Friday, December 9, 2016

Inspiring... and Inspired!

I got discount tickets for tonight's ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT at SF Jazz Center as a BERKLEE alumna, specifically as a member of the SF BERKLEE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, Robert Glasper being Berklee alumnus himself, crossover star pianist between acoustic jazz, hip hop, contemporary R&B.

The concert started with a footage on the big screen about Bruce Lee talking about Karate. That while, he says, it's easy to do his act just to show off his skills, 
"it's really all about expressing yourself." 
"... Honestly! Not lying, but being honest with yourself," he says.

And while the video slowly fades, Robert Glasper also slowly comes to the stage with his band, first, the drummer setting up the tempo, as the rest start walking towards their instruments. And the band plays mightily! Funk, jazz, R&B! Two songs in a row, then he introduces his band members - Awesome!

Then he pops out his first question, "What's jazz?"
He specifically talked about jazz tonight, being a Berklee night at SF Jazz Center. And like Bruce Lee, he says, "It's about expressing yourself."
Being honest, not lying, not showing off, but just expressing yourself.
He says there are 2 words that made him break the rules, make changes, be fearless in music - FUCK IT!!

I've never been so inspired! I tend to limit myself, hold back my music sometimes for whatever reason - insecurities, inadequacies, etc.. As we all know, we're always our worst critics.

After watching him, I realized why he named his band Robert Glasper Experiment. It's an experiment of all kinds of music!  And jazz, specifically, being so creative, is really about expressing yourself, in whatever form, free form, no form, whatever, as long as it sounds good... OR, even awful!

As he kept repeating his mantra for the night, "Fuck it... Express yourself!"


... So fuck it! I'm gonna express myself!! 


Yup!... Now I'm Fearless.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Muhammed Ali (1942-2016)

The fondest memory I have of Muhammed Ali was the "Thrilla in Manila"fight in the 70s. Everything else pales before and after. Ali's pictures were all over the newspapers and I particularly saw one where he was standing on a weighing scale and his penis was showing underneath his shorts.  I was initially shocked. But looking alongside the other photos, there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was the most natural thing like all the rest, very matter-of-factly, no malice - I liked that!

On the day of the big fight, my brother, Jesse, went to work at about 4 in the morning and finished everything he could before 9 so he could see the fight live! It was really a "Thrilla"!! Needless to say, Muhammed Ali won. Of course, as he always self-proclaimed, "I am the greatest!!!"
In the beginning, I thought he was all ego until I realized, it was all about self-confidence. Beyond self-confidence - It's knowing yourself.

And who can forget his most famous quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." - Love it!


Today, just now, it was announced all over the news, Muhammed Ali, the greatest American boxer, passed away.

Muhammed Ali is simply beyond words for me. I'll let the news talk -


Rest in peace, Muhammed Ali. Your memory lives on...

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Quiet Time



This is Live webinar right now.  First time for me. After that, it must be just audio, I don't know.  But I'm loving it... Anything about TM excites me, uplifts me, fulfills me, and I always wanna share with you all. Very interesting!

Enjoy! 

Saturday, May 7, 2016

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL MOTHER OF ALL, MY MOM!!
Timeless - The Picture of the Century
My mother at 100 years old
(March 9, 2016)

                                                                
When I was a little girl, I thought my mother was the most beautiful lady in the world and the greatest mother of all. She just turned 100 this year 2016, and, yes, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world and the greatest mother of all!

My Mom came from a little town of Placer, Masbate. And one of my most unforgettable anecdotes about her is when she was about 11. She was playing at her front yard when she heard a voice, “Esperanza, Esperanza… Poise.”
She didn’t know what it was, where it was coming from.  It repeated, “Esperanza, Esperanza… Poise.”
She looked around and saw a bird on a tree… and it was the bird talking!! And this time, she saw the bird literally saying, ”Esperanza, Esperanza… Poise.”
She didn’t know what “Poise” meant, so she ran home to look for the meaning of the word - Poise (noun) - Calm confidence in a person’s way of behaving; a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession 

Looking back, my Mom says that it must’ve been Nature’s way through the bird to prepare her for what she was to become - 
My mother took high school in 3 three years at that time when there was no such thing as “Accelerated”! She graduated class valedictorian. She went on to study medicine in UST and became the first lady physician of Masbate. Later, she moved to Manila, after marrying a lawyer, Pacifico P. de Castro, she met in Manila when she was in College, and had 5 children, with me, the youngest and the only girl. My mom went to UP and earned her certificate in Public Health, and soon after worked as Municipal Health Officer of Mandaluyong, of which she founded the MANDALUYONG MEDICAL SOCIETY, which has become an integral part of PHILIPPINE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. She moved on to become Provincial Health Officer of Pasig, and finally, City Health Officer of Quezon City. She was also one of the founders of FAMILY PLANNING OF THE PHILIPPINES. And who would expect that one day, her husband, my dad, would become one of the Justices of the Supreme Court!

At UST’s 400th year celebration in 2011-2012, my mother was the oldest living alumna and was awarded a platinum medal.

My mother is the heart of the family, the light of the home, the source of all our joy, healing, and strength. She is my most powerful influence and greatest inspiration in life!!

(This is an article I wrote for our school's CHS Newsletter, WE, THE ALUMNAE, featuring Alumnae's Mothers/Grandmothers)