time flies

A birthday just gone by and my usual flurry and hurry is happening - medical checks, promises to be kept, books to be read, compliments to be given, recipes to be done, places to be discovered, dreams to be realised... It would be nice to be young again. They say youth is wasted on the young - if we only knew what we know now! Then , we could have:

- realised early that financial handicap is not a hindrance, luxury is for a few, adventure is for everyone

- listened to our elders more like when they say 'eat your veges'; they mean well

- not messed too much with our hair; it gets very dry with abuse - straightening, bonding, perming, colouring - they are the culprits

- worn sunscreen

- not jogged on the hard pavement; the knees ultimately suffer

- not been reckless with our and others lives by being arrogant, jealous, disrespectful

- not worried too much about the future; events like aging and dying are part of living

- known that being emotionally mature means that there is no need for validation of your worth

- exercised more

- loved our parents more

Cliche or not - time flies. Live your life to the fullest.

meme1

This one is fun and unstoppable. It gets you a cyborg self from an avatar by filling in your name.

Get Your Cyborg Name

Get Your Cyborg Name

westlife's home

The commotion and excitement of the school holidays have begun. Family and friends have started the temporary "migration" to places near and far. Yet, there is no place like home. In the few days that we will be away, each of us will be missing our favourite nooks and niches at home. We've been singing Westlife's "Home" even before leaving. The song is at the sidebar and the lyrics down here........

Another sunny day,
Has come and gone away,
In Paris and Rome,
I want to go home,
Mmmmmm
Maybe surrounded by,
A million people I,
Still feel all alone,
I just want to go home,
Oh I miss you, You know,
And i've been keeping all the letters,
That I wrote to you,
Each one a line or two,
I'm fine baby how are you,
Well I would send them but,
I know that it's just not enough,
The words were cold and flat,
And you deserve more, than that,

Another aeroplane,
Another sunny place,
I'm lucky, I know,
But I want to go home,
I've got to go home,
Let me go home
Im just too far,
From where you are,
I've got to come home,
Let me come home,
I've had my run,
Baby i'm down,
I want to come home,

And I feel just like,
I'm living,
Someone elses life,
It's like i just stepped outside,
When everything was going right,
And I know just why you could not come along with me,
'Cause this was not your dream,
But you always believed in me,

Another winter day,
Has come and gone away,
In either Paris and Rome,
And I Want To Go Home,
I miss you, You know,
Let me go home,
I've had my run,
Baby i'm down,
I want to go home,
Let me go home,
It'll all be alright,
I'll be home tonight,
I'm coming back home.


[ www.LyricsTop.com ]

avoiding the drama queens

How do you spot a drama queen? Being smart means being able to recognise the drama queen that sneaks into your life and before she makes demands and shows her fangs and claws and swallows you whole --- run and hide!!!!

What makes a drama queen? Bully OnLine gives this description:

"...every incident or opportunity, no matter how insignificant, is exploited, exaggerated and if necessary distorted to become an event of dramatic proportions. Everything is elevated to crisis proportions. Histrionics may be present where the person feels she is not the centre of attention but should be. Inappropriate flirtatious behaviour may also be present".

It is our prerogative, choose to "buy into it" or move away.

naipaul's half a life

Finally, I finished the book. It has been on my bedside table since June and waited too long to be read. V.S. Naipaul was born of Indian ancestry and just like other Indian writers of note including Arundhati Roy, he portrays wretchedness, you wonder if life is really that bitter and angst-ridden. Naipaul and Roy write of emotions that are in extremes - one moment a shade of gray, the next moment the bursting colour of a ripe mango. That is the reason, I would not touch the book for a long time, I fear what is written - too much a burden for me - self-torture I'll call it - because I know they never write happy endings.

The book centers on Willie Chandran, half-bred, son of a brahmin and of an untouchable. He lived a depressingly marginal life in India (author wrote that he is not 'exact about the countries, periods or situations'), then in England where he led a bohemian lifestyle. Towards the end of the story, Willie had lived for eighteen years in a country that was a mixture of Portugal and South Africa - I would never know the exact country because of the vagueness.

The character of Willie Chandran is so mystifying because he has this 'I don't care' attitude and seemingly immunity to pain that allows him to go on and on to search for life's generosity. He naively thinks that he soon will settle a full life by associating himself with friends who incidentally will fail his expectations. He finds love and passion in cruel ways and he also will willingly hurt Ana (who held a promise of fullness) and escape to let go of all the half-lives.

I have not read any review of this book. Maybe, I will, then I might know whether I am not alone in this perception of Willie Somerset Chandran.

cine, cine

They say movies become unforgettable and serve their purpose when they are cathartic or when they give you the jolts. They are also remembered for what are said. Often the words spoken by the characters linger on for days or longer. These ones I can remember verbatim:

Dead Poets Society
John Keating: This is a battle, a war, and the casualties could be your hearts and souls.

The Incredibles
Honey: 'Greater good?' I am your wife! I'm the greatest 'good' you are ever gonna get.

When Harry Met Sally
....you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

Hope Floats
Birdee: Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.

The Addam's Family
Pugsley: We're not shy!
Wednesday: We're contagious.

Practical Magic
Aunt Frances: My darling girl, when are you going to understand that 'normal' is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.

The Little Mermaid
Ursula: Well it's time Ursula took matters into her own tentacles.

Stuart Little
Snowbell: Didn't your mother warn you that you shouldn't go out into Central Park at night?
Smokey: My mother was the reason you shouldn't go out into Central Park at night.

The most enjoyable repartees that I really really love are from The Incredibles. Just might watch it again soon.

mia farrow in darfur

Mia of "Rosemary's Baby" is not afraid of ruffling feathers says CNN. We hope for her to succeed in her attempt to save the children of Darfur. In a way, the conscientization of Hollywood is a plus, with all the publicity that it gets when the likes of Jolie and Clooney get out from their comfortable homes to venture into the troubled lands. Then, we get to see the lonely faces of all those children on our TV screens and examine our sometimes too apathetic lives. I shudder at the absolute unhappiness of those children and hate the world's helplessness.