saturday, march 3

friday, march 2

America Is In The Heart

the lake lay blue below the hill,
o'er it, as I looked there flew
across the waters, cold and still,
a bird whose wings were palest blue.

the sky above was blue at last,
the sky beneath me blue in blue,
a moment, ere the bird had passed,
it caught his image as he flew.
---Mary Coleridge, 1861-1907


he day has been a bit peaceful so far. I normally take it easy on days when I perform. Well, at least I try to save some energy for later on. Even though it's something I look forward to, the days in which I have gigs are rather long. And I usually don't have the luxury of sleeping till noon during consecutive nights.

This morning I took my father-in-law to the doctor's again. This time just for a brief check-up following his minor surgery yesterday. He says it went well. Now he's ready to recuperate and prepare for his trip back to the Philippines, where he's going to reside permanently. He's done this before, and he came back. Yes, he's had issues with America. At times he proclaims that he doesn't like it here. Naturally, he was born and raised in the Philippines.

Hmmm... it's as if there exists a love/hate relationship with America among older Filipinos. I noticed some of the older Filipino men have proclaimed that. And I always say, you don't have to live here.

sensory  mood: somewhat uplifted  music: various classical  food: pasta primavera

I find it sad that people develop a general concensus about a nation, as if it's one person. There are many people from all walks of life living in America nowadays. No country's perfect, but I guess a country that's touted to be the "land of milk and honey" to many immigrants is bound to be looked upon with resentment, once people find that there are problems here like anywhere else.

Sure, America has its many faults. But I think the best assets outweigh those faults. And many people still want to come here for the opportunities, for the American dream, for the need to live a better life than they could in their third world homeland.

It's sad that I'm usually singled out because I was born and raised here. Older Filipino "gentlemen" have come up to me and told me to my face that "you Americans are uneducated and lazy". Yes, on a whole, education in the U.S. is behind compared to many other nations. But regardless, I thought the way these older "gentlemen" approached me was totally out-of-line. There's a kind of irony in the situation, and why come to me? Of course, I admit to the fact that I'm no scholar, but I believe I'm a reasonable human being, who's reasonably intelligent. There are many bright, scholarly individuals here in America. But the main thing is that they're missing the point. America is a melting pot. Everyone has roots and ancestry elsewhere! In the short history of this country, everyone can see that we are all immigrants.

I'm not bitter about people stereo-typing me and Americans in general. I just find it sad, and to me, America is just another place in which to live, just one part of this world in which to call home. It is my home, and I don't know of any other. But the bottom line is what Carlos Bulosan says in his book's title, "America Is In The Heart".

thursday, march 1

wednesday, february 28

tuesday, february 27

monday, february 26

sunday, february 25

support the arts

"Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open. You're able to benefit from the unique viewpoints of others, without being crippled by your own judgment."
---Ralph Marston

f you're one of my good friends reading this, and live in San Diego, please consider coming down to the Juke Joint to check out the band and say hello. I'll be so ever grateful. My band performs this coming Saturday, March 3rd. Hope to see you there.

Well, today it rained all day. We used this as an excuse to just "vedge" at home. I did an hour's worth of yoga and it felt good. The my youngest son and I watched The Beatles Collection DVD which we bought last week. It includes extensive film footage of The Beatles first U.S. visit, launching the British Invasion. And the three Ed Sullivan Show appearances are quite memorable. "Imagine" screaming teenage girls trying to drown out the Fab Four the whole time they performed on the ESS.

After watching TV I took a long afternoon nap for about an hour, drifting off to sleep as I lay in bed looking out the window, listening to the gentle sound of the rain on my rooftop.

For dinner I braved the rain and went out to pick up some Chinese Szechuan takeout. Then the family and I watched our favorite Sunday shows on Fox: Futurama, King of the Hill, Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, and the X Files.

Even though it rained today and the weather was pretty dreary, we made due and just had a lazy, kickback day. It was nice, really. I needed the R and R. It had been a rather tough week.