Japi's Blog

And Now For Something Completely Different - a laughing baby

To temporarily interrupt my political blogposts... I decided to go with Laughing Baby!!

It's awesome because I have the exact same reaction to ripping paper... LOL!

I'm Not Giving You Up by Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan has a beautiful song that wasn't extremely popular... but it's wonderfully written and the music is amazing too.

The name of the song is "I'm Not Giving You Up" from the album titled Destiny. 

Below you can read the lyrics:

To be completely honest
It scares me to imagine
What life would be without you

And for this very reason
I ask you to forgive me
For what I'm putting us through

Although there are so many things
Against us, I've decided
That I'm not giving you up, no...

Thinking back, I see what we have
Is something different
I think we've known all along
So how fair would it be
To divide this love's existence
Between what's right and what's wrong

And you, always wondering if we'll make it
Time will tell you
That I'm not giving you up, no, no...

We'll find a way to be together
However long it takes, wherever
If it means having you for only a moment
A moment just might be enough
I'm not giving you up, no
No I'm not giving you up, no

Screaming in the silence the promises we've spoken
Come back to haunt me, false and broken
Quiet desperation to see we're lost forever
Searching for water in the desert

No, I refuse to have to do
Without your kisses
I'm not giving you up, no, no

We'll find a way to be together
However long it takes, wherever
If it means having you for only a moment
A moment just might be enough
I'm not giving you up, no

No I'm not giving you up, no
No I'm not giving you up

Un Querer Como El Tuyo - by Ilan Chester

Un Querer Como El Tuyo is a beautifully romantic song composed and performed by Ilan Chester.

Ilan is a phenomenal musician born in Israel and raised in Venezuela.  He is a prolific singer/songwriter.  His vocal range is amazingly wide - this particular song doesn't really show his range... but it's one of my favorites.

Purchase the CD with this song.

Original

English

Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Las horas no cuentan, el tiempo es amigo Mi vida, contigo, no concibo algo mejor. Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Las sombras se alejan y queda el rocío En ti yo confío el quehacer del corazón… Será sincero si lo propio es lo común Amor del bueno cada vez que te recuerdo soy feliz, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz, Me basta y me sobra tu amor, Al norte y al sur, al este y oeste, Declaro mi amor por ti, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, No hay dudas ni quejas, se llena el vacío, No hay tuyo ni mío, somos uno entre los dos… Será sincero si lo propio es lo común Amor del bueno cada vez que te recuerdo soy feliz, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz, Me basta y me sobra tu amor, Al norte y al sur, al este y oeste, Declaro mi amor por ti, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo.

To have a love as yours The hours don't count, time is a friend My life, with you, I can imagine nothing better To have a love like yours Shadows dissappear and only the dew is left I entrust my heart to you Honestly.... True love, your memory makes me happy And being next to you, I am happy Your love is filling and overflowing To the north, south, east and west I declare my love for you And being next to you, I am happy To have a love as yours To have a love as yours No doubt nor complaint will fill this void There's no yours or mine, we're one Honestly.... True love, your memory makes me happy And being next to you, I am happy Your love is filling and overflowing To the north, south, east and west I declare my love for you And being next to you, I am happy To have a love as yours To have a love as yours To have a love as yours

Amor de Conuco Lyrics, absolutely beautiful!

This is one of the most beautiful songs written by Juan Luis Guerra.  He is from the Dominican Republic - his band (Juan Luis Guerra y Los 4.40) is responsible for evolving some of their caribbean rhythms into amazingly classy and gorgeous songs. 

Their vocal harmonies voices inspire many young vocalists to carry the torch and continue to improve merengue, bachata and salsa.

I've uploaded the song, Amor de Conuco, for your enjoyment.  Below is a translation of the lyrics, as it is a exchange between a man and his wife.  I hope you like it as much as I have for many years.

Juan Luis Guerra is an amazing poet and composer.

Purchase the CD with this song.

Male voice
Dime si me va a querer soy hombre de poco hablar, Consuelo no tengo na' que ofrecer un conuco, un gallo y un lucero y la luz de la mañana que entra por mi ventana, cielo y los rios y la montaña y el viento que peina tu pelo yo quisiera ofrecerte el mundo y no puedo.	Tell me if you will love me I am a man of little words, Consuelo I don't have much to offer a shack, a rooster and starlight and the morning light which comes in through the window, my darling the rivers and the mountain and the wind which combs your hair I would like to offer you the world, but I can't
Female voice:
Na me tienes que ofrecer tu mirada es lo unico que quiero dormiremos cuando el dia se acueste encima del potrero y los grillos haran su canto y entre hierba y pasto soñaremos y de tanto amor tu cuerpo hara de mi vientre lo que espero, un retrato de tu cariño, te quiero.	You don't need to offer me anything your gaze is all I want we can sleep when the day lays down on the stables the crickets will play their song on the weeds and grass we will dream and from so much love, your body will make of my what I so hope a portrait of your love for me, I adore you

20th Wedding Anniversary

Today (June 12, 2007) is our 20th Wedding Anniversary.... YAY!

Mele and I met on August 1, 1981; the summer before my senior year in high school.  It's been nearly 30 years of love, tenderness, joy, happiness, pain, frustration, compromises, exciting times, scary moments... all an amazing roller coaster ride that has had soooooo many more ups and positives than downs.  We have definitely survived some downs that did not seem possible at the time.   The one thing that has carried us all these years is love and respect.

Love and respect go hand in hand.  Love is a deep understanding of the relationship, the individual and the path in which we both want to go.  That deep understanding of the individual creates opportunities for each other to learn what can cause feelings of anger, joy, frustration, bliss, etc.. in the other individual.  This is where respect plays a major role.   It's important to avoid using what we know about each other to "win" a given discussion or fight. 

Respect for each other has been the driving force behind each confrontation we may have.  This has kept us from hurting each other in such a way for which there is no repair.  I've observed this in many couples where their marriage has either ended in divorce or they are living in a miserable environment.

That said, we have still had difficult times and battled through them. 

Mele is an amazing woman that has been able to keep me focused through the years.  I have accomplished more than I expected and most of it is due to her inner strength to motivate our family to target excellence in everything we do.  I have also helped her in many ways, but I am certain that her contributions to my personal growth have been much greater than mine to hers.

She has a basic instinct that strives for excellence all the time.  Some people could call it being a perfectionist, but she's much more evolved than that.  She is keenly aware of the areas where perfection is just not achievable... she's an amazing woman.

I know that without her by my side, I could not have had a marriage last this long. 

To last another 20+ years, we will continue to have difficult moments, times of love and joy... and continue to ride this wonderful roller coaster that is my life with Mele.

NOTE: After Mele read this blogpost, she asked me to put her thoughts in it as well... here are Mele's thoughts on our lives together for the last 20+ years:

I met Javier one hot Venezuelan afternoon. I was at my best friend's house, sitting on the floor, probably not looking my best, cutting cardboard with a bad knife to help my friend prepare for her birthday party.  That day I got lost in Javier's eyes from the moment we met, felt the sweetness of his smile, and knew that, some day, I was going to marry that 17 year old kid.  And I did.

Once I fell in love with Javier, I never stopped loving him; we had problems of all kinds, yet we survived together. He is the kind of man that gets excited with every crazy adventure that crosses my mind and supports my craziness to wherever I want to take it.   I have been able to be a singer, a student, a mother, a crafter and an artist because of his unconditional love and support.  He's always waiting to see the results of my creative mind and he does it with a smile, boosting my confidence and elevating me to never imagined heights.

Life without my Javier is unimaginable. I love living with him, sharing with him, sleeping with him and waking up next to that same wonderful smile that tied me to him so many years ago.

So… 20, 30, 40 or more years with the love of my life sound just great; I can't wait to see what the future holds for the two of us, holding hands like always and repeating our favorite phrase many times each day:  "I love you".