Audrey in Wonderland....more commonly known as "Alice in Wonderland"



Ever feel like you have fallen down a rabbit hole into a world of literary nonsense?  Well, it seems perfectly clear now, the meaning of being counter-intuitive.

Let me give you some examples, that I have noticed....now that I'm getting older:

The aches and pains we now experience in our old age is not due to over-doing exercise.  In fact it is due to the lack of it.  Instead of thinking that a bit of rest would save the day....no it is a call to do more exercise instead.

If we want more love.....we have to give more love.  Don't hoard it.

There used to be a saying when we were younger.  "Fake it till you make it!"  In other words.....be the success if you want to become a success. 

The more we give the more we receive.

So many countless others.

With the New Year fast approaching, the time for making resolutions is upon us.  What do we resolve to do in the new year?

For most.....there is more focus on what they want versus what they already have.  As the song goes...."Accentuate the positive....eliminate the negative."

We plan for the future, and remember the past while all the time we are missing the present.  The present (aka...the gift).



This is the year for me to stop and smell the roses. 


To appreciate everything that comes into my life....good, bad, ugly, beautiful.  It is all wonderful because there's the lesson to be learned from the bumpy roads of life.  Lessons that take us to a better place.....the caveat is that we can't limit ourselves to being stuck and wallowing in self pity.

"Be brave young lovers and follow your heart."  2014.....let's get it on!

Repost of My Favorite Christmas Carols

Do you have some favorite Christmas carols?  I know I do....it's a great time of year.  There are classic ones, hilarious ones, cute ones.....

There are 3 all time favorites that I like......Ave Maria, O Holy Night and Mary Did You Know.....

I hope that I can find them on YouTube....

 

 

Andy Williams does a great rendition of Ave Maria by Schubert.  His vocal style is so sweet and soft....not strained....and very melodious.  I have heard several different versions of this song, but this is my favorite.  Ave Maria means Hail Mary in Latin.  Don't you just love the wonderful works of art of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

 

O Holy Night....when I hear this song I remember my elementary school days when we practiced singing Christmas carols for our parents.  This was one that we did and there was a student in my class that had a beautiful voice that sang the lead and we all provided back up.  I don't remember the name of my classmate, but it was the first time that I had heard this song..and it was sung so beautifully!

 

 

I know that there is another singer that has a better rendition, I want to say Harry Connick, Jr.....but I could be wrong and alas....YouTube had limited selections.  Josh Groban does a great job singing this song because his voice is just so wonderful....he could sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and make me swoon!

Here is what I believe should be a classic....Clay Aiken sings this song which became a huge hit for him.  The words are so captivating and simple, yet speaks volumes!  Mary Did You Know.....

Now here are some wacky hilarious ones that just stick in your mind....again....I hope that YouTube has captured them....

Yep....Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is fun to sing...especially if you add the twang in this hillbilly ditty.

Oh...the Hawaiians are not to be outdone....YouTube don't fail me now. 

Frank DeLima is a local comedian.  If you get the chance to see him live....don't miss the opportunity.  He is too funny!  He makes fun out of all the nationalities.  What you just saw is his take on the Filipinos.  When Shirley and I saw him in Hawaii at the Noodle Shop many many years ago, he singled us out because he told us our eyes were so slanted we could see through closed venetian blinds.  We laughed so hard we almost "peed our pants!"   I especially loved his rendition of Tina Turner's Proud Mary.  I couldn't find that one....but I did find another one that you will like Adullah Fataai, a Samoan football player.

Oops....I'm digressing.....back to the work at hand!  Cute Christmas carols.....well there's Alvin and the Chipmunks singing Christmas Time is Here. 

I also liked the Hawaiian pidgin version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  It is called Numbah One Day of Christmas.....it was written by Ed Kenney, Eaton "Bob" Magoo, Jr., and Gordon Phelps.  Sadly, I couldn't find a good version of this on YouTube, but I can remember the words to the Hawaiian version and not the English version.

Well...I hope that you enjoyed my selections of Christmas carols.  To all of you out there....have a great holiday.  As we Hawaiians say.....Mele Kalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou....if I haven't screwed it up...it means Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Oops....back up....rewind....there is yet another Christmas carol that I love....it is a duet featuring Bing Crosby and David Bowie.......singing a combination of Little Drummer Boy and Peace on Earth.

Merry Christmas to all....and to all a good night!

Antique Shopping

During my recent trip to Santa Cruz, California over the Thanksgiving weekend, my grandson Chris and I went to a few antique shops.

Let me first say this and get it out of the way.....You really get a sense of how old you've gotten when you find a lot of things that you remember seeing in your home when you were growing up, that are now being labeled as "antiques."

Our first stop was at Edward and Sons Antiques on Soquel Drive.  We got quite a bit of a history lesson from the proprietor.  Now this shop is definitely NOT a "trash to treasure" establishment like so many others are.  I recognized 2 religious icons there, similar to what I've studied in Art History. 

In my Art History class, I was intrigued by the following icon:

 

 

 

This icon is called Christ Pantocrator.  It is an encaustic painting, or hot wax painting using beeswax with colored pigments then applied on wood.  This particular piece can be found in St. Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai.  It was one of the first images of Christ and is one of the most widely used images of Orthodox Christianity. 

 

You will note that the image represents Christ's two natures.  The left side represents Jesus, the man fully human, with his right hand raised in blessing.  The right side of this icon represents God.  He is holding a bible with the cross on it which usually signified the Gospels.  The Gospels told of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, ergo, the right side of the icon is God, the spiritual being.

 

Anyway, getting back to this antique shop, we also saw some early wedge wood pottery, some unusual pieces of jade and many other wonderful items. 

 

Our next stop was a more typical antique store filled with trash to treasure items.  Chris got to try out the dial phone, he saw some dishes that we used as dinner plates.....oh and the most prized item was a similar fur piece my mother insisted I wear to my junior prom in high school.  While other girls were wearing shawls, my mother had me in a white fur piece and also had my dress special made of pink satin and white lace.  Quite frankly I was embarrassed to be so "over dressed" and felt dowdy looking to boot.

 

Don't even get me started on the senior prom gown......