfriend are saved now and will live forever, ever young in You Tube.

So I comfort myself.

Till You Know Jesus

Diasebad, some ten amateur singers, without having singing lesson, vocal training before, start exercizing, singing in old age of over 50 years since May 1999. Many are over 70, near 80 years by now.

Though but poorly recorded with my digital pocket camera that is not very sound sensitive, compared to a good tape recorder yet am I grateful for it and have I preserved this in You Tube for us to live for ever every time we were visited.

W.P.L. music of Wendell P. Loveless

Cariu Mountains

Mountains on the road from Cariu to Cianjur

Imagine what the digital camera brought me. Even shooting pictures became fascinating, edit them with Movie Maker and make me a movie. What a joy it was as I learned by trial and error. How wonderful, superb is the camera, ZoomBrowser EX, the Movie Maker, Windows Live Photo Gallery, the Picture Manager. I could make me still pictures out of recordings, make these still pictures gently moving, I could color, crop, resize them, make them like pencil drawings, silhouet pictures and there’s a lot more I don’t know.