Archive for December, 2011

Year’s End.

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

A quick update regarding our goings-on this month. Last you heard of me I reported on the Christmas market marking the true celebration of St Nicholas (non of this fat-jesus-with-a-beard nonsense). Since then I attended Raphaëlle’s Messiah concert, been sick and gotten a job.

Also, we became those people.

Putting our pet in the Christmas card . . . how low we’ve sunk.

I worked during the concert.  Manning the door during, but a host of other logistic things beforehand. As such I got to see and hear the concert over the video/sound system of the church. As such I only got to take 1 picture. I hope I can add some to the album when I manage to get a hold of other peoples’ photographs.

There was a professional recording at the church and the first CDs have been released. I’m sending some to a couple of people, but if you’re interested in a copy, let me know.

Then there was Christmas dinner. It involved a pumpkin (Oh wait, was that supposed to be for Thanksgiving?)

A pumpkin filled with cheese (who would do such a thing) baked to a fondue style.

Luckily there was also a persimmon pudding.

Which, topped with crème Anglaise, is fabulous.

After that there was coughing, drugs, beds and hot drinks.

And I’d like to end this blog post (because we are those people) with this.

Orion’s dog crate. In which we will transport him somewhere one day.

Sinterklaas

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Although I should say “European Christmas Market” I suppose.

There was, over this weekend, a “European Christmas Market”. Now, I’ve been to these before and they’re quite fun. You may imagine this:

or

Important to realize though, that this is Korea. There is a christmas market here, it’s just not quite that scale.

What we had instead was this.

Raclette

Dutch stand



8 little stalls, passing off Chili con carne as European (or Christmassy for that matter) and the Dutch saying “Fuck you, we’re doing Sinterklaas instead”.

So, here’s from me. Fijn Sinterklaas gewenst.


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Completely unrelated by everything other than it happening on the same date was the Camarata Music Company’s Chamber Singers’ Christmas concert, or CMCCSCC (That’s a lot of capitalization).

Notable songs include the English version of Shchedryk, one of my favourite Choral numbers. I enjoyed my first exposure to the English version though I think someone should have pushed the lyricist for something more varied.

The start of the concert was good. Toward the end though . . . look at those noobs, you can’t get good volume looking down at your sheets like that, blocking off your windpipe. Almost better off having the audiance participate.

More pictures can be found here.