Tu es ma came

Mon toxique, ma volupté suprême

Mon rendez-vous chéri et mon abîme

Tu fleuris au plus doux de mon âme

 

Tu es ma came

Tu es mon genre de délice au programme

Je t’aspire, je t’expire et je me pâme

Je t’attends comme on attend la manne

 

Tu es ma came

J’aime tes yeux, tes cheveux, ton arôme

Viens donc là que je te goûte, que je te hume

Tu es mon bel amour, mon anagramme

 

Tu es ma came

Plus mortel que l’héroïne afghane

Plus dangereux que la blanche colombienne

Tu es ma solution, mon doux problème

 

Tu es ma came

A toi tous mes soupirs, mes poèmes

Pour toi, toutes mes prières sous la lune

A toi, ma disgrâce et ma fortune

 

Tu es ma came

Quand tu pars, c’est l’enfer et ses flammes

Toute ma vie, toute ma peau te réclament

On dirait que tu coules dans mes veines

 

Tu es ma came

Je me sens renaître sous ton charme

Je te veux jusqu’à en vendre l’âme

A tes pieds, je dépose mes armes

Tu es ma came.

 

- Carla Bruni

Just like what I did last year, I’ve decided to carry forward my unfulfilled 2010 resolutions. Needless to say they’re long overdue, yet there’s been some good progress down the list, I think. Also, while I didn’t blog every week last year, the number of new posts I had in 2011 according to WordPress is 78, so presumably that’s not too shabby.

That said, there’s one specific improvement I’d like to make in 2012. I remember reading this column (shared on Facebook) and feeling slapped in the face.

Before I genuinely began to cultivate and nurture my relationship with God, I regarded the five daily prayers that Islam enjoins on believers as laborious. It seemed impractical to expect that I would be able to stop what I was doing during my busy work schedule to take time out and pray.

Hm. Sounds a lot like me alright. I’m guilty of missing so many (particularly, but not limited to) early-morning prayers because I refused to get my lazy ass out of bed. Yes, that happened even when I lived in the tropics, where the prayer times (which depend on the movement of the sun) stay virtually constant throughout the year.

While I stumbled upon the column a couple of months ago, it wasn’t until recently that I realised the truth in this paragraph:

Looking back, I see how wrong I was about the impracticality of Islamic prayers, which are succinct and straightforward notwithstanding their resonance. When I moved from trying to fit prayers into my life to fitting my life around my prayer schedule, I instantly removed a great deal of clutter from my daily routine. Since regular prayer promotes emotional consistency and tranquillity, I began to eliminate excess negativity and cut down on unnecessary chitchat, helping me be more focused, productive and patient.

Perhaps to my own surprise, I find the early-morning prayers useful and actually like them. They provide some kind of order in my life. They help my mind get ready for work/school or whatever else I plan to do during the day. The quietness of the morning also lends a calming effect and is almost therapeutic.

It’s probably not a brilliant idea to set new goals when you have quite a few old ones that are still not accomplished, so I’m not gonna be ambitious here. I’m not promising myself or anyone that I won’t miss any morning prayers in 2012, but let’s just say that I’m making a conscious effort not to.

May we discover what really matters to us in 2012, no matter how seemingly small they are.

View from my room, November (top) and December 2011

The learning curve in the university has been rather steep (considering my near-negligible background knowledge in economics, socialist economies and the like), but I’m gaining an awful lot of new perspectives.

With my classmates, our prof and course coordinator (photo courtesy of Faye)

So, what exactly have I accomplished these past three months? Well, nothing impressive really, but I’m personally contented with how things are going. Passed one mid-term exam, completed four presentations, submitted two accompanying papers and one draft assignment. Practised my Italian regularly with a tandem partner. Learned to prepare a few simple Spanish dishes (could you even believe the sound of it -me, cooking?!!). Discovered quite a bit of Saxony. Came out of the maze of Christmas markets alive. Came out of weekly exercise sessions in the Mensa alive.

Above all those and cliché as it may sound (blame it on the holiday hormones), the wonderful people I met along the way have definitely made my choosing this path worthwhile (:

Freiberger Weihnachtsmarkt (photo courtesy of Michi)

Heading some kilometres east for the Czech Republic in a few hours. Happy holidays, everyone!

There’s a reason we refer to “leaps of faith” -because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and I don’t care how diligently scholars of every religion will try to sit you down with their stacks of books and prove to you through scripture that their faith is indeed rational; it isn’t. If faith were rational, it wouldn’t be -by definition- faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be… a prudent insurance policy.

- Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love

So, inspired by this Freshly Pressed post, I come up with a list of 10 Movies I’m Embarrassed Not to Have Seen.

1. Avatar

I know the mighty James Cameron directed it and the movie has won numerous accolades yada yada, but the truth is, blue creatures just don’t interest me that much. Never mind that the movie allegedly cost a whopping $500 million to make.

2. Inglourious Basterds

To my credit, I tried watching it. For a grand total of 15 minutes, and then I chickened out. Couldn’t stand the gory in-your-face scenes. What’s more embarrassing is perhaps the fact that I haven’t seen a single Quentin Tarantino film from start to finish *buries face in palms*.

3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Again, I tried watching one of the movies in the trilogy (it must have been the second one), but I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t stay awake past the halfway mark.

4. The Lion King

I’ve seen the musical (which is superb!), but not the movie. Just not a big fan of animation, unfortunately.

5. Up

See the reason for #4.

6. Black Swan

I need company to see this. I’m too faint-hearted to watch psychological thrillers alone.

7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Bought the DVD a couple of years ago, but being the DVD hoarder that I am, I still haven’t got down to watching it (and many other DVDs) yet.

8. The Social Network

The movie came out when I was in Hamburg last year and I refused to see the dubbed version in German cinema. Still haven’t seen it till now.

9. The Pianist

In my mind, Adrien Brody is this comical guy in The Brothers Bloom and Midnight in Paris. I don’t really have the heart to see him in a heart-wrenching shape.

10. The Godfather

I know this is the ultimate all-time classic and all that, but I get lazy watching movies that were made decades ago.

What’s your list like?

Daydream delusion

Limousine eyelash

Oh, baby with your pretty face

Drop a tear in my wineglass

Look at those big eyes

See what you mean to me

Sweet cakes and milkshakes

I am a delusioned angel

I am a fantasy parade

I want you to know what I think

Don’t want you to guess anymore

You have no idea where I came from

We have no idea where we’re going

Launched in life

Like branches in the river

Flowing downstream

Caught in the current

I’ll carry you

You’ll carry me

That’s how it could be

Don’t you know me?

Don’t you know me by now?

- the street poet in Before Sunrise