I’m hitting the gound running this 2007.
It must be the new house we have just moved into, or maybe I am in a new cycle of life but I feel ready to embark on many things this year. This is just the second day of the year and I am getting busy setting things up for the rest of 2007 and beyond.
For one thing, I am doing the 30th run of TCU or TAPPING THE CREATIVE UNIVERSE, a workshop I designed to reawaken creativity in people. I will be holding it for the second time here in Sydney this January 21. If you are interested, go down three entries below and get the details. Or write me at jim_paredes@yahoo.com and I will be happy to send you the syllabus or answer any of your questions.
I also have resumed my guitar teaching here in Sydney and most of my old students have signed up again including some new ones. I was happy that many of them have not forgotten the lessons I gave them before.
I am also going to go all out with my photography. I have set up a studio here in my house in Sydney and will be accepting photo assignments while I am here. The background sheets are ready, the lights are waiting for me to swithch them on. All I need now is for clients to call. Tawag kayo. I promise the best photos you will ever have. If you want to see some of my work, visit here, or here.
I have also received a prototype of my fourth book from the printer. I am completing the typo corrections and a few other things before I send it back for final printing. I actually finished the book early last year but have been so tentaive about releasing it since I felt I needed some distance before I read it again. And that’s exactly what I did last week, and I am quite happy about it. I will make an announcement on this blog about where and how you can order it. I am utilising this new digital publishing technology that makes it easy to ‘print on demand’ so that anyone in the world can order through the net and they will get it delivered pronto!! On my part, I will have no inventory, and anyone who wants the book can have it.
I am really excited about this.
With my two other friends Danny and Boboy, I will be doing a lot of concerts this February in the Philippines, and a US-Canada tour this April to end of May. This is gonna be fun. I can’t recall any tour not being fun, actually.
As you can see, I am up to a lot of things.
After months of Pinoy Dream Academy and just plain laziness on my part, I have started exercising again. This afternoon, I ran around the park here in the suburb where I live, and it felt great. I am admittedly tired since my body has not done any exercise for more than a year now, but it was good to feel my blood flowing again. My last stint nin manila wasn’t exactly great for my health. For one thing, I was hardly getting good sleep at all. I had gotten used to the quiet of Sydney and found life in Manila too noisy. I’ve been taking care of myself better lately by sleeping and eating right.
Lastly, I would like to share with you a song and video I made for Western Union where I paid tribute to all overseas Filipinos everywhere. In a sense,, I know what it’s like to undergo the loneliness and alienation they are going through. One can feel like one is missing so much by being away. I am happy and proud of this song.
Enjoy!!
What an idol! You are such a busy man, Sir Jim, and I truly admire you for that… Hope I was as occupied as you are, too. Haay. Oh well, hope you don’t stress yourself too much po. INGAT! 🙂
wow. your 2007 is fully booked!
happy new year to you an dyour family.
what a nice song sir jim! simple lang pero ang bigat ng dating. am sure lahat ng filipinos overseas who will hear this will be touched the same way i was when i was watching your video. thanks for that song!
happy new year to you and your family!
Jim,
The lyrics and melody of your song are truly a master(‘s) piece: because, it genuinely comes from your heart. It speaks of the same sentiments all of us migrants feel about being away from home.
Blessed New Year to all.
Thank you Maestro,
Gabriela
Hi Sir Jim!!! I always wondered, can a person older than 45 jog? Guess I was wrong. Since holidays are over I have to wake up around 4:30 am just to jog for an hour; I felt tired after jogging this morning coz I was lazy for two whole weeks. Nothing to do but write, watch TV, eat, use the laptop, and sleep.
By the way, is it nice there in Australia? I’m asking this beacause I might be migrating there on 2008 if I can’t go to USA. I think I won’t have a problem in making friends there coz I have a lot of online chatmates from Australia. Again, is it nice there? Are the people nice? Oh, happy new year, and I like the video. I wish I could sing, and I just bought the Kami nAPO muna concert, loved it and liked the dancing.
neve–haha. I love being busy.
mav–happy new year to you too.
kaye–glad you liked it.
gabriela–salamat. I felt I encountered the sentiments expressed in the song in the faces and conversations I had with many of our kababayans everywhere.
triccia–yes. I am over 50 and I have started jogging again.About Australia, yes, I like it here. People are laid back. The country is big and wonderful. But like all migrants, there are things that you will have to trade of to fit in. Read nalang my lother entries about Oz.
The video was very good. The song was great. But the last 2 seconds of the ad where your character lovingly stared at the photo was powerful.
i read all your postings and enjoy every bit of it. i never have the time to communicate to you as much as i want but watching your western union project urge me to respond. i see myself whenever you touch on the subject of immigrating to a foreign land. the decisions, all the way to the everyday struggle to adjust to a new life, sort of. we all went through that process, in varying degrees of difficulties. you may have noticed that most of us succeeded in the adjustment, as you travel around the world. not even a year went by and i can say you are a success. your western union project is most touching for me, i can imagine myself as part of the video, picture and the lyrics. i am not alone, there’s thousands of us you touched. fyi, i left manila in august ’83 when ninoy aquino was lying is state at sto. domingo. that was a mind stirring decision to leave my country, my brothers and sisters, close friends, relatives and specially a girlfriend of eight years. you can now understand why i feel strongly about this subject. i saw that confused look in you when i saw you last feb. 2006 during the mass for the 20 years edsa anniversary. you may be thinking: should i leave my country now? what about danny and boboy? how will life in australia treat my family? what if i fail in my decisions? but that’s all over now, you are now one of us, just more successful.
wishing you, Lydia and the kids all the best for 2007. same is true for danny, boboy, betta, butch and the band. you guys are super, no wonder people are already asking for your return. sorry for the long response, this is one year worth, i’ll blog more often. later.
congratulations on the new book! can’t wait to get a copy!
cheers to 2007!!!
Hi Jim, Happy New Year to you and your family. This is a really nice song and video. Thank you for sharing. I have always been a fan since my mom is a fan, too. 2 generations na. 🙂
I am just getting my feet wet in photography and I really like your photography sites. Lots of luck with the photography assignments.
I am looking forward to reading your books and I hope I can watch your concert with Danny and Boboy this Feb in Manila.
All the best for 2007 and always.
Hi Jim,
Happy New Year!!!
Glad to know you are hitting the ground and back to the routines of life. You seem to have alot of things going. Can’t wait for the Canada tour. Won’t miss it this time around.
Hope you can drop by my blog.
marie c–salamat.
rico–salamat sa mahabang liham. looking forward to more of your comments. Glad you liked the video.
jey-aly–will announce details on the new book soon. watch out. It willl be accessible wherever you are in the world.
fay–see you in our concerts. and good luck with yourn photography. show them to me when you’re ready.
leah–just visited your site. Nice! Had your poster made. It will be finished and mailed hopefully by next week. Just having a hard time following it up since my house is Manila still does not have rregular internet due to the Taiwan earthquake.
wow!
so happy to see that you’re greeting the new year with a bang! :)))
cheeers to 2007!
hello po 🙂 so glad you’re blogging! wait til i tell my mom..i remember seeing your photos (during an 80’s concert stint here in dubai along with ms. kuh ledesma) from sealed letters she would send me when i was a child..how time flies! but still u managed to look young..i guess your family and a healthy lifestyle is the secret 🙂
btw, ung multiply link nyo po should be changed..
stay cool 😉 and may God continue to shower you with blessings..
Leaving a now non-authentic (i.e., out of sync) thought trail here right now, and kicking myself for not doing so right away after I read your entries.
In plain language, I loved the song. Who wouldn’t? I cried myself silly being here in Sydney alone without my family.
Cheers for the new year.
PS I wish I had time to take guitar lessons from you.
trish–good to know you like something your mom likes. ha ha.
misao–I am happy to hear that you like the sonmg since I made it for people like you and all our kababayans who are abroad but have ties back home.
If you want to learn guitar, write me at my yahoo email and let’s set a sched.
will you tour northern california by any chance this 2007?
nestor–yes. It starts April 15 in Toronto. We have a SF and LA date yata. Check the APO site sometime in the next weeks at apohikingsociety.org. The whole sched will be there.
i hope you pass by davao for your concerts in february. *fingers crossed*
i’ve been an avid reader of your intelligent blog, sir. and i used to religiously watch ur equally interesting show “Tatak Pilipino” w/ ms gel relos (where is she now?)..i even sent u a letter , but alas! no reply, he he, thank u by the way, for truly making our country proud wd ur unwavering contribution..
oh’ i also remember when i was still a working stud, I happened to talk u too over the phone (when i was still working in API San Juan Agora C, under your friend, mr. Alex Asuncion)…i had a wonderful time then hearing my idol artist personally! more power and more greater thoughts ahead !.
josh of dubai