Song Without Words

I am writing this entry while listening to Felix Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words. This has been one of my favorite classical pieces, perhaps because of the solitary sound of the piano, which sets me in a rather reflective mood. The title itself denotes a sense of elusiveness and enigma. No words are used, the emotion and message of the song are expressed in piano music.

The piece is a good background music while I write this blog entry… the first I shall write without pictures. I know that in my previous entry, I said that I cannot write well without good photos. Thanks to Pastor Bong who lent me his book, Under The Tuscan Sun, I discovered how words without pictures can stimulate my imagination. I was fascinated at how Frances Mayes described her vintage house in Tuscany, and how my imagination flowed with images of quaint furnitures, the scent of apple trees and the sound of people's laughter. You will fall in love with the place just by reading about it. No need for pictures, only words. (I hope never to return that book… maybe Pastor Bong will just give it to me as a birthday gift, hehe.. hint… hint…)

I now realize that the absence of something explicit makes a work of art - such as a musical piece or a classic novel - beautiful.

I celebrated my birthday today without a party, and even without company. This has been my practice ever since I turned twenty. Some people ask me how come I like spending my birthdays alone. It is not because I don’t want company on this special day – I was actually blest with so many text greetings (I woke up and found more than 20 text messages in my cellphone inbox, and that’s not even half the greetings I received today!) – but it is in the absence of company that makes me all the more appreciative of the friendships I have. I had time to thank God for all the wonderful people He had brought into my life: there are new friends and acquaintances – people whom I met at this stage in my life, adding to my joy as I embark on this journey of getting to know them; and there are my loved ones and life-long friends – those who have been with me in this journey since time imemorial, who have come to know me inside out, and have accepted the person that I am.

Now, as I think about it… I wouldn’t have appreciated the magic and emotion in Mendelssohn’s piece had he placed words with the music. I wouldn’t have been fascinated by the images of Tuscany in my mind had Frances Mayes placed pictures in her book. I wouldn’t have cherished my friendships as much as I do now had I not spent solitary times to reflect upon them.

And, I wouldn’t have written this blog had I looked for a good-enough picture for this entry. I’m glad I didn’t have to.