Where the Heck is Marinduque?: Season of Light- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Lea Salonga

Planning to Visit the Philippines Soon?

There are hundreds of tourists attractions in the Philippines. But as a lover of the Island of Marinduque (Home of the Morions and Heart of the Philippines), I am indeed partial to its beauty, charm and its friendly and hospitable residents. Therefore, help me achieve my dream of seeing this island becomes a world tourist destination, by telling all your friends and relatives about this site. Welcome, to you all, new readers and faithful followers of this site! The photo above is Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos, Marinduque with beautiful and majestic Mt Malindig in the background. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringing your copyrights.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Season of Light- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Lea Salonga

Celebrate Christmas with songs and story that embodies the Christmas spirit by watching last 12/12/23 PBS TV show, Season Of Light with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet. Here's the flyer advertisement from PBS:

"Prepare to be enchanted, this holiday season when Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet join forces with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra.

Watch the performance filled with timeless carols, treasured Christmas songs and a heartwarming story of heroic service. ( Nicholas Winton)

Tony Award-winning Disney and Broadway star Lea Salonga ("Mulan," "Miss Saigon") and world-renowned screen and stage actor Sir David Suchet ("Agatha Christie's Poirot") add a touch of magic to this year’s special, Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, making it a truly uplifting and unforgettable holiday celebration.

I watched this 1.5 hour video and I feel enchanted with the carols and specially touched with story of Nicholas Winton who saved more than 600 Jewish Children from the Nazi's by providing them with a British sponsor during the early 1939, the start of the Holocaust in Poland.

It also reminded me with a similar story of how 1200 Jewish families were given safe refuge in Manila at the same time period as the Winton story;

https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/world/asia/philippines-jews-wwii/index.html

Lea also sang Peaceful World (Payapang Daigdig) in Tagalog, which brought pleasant memories of our Christmas Caroling Days in Washington DC in the mid 1990's. Speaking of Lea, I have met her in person in Washington DC when her singing career was at its highest peak after her Miss Saigon Role in Broadway and In London Theatre, UK.

https://davidclemente.typepad.com/davids-reflections/2020/12/peaceful-world-a-christmas-carol-of-hope-and-peace.html?fbclid=IwAR1l_vjD4y6JpqasKelEipKtql9Sza3AjoQxG2zEmC9hY7yn1A4xMFUw4cs

Here's a photo of Lea and my youngest daughter Ditas at a party my family attended at the Marriot Hotel (1999) welcoming then former President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada ( 1998-2001) in Washington DC.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2012/09/lea-salonga-singer-and-actress.html

Here's the PBS video for your viewing pleasure.

https://www.pbs.org/video/season-of-light-christmas-with-the-tabernacle-choir-1dh3zf/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/christmas-tabernacle-choir/

https://youtu.be/SQyojqPR5cM?si=wArXLLl2gM4RamRM

So what lessons have we learned from the Winston story? To me, its always be kind to others and help others no matter how small or trivial it is not only during the Christmas Season, but also during the whole year round and perhaps the rest of your life. Merry Christmas Again to All!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: I taped this on PBS and watched Lea Salonga sing a Tagalog song in front of the choir and probably mostly English speaking audiences. I’m as proud as you are of her performance.; December 18, 2023 at 10:01 PM

ABOUT ME

I am a retired (Chemistry Team Leader from USFDA) Filipino-American who loves writing, gardening and photography. My wife (of 58 years) and I enjoy the snowbird lifestyle between the US and the Philippines. We have a small but very private beach resort( see above video) in the beautiful island of Marinduque, Philippines. I have several blog sites(ten), a personal blog, blogs about retiring in Marinduque and our beach resort and conference center-CHATEAU DU MER. I also write for www.squidoo.com now owned by HubPages.com

Marinduque: A Photogenic Province and Tourists Destination

Marinduque is a photoblogger dream. The province is endowed with unspoiled white sand beaches, pristine blue waters, fringing reefs, virgin coral reefs, coves, limestone caves, meandering rivers, mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls and streams, fabled sulfur and hot mineral springs,old churches and of course beautiful sunsets. The Internet is filled with photographs of the scenic beauty of this island not only from the local professional photographers but also from amateur photographers all over the world. The province has more than six big islands popular to beach lovers, scuba divers and snorkeling enthusiasts. It has Mt Malindig known to mountain climbers and hikers. It has Bathala and Tarug Caves popular to spelunkers and just curious seekers. In one of the eight caves of Bathala, there is a resident python, believed to be enchanted. If he shows himself when you visit the caves, it is suppose to bring you good luck.

Sunset over Tres Reyes Islands- Photo from panoramnio.com The nearest and most accessible islands from the capital town of Boac are the Tres Reyes Islands ( Islands of the Three Kings), Gaspar, Melchor and Baltazar in the town of Gasan. The local names are Laki, Pangkog and Man-nga ( see map above). These islands are located southwest of the mainland. The other three group of islands bigger in area and more populated are Polo, Maniwaya and Mongpong Islands. These are located in the Northeast part of the mainland in the town of Santa Cruz. Maniwaya's Polo Maria White Beach is being develop as an alternative to Boracay. There is a bigger island, Salamongue Island which is not as well known to the tourists and residents.. I really do not know the reason, but I believe it is not as accessible from the mainland . Moreover, it is not as developed( no electricity or running water) compared to the other islands.

One of the most popular white beach located in the mainland in the town of Torrijos is Poctoy White Beach. It is about a 70 minutes drive from downtown Boac. Poctoy White beach with Mt, Malindig as the background is the most photogenic and the most photographed scenery in the island.

Just late last year, the former Elephant Island in Lipata, Buenavista, owned privately, was renamed Bellarocca Resort Island and Spa. It has been converted to look like Santorini Island, Greece with buildings all painted in white sticking in the cliffs. From what I heard, this resort is one of the most expensive and luxurious resort in Southeast Asia. The cheapest room charges $300 per night excluding meals and other amenities. When I was in Marinduque last year, I met a few rich and famous Filipinos( businessmen, actors and actresses, TV personalities)) from Manila as well as Korean and Japanese tourists at Masiga Airport in Gasan on their way to the resort. From the resort advertisement, I know that the most expensive accommodation is a 3-bedroom villa with its own pool and jacussi charging about $ 800 per night without meals. Dong Ho, Oggie Ramos, Ferdz Decena, Allan Barredo, Sydney Snoeck and Dennis Villegas are some of the photographers that I know who have photo blogs about Marinduque. Their pictures are beautiful, unique and mesmerizing. It is worth your time to visit their photo blogs sites. Looking at their photographs of Marinduque, its Tradition and Culture will surely make you proud of the beauty of our island paradise.