December 18, 2008: A Christmas Party in New York

Making History!

Deanna Votes!

Mark and I voted as early as 9:00 am this morning (Nov. 4, 2008 EST). Here are some photos of me entering the Polling Booth of the 49th Electoral District. This is the third time I have voted for a US President (Bush/Gore - Bush/Kerry - McCain/Obama). The polling place is right in our building so it was convenient for us. But there is no truth to the rumor that we can see Russia from our building.

Time for Change!

V-O-T-E

We Remember September 11

June 26, 2008: Fun with Photo Booth!

So there! A Quote from Aldous Huxley

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.
- Aldous Huxley

So there!

The Papal Visit in New York & my friend Ron

My dear friend Ron Perez has been preparing to become a priest for over 2 years now. This May, he will be ordained as a priest, the only Filipino priest to be ordained out of 6 for New York this year.

I have gotten used to him focusing on his studies at St. Joseph's Seminary and College called Dunwoodie, the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York; our silence only to be broken by the occasional emails, telephone calls and visits during the Christmas holidays. But we have always kept in touch and when we do reach out to each other, it was effortless to pick up from where we left off.

Mark and I really felt happy for him for his ordination and his first Mass in May 10 & 11, 2008. And now with the Papal Visit that will take place on April 18, 19, and 20, 2008 (http://www.archny.org/papalvisit/), we are all the more proud that he will be the Deacon of the Word during the Pope's Mass in Yankee Stadium.

What is the Deacon of the Word? The most common custom is that one deacon usually reads the Gospel, the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, the invitation to make the sign of peace, and other interventions such as "The Mass is ended ..." (ref: http://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur98.htm)

Ron asked me to ask everyone to pray for him as he takes on this responsibility this coming weekend. Go Ron, go!

Mark and I really feel blessed and honored that we have a friend like Ron. It is one thing to have a priest for a friend. It’s another thing to have a friend for a priest.

Ron blesses 811 on December 24, 2007

Mark your Calendar for Ron’s Ordination: May 10, 2008

To those who have met Ron and know Ron, you are more than welcome to attend his ordination. Below is a transcript of his invitation:

With praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God,

The Penticostes and Perez Families

request the honour of your presence

at the Ordination of their son and brother

Ronald

to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ

through the imposition of the hands

and

the invocation of the Holy Spirit

by

His Eminence

Edward Cardinal Egan

Archbishop of New York

the morning of Saturday, the tenth of May

in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and eight

at nine o’clock

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Fifth Avenue

New York, New York

An Invitation to Rev. Ron’s First Mass

With eternal gratitude to the Lord,

a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving

will be offered

by

Rev. Ronald P. Perez

on the

Solemnity of Pentecost

the afternoon of Sunday, the eleventh of May

in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and eight

at one o’clock

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Fifth Avenue

New York, New York

First Blessings will follow after the Mass.

Ron’s quote in the New York Times of April 15, 2008

Here's Ron’s quote as it appeared in the New York Times last April 15, 2008

At 39, Ronald Perez is the oldest candidate for ordination next month. A former paralegal at a Midtown law firm, he moved to New York from Los Angeles 10 years ago to change his life. By the time he decided to become a priest, he had worked at a failed manufacturing company and a dot-com that missed the boom.

His decision to become a priest was gradual, he said, coming after years of involvement in activities at his home parish, St. Patrick's Cathedral. He credited the talks he had with visiting seminarians for nudging him closer to the religious life. Like many other contemporary candidates for the seminary, he started studying philosophy with other prospective priests.

"The door was open, so if it was for you, go on, but if not, leave, no questions asked," he said. "That first year was crucial. It gave me a chance to look back at my life and the world around me. Nothing I could have done as an engineer or a paralegal would give me contentment and happiness. Something was missing. I realized what it was: becoming a priest."

Deacon Ron at Christmas Mass in Saint Patrick's Cathedral

February 2008: Winter Migration to Australia

The Solomon's migratory route for the next three weeks: Sydney-Cairns-Adelaide-Kangaroo Island Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney

February 2008: Food Shopping on Chinese New Year

People know you went shopping in Chinatown when you walk around New York with those bright orange bags. Here I am picking the best spring bok choy of the season. I found out they have 8 varieties of bok choy - from the Shanghainese to the Pekingnese, and that's not the dog either!

Hhhmmm, that salmon looks HOT. Pretty skeptical about those almost immobile fish. Got any lives ones flopping around?

Clementines at a bargain.

It's the New Year so let's start by clogging our arteries with lechon. Yay!
Repeat after me: I promise to work out tomorrow for two hours, I promise to work out tomorrow for two hours, I promise to work out tomorrow for two hours....

All that food shopping got me really giddy!
Let's whip up a meal now!

January 2008: Geneva, Switzerland and Italy

Mark and I went on a whirlwind trip to Switzerland and Italy for our 13th wedding anniversary and his birthday. I have never been to Italy and it did not disappoint - in art, culture, food, religion and tourists. With exactly 7 days to spend, we took a day trip to Gstaad to marvel at the Swiss Alps, and the small French / German towns that dot the mountains. It is truly a winter wonderland.

The best hotel in Geneva as far as views are concerned - the Fassbinder's Hotel Cornavin. This room has the views of the business district / old town of Geneve.

Taking the Eurostar Italia (the Italian counterpart of France's TGV) to Bologna via Milan.

January 2008: Piazza Maggiorre, Bologna and Ponte Vecchio, Florence

I love Bologna the most and while I had fantasies of living in Florence many years ago (due to the outstanding architecture and engineering of Bruneleschi's Duomo), I was disappointed that it was the proverbial tourist trap. But I like Bologna for its unassuming grace and people. The art was more a part of your life and not just for the tourists.

Deanna at the Piazza Maggiorre in Bologna, Italy.
This was prior to us entering the Church of San Pietro.
The monolithic buildings behind me used to palazzos of the wealthy.
Now they are government buildings or retail shops.

Mark and Deanna pose at the Ponte Vechcio, the bridge
over the Po river. Notice the Tuscan colors of the buildings.

January 2008: Gstaad. Switzerland

If you have fantasies of a Winter wonderland, Gstaad turns it into reality. White is the dominant color. And the villages that dot the mountain scape add a local color that can only be described as "quaint."

We rode the Panoramic train from Montreux to Gstaad. The train has glass windows all over so no one misses out on the view. The mountain scenery is just breath taking.



Unfortunately, we were too taken by the views around us that we missed out on the celebrities milling around the town. I'll take the view anytime, please!

Happy New Year to One and All!

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - Union Station

“Short and sweet” is how we described our trip to DC. We had 2 full days and 2 evenings to capture the highlights of DC – from the museums to the new places to eat and a new neighborhood to explore – Mt. Vernon Square.

Our mode of transport to and from DC was the Greyhound Bus. I preferred to ride the bus than drive for 2 reasons – the weather and the price. It was a good deal for the price was reasonable and the bus ride was comfortable. More importantly, we got to our destination on time safely.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Edward Hopper at the National Gallery of Art

We were blessed with beautiful weather while we were in DC. On dad’s birthday, the 28th, we went to the National Gallery of Art – East Building to see Edward Hopper’s mostly oil paintings from 1930’s – 1960’s. It was so amazing to see iconic works of art right before you. He painted urban scenes, specifically of New York City. In fact, his studio was in 3 Washington Square and it still stands to this day. Many of the visitors at the exhibit were not from New York City and only Mark and I found an affinity for the scenes that he depicted in his oil paintings. His paintings were often brooding and somewhat lonely and yet the colors he used were vibrant. He mastered the contrast between shadow and light which provided his paintings with that layer of introspection.

I strongly suggest that you go to the http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/hopperinfo.shtm and watch a film clip of the exhibit Mark and I saw. It's like being in the museum!

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - JMW Turner at the National Gallery of Art

On the West building, we saw a completely different painting created in the early 1800’s. JMW Turner was a Royal Artist from the UK and his watercolor paintings were large, historic with a touch of fictional exaggeration but overall highlighted the British Naval power and infused most of the paintings with the power of religion. These almost 200 year-old paintings looked fresh as if they were painted yesterday. His paintings of battles at sea were more dramatic than his landscapes but both had the same gravitas in terms of history and religion. The paintings took pains to tell you a story.

To download a PDF of the Exhibition Brochure, please go to: http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2007/turner/turner_brochure.pdf

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Air & Space Museum

Our third museum was the disappointing Air & Space Museum. Since our visit to this Museum in 1998, nothing substantial has changed except for a most recent exhibit that chronicled the history of commercial flights. It was a previous exhibit but this time they wanted to make it more appealing by adding sections of what stewardesses wore from the 20’s, 30’s till now and also what the passengers wore during those times too. Truly, in the 70’s, things went downhill as travel became more and more available to everyone. It was no longer a big deal to “dress up” and travel. It’s just one big commuter bus on air, much like the Greyhound. Their high-tech exhibits are not as high-tech compared to what the average child carries with him – a Wii, an iPod or a DVD player. It was really behind the curve, considering that this museums goal was to inspire the future – young children – to explore science and outer space.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Interior Details of the American Art Museum

I was not willing to be let down by a lousy museum on my last day in DC. So, we tried a museum that clearly was “out of the way” – the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This is a new extension of the Smithsonian and clearly when you enter the building – what was once the US Patent Office – you will see corridors and open floors with modular High Density Movable Shelving on wheels. Like a filing room of a law firm. The filing cabinets are all upright, from ceiling to floor. But this one had paintings and various artwork stored in cabinets.

I was fascinated by the cupola, tilework, floor pattern and painstaking restoration they made to the interior of this building. It was just beautiful.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Collection of the American Art Museum

The museum had a hodge-podge of a collection. It was not a solid collection of art or artwork. It was really more of a repository of artwork to me. It was actually confused between depicting history using art and / or art using history. This resulted in several disjointed exhibitions: from portraits of famous Americans from presidents to sports heroes to modern day “pop” icons; a landscape artist, Asher Durand (similar to JMW Turner but the Yankee version); an eclectic mix of Modern Art and WPA (Work Progress Administration) artists who were paid for their art. [The WPA projects represented a sequence of programs and promises initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of giving reform to the people and economy of the US during the Great Depression], and the weirdest thing of them all, a collection of World War I Posters selling mostly bonds to finance World War I. It just didn’t have a theme. It was a huge building with so many rooms that they had to fill it with many exhibits of various types. Sadly, it looked to me like a flea market. You can see for yourself by going to their website at http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibitions.cfml

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - American Art Museum

But it was not a let-down. I felt that given the 1 ½ hours I have to roam around, there was a lot to see and appreciate. But digesting what you see required you to sit back and relax in their comfortable chaises from time to time. It’s like having too much dark chocolate. You can only have it one at a time and not all the time. I also liked the fact that the tired (and confused) viewers were treated to a wonderful indoor courtyard filed with ficus trees, low lighting and “pools” of water, which are only a quarter inch deep. It gave you a chance to rest and reflect on what you experienced.