Why do all good things come to an end?

Why do all good things come to an end?

Have you ever tried as hard as you could to hold onto something but it didn’t matter how much you tried because it was already gone? Something that you thought belonged to you but in truth it was never really yours. The feeling of separation or emptiness after being once full makes us wonder why all good things come to an end

..............................................................................

When good things come to an end, it is that end that makes our memories all the more perfect …all the more desirable. We live history in the making yet it feels like we are just going through a maze that has no ending. Yesterday is today’s comfort zone and it seems the future will remain uncertain... a hope for the lost, a trial for the happy.

More farewells than beginnings it seems, as we don’t remember when it started but we do remember when it ended. "Why all good things must come to end?", you might ask. Unfortunately I do not have the answer for that question but what I can tell you is how it feels everytime it happens...

Have you ever felt the sadness of departure yet you were actually arriving? To realize you’ve looked forward to something so much that the thought of it ending impedes it’s potential. Or is it just a case of too much thinking? You are on the journey to, yet you are already thinking of the journey away. It’s quite a hard perspective to indulge in but the reality of it is inevitable and all good things do end, yet it seems everything miserable in our lives remain imprinted on us from birth to death.

Yet I choose to live in the hope for more chances at “good things” to happen even if it is going to end. Going beyond being optimistic versus being pessimistic, it’s not so much thinking the best of things but it is in accepting nothing in our lives is sure to last forever. We take extravagant life-long insurance policies on all the materialistic things in our life but we could never protect the things that truly feed our soul and make us truly happy. For every time I heard someone say in response to a statement like this one, “Well that’s life”, a strange stifling feeling envelops me.

May I ask, what is life? Why do we have so many expectations of it and why does it become bad just because we are not happy with the way things turned out? I’ve never heard someone say “Well that’s life” when they were randomly chosen to win huge sums of cash or when they heard the cry of their first born for the very first time. Maybe I was just born that way, but I can’t passively accept that my life is the way it is because of life itself.

While good things come to end I still believe in the chance of everlasting “good”. Maybe it is hope, maybe optimism, maybe belief, but whatever it is doesn’t matter but what matters is that I continue to believe it...

Blogging with purpose
Mariamlelue

Couscous Anyone?

Couscous Anyone?

“Fervet olla, vivit amicitia”: While the pot boils, friendship endures. (i.e. the man who gives good dinners has plenty of friends).~Latin Proverb

I have long accepted my addiction, and I am perfectly happy with keeping it that way! Food, yes F-O-O-D, for me it’s much more than just sustenance, or staying alive. It’s the heart of my soul, the fulfillment of my day and the enjoyment of my time. Every aspect of this wonderful four letter “f’ word is appealing to me; preparation, cooking and of course last but certainly not in the least, eating to my heart’s content. This reminds me of the commercial that says, “Does dark, slowly melting, European chocolate feed you or your soul?”
It is obvious that as varied as my taste is, I would discover new recipes and put them to the test of my kitchen’s prowess. One such dish I recently tried was Couscous which is very popular in the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania). It comprises of small spherical granules made from semolina and durum wheat which is steamed and served with a meat or vegetable stew.
…
Much to my surprise whilst shopping through the grocery aisles I noticed above the sacks of basmati rice, about half a dozen boxes of pre-cooked Couscous grains. It was Roland’s brand of Couscous and the directions seemed quite straight forward. I knew there would be no guarantee that I would get this again if I did decide to go ahead and try it, so without further deliberation I plopped it into my cart and off I went. It was reasonably priced, so it wouldn’t be a bad loss if things didn’t go as planned :)

Now began my searches for authentic recipes off the net. If I was going to do this I wanted to try to do it as close to the “real” dish as possible with the resources available. There is a special pot used for its preparation, called the couscoussière (traditional steamer for couscous). I obvioulsy didn’t have one so I sought a preparation that I could do and it would still be authentic. All the while I asked more than a dozen of my friends who ate Couscous regularly to further endow my memory bank. Then I came across Alia on youtube :). She does various videos on cooking Maghreb dishes using western styled kitchen utensils. After taking her advice on certain questions that I still had after reading her elaborate web page, I began to make my couscous list of food items.

A couscoussière a traditional steamer for couscous.

Excited with overlying anxiety I shuffled though the kitchen with the help of my father who assisted in helping me prepare the vegetables prior to cooking. If I could watch her video on youtube why not watch it while I was actually cooking? So with streaming video on hand, printed recipe and an able store of cooking ability I prepared my first Couscous. I had no previous experience in any Maghreb dish nor a taste for their cuisine so to be tensed and excited were norms of the moment.
I’m happy to say, after 2 hours of experimentation my first attempt at Couscous was met with appreciative tasters. If I should quote my brother saying, “At least you know how to cook one great dish….finally!” Don’t be dismayed, I do however know how to cook many dishes and I assure you they are very much edible and tasty, however one can indeed understand the exaggeration and teasing of an older sibling. Here are some pictures of My Couscous for I am yet to taste authentic Maghreb Couscous. It is my sincere hope my attempt was not far off from its taste.

“What’s this taste?”
“It’s the taste of taste”
“I love the taste of taste!”

“The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.” ~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Pictures of my Couscous


My First Attempt at Couscous

Blogging With Purpose,
Mariamlelue

[External links: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MEzlhvZFS3o&feature=related
http://www.cookingwithalia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:recipe-couscous-with-vegetables&catid=39:couscous-recipes&Itemid=85
http://uk.youtube.com/cookingwithalia
http://www.cookingwithalia.com/

Flawless Eternity

A poet's bequest,
Read and comment; my humble request,
Gratitude is what I offer to thee,
Penned by yours truly.

Flawless Eternity

A craving that can never be fulfilled
A wish once born is now stifled
To fill a broken vase to quench the thirst
Amongst one who comes last and who comes first?
A yearning that is never satisfied,
A slander that is amplified,
To believe that there is a chance,
To gift mockery with song and dance,
Make merry while the candle burns,
Before the first leaf turns,
A bitter remembrance when the illusion fades,
An emotional volcano cascades,
Happiness without shedding a tear,
Trust without knowing fear,
Affluence without striving,
Dying without ever living,
The worth of something without its exact opposite,
To enter bewilderment without reaching the exit,
To consume far beyond one's limit,
Without a valley there is no summit,
To die amongst the mortal,
To live amongst the immortal,
Beauty that sits upon the throne of light,
Blinding away the beast from plain sight,
An end to the craving that once existed,
The tears have finally ceased,
Déjà vu tickles the memories that painted the past,
And finally the yearning breathes its last.

(25-05-2008)

Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue

World in Crisis

World in Crisis

As I turn on the television, a “window to the world”, I’m overwhelmed with what I see. My natural inclination is to update myself with the happenings of the world in which I live. I see President Obama already on a tight schedule, as he rushes in and out of shiny, black limousines in his newest portfolio. The hub is over and now he faces the greatest challenge in his 4 year term at the white house; Recession is eminent, international ties are estranged and the people need someone accountable, accompanied with the backdrop of “bad” politics associated with the last presidential office. America has fallen from its grace; the world sees it as power-hungry bully. President Obama, I wish you all the best. May a change come but not at the expense of life or hope, a change that can fuel sustainable growth.

44th President of USA

There is mass fear of a disease epidemic as tens of thousands gather just outside the United Nations base in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tutsi and Hutu Rebel fighters along with Government militia battle against each other as hundreds are killed in the cross fire. Men of fighting age are dragged out of their homes and shot dead in the pretext that they belong to an opposing rebel group. Thousands are displaced estimated at as much as quarter of a million as they flee on foot with a few basic belongings. They gather around the UN base, some there for two days now and no relief has been sent yet. While the government leaders meet in Nairobi with UN Secretary Ki-moon, a call for ceasefire yet death is knocking on the door of the Congolese civilians with each day that passes.

Mass displacement in DR Congo - Fleeing War

The Israeli army are called to account for the contents of an amateur video posted on youtube showing a Palestinian man blind-folded and mocked as he is made to repeat derogatory statements about himself. The Israeli army says it doesn’t condone such actions and will make a “full” investigation into it yet a leading Israeli human rights group says "many instances of abuse are not exposed because they have become the norm". It is common practice where Palestinians are mocked, verbally and physically abused along the Israeli border under the nose of informed authorities. It was conveniently pulled off youtube but a portion of the footage with English captioning is viewable on BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7716050.stm

Palestinian man humiliated by Israeli soldiers

The remarkable resilience of an Iraqi book seller is featured as he starts over his business of selling books. His customers are increasing as he lays a temporary stand on the side of a once busy trading street. He is Nasser Hussain and he represents the true strength of a people under siege from failed governance to the refusal of the US in pulling out their troops. The figure till date stands at 1,284,105 Iraqi deaths due to the US Invasion and the figure continues to rise.

US Invasion of Iraq

The world is on the brink of an economic disaster as foreign states try their best to consolidate to reduce its impact. An unlikely duo of Russia and China has started collaborating, a partnership of convenience rather than mutual interest. Will there be a shift of the “super power” from the west to the east, as Asia makes it stake on the world’s economy. Only time will tell as we remain spectators in a rate race for power and financial acquisition.

President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev and China's President Hu Jintao

Locally, after a domestic dispute a father mixes lannate, a chemical insecticide, with soft-drink and gives it to his 2 year old daughter and later he himself ingests the poisonous concoction with alcohol. A quick fix to silence his grievances as both toddler and father are to have their last rites performed. A family is literally torn apart and the general public are left stunned.


Police officers and relatives restrain a distraught Lisa Ramdeen at the scene where the bodies of her husband and two-year-old daughter were found. Police said it was a murder-suicide.

Fifteen minutes of my time spent watching these events and I cannot continue the pastry dessert I was priorly eating to my heart’s content.
I feel a sense of gratitude for where I am, as I am made aware of the World I live in …a World truly in crisis.
Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue



Barack Obama as a child with Kenyan born father and American mother

----------------------------------------------------------------

Iraqi women mourn the dead as US raid kills 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Former President of Russia Vladimir Putin and China's President Hu Jintao
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
External Links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7715861.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7715936.stm

Expressions

Poetry that was expressed,
Insight addressed,
Read what was written,
Comment if befitting,
Gratitude is what I offer to thee,
Penned by yours truly.

Expressions

Rhtythms flowing,

Efforts thriving,

Expression feeding,

Rhymes uplifting,

Mind stimulating,

Thoughts revealing,

Innermost contemplating,

Echoes perceiving,

Soul enlightening,

Forever exalting,

Heart illuminating,

Darkness fading,

Beauty awakening,

Beast transforming,

Truth conceiving,

Deceit shedding,

Knowledge seeking,

Lies disappearing,

Pictures painting,

Aesthetically pleasing,

Habits reforming,

Beliefs rekindling,

Essence forming,

Refinement striving,

Action provoking,

Continue struggling,

What is in your heart?

What is in my heart?

Individuality apart,

Express the art,

Let the revolution start,

A face to the truth,

A chance for the youth,

A voice to the mute,

Keep close to the ground,

Find what was never found,

Silence listening to the sound,

Hear the voice resound,

My eyes an expression of my feelings,

My reputation an expression of my dealings,

Hold on to the faith tight,

Express what is right,

Give the blind true sight,

No discrimination from black or white,

Life is a continuous fight,

Grant the wings for flight,

Breakaway from the chains,

Wash away the stains,

Expressions fed,

Expressions said,

Expressions heard,

Expressions understood.
(07-12-07)

Blogging with purpose,

Mariamlelue

Yed El Henna

Yed El Henna - Henna Hand

Henna designing is an ancient art of drawing intricate patterns upon the palms of hands and the soles of feet. It is worn for many occasions and its red colour is significant in portraying joy. Its paste is made from the leaves of the mehendi tree and applied on the hands and left to stand for a few hours. The paste is removed and a beautiful stain is revealed.

I have always been fascinated with this art and thus would like to share with you some of my original work, taking into account that I am no a professional!

Henna/ Mehendi - Simple Design

Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue

Where the Bread At?

"Let us Rejoice indeed

For this is the Day of Eid"

Family and Friends - 01-10-2008

Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue

If This is Life, Then My Wish is For Death

If in living there is hope then in dying there is realisation of hope only if actions warranted success in this life and in the next. To live in the hope of the life hereafter is my reality. Though some may still argue whether there is life beyond mortality or whether there is such a place as heaven or hell, I firmly believe that these conceptions have truth as my internal compass seeks eternity.

The days drive along whilst the roads to living become more absorbed in fickle inventions and idle discourse. The weak are walked upon and the strong thrive on their prowess. The exceedingly rich amongst us exist because of poverty, as the world moves to the chants of economic acquisition. Money is freedom, a door to possibility or at least this is what the lower income classes perceive. In a world of progress, 15 million children are expected to die of hunger worldwide.

Some nations are benefiting from economic growth whilst the only thing growing in other territories are deaths due to AIDS, starvation and war. United States of America, the so called “land of opportunity” is seen as one of the economic super powers of the world yet one out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night. We boast of being civilised yet racism is still breathing healthy in our society.

“In the U.S. hunger and race are related. In 1991 46% of African-American children were chronically hungry, and 40% of Latino children were chronically hungry compared to 16% of white children.” ~ think quest

It is estimated that one in every four people live on less than $1US per day while amongst the 358 who are billionaires have assets exceeding the combined annual incomes of countries with 45 percent of the world's people. [Statistics acquired from UNICEF]
How can there be balance and equity in a society bred upon the dominance of the lesser fortunate?

Some spend the day in search of wealth, others in search of food, others in search of intoxicants and others in search of peace. For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years. Wars have gone on so long that the people have forgotten what it was to live in peace. Children born into war have acclimatised to their environment and practice the violence taught to them on the streets. Streets where they should have been able to ride their bicycles, or walk to the nearest sweet shop instead they are confined to curfews and go to sleep with the sound of rockets and missiles.

World leaders have lost their sense of purpose and we have begun to accept the blind to lead. If everyday goodness is slaughtered it would definitely one day become extinct. The candle of life is dimming as the world grows increasingly cold and cruel.

If all this is life, then my wish is for death. In death there is life, eternal life where mortal flaws do not exist. Immortality not based on the choice of good or evil but based on existence. It is a land where just living is the sole objective of life.

“…Only when you drink from the river of silence, shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then shall you begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Blogging with Purpose,
Mariamlelue

[External Links: http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm

http://www.unicef.org/]

Outlandish - Look Into My Eyes

Sanctity of the Dead

Growing up in a conservative setting, I inherited teachings of respect for the environment and life on the whole. If respect is given it shall in turn be received. The miracle of life still amazes the best of us and to respect this miracle was of high importance. We know the joy of bringing a baby into this world and we also know the grief of losing loved ones. Birth and death are aspects of life we accept and its consequences we accommodate. In a different scenario, what if it was not as straight forward to accept?

What if the dead became object and not person?

The scent of formaldehyde snaked through the air as I prodded a preserved, discoloured liver with forceps under the light of bright fluorescent bulbs in a student populated laboratory. At the far corner, the laboratory assistant gave out the ever “limited” supply of surgical gloves. Today yet again we would be confined to the use of one hand as it was one glove per person. As the professor surveyed the room of noisy chattering he explained that the “specimens” were disinfected and we should adopt from now, a more hands on approach.

The assistant was reaching nowhere fast and the professor was just upon our heels to oversee what we were viewing, so with a deep breath I pressed my fingers in. Cold and hard to the initial touch and then with great ease I found myself turning the organ to view the various lobes. Finding the ligamentum teres hepatis was a cause for rejoice and brief smiling until the thought of what I held in my hands further sank in.

I would always be anxious to tell my siblings what I had done and seen but now the stories seemed to shrivel and I no longer shared the passing of my day. These old cadavers that lined the anatomy room seemed like paintings on the wall, their place befitted the setting. My mind always remained estranged with the thought of there was once life in these beings just as I am.

We were told that the bodies were donated for the cause of learning and we should appreciate the sacrifice made by others for the benefit of life on the whole. If the body lived after dying then this would certainly be the closest it came in modern day society. Something so personal and guarded was left open on a bare metal tray in a “human icebox”. Was it vulgar and cruel or just too much thought into something inanimate and lifeless? We define serial killers who mutilate their victims as monstrous and we remain virtuous in our search for knowledge at others expense.

For my brief encounters, every time I felt the hint of a giggle or the thought of frivolity and idle blabber my conscience grew heavy and emotion would cease for a period. This course would certainly test our professionalism in training ourselves to remain objective on what was most definitely subjective.

We always justify before giving true thought, in the name of learning and progression these are the bitter sweet tools of the trade. In order to mesh my thought with reality I always place myself in the shoes that have been chosen to fit the roles. Would you consider this your dying wish for an unseen number of strangers to explore what you had chosen to keep private whilst you were alive? Many can argue the fact that the body remains physical and it bares no real resemblance to the one whom it lent its grace to. However, it still remains a mystery how some people after successful heart transplants have adopted similar practices of their donors. It is even seen in the survivors of the donor who feel an unreasonable and natural affection for the person to whom the heart was given to.

How many of these cadavers were actually donated knowing what their life beyond death actions truly entailed? If God forbid one of us were to die now, we would never picture that our last rites were not carried out and instead our bodies were preserved and strung out to be displayed and explored. I am in no way against progression and I see reason in having practical experience but until they remain as paintings on the wall I cannot feel at ease in violating the sanctity of the dead.

Thus with a taste of wonder, a hint of dissatisfaction, a choice of confession and a sprinkle of acceptance I begin my journey for knowledge.

Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue

Ongoing Struggle

I add another poem to be read,
Words written as conscience was fed,
Contemplative thought was bred,
When all has been said,
Comment if you so choose,
To add to a poet’s amuse,
Gratitude is what I offer to thee

Penned by yours truly

Ongoing Struggle

Vision blurred in the fallen darkness,
Forever contemplating in this solitary abyss,
Inevitably sensing the world is terribly amiss,
As the devils continue to deliver their death kiss,
My screams fall upon deafened ears,
Distant eyes echo my growing fears,
Oblivious to the burning tears,
Flowing with all my hopes, dreams and cares,
Mocking pretenders plague this land,
Traitors laugh as I humbly stand,
My future an open book in God’s hand,
Their hearts sealed unable to understand,
From the innocence of the honest they plunder,
Sworn to cast us asunder,
Leaving the broken heart to wonder,
Breaking under the forces that thunder,
Keeping the faith, I will never surrender,
Desperately hoping for the arrival of a defender,
To survive the onslaught of the present,
In a time where justice is absent,
Patient throughout every torment,
Forgive my transgressions ever so prevalent,
With remorseful tears I sincerely repent,
Fragile faith forever penitent,
In dire need of a guiding light,
Wishing the sun would rise over this morbid night,
Barren hearts ignorant to my plight,
Ongoing battle forever testing one’s might,
To the last drop of blood I fight,
Bestow upon me all that is right,
Barriers removed revealing true sight,
Our blood is one, together we unite,
Will the deaf ever hear my plead?
Everywhere rampant destruction plants its seed,
All are victims of materialistic greed,
Exploiting this vulnerable creed,
Resulting in deprivation of those truly in need,
The call to the faithful unwilling to heed,
Falsely appointing the blind to lead,
Recurring wounds continue to bleed,
On fickle minds, the wicked feed,
Deeds stink with lustful intention,
Its foul stench devours any good action,
Systematically destroying any chance for salvation,
The game of guilt sets fire to any sacred emotion,
Relinquish the evil, a deliverance from temptation,
Seeking the peace to silence our frustration,
An enemy disguised as the soul’s mate,
Feverishly feeding on revengeful hate,
Man is responsible for their present state,
Hope lost but seldom too late,
Rekindle the flame of the lost faith,
The end to our inner struggles we await,
Only with shahadah on our lips may we breathe our ultimate.

(16-06-2007)

Blogging with purpose,

Mariamlelue