Moniapolis

Memories

2010-08-05T16:49:00.003-04:00

"Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door."
- Saul Bellow
(Canadian-born American writer)

Katyn 1940... Katyn 2010...

2010-04-10T17:08:00.008-04:00

...[*]...

"I kiss the soil as if I placed a kiss on the hands of a mother, for the homeland is our earthly mother. I consider it my duty to be with my compatriots in this sublime and difficult moment."

(by John Paul II)

Polish President, the First Lady and many other Polish officials die in a plane crash on their way to memorial ceremonies at Katyn, the site of a massacre of 22,000 Poles by Soviet agents 70 years ago...

Confusion

2010-03-15T17:51:00.004-04:00

***

I don't know why

This breaks my heart
This "let it be"
Like in a dream
You can't control
Nothing to hold
And still
Alone
Continuously
I don't know why
This breaks my heart
This "you should know"
There is no flow
In how we act
There is no tact
Yet still
Alone
Continuously
I don't know why
This breaks my heart
This "you are free"
It sounds to me
Like it can't be
Now, honestly
I'm still
Alone
Continuously
And don't know why
This breaks my heart

The Inner Life of the Cell

2010-03-10T10:39:00.003-05:00

I saw this a few years ago and it blew my mind... Today I came across the same thing, and yet, once again...it blew me away.

Otherness Part 2

2010-02-08T18:52:00.005-05:00

A different take at "otherness"...

Did you know?
Did you know how
your invisibility
drives me crazy?
Drills right through my soul
And just to let you know
I found out
That my heart is just another layer
It's right behind the soulful one
It's deep
And otherwise impenetrable
Yet, it's right there
And I don't know
How you figured out
Your way to reach it
Despite all other layers
Despite hiding
Despite your invisibility
Despite my ignorance

Did you know?
You may never be here
With me
I may never be there
With you
Too much otherness between us
Too much inconspicuousness
Too many unfulfilled dreams
Unspoken greetings
Undone goodbyes
Can you believe it?
Can you believe I've been standing
At the corner of always and never
I have been standing there for so long
Trying to figure out
The right way
The sensible direction
An just to let you know
I found out
That neither always nor never
Exists without you
I don't know how
You make them real
I never understood
I never had to
You were
Here
There
It was happening
Just like that

Did you know?
Did you know that my ignorance
Has taken me far
And will take me even farther
Because of its vanity
Meanwhile
You will be you
The invisible
Yet powerful
And I would even be able
To use my ignorance
In this case also
And just forget
About your power
Just move on
With the breadth and depth
That vanity paired with ignorance
Equips me with
But no
No no no
You are bigger than that
You have your way with me
You can reach after all
Drilling through my soul
Into my heart
You are patient
You don't impose
You can see me through

Did you know?
Did you know how strong you are?
Did you know how patient
Your patience is?
How powerful your silence
How striking your invisibility
Maybe you do
Maybe you know
Or maybe
You're just as ignorant
As me
And it will take eternity
To communicate
So that we both understand
Who knows...
Do you?

Otherness Part 1

2010-01-31T19:10:00.005-05:00

*******

Most of us, at one point in our life or another, face the question of identity. That of oneself, and that of others. For there always seem to be some "others"... Those who look differently, those who speak a different language, or those who believe in different things. They are others. Or are they?

The question of identity has been haunting me for a long time. It's not so much about "who am I?" anymore as about "how do I relate to others?" I am fascinated by human diversity, thrilled by the multitude of perspectives, talents and ideas, yet sometimes so lost amidst them... As if my own spirit had troubles "subscribing" to a particular category. Then again, as if it had to!

This is how I was raised: things were defined for me before I could understand the definitions; my world used to be fairly clear, for the longest time painted in the extreme black-or-white tones. Only later I could see the greys previously hidden from my eyes. Shade by shade, they began to appear on the canvas of my life as I stepped outside my comfort zone(s) and ventured into the unknown, the beautiful, the petrifying, the enticing... the reality.

For now, once again, instead of my own blathering, I offer someone else's thoughts:

"Bigotry and its twin sister called ignorance come from deficiencies in one's spiritual development. They are not confined to one particular race or community. They are a general human disease. All times and all places have known them. Even at this moment, they lie buried in the darkest corners of our hearts, and they threaten to show their ugly heads as soon as we find, in the other, a difference that we cannot comprehend."

Vie et Enseignement de Tierno Bokar: Le Sage de Bandiagara

Amadou Hampâté Bâ

My Own Wonderland

2010-01-20T22:53:00.003-05:00

*******

I have been posting a lot of quotes and poems and lyrics for a while, so perhaps it is about time I write something on my own.

I have to admit, it is not easy to start writing your own thoughts in the middle of your blog. It does not only lack a theme, but more importantly, it lacks context. What is it that I want to write about? In the reality, there are tens of thousands of thoughts gathered in clusters in different little corners of my mind. Some are about daily life, others about dreams and ideas. Everything can be found there, from perplexity through daily bread to love. Everything has its own place, meaning, connection in the passage of life.
Sometimes, many times, personal experiences are interconnected with other people. Yet in the end, the thoughts I think are only mine. Even if influenced, even if confused... or crystal clear, they belong to me. Who can grasp their meaning? Who can feel their impact on me? Probably no one other than me...

This is one reason as to why posting others' thoughts is easier. All of us, including me, can interpret these thoughts differently and keep it to ourselves. Yet when my own thoughts are revealed, I feel much more vulnerable. There is this exaggerated personal connection with the content. What others think of what I reveal? Well, perhaps no one would ever think about it to begin with. But if one does, is it good? Does it make sense? Can someone relate to it? Who knows...

Once again, coming back to the beginning of this note: writing about one's own perceptions is not easy. Yet it can be much more rewarding. Intertwined with the wisdom and talent of others, I know it will be.

What a Strange World...

2010-01-06T13:01:00.004-05:00

Strange is this world

That contains so much evil

And even more strange

That for so many years

Men despise one another

Strange is this world

This world of human affairs

Sometimes a shame to admit

So often one hurts another

With words more than with knives

But… there are more people of good will

And I strongly believe

That this world

Will never perish thanks to them

No! No! No!

The time has come

It's about time

To defeat the hatred within.

(Dziwny jest ten świat - Czesław Niemen

Translated from Polish by Moniapolis)

Recognize Your Beloved

2009-12-20T23:31:00.006-05:00

***

A Marriage at Daybreak

Do you know, brother, that you are a prince?
A son of Adam.
And that the witch of Kabul,who holds you with her color and her perfume,
is the world?
Say the words, I take refugewith the Lord of the Daybreak.
Avoid the hot breathing that keeps you tied to her.
She breathes on knots and no one can unknot them.
That’s why the prophets came.
Look for those whose breath is cool.
When they breathe on knots, they loosen.
The old woman of the world has had you in her net for sixty years.
Her breathing is the breathing of God’s anger.
But God’s mercy has more strength.
Mercy is prior to wrath.
You must marry your soul.
That wedding is the way.
Union with the world is sickness.
But it’s hard to be separated from these forms!
You don’t have enough patience to give this up?
But how do you have enough patience to do without God?
You can’t quit drinking the earth’s dark drink?
But how can you not drink from this other fountain?
You get restless, you say, when you don’t sip the world’s fermentation.
But if for one second you saw the beauty of the clear water of God,
you’d think this other was embalming fluid.
Nearness to the Beloved is the splendor of your life.
Marry the Beloved.
Let the thorn of the ego slide from your foot.
What a relief to be empty!
Then God can live your life.
When you stay tied to mind and desire, you stumble in the mud like a nearsighted donkey.
Keep smelling Joseph’s shirt.
Don’t be satisfied with borrowed light.
Let your brow and your face illuminate with union.

(IV, 3189-3240)
Rumi: One-Handed Basket Weaving
Coleman Barks, Maypop, 1991

Growth

2009-11-12T23:32:00.001-05:00

“I will grow. I will become something new and grand, but no grander than I now am. Just as the sky will be different in a few hours, its present perfection and completeness is not deficient.”

Wayne Dyer
American motivational speaker and author

Some food for the soul...

2009-10-14T00:56:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Rich Lynn White :)

Artificial Pride

2009-09-04T11:51:00.005-04:00

"Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real”.
Thomas Merton

Patience

2009-04-28T12:13:00.007-04:00

“Patience is passion tamed.”

Lyman Abbott

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

Author Unknown

Easter - New Life

2009-04-12T21:02:00.004-04:00

New Life

by Paul Bodet

I've been sitting around this life for years,
Not enough laughs and too many tears.
Trying to figure out where it all went,
These wasted years that I have spent.

Searching for something to go beyond,
Life's a stone skipping across a pond.
At the last skip, it hits with a splash,
Down the stone sinks, gone in a flash.

Pushing and pulling, it's tearing apart,
Poking and prodding an underused heart.
This dark velvet curtain that hides my soul,
Living this life has taken its toll.

In a flash of bright light, the curtain is torn,
Tumbling down all tattered and worn.
Revealing new life, a child within,
Born free of hate, of suffering and sin.

Now my eyes see what has never been told,
Striving forth happy, confident and bold.
Into a world that's unfamiliar but friendly,
Into this new life my spirit will send me.

Living and laughing, loving it all,
I stood myself up and answered the call.
The darkness has gone, replaced by the light,
I gave up the darkness with hardly a fight.

I've been sitting around this life for years,
With laughter aplenty and hardly a tear.
Now I can see just where it all went,
Cherish every moment of this new life I've spent.

Mistakes

2009-03-22T16:11:00.005-04:00

"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down."
Mary Pickford

Trust?

2009-03-03T22:33:00.004-05:00

"The key is to get to know people and trust them to be who they are. Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be; and when they're not, we cry."
Anonymous

Oblique praise

2009-02-20T21:01:00.004-05:00

“Most of the censure of others is only oblique praise of self, uttered to show the wisdom and superiority of the speaker”
Tryon Edwards

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T13:58:00.002-05:00

“True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever-growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs, when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together.”
Ricardo Montalban

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly”
Sam Keen

“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.”
Roy Croft

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
Lao Tzu

Soul Mate

2009-02-04T22:39:00.007-05:00

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it."
Elizabeth Gilbert
"Eat, pray, love"

Friendship

2009-01-05T19:10:00.004-05:00

“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.”

Henri Nouwen

For the New Year, I wish you the kind of Friend that God has put on my way.

One Step At a Time

2008-12-12T14:41:00.003-05:00

This is just a gentle reminder to you.
And to myself...

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

2008-12-01T00:01:00.005-05:00

Assisi, July 2008

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Desired Things

2008-11-20T21:37:00.006-05:00

Picture taken in the Lake of Bays area, ON 2007

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, (Sept 1872 - Sept 1945)
Copyright 1927

Serendipity

2008-11-06T23:19:00.003-05:00

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.”

"Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for."
Lawrence Black

Don't Be Afraid of Struggle

2008-10-30T01:16:00.004-04:00

... and take a moment to meet Pravs J.

Holism

2008-10-17T00:54:00.008-04:00

There's an enormous hole
Right here, in front of me
That makes me find my goal
Of what I want to be

The hole is deep and dark
With silence that moves up
It has no single spark
Gives no chance to catch up

To follow dreams or thoughts
To focus on what's real
You feel as if you're a boat
Floating... no sense... no feel

And then I realize
The hole being too close
Makes me forget all lies
Of people: these or those

I shake myself, then see
I have to find that sense
What makes me being me
And then I want to dance

I don't care anymore
What others do to me
I start to sink... in slow
Process of me to see

Of feeling it again
Of thinking my ways too
I know it's not in vain
I know it's only true

The hole is just a start
By scaring, makes me think
Of how to be so smart
The way I used to be

Before the sadness came
Before I got to know
What tears are, and the pain
Before I watched hate flow

The hole lets me see things
That I hid or forgot
I rediscover wings
Given my soul by God
August 13, 2003

And I rejoice once more
The world takes pride in me
There is this joy galore
That's how it's gonna be

That's how the hole itself
Is great in its worst case
That's how I know myself
That's how it builds my base
october 17, 2008
TBC

Longing

2008-10-09T00:24:00.008-04:00

Exactly how much is enough
To really be content with life
Exactly what amounts to strife
To call it bad, to name it rough

And does it really ever end
That longing to have more than now
That crease upon your brow called frown
And towards where does it then tend

Where do we draw the line
Between important things and lives
Between reasons and their disguise
When do we mean we’re really fine

Exactly how much is enough
To really be content with life

Exactly what amounts to love
To make it kind and never rough

And do we even know the path
Do we know longings that we have
Do we know what’s in skies above
And can we say we live enough

Where do we go when we don’t know
What do we see when vision’s blind
What do we do when home’s behind
Where do we take all our vows

Exactly how much is enough
To always be content with life
Exactly what would make us dive
Confusing longings for a laugh…

October 9-15, 2008

Alienation

2008-09-12T00:23:00.003-04:00

Robert Teeter said that "Another cause for the increase in alienation and cynicism is a feeling that too many policy decisions that affect individuals have been taken out of any system that has accountability or that they can influence." What about individual interactions? What if another cause for the increase in alienation and cynism among people is a feeling that too many words, promises, agreements that should affect them have been taken out of context and seem to no longer influence anybody?

Mountain Top Meteors

Faith and Accomplishment

2008-09-02T13:41:00.003-04:00

They say: "Believe in yourself and you can reach the stars"...
They say: "Believe in love and you will experience it"...
They say: "Believe in God and you will be blessed"...
Faith, in general, is intimately related to accomplishment of some sort. It is hard to achieve without faith, without some belief - be it in a Greater Power, in someone else, in your own ability, or all of the above combined. Not to say it is unusual to doubt and lose faith. However, since I see life itself as a continual process of accomplishing, I find it difficult to separate living from having faith. As time goes by, through observing life, facing difficult choices and situations, the relation between faith and accomplishment becomes particularly clear.

Touching History

2008-08-16T12:46:00.012-04:00

An exceptional writer, David McCullough, once wrote that "history is a guide to navigation in perilous times." I realized that there is quite a bit to it while exploring remains of ancient Roman Empire, as well as more contemporary places...

Experience

2008-07-15T03:22:00.005-04:00

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”
Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act III

But then Aldous Huxley said:

“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him” and “Experience teaches only the teachable.”
Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963), "Texts and Pretexts", 1932

Let us try to remember that.

Silent Care

2008-06-23T01:11:00.005-04:00

A smile in times of trouble. A firm handshake in times of uncertainty. A note with a few seemingly casual words that show you keep the person in mind regardless of favourable or unfavourable circumstances. Maybe this is all there needs to be to show some love and respect for another human being...

The Wrong Approach

2008-06-23T00:37:00.002-04:00

"Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations."
- Leo Buscaglia

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian."
- Dennis Wholey

One

2008-06-09T23:41:00.003-04:00

Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
You say

One love
One life
When it's one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One

Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much?
More than a lot.
You gave me nothing,
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One

One

U2

To give your all

2008-06-09T23:28:00.002-04:00

"That's what I consider true generosity. You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing."
Simone de Beauvoir

It is what it is

2008-05-22T13:49:00.002-04:00

...

Nothing is more than what it is
Nothing is less, no matter what
Be it a hellish thing, or bliss
Be it your deed, his act, their thought
Nothing is stable either then
For once it was, yet still becomes
When you are looking for your den
It is your journey, not your loss
Wherever paths may go and lead
And if they lead, may they be good
And if they go, among the mead
Among the waters, shadows, moods
May they be straight, and so may you
May they bring joy, new lessons, sight
For among all, good ones are few
To seek them, find them – it is your right
So never stop, and never doubt
And always search, and always hope
For to be curious is not your fault
It gets you climbing up your rope
Nothing is less than what it is
Nothing is more, this much you know
Be it a blissful thought amiss
Or be it something you forgot
…

Who would think...

2008-04-15T18:22:00.002-04:00

***
Who would think there are stars
Not graspable by your eyes
Who would think there are lands
Which only your heart may find
Who would think there is silence
Able to calm all your violence
Who would think there are souls
Speaking to you without voice
Who would think there is peace
Taking the form of a bliss
Who would think there is knowledge
Detached from terms such as collage
Who would think there is wisdom
Which in your heart has its kingdom
Who would think there are paths
For which there cannot be made maps
Who would think there are smiles
Lasting beyond all times
Who would think there are views
Letting you see all the truths
Who would think there is faith
Making you feel more than brave
Who would think there is hope
Exceeding any known scope
And...
Who would think there is love
Creating all the above...

JP II

2008-04-02T18:58:00.003-04:00

My generation is called the generation of JP II. Your generation. I know that not everybody knew about you. I know you might not have been liked by all. Nonetheless, you did so many things that words cannot describe, you touched so many hearts that numbers do not express... that it would be an injustice not to mention you today.
In fact, this is a very personal message of mine, perhaps one that should not be put out on a blog... I am including it here, however, because I think it is not fair not to share with others the importance of your presence.
I remember your visit to Ełk, in 1999. My dad took me there, to spend some time with you. You see, I do not remember too many instances when I would spend the so called "quality time" with my father. But that day was definitely one to remember. It was the most quality I could possibly get, no matter whom I would be there with. And because I was there with my dad, the meaning of it was even greater. I remember it was June, it was green, it was raining... The sun would only come out when you came to greet us. And when you passed by us, my dad would do everything to make me see you better. When I was crying out that I lost the view of you, my dad would comfort me and assure that I would see you again. He was right...
I remember your Toronto's visit, in 2002. You brought me to this Canadian land, and I stayed... Not right away... I did not know that this was the plan for me when I had met you in Toronto on a hot summer day in July.
I remember when you were dying three years ago from today. I remember the candles, the prayers, the people... I remember my struggles, my sickness, my state of mind as if it were yesterday. I know you are still around somehow. You told us, you told me to demand more from myself, to do more. You did. You said: "never settle for less"... I try. I really do. But it is much harder without you and your guidance. Without your smiles and jokes... your plays... your poems... and your pain, that transcended mine...
Thank you for all you have done for me, personally, Wujku Karolu.

Self-talk

2008-03-28T22:19:00.002-04:00

The Moon

Once I talked to him
Somewhere in the skies
He knew I want to win
The one among the stars
And I believed in this
More than in anything
And I talked to his peace
And he knew that I swing
I wanted to express
How my self is stronger
He smiled and said “I guess
You can lie no longer”
Making me confused
He told me “There’s a pain
that you cannot refuse
to love…to love in vain..”

Summer’2003
small modifications March 2008

2008-03-22T13:48:00.001-04:00

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
Elie Wiesel

The Ballad at the Break of Dawn...

2008-03-19T03:08:00.000-04:00

Grudzień

2007-12-01T16:40:00.002-05:00

Well, having a cold is one of the worst experiences when you feel the pressure of having your work done. A lot of it. Of work. And of pressure too. But then, again, you cannot really do it. Physically you are unable to do what you have planned, what you have meticulously scheduled for yourself, for almost every minute of every day that precedes that one (or one of many) deadline, glows in the dark (I always knew there is a glow to it, but I was never sure whether it is there to symbolize some hope, accomplishment, or it is there simply because of the increased level of stress).
Anyway... complaining aside... You do have a cold. What do you do? You stay at home, you sleep 15 hours a day (minus 10, for you also have to study, so the 10 hours of your sleep are spend tossing and turning in bed, wondering how you can actually finish your study sessions, assignments and notes - in other words, you suck at time management). You also drink more orange juice (or what seems like it) and hope it will help you get rid of the cold. But then... the juice itself is so cold, that most of the time, it will help perpetuate the cold you already have. Plus a sore throat. Plus cough. Minus another 2 hours of sleep.
So... whatever you do, when you have a cold... it doesn't help. You just need to wait. Count 7 days. After that, it will go away. Do not stress over the fact that you have the darn cold and cannot do anything properly. It is obvious, no need to remind yourself. The more you think about it, the more painful it becomes. So just sit back, relax, sleep (normally), eat (properly, drinking gallons of orange juice does not count), and be sure you get back to work when you get better.
Heh... I have 3 more days to ramble about my cold then ;)
Oh, and try this:

Understanding the World

2007-11-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

When you think this is all
All you have to know
When you think this is it
You've attained your wit
When you trust your pride
Take it for a ride
See then for yourself
Your wit is a bluff
Your pride gives off gruff
This is not enough
Try to see the world
Outside of this mold

Zaduszki...

2007-11-02T14:59:00.001-04:00

So this is the time of Halloween... Here's what Wikipedia tells us about it. But for me, there is so much more to this time of the year than 'treat-or-trick'-ing. I was raised in a place where the end of October and the beginning of November were marked by the atmosphere of reverie. These days used to be moments of contemplation, thinking about the phenomenon of passing, life and death, joy of living and dying in dignity. It used to be the time of remembering... I do miss oceans of dim candle lights I used to see on the graves when I visited them during these days as a child... There was no sadness there, no fear. In the middle of the fall season, there would be some inner warmth, emanating from the lights, people's faces, shadows... I am still not used to Halloween, after all these years. When others dress up as devils, monsters, ghosts, I am still in my "Zaduszki mood"...

The Power of Music

2007-10-17T23:27:00.001-04:00

Rubik in Toronto - 14 October 2007

For what it's worth...

2007-10-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
(Psalms 30:5)

Happy People :)

2007-09-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

Why? Find out here :)

Peace

2007-09-15T17:21:00.000-04:00

Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm - it comes from becoming still - in
order to reflect and meditate on our inner wisdom and receive answers. A
peaceful heart is one that is free from worry and trouble. It's becoming quiet
so we can look at things quietly so we can more clearly understand them and
thus come up with creative solutions. It is learning to live in the present.
(Barbara Jean)

My Birthday Wishes

2007-06-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

***
You will get only what you seek
Choose your goals carefully
Know what you like
and what you do not like
Be critical about what you can do well
and what you cannot do well
Choose a career or lifestyle that interests you
and work hard to make it a success
but also have fun in what you do
Be honest with people
and help them if you can
but don't depend on anyone
to make life easy or happy for you
(only you can do that for yourself)Be strong and decisive
but remain sensitive
Regard your family, and the idea of family
as the basis for security, support and love
Understand who you are
and what you want in life
before sharing your life with someone
When you are ready to enter a relationship
make sure that the person is worthy
of everything you are
physically and mentally
Strive to achieve your dreams
Find happiness in everything you do
Love with your entire being
Love with an uninhibited sould
Make a triumph
of every aspect
of your life

- Susan Polis Schutz

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish...

2007-05-10T20:47:00.000-04:00

Earth Day

2007-04-22T12:49:00.000-04:00

“The earth is what we all have in common.”
Wendell Barry

Optimism

2007-04-18T17:49:00.000-04:00

...REAL SIMPLE...

Prevent before you mourn...

2007-04-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Red Lion, Columbine, W. R. Myers and others...
Now, Virginia Massacre...What to do with such horrendous phenomena?
Panic is not the answer. Prevention is.
Click:

Divine Mercy Sunday

2007-04-15T14:34:00.000-04:00

2007-04-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind.
To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will.
To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed.
- Bernard Edmonds

***

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T19:38:00.000-04:00

And so they say...

2007-04-08T18:09:00.000-04:00

What if tomorrow never comes?
What if all there is
Is now
And for a second then you know
That you may go amiss
Somehow

What if this second is your last?
What if no more
Is given you
Can all you do be just a must
Or maybe sore
Can it be true?

What if your dreams, your goals, your aims
Reach their summit here and now
Will you know what they are?
Or realize they have been lies?

What if your visions have been wrong
What if in fact they left you blind
Do you think that world will be kind
As your enlightenment leaves you stung?

And here you are
Imagine this
In this last second you may have
Your eyes so dry
And so your lips
And you, alone - on lonely path

And what you do?
You scream and shake?
You curse the world
Or are you moved
By your mistake
You reach a sword?

Or you exactly know
Yourself
Waiting for God to take you back
And pick up what He sowed
Himself
And embrace kindly what you lack?

What if tomorrow never comes?
What if all there is
Is just a single blink
Do you feel glad or feel alone
Didn't you miss
Your turn to think?

(to be continued on a more positive note, if God wills)

And if you did, do you despair?
Do you lose hope
In misery
And do you think life is unfair
You cannot cope
With injury

Do you think it’s the worst that came
And no one else
Can feel your ache
And no one else can feel your pain
And all there is
Is a mistake

Why would you think
This is the way
This is the path
Is this your swing?

Try to look at things around you
And perceive the beauty within
For all there is, is also true
What is it you want to redeem?

Letter from Heaven

2007-04-06T11:58:00.000-04:00

The origins

2007-04-05T16:36:00.000-04:00