Little Chopin

Jeremy
Williamstown, NJ
ninja rocker

Jeremy started banging on the keys of the piano as a toddler, when he had not even learned to walk completely on his own yet.  He would crawl on his father’s keyboard, his tiny feet and hands pummeling the black and white keys, a cacophony of haphazard notes blaring around their living room.

Now, thirteen years later, this 8th grader has mastered the beautiful and magical craft of playing the piano with such finesse and artistry that nothing could sound more poignant and haunting as the immortal tunes of Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and all of the classical greats he belts out with this dazzling instrument.

Jeremy actually started having formal lessons when he turned 7, but even before that, this virtuoso had already showed signs of extreme talent with the piano.  Turning 13 in a few days, Jeremy admits that it can be challenging to juggle schoolwork, playtime, and piano practice all at the same time, but thanks to the full support and careful guidance of his Mom and Dad, Jeremy has managed to accelerate his talent while maintaining his honor status at school.

And of course, in between practices and homework, Jeremy always finds time to have a little fun in between…well maybe, a little too much fun (or so his Mom thinks) especially when he gets his hands on his video game consoles and that indispensable faux-music instrument phenomenon also known as “Guitar Hero.”

But with all the hardwork and dedication he exerts for his piano playing, it’s only but natural that Jeremy finds other avenues of unwinding his mind through the different activities he also enjoys, namely reading books and magazines, watching cartoons and sport matches, and sketching.  From the onset, his parents had encouraged that Jeremy cultivate his artistic side, thus, they sent him to one of the more prestigious music schools in Philadelphia, where, with the conduction of a solid piano teacher, Jeremy has honed not just his skill but also his showmanship.

In May of this year, Jeremy was handpicked by his teacher among all her students to perform in the school’s annual certification concert where after a rigorous performance, he would earn a certificate to advance to the next level.  His performance was nothing short of extaordinary, and Jeremy recalls that it was to date, his most important event ever.

“I have one more year to go then I’m going to be in high school.  It will be busier than ever,” Jeremy remarks.  “The aim starting now is to get more experience with going to competitions and more recitals, and with a life like this, you might think I’d be tired.  But, actually, I’m not.  I love playing the piano.  I like having this.  It makes me feel like a star, maybe.”

A star, indeed, he is to those who have seen and heard him play the regal instrument with the ease and passion of modern day concert pianists such as Lang Lang or Vladimir Ashkenazy, who are two of Jeremy’s idols.  But on a regular day such as this, you’ll most likely find this really special kid enjoying what any average adolescent boy would — frolicking with his Wii while blasting The All-American Rejects on his headphones.

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A note from *the storyteller:

Jeremy does Chopin (and how!) in this beautiful rendition of Etude Op. 10, No. 3 in E Major… or more famously known as “Tristesse” (read: “Sorrow” in French)

Before and After New York

Isha
Cebu, Philippines
risk taker
The cool Hudson River breeze blew softly, flicking a few strands of her hair in the wind.  Isha lifted her hand, tucking the strands of long, black hair behind her ear, her gaze shifting to the silver waves lapping upon the hull of the yacht we were riding on in this beautiful summer day in New York.

Suddenly, the yacht made an unannounced stop right in front of the omnipotent monument that is the Statue of Liberty.  Isha excitedly perked up, her body swiveling to the side as she retrieved her point and shoot digital camera and snapped a couple of pictures of the colossal statue, the pinkish-orange sky hovered around it.  She took a quick glance at the screen of her camera and with a huge grin, she showed me the pictures she had just taken.  I smiled back, impressed at the composition of the photographs.

Isha reiterated once again that I should have given her a better heads up about this yacht cruise so that she could have at least taken her digital SLR camera gear with her, instead of this pocket-sized camera she toted around with.  I apologized for the third time, explaining that I really wanted to surprise her with this treat.  I wanted to make it extra special because my dear friend of 10 years would be returning back to our hometown of Cebu, Philippines after a 5-year stint in New York so that she could finally pursue her lifelong dream – a career in photography.

Isha moved to New York in 2003 for her graduate studies in Business and Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).  Prior to that, she had a fledgling start as a photographer in Cebu, but once she was finished with college, her parents encouraged her to append her studies and it was decided upon that the best training ground for her would be at the FIT which happened to be located at the “capital of the globe” — meaning, New York.

There is that undeniable fact known to the world that New York is the land of milk and honey where exoduses of artists happen daily, these wandering souls making their giant leaps into this dazzling city of promise in pursuit of their respective dreams.  Isha was no different from the rest of these dreamers, striving to succeed in grad school and carving a name for herself with her photography as soon as she would set foot in this arts and culture hub.

Indeed, Isha accomplished much at FIT, and in the last few years, she managed to land a couple of lucrative job opportunities in the fashion industry.  Her photography slowly started picking up, too, especially with wedding photo gigs that came her way.  All in all, Isha was slowly living well into the way of her dream.

But as life happened, Isha begun to realize that New York was not the oasis she had thought it would be.  The city had presented her with so many golden opportunities, but somehow, there was still something amiss.  At first, when the answer started revealing itself to her, she was a bit reluctant to realize it, but soon enough, she understood that she could not deny it any longer.  No matter how great and significant her experiences were in New York, Isha discovered that the only place where she wanted to fully focus on her photography and art was nowhere else but home — in Cebu…

Five minutes after our yacht made that sudden halt in front of the Statue of Liberty, the motor of the vessel started guzzling again.  Heading west, the yacht drove further and further away from the Statue and into the dimming evening where not too far away, the skyline of New York’s skyscrapers lit up, an entire island twinkling with a million tiny lights from every window.  Isha gazed at the sight, a sigh escaping out of her lips.  She clasped my hand and thanked me for the very wonderful gift of this moment to experience and view New York from the best angle possible, one last time before she would make her astounding move back to the Far East.

I clasped her hands over mine, assuring her that she’ll always have New York.  Isha nodded with a grin as she glanced at me, the reflection of the glorious and shining New York skyline bouncing off on her sunglasses.  Before our yacht returned to dock at the pier by South Street Seaport, I asked my dearest friend what was the greatest thing New York had done for her.

She kept still for a moment.  Then, with the smile returning to her face, she replied,  “I guess you can say I found myself in New York, if that’s as cliche as it gets.  Because of your independence, you learn more about yourself.  You learn your priorities in life and you learn to be stronger and most of all, you learn that life is so short just like what they say, ‘It’s a New York minute.’  As crazy as this concrete jungle is and millions of people passing by you every single minute, somehow in that middle of all of that, you figure out who you are, what you want to be, where you want to go, who you want to be with…and then you just go for it.”

As soon as we descended the yacht as it made its docking into the pier, Isha snapped a photograph of me, but not before she remarked one more time that I should have really told her about this in advance because it would have made the perfect landscape photo shoot.  I laughed and promised her that upon her return to this beautiful city, another yacht cruise adventure would await her.

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A note from *the storyteller:

Isha has now returned to the Philippines where she will soon wed the love of her life while fulfilling her dream of becoming a renowned photographer.  You can check out her amazing and picture perfect collection here: Patricia Mancao wedding photography

Fruit of Thy Womb

Lisa
New York, NY
optimist

Pregnancy brings about a slew of bodily changes to a woman, other than the obvious belly protrusion, of course. In fact, it could be said that pregnancy not only carries a growing fetus inside a woman, but with it comes out a ‘whole, new person’ carrying the unborn child, as well. The metamorphosis happening to a pregnant woman is one that circumvents the physical, mental, emotional, and even the spiritual changes, but what mostly affects the expecting mother, especially one on her first pregnancy is the daily bouts of nausea, uncontrollable mood swings, and the occasional swelling of the hands and feet.

For Lisa, however, the one change brought about by her body that stimulated her the most is something rather odd, that even the sporadic trips to the bathroom were a holiday over this one physiological alteration: Lisa discovered that her pre-pregnancy, “perfect” belly button was gradually going through a deformation of its own.

On that fateful day when this first-time pregnant mother discovered that the one feature in her body which she truly favored was no longer how it used to look like before the bump in her belly, Lisa held her breath for a couple of seconds. And then the shrieks rang all throughout the apartment.

Her devoted husband, Danny, rushed to their room upstairs, terrified of what might have happened to his pregnant wife. To his shock (and utter amusement), he found Lisa rolling on the bed, tears streaming down her cheek as she ran a hand over her navel, her muffled gasps, “My belly button! My belly button! Why didn’t anyone tell me I was going to lose my belly button?” caught between her wailing.

Totally unprepared for such an episode, Danny was still able to comfort his beloved wife, guaranteeing her in between hugs and kisses that no matter what shape her belly button took, it was still her belly button; albeit altered, it was still very much a part of her beautiful body.

Now into her second trimester, Lisa couldn’t help but erupt in laughter as she recalled that moment. Having been a teacher for kindergarten and first grader kids for over 5 years now, Lisa thought she’d already seen it all when it came to sudden outbursts. Little did she expect that the most amusing one would come from her very own self.

Thankfully, with a great support system from her mother, sisters, girl friends, and most especially from Danny himself, Lisa has gracefully accepted that the changes in her body, even with the body part she loved the most, are permanent and could be irreversible. But for the little bundle that is also developing within her, Lisa considers these changes will make the next three months much bearable and more exciting by the day.

Joyride

Vince
Cebu, Philippines
explorer

For someone who recently learned to ride a bike just early this year, Vince surely has one-upped most commuters by taking the ultimate thrill ride ever – a 200 mph drive at a NASCAR race track.

The adventure began when in the Spring of last year, Vince befriended an investment banker online. They had exchanged emails and talked on the phone for awhile, until one day, Vince had mentioned in passing how he was thrilled to be spending the summer here in New York, especially with its slew of free, outdoor concerts and film screenings.

Later that night, the biggest surprise awaited him on his inbox: his new friend was inviting him to start his summer season with the most daring activity of all the following morning. It just so happened that his friend, when not playing with numbers and charts at the boardroom, taught race car driving on the side. Totally blown away by the invitation, Vince had barely four hours left to prepare for his big trip, let alone catch some shut-eye.

Somehow, he still made it in time and six hours later, he found himself standing on a race track with his personal race car driving instructor in tow. The rustic, backwoods setting of the Poconos was a welcome respite for the young urbanite whose schedule revolved around a fulltime grad school course and internship at a film production company.

It amused Vince so much that he was actually engaging in such a macho sport with someone he’s only met for the first time. Considering that he mostly spends his free time trekking to museums, galleries, opera shows, and all things cultural one can find in New York, the day at the race track turned out to be an experience of a lifetime for Vince.

“Being that I have this penchant for adventure and a thirst for trying out new, unfamiliar things, it was but only natural to give the race car a shot,” he said, his face beaming. Strapped tight to his seat in the compact vehicle with a snug helmet and his heart leaping out of his chest, Vince completed five revolutions around the race track at speeds faster than the most powerful cyclone.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, the world around him was a total blur, but Vince says the experience was truly worth it, dizziness and all. The rest of his summer was just as unforgettable, but nothing had given him more adrenaline rush in his whole life than that one day at the race track. This summer, he doesn’t see any racing adventures happening, but he did finally learn to pedal a bicycle, albeit not as daredevil-like as a race car, but equally just as satisfying, especially now that he’s the one behind the wheels.