1. "Rhapsody in Blue" performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; composed by George Gershwin- Believe it or not, I really am eclectic. Truly eclectic. Not 'hipster eclectic', which is when people listen to obscure but awful bands that no one's heard of because they're just god-awful. Not 'rocker eclectic', where people to a ton of alternarock and a little bit of other stuff, but not enough of everything else to balance out how much rock they listen to. Eclectic meaning I can listen to Shapes of Racecars and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Day 26 back to back to back without having a heart attack. I first fell in love with this song when I heard it performed by a saxaphonist (I know! A sax! it was amazing) at band camp. This song is worth the time (17 minutes). It never stops capturing you. It just keeps going. Sorry about the old-school link; I could not find the Saint Louis Orchestra version, so this will have to do.
2. "Sound the Alarm" by Shapes of Racecars- This song wakes me up. For some reason, I just cant take my mind off this song. It's a great rock song, complete with awesome rock vocals, some great work on the guitar, and, yes, an alarm. I guess the alarm is what really brings the song together.
3. "Love for a Child" by Jason Mraz- To be honest, I only really understood what he was talking about when the song approached the chorus, but this is a very personal song. I think everyone knows the feeling of being ignored, which is part of the reason of why I love this song. It has depth, that most modern songs intentionally lack.
4. "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie" by The Submarines- Me and this song; what an ordeal. I downloaded it a while back, when the Submarines were featured on Free Radio, and when they started showing the iPhone commercials, I could not put my finger on the song. Then I was looking through my iPod, and I stumbled upon this song, and was instantly epiphanized. This is a gorgeous song. I absolutely love the simple-alternarock vibe the song gives off, which is exactly the reason why it was on an iPhone commercial (whomever chooses those songs, I need your job. Now.)
5. "Soap Disco" by Kara's Flowers (aka Old Maroon 5 minus James Valentine and, you know, taste)- So, I don't care that Kara's Flowers was the awkward and confused stage of Maroon 5. I could not care less; this song was awesome. It's perky, upbeat, and just great. Maroon 5, if you ever read this, Kara's Flowers wasn't that bad. It just wasn't as evolved/amazing as Maroon 5. <3
6. *I am Six Pounds of Dynamite* by South San Gabriel- I decided to add this song because it randomly came on my iPod, and I'd never heard it before (it does make sense that I have 1500 songs on my iPod... don't judge me...), and it pretty much put me to sleep. The harmonic vocals and perfect bass on this song is what put me to sleep. The fact that the band was names after a style of Italian accordian and the name of the song is what makes listening to this lullaby even sweeter.

Fayetteville - Bring your coolers, lawn chairs and blankets for an afternoon of Jazz In The Park! Welcome home Fayetteville native John Brown and his Grammy-nominated John Brown Orchestra for a free concert
celebration at Festival Park on Sunday, October 19, 2 p.m. The Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County, along with the City of Fayetteville, Draughon Brothers Incorporated and WFSS-91.9 FM, will join Brown to honor his mentor, Fayetteville's own jazz legend Ray Codrington on the weekend of his 74th
birthday. A student jazz ensemble from Fayetteville State University will open the show at 2 p.m. and John's full 19-piece orchestra will take the stage around 3:30 p.m.

This performance brings Brown full-circle. In addition to mentoring, training and coaching him from childhood, Codrington is a regular member of the John Brown Orchestra.  

As a graduate of Howard University and with a career spanning nearly 50 years, Codrington remains in high demand among musicians in the Southeastern United States. He has performed and recorded with Eddie
Harris, the JFK Quintet, Larry Willis and Hugo Montinegro. His experience includes recording for the Godfather II soundtrack and has taken him to the famed Apollo Theater in New York.

Brown is the director of the jazz program at Duke University and a graduate of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. He has performed all over the world with artists such as Elvin Jones, each member of the Marsalis family, Nnenna Freelon, Rosemary Clooney, Nicholas Payton and Mark Whitfield. He has performed
regularly with the North Carolina Symphony since 1992 and his experience includes performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center the Blue Note and the Hollywood Bowl.

When John Brown's musicians get together, they form an exciting mix of talent and brotherhood encompassing the past, present and future of jazz. The combination of the diverse backgrounds of each band member, and the fire they bring to the music, makes this group the perfect setting for dynamic and creative ideas to flourish. The group performs a wide range of jazz styles including the timeless classics of the Great American Songbook, original versions and new arrangements of traditional jazz standards, modern jazz pieces and original compositions of each band member.

The parking lot adjacent to Festival Park Plaza Building on Ray Avenue will be reserved for handicapped and special needs drivers. Coolers and lawn chairs will be allowed and attendees are encouraged to bring drinks
and snacks. Please remember that dogs or domesticated animals are not allowed in Festival Park.

Man, it was good! The sound from this band was extraordinary, their virtuosity had us enthralled. Andriesson's Zilver, John Adams Chamber Symphony, Kagel's Divertimento? Farce fur Ensemble, and then Schonberg's Chamber Symphony op.9, taken at a cracking pace. It was a small audience, but incredibly appreciative. Long extended clapping ensued at the end of each half.

I think the thing that bowled me over the most was the sheer joy of their playing. They were just having such a great old time up there, playing this incredibly technically demanding music, but smiling away, exalting in their own and others' lines.

Why can't we see joyous performances like this more often? A colleague I bumped into at lunch today said, "We should remember that this is repertoire for them. They've played these incredibly demanding works loads of times, so there is a familiarity there that makes it more possible for one to relax into the performance..."

Ah, true. But then, I am not sure I see other orchestras smiling away as they play the gorgeous melodies and harmonies of Beethoven 6, for example. Which is repertoire performed pretty frequently.I don't know. Perhaps for a lot of orchestras, playing concerts is just what they do, and it ceases to be special after awhile. Or the audience ceases to be of any great significance. Or they just get tired. Or bored. I don't know. It's a privilege, really.... to do that kind of work. Maybe if your life is contemporary music, you have to love it so much to begin with.... and then you just feel compelled to communicate that love.

Maybe it comes down to personalities. I don't think there could have been a soul in the audience who did not fall a little bit in love with the violist in the Schonberg Ensemble. Right from the moment she walked on stage she invited us to participate wholly in the music she was playing. She beamed at everyone - the conductor, her fellow musicians on the stage, people in the audience. We couldn't take our eyes away from her for long. She was bringing out the best in everyone.

I think everyone could do with a shot of that kind of engaging, warm, joyfulness in their lives! Certainly we in the audience were all the better for it. So much so, I am planning to go and hear them again tonight.

In Indonesian traditional thinking, the gamelan is sacred and is believed to have supernatural power. Both musician and non-musicians are humble and respectful to the gamelan. Incense and flowers are often offered to the gamelan. It is believed that each instrument in the gamelan is guided by spirits. Thus, the musician have to take off their shoes when they play the gamelan. It is also forbidden to step over any instrument in a gamelan, because it might offend the spirit by doing so. Some gamelan are believed to have so much powers that playing them may exert power over nature. Others may be touched only by persons who are ritually qualified. In Javanese gamelan, the most important instrument is the Gong Ageng. The Javanese musicians believe that Gong Ageng is the main spirit of the entire gamelan.

Each gamelan is slightly different from the other; however, they all have the same organization, which based on different instrumental groups with specific orchestral functions.  The instruments in a gamelan are composed of sets of tuned bronze gongs, gong-chimes, metallophones, drums, one or more flute, bowed and plucked string instruments. Gamelan orchestras also feature a sinden or singer.  In some village gamelan, bronze is sometimes replaced by iron, wood, or bamboo.  The most popular gamelan can be found in Java, and Bali.

The word gamelan is derived from the low Javanese word gamel, meaning a kind of hammer, like those used by blacksmiths. True to its name, most of the instruments are made of beaten metal and are played with mallets. The ensembles can vary from small village groups comprised of a handful of instruments to the grand court emsembles with as many as 75 bronze instruments in addition to the rebabs, drums, and singers.

Gamelan originates from Indonesia but, as this is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, it is hardly surprising that there are many different types of gamelan ensemble.  The gamelan offers a rich experience for all the senses. Beaten bronze instruments glow softly in frames of intricately carved wood. The honey-like smoothness of the tones and the intense rhythm intertwine to produce a mood that is at once tranquil and dynamic; the music's complexity encourages meditation. A tradition with a long history, the gamelan still thrives as an art form today in Java, Bali, Madura, Surinam, and other areas influenced by Indonesian culture.

A fost odată ca niciodată, că dacă n-ar fi fost nu s-ar fi povestit, o orchestră. Și în această minunată orchestră erau angajați instrumentiști de toate națiile: ba erau spanioli, ba slovaci, ba ruși, ba români, ba nemți și mulți alții. Ba chiar era printre ei și un chinez cu ochi mici, rătăcit și friguros.

Era toamnă. Într-o zi pe după-amiază, frumoasa orchestră avea repetiție începînd cu ora 5 în locul unde a doua și a treia zi urma să susțină concertele pentru marele public. Afară ploua, deja venise toamna și vremea de plajă apusese demult. Erau 18°C, vîntul sufla ușor pîna la moderat, iar presiunea atmosferică era de 746 mm coloană de mercur.

Angajații orchestrei veneau rînd pe rînd la teatru, lăsîndu-și mașinile parcate în funcție de cum aveau bulan să găsească loc, teatrul nefiind dotat cu parcare proprie. Cei mai fericiți erau proprietarii de mopede și ciclomotoare care își lăsau vehiculele chiar în scara de acces a staff-ului. Ușor, ușor, se apropia ora startului repetiției. Fiecare își lua instrumentul în brațe și se îndrepta plictisit către scaunul său prafuit din sala de concerte. Cei mai șmecheri ai orchestrei veneau ultimii, de regulă șefii plini de aere, fițe și alte bucheli care nu aveau nevoie să se încălzească, fiind niște ași în materie.

Dintr-odată începea să se facă liniște, fiecare lăsa instrumentul jos, semn că era vremea acordajului. Concert-maestrul era deja în picioare gata să aștepte la-ul oboiului pentru a-l împărți frățește tuturor. Era ora 16:56. Însă inopinat se aude vocea lui Gheorghe de la clarinet, spunînd concertino-ului:

– Dar de ce ne acordăm acum? Nu este prea devreme? Programul începe la ora 5.

Vasile, care era concert-maestru de serviciu, i se adresă cu bun-simț, replicîndu-i că orice orchestră din lume se acordează cu cinci minute înainte de a începe repetiția.

– Nu este adevărat, insistă Gheorghe. Programul nostru este de la 5 la 9. Nu de la 5 fără 5.

În acel moment, cînd toată lumea normală la cap se minuna de ce prostii putea să scoată din gura sa Gheorghiță, se trezește și Nikita să-și spună punctul de vedere, susținîndu-l pe Gheorghe în demersul său.

– Nu sîntem plătiți pentru asta! Sîntem plătiți de la ora 5! Să începem la 5 să ne acordăm!

Cu această atitudine, Nikita îl înfurie Ion, șeful ei de partidă, care abia se așezase pe scaun, el făcînd parte din gașca șefilor mai sus amintiți.

– Nikita, nu mai vorbi! Te rog, taci din gură și nu mai vorbi!

Moment în care Nikitei nu i s-a mai auzit vocea, concertino-ul a lăsat de la el și s-a așezat pe scăunelul său negru, iar toată lumea a început să mai cînte pîna cînd ceasul avea să bată ora 5 fix.

Nu a trecut mult timp și a venit ora acordajului. Se lăsă liniștea în orchestră pentru a doua oară și la-ul oboiului suna diafan peste clopotele catedralei seculare ce anunțau ora exactă. Era ora 5 (ora 4 în Canare). Lumea își revenea la normal, lucrurile începeau să reintre pe făgașul firesc, dar asta trebuia să se întîmple înainte de cele cinci sunete ale cucului.

Nu numai că Nikita și Gheorghe s-au făcut de rîs încă o dată în fața orchestrei, dar mai rău era că apăreau și alți colegi de-ai lor care îi aprobau, alții cu titulatura de profesor músico într-o orchestră filarmonică. Se făceau mii, poate chiar zeci de mii de repetiții pe zi în toată lumea în vremurile acelea, fie că era vorba de corepetiții la clasa I, fie că de repetiții generale la Filarmonica din Berlin. Niciodată nu s-a auzit însă stupizenia cum că acordajul trebuie făcut exact cînd începe timpul de repetiție. Asta demonstra cîtă “cultură” zăcea în acea orchestră plină de țărani și în care cei cu bun-simț și modestie din mediul urban, adevărații instrumentiști, cetățenii cinstiți, plătitorii de taxe și impozite, contribuabilii români, tăceau din gură, nu se amestecau și se amuzau copios de ce putea să le flatuleze mintea altor colegi “artiști”.

Și-am încălecat pe-o șa și v-am spus povestea așa.

Noapte bună, copii.

Numele folosite în textul de mai sus sînt imaginare. Orice asemănare cu personaje sau fapte din realitate este involuntară și pur întîmplătoare.

© 2008, Blogul lui Naicu - Pierdut în diaspora

Winter concert coming up? We have a huge selection of Christmas choral works as well as jazz band, concert band, and orchestra tunes. Getting ready for a family and friends sort of event? We have solo books for all the instruments, voice, voice with piano and many others. Additionally, we have family sing-a-long books, small ensemble books, and music packs for family get togethers.

Check back with us frequently for our staff recommendations and new releases. We are just getting ready to load up even more with all the latest holiday publications from Hal Leonard, Alfred, Carl Fischer, Hope Publishing, and many more.

Don't forget about our gift items too for this season. We've got tree ornaments of instruments, holiday CDs and DVDs (including the ever classic DVD-fireplace), not to mention T-shirts and even little stocking stuffers like pencils, pens, notepads, mugs, and more.

Anyway... i've just found this, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra doing a whole load of game songs. 8 minutes of pure joy. I'm totally jealous though, I want to be in this orchestra. I wonder whether a UK based orchestra who only play games music would be a good idea. I can't see it making much money. Oh well.

Crane-Grief – Filip ( FilipSongs)

The slow motion hurt of the internal. The minimal honest sketches conceived in a room underneath the bright crackle pop of the normal day. This is gentle bare bulb sway stuff. A voice , some instruments, a scratching at the heart, a stroke a fumble a chord or 20 thrown gently, carelessly. The songs take shape ask the shadows on the wall to dance, the wall is cluttered with memories of cracks and paint and other lives.

The singer and the old equipment make timeless tunes. In the future a lost boy or girl will play this album some hours after an Antony confession. That boy or girl will try to explain to the pop relative what it is in this hesitant rawness that can mend heartbreak and cause sadness at the very same time.

Most EMOtional  Disciples will simply not get it, and ask for another spoonful of gloss and powerchord, others will fall into this ancient brand new religion of secret songs made just for them.

They will be changed and seek basements of their own, or balconies at 3 am, or half empty dangerous clubs.

And the music and the voice will deliver them from today, into something strange and otherwhere.

Buy this album here

 http://www.filipsongs.com/

This Is Grand Atlantic – Grand Atlantic (Popboomerang Records)

I kinda like that these two recordings happen to be reviewed in the same chapter of the NBT blog adventures. One is internal and minimal and full of the things that make love bite and sigh, and this is crazy beautiful, orchestrated to the max, dense and rich and rewarding AND full of the things that make love bite and sigh.

Listen to `Wonderful Tragedy’ and imagine  the Carpenters ‘Superstar’ done sweetly by Both the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev backed with a sighing Orchestra and you some idea of the treats in store with this collection.

This is music that sweeps you away, that insists you fly through the clouds and dreams, it is music to be listened to with eyes closed and breathing slow, music that insists you get lost within the harmonies and soundscapes.

This isn’t just sweet ballads though, take ‘ Coolite’ a surge rock n roll confection, Big Star/Mathew Sweet  alternative pop power, driven along by subtle twisting grinning keyboards, and then ‘ Smoke and Mirrors’ a song that would feel right at home at a Hold Steady concert.

A set of songs that give something new and exciting every listen, from explosions to whispers these creations exhilarate.

Buy the music here

 http://www.grandatlantic.org

Hear both these acts on the NBT Podcast going out on the 17^th October

www.nextbigthing.libsyn.com

Count Basie, he plays great music.

What a power and rhythm!

Wonderful improvisation!

His music is tremendous!!

One O'Clock Jump - Count Basie with Clark Terry

Count Basie, piano; Wardell Gray, tenor sax; Buddy DeFranco, clarinet; Clark Terry, trumpet; Freddie Green, guitar; Jimmy Lewis, bass; Gus Johnson, drums.

I can't think and speak, even can't breathe sometime!!

Swing is soul!

His music is ageless.

Mrs Brenda Voort from my Church brought me to the concert of Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The theme was local heroes. It was the first Orchestra in my entire life and was very nice. It started as is shown above and ended as is shown below(look the conductor).

I thank Brenda for it.

교회의 브렌다라는 분이 위니펙 심포니 오케스트라 공연에 데려가 줬다. 주제는 로컬 히어로였고, 내 생이 첫 오케스트라였는데 매우 좋았다. 시작할 때는 윗사진과 같았는데, 끝날 때엔 아랫사진과 같았다(지휘자를 보라).

브렌다에게 감사를.

教会からのブレンダさんがウィニペグ・シンフォニー・オーケストラーに連れて行った。テーマはロカルからのヒーローで私の最初のオーケストラ-でした。とてもおもしろくてよかった。始めるときは上の写真のようだったが、終わるときはしたの写真のようだった（コンダクターを見て)。

ブレンダさんにありがとうを。

E.S. Posthumus (also known as "ES Posthumous") is group that produces cinematic style music. It is a form of epic classical that fuses intertwined drum beats with orchestral and electronic sounds. Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean Philosophy which states that "music is the harmonization of opposites; the conciliation of warring elements". The E.S. is an acronym for "Experimental Sounds" while Posthumus is a word that represents "all things past".

According to the group, E.S. Posthumus was formed in 2000 by brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. Helmut and Franz studied piano with their mother. After graduating from high school, Franz worked in recording studios while Helmut attended and graduated from UCLA, with a degree in archaeology.

Discography:

Unearthed (2001)
1. "Antissa"
2. "Tikal"
3. "Harappa"
4. "Ulaid"
5. "Ebla"
6. "Nara"
7. "Cuzco"
8. "Nineveh"
9. "Lepcis Magna"
10. "Menouthis"
11. "Estremoz"
12. "Pompeii"
13. "Isfahan"

Cartographer (2008)Disc 1 - Luna Sans (Vocal)

1. "Nolitus" - 4:30
2. "Isunova" - 5:29
3. "Vorrina" - 6:12
4. "Selisona" - 5:05
5. "Marunae" - 4:53
6. "Mosane" - 4:14
7. "Decifin" - 4:37
8. "Sollente" - 5:11
9. "Caarano" - 3:35
10. "Raptamei" - 5:20
11. "Oraanu" - 3:57
12. "Nivaos" - 5:12
13. "Nasivern" - 5:35

Disc 2 - Piri Reis Remixes (Remix)

1. "Ashielf Pi" - 1:32
2. "Oraanu Pi" - 3:38
3. "Marunae Pi" - 4:52
4. "Mosane Pi" - 4:16
5. "Isunova Pi" - 5:41
6. "Nasivern Pi" - 5:29
7. "Selisona Pi" - 4:31
8. "Raptamei Pi" - 5:54
9. "Caarano Pi" - 3:35
10. "Nivaos Pi" - 5:13
11. "Sollente Pi" - 5:12
12. "Decifin Pi" - 4:36
13. "Vorrina Pi" - 6:14
14. "Nolitus Pi" - 4:26
15. "Odenall Pi" - 5:06

I discovered this band two years ago, Saturday, 4 am, following millions of links when I suddenly found a music blog with weird stuff, and one of the articles was about E.S. Posthumus. The description sounded interesting, so I downloaded the album Unearthed. And now I'm recommending it to you, dear reader.

Cartographer was one of my most awaited albums of the year (along with Marillion's Happiness is the Road and Haggard's Tales of Ithiria) and it was worth the wait. It's a great album, very cinematographic like the first album but this time with a new added lead vocalist. The 2nd album features instrumental versions and remixes of the songs from disc one.

So, if you don't know anything about these guys, go and download something (or buy if you are lucky enough!), you won't regret it. E.S. Posthumus is definitely one of the most unique bands out there. By the way, you can hear songs from the album Unearthed in many many many (I mean many) big movies (Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Matrix, etc). Funny thing my favorite song, Ulaid, is the only one to have never been featured in a movie, it would be the perfect ending theme for Braveheart.

Official Website: http://www.esposthumus.com/
Unofficial MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/esposthumus07 (you can hear some songs here)

The concert is FREE and it's going to be awesome.

An often underrated part of the film making process is sound. As someone who has worked on a few student films, I will say that the amount of work put into a good soundtrack and audio effects goes unnoticed. Good sound design is like good special effects, they are working at there best when no one even notices. Sound in film can be broken into two main sections. Ambient sounds and the soundtrack.

Ambient Sound: These consist of what is recorded on set (minus dialog), as well as any sounds added in post production that are suppose to be from inside the film. Foley artists, people whose job is to recreate sounds that are either absent in the recorded footage, are a major part of this. If a punch doesn't sound right, they will go in and overlay sounds they create themselves in a Foley studio. Their work is often unnoticed by the public since they take for granted that the sound was captured on set. The audio is often made with objects that you wouldn't expect.
Did you know punching a piece of meat covered in fresh celery makes an excellent bone crunching punch sound?

Soundtrack:

They are essential to establish the films emotion, mood and atmosphere. Often they will blend into the background sound and are not usually noticed by the viewer. To see an example of this watch any movie scene where exciting action is going on, and pay attention to the music. Now, watch the same clip over again with the sound off. You'll notice right away that the scene loses a lot of its punch and just becomes droll and boring.

Soundtracks can either make or break the emotional toll of a film. Picking the wrong music to go with a scene will result in it disjointed and awkward to watch, while the right music can make everything tie together in a way that video without sound cannot.

Soundtracks are generally composed by a traditional orchestra and the music follows classical structure. Sometimes soundtracks are created using synthesizers, but this was more in the 1970-80s. (For example, the Terminator soundtrack, very heavy on the synth) Often soundtracks will also just be composed of popular radio hits and other songs from modern musicians. These often are shoehorned into a film in post production, and don't bring the film together in the same way a specifically recorded soundtrack can.

One aspect of film sound I did not include with the other categories is voice work, or ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement). If it was a windy day on a film shoot, and the mics sound was ruined so the natural audio won't work in the final cut the studio brings the actors in  to a sound studio and re record their lines and sync it to the already shot video. I've found this to be one of the most stressful parts of sound design due to how difficult it is to sync up dialog to mouth movements. Trust me, if you can try and get any dialog on set.

This Youtube video is a short I made, where I had no good sound due to camera and location issues. All of the audio in it was added in post, and as you can see, some of it doesn't line up perfectly. But it works as a good example of what can be done with ADR and foley artistry. Also the soundtrack serves the purpose of taking a scene and trying to bump it to the next level.

So remember the next time you hear a punch, sweeping score, bullet hit, or any other miscellaneous sound in a film, that someone somewhere put a lot of hard work and effort just to get it right, and most people will never notice that any work has been done at all.

Learn More:

• This site explains foley effects more deeply
• A foley artist at work on Jurassic Park

Si señoreeee!!!,  ska japones, de gran putaaaa!!! increibleee!!! muy buena banda che, se las recomiendo, de verdad una banda de musicos extraordinarios con toda la actitud skaa!!!

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Full-Tension Beaters

1 Filmmakers Bleed
2 5 days of TEQUILA
3 Theme From Enter The Dragon
4 Skarade Dub
5 Brave Eagle Of Apache
6 Jon Lord (Live Dub)
7 Howlin' Wolves
8 The "BIG MAN" still standing
9 Monsoon Town
10 interlude
11 Guts For Saxophone
12 interlude
13 Streaming Tears
14 Sayo-nara Mina-sama (Good-bye, Everyone)
15 In A Sentimental Mood

Descarga:

http://rapidshare.com/files/150837155/tokyo_ska_paradise_orchestra_-_full-tension_beaters.rar

It's been so hectic lately, both for me and Sara. Our work claims all our energies and it's been really hard to keep updating. I hope you can forgive us as we ask you not to forget us and come for a visit once in a while ^_^ Which by the way, we can see you have! Thank you so much!

Well yesterday was my first free Saturday in a long LONG time. Mr. Pig needed to meet with me to give me more work as FIBDA 2008 is almost around the corner. So I decided to kill two rabbits with one stone (sorry for the pun, D-chan!) and meet with D for lunch and a walk and afterward head for Kingpin Headquarters.

And to this fox's surprise and her bunny companion, this was what we saw on our way to the restaurant:

Woah!

Yeah, on such a perfect sunny day, the ambiance felt magic with this orchestra tuning up and getting ready to play. The initiative was being held in many other plazas in Lisbon; loads of orchestras everywhere!

I play the flute and Sara the piano so these things get to us.

Still going around relax and.. WHO is that!?

Beautified effects on! Oh Lord this man was sooo stylish! He seemed right out of a Nodame Cantabile chapter! Gyaaah! Oh if I didn't have to go have lunch I think I would still be there drooling!

*Ahem*

Ah the good mood was on now! Lunch was delicious with a touch of chocolate mint icecream and then, just for kicks I went to a nearby comic shop and... YESSSSSS!!!!

Apple's artbook!!!! Thank you god!!! I just squealed right there (much to D's amusement) and snatched it from it's shelf) Why you ask? Because among such wonderful artists the work of my dear friend Hyelim is present!!!

(Sara: next time let's check prices first, I got it way before hand and almost for free when comparing... silly kitsune...)

We spoke about this months back and she told me there was going to be an international version but never in my wildest dreams I imagined it would be on sale on my country!!! Thank you Portugal, you're not as retarded as you used to be!!! <-- what a mean thing to say... "orz Of course me and Sara know that Hyelim is a great star but to find her work reaching our little country too just makes our hearts swell with pride!!! This is now the most precious artbook in my collection!!!

But there was still one last surprise!!! Not just Hyelim's work... but Jiru's wonderful comic was there!! AHHH!!! My poor heart can't take all this excitement!!! ;___;!!! Dear Jiru, such happiness! To not only see your comic but to be able to finally read your words! I just hope the translation was faithful to your ideas! And now I can't wait to see the rest! >//////////<

It was just too great. Really too great. This Saturday felt truthfully like a blessing and recharged my batteries.

Dear friends, congratulations and keep aiming towards your goals!!!