Showing posts with label Reads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reads. Show all posts
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
KC Reads: Haruki Murakami
Book ListNorwegian Wood
South of the Border, West of the Sun
Sputnik Sweetheart
source: http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=20110106-312911
Viena: I like this quotation from Sputnik Sweetheart, misquoted here in Nearly Famous relate dto the tragic story of Rose and 10 in Doctor Who.
"And it came to me then. That we were wonderful traveling companions but in the end no more than lonely lumps of metal in their own separate orbits. From far off they look like beautiful shooting stars, but in reality they're nothing more than prisons, where each of us is locked up alone, going nowhere. When the orbits of these two satellites of ours happened to cross paths, we could be together. Maybe even open our hearts to each other. But that was only for the briefest moment. In the next instant we'd be in absolute solitude. Until we burned up and became nothing."
— Haruki Murakami (Sputnik Sweetheart)
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Kulit Co. A Happy New Year Prayer ...for us to love more, do more, be more
By KC Concepcion
Inquirer
This is one of my favorite poems and I don't know what it's called! Here goes:
"It doesn't interest me
Inquirer
This is one of my favorite poems and I don't know what it's called! Here goes:
"It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love,
for your dreams,
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon.
I want to know
if you have touched
the center of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened
by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain!
I want to know
I want to know
if you can sit with pain,
mine or your own,
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know
if you can be with joy,
mine or your own,
if you can dance with wilderness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful, be realistic, or
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
if the story you're telling me
is true,
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself;
if you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful (sic)
I want to know if you can be faithful (sic)
and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty
I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day,
and if you can source your life
from God's presence.
I want to know
I want to know
if you can live with failure,
yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of a lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes!"
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs
to be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
who you are, (sic)
how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me
It doesn't interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself,
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments."
Happy, happy new year everyone!
2003 has been so crazy, I can't even remember what went on. Anyway, for the next year, the new year coming right about now... I pray that the year 2004 will bring you the things you want, the things you need the wisdom to decipher the difference, the openness to embrace the unexpected, the happiness to still appreciate the predicted, and the heart to accept and to see beyond the imperfections in each other... to grow... to change.
I pray you touch the lives of others, more than you have before, in your own ways, sane or (for some) a bit drunken. I pray for us to love more, do more, be more... and for the young I pray that we are shown things about us, and all things, for more depth, and more clarity, so that we don't end up wasting our passions, elasticity and energy on things that will just die even sooner than we will.
There is so much we can do because we are young. Much, much more than we think... For the aged, I pray for that youth, at heart and in spirit, so that they realize and remember their purpose, their beauty, and their importance to their friends, their family, colleagues and employees... and the difference--big and small--that they have made, unknowingly, in the world.
They are so much more than they know. For all of us, I pray that we are able to make the ones we lovefeel that love, and have it, and own it, and love it so much, they have to bounce it back.
Happy, happy new year, everyone!
---
Viena: the poem is The Invitation by Oriah.
Happy, happy new year everyone!
2003 has been so crazy, I can't even remember what went on. Anyway, for the next year, the new year coming right about now... I pray that the year 2004 will bring you the things you want, the things you need the wisdom to decipher the difference, the openness to embrace the unexpected, the happiness to still appreciate the predicted, and the heart to accept and to see beyond the imperfections in each other... to grow... to change.
I pray you touch the lives of others, more than you have before, in your own ways, sane or (for some) a bit drunken. I pray for us to love more, do more, be more... and for the young I pray that we are shown things about us, and all things, for more depth, and more clarity, so that we don't end up wasting our passions, elasticity and energy on things that will just die even sooner than we will.
There is so much we can do because we are young. Much, much more than we think... For the aged, I pray for that youth, at heart and in spirit, so that they realize and remember their purpose, their beauty, and their importance to their friends, their family, colleagues and employees... and the difference--big and small--that they have made, unknowingly, in the world.
They are so much more than they know. For all of us, I pray that we are able to make the ones we lovefeel that love, and have it, and own it, and love it so much, they have to bounce it back.
Happy, happy new year, everyone!
---
Viena: the poem is The Invitation by Oriah.
http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Kulit Co. Moments in time
Posted: 10:33 PM (Manila Time) Apr. 02, 2004
Theme song
IT'S 4:37 in the morning. Spring break ended just five days ago and here I am, kept wide awake by an enormous full moon beaming through the upstairs window. Times like these have the power to transform me into some romantic night owl. Nothing ordinary-a night owl wishing desperately to turn into Juliet Capulet, perched on her balcony, singing.
"Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, someone's thinking of me, and loving me tonight ..."
I was five years old when I declared my very first "theme song." That was when I was first taught how to make memories through music. Movie soundtracks are very useful for us Pinoys in defining stages of our lives-childhood, growing up, relationships.
On karaoke nights, instantly recognizable are the first three notes leading to, "At first I was afraid ... I was petrified." Those who have whole-heartedly dedicated the song to a specific period, bigay na bigay, 'di ba? Paghawak sa mic, Make way for the instant Concert Queen-the one with hair gone absolutely wild, head banging to the beat, tears (whether of joy or pain is not sure) rolling down her face.
Those who are quieter in spirit, on the other hand, would perhaps choose to sit at home, and enjoy their memories and feelings in silence. I just received a poem from my best friend of 14 years, who says her days "are getting so complicated, it's so hard to write them all down." There is a saying that we do not remember days; we remember moments. Replying to my friend's questions, I chose to share with her some quotes that have helped me make sense of moments in time. By all means, and with her permission, feel free to relate.
What do you do when you realize after whirlwinds of insanity that you just want to have the calm of security?
"One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar." -- Helen Keller
When you want to drift back to the ground after a long breathtaking flight ... when after jumping off the plane you want to pull the string to slow down, will the chute still open for you?
'What would you attempt to do, if you knew you could not fail?" -- Unknown
She liked chasing dragons
and today she sat on the rock
closed her eyes
inhaled the heavy air
and like fuel, she was set on fire.
Her head spun through colors
sounds
and smells.
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware. Joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware." -- Henry Miller
Too scared?
And before she knew it
she was on her feet
running from demons
who threatened to take her soul.
She hid from the monsters
who sought to destroy her dreams
and danced away from phantoms
who wanted to steal her spirit.
She didn't stop
passing through villages
mountains
trees
almost as if she were going in circles.
She stops to breathe
and lies on the rock
she plunges herself into the dark.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."-- Eleanor Roosevelt.
She is spun once again
through colors
sounds and smells
and she opens her eyes.
Blinded by the sun's startling light
she shields her vision from the rays with her hand.
She laughs and inhales the heavy air again.
She likes chasing dragons.
"Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage." -- Anais Nin
On that note, I say, there is no music when a piece contains no rests. In any kind of relationship, and whether we are suffering from quarter-life crisis, or mid-life crisis, there is always a point in the cycle where we want nothing but to be comfortable.
Comfort can mean many things to many people, depending on their situations, but in the end, the cycle will bring us back to the place where we will have the innate desire to spread our wings and go. Just go. Some drop their heads to watch their feet while dancing, Others don't; they just dance.
If you're too afraid because you might fail, you might end up not accomplishing anything. You also won't get the opportunity to learn what you should, or what you didn't know you could do, because you were too focused on the goal rather than on the journey to that goal. You miss out.
I was told this often enough in high school: You can fail, but you learn. In high school, you fail and come upon lessons that will get you through college. In college, or later at work, you learn more about aspects lurking beyond academics, and how to be both passive and active, both in loving and living. You take control of what you can, and loosen your grip on what you can't. Or, as my friend wrote at the end of her message, you might just learn to lose control altogether.
Gano'n lang. So what if poetry's not something you'd do? Not everybody will have the time to write. I myself can't help being biased to music. You mark a moment with a song, and when you hear it somewhere one day, it will all come back to you. Before you know it, you'll be at the karaoke bar once more with a broken heart or a name blinking in lights after a long-awaited job promotion. Or you'll just want to be there with a bunch of friends to reminisce, have a drink, cry some tears, steal the spotlight! Whatever it is, mark a moment with something-something you can share, something you can sing, something to look back on, to remember without trying. Sprinkle in some spice! Fall in love again! Go insane. It'll feel so good, you'll wanna do it again.
Theme song
IT'S 4:37 in the morning. Spring break ended just five days ago and here I am, kept wide awake by an enormous full moon beaming through the upstairs window. Times like these have the power to transform me into some romantic night owl. Nothing ordinary-a night owl wishing desperately to turn into Juliet Capulet, perched on her balcony, singing.
"Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, someone's thinking of me, and loving me tonight ..."
I was five years old when I declared my very first "theme song." That was when I was first taught how to make memories through music. Movie soundtracks are very useful for us Pinoys in defining stages of our lives-childhood, growing up, relationships.
On karaoke nights, instantly recognizable are the first three notes leading to, "At first I was afraid ... I was petrified." Those who have whole-heartedly dedicated the song to a specific period, bigay na bigay, 'di ba? Paghawak sa mic, Make way for the instant Concert Queen-the one with hair gone absolutely wild, head banging to the beat, tears (whether of joy or pain is not sure) rolling down her face.
Those who are quieter in spirit, on the other hand, would perhaps choose to sit at home, and enjoy their memories and feelings in silence. I just received a poem from my best friend of 14 years, who says her days "are getting so complicated, it's so hard to write them all down." There is a saying that we do not remember days; we remember moments. Replying to my friend's questions, I chose to share with her some quotes that have helped me make sense of moments in time. By all means, and with her permission, feel free to relate.
What do you do when you realize after whirlwinds of insanity that you just want to have the calm of security?
"One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar." -- Helen Keller
When you want to drift back to the ground after a long breathtaking flight ... when after jumping off the plane you want to pull the string to slow down, will the chute still open for you?
'What would you attempt to do, if you knew you could not fail?" -- Unknown
She liked chasing dragons
and today she sat on the rock
closed her eyes
inhaled the heavy air
and like fuel, she was set on fire.
Her head spun through colors
sounds
and smells.
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware. Joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware." -- Henry Miller
Too scared?
And before she knew it
she was on her feet
running from demons
who threatened to take her soul.
She hid from the monsters
who sought to destroy her dreams
and danced away from phantoms
who wanted to steal her spirit.
She didn't stop
passing through villages
mountains
trees
almost as if she were going in circles.
She stops to breathe
and lies on the rock
she plunges herself into the dark.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."-- Eleanor Roosevelt.
She is spun once again
through colors
sounds and smells
and she opens her eyes.
Blinded by the sun's startling light
she shields her vision from the rays with her hand.
She laughs and inhales the heavy air again.
She likes chasing dragons.
"Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage." -- Anais Nin
On that note, I say, there is no music when a piece contains no rests. In any kind of relationship, and whether we are suffering from quarter-life crisis, or mid-life crisis, there is always a point in the cycle where we want nothing but to be comfortable.
Comfort can mean many things to many people, depending on their situations, but in the end, the cycle will bring us back to the place where we will have the innate desire to spread our wings and go. Just go. Some drop their heads to watch their feet while dancing, Others don't; they just dance.
If you're too afraid because you might fail, you might end up not accomplishing anything. You also won't get the opportunity to learn what you should, or what you didn't know you could do, because you were too focused on the goal rather than on the journey to that goal. You miss out.
I was told this often enough in high school: You can fail, but you learn. In high school, you fail and come upon lessons that will get you through college. In college, or later at work, you learn more about aspects lurking beyond academics, and how to be both passive and active, both in loving and living. You take control of what you can, and loosen your grip on what you can't. Or, as my friend wrote at the end of her message, you might just learn to lose control altogether.
Gano'n lang. So what if poetry's not something you'd do? Not everybody will have the time to write. I myself can't help being biased to music. You mark a moment with a song, and when you hear it somewhere one day, it will all come back to you. Before you know it, you'll be at the karaoke bar once more with a broken heart or a name blinking in lights after a long-awaited job promotion. Or you'll just want to be there with a bunch of friends to reminisce, have a drink, cry some tears, steal the spotlight! Whatever it is, mark a moment with something-something you can share, something you can sing, something to look back on, to remember without trying. Sprinkle in some spice! Fall in love again! Go insane. It'll feel so good, you'll wanna do it again.
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