Thursday, July 31, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!!


Joyeux anniversaire!! P.O

Happy 35th Birthday :) PJB

Happy Birthday, tu souffles sur une bougie de plus! -- A.D

Happy 18th Birthday :) -- E.K

oh ma cherie, comment passes-tu ton anniversaire? -- H.A

I just noticed it's your birthday today, I hope you have fun tonight!! -- S.M

Happy Birthday and best wishes!! -- Neal & Cliff

Je te souhaite également un joyeux anniversaire.bisou-- Kikes

Hey Happy Birthday, doing anything fun? -- KK

Joyeux anniversaire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Je t'appelle ce soir. -- A.N.

Patricia, Joyeux anniversaire, tu vieillis!! -- K.S

Many Happy returns of the day Patricia -- PK

Tu parles, j'avais completement oublie. Happy Birthday to you.-- FES

J'attendais ton coup de fil, tu sais que c'est toi qui nous rappelle tjrs notre anniversaire!! -- J.S.

Don't eat, we're taking you out!--F.S

I got you a card, Happy Birthday!! And the card reads:
We can't choose each person who makes up our family
But our family is lucky in one unique way
And that's having someone as special as you are
to think of so warmly on your special day!

Happy Birthday

LOVE,

A.S.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

John Carlos and Tommie Smith enlightened me


Until recently I still couldn't really grasp the reasons behind the anger that some African Americans have against their counterparts White until I watched some snapshots, during the ESPYS awards, of what John Carlos and Tommie Smith went through in their prime years. Smith and Carlos got respectively Gold and Bronze medals for their track records at the 1968 Mexico city Olympics. As the American national anthem was playing, they raised their fists toward the sky, which was depicted as being the black power salute, but explained by them as being the denouncement of racial inequality in the US. The gesture got them kicked out of the games, they lost their jobs and nearly their family. With Death threats sent their way, they had to fight for their lives. And today 40 years later, they received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award which is given to people whose "contributions transcend sports" to quote Beth Harris from the Oxford Press.

The images accompanying the journalist's narration of the events almost created in me a flow of anger towards the injustice that African American had to endure. The last time I remember entertaining such feelings was 11 years ago I went to watch the movie "A Dry White Season" from a book of the same name by Andre Brink about the Apartheid in South Africa. It's been nearly two decades that apartheid was abolished in South Africa and four decades since the Mexico "incident", the pain and humiliation is still fresh in a lot of minds, the wound has been healed but the scar is left as a reminder of the past.

However, should we cling to that past? How would being angry at the White guy/gal advance us? How would rebellion against the "White" system (dads and uncles in jail, drugs on the streets, teen pregnancies, irresponsible moms bringing up irresponsible kids, education forgone etc...) help us achieve our true potential?
Wouldn't it be more beneficial for the previous, current and next generation to come to embrace a peaceful non rancorous approach that would not only completely heal us as a nation but also unite us as one people? 40 Years 's indeed too short, but how long should it take?
Today, John Carlos and Tommie Smith effigies stand up in San Jose State University in remembrance of that day, of those days.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Saltimbanco was in town!!


It had been a almost two decades since the last time I went to a circus. Last Saturday was a chance for me to get reacquainted. Circus had always been something I enjoyed watching especially on TV (back in the days when our national TV station would fill up the program with such selection). Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco honored our town with their presence. I was quite surprised not see any children at the show. Mostly adults coming to have a good time.
- They had a musical band that would accompany the choreographers.
- A silent 'soliloquy' (if that makes any sense at all): we, the audience, could follow the protagonist going through a door, locking himself up, fighting for air as water flowing down from a malfunctioning toilet was drowning, finally having s.o come to rescue him, all of this in a virtual staging w/ no real physical doors, water or toilet.
- The juggler had an impressive number too. He could juggle up to 7 balls as fast as 1.75miles/hr (wild guess, but it sure felt like it).
-The acrobats were the most lauded by the audience. They would hold each other with their ankles while swinging 150 feet (made up number but definitely felt like it) up in the air.
I mostly enjoyed the band and their music selection: a jazzy/souly moist kind of style. The soloist had an amazing voice well underlined by the 'Lion King' performance theme .

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Thank you note

I'm distractedly listening to Bobby Womack playing in the background. It's a saturday evening, it had heavily rained in the morning keeping me from doing any outdoor activity notedly going to Walmart. We're about to go to a family picnic organized by our little community here. And I'm thinking about some milestones in my life: my career, my family, my future and I marveled at the special attention the Man upstairs has always carried my way. I'm thinking about years back when I was working two jobs: One full time and one part time, struggling to pay for school tuition that I was attending full time. No time to reflect on things around me. And today I can afford to stay home the weekend, relax, read, travel (in and out the US) and compose some articles like this one. My family is always there for me. My future is undoubtedly shiny and shinier. All of this I owe it to you Big Guy. I owe you the wisdom you have imparted me: the wisdom to stay focus and the wisdom to make wise and wiser choices. Faith Hill, "There you'll be", is now playing. It's dedication to you my God, my Love, my Everything.

Thank you!

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