My Personal Thanks to Bambi!

When my Father died, it wasn't very easy to explain to my little girl why there were so many people weeping and why my mother seemed to be catatonic and inconsolable. I didn't exactly understand how some people can have an endless wave of tears when they have a loss, not until then. When your soul grieves, like mine did, the wave of pain came in succession, albeit intermittently, but each with increasing to eventually decreasing intensity.


Why am I talking about this? I have realized that one of the most difficult things to explain and illustrate to a young child is the meaning of death. Well amongst other things. The beginning of life and where they come from is another challenge altogether. 


I have not taken to the habit of underestimating a child's capacity to understand nor do I discount children's intelligence. I have met a lot of kids with far greater intelligence than their parents. I bet you have to agree with me on that one.


However when it comes to your own children, explaining "death" does not come easy. And this is where I attribute my appreciation to Disney's BAMBI.

Bambi with Thumper and Flower

Well if you will recall the plot of this film, it is not unlike the usual staid formula of any Disney movie. The meaning of friendship, love, ever after and all that jazz. But unlike other Disney movie I have come across myself as a child, Bambi's plot struck me with a certain amount of sadness and melancholy. Growing up, I was unable to discern exactly why. As a grown up, I realized the power of the message the old buck said to the young deer, "your mother can't be with you anymore".


So when my little girl asked me what was going on as she watched me sink lower into depths of grief and agony, I did not have enough strength nor coherence to explain the "loss" I felt, and the thin line that connected my logic to my brain told me to rummage through the old DVDs and watch the movie BAMBI with her. 


Just as my own experience taught me, her tears welled up exactly on the scene where Bambi desperately sought her mother who had already been killed by MAN. And just as conclusively, one of the most unforgettable lines in my entire Disney movie watching history, the father explained the mother's absence to the young fawn.


Right in the middle of our tears as we watched BAMBI, I told my child, my father can't be with us anymore, for he has passed.


Sometimes we ran out of words to express how deeply and intensely we feel about certain situations in our life, I personally feel I owe a lot to this old and simple movie having helped me explain my life's greatest pain.


On this day, El Dia de los Muertos, I write this post in memory of my life's first love and whose love for me have always made me feel like a Princess. I miss you Papa, not a day goes by that I am not missing you.

The Legend of the Sleepy Hallow's Eve

Uhmmm ... not really, I have no intentions to talk about Ichabod Crane and his investigative assignment. That stuff is for your English Literature class. I am just making a countdown to one of the most celebrated events throughout the world adapted from the mystical Celts, Hallow's Eve! (more popularly known as Halloween).

In other countries, this is aptly called the "Dia de los Muertos" or the Day of the Dead. Fancy that. Full 24 hours just for the dead.

If I am roughly right, it is a Pagan ritual. I know it is Celtic but the Irish would have their own claim to fame for this tradition. It signifies the end of summer, or so I was told; "Samhain" in Gaelic signifies the end of harvest. It's probably the oldest holiday and one of the most popularly celebrated. I reckon people celebrate it without even thinking of paganism or anything nearly occult. Perhaps some do, hmmm ...

I personally don't understand the feverish hoopla and excitement that surrounds the preparation for celebrating a surreal and tragic cause such as the people who have passed and gone to another dimension. Nor the dizziness of having to choose the creepiest "look" to fit the occasion.

Have you ever stopped and wondered what is the story behind good ol' Jack? (Not Daniels because I can devote an entire series of posts for that one);  Jack O Lantern. Yup,  the dude in the Irish folklore who conned the devil? Well you better read up before you slay another squash! Boo!

My take is that we love to celebrate this holiday to remind ourselves that we are still alive. How else do you logically explain the festivities, food binges and booze? The costumes are mainly donned to create a theatrical effect of miming the most dreadfully spooky evil spirits and elements our imaginations can create.

Then there's Trick or Treat. 

Why do kids these days actually believe they deserve the treats without doing a Trick? You have to be ready to do a triple cartwheel or perform your infamous fire-eating trick before I even give you a chocolate bar! Just because you are dressed up like Snow White with the 7 fugly Dwarfs does not make you entitled to any treat! I want to see Snow White eat the apple without using her hands. Yeah, seriously. It's not about costumes and make up. It's about "living out" the Zombie Apocalypse in my doorstep. And how dare these little creatures call me a cheapskate when I swing my chainsaw at them asking for a Trick. "Come on my little Georgie ... thrill me!"

Honestly I find the whole concept more like a successful marketing campaign. Half wit kids will goad their parents to buy them the most fashionable and trendy Halloween look. Of course, the pushover parents will spend their hard earned dollars to pay for costumes that are priced too exorbitantly for a one-off use. Absolutely ridiculous! The amount of investment is not justified by the rate of return. I dare say, Halloween is one of Capitalism's finest moments.

Imagine, you spend on costumes and treats, some families even prepare a Halloween dinner buffet with flowing drinks for silly house guests in masks, for one whole freaky day in a year that is absolutely insignificant to you, unless of course, you're a ghoul, a vampire or an undead. Now, if you happen to live in a farm and you celebrate the end of harvest season, then it makes sense if you slay a pumpkin and a turkey. But in the city? Don't you think you have just been gypped? Darn, I just think the whole Halloween Holiday is foolish, irreverent and downright absurd!

End of editorial.

I truly prefer my Halloween celebration sticking to the basics. A masquerade. A totally acceptable excuse to live out for just one day an "image" I probably wouldn't be caught in on any other ordinary day. Last year I was Pennywise, but I managed to spook even myself.

This year I am thinking of coming in as a chilling Zorro! The Antonio Banderas' Zorro, not the Zeta Jones type. I could try to get my Palomino brought into the city, except that it could be a little overboard, you think? I reckon it would be a riot to come in with the full gear; mask, hat, sword, a whip and of course, riding a horse! Damn! I could feel myself turning into a masked bandido right this moment. 

Really, if you can't beat 'em at being the creepiest fool then I may as well be the most sinister looking and intimidating character! Happy Halloween y'all!

I Would Like To Say That I Am Good At It ...

 .. but hell, I'm not.  Just being honest here, I suck at "waiting."

If you've ever had to wait, you know what I mean.  Waiting ain't easy, damn, it's hard!

There are a thousand different reasons why we all have to wait.  Some of us wait for seasons.  Some of us wait for things that are pegged on schedules. Whilst some of us probably wait for significant occasions and events. A few may be waiting for answers, solutions, the "right" one, decisions and one of the toughest would likely be, waiting for "what's next?"

Life has its endings and beginnings. But that's the easy part. The trying stage is everything that happens in between endings and beginnings. Arguably you would say, it's not "why" we have to wait that matters, it is "how" we choose to wait. Yeah right, like I said, I suck at it. My rational mind tells me there is a reason for every 'pause' in a man's life but not knowing what is next can be both frustrating and discouraging. 

Perhaps there are some of you that find meaning in the wait; the romanticized wrestling with hope and uncertainty; the element of wonder in your heart that keeps it beating in the anticipation of what happens next; the enigma of trying to grasp at something beyond your reach ... bullocks! I wish I could feel the same sentiments. The waiting without knowing test is something I have consistently failed at. I keep asking myself why I keep getting an opportunity for a re-test! Isn't it always easier for the impatient like I am to say, "Let's get this show on the road and get it done and over with!" Somehow, I have more comfort in languishing with questions like, "why am I still here?; why don't I have it?; why is it taking so long?'; why hasn't this changed?; why isn't this fixed, yet?"

But then again, there are far more challenging and tough reasons for "waiting" and I think about families and loved ones who have been told, possibly the most dreadful set of words in the English language: "We have done everything humanly possible and now all we need to do is WAIT." I just know how that stabs the spirit. When I heard that from the cardio-thoracic surgeon of my Dad, my soul wailed. I reckon our souls know about endings than beginnings.

Look I know. I am not the only human in the "wait" because we all are, for different reasons in varying circumstances. I also know it is never about why we have to wait but rather at how we wing it whist we wait. And it is during these times when my rational mind has run out of meaningful arguments with myself that I throw my hands up in the air and rely on my life's dictum: FAITH IS BEING SURE OF WHAT WE HOPE FOR AND CERTAIN OF WHAT WE DO NOT SEE. 

You see it is not about why we have to wait but it is about believing that what will be, will be. Albeit I am still completely a douche in the waiting game, I "keep my FORK" and I wait.

And now a Story that needs to be shared: 

Keep your fork!

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.


"There's one more thing," she said excitedly.


"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.


"This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."


The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. 


The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'.


It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?'. Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork....the best is yet to come".


The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better as coming.


At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. 


During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.


So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you that the best is yet to come… keep your fork!

Raindrops on Roses

 ... and whiskers on kittens.

Know the song?  A timeless classic.
I am feeling totally mellow and uber touchy so I collected a couple of photographs that make me go "Aww ..." I want to share them with you in the hope that one or two of them will be your own favourite and make you smile. It's almost the weekend, I am feeling so stoked!

Kitties in a cozy huddle

warm cupcake cookies with milk

Love & Friendship CAN last a lifetime

Catching a baby's breath whilst yawning

Garden of tulips in springtime

A soft kiss

A candlelit dinner that concludes with

Breakfast in bed

Watching happy kids at play

Colours of Fall

A quiet day at a glorious white sands beach

Kissing in the rain

Watching a promise unfold at sunrise

Staring at a captivating sunset

Ice cream when you're craving for it

A puppy that needs my company

Little creatures like baby otters and

Cute and pink little bunny

Gawking at a soaring eagle AND

Harry Winston diamonds

Yeah, the last one is just keeping it real. I would have posted shoes and bags but my Blog Space is limited.
Note: Photo credits to tumblr and others.  Thank you for your inspiring shots.

Veni. Vidi. Latri. (I came. I saw. I rant.)

Whilst I prefer to argue that as an individual, I have an extremely high tolerance for quirks, deviations, atrocities including what would normally be considered, criminal; certainly I do have my own share of totally 'bad hair' moments.
There are just days that you wake up from a horrifying nightmare that you are surrounded by evil, sinister creatures that are about to get you, then realise, in your actual waking hours, that there ARE evil, sinister creatures about to get you!

Much has been written about families, but amongst these, here is my favourite quote from someone who ironically chose to remain nameless:

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet, with a few nuts."

Or said another way, "You can pick your friends.  You can pick your nose.  But you can't pick your family and your friend's nose."


Now that's awfully displaced, but like I said, the nuts in the bloodline are given albeit some are acquired by affinity. However I try my best to ignore their very existence, there are just times they crawl under my skin!


I have my fair share of the hypochondriacs in the family. 
Geesh, enough already! If you're really dying because of all the complicated diseases that semi-paralysed you, can't you just be sick quietly and gracefully? I enjoy spicing my meals with Red Wine but not with graphic descriptions of what the freakin' endoscopy found in your gut! I don't understand why every family 'get-to' needs to be ruined by the latest "lump" you found in your armpits!

I hate to mention them on this post because they love being talked about. This creepy family member is so self-absorbed they incessantly babble about their "own realities" that no body really cares about. What really gets me, are the 1-2 other family members who actually pretend to listen to your stupid stories. They don't really care, you know, and they are bored out of their wits but chose to listen to you than watch the DVD re-run in the Family Room and too damn lazy to help out in the kitchen. You are NOT the centre of the universe! Not yesterday nor today or ever!

Oh did you know that the most primitive of all defence mechanisms is denial? 
If you don't have the gall to admit to your own family you had something fixed, why have it fixed?
C'mon, admit it! You had botox injections! How else do you explain those displaced bulges and your sudden incapability to show expressions such as fear, joy, sadness, amongst others? Why do you have a permanent 'overwhelmed' look? Or is that a smile or a grimace? Okay if nobody else will tell you, I will. One word my dear Aunt, FAIL!

And to that breed of young humans sitting in the corner chewing a blade to get some attention, Yes you, I am talking to you. Why do you see anybody else in the shadows behind you? Snap out of it or I will shoot you myself! And get a haircut.

I have a couple of good reasons why I often shun family reunions. I do have a wonderful family I love. But it's a shameful dishonesty to say I love them all. Except they are just there. Sometimes funny. Other times, interesting. Often, just a nightmare.

"THE MAN WHO CAN'T BE MOVED" - A Tribute to Steve Jobs

Unwanted at birth, unfazed by life and undaunted in death. 

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. 

I want to make a tribute post to this man, who made the "dash" between his birth and death absolutely significant by making a global difference impacting our lives in this generation.

Much has been said and attributed to 'the man' who gave the world

and

but if any of you failed to read up on his Commencement Speech at Stanford University, 12 June 2005, here is the link and I seriously recommend you check it out.

"You've Got To Find What You Love"

I am saddened by the passing of this creative genius of a man, but he has given the world more than we asked for and he has suffered enough pain, physically, we should really allow him a long vacation. His life story is inspiring to say the least. Wherever you are Mr. Jobs, I trust we will know about it digitally. "Shalom." 

Today is an iSad day.
"Stay hungry. Stay foolish." - S.Jobs, 2005

Introducing: INTERNET PERSONALITY DISORDERS

I reckon it's about time we hold the bull by the horns.  Given the power and influence of technology, the Internet has become a whole new dimension of humanity's reality. 
Having said that, it was only a matter of time that this "environment" and landscape predisposed Personality Disorders that require careful study and understanding.
I have decided to blaze the trail in this field and my own virtual experiences has given me a fairly good grasp of disorders only known to the Internet mankind. 


Now let us take a careful look at a few that I have encountered and painstakingly analysed:


NUMBER 1: THE INTERNET NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER


Causes:

• Too much Internet time, so little friends; no "real"friends 
• Too much angst, lack of or absence of "real life"; 
• The 3 C's (Constantly, Consistently Constipated)
• Who actually cares?

Symptoms:

• Too much Blog whoring
• Reacts to criticism with rage, shame and humiliation (all emotional rants said in one sentence; for some others, a whole Blog Post)
• Excessive feelings of importance (manages multiple Blogs via multiple hosts; one of which is likely a Blog about him/herself with huge photos of self and About Me videos,; multiple accounts in Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, flickr, the whole nine yards)
• Needs constant attention and admiration (begs for Comments and Followers, or just "begs")
• Believes empathy is a matter of speech deflection or a "regional accent"
• Argues with self; loses argument with self, denies losing the argument

NUMBER 2: THE INTERNET SOCIOPATH PERSONALITY DISORDER


Causes:

• Possibly genetic
• Possibly too much caffeine or alcohol or nicotine or all of the above
• Likely had an abused and unhappy childhood (grew up on Elm Street with Freddy K.)
• Lost a pet in early life, became a proponent of animal cruelty to cope
• Most likely a Taxidermist in real life
• Watched Drew Barrymore's "Firestarter" re-runs more than a dozen times

Symptoms:

• Witty, charming, articulate and exceptional at virtual flattery
• An outstanding "Manipulator"
• Lies about self; Steals others ideas and language even; Fights with anyone who may suspect they are guilty of the first two, often, if not always
• May frequently be angry and arrogant over nothing, including the choice of the best Jelly Beans in the world

NUMBER 3: THE INTERNET HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER

Causes:

• Likely to occur more frequently with women users of the Internet albeit the men are no exception
• Can be attributed to early childhood trauma; i.e., constant rejection in the School's Speech and Drama Club
• Sexual frustration

Symptoms:

• Sounds perfectly normal and naturally sensual virtually (could likely be butt ugly in real life)
• Often too dramatic and emotional (ordinarily ends sentences with multiple exclamation points!!!!)
• Is a regular blame-putter; blames everything if anything goes wrong, including the Google server
• May appear pretty shallow, but in reality, IS actually very shallow
• Constantly asks for approval, love and acceptance in any form, any language, and in any way
• AKA the Internet Drama Queen or King or Elvis

NUMBER 4: THE INTERNET SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

Causes:

• Unknown

Symptoms:

• Odd beliefs, odd behavior, odd "speak", just plain, ODD
• Completely preoccupied with CONSPIRACY THEORIES
• Collects all Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas' Alien and Sci-Fi movies and/or books
• Feels genuinely upset they are unable to form and sustain Internet-personal relationships
• May likely have been "abducted" by "them" from out "there"

So far, these are the types I have evaluated.  I would post more as I am still deep into researching and "probing" the few others I have seen.

Just remember, it could be you I am talking about. Mwahahahahaha (evil sinister laughter)

FOR MY VERY CLEVER AND SMART FOLLOWERS

Some of you may be aware that I manage two Blogs.  The OTHER BLOG is a collection of my sheer randomness and my lifetime quest for nothing-ness.


My most recent post is a test of Brain Cells (smarts, so to speak).  Can you Think out of the Box?


It's called NAME THAT PICTURE (<Click that link, it takes you to the Quiz Post) Fine, I could post it here but I'm too lazy and I'm too clever.

I am challenging you to try to check it out, wrestle with it and give me your answers.


For those with little kids, it may be wise to have them go at it and pretend it was you who gave the answers.  Lol!


Good luck and may the force be with you always.
"Do or do not, there is no try." - not me but from Yoda Master


AND NOW FOR THE UPDATES ON THE CORRECT ANSWERS.  CHECK THIS OUT:
UPDATED POST WITH ANSWERS