Review: Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Many thanks to Tyndale Publishers for providing me a complimentary copy of Oliver Twist on CD.

It took me awhile to pop it into my CD player in the car for unknown reasons. Once I did, I was riveted. It was so good!! Usually the "books on tape" I get are of a college professor lecturer's voice droning on and on and putting me to sleep. Not this dramatization! It was like a movie developing in my mind. There were different voices each playing a different character. The dialect and accents were spot on and the music sequences were really good at getting you to feel each scene.

I had heard about Oliver Twist and people's love for Charles Dickens but had never actually picked up the book. I don't know why! This work made me really appreciate the brilliance of his work as a writer and how it propelled storytelling to the next level.

Poor Oliver Twist, an orphan, stuck in terrible situations with awful people. He just can't catch a break. It's horrifying really. Then one day he makes a break for it. You think it's going to be great, but alas, more troubles, more woes beseeches this young fellow until by chance he meets a man who shows him mercy.. kindness. A series of unfortunate events still won't let go of him and you wonder if this will out okay. Poor kid.

This story gave me a glimpse of England way back when and really helped to understand the attitudes and discretion my own family used. The country I was born in was a British colony. Some of the  language and customs were adopted throughout the generations and culminated into present day. I can see where their cynical nature came from. I can see why overall they mostly believe in man's heart of darkness. I think they lived Oliver Twist's life and passed down the attitudes to our generation.

I really enjoyed my long drives. If you've ever driven in Houston, you know that is a laughable statement. Believe me, it was worth all the drudgery of traffic, all the bumper to bumper rush hour mess just to sit and listen and let this story come to life.

I got a feel for what it was like back in the day with no televisions and people listening to the radio to the "soap operas." So exciting to catch a glimpse of the past.

Will definitely be keeping my eye out for more Focus on the Family radio theater productions.

Home

Growing up in my house was like living in a museum. There was not a spec of dust anywhere. ANYWHERE.

It was immaculate.

Saturdays were spent shining the brass until your fingers were green. Walls were wiped down. Everything must smell of Pine Sol or bleach mixture. The austere quietness was like being enslaved behind white brick walls. Shoes must be taken off, no walking on the carpet and you must never EVER sit on the couch! Everything laid in perfect order. I couldn’t wait to leave that place.

That institution. Beautiful home but no warmth. Lovely things but no friends. God forbid you should cough or sneeze in there, she’ll spray you down with Lysol (true story).

 

Now that I have my own place to call home, I would rather let the dishes sit in the sink, let the dust pile, let chaos reign. Until one day it gets to be annoying then I clean like crazy. I’d rather spend my time with the people I love, the books that give me escape, music that spins my soul into a dance.

 

My father came to visit once. I almost panicked at the evidence that a toddler resides here; that this a home where people actually live. I looked around and realized, this is my home, not a museum. This was me, all around. He’ll either accept me now or never. And as we said our goodbyes, he smiled and said, “Nice house!” I was overwhelmed with joy. I was enough. I was accepted. It was a beautiful feeling.

 

Seve and I get into some crazy moments. I can’t stand the clutter by his many piles, he can’t stand dishes in the sink. I can’t stand unruly carpet stains, he doesn’t like folding clothes. It gets crazy managing the upkeep of the house, but I always remember that one moment and it sustains me.

 

Review: Anna Karenina

Movie Review: Anna Karenina

I ventured out to see this film with my local book club. I had gotten through part one of the novel. It's a daunting read... no... it's exhaustive. Ridiculous amount of detail.

The movie brought the book alive. It was awesome. Everything in my senses were stimulated. Delicious feeling. Just the vivid colors of the costumes and scene changes and the scenes themselves were exquisite. Lots of attention to detail.

 

One of the few movies that made me really satisfied intellectually. Lots of movies these days do the work for you. This one, you had to infer, extract data and then come to conclusions. Beautifully done.

 

 

Anna Karenina is played by Keira Knightley. who definitely brought her A-game to this role. It's like she was born to play it.

 

 

Jude Law plays her husband, Karenin. He is amazing. The movie brought something else to the character. I think I sympathized more with his character than the one I read about in the book. He brought a humanity.. a softness to the role I hadn't expected.

 

 

 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Vronsky. That's all I can say on that. I don't think the character was built to be likable or memorable in this case. Anna is the focal point and takes the stage front and center.

 

 

 

 

To say that I enjoyed it is a total understatement. I can't wait to own it and watch it over and over again.

 

 

At the end, there's a cryptic message that makes you actually want to get the book and read it. Any movie that can do that gets top honors in my book.

 



 

 

 



Thank You

Today's Five Minute Friday prompt:

Thank You

The only thing that comes to mind, is this song..
Might as well just copy it since it will be playing in my head for days now..

I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore
If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before
But I have a talent, a wonderful thing
'cause everyone listens when I start to sing
I'm so grateful and proud
All I want is to sing it out loud

So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me
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Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk
She says I began to sing long before I could talk
And I've often wondered, how did it all start?
Who found out that nothing can capture a heart
Like a melody can?
Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan

So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

I've been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair
I wanna sing it out to everybody
What a joy, what a life, what a chance!

So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

Songwriters: ANDERSSON, BENNY GORAN BROR / ULVAEUS, BJOERN K. / KORTNEV, ALEKSEJ ANATOLEVICH

 

Stay

It's Five Minute Friday!

This week's prompt: Stay

I want my little boy to know his Hindustani culture. Just give him a sense of where my roots are.. where his roots lie. Just a sense.

Diwali was coming up and I suggested some things we could do to celebrate. All practices had an allusion to celebrating the pagan gods and were vetoed quickly. How can I give him a sense of myself in his American house?

When the teachers at school asked him what he was thankful for, he said "Maji!" That's his nickname for me. I'll never know  where he picked up that word from. We sponsor an indian child named Majji but I don't think I've really ever said her formal name. Her informal name is Laxmi which is what we've always used. I was googling something one day and then I saw it: Maji means Mother in Hindi! WHAT? How is it possible that he knows that! So sweet. I don't really have to teach him where he comes from.. it's within him. It'll be there. Always.  Somehow that will stay with him regardless of how I influence him.

Quiet

It's Five Minute Friday..
Yes, I realize it's Sunday!



Today's prompt: Quiet

In our last episode of FMF, we talked about roots. I longed to reconnect with my childhood heritage at times. To my surprise, there ARE happy memories. There ARE moments of splendour and fulfillment. Why it takes 20+ years to see that, I will never know. I saw this post from my favorite DIY bloggers, John and Sherry. It reminded me of a Hindu holiday we called Holi. It brought me back to such happiness. I remembered our small poor village gathering to celebrate. We threw water, powdered colors, white powder, even mud on friends, family and strangers. We cleaned like crazy. We cooked like crazy. It was a feast. We shared with the neighbors. We smiled, shared our thanks, gave our best. Once I saw the info on the Color Run,  I knew I had to be a part of it. As luck would have it, they were having one in my hometown. I was blessed to participate today with my man. It was AMAZING. The mass amount of people from all walks of life. People brought their kids in strollers, guys were wearing tutus, everyone was having a blast. During the run, I had some great moments of reflection looking out at my city skyline.

There were some small still quiet moments to close your eyes while random people threw colored powder and filled the air, your eyes, ears and mouth. The colors were splendid. The energy was electric. I've come full circle.
I cannot wait to do this again next year!

Roots

It's another Five Minute Friday!





Today's prompt: Roots

---

As a child you would always find me in a small secret compartment behind our closet. When I found it, it was like Narnia opened up to me. It was just the perfect place for me and my dolls and our adventures. I spent lifetimes in that little room. I was running away. I was ashamed. I didn't like being different. I wanted so badly to be like my American friends. I had so many restrictions because I was a girl, because of my religion. I desperately wanted to sever these ties. I abandoned everything associated with my culture, my heritage and immersed myself in being something else. Something better. Every so often... I look around and wonder if I belong anywhere. I've moved here and there and floated from place to place never actually staking claim. Somedays, even though I detest and abhor my past, I wished I had learned more about where I came from.

"No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.
Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
It started because I’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing."

So here's my best five minutes on:::

Voice…

Diana Krall - A Case of You

This is a very appropriate prompt today as this song has haunted me for the last couple days. Yes, it's on repeat. Yes, I DID listen to it all day. It happens like that for me sometimes. Something consumes me, calls to me, and I become... enchanted.. err.. OBSESSED!!!!

Songs, lyrics especially do this to me. I think I remember creating mix tapes of NOTHING BUT ONE SONG OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

It's a sickness.. must be.

Diana's voice, interpretation is soooo compelling to me. The whole ensemble is remarkable actually. Songs like this remind me that human nature... even with all our pitiful traits and imperfections... we are so very close to the heaven we desperately crave. We are so close to the creator. We are... one.

Ophelia by John Everett Millais

 

"I remember that time you told me you said
'Love is touching souls'
Surely you touched mine
'Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time "

My life so far

1978: HELLO!

1979-1982: No recollections. Stories captured: Father was in the armed forces in South America. We moved around a lot. He decided to flee the socialist government and when he was successful, he coordinated our travel to another country.



1982-1986: Small still memories of living in Suriname , now Dutch Guyana. I liked my dolls and imitating my mother. She was not very amused most of the time. She was never really happy. I don’t remember smiles or laughter.

1986: Traveled on a plane to come to America . I wore a pretty blue outfit with eyelet designs. Stayed with my aunt and uncle. Then moved into an apartment across the street. Discovered TV. Been hooked ever since.

1987: School. Lots of kids that are clean, pretty with nice matching clothes that don’t smell.

I realize

I don’t fit in.

I hate myself.

I hate my family for putting me in this position.

1988: My grandparents come to America and live in the same duplex. My aunts are so fun and so beautiful. Home life rough. Parents always fighting. I run away to my grandparent’s place. They let me know very quickly I do not belong. I am not welcomed. What is wrong with me?

1990: I am smart. Very smart. I get sucked into the world of books, reading and studying. So happy and joyful. I live so many lives in my books.

1991: Moved into a house.. A HOUSE!! WOW!! Not an apartment with just a hallway for my room. WOW!! I have a room.. with a door and a lock!!! WOW!

Start at a new school. Not sure what’s happening to my studies. I’m becoming average.. normal.. no longer excellent. I struggle to keep up. I am drowning.

I meet my best friend. I start high school

1992 - 1994: Still struggling with school. No one cares though. It’s no longer fun to accomplish high marks. Now it’s expected. That’s the thing about perfection. You have to continue and keep up with it. It’s really hard. Lost motivation. Music is my only escape. Most days are go to school. Come home. Watch TV. Eat dinner. In silence. Starved for attention. Need affection, comfort. Love. Boys seem to like me. They think I’m pretty. Obsession. Got the internet. Met him. He showed me true love. He helped me understand how unique and special I was. He pulled me out of depression. Parents found out about him. Forbid me to talk to him. Spiral back down. Mother is overhearing and cruel. I can’t listen to her tell me how much she hates me anymore.

Suicide attempt.

Mother kicked out of the house.

Can’t wait to go to college. Decide to choose the one farthest away.

Parents divorce for the last time.


The Scream by Edvard Munch

1994: Victimized by a family member. Went off to college. Freedom. Finally. I belong. Father is getting married. She’s pregnant. I have been rejected/replaced. I was the draft version of his life.

1995: Boyfriends, partying, probation. Father cuts me off from college funding. Forced to drop out. Have no skills to figure out how to do it on my own.

1996-1999: Move in with a friend in Alexandria, VA. Eventually find my own place. Couple different jobs. Lived with boyfriend. Landed the best job in the world at an airline company. The world is my oyster. JOY.

September 11, 2001 – The day was mass confusion, heartbreak, fear. The world is ending. I lose my job 2 weeks later. I move to Houston with friends. I decide to rebuild my life and start praying.

June 2002 – Met the man of my dreams.

September 2003 – We join a church.

May 2004 – Married the man of my dreams.

September 2006 – Land a job that I could really make a career.

February 2007 – Mother passes away tragically in a fire.

March 2008 – Purchased our home!

April 2009 - Completed a 40-day fast. The Lord revealed himself to me in so many glorious ways. I was changed forever. Reset.

February 2010 – Gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

2011 – Contemplate my career, my life and pray that I am doing what’s right for my son.

2012 – Received acceptance from my father. Learned to finally accept and love myself as I am. Once I loved myself, love came pouring in from everywhere. Peace surrounds. My soul… opened up.

The Annunciation by John William Waterhouse

 

Book Review: Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

My most favorite parts of this book:
(no spoilers edition)

"Stepping back into the bedroom, I hurl the hairbrush at him, turn, and leave -- though not before I see his shocked expression and his lightning reaction as he raises his arm to protect his head..."

"And it's not just the allure of his fine, fine face and his body that has me spellbound. It's what's behind the perfection that draws me, that calls to me...his fragile, damaged soul."

"I'm grateful for his intervention, as I don't wish to discuss menus or butt plugs with Mrs. Jones right now."

"But I'm sure we'll be fine as long as you keep your hands off my husband."
    She gasps.
  "Otherwise, you're fired. Understand?"

"Surprise!"

"I'm intrigued. I'll come find you.
Be ready."

----

Personal Reflections:

Fifty Shades Freed reminded me of the beginning of Act 2 of Into the Woods.

We left off Fifty Shades Darker when Ana broke the spell that held Christian captive. They are happy. OH! They are so happy! It’s endearing, enchanting even… sweet.

It could end right there – but alas, no.

There are consequences, danger looms.

Ana’s plays the part of Little Red Riding Hood, she ventured into the woods, was consumed by the Big Bad Wolf and managed to change Christian’s fate. He is liberated by her insistence that he must deal with his demons.

Ana also plays the part of Cinderella in some scenes trying to cope with so much luxury.

Christian also plays the part of Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk in his first relationship with a woman. Ana still has trouble contending with his previous life. Oh goodness girl, get over it! He wouldn’t be your Fifty Shades without her!

Okay, so the honeymoon is over, reality sets in. Love isn’t enough. They play the blame game. Sacrifices must be made and then BOOM! – The giant has fallen. She reveals something to Christian that sets him off and all I can say is WOW!

Then the action starts to heat up and it feels like a James Patterson novel. Hairs are standing on end, fear has stopped my heart and..and… there are no happy endings. Are there? ARE THERE?

Cinderella says to the prince, "My father's house was a nightmare. Your house was a dream. Now I want something in between."

Does she get her wish?