Fire and Ice - Robert Frost

There was a phase when I was totally into poetry. I couldn't quite understand a lot of prose, though the simpler ones caught my attention. This was one I'd particularly liked. 

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire,

I hold with those who favor fire.
 But if it had to perish twice,
 I think I know enough of hate
 To say that for destruction ice
 Is also great
 And would suffice

Oh-Oh, I enjoy grocery shopping!

I'm in trouble. Deep trouble. I discovered today that my joys of solitary shopping (generally confined to perfumes, clothes, jewelery, accessories, shoes and cosmetics) extended to well - Grocery shopping!! Never a fan of picking veggies and fruits, I've usually avoided the dreaded task of picking em up. As luck has it, off late, I've been more regular in my rounds for grocery shopping, thanks to mommy dahlin'

To be honest, I'd prefer mum doing all of that. I've let her - willingly. So today, when I was very sweetly and lovingly asked to pick up the veggies, I didn't have the heart to say no to mum. So off I went and guess what, I actually found it therapeutic!!

As I diligently picked my way through the veggies, my mind cleared completely and all I did was concentrate on the task in hand, which was picking up good quality stuff that my family can eat :-)) Almost 45 mins later, and clutching on to kilos of groceries, I came out so relaxed I was amazed! Now, who would've thought that I'd find grocery shopping therapeutic!

The plus side, I can add one more thing to my list of solitary happy shopping. The con, if mum finds out, I'm so done ;-))

Wishing you the best of health

                                     May you soar on eagle's wings
                                       Leap and run like a gazelle
                                      Always eager like a newborn
                                        Always strong, like an ox
                             Always eager, like a lamb in the springtime

A year of wishes

This is from a desktop calendar called the "Year of Wishes". I'll post a few of the wishes I really liked...

When you dont wish, you dont dream,

When you dont dream, you dont act

When you dont act, you never make a difference to the world

So this year, go wish and

Make the world a better place

Andre Agassi's 'OPEN'

                                

        

I've grown up following men's tennis closely. I'm a die hard fan of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. 

I'd been wanting to read Agassi's autobiography from the day it was launched. Titled 'Open', it was already causing controversies. It was touted to be too blatant, too 'Open' and he got into trouble for his declaration of drug usage and its cover ups while he was playing with the ATP. Its taken me over a year to finally get my hands on the book and all I can say is that it was worth every minute of a wait.

I'd already read some reviews and this one in particular caught my attention. David Davis of LA times had reviewed the book in 2009. David has captured the essence of the book beautifully in those last few lines of his review. 

An excerpt from the review is below and the entire review can be found at http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/21/entertainment/la-et-book21-2009nov21/2 

Agassi's life tells of 'the horrifying toll of parental neglect; the roller-coaster quest for self-identity; the all-too-human need to connect with others; the messy ways we cope with life's inevitable setbacks; the possibility of metamorphosis and redemption. The latter resonates throughout "Open." As Agassi better understands his love-hate relationship with tennis and grudgingly embraces his stature, he undergoes a profound shift. The self-centeredness of "What do I have to do to be No. 1?" gives way to "What can I do to help others?" '

For me, the book was a shocker, right from the word GO. To think that all his life, Agassi hated tennis was too much for me to comprehend. In the publics image, he was world #1. He was a fighter, he fought all odds, took on lifes challenges and emerged a success. Behind all that was a throbbing hatred for the game. There is a rawness, a vulnerability that comes through so clearly in his book. He's opened his soul, bared his heart. I applaud the courage it takes on his part to be so blatant about his life. He needed to do this, he needed the world to see who he really was and he's delivered a power pack performance in this book.

There are parts of the book that have moved me to tears. And a few parts that have made me smile and laugh. I was swept in the story. I could not put this masterpiece down. It was like being there and watching the entire thing. In the end, its a story about a young boy who didn't have a choice, an adolocent who rebelled, an adult who fought and crumbled and fought again. Who still didnt have a choice because he saw no other way out. Of the trappings of love lost and the wonders of love found. And most of all the strength of one's will-power to do the right thing, to acknowledge the support of family and friends, to give back to the society. 

As I finally read the last page of this epic at 5.30 AM today, I wished I could  give this man the standing ovation that he deserves for writing such an open and incredible story of his life.

With wife Steffi Graf

                  

                      After winning the French Open  (finally!)

STAR

I was doing a random music play on my phone the other day and I stumbled upon Bryan Adam's STAR. This was one of the songs that kept me going at a phase in my life when I needed support in any form it came. Music for the soul - is literally what music had become for me. Lyrics to one of my fav songs below. Thank you BA :-)

What cha wanna be - when you grow up 

What cha gonna do - when your time is up 

What cha gonna say - when things go wrong 

What cha wanna do - when you're on your own 

There's a road - long and winding 

The lights are blindin' - but it gets there 

Don't give up - don't look back 

There's a silver linin' - it's out there somewhere 

Everybody wants an answer - everybody needs a friend 

We all need a shinin' star on which we can depend 

N' so tonight we're gonna wish upon a star 

We never wished upon before - (to find what you're Looking for) 

There'll be times - in your life 

Ya when you' be dancin' n' shit - but you ain't gettin it 

But don't get disillusioned - no, don't expect too much 

'cause if what you have is all you can get - just keep on 

Tryin' - it just ain't happened yet 

Everybody wants ta be winner - everybody has a dream 

We all need a shinin' star when things ain't what they seem 

So tonight we're gonna wish upon a star 

We never wished upon before - (gotta get where you're Headed for) 

Everybody wants some kindness - everybody needs a break 

We all need a shinin' star when things get hard to take 

So tonight we're gonna wish upon a star 

We never wished upon before

So much L.O.V.E.

And yet wanting more!! 

How much I have underestimated something as sweet and innocent as Love in my life. There's such an overwhelming amount of it showered upon me in different ways. I've begun to develop a new found, deeply set gratitude for it. I've begun to send a prayer up to God everytime I feel that I need to thank him. I also know I need to do it so much more often in my life.

I have a loving family, loving friends, wishful people and a wonderful life. And yet I demand more. Where does this need and greed for more come? At what point does one say enough is enough? Now that its begun to sink in, I realize that God sends me how much He thinks I am in need of. I just need to open my eyes bigger, open my heart a lot more and welcome it in my life with open arms. Its all there for me to reach out and embrace. 

I feel a happiness and contentment with just knowing and acknowledging what I have in my life. :-)

O bloodless sinners, O soul-less creatures, You've caught my attention!

Fanginess is the IN thing it seems! I'm talking about Vampires (also spelt Vampyres). I'd watched Bram Stoker's Dracula as a teen and quite enjoyed it. I'm not one for horror, though this was quite bearable.

In the recent past, I've read the entire Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Well, I've read and then re-read and re-read again!! I was so hooked. Its a simple love story between a human and a vampire. 

Book 1: Twilight - Written with just the right amount of mush, book 1 hits the right chord with the masses (read: mostly teens). It still stands as my favorite in the four part series.

Book 2: New Moon - interestingly written, though tends to get sickly in places. It still makes for an un-put-downable read. Its not as sweet and innocent as Twilight is, though it does capture the drama in a teens life and gives it that spooky angle too.

Book 3: Eclipse - Ok, now this book stretches way too long. Its put-downable sometimes and I kept at it simply because I'd become such a die hard fan of the Edward-Bella-Jacob trio. Towards the end, I must say, I did quite enjoy it.

Book 4: Breaking Dawn - A much anticipated read, it was the coming together of two people madly in love. Perfect end to a dream story huh? Naaaah, so the unions happen with all the drama and friendships hang on a thread. Till the middle of the book, I was hooked. Then again, the last few pages were a total drag. A hugely built up climax could have been made into the cincher of the 4-part series, but it fizzles out very poorly. It left me very dissappointed. I do feel Stephenie has the left the ground open for future stories in the series, though with her claiming that this was the last book in the Twilight series, it deserved a much better finale.

Midnight sun: Stephenie released a 12 chapter draft version of midnight sun. Its essentially twilight written from Edwards perspective. It was leaked on the web and she was really dissappointed due to copyright infringement and decided to release the draft for free. It too makes for an endearing read. For a twilight fan, its a must read.

One thing is for sure, I looked forward to watching the movies and they did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to watching Breaking Dawn now!

While I was on this vampire obsession, I stumbled upon another series - The House of Night. Its a 7 book series (8th yet to be released in India) and its pretty much got the same theme of troubled teens who get "Marked" to become vampires. The first book was like a hotch-potch of Harry Potter meets Twilight meets teen school drama. Eventually though, the books start to create an element and space of their own. They've been stretched alright; the authors realize that they've hit it big with this series, so now they're minting more money by making more books. And I have diligently trundled through 7 books. I would recommend it to someone who's looking for a light read and does like reading fantasy books. I'm waiting to get my hands on book 8 soon!

For all of you out there who enjoy fantasy books, vampires are the new fantasy :-)

Dizzy Over Disney!! Life can be a fairytale too!

I'm a sucker for fairytales and Disney characters, always have been. I've grown up to watching Disney's cartoons and films. So when Disney launched its 50th animated film - Tangled, I could not wait to watch it. Adding to Disney is also Pixar's films. Between the 2 of them, they've managed to take animation to a level that one simply cannot imagine. At the same time, their tales always have an ingrained strong meaning to it. To top it all, there's always a happy ending! Yaay!! How can one go wrong with such a mix?

I've lived and breathed fairytales - Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, the little mermaid, Rapunzel, Bambi, Dumbo, Robin Hood, Aladdin, Anastasia, The hunch back of Notre Dame, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell - they've all caught my fancy while growing up. And then came movies like Monsters Inc., Ratatouille, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, UP ...well, the list is endless. How happy all these stories and movies have made me! They've sucked me in their tales. Its like I'm there while the story unfolds and its a part of my life! 

One of my favorite fairytales was this story of 2 sisters, Snow white and Rose Red. Its one of those fairytales that was not too famous but I loved it. And I happened to stumble upon the story in my niece's book recently. I read it with as much joy as I had as a kid.

Got me thinking - it took just a fairytale to bring so much joy in my life. I always wanted to live a life of a fairytale I think. And even though its not quite been that fairytale story, far from it, I still have so much to be thankful for :-) Life cannot always be that tale of wonders all the time, though one can find enough magical moments through ones lifetime. Thats what my Golden Sparkles of Magic is about :-) 

I part with this line from "Tangled" that nearly brought tears to my eyes -

"Rapunzel (Heroine): I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?

Flynn Rider (Hero): It will be

Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?

Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream"

Confirmed: I'm dizzy over Disney :-)

Toodle-Do!