halleluyaH!
on days like these, life is a lot more fun!
here's my "i-feeel-cheery" song of the day!
ENJOY!!!
cheers!
Ally L.
wow! how nice is it to come back home, open a cold beer and have some tapas on the porch!? ok. it's not a porch per se... more like a balcony... facing the street... still, i took out my plants and set up my summer table and my comfy chair! good enough for me!!!! i woke up this mroning wondering what was that strange round thing up in the sky! it almost seemed like a miracle, couldn't quite figure out if it was the sun or just wishful thinking! didn't take any chances though, still packed my umbrella! and here i am, enjoying the WHEATHER! halleluyaH! on days like these, life is a lot more fun! here's my "i-feeel-cheery" song of the day! ENJOY!!! let's hope tomorrow is another sunny day!
cheers! Ally L.
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here's a little something i wrote after watching the clip "The Meaning of Life". made me hope for a better life for myself. :) i hope it also makes you wonder... and smile. be happy.
because there are plenty of reasons to be happy. sometimes, it's hard but all you have to do is find a reason to smile... the sun, a child's smile, a student's success, spring break... show up. because your life cannot "happen" without you. make sure you are there to catch every moment of it... the laughs, the tears, the excitement, the discovery... follow your heart. even if it means it might get broken. it will still lead you to beautiful moments... wiggles, giggles and cuddles... it will teach you how to be true or at least it will get you closer to your true self... one step at a time... find a new perspective. because we all need to think outside the box. open your mind to all the possibilities... allow all the different perceptions to take you where you need to go... even if it scares you... find a sense of wonder. parce que la vie est remplie de merveilles inattendues et inespérées. car cet état d'émerveillement donne naissance à la beauté intérieure et redonne espoir; la vie est belle. find people you love... and trust. be yourself with them and appreciate who they are; through the good and the not so good moments. cherish them and tell them how you feel about them. let them know they are important and that they make a difference in your life set goals. goals are the key to being motivated about your own life. the sky is the limit. reach for what makes you thrive, what makes you feel alive. be ready to excel and overcome obstacles in order to achieve your goals help others. because we are not alone. because we cannot do everything alone. because laying a hand can make all the difference in the world. because it makes everybody smile. because if we want the world to be a better place, it starts with a kind gesture... dance. even if you don't know how to. even if you feel ridiculous. let go of the ties that hold you back and just be in the moment, follow the rhythm (or not!!!) and let it all out! be in touch with your body. pamper yourself... because if you don't, who will? if you don't think you deserve to be pampered why should anyone else think so? take a long warm bath, go for a massage, go to a spa, take long unexpected naps, have a manicure, a facial, go for a walk or ride your bike, have a banana popsicle... face your fears… because living in fear holds you back. because fear hinders your full potential. and it might let beautiful moments pass you by… and you might miss the most thrilling time of your life… go to a museum. because you never know what you will find! you might even find a sense of wonder... who knows!? exercise. because your mind needs a break once in a while!!! your body needs to feel alive, work it out! let it know you are taking care of it. walk, run, jump, swim, play, hit, throw, punch... be your body. limit television. because you should not live in a box. life happens out there. show up! ;) get in touch with nature... because we are part of nature. it will allow us to get in touch with our true self and what if truly important. smell the earth, the leaves, even the cold of winter & the summer rain! lighten up. because not everything must be taken seriously. the faith of the world does not rest on your shoulders!!! la légèreté est aussi essentielle que la profondeur de l'âme! leave the heavy weight behind and just BE. get a good night's sleep. because it makes all the difference in the world. sleep will allow your mind to find a new perspective on things, to find a sense of wonder... read books. because they feed your brain with knowledge but also with imagination and creativity. escape the world if you wish! have a wonderful time thinking or simply imagining a new world of possibilities! buy yourself some flowers. because you are worth it. because it is another way to pamper yourself and put some joy into your daily routine don't compare yourself with others. because oranges will never be apples and vice versa. we all like oranges and apples for different reasons. embrace your differences and be proud of them. don't beat yourself up... it will not change the past. learn to do things differently in the future. be open to new ideas. because you never know what you might learn and how far they will take you. the realm of possibilities is endless... don’t focus on negative thoughts… even if it is the most difficult thing to do! feed from the goodness of this world… being positive enlightens the soul… focus on creating what you desire… why wait for your desires to materialize when you can create the opportunities yourself? only you know what will please you and truly make you happy… what are your dreams? make them come true!!! make time to just have fun. whatever it is, just do it! live the ridiculousness of it…! be a kid again! have a popsicle, jump into a pool all dressed up, play a joke on a friend! smile and laugh…! keep the romance in your life… it is sometimes nice to wear the pink shades and feel the romance. take care of your partner, cherish her with all your might… be creative in the ways you feel your love for her… make a gratitude list… because although things may look bleak, there is always something to be thankful for! you will realise there are more tings to be grateful for than you think… don’t take them for granted… love mother earth… because she is the core of all living things… want what you have.. if you cannot appreciate what you have why should you get what you wish for? be true to yourself… it is the only way to shine… Ally L. OMG! i found a treasure chest!!! for those that know me (and well... those that don't) here's a story for you! let me start from the beginning...
you know how we all have some kind of compulsive habit? for some it is shifting things around or organizing their desk-top or unplugging kitchen appliances before leaving the house or simply never opening a public washroom door with your hands to avoid germs!!! well, it’s all part of what is called obsessive-compulsive disorders. OCD often, but not always, stems from irrational insecurities and is characterized by recurrent thoughts or images and repetitive behaviours. they all come in different shapes and sizes and i believe we ALL have them (to certain extent of course)... even me!!!! surprising isn't it!??? not many of you know this about me so i am making my official OCD coming out on Ally in Wonderland!!!! one of my most irrational fears has always been to run out of pens / pencils or erasers while doing an exam!!! how inane is that!???? ever since i can remember, i would always line up 3-4 pencils (the traditional HB and the propelling kind), 2 pens (black & blue), 2 erasers (just in case i lost one!) and well... a pencil sharpener and leads (just in case). you can imagine my desk on exam days!!! teachers would always give me a strange look but ended up smiling. if you were to look into my schoolbag today, you would still find a gazillions pens & pencils and all sorts of school supplies (which reminds me i should sort them all out this weekend!). the funny part though is that last year, i had this final italian exam at concordia and i ritually lined up my stack of supplies on my desk. yes, i felt like a freak (as i always do when i see students take out one pen to write their exam with) but nevertheless i lined up those pens & pencils!!! so on this particular evening, i looked around the room and saw another desk stacked with pencils! OMG! i wasn't alone in the world with this compulsive ritual. this new accomplice of mine had 3 pencils, 3 pens, an eraser, and a sharpener ready for combat! it was awkward to actually come face to face with another student “like me”. i looked up and this other girl was also starring at me. we smiled at each other with this unbelievable sense of relief and complicity. i felt a little less "alone" in the world with this type of anxiety. isn’t that what we are all seeking in the end: feeling less inadequate and alone in the world? anyhow, i was at work this week and i was going through some papers i was grading and need the class list to write the grades down. i rummaged among the desk drawers for a class list when i unpredictably came across a treasure chest of pens and pencils the other teacher had put in his desk drawer! OMG! you should have seen my face! i felt like a kid in a candy store!!! there were all types of pens (blue, black, green, red…), HB pencils of all sizes, propelling pencils (0.5 & 0.7 leads), highlighters of 4 different colors, sharpeners, erasers and different kinds of rulers (plastic, wood, triangle shaped – you name it)! i then let out a loud laugh when i realized the silliness of my own reaction!!!! i guess we all have our quirks! and i like to think that these little imperfections make us all more… real. it always makes me smile to notice these little quirks about my friends / girlfriends. i guess it helps me accept my own imperfections. and that’s a good thing. Ally L. In 2005, researchers from National Geographic went to Okinawa, Japan, to further investigate some interesting findings concerning longevity. Doctors found that Okinawans have the longest life expectancy. At the time, women’s life expectancy was 86 years old and men 78. But beyond the incredible life expectancy, Okinawans were practically free of disabilities such as heart disease, breast and prostate cancer and one third less of Okinawans suffered from dementia (as opposed to Americans).
Why do I mention this article from National Geographic? Simply because aside from eating a sensible diet and living stress free, every member of the Okinawan society felt a sense of purpose in life within their community and it would explain their longevity rate. I was reading up on this feeling of disconnectedness we all feel at some point in our lives. Most of us tend to fill the void by keeping busy with work, friends and family but does it really mend the wounds or does it simply push the issue aside? Maybe it’s the age (forty being right around the corner!) but a few close friends and I have been feeling this dissociation with the world around us. For some “doctorates”, the easiest label to this type of feeling is depression. And yes I squint at the word depression, not because it doesn’t exist but because it is the easiest and most obvious diagnosis doctors like to call it these days. There is a major issue with all of us; loneliness. It is heavy to bear but the disconnecting feeling to the world goes beyond loneliness: it is aloneness. The question is why do we feel so disconnected? Why do we feel so out of touch with the realities that surround us? How has that feeling come about? I was bored with my friends and family (not because they weren’t interesting but simply because I wasn’t interested anymore…). I felt restless. I was looking for meaning and worthiness around me and couldn’t seem to find it. I was looking to connect with the world around me (friends and lovers) but could only connect with my students and my nieces. And so I wondered what it was all about. And then it dawned on me… I wasn’t trying to connect to the people around me; I was unconsciously trying to reconnect with my true self. I’ve always felt connected when I was in a classroom with my students. I felt (and still feel) a sense of purpose as an educator / teacher. The same goes when I am with my nieces. I feel a sense of purpose with them. But take those two contexts away and I loose sight of my own personal sense of purpose in life. I am barely learning to be true to myself. Hopefully it will allow me to share more of me with friends and future relationships. For those close to me, thank you for being who you are and bearing with me – regardless of the walls I have built around me! Ally L. The Secrets to Longevity - by Dan Beuttner Publication: National Geographic http://www.okinawa-diet.com/news/20051101_ng.html what do romeo & juliet and ally in wonderland have in common? nothing. except maybe that ally should be grading her students’ essays on romeo & juliet instead of writing this blog!!! to be honest, i wish i had the day off just so i could write(who doesn’t want a day off right?). i had lost the desire to write and share my perspective on life and relationships and it seems i am inspired once again. writing, for me, is like therapy. putting ideas and thoughts onto paper (or on a virtual screen!) allows me to put together all the pieces of my life and understand myself a bit better. also, maybe you have noticed it yourself but, thinking is one thing; it is abstract and flexible, it is hidden and not quite real or concrete until... our thoughts are actually spoken or written down. my thoughts somehow come alive when they are spoken and shared with someone, either because they are affirmed by others or contradicted, but either way they become part of my “being” in the world and so, i am ready to “be” in the world once again. this being said, there are many ways to be in the world. that too is a very abstract idea but it all relates to who i am and who i want to be for myself. seeking approval from others has always been my way of being in the world; being the good daughter, the available sister, the successful student, the understanding friend and so on, but through this need of approval, one tends to forget what ones basic needs and desires really are (since our first goal is to please others!). and so, i am trying to be in the world, without the need to always do the right thing according to others. and i have learned the hard way that honesty is an indispensable tool. i cannot be authentic in the world (with others but also with myself) without being honest about who i am, that is: accepting my strengths for what they are and working with my weaknesses. i was one of those who thought that crying was a sign of weakness and so i hardly ever cried in front of others. i often thought that people said they liked me not because i was likable but because they were being polite. and so finding ally was quite the journey... filled with regrets but also with growth and discovery. :)
the bell's about to ring... got to go! Ally L. Élage Diouf est un mari, un papa, un voisin discret, un musicien accompli, un être généreux de sa personne et de son talent. Sénégalais d’origine et installé au Québec depuis 1996, Élage Diouf s’adonne à la musique. Alors qu’il faisait sa grande rentrée montréalaise au Lion D’Or hier soir, ses amis, ses collègues mais surtout la communauté sénégalaise de Montréal a su partager avec lui cette expérience magistrale. J’ai vu sur scène une âme déchainée, amoureuse du rythme et surtout emplie d’authenticité. Le corps ne pouvait que suivre le rythme effréné des tamtams et cette voix intense qui démontre un attachement indéniable au Sénégal. Élage Diouf chante dans sa langue maternelle, le wolof, avec une fierté éblouissante et partage la scène avec grâce. Non seulement fait-il don au publique de sa musique mais il invite les spectateurs à monter sur scène avec lui et danser sans retenue au rythme de ses élans. Il existe, chez le peuple africain, une vitalité et une fraternité peu commune. Mes yeux percevaient une complicité authentique entre le chanteur et son public (pour certains sénégalais dans le sang et d’autres sénégalais dans le cœur!). Qu’y a-t-il dans cette musique africaine qui semble rassembler les peuples dans un moment présent où nous sommes tous un peu plus en contact avec le plaisir? Effectivement, l’authenticité d’Élage Diouf sait s’infiltrer dans le cœur du publique et mettre en scène des souvenirs mémorables pour tous! Si vous êtes amateur de musique du monde ou que vous chercher à découvrir un nouveau genre musical, la douceur et l’entrain d’Éliage Diouf provoqueront de parfaits moments d’extase. Ally L. http://www.elagediouf.com/index.html “The play chronicles a twisting friendship between two women. They meet while shopping for tents and share an intimate friendship that takes them along the entire spectrum from hope to hate, to regret and remembrance. The result is a connection so enigmatic that it informs the women’s choices for the next two decades, culminating in a gentle note of tragicomedy.”
- Centaur Theatre Okay, so after shunning away from the social scene for the last four months, I decided to reinsert society by going to a play. Yep, quite adventurous, I know!!! I figured that I could kill two birds with one stone simply because it was – or so I though it was – a lesbian play… and I figured other lesbians would show up. Boy was I wrong!!! I think the youngest (and the most lesbian!) person there was my friend J.! Who would have thought that the golden age would be interested in seeing “A Beautiful View”! How open of them! And then I figured they had season tickets for all the plays at the Centaur! This being said, I was still very surprised to see so many people from an older generation sitting in on a play about lesbianism. Times are changing after all! Hitchcock said that a good movie was a movie that was worth paying for the food, the admission and the babysitter! I must say that this play was not worth the admission I paid for. You expect a play to deal with a specific topic in a CLEAR matter even if the message may be implicit. The play did not quite address lesbianism, nor friendship, nor relationships per say. Also, the audience was spoon fed throughout the play, explaining what was actually taking place on the stage… as if watching the story come alive wasn’t enough. The characters turned around the bush from beginning to end… except for that obvious and funny moment that gives the preview its full hype! But it is the only hype of the play. I came to the conclusion that this play was a lesbian story for a straight audience, not quite willing to deal with gay issues, gay issues among friends or even the characters coming to terms with their homosexuality. It’s a little bit of everything put together but not thoroughly making sense of it all. I admit, maybe accidently reading the spoiler didn’t help! I know, I know it ruined whatever anticipation the director built along the play but it still didn’t make much sense to me. If you go see it (or you already have), let me know! Maybe I am the one trying to find meaning in the wrong places... For a preview of the play: http://www.centaurtheatre.com/42_abeautifulview.html Ally L. Well, it seems that Quebec has spoken... and so has the rest of Canada! The Orange Wave did not impede the Conservatives to get that majority they were hoping for. How do the numbers translate Canada’s political situation? It is the million-dollar question. Are Quebeckers true socialists (why is it that most people don’t like the idea!!!???) or were they simply sending Steven Harper a clear message as to their position on the Conservative policies? Has the bickering between political parties (federal & provincial) gotten to Quebeckers in such a way that the only reasonable option in the federal elections was to vote for Jack? As some true Quebeckers in my surroundings were disappointed with the Block’s downfall, they still couldn’t understand the miraculous rise of the NDP. Yes, it is true, Jack will have to deliver! But can it be much worse than the liberals being in the opposition – as they have been in the past – squabbling about constitutional issues with the Block Quebecois? I am not saying that Quebeckers have given up on they sovereignty but they agreed that, at this time and point, more pressing issues should be at the forefront of our political discourse. It just might be the time for the people (the true working class!) to get ahead from all the mega-million-dollar businesses that get away with murder… well practically! But my main concern lies with Steven Harper’s “carte blanche” to establish right-winged policies that will take us all back 20 years, whether it concerns gay rights, military defence or Canadian values in general. Time will tell…
Before the elections, my high school students did their own federal elections (since none of them were old to vote yet!). The results were quite surprising! Most students are from a multi-cultural background; English being their third language. Their results were somewhat similar to the results in Quebec; the NDP being their only alternative. Whatever the outcome (in the long term), Canadians have the opportunity to take a stand and cast their vote without intimidation or fear. It is all part of what we sometimes take for granted; democracy. Ally L. |
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