Delineating Des

According to legend, King George II of England rose to his feet when the Hallelujah Chorus was sung. Following protocol his subjects rose up as well. Thus began the tradition of audiences around the world rising during the Hallelujah performace. There are many speculations as to why the king stood or if he even stood at all. The Bangkok Combined Choir is composed of volunteer singers of around twenty nationalities. Every year in December, the choir performs Handel's Messiah. I sang once. (pure luck: there was no audition in 2000) Rehearsals got me thinking of the tradition of standing when the Hallelujah Chorus is sang. I googled what people have to say and my today is a list of opinions about audience decorum during the chorus: 1. The Hallelujah Chorus is like an anthem for the church. Whenever you hear it you are supposed to stand up. 2. Standing for the Hallelujah Chorus just interrupts the performance. 3. People should not be taught that they need to stand up at a certain time ...

Trophies, guns, ballerinas, free days and pom poms characterize my week. It's good to glean faves: 1. The blessing of being oblivious. I knew there was danger but had no idea how grave the situation was. A group of juvenile thugs attempted to attack our students. Seven billboards were reduced to smithereens when the attackers found they couldn't penetrate the gates. Although I understood something was terribly wrong when our students tried to scale the walls to retaliate, my limited Thai prevented me from knowing that the aggressors were actually carrying guns thus sparing me the trauma. 2. A student who did well . He belongs to the Changs, known as the problem bunch. Two terms ago he approached me with a long, fresh stitch on his belly asking permission to sit the exams. I cut him some slack not because he nearly died in that riot where he got stabbed but because despite his tough hide I notice he has potential. There was no need for extra lecture. I went non-verbal and look...