| Who I Am About Me Family & Friends My Faith What I Do St. Therese School My Desk Other Aspects Art Gallery Fantasy Page News Links Song now playing: "Cat's in the Cradle," by Harry Chapin This page created July 24, 2000 Last modified May 16, 2004 |
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| So just what interests me, apart from my job? How do I occupy some of my free time? Reading Despite my vocation, I'm not a bookworm, as some might think. Certainly I read, but not constantly and voraciously. I read for pleasure, but when I feel like it. Interestingly, I own a large number of books, some of which do not even fit onto my three bookshelves. I own various religious/theological books -- after all, I didn't just get to understand my own religion out of nowhere. Unfortunately, I haven't read most of them straight through; many of them I've only partially read. Also, I own an appreciable amount of literature books, ranging from collections of stories, to manuals on Chinese language and writing, to Simpsons trivia. You'd be amazed at how much there is to read in my apartment. Singing Most people who know me already know that I love to sing -- and most of them have heard me! So this probably won't be news to anybody. But since it's one of my passions, I wanted to include it. I've sung most often at the Mass, but have gained a peculiar kind of recognition as being the one who sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" at many school functions. Some people probably think that the national anthem is the only song I sing, or know. Not true. I've sung at weddings (a fair number of which were for people I'd never met), funerals, at large dinners (the Chinese New Year Dinner comes to mind), and even in bars. Yes, in bars, during my karaoke days. I think the last time I did that was probably in 2000, with my sister Amy. In fact, my trademark karaoke song is playing right now -- a bar full of people once began clapping along spontaneously as I sang this! |
| My main singing, however, is done is a church choir. Having joined in August 2000, I've sung tenor for a number of Masses. The unique thing about my choir is that it exists specifically to preserve the classical liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church, which so many Catholics don't even know about. Many classical composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, etc.) composed Mass settings at different points in their careers, which means that they took the texts of the "ordinaries" of the Mass (the Kyrie, Gloria, Agnus Dei, etc.) and wrote music for them, to be sung by a choir. Unfortunately, most of these beautiful arrangements are nowadays only sung in concerts. My choir actually sings them in the only setting in which they were truly meant to be sung, which is the Mass. Music I'm listing this as distinct from singing, since it refers to the music I listen to, and also compose. Many people may not know how broad a range of music I enjoy, thinking I probably listen to nothing but elevator music and religious hymns. Give me a break. While my musical tastes obviously do include religious hymns, they also include soundtracks, musicals, rock, and other hard-to-classify stuff. I enjoy classic rock, and even rap, both regular and religious (yes, I own a "Catholic Rap" CD!). Anyway, my tastes in music vary wildly, from the "wimpiest" to the hardest kinds. And I do compose music, although sporadically (the inspiration comes infrequently), and only moderately well. You can click here to obtain a MIDI file of a short, not-entirely complete song I wrote around 1997. Art I've always wanted to be a great artist. Unfortunately, I am not; I'm just ok. This is primarily due not to lack of talent, but lack of consistent effort. I draw moderately well, never having practiced enough to get really good at it. Actually, my sister Becky inherited much of the artistic skill in that department from my dad. My area since about 1999 has been computer-generated art. I stumbled upon a few amazing programs (at greatly reduced prices, in some cases) that have allowed me to create artwork I never thought possible. Again, I'm not at all great at it; I'm just competent, and always learning. Never having devoted enough time to seriously improve, my skill hasn't jumped to the heights I've seen other people's reach. But if you like, you can visit the Art Gallery to get an idea of my early attempts. Physical Activities Probably no one would think of me as an athlete in the normal sense of the word, but I do enjoy exercise and physical activity of various kinds. For example, I like basketball and try to practice during the summer. I golf as well, although badly. And even though it may surprise some people, I'm more knowlegeable in self-defense and preservation than some might think. No, not traditional martial arts -- these will most likely get you severely injured or killed in a real attack on the street, since very few attackers fight in a "style;" they simply want to hurt you to one extent or another. They don't follow rules or fight fairly, which is why most martial arts give their practitioners a mostly false sense of confidence -- sparring in a dojo is nothing like responding to an attack on the street. So I've avoided learning those techniques. I've educated myself in real-world responses -- a fight-to-win, bam-bam-you're-through kind of fighting. It's actually kind of scary, but it's what you'd see on the streets. And you don't have to be an athlete -- or train for years learning silly martial arts stances -- to learn it. Fantasy I enjoy fantasy literature, and have also been a fan of the Dungeons & Dragons game since I was ten. |
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