Merry Christmas

I'm lucky to have friends all over the world so I thought it would be interesting so see how I could wish them all 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy New Year' in their own language. So here goes.....

Afrikaans Gesëende Kersfees

Afrikander Een Plesierige Kerfees

African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja Rehus-Beal-Ledeats

Albanian Gezur Krislinjden

Arabic: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Argentine: Feliz Navidad

Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand

Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun

Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal

Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha

Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce

Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo

Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat

Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!

Chile: Feliz Navidad

Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan

Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito

Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Corsian: Pace e salute

Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo

Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi

Croatian: Sretan Bozic

Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish: Glædelig Jul

Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

English: Merry Christmas

Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!

Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon

Estonian: Ruumsaid juulup
hi

Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!

Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad

Finnish: Hyvaa joulua

Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar

French: Joyeux Noel

Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!

Galician: Bo Nada

Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

German: Froehliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka

Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic: Gledileg Jol

Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat

Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!

Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!

Lausitzian: Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto

Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus

Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu

Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar

Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik

Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb

Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Maori: Meri Kirihimete

Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh

Navajo: Merry Keshmish

Norwegian: God Jul or Gledelig Jul

Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado

Papiamento: Bon Pasco

Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!

Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo

Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!

Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie

Portuguese: Feliz Natal

Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha

Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua

Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn

Romanche (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!

Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele

Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou

Serbian: Hristos se rodi

Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh

Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina

Serbian: Hristos se rodi.

Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok

Slovene: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År

Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon

Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal

Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!

Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai

Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym

Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho

Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh

Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic

Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

The ugly girl at a supermodel convention!

E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, built by The University of Akron is an outstanding performing arts complex and cultural center. 
Located on the corner of University Avenue and Hill Street on The University of Akron’s campus in downtown Akron, Thomas Hall annually hosts more than 400,000 people of all ages who visit the Hall for a variety of  performances.
The Tuesday Musical Association invited The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus to perform HOLST The Planets – An HD Odyssey. We had just sung this twice @ Severance Hall, squished into a cubby back stage, with this huge piece of equipment that looked like something the Wizard of Oz would use.

The sound is supposed to drift through the Hall so that the listeners aren't really sure if they are hearing it!

It was successful except for a "cougher" who couldn't hold it in any longer and let loose in the final magical seconds, and someone who despite seeing "turn off your cell phone" signs throughout the Hall decided he was more important than that and had the ringer go off during our "oohing and ahhing".

So when we went to Akron, we expected much the same thing. Lot's of Hurry up & Wait, followed by a quick trip to the basement/closet/dressing room to sing 5 minutes of music off stage.

Imagine our suprise to be asked to sing from a flying balcony inside E.J. Thomas Hall. Well it turned out that the sound was too present. Thinking that this was the time where we were sent to a bathroom in the adjacent parking lot to sing, we were all pleasantly suprised to be allowed to sing from the lounge lobby. Complete with comfy chairs and beautiful Christmas decorations.

Not only that but pre concert we received the star treatment with full spread of fresh fruit, sandwiches, cookies, tea, coffee etc. All there for us! We shared the banquet with the Orchestra, who were just as suprised by the hospitality as we were. We all sat together chatting and mingling, something that rarely, if ever, happens at Severance Hall. We learnt a lot about our lovely new assistant conductor Sasha Makila, who sat with us during dinner enthralling the ladies with his Finnish accent and open manner.

The concert itself went very well, and the final sound resonated through the lobby like the final note in a European cathedral, it just whirled around adding to the ethereal quality we all worked so hard to achieve.

I don't know why there is usually such a distinct separation between orchestra and chorus. Don't get me wrong, I love Severance Hall, but last night was something special and it was really refreshing not to feel like the ugly girl at a supermodel convention!

Maybe it was the way we were treated by the people of Akron, and those in charge at E.J. Thomas Hall, but everything was more relaxed and friendly. I hope we can continue this melding of musicians, yes singers are musicians too.

A useful parental tool.

I found this nifty little application today, I thought it was so well put together that I'd share it with all of you. - ENJOY!

APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

Print out & submit as per instructions at the bottom of the form.

1. Name: ___________________________________________Date of Birth: ______________

2. Height: _________________________ Weight: _____________________ GPA: _________

3. Social Sec #: ____________________ Drivers license #: ____________________________

4. Boy Scout Rank: ___________________________________________________________

5. Home address: ____________________________________ City/State: ________________

6. Do you have one male & one female parent? Yes __________ No ____________

7. If no, explain: ______________________________________________________________

8. Number of years parents married: _______________________________________________

9. Do you own a van?________A truck w/ oversized tires? _________ A Water bed? _________

10. Do you have an earring, nose ring, belly button ring? ____________ A Tattoo? ____________
(if yes to any of #9 or #10, discontinue application and leave premises.....)

11. In 20 words or less, what does LATE mean to you? ________________________________

12. In 20 words or less, what does ABSTINENCE mean to you? _________________________

13. In 20 words or less, what does DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER mean to you? ___________________________________________________________________________

14: Church you attend: _________________ How often you attend: ______________________

15: When would be the best time to interview your Mother, Father & Priest? ________________

16: What would you be IF I allow you to grow up? ___________________________________


Answer by filling in the blanks. Please answer freely - all answers are confidential

If I were shot, the last place on my body I would want wounded would be:

If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken would be:

When I meet a girl, the first thing I notice is her:
(Note: If your answer begins with either T or A, discontinue the application and leave the premises:
Keep low and run in a serpentine fashion)

I SWEAR THAT THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED IS TRUE AND ACCURATE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, UNDER PENALTY OF: NATIVE AMERICAN ANT TORTURE, ELECTROCUTION, CHINESE WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, DEATH, AND/OR DISMEMBERMENT.

Signature of applicant: ______________________________________________________

Thank you for your interest. Please allow 4-6 years for processing. You will be contacted in writing if you are approved.

Please do NOT attempt to call or write. If your application is rejected you will be notified by two large Eastern European gentlemen in trench coats carrying violin cases.

APPLICANT'S RIGHT THUMB PRINT IN BLOOD
____________________________




____________________________

                                            This is Emily, my inspiration for this blog entry.....

Josie Springbett Ayres

Sept 16 1982 – Aug 29 2010

This blog entry is so hard for me.

I got back from England last night after spending the week with what I consider “my other family”.
When I was 17, I worked as a nanny for the Springbett family who had 3 children. Zoe 6, Josie 5 and Jack- maybe 10 months old. They quickly became like family. Zoe and Josie were precocious little monsters and I loved them completely; and Jack was just a sweetheart. I stayed with the family until I was 21 or 22. We have kept in close contact and I stayed with them or visited them whenever I returned to England.

Josie was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. She endured not just chemo, but several surgeries, courses of radiotherapy, endless scans, endless appointments, devices implanted, head shaves, etc so when I saw her latest blog entry I wasn’t surprised, but I was devastated!

Josie’s last blog entry- August 12th 2010
Hello everyone,
It's just going to be a short update today as I'm feeling a bit lost for words. I did however want everyone to know that I've decided to end treatment. I've had the feeling for a while that the chemo is running out of steam and I don't see the point of weakening my body with something that the cancer is now hardened to. I think I had made my decision a while back, but I don't like giving up and it's hard to tell your loved ones that you have.

I got a text from Zoe on Saturday at 1:30pm saying that Josie was struggling and only had hours left.
At 2pm I booked a flight and at 3pm I was in the airport on my way to say Goodbye.

I landed at 11am and drove straight to the hospital. I was 2 minutes too late. She was gone...
So a light went out, and England will never quite be the same without my little pixie.

Sleep well Josie, you are loved xx

What a wierd Summer!

Summer's are full of swimming and sunshine and happy laughing children right?... Well kinda'

 I'm working, so that is an adjustment, the days of hanging out with them at the pool the whole time are a vague memory. But it's more than that. I've been in the strangest mood. I don't know know if it's my age, or their ages, or my hormones or theirs, but something's definately going on that I was unprepared for!

This year Richard grew taller than me - a lot taller than me, started shaving, and got his temps. Emily got too gorgeous for words and suddenly realized it.

Their social calendars are unpredictable and full, and...I'm just the driver.

My calendar dried up to nothing and without singing and I've been floundering.

However.....schools back in session next week, and I get back to rehearsals in 2 weeks.

I'm becoming sane again, I can feel it.

Hallelujah!

Some Helpful Tips That Men Should Know!

When we are truly angry, we go silent. That is your opportunity to apologize, or run. But at that point, neither of these things will save you.

Never underestimate the power of a kiss on the forehead.

Seeing you in a suit never fails to impress us.

That low-cut top — we wouldn't wear it if we didn't want you to look. Just be discrete about it.

When we say we want to share a dessert, we really mean we want you to have just one bite and offer the rest to us. We were planning on eating the entire lava cake ourselves anyway, but this way we don't feel guilty.

Even if we assure you we don't believe in Valentine's Day, buy the damn flowers. It couldn't be easier.

Speedos are never okay.

We could always use a little more cowbell.

Don't tease us. We're not your little sister.

When we're out together, and we see a tall, leggy model, remember: tall, leggy models are not your type.

Putting dishes in the sink doesn't count as doing the dishes.

If we really do look fat in something, by all means say so. But you don't actually have to use the word "fat."

Fifty percent of the time we say we're just kidding, we're actually telling the truth.

Confidence, not arrogance is sexy.

Guys who do a lot of yoga kind of creep us out: men really don't have to be that bendy.

Being thought of is awesome. Tips for when you're at work: send me a link to something I would like, or text a picture of something that made you think of me, or a note that you heard a song on the radio that reminded you of me.


We aren't all romantic comedy junkies. Some of us would rather watch The Godfather. (Except Part III.)


If you win it's because e let you win. It's just easier that way-


If it looks like a woman and her friend are having a good conversation, it's absolutely not a good time to try and meet them.


You should be able to read our minds at all times.


We like it when you're direct. So just say it.


Even a text can be thoughtful, if it means you're thinking of us.


We notice hot guys all the time, but we're discreet about  it.

We all have an evil twin. Get to know her, she’s a lot of fun!

We do a billion things to our skin, hair, nails, etc. just to keep them pretty. Notice!


We will never ask for popcorn or candy at movies but if you get some we will always help you eat it.


If she tells you to never call her again and hangs up on the phone with you, there is an excellent chance that she’s waiting near her phone for you to call her. —


We notice how long it takes for you to answer a text message. We time it down to the last nanosecond. Then we analyze why it took you that long. We're like that.


If you didn't hear us, don't pretend you did. You'll never win that game.


We want to trust you, which is why we hire private detectives


We can tell when you're not listening. Hey! You!


If you text us and we call immediately after, please answer the phone. We know you have it right there.


The less you pack for a vacation, the more room we have to fill your suitcase up with our shoes.


We love it when we can still make you blush.

Escorting us into a room with your hand at the small of our back makes us smile.


Just because we're asleep doesn't mean we don't know what you're doing. We always know what you're doing.


If you don't touch us in public, the relationship is going nowhere—fast.


The girl who had a crush on you in the third grade probably still thinks about you once a week. Okay, twice.


Don't ask why we're afraid of insects. Just kill the damn bug, already.


If we're wearing heels it's so our legs can look good. We feel sexy in them but it usually isn't all that comfortable so slow down when you're walking beside us. Thank you.


If you think it's a test, it's probably a test.


We think of dinner as an obstacle in the way of dessert. We don't like that you don't like dessert.


We pretend to like your taste in music, and then we forget that we were pretending and end up actually liking your music.

We don't even know what fantasy football is.


It is not required that you be the center of attention, Leave that to us.


Telling me I'm acting ridiculous is the absolute worst way to get me to stop acting ridiculous.


We've always had crushes on you. We never thought you had cooties.


There should never be rhinestones on your clothing. Ever. We are the sparkly ones.


We like it when you kiss the top of our head.


Never pinch the muffin-top. This is grounds for execution.


We are manipulative beasts. Call us on it from time to time.


If we see you treat wait staff or cashiers poorly, you’ll probably never get to second base.


We are judging your outfit, whether silently or not, from head to toe, right this very moment.


If we offer you gum, it means we want to kiss you later. It's not an insult. Just take the gum.

Musical memories!

So I've been posting song lyrics on facebook for the last couple of weeks. It started as music that I was listening to at that moment and the words struck me for one reason or another. Then people started asking for me to post at different times of the day so that it wasn't always the same people winning - you know who you are Joe G.
I was flattered that friends were having fun with it...

So I thought, I know, I'll be tricky and post from random era's.
This is where I really started to have fun.

I dug deep into the musical archives of my mind and began pulling lyrics from songs that had an impact on me, one way or another.
This of course, lead to memory upon memory. Some great, some, not so much.
Memories of friends, places, food, kisses (sigh), clothes (yikes) and hairstyles (double yikes).

I think I'll continue posting these musical memories as it's been a real pleasure to remember things long forgotten. Every ones welcome to play....Brain power, no googling!
I always put a YouTube video up after the games been won, so that way you can join me on my journey through time.
My hope is that some of them will bring up luscious memories for you too...