My Favorite Things

Oof! It's already going to be February in a couple of days - and considering that 2020 just started (I still have to stop myself from saying 2019), the year is definitely getting off to a fast start. At the times when I'm not moving from one task to the next, I can remember my favorite things - or write a post about the song, My Favorite Things! I hope you enjoy listening to this popular song, that I successfully turned into a jazz song. John Coltrane could do it, so why can't I?


Listen to the song here
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A new Mercy Mercy Mercy

Welcome back to the Roaring Twenties! Umm... why are you looking at me like that? No one misses out on the Roaring Twenties, because they happen every century! This one's even better, because there are two 20s! To kick off the New Year, I'm bringing you a new version of a previously published jazz tune, called "Mercy Mercy Mercy." I made some changes to the way I play it, and this recording has less noise than the previous one. I hope that you like this one!

Jingle Bells

I'm glad you returned today to listen to this jolly Christmas song called "Jingle Bells." The history of this song is more complicated than you might expect - it isn't associated with Christmas at all! It probably became a Christmas song because it mentions traditions associated with the time of year or the holiday itself. Thanks again for coming to listen!

Listen to the song here
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Mary, Did You Know?

Don't start thinking about that "Friday, 13" at the top of your screen - now's the time to celebrate Christmas! I've had the opportunity to learn some more Christmas songs for you to listen to this season. There are only 2 weeks left, but there's still time! Today's song is called "Mary Did You Know." I hope you like this one!

Listen to the song here
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Music Box Dancer

Welcome back to Tea with Liya! Today, I'll be playing a song called "Music Box Dancer," composed by Frank Mills. If you have heard of this song but haven't actually listened to it, this would be a great opportunity for you to check it out! Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy this song!


Listen to the song here
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As the Deer

Today's hymn on Tea with Liya is a song called "As the Deer." This song contrasts with my previous one in that it's more quiet and gentle. Nonetheless, songs like this one can still convey emotions better than simply saying something. Thanks for joining me on Tea with Liya today!


Listen to the song here
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It seems as though the Christmas season has hit us like a tsunami - or should I call it the season of buying presents? If you live in America, it will be an especially fast transition - one day (i.e. tomorrow) you will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and the next, the cars will fill the highways as people run to the stores for Black Friday.

Here are the lyrics for this song

Maybe this song will help you to forget about all the rush and be thankful for what you have. What started out as a tradition of sharing the love with our families has become an event that can fill up a sizable portion of our lives.

And it's only November 27th!

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

I wonder how much further it's going to go. Even if we can't push Christmas sales past the beginning of November, there are still Thanksgiving sales, and back to school sales, and Valentine's Day sales, and sales for almost every holiday you can think of. Stores, offices, and other capitalist buildings are towering above our churches, whether physically or metaphorically.

There is something you can do to change that - maybe not instantly, but you can make a small change. Instead of running to the store today, why don't you listen to some more songs like this one? (You can find some here.) Thanksgiving doesn't have to just be a one-day break from the buying and selling - you can put some of it into as many days as you want.

One way to do that, for reasons I explained at the top of this page, is to keep filling your teacup with music!

~Liya

In Christ Alone

It's time to listen to another song on Tea with Liya. I'm glad you came here to hear this hymn called "In Christ Alone." I've noticed while other hymns are soft and gentle, this one actually sounds powerful - true to its name, of course! One of the most popular hymns of all time, this is a song that you've probably heard before. If you haven't, now's your chance!

Listen to the song here

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According to statistics, the more time you spend on the Internet (and therefore, the more likely you are to be seeing this), the less likely you are to remember 1999.

Come on, minute hand! Just move to the 12! Image by LouAnn Clark from Pixabay

Here are the lyrics for this song.

It was a year when most of us expected big change. After all, you've got 3 whole 9s rolling over to 0s. Isn't that an important event? It's the new millennium! Let's celebrate!

Hmm...

We'll be able to throw up all our Y2K signs - call it a century of growth and progress....

The new millennium doesn't start in 2000! If only you could have figured that out yourself....

But if 0 AD was the beginning of the 1st millennium, then 2000 must also be the beginning of a millennium.

There was no 0 AD. In fact, how could you decide whether it would be AD or BC? It's like asking whether 0 is positive or negative. So, 1 full year would have passed at the end of year 1, and 2 full years would have passed at the end of year 2, and so on until 2000 full years have passed at the end of year 2000.

If you're 49, it's actually your 50th year of living, but you don't celebrate the new decade at that time. You celebrate when the year finishes, not when it starts.

So then, we really should have celebrated on December 31st, not January 1st.

Wait a minute - why? Just WHY? Why do you consider the 2000th year any more important than the 1999th? 

Um, it's got 0s, and it's a round number, and....

If you use your head, you'll realize that those round numbers actually have no significance outside of your base 10 number system. (That phrase actually tells you nothing.) It's just something for your brain to hold onto.

Someday I'll prove to you that my brain isn't as little as you think it is. 

I needed some brain power to play my song, didn't I?

Are you still there?

Okay, Blue doesn't want me to prove that my brain isn't so little, but I know that you'll still listen to my song. Maybe you'll be able to use your brain for something even better - it's a valuable gift that you can do a lot of things with. The more learning you do - whether it's a course you're taking, or a little something about numbers - the better it'll work. 

And as always, keep filling your teacup with music!

~Liya