If by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Life Enrichment

If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind. ~Norman Vincent Peale


Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.~ 
Norman Vincent Peale 


Imagination is the true magic carpet.~ 
Norman Vincent Peale 


One of the greatest moments in anybody's developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is. ~
Norman Vincent Peale 


All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.~ Albert Einstein 



Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. ~
Albert Einstein 


The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true. ~
J. Robert Oppenheimer


Both the man of science and the man of action live always at the edge of mystery, surrounded by it.
J. Robert Oppenheimer

Clean House= Clean Life? Maybe.

The above photograph contains three precious items ( two fragrances and gold-laced vermilion nail lacquer) that I creatively arranged on my desk. If you glance harder, you can see the DVD for Lady Sings the Blues. Am I filthy? No. Confessions of filth tend to be admitted when someone is no longer proud of his/herself. I love myself even when I am wrong. I have been tending to my needs and desires more attentively. A clean house can be indicative of an individual who places fervent value on meticulousness or organization. However, in our postmodern society, I feel that the old adage 
Cleanliness is next to godliness be used with astuteness. Then again, religiousness is not always a quality of holiness. 

Dionysus= Greek god of wine; his followers enveloped themselves in orgies and drunkenness. 

Apollo= Greek god of the sun, poetry, music, prophecy, healing and archery. He held the perception of the most exalted masculine and youthful beauty to the ancient Greeks.** Something many people need to know: the 25th of December is the day of celebration for the birth of Apollo. Think about it.
Zeus= the father god of gods and humans. He faltered many times in his judgment, particularly in his marriage to Hera, the goddess of women and marriage. Hera was the prototype of a jealous, suffering wife. Zeus consistently surrendered to his lust for women and nymphs. ( Nymphs were considered to be lesser goddesses yet highly desirable.)

Research Greek mythology. It tells much of humanity, beautiful and ugly.

Mythology by Edith Hamilton, a superb place of a book to commence.

The AIDS Walk

I want to raise a sum for the AIDS Walk.  This disease is taking lives of people I could love. AIDS is not obvious. It hides in the body. It can happen to all of us. If I see people dying in the street, I am calling help to deliver from the grip of a potentially cold death. I want to help. I am a believer who has to give love. When I receive the royalty crown, I am going to see a little girl and she will wear the crown. I need to give a little girl the crown. All day of the AIDS  walk, I want to hold a little girl's hand. The little girl will receive the crown and I will place the crown on her head. I want to have this request filled with abundance.

If I give her my energy, the little girl could be healed. I want to be a vessel of love, rich and true. Love is similar to blood, those who love need to feel and see the fascinating energy. So I give it freely and abundantly. I would want that for my daughter, to be loved no matter where she goes. All little girls need that reassurance. I want to provide this energy for a lovely little girl.

Thank you for reading,

Khalia



http://aidswalklosangeles2011.kintera.org/ladykhalia


Please visit my AIDS Walk page if you feel compelled to any degree about the AIDS pandemic.

Tomorrow by Salif Keita

Tomorrow Lyrics

Salif Keita

tomorrow,
only tomorrow

I will not feel this way anymore.
I will not remember this feeling.
I will remember the emotion.
I will remember the moment.
It will be a memory.
A recollection, a description.
It will be tainted and impure.
Coloured by mission, by vision, by recollection.

Today...
I cannot capture it. Not even just yet.
I have been blemished. In thought, emotion, mission.
My stomache knots and sinks.
Somersaults in rebellion.
The body will fight the mind.
The heart estranged, must mediate...
Teased and Torn
Unable to do justice.
Eyes mist over. Tears well in the lower lid and spill over.
Brook to stream to river. Outpour, overflow.
Taste them.
Savour the release of Nothing and Something.

Tomorrow,
Sajo, see you tomorrow

A continuation of obligation

On February 16,2011, I shared the jewels of several artists from Brasil whose pleasures serenade my ears and delight my eyes. I feel compelled to share more individuals from Brasil and other regions.( songs within quotation marks)

Cantores... Chanteuses... Singers

Brasil

Ivan Lins~"Deixa Eu Dizer"," Depois do Fim" and " Anjo de Mim"

Timbalada~" Beija Flor" and " Toque de Timbaleiro"

Gal Costa~ " Vaca Profana", " India" and " Aquarela do Brasil"

Elza Soares~ "Sei lá Mangueira", " Zirigidum","Malandro", "Pressentimento" and " Che Meraviglia"

Sylvia Telles~" Samba de Uma Nota Só" and "Você e Eu"

Nara Leão~ "Amor Nas Estrelas", " Corcovado" and " Luz Brasileira"

Preta Gil~ "Precisando de Amor" e  

special mention: "Che Meraviglia" is a jaunty ballad sung delicately in chic Italian. Elza Soares, a native of Rio de Janeiro, sings primarily in Portuguese yet greatly enables her voice to other languages. 

Mali

Oumou Sangaré~ "Djorolen", "Sigi Kuruni" and "N'Guatu" 

Jamaica

Barrington Levy~" Murderer"

Nigeria

Fela Kuti~ "Shakara" and "Zombie"

France

Les Nubians~" Makeda" and "Sourire"

Edith Piaf, adorned with the affectionate name of "la Môme"

~ " Padam Padam", " La Vie en Rose" and " Non Je Ne Regrette Rien"

I wish to include even more in the months to come. 

Wit Comes From Truth

I saw this quote and found it keen. I haven't watched many of her films but Lily Tomlin strikes me as intelligent.

"If you read a lot of books, you're considered well read. But if you watch a lot of TV, you're not considered well viewed."

Actress, Lily Tomlin

Tidbits

Brain freeze- Rapid cooling and rewarming of the capillaries in the sinuses. When ice cream hits your palate, the temperature is sensed by nearby pain receptors, which signal the brain via the trigeminal nerve, one of the major facial area nerves. The brain interprets this facial area pain as coming from the forehead. To relieve pain, some doctors suggest drinking a warm liquid or pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth to warm the area. 




I learned this definition while looking at an online article. I had been curious about the true explanation for brain freeze ever since I first felt it, which has happened since childhood. I thought someone else would like to know.

An observation

I thought about something that happens to people a lot. Some things I don't like.


Is graciousness learned or taught?

My opinion:

To be an unique individual is a true gift. I manifest my gifts.

Espere Por Mim Morena - Gonzaguinha

This song makes me yearn for carnal love.

Jive Turkey by the Ohio Players

too cool !!

I'll Close My Eyes by Dinah Washington

Sweet song sung by a singer called Dinah Washington. Enjoy.

Words to Uplift a Weary Spirit

Infinite riches are all around you if you will open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously, and abundantly.~Joseph Murphy

Let me remember that each life must follow its own course, and that what happens to other people has absolutely nothing to do with what happens to me.~Marjorie Holmes

When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care for more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.~ Eda LeShan

The Slum of Ignorance

Is reading becoming a lost art? I will let you know, I devote very lesser time to this blog than I would like. Yet, deciding between literature and typing, literature gains victory without question. What would my life be without the written word?  The Miserly Hollows, indeed. I don't read because the experts say it is healthy. I read because it nourishes me and enlightens me in mind and spirit. Pleasure and knowledge are birthed to me. I voyage to lands that my feet have not yet traversed. My ancestors, for an era, were denied the right to read. It would be sacrilege to deny myself of invaluable gift of reading. Reading is becoming a lost art yet many faddish creatures want to carve a new face for it. Kindles, e-readers and the like are grotesque masks for the contribution of Johannes Gutenberg. For me, the printing press stands as the only source of distributing literature.

                                             

In my library system, there is not a copy of The Slum by Aluísio Azevedo. The Slum, a naturalistic novel, details the daily events of poor urban dwellers in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Fortunately, my library system allows interlibrary loans, which means that another library district will be contacted to allow me to read the preferred book. A note of intrigue is that I have to reserve three dollars to complete my transaction, which could take weeks. No protest here, many people don't know how to read. Therefore, I will hand my three dollars with grace.

Clara Nunes-Canto des Tres Racas original

Don't delay to prosper

May this note find you in sound mind and body. I have been acquiring some gorgeous rhythms from many quarters of the village.


I would like to share those artists whose pleasures serenade my ears and delight my eyes.


I have included some of their artistic jewels in quotes or italics.


From Brasil, an incredibly vast nation


cantores( singers)


Djavan-" Numa Esquina de Hanoi", " Serrado", "Flor de Lis"


Beth Carvalho- "Meu Samba Diz", "Dança de Solidão"


Gilberto Gil- "Refazenda", "Quilombo", " Sandra"


Caetano Veloso- "Neide Candolina", "Manhatã", "Gema"


Clara Nunes- " Nação","Canto des Tres Raças", "Serrinha"


Ivan Lins- "Somos Todos Iguais Nesta Noite", "Velas Içadas"


Elis Regina-"Madalena", "Se Eu Quiser Falar Com Deus"


Jorge Ben- the album Africa Brasil, a masterpiece.

More artists from other mediums and countries will be included in upcoming posts

Nereci by Djavan

You're beautiful where you stand

We’ve all heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep. As cliché as it sounds, there’s certainly some truth to it. It’s a new year, so why not bring a new, more positive attitude? Our attitudes are projected to the world through our body language, facial expressions and the energy we exude. Soon enough we start to look exactly how we think and feel. Here are ten affirmations to say in front of the mirror, so that your inner fabness can radiate on the outside!

1. Damn, I look good. If you know it and you own it then no one else can tell you otherwise. Why is it that one woman can rock a completely off-the-wall haircut or outfit? Confidence. If she believes, then nine time out of ten, so will the rest of us.
2. I am a beautiful being, in my own unique way. Standards of beauty are always shifting. What remains constant is the natural beauty you were born with. Play up your features. Accentuate what you love about yourself and embrace what you don’t. You are uniquely you and that’s a beautiful thing.
3. My skin is radiant. Whatever shade of brown you come in, you glow . . . and that’s pretty freaking special.
4. I feel as great as I look. It’s amazing how something like a bad-hair day, or not loving what you pulled out of your closet, can completely transform your mood. Reverse that process and let how incredible you feel on the inside dictate your outlook on your appearance.
5. My body is banging just the way it is. Sure many of us have weight and fitness goals. But it’s imperative that you love the present you. Work what you got now, not just what you’ll have when you’re ten pounds lighter or with washboard abs. There are ways for every woman to play up her shape.
6. I am beautiful in mind, body and spirit. When these three are aligned, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Feeling gorgeous on the outside is fantastic, but don’t neglect your mind and spirit.
7. When I smile, the world smiles back. Try it. You’ll see. Everything is that much brighter when you smile. It looks great on you too.
8. I’ve got “good” hair because it’s healthy hair. Instead of harping on your curl pattern or why your strands aren’t falling the way they were yesterday, celebrate the fact that you have a healthy head of hair. And if you don’t (yet!), take the steps to get there.
9. My sense of style is just that . . . mine. Style is subjective. It’s fun to try out trends and look to others for inspiration. But even if you’re wearing a chic dress with some badass pumps, if you don’t love the way you look, then no one else is going to buy what you’re selling.
10. I’m a bad bitch. Enough said.

Happy New Year! Happy New You!