The day of my birth

"Ronnieversaire" is how Bibo Bergeron put it, he coined it and I'll use it forever. Doesn't it sound great? The above is a parking stub for parking off of Piedmont Avenue--this is today's. Happy New year, all!

Bon Ronnieversaire! I asked my mother when I was a child the circumstances of my birth on a day when much of the world is looking skyward to the night sky than to any other human being next to them. I have many mixed feelings about this day and my mother's details of the day were nothing special. She'd gone into labor at sundown and my delivery had obliterated any other detail inside the old navy hospital (my father was not in the navy, it was the closest free hospital to them) in Cavite City until I was smacked into crying wakefulness. Only then did she realize that the fireworks had been going on outside. Even then the need to set off one's cache of fireworks could not wait for the appropriate time.

I did not make it past the line of the 365th day of of 1959--perhaps by just an hour or thereabouts--and will forever not be counted into the round block number of 1960. Oh, well.

"Everyone is celebrating your birthday!" became an annual phrase that I've come to revile, be bored by and now, in my middle age, appreciate the anonymity by-product that no other birthday comes with. And then I think: What must Christmas birthday people hear. "You've always struck me as Christ-like, y'know?"



To those who do remember my incandescent birthday for whatever reason, thank you for the well wishes. I do so appreciate it. All my friends over the years, I raise a glass in your honor in return and wish you all a happy new year!

To my family, whom I've not been able to be with in this very busy (boy was it ever) I hope to correct this by next year and we'll have a grand reunion next holiday season.



The images posted herein are the snapshots of work I made for the Galerie Arludik. Enrico, Tadahiro and I are doing it again but this time in Paris. More about this in the next post. For now we've more pressing events. This year is ending and I think we all have much to ponder back on.

And to look ahead for.


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Galerie Arludik
Wikipedia about today.