EDNA'S PICKLES AT THE ONE OF A KIND CHRISTMAS SHOW 2010

Edna's Pickles Booth

Participating Artisan

at the One of a Kind Christmas Show & Sale 2010

Direct Energy Centre

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TONFERNS WOODCRAFT

1/16 Scale Model 

Mercedes-Benz SSK 1928

Hand-crafted from 1/8" thick plywood

by Tony Fernandes

DAHLIA WINS THE VIDEO CONTEST

Dahlia was declared as the Winner in singing with her number "Tomorrow Tonight" in the Video Contest held by TLA Productions, 2 days before the scheduled announcement date.

Thank you very much for watching the video, voting and forwarding the email to your friends. Dahlia couldn't have made it without your votes.

Hooray!

DAHLIA MAKES IT INTO THE TOP FIVE

The good news so far is that Dahlia has made it into the TOP 5.

At this moment I would like to take the opportunity to thank and extend my appreciation to all those who took the time and trouble in watching, voting and circulating Dahlia's video worldwide which helped in her ranking among the TOP FIVE.

TLA Productions will now pick one of the five. The final results will be declared on Friday the 19th of November 2010.

In the meantime we are hoping for the best for Dahlia.

Watch Dahlia Sing on You-Tube

DAHLIA TOYING WITH THE GUITAR

DAHLIA'S INTEREST IN MUSIC

STARTED AT AN EARLY AGE!

IN THIS PHOTO ABOVE SHE POSES WITH A TOY GUITAR

DAHLIA - SINGER/SONG-WRITER

Dahlia is an aspiring singer/song-writer based in Toronto, Canada.

In every song she composes, she entwines into it a meaningful glimpse of a story of our life. The beautiful lyrics of her songs combined with an arrangement to match, I'm sure, will touch a corner of your life.

Influenced by a range of artists, Dahlia's unique style has the depth of Toni Braxton and Alicia Keys to the Jazz elements of Norah Jones to the folk-pop flavour of Jewel.

She was only 7 years old when she braved her first solo singing "From a Distance" by Bette Midler in front of hundreds of people and knew that music was exactly where she always wanted to be. Dahlia wrote her first song when she was ten years old, but was never trained to play a musical instrument. "When I turned 20, my sister bought herself a Steinway and what initiated as me fooling around on the piano turned into me teaching myself to play," says Dahlia.

She found herself composing a new song every week and finally being able to write the music to all the songs she had composed over the years.

"I lived in India and Dubai and came to Canada in 1998 not knowing if my music and talent would be accepted" says Dahlia, but she did not have to worry for long. She was presented with many opportunities including the honour of singing the National Anthem for U.N. dignitaries for International Peace Day at City Hall, a ranking into Mississauga's Top 25 Future Stars as well vocals on the title track Suburban Ghetto of local Toronto Rap artists, Tha Woodsmen.

She also started to perform at a number of venues including the Brandy Tree Lounge at the Westin Prince Hotel as well as a Lead Vocalist with the band Lady Kane at Alleycatz. In 2008, Dahlia entered into a local singing competition that landed her in the Top ten and an interview on Omni Television, CBC Radio and the Toronto Sun. But she knew that she did not want to be singing covers, so she started to work with her friends, Anant Persad and Marco Dela Cruz who being seasoned musicians were able to help produce the numerous songs she had been sitting on for so many years. Dahlia had voice training with talented vocal teacher, Shannon Gunn, who inspires her to grow and develop technically as well as artistically.

Her composition While You Were Gone, speaks of being in a relationship with someone physically, but realizing that they aren't mentally or emotionally available, is catchy and soulful. Another one of Dahlia's compositions 'Jump' will have you smiling all day with its strong message of finding hope and taking "a leap of faith" even when times are tough.

There is something that I'm forgetting here, and taking it for granted. Dahlia is my daughter, and what I'd like you to do is to please click on the link below and check out the video of her original song. She is participating in a contest and your views on youtube will count towards winning. I would greatly appreciate it if you can forward to your family and friends as well. So far she has received quite a number of responses and votes and the count is still going up, thanks to her family, friends and well-wishers.

I have been always wary about Dahlia's video being posted on the net in the past. When she used to sing on weekends at the Diner at Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto, my wife and I used to take her there ourselves and bring her back with us.

TLA Productions has a Free Music Video Giveaway contest right now for Artists that are unsigned with original material.

How the Contest Works?

Dahlia's song has been uploaded with her pictures on to YouTube on the Contest Page. Top 5 videos with the most views makes it to the next round!

How can YOU help her?

All YOU have to do is View her video (link below), Vote, Comment and Share with All of your friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMiaJ8MAiNs&feature=watch_response

Who Wins?

Top 5 videos with the most views gets presented to the TLA Production Board Panel and then we hope they pick me.


Click Away! Contest ends Nov 15th, so try and watch the video as many times and send to as many people as possible by then. I will be making a Facebook Page as well for you to forward to your friends.

Thanks for your supporting Dahlia's aspirations and her passion for music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMiaJ8MAiNs&feature=watch_response

ALL SOULS DAY - MY FINAL JOURNEY

Summarizing our own mortality

 while we grieve for our loved ones,

at timeswe comfort those who have lost theirs,

but have to contend with the fact that

we might leave others to grieve for us

when our days on earth are done.

THE JOURNEY

When the final summons

Beckons at my door

To leave for another shore

I know it’s God’s call I can’t ignore.

It will be my life’s journey’s end,

Sudden and abrupt

Unannounced and undecided

I will have to leave in haste.

This departure I cannot

Adjourn, defer or halt

No luggage to cart

No time to prepare

Or say good-bye

Before I acknowledge

My final roll call.

Today I lament for loved ones

That I have lost long ago

But in turn will have to obey God’s command

When I have served my tenure and

And my time on earth is done.

Let me therefore do good,

Pardon my friend or foe

For it may be too late to do so

When God knocks on my door

And I am unable to look back

I have got to go.

When I am gone

My friends and family

May in turn

Grieve in pain and sorrow

And remorse so deep

So help me God to be good to others today

In what ever  I do or say

So that I may be remembered

when the chapel bells toll tomorrow.

From up above I will only silently see

Unable to communicate or respond

Direct , guide or tell

But perhaps I could only wish

And hope there is at least one good thing

That I will be remembered by

If at all.

Tony Fernandes

DOWN BY THE VILLAGE WELL

DOWN BY THE VILLAGE WELL
Article and pen & ink drawing by Tony Fernandes

Like most houses in the olden days, Felicio’s house had a modest little garden. His mother planted different types of flower plants in it. She fetched water from the nearby well, watered the plants, trimmed them and planted new ones once in a while. As a young boy, Felicio had his own little patch with a set of plants that he tended to.

Every morning after young Felicio woke up, he would go to the garden to have a close look at the plants and admire at the blooms, and also check whether any new blossoms or buds had developed. During the rainy season, in one corner of the garden, there grew a perennial creeper that bore beautiful and tiny star-shaped red flowers that were one of Felicio’s favourites. The plant seemed to grow at a rapid pace each day. Felicio had a string tied to the under-side of the roof beams, from one side of the house to the other, running just under the eaves, helping the creeper to get a hold on it.

Felicio was very anxious for the creeper to grow fast and just couldn't wait for more buds to blossom into flowers. On some occasions, and time-permitting, Felicio would help his mother in transferring the water she fetched from the nearby well, into a small bucket to irrigate his plants before he left to go to school which was situated on the distant hill of Monte de Guirim.

The ‘vaddo’ (ward) of the village, where Felicio lived had about five communal wells. Fortunately, his house was located near one of the wells; the proximity of which made it easier to carry the water to his house. These wells provided the village folks with crystal clear natural water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes, cooking pots, pans and utensils, bathing, watering flower plants that grew in their front and rear gardens, and also the trees around their house once in a while. A few winding narrow paths led to the wells. The wells were constructed from especially contoured curved laterite stones.  They were very deep and of varying diameters. The water table of the wells fell very low during the summer months, but in contrast they filled almost to the brim during the monsoons. At such times people did not even need a rope to haul the water up. The folks just leaned over the raised ledge of the well, filled the small pot and hauled it up.

The village boys would earnestly hope for abundant rains to fill the wells up prior to the days leading to the feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24th of every year, and also wished them to fill just to the right level so that they could celebrate ‘San João’ by taking their turns in jumping into the wells with flower wreaths placed on their heads and enjoying themselves eating jack-fruit and mangoes served by the folks who used the particular wells. As the group of villagers went from well to well, some distributed special sweets and fruits, as it was customary to do this when a new baby had been born in that particular household in the previous year. This serving is called 'dali'.

On the eve of this exuberant feast both the young and the old folks of the village gathered together and lit bonfires in front of every home and the fire was put out by beating it out using the flat bases of the stems of the leaves of the coconut tree while they sang a certain chorus in unison, going from one house to the next.

At times before sunrise, Felicio would be awakened by the noise of copper pots as they were placed on the ledge of the well near his house. Some people also used clay pots. The rims of the wells had hollows in them to hold the pots steady.

With a rope fastened to the neck of a smaller copper pot, folks used it to fill a larger copper pot, maintaining balance and adopting a certain posture and a firm stance on the ledge of the well in order to haul the water pot up. The women folk carried the pots home with ease by placing the larger pot on their hips with the crook of one arm, while at the same time carrying a smaller one with the other hand. Men carried water pots in both hands or in tin buckets.

When Felicio was a young lad, the well near his house did not have a pulley and it had been a little difficult, but in later years, drawing water from the well was much easier – fun, exuberance and pleasure. This had been possible after two laterite posts were constructed, with wooden beam across them and a pulley system installed over the well, through labour and money contributed by the folks who used water from the well.

In Goa, the most common and memorable greeting in Konkani : ‘Deu Boro Dis Dhium’ (May God give you a good day or Good Morning) were the first words of the morning to one’s neighbours, who also came to fetch water......down by the village well.

Some of the good old days of yore have now given way to overhead tanks, municipal water pipelines and electric water-pumps providing the village folks with tap water, in addition to the benefit and ease of sprinkling their gardens with rubber hose pipes.

And I was that boy Felicio.

Tony Felix (a.k.a. Felicio) Fernandes