"The Zen of Sarcasm"

A friend emailed me this with a greeting about the Philippines' 111th Independence Day. After some moments of indecisiveness, I finally decided to work on this post here, using the material as the post's major element. Would you care to hear more from me about this?

THE ZEN OF SARCASM

01. Do not walk ahead of me for I may not follow. Do not walk behind me for I may not lead. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

02. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

03. It is always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
04. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
05. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
06. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
07. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

08. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

09. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day .

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.


21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.


AND


22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Ako'y Sayo at Ika'y Akin (Acoustic cover) - Iaxe [literally: "I'm Yours Alone, and You are Mine Alone"]

It's in Tagalog, as everyone from the Philippines knows something about the song. It's a particularly melodious tone, played acoustic style, with lyrics that describe one's raw affectionate emotions for someone ...for 2 nights in a row, I tried to get to listen to it on YouTube. I remembered the song, after reading a friend's profile. Something was wrong with YouTube last night, but tonight, I got to listen to it, finally, gratefully.

Tears were soon flowing down my eyes. I could just cry, as memories unfolded in my mind, and I freely went along with my emotions showing. I remember my partner who's in the Philippines. I just feel so lonely, just so lonely, now that it's in the low 40s here in NYC; it's just getting colder. I know this is gonna be over soon. I know I'll be better sometime. Thank God!

Attending a Prayer Gathering On My Father's 3rd Death Anniversary

What else can I say on my Father's 3rd Death Anniversary last November 2nd, I got myself joined the following:
1) attend the Mass, as it was also a Sunday;
2) attend a prayer gathering where my friend invited me to pray and participate with other Filipino prayer devotees;
3) get to join an intimate food gathering after the prayers where we got to taste the best of Filipino home-cooked food set buffet-style at the hosts' dining table, plus
4) get myself enamored by the beautiful set-up, including floral arrangements by one of NYC's best floral designers (under Preston Bailey's event designers:(more about him?)), my friend Oscar, & the wonderful looking religious icons where we gathered around during the prayers, plus plus
5) a surprised birthday celebrant from one of those of my friends' Philip/Oscar/Lilet's inner circle in their apartment situated in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan.

Of course, this may sound so religious, yet I'm delighted to have been part of these activities. Just take it as it is. I'd just like to describe how I got myself loaded with something of the beautiful and memorable that took place on my Father's 3rd Death anniversary.

Call it "icon worship" if you feel like doing so, yet there's something very appealing at how the images look like when bedecked with awesome floral arrangements. The image of the Virgin of Fatima (more about the Virgin of Fatima?) is a faithful replica of the very image found in Portugal. Note, as well, the lighted candles which were burning in memory of those souls who have departed, still very much beloved.

The prayer gathering takes place as part of the weekly tour of 3 religious icons (representing the Crucified Christ, The Baby Jesus, [or Sto. Nino, (curious about the best known statue in Cebu, Philippines?)] the Blessed Virgin Mary) as a group that visits households mostly by Filipinos (as far as I'm aware) in NYC. The leaders must be doing this 52 times all year through, perhaps with some breaks, and which practices I noticed must have started somewhere in Mandaluyong in Metro Manila(more about this region?), the 12-million heavily populated capital region of the Philippines. The prayers, lasting nearly an hour as guided by prayer books, cover praises, lamentations, special requests, and those topics that include asking for blessings for both the Philippines and the United States. I've felt that my prayers are many times better heard whenever I get to join these prayer gatherings, every chance I got. I presume that Hispanics and other people following Catholic traditions also have their own versions, but may be attended mainly by those who belong to the same race or native background. Amen.

To Account for my Personal Learning Experiences on Gambling in Reno, Nevada!

I'm glad to have been back from my brief sojourn in Reno, Nevada,(more about Reno) to which city I'll be back every now and then, as my finances will allow this. This city is considered to be secondary to Las Vegas as the "world's gambling capital" (which can also be claimed by some other cities anywhere in the world). I've been glad to have been given more opportunities to enjoy all the other offerings that Reno has during my stay there. The results of which can be seen on the short videos I made from the pictures I took while enjoying my walks along the Truckee River, being able to be around Reno's Hot Air Balloon celebrations in the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR), being able to attend Presidential candidate Sen. Obama's speech and shake his hand (also at UNR), and being around during one of those "Street Vibrations" crazy nights where you'd see over a thousand motorcycles moving around the city, among other diversions (as Reno is far, far different from Las Vegas).

Of course, I got myself engrossed in doing some gambling. Being in Reno, apparently, exposes one, including myself to the delights and sorrows of gambling. This visit, actually is my 3rd time around being in the city. I've been previously to Las Vegas, one time, but Reno is different, in that it's got more small-town appeal, and I see a lot of regular people who look different from the place where I've lived most times here in the US (in a much, much bigger and international city, NYC).

The point of this write-up is to relate the value of the lessons I've collected from my gambling experiences, which I inadvertently gained, among others during this visit in Reno, Nevada. The circumstances of the interesting times when I was recently in Reno were that the Wall Street momentous downfall was taking place, one shock after another, while I was staying in Reno. Such mind-boggling contrasts have come into mind, as I realize I've done gambling, which to some really large extent is the kind of "gambling" done by those businessmen and investors engaged in the so-called "toxic derivatives and swaps" that have tried to bet, to wager on the monetized securities (whether they'd go up and down, and will subsequently bring in winnings and loses) backed-up by money lent by banks in the form of sub-prime housing mortgages to unknowing and less sophisticated clients (most of which, thought, would make a killing if they buy their houses now and hopefully earn big when they sell when the real estate market is going good). These failures on the stock market affect the credit grip that paralyzes those in business. Now, that's a lot of business finance concepts to gulp at this time, which are designed to be exclusive and confusing to outsiders, and MBA graduates like myself have to diligently learn and explain in our own layman's terms when we graduate. Yet, this is also to some extent, very, very similar to the kind of gambling that happens in casinos, including those wonderful looking casinos I've visited and gambled in during my stay in Reno. Some just say that in business, we are "investing," whereas in gambling, we are "losing."

I've learned to become very fascinated and attracted to these slot-machines found in these casinos, that are designed to bring out the "gambling" character in anyone, or everyone who has been into casinos. Of course, not everyone gets fascinated by casinos, and all their fancy accoutrements. I've promised myself that I'd spend up to this much amount. But I've persisted, as I was actually winning, every time I get to visit the casino. I was thinking I'd be invulnerable to the forces out there (they'd be the "house" or the casino itself, or those well meaning people around me, who'd be advising me to "take it easy.") I've also seen that my friend who'd be with me when I go to the casinos in Reno, would also be winning. But the winning stopped, and I lost as much as I have won. I was instantly back to my very same status as I started my gambling. Take note, I've used up some amount of money on slot machines, some of which I tested my intuition on, to determine if they would play my direction (but they didn't, eventually). My friend was playing poker, which was looking to be interesting to me, such that I even ventured to start learning the game, and be able to gamble some other, given opportunities.

Some psychologists and other analysts have ventured out theories why people would gamble, lose, and still would persist on gambling. Have you seen the movie "Leaving Las Vegas"?(read about the movie)
I've some emotional affiliation with the movie, even before I've gone to gambling myself. My late Father was himself an inveterate gambler (he's love to bet on horses, jai alai, etc), and he drunk a lot himself, and he smoked a lot (that have caused him lung cancer, & may God always bless his soul!), and I feel an emotional connection with him, among other things, because of this "gambling" character trait he's got, to which I've always understood I've inherited (if there is such a thing, as I'm actually a huge risk taker myself on a lot of wide range of interests, to which some close friends who know me better, have always known but may have somehow refuse of acknowledge). I've learned a lot in the process. There are really no winnings, unless one takes a risk, plus the more sober idea that goes along this way: "the higher the risks, the bigger the earnings." I think I have better analysis and more lessons to offer about the character trait than most therapists out there, or those who'd like to venture their ideas, without themselves getting into gambling themselves.

My friend and I would exchange ideas about our respective gambling experiences. The gambling experiences in Reno are designed to actually entice ordinary folks and other enthusiasts to have fun while doing gambling (which may be true as well in other gambling places). It's supposed to be a healthy diversion, just to help you focus on winning, and not in losing. I know for a fact that the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal (more about Rizal on this site!), even himself engaged in some form of small time gambling (I recall he loved to play some exotic card games that were not officially sanctioned by the Spanish authorities then, unlike what they did to "cockfighting"). There are actually professional gamblers out there. It's that inner desire to win, to make a killing, that would make you win, more than anything else. You're actually left on your own, as you are responsible for your own actions, decisions. But the great and loving God will as always help you, one way or another. Winning does indeed take place. Losing eventually happens. And one wins, one loses. And one does not stop from just being in a losing position, as one stands up from where he/she has lost, failed upon. I saw some signs actually inside the huge and wonderful looking Peppermill's (more about the hotel on this site!) ground floor casino that tells about a contact number (or could it be a name?) to call, in case you feel you'd becoming addicted to gambling. There's always help out there, apparently. But when really do we seek out help? I'm afraid I won't, until I don't see the "fear" leaving the eyes of those good-intentioned fellows, or the words being admonished towards my directions, when I talk about these gambling-related learnings and experiences. Fear apparently is a bad motivator, to some people.

I recall seeing a number of fellows who have badly lost that much amount of money as they live and work in Reno. I remember someone who was filing a bankruptcy petition, and who I was told used to own such big businesses less than a year ago, and who's now ready to go back to the state where he grew up. I saw him and his family pass by where I was seated while playing one of the slot machines in one big casino in the Grand Sierra (more about the hotel on this site!) , and I was sure they'd be hitting the games in the casino that night. And I remember one woman who's a licensed nurse, and could not get herself employed on a regular basis. I've learned she has been winning on the Keno games, and have lost badly as well, in risking her all in gambling. And I know somehow, why.

Clouds!

BOTH SIDES NOW (Joni Mitchell)
Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As evry fairy tale comes real
Ive looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, dont let them know
Dont give yourself away

Ive looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
Its loves illusions I recall
I really dont know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
Ive looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say Ive changed
Well somethings lost, but somethings gained
In living evry day

Ive looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all
Ive looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all

 

One Monday noon, after a lunch out, I found time to lie on the lawn of Carl Schurz park, where they have separate dog running facilities for small and big dogs.  Vincent, a friend who sends his life descriptions to over 2000 people in his directory, graciously found time to lead me to this park, that's close to the Gracie Mansion, the official residence of NYC mayor, somewhere in the Upper East Side, that faces the East River, and Roosevelt Island.  The clouds above us provided a much comforting sense of state of where we are that time, as I focused my gaze on the blueness of the sky.  The following relaxing period allowed me to ponder and say thoughts aloud, sharing my long term goals, among all other dreams, plus snippets of my past in the ensuing moments.  

I must have counted at least 15 big jet planes flying and passing over us, at  very higher altitudes, as they're reduced to small toy-like figures, and perhaps preparing  to land in one of the 3 airports nearby. The sun's glare threatened to mess up the comforting exercise we've been doing; the nearby tree's foliage shaded us from some distracting angles. We took turns in taking photo shots (1 cloud shot of his is here); I felt so grateful, and had a vision of the eternal.  

These are really simple pleasures.  I must have done this when I was a little child. I remember something vivid from my childhood years.  Something about being at play, and being very free and gleefully happy. I've figured out now why some will go out of their way to lie on park lawns, with clothes off, doing activities including sunning sunning.  I remember a new female acquaintance who just arrived from somewhere, getting surprised at seeing people practically naked while lying on green lawns in parks like Central Park. I remember the quiet exhilarating moments while lying on my back, with my clothes on, and I had a close awareness of the passing time, as I heave my sighs, becoming more aware of my breathing, my nostrils taking in air, my lungs expanding to process the vital elements, myself exhaling again, all the while getting fulfilled with the sight of the hovering clouds above.

Catching A Half-An Hour Moment W/My Camera on Hudson River Park Before Sunset

I easily got enthralled while taking shots at couples who are caught in the depths of the demanding steps of their lovely, romantic dances set to old but still popular ballroom tunes. Most of us around in the City that time would still actually be at work or rushing to go back home or somewhere else, but I'm intrigued that these enthusiastic couples are spending their precious time away here at the park dancing their concerns away. They look so carefree, whiling their cares away in a lovely dance, just like all the other promenaders. Some are even curious to learn a few set of steps to be able to join the participants. Practice will allow them to bring these lessons to be commanded at will to be demonstrated at some other time. Those who braved to do more would have results shown to all interested onlookers.

Without plans at all for a visit, I found myself walking towards the Hudson River with another friend when I had to rush to the West Village house of one of my employers who forgot her housekeys. The Park, located 4 blocks away from the house, looked so inviting at that time of the day. My friend's happy and delighted to have been introduced to the Park, as he has been wondering where to go to find a wide open space that's close to a body of water. This visit turned out to be serendipitous. I happened to have brought my camera with me this time. Originally, I was not in the mood to take shots. I was prompted by all the activities and scenes available right there in half an hour prior to sunset time.

















Somewhere among the photos included here, on one of the photos showing the Jersey City on the other side of Hudson River, you may take note of the glimpse of the moon (no, it's not just a simple white blot caused by the camera lenses, or some kind of white-colored dust or dirt)---its appearance looking like a huge solitary rough piece of diamond set on a wide blue cloth-like spread on the expanse of the photo shot, plus the Jersey City skyline as the main decorative motif towards the midpart, and the Hudson River set across horizontally to provide some contrast at the bottom.




Taking a curious shot from where I stand at a photographer who's busy catching the fascinating and well coordinated movements of dancing couples in her camera. Note the green outfit, leggings, socks (barely visible from the photo) and shoes (good also for dancing?) she's wearing. There was a number of others in the park who also were busy taking shots at anything that will catch their fanciful and prying eyes. They knew it was something memorable to be recorded on camera. Subjects won't care at all; everyone's pretty uninhibited to curious onlookers.










































I got attracted by the Journal Square Tower as it takes charge from among all the buildings surrounding it (I found it Moorish in its appearance that time).




Take a closer look at the water vehicles plying the river. These water vehicles are always fascinating to look at. You don't see them that often, as most people live away from water bodies. Water vehicles carry a certain air of romance in them. Set against water, they provide wonderful opportunities to meditate on the passing fancies and other fleeting concerns in daily life. These scenes with water vehicles, e.g. boats, yachts, ferries, as they ply their huge masses of space on water, remind me that my situation now will not here all the time, that I'd be moving soon anytime. From one of the photos, where the pier cuts across the boundary of the engulfing movement of the river, I got myself thinking of some other phases in my life that I gotta pass and get over with in time.

Whenever I catch a view of the Empire State Building, and I happened to be close to either one of the Rivers, I get myself reminded that New York City, is primarily an island, surrounded by moving bodies of water, that allows for creative ingenuity to be shown by providing various modes of transportation, in the delivery of logistics, and in putting up marvels of infrastructure. New York City's vulnerability hinges on its very geological make-up, so it seemed to me. Yet, it's very structure also serves as one of the primary sources of its strategic strengths, like other great cities in the world.

Days after this unplanned visit, I still get to hear myself humming some of the tunes to which the couples enthusiastically danced themselves away. Something great, something creative, something memorable comes into my mind all at the same time. I was already in bed, preparing for my rest. I then smiled, and went on to post this write-up with accompanying photos.

A Friend Joins Me On A Visit to the Cloisters

"The Cloisters" is less than 10 blocks away from my current residence. Last week, a friend from Washington DC joined me to explore this branch of the Metropolitan Museum, up in Inwood, that some call as "upstate manhattan." I pointed to her the trees that cover the hilly part where "The Cloisters" is located. I knew from her reaction that she had second thoughts about the vertical hike from my apartment building to that hill. But the foliage can actually be deceiving. When we got inside, we went gaga over taking photos of what we saw inside. Unlike the bigger and main Metropolitan Museum, this branch can be visited in half a day, at the most, or even less than 2 hours. I have another friend who'd find it crazy to go up all the way to visit this part of Manhattan, which he considers really THAT far already. Actually, by subway, Inwood is just 30 minutes worth of travel time to Times Square. I have another friend who have planned with me to visit the Cloisters over a month ago, but up to now, we have yet to finalize the schedule. And I've grown aware that a lot of New Yorkers (plus visitors) have yet to visit this very interesting museum, primarily, perhaps, because of its distance from the main tourist attractions of NYC.

What do you see there? A lot of interesting medieval architecture fragments, overall platform and styles, that are European in origin. A lot of historically interesting installations. Plus a great, well tended garden in a courtyard. There are also the marvelous tapestries, including that one of a unicorn which I love very much, even in the little light allowed on it inside the walls of this museum. You'd see a lot of religious objects, installations, and articles as well. You actually don't need to get inside the museum if you're offended by religious objects, or even for some reason. You may just appreciate from a good distance the building which is called "The Cloisters." The park that surrounds "The Cloisters" is also sitting very close to the Fort Tryon Park, a few feet away, actually. Both parks actually afford the visitor to enjoy a grand view of the Hudson River, and New Jersey. Some friends have told me, you'd actually think you're not in Manhattan, when you get to see this part of the city. I can see that these parks are worth visiting, even during other seasons, just to see how the foliage have changed and gone. I once visited these parks with another friend, on a spur-of-the-moment decision on where to go here in Inwood, and we chanced upon finding ourselves after a quarter of an hour of walking under the arch of the wide spans of the very tall granite-made concrete bridge that connects the highway that runs on the West Side of Manhattan. I didn't have my camera then, but I remember it's one of those photo opportunities that I've missed. An angle that will certainly be kept in good memory. But I'll be back very soon, next chance I've got.