Welcome to Jankenpon…and thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy playing rock, paper and scissors, too.
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David on March 11th, 2010
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”
– Melody Beattie
David on March 7th, 2010
In honor of the 82nd annual Academy Awards, being held today in Los Angeles, CA, here is my list of the TOP 10 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY of all time.
NUMBER 1: Barry Lyndon; Cinematographer John Alcott, Director Stanley Kubrick (1975)
The remaining 12 (oops, could stop at just 10, unfortunately) are, in alphabetical order:
* Day of the Locust; Cinematographer Conrad Hall, Director John Schlesinger (1975)
* Days of Heaven; Cinematographer Nestor Almendros, Director Terrence Malick (1978)
* The English Patient; Cinematographer John Seale, Director, Anthony Minghella (1996)
* Fanny and Alexander; Cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Director Ingmar Bergman (1982)
* Godfather Part II; Cinematographer Gordon Willis, Director Francis Ford Coppola (1974)
* The Last Emperor; Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, Director Bernardo Bertolucci (1987)
* Manhattan, Cinematographer Gordon Willis, Director Woody Allen (1979)
* Out of Africa; Cinematographer David Watkin, Director Sydney Pollack (1985)
* Reds; Vittorio Storaro, Director Warren Beatty (1981)
* Tess; Ghislain Cloquet and Geoffrey Unsworth, Director Roman Polanski (1979)
* The Thin Red Line; Cinematographer John Toll, Director Terrence Malick (1998)
To to go the official Oscars site from the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences, click here.
Above: Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon and David Morley as Bryan Patrick Lyndon, in Barry Lyndon.
To purchase Barry Lyndon on DVD, go to Amazon.com by clicking here.
To go to previous posts of things on MY TOP 10 LIST, click here.
David on March 5th, 2010
With the annual movie award season now at its peak, I thought this would be a good opportunity to select my TOP 10 MOVIE ACTORS (which changes from time to time), in alphabetical order:
* Jeff Bridges
* Robert DeNiro
* Gerard Depardieu
* Robert Duvall
* Colin Firth
* Gene Hackman
* Dustin Hoffman
* Ian McKellen
* Paul Newman
* Tom Wilkinson
To go to previous posts of things on MY TOP 10 LIST, click here.
David on March 5th, 2010
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)
David on March 4th, 2010
“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.”
–Robert Kennedy (1925-1968)
David on March 3rd, 2010
“Our dreams must be stronger than our memories. We must be pulled by our dreams, rater than pushed by our memories.”
– Jesse Jackson (B.1941)
David on March 2nd, 2010
“We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.”
– W. Somerset Maugham
David on February 28th, 2010
“There’s always hope.”
–Aragorn (played by Viggo Mortensen), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Written by Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson; Directed by Peter Jackson
David on February 27th, 2010
“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.”
– Winnie the Pooh
David on February 26th, 2010
“Could we see when and where we are to meet again, we would be more tender when we bid our friends goodbye.”
–Marie Louise De La Ramee (1839-1908)
David on February 23rd, 2010
“My darling, I’m waiting for you.How long is a day in the dark?Or a week?The fire is gone now and I am horribly cold.I really ought to drag myself outside, but then there would be the sun.I’m afraid I waste the light;And the paintings and am writing these words.We die.We die rich with lovers and tribes,tastes we have swallowed,bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers,fears we have hidden in, like this wretched cave.I want all this marked on my body.We’re the real countries, not the boundaires drawn on maps;the names of powerful men.I know you’ll come and carry me out into the Palace of Winds.That’s what I’ve wanted; to walk in such a place with you,with friends, and Earth without maps.The lamp’s gone out,and I’m writing in the darkness.”
David on February 22nd, 2010
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
– Hannibal Lechter, played by Anthony Hopkins, “Silence of the Lambs,” 1991, Orion Pictures (Directed by Jonathan Demme; Screenplay by Ted Tally)
To read more about the 2010 USA Census, go to the official USA Census website by clicking here.
David on February 22nd, 2010
“Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.”
–W.C. Fields (1880-1946)
David on February 20th, 2010
Although this list changes periodically, here are my TOP 10 FAVORITE THINGS TO EAT, in no particular order:
* Tenzaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles served with dipping sauce and shrimp tempura)
* Banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches made with french-style bread and filled with pickled carrots and turnips, cucumber, cilantro and chicken)
* Chicken lau lau (steamed Hawaiian-style chicken and fish wrapped in taro leaves)
* Caprese con Mozzarella di Bufala (Mozzarella, tomato and basil)
* Hazelnut gelato
* Shrimp etouffee
* Oden (simmered vegetables, fishcake, eggs, and other ingredients in a broth, typically sold in the wintertime)
* Cioppino (seafood stew)
* Chirashi sushi (chef’s selection of sashimi served over sushi rice)
* Har gow (as well as other types of dim sum)
* Stone crab
* Boiled peanuts
* Fish and chips
Okay, I snuck in a few additional items.
If you had to pick just ten things to eat, what would you include on your list?
To go to previous posts of things on MY TOP 10 LIST, click here.
David on February 20th, 2010
Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new… but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?
– Paracelsus (1493-1541)
David on February 19th, 2010
“Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come… The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future.”
–Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993)
David on February 18th, 2010
“For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”
– Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009)
David on February 17th, 2010
For fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage musical, The Phantom of The Opera, the good news is that “Love Never Dies,” the sequel to the 1988 winner of 10 Tony Awards, is set to begin previews this week at London’s Adelphi Theatre.
According to Broadway Buzz, “The sequel takes place in Coney Island, where the mysterious Maestro who runs the local theater announces a one-off concert with legendary Parisian soprano Christine Daaé. After Daaé arrives in New York with husband Raoul, Victome de Chagny and son Gustave, their subsequent meeting with the Maestro sends the cataclysmic events that happened at the Paris Opera a decade ago crashing back into their lives.”
Previews begin on February 22, 2010, in preparation for an official opening on March 9, 2010. A Broadway version of the production is targeted to open in November 2010 (theatre to be announced).
To go to the official website of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, click here. To purchase advance tickets to the West End Show, click here.
The official London Cast Recording will be released on March 9, 2010 and can be purchased, in advance, from Amazon.com by clicking here.
Above: View an interview with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber in which he introduces Love Never Dies by clicking the Play button. Below: Watch a “preview” of one of the principal songs from Love Never Dies, featuring Ramin Karimloo, as the Phantom, by clicking Play.
David on February 16th, 2010
Happy Fat Tuesday to all Jankenpon friends and visitors. Please join Jankenpon in wishing the people of New Orleans a wonderful Mardis Gras celebration.
Support the City of New Orleans in its ongoing recovery efforts by planning your next visit to this great American city. To learn more about New Orleans and to get visitor information and tips, visit the New Orleans Online website by clicking here.
David on February 16th, 2010
“When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things - not the great occasions - that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
–Bob Hope (1903-2003)
David on February 15th, 2010
“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.”
– Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
David on February 14th, 2010
“Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.”
–Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
David on February 14th, 2010
Today’s video is a 1990 live performance of “My Funny Valentine,” by the legendary Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990), who was affectionately known as The Divine One.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
David on February 14th, 2010
Jankenpon wishes all its friends and visitors a Happy Valentine’s Day.
David on February 13th, 2010
February 14, 2010 marks the start of the Lunar New Year, which is the most important celebration for many Asian cultures. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger and for those persons born in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, or 2010, this is an auspicious year for you.
Happy New Year to all Tigers from Jankenpon!
David on February 11th, 2010
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
– Steve Jobs (B. 1955)
David on February 10th, 2010
“The best portion of a good man’s life– his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”
– William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
David on February 9th, 2010
“To awaken each morning with a smile brightening my face;
to greet the day with reverence for the opportunities it contains;
to approach my work with a clean mind;
to hold ever before me, even in the doing of little things,
the Ultimate Purpose toward which I am working;
to meet men and women with laughter on my lips and love in my heart;
to be gentle, kind, and courteous through all the hours;
to approach the night with weariness that ever woos sleep
and the joy that comes from work well done– this is how I desire to waste wisely my days.”
– Thomas Dekker (1572-1632)
David on February 8th, 2010
“If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.”
– Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
David on February 7th, 2010
Where is that drink?
This handsome, classic Manhattan was served well-chilled with two cherries, at Faz Danville, located at 600 Hartz Avenue, in Danville, CA. The restaurant features a large, spacious dining room, a handsome adjoining bar, and private and semi-private dining areas for larger groups. Dinner is served nightly, and lunch is available on weekdays only.
To read more about Faz, which has other locations in Sunnyvale and Pleasanton, CA, go to their official website by clickinghere.
Above: A partial view of the large dining room at Fax Danville. Below: A view of the counter overlooking the open oven where bread is continuously being prepared.
To go to previous posts in the “Where is That Drink” series, click here.
David on February 7th, 2010
“Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things- with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.”
– Corazon Aquino (1933-2009)
David on February 6th, 2010
Conde Nast Traveler released its annual Gold List for 2010, which lists the top-rated hotels according to the readers of Conde Nast Magazine. The list is available online through the Concierge.com website, where you can filter the list according to a variety of categories, including:
* Best Rooms
* Best Service
* Best Food
* Best Location
* Best Design
You can also browse hotels by geographic area.
To go to the official Gold List 2010 page on Concierge.com, click here.
To subscribe to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine (12 issues for $12), go to their official website by clicking here.
David on February 6th, 2010
TripAdvisor.com, the online community for travelers, announced its 2010 Travelers Choice Awards, which includes the top-rated choices in various categories, including:
* Bargain
* Romance
* Luxury
* Best Service
* Relaxation and Spa
* and more…
To read the rankings in all of the categories, go to the official Travelers Choice Awards 2010 page on TripAdvisor.com by clicking here.
David on February 6th, 2010
“The past is a ghost, the future is a dream, and all we ever have is now.”
–Bill Cosby (B. 1937)
David on February 4th, 2010
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
– Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
David on February 4th, 2010
“Whatcha got ain’t nothin new. This country’s hard on people, you can’t stop what’s coming, it ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.”
–Ellis, played by Barry Corbin, to Llewelyn Moss, played by Josh Brolin, in “No Country for Old Men,” directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (1977), Paramount Pictures
“No Country for Old Men” is included in my list of TOP 10 FAVORITE MOVIES, which you can read by clicking here.
David on February 4th, 2010
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
– Nelson Mandela (B. 1918)
David on February 3rd, 2010
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”
– Isak Dinesen (aka Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke), (1885-1962)
David on February 2nd, 2010
“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”
– Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen (B. 1946), 2/2/10, speaking before a Senate panel urging the lifting of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” USA armed forces policy.
David on February 2nd, 2010
“All men should strive
to learn before they die
what they are running from, and to, and why.”
–James Thurber (1894-1961)
David on February 1st, 2010
Today’s video is another hilarious spoof from the creative minds at Saturday Night Live, featuring characters depicting Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate newcomer Scott Brown (R, Massachusetts), among others. Go SNL!
David on January 31st, 2010
“It’s toughest to forgive ourselves. So it’s probably best to start with other people. It’s almost like peeling an onion. Layer by layer, forgiving others, you really do get to the point where you can forgive yourself.”
— Patty Duke (B. 1946)
David on January 31st, 2010
The New York Times has made available on their website a list of “The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made,” which includes links to the full review that appeared in the print edition of The New York Times.
To go to the complete list, click here. To order a paperback version from Amazon.com, click here.
David on January 30th, 2010
Today’s song is the classic, A Place in the Sun, written by Stevie Wonder and recorded in 1966.
A Place in the Sun
Like a long lonely stream
I keep runnin’ towards a dream
Movin’ on, movin’ on
Like a branch on a tree
I keep reachin’ to be free
Movin’ on, movin’ on
‘Cause there’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
And before my life is done
Got to find me a place in the sun
Like an old dusty road
I get weary from the load
Movin’ on, movin’ on
Like this tired troubled earth
I’ve been rollin’ since my birth
Movin’ on, movin’ on
There’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
And before my life is done
Got to find me a place in the sun
You know when times are bad
And you’re feeling sad
I want you to always remember
Yes, there’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone…”
To download a MP3 version of this song from Amazon.com, click here.
David on January 30th, 2010
“The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.”
– Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
To go to previous entries in the “Today’s Quote” series, click here.
David on January 29th, 2010
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
– Dalai Lama (B. 1935)
David on January 28th, 2010
“I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, human liberty as the source of national action, the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas.”
– President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)
David on January 26th, 2010
“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”
— John Muir (1838-1914)
David on January 25th, 2010
“”We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.”
–Jeremy Irons (B. 1948)
David on January 24th, 2010
“Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.”
— Bob Dylan (B. 1941)
David on January 23rd, 2010
Today’s video is another wickedly funny video from the hilarious guys at JibJab, called “Never at Year Like ‘09,” which offers a hilarious look back at 2009.
David on January 23rd, 2010
Where are the feet?
The feet are pausing at the “Top of the Rock” on the 70th Floor outdoor Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center, New York, to admire and absorb the stunning views of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan. Top of the Rock is situated on the 70th Floor of the iconic General Electric Building in Rockefeller Center and was reopened in 2005, after undergoing a $75 million renovation. Although the deck at the Top of Rock is not as high as the Observation Centers at the Empire State Building (located on Floors 86 and 102), the views from the Top of the Rock are considered by many to be more impressive, since it includes a sweeping view of Central Park and the Upper East and Upper West sides, as well as Midtown Manhattan.
The Top of the Rock is open to visitors from 8:00 AM to midnight, 365 days of the year. The entrance is located on 50th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue. Tickets may be purchased online, in advance, through the official Top of the Rock website, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Above: A view of the 69th Floor outdoor deck, which is encased with clear glass panels to provide unobstructed views of the city, as seen from the 70th Floor deck at the Top of the Rock. Below: A commanding view of Central Park taken from the 70th Floor of the Top of the Rock.
Above: A northeast view, looking toward the Upper East side, from the Top of the Rock. Below: A view of the Empire State Building, located on Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets, and Midtown Manhattan.
Above: A view of the Upper West Side and the twin towers of the Time-Warner complex, located at Columbus Circle.
To go to previous posts in the “Where are the Feet” category, click here.
David on January 23rd, 2010
“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.”
–Jonathan Larson, Composer and Playwright, “Rent” (1960-1996)
David on January 17th, 2010
The journey to The Big Apple gets underway with a non-stop flight on United Airlines PS (Premium Service) Flight 892 from SFO to JFK in their attractively-appointed B757-PS, which features three cabins of service– First, Business and Economy Plus. The PS service between LAX-JFK and SFO-JFK are the only domestic United flights that use the B757-PS aircraft and which offer full First Class Service.
Above: United’s Premium Service aircraft are specially outfitted B-757’s with three interior cabins. Below: The First Class cabin has 12 seats with lie-flat beds and generous legroom.
Below: The lunch service starts with a chilled appetizer(asparagus with shaved parmesan cheese, and couscous) and a mixed green salad with sesame ginger dressing, and a glass of wine.
So, it’s New York or bust!
David on January 14th, 2010
“Experience is not what happens to a man: it is what a man does with what happens to him.”
–Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
David on January 13th, 2010
“Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.”
–George Sand (aka Aurore Lucile Dupin) (1804-1876)
David on January 12th, 2010
“Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults.”
–Chinese Proverb
David on January 11th, 2010
“To unpathed waters, undreamed shores.”
–William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
David on January 10th, 2010
UPDATED: 2/10/10
Although 2009 will likely not be remembered as a great year for movies, there were some very good films, along with a couple breakthroughs, as well. Since many of the films that are expected to be the front-runners for the annual awards season have not yet opened in the San Francisco Bay Area, here’s an incomplete list of my TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS of 2009.
TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2009 (in alphabetical order):
* A Single Man
* An Education
* Avatar
* Crazy Heart
* The Hurt Locker
* Julie and Julia
* Sin Nombre
* Up
* Up in the Air
* (The remainder are still to be determined– check back)
What were your favorite films of 2009? To review my Top 10 Favorite Films of All-Time, click here.
David on January 9th, 2010
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
–Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
David on January 8th, 2010
Today, January 8th, is Elivs Presley’s birthday. He would have been 75 years old today. Happy birthday, Elvis.
David on January 7th, 2010
“Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you.”
–Marcus Aurelius (121-180)
David on January 6th, 2010
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”
–Sydney Smith (1771-1845)
Jankenpon is a collection of observations and images on a variety of topics that interest me. Please come back often to check it out and to leave feedback and comments.
