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saturday, january 27
Thanks for the e-card, Cyn... uh-huh... yeah! =)
3:57 AM
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friday, january 26
Thank you Kaycee! Oh yeah, I'm feelin' the virtual luv today! =)
2:33 PM
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if i could only be there...
"When you go out into the real world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together."
---Robert Fulghum
ack in my childhood days, I felt so free, just riding my bicycle all around Coronado. Funny
how I can never get back to those carefree days, well... perhaps in my mind I can always
go back there, playing beneath clear, blue skies and summer breezes.
I was touched by a Beatles song the other day. And thinking about my happy childhood days,
I sort of "lost it" when I began to dwell on these words:
Once there was a way
to get back homeward,
once there was a way
to get back home,
sleep pretty darling do not cry,
and I will sing a lullaby.
Golden slumbers fill your eyes,
smiles await you when you rise,
sleep pretty darling do not cry,
and I will sing a lullaby.
Lennon-McCartney (from Abbey Road)
| sensory |
mood: melancholy
music: golden slumbers
cuisine: ice cream
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I guess I feel melancholy thinking that I can never go back to my childhood. I suppose now it
is only a collection of thoughts and feelings someplace in my mind.
There was a web page I recently came upon that had the popular work by Robert Fulghum,
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. There's just something about this
literary work that gets to me. About how he mentioned that
"wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain,
but there in the sand pile at Sunday School."
Yes, I remember kindergarten as being a moment of
"awakening", of learning to share, and play, and make friends, and to take naps.
In our fast-paced, corporate world of high-speed information and incredible technology,
it helps to somehow get back to that
"sandbox" in kindergarten and in our own way, just appreciate the moment. For it seems that
when we were kids we truly lived "in the moment" because we really didn't have a care in the
world back then. We need to all get into that mindset every once in a while, to find that
kind of peace that was there.
Well, I suppose there was an innocence back in kindergarten, when we all would hold hands and
sing songs. And we'd revel in the simpler things in life, and the days seemed to pass by a lot more slowly... I miss kindergarten.
The photo above is a street in Coronado.
Remarkably, this view hasn't
changed much since my childhood days. Everything about Coronado hasn't really changed much
in the past several decades... amazing. To this day, Coronado still seems to retain its
small town charm.
Hmmm... it sounds like I'm due for another trip to that enchanted island. Maybe I'll go
back this weekend, perhaps on Sunday.
By the way, thank you Cyn for wishing
me a happy birthday. Today is the day, so you caught me just in time.
2:37 AM
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wednesday, january 24
your spirit moves me
"Come on in; the water's fine. He who hesitates is lost. He who chooses
life is found."
---das energi
he above quote really strikes a chord with me.
Whenever I do my gig with Donnie at
Valentino's,
the band (consisting of keyboards, guitar and drums) usually performs 3 to 4 instrumental songs
before Donnie gets up to sing. It's funny about some singers... they need to mentally prepare
themselves before getting in front of the audience to sing. Maybe it's just different with
instrumentalists like me. I'm eager to get up there and play some music. I live for it.
But I suppose there's more pressure for the "front man" to perform.
| sensory |
mood: mystical
music: heavy metal
cuisine: filipino
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So, when the moment comes when Donnie has to get up on stage and sing, it's almost as if there's
a bit of tension and nervousness about him. And I usually tease him by saying, "come on up,
Donnie, the water's fine!"
Well, there's a lesson to be learned from the above quote... that it's important to "live
life", whatever situation you're in... live life to its fullest. Never hesitate, and just go
for it...
The above photo was taken at home while looking out my window and into the dusk. The sun only
came out very late in the afternoon or early evening, when it was on its final descent toward
the horizon.
It had been raining today
and it was dark and cold. and it seems I can't quite escape the coldness of this winter.
And it's more
of an effort to keep warm this winter than in previous ones. But I've been drinking lots of
hot herbal teas to keep warm. And there's always decaf coffee at night. I'm already looking forward to the spring.
9:10 PM
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tuesday, january 23
the spirit of love
"Listen to no one who tells you how to love. Your love is like no other and
that is what makes it beautiful."
---das energi
his photo was taken high on a hill near my home.
I've been inspired to take some photographs again. It really feels good to get into that
mood to "capture" images with the digital camera. Well, providing one has the time, of course.
This morning I met my mother's best friend from high school. Imagine, being able to get in
touch with a long lost friend after 50 years! So, my mother is showing her around San Diego
this week, and of course, they're borrowing my
SUV to go to Las Vegas.
I really love the quote on Kaycee's
blog. You'll have to go there and read it. And congratulations, Kaycee,
for becoming an "aunt" for the first time!
| sensory |
mood: mellow
music: brahms
cuisine: chocolate
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Pat's camera work while in
New York City and Las Vegas is trŽ cool! Makes me want to travel somewhere special this year.
We're planning on taking a trip to Europe this summer for sure. It would be a long awaited
journey. We just don't know whether to go to Paris, Florence, or Venice.
By the way, Kaycee, bless
you for the special link to my site. My site stats have skyrocketed today because of you. I'm
definitely feeling the virtual love today!
9:19 PM
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monday, january 22
the beauty of your smile
"You smile and the world changes."
---a zen proverb
posted the above quote before, but I really like its simplicity and truth.
It was my Dad's birthday today, and I ended up spending much of the day with him. We worked out
a deal in which he agreed to buy me new tires for my
SUV, and I could let him borrow it for a
week. We figured that the money he'd spend on leasing a large SUV for that length of time would cost
about the same amount, so why not keep it in the family?
We went to the nearest Sears Roebuck and while we were waiting for the tires to be installed we
hung out at the mall in UTC. We spent a considerable amount of time looking at power tools and
then we went to a nearby Burger King for some burgers... same ol' Dad!
I gave him a birthday
card with a pretty good sum of money for gambling in Las Vegas, where he'd be going this week.
| sensory |
mood: philosophical
music: "downtown"
cuisine: pizza
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My Dad loves to gamble, but he keeps it under control. Yesterday, however, he got lucky and
won $379.00 at Viejas Casino! That's a nice birthday present. Hope he wins big in Vegas. I
think he goes there once a month.
The above photo is another one from Coronado. It's at the old Ferry Landing. Behind the camera's
view is San Diego Bay and a view of downtown. This one was also taken on MLK Day with my family.
9:23 PM
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sunday, january 21
three white balloons
"Look deep into yourself and KNOW who you really are. Be who you are and live what
you know."
---an old zen saying
he weekend was another busy one for me.
Friday night the band played the
Juke Joint again. A lot of people I know came down. I had fair warning that some of these
friends would be down for dinner when I received an email from one of them.
It was like old times and I was very happy!
Even one of my cousins came down with his girlfriend. And a few musicians with whom I work with
in other bands were there... the guitarist with whom I work with at Valentino's was there with
his wife. And a great bassist, Cecil McBee, Jr. (son of the great jazz bassist, Cecil McBee, Sr.)
came up out of nowhere to greet us onstage with a hug. It was a really fun night and I was exhausted afterwards from all the
attention, the excitement and just playing jazz music. Lots of hugs that night!
Saturday at 11AM we attended the 1 year death anniversary of my brother-in-law
. There was the traditional Catholic mass, and it was a little strange having it at my
parents' house. There were a lot of people, some from L.A. too. And lots and lots of food which
was provided by a caterer. I got a chance to get re-acquainted with lots of my cousins who have
children of their own now. I can't keep up with all the nieces and nephews who are growing up
fast.
The gig Saturday night at
Valentino's
just keeps getting better and better. It was packed last night and we had a nice responsive
audience. And people were dancing to our music which was surprising because there's really no
dance floor. People just got up from their tables and found whatever space they could to dance.
It was great.
The above photo was taken on Coronado Island last Monday at sunset. The family and I decided to
take a drive to my old childhood "stomping grounds" and we visited two parks, and the beach near
the Hotel Del Coronado. It was a beautiful day yet cold, especially for going to the beach. But
it was really beautiful that day. It was worth it.
Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. She died from breast cancer 12 years ago. Our tradition
is to have a family party as if she were still alive. She would've been 70 years old this year.
Ever since my two sons and their closest cousin were toddlers, we would buy three
white helium-filled balloons with white string. On my mother-in-law's birthday, the three little
boys would release the balloons into the air and we would watch them go up and up, until we
could no longer see them. It has been a symbolic gesture, and we would tell the little boys that
those balloons would reach their grandmother up in heaven, and then she would know that we didn't
forget her birthday.
My mother-in-law was well-loved, and to this day we miss her dearly. She was an "excellent"
cook, the sweetest person you ever knew, and very close to her three daughters. This day is
dedicated to her.
8:44 PM
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