Lost in Translation

A sideways glance. A sigh.

Who knew Europe could be so hard on his American heart?

Another glance. A murmur..”Oi Lienda…”

She glanced up, fluttering eyelashes. Questioning look.

“Belle que fai?”, he asked

A hesitant smile. Smiling, but not comprehending.

“Bonita, bonita que tal?”

A raised eyebrow. Still silent.

“But Belle…”

She interrupts with a soft sigh and a raised hand “Je ne comprends pas francais…So you’ll have to speak to me..some other way…”

He smiled and shook his head…so much for lost in translation…

"Hi", he began afresh...

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Jack Johnson came up with this 1 minute 30 second gem called "Belle" for his (apparently) multilingual wife. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfn2aq4RVos)

And listening to it, I just thought of a man- trying to figure out what language his lady love speaks. Those lines are the lyrics of the song:

Oi Lienda: Hello, beautiful. (portuguese)
Bella que fai?: Beautiful, what are you doing? (italian)
Bonita, bonita que tal?: Beautiful, beautiful, how are you? (spanish)
But belle: But beautiful
Je ne comprends pas français: I do not understand French (french)
So you'll have to speak to me
Some other way

For Kids..Or Not!

I watched HP and the Deathly Hallows the other day and amidst squeals of kids babbling "babby bottah", I realized that this one just isn't for the kids.

I remember half way through the Potter series; there were protests by the church with regards to the apparent promotion of witchcraft amongst kids. I mean, are u serious? Church getting its knickers in a twist over Harry Potter? Um, did you perchance glance at Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy? Now that's a series worth getting your knickers in a twist over :)

I mean the first book is great and yes, somewhat for kids (Spoiler- What do you mean? Your mother is a super villain and your father, in his quest for power refuses to acknowledge you? Childs play all that! ) But then comes the second book and with it, the goose bumps. Extremely fast paced, this 'children's book' tells a riveting story of Bill and Laira. And the third one is a gut wrenching end (spoiler- Dear Church, Metatron was the f***ing super villain- or did u skip this piece entirely?) And they call it a bloody 'children's book'!

I don't get these tags. I picked up Stardust by Neil Gaiman fully anticipating it to be a 'Children's Book'- it does say fairy tale on the cover. All's good till I encounter our favorite little four letter word on the fourth page, second paragraph, all caps. Interesting!

Hence, a humble plea- don’t judge a book by its cover. There’s been no book from which I haven’t learnt. And there’s so much more out there…

Elvis' blues...

So my car broke down. Actually the accelerator gave up on me. For someone so keen to zoom my way through it all, the near snail pace was unnerving. So I parked the car, called for help and stood by the curb to become a spectator sport. And spectator sport it was, people would go by, slow down whatever vehicles they were driving, look at the car with the open bonnet, the girl standing next to it, shake their heads and drive on by. Well, thanks for all the help.

A guy did stop- well almost- he slowed down his Scorpio and looked me up and down- yes me- not my car- reached a conclusion that i was a damsel in distress that needed saving and he, my knight on a white charger (it was a white Scorpio, go figure) and almost careened to a stop. Almost? Well, the mechanic showed up by then as my actual knight on a white charger ( a God forsaken, practically ancient white omni) and so feeling redundant, he went on his way. Pity.

The mechanic tinkered around under the hood- hemmed and hawed- (maddum, problum kya hai? zara axul pe zor do..hmmm..ab gadi on karo...hmmm..servis kab karai thi aapne?) and then very sweetly told me "woh ji- reelay sot kar gaya hai". He then changed the offending little blue bit and pronounced my car as good as new.

I agree. Its as good as- but definitely not new. Its called Elvis BTW- coz its shiny and plays good music.  Its my second home and a budding mini library and I love it - faulty little blue bits not withstanding :)

Bliss

Saw something like this etched somewhere once...made me smile :)

The Fool

“Don’t!”

“But why not?”

“Really, what do you know about it?”

“Know? What is there to know? No one knows- that doesn’t mean no one shall ever find out”

“But why does it have to be you? Wait and watch- Learn from others’ experiences. This can do you no good”

“Why not me? Why are you so anxious? Nothing came out of thinking and waiting. Look at the beauty around you… What are you so scared of? The heights, the edge, or both?

“I am not scared of the heights or edges, I’m just… scared of what I might do when I am near one…”

“Then for once, do it. Without regards to what might happen…give in to the urge, the release, the anticipation and the exhilaration. Feel the wind against your face, defy the gravity, the fall shall help you rise again…”

He stood over the precipice, unbidden, unsought, but caught by a wave of euphoria. His hands trembling, eyes shut, a smile hovering about his face, he took a step. Then another. And then, there were none.

And he fell.

In love.

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I believe in tarot. And few cards speak to me like no other.

The fool echoes a question that most closely resembles life- To be or not to be. And as a fool, the answer always is – To BE! And How! It pulls you towards a life of reckless abandon & lustful laughs, begging you take chances, dare into uncharted waters and Fall- Fall for Life!

O me! O Life?

Walt Whitman... he and I are well, involved :)

I love his prose and made this ages ago. The best part about this? Well the best part is actually not included..Scroll below.

And the answer?

That you are here- that life exists, and identity;

That the powerful play goes on, and YOU will contribute a verse.

Genius, that man.

A Forgotten Thought

A whiff of memory passes by...
Unbeknownst to me, it
Turns up the contours of my lips.
Sweet and glorious day it is,
And you to give me company..

Resonated....and how...