>> write // blaaaags and reflections // biographical timeline
1979: Christopher Joseph Rivera Trinidad is born on 30 October at 1.26pm to Jaime Onate Trinidad and Maria Asuncion Rivera Trinidad at Grace Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada weighing 8 lbs 15 oz. Apparently, during Maria's pregnancy with Chris, she placed headphones by her tummy and played Beethoven and Mozart.
1982: Earliest memories of listening to late night pop radio where most of the music played is power ballads and slowjams. A Sanyo portable radio with double tape deck and ability to access FM, AM, two bands of Short Wave, and an ever present green neon light indicating the radio dial keeps Chris company as he lulled to sleep.
1983: First organ recital in front of father, mother, grandmother, and great aunt. Performance included Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
1984: Enrolled at Ecole St Sacrement, a French immersion Catholic school led by the Soeurs du Bon Pasteurs de Quebec. Strangely, they left en masse after his second year there. Was it something he did? :I
1985: Chris enjoys rudely interrupting and correcting his fellow classmates's pronounciation of French words during class reading time. Perhaps this is an early indication of a call to teaching. Then, at breakfast one Saturday morning, whilst eating Alpha-Bits cereal, and whilst reading the back of the box of said cereal, he notices a picture of a space shuttle and an astronaut. He decides that he wants to be an astronaut. Perhaps this fascination with space resulted in his later appreciation for the progressive/space rock of Pink Floyd.
1986: Elementary music education consists of singing, recorder, Orff, and music appreciation ... in French. The music teacher at the time played a vinyl record where a French woman talked about the various instruments. The class dutifully took notes (en Francais!) and never saw actually saw any of these instruments demonstrated en vivo. At some point, he joins the school's fledgling choeur et orchestre noting that he was the only guy to join. This doesn't phase him, and in fact, he enjoyed the opportunity to practice his flirting skills. (!)
1987: After a failed attempt at trying Jazz Dance, Chris joins the International Brotherhood of Martial Arts. Led by Sifu Pros Verceles, a former Philippines National Bureau of Investigation operative, this was Chris's first exposure to true mixed martial arts. Chris cross trains in Karate, Kung Fu, and Judo techniques; he distinctly remembers that he was told never to reveal how or where he was training.
The son of a friend of Chris's father immigrates to Canada from the Philippines and stays with Chris's family for a year and a half. Chris looks up to him as the older brother he never had. His influence remains with Chris to this day: abstaining from alcohol, acquiring an affinity for Eighties music, how to discount peer pressure, and how to follow your own unique path.
1988: Memories of entertaining visitors of the Trinidad household at the age of eight with Chris's melismatic vocal meanderings set to the backdrop of Eighties slowjams and power ballads.
1989: Obligatory piano lessons are taken with a very patient and talented teacher Jana Kmodras. Chris does not take too well to regular practice but persists anyways, at the urging of his parents.
1990: While at a family gathering, a family friend asks me if I had ever thought about becoming a priest. Seeing the quizzical look on my face, the charming older lady asks me about my favourite subject in school, to which I reply, "Science." In response, she says, "Oh, science and religion ... what a great homily you would make!" Eighteen years later, Chris would enter seminary studies not intending to enter consecrated life, but rather to deepen his knowledge of Catholicism and ministry.
1991: Mrs Kmodras relents to Chris's requests to learn more popular piano pieces rather than stuffy classical music. First song learned in this new programme of study is Bryan Adams's 'Everything I Do'.
1992:
September: Is exposed for the first time to the story of Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice at Vancouver College.
Generally notices divisions of classmates into various cliques based on both ethnic heritage and music preferences. Chris observes that 'the homies' in Eighth grade are primarily Asian, listen to R&B and Hip Hop, and try to act African-American, a culture that Chris presumes 'the homies' really know nothing about save for what they see on TV and hear on the radio. The other group, 'the skaters' are primarily Caucasian, listen to Alternative and Classic Rock, are constantly at odds with 'the homies'. Chris is Asian [and Filipino-Canadian, to be more precise] and likes to listen to Alternative and Classic Rock. Clearly, he doesn't fit into the stereotype but is quite comfortable with this. While he has his preferences, he maintains an open mind toward all forms, styles, and genres of music. This open minded nature carries over into other facets of his life as well.
October: Gets back into martial arts, joining Shito-Ryu Itosukai Karate, and, begins again, at white belt. Recited before every practice are the five maxims of Shito-Ryu:
(1) Be moderate and courteous;
(2) Be righteous and have a strong sense of justice;
(3) Be modest in your words and actions;
(4) Respect others;
(5) Karate-Do is a lifetime study.
1993:
January: Begins composing geeky eight-bit electronic experimental music using Scream Tracker software and forms the 604 demoscene group Sonic Equinox to release them under various pseydonyms including Dark Avenger, Eternal Soldier, Illusionary Enigma, and finally Indigo Dreamer.
April: Achieves yellow belt in Shito-Ryu Itosukai Karate.
October: Joins the high school band program and interest in music grows through various instruments including the bass guitar and guitar, drum set and percussion, and, once again, the piano.
Gets his first bass guitar, a blue sparkle Series 10 with a P/J pickup configuration.
December: Achieves orange belt in Shito-Ryu Itosukai Karate.
1994:
April: Achieves green belt in Shito-Ryu Itosukai Karate.
Travels to Kelowna Jazz Festival where Mr Larry Olson give Chris his first gig: playing Tigers of San Pedro with the Junior Big Band.
December: Achieves blue belt in Shito-Ryu Seikokai Karate.
1995: Desire to become a musician is fuelled by copious but equal amounts of progressive rock, alternative pop, and jazz fusion listening.
1996: Forms Dramatic Adrift with Jon Leeson and various other musicians. Chris emulates and idolizes Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour.
1997:
January: Encounters the influential Religious Studies teacher Terry Shea who introduces Chris to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell. This encounter influences Chris to pursue Theological Studies later in his career.
March: Embarks on an Encounter [Kairos] retreat. Another life changing and formative experience.
April: Joins the St Paul Youth Music Ministry where Chris is exposed to Contemporary Christian Music ... in a Catholic Church. This is the first time he's heard music other than the Seventies folk hum-and-strum.
May: After briefly entertaining the idea of becoming a computer programmer, Chris applies to the Capilano College Jazz Studies program. He clearly remembers the audition adjudicator saying that he had "about a sixty-five percent chance of getting into the program" based on his abilities. Chris feels quite heart broken about the stumble in his path toward becoming a professional musician but that all changes upon receipt of his letter of acceptance.
June: Graduates from Vancouver College HS and shares the graduating year music award with saxophonist Lawrence Chew.
September: First year studies on bass guitar with Andre Lachance, voice with Steve Maddock, and ensemble with Brad Turner.
October: Forms Painted Blank with fellow closet prog rockers Matthew Rogers on guitar and Shawn Killaly on drum set during a break in Al Wold's lecture on the history of jazz.
1998:
August: Forms Iridium Records to release Painted Blank's debut self-titled disc which was recorded over the summer in Matt's basement.
September: Second year studies at Capilano College continues with Andre Lachance and Steve Maddock. Adds formal drum set lessons with Ken Moore.
Forms Beyond Inertia with shakuhachi player Alcvin Ramos, tabla player Neealmjit Singh Dhillon, and percussionist Nick Apivor.
1999:
February: Chris performs on the old Vancouver Television Morning Breakfast Show with Painted Blank.
April: Forms a songwriting collective known as Singles Songwriting with friends Gary DeGuzman and Bernadette Chik. The name comes from their relationship statuses and their desire to write "hit" singles. They work with fledgling artist Emily Quan in association with Apollo Angco and his management group Pogi Productions. They produce four demo-singles, none of which, sadly, have seen the light of day.
September: Third year studies at Capilano College continues on bass guitar with Chris Tarry and voice with Steve Maddock.
Summer: Holds a steady gig for the next five months at a little known dive on Homer Street in Downtown Vancouver called the Marine Club with the Aaron Hardie Quartet where Chris is able to put into practice what he has been learning at the college over the last few years.
November: Forms Iridium Publishing to organize Chris's growing catalog of pop songs, jazz compositions, and later, choral arrangements.
December: Aids in the formation of a band for Mark Berube and co produces his first disc titled Fire in the Blue.
2000:
January: Second release on Iridium Records is the Dramatic Adrift disc Nothing Personal featuring Chris and Jon Leeson playing all of the instruments with Matthew Rogers engineering.
Joins a fledgling dot com startup called Mega Site Software. The concept is sound and ahead of its time merging global reach with local relevance and content. The project dies before the end of the year due to lack of funding. Chris learns many important business concepts and marketing and branding ideas from this experience.
Studies drum set with Dylan van der Schyff. Dylan reveals several insights that help to solidify Chris's thinking about playing jazz. Dylan recommends that Chris focus on playing with people he gets along with rather than trying to "find the better players to play with" in order to improve as is often recommended by other jazz "professors" at Capilano College.
February: Helps form band for Amalia Townsend and co produces her debut self-titled disc.
March: Formally enters the Vancouver Afro-Caribbean music scene as a freelancing bass guitarist grabbing gigs with Ache Brasil. Reconnects with Nick Apivor.
July: Reforms Dramatic Adrift with Jon Leeson playing bass guitar, Ras Contractor playing lead guitar, and Chris playing drum set.
September: Skips school and records three bass tracks for Ache Brasil alongside Randall Stoll, Budge Schachte, and Nick Apivor at Riverside Studios with the fearsome bassist Rick Kilburn producing and closely watching his every move.
October: While continuing music studies, Chris also takes advantage of the opportunity to study basic web design and programming at Capilano College.
November: Starts his journey through Afro-Cuban and Salsa music with Marlin Ramzzini Orquesta thanks to Nick Apivor's recommendation. Most gigs are in Whistler and pay $100 per person. This being the peak skiing season, $100 does not cover a hotel room let alone a meal, and so he and fellow musician Davidian Chorley often brave the snowy and slippery two and a half hour drive back to Vancouver usually arriving at 5 AM.
December: At the end of the year, completes his first contract as a cruise ship musician onboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's [RCCL] Grandeur of the Seas with the Rosie Sosa Latin Quartet.
2001:
March: For a short while, gets involved in show promotions at the Purple Onion and forms the production company Elemental MusicWorks to support his pursuits. Iridium Records and Iridium Publishing are reorganized under the Elemental MusicWorks banner as parent company.
April: Records Sarah Marshall's debut album at the infamous The Factory studios in Vancouver.
Summer: Completes second contract as cruise ship musician, this time onboard the RCCL ship Explorer of the Seas with the Eduardo's Latin Trio. The rather banal tunes he plays is a great opportunity for Chris to concentrate on making his bass guitar playing technique as efficient as possible. Chris meets someone special.
September: Chris takes a class with Mark Battersby in Critical Thinking. His teaching and the content have a profound effect on Chris's thinking.
October: Begins to think more seriously about the teaching field after a chat with a good friend in the foyer of the Capilano College music department.
2002:
May: Graduates from Capilano College with a Bachelor of Music degree, a Diploma in Jazz Studies, and a Certificate in Online Publishing.
Summer: Completes third and final contract as a cruise ship musician, this time onboard the RCCL ship Voyager of the Seas with his own Grupo Candela featuring ex-Painted Blank bandmate Matthew Rogers on guitars and drum machine (!) and Ricardo Khayatte on lead vocals and keyboards.
August: Applies for and enrolls in the Teacher Education program at the University of British Columbia. With the magic of technology, he registers for his courses online after leaving the port city of Cozumel, Mexico cruising the cerulean sea at eighteen knots.
December: Begins recording the Dramatic Adrift disc Catharsis Theory for release on Iridium Records.
2003:
April: Before the conclusion of practicum, St Thomas More Collegiate hires Chris to establish a music department. Over the next five years, his duties would include coordinating music education, directing choral studies, and conducting the Collegiate Chorale, Twelfth Avenue Vocal Jazz, and the Voices Utopia Chamber Choir [VUCC].
May: Following a year of intensive coursework, and after a successful practicum working with Greg Quan, Dave Fromager, Chris bids farewell to the many fine student-musicians at RC Palmer Secondary School in Richmond, BC.
July: Begins recording Brave Waves project with Joe McDonald and Neelamjit Singh Dhillon at Gordon Breckenridge's Dreamtheory studios.
September: A few days into his teaching career, several guys ask Chris to help them start a badminton team. He consents to aid them in their quest if they agreed to convince four other guys to join the choir. A deal is made: Chris learns how to coach [even gets certified!] and play the game [the last time he played was in elementary school!], and the choirs enjoy singing with a balanced group ever since.
November: Chris earns a Bachelor of Education degree, certification from the BC College of Teachers, and the Don Wright Scholarship in Instrumental Music Education for that year.
2004:
January: Chris continues to freelance in the Vancouver music scene while teaching full time. He forms the Common Themes projects dedicated to bringing together musical friends and associates to perform and record his original music.
Records the first disc in the Common Themes series with Nick Apivor, Budge Schachte, Davidian Chorley, and his old band teacher on drum set, Larry Olson.
He joins the Jubilate! Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr J Scott Goble.
June: Chris performs on Shaw Cable's Urban Rush with Sarah Marshall.
July: Records the second disc in the Common Themes series with Aaron Hardie, Paul Miyai, and Morgan Childs.
October: In just his second year of teaching, Chris is asked to mentor a student-teacher from the University of British Columbia. He is elated and humbled at such a task, and it turns out that the student-teacher assigned to him is none other than an old Capilano College classmate the very musically gifted Neeamjit Singh Dhillon.
2005:
April: The VUCC record their first disc.
May: Desiring to grow further intellectually and searching for different ways to effect change in music education practice leads Chris to the wonderful world of scholarship and graduate work at the University of British Columbia with Dr J Scott Goble as his mentor. He begins work on a Master of Arts degree in Music Education.
July: Chris becomes a member of the MayDay Group, a unique international community of scholars and practitioners whose purpose is to apply critical theory and critical thinking to the purposes and practices of music education, and to affirm the central importance of musical participation in human life, and thus the value of music in the general education of all people. Attends the MayDay Group Colloquium XVI and joins as webmaster for the group site.
September: Chris takes a hiatus from Jubilate! and joins the Corpus Christi College Chamber Choir under the direction of Tony Araujo.
Continues work with the MayDay Group redesigning and revamping the group website and also becomes a member of the production team for its associated eJournal called Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education.
2006:
February: Chris mentors a student-teacher from Simon Fraser University.
Attends the Called and Gifted Retreat for faculty and staff who work for the Edmund Rice Christian Brother schools of North America. Meets Al Widziewicz and shares a walk, a good conversation, and ideas on youth spirituality.
May: Size of the St Thomas More Collegiate music department necessitates hiring an additional music specialist.
The VUCC and the Collegiate Chorale both earn a gold standing from the Anaheim Heritage Music Festival.
June: Chris audits a conducting class with Dr Wayne Jeffrey at UBC. Chris adjusts his concepts of gesture following this period of study.
July: Chris performs in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival with the Benavides Brothers.
Records the third disc in the Common Themes series with Jared Burrows, Len Aruliah, and the inimitable Stan Taylor.
August: Chris receives the 2006 Dean of Education Scholarship from the University of British Columbia for his scholarly work and service to the field of music education.
Chris attends the BC Choral Federation Choral Directorship Course and studies conducting privately with John Trotter.
September: Chris guides two student-teachers this school year, one from Simon Fraser University and one from the University of British Columbia.
Begins building his guitar under renowned luthier Mike Kinal's watchful eyes and alongside other high school students taking his Guitar Building class.
October: Chris takes on the coeditorship of the British Columbia Music Educators's Journal where he is given free reign in writing wisecrack editorials and joins the executive of the British Columbia Music Educators's Association as a member-at-large.
A life changing event occurs on the celebration of his birthday.
2007:
January: Chris begins a one and a half year stint with Johnny Montuno: The John Korsrud Latin Jazz Extravagant Experience Ensemble playing every Sunday night at the Libra Room. It is with this group that Chris would develop a personal concept of latin jazz bass guitar playing, exploring several demented chords, and playing excessively in the saddest of all keys, D minor. ;)
April: The VUCC and the Collegiate Chorale participate in the Seattle Heritage Music Festival where both groups earn gold standing.
The VUCC earns the David Ouchterlony Award and the Charles and Helen Young Scholarship from the Vancouver Kiwanis Festival.
May: Performing Arts British Columbia awards VUCC first place ranking as top choir in the province in their division. This award includes a nomination to the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals National Music Festival where they earned a second place national result.
The group also competes in the Fraser Valley Kiwanis Festival where they earn a gold standing and an invitation to MusicFest Canada for the following year.
The VUCC record their second disc titled An Expedition of Faith.
June: Travels to Washington, DC to take part in MusicaSacra Colloquium XVII sponsored by the Church Music Association of America held at the Catholic University of America. At this gathering, he learns about the rich history and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church's sacred liturgical music: Gregorian Chant and Renaissance Polyphony. Chris also takes the opportunity to study with chironomy with chant scholar Scott Turkington. Upon his return to Vancouver, Chris continues his investigation of chant and chironomy with Fr Lawrence Donnelly and the St Jude Schola Cantorum.
Reconnects with a special someone he met while working on the Explorer of the Seas in 2001 and travels to the San Francisco Bay Area to meet, again!
September: Following a strong desire to learn about his roots and to share these explorations with other young people, Chris forms the Kaisahan Voice Ensemble, a community chamber choir dedicated to exploring choral music written or arranged by Filipino composers, and compositions inspired by Philippine history, culture, and society.
October: Chris is selected to join the Edmund Rice Active Contemplative Committee to form community with a number of like-minded laity working in schools all over North America inspired by the charism and philosophies of Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers. He begins to conduct informal research in order to develop a personal philosophy of education based on Edmundian principles.
2008:
January: A moment of joy for Chris as a former student-musician from RC Palmer becomes his fifth student-teacher. This same person is selected to succeed Chris as director of choral studies at St Thomas More Collegiate during Chris's sabbatical year.
April: The VUCC earn the Jean Beaty Memorial Scholarship from the Vancouver Kiwanis Festival.
May: The VUCC and the Collegiate Chorale travel to Ottawa to compete at MusicFest Canada where they earn a gold standing. Chris has fond memories of this particular trip and considers it the pinnacle of his teaching career thus far. He recalls that some eleven years back, he participated in this very festival as a high school student-musician.
With all of the successes and blessings he and his choirs have received in the competitive arena, he is always reminded of the origins of the word competition: to strive and to seek, together.
The Kaisahan Voice Ensemble are featured on CBC Radio One/Early Edition Asian Heritage Month special titled Under the Radar: From Manila to Metro Vancouver.
July: Chris is on faculty as small ensemble coach with the South Delta Jazz Workshop led by Jared Burrows. He is honoured to work with young musicians in a capacity other than being their immediate school teacher.
August: Chris completes his tenure as coeditor of the British Columbia Music Educator's Journal.
Chris completes building his guitar.
Chris performs in Festival Vancouver with the Benavides Brothers.
Chris releases the Common Themes series on Iridium Records.
As a recipient of a Tuition Scholarship, Chris relocates to the Bay Area in Northern California to pursue a Master of Theological Studies in Liturgical Studies degree at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley [JSTB]. While studying, he is also serving the community as Liturgical Music Coordinator.
Chris also receives a Professional Development Grant from the British Columbia Arts Council to study classical North Indian/Hindustani music at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.
September: Chris joins the Philippine Saringhimig Singers as bass singer under the direction of George Hernandez.
October: Chris studies conducting with Jonathan Velasco of the Ateneo Chamber Singers.
November: Chris is hired as Choir Director at St Albert the Great Catholic Church in Alameda, CA.
Chris proposes to his sweetheart Pialeen Morales Vela on United States Thanksgiving Day, 27 November 2008. She says "Yes!"
2009:
March: Collaborates with classmates from JSTB on a parish mission for the Catholic community of Most Holy Trinity parish in San Jose, California. Using the performing arts, in general, and music, in particular, as a backdrop and soundtrack to our lives a creative endeavor, two months in the planning and making, is conceived and brought to life. Chris presents his first parish mission talk entitled Beyond the Heart of Worship.
Officially resigns as Music Department Chair and Director of Choral Studies at St Thomas More Collegiate completing five years of service.
April: Chris is hired by Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley to serve as Director of Campus Ministry starting in August of 2009.
While elated, Chris notices eerie similarities and interesting parallels between this school and his previous place of employ:
Both schools are independent non-diocesan Catholic schools;
St Thomas More Collegiate's acronym is STMC, Saint Mary's College High School is StMC(HS);
St Thomas More Collegiate is operated by the Christian Brothers [CFC, Edmund Rice Christian Brothers], Saint Mary's College High School is operated by the Christian Brothers [FSC, Brothers of the Christian Schools];
St Thomas More Collegiate is staffed by three Christian Brothers [CFC], Saint Mary's College High School is also staffed by three Christian Brothers [FSC];
St Thomas More Collegiate operates under the President and Principal model of governance, Saint Mary's College High School also operates under the President and Principal model of governance;
St Thomas More Collegiate has two patrons: Saint Thomas More and Blessed Edmund Rice, Saint Mary's College High School has two patrons: Saint Mary and Saint John Baptist de La Salle;
St Thomas More Collegiate is located right on the border of Burnaby and New Westminster, BC, Saint Mary's College High School is located right on the border of Albany and Berkeley, CA;
St Thomas More Collegiate opened its doors in the Sixties [September 1960], Saint Mary's College High School opened its doors in the Sixties [August 1863];
St Thomas More Collegiate went co-educational in the Nineties [September 1998], Saint Mary's College High School went co-educational in the Nineties [August 1995];
and, both schools's colours are ... red and white!
June: Completes a Level One/Beginner's Guitar Craft Course led by Robert Fripp, Luciano Pietrafesa (tai chi and guitar buddy), Martin Schwutke (guitar buddy), Leonardo Requejo (guitar buddy), Sandra Bain Cushman (alexander technique), Brad Stoller (alexander technique), and Frank Sheldon (himself). Another life changing event: new insights and knowledge need time to be properly comprehended. He will start with learning how to walk again, to stand again, to sit again, to pay more attention, to be more aware, to recognize and appreciate silence, to practice alternate and cross picking, and to give, give, and ... give.
Completes his Curricular Practical Training as Director of Music at St Albert the Great Catholic Church.
Travels back to the Philippines after nearly 15 years away. Reconnecting with his ancestry and Filipino heritage, he realizes that Philippine culture has so much to offer the world. In particular, he begins examining the work of national hero and polymath Jose Rizal and philosopher and theologian Michael Moga.
August: Begins work as Director for Campus Ministry at Saint Mary's College High School. Becomes initiated into the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
September: Completes his tenure contributing four years of service as webmaster for the MayDay Group website and continues as a member of the production team for the group's eJournal Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education.
November: Chris earns his Master of Education in Music Education degree. He asks UBC to mail it to him. Upon reflection, he realizes that the credentials really don't matter to him as much as the journey, the friends encountered, and the knowledge gained. Chris sees the role that formal education plays in his life: ultimately the knowledge gained is not merely to be held in the recesses of what remains of the storage space that is his brain, but is meant to be shared with as many people in a humble and charitable way.
2010:
January: After a debilitating week and a half recovering from H1N1, Chris immediately gets to work on writing and arranging the choral music for his wedding mass.
April: During Easter break from Saint Mary's College High School, Chris sets to work on completing his Master of Theological Studies synthesis project entitled: "Toward Theological Foundations and Frameworks for Liturgical Music and Music Ministry in the Catholic Church." Over the course of 7 days at an average of 16 hours a day, going to sleep at 4 AM and rising at 10 AM, he completes his project culminating in 74 pages of written work. His advisors, Alejandro Garcia-Rivera of the Jesuit School of Theology and George Anton Emblom at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific approve his project.
May: Chris earns his Master of Theological Studies in Liturgy degree. The whirlwind graduation weekend begins with a Baccalaureate Mass in the Gesu Chapel where, for the first time, Chris sits with the assembly to participate and pray as a "person in the pew," so to speak. Janet Sullivan Whitaker leads the music ministry and sings a song based on the Ignatian prayer Suscipe during the post-communion meditation that Chris wrote for the Jesuit School of Theology community. At precisely the moment she began to sing, an intense beam of sunlight shone through the window and bathed Chris in warmth and light. He closes his eyes, savors the moment, and realizes that God put him where God needed him to be. Amen.
June: Christopher Joseph Rivera Trinidad is married to Pialeen Morales Vela at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA in the presence of God, family, and friends. The Saringhimig Singers accompany the mass with Chris's choral music. The reception is held at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton, CA. Shortly thereafter, Chris and Pia whisk away to Barcelona to board the Brilliance of the Seas for a Twelve Night Mediterranean Cruise bringing full circle their initial meeting in the Caribbean on the Explorer of the Seas some nine years ago. He thinks to himself that he should have written to Royal Caribbean and to Facebook asking them to be the primary corporate sponsors for the reception.
