CDs are available for purchase now

The Music Store: http://www.pradichaya.com/themusicstore.aspx
Atists: Pradichaya Gafaae Poonyarit & Ralph Schatzki






















Les melodies d'operas

Contents: O mio babbino caro
Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge
Io son l'umile ancella
Vision fugitive
Depuis le jour
O Carlo ascolta
Col sorriso d'innocenza
I've got a ram Goliath
La ci darem la mano






























































Don Quichotte & Classic Show Tune Favorites

Contents:
Wunderbar
Some enchanted evening
The impossible dream
Show me
I could have danced all night
Chanson romanesque
Chanson epique
Chanson a boire





























For pricing details, please log on to
The Music Store: http://www.pradichaya.com/themusicstore.aspx


Special saving on shipping when purchase two CDs and more!
Please write boutiqueinquiry@pradichaya.com so I can calculate the shipping discount for you!

Looking forward to seeing you all.
Thank you very much,
Pradichaya Gafaae.

Opera as Sushi...Yummy!!!!!

by Ralph Schatzki -www.ralphschatzki.com

Opera. Just the word itself conjures up images of overweight people in horned helmets, singing at the top of their lungs in a language no one understands. To top it off, people dress up in their finest clothing to attend, pay exorbitant prices for non-refundable tickets and look down their noses at everyone else!

Who in their right mind would want to go to an opera when there are so many alternatives? TV, movies and video games are all cheaper, easier to get to, and usually in English. Not to mention, if your friends ever found out you went to the “opera”- you have to say it with your best imitation of a hoity-toity accent- they'd never let you live it down. It's much easier to find camaraderie in front of an NFL game, drinking beer and yelling at the screen, or going shopping with your friends and talking about the latest gossip.

Remember when you were a child and your mom put some strange looking plate of food in front of you and said, “Just try it- you might like it.” Sometimes you did and sometimes you didn't, but at least you tried. Occasionally, too, something that you disliked initially became something to cherish: it “grew” on you. For example, some people don't like sushi at all while others find it irresistible. Still others have developed a taste for it over time.

Not your typical sushi, but they look yummy!

Uhhh...I think we found nemo - just kidding!! I love how food can go beyond taste, it's a visual art form. Opera is audio art, visual art, and art for the soul.

This is not sushi, but I can't help putting an opera theme to it: In the front row stand Calaf and Turandot, and we have Ping, Pang, Pong - members of the royal court, as well as the townsfolk in the back row.

In this way, opera is a lot like food. Sure, opera's not for everyone, and a lot of people know at least enough about it to realize they want nothing to do with it, but just because your best friend doesn't like something doesn't mean you won't, either. Like any matter of taste, we each have to make up our own mind about it, and we can only do that by trying.

I've known a lot of people who swore they would never eat raw fish and are now true sushi lovers. It is the same with opera, as well. Many, who had earlier expressed their disdain for it, saw an opera and fell in love at first sight. Others developed their appreciation over time. You might be one of the former- “try it, you'll like it”- or one of the latter, who takes great pride in having accomplished something worthwhile (remember: we take the most pride in those things we work hard for).

Opera is not simple: it is the common effort of so many accomplished artists toward a single goal. This is why it is so difficult, and also why it is so rewarding. You may not like it at all, and that's your prerogative, but you owe it to yourself to try it, at least once.

But who knows? You may be one of those who really likes the flavor. You'll never know until you make the effort.

So, have a bite. It's what your mom would say.

Today's blog - A Singer's Plea, by Ralph Schatzki

I'm giving the keyboard over to Ralph - my dearest baritone. This is something that you may find interesting ..or not :)

A Singer's Plea

It's tough to be a singer. I'm not looking for sympathy, necessarily, but a little understanding- just a little- would be nice.

We have a passion- a compulsion- that cannot be denied. Everyone sings, and in a way that's part of the problem, but we have to sing.

Other musicians are compensated for their time and labor. It is apparent to everyone that a performance entails a lot of work: learning and practicing music means hours and hours in a practice room beforehand. Can you imagine asking a pianist to perform for free? Or a trumpeter?

Now, I have nothing against pianists and trumpeters- they deserve to make a living from their hard work; yet, when singers ask to be compensated they are looked at askance, as if they have incredible temerity. “How dare you want to be compensated to sing?” is the common reaction to a singer's request to be paid.

Why is this?

I think a couple of factors come into play, here: First, as I said, everyone sings. Some only hum in the car on the way to work, others are shower singers, some are amateur performers and (the masochistic) are professionals. Therefore, a lot of people believe that it is not a skill deserving remuneration.

Can you play the oboe? Can you diagnose your strange rash? Can you dunk over Yao Ming? No? Well, that's why those who can get paid to do so.

Never mind that there's a world of difference between Luciano Pavarotti and the tone deaf homeless guy on the subway.

Now, of course it's not that simple. Luciano Pavarotti was paid very well to sing. And, of course, most of us have played basketball, but since we're not great it becomes a purely avocational exercise. The second factor, though, taken in conjunction with the first, I believe, explains the problem:

Singers- unlike other musicians- deal with uniqueness all the time. Each of us has a unique instrument, and is therefore evaluated exclusively via subjective criteria. We can pretty much tell whether a basketball player is good, and we can even tell- to a significant degree, at least- which pianist is good. A basketball player either makes a shot or he doesn't. A pianist hits the right note or he doesn't (I know- there's more to it than just that).

Now, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain were both great. I don't know who was greater, but any such debate has some semblance of objectivity since each put a standard-sized ball through a standard-sized hoop.

Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein were tremendous pianists. I don't know who was better, but they both played the same instrument so such a discussion makes some sense.

This rationale doesn't hold for singers. Some people think Maria Callas was the greatest singer who ever lived, and others can't stand to even listen to her. Can we really compare her, in any objective manner, to Zinka Milanov? They were both singers, yes, but they played different instruments. Maria played Callas, and Zinka played Milanov.

Singers work harder, in fact, than other musicians, since we not only have to deal with the added component of language but are also subject to the vagaries of individuality. We have to build our instruments as well, in addition to performing on them, and they are constantly changing on top of that.

And yes, we are “musicians.” I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “singers and musicians,” as if we are exclusive of them. The worst example of this was at a concert where the organizers, solely as a means to prevent paying the singers, wrote in the program that they were “paying the musicians, but the singers were donating their voices!”

If we hone our craft and instrument for years, and practice for hours to prepare for a performance, are we less-deserving than Michael Jordan, Maria Callas or Vladimir Horowitz? This is the hard work that turns an avocational performance into a professional one.

Of course, I can practice for years and never get paid to play basketball, just as many singers can practice for years and not get paid, but there was never any question that Michael Jordan would get paid for his skills. I just don't want any and all discussions with singers to begin automatically with the assumption that their efforts aren't worthy of compensation.

About Ralph Schatzki: http://www.ralphschatzki.com

CoffeeMelodie Boutique: Video Presentation

I talked about the boutique the other day - and how you can help CoffeeMelodie keep the music alive in your hearts - please see October 29's blog - http://www.coffeemelodie.blogspot.com/2008/10/coffeemelodies-boutique.html

Today I made a video advertisement and put it on

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YlsWM8-i4E
(for my channel, please log on http://www.youtube.com/pradichaya)

Myspace - http://www.vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individualVideoID=45647935

and Google - http://www.video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7369048876058852478

Just in case you'd rather not click on a link and bother with another browser (I don't blame you, I'm the same way!) I also attached the video right here on this blog for convenient viewing. I hope you all will like what you see enough to go do some browsing on my website - http://www.pradichaya.com/coffeemelodiesboutique.aspx These items make such beautiful gifts for someone special and especially, they make wonderful gifts for yourselves.

Also, a reminder, if you like the singing at the end of this video, please follow this link to my MP3 store and purchase the music that I list there! (The blog that talks about it is http://coffeemelodie.blogspot.com/2008/10/coffeemelodie-mp3-music-store.html)

A million thanks to all of you!

CoffeeMelodie's Boutique: http://www.pradichaya.com/coffeemelodiesboutique.aspx

Two days ago I promoted our brand new MP3 Store. Today I'd like to give a reminder about our CoffeeMelodie Boutique - located at http://www.pradichaya.com/coffeemelodiesboutique.aspx

As I said before, I'm all about the singing. waking up in the morning, every breath I take , going about my daily activity - there's not a moment that I'm not all about singing. I sing and I share everything I know about singing to everyone who wants to receive. CoffeeMelodie is my central head quarters - http://www.pradichaya.com/coffeemelodie.aspx In order to keep my teaching through the outreach program going and growing, in order to present artists and bring the music to the community, I started a cute little boutique at CoffeeMelodie's corner to generate the funding.

These are some samples from CoffeeMelodie's Boutique.

Blue-color Enamel and Smoky Ripping Enamel Pattern on Silver, with a pair of Bright Blue Jade - set with Brown Diamonds Bangle Bracelet was purchased in the spring of 2005, as one of a five-bangle bracelet set (of different colors). This piece of jewelry was made by 'Jaa Jewelry' of Thailand (also my Rajini School classmate), whose reputation in jewelry design and making is highly-regarded among the Thai socialites and the members of the royal family. Her clientele also includes high-ranking dignitaries, royalty and world leaders.

The uniqueness of this piece was topped off with its finishing touch - the smoky-color enamel that starts on the outer side on the back of the bangle. the smoky enamel runs right onto the blue enamel and creates an intriguing ripping pattern on it.

Silver Bangle Bracelet - weighs 74 grams

Two oval shape Bright blue Jades - total weight - 16.70 carats

Twenty-two Brown Diamonds - total weight - 0.51 carats

Will fit wrist size up to 7"

Red-color Enamel and Smoky Ripping Enamel Pattern on Silver, with a pair of Velvety Red Jade - set with Brown Diamonds Bangle Bracelet

The uniqueness of this piece was topped off with its finishing touch - the smoky-color enamel that starts on the outer side on the back of the bangle. the smoky enamel runs right onto the velvety red enamel and creates an intriguing ripping pattern on it.

Silver Bangle Bracelet - weighs 74 grams

Two oval shape Velvety Red Jades - total weight - 16.70 carats

Twenty-two Brown Diamonds - total weight - 0.51 carats

Will fit wrist size up to 7"

Orange-color Enamel on White Gold plated on Silver, with a pair of White Jade set with Brown Diamonds Bangle Bracelet

Silver Bangle Bracelet with White Gold plated - weighs 74 grams

Two oval shape White Jades - total weight - 19.01 carats

Thirty-six Brown Diamonds - total weight - 0.52 carats

Will fit wrist size up to 7"

Smoky Quartz with Brown Diamonds set on White Gold plated on the Twisted Style Silver Bangle Bracelet

Gold plated Silver Bangle Bracelet - weighs 78 grams

Two Smoky Brown-color Quartz- total weight - 12.14 carats

Twenty-two Brown Diamonds - total weight - 0.49 carats

Will fit wrist size up to 7"

Smoky Quartz with Brown Diamonds set on Gold plated on the Twisted Style Silver Bangle Bracelet

Gold plated Silver Bangle Bracelet - weighs 72 grams

Two Smoky Brown-color Quartz- total weight - 11.00 carats

Twenty-two Brown Diamonds - total weight - 0.50 carats

Will fit wrist size up to 7"

Please visit CoffeeMelodie's Boutique for pricing and other details.
http://www.pradichaya.com/coffeemelodiesboutique.aspx

ART fills up and completes the HEART.

CoffeeMelodie MP3 Music Store

So far, everything that Ralph and I do under CoffeeMelodie always goes back to the purpose of making the music become alive (or more alive) here in the Lehigh Valley, PA. I do a lot of crazy things such as selling items from my personal collection, selling smaller items hand-crafted from Thailand, offering sassy, classy performances right at the clients' homes (a program called Melodie-on-the-Go), all the way to downright asking for monetary support. I was born with the music in my heart and music is what I do best. Here I am in this nice town (great for bringing up my foursome) I might as well do what I can in the area that I know best. I would like to be able to pass the musical knowledge to the younger generation. I would like to create and generate the love and the passion in music and plant it into people's hearts. I hear people often say "We're trying to make a living here, we don't have time for this (music, classical, opera - to be exact)" It's up to me to help reminding the people that Music is the cure to all troubles, and singing is the best medicine to the soul. Why, don't we all sing in the shower everyday? Operatic, classical, musical broadway, spiritual and other kinds of music all the way to ((gasp)) pop music - these are music. Think of classical music as green eggs (and ham, Sam I am). Try it and it's your choice, but please don't deny anything you haven't tried. I was raised in a culture far away from classical music. My great uncle was a musician and with the passion in jazz, big band and Thai classical pop (yes, there is such thing) My late uncle was a famous singer and composer who never learned how to read music, yet, he captured everyone's heart by bringing out his passion through his arts of singing. I grew up singing pop music and was not introduced to the 'other' kinds of music until I came to the US many, many years ago. CoffeeMelodie's main purpose is to reach into people's hearts and bring out the gentleness, the kindness, the love, etc. though music.

Today, I proudly would like to present another mean to bring CoffeeMelodie towards its goal. An online MP3 music store is opened for direct purchase of our music both as singles and albums for as little as $0.99.

Please visit our store by clicking on the player, or please copy and paste http://www.soundclick.com/Store/byArtist.cfm?bandID=886780 to go directly to the store,

or http://www.soundclick.com/PradichayaGafaaePoonyaritandRalphSchatzki to go to the main page. Please click on a song title displayed on the player below to hear song sample.

Please help Ralph and me keep the music alive by helping us spread the word.
Thank you very much.

So long, farewell--(NOT)The Von Trapp Family

This is too good not to share!!!!!

Happy Birthday, my sweet Justin

It's Justin's birthday today, he's eleven. Justin is number 3 out of 4 in our family - he's our youngest son. When he was born, he weighed nearly 10 pounds, if my doctor didn't induce me (two weeks before full term) he would have been bigger than everyone in our family. Justin had a full head of black hair just like his brothers, the eyes were big and more almond. - shaped. Of the three boys, he got the best looking chin , my 'Thai' nose, and fair skin. His first cry was so quiet, almost like a cat's purr and I didn't believe that it was actually a cry, since both Brendan's and Nicholas' baby cries were very loud. and could wake up the whole neighborhood. As a baby, Justin was calm and quiet and he started to talk much later than Brendan and Nicholas. We were living in Thailand at the time and all our kids were brought up in bi-lingual environment. Justin would have the hardest time expressing himself and I could tell that he tried to make the best of his limited vocabulary. He's also known as strong-willed determined kid who always fights for what he believes is right (still does) If rules are set, and they make sense to him, he'd strictly go by them. But, if he feels that they are not reasonable, you would never get him to follow them! I have to laugh every time when Justin stands up to his belief - he's not any different than me! I had such a hard time growing up because I was brought up in a strict household, that, plus having gone to a Thai school for all 'refined' young ladies, which put even more restrictions to my need to be independent. I was always the one who stubbornly broke the rules, if I believed that the rules were 'wrong' and 'unreasonable' I got myself in troubles many times. Now, seeing how Justin and I are so much alike, I have to use what I know to make it pain-free for him, to function well within a society. He's also fiercely loyal to his brother Nicholas, who believes in a non-confrontational peaceful way of life. There were many incidents of an almost 2-year-old Justin going out of his way to 'protect' his 4-year-old brother in pre - kindergarten. His limit in vocabularies didn't stop him. In his attempt to scare away the big bullies (K-1) he would string together all the words he knew and screamed them out repeatedly."PeSin drives the van, PeSin drives the van, PeSin drives the van" as he put his tiny little body between Nicholas and the bullies. The so-called K-1 bullies covered their ears and quickly ran away. Justin was also notorious in his pre-k, k, and grade schools of putting in requests to be seated with different groups of students in his classes because other children - ".......don't pay attention to the teacher, that was very wrong, and it bothers me" Last year in fourth grade, it took a homeroom teacher, a counselor and his school principal some 2 plus hours of sitting and talking, even begging him to please finish the PSSA test. They got him to finish it and the result turns out that he was above average. He explained to everyone that he didn't want to do it because he didn't feel that it was necessary since he just did the school foresight test and that should have been enough. We did not talk or discuss about the PSSA therefore we did not influence him in this matter. I believe that he finally agreed to finish the test only because he didn't want to get his teachers and his school in trouble. I still have fears that Justin could seriously get himself in troubles because of his fairness and his righteousness. But then again, he's very smart. Hopefully he will have easier time blending his own rules from black and white to something more compromising. He's also very sweet, very kind, and, as I said before, is fiercely loyal to the ones he loves. When our little Kaitlyn came along, Justin would stay up with me to help me with his little sister. He's very proud to finally become a bigger brother and this never changes. His sweetness and earnestness touch people around him. Last school year, the school counselor and his 4th grade teacher were involved with helping him see the world from other people's perspectives - or, plainly, to help him understand that things will not always be the way Justin sees and wants them to be. Justin understands, but probably still doesn't agree. At the end of the school year, they were sad to see him leave, and they had tears in their eyes when they said goodbyes.

I asked Justin what his wish was for his birthday. Instead of running down a gift list, he simply told me that he wanted ice cream cake with 'kao niew' - a delicious sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and coconut sugar. He'll get this wish today, plus a few other things.

And I ramble on and on...and on

I dropped off from blogging a whole month - many things to do, a lot to think about, that, plus the day-to-day things makes it hard to write without the thought that I could have been doing something else! Okay, so I admit, I'm not so good at keeping journals. If I would just put my thoughts into words, we'd get a lot of ramblings of broken sentences. The way the mind works is very fascinating. Well, I think mine is anyway - since I underestimate the ability of my own mind most of the time! I can start on one subject and things will get rolling and the ending will be quite different. I do a lot of teaching even when I called myself a 'sales person' when I worked at Chuayjuljit. I had to give the sales people reasons to get motivated, and my talk had to convince them. Well, sometimes it worked with certain people, and sometimes it worked with other people. Sometimes it took kind and encouraging words with a lot of praises, and sometimes I had to be pushy and nudging them a little or a lot, that also depends on who and when and where I worked with at the time. I just kept plugging away - my objective was to sell my products to the sales people, and to sell the idea of 'how-to-sell' along with the tools (yet, another how-to) so my people can sell my products for me. Everyone who's doing anything (or not) has to have some sales personality within her/him in order to survive. Now that I'm no longer in the sales business - I still see myself as a sales person, selling my product in which I truly believe. The product is my voice, my art, the love and the knowledge of the music - all the learning that accumulated over the years, and still going. I'm out here selling my product as a performer, and the tools in refining and putting the product together and make it your very own package - as a teacher. Singing is much more than talent. Yes, talent plays a big part, but one has to put other elements into the singing to make oneself a singer. Ever since I was young, I loved to sing, and it made me so happy just to sing. In fact, when I was a young adult and started to sing the 'proper' way, the joy of singing gradually decreased. The more we learn, the more important we need to keep everything balanced, or we can end up being miserable. Knowledge is only good when one knows all the how/where/when to apply it, otherwise, it's like digging a hole while letting yourself sink in it. Knowledge backfires if you serve it, instead of letting it serve you. Well, same with just about everything else, isn't it! I have to keep reminding myself that I can't let what I know become my own handicap - a baggage that I carry with me everywhere. And, at this point in life, having been there and done that, I can't help but knowing a lot, which makes it very easy to slip into the dark side, which draws out the cynical part of me. Cynicism = negativity = holding place = regression = oh boy, I've fallen and I can't pull myself up. The more I learn, the more I see, the more I say 'balance' Again, that goes into everything you do. You know how everyday when you get into the shower you just open your mouth, sing your heart out, when you finish with the shower you feel refreshing and have a sudden splurt of energy? Notice how 'happy' and 'relieved' you feel? That's the feeling I believe we all have to achieve and maintain.


Ha! I just gave a sample of how my mind travels from one subject to another! I've been rambling!!! I don't know what good this does to anyone but it's effective on me! Now I'm going back to my regular work with that refreshing thought as if I had just sung in the shower. May be I'll even sing - putting in all the know-how elements and the talent and the joy, 'as-if-I-had-just-sung-in-the-shower' Woohoo!!!!

Pradichaya Gafaae Poonyarit

CoffeeMelodie - Reaching for the Star --our first official Music Educational Outreach Program at Easton Area High School

My alma mater - Easton Area High School

After pestering my high school music director a little more than a few times, he found a slot for me to come in for a day to give my presentation and to work with the students.

I was exhilarated. What a thrill to go back to my old high school, walking the same hallway to the familiar choir department. The building has been renovated, and the choir room now is where the band room used to be, and new rooms were added for voice lab, piano lab, theory, and composition classes. I'm sure a lot of effort and perseverance of one particular person whom I regard as my very first mentor went into making it all happen. I saw the same two small practice rooms through glass windows - an electric keyboard was an addition in one of the rooms. The memories came pouring back - even the smell was the same as I remember! I almost see myself hanging out in the hall with my friends waiting for the bell to ring so we could go to choir - except that this time I wasn't a part of the group. The students gave me quick glances and went back to their conversations. They all are so young, so vibrant and so eager to join the world out there. Immediately my energy tank got filled up, the grogginess of having to get up at five went away. My outreach program is a new addition to my organization - which is, also, new. CoffeeMelodie is my baby. I decided a few months back that since the Lehigh Valley , PA is where my baritone (my DH Ralph Schatzki) and I make our residence, this is where we will make the most out of our musical knowledge. I feel that both my baritone and I have a great deal of life experience, been there and done that, and it's time to pass this knowledge to and share such a wonderful experience with other people who have the same desire and passion and the love of performing arts as we do.

They may not be aware of that yet, but there's no harm in our introducing, poking, teasing, stirring, searching, and, building the love of the music. I have a strong need to do what I can to produce lovers of music - whether they will end up being singers/performers, directors/conductors, instrumentalists, or anyone on the music producing industry side, all the way to fans and audiences. My baritone and I, we are two idealists with strong principles. It doesn't matter that we are only two individuals, we've got to start somewhere - and this is where we start!

Thanks to my high school choir director Ed Milisits, not only did he insert my program into the busy routine of his, and his colleagues - Pete Descher and John Shilanskis- but he also sent a young pianist - Mike Nelson, a high school sophomore- on short notice to work with us on accompanying our pieces. We guided him through our three pieces in the aspect of "vocal accompaniment - how to - the crash course" as best we could within the short period we had. The result turned out really well. I'm sure Mike will agree with me that, now that he has three pieces under his belt, he is able to accompany them any time. Kudos to you, Mike!

We were to give a presentation in the first period choir which is 10th through 12th grades (7:20 am) and the freshman choir (around 9'ish am) and to conduct three classes of voice lab (8'ish, 10'ish, and 11'ish) My concern was the time factor. As any opera singer, or any singer, the body is my instrument: I carry it with me everywhere I go, and I make sure to take very good care of it. Because this was my first official CoffeeMelodie outreach program, I spent a good amount of time on the preparation, which had an unfortunate drawback on my body - I was excited, nervous, and, most definitely anxious - it involved in tossing and turning the night before so I ended up with only two hours of sleep. I didn't let that get in the way and managed to give myself a very thoughftul and careful twenty minute warm-up session before we rushed out and dropped off my youngest daughter off at my adopted parents' house (I adopted them). After I checked in at the front desk I went to the choir room and was told that there was still a meeting going on. I was directed to another room where Mike was rehearsing the pieces and I managed to vocalize for a few more minutes before I proceeded to the choir room. Seeing young faces perked me up. Mr. Milisits let us know beforehand that he kept our coming as a surprise to the students. He also asked our son Brendan who is a senior this year to introduce us. They were surprised, alright! We started the program. The size of the choir is around 180 people - as big as I remember. When the freshman choir is added it becomes almost 250 people - I wonder how many risers they use for a concert?!?! I recognized some students as Brendan's friends. I had on the program "La ci darem la mano" that Ralph and I shared, followed by the ever so popular aria "O mio babbino caro" which works wonders every time - though Lauretta is not my calling card, but then again, neither is Zerlina. Ralph presented "Some enchanted evening" as our last piece. Thank goodness that both my baritone and I were singing well. I wasn't worried about him, it never ceases to amaze me that he wakes up, hums a few notes, and is warmed up and good to go. As for me, it normally takes some time for the throat to remember its soprano-ness. Not yesterday, I was able to get into my soprano-dom and did my soprano thing at the crack of dawn - phew!!! Instead of laying out the story (boring), after each piece, we asked students what they saw, how they felt the piece was saying to them, along with questions such as - from what style or period the piece is, who they thought wrote the piece, etc., then we added just enough info and kept it light. What an enthusiastic group!!! The students were eager to participate. They were responsive, and quite knowledgeable, and, most definitely, curious. Afterwards, we answered some questions and concluded our programs. EAHS music department has a very good group of talent, and I believe that I saw some students who will further their study in music beyond high school. Wow!!!! It was a big success. We felt that we had touched each and everyone of them a little here and there, to various degrees. We are hopeful that what we did helped spark a beginning of new love (if not already) and desire in music in these beautiful young people. We look forward to seeing them again soon. As far as our outreach program, this was a beautiful beginning, and we hope that we will have more opportunities to offer it to other schools in our neighborhood. This is the beginning of something wonderful and we continue going after our dream and reaching for that very star.

Thank you EAHS choir members, thank you Pete and John. Big thanks to Mike and Brendan. And, Mr Milisits, thank you for telling me to go after my dream, and for believing in me.

From a coffee bean to an opera singer -- continue

Now that I told you a little bit of the story behind Thai nicknames, I can continue with my given nickname.

At his first glance at me, my dad burst out his impression, "Her skin color is as dark as roasted coffee beans" beaming, he reached for me. My mom -who never told me how she actually felt about that comment - assumed that my dad wanted to name me กาแฟ because of my (dark) skin color (as dark as coffee bean)

กาแฟ = Gafaae = Coffee There! You have it! I proudly present my nickname - Gafaae or Coffee.

My dad explained to me when I was a lot older that what he said didn't have any negative connotation to it. (Right! Not to HIM) He was just amazed to see a cute little baby (me) with dark skin, big black eyes, jet black hair that was so thick and shiny, and looked cropped as if I was one of The Beatles (maybe because they were so popular at the time - Now you know to which generation I belong). Because he was so excited to see me - his first born, he didn't realize that the story behind my name would be told over and over by close, and not-so close relatives, and he felt sorry that I had to put up with it for all these years! Later on, I was grateful that he didn't say "She looks like The Beatles, let's name her John, Paul, George, and Ringo" Now, you try adding 'Nong' to those!

Ok, so I became NongGafaae to everyone. When I was very young, I didn't like the name, and often felt embarrased when I was asked. Most common comments that came right after would be, "Oh...you're so dark you must be Black Coffee" (Gafaae Dum กาแฟดำ). I would get very angry and started making faces at the person(s) who made this comment, which then brought on another comment, " Uh..oh, now you're angry. You need to add a lot of milk and sugar to the coffee" (Gafaae sai namtaan sai nom กาแฟใส่น้ำตาลใส่นม) I was only a little girl, raised in a culture that taught me to be respectful to adults, as a kid, I could only swallow my feelings. Now as an adult, a mother myself, I remind myself to carefully choose my words around children. Things that are not that big of a deal to us, might be a big deal for children.

My mother, we never spoke about it, but she later started to call me 'Faae' short for Gafaae - which, on its own has no meaning - but I have a feeling that it was her way of helping me out. I wasn't embarrassed anymore when was asked for a nickname since it was just 'Faae' - a meaningless word that was just cute-sounding (Please don't forget to add Nong to the front of the name - NongFaae - now, doesn't that sound much better - and super cute!!!) Little did I know, when I later came to The United States, this shortened nickname would have great effect on my personality into adulthood- specifically relating to my self-esteem and self-confidence.

Hmmm.... Should I change the title to "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

Naaaah!! Let's continue with the story.

My parents' business had a lot to do with westerners and those of western descents The Thai word for westerners and the like is farang ฝรั่ง - the same word also means guava, a delicious fruit that I turn to whenever I feel that I need to go on a diet. How a westerner is related to the fruit I have yet to find out. My first encounter with the farangs (oh, yes, all ex pats in thailand adapted the word and have been using it as an English word) was when I was a little more than three years old (yes, I remember!!!) There were two , one Australian and one British men. I called them LoongNoel and LoongJack. Loong means 'older uncle' Again, with the Thai's respect system, we call people by relating their ages (by estimating how old we think they are - from the way they look) to our parents. Well, in this case, my parents asked me to call them Loong I didn't figure that out on my own! Anyway, my two farangs spent so much time with my parents and I felt close to them. (Also, every time they visited Thailand, LoongJack would bring me the cutest teddy bears!) They first attempted to call me Faae, but failed miserably. Every time my name would be pronounced differently as if they were referring to different persons. They giggled and gave up, and called me "Coffee" From then on, my farang nickname is Coffee, while my real one remains 'Faae'. You know what, I did not get a single 'coffee' comment from any of the farang Loong. Whether they thought that having 'Coffee' as a name was odd, I'd never find out since they never made any comment. Later observation taught me that the farangs' mannerism is quite different than the Thais' The Thai adults - those who love you and mean well will comment and criticize you (the younger ones) and give you unsolicited advice relentlessly. The farangs that are close to me will make a comment only when I ask for it. With just the right amount from both Thais and farangs, it would be perfect!

There was one thing, though, that I did, that stopped people from paying attention to my name (or anything else about me - "Oh, she's so dark, just like her dad" "Why is she so tall? She doesn't look 'Thai' at all") It's the singing. Every time I sang - which was all the time - they (the adults) literally stopped and listened. I was told that I started singing even before I could walk, that my singing voice was big, full, and warm - not the sound that anyone expected to come out of a child's mouth. If someone has proof for that it would be my LoongJack, with whom I lost touch since the early 80's! He had several recordings of my singing. I have a lot of memories about how I'd burst into songs anywhere and at any time. I'd remember being on a bus going into the city with my grandparents and I would start singing. I'd be walking in a department store and burst into song. I'm not talking about singing children's ditties, I was singing songs that were played on radio stations at the time. Thanks to my parents who always have the music in their hearts. They'd sing together, play the recordings, and took me to places where there were live performances. Also, the hired help around the house, who listened to their favorite radio station while doing chores. My parents told me about the time that they took me to a small concert, and before they knew it, I was up on stage (uninvited) and started to sing along with the performer. Yikes! I can't imagine how awful that was for the singer and the embarrassment I caused my parents! I don't remember how that ended, but do remember very well through my pre-school years that I was not to run up and take over the stage from the singer, or, the police would put my parents in jail. The thought of my parents being put away really scared me, and stopped me from trying to take the stage. Little it did to my desire to be there, singing away. It was so bad that it hurt - have you wished for something so badly that it hurts? That's the feeling. I believe that my parents sensed it. From way back then, even until now, the notion of singing and wanting to become a singer was not a usual career choice. My mother, especially, kept telling me over and over that it was ok to sing for relatives (especially when my mother was the one making the demand), but never ever sing in public - not on the stage, and never, ever sing for money!!!! Here's a Macauley Caulkin Home Alone moment for you. (((Gasp))) As it turned out, I did everything my mother told me not to do.

Well, a small coffee bean was going on a big journey!

From a coffee bean to an opera singer - an intro

I simply started out as a coffee bean.

Hi, I am Pradichaya from Bangkok, Thailand. Many years ago, when I was born, I was given this beautiful name - Pradichaya . It's Sanskrit, and I was told that its meaning is 'a person who speaks with honesty' Also, my name was to match my mother's 'Sutcharit' - honesty.

But I was also given another name. Just like any Thai, we have nice long lavish first names. But because of the nice long lavish names, our parents would come up with nicknames for us to simplify the process of calling their children, especially when they are in trouble and parents are angry. Who has time and patience to call out fancy long tongue-twisters too difficult to pronounce anyway? (Never mind that they were the ones who gave us these names!) Nicknames usually come from favorite pets - cat, mouse, pig, elephant (they sound better in Thai, really) - anything but dog (no dog - it's considered rude, disrespectful and insulting all the way up the family tree), things, anything cute - they're big on insisting that their kids will be cute forever.

To sum it up, we often hear: Maew-cat, Mu-pig, Noo-mouse, Chang-elephant, Fa-sky or the color blue, Sai-sand, Naam-water, Mamuong-mango, Shompu-rose apple, Chompu-pink. My favorites are names that derived from English (they're all considered cute): Jawd, Jeb, Cookie, Pinky, Top, Mikeun, Samy or My, etc. These names are equivalent to George, Jeff, cookie, pinky, top, Michael, smile, respectively. To top it off, children are referred to as 'Nong' by parents, relatives, family friends, hired help in the household (lived in maids, nannies, drivers, gardeners) Nong literally translates to younger sister and brother, also indicates the respect that the person has for you (if you're called 'Nong') and for your parents - when added to the already cute and adorable names, it emphasizes that the already cute and adorable names are even more cute and adorable. Here are some samples of how we (Thais) are referred to: NongChang, NongTop, NongNoo, NongShompu, NongJeb. The term Nong remains with you for a long, long, long time, may be until you grow old - really, really old.

At this point, you probably wonder: To which nickname is she referred?!?!?!?

If you haven't found out already (of course not, then you wouldn't be wondering) I'll fill you in after I come back to the blog. (No, it's not coffee bean - though, that sounds pretty good)