Why I Love New York City

By June Pascal

UWS, Manhattan

New York City has been home for me for almost thirty five years. Each time I travel out, the final leg of the trip which is coming home becomes the most exciting part of my journey. I have arrived, safe and sound.

Unromantic as it may sound but I think the subway system makes this city as dynamic as it is. I like the fact that when it was built more than a hundred years ago, the powers that were had the ideal to make it fair to all passengers wether coming from Queens or Brooklyn into Manhattan to pay the same price. It is not so in Paris or London or D.C. Fare increases as distance traveled increases. Presently, our $2.50 is still a bargain. For one token, I can go to the beach. I can also go to Queens to be with the Greeks or Indians or eat Filipino food.

For a token, I can be in Brooklyn and feel like a tourist especially in Brighton Beach, come home with souvenirs like caviar, blintzes and gold painted tea cups.

When I have an unlimited weekly train and bus card, I feel like the city is mine 24/7. Because of the subway, New Yorkers can party with impunity. There is no last train to catch. no cars to drive. As a host of a party, you can invite everybody you know across the city, and know that guests can come without much ado. When they leave, drunk or not, the train operator is their designated driver. Because of the subway system, New Yorkers can blissfully exist without a car. No parking, tickets, insurance, mortgage, gas, etc. We've been living green for the longest time. Because of the subway system, you can be as professional as you want to be.

When you have an appointment, you can be there on time. No traffic to blame. Most of my out of town friends and guests never fail to be mesmerized by the sheer raw energy of the city's population. Standing in one corner on Broadway, a first time visitor's jaw just drops at the sight of thousands of people scurrying to and fro, "I've seen more people in a minute here than a year in Australia."

I like it that most of the local population are generally friendly, down to earth and proactive in their lives.
-to be continued-

(This article is first published at JunePascal.blogspot.com, her repository of creativity.)

OSM! Event: Cultural Confluence VI in NY

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Loida Nicolas Lewis aptly described Celso Pepito's artistry as value-filled as well as modern. "It is distinctly Filipino that imparts values on hard work and family ties. Highly impressive."
The Art Exhibit Cultural Confluence VI was graced by Consul General for New York Mario de Leon Jr., Miss Lewis, Miss Nena Kaufman, and Mr. Clint  Ramos. It was the first event sponsored by OSM!, in partnership with the 5th Avenue Lions Club and the ArtPortal Cebu.

Thirty works of art by Cebu-based couple Celso and Fe Pepito are up on exhibit until October 5, 2012 at the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan.

The event was also supported by Xocai Healthy Chocolate.

Celso and Fe will also hold an art workshop on October 2 for interested art enthusiasts during the course of the exhibit, which opens at 9 am till 5 pm.

The sixth of the series of art exhibits, Cultural Confluence has been toured by Cebuano artists in Manila, Paris, Singapore, and New York. It provides art enthusiasts and collectors a glimpse of the life in Asia and the values it holds dear. For several years now, it has become a hub for artists like the Pepitos to forge unity and understanding among the culturally diverse roots of fellow artists.

YOKO MATSUSHITA CANO: The Musician Dabbles in Motherhood

BY MARIVIR MONTEBON

Her answers are quick, like staccato.  Yoko Matsushita Cano was also looking after her infant child, Arturo (who is just beginning to walk), while doing this OSM! interview.  She remains sweet and composed, convincingly typical of Japanese women. Yoko came to the US in 2000 as a student of music. Away from her family in Nagano, Japan, she ventured into the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut to finish her Bachelor's and Master's Degree of Science of Music.

She loved her student life, the crowning glory of which was winning second in the university's international festival.  Yoko performed an original composition, a fusion of English and Japanese pop song, and wore the Japanese culture.

Life after leaving the portals of the university was a whole lot more challenging, but Yoko sang and played her music the way she wanted it.  She teaches piano and voice lessons in Long Island while learning the ropes of motherhood.

Why did you choose to come to America to study Music?

Yoko:  My parents decided on it. They think America was the best place to study music. I love music, I love to sing ever since I was a kid. So I came here for that.

What is your genre?

Yoko: I have been trained on classical music. But really I love pop music most. I love watching Glee and singing the songs of Whitney Houston. She has the most challenging voice for a singer.

Did you like being in the US? Was it enjoyable or tough?

Yoko: I like being in the US. I had many friends, different nationalities. It was tough when you have problems with relationships, boyfriend, or when you are confused with yourself because you are young. (Grins).

After finishing your degree in Music, what did you do?

Yoko:  I went to Upstate New York and joined the choir and helped organize it from 2006-2008. I was a church volunteer.

What does it take for a singer and pianist like you to truly express yourself in music?

Yoko:   In singing songs that are not originally mine, the struggle is to hear my own voice, my own self in order to express the song. It takes a lot of effort to look inside yourself, understand the singer and the song as well.

What does singing do you to you personally?

Yoko: Singing is like finding myself. When I am sad and confused, I sing and it makes me clear who I am.

Any plans for career move?

Yoko: I will go back to singing in the choir soon, when the baby is bigger.

How is motherhood and married life?

Great and difficult too. I am blessed to have a very good husband, Toribio. I love him so much. I was very attracted to him. He is a very good father too.

It is difficult to take care of the baby. When Toribio's paternal leave was over, I asked him to extend it. It was so hard to take care of the baby by myself and I just gave birth.  Very tired and confused what to do.

Won't your parents come over to visit you and their new grandson?

No. We will fly to Japan and visit them soon.

What makes up for a good marriage, specially yours, you are Japanese and Toribio is Mexican?

Yoko: Just love each other and try to understand each other. I think Toribio doesn't love me. I think he just pities me because it seems I am always alone. (Laughs so hard, then the mobile phone rings)

...Toribio was on the other side of the line, and they exchange sweet nothings. Not in love, hey? I smiled.

Jessica Garand, Violist: Enchanting Her Audience

BY MARIVIR MONTEBON

Perhaps the sound of the viola is that of the angels’ voice. There is something in this stringed instrument that could lift your feet above the ground when you hear it, electrifying and enchanting.
Definitely, it must be the violist too, Jessica Garand, who could stereotypically be regarded as an enchantress as she gracefully plays the viola.
At the Julliard School of Music at Lincoln Center, the audience of Jessica was held breathless and floating at her powerful performance for her graduation recital for her Master of Music degree. It was a highly charged rendition of the Sonata for the Viola and Piano opus 25 No. 4 by Paul Hindemith, Piece Breve, by Isabel Panneton, Suite No. 4 in E Flat major by J.S. Bach, and Theme et Variations by Olivier Messian.
Jessica was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but grew up in Montreal, Canada. She said she has the most amazing family with her brothers as cheerleaders and her parents as life coaches. "We all exchange these roles from time to time as well," she remarked.
Jessica is a recipient of the Charles Bernard Cohen Memorial Scholarship and the Alice Hendricks Kuhn Scholarship.
She is also the founder of Opportunity Music Project, teaching viola lessons to young children who could not afford the high cost of education for music. Opportunity Music is supported by the Lovin’ Life Learning Center on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, RentMyInstrument.com, the Virtu Foundation, MACROBLU, and many others.

Why choose viola as your instrument in music? Who inspired you to make music as a career?

Many lovely opportunities as a violist, and I love being able to play singing warmly dark lines, many times the viola gets this role. However, the role of the viola is constantly evolving, and this is very interesting. My grandfather asked if I wanted to always play the "zing-zing". He got me thinking about music as a life-long pursuit. After pondering the future I soon realized that really, there was nothing I would rather pursue. I am so glad I took this path.

Who is your favorite artist? Why?

My favorite artist is Mstislav Rostropovitch, and also I greatly admire Kim Kahskashian, and Leo Tolstoy.

Tell me about the music teacher that you are. Is it part of the requirements at school or a personal endeavor?

I teach because I believe it to be an integral part of creativity. I really have always loved teaching, really: sharing. I started an organization last year called Opportunity Music Project to give kids with passion but lacking financial resources the chance to be classical musicans.

How do you survive being a student in New York? What challenges and inspiration do you have?

I love being a student in NYC! I often go to sleep inspired to wake up. The city is buzzing with energy. There are good smells and bad smells: even if you get a whiff of something nasty, you can just keep walking another few paces, and you can smell the wonderful savory scent of gyro vendors on the corner. I like being able to sit next to someone on a train, and realize, after some moments of conversation, that we are so very similar.

Perspectives as a musician? What is your immediate plan after graduation?

I will go do more school! I will begin pursuing a doctorate of musical arts at Stony Brook University in the fall. I want to research the possibilities for performers to work in the community setting, and expand the scope of Opportunity Music Project.