If I could catch a rainbow
I would do it just for you.
And share with you its beauty
On days you're feeling blue.
If I could build a mountain
We could call it our very own.
A place of devine serenity
A place we can be alone.
If I could absorb your troubles
I would toss them into the deep sea.
But all these things I am trying
are unattainable for me,
No, I cannot build a mountain
Or catch a rainbow afar ....
But let me be...what I know best,
a friend who'll always be there.
And have faith that
our love will transcend the test of time.
LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GOES ROUND
or .....
LOVE IS A MERRY-GO-ROUND?
Whatever the case, when there's LOVE, there's bound to be PAIN.
"Only love can break a heart. And only love can mend it again," consoled GENE PITNEY.
LOVE in its truest form will heal all wounds, and create an idyllic life.
Yet sadly, few humans know how to channel the true nature of love.
Love sets no condition nor possessiveness.
The ending of a love so true can cause enormous upsets, feelings of betrayal, rejection and anger.
When two people come together together in LOVE, the aura, the energy fields begin to bond.
The longer they stay in love, the stronger the bond is.
But when one initiates to break the trust, move out of the relationship, separate the energy forces, the emotional wound is left in the aura of the other one who wants to carry on.
Break-ups take time to heal.
You'll have to saddle pain, resentment and angst,
HEALING requires inward focus rather than outward force.
It means you have to think forward rather than to dwell on the past.
HEALING also requires knowing HOW to experience and accept the reality of the person who has departed.
Not the idealistic fantasy of how you wanted the person to be.
LOVE IS OVER?
YES, but life goes on.
What price LOVE?
Lots, but like any rollercoaster ride, the experience is bumpy.
But we all want love, we seek love and we'll go on that "thrill-and-spin" ride all over again.
That's the joy and despair of living LIFE.
William Shakespeare advised us that
" THE PATH OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH. "
Nothing is further away from the truth.
Listen to the strains of BARRY MANILOW's famous hit WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND:
" .... memories no one can take away
the pain that i feel each and everyday
and it is going to be hard ,but i will pull myself through
a real time that a get over loving you
Last night, I waved goodbye
Now it seems years
I'm back in the city, where nothin' is clear
But thoughts of me, holdin' you, bringin' us near
And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you?
When will this strong yearnin' end?
And when will I hold you again?
Time in New England took me away
Long rocky beaches and you by the bay
We started a story whose end must now wait
And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you?
When will this strong yearnin' end?
And when will I hold you again?
I feel the change comin'
I feel the wind blow
I feel brave and daring
I feel my blood flow, oh
With you I could bring out all the love that I have
With you there's a heaven, so earth ain't so bad again...
And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you?
When will this strong yearnin' end?
And when will I hold you again?
Thus a lesson learnt from "WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND".
TIME will soon heal all hurts ...
One day, when you look back fondly, IT MAY SEEMS YEARS.
On 25th June, 2009 I fervently published my blog article called DEPARTURES. CAN PARTING BE SUCH SWEET SORROW?
On the same day, by sheer coincidence, the internet was besieged by the appalling news that MICHAEL JACKSONhad just passed on.
LIFE imitating ART?
Surely.
Everyone knows that MICHAEL JACKSON was the indisputable KING OF POP.
He was an enigmatic LEGEND, to both the older and younger generations, no less, for his MUSIC.
Yet it was a "no-no" when it came to his colorful LIFESTYLE.
His was a life that glittered, but not all were gold.
He was relentlessly judged by the ruthless media for his bizarre style of living.
Criticisms were rife that at 50, MICHAEL JACKSON's glory days were far behind him.
So he hadn't made an album for 8 years?
His life had become a weird, overwrought soap opera and his physical and mental health was the subject of much speculation.
Yes, his life might have descended into ignominy.
Yes, he did enjoy a life of extravagance and excess.
Yet in death, his music still has the power to transform the face of contemporary pop.
Now, the same media are piling accolades on him, ironically, since he's no longer existing on this earth.
Why must compliments and accolades be POSTHUMOUS -
And never when he was around, when he needed them most?
Why was he shunned by the paparazzi at the time when he was in total despair, and was seeking redemption from them?
He was emotionally damaged, but nobody cared.
It boils down to the intense hypocrisy that's prevalent in this entertainment industry,
People simply love to watch the demise of a superstar,
Who were your friends when you needed them most?
Now in death, everyone wants a piece of the action.
SEND IN THE CLOWNS?
It's no wonder he was agape and switched to embrace ISLAM as his new religion.
Who could blame him .....
Show business thrives on scandals,
And gossip sells,
Out of the blue, sunshine friends start to spring out with open arms,
These are people you didn't get to see them when the storm was brewing,
It goes to prove that when you're up on the pedestal with money and pomp
Everybody wants to know you,
When you are sliding down to rock bottom.
All your so-called friends start to run helter-skelter.
Such a sham, really.
Of course, we all know of his celebrated friendship with ageing actress ELIZABETH TAYLOR.
She expressed her grief by saying:
"My heart ... my mind ... are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can't imagine life without him.
We had so much in common and we had such loving fun together. I was packing up my clothes to go to London for his opening concert when I heard the news. I still can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. It can't be so.
He will live in my heart forever but it's not enough. My life feels so empty. I don't think anyone knew how much we loved each other. The purest most giving love I've ever known.
Oh God! I'm going to miss him. I can't yet imagine life without him. But I guess with God's help ... I'll learn. I keep looking at the photo he gave me of himself, which says, 'To my true love Elizabeth, I love you forever.' And, I will love HIM forever."
Now, this one is a real friend.
Because their bonding had withstood the test of time.
They had been there for each other during their hey days and down days.
They had weathered the storm.
THAT'S WHAT TRUE FRIENDS WERE FOR.
Now, let's take an excerpt from MICHAEL JACKSON's super hit "BEAT IT":
They're Out To Get You, Better Leave While You Can
Don't Wanna Be A Boy, You Wanna Be A Man
You Wanna Stay Alive, Better Do What You Can
So Beat It, Just Beat It!
You Have To Show Them That You're Really Not Scared
You're Playin' With Your Life, This Ain't No Truth Or Dare
They'll Kick You, Then They Beat You,
Then They'll Tell You It's Fair
So Beat It, But You Wanna Be Bad.
[Chorus]
Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right.
ISN'T THIS DESCRIBING MICHAEL JACKSON'S LIFE IN A NUTSHELL?
Through all the magic, the showbiz, the razzmatazz with which he comported himself, there was always that voice to ground in it something real: ethereal, heartbreaking, fluid, soulful, inspirational, full of rich, raw emotion.
The singer himself may no longer be with us, but in the grooves of his pop masterpieces, MICHAEL JACKSON lives on.
[]
This THING called LIFE.
Into our LIVES, some rain must fall, right?
One cannot expect rays of sunshine all the time.
Forget about the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.
No, Sir.
In the business world, FAILURE is a "four letter" word.
It can sap and drain your CONFIDENCE.
Isn't it global recession now?
Mass unemployment, credit crunches, missed opportunities - the lot.
You'd cringe when big fat accounts zoom out of the window like birds fluttering away quickly for better weather.
LIFE IS NEVER EASY, NOR FAIR.
You might not be able to observe the mechanics of your own cycle, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
REALITY DOESN'T GO AWAY WHEN YOU STOP BELIEVING IN IT.
Human follies, uncharted lives, false friends, they will all exist in our daily struggles.
It ain't summer all year round.
And winter comes with the frost bites.
Ahhh ... this thing called ANGST.
When you are feeling HOT, stay COOL.
SMILE. LOVE YOURSELF. SMILE AGAIN.
Because if you do not love yourself, then it is impossible to love others.
Everyone needs some self-respect.
REALITY bites, ahh ...
This bite can scorch really deep and hurting.
SHARON K, a fellow blogger provides some useful tips on how to weather this storm:
STAY POSITIVE, ALWAYS
Have you ever
Stopped to think
When tearing hair
And on the brink
Of wanting out
Of things to come
That all those things
Aren't even done
They haven't happened
Yet you act
As if they're here...
You just react
React to what?
It's in your mind
You liken it
To what's behind
Yet when it comes
You find you sail
Right through it all
Without a wail
Why did you waste
That energy?
Maybe next time
You will just "be".
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE, FORGET THE PAST
Life isn't as we all expect
It doesn't go that way
We have to make the most of it
And take it day by day
Have no regrets about the past
And do not live in fear
Of what might come, and never does
Just put your focus here
Here in this moment, that's the place
To make the most of life
Whatever comes, just turn it 'round
Create some joy from strife
I know you have that strength in you
I've seen it there before
Just draw on that to see you through
Don't look back anymore.
SO WHEN YOU ARE FEELING HOT, STAY COOL, CHUM.
That is, if you wanna stay in one cool piece.
Are you blessed with a lyrical soul?
Can you thrive under the BEST and WORST conditions?
Look around you and count your blessings.
There are people who are born without limbs.
There are those who are blind.
Yet they are alive and breathing.
SMILE. THE WHOLE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU.
And tomorrow can always be better.
SO TREAD GENTLY.
PLAY IT SAFE.
WALK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF WISEDOM.
THANK GOD for such a beautiful touch-your-soul movie.
I didn't realize that "DEPARTURES" can be so emotionally uplifting.
It serves as a grim reminder that LIFE CAN BE WONDERFUL, if we allow it to be.
And shouldn't we all?
YES, there's no such thing in life as permanence.
We come, we go.
Life s a series of comings and goings.
We live, we die.
It's a rite of passage, a journey in this world, the very moment we were born.
PARTING can be such sweet sorrow.
It can really rip right into your very soul - and tear your emotions apart.
It's heartbreaking,
Especially if it's time to say "goodbye" to someone who had always loved you,
And who had stood by you through the test of time,
Did I not read somewhere of this poem ...?
" ... where would you go
that i cannot follow?
for how long must i wait
until we meet again?
what would i do
in times that i miss you?
where would i go
in times when i long to see you again?
how must i spend
the nights without you?
how do i bear
each morning that you’re not there?
shall i ever smile again?
will i ever laugh again?
will i ever face the world again
knowing that im not alone?
why must you leave me?
why must i cry these tears
when you’re not here
to wipe them all away?
why must i suffer
the empty days without my beloved?
why must i dream
without you by my side?
the days shall never be the same again
i will never be the same again ... "
THERE'S A QUIET SERENITY AND BEAUTY IN DEATH.
Maybe that is what Japanese film director YOJIRO TAKITA is leading us to believe in his 2009 ACADEMY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FOREIGN FILM - "DEPARTURES".
It is steeped in realism, warmth and tenderness.
His hero is an out-of-work classical cellist who takes on another disdainful job, that of an "encoffineer" or a funeral professional.
Needless to say, all human beings have to die someday, but this dreadful subject is taboo for most.
We do not wish to confront it.
But death happens and the dead occupies a large part of life.
DEPARTURES, the award winning Japanese film explores the universality of death to help the film finds its international audience.
You are treated to emotion-wrenching scenes of death rituals, of the handling of corpses,
Before sending them into the next world.
Watch this poignant moment in the movie when an old man says:
"I've often thought that maybe, death is like a gateway,
Dying doesn't mean the end,
You go through it and onto the next thing,
And as the gatekeeper,
I have sent many on their way,
Telling them, 'Off you go,
We'll meet again! ' "
So count your blessings,
Savor every drop of your life and friendship now.
Treasure your loved ones around you.
Never take anybody for granted.
They may be here today, and gone tomorrow.
Say something nice.
Give your loved ones warm hugs.
Talk to your parents,
Tomorrow is another day.
And tomorrow may be too late.
NO, this is not a movie review.
It's rather, a MORAL that I derive after watching.
The hero plays the cello.
Every time his music starts, you can almost grasp the intensity, the haunting beauty of the piece.
It strikes a cord in me that life's bitter-sweet ...
So much so that my eyes tear ....
"DEPARTURES" helps me remember what I might otherwise forget -
A lesson in positive life-preservation.
