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
To go to previous posts in the Today’s Quotes category, click here.
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)
To go to previous posts in the Today’s Quotes category, click here.
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!
