Milan Kundera

The name above is totally new to me. Ive never heard of this French-Czech novelist until recently when my friend Saras got us this book from India. Only then i knew he was a popular author with a number of interesting books. And the book she bought is titled THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING. 

I thought the title itself was pretty interesting because why should Lightness be Unbearable ??? hmm...so i had to read it ...though i had an array of exciting books by Osho to begin with, I decided to read this one first. Yes, just because i was curious about how lightness could be unbearable ??

As i read through the first few chapters, i realised that it was not going to be easy grasping the essence of this book. His writing was in such a way that you need to pay full attention to every line and every chapter to be able to put the story together.

The story mainly takes place in Prague in the 1960s and 1970s set among the Czech community living during the Communist era. Its about a husband and wife and a dog. I will not get into the details of the story line here. I am still fascinated by the thought of lightness being unbearable !! so i will get straight to that! haha...

OK, the writer has taken an opposite view of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of eternal recurrence which means life is an eternal happening, similar to the Hindus belief that life has no end or beginning. Whatever ends....begins and whatever begins ...ends...so life goes on and on and we return again and again to life.  

So as an alternative idea, the writer has built the base of this story with an understanding that life happens only once. We are born to live just once and it ends there when we die. So the lightness comes in knowing that we do not have to come back again and again to this world. So that was the whole idea....i can understand why anyone that has to live through an invasion and its aftermath might feel that coming back to this world is heavy! Yes...now i get the story and the title!

The lightness comes in knowing this is all happening just once and we are done with it forever! So, what does it matter if we break some rules, or go with our feelings...not bothering about humiliations or whatsoever pain inflicted upon us. Sounds reasonable doesn't it :)

But then, i see it this way, lightness is when we know that we are true to our heart no matter what the circumstances are. Whether life is a one time thing or recurrence, i don't know, but to me lightness is when we can go to sleep every night not feeling guilty or regret, waking up with no fear and going through the day without a mind full of contradictions or conflicts. 

Still its not even about doing big things like charity, or hugging patients or rescuing animals or planting trees....no...just about having gone through the day with love. Nothing deliberate about it. Just being loving...to those around me ...people or animal or things...just being me is enough. That is lightness! What could be lighter than being yourself!

Heavy is when we go against our heart.

Light is when we go with it....that's my simple conclusion! 

So, it was an interesting read. Tough one, but worth it! 

have a light day :)    

Liverpool in Seven-Beats!

People become fans of football teams for various reasons...sometimes its just our parents favourite team which you have been hearing about since you were just kids. Sometimes its friends' influence in school or college. Or for girls, sometimes its just the good looking players. Of course it could also be your country or city or state and so on.

But for me, the reason is a little different from any of the above. I was never a Liverpool fan till two years back. In fact ive never followed Premier League or Champion League games. I would just occasionally watch MU games since my hubby is a fan. Otherwise i only watch football every four years for Brazil in world cups. 

So how did i end up being a die hard Liverpool fan? heres the story of how Liverpool touched me with every beat of my heart ....

BEAT ONE:

My younger brother Navin was in Liverpool then. That gave me a chance to visit this quaint city. There was something so very unique about this place that I just fell in love with it the moment i arrived. As i got off the bus, my brother was there waiting at the station to fetch us ( me, my aunt and sister ) and guess where he took us FIRST? Straight from the bus station to the Liverpool store of course!

There, he bought me my first Liverpool T-Shirt! :)

BEAT TWO:

Then we had dinner and went off to his apartment. As i entered the house, the first thing i heard was the squawking of seagulls...and then through the windows of the living room was the beautiful view of the dock and the Stena Line ferry sailing in. Wow! that was not a common view you get from your home where i live! 

BEAT THREE :

In the evening, after a good rest, my brother took us to the dock to watch the sunset. We need to walk about 5 mins to get there but we went around sight seeing before getting to the dock...the town itself seemed like some 3D paintings with old buildings and statues especially with the golden sunshine of summer. It was very quiet, and calm everywhere. 

As we walked through the narrow roads in between rows of shops and buildings, my brother stops and points at a building and says..."Ka (sis), this is where Beatles use to perform, The Cavern Pub" but it took me a few more seconds to realize it being...The most famous club in the world, the home of the Beatles !!! And i was standing right in front of it! Wow...seemed weird...coz again...i never thought i would visit these places...no...never imagined standing there for real! 

I always believed that music is the most powerful energy that could get to peoples' hearts and soul. I also love John Lennon's strong and meaningful words.So taking a picture with the statue of his in front of the club where they use to perform was truly touching the soul!

Me and brother posing with the statue

This is part of the wall outside where they had inscribed names of those popular artists and music groups who have performed at this club

Below are some of the shops and cafes ....

From here we headed to the dock..

at the town overlooking the dock

  

Below: a statue of Liver Bird from which Liverpool got its name :) 

    

After hanging around there till it got dark....we walked back home, stopped by a grocery shop to get some stuff to cook our meals for the next 3 days and of course some strawberries, blackberries and cherries..for snacks!

BEAT FOUR:

We spent the next two days relaxing and i was reading one of my brothers book titled Eleven ( it was so interesting that i finished it before i left Liverpool!) Was reading it on the couch while looking out through the window whenever there was a ferry or  boat sailing in and out and listening to the seagulls and looking at them flying around...hmm...totally calming...

We made thosai,...cooked rice and curry...invited my brother's friend to join us for dinner...laughed, went shopping ....yes the ordinary things which seems pretty extraordinary when done in a whole new place and environment with your loved ones....loved every moment of it.

BEAT FIVE:

Then on the fourth day..just before we left Liverpool we went on Anfield Tour which my brother had booked us earlier. 

(THANKS A ZILLION NAVIN! :) 

But just before going to Anfield we made a quick  visit to this super gigantic Cathedral of Liverpool which we could see from the apartment. With 207 yards in length it is the longest Cathedral in the world! It was amazing to walk inside the huge gothic structure.

The amazing view of the cathedral from the apartment ! 

                 

     This is how it looks when u are standing at the entrance

    Me inside the cathedral ....looking at the worlds widest and tallest     gothic arches...

BEAT SIX: 
Then....finally to the best part ....yes the ANFIELD TOUR! And ohh if you noticed it..i was already wearing the Liverpool tshirt my brother bought me on the first day...and walking into the stadium in it was definitely an initiation ceremony of becoming a fan! :D

Yes i wasn't a fan yet when i went to Liverpool but....the moment came when we were entering the stadium where the players usually touch the sign above saying " THIS IS ANFIELD" That's when i felt it. I became an instant fan! And my brother was delighted because he is a die hard fan of Liverpool :)  

With my sister at the press room

Brother's treat at the The Boot Room Sports Cafe

BEAT SEVEN

Only when i got back to Malaysia..and i saw Liverpool games on TV i realised that i had truly become a fan! I so want them to win and strange that after so many years, Liverpool did so well this Premier League and its only my 2nd year being a fan. So its perfect timing for me to celebrate! 

Though the game with Crystal Palace and the heartbreaking last 11 min was too much to take...theres one more chance tonight! I decided to write this post before the deciding game tonight because i know i will continue to support this team whether or not they become champions this year! 

Because i love them for reasons beyond mere chances of winning a 90 mins challenge. Its the soul of this place, the memories i had with them and how it made me feel for four priceless beautiful days. 

And for that....LIVERPOOL...i will walk with you ALWAYS!! 

GOOD LUCK to all fans.... :D