The real leader of masses is no more!

The real leader of masses is no more!
Originally uploaded by *abro*

Today’s is a sad day. As my friend Abro would say “the real leader of masses is no more”. I sit here in shock and great sadness after hearing of the assassination of the heroic leader, Benazir Bhutto. The future of the world is one of grievous uncertainty and that vile act is an impediment for Pakistani democracy.

The terrorists have struck and brought fear again into the world. The population of the entire planet is at over 6.6 billion. Yet we have allowed a handful of extremists to twist the Koran’s sacred words to justify their own egotistic agendas and brain wash young idealistic lost souls to bring fear into our existence.

Al Qaeda, the Taliban and some of Musharraf’s ruling party members must be celebrating tonight. Tomorrow will be her funeral and I fear of the anarchy and violence that will most likely ensue. Like many I knew she would be killed and that it was just a matter of time. Benazir herself was conscious of it and in her own words “she would never surrender her great nation, was ready to give up her life to restore democracy in her country and prevent an extremist takeover”. Like a few before her, she has become a martyr and will be revered for generations to come. I will never forget the chants “Jiye Bhutto Jiye Awam.”


Tonight I push aside my own personal anger and pain to mourn a woman, a sister, a mother, a friend, and a leader who gave hope to a nation in despair and most likely brought peace and stability back into a troubled country.

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle”
~~~Robert Alden

Photo credits: Petr Josek/Reuters and Wally Santana/AP

Family Giving Tree

, Today was an incredible day. I felt intense joy inside me as so much beauty and love was bestowed upon me. Yet I felt overwhelmed by so much sadness when I heard that a Christmas organization that we participate in was 15,000 gifts short of their goals, which means that the same amount of unpriviledged children will not receive any gifts this year.

The organization is called Family Giving Tree and each year they collect gift wishes from over 70,000 needy children who otherwise would not get any presents for Christmas. Volunteers hang wish cards in trees at over 900 Bay Area companies, stores, and schools. The cards are picked up by employees, customers, etc... who will buy a specific gift for each child. One company donates a warehouse in which volunteers process the children’s gifts. I feel so bad and I cannot shake it out tonight.

The TV news channels and radio stations are broadcasting the news over the air in hopes that more individuals will get gifts for the kids. There are only three days left and time is running out. This year we picked up two wish cards for two girls, one teenager who wanted an art set and a small girl who wanted an ethnic doll. Well tomorrow, it will be time to go pick up more wish cards and return to Toys R us or Aaron Brothers to make other kids happy for Christmas. I wish I could do more as the idea of a sad child really claws at my heart. I sincerely hope that one of the big CEOs in the valley hears the plea and helps them out.

The beautiful children in my pictures are in no way affiliated to this non-profit.




Please visit http://www.familygivingtree.org/

First Day at Work

My first day at work was great. It feels good to be back in the corporate world again and it was like I didn't take a break at all for all those weeks. The morning was spent in orientation and we had lunch in a Mandarin restaurant that was fabulous. The lamb with green onions was out of this world and the dumplings sauted to perfection. The afternoon was spent in meetings with bankers, whom I already knew and it was nice to see them in another setting. My office is small and empty and it will stay that way until we move to our new building in January. I saw the layout in a blue print and I like where my office is going to be situated. Well of course, it is not the corner office, but it is much nicer to what I used to have in the old company LOL.

It feels nice to have a laptop again and I cannot wait until I order my own personal slim and light laptop to use exclusively for my art. I am still undecided between an Apple or a Dell. Apple is supposed to be better for art, but I am so accustomed to PCs.

In the horizon, I will be going to three business trips in the next couple of months, South Carolina, Guadalajara, and India. I just can't wait on the last one.
I have always dreamt of going to India. I am so looking forward to its magic and what my camera will capture.

Back to the Rat Race

Vacation is over and tomorrow is my first day back to work. I had mixed feelings today as I was starting to get comfortable staying home the past couple of weeks. Anyway it is time. I am getting a new office and I am looking forward to traveling overseas in the future. When they mentioned Vienna Austria I became so excited. I love Vienna, its history and architecture. I was there was a very long time ago and I am looking forward to seeing the sights again.

I have traveled to many countries and continents, but one place I would love to see is Mainland China. I long to see the Great Wall, Xian, the Forbidden City, and travel down the Yangtze River. I hope one day to have that opportunity.

Back to the Rat Race!!!

Art - What is Art?

Art … what is art?
The dictionary’s definition states that Art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

Is it really? There have been a lot of different views about what constitutes art. I have seen pieces considered art selling for outrageous sums and I must say that there nothing being aesthetic, beautiful, or appealing about them. But appreciation of art is subjective and cognitive to one’s own perception.


Today I read an article about Damien Hirst’s sale of his diamond encrusted skull for an outrageous price of $100M and it revolted me. In my opinion how can this man be considered an artist? How can a pickled half of a cow or a shark in a tank of Formaldehyde be art? I guess Oscar Wilde’s quote “To be popular one must be a mediocrity” applies on this one.

The ‘Artist” says that he was inspired by an aztec turquoise skull mask that now resides at the British Museum. The museum supposes that the skull represents Tezcatlipoca the creator god and it is believed that it was sent as a tribute to Moctezuma the Second. I am not going to dispute the experts, but IMHO the mask most likely represents Mictlantecuhtli the God of the dead who ruled Mictlan “The underworld”.

A true artist for me should make one see beauty in ways that they could have never imagined. There is no planning, no blueprint, no brainstorm just stillness and purity of the mind to erode away the grime of every day’s life.


My top ten pieces of Art:

1. Auguste Rodin “The Gates of Hell”
2. Paul Gauguin “Tahitian Women on the Beach"
3. Antonin Dvorak "The Noon Witch"
4. Shah Jahan's "Taj Mahal"
5. Salvator Dali "Dream"
6. Monet "La Promenade"
7. Nora Naranjo-Morse "Khwee Seng"
8. Giacomo Puccini "Nessum Dorma" from Turandot
9. CS Lewis "Til we have faces"
9. Rokuon-Ji's "Kinkaku-ji"
10. Roman Loranc "Bare Trees by the river"

Hyper-consumerism

Today one economist predicted that there most likely would be a mild recession in 2008. What does that mean exactly? The easiest way to explain it is that demand will fall and corporate earnings will drop, which means that the Federal Reserve will lower the interest rates in an attempt to counteract the credit crunch caused by the sub-prime crisis, normal “Joes Schmoes” like us will curb our spending, businesses will cut their capital expenses and global growth will slow down. Just think how powerful we average consumers can be. We stop spending, companies panic, revenues fall, the stock market plummets and everything goes in a hand basket.

Frankly the good thing about hyper-consumerism slowdown is that it helps the environment. In Al Gore’s words “We're embedded in a culture that makes it so easy to just go with the flow and support a pattern that's horribly destructive.”
I do agree. How many television sets does one need in the house? If one looks around, how many gadgets do we actually use, how many remain lying around? How many clothes with the tag still on are in one’s closet? I admit I was one of the culprits. I had to have the latest phone, PDA, DVD recorder etc … One year I went through three different cell phones and two PDA’s. I had to change my car every three years and of course it had to be one of status. I was a regular at Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC and I had to go to the trendiest of restaurants. Well I look at my life today and I see how much my life has changed. I live a simple life, buy what is necessary, do not own a flat screen LCD TV, drive a 10 year old Jeep and eat in holes in the wall. Ok I still splurge on clothing, but not that often. I discovered that the most precious asset of life, nature, is free and I take full advantage of it. If my friends could see me now… LOL

Some of my Favorites

Ghosts and Spirits

Today I watched a psychics show on the A&E Channel and saw those guys going into a cemetery at night in order to capture “Spirits” with their camera. As they triumphantly pointed the shot to the cameraman for everyone to see the proof in the form of orbs, the wheels in my head started to spin.
All my life I have always been a skeptic regarding psychics and mediums until I actually saw the gift in someone very close to me. Through her, I have been exposed to incredible events and while I still try to analyze the unexplained through rational and concrete evidence, I now do believe in the mystical and spiritual gifts of a few lucky ones. I am not sure how legitimate those two guys were, but it gave me the idea to undertake the same exercise. Therefore as night was falling I drove to the cemetery a few blocks down to try my luck. I managed to shoot the sunset and waited until it got completely dark.
Well, the talent was not bestowed upon me as I did manage to take lovely pictures but no ghost wanted a part of me… LOL. Next time, I will bring company and maybe I might be luckier.

Miracle of Life

I can feel winter is among us. Well ok 53 degrees at 8am would not really warrant for a down jacket, but I feel really cold and I have the heat blasting. It looks like it is going to rain, which means that I will be stuck in the house… perfect day for cleaning as I planned. A cleaning service sounds really good about now.
Anyway I spent the day playing yesterday. I continued working on my “Alfred Hitchcock” project, which is to photograph the locations of his two films “Vertigo” and “The Birds” shot right in my backyard, well almost. I drove to San Francisco to photograph Mission Dolores and its cemetery. The Cemetery was used in Vertigo as the grave site of Carlotta Valdes. It is the only cemetery left actually located in the City of San Francisco besides the Military Cemetery inside the Presidio as it is illegal to bury anyone within the city limits. I am not religious but I must admit that there is so much beauty in theistic art. One can feel the intense passion of the artist in each sculpture, painting, fresco, or bas-relief.

I decided to drive back home via Highway 1, which is the most breathtaking drive one can ever take. The two lanes road follows the ocean and the scenery is spectacular. The waves were extremely high yesterday, most likely over 20 feet high. I got out of my jeep mesmerized and started shooting. The ocean can have a spellbound effect on one’s mind. If one listens carefully, one might hear the powerful call of the mermaids. I can still feel the cold wind burning my skin and the smell of the ocean etched in my senses. There is nothing that can calm a troubled soul like the vast expanse of water and the sounds of waves crashing against rocks.I drove down to watch the surfers and sat on the rocks for what seemed an eternity because the sun in all its magnificence set down before my eyes. I saw life and all its miracles yesterday.








And the song of the day is (Cut&Paste): Me Muero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZw0YbrhN4&feature=related

Power of Censorship

I have always been against censorship. I am lucky to have been born in a country where one’s opinion and expression of that opinion are quite cherished. I am also lucky to live in a country that values the same. I love both nations and I am proud to carry both citizenships. TV censorship in this country does not really bother me as I understand that it has to do with children viewing, so I can deal with the bleeps and the blurriness of nudity, although I think that there is nothing wrong with nudity and children being exposed to it. Other than that the communication of the media is quite open and one can form their own POV. For others wanting more, we have become a global world and there are plenty of media forms out there to get every morsel of information one desires. We are quite lucky compared to other countries and we should cherish our freedom everyday.

Anyway what prompted my rant today was an email I received through Flickr advising me that I had been added as someone’s contact. It happens very often and I always take the time to go and look at the person’s profile and pictures. 99% of the time I add them as a contact too as a reciprocal courtesy. Well I was about to do the same yesterday with that particular individual. I clicked on their pictures and to my utter shock and dismay I was exposed to extremely graphic pornographic pictures of that individual with someone else. I am not a prude, far from it. I have contacts that have tasteful nude shots in their portfolio. I appreciate the beauty of it and consider it art. However, what I saw yesterday was distasteful in my eyes and I wish I wouldn’t have been subjected to it.

So this led me to think about censorship. I asked myself the following questions such as should this woman’s page have been banned? Should I report such offensive subject? After pondering about it for a long time, I am still torn up about it. First of all I believe in freedom of expression and in following this thought she should be able to post anything she wants. However, what would have transpired if instead of an adult I would have been a child or a teenager? My stomach churns thinking about it and I am revolted by it all. Shouldn’t those pages have disclaimers? I have seen disclaimers on Flickr that state that one is about to enter a mature page and even give you the option to decline and go visit the kittens’ page. The page actually contains the cutest little kittens of all breeds.

I guess I am upset at Flickr for not imposing a filter and letting me be subjected to such graphic images without my consent. As for the woman, she should be free to post what ever she wants but she should ensure that her page is linked to mature audiences only. As for reporting it so that an incident like that does repeat itself, well I still have not decided what to do about it.

And the song of the day is "Coffee Shop" (Cut&Paste):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6oRQyAvPKE&feature=related

Finding a New Job

It has been a couple of weeks and I received a job offer, which I accepted. I will be starting on the 15th of December therefore my short vacation will be soon over. I am excited as I really liked the team and the company. I will have a brand new title and an office. Interestingly enough we will be all moving to a new building by the beginning of the year. New year, new path, new journey, everything seems to be falling into place, all seems so simple. I wished I could have relaxed, but frankly I cannot wait to go back to work as I need some structure in my life. Being idle has never been a good idea for me as my mind always work overtime and not always positively. So the old saying works well for me… working keeps me out of trouble LOL. Well now that I have an additional two weeks of real relaxation. I can concentrate on my art. I will be writing stories and poetry, grabbing my camera and drive to shoot some more of the world’s beauty. But above all I just want to close my eyes and dream.

The Way of An Artist

Now I know that I really need to go back to work when I spend a couple of hours watching music videos. I was reading an article about Amy Winehouse, a young British singer who had to cancel all her tour appearances due to her self-destructive lifestyle. The doctors worried about her mental state advised her to get help and I sincerely hope that she listens to them as she is a physical and emotional train wreck. Anyway I surfed though Yahoo Music to find out what she sounded like. To my surprise I discovered how much I was attracted to her sound and how refreshing her style was. Her voice is a cross between Billie Holliday and Sarah Vaughn. The beehive’s got to go though. But in a way I can understand why the persona as her sound is very much Motown 60’s with a 21st century twist. What really describes an artist? Is it passion, fire, talent, vision, emotion, or love? Or is it self-doubt, self-destruction, angst, pain, or sacrifice? What is the perfect formula? I guess it is all subjective.

Amy Winehouse's Video (cut & paste):
http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1301797&vid=48184613&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.music.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fm%3Dvideo%26p%3Damy%2Bwinehouse

The Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is approaching. The shopping frenzy is on. People are getting into the spirit. I look across the way and see all the lit Christmas trees along with the left-over Diwali outdoor lights. I must admit it is stunning to look at in the darkness. I have always loved the spirit of Christmas, not because of its religious connotation (let’s face it Jesus would have been born around April or May and not in December) but because of the joy it brings to so many people. Nothing is as beautiful as the crystalline laugh or shriek of a young child as they are opening their presents. Nothing is as splendid as the back of fingers brushing against a soft cheek or making angels in the snow on a cold December night. Well this is California, so the snow angels are out … LOL. I love the decorations, going to the stores and hearing the music loudly playing along as people are rushing by to nab the latest fashionable toy or capitalize on bargains. It adds a light bounce to my step and I feel happy. I really love to bring joy. I yearn for that smile, that shriek, the look of love in one’s eyes, and the smell of hot cocoa with cinnamon sticks.

I would like to buy so many things for my nephews this year and yet it doesn’t look like I will be able to do much this year due to my predicament, but hopefully I will find employment by then. I really hope soon before I go completely mad. I am not one to relax at home. I really try to find something to do, but I just cannot concentrate. I feel like a tiger in a cage and all I want to do is roar. Let’s face it, maybe If I was independently wealthy I could get into it and really indulge in my passions, but right now, returning to work is in the back of my mind and I just cannot chill out.

The spirit of Christmas is once again upon us yet I desire nothing for myself. Ok, maybe I would like to go visit those cute meerkats at the zoo, which remind me so much of the one at home.

Despair

I was talking to a friend today and she reminded me on how much she loved my jewelry designs and asked why I stopped. I really couldn’t tell her why, but I remembered a time when my passion was like opium and I couldn’t stop creating. I could breathe it, I craved it. It has been almost a year and I am still at a stand still. I look at the box where all my supplies sit and I cannot bring myself to create anything.

They say that every artist has a black period, but I never considered myself an artist, so why would it touch me? I sometimes feel like my creativity is gone and I want to hit the walls, scream my despair. I pace back and forth like a lunatic trying to get an idea, any idea in my head. I look at my photographs and I see the emptiness. Something has broken … another piece to add to the thousands of chards that make me damaged goods.



On a lighter note, I was looking for Sarah Vaughn's videos on You Tube and found Alicia Keys' new single. The resolution is much better on Yahoo Music though. Lovely song!

http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1301797&vid=48605781&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.music.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fm%3Dall%26p%3Dalicia%2Bkeys%2Bno%2Bone%26SpellState%3Dn-1117608080_q-cetQ.E7%2FtAmg8bK5KYxKFAAAAA%40%40

So Much Beauty in the World

Today was one of those days in which I needed to be in touch with my higher spirit, Nature. With my usual spontaneity I drove to the nearest National Park “Big Basin”, which is about a half hour from the house. I love redwood forests and I wanted to grab pictures of the waterfalls. As I was driving up the winding road, the fog became denser and upon arriving, I realized that that it was the smoke of a fire nearby. They had set a prescribed fire and to my disappointment I couldn’t get to the waterfall. It was cold and crisp and I was glad that I had a sweater on and a beanie on my head. An hour later I was peeling some of my clothes off as the hike had warmed my whole body.

I have come upon many animals during my treks, but seeing a mountain lion was a first. I became alarmed as there have been attacks before in other areas and started to turn back slowly. Thankfully it appeared that he was more afraid of me than I was of him. I think… LOL. I never felt my heart beating so fast and then it hit me that I didn’t take a picture. Well sometimes it is just not worth it.

The highlight of my day was a field of the most gorgeous horses I had ever seen. I had to turn around to go take pictures of them as I would have regretted it if I didn’t. As I started shooting, the most beautiful mare with the lightest blue eyes approached me and wanted me to pet her. I was so elated and humbled by such beauty. The more I petted her the more she wanted the affection. It lasted until another approached and they all left together so gracefully. So much beauty, there is so much beauty in the world.


.