Friday, November 25, 2011

Christmas in the Cold

Call me crazy, or inspired.
I am going to fly from the humid, sweaty tropics to the cold, windy delights of Paris and London for the two weeks leading up to Christmas. 
Excitement has set in and it is now, as I write this, only two weeks before takeoff.
I am picturing a light dusting of snow over the rooftops. 
Scarves, gloves, boots and wooly hats. 
Hot chocolate at a pavement cafe. 
And oh the lights! Lights and Christmas decorations everywhere. 
Tinsel and glitter. Baubles and trinkets. 
Shop windows warm and inviting, full of prettily wrapped presents, green and red. 
Cheerful folk, noses red, a spring in their step.
But I must control my excitement and curb my dreaming, lest reality disappoints.
While I am there, I plan to take a photographic journal and jot down notes about everything I see.
I want to capture my emotions, the smells, the feel of new textures.
Bon voyage, bonne vacances to all and I'll be back on Boxing Day, revived, refreshed and very, very homesick.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Look at what is inside.

What do you do when faced with a friend you haven't seen in many, many years and see instantly those years haven't been kind to them?
You try to hide your shock at their aged appearance.
You look beyond it to the friend you knew before.
Look through it to their wit, charm and kind soul.
Count your own blessings.
And rejoice in the reunion of two good friends.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Rhapsody of Rain

I love the rain. It refreshes, quenches, cleanses, cools.
The aroma of parched ground after it soaks up the first precious drops, be it tarmac or soil, is unparalleled.
Of course, this is a selfish fancy, realised in a country where rain is neither a rarity nor a threat.
But lying still in bed, listening to its rhythm on the tin roof, feeling its cool caress blow in through the window, is sheer joy.
Something I cherish.
How about you?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Peace OR Conflict ?

I am sitting here, crafting a short story, listening to the various birds' song, watching rays of sunlight filter through the swaying leaves, feeling at peace.
But then a switch flips in my head and I shiver. How can I be at such peace when so many bad things are happening in the world? 34 vehicle pile-up on the M5, 500 dead in the Bangkok flood, more dead in the Cambodia deluge, another suicide in Bedok Reservoir, a missing child, a lost pet, the disappearing ice cap.... on it goes. My daughter is convinced that the world is ending next year. Should we hunker down and get ready, or go wild and live our last moments in pure joy?
As these issues are too varied and complex for my simple mind to get a grip on, my POP is this : live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.
I'm going out for lunch and some retail therapy now :)