I am obsessed with beauty. How does the brain decide what is beautiful and what is not? In my art, how do I reconcile my need and necessity to create beautiful things with the necessity of having a message in the art? I refuse to believe that beauty and message are mutually exclusive. I tend to believe that having both makes you an artist.

The Wednesday June 11, 2003 Datebook of the SF Chronicle contains a review of a new book by Denis Donoghue. The title of the book is "Speaking of Beauty" (Yale, 209 pages, $24.95) and is a "survey of various thinkers' ideas about beauty, from Plato, Kant and Hegel to Theodor Adorno, Elaine Scarry and Hans Urs von Balthasar."

Hmm, I just noticed the lack of contrast with respect to Eastern / Asian / Pacific islander aspect. Perhaps, that is another topic of discussion for us.

My current movement is towards documenting through photography the beauty of Pin@ys on this wonderful planet. My plan is to start first in the United States and then Europe and then Asia. If we have time, maybe Africa. The Pin@y is the quintessential migrant. Pin@ys go where the work will lead them. Is the training located in the harsh sleet with only two hours of daylight? No problem. Me my pot of adobo and rice cooker will be there. We'll bring a an oil lamp and a flashlight.