Sunday, July 31, 2005

Advice

I found this poem while looking for Ella Wheeler Wilcox. there's a site apparently:
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

ADVICE

I must do as you do? Your own way I own
Is a very good way. And still,
There are sometimes two straight roads to a town,
One over, one under the hill.

You are treading the safe and the well-worn way
That the prudent choose each time;
And you think me reckless and rash to-day
Because I prefer to climb.

Your path is the right one, and so is mine.
We are not like peas in a pod,
Compelled to lie in a certain line,
Or else be scattered abroad.

'Twere a dull old world, methinks, my friend,
If we all went just one way;
Yet our paths will meet no doubt at the end,
Though they lead apart to-day.

You like the shade, and I like the sun;
You like an even pace,
I like to mix with the crowd and run,
And then rest after the race.

I like danger, and storm and strife,
You like a peaceful time;
I like the passion and surge of life,
You like its gentle rhyme,

You like buttercups, dewy sweet,
And crocuses, framed in snow;
I like roses, born of the heat,
And the red carnation's glow.

I must live my life, not yours, my friend,
For so it was written down;
We must follow our given paths to the end--
But I trust we shall meet--in town.

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Friday, July 29, 2005

what would i do?

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
- Robert Schuller


Another quote from 43things.com to make me think think think. So what would I do?:

I'd be more vulnerable:
be more open to challenges,
just go ahead and write that article,
smile more at people even if i'm not sure they smile back,
say hi to some people,
call some people,
have coffee on my own in a cafe and do some reading,
sing and dance like crazy,
try an experimental form of dress, hair style etc.

Time to add some of these to my 43things.

****
I am lucky enough to have been okayed with two story pitches, but I really need to get some work done on them. I can't fathom why I'm not so excited about writing an article on the Live8 experience. I feel I'm going to have to 'fake it' - I feel I don't know how to start. And Yes, I Fear I Shalt Rejected Be - that it might sound 'boring'. :s I'm such an academic when it comes to writing, and I really don't want to dumb it down at other times, because when I do, it sounds contrived, like an older man trying to fit into a younger group just by saying 'dude' and 'chill' and it sounds all wrong coming from his lips.

lets see.. deadline for article: august 2. self-set deadline: tomorrow! (hahaha!)

Saturday, July 23, 2005

On being a baby..

I'm having a sick day. I'm sick - my stomach is upset. I'm getting a fever, and my eyes are droopy and i feel like half my energy has been sapped out of me. I want to be back in cairo but maybe i actually prefer being more or less alone in port said.
I confess - I baby am.

But its all so hard being your own person and all, and having one's own pride and all, and I realise somedays that my sarcasm for all its intelligence pales in comparison to the simple kindnesses that people are capable of without flinching, without feeling all awkward and ironic like a lemon gone sour on itself. C'est moi - a lemon gone sour on itself.

I wish I were a kinder person. I wish i wish i wish.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Quote of the day!

Found at 43things.com
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.
- James Michener

Thursday, July 21, 2005

ennui: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

ennui \on-WEE\, noun:
A feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction arising from lack
of interest; boredom.

Interesting, eesn't eet, zees lack of eenterest.

But I think its spurred me on to better things today. I applied to a couple of magazines, and in turn, got some more work done a the factory itself. I suppose working on one's personal goals helps work on the less interesting ones too.

Interest - and its pursuit - is the antidote to boredom (surprise surprise).

Right now, my tummy is speaking grumblish about its interest in food. I will attend to it shortly during lunch time.

The thing that I don't understand is that i had this mah-vellous time at the UK trip and its not that I don't *want* to write about it, but I feel I lived it up so much, - and I don't mean partying, just relaxing and having fun - that to write up some parts of it, would mean minusing out the other parts.

Or isn't that just a neat excuse?

Either ways, don't feel too hyped about writing about it, but I think if travel today arabia promises me breadcrumbs or even a few pages without any pecuniary side-benefits, I'll be happy to scribble up a few memoirs.

cheers,
cheery chee on a cherry tree today.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

travel tales

I think the best part – or one – about the UK trip was the meeting and tuning in with random people. One of the people I met was an older chap working at a telecommunications company. Because I was reading Paolo Coelho’s “Veronica Decides to Die” we ended up having a long conversation about spirituality and life. And he told me how water crystals changed – and there were studies made about it – if you said the words “love and gratitude” and alternatively also changed when you said “hatred and vengeance” or some such thing. And basically, how the human body is 80% water, and if we thought about it that way, what would the effect of those words be on the human body? Well, I don’t know about the veracity of all that, but of course gentler words have a more soothing effect on the body; and vice versa.

Why I remember this now, besides the proximity to the trip, is because I recall now what this man said as I face a situation in life now. He said something about forgiving people in the past, that that was where he counselled people. I told him that I had forgiven people in the past, and it wasn’t the past so much as the future that bothered me. Then I thought worrying about the future was equally futile because the present was the only thing I could act upon. He said, yes, the past and future are both illusions, and only the present was what was real, what we had. (I remember this couple – a guy and a girl listening intently in on our conversation – we were passing hermits sharing our wisdoms, haha).

I can’t remember quite how we got to the issue, but I think it was something about how the past somehow returned, and he said yeah absolutely, situations kept repeating themselves (perhaps so that we learnt what we had to from them). I expressed my annoyance that it wasn’t so much that it was repeated, or that I hadn’t forgiven people in my past, but that I found myself in the position of the other person. He said, yeah, you end up mirroring the situation – I was so surprised that we actually understood and communicated on this abstract level – and all this within a span of getting from check-in to the flight seats. Anyhow, so yeah back to mirroring one’s past situation, and he said, this was when you had the opportunity for complete forgiveness because you stood in the position of those you had to forgive.

And a tough position that is, indeed.

But is it all about forgiveness? Perhaps that was his definition of love.

I have met so many such amazing people by chance – and I have learnt so, so much from these passing encounters. It is hard not to believe, then, in the magic and goodness and wisdom of life, which sends you these many messengers, or even simply, blessings of beauty and peace.

I sound so hippy now! Peace my friends! Or as some say, piss. Or Biss.

P.S. Groundhog Day is somehow reminiscent of this post - of the past repeating itself so that we may learn? That was a good movie - should hunt it down again.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

so much to say...

about la vojage in london. It was fun, fun, fun. And luckily, I wasn't anywhere around the bombings, I was away from London; it is a real shame though, as is the resulting backlash. What can one say, immaturity breeds more of itself, same for violence.