words to live by

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; … Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; … Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; … Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; … Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; … Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; … Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; … Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; … Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.” ~Mother Theresa~

Cloud in my heart

As I get started on my day, I think about how yours is nearly ending. Everytime I look at my watch, I know that yours must tell a different time. Each time I see the moon, I wonder how different it looks from where you are and whether it reminds you of me. I miss your voice, your smiles, your hand in mine. I miss you being here right beside me. Hurry back, okay?

Gone - flitted away,

Taken the stars from the night and the sun

From the day!

Gone,

and a cloud in my heart.

~Alfred Tennyson~

Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.

~Kay Knudsen~

The food of romance

Asparagus is often listed as an ingredient of a romantic, sensual dinner for two.

I like asparagus, and romantic or not, I think it's both pretty on the plate and delicious to taste.

But perhaps even more frequently seen on that list of romantic ingredients is oysters.

And I have say, I just cannot see anything appealing about them. Just thinking about my

experience of eating them still makes me shudder.

For me, its not so much the food, but the atmosphere in which you eat together

that creates the romance.

As far as food goes,

starting off with perfectly spiced grilled shrimp

followed by a sensously creamy pasta,

and ending with a velvety chocolate fondue

with skewers of fresh fruit and luscious berries

sounds pretty good to me.

But to create the real ambience,

music, lights and fragrance are crucial.

~

How about you?

What would be on your romantic dinner menu?

Apparently a big backside, a leaked tape and a pretty face is all it takes to be a popular celebrity

Alternative title: the one where I rant

Sitting down in front of the television to unwind at the end of a long tiring day is not an unwelcome idea. But the unwinding does not happen, unless it is something that I enjoy watching. A good movie, some music, a travel or food programme or something that explores nature are all welcome.

What I cannot

~absolutely cannot stand~

are reality shows which appear to show aimless chaotic lifestyles of people.

Often, these shows seem infested with dim-witted bimbos who don't seem to have an ounce of intelligence or talent

and just catching a glimpse of some of these airheads as I flick the channels

is enough to annoy me.

But then, the b.s. doesn't stop there, does it?

Walk into any newsagent or stop by a magazine stand,

and they are there again,

often with huge headlines that seem to confirm their mindlessness

~for example, claiming that her dream job, if not for the fame of reality TV, would be to be a make up artist for crime scene investigators~

But these shows won't be on TV unless there was a demand for it, right?

I do not understand the craze for reality TV,

except to think of it as some form of voyeurism.

Tell me ...

do you watch any reality shows?

~and please don't tell me that the antics of the KK sisters are among them~

The beauty in nature never ceases to amaze me

eyes like pools of burning fire

its crown an iridescent blue-green

snowy white strokes of nature's painbrush

across its neck and along its body

a splendourous bird

that seems shy and retiring

yet oh so graceful as it glides along.

Watching the sunrise on the beach

Someone asked me this week what we do for fun

and I told him the three most frequent things on our list of leisure activities:

beach; beach; beach.

He asked me then if we ever get tired of it

and although there are days when I long for colder climates

and different landscapes

I think I can safely say

that I never tire of the beach.

And these pictures from our weekend

I think shows that.

I heart faces

Whether they smile for the camera or are candidly shot,

I heart faces

and

enjoy trying to decipher the stories behind the lines that are etched on them.

Because he is he and I am I

"Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

"Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?"

“Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever, and we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that never can end.”

~Richard Bach~

P.S. Journalling through Photos is three today!

Looking back

If there was one thing that I did not enjoy about New Orleans,

it was the streetcar

~or, as I was introduced to it: the love train~

That was something I could have done without.

But then,

like most things in life,

it was an experience to learn from

and to look back on with some amusement.

What I did love though,

really, really loved

was the food.

The oh-so-deeee-licious food.

Just sitting by the river

watching the boats sail past was relaxing.

I loved the fact that there was music being performed everywhere

with an atmosphere of celebration

and festivities all day long.

The traffic coming from the "wrong" side of the road took a little getting used to

but for the most part, I was walking

taking in the amazing architecture

the wrought iron balconies of the French Quarter

the grand mansions along St Charles

the multiculturalism of the city reflected in the plethora of architectural styles.

I loved the five mile hike strolling along the tree lined streets

and the quiet peacefulness of being surrounded by green and still waters.

Whom do you see in the face of the pansy?

I am a simple girl who likes small gestures.

Funny how little things can hugely change the way we see the world.

~

“Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that's for thoughts.”
Ophelia in Hamlet Prince of Denmark

“Yet marked O where the bolt of Cupid fell. It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness.”
Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream

I wish they'd wash aeroplane windows better

Everytime I fly in

and see the ringlets of islands

spread out across the blue ocean

and hear the ooh and aah of the tourists glued to the aeroplane windows

I count my blessings

and marvel at the beauty of the place I call home.

Maybe I am just easily amused...

... animal antics entertain me

little girls with braids in her hair make me smile

i chuckle at the lyrics of songs

and this reminds me of the scene from Forest Gump when Bubba reels off a list of ways in which their family cooks shrimp

what a pity that this shop doesn't serve dogs, i thought

it was clearly okay to park bicycles on balconies

maybe as a deterrent to the stealing

but how the heck does one come up with icy hot chocolate?