Monday, March 15, 2010

Bohemian Rhapsody

It's atypical of me to discuss songs this way but this is simply too good to ignore. I'm a sucker for good literary works, and Bohemian Rhapsody, written by the late Freddie Mercury, just never fails to blow my mind each time I listen to it. As far as I can remember, it's the only song that comes close to bringing tears to my eyes and the imageries that I concoct in my mind are just so emotive and powerful. Simply amazing.

"It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them..." - Freddie Mercury

Anyway, you can read more about the song on Wiki or check it out on youtube. I like...

"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy
I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows
Doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

[Guitar Solo]

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro Magnifico-o-o-o-o

I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
Let him go Bismillah!
We will not let you go
Let him go Bismillah!
We will not let you go
Let me go (Will not let you go)
Let me go (Will not let you go) (Never, never, never, never)
Let me go, o, o, o, o No, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama Mia, let me go
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me, for me, for me!

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

[Guitar Solo]

Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows..."

Posted by Jo at 11:50 PM

Friday, March 12, 2010

My perfect world

In my perfect world, I'd have my own backyard garden where I'd grow all sorts of seasonal vegetables and fruits. Every morning, I'd carry a basket and pick out the day's fresh offerings to cook a meal with. I'd have carrots of all colours, red juicy tomatoes free of insecticide, and beetroot that actually grows in the ground.

In my perfect world, I'd own a vineyard and make wine in some obscure part of New Zealand. I'd hire a team of qualified winemakers to do most of the work while I help prune and trim the branches. I'd spend my days telling others about the raw beauty of nature; how every season of wine-making is different from the next; how the taste of wine is not about how much sugar or preservatives you add, but about how much sun, rainfall and frost there had been all year round.

In my perfect world, my children would grow up running in sprawling spaces. They'd learn their ABCs sitting on the grass with the mountains in the background. They'd enjoy the simple pleasures of riding a bicycle, chasing butterflies and picking wild flowers as gifts.

In my perfect world, I'd be skiing, fishing and mountain biking.
In my perfect world, I'd spend my waking moments writing a book while sipping coffee on a porch.
In my perfect world, I'd sleep under the stars with my blanket on and a loved one in hand.

What's your perfect world like?

Posted by Jo at 12:28 AM

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Seize the day

Hi. I'm back. It took two months, but like all procrastinations, it's better late than never. Strangely, unlike my previous unannounced blogging hiatuses, I didn't quite miss it as much this time. Maybe I just need to keep typing and get that inner engine started. Or maybe, just maybe, I can blame it on Twitter.

Yes, I know. I declared that I was going to be 'a twit no more' back in Sept. And seriously, I don't know what got me started on that again. I mean, why confine myself to a miserly 140 characters when I have all the space I need here? I concluded that brevity is the new form of speech. Think about it: nobody ever says 'as soon as possible' anymore.

That, by the way, is a very scary thought, especially if writing happens to be my bread and butter. How am I ever going to complete a 1,200-word article if my mind is being conditioned to think in blocks of 140 characters? That's barely enough for a lead paragraph. Darn.

But judging by my productivity at work these days, I think I'll get by, at least for awhile. There seems to be a new lease of life in the office; a positive aura that's keeping morale high. It helps that we're revamping for the new volume. The new faces also bring with them a fresh burst of energy and fun. Maybe I thrive under pressure. Or maybe the PMS hormones are currently kept at bay.

Starting the day on a right note is also one of the keys to success. It hasn't been a bed of roses for me though (no pun intended). I'm still struggling with NYR#5, i.e. to wake up early. On days when I snooze like crazy, I end up feeling crappy and it affects my mood for the rest of the day. My latest strategy is to leave the alarm clock at the far corner of my room so that I actually have to drag myself out of bed to get it. Once my feet are on the ground, I just have to make that simple decision to not let it get off. So far, it has worked but I know I'll have to stay ahead of my own game before sloth engulfs me yet again.

These days, my reward for waking up early is doubly sweet since I get to soak in the serenity of the rising sun, get to work on time, and secondly, spend some precious quiet time in prayer before I kickstart my day of madness. With so many things going on, I hardly have time to even watch TV. A day in the life of Jo goes something like: wake up, go to work, eat lunch, do more work, eat dinner, work again.

Post-dinner work, thankfully, takes on different forms: freelance assignments, church stuff, playing catch up with friends (which is also a rare occurrence these days), and oh yes, how could I forget, the wedding preparations. It seems like only yesterday that Hil and I were in Rome where he proposed last May. Ladies & gentlemen, the countdown has begun and in 2.5 months' time (that's 71 days from now), I will be Mrs Hoe. Hmmm.

And with that, I shall conclude my beautiful Thursday. Remember, tomorrow will only as awesome as you imagine it to be. Carpe diem!

Posted by Jo at 11:58 PM