this is single-song internet-radio

Herido De Sombras,
Los Zafiros

looking around old files in my computer
i came across this bossa cubana song
and this old .gif file made by my friend insky
they were together in the same webpage
and were part of a little old tradition of mine
that i called 'the internet radio'

it was before i wrote deaf words on this blog
(or is it in???)
or uploaded photos on 23,
it was a good way of sharing with my friends
the songs i like combined with my photos

so almost nightly i uploaded a selected song
accompanied by a photo taken by me recently
and e-mailed the links

so, tonight
i revived here the old little tradition
of the nightly pix & radio

oh Monday's night idle hours!
anywaysss, hoping you enjoy the little .gif
borrowed and the Zafiros cuban song
recorded in the 60's

Nota: hope to share more songs and images
to go with, follow the links for information
on the musicians and/or songs

a place to read Mishima

while being in Autlán
I was reminded of the beauty
of Yukio Mishima's literature
that fine literature that my dear friend Risa
introduced me to...

one of my mother's friend brought Mishima
to conversation, or was it me?
as were talking merrily about books
and then another of my mother's
intellectual friends lent her a copy
in Spanish of
El Pabellón de Oro

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

even though I was reading Sick Puppy
as my main book
I couldn't resist to put my hands
and caress with my eyes all the letters
en Español escritas por uno de mis autores favoritos...

it was a delight to read for the 1st time
Mishima in Spanish
I have read Spring Snow, and his collection
of short stories
Death in Midsummer
but in English

Spanish has a special taste for me
and a cadence of words and sounds
that seem to flow better to Mishima's words

and while getting immerse in the beauty
of the landscapes and gardens described
in El Pabellón de Oro
I came to discover with my mother this wonderful
place in Zapopán, a Guadalajara municipality

The park Bosque Los Colomos
this is gigantic urban wood with
92 hectares area or 227 Acres
and in midst of those wood and other
cultural buildings
it's built an exact replica of a ceremonial
water garden in Japan
design to invite to the contemplation
and delight of the view and sound of water



what a better place to read Mishima!
i thought...

I had to leave the spanish copy of
El Pabellón de Oro back when I came back
to San Diego

it was my mother's loan, not mine after all
and i planned to finish the book here in English
yet...

being this park, 10 minutes walking distance from
our home in Guadalajara, i think i rather return
to this lovely enchanted place to finish Mishima
listening to the water play
while my eyes touching the letters in Spanish as well

Adiós to Herr Kiyo

I have been delaying
posting anything on the blog
being sort of ‘superstitious’
I didn’t want my 1st post of the year
To be a sad one

Yet, the days of 2009
Are passing like clear water
And since the sadness hasn’t
Fade away, here goes the 1st post
Even if sad

On January 2nd my beloved
Best-friend pet fish herr Kiyo
Died
I guess was a mixture of
Bad weather, his age
he being not easy to feed anymore
and maybe missing a bit
that took him away from
the land of the living

just as the character in the novel
that he was named after
the beautiful adolescent Kiyoaki
from Yukio Mishima's novel Spring Snow
Kiyo died soon in life
and in a sort of tragic way

5 days have passed
And I still go now & then
To check his water temperature
And to say hello on his bowl
Just to realize
The bowl is gone
And to remember that herr Kiyo
Was buried on January 3rd

I still catch myself at work,
When it gets too cold
Wondering if his temperature at home
Is the right one
And the next second, when I remember
He’s not around anymore
A little lump in my throat forms
And even if I don’t want to
I grow sad

Ah… oh well, I know he’s in fish heaven
Or whatever place the spirits of fishes go

I just thank life for having borrowed me
That lovely piece of red fish for a couple
Of years, so I could photographing
Spoil him, take care of him
And share some smiles

Not sure why
But just as 2008, this year
Started strange too,
February and March 2008
Where the harshest months for me
And now it seem that this January 2009
Is coming strong too
after Kiyo’s death
I contracted this awful throat infection
Days passed and I still haven’t recovered
I’d like to think that what my grandma told me once
It’s true… when a year starts bad, it’s ‘cause
You are getting the ‘bad stuff’ out of your way
So you can enjoy more later on…
2008 was indeed ‘in crescendo’
And ended with a wonderful trip to Mexico
And reconnecting with family members
Who I haven’t seen in years
Therefore, I am sure, this 2009
Will bloom with happiness for me somehow

Danke!, thank you y muchas gracias
My beloved Herr Kiyo
For many months of your lovely company
All I can give you back now
Is a sad post on this world-wide web life