Just the other night, we watched the last hour of a movie called The Namesake. It is one of those movies which i like to call a movie with heart; a movie which speaks about issues of the heart.
The main character is Gogol and the story follows his growing up as the son of Indian immigrant parents in New York city. It’s a story of tradition verse modern; of family-first verse self-first.
Out of that one hour, one line stayed with me. Gogol marries a beautiful woman of the same culture. They were (or seemed so) madly in love. On their way to his mother’s annual Christmas party, he finds out his wife cheated on him. Her excuse was, “I saw myself becoming my mother.”
She apparently had lots of lovers before and is as unconventional as Gogol’s mother is traditional. But her many lovers have brought her no satisifaction. Neither had her career or lack of. Or her previous engagement to an American which was called off at the last minute.
Feet, are you ready to run?
She was running away from… from being her mother, from becoming that stay at home submissive wife; the traditional image of what might be a good wife. But she did not know where she was running to. She only knew she had to run away.
That is what struck me. If i am always running away without direction, then i will get lost. i felt that if she had a direction, a goal to run towards, such as ‘when i make partner, i will be ready to be a mother.’ or ‘i will always put my family first.’, then maybe she would not have drifted into the affair or even chosen to marry Gogol.
My point is that running towards a dream is better than running away from a nightmare. Don’t you agree?
i have a dream i’m running towards now. My dream is to be a published writer. What is your dream?
syc
PS: i hope to get the movie so i can watch it from the beginning and may even do a movie review. It is originally a novel so i may get that as well and do a book/movie review? Maybe.
Today is 21/3 and we celebrate people with Down Syndrome. This date is specially chosen as it represents the 3 copies of chromosome 21 (21/3), which is unique to people with Down syndrome.
This year marks the 7th World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) and for the first time the UN will be observing this day, officially! Many countries all over the world have events to celebrate and create awareness of this condition. Click here to find out if your country has an event.
i’m happy to say that Singapore has always had an active group advocating for the needs and rights of people with Downs. Here is a brief report of their WDSD event. i am sad though that Switzerland did not have an event. Maybe next year it will happen here too.
Maybe you don’t know much about Down Syndrome. i have found this website called Kids Health which gives a fairly complete and good explanation of it. It is a great website to use as a resource for children wanting to understand some health issues. Click here for a kid-friendly explanation of Downs.
i like the first two paragraphs:
You have probably seen people who have Down syndrome. They have certain physical features, such as a flatter face and upward slanting eyes. They may have medical problems, too, such as heart defects. Kids with Down syndrome usually have trouble learning and are slower to learn how to talk and take care of themselves.
But despite their challenges, kids with Down syndrome can go to regular schools, make friends, enjoy life, and get jobs when they’re older. Getting special help early — often when they are just babies and toddlers — can be the key to healthier, happier, more independent lives.
But the star paragraph for me is the concluding one on the second page:
Because they look different, some kids may tease or bully kids who have Down syndrome. But these kids have feelings just like anybody else. When they get teased, it hurts their feelings. They want to be accepted and have friends. If you know someone with Down syndrome, you can be a big help by not teasing him or her. Instead, offer a helping hand and a friendly word of encouragement.
The tagline for this year’s WDSD is Let Me In. It speaks of inclusion, which is what every one of us wants; to be included, to be accepted for who we are. The UK Down Syndrome Association has a wonderful competition which does just that – a photography competition just for people with Down Syndrome! Photography is my passion and i can’t wait to see all the entries.
So will you take a step towards accepting a person (adult or child) with Down Syndrome? Will you help your children to understand these kids who have such a great capacity for loving?
In a lot of countries, children with Downs are accepted and given the special help, health care and education they need. But in many others, they are simply unwanted; thought to be useless and are thrown out like garbage. It is a sad situation; it is very heart-breaking when we know that given the proper care and a loving environment, these children will thrive and grow to lead full lives.
Almost 11 years old, Heath needs his family to find him asap. Click on photo for details.
Which leads me to what i am praying for and who i am praying for. i am a prayer warrior for orphans with Down Syndrome and other special needs, listed on the Reece’s Rainbow adovcate website. Specifically, i pray for little Heath and little Heather. Both have never been loved and cared for as they should be. Both have been in institutes, which can not meet their needs, for far too long. Both need a loving mummy and daddy to help them through life; to love them, hug them, let them know that they are wanted and accepted for who they are.
3 They are everything wonderful that doctors DON’T tell you, and they are everything that isright in a wrong world.
Happy World Down Syndrome Day!
syc
PS: If you do consider adopting or becoming a prayer warrior or contributing to their adoption grants, please do leave a comment below so that i can send you a personal thank you and be praying along with you.
i love words, i love how they string together to express a thought or tell a story. i love the expression of words and how a single word or group of words can lead one to happy emotions or sad emotions.
However, where words exist so does this thing called Grammar! Yep, not one of my favourite words and yet so essential if, like me, you enjoy both reading and writing. No doubt i have already made a few grammatical errors in the few sentences i have just written.
The article below has a long list of 20 mistakes commonly made, even by good writers/novelists. i have had lots fun reading it and want to highlight my pet errors.
Who & Whom – i have major problems with this one. i often wonder who was it who decided that the two should exist. To whom do these two words bring ‘glory’?
May & Might – i might have less problems with grammar if i had paid attention in school. But i may yet catch up, now that i know the error of my ways.
Farther & Further – You would think that i could get a lot further by actually attending a proper English grammar class but i think i need not go farther than the end of this article.
Affect & Effect – i wonder if this article would affect the way you write at all or are you immune to the effects of a grammar lesson.
i’m no grammar guru, i just enjoy playing with these crazy words. Enjoy how English grammar can create a wonderfully topsy-turvy world of mixed-up words for us.
trippingdifferently 