I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just got married and love my beautiful wife more than anything. I do calligraphy and personally designed and wrote our wedding invitations. I enjoy working on cars, even though I’m a beginner. I have a passion for great music, which seems to be a dying breed nowadays. I speak Chinese and love everything about China. I love laughing, smiling, and being optimistic. Every day is a great day for me! I enjoy solving puzzles, thinking deeply, and finding solutions. My name is Tanner Christensen, I love my wife, and I’m a Mormon.
What area of China did you serve in? I thought the country was closed but I guess that it's always been open. Calligraphy is so amazing. I tried it once and loved it!
ReplyDeleteI actually served my mission in Carlsbad, California. I lived in China throughout my life for about ten years. Unfortunately China IS closed. We're working on that ;)
DeleteTanner! It really touched me what you said about your wife. I think it's lovely and an inspiration for me for when I find my eternal companion. Also I didn't know you spoke Chinese... I guess with so many Chinese speakers in our class is difficult keeping track of who does and who doesn't. By the way, what do you mean by "good music"?
ReplyDeleteThanks Miguel.
DeleteGood music would be songs that have meaningful lyrics, or have moving melodies. Most of the music nowadays seems to be devoid of true creativity and sapped of genuine emotion.
Surprisingly, some of the most meaningful lyrics I've heard are from Country songs. You wouldn't think that from all the jokes and the people who can't stand country. Songs like "The Good Stuff" by Kenny Chesney, "Sarahbeth" by Rascal Flatts, and "Then" by Brad Paisley are just a few examples of powerful, moving lyrics. Other songs I love for the lyrics would be "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle or "That Girl In Your Hands" by Aaron Edson. You can find them all on YouTube if you want to hear them.
When it comes to melodies I would say a cappella groups do a great job of pulling the melodies out of songs and really showing the way that notes fit together with each other. Watch something like "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins or "You Really Got Me" by Kinks both as sung by Vocal Point. Or groups like Chanticleer, Idea of North, The Manhattan Transfer, or Take 6 are all great examples of fantastic melodies.
Then there comes the soundtracks. I'll say that what makes a great movie is a great soundtrack. Soundtracks are a fantastic example of how great music stirs your innermost emotions and brings you into the moment. I loved the soundtrack of The Incredibles or of Spider-Man. Soundtracks and music in shows also connects you to it at other times. Anyone who hears the Jeopardy song, or the theme song for their favorite show immediately recognizes it and it takes them back to those times of watching those shows. When I hear the music from Super Mario Bros. it takes me back to playing for hours with my brothers. Happy memories.
So there's my monologue on music. I'm quite opinionated when it comes to that subject.
I love soundtracks too! Narnia, National Treasure have great instrumentals. I love the soundtrack from Dan in Real Life--it's quirky, but it makes me happy.
Delete