"Take 5" Tag

This is a nice little tag from Dr. Clairebear that involved quite a bit of digging through one's blog archives. I had to do so because of the following rules:

Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know each of them a little bit better.

Thus, as per the tag's rules, I linked some select posts to the key words given.

Family. - Story of the beginnings of a courtship many years ago.

Friends. - Memories about my hometown and some of the family friends and personalities there.

Myself. - Memories about a favorite eatery in Metro Manila

Love. - A song and thoughts about a special someone.

Anything. - A funny story that actually took place in a province in Mindanao (southern Philippines) 20 years ago.

Although the tag rules require that I tag 5 people to do this tag, I'm not tagging anyone in particular. I'm giving you guys a break. Hehehe However, please feel free to do the tag if you so wish.

Okay, now it's back to work for me before I get fired. :D

Ain't No Sunshine

It's Monday and it's a holiday here in the States as the country marks Labor Day. I'm nearing the end of a long weekend and frankly, I'm not very happy about it. Instead of making the most out of this day, especially with the gorgeous weather outside, I'm feeling a bit stressed with the thought that I'll be back at work in less than 24 hours.

I'm feeling a bit exhausted physically and mentally. I need a real long break but except for quitting the job (which is definitely not an option), I am limited by company policy to the number of personal and vacation days per year I'm allowed to take. I wish I could take and lump all those days into one long extended vacation. But it's certainly not possible given the demands at work. Thus, I have to content myself with taking a day off every once in a while not unlike a swimmer who needs to come up for air every few seconds as he swims towards the finish line.

And to add to my blues, I miss being with her. A short two-minute song the words to which I find simple yet personally meaningful are helping me through the moment.

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
It's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And she's always gone too long
Anytime she goes away.

Wonder this time where she's gone,
Wonder if she's gone to stay;
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away.

And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know

Hey, I ought to leave the young thing alone,
But ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
Only darkness everyday.

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone,
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away.

Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.

And now I write.

This song's called "Ain't No Sunshine" and was written and performed by the great Bill Withers. The song, cut from his debut album "Just As I Am", became the first hit for Mr. Withers when it was released back in 1971. The song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard charts. The above live performance was from 1972 on a music program called "Old Grey Whistle Test", a music show that ran on British television, specifically the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), from 1971 to 1987.

Bill Withers was a gifted musician and lyricist. From the above video, you could see that he was also a great singer gifted with a rather powerful set of lungs. What caught my attention the first time I heard this song was when he came to the part where he repeatedly sang "I know, I know..." continuously and without pause for a total of 26 times. I've tried singing this part several times but it's always left me gasping for breath. Hehehe

Some of you may have never heard of this guy but I'm pretty sure that a lot of you know of at least one other particular song of his. Back in March 1987, an R&B group called Club Nouveau scored a number one hit on the Billboard Charts with the song "Lean On Me". The song struck a chord with listeners because of its very positive message of extending love and care for one's neighbor. It longed for a strong sense of brotherhood in a time when an individual's needs seems to be valued more than the community's.

Club Nouveau eventually won a Grammy for Best R&B Song. Lean On Me also became the group's first and only number 1 hit. Mr. Withers was the man who wrote the song and was the first artist to take the song to the top of the charts back in July 1972. The following video is a live performance of the song by Bill Withers:

This song remains very popular because its positive message of love and friendship continues to resonate. Aside from Club Nouveau, the song has been covered by a number of other artists such as Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, and Limp Bizkit, to name a few.

Bill Withers scored other hits aside from the two I just mentioned. His other hits that I count as personal favorites are "Lovely Day" and "Just The Two Of Us". Just The Two Of Us was a collaboration with the late saxophonist Grover Washington (1943-1999) and topped the charts worldwide in 1981. But at the time and for some reason, a lot of radio stations in Manila mentioned Grover Washington as the artist behind the song. But just to help set the record straight, Mr. Withers co-wrote the song and performed the vocals as evidenced by the following video:

Mr. Withers retired from recording in 1985.

Schweaty Balls

Warning: Adult Humor

I would like to share with you a comedy sketch from Saturday Night Live (SNL) from back in December 1998. It features two of SNL's regular cast members at the time Ana Gasteyer (lady on the left) and Molly Shannon (center) along with the show's guest Alec Baldwin.

The skit is a parody of a public radio program in the United States. Ms. Gasteyer and Ms. Shannon portray two rather geeky and boring radio personalities whose show features the latest pastries and eats. In this particular skit, Alec Baldwin plays the role of a pastry shop owner named Pete Schweaty who was invited on the radio show to talk about his shop's latest Christmas goodies. So put yourself in the position of a radio listener who only gets to hear the words being said but not what is actually being done. Enjoy. :-)

Dear Friends Long Gone

I'm publishing the following photo with the permission of my friend CL. It's a photo of his dog, Hobie. Hobie is a dachshund and is about a year old.


My friend e-mailed me this photo yesterday and upon seeing it, it immediately reminded me of the first dog my sister and I had. He was of the same breed and was of the same color. We named him Douglas after a dog my mother had when she was still in her teens.

My maternal grandfather was an avid dog lover. My mom said that as far back as she could remember, they always had dogs at home. After Douglas, my sister and I ended up having two other dogs. A German Shepherd came next whom we named Jackie, again named after one of the dogs my mom had back in the 1950s. The last one was Snoopy and not because he was a beagle like that popular comics character but because of his black and white color.

We loved the dogs we had very much. They were well fed and were always kept clean. We never tied or chained them. We always let them roam the yard freely for my sister and I couldn't stand hearing them cry during those rare moments when they had to be chained.

But as dog owners, we were not the sophisticated type. Except for the required anti-rabies shots that were administered by the municipality we lived in, they were not taken to any veterinarian for regular checkups. We fed them well and cared for them well but such loving care was given in the best way we knew how, which looking back now, probably would not have met the standards of a sophisticated pet lover.

To a dog, all three didn't live long. We lost Douglas after a year and two months. He ran out of the yard and onto the street one day while my sister and I were both in school. He was accidentally run over by a passenger bus that plied the streets of our subdivision. A neighbor saw his body on the street and was kind enough to bring him back to our mother. My sister and I were devastated once we got home to find that our dear pet was gone. It was the first time I realized that losing a dear pet was pretty much like a death in the family. My little sister ended up crying for days.

We had Jackie the longest at two years. She pretty much met the same fate as Douglas for she was run over by a school bus this time. Unfortunately, it was the school bus I was on. It ran over her moments after the bus had picked me up to take me to school. I didn't see it happen but I heard her cry as the bus drove away. I knew then that sad news would await me once I got home that afternoon. I wasn't wrong because she was indeed dead by the time I got home. Again, it was another heartbreak we had to endure for another pet we lost too damn soon.

As for Snoopy, we found him dead in our yard one afternoon. To this day, we don't know what caused his death. We suspect that he must have choked on something he tried to eat. Whatever that thing was, we do not know because we took great care of putting away things or liquids that our pets might try chewing on. His death was the last straw.

It's been many years since my sister and I last had a dog. I look back at those years with fondness but also with sadness. I envy people who enjoy many years of fun and love with their dogs. There are still days when I wish I had a dog, a buddy to accompany me whenever I go on my long walks. But memories of the pain of losing such a dear friend prevent me from taking on another one. Plus, at this point in my life, I don't think I have the time and energy to give the dog the proper amount of caring and loving it deserves. I haven't lost my fondness for them but then, I guess I will just have to be content admiring them from a distance.

Photo: CL (Dallas, Texas)

An Afternoon By The Waterfront

Frank Sinatra Drive. Situated on the eastern side of the small city of Hoboken in New Jersey, this road is only less than half a mile long but provides one with impressive views of the Manhattan skyline.

The following is a map of Hoboken and it shows Frank Sinatra Drive running along the city's eastern coast line by the Hudson River. (Source: Wikipedia)


The following is a shot of the walkway by the Hudson. This walkway is one of the features and attractions of the Frank Sinatra Park complex. This small park, built and opened in 1998, was dedicated to the memory of the late crooner who the citizens of Hoboken consider as one of their city's "greatest gifts to the world".


I was facing south when I took the following shot and from this vantage point, one can see parts of both the skylines of downtown Manhattan (buildings to the left of the Hudson River) and of Jersey City (buildings to the right). In the distance you will also see a suspension bridge quite similar in style to San Francisco's famed Golden Gate Bridge. That bridge is called the Verrazano Narrows Bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island.


The photo below shows one of the best attractions of the park. This gazebo sits right on the water and is quite a popular spot because it gives one a closer view of the Manhattan skyline. In addition, it is also a popular spot for recreational fishers such as the gentlemen shown on the photo. On one end of the pier, one can clearly see their fishing rods extending out into the waters.


I walked up the walkway and past the above gazebo to take the following shot of Manhattan:


The following two photos show more shots of Manhattan this time taken from the gazebo I showed two pictures up.



Oh look! There's a little buoy in the water! (Pardon this lame attempt at humor.)


Unfortunately, this photo shoot ended on quite a sad note. I got so caught up taking pictures of the scenery that I didn't realize I had bumped into some of the park's railings and as a result, I inadvertently caused quite a bit of damage. As you can see from the following photo, my carelessness caused some sections of the railings to collapse with one of them hanging precariously by the water.


Luckily, there were no witnesses and thus I was able to hop back into my car and make a quick escape from the scene. Hehehe

Seriously, the above photo shows a section of the park that remains closed to the public. A portion of the park was used as a parking lot by the faculty and staff of the Stevens Institute of Technology whose campus is located across the street. An accident occurred in October 2007 when a portion of the parking lot collapsed causing one car to fall into the water.

Hoboken, like its neighboring city to the south, Jersey City, was a rough-and-tumble town for most of the 20th Century. While New York City was predominantly white collar, New Jersey's cities by the Hudson were blue collar towns and home to longshoremen and factory workers, mostly European immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. For many years, Hoboken, like the other cities on the New Jersey side, was not a safe city to be in. That period included Mr. Sinatra's years there. Bar brawls, crime, mob activity and prostitution were rampant. The 1954 movie "On The Waterfront" that starred Marlon Brando was filmed on location in Hoboken and showed the rough life of dock workers.

Redevelopment and gentrification started some time in the 1980s and picked up steam during the early 1990s. Its proximity to Manhattan and convenient access to subway stations and buses made it attractive to young, urban professionals who worked for Wall Street firms. Thus, in contrast to its previous reputation as an unsavory town, Hoboken is now what one would call a "hip" place to be. Jersey City now boasts of a modern skyline and Hoboken is following suit.

A close friend first took me to this city back in early 1995. The city's main drag, Washington Street, is home to a number of fine restaurants and shops. What I love about this place is that since it is quite a small city, one can pretty much walk to any spot or place within it. One can live in the town without ever having the need for a car. Although a few blocks within the city are not that desirable to live in, Hoboken, for the most part, is a pretty safe place.

Many five-story brownstones that used to be home to the longshoremen and factory workers are still there. However, a great number of them have been renovated and are now home to the urban professionals who have helped revive the town. Though these brownstones may look old from the outside, their interiors boast of the latest technological conveniences.

But Frank Sinatra Park and the stretch of road named after him have clearly become my favorite spots in this city. There are park benches where one can just sit and relax, read a good book, enjoy the view, and be alone with one's thoughts. It is a quiet stretch of road popular to walkers, joggers, and skateboarders. There's always a nice breeze coming in from the Atlantic that makes the experience quite enjoyable.

So if you ever find yourself by this neck of the woods someday, consider stopping by Hoboken to enjoy not just the park above but also the other attractions (restaurants and shops) this little city has to offer. (I feel like a realtor doing a sales pitch with this closing sentence. Sigh.)