La Mer (The Sea)

La Mer (The Sea)
(English Translation of the Song - La Mer by Charles Trenet of France)

Somewhere beyond the sea
Somewhere watching for me
My lover stands on golden sands
And watches the ships that go sailing

Somewhere beyond the sea
Somewhere waiting for me
If I could fly like birds on high
Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing

It's far beyond the stars
It's near beyond the moon
I know beyond a doubt
My love will be there soon

We'll meet beyond the shore
We'll kiss just like before
Happy we'll be beyond the sea
And never again I'll go sailing

And never again I'll go sailing


La Mer (The Sea) - Charles Trenet (1945) - France


The Sea (A Love Poem)
Mel Avila Alarilla

Ah, the sea. So many happy memories we shared by the sea. We used to play along the shores like little children. We gathered shells and made sand castles as we weaved our dreams by the sea.

We watched the sun set by the sea and we marveled at the sea birds flying all around. And we pledged our undying love by the sands of the sea.

As long as there were sands in the sea, we swore our eternal love for each other.
Nothing could ever separate us, not even time and space.

But you have gone beyond the sea, and I am left alone to wade in the cold waters of the sea. As I watch the setting of the sun, I can feel only the emptiness and sorrow you left in my heart that nobody else can ever fill.

Yes, I am left standing alone by the sea, wandering whether you will still come back to me. The sea. How lonely is the sea. It sings a sad song of emptiness in my heart.

As I retrace my steps back to the shore, I am leaving behind a lonely pair of footprints where before there used to be two. The sea. How lonely is the sea.

It becomes now meaningless without you by my side. And I could feel hot tears of sorrow gliding down my cheeks as I try to drown the deep loneliness welling up inside my soul. The sea. How lonely is the sea.

Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Poetry/Literary/Immortal Song/Youtube

The Mind - Receptacle Of Good And Bad Thoughts

The mind is the receptacle of our thoughts, both good and bad, sublime and inane, fanciful and serious. The mind is like the most powerful computer man ever assembled. But the mind is limited to what we feed it. Just like any computer, it's garbage in, garbage out.

We do everything to keep our physical body healthy. We eat the right food, we exercise it and we give it plenty of rest. But we forget that the mind too needs our utmost care to keep it healthy.

Most of the time, we let it wander like a wild horse amidst the random and collective thoughts in the atmosphere. We do not give much thought to what we think- good or bad, sublime or mundane. But what we think most of the time affects not only our mental health, but our physical, emotional and spiritual health as well.

We are the products of our thoughts. Or as the philosophers say, we are what we think we are.

Out of the collective thoughts that we accumulate in our minds mold that substance that goes to our heart and molds our character. And out of the preponderance of our heart's contents determine what we do or say.

The mind also acts like a powerful magnet. It tends to attract like minded thoughts and repel opposite ones. Just like the old saying, "birds of the same feathers flock together," minds of the same wave patterns attract one another and band together.

How often do we feel the holiness of a monastery, the rarefied air we feel there as though we are walking in a heaven like state? And how often do we feel the dread and terror in a prison wall, especially where tortures, riotings and summary executions take place? Why? Because negative thought patterns pervade the atmosphere of that place.

So let us think pure, positive thoughts. Let us think of God, not only in our prayers, but in everything we do. Let us think of the welfare of our fellow men, how we can contribute to that welfare.

We are limited physically by what we can do for our fellow men, but such limitations do not exist in the mind. We can pray for everybody and that is a powerful tool the efficacy of which is mind boggling and unlimited. Nothing is impossible to him who prays and believes.

The Rainbow Connection - The Carpenters (1970s) USA



Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Inspirational

Equality - The True Gauge Of A Humane And Just Society

How often do we read about articles lambasting the great inequality of the sexes? How women are treated as second class citizens in their own countries? How wives are abused physically, mentally and emotionally by their own husbands? How in some countries, women are looked upon as mere sex objects by the male populace? And how often do we see female libertarians stand up and cajole their female constituents to band together and fight such discriminations and abuse in their countries to no avail?

Why? Because females by nature are docile and timid. They would rather suffer in silence than go against the established norms of society, where females are perceived to be inferior to men. Tradition and culture play a significant role in this acquiescence of the female populace to the roles delineated to them by society that were mostly crafted by men.

Women must learn to stand up and fight for their own rights. Gone are the days when men looked upon them as mere wives and mothers of their broods who must be the eternal slaves of the home and the marital room.

Women must first treat and respect themselves as co-equal with their men and stand on their own. Women must assert their inalienable rights by learning to say "NO". And they have to stand by it no matter what the consequences may be.

It is sad to note that during times of courtship, men literally give their women heaven and earth and everything that their women fancy. Men give them their undivided attention, profess their undying love for them to high heavens, promise them rose gardens, are so generous and thoughtful to them, and guard and protect them to death against rival suitors.

Alas, after they are married and after the honeymoons are over and the pressure of their peer groups (usually drinking buddies) mount, the timid and lovestruck grooms suddenly become the abusive lords and masters of the house. She is then relegated to become a veritable slave who has to clean the house, take care of the kids, wash and iron their clothes, cook their meals, wash the dishes and do all kinds of houseworks from morn till night.

And after their riotous drinking sprees are over, she becomes now the object of her husband's libidinous desires no matter how tired and unwilling she might be for such a tryst. It does not matter if he smells terrible, reeking with liquor, cigarettes and viands and sometimes smelling of urine in his pants. If she is unwilling, the drunk husband forces himself on her and she has to suffer the ignominy and pain of a marital rape.

Women legislators of all countries must craft laws that provide equal rights and protections for their female citizens against abuse and discriminations even by their own husbands. Prenuptial agreements must be signed by both groom and bride and their respective parents or guardians stipulating the basic and inalienable rights of the bride in their conjugal home. Any violation of said agreement by the husband can give the victim wife all the rights to sue her abusive husband. The state must guarantee the full implementation of these laws. Then and only then can true equality of the sexes be attained.

Remember wives, the first step to emancipation from abusive husbands is to learn to say "NO" and standing by it no matter what happens.

I Am Woman - Helen Reddy (1972) Australia


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Human Rights/Female Emancipation

Footnotes: This article was inspired by a similar article written by Ms. Sameera of India. We are glad to note that such discriminations are less in developed countries but they still prevail in third world and developing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa.

Horror Of Dracula (Halloween Tale)

When I was a child, I was so terrified by the movie- Horror of Dracula starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It was all so real to me that I imagined Dracula would suddenly popped out in my room, eyes glaring red in the dark and his fangs glistening in the stillness of the night.

The horror haunted me for more than a week and I could not sleep without the lights on in my room. I was afraid to venture out of our house as dusk settled in. One howl from our neighboring dog would startle me and make me tremble in fear, imagining some creepy creature to be lurking in the dark.

It was all so real to me that I would sleep with bunches of garlic surrounding my bed. It took me quite sometime to get over my fear of that movie and the undead.

That was the time I refrained from looking at corpses in coffins during funeral wakes which my family and I used to attend. I imagined that the dead would suddenly arise straight out of the coffin and pursue me. I was afraid of night creatures like bats and owls or even growling dogs at night imagining them to be disguised vampires.

I used to watch every horror movies that were shown in our local cinemas, especially scary movies dealing with the undead and vampires. It took me quite a long time to outgrow both my fascination and fear of Dracula and the undead.

Going back to that frightening episode in my life, I could not help but smile at my youthful naive gullibility. Now I tell my children that all the horror movies that terrify them are virtual special effects done to scare the wits out of gullible little children who are terrified by tales of the macabre and the unknown.

I include here a very short excerpt of that film that haunted my childhood years for so long. Happy Halloween. Bwaaaaa, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha ,ha.


Excerpt from the movie - Horror of Dracula


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Movie Video/Scary Tale

Charlie Chaplin (Silent Movie Era)

Charlie Chaplin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• •.

Sir Charles Chaplin
Birth name	Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr.
Born	16 April 1889(1889-04-16) Walworth, London, England
Died	25 December 1977 (aged 88) Vevey, Switzerland
Years active	1914 - 1976[1]
Spouse(s)	Mildred Harris (1918-20) Lita Grey (1924-28) Paulette Goddard(1936-42) Oona Chaplin (1943-77)
[show]Awards Academy Awards Academy Honorary Award 1929 The Circus 1972 Lifetime Achievement Best Original Music Score 1952 Limelight

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr, KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an English comedy actor. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable director and musician in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era. He is considered to be one of the finest mimes and clowns ever caught on film and has greatly influenced performers in this field.

He acted in, directed, scripted, produced, and eventually scored his own films. Chaplin was also one of the most creative and influential personalities in the silent film era. His working life in entertainment spanned over 65 years, from the Victorian stage and music hall in the United Kingdom as a child performer, almost until his death at the age of eighty-eight. Chaplin's high-profile public and private life encompassed highs and lows with both adulation and controversy.

His principal character was "The Tramp" (known as "Charlot" in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Greece and Turkey). "The Tramp" is a vagrant with the refined manners and dignity of a gentleman. The character wears a tight coat, over sized trousers and shoes, a derby, carries a bamboo cane, and has a signature toothbrush mustache.

Charlie Chaplin Silent Movie - Table Ballet

Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Feature/Wikipedia/Youtube

Perseverance

Tolerance is a human attitude that favorably reflects our relationship with our fellowmen. Patience is also a human attribute whereby we do things to achieve a certain purpose in life. It is akin to persistence or sticking to a certain goal until its eventual fruition.

But perseverance is different. It is a godly attribute. It is the conscious decision of a person to willingly accept trials and testings in his life with the hope that his Creator has something sublime in store for him at some future time.

Perseverance is anchored on a living faith and an unshakable hope that the words (promise) of his Creator will come to pass no matter what the present situations maybe.

Perseverance is to go against the common directions of man. By nature, man will always throw off whatever yoke is placed on his shoulders. Not so with the person who perseveres. He willingly accepts the yoke (burden), trusting in the faithfulness of his Creator to accomplish His purpose for laying it on him.

Man may have his own individual reasons for willingly and humbly accepting such yoke on his shoulder. Some would feel liberation from the heavy load of guilt and shame caused by past misdeeds in life. Some would consider it a sacrifice and an offering to be at peace with his Creator. Whatever it is, perseverance is done with a godly intention in mind.

And perseverance produces a godly character- one who looks tenderly at his fellowmen and share in their burdens and toils in life. Fasting and prayer is a form of perseverance.

Climb Every Mountain (from The Sound of Music) 1960s


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Inspirational

Let Us Agree To Disagree

We may be poles apart in beliefs, customs and cultures
But let us not quarrel because we disagree
Instead, let us agree to disagree.

Many problems can be solved if only we see through
the eyes of our brother who disagree
But let us not quarrel because we disagree
Instead, let us agree to disagree.

What may be beautiful to you may be ugly to me
and vice versa
What may be edible to me may be poison to you
and vice versa
But let us not quarrel because we disagree
Instead, let us agree to disagree.

You may be fiery and tempestuous always wanting
to get your way
I may be placid and cold always seeking
peace and reconciliation.
Although we may disagree on so many points
Let us not quarrel because we disagree
Instead, let us agree to disagree.

There will always be individual differences
People will have their own points of view,
But if only we respect each others' differences
And dwell on what we can agree,
Then maybe less troubles will arise
Let us all agree to disagree.

Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin (1968) - UK



Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Poetry/Inspirational