" It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us,
only to be crushed by grim reality.
It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical.
Yet I cling to them because I still believe,
in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death. I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions.
And yet, when I look up at the sky,
I somehow feel that this cruelty too shall end,
and that peace and tranquility will return once again. "
"Ondanks alles, geloof ik dat de mensen een goed hart hebben."
YK’s 2-Cents::
This quote kept me going during a tough time of uncertainty, when I was working and residing near Anne Frank's birth place.
I once approached the Frankfurt Tourist Information, asking for the exact location of Anne Frank's birth place since the street is now defunct. The 'helpful' lady on duty totally ignored my query, and instead point me to Goethe's birthplace. Does 'Anne Frank' rhyme with 'Goethe', or ...?
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert was held in the 8,000-seat Oslo Spektrum arena, in honour of President Jimmy Carter being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize just the day before, for his "decades of untiring effort to find peace solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."
Hosted by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange, other artistes present were Norwegian vocalist Sissel, Lapp singer Mari Boine, British rock band Suede, opera singer Jessye Norman, Italian vocalist Laura Pausini and Spanish dancer Joaquin Cortes, Willie Nelson, Josh Groban, Michelle Branch, Angelique Kidjo, with a spectacular finale by Carlos Santana and his 11-piece band.
Following are excerpts from the night's programme. Note that some performances have been replaced by the same artistes giving the same performance, at different events. They were included to give a more complete experience of the concert, as the originals were not available.
It began with a video recording of Jennifer Lopez singing "Jenny On The Block".
Marie Boine - I Come From The Other Side
Sissel - Over The Rainbow
Laura Pausini
Josh Groban - To Where You Are
Sissel Kyrkjebø and Josh Groban - The Prayer
Santana and his band
Angelique Kidjo and Santana
Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch - The Game of Love
Joaquín Cortés (not sure where this performance was recorded but it sure looked the same)
Willie Nelson- Always On My Mind
Willie Nelson - The Great Divide
Willie Nelson - Georgia on My Mind
Imagine - by all artistes
What's most cool was, I was staying at the Radisson Hotel and at the hotel elevator, I bumped into the very hot Joaquín Cortés and Jimmy Carter's son and grandchildren.
09-Nov-2011:
1) President Carter was awarded after decades of untiring effort. Makes one wonder why the decision to award the same prize to President Barack Obama in 2009 was made barely half a year into his presidency. The 2010 award was no less controversial. Both 2009 and 2010 laureates were absent from the concerts held in honour of them.
That made me really appreciative that President Carter and family were present at the 2002 concert, so that my American colleague could excitedly shout "President Carter!" when he went on stage.
2) I was almost made to attend this concert on 'colleague-pressure', as the ticket price was really hefty. The Belgian and Dutch consultants among us wanted the best seats available, and nobody had a clue who's on the line-up. We were working so hard back then, nobody really cares about the former US President Carter, not even the American colleague. But the whole "Project-Post-Live-Support-Team" felt that it would be a great experience since we were in Oslo.
On hindsight, it was worth every NOK (Norwegian Kroner)! Compare to other years' line-ups, 2002's concert line-up offered the most diverse talents across the world, though I think President Carter might be happy just to have Willie Nelson sang "Georgia On My Mind" upon his request (he was born in the state of Georgia).
3) I will always be grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience and my one-month in Oslo will always be the highlight of my 2002.
I know how millions have already written about this popular painting, including the beautiful song 'Vincent' by Don Mclean (see below).
But once I had the chance to see the original painting upfront at MOMA - The Museum of Modern Art - at New York City, I was immediately drawn into the painting by the swirling clouds, the blazing stars. I felt an instant bonding, and it was really difficult trying to refrain from touching it.
Despite the hard times, the beauty expressed by Van Gogh in this painting had filled my heart with so much hope and happiness, that life is somehow worth living again.
"This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise," the artist wrote to his brother Theo, "with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." Rooted in imagination and memory, The Starry Night embodies an inner, subjective expression of van Gogh's response to nature. In thick sweeping brushstrokes, a flamelike cypress unites the churning sky and the quiet village below. The village was partly invented, and the church spire evokes van Gogh's native land, the Netherlands.
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853-1890
The Starry Night, Saint Rémy, June 1889
Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4" (73.7 x 92.1 cm).
Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest
Publication excerpt from The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, revised 2004, originally published 1999, p. 35:
Van Gogh's night sky is a field of roiling energy. Below the exploding stars, the village is a place of quiet order. Connecting earth and sky is the flamelike cypress, a tree traditionally associated with graveyards and mourning. But death was not ominous for van Gogh. "Looking at the stars always makes me dream," he said, "Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star."
The artist wrote of his experience to his brother Theo: "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." This morning star, or Venus, may be the large white star just left of center in The Starry Night. The hamlet, on the other hand, is invented, and the church spire evokes van Gogh's native land, the Netherlands. The painting, like its daytime companion, The Olive Trees, is rooted in imagination and memory. Leaving behind the Impressionist doctrine of truth to nature in favor of restless feeling and intense color, as in this highly charged picture, van Gogh made his work a touchstone for all subsequent Expressionist painting.
Aug 2011
Thanks to the very commendable Google Art Project, I can transport myself to this painting in MOMA anytime.
Starry, starry night Paint your palette blue and gray Look out on a summer's day With eyes that know the darkness in my soul... Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colors on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen; they did not know how -- Perhaps they'll listen now.
Starry, starry night Flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue Colors changing hue Morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
Now I understand What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen; they did not know how -- Perhaps they'll listen now.
For they could not love you But still, your love was true And when no hope was left inside On that starry, starry night You took your life as lovers often do -- But I could've told you, Vincent: This world was never meant For one as beautiful as you.
Starry, Starry night Portraits hung in empty halls Frameless heads on nameless walls With eyes that watch the world and can't forget Like the strangers that you've met The ragged men in ragged clothes The silver thorn, a bloody rose Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
Now I think I know What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen; they're not listening still -- Perhaps they never will...
I dedicate this post to the dear 'kawan' - indeed a friend-in-need, who offer me refuge for 2 most unforgettable weekends in Manhattan.
