imperfection

Beauty in the eye of the beholder.

heart of gold

When we honestly ask ourselves

which person in our lives means the most to us,

we often find that it is those who,

instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures,

have chosen rather

to share our pain and touch our wounds

with a gentle and tender hand.

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The friend

who can be silent with us

in a moment of despair or confusion,

who can stay with us

in an hour of grief and bereavement,

who can tolerate

not knowing,

not curing,

not healing

and face with us

the reality of our powerlessness,

that is a friend who cares.

Henri Nouwen

peace hybrid tea rose

peace hybrid tea rose

This popular variety was created by

French hybridzer, Madam Antoine Meillard (1945)

at the end of World War II.

The flower became symbol for the end of war.

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While I'd like to join Mimi and gang to stand for Dona Nobis Pacem

-- my laptop crashed when posting the pictures!

Shalom.

rose pavarotti

New hybrids are often named after VIPs or name given by the growers.

This hybrid tea rose was dedicated to and named after Luciano Pavarotti.

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Those of us who are classically trained in music be it instrumental or vocal will not forget his face or his voice.

I'm an ardent fan of this tenor voice...Luciano Pavarotti's clear and warm tone and agility in execution, and his ability to hit the 'high C' note with ease which a soprano would have difficulty.

What a grand way he left this earth on 6 September 2007 in his hometown, Modena, Italy, where he was born on 12 October 1935 and surrounded by relatives and family members -- 3 grown-up daughters by his first wife of 34 years, a granddaughter and 4-year old daughter in recent marriage.

Last July he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"I dreamed to become a singer when I was four and I hear my father singing in the church with a beautiful tenor voice," he told CNN at an interview in 1991. His father was a baker and his mother, a factory worker.

He would spend his after school hours learning to sing. Then at 19, he took formal lessons on operatic singing but was not able to find employment or recognition. His pact with his parents was he would leave their nest at 30 years of age.

When he was 25, he almost quit singing due to a throat nodule but after a remarkable recovery, he entered the stage. In his autobiography, he wrote, "Everything I had learned came together with my natural voice to make the sound I had been struggling so hard to achieve."

In 1965, Luciano Pavarotti was first brought on-stage at short notice by Dame Joan Sutherland, Australian soprano diva, when the tenor for the performance of Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" took ill during the US tour. Then he made his debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera House 3 years later. His fame grew with triumphant performances in London, Rome, Sydney and many other cities thereon...

Perhaps Pavarotti's biggest gift and legacy was when he teamed up with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras when they performed at the 1990 Soccer World Cup...introducing operatic music to estimated 800 million people around the world. He also shared the same platform with pop singers like Bono, Vanessa Williams, and many others...

His signature aria Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot which was the theme song at the 1990 Soccer World Cup. He was invited to sing the same aria at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

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Update: Read on the Times magazine that he left 26-million dollars in debt...is he a fool or a smart fella! (28 Oct 2007)

rose chicago peace

I love the summer roses that color the day and fragrance the air.

This hybrid was taken in Parnell Rose Garden.

outta the blue

This was taken after a heavy rain at the Parnell Rose Garden.

I was amazed the roses didn't get soaked or battered by the rain

but looked rather refreshing.

The color actually changed with time.

Outta the blue is one of the many thousands of rose hybrids.

I always enjoy taking photos of nature especially flowers after a rain.