to be jolly...

There are already a lot of things and events around that remind us Christmas is fast approaching...

While walking through SM Makati on my way home, I saw the Power Rangers! A lot of kids were having their pics taken with the group... it reminded me that I still have to buy gifts for my inaanaks. :-p

Here's the latest pic of the very tall Christmas Tree at Araneta Center, that dwarfs any that I have seen so far in Metro Manila:

I was also able to watch The Philippine Madrigal Singers sing at the Glorietta 4 Park. The group was conducted by Christopher Borella and the show also featured New York-based tenor Edwin Santayana and Cellist Josef Raymundo of the UP College of Music.

I have already seen/heard the Madrigals before, also during free Christmas concerts at Glorietta. Sad to say that this performance was not as good as the previous ones I went to. The show started quite late and the tenor was not exceptionally good.

Of the songs that they performed, I found their William Tell Overture to be great and their Abba song medly quite good. They sang Funiculi, Funicula, Night and Day, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, Paru-parong Bukid, Jingle Bells, Kasadya ning Takna-a, Let Heaven Rejoice, Deck The Halls. I noticed that they were at their best when singing choir music, and when they sang popular songs that they rearranged they were quite at their element. Buthcikik was their most applauded number. The finale of the group was O Holy Night and they did Adeste Fidelis as an encore.

...Only 24 more days to go before Christmas! :-)