La Damnation de Faust

It's not strictly an opera but rather a symphonic poem as I learned today. La Damnation de Faust is based on Goethe's legendary Faust, composed by Berlioz and staged as a "dramatic legend" by the Met.

We witnessed a new direction the opera has taken as the Met under Peter Gelb's management mixed traditional stage set with cutting edge software technology. It was hailed as the marriage between theatre and state-of-the-art video technology. Holger Forterer a German interactive video designer takes the credit for using this technology for set design. This was done skillfully without the video imagery overwhelming the music or drama. The images were not pre-recorded, rather the performers, acrobats, dancers and singers contribute to the projection through their movements or the pitch of their voices.

The producer Robert Lepage is known for his Cirque du Soleil production of Ka among others. To the unschooled like myself in this type of production, the set appeared to be a cold metal scaffolding of sorts with boxed compartments resembling the old Hollywood Squares television board which is a stack of open-faced cubicles.

But it is more than that. There were elaborate changes taking place, video projections on the stage, acrobatic and classical dance and of course the Met boasting its talented mezzo-soprano Susan Graham as Marguerite, Marcello Giordani as Faust and John Reylea as Mephistopheles. James Levine could not have been the perfect conductor bringing back this production to the Met. It has not been performed here in over 100 years.

Not everyone though was thrilled with this innovative style. At intermission, overheard in the ladies room line was a little old lady chastising Peter Gelb for his approach to this production. "It's utter nonsense", she declared. "Purely and totally nonsense. You can teach dogs, monkeys and horses to walk backwards too. This is not an opera. It's a symphonic poem and it belongs to the cinema!".

Outspoken and opinionated, she takes a very firm stand against this and all future productions under Gelb's flagship and swore that she'll write the Met out of her will and will not renew her subscription of 60 years. She is one dissatisfied benefactor. All because of change from tradition.

La Damnation de Faust where art meets technology. I feel privileged to have witnessed this change. (Sorry about the blurry picture of the stage; that was a strictly forbidden stolen shot).

Simply the best

The roads were empty on the way to New Jersey but as usual the expected happened. Between Mapquest's sucky directions and Jersey's horrible road signs, I don't know who to curse; we missed a turn and ended up in a gas station for help. This I was trying to avoid since we are not on friendly territory. If you've driven on the Jersey Turnpike you know you're toast if you miss an exit or a turn!

I was disappointed that the Prudential Center Arena with an 18,000 seating capacity wasn't filled to the roof. Our seats were perfect mezzanine center, it was too bad that I was such a jerk to be so "law-abiding" not to bring a camera. I saw lots of people taking pictures, not fair. Security check even made me dump my can of ginger ale and bottled water into the trash. So mean!

The minute Tina got on stage half-hour late, the arena rocked. However I found the New Jersey audience to be a little subdued compared to the New York crowds.

The 69 year old still sexy but classy Tina was energy-packed and her voice seems to be more powerful than ever. Wearing those 6-inch spike heels and doing her signature leg twitches and kicks, body and head shakes, she displayed such physical stamina most women in their 60's would have long lost. Her singing remains flawless as she reached her golden age, the crowd roaring as she sang What's Love Got to Do With It, Al Green's Let's Stay Together, The Beatles' Help, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary, Private Dancer, Simply The Best and a host of other old and new songs.

The band electrified the stage, the whole set and the show with the dancers, back-up singers and the pyrotechnic display was a blast! She began to sing Proud Mary with a series of nice and easy body sways that teased the audience and finally broke into an explosion that's Tina Turner's trademark.

She was great, seemed fearless as she was lifted by a cherry picker several feet above the band on stage, and continued to sing and dance on what looked like a narrow slippery runway.

What a performance! Age-defying, strong and still sexy, sometimes referred to as the female Mick Jagger, Tina Turner is simply the best.

Giving thanks

Day of giving thanks and we did.
I'm grateful for good health and the things that matter.

Yesterday I got a call from a good friend who offered a couple of tickets to the concert of Tina Turner tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. How can I say no to that? Not even on Thanksgiving Day. This is Tina Turner my goodness, what is there to think about? Free, mezzanine premium seats ($100 each) and the show doesn't start until 7:30 pm anyway, so we have plenty of time.

We didn't waste any time -picked up the tickets, quickly said our thank yous and hurried back home. Chong had to rearrange the schedule such that we'll have early dinner (she always invites us for Thanksgiving at her place), then leave for NJ around 4:30 pm. Good enough for me, I'm not the one who's driving. Not to New Jersey anyway! It's the pits we always get lost. And at night? Fuggedaboudit!

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, I'm sure Tina is going to bring the house down.

Proud Mary keeps on burnin', rollin', rollin'....

Now I have one more thing to thank God for - these priceless tickets that just came from nowhere. Am I lucky or what? See 'ya later.

Far from the madding crowd

We visit places, take home souvenirs and often times never bother to check for their authenticity or meaning. Maybe we doze off as the tour guide provided the commentary or were too busy taking photos; whatever it is, I now have this need to jog my memory.

This wooden paper weight has sat on my desk for the longest. It’s labeled “From the yew tree Stoke Poges Church”. Not having seen one, I decided to look up the significance of the yew tree.

Check this out. Most parts of the tree are toxic. No wonder I’m getting occasional memory lapses and brain freeze and as a result, often I just stare and suffer from blogger’s block. Thanks to yew!

Ironically it is also the source of a potent chemotherapeutic cancer drug (Taxol). The alkaloid or bioactive chemical can be extracted from the bark of the tree. We might recall how Al Gore and other environmentalists were strongly opposed to this since it will end up killing the trees. The yew is associated with Wales and England and commonly found in the church yards. They can live as long as 2000 years and have become a symbol of life but sometimes also referred to as the “tree of death” because it is poisonous. The only part which isn't is the fleshy part of the seed.

It is all coming back to me now, after nearly two decades. We visited this very old tiny church Stoke Poges is the name, in the countryside of England. According to the literature, in 1750 it is in this church graveyard that the poet Thomas Gray wrote his masterpiece Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. Remember the phrase – "Far from the madding crowd"? He later was buried beside his mother also in this churchyard. Related to this are the spin-offs taken from the famous line - Far From the Madding Crowd, an 1874 novel which is a portrait of English rural life, by Thomas Hardy and later in 1967 a film production where Julie Christie played the central character Bathsheba. It’s good to learn that even in those days when it was not fashionable for a woman to be independent there was Bathsheba who broke the mold.

The photos I took (before the days of digital cameras) were a reminder of how beautiful and tranquil this place was. The church pews were made of thick wooden planks that have shown their age. The place, peaceful and truly an ideal breeding ground for churchyard poets. Far from the maddening crowd, indeed. Below is the Litch Gate entrance to the church and graveyard.

All these and more. Amidst this frenzied society, Long live the yew tree!

From the top

Gingko, water tanks and music

Road hog Maria, aka Maria Andretti, got us in Manhattan early enough for a quick bite (an expensive slice of pizza), cold seats at the pizza parlor and a heated argument with Judy about the term Long Island and how Queens is part of it! No way can this be accurate. The Hampton yuppies are going to cringe at the thought that the middle class residents of Queens (I'm one of them) are considered Long Islanders! Wait till I get home and research it, Judy.

The object was to be at Mannes College for Music for the 4:30 pm chamber music performance. It goes without saying that Cecilia always finds something interesting along the way to note and take a picture of. The operative word is interesting but you might argue that the term is relative.

The gingko leaves (as in gingko biloba? Yes) on the ground are a manifestation of the end of Fall. These are beautiful trees whose fan-shaped leaves turn radiant yellows in autumn and line the streets of Manhattan. It is the same plant being touted by some researchers as having the ability to aid in retarding senility or Alzheimer's symptoms. I stopped Judy from munching on the leaves! Too late my friend. Shown in the picture is the naked gingko tree standing above the cold pavement.

Note the water tanks atop the roofs. Like red barns are a part of a farm scene, these wooden water storage tanks that dot the roofs of the City are a part of its skyline. Due to low water pressure, buildings over six stories high, pump water to these storage tanks for delivery by gravity to the lower floors as needed. Why wooden? I guess for better insulation.

Now, the program at Mannes Colllege. Three groups of students in their early 20's I'm guessing, performed Haydn, Britten and Olivier Messiaen compositions for quartet, respectively. Without a conductor I always felt that chamber music ensembles have a difficult task of harmonizing without overpowering each other's instrument, but these students seemed to have perfected that.

The young cellist performing the Haydn piece was so expressive, the Japanese violinist well-poised and all four complimented each other in delivering a magnificent String Quartet in C major, op. 74 no.1. The Britten piece was for oboe and string trio and again, the oboe solo was just a feast for the ears and emotions.

The most interesting of all was the Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen. A religious Catholic, he wrote this composition while incarcerated in the concentration camps. It was first performed with his fellow musician prisoners to an audience of inmates and prison guards. What an unshakeable faith, with titles such as Praise to the eternity of Jesus and Praise to the immortality of Jesus.

The clarinet, cello and violin solos did justice to the theme of this 8-movement composition. In the middle of the cello solo, we elbowed one another when we observed how strange that this student was holding the bow differently, grasping it from the bottom where the bow hairs are, rather than the bow stick or I think they call it "frog"? It turned out that this talented fellow has only two fingers in his right hand, resembling lobster claw. This gave more meaning to his exemplary performance. Bravo, Brian Sanders.

Bravo to Judy also. Did we bet on this one, Maria? She's right, geographically Queens is part of Long Island; politically it is a borough on its own and part of New York City. Should I trust Wikipedia?

Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia and an Angel

by Orazio Gentileschi c. 1617

November 22nd - today is the feast day of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music and my namesake. (*Disclaimer : I'm not gifted with musical talent, it's not my birthday today, I am not a candidate for sainthood.)

Today is also the anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. We miss you Mr. President.

Happy feast day, Saint Cecilia.

Less is more

Life nowadays is too complex so let me just focus on a simple thing and leave the checking of portfolios and serious thinking to the scholars and economic pundits.

A distraction from the bone-penetrating 20F temperatures and the nose-diving economy, all day yesterday I went through my files which seemingly gets bigger and bigger each day. This is what I'd call an exercise in "voluntary simplicity". I'm not proud to declare that I have an aversion to pack rats. Luckily the disorder hasn't afflicted me so I swear just shoot me when that happens.

I'd also like to believe that I'm not alone in this; once a year I weed out my files and grudgingly let go of the ones that are old and have no room in the cabinet. I just hope the old connotation doesn't give my family an idea that they can get rid of me when I reach that stage. Slowly getting there but not feeling it yet. Side note: Soylent Green. For those of you who are too young to be familiar with this 1973 sci-fi film, I'd say just Google it and then borrow and watch it!

Paper, paper everywhere - there's just too much of it, catalogs, newspapers, supermarket circulars, you name it. And all unsolicited. There is no end in sight. And we're wondering where all the money is going and why there is a need to save planet Earth?

Mayor Bloomberg is thinking "outside the bag" by proposing a 6-cents charge to the customer for every plastic bag the grocer hands out. Great idea. You go green, Mr. Mayor. It's about time, was it in Amsterdam where I observed this practice?

Downsize, scale back, minimalize or simplify, whatever the buzzword is, maybe that's the solution. Anyway, my bagful of confetti went for recycling. That's my small contribution. What a great invention this paper shredder, don't you think?

Thanks for some things

Somehow some of my favorite compositions are conceived while riding the train. The subway cars are one of the best places to post advertisements and I must confess I often find myself mesmerized reading them.

Here's a good one and it says a lot about how New Yorkers are a tough crowd to please.

It is a bank reward program with the following incentive: "Get $10 back for every $100 you spend on transit."

And here are some of the responses which really cracked me up:

"Great. So what you gonna do about my neighbor's tap dancing? "

"Fantastic. How about finding a cabbie who doesn't mind going to Brooklyn? "
"Great. What is your solution for gridlock? "
"Fantastic. How about fixing the potholes on Tenth Avenue? "

"Great. So what can you do about the cost of a studio below 23rd Street?"

Roughly translated: "Thanks for nothing."

I know, I know, maybe it loses some of its flavor without the accompanying photos. I tried to take pictures but it was too bright inside the train and people started staring at me as I focused the camera on the posters. Let me just say they did not portray people who are happy about the reward. It's more like the give-me-something-more-useful look.

I think this is funny but some locals may find it offensive. View the gallery in this link.

So what if New Yorkers bitch, moan, groan or complain? So what if they whine, are impatient or come across as arrogant? New Yorkers are real people.

Lighten up! It's only an ad and a good one at that.

Reds, yellows, blues and jazz

Nothing much, just an easy afternoon.

Walk in the woods

Music of Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones...

My favorite - Songbird by Eva Cassidy; oddly enough, she's American but became more popular in the UK and other countries in Europe than in her home country. She died of melanoma in November 1996.

Hair comes Chantal

The audience warmer at the Daily Show with Jon Stewart caught sight of her and uttered something along the lines of "'been wanting to touch that hair of yours" and he did! She may not have brought the show's ratings any higher but she certainly became the center of attention. You be the judge, the haircut suits her well and of course she's got beautiful hair; if I had that style I'll look like an electrocuted Asian hag.

I met and befriended her during our trip to Spain a couple of years ago and since then we've been in touch. From her home in Texas, she travels quite often to NY to visit and stay with her friend Phyllis whom we also met during our trip.

It was a simple but delightful dinner with our friends at our usual work hangout Simply Pasta but this one is extra special. Chantal hit the big 40 so we told her the rules are simple. You stay forty from here on and nobody better challenge that. No fanfare; we just had a make-believe birthday cake , a plate of profiteroles - three cream puffs each filled with toffee, chocolate and vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate fudge. Lickity split house specialty.

Happy birthday Chantal. Till your next visit, we'll be sitting by the door.

Eat then run

Where's the rest of the food?

The morning is usually highlighted by family exchange of e-mails, from my loving nephews. A call from Mel always makes their grandma jump for joy and of course, one day that he misses, she worries about him.

Of late, the news is, like his brother Ped, Mel has been running not to compete but he has put on a few pounds ("love handles") and the need to shed off some of it is getting obvious. However, I would bet that he'll aim for the half marathons whenever he gets a chance. Residing on the other side of town, Park Slope which is the yuppie district of Brooklyn, he could walk a good mileage to work crossing the grand Brooklyn Bridge. That I'd like to do - a walk with a view! How many miles is that again?

It is hard to imagine weeks going by without the brothers getting together in the City taking breaks from this thing called work, and trying out the best eateries in town. Why they would exchange that for their best home-cooked fare, yes they are first-rate cooks in their own right, is beyond me. But I guess variety is what they're looking for.

"Soup's on!" is the buzzword during weekdays - an invitation for a lunch date in Manhattan with the boys. It's a family affair, Mel loves soup and has turned "semi-vegan" but can be convinced to have a slice of the best cut every now and then. Yesterday he had the duck soup again, (Remember the one that made me sick?), so I suggest for me to join them again it has to be a different place and no more web-toed fowl meals. Their old auntie no longer has great physical powers or an iron constitution!

Ped's new find is the Big Bowl , gotta try that one, I hope they don't serve duck!

Plans for the pre-Christmas dinner seems to be shaping up and it looks like the eating machines are going to be all greased up for the occasion. Feeding frenzy again!

The whole family might eventually end up taking up running, at the rate we've been eating. Don't underestimate their grandma, Inang. When she was in her late 80's she climbed the Warren Dunes and she's only 101 now, so she's still good to go. She has the constitution of a Mercedes-Benz.

Stupid is as stupid does

A picture is worth a thousand words – a pretty worn out aphorism and the only thing I could conceive of to convey the message is none other than my own picture - Stupid me!

‘Twas almost 5:30 pm when I went back to my desk to rouse my hibernating notebook only to get the shock of my life! Panic-stricken, hyperventilating, all signs of brain life have disappeared – I went into catatonic shock!

First thought was, this thing was hacked by aliens. My desktop has been hijacked – it looks different. I lost all my pictures and more importantly all my documents. All that was left was a picture of disaster – my own face turned red or blue, jaundiced, whatever.

Next thing I know, I was being asked to define my settings for IE 7 or is it 8, who cares – what the heck happened here? My link to the other world, how can that be stolen from me? Worst thought was I didn’t backup my files last week (and I’m pretty anal about doing this), so restore ain’t gonna cut it, if I want to retrieve my prized-possessions.

Breathe.. easy .. then panic again!
And then…
Prayer seems to have done the trick. Sorry Lord, I meant, miracle. I know you don’t do tricks!

Like a mad lady, okay woman may be more appropriate in this case, I disturbed my buddy Chong who is so entrenched in her work, trying to salvage what was left of a Live-Meeting-gone-dead day. Lucky she doesn’t have to face those team members because she works from home.

She said, Relax. How dare she. You don't understand. Girl, my life is over!
First question pops: Are you logged on as yourself?

What do you think? Of course not - Genius is signed on as Guest!!!

Quantum leap - only in my case it's drawkcab (backward).

*Post-it Note: Maybe now The Johnsons will understand why I can't allow Comments on this blog - I avoid self-inflicted pains! And yes, I have loads of fun writing about my own foolishness. And thanks for your gracious compliment.

Patricia and Richard

It's a cut above the typical humdrum wedding - from the ceremony to the reception. Ginny, my former boss and her husband Ken, went all out for the wedding of their only child Patricia.

The church is Saint Cecilia's in Brooklyn, built in 1871 with a late baroque style and whose copper bell tower could be seen from the nearby BQE. The music was performed by a four-piece string ensemble with the bride's cousin playing the church organ. Opened with Pachelbel's Canon and closed with Handel's Hornpipe in D, it just was perfect for a crisp November afternoon ceremony.

What a perfect pairing – Abigail Kirsch event caterer and Stage 6 at Steiner Studios – the largest and most sophisticated production studio outside of Hollywood. Some of the scenes from Spiderman and episodes from Sex and the City were cut in this studio. Situated along the East River it offers a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline. Stunning… I'm lost for words..

The place is gorgeous; the walls of the stairwell appropriately named "Hollywood Stairs" were plastered with old prints from movie magazines and cinema ads.

Take a few steps from the restroom and you'll get lost into one of the film studios and maybe accidentally discovered by a talent scout!

Abigail Kirsch's food is incredibly out of this world! I have never had wedding party food so good, seriously. I don't think these kids missed any of the details. It was a big bash, Ginny was so happy and Ken teary-eyed!

Following the Slavic wedding custom the bride and groom were given bread, wine and salt, and serenaded with music for dancing.

There was a photobooth where, in addition to the guest book, the guests were encouraged to have their pictures taken in six different poses. It was fun, a strip of three pictures were included in the scrapbook and the remainder given to the guests as memento. Each guest was also asked to sign the scrapbook. That's the trend I was told. What'll they think of next?

Chong and I felt like we gate-crashed a celebrity wedding party! At cocktail hour, the "coin potato pepper caviar" ( that's how it sounded to me) was mind-blowing and the bite-size burgers that looked like doll house play food, were a conversation piece at our table, the crazies Carole and Kevin, Sany, the Dancing Queen and hubby Robert, but we all had fun. There were all sorts of weird- sounding names for the cocktail food, but they were all fantastic. And we all thought that was it, we've had enough appetizers, no room for the main - Wrong! Table 12 dug into each plate as they were served. What a group, 'can't take you anywhere!

Thanks for inviting us Patricia and Richard. It was a lovely wedding. Our wishes for a lifetime of happiness.

Adam and Eve

This is one of a pair of statues sculpted by the Colombian contemporary artist Fernando Botero. Cast in bronze this male figure is named Adam. On the other side of the Time-Warner high-end shopping mall lobby stands Eve. Figures of exaggerated proportions (fat or obese as we would call them) yet anatomically correct presentation, are what Botero is famous for. There is a cat sculpture (Gato) also on display on the corner of 79th and Park Ave.

Because it is displayed in the lobby of a mall and not in a museum where it can be safely protected from being touched, the middle part of Adam's bronze statue is shiny and discolored due to constant handling. Why can't people leave decent art work alone?

Nudity in public but without the controversy, that's free art expression. Building lobbies and malls have become one of the playgrounds for artists and we thank them for this generous public art display.

Adam seems to be a big hit with shoppers, while Eve is left untouched. Thank goodness.

The camera doesn't lie

Point and shoot - that just about sums up my ability or lack thereof when it comes to photography. But this guy, he sets the bar high. Standing on a ladder, tripod in place, sharply focused and patiently waiting for the right moment to shoot, he typifies the avid hobbyist or pro in the field. They're frequently spotted in the city parks and tourist spots.

He let out a timid smile when I asked to take his picture. His camera was focused I think on the newly opened MAD (Museum of Arts and Design) on Columbus Circle. Known for its futuristic architecture and ceramic outside structure, the building stands tall in one section of the busy roundabout where the New York Coliseum used to be. Thanks to the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg the Circle was rehabbed and transformed into one of the best tourist spots in the City. It's a stone's throw from Central Park and an easy walk to many of the cultural centers on the West side. Easy means a few NYC blocks, so be ready with your walking gear.

I'll have to wait my turn on a Thursday evening to visit the museum. In the meantime, here is my amateur rendition of the MAD facade. It doesn't do justice to the structure, but like I said I can only "point and shoot" and have no intentions of selling my work.

The picture tells it all, arts and design, maybe not the kind I'd like to spend my evening viewing but then again I'd like to learn more about it. I surprised myself when Celine introduced me to modern art which I never really had a passion for - she made me appreciate it by making me see what the naked eye can't. After all she's an artist , one of her own paintings I have yet to steal from her living room. Just awesome.

The camera doesn't lie.

It captures the moment, how cool is that?

Yes we can and Yes we did

A truly historic moment. President-elect Barack Obama

A picture of hope not only for America but the rest of the world. Watch world reaction

In his words (2004): "Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope." The Audacity of Hope

In Bill Clinton's words (1996): "Hope is back in America." The Man from Hope

Die nacht ist vergangen .. the night is gone

Little fiddlers on the Circle

Like a habitual early bird, I arrived in the City way too early for our dinner engagement, so I walked around and took lots of snapshots. You see here four young proteges performing before the bustling Columbus Circle evening crowd. The youngest of them looks like she barely got out of kindergarten.

They stole my heart; they made beautiful sounds and some good money too.. the violin case wide open in front of them and the smiling audience tossing dollar bills in appreciation was a sight no one could miss.

We all know or must have heard that NYC streets are lined with starving artists displaying their art pieces or musicians and mimes performing their talents competing with all the noise underground.

These four kids are a budding example of the world of talents not known to many of us. Admirably, they are also led by the hand by their parents or guardians to the concept of entrepreneurship. These are the future risk-takers. So, next time you walk the streets of NY, drop a dollar or two into that hat or bucket, the encouragement you give these kids will be priceless.

Stern Auditorium Carnegie Hall

Taking the risk of having my camera confiscated by the ushers, I blatantly disregarded concert hall rules consequently resulting to this blah image. Serves me right, you'd probably say. Oh yes, I was warned and that made Celine cringe!

On this very stage, about 150 students of the Mannes School of Music which make up part of the 300-member Mannes Orchestra, and another 100 or so members of the Riverside Choral Society performed Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, opus 52 or Hymn of Praise.

It is a celebration of German church music which is reminiscent of the sacred music that is in Handel's Messiah or Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and his other cantatas. The tenor, and the two sopranos who led the way to the uplifting performance are all masteral students at the Mannes School but in my judgement there was no trace of amateurism in their voices.

Awed by the 10 vocal renditions by the soloists, the choir and the young musicians, we allowed ourselves to be taken away for a few minutes to a world only the heart can describe. We spoke in silence all throughout, agreeing in some sort of way, with an occasional quick side glance at one another - my niece, my friends and our guest Linda, Judy's sister. What an experience money can't buy!

By the way, Linda hit it off right away with this fellow we sat with at the crowded Whole Foods Market dining area where we grabbed something quick before the concert. He was tagging along with his partner on a business trip to the City and just loving it. It surprised me that he feels safer in Manhattan than he does in his home San Francisco. Well Linda, I'd say he's a good catch if you're not happily married. He is in the commodities trading business which sounds so lucrative. Did I hear he plans to buy property in Upstate NY? There you go Linda your home is in Buffalo right? Just kidding.

The 7th movement, The Night is Gone (or The Night is Departing), seems to have gotten stuck in my mind. As written in the text:
Die Nacht ist vergangen, der Tag ist gekommen. The night is gone, day is come.

In good company

Their love for the arts and music ranks right up there with golf and travel. Once again, I'm in the company of very good friends as we get together for a night out in town at the Carnegie Hall for a performance by The Riverside Choral Society with The Mannes Orchestra.

Celine, despite her bad back found time to commute to the city to join us. Even with a recently concluded trip to Turkey, Judy never slows down and will join us. As one would expect, she played golf the day after she arrived. It was just too bad, we postponed our planned trip to Turkey. Thanks to the dreaded possible bottoming of the stock market which gave me the jitters although next year is going to be a different story.

I heard Dorothy was all "ruined out" after all the hiking to the archeological sites and imagine what could've happened if they did some digging. I can't wait to see their pictures especially of the mother of all churches, The Hagia Sophia.

More later....