My favourite things.. on a rainy day..

Raindrops and roses and whiskers on kittens,

Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens,

Brown paper packages tied up with string,

These are a few of my favourite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,

Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,

Silver white winters that melt into spring,

These are a few of my favourite things.

Cream coloured ponies, and crisp apple strudel,

Door bells and sleigh bells and snitchzel with noodles,

White geese that fly with the moon on their wings,

These are a few of my favourite things.

When the dogs bark,

When the bees sting,

When I am feeling sad.

I simply remember my favourite things and then I don't feel, so bad!

(From: The Sound Of Music)

Since I was a kid, I have loved this song completely. Enjoyed singing it aloud and dancing arm in arm with a make believe partner.

As i grew older, I realised the deeper meaning. How if you do really have a list of special things, moments, people, dates.. even a bad day doesnt seem so bad, the world doesnt feel very cruel, and tomorrow feels very worth living for all over again.

Try it sometimes, its almost therapeutic :o)

A list I made for when the rains and all the gloom makes me feel low..

1) Walking barefoot on very fine grass, actually feeling the earth beneath my feet.

2) Eating buttered popcorn while watching a whodunit all wrapped up in bed.

3) Waking up in the middle of the night, raving hungry and actually finding one last piece of gooey chocolate cake in the fridge!

4) Watching the sea, staring at nothing, on a windy;cloudy day and then having it suddenly pour leaving you wet, with a few shivers and yet,feeling completely alive.

5) Watching a kid returning from school on a rainy day, seeing him step into every puddle (in his way and not in his way) and wanting to give him company *splash* :o)

6) Lying in bed and hearing the rain hit the windows hard, hear the wind howling, listen to nature in its full glory.

7) Not bothering with an umbrella and running the last stretch of road leading to your car and feeling all of 10 again.

8) Taking a long walk on a promenade near the sea, when its pouring, chances are you'll be all alone, with not one soul on the road and the world feels like it was made for you.. *sigh*

3 whole months of this.. And suddenly, life isnt all gloomy any more..

Any ideas on the movie?

z

Inspirational fiction?

I am an avid reader. I can read, and read, and then read some more. I read only fiction though, and therefore a lot of what I read can be classified as complete non sense, and I am not ashamed to admit it! :) Sensible reading is for sensible people, and God knows I am not one of them.

Once in a while though, you do read a book, that makes you just stop and think. Its rare. And therefore it hits you hard.

One such book I had once read was " To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee.

I generally stay away from classics. It requires to much deep thinking and profound thought. ;)

But this one, I had just picked up on a whim, and did it pay off!

For those who need a break from the world of Sidney Sheldon and Arthur Hailey, read this one and let me know what you think.

In any favourite book there will always be something that will stay with you, long after your done reading it.With me, it was this line.

".. I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of gettin the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.

Courage is when you know your licked, before you even begin, but you begin anyway.And you see it through no matter what.You rarely win this way, but sometimes you do, and thats when it counts the most.."

Thoughts like these remain with you. Long after you've forgotten the story.

I don't want to say anymore. I could never add anything to what the author has so beautifully said.

I have posted this blog with not much to say. I just wanted to share this line with you.And if it does make you think, and stays with you long after you are done reading this, then posting this little bit of nothing was worth it!

z

Calvin & Hobbes - An Ode

Something I wanted to share, with whoever happens to be reading this.

Sometimes life can be best explained by cartoon characters, namely an extremely sarcastic and adult 6 yr old, and his pet tiger. This is my ode to Bill Waterson, who I think is a genius.

Below are some of the lines used in this comic strip, that explain life in such an awfully simple way, it makes you realise, that in the end, maybe its just our fault that life gets all complicated!

1) "In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside.
In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become a genius.
But in the very long term, I know which will make better memories"

I love this particular line, just a simple comparison, between study and play and yet different aspects of this same comparison come into play at all stages in life, the difference between what I should do and what i so want to do.And how sadly for most of us, the 'what I should do' side always wins!

2) " I don't understand it. What makes some people so greedy and mean? Why is that some
people don't care what's wrong and right? Why don't people try to be nice to each other?
-The problem with people is, that they are only HUMAN."

How could she say that about me? Why does he not understand me? What I did was right, why are my friends then mad at me that I did it?
Its almost like a mantra that you should repeat at night everyday : I love my friends, they are nice people, but sometime or the other they are going to disappoint me and not react the way I expect them to because they are HUMAN, HUMAN,HUMAN.

3) "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy
where we are"

Stop, Look, Feel. Its not always about what I have lined up for tomorrow. Why do I feel like I am in this big rush to get through life? And where the hell am I in such a hurry to get to anyway?

4) "Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?"

The one line that explains it all without even trying to.

5) "Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches
of boring routine, and valleys of frustration and failure."

Remember, remember, remember. And sometimes, even flat stretches are fun! We just fail to notice. It gives you a chance to notice the world thats passing you by!

6) "These are interesting times. We don't trust the government, we don't trust the
legal system, we don't trust the media, and we don't trust each other! We've undermined
all authority, and with it, the basis for replacing it! It's like a six-year-old's dream come
true!"

Very suprising, we still haven't decided to just cordon ourselves off on individual islands and stay there. Afterall we don't need anybody : our government sucks, the legal system doesn't work, and the media, bah- just a group of liars and who on earth could love their neighbour anymore..
*sigh*.. sad times we live in.

7) "There's an inverse relationship between how good something is for you, and how much
fun it is."

Chocolates, cheese laden pizzas, creamy gooey cakes, Gawd its a long list...

8) "Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation,
corruption, and destruction of man?"
- "I'm not sure that man needs the help."

Enough said.

9) "Do you realise, we have evovled in such a way that we laugh at absurdity. We actually
think that stupidity is funny.
- If we couldnt laugh at absurdity there would be a lot in life we couldn't react to."

Laugh, laughing is good. Its our best reaction to a whole lot of things. An outlet. To most things in life we just cant understand.

Mr. Bill Waterson Sir,
I hope I have done full justice to your excellent writing. I have picked up the quotes I liked the most. But point is, I could go on and on.
To all those who read this blog and who love it, read the Calvin & Hobbes books.

Till then, and my next little bit of nothing.
z.