Maniac Mondays: Choosing a Few Things!

All year long we have not blogged anything fresh on Meady's Musings although back in April we did review some past discussions by sharing with readers on Facebook. But now in the midst of the middle of August we have come to a realization on this Maniac Monday that we should put first things first and so choose a few things and re-align the blog to some extent in the hope of keeping it active.

The whole re-think became an even more clear and present decision to be made when last night the Purple Elephant came back from South Africa where he had gone to visit his African Elephant cousins and they had made quite some fun of him! They had declared that now he could not claim any fame to make up for his smaller size (he being an Asian Elephant) as there was no longer anything purple and magical about him at all. So now he was just a smaller version of the bigger them for you see the lady from the Meady's Musings Production House had not for the year a single blog post up here! And to that the little mouse just said "Oh dear!"

But seriously before we continue our first Meady's Musings blog post for the year we would like to note the yesterday was 12 August 2012 was marked as the World Wild Life Fund's Elephant Day! And poaching for ivory has caused a 50% decline in the African elephants found in Central Africa during the period 1995 to 2007. To learn more about this and what you can do to help visit the world wildlife fund's page at this link: World Wildlife Fund

Now back to Choosing a Few Things! Well apart from being spurred on by the Purple Elephant's shame we at the little mouse was cleaning out some things at the Meady's Musings Production House when he found this old posting about 'Our faces...momentary pearls of the Universe' in which we also wrote about 'that scribblings guy-Aaron Ross' that is best summarized by these
two diagrams:

And the lady of the production house also saw the clip for Daniel Pink's book-Drive on a blog post at Intent:

Two Simple Questions That Can Change Your Life


And it all got everyone at the production house to thinking again as to what our purpose was and if the Meady's Musings Production House could release a one sentence press release what would it be? To be honest we are still mulling on this...

But we can tell you this much as to what we have been up to...

-We haven't be trying the vegan or raw thing these days as we've been trying to instead keep up with the gym but we do eat lots of apples still! So no need to post about that currently on a Mon although we can still be maniacal!

-We have been writing on Saturday so Studious Saturdays are in!

-We can never not be musing metaphysically so we can always shoot up a Tumultuous Thursday thought even if it does not always make it to the blog!

-We haven't been having as much fun as we should be having but for now we shall let it slide...

So what you can expect is as such...we will leave all the different days i.e. Maniac Mondays, Tumultuous Thursdays, Funtastic Fridays and Studious (not slumbering) Saturdays.

But instead of trying to post on all those days and surely rarely do any! We shall instead post weekly on one of the areas! If we feel energetic or really have something to say we shall post on more than one day too!

It is not that the Meady's Musings Production House was ever closed though...we are always open in heart and mind!

Anyway you will see the changes reflected in our blog header and be patient with us and keep us in your hearts and minds as we continue to write on Studious Saturdays about metaphysical meanderings for a fantasy novel we are working on every Saturday! We will keep you up to date on how that is going whenever we check in with you on our Studious Saturdays blogs.

Also we will (as we have as we have had every year since this blog was born in 2008) our Advent calendar this year so please look for it! :)

And seeing as it is a Manic Monday and everyone is still getting over the London Olympics 2012 we thought it wouldn't be a Meady's Musings blog if we didn't share some music or the other...and although everyone might be singing..."Always look on the bright side of life" since last night's closing ceremony! We thought it would be fitting to remind ourselves of these two favs that we've shared in the past as our theme songs that fit well with sharing our uniqueness and need to find life purpose!

Advent Calendar:26 Dec 09-My Birthday and the 2nd Day of Christmas!

So it's my birthday! What I adore about the Purple Elephant and the little mouse is although they were so busy with all the Christmas celebs and preps and our umpteen house guests of all shapes, sizes and species they found the time to bake me a cake and get me an additional separate birthday gift other than my Christmas one! :) They are such caring animals and friends...a girl can wish for none better than those two! :)

Today is also the 2nd day of Christmas according to the old Twelve Days of Christmas traditions and we will be keeping it up on the Advent calendar. So we won't close until the Epiphany on Wed 6 Jan 2010 when we will celebrate with the Magi for the last time this Advent season! :) And it's been a busy one for me so I've not been able to dance with them as much as I'd have liked this year but I will try at least on that day!

However seeing as it is my birthday and I'm at that landmark that I personally consider to be middle of the road (since average life expectancy is 70)...tethering at the top of the hill...trying for it to not to go all down hill too fast at 35! Aah that thing call time...but it's fictional anyway just ask my metaphysics mentioning friends! :)

But the Purple elephant and the little mouse insisted that I relax today...so I'm going to try...but if I had left my calendar bare...they shan't have existed today you see...since they are imaginary...Oh dear! So I had to blog even today so you could see them appear! :)

So today on the calendar I'm not going to be as presumptuous as on last year's calendar and assume you want the gift of me on my birthday! Although to me that is what it is when you mark your birthday and friends cheer...it is that they are celebrating your entry into existence on the earthly plane and so like on that day you are the gift to them...no?

But instead this year I will just with you share some of the things that define me or are important to me...since I should be relaxing I might mostly reference blogs I've written in the past but with a new slant...so here is how we'll have it!:)

-On Meady's Musings: I will recall my primary and sub-primary theme songs! :)
-On UCP: I will recall my relationship with Shiv and pinch my cute Ishq Devata-Ganesh!
-On Books and Films Corner: I will list my top ten fav books ever and show some clips of some of fav films too! :)

So here it is Happy Happy to me! :)

MY PRIMARY AND SUB-PRIMARY THEME SONGS:

I would have spoken about them on this blog in April:

To Be A Leader?-My Primary and Sub-Primary Theme Songs! :)

And here now are the Youtube clips of them cued again for you here !:

I am the One and Only by Chesny Hawkes (Primary Theme song)

and

Wonder by Natalie Merchant (Sub-Primary Theme song)

To Be A Leader?-My Primary and Sub-Primary Theme Songs! :)

As the 5th Summit of the Americas unfold here on the island i.e. in Port of Spain, Trinidad. I've been having a ball looking at the whole buzz around the summit, the speeches and antics of some of the most flamboyant, radical and controversial Latin American leaders out there-Hugo Chavez with his wingmen Evo Morales and Daniel Ortega. All under the auspices of Barack Obama as in my perception he looks over them like a grand judge! :)

Now I’m not much for blogging about politics on this blog as I more think of politics and politicians in comedic and entertainment roles perhaps it is the Trini in me that is accustomed with the legacy to quote the old calypso “Them only kicksin (joking) in parliament”. But really seeing characters like Hugo Chavez highlighted locally it has made me wonder really what does it take to make a leader? Not what it takes to make a good leader cause to me and I will have to quote my favourite Shakespeare’s Hamlet again:


“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

So perhaps then I am inspired by the same Hamlet cause I am pondering:

To Be or Not to Be...A Leader

So many great quotes in Hamlet it seems cause my favourite quote is from it too...

"...To Thine Ownself Be True..."

So I won’t go into what is a good or bad leader but just what it takes to make a leader. And really it doesn’t take much to me really…as complicated as most people make it sound to me we are all leaders and daily lead in our own right. If we remind ourselves of this more often or look within and realize this more often each day and then step up to the plate and do the right thing and so lead in our own way each and every day for sure the world would be a better place.

We all need to make our way…and we all have our unique purpose here on earth. And so it made me want to sing a song I call my sub-primary theme song…'Wonder' by Natalie Merchant cause I’ve always associated with this song but really not in a “I think I’m so great way” but in a way that really it just made sense to me how I felt about myself and I connected with it. My primary theme song being 'I am the One and Only' by Chesny Hawks which I’ve shared on this blog already but will share again.

So really the quotes:

“Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” -JFK

“The Power of One” –which really it seems, can be linked back to this South Africa/Australian novel’s title and these Irish and South African campaigns to save electricity.

And at the 5th Summit of the Americas yesterday here in Trinidad come to mind:

"It's important to remind my fellow leaders. It's not just the United States that has to change. All of us have responsibilities to look toward the future…''- Barack Obama

So let’s all be Leaders...let’s all be that change we want to see...

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” –Mahatma Gandhi

So I leave you with my primary and sub-primary theme songs as inspirations to myself to be reminded to do so...and perhaps for you too but really be your own leader and find your own theme song to listen to...of course cool if you really associate with mines and want to share it too...after all music is for the people!

Words to my sub-primary theme song by Natalie Merchant-

"Doctors have come from distant cities
Just to see me
Stand over my bed
Disbelieving what they're seeing

They say I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as they can see they can offer
No explanation

Newspapers ask intimate questions
Want confessions
They reach into my head
To steal the glory of my story

They say I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as they can see they can offer
No explanation

O, I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way

People see me
I'm a challenge to your balance
I'm over your heads
How I confound you and astound you
To know I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as you can see you can offer me
No explanation

O, I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as she came to my mother
Know this child will not suffer
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way "

How Does My Garden Grow-Sunflowers...Suraj Mukhi and My Theme Song!

This is just a short, light check in to let my readers know that I got my first sunflowers bloom on Sat 14 Mar 09! It was also on a day I decided to play Phagwa/Holi- an Indian, Hindu festival that when celebrated in India tends to relate to the celebration of Spring but celebrated here in Trinidad since my ancestors time. I wrote about it in some detail on my Universal Collective Prayer here. Of course we are in the Tropics so no Spring! So having my first sunflower bloom appear on that day was like a touch of Spring in the Tropics in more ways that one! :) Aaah...the sight and feel of a first bloom! :) My mum tends to like to call the Sunflowers...Suraj Mukhi instead which I guess is the Hindi name for it and kinda sounds even nicer when you think of it that it would then translates roughly to Face of the Sun or well literally Sun Face! Of course they are my fav things as I went on about in this blog! :) And guess what? :) I searched Suraj Mukhi and here is another serendiptious thing in a way...it seems that in the search comes up that this is a specialty Holi sweet in India! :) Badam Pista Suraj Mukhi...a kinda barfi sweet with the decoration at the top made out of almonds and stuff but to look like a Suraj Mukhi...a sunflower! :)Check out this link to read more about this specialty sweet! :)

Also I've been playing around on Intent again and their question of the day a few days back (sorry I can't find it to link you back to it!)...inspired me to answer but also reminded me that way back when I also had this group up on Facebook...What is Your Theme Song? It really was created for pure fun...So here it is my theme song...I am the One and Only by Chesny Hawks...I know it sounds so well self serving! :) But really it is a lovely song in words too if you think about it and it is interesting that I've loved this song and considered it deep since I was like 18 or so! I recall that is when I first heard it ...it was released around then...1991/92/93 I think...it would probably align well with this other blog I wrote late last year too...perhaps it was what was welled up inside me since back then at 18 but I was only able to elucidate it like this now...And by the way I miss that scribblings guys Aaron Ross who used to blog on Intent and I mentioned in that post...

Anyway here are the lyrics:

I am the one and only,
Oh yeah!
Call me, call me by my name or call me by number,
You put me through it,
I'll still be doing it the way I do it,
And yet, you try to make me forget,
Who I really am, don't tell me, I know best,
I'm not the same as all the rest,

Chorus:

I am the one and only,
Nobody I'd rather be,
I am the one and only,
You can't take that away from me

I've been a player in the crowd scene,
A flicker on the big screen,
My soul embraces one more in a million faces,
High hopes and aspirations, and years above my station
maybe but all this time I've tried to walk with dignity and pride

Chorus

I can't wear this uniform without some compromises,
Because you'll find out that we come,
In different shapes and sizes,
No one can be myself like I can,
For this job I'm the best man,
And while this may be true, you are the one and only you!

And here is the tune! Enjoy! :)