Gary V

--- Of Masterpieces and Works in Progress ---

" Under Construction ....  "

The last time I actually had a conversation with Gary Valenciano - I cannot recall, but my rough, rough guess is that 'twas Two Decades Ago thereabouts ...

.....  and just so happens, during those few random minutes I decided {yesterday afternoon} to relax on a couch, at the SPARTA lobby - before a [coached] warm-up routine -  this tall, lean [smiling] dude casually walked in and greeted me with a warm [framed w spectacles and a dark cap] smile.

Truth be Told - for a micro-nano second I did not recognize the dude ...

but no biggy - in the NEXT micro-nano second, a 20-years-or-so gap was finally closed, and as if no time gap  ever actually existed - the connection was instantaneous.

What could I say ?

In as much as Gary V, was all set to enter the 360-Pro Gym - the words came easy for us  ... To catch up {after 20 or so years} in a few fleeting, borrowed minutes  ?   Was that even possible ?   Whatever  - I just made sure that handed GaryV my calling card and let him be [after such a cheerful catch-up], to do gym time.

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Fast-forward, an hour or so later   .....

Luckily, i managed to start another conv w Gary, after he gym - and found out that he was actually going to bike, from SPARTA, towards his next several appointments, in the QC area ['twas 3pm-thereabouts already then].

So, as he started assembling his bike [after pulling it out from a van] - 'twas relatively easy for me to take a few candids, as we continued our conversation - and hoping [as i intimated to him] that maybe within a month or two we could get to reconnect again [and hinting that] [possibly, on my part, be able to finally meet and even take some location portraits of his youngest, Kiana.

Well, so much for that -  I did tell Gary that I'll just 

"let the photo opp present itself".

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The Thing, tho, that actually made the conversation what it was, was that parting, "simple" question - I threw to Gary V.

I asked him - " Gary ....   Who IS Gary V now ? ....  a father, a musician,  a producer, a servant of God ....a sportsman ? ....

"Wow, that is a difficult question" went Gary.

A pause or two, maybe, a fleeting, pensive smile - while looking for the right words to answer my querry   ....

then, Gary went   ..... "Under Construction   ... "

"Damn ", I said to myself - Can this man get any more humble than that ?

I said "Yes, Gary - like a work in progress - right ?" and he noddingly agreed.

What quickly came to thought, for me, in those fleeting seconds was something I had read, recently {cliche}, again -  about how our lives should be a learning Xperience, literally - everyday - Wether in good times OR bad we must move forward [even with the smallest and humblest of increments, mind you].

And for me - getting reminded again [and again] - that even if times are Xtremely Tough - when nothing! ever seems to go right OR i can't seem to come up with a single good photo after shooting so many frames [that happens to me, still, mind you]

 - that one simply has to persevere, and move forward, Refresh, Relearn, Reboot, No Matter what  - Because the Good Times do Come Again, Things WILL turn out Right - DESPITE so many seemingly insurmountable obstacles {Life Never Stops}   .....

and for me,  that I WILL Eventually craft the Masterpieces I try so hard to produce though, few and far between, they might be - [that's OK]

know what ?  then   ..... I thought

--->We are ALL Masterpieces ---> We are ALL Works in Progress -

--->WE are ALL  "Under Construction" - as Gary V simply nailed it on the head -

---> and ALL in the same Breathe !

and That truly IS, how Gary V's answer actually [eventually] resonated in me.

{ though he Never used he word "masterpiece" - 

that context/word just came to thought }- whatever -

  --- Gary V ---

"Under Construction ...."

AND

{if I may say so}

Looking Very Happy
- as always
 

brosi gonzales