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: 4/4/10
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
* Every Little Step
* The Hurt Locker
* Julie and Julia
* Precious
* Sin Nombre
* Up
* Up in the Air
(I included 11 entries instead of ten.)
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)
David on January 5th, 2010
“Every man has his own destiny; the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.”
–Henry Miller (1891-1980)
David on January 3rd, 2010
“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate The world is all gates, all opportunities.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
David on January 2nd, 2010
It’s 2010– and a new decade around the world. Here are a few photos of the New Year’s celebration from major cities worldwide. Wherever you may have been at midnight on New Year’s Eve, Jankenpon hopes it was a festive and memorable start to 2010.
Above: New Year’s celebration in Paris. Below: New Year’s celebration in Tokyo.
Above: New Year’s celebration in Beijing. Below: New Year’s celebration in Moscow.
Photo Credits: The New York Times
David on January 2nd, 2010
“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”
–Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
David on January 2nd, 2010
TripAdvisor.com recently released their “Travelers Choice Awards” for 2009, based on an annual survey of their online travel community. The Awards are organized in the following categories:
* Best Bargains
* Best All-Inclusive
* Best for Families
* Best Inns and B&Bs
* Best for Romance
* Best in the Top 25 World Cities
* Best Service
* Best Luxury
To download the FREE 33-page report, go to the official TripAdvisor.com website by clicking here.
Jankenpon highly recommends this annual survey, which has included some great recommendations in previous years, including the Park Hotel Tokyo, a contemporary, spacious and value-priced property in the new high-rise district of Shiodome, which was named the Top Hotel Bargain in a previous annual survey by TripAdvisor.com and Budget Travel.
David on January 1st, 2010
Jankenpon says “Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu,” which means “Happy New Year” in Japanese. New Year’s (or “Shogatsu) is the most important holiday in Japan, and has been celebrated with special ceremonies and customs for centuries, including special food, decorations, exchanging of New Year cards, prayers and worship, monetary gifts to children, and New Year games.
Happy New Year to all.
David on January 1st, 2010
‘Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
–Oprah Winfrey (B. 1954)
David on January 1st, 2010
Jankenpon wishes you good health, peace and happiness in the New Year.
