Me playing Yesu Kristu Mungu wangu on my keyboard! (Piano Sound)

Hello Guys, hope you enjoy listening to this! I'm still learning, maybe soon I'll be singing and playing! Cheers!

LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI visited the UK, mainly for the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890). What I want to share with you is a poem that this Cardinal once wrote:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.

Friends, Continued! Introducing Neil

No, Neil is not some Cartoon ‘Rock Guitarist’ Character, though at times it is tempting to call him just that! I can hear some people shouting YES! Lol!

With all the excitement in my life, some of you would’ve thought I forgot to write about you! Well, not at all! I believe in friendships that span a life time and help us grow! So without further a due, let’s meet Neil ‘The Guitarist’ Roy!

When Neil came and joined the choir, I was one of those who openly commented that Neil Roy is indeed a blessing! After Steve left, it was kind of difficult to get someone to replace him on the keyboard! Needless to say, Steve worked wonders on that machine! Neil was a master of a different kind, not on the keyboard but on the Strings, Guitar Strings that is! Neil is the greatest guitarist I’ve ever met and known! He knows the guitar like the back of his hands, maybe even more than that!

Neil was a blessing in more than one way! First of all, his guitar skills made it possible to sing in the correct pitch and wonderfully! His excellent knowledge of music helped even the keyboardist (when he was around ;) : p)! During the time when I was left in charge of the choir, Neil’s presence offered a great peace of mind! Thank you!

Secondly, Neil’s experience and highly musical background meant that he brought a wealth of experience and new ideas into the choir. Who would forget the Christmas concert and how he and Tim gave different ideas as they experienced them from home! That was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in India!

Thirdly, if ever there was a guitar around, there was sure to be some entertainment from this maestro, as he just couldn’t help strumming away those musical notes, sometimes playing and singing a familiar number, or doing a duet with Rueben (Great singer) or playing something that we all don’t know and are left to listen and enjoy! How I miss those times now!

Fourthly, Neil came with the maturity that maybe I (and possibly the entire choir) needed! He was someone I could count on accomplishing a task that was at hand and needed his attention! He was supportive whenever work had to be done together! He was committed to the choir! He was someone I could actually talk to and relate to on different levels! He didn’t bring with him challenges that the younger members of the choir brought, but was someone who would be sure to try solving the various challenges that the choir had! More importantly and sometimes very funny, Neil was like me, the ‘We don’t care guys, you decide and let us know’!

Neil and I after Easter Mass!

Neil is currently doing his MCA at Loyola, second year! He managed to also invite his brother to the choir! And I hope that you guys are now singing better and better everyday!

Neil and Alfy sharing a moment!

Dating

"~Some gifts take a long time to come. When they come, it all makes sense why it took that long to come. Accept, thank God and enjoy the gift!~".


Hug girl (Immaculata) and I  are officially dating! She's a gift and I'm so happy to be with her!

Mum

Thought I'd post this photo of mum to show you how she's looking now and that she's on a speedy recovery! I call her the model now, as she still quite slim! Lol!

Mum, posing for the Camera!

The Proposal

No matter how well you prepare yourself with 'The Proposal Speech', it just never comes out the way you planned it to! But in most cases, that really doesn't matter, because in most cases, the intended message is delivered and a response is generated! Our proposal is usually not the only thing that determines how and what the proposee (lol) will respond! It's a collection of things that took place well before the proposal itself! 

'Hug Girl' and I know each other for a very long time! We met briefly before I left for India, and we've been friends ever since! If I were to have things my way then, she may have been my girl friend then! There were good reasons then that made it impossible for me to have things my way! One obvious was the fact that I was leaving for India! The others, well, those I keep to myself! I shall however say, that they left me feeling very challenged, and even a bit upset, that they could be reasons that could stop me from being with this lovely person! 

I spent a lot of my time (my 3 years in India) preparing myself just to prove that she was wrong! But I didn't want to just prove her wrong! It was my hope that proving her wrong would mean winning her heart! If she was still single that is! 

My efforts seemed to pay off! 'Hug Girl' immediately noticed the changes, and as she slowly learnt more about me, she seemed to cancel out a lot of the challenges and doubts she had! I'd thank my friends here too, because they made it a point to tell her how nice a person I was (I am not behind this plot) whenever they met her! I just have great friends!

'Hug Girl' did have a relationship, sometime back, and it ended rather badly and sadly! So, here I was, liking a person, who came from a bad relationship, with some doubts about me! Do I spend time to comfort her, and postpone my proposal to later? Wouldn't it be selfish to ask her out now, while she's made it clear that she may not be ready? I immediately realized this as another challenge, and that finally brings me to the actual proposal!

THE ACTUAL PROPOSAL!

I call it proposing now for the future! I delivered the proposal speech (lol), but more importantly, I remember that I finally asked her to be my girlfriend, in the 'near' future! That is when she is ready, and when we both think we know each other well enough and we can go out with each other! There are good reason I did this! 

First, I really didn't want some guy coming and asking her out while I was still wondering when to ask her out! While I can't prevent that, her knowing about my feelings in advance is important!

But more importantly, I wanted to know where I stood! If there was at least a spec of light at the end of the tunnel! If I should linger on, or beat it! If I should continue spending time with her, or move on and pursue someone else, for this would've been my 3rd and final proposal!

She answered with this exact one word... 'POA!' Which translates to 'COOL'... which further inquiry revealed that she meant she had heard what I said, she had feelings for me, and she was ready to give our relationship a try once we were ready! So there is light at the end of the tunnel! It's not a YES or a NO, rather a MAYBE! Will the light intensify? That we wait and see!

Hug Girl's name is Immaculata!

Good Luck Tery!!!

Good Luck Tery, Courtesy of Jennifer Xavier!

Thanks you guys... I rolled around laughing for a while! hehehe! Hey, I suppose Glady's the one who took the photo! Lol!

Yes Or No?

Wish me luck... Today I'm asking 'Hug Girl' to consider being my girlfriend!

Nerve wrecking, yet exciting!

Will get back to you!

She loves me, she loves me not (Courtesy of Prakash S.)