2015: A Brand Spanking New Year

Joining The Ultimate Blog Challenge forum is one of the best things to happen to me. It not only gave my writing a new platform, but also some wonderful people as friends. One of them is Elly Stornebrink.

Our friendship clicked almost instantly and on a spur, yet she is so special to me, like warm sunshine on a cold winter day. She's so full of life, energy, ideas, and love for everyone.

A resident of North Vancouver, British Columbia; a social activist , and a blogger by choice, Elly is also a visionary of a co-creative children choir. You will be amazed by her interest on various topics such as world traditions, sufism, vedic chants, music, dance forms, human psychology, philosophy, life, celebrations, nature, and so on.

Here are some of her amazing posts I have read in her own blog page, www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca:

• World Suicide Prevention Day and Suicide Prevention Week (which has one of her most favourite photos that she took).

• In Honour of National Tree Day (where she hugs a tree with a heart shape in it. She considers herself to be a tree lover and treehugger!)

She's been so wonderful as to agree to guest blog for me here today, to make our first new year together more memorable. I welcome my dear friend to my humble blog page and thank her for the honour.

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The guest blog by Elly Stornebrink on what New Year means to her:

2015: A Brand Spanking New Year

Image courtesy: www.gettyimages.com, photo by Julie Fairman

Imagine a picture of a newborn baby being spanked as initially happens when a child is born (to ensure they are breathing of course, denoted by their crying).

2015 is a brand new year, a clean slate, a time for fresh beginnings.

What would you make of it? Rather, what would you like to make of it, this year, this coming year? How would you like it to be? What do you foresee or like to foresee?

As I write this, this comes to mind: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This is how Charles Dickens starts his classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities.

From (t)his most famous passage and first lines (paragraph) of this book, we read:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way …”

There are always “best” and “worst” or “good” and “bad” times, though all are man-named adjectives.

Considering the passage above however, we can contemplate and imagine what we envision for ourselves, if not for the world. For after all, aren’t we like the domino effect: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_effect - affecting each other with our thoughts, words, and actions? The penguins in the movie, Penguins of Madagascar – what can I say, I love animated children’s movies! – illustrate this well near the beginning of the movie. Sometimes, perhaps many times, we may tend to forget this.

Not the exact scene I am thinking of in this movie trailer, though at the :13 time mark you will see a mini-version of what I am speaking about with three of the penguins: https://www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded&v=BjfID263ViI. Now imagine this with all the penguins (which does occur in the movie by the way)! That is what I am referring to, on a larger, grander scale.

About five to 10 years ago, I came to realize that resolutions do not make sense as they don’t generally work. See my post regarding this and similar words that we commonly associate with and utilize near the beginning of a new year: http://xpressyouressence. blogspot.ca/2014/12/out-with-old-in-with-new_31.html

I have come to learn that possibilities, like a vision, hold a lot of weight. That is, in having a sense of hope, for example, as a possibility is powerful.

As you may know, words do matter. What we think and say have a profound and deep impact upon not only our lives, but also on others.

What do you (fore)see as possibilities for 2015? What would you hope for yourself and mankind in a heartfelt, compassionate way?

My top twelve most loved novels.

Very recently, I came across a chain-status update on Facebook asking the person and their tagged along nominee to list their most loved books ever.

It really caught my fancy because books are that one commodity I go head over heals over. I can't imagine my life or the world without them.

So, I thought why not dedicate my initial blogs of this month for this very theme, and as I feel 'books' on the whole is too large a universe to pick ten bright stars, I have narrowed down to the field of novels and as I cannot find my list complete by just ten, I have made it twelve! And because it is my blogspot, I  prefer to add a praise or two for each of my picks.

Here's my first three in the list:
> Great Expectations:
One of the famous works of Charles Dickens it tops my list for the mere uniqueness it radiates. It follows the life story of Pip, from the dull marsh countryside of England to lands across borders, in his pursuit of great fortunes and the love of his life.

For me, it is a genre in itself and it abounds with some of the most memorable of Dickens' characters(and almost every character from this novel). Each of them are so full of life and individuality, and none of them seem out of this world. Be it the eccentric Miss Havisham, mysterious Magwitch or the unassumable Mr. Jaggers. This book is my most favourite travel companion as well.

> Pride and Prejudice:
A classic like the above mentioned novel, it needs no introduction nor do its characters. The second most read and appreciated novel by Jane Austen, it captures the victorian era English countryside, life and urban soceity with finesse sans all the wars and politics that plagued it in reality.

It is a subtle tale of love, siblings-bonding, friendship and relationships and a true gem for me.

> The Alchemist:
A legendary novel in which the theme speaks profounder than the storyline, and perhaps that was the intention of its author Paulo Coelho. His every novel follows a simple storyline and oozes with wisdom, so does this too.

It simply asks us to believe in our dreams and pursue it come what may. The uniqueness of this novel is that it mentions the name of the protoganist just once, and addresses him throughout as 'The boy' which compels the readers to connect with him as one and believe in its relevance.

I can read all the above three a zillion times and find them as new as ever every time. Have you read any of these three? What is your say on them? What are the top ten most loved novels?

Do share and indulge.

Note: Hyperlinks redirect to their respective wikipedia pages

Next in the series: 4-6 of my most loved novels

Of Dickens' and of Doyle

To frame these two pairs in a quote, I recollect these words I read somewhere, but I don't recollect whose they are. It goes like this,
"Do not walk before me, I may not follow you. Do not walk behind me, I may not lead you. Just walk beside me and be my friend."

These two pair live this essence up so well, they make life seem such a joyful experience.

Dear boy Pip and his comrade's story is one of the most lightly handled in english fiction, but it goes so deep! It reflects all colours of friendship and shines like a radiant gem. They are just two simple friends always by each other.

No big promises, no grave issues, no hard efforts, no exceptional acts, and no heart-rendering sacrifices. Just together forever.

Be it in Pip's prosperity or his doom, during Herbert's struggle or on his success, even after their love interests oppose the other's influence on them, they never said adieu, never even turned their face away from each other. This is the beauty of their relationship. Together they withstood the test of time.

In fact, for me their life story seems a long happy song which goes something like this:
"In happiness and in pain,
In loss and in gain,
Together we have been,
And we shall always remain the same."

Dr. Watson and det. Holmes:
As celebratory their titles are, so valliant is their feats and even more glorious is their cameraderie. These two live the above quote to the T. They have fought, they have reconciled, they have had their differences and they have sort it out.
I couldn't comprehend any draconian tests in the lives of these friends, except that of having extreme faith in each other at the most trying moments, and always looking out for each other.

All in all, these two pairs of Dickens and Doyle resonate the simple yet strong message that we need not go to great lengths to prove our worth. Just being friends and true to it is the essence of real friendship.

Friends forever

To be speaking of friends and not reminisce Charles Dickens Pip and Herbert is just not possible.

Great Expectations is a tribute to relationships and a satire on human failings. But through out one relationship that shines, passes through the test of time with flying colours and becomes the heart of the story is the friendship between Pip and his room mate Herbert Pocket.

The very manner in which the latter endears the former as 'my dear Handel' wins our heart and makes him the most desirable friend in english fiction.

This pair doesn't do great feats or go to great lengths to prove their fealty, but it is in the humble and simple manner in which they stick to each other through thick and thin, and look out for each other, which mak this pair so special and commendable.

Goes on to prove we don't have to be a super hero to be a good friend.