Story of an old man from long ago and far away

[napman]

Part 3 (Finale)

When we played at Opaso, besides the others groups there was our groupies of Thai RN (Registered Nurses) that loved to come and enjoyed listening to us. There were 6-7 of them and they were all singles. I was the only one in the band that was somewhat single at that time. As time went on, I and one of those RN became attracted to each other more and more.
I think it took us about a year to solidified us that we were meant to be together. We became man and wife on November 13th 1979. And I need to get steady and stable income at least to help out my new family even if my wife (Imp, the love of my life) earned quite handsome wages at her professional but of course I felt too proud to financially depend on her!
?On the rock? dissolved,

Dang U went to join Thawat band in Long Beach, Dang Nana just jamming around at his heart content. I went back to school just to earn a steady job, it took me almost a year to get the diploma from CLCLA (Computer Learning Center of Los Angeles) and luckily I got my first regular job about 3 months after my graduation. 3 years after that our daughter was born, and2 years after that our son follow his big sister.
Right after the demise of ?On the rock?, I put away my guitars and concentrated on building up my family.

We bought our first home not very far from Wat Thai in North Hollywood (4 miles away) in Sun Valley.
Ten years after staying at Sun Valley we moved out to Alta Loma in San Bernardino County and bought a brand new home for better schooling of our kids and 50 miles away from our Thai friends.

20 years passed by just like a wink of an eye! I think I touched my guitar may be once or twice for each year, I simply lost contact with all of my musician friends and music. Our kids were growing and almost able to be on their own.
I went back to Chaffy College that situated less than a mile from my home, took Piano Classes again after so many years of absent. Learned with Professor Gustavo Gus for few semesters just to brush up what I had before. Than luck might had it. I got on the WEB and found one interesting site. Acousticguitarforum.com was its name. became member after about a year of lurking around.
My interesting in acoustic guitar was rekindled by this site. I started learning to play guitar again!!
I?ve found a lot of good people and friends from this site, Russ Lewark (The koaguitar man) who lived in Downey, Calif. Was the main guys who held the AGF (Acousticguitarforum) gathering in Southern Cal.
I?ve learn a lot from there, have to thank them.

Then the Tsunami struck in Dec. 04 (or 05?), I somehow was able to get to Nana, and we went to Wat Thai, we played few songs together on stage just to raised fund to help out Thai people from that natural disaster.
Just few months or even less after that, we knew from some resource about Dang U?s daughter (Boom) passed away so untimely, we went to her funeral at Wat Thai. It was the first time in so many years that we didn?t see Dang U, Tue and Pui their older daughter.
I was at the Cremation chamber (at Hollywood Cemetery on Santa Monica) and was the one who lit the fire for Boom?s cremation while her Mother and sister couldn't bear to do it.
It was kind of sad that it took the disaster and tragedy to bring us back together again, but everything happen for a reason or two, that the way I look at life and death.

We got back to musically enjoyed each other again from time to time, learned how our lives stayed on our own courses for the previous 20 years or so of our lives.

Dang U and Dang Nana didn?t stop making music after all those years, Dang U now is gigging and entertaining mostly senior citizen all over places by playing mainly keyboard and guitar and his wife (Ellen) sings with him too. There?s one funny story here that I?d like to inject; about a year ago Ood (Sithiporn Amornpan, the Impossible guitarist) who once lived in San Francisco for a while came to California for his daughter?s graduation in Sacramento. He came to visit me and stayed at my home for few days and I took him to Dang U?s house for jamming, they went on together to Dang U?s gig somewhere in LA., Ood went up and joined Dang U on stage and got $20 tip from one of the audiences!! (What a guy!)

Dang Nana is happily married with his lovely college sweet heart (Kathy Szubota), having 2 handsome sons, moved to live very closed to Dang U by his convincing in Murrieta about 1 hr drive from me, he set up his music room upstairs with PA and drumset and what not to be ready to use anytime for him and his musicians friends, he never stopped making music, sometime went with Dang U on the gigs whenever possible.

I was the only one that didn?t do it religiously or regularly, when I looked back to those years of long gone, there?s nothing else to do but keep looking forward to the short future that I sill have (but who know how long?) and try to play catch-up with them!!, but I'm happy for what I'm musically doing right now. Music is not WORK anymore, it's simply PLAY, I can choose what/where/how to play all by myself. I finally came in full circle of my musical life again, what a way to end my life's journey!!
I also would like to mention some other friends that ?ON THE ROCK? have along the way, there were 2 American Philippinos brothers that came into our lives and show us that Music will be the bridge that connect us all regardless of where we were born. Sam and Charlie Baton jammed with us, joined us through thicks and thins and all of the above since the beginning of "ON THE ROCK", they hang around with Dang U and Dang Nana even when I was completely out of the picture all through those 20 years, they became the 5th and 6th member of us just like George Martin and Billy Preston were the 5th and 6th of the ?Beatles?. The love of music keeps us all together at all time, isn?t amazing??? They are truly brothers to us and I salute and thank them for our unconditional friendships.

Now it comes down to the reasons why I composed this ?Old man? story?,
Before I leave this world, I would be very happy if anybody read/consider/analyze my mistakes that I think I have made and try to prevent that from happening to you in your future.
In other words, these are ?OLD MAN WISDOMS?

1) Friendships is the best thing that can happen to anybody (if you want to have it), we are social animals, we nurture our own hungry souls by give away our own food of love and sincerity. So treat each of your friends with love and sincerity and respect them with all your heart. Just remember you can choose your friends but not your family, so family must comes first no matter what. I took my friendships at my younger years for a grant. Like they say you are mostly young and foolish, now I?m much older and probably wiser. Do not let a chance go by to say to your friends that you love them, like them, and thank them for becoming your friends and accept you as you are before it?s too late to say those words to them, remember you never have a second chance to say good bye to your already dead friends! (DEATH IS FOREVER!!!)

3) Always humble no matter how good you think you are (and in most cases you tend to be wrong!!), there?ll be another better person comes along to top you off nicely!! And when you are humble you will learn more. Nobody wants to teach anyone who is smarter or acts smarter than him. There's a Chinese proverb says "Over the sky there'll be another higher sky".

4) Be nice to everybody no matter how much younger they are to you but also remember that even if all of us are still growing old, some of us will never grow up and die as an infant!, each of us (global population is about 68,000,000,000) is just another speck of dust. And we?ll be long gone before we know it, so before nature takes its course try to be useful, helpful, cheerful, and most of all pass on your knowledge to the ones who are seeking while you still can.

5) Last one (at least for now), If you want to do something ?DO IT NOW?, this is what I?ve learned from the Principle (Mr. Leo Rojanaseri) of my school in Thailand (Panaphand at Ladpraw) since I was in 5th grade. In most cases when we looked back we will regret of what we didn?t do in stead of what we have done, and we absolutely have no second chance in almost anything to redo or undone our sins. So again ?DO IT NOW?, am I yelling loud enough???? DOOOO ITTTTT NOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

P.S. I have few pictures that I just received from Sam Baton that he took at last Sat. night when we had ?On the rock? first re-union in 30 years! (Saravoot K came over from Thailand and he?s the main culprit who got this going!) So I put them in here for anyone who wants to see (just click them up) and the Thai-Chinese guy without name specified is Tommy Tang who was our band manager just in case you don?t know him.

So, this old man is getting older by second just like all of us. It?s been an honor to getting to know all of you here at ?NIMITs? and hope our friendships will blossom until it?s time for me to go, and I hope I have contribute something in here and make it better place before I'm gone forever.

PEACE and LOVE to all.
Napasak Manisuk (napman)
P.S.S. I?m solely responsible for any wrong information in here due to my old age and ?long ago & far away? , anyone who believes I put it wrongly please chime in and correct them at your discretions. THANKS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPdXrOI9s5M

If you're not "Facebook" member, you will not able to get in this one>>>>>but that's fine, only few pictures in here anyway!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&v...1254727954

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7r1PLNxY_Q

Please allow me to paste "Jeff" Saravoot Kaewboasai's email that he just sent over right now from Bangkok. He's back safe and sound. This is the conclusion of this "Story of an old man......."

Hey bros'
Great to be with you guys on the weekend!!! Feeling good man!!! Can't believe it's been 30 years!!!
Seems like we are still together after all these years!! Great to see you all...We'll have to do it again...
Please be in touch and be well. Hope to see you all soon.. Thank you all for made it all posible...
Tom/ You are always my great brother.. Thank you for being you like this..Always give me a chance to do things.
You 've made one young kid happy and full of great memories of 'On the rock' .
Nap/ You are great guy and being so you which I understand and happy to be with.. Thank you for lot of things we did together..
Still remember cooking in the snow!!! You have great voice.. Love it//.. So cool.. Thank you again for allowed me
to be came a part of On the rock...Love you bro..
Nana/ My bro. you always made me feel warm with your good heart.. That smile of your always make me happy.
Everytime you play music' you are always amaze me.. One of a kind...Thank you for letting me be one of On the rock..

Thank you again and take care my bros..Hope to see you soon again.. Love you man...
Jeff.