Lovely and so warm

the blend between a log and a craftsman home makes this earthy, inviting and pleasing home design of Jesse's family home a sight to see

The Cherry tree

Jesse told us that when they were little (all three kids) they would always climb it and swing on its branches. But now she is old and probably her twigs are fragile,just appreciating her pink blooms will suffice.

young mick ...satisfaction

shine a light trailer

SHINE A LIGHT ( MIND BLOWING DOCUMENTARY)

A true adrenaline rush. A panacea for the ailing soul. It's Scorsese, it's in New York City and man it is the Rolling Stones!!! Hard knock rock and roll. That Jagger in his 60's gyrating his teeny abs and tight ass. The acoustics and banging of drums and electric guitar from Watts, Richards and Wood. The scandalous words and eclectic tunes. Sexy Aguilera, blues and grass baron Buddy Guy and mesmerized fan himself; vocalist and guitarist Jack White added more hype to the already magnified sweat profused arena of stones music. I was hooked from the start. Yeaaahhhhh there will never be satisfaction. MORE of the STONES please.

the soulful Keith Richards

your not so ordinary grandpa rockstar

Sir Michael Phillip MICK JAGGER

whoa so talented christina aguilera

all for dance and rock and roll

oh yeah!

the not so final bow

another 60 years of stones????
Mick Jagger on vocals
Keith Richards on lead guitar
Ronnie Wood on bass guitar
and Charlie Watts on drums

moon over manhattan

And those lips that shines over Manhattan

proverbial bliss to end a Scorsese musical masterpiece on film

Nathaniel Ayers, Steve Lopez and a woven twist of Life

NATHANIEL AYERS AND HIS LOVE FOR THE ONLY THING HE KNOWS...HIS MUSIC

Life; as Shakespeare in his sonnets praise...

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments.
Love is not love
Which alters when alteration finds

best foretells the life of two very different beings, whose lives suddenly had intertwined.

I was driving back home from work and as always, I listen to NPR(national public radio:www.npr.org) at 3 in the afternoon for Terry Gross' show " Fresh Air" and today I thought was rather mundane, with Terry not doing the show and another book to be discussed, reviewed and overviewed. I was wrong. Steve Lopez, a journalist of the L.A. times, who now writes mostly from Skid Row had the most amazing story I have ever heard this month. ( I hear mind-boggling stories often, anecdotes of ordinary heroes and ordinary miracles)But, this one episode is an exception for now. It was by accident that Mr. Lopez passed by a homeless guy, in his 50's playing music on his violin, tattered, old; two string violin. That was the ultimate clincher. As Steve described his amusement, the music from a two string violin is not as bad as 4 string violins must be and should be. Yes, it was rustic, probably there were off shoot notes but you hear it and its melody purely encrypted in what we may say in lay man's term, within the heart of a musical genius. The friendship began. Lopez the headstrong, tough paper writer and the black compassionate crooner of a Master Composer ( he plays his violin on one part of the street as he told Lopez, that he plays for the statue on the other side of the road which happens to be that of Beethoven)that is, Ayers. The story between these two surpass any precipice of boredom. Their constant meeting gets more interesting by the second as I traverse the bottle necked FDR Drive. My favorite parts were; when Ayers had to play at the Disney Hall designed by Frank Gehry and Lopez described it like a metal schooner on sail ( i so agree, the architect is a fluid virtuoso of concrete and steel), when Ayers called Itzhak Perlman a molten lava on strings and when the life of Ayers was being shot in film ( Jamie Foxx plays Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as Steve Lopez)in Disney Hall; as Lopez picked up Ayers from the street to watch the highlight of the film being shot, with all these big stars in, Ayers chose to stay outside of Disney Hall and play his cello for he was just in this music that is in his head and he could not stop. Lopez crossed the street, talked to director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) and became an audience to the soloist...which happens to be the title of this movie.
The Soloist is also Lopez's biography which profoundly details his life and that of Ayers as nature had her purpose of crossing their paths in perfect time. Ayers was once a student of the prestigious Juilliard School but had to leave on his 3rd year due to schizophrenia and thus spiraled into a life of doubt, mental apathy and turmoil, even depression to that of being homeless. In a way, Ayers almost drained the now big brother Lopez that he almost gave up on him. Thank God that Lopez did not.
The love of Lopez to his craft met a crossroad,tempted in choosing an easy path of venturing to another career. Ayers made him stay, it was Lopez's healing. Ayers helped him reflect on his inner purpose and greater calling. Writing was, is and will be Steve's maniacal vow with all its subtlety. As for Ayers, Steve professed that despite what we can all see as unstable and probably inherent aggravation related to his illness, Ayers' notes, his violin and cello street performances are the only things that keep him still and unchanged. Ayers' music stays and everyone will have a chance to listen to what his strings are saying. Be it only two.

Please visit this site to hear Ayers music on the street:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-skidrow-nathaniel-series,0,1456093.special

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2008

April 22nd is always Earth Day! In fact we must celebrate it every single day. The Lorax has been gone too long UNLESS, we all would do our collective effort and will; to make this world the most beautiful place to live in. It comes with less pollution, less footprint, less harm to species great and small, and probably the most crucial thing of all...zero emission from fossil fuels.

Paoay Church by Danilo Pangan...close up

With Danilo's sister Ms. Eugenia Pangan-David

More of Danilo Pangan's work

Artist Danilo Pangan- behind him is "Jose Rizal's ancestral home"

Regarding Mr. Danilo Pangan

(Making the best deal with Filipino Painter/World Class Artist Mr. Dan Pangan...swerte and humbled to acquire a masterpiece hi hi hi)(Paoay Church-oil and acrylic on canvas with wood carving)

The artist hones his work with love for his filipino roots and passion for nature that surrounds him. Embellished homes of wood carved into indigenous fruits, trees and plants portrays a vellum hovering the central pieces of his work. Danilo Pangan opened his show on October 9 2007 at the Lobby of the Philippine Embassy along 5th avenue in Manhattan, New York City. He was well received, admired for his non-incredulous voyage of tint, hue, line, curve and detail. The churches and filipino ancestral homes that he paints come alive from a window view; also a part of the work's composition. The most dramatic nudge of his work were the wood carvings he installed within the canvas. Danilo pays attention to each detail of a pineapple, leaves of banana trees and the subtle dance of papaya trees. An old rocking chair with woven backs of raffia or abaca strings matches the decorative vases inside a home that is across Rizal's ancestral abode. Mr. Pangan's sister Ms. Gene Pangan- David constantly makes one feel that each piece is a perfect gift for a love one, a close friend, a family and will complement any home. Ms. David takes care of her younger brother while he does his show in both the east and west coast of the united states. The experience is a once in a lifetime blessing. A sudden quick turn in my universally "trying to reallign it life"...and it's all for good. This is one reason why I am so proud of being a Pinay and a true blooded filipino. It is because of people like Mr. Dan Pangan who pushes his passion for world class status based on his love for his filipino roots and culture.

Nessun dorma...sweet dreams Luciano

(Luciano Pavarotti:tenor, was born in 1935 in Modena,Italy and died on September 6, 2007 at his place of birth,he was 71 years old).

Synonymous to his perfect rendition of Puccini's Turandot...the maestro's singing in elation of Nessun Dorma (no one sleeps) is perfection. Honestly, no one dares to top such performance. All of his 71 years were lived fully and at his most passionate venue...singing. I have never seen an opera on stage. The first time I heard an opera song was watching the movie "The mirror has two faces" with Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges. The scene was; Jeff wanted to win Barbra back so he took a cab to Park Avenue (my first film to really appreciate Manhattan)and she (Streisand) realized how much she loves him, she decided to meet him with her pj's on, kissed Jeff in the middle of Park Avenue while a guy in the building ( who saw them smooching) started playing a vinyl record of...yep, Nessun dorma and I fell in love with the song right away. Of course it was a Pavarotti and this was ten years ago.

To this day songs from Turandot, La Boheme, Tosca, Carmen (none of these i have seen, but have listened to) creates not only ripples but an unaccountable number of pangs of desire, pain,compassion and joy rolled in to one. This is what an opera song can do to me. I can't wait until I attend my first opera, hopefully this spring of 2008.

The maestro taught me to linger through his songs which language I could not even understand. The son of a baker who dreamed only of one thing...to melt our hearts away through his ethereal voice.Luciano Pavarotti may sleep forever but his resounding music and expression of true art never dies.