Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and you leave a trail.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
NOVASTAR: "The Best Is Yet To Come"
Sometimes it takes the worst to see people at their best. For Bobby Model, a photographer who has worked for this magazine and a world-class climber, the worst happened two years ago while traveling in Cape Town, South Africa, with his sister, Faith. A concrete block crashed through the windshield and struck his head, causing massive brain injuries. Doctors doubted he would survive. Though never solved, the case was investigated as an act of random violence. That’s the darkest side of humanity.
Now, here’s the best. Witnesses fled except one man, who stopped, called an ambulance, and made sure Bobby got to the best hospital. “He saved his life,” his mother, Anne Young, said. Bobby Model, veteran of many mountaineering expeditions, embarked on the longest expedition of his life. After a month, still in a coma, he was flown to New York City for surgery, then to Denver’s Craig Hospital for rehabilitation. His family is his center of gravity, of course; his sister says it’s a gift to be there for the person you love. But Bobby’s big heart touched many, and many reached out in return. Schoolchildren in his hometown of Cody, Wyoming, sent cards. A blog for climbers posted a thousand messages. Friends flew in to visit, surrounding him with love.
“Sometimes I have to kick myself when I take my life for granted,” Bobby once wrote. “I’ve been fortunate to witness so many amazing human moments.” Now, Bobby’s drive propels him from one amazing moment to the next. “You see it in his eyes,” his mother said. “He is figuring it out.” He gets around in a wheelchair, talks, and laughs. He snaps with a point-and-shoot in his right hand, and, because his left hand lacks strength, the staff at Craig will rig a bigger, heavier camera on his wheelchair. The expedition continues. There is far to go. “But he is so much with us now,” Anne Young added. “He shows a sense of humor and sweetness that is pure Bobby.”
Recently, he wrote his friends:
OK, everybody you can stop crying for me now. Thanks, though.
Love, Bobby
(written by Chris Johns, National Geographic, February 2009)
Now, here’s the best. Witnesses fled except one man, who stopped, called an ambulance, and made sure Bobby got to the best hospital. “He saved his life,” his mother, Anne Young, said. Bobby Model, veteran of many mountaineering expeditions, embarked on the longest expedition of his life. After a month, still in a coma, he was flown to New York City for surgery, then to Denver’s Craig Hospital for rehabilitation. His family is his center of gravity, of course; his sister says it’s a gift to be there for the person you love. But Bobby’s big heart touched many, and many reached out in return. Schoolchildren in his hometown of Cody, Wyoming, sent cards. A blog for climbers posted a thousand messages. Friends flew in to visit, surrounding him with love.
“Sometimes I have to kick myself when I take my life for granted,” Bobby once wrote. “I’ve been fortunate to witness so many amazing human moments.” Now, Bobby’s drive propels him from one amazing moment to the next. “You see it in his eyes,” his mother said. “He is figuring it out.” He gets around in a wheelchair, talks, and laughs. He snaps with a point-and-shoot in his right hand, and, because his left hand lacks strength, the staff at Craig will rig a bigger, heavier camera on his wheelchair. The expedition continues. There is far to go. “But he is so much with us now,” Anne Young added. “He shows a sense of humor and sweetness that is pure Bobby.”
Recently, he wrote his friends:
OK, everybody you can stop crying for me now. Thanks, though.
Love, Bobby
(written by Chris Johns, National Geographic, February 2009)
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Saturday, 14 February 2009
AXE BAHIA: "Onda Onda"
2 tea spoons of granulated sugar1 lime
2 1/2 oz of cachaça
Cut lime into pieces. Muddle the sugar and the lime wedges in the bottom of a glass. Fill the glass with smashed ice cubes. Pour the cachaça into the glass. Stir well. Drink.
2 1/2 oz of cachaça
Cut lime into pieces. Muddle the sugar and the lime wedges in the bottom of a glass. Fill the glass with smashed ice cubes. Pour the cachaça into the glass. Stir well. Drink.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
THE FUGEES: "Ready Or Not"
We all have had moments in our life when we had to speak up about something to somebody, but when the thought of talking about it fulfilled us with fear. Fear for the other person, whom you may be afraid of hurting and deceiving, and that’s definitely the last thing you want to do. And fear for feeling guilty and being hurt yourself, as you may not even trust your own thoughts and intuition that make you consider having such a conversation in the first place.
I can think of many examples. Just think of what children need to tell their parents sometimes: a teenage girl who finds out she’s pregnant; a boy who wants to study arts in stead of law, as they had always hoped he would do; a girl who wants to go and work abroad, far away from them. Just think of the conversation an employee needs to have with his boss when he took the decision to resign. Just think of the conversation the woman must have, when she wants to divorce from her husband.
We have been or will all be faced with this kind of conversations at some point in our life. It’s human to avoid them, to postpone them, to wait for time to take away the need to speak up. In our thoughts, we may think about the best moment to start the conversation, and while we are tossing and turning in our bed desperately trying to fall asleep, we may even think of the exact words to use. But when that moment is finally there, that all won’t matter.
I have learnt that all that matters is to be honest, and to speak directly from the heart. As long as you can look the other person straight into the eyes, you have nothing to blame yourself for, and you will be safe and understood.
Sometimes, words seem to be a harmless weapon on the battlefield of emotions surrounding us. But now I came unarmed. I did not find the right words when I talked . I forgot to say whatever I had thought about before. But I know it does not matter. Words, logic and reasoning can come later; what comes first, is a silent honesty and sincere belief that it is the right thing to speak up.
I can think of many examples. Just think of what children need to tell their parents sometimes: a teenage girl who finds out she’s pregnant; a boy who wants to study arts in stead of law, as they had always hoped he would do; a girl who wants to go and work abroad, far away from them. Just think of the conversation an employee needs to have with his boss when he took the decision to resign. Just think of the conversation the woman must have, when she wants to divorce from her husband.
We have been or will all be faced with this kind of conversations at some point in our life. It’s human to avoid them, to postpone them, to wait for time to take away the need to speak up. In our thoughts, we may think about the best moment to start the conversation, and while we are tossing and turning in our bed desperately trying to fall asleep, we may even think of the exact words to use. But when that moment is finally there, that all won’t matter.
I have learnt that all that matters is to be honest, and to speak directly from the heart. As long as you can look the other person straight into the eyes, you have nothing to blame yourself for, and you will be safe and understood.
Sometimes, words seem to be a harmless weapon on the battlefield of emotions surrounding us. But now I came unarmed. I did not find the right words when I talked . I forgot to say whatever I had thought about before. But I know it does not matter. Words, logic and reasoning can come later; what comes first, is a silent honesty and sincere belief that it is the right thing to speak up.
Monday, 9 February 2009
LL COOL J: "Back Seat"
Children in the back of a car can cause accidents
Accidents in the back of a car can cause children
Accidents in the back of a car can cause children
Friday, 6 February 2009
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
PLAIN WHITE T's: "Hey There Delilah"
Do you have an open mind, or is it fear that binds you to what you know?
No doubt it’s an admirable skill knowing how to put things in perspective; realizing how relative and insignificant some things may be. But this sense of what really matters should not erode into cynicism. We all have people whom we are willing to fight for; we all have goals we want to achieve; we all fill our time with activities which we believe are worth it. And yet, often our beliefs do not pass the test of time. Looking back later, we wonder why we ever cared for that person in the first place; we wonder what dreams we were chasing; we ask ourselves why we lost time doing what we no longer find worthwhile doing. Like a snake, we shed our skin along the way.
That thought should not paralyze nor frighten us though; it should not prevent us from doing what we truly believe we should be doing at this very moment. Believing in something, albeit anything, marks the difference between the hope of a child and the cynicism of an old man. We are all a human chain of many different people in one single body.
No doubt it’s an admirable skill knowing how to put things in perspective; realizing how relative and insignificant some things may be. But this sense of what really matters should not erode into cynicism. We all have people whom we are willing to fight for; we all have goals we want to achieve; we all fill our time with activities which we believe are worth it. And yet, often our beliefs do not pass the test of time. Looking back later, we wonder why we ever cared for that person in the first place; we wonder what dreams we were chasing; we ask ourselves why we lost time doing what we no longer find worthwhile doing. Like a snake, we shed our skin along the way.
That thought should not paralyze nor frighten us though; it should not prevent us from doing what we truly believe we should be doing at this very moment. Believing in something, albeit anything, marks the difference between the hope of a child and the cynicism of an old man. We are all a human chain of many different people in one single body.
COLDPLAY: "Speed of Sound"
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
THE BEATLES: "Fixing A Hole"
Holes the size of a golf ball. Holes the size of a crater. Holes in the roof. Holes in the floor. Holes that swallow men into the drainage. Dark holes. Black holes. Holes in a heart. Holes in pants. The hole of a needle to sew the pants. The hole in the ozone layer. “Hole” as the name of a rock band. A hole in an argument. Pigeon hole. A hole in a donut. A hole in the wall. Holes to peep through. Holes to be peeped through. A bullet hole. A punch hole. A hole in one’s memory.
Loopholes. Loop…
Holes the size of a golf ball. Holes the size of a crater etc.
Loopholes. Loop…
Holes the size of a golf ball. Holes the size of a crater etc.
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