Only two weeks left before the International 3-day Novel Writing Contest compels contestants to write a novel in THREE DAYS! The contest begins at midnight on Saturday, September 3rd, and ends at 11:59pm on Monday, September 5th. The contest is an annual event and has been running thirty-four years strong based on an honour system which allows contestants to write from anywhere in the world with the single rule that they write within the given time frame. No Big Brother looking over our shoulders. Just the assumption that we're honest folk up for the challenge.
The entrants come from all walks of life and represent a host of nationalities. Some are amateur writers hoping to create their own Harry Potter fantasy in a hundred pages, while others are emerging and established masters of the written word aiming to write a manuscript to tweak for a year or two. Winning the contest wouldn't be so bad either.
I'm participating for the second time in a row. Last year, I got my feet wet and learned just how much stamina it took to write a novel in such a short amount of time. I only got to a sad fifty pages and the story needed quite a bit of editing and a whole lot more STORY! This year, my aim is to reach that one hundred page goal. One hundred pages is the average number of pages that can be madly written within three days. Contestants are allowed to write an outline before the literary shindig begins, so I've been doing a lot of brainstorming, but no masterpiece has come up in my empty head just yet. The key would be to write about something I already know with a simple plot and a small number of characters. Any suggestions? Other, more ambitious writers might write stories with all kinds of plot twists and an endless battery of names and places that keep the reader running through the pages to catch up with all the thrills and excitement. Three-day participants can communicate amongst other over-caffeinated brothers and sisters in the struggle in a forum specially set up on the 3DN website during the event. But be careful...mustn't spend all your time comparing notes and page numbers. There's a story to be written!
What's great about the contest is that every contestant's entry will be read by the judges. First place prize is publication. I have a copy of last year's winning book: TERRORYAKI by Jennifer K. Chung. I can understand why her book's a winner: good writing, strong characters, and a good dynamic plot that keeps us turning the pages. The ingredients of the story include a few tablespoons of the paranormal, some teaspoons of Taiwanese culture and tradition, a generous amount of food lingo and comedy, and a pinch of romance. I also have the novel written by Mark Sedore, the 2009 winner. SNOWMEN is a daring adventure tale of one man's death-defying journey on foot across the Arctic as his bed-ridden brother tries to sabotage his goal. Sedore really captures the landscape and climate of the Arctic in his descriptive prose. I found out that he had spent some time up north and in Iceland to get a sense of what it would be like to live in the frigid cold. He did his research in advance and was rewarded for it.
Hmm...so what kind of story should I write? A fantasy rom-com? A space-age thriller? A racy whodunnit? A Jane Austen-like classic? A nihilistic horror? A fictionalized memoir? Of course, I should write a story I would enjoy writing because it would totally suck if I spent all but one of the three days writing and discarding every beginning and never getting to the meat and potatoes of the process. Outline! Outline! That's the beauty of the contest. It helps you get started on something, and writers wanna be startin' somethin', right? Well, I'm up for the challenge! How about you? Registration is open til September 2nd. Check out the link below for more information.
I know I ain't no Margaret Atwood, or Toni Morrison, or J. K. Rowling, or Salman Rushdie, but I do know I'm a contestant in the 34th Annual International 3-Day Novel Contest, and that's a start. A HUNDRED PAGES IN THREE DAYS OR BUST! Here I go...again.
http://www.3daynovel.com/
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Blank Page
There's a blank page in front of me.
How to transform that blank page?
I await wit and great insight.
Seconds speed by.
Minutes don't stop to ask why.
And after the hour has run its record-breaking marathon...
There's a blank page in front of me.
Through the maze of word searches
My cerebellum forsakes Zeus.
Seconds speed by.
Minutes don't stop to ask why.
And after the hour has run its record-breaking marathon...
There's a blank page in front of me.
Sad songs are the elixir
To unleash truth and glory in rhyme.
But alas! Seconds race by.
Minutes never stop to ask why.
And after the hour hurdled its share of Himalayas...
There's a blank page in front of me!
Visualizing genius!
Deepak Chopra just lost his job!
Sigh...
Seconds snooze.
Minutes pass gas.
And the hour? The hour sprinted all the way to Olympia several days ago.
Monday, July 18, 2011
To Really Listen is to Really Accept
I attended a brilliant workshop this past weekend on the art of listening. Listening is a skill that requires constant adjustment depending on the situation. We all have good listening days and bad listening days, and we all have a tendency to listen more to people who we're either closest to or who can do us a favour. There are those rare moments with a stranger on the bus, whose story peaks our interest.
For this particular workshop, the participants were a group of diverse individuals of friends, acquaintances, and people getting to know each other for the first time. Some participants were seated in an inner circle and others were seated in an outer circle facing the inner circle participants, so we each had a partner. The outer circle would rotate after each conversation was completed.
The workshop facilitators asked us the first question to commence the first stage of the activity. Those in the inner circle were given the chance to respond to the question while we in the outer circle were supposed to listen without saying a word. The exercise was pretty challenging, as my natural reaction to someone telling me about their experiences and/or feelings is to nod or utter phrases to show I'm listening and making an effort to understand them. In fact, my behaviour is not necessarily good listening, as it might involve the listener thinking in her head what kind of response would be appropriate, which distracts her from really paying attention to the speaker. We then switched roles and those in the outer circle became the speakers. Different questions were thrown our way as we rotated to listen/speak to another participant. The facilitators would interrupt every now and then to remind the listeners not to speak.
The second stage involved the listener being given the chance to ask two questions to the speaker in order to gain a better understanding of the speaker's experience. The rule this time was not to ask any questions beginning with 'why'. Why? Because the word 'why' has a negative connotation attached to it with the implication that the listener is sort of cross-examining the speaker rather than showing genuine concern. Point taken! We asked all the how, what, where, and who questions we could think of!
During the third stage, the listener had to reflect in their own words what the speaker had just said back to the speaker. We only had a bit of time to do this, so the reflection became more of a hurried list of what we had heard than a meaningful response. I thought what took place between my partner and I was quite interesting. As we reflected each other's stories, we put in our own analysis of what might have caused those emotions and/or experiences. I guess that could be a form of indirect advice, which we were not allowed to do in this workshop, but both of us seemed to enjoy the other person's take on our unique situations.
Another aspect of the workshop was the inclusion of touch therapy. As we listened and spoke, we had to place the palms of our hands face up and the speaker would place his/her hands on ours face up. When roles were switched, so were the positions of the hands. Although some people may have a problem with this since not everyone is comfortable with being touched, what the action did was to secure our attention to each other. The hands linked us and brought our heads closer to each other, so that we remained each other's sole focus. It was a bit tiring after the constant rotations, but was far better than having a table or some other barrier separating one from the other.
Overall, what I learned is that listening is a dynamic multi-faceted skill that involves a harmonious balance of silence, body language, and voice. Both the speaker and the listener have a responsibility to each other: the speaker has to articulate what they are feeling/thinking/experiencing and the listener has to respond without judgment, which is not always an easy path to choose, but if we remind ourselves that once we were in the same boat or that we might someday be in the same boat, we can accept the speaker's situation with more compassion.
Regardless of who is actually speaking, people are always listening to each other as they pick up cues on what the other person is thinking by way of body language. We know when a person really cares about us and when they don't. Likewise, people know when we care about them and when we don't. Hopefully, the more we are aware of the way we choose to listen or not to listen, the more attentive we will be to others, and also to our own inner voices.
I learned a lot about listening in this workshop and am thankful to the facilitators, Linah Hashimi and Siddharth Akali, who organized it for all the participants on this special weekend getaway. They presented the workshop with a youthful brand of professionalism and sensitivity. These two bright young facilitators proved they had the talent and the knowledge to connect with a multi-generational and multi-ethnic group of individuals. At the end of the workshop, they opened the floor to feedback and accepted our comments with respect and humility. They listened.
To really listen is to accept people as they are. We are all on the same healing journey to become closer to the realm of compassionate consciousness and to our own potential. When we find people who give us their time and genuine attention, we feel like we matter.
In Oprah's words:
"Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say matter to you?"
Yes, it does, because every emotion you are experiencing, I too am experiencing, have experienced, or will experience. Our situations might be different, but we're all part of the same continuum of being human.
Friday, June 24, 2011
What Happens When We Die
I've been thinking about this for the past few days, as I read through headlines of all the people getting killed by the violence in our world. I wanted to create some peace around their deaths and then looked outwards towards the cosmos. I reflected on what the cosmos might actually signify. I came to a personal conclusion that at the time of death, each of our spiritual guides comes to us to comfort us and to help us forget the tragic circumstances in which we met our end. Our spiritual guide breathes in the love energy back into us and turns us into stars in the cosmos that reflect the light of love back on earth, encouraging all species, especially the human species, to love. This is my poem...
When we die, our personal guide appears.
When we die, our personal guide steers us clear of danger.
When we die, our personal guide makes us forget just how we died.
In the end, it doesn't really matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide takes us in their arms.
When we die, our personal guide tells us we're away from all harm.
When we die, our personal guide comforts and renews the joy inside.
In the end, it doesn't really matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide transforms us back.
When we die, our personal guide puts us on track.
When we die, our personal guide says there's nothing left to hide.
In the end, it doesn't matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide wipes clean the events in our lives.
When we die, our personal guide transforms us into stars, brilliant, free of strife.
When we die, our personal guide takes us on a cosmic ride.
In the end, it doesn't matter because love was meant to be scattered.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, what we did on earth is no longer our truth in memories.
When we die, we are the stars that watch over the galaxies.
When we die, the bright, luminous stars we are send out love to all that is life.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
You, who are on earth now, look up, up, up, to the cosmos,
When you've swallowed the bitter pill of life and feel the sorrow,
Look up, up, up, to the shining stars who were once your brethren,
We are always here to remind you to love again.
You, who are still alive, have a chance.
You, who are still alive, dance, dance, dance.
Together, share together, love together, as sister, brother, one another, each other, and with the other.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide appears.
When we die, our personal guide steers us clear of danger.
When we die, our personal guide makes us forget just how we died.
In the end, it doesn't really matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide takes us in their arms.
When we die, our personal guide tells us we're away from all harm.
When we die, our personal guide comforts and renews the joy inside.
In the end, it doesn't really matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide transforms us back.
When we die, our personal guide puts us on track.
When we die, our personal guide says there's nothing left to hide.
In the end, it doesn't matter because love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, our personal guide wipes clean the events in our lives.
When we die, our personal guide transforms us into stars, brilliant, free of strife.
When we die, our personal guide takes us on a cosmic ride.
In the end, it doesn't matter because love was meant to be scattered.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
When we die, what we did on earth is no longer our truth in memories.
When we die, we are the stars that watch over the galaxies.
When we die, the bright, luminous stars we are send out love to all that is life.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
You, who are on earth now, look up, up, up, to the cosmos,
When you've swallowed the bitter pill of life and feel the sorrow,
Look up, up, up, to the shining stars who were once your brethren,
We are always here to remind you to love again.
You, who are still alive, have a chance.
You, who are still alive, dance, dance, dance.
Together, share together, love together, as sister, brother, one another, each other, and with the other.
In the end, it doesn't matter because our love was meant to be scattered.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Don't Worry, Be...
...LIEVE. We are allowed to believe in and pursue our dreams. Even though others might think we're crazy or might resent us for following a less orthodox path, what we think of ourselves is really the key.
The people who know us and see our flaws and the madness of our pursuits, yet still love us all the same, are our guides, our supporters, and our healers. We can be inspired by how they live their lives and be encouraged when they achieve their dreams.
They don't always have to be right by our side 24-7, but they are always there just because they know who we really are, and that's what matters.
Keep believing. Never give up on what your heart wants the most. Even if we never get what we want, let's continue to reach for it. We will always give our very best to the world and to ourselves if what we want is worth trying for.
We all deserve what we want, no matter how crazy those wishes may be. No one has a right to judge what anyone else wants. Sometimes what we want is in conflict with what someone else wants. Instead of fighting about it, we can challenge ourselves by exploring our intentions and motivations and test our adaptiveness to the situation. When we are at peace, we can see more clearly. In this way, we can change. We can move in new directions that can also bring us closer to what we want, but in a different form.
We have to adapt. We have to evolve. We have to be open to the possibilities the universe presents us. We have to believe in our dreams but also understand that achieving our dreams is not the result of a lifetime of effort, but another door that opens to newer dreams.
It is my hope that the dreams I have will lead me to Love. Love that is all-encompassing and compassionate. Love that accepts the uncertainty of the universe and adapts. Love that brings me closer to God. Love that is unified, strong, and effortless.
Whatever my dreams are as a writer and a musician, may these dreams continue to lead me along the path of Love and to Love.
Don't worry, BELIEVE.
The people who know us and see our flaws and the madness of our pursuits, yet still love us all the same, are our guides, our supporters, and our healers. We can be inspired by how they live their lives and be encouraged when they achieve their dreams.
They don't always have to be right by our side 24-7, but they are always there just because they know who we really are, and that's what matters.
Keep believing. Never give up on what your heart wants the most. Even if we never get what we want, let's continue to reach for it. We will always give our very best to the world and to ourselves if what we want is worth trying for.
We all deserve what we want, no matter how crazy those wishes may be. No one has a right to judge what anyone else wants. Sometimes what we want is in conflict with what someone else wants. Instead of fighting about it, we can challenge ourselves by exploring our intentions and motivations and test our adaptiveness to the situation. When we are at peace, we can see more clearly. In this way, we can change. We can move in new directions that can also bring us closer to what we want, but in a different form.
We have to adapt. We have to evolve. We have to be open to the possibilities the universe presents us. We have to believe in our dreams but also understand that achieving our dreams is not the result of a lifetime of effort, but another door that opens to newer dreams.
It is my hope that the dreams I have will lead me to Love. Love that is all-encompassing and compassionate. Love that accepts the uncertainty of the universe and adapts. Love that brings me closer to God. Love that is unified, strong, and effortless.
Whatever my dreams are as a writer and a musician, may these dreams continue to lead me along the path of Love and to Love.
Don't worry, BELIEVE.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Welcome to Buddhism
Eight Verses for Training the Mind
by Langri Thangpa
With a determination to accomplish
The highest welfare for all sentient beings
Who surpass even a wish-granting jewel
I will learn to hold them supremely dear.
Whenever I associate with others I will learn
To think of myself as the lowest among all
And respectfully hold others to be supreme
From the very depths of my heart.
In all actions I will learn to search into my mind
And as soon as an afflictive emotion arises
Endangering myself and others
Will firmly face and avert it.
I will learn to cherish beings of bad nature
And those oppressed by strong sins and suffering
As if I had found a precious
Treasure very difficult to find.
When others out of jealousy treat me badly
With abuse, slander, and so on,
I will learn to take on all loss,
And offer victory to them.
When one whom I have benefited with great hope
Unreasonably hurts me very badly,
I will learn to view that person
As an excellent spiritual guide.
In short, I will learn to offer to everyone without exception
All help and happiness directly and indirectly
And respectfully take upon myself
All harm and suffering of my mothers.
I will learn to keep all these practices
Undefiled by the stains of the eight worldly conceptions
And by understanding all phenomena as like illusions
Be released from the bondage of attachment.
by Langri Thangpa
With a determination to accomplish
The highest welfare for all sentient beings
Who surpass even a wish-granting jewel
I will learn to hold them supremely dear.
Whenever I associate with others I will learn
To think of myself as the lowest among all
And respectfully hold others to be supreme
From the very depths of my heart.
In all actions I will learn to search into my mind
And as soon as an afflictive emotion arises
Endangering myself and others
Will firmly face and avert it.
I will learn to cherish beings of bad nature
And those oppressed by strong sins and suffering
As if I had found a precious
Treasure very difficult to find.
When others out of jealousy treat me badly
With abuse, slander, and so on,
I will learn to take on all loss,
And offer victory to them.
When one whom I have benefited with great hope
Unreasonably hurts me very badly,
I will learn to view that person
As an excellent spiritual guide.
In short, I will learn to offer to everyone without exception
All help and happiness directly and indirectly
And respectfully take upon myself
All harm and suffering of my mothers.
I will learn to keep all these practices
Undefiled by the stains of the eight worldly conceptions
And by understanding all phenomena as like illusions
Be released from the bondage of attachment.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
CORE VALUES
RESPECT
...yourself, your health, your body, people in your life who choose a different way of living, animals, the planet...everything and everyone.
COMMITMENT
...to your goals; follow through; give 100%; do things within your present capabilities; work hard and you will achieve.
HONESTY
...comes with respect for yourself and others; respect privacy; trust; ethics.
INTEGRITY
Adhere to the highest standards professionally and personally; always give your best in every situation regardless of how another person might react; an eye for an eye doesn't always work and creates long-term damage; choose the higher road in any conflict.
LOVE AND COMPASSION
Put yourself in other people's shoes no matter who they are and what they have done and what they have done to you.
KNOWLEDGE AND GROWTH
Challenge yourself by questioning what you know (to be true); welcome new perspectives and be open to them; we resist change but when we accept change, it can be truly liberating; enter a different state of consciousness; make choices that make the world a better place for everyone and not just a chosen few; be self-informed and self-aware.
LESS IS MORE
Avoid over-indulgence; limit spending and waste; check for excessive packaging when buying material goods; learn to go without; simplicity in life will create abundance for everyone.
HUMILITY
Learn from your mistakes; arrogance and guilt tactics never solve the problem and are usually remembered forever; blaming others is our way of avoiding change within ourselves; hating on you becomes hating on others.
PASSION
Live each moment; listen intently; appreciate everything!!
FAITH
Believe in yourself; believe you have a lot to offer the world; there is no room for doubt even in the worst of circumstances when humankind's heart is closed, your faith is unyielding. Whatever happens, avoid resistance, and it will lead to good in ways we sometimes can't/won't see.
"Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." Antoine St. Exupery's beautiful words from The Little Prince.
May all the people who have passed along their messages of peace and compassion and who have passed away rest in peace. May the memory of their commitment to COMPASSION live on in all of us who seek a better life for all.
x
...yourself, your health, your body, people in your life who choose a different way of living, animals, the planet...everything and everyone.
COMMITMENT
...to your goals; follow through; give 100%; do things within your present capabilities; work hard and you will achieve.
HONESTY
...comes with respect for yourself and others; respect privacy; trust; ethics.
INTEGRITY
Adhere to the highest standards professionally and personally; always give your best in every situation regardless of how another person might react; an eye for an eye doesn't always work and creates long-term damage; choose the higher road in any conflict.
LOVE AND COMPASSION
Put yourself in other people's shoes no matter who they are and what they have done and what they have done to you.
KNOWLEDGE AND GROWTH
Challenge yourself by questioning what you know (to be true); welcome new perspectives and be open to them; we resist change but when we accept change, it can be truly liberating; enter a different state of consciousness; make choices that make the world a better place for everyone and not just a chosen few; be self-informed and self-aware.
LESS IS MORE
Avoid over-indulgence; limit spending and waste; check for excessive packaging when buying material goods; learn to go without; simplicity in life will create abundance for everyone.
HUMILITY
Learn from your mistakes; arrogance and guilt tactics never solve the problem and are usually remembered forever; blaming others is our way of avoiding change within ourselves; hating on you becomes hating on others.
PASSION
Live each moment; listen intently; appreciate everything!!
FAITH
Believe in yourself; believe you have a lot to offer the world; there is no room for doubt even in the worst of circumstances when humankind's heart is closed, your faith is unyielding. Whatever happens, avoid resistance, and it will lead to good in ways we sometimes can't/won't see.
"Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." Antoine St. Exupery's beautiful words from The Little Prince.
May all the people who have passed along their messages of peace and compassion and who have passed away rest in peace. May the memory of their commitment to COMPASSION live on in all of us who seek a better life for all.
x
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FILM: THE KING'S SPEECH
I had the privilege of catching THE KING'S SPEECH recently and thought now would be a good time to write a brief summary of my reflections on the film directed by Tom Hooper. Hooper is primarily known for his directorial work in TV having worked on such British favourites as "EastEnders" and
"Elizabeth I" miniseries. He shoots royalty well. The cast comprises of a veritable assortment of award-winning actors: Colin Firth as King George VI, Jeffery Rush as his speech therapist, Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mother, Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII, and Timothy Spall as Sir Winston Churchill.
The setting is 1930s England just before WWII begins. The aging King George V struggles for his life in the wake of his son, Edward's much-talked-about affair with the married American, Mrs. Wallace Simpson. His struggles are in vain as he soon makes his exit handing over the throne to the Wallace-obsessed Edward whose callousness brings further insecurity to an already insecure country under the threat of war. Well, we all know the history from here. Having refused to leave a soon-to-be divorced Wallace Simpson and having expressed his intentions of marrying her - it's an absolute no-no among royalty to marry a divorced woman or man - Edward is forced to abdicate his throne. Guess who has to fill his shoes as King of England? His youngest brother, "Bertie", who has had a hell of a time speaking in public due to a speech impairment. Prior to his taking on the duties of His Highness, Bertie, as he is affectionately called in the family, meets with a speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Like most relationships, theirs starts off a bit rocky with Bertie becoming more and more exasperated by Lionel's odd methods and invasive questionning of the soon-to-be-crowned King's upbringing. Elizabeth, the Queen Mom, does an elegant job at supporting her husband's efforts to overcome the stuttering and actually arranges this meeting with Lionel. She plays her role as wife, mother, and overall backbone very well. Her dogged support and belief in him are admirable given that the marriage between her and Bertie were like many other royal marriages: arranged.
Without disclosing too much of the movie and putting aside my own issues with the British monarchy and the nation as a whole - brutal power-hungry colonizers still trying to maintain their hold over India at the time - I have to say "well done". Colin Firth, Jeffery Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter were simply superb. My appreciation for their talents went up to a level way beyond "wow". Colin Firth delivers an exemplary performance as the stuttering king and makes me feel what we all want to feel when we see movies about the triumph of the human spirit: compassion. Imagine that! I actually felt compassion for the King of England and for two hours could feel something of the humiliation he must have endured with such an impediment.
Well, actually, I totally understand what it must have been like since I too have been wrestling with a speech impairment for the last two years and have also had to speak in public with it. Had I found a speech therapist so dedicated to his client as Lionel was, I probably would have performed far more effectively as I stubbornly continued to teach and present my monologues to my perplexed students and audiences, respectively. Although I did have the support of friends and well-wishers, I'm sure much of my message slipped through the cracks in my strangled utterances. Some of the methods Lionel uses to assist the King in producing an unbroken tone are also used today to help people with a stutter, Spasmodic Dysphonia and other voice disorders. Singing, deep breathing before speech, moving around while speaking, even shouting all help to release and relax the voice. The point is to get back something that's so essential to communication and our credibility, whether as kings and queens or teachers and performing artists. It's all the same: without our voices, we're as powerless as shredded wheat. Not to say that people who find other ways to communicate like through ASL or voice devices are lacking in communicative ability and credibility. They've obviously ignited the power within and have turned an apparent "flaw" (as viewed by society) into something truly valuable and rewarding.
People who stutter don't always remember when the stuttering started, but it developed most likely when they were children. Also, stuttering is usually brought on by some other form of physical restriction like being forced to write with one's right hand when one is left-handed. Stuttering may also be caused by physical trauma through abuse or deprivation. A lot of time must be given and patience tried in order to face those childhood fears and traumas to give one's voice the chance to heal. Bertie did not wish for Lionel to probe into his family's secrets but realized that the only way to set his voice free was to face the events and experiences that shaped his life during his childhood years.
I suppose that's how I'll be able to set my voice free someday. The day when I take an honest look at the conditions and circumstances that brought on this strangled voice - not just two years ago, but much farther back in time - will be the day when progress towards a clear, unhindered voice begins anew. OR maybe not. Maybe my attitude will change and I will discover a new way of communicating with this broken but unique voice.
If you haven't seen it, watch THE KING'S SPEECH.
Thank you for dropping by today. There are no other limits to human will but the thoughts that reside in our heads.
"Elizabeth I" miniseries. He shoots royalty well. The cast comprises of a veritable assortment of award-winning actors: Colin Firth as King George VI, Jeffery Rush as his speech therapist, Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen Mother, Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII, and Timothy Spall as Sir Winston Churchill.
The setting is 1930s England just before WWII begins. The aging King George V struggles for his life in the wake of his son, Edward's much-talked-about affair with the married American, Mrs. Wallace Simpson. His struggles are in vain as he soon makes his exit handing over the throne to the Wallace-obsessed Edward whose callousness brings further insecurity to an already insecure country under the threat of war. Well, we all know the history from here. Having refused to leave a soon-to-be divorced Wallace Simpson and having expressed his intentions of marrying her - it's an absolute no-no among royalty to marry a divorced woman or man - Edward is forced to abdicate his throne. Guess who has to fill his shoes as King of England? His youngest brother, "Bertie", who has had a hell of a time speaking in public due to a speech impairment. Prior to his taking on the duties of His Highness, Bertie, as he is affectionately called in the family, meets with a speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Like most relationships, theirs starts off a bit rocky with Bertie becoming more and more exasperated by Lionel's odd methods and invasive questionning of the soon-to-be-crowned King's upbringing. Elizabeth, the Queen Mom, does an elegant job at supporting her husband's efforts to overcome the stuttering and actually arranges this meeting with Lionel. She plays her role as wife, mother, and overall backbone very well. Her dogged support and belief in him are admirable given that the marriage between her and Bertie were like many other royal marriages: arranged.
Without disclosing too much of the movie and putting aside my own issues with the British monarchy and the nation as a whole - brutal power-hungry colonizers still trying to maintain their hold over India at the time - I have to say "well done". Colin Firth, Jeffery Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter were simply superb. My appreciation for their talents went up to a level way beyond "wow". Colin Firth delivers an exemplary performance as the stuttering king and makes me feel what we all want to feel when we see movies about the triumph of the human spirit: compassion. Imagine that! I actually felt compassion for the King of England and for two hours could feel something of the humiliation he must have endured with such an impediment.
Well, actually, I totally understand what it must have been like since I too have been wrestling with a speech impairment for the last two years and have also had to speak in public with it. Had I found a speech therapist so dedicated to his client as Lionel was, I probably would have performed far more effectively as I stubbornly continued to teach and present my monologues to my perplexed students and audiences, respectively. Although I did have the support of friends and well-wishers, I'm sure much of my message slipped through the cracks in my strangled utterances. Some of the methods Lionel uses to assist the King in producing an unbroken tone are also used today to help people with a stutter, Spasmodic Dysphonia and other voice disorders. Singing, deep breathing before speech, moving around while speaking, even shouting all help to release and relax the voice. The point is to get back something that's so essential to communication and our credibility, whether as kings and queens or teachers and performing artists. It's all the same: without our voices, we're as powerless as shredded wheat. Not to say that people who find other ways to communicate like through ASL or voice devices are lacking in communicative ability and credibility. They've obviously ignited the power within and have turned an apparent "flaw" (as viewed by society) into something truly valuable and rewarding.
People who stutter don't always remember when the stuttering started, but it developed most likely when they were children. Also, stuttering is usually brought on by some other form of physical restriction like being forced to write with one's right hand when one is left-handed. Stuttering may also be caused by physical trauma through abuse or deprivation. A lot of time must be given and patience tried in order to face those childhood fears and traumas to give one's voice the chance to heal. Bertie did not wish for Lionel to probe into his family's secrets but realized that the only way to set his voice free was to face the events and experiences that shaped his life during his childhood years.
I suppose that's how I'll be able to set my voice free someday. The day when I take an honest look at the conditions and circumstances that brought on this strangled voice - not just two years ago, but much farther back in time - will be the day when progress towards a clear, unhindered voice begins anew. OR maybe not. Maybe my attitude will change and I will discover a new way of communicating with this broken but unique voice.
If you haven't seen it, watch THE KING'S SPEECH.
Thank you for dropping by today. There are no other limits to human will but the thoughts that reside in our heads.
Friday, January 28, 2011
THE PEOPLE RISE UP IN EGYPT
I woke up this morning anxious for the people of Egypt as they braced for clashes with Hosni Mubarak's security forces. He dissolved the government and retained his machine-gun toting retinue of soldiers who are ready to quell the voices of the people. With a complete shutdown of internet and cell phone services, we can only imagine the fate of Egypt's pro-Democracy activists, families, labourers, teachers, writers, mothers, fathers. And their children. Obama apparently made a call to Mubarak asking him to "promise" not to use force against the demonstrators and to uphold the liberalizing policies that were supposed to have been initiated. Hold on. What liberalizing policies? Are you talking about the ones that serve the needs of the US military stationed in Egypt? Hmm...guess so.
Mubarak has yet to lift the country out of a state of emergency that was imposed when he had assumed his role as the country's leader soon after Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Quite frankly, the people are tired of Mubarak's 30 year reign and are calling for the formation of a new government based on democratic principles. Mubarak's response is to force his cabinet ministers into early retirement and call in his comrades in arms to control the ensuing chaos. Mubarak is no stranger to the military having served as an officer/commander for the Egyptian Air Force. It's no wonder he rules the country with an iron fist.
My heart goes out to the people of Egypt. It's been a long and tragic struggle for them to maintain their freedom under this dictatorship. The Egyptian police have been particularly brutal against free-thinking dissenters and many have been jailed, tortured and brutally killed. Their struggle is the world's struggle against all forms of dictatorship and control. We're all connected. The foreign policy decisions our governments make and that we give our support to or in most cases, show our apathy towards (because you know, we're all too busy chasing our own dreams to give a shit about what's happening halfway across the world) can seriously impact countries like Egypt, and they have. I wonder how having the US presence on Egyptian soil influences Mubarak's decisions on how to handle "his" people. I'm sure there's a lot more to this uprising than we're getting from the western media. A western media that makes no apologies for feeding us bullshit news carefully manipulated and distorted to make it "newsworthy". News is reality TV and every news anchorperson is competing to be the next big TV anchor star. Is it real?
It's the people at the bottom of the heap who suffer from all this illusory fakery, from all the greedy "grabbing hands", the senseless violence against their right to free expression, and the denial of their livelihoods and well-being.
How will it all end? Maybe it won't end. It'll continue well into 2012 and 2011 is only just beginning. 2012. Egyptian voices. Tunisian voices. And then maybe all the world will lend a voice. Lend a hand. And lend a fist to help crush the despotic governmental systems that have enslaved and blinded the world's people since the time money and the pursuit of strategic power became the Gods of humankind.
Mubarak has yet to lift the country out of a state of emergency that was imposed when he had assumed his role as the country's leader soon after Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Quite frankly, the people are tired of Mubarak's 30 year reign and are calling for the formation of a new government based on democratic principles. Mubarak's response is to force his cabinet ministers into early retirement and call in his comrades in arms to control the ensuing chaos. Mubarak is no stranger to the military having served as an officer/commander for the Egyptian Air Force. It's no wonder he rules the country with an iron fist.
My heart goes out to the people of Egypt. It's been a long and tragic struggle for them to maintain their freedom under this dictatorship. The Egyptian police have been particularly brutal against free-thinking dissenters and many have been jailed, tortured and brutally killed. Their struggle is the world's struggle against all forms of dictatorship and control. We're all connected. The foreign policy decisions our governments make and that we give our support to or in most cases, show our apathy towards (because you know, we're all too busy chasing our own dreams to give a shit about what's happening halfway across the world) can seriously impact countries like Egypt, and they have. I wonder how having the US presence on Egyptian soil influences Mubarak's decisions on how to handle "his" people. I'm sure there's a lot more to this uprising than we're getting from the western media. A western media that makes no apologies for feeding us bullshit news carefully manipulated and distorted to make it "newsworthy". News is reality TV and every news anchorperson is competing to be the next big TV anchor star. Is it real?
It's the people at the bottom of the heap who suffer from all this illusory fakery, from all the greedy "grabbing hands", the senseless violence against their right to free expression, and the denial of their livelihoods and well-being.
How will it all end? Maybe it won't end. It'll continue well into 2012 and 2011 is only just beginning. 2012. Egyptian voices. Tunisian voices. And then maybe all the world will lend a voice. Lend a hand. And lend a fist to help crush the despotic governmental systems that have enslaved and blinded the world's people since the time money and the pursuit of strategic power became the Gods of humankind.
Monday, January 24, 2011
2011 Songs #1: John Lennon's IMAGINE
January is just about over and I'm halfway through learning my first song out of the 40 songs I'm attempting to learn on piano by next January 2012: John Lennon's "Imagine". Needless to say, it's a beautiful and inspiring song and a great first choice for Beginner-intermediate players. The song is in the easiest key: C maj. Once the intro, verse and chorus are learned, they all pretty much repeat throughout the song, so learning it shouldn't take that long unless you're a procrastinator like me!
Playing the bass notes is pretty easy...if that's all I needed to do! What I find a challenge is getting my right hand to do the fancy footwork at the same time my left hand attempts to keep a steady rhythm. I need lots of time to get my fingers (and my brain) working properly and harmoniously.
The song has a very powerful message but doesn't sound like Lennon's dictating to us on how things should be. He's humbly suggesting that we see the world in a different way. Perhaps he's also encouraging us to reconnect with the child at heart and to imagine being human without all the labels and identities that separate us from one another. It's not to say that what defines us - our race, culture, class, religion, etc - is not of any worth. Indeed, we need to embrace all those elements. However, having those elements does not make us any better nor any worse than others. We simply are. I simply am.
Imagine that with all those needs, identities, and labels, we see beauty in those differences instead of feeling fear. Imagine equality. Imagine humility. Imagine peace among all the diverse communities in our world.
John Lennon's IMAGINE.
Thank you for being part of my journey. Stay tuned for the next song choice in a week or two...
Playing the bass notes is pretty easy...if that's all I needed to do! What I find a challenge is getting my right hand to do the fancy footwork at the same time my left hand attempts to keep a steady rhythm. I need lots of time to get my fingers (and my brain) working properly and harmoniously.
The song has a very powerful message but doesn't sound like Lennon's dictating to us on how things should be. He's humbly suggesting that we see the world in a different way. Perhaps he's also encouraging us to reconnect with the child at heart and to imagine being human without all the labels and identities that separate us from one another. It's not to say that what defines us - our race, culture, class, religion, etc - is not of any worth. Indeed, we need to embrace all those elements. However, having those elements does not make us any better nor any worse than others. We simply are. I simply am.
Imagine that with all those needs, identities, and labels, we see beauty in those differences instead of feeling fear. Imagine equality. Imagine humility. Imagine peace among all the diverse communities in our world.
John Lennon's IMAGINE.
Thank you for being part of my journey. Stay tuned for the next song choice in a week or two...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
PART TWO: Building the Dream
Tomorrow my life will change. A handsome Korg SP250 will be delivered to my door and it will remain my new best friend for the next year or more. It is the main tool with which I will build this fascinating dream. What is the dream? To be able to play all my favourite songs on piano, to understand music theory and composition, to compose my own songs, to accompany singers and other musicians, and to play for all kinds of audiences. Music has an amazing healing spirit and it, more than words or even action, can really make a positive and transformative impact on a person's life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)