August 17, 2006


  • One little victory


    One Little Victory
    Rush (Vapor Trails)


    A certain measure of innocence
    Willing to appear naive
    A certain degree of imagination
    A measure of make-believe


    A certain degree of surrender
    To the forces of light and heat
    A shot of satisfaction
    In a willingness to risk defeat


    Celebrate the moment
    As it turns into one more
    Another chance at victory
    Another chance to score


    The measure of the moment
    In a difference of degree
    Just one little victory
    A spirit breaking free
    One little victory
    The greatest act can be
    One little victory


    A certain measure of righteousness
    A certain amount of force
    A certain degree of determination
    Daring on a different course
    A certain amount of resistance
    To the forces of the light and love
    A certain measure of tolerance
    A willingness to rise above


    I'm always reminded to take "baby steps" specially when I'm stressed like I am now. I used to be better at handling stress than this week. I think we all pulled together

August 16, 2006

  • How I feel today...


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    Can't remember the name of the poet who said "When I thought I had all the answers they changed my questions."

August 9, 2006






  • Movies


    It takes heart of Stone to relive 9/11



    August 9, 2006

    BY RICHARD ROEPER Sun-Times Columnist








    "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities. ... I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much."

    Hatemonger Ann Coulter's assessment of some of the widows of 9/11 victims.


    It would be my great pleasure to arrange for a screening of Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" for Ann Coulter and some of the families whose loved ones were killed or seriously injured on 9/11. It could take place in New York, New Jersey, any place, any time, all expenses on me. All I ask is, after the screening is over and the lights go up, that Coulter should stand and face these families and explain to them why she believes they experienced anything but the most profound emotional pain on that day and on all the days that have followed.











    Nicolas Cage plays a Port Authority police officer who is trapped in the rubble in "World Trade Center," Oliver Stone's moving re-creation of the events of 9/11.



    WORLD TRADE CENTER (PG-13)

    Critic's rating: ****

    McLoughlin: Nicolas Cage
    Donna: Maria Bello
    Will Jimeno: Michael Pena
    Allison: Maggie Gyllenhaal
    Scott Strauss: Stephen Dorff
    Dominick: Jay Hernandez
    Lynn: Patti D'Arbanville


    Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Oliver Stone. Written by Andrea Berloff. Based on the true-life events of John and Donna McLoughlin and Willliam and Allison Jimeno. Running time: 125 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language).



    Of course, Coulter will never go for something like that. That would take character and humanity, and she's an unconscionable pig.

    However, a number of conservatives whose hearts aren't rotted black have seen advance screenings of "World Trade Center," and from conservative watchdog Brent Bozell to longtime right-wing columnist Cal Thomas, they are singing its praises. Oliver Stone has created one of the most patriotic, pro-American films in recent years -- a movie that avoids Bush bashing and doesn't offer so much of a whisper of a conspiracy theory. It's not about politics -- it's about family, friendship and heroes who love their country.

    John Wayne would have loved this film.

    In perhaps the most conventional, straightforward movie of his career, Stone re-creates the events of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as experienced by two New York Port Authority police officers who were summoned to the scene after the first tower was hit. Nicolas Cage plays Sgt. John McLoughlin, a 21-year veteran who is said to know the layout of the World Trade Center buildings as well as anyone on the force; Michael Pena is Will Jimeno, a rookie who steps forward when McLoughlin asks for a handful of volunteers to join him on a rescue mission in the north tower. (It is a smart, if obvious, bit of casting to have the Oscar-winning action-hero star as the authority-father-figure, and a talented unknown as the brave but frightened rookie.)

    As thousands of pieces of paper flutter to the ground and ash-covered survivors emerge from the towers coughing and bleeding, the Port Authority officers scramble to collect enough Scott Air-Paks (30-pound, self-contained breathing devices) to enable them to fulfill their mission. McLoughlin discourages suicidal acts of bravery in favor of a methodical sense of purpose -- and in fact, the officers are still in the shopping concourse between the two towers, gathering equipment and verbally mapping out a plan, when the south tower collapses.

    McLoughlin's legs are crushed, and he is trapped in a crevice barely larger than a shallow grave. A few yards away, Jimeno is pinned under a slab of concrete. Two of their colleagues are dead, and a third is killed by a falling concrete wall as he tries to save Jimeno. Now it is just the two men, the veteran McLoughlin and the rookie Jimeno, nearly engulfed in the rubble, at least 20 feet below daylight. Their injuries are life-threatening, their pain is almost unbearable, they hear no sign of rescue teams, and they have no idea what is happening in the world above them.

    For most of the rest of the film, Cage is seen only in flashbacks to his homelife, or in dialogue-driven scenes in the rubble, during which he cannot move. Here we have an actor who thrives on mannerisms, twitches and over-the-top vocal gimmicks, literally pinned down. The result is one of his most powerful performances.

    An entire movie about two men waiting to be rescued would be either too static or too painful to watch, or both -- so Stone periodically takes us away from the meticulously created, astonishingly accurate Ground Zero set (built outside Los Angeles) and into the homes of McLoughlin's and Jimeno's wives, played by Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal, respectively, in performances worthy of best supporting actress consideration.

    Thanks to the work by the actresses and a beautifully crafted script by Andrea Berloff, Donna McLoughlin and Allison Jimeno are perhaps even more fully realized characters than their husbands. Seven months pregnant and with a young daughter, Allison is a tough spitfire who can't even imagine how she could tell her little girl that daddy isn't coming home.

    Donna's marriage is older, more comfortable, less passionate. As she waits for word on her husband and struggles to keep an emotional grip on her three children (who are questioning why she isn't doing more to bring their dad home immediately), she remembers small moments -- her husband fixing the roof, or teaching their son how to use a saw, or giving her a familiar, loving smile. Meanwhile, trapped in the rubble, John is doing the same. Thoughts of Donna keep him alive.

    Stone does a superb job of capturing what it's like for an extended family to wait for word of a loved one's fate. You get those moments when everybody concentrates ferociously on some mundane task, like getting coffee or making sandwiches, as if it's the most important thing in the world. At one point Gyllenhaal winds up wandering the aisles of a CVS, and when she realizes nobody in her party remembered to bring a cell phone, her panic and her resolve to get home now are palpable.

    In addition to the cops and their families, heroes abound in "World Trade Center," including a former Marine who sees the tragedy on TV and simply puts on his uniform and shows up on the site, and an ex-paramedic with a drug problem who risks his life to help save McLoughlin and Jimeno. Stone's direction is so cynicism-free that you wonder if he was visited by the ghost of Frank Capra while shooting this film.

    As with "United 93" earlier this year, there's much discussion about whether audiences are "ready" to see a mainstream movie about the events of 9/11. In New York, they're still talking about what to build on the site of Ground Zero, while Hollywood has already built a replica of Ground Zero for a film. You might not want to re-live these events, even though this is an uplifting story about survival and about American resilience in the face of a terrible horror.

    That's your choice, but you'll be missing one of the best films of the year. Thanks to the work of Bello and Gyllenhaal, "World Trade Center" in a way is also perhaps the most romantic film of the year, for it celebrates the strength of two women who didn't know if their husbands were coming home, and two men who stayed awake and alive by talking and thinking about the women waiting for them.

    Of the 20 people who were rescued from the rubble of Ground Zero, McLoughlin and Jimeno were the 18th and 19th. Their rescue provided a glimmer of hope and joy in some of the country's darkest hours. Stone's tribute to their struggle is a respectful salute to his country.




August 3, 2006

  • This are some of the most important lessons I've learned over the years.



    1. Treat people around you as you would like to have them treat you. I know it is an old adage, however it certainly works and makes your life easier and less complicated. Your life becomes more complex and disheveled when you constantly have people-issues to resolve that you could have averted by treating people in a more civilized manner.

    2. Develop routines for doing repetitious tasks or chores. Once you develop a routine you can then analyze the components of the task and develop faster, more efficient methods for achieving your desired result. Routines themselves do not necessitate being in a rut, you need to add variety so that life is always invigorating and stimulating.

    3. Keep a smile on your face as often as possible. Everyone around you responds in a more open and friendly manner if you start by making yourself more approachable. Simplify your approach to others so that you avoid unnecessary conflict.

    4. It is just as easy being neat as it is to being sloppy. In the beginning it would appear as though taking your time and being orderly would take more time and effort than being untidy. What you need to consider is that all of the time and effort in being neat is up front, such as putting your clothes away when you get home from work. If you are disorderly it is a two stage process. In stage one you have the time and effort involved in creating chaos and disorder, but you then also have the second stage of needing to clean up the mess made in stage one.

    5. Always look for people who have developed efficient processes for doing tasks in their life and make them your mentor. Everyone can learn something they did not know or realize from others who have already gained that experience. Do not reinvent the wheel unless it is necessary. Most successful people learn from other successful people's methods for getting ahead in life. Only true entrepreneurs chart a new path for others to follow.

    6. Determine goals for as many phases of your life as possible and commit them to paper or diskette. This gives you a path to pursue in attaining these goals and makes your decision process easier when you look at life as a never ending road map, but with destinations along the way.

    7. Don't waste time worrying over things you have no control over. It is counterproductive and does nothing to solve any problems or issues that you may have. Instead, focus on tasks that you can influence to make your life more fulfilling or that can stop a problem situation before it happens.

    8. Develop a game plan (schedule of major tasks) for each day. You should do this for both your professional and personal life. Most people like to take time and plan what they do at the office, however they do not list out the important things they should do in their personal lives.

    9. Develop a sense of balance between all phases of your life. Realize that your job and profession are important, but they are but a means of achieving other things in your life. Discover what is truly important in your life and devote more attention to this endeavor.

    10. Assess how happy you are in your occupation and why you are in your current profession. Not only will you be more successful if you are working at something you love, but you will make more money and have a more contented life style. Take stock of what you really enjoy in life and learn how you can incorporate these items into what you do to earn income.

    11. Always look for new avenues of improving yourself. Only through learning something new every day of your life can you make your experience on earth more meaningful and fulfilling. You should always share your new life discoveries with others so they will learn from your hard earned wisdom.

    12. Live as if this is all there is.

    13. Live with intention.

    14. Walk to the edge.

    15. Listen hard.

    16. Practice wellness.

    17. Play with abandon.

    18. Laugh.

    19. Choose with no regret.

    20. Continue to learn.

    21. Appreciate your friends.

    22. Do what you love.

    23. Use the rest of your time to nap  

July 28, 2006

  • Posted on Thu, Jul. 27, 2006


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    'Miami Vice' cultural influence still reverberates after 22 years


    By DAVID HILTBRAND

    Philadelphia Inquirer


    Colin Farrell, left, as Detective Sonny Crockett, and Jamie Foxx, as Detective Ricardo Tubbs, in a scene from "Miami Vice."

    Universal Pictures

    Colin Farrell, left, as Detective Sonny Crockett, and Jamie Foxx, as Detective Ricardo Tubbs, in a scene from "Miami Vice."


    Television's future dawned without warning on Sept. 16, 1984. On that Sunday night, NBC's impossibly stylish "Miami Vice" debuted, rocketing the medium from drab to fab.


    TV had always been a cheesy, fast-food form of entertainment. Other shows bowing that same season included "Three's a Crowd," "Charles in Charge" and "Finder of Lost Loves." But with its sleek and vibrant look and its sexy and dangerous mood, "Vice" immediately established itself as that contradiction in terms: hip TV.


    It was like that moment in "The Wizard of Oz" when everything goes from black-and-white to color. With its bright, Christmas-lights color scheme, straight-from-Milan fashions, turbo-charged action, happening music, and brilliant cinematography, Vice unlocked primetime's hidden potential.


    That startling synthesis has become so ingrained in subsequent expressions of TV and film that today we merely regard it as modern. At the time, it was revolutionary. It's hard to conceive how this week's big-screen remake with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx can improve on that formula, even 22 years later.


    But back to the original: Talk about must-see television. Across the country, Friday night dinner parties were suspended mid-bite so people could huddle around the set. This was the era of disco and Peruvian marching powder, but weekend revelry couldn't begin until "Vice" was over.


    Springing from the pithy concept of then NBC president Brandon Tartikoff - "MTV cops" - "Vice" starred Don Johnson as Miami-Dade undercover Detective Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as his partner, transplanted New Yorker Rico Tubbs. Together they brought down swaggering cocaine cowboys amid the tropical splendor of Miami.


    Crockett was a sheepdog in wolf's clothing. To lend credibility to his cover as a coke broker, Sonny was outfitted with expensive but casual Italian threads, drink-my-wake cigarette boats, and futuristic sports cars. He out-cooled James Bond.


    In the process, Johnson, a journeyman actor, was accorded rock-star status. "I visited the set just before the premiere, and Don was asking me for advice on how to get interviews," says Brian Robinette, the show's publicist. "I went back the day after the '84 election, and he had bodyguards. Less than three months on the air and he had to hire private security."


    "I was being offered money to try to get to Don and Philip by tons of women," recalls Saundra Santiago, who played Detective Gina Calabrese, Crockett's sometime lover. "It was insane."


    "Miami Vice" had a couple of ingredients that made it spectacularly unique.


    First there was the visual elan of executive producer Michael Mann. He reimagined Miami, which in reality was beginning to look rather dowdy, as a decadent pastel paradise, keeping his set designers busy because he banished all earth tones from the show's palette.


    Mann favored neon and reflective surfaces for his night shots, even hosing down the streets so they shimmered like black glass. Combine that glossy look with striking camera angles, smash-cut editing, and dramatic use of freeze frames, and Mann had developed a powerful visual language that is still widely copied.


    His ambitious accomplishment unleashed a once unthinkable exodus. In the two decades since "Miami Vice" first aired, more and more feature film talent - actors, writers, producers and directors - have moved over to work in television, resulting in a remarkable improvement in the quality of TV drama. Without "Miami Vice," there is no "ER" or "The Sopranos" or "CSI."


    Just as important as the look of "Vice" was its sound. From the industrial-strength opening of Jan Hammer's electronica theme, this was a show fueled by music. "If you remember what other TV show theme songs of that era sounded like, this was shock therapy," says Hammer. Both the "Miami Vice Theme" and the "Miami Vice" soundtrack album would top the Billboard charts.


    In addition to Hammer's score, "Vice" also used a rich variety of contemporary pop and rock songs during episodes. Until that time, if a TV show wanted to employ a pop hit, it usually resorted to a sappy, elevator music version to avoid paying stiff rights fees. But "Vice" used the original recordings of artists from Eric Clapton to Depeche Mode, from U2 to Peter Gabriel.


    Not only that, it often let these songs play out in their entirety over scenes without dialogue. The impact of these music video operettas, beginning with Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" in the two-hour pilot, was unusually powerful.


    Not surprisingly, as soon as "Vice" became the epicenter for hip in the '80s, everybody wanted to get into the act. It became a favorite parlor game to see who would show up in cameos from week to week. Miles Davis, Don King, G. Gordon Liddy, Frank Zappa - they all dropped by to work on their tans.


    "There was always something going on on the set," Robinette recalls. "At the time, people were carrying around giant cell phones the size of walkie talkies. Everyone was walking around with money hanging out of their pockets, living the life. Even the grips thought they were Crockett and Tubbs."


    Of course, no pot can stay at a boil forever. And "Vice" started losing its edge after a couple of seasons, when NBC put it on head to head against "Dallas," a competition that wounded both shows. But while it was hot, "Miami Vice" was incandescent.


    Mann, who directed the film remake, avoided recapitulating the TV show in any way (although there is a hip-hop remake of "In the Air Tonight" in the score).


    "It's nostalgia, and I find that passive and not interesting," Mann told the Associated Press. "If you're going to do `Miami Vice' for real, you're not going to get into the cartoon stuff, and you're not going to try to trigger recall of the show."


    That's his loss.


    WHERE ARE THEY NOW?


    Don Johnson (Det. Sonny Crockett), 56: The actor has stayed busy in films ("Guilty as Sin") and TV series, both successful ("Nash Bridges") and quickly yanked ("Just Legal"). He's developing a new TV series with Ron Shelton, his director in the golf film "Tin Cup."


    Philip Michael Thomas (Det. Rico Tubbs), 57: The post-"Vice" resume is sprinkled with TV movies ("Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter") and B-movies ("River of Stone"). Lately, Thomas has been doing voice work for video games such as "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."


    Edward James Olmos (Lt. Martin Castillo), 59: Oscar-nominated for his role in "Stand and Deliver," Olmos has worked steadily in film ("Selena") and TV ("American Family"). He's currently playing Commander Adama on the Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."


    Saundra Santiago (Det. Gina Calabrese), 49: You name it, she's done it: film ("25th Hour"), Broadway ("Nine") and TV - both daytime ("Guiding Light") and prime time (a recurring role as Jeannie Cusamano on "The Sopranos").


    Olivia Brown (Det. Trudy Joplin), 46: The actress has had recurring roles on a string of TV series: "Designing Women"; "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"; "Beverly Hills 90210";" Moesha"; and most recently, "7th Heaven."


    A 'VICE' SOUNDTRACK


    "Miami Vice" used contemporary pop and rock songs to startling effect. Among the songs:


    Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight"
    Eric Clapton, "Wonderful Tonight"
    Tina Turner, "Better Be Good to Me"
    Godley & Creme, "Cry"
    Glenn Frey, "Smuggler's Blues"
    Depeche Mode, "Flies on the Windscreen"
    Peter Gabriel, "Biko"
    The Police, "Tea in the Sahara"
    The Doors, "Break on Through"
    U2, "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
    Madonna, "Gambler"

July 26, 2006

July 18, 2006

  • It is sad when a TV show reminds us of this



    The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
    The language is not Narn, or Human, or Centauri, or Gaim or Minbari.
    It speaks in the language of hope;
    It speaks in the language of trust;
    It speaks in the language of strength,
    and the language of compassion.
    It is the language of the heart
    and the language of the soul.
    But always, it is the same voice.
    It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us,
    And the voice of our inheritors,waiting to be born.
    It is the small, still voice that says:
    We are one.
    No matter the blood;  No matter the skin;
    No matter the world; No matter the star;
    We are one.
    No matter the pain; No matter the darkness;
    No matter the loss; No matter the fear;
    We are one.
    Here, gathered together in common cause.
    we agree to recognise this singular truth,
    and this singular rule:
    That we must be kind to one another,
    because each voice enriches us and ennobles us,
    and each voice lost diminishes us.
    We are the voice of the Universe,
    the soul of creation,
    the fire that will light the way to a better future.
    We are one
    We are one.


    Declaration of principles - Citizen G'Kar (Babylon 5)

July 15, 2006

  • I'm back 



    Sunny Days
    Jars of Clay


    Sunny days keepin' the clouds away
    I think we're coming to a clearing and a brighter day


    So far away. Still I think they say
    The wait will make the heart grow stronger or fonder
    I can't quite remember anyway


    So if you're waitin' for love
    Well it's a promise I'll keep
    If you don't mind believing that it changes everything
    Then time will never matter


    Winter, Spring..is what love can truly bring
    Ice turns to water, water flows to everything
    You can lose your mind, maybe then your heart you'll find
    I hope you won't give up what's movin' you inside

    So if you're waitin' for love
    Well it's a promise I'll keep
    If you don't mind believing that it changes everything
    Then time will never matter
    So if you're waitin' for love
    Well it's a promise I'll keep
    If you don't mind believing that it changes everything
    Then time will never matter

    If the car won't start, when you turn the key
    When the music comes on, all your cold, cold heart can do is skip a beat

    It's a promise I'll keep
    When you're waitin' for love
    If you don't mind believing that it changes everything
    Then time will never matter
    So if you're waitin' for love
    It's a promise I'll keep
    If you don't mind believing that it changes everything
    Then time will never matter


    It''s always amazing how much your perspective can change over such a short time span as that of the conference. Sure I was in Chicago for longer than just the conference and I had a great time while there, but it was the conference party that really made me think. The time in Chicago made me think about a lot of things:


    It made me think about relationships. The time I spent with SL in Chicago was so awesome that I can't really describe it, it just was. It was relaxing just to be with someone without any expectation and without having to be anyobody but myself. It made me think about how much we have to actually pretend to be people that we are not in our oeveryday life just to avoid confrontation even among the people who you know and who you consider yourself close to.


    It made me think about professional happiness and where does it really lie. I found out that there are other places hiring and, as much as I love working in Chico, they sound so damn attractive that is hard not to actually want to take a look at them and explore them as career options. Is it wrong to search for professional challenges and happiness? I make the distinction between happiness and professional happiness because while I believe that they they influence each other but they are not the same thing. 


    It made me think how much should a person sacrifice for the collective effort. I mean, how much push can yu take before you say f**k it and move on to something else?

July 5, 2006

  • Where The Streets Have No Name
    U2 (The Joshua Tree)


    I want to run
    I want to hide
    I want to tear down the walls
    That hold me inside
    I want to reach out
    And touch the flame
    Where the streets have no name

    I want to feel sunlight on my face
    I see the dust cloud disappear
    Without a trace
    I want to take shelter from the poison rain
    Where the streets have no name

    Where the streets have no name
    Where the streets have no name
    We're still building
    Then burning down love
    Burning down love
    And when I go there
    I go there with you
    It's all I can do

    The city's aflood
    And our love turns to rust
    We're beaten and blown by the wind
    Trampled in dust
    I'll show you a place
    High on a desert plain
    Where the streets have no name

    Where the streets have no name
    Where the streets have no name
    We're still building
    Then burning down love
    Burning down love
    And when I go there
    I go there with you
    It's all I can do
    Our love turns to rust
    We're beaten and blown by the wind
    Blown by the wind
    Oh, and I see love
    See our love turn to rust
    We're beaten and blown by the wind
    Blown by the wind
    Oh, when I go there
    I go there with you
    It's all I can do

July 3, 2006

  • Table for two
    Caedmon's Call


    Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes,
    Talkin' 'bout soccer
    And how every man's just the same
    We made speculation
    On the who's and the when's of our futures
    And how everyone's lonely
    But still we just couldn't complain

    And how we just hate being alone
    Could I have missed my only chance
    And now I'm just wasting my time
    By looking around
    But you know I know better
    I'm not gonna worry 'bout nothing
    Cause if the birds and the flowers survive
    Then I'll make it okay
    I'm given a chance and a rock
    see which one breaks a window
    See which one keeps me up all night and into the day

    Because I'm so scared of being alone
    That I forget what house I live in
    But it's not my job to wait by the phone
    For her to call

    Well this day's been crazy
    But everything's happened on schedule
    from the rain and the cold
    To the drink that I spilled on my shirt
    'Cause You knew how You'd save me
    before I fell dead in the garden
    And You knew this day
    long before You made me out of dirt

    And You know the plans that You have for me
    And You can't plan the end and not plan the means
    And so I suppose I just need some peace
    Just to get me to sleep.