Saturday, December 31, 2011

Year's Final Day

A L O H A !

September Song by Willie Nelson on Grooveshark



" Be at war with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let every new year
find you a better person. "

Benjamin Franklin














" Celebrate
what you want
to see more of. "

Tom Peters














" No one is so old
as to think
he cannot live
one more year. "

David Viscott



 > < } } ( ° >
     





Youth has an inexhaustible treasure
called "Some Day."


Every yearning,
every grievance,
every wish,
may be salved 
by a generous dose
of "Some Day."


I know.
I lived on it for years.



But one day
you ask yourself:
"What am I saving it for?"
"What am I waiting for?"
"If not now-
WHEN?"



And from that plateau,
you think:
"Finally, this is perspective,
this is wisdom."




But a day comes 
when you see
how quickly
things are moving.

I'm no longer the fastest walker
on the sidewalk.


The lyric and words
of a song you've know for years
suddenly stick in your chest
like a flaming arrow:

"The days dwindle down
to a precious few. . ."

True as it's ever been
for ALL others,
but not for
Me!

But the bell does toll for me
too-
yes it does.


Sometimes that awful understanding
makes me feel faint,
like I can't catch my
breath.

And though I believe
that I have glimpsed
that expansive place,
that happy place,
of coming home
to who I
REALLY
am.


Still
I love this body,
this history,
this person
that fate & choice
have made
me.


Thank YOU
for sharing this journey with me
throughout the
year.


It means a lot.


Honolulu journalist
John Heckathorn
said of teaching at University:

"One of my students
came to class,
opened his Mac Book,
saw that Steve Jobs had died,
and asked:
'Who is Steve Jobs?'
It's odd to be turned into
a living history lesson,
but rather fun
in it's own way. "

John never gave me any writing jobs,
but he encouraged me,

a thoroughly nice guy.

I noticed this morning
that I have his office
and cell (mobile) numbers
in my phone.

John suffered a heart attack at home
on Christmas Day.


He never regained consciousness
and died Wednesday morning.

John was only
65.

The days dwindle down. . .

I choose to spread
all the kindness I can.
To enjoy every minute of
LIGHT!


Thank YOU
for shedding your kindness
here
with us!

It does;
It means a 
LOT-




                                             Fondly, cloudia













Friday, December 30, 2011

Duke & Babe

A L O H A !
 Duke Kahanamoku Beach

" Really great people
make you feel
that you too
can become great. "

Mark Twain













People still place lei on Duke's statue 
& pose with him!

When Duke Kahanamoku was 10 years old,
  on April 30, 1900
the Organic Act made him
an American citizen.


 He was named after his father,
Duke Halapu Kahanamoku,
who was christened "Duke" by Hawaiian Princess,
  Bernice Pauahi Bishop
in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh,
who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man's birth in 1869.
It was his name, not a title.




He went on to win Olympic gold,
to perform legendary rescues
and feats
befitting a Hawaiian Superman.


Surfers all over the world
consider him the father
of the modern sport.


He also used a stand-up board
and long paddle
when he grew older.

Stand-up paddling
is the fastest growing water sport
Today.






Here's Duke at Waikiki with Babe Ruth!  
"I swing big,
with everything I've got.
I hit big or I miss big. 
I like to live as big as I can." 

Babe Ruth




Babe Ruth is famous
for his home run record,
but few realize
that for decades he also held
the record for strikeouts.

 He hit 714 home runs,
struck out 1,330 times
in his career.

He said:


 "Every strike
brings me closer 
to the next home run."














When Hawaii's most famous citizen died,
the Honolulu Star-Bulletin called Duke:
"the Babe Ruth of swimming and surfing." 

He will live forever
in the hearts of Hawaii
and of surfers everywhere.  







Read more about this amazing man HERE


Thanks for stopping by today! 
Much appreciated. Leave a comment-
                                                            Warmly, cloudia

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Reflection

A L O H A !


Click on the photos-
Look into the eyes of the dogs
" The most miserable possession
a man can have
is the thing he hurt someone else
to get. "

Frank A. Clark












" Anybody
who keeps the ability to see beauty
never grows old. "

Kafka











"It all happened SO FAST! "




" Where did you get the idea,
the notion, 
that you needed permission
to walk in your own
chosen way? "

Mark Durfee



   > < } } ( ° >

Well,
it's the butt end of the year.

Take a deep draw-

Then let out a long, slow,
reflective exhale.

In the haze:
 all the 
people, incidents,
memories
of the year,
churn like
genies.



Resting up from Christmas,
saving ourselves
for the duty of excess
that IS
New Year's Eve.

Isn't this 
an irresistible promontory 
upon which to pause?
To take in the view
alone for a moment
under skies about to
turn -


The grand finality 
of it all,
must be
the reason why
we drink,
and dress,
dicker,
and dance


I'm SO glad 
that you and I
can meet
for play dates like this!

Enjoy this butt end-
just please don't burn
your finger tips.


                                     Warmly, cloudia

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Who is Cloudia ?

ALOHA  To YOU
 Guest, Visitor, Reader,
FRIEND

We know who YOU are. 


But who am I?
A Google Image Search
yielded this CLOUDIA . 
Clearly a sister!



Havana Moon by Chuck Berry on Grooveshark



 And this uncanny twin too:
 
There ARE yet other 
Cloudias!




Like this version:
" Cloudia_or Female Cloud_by_Crazy_Cow_Productions "

Don't mess with Cloudia!








 Cloudia
by  'ttearz "

Nice bracelet !






' Cloudia 34 '












A  GLAMOROUS  Band !










...An Anime Icon,
PERFECT for . . . . ME

dig that tail !






This Cloudia 
is darling of the
London Art scene!





 
Here she is
in all her glory!














I always wanted 
my own Soul Food / Furniture
Business !









I have a great logo!








Or Two- 

(I see someone has thoughtfully TradeMarked 
MY legal name!)










Or THR33!












Meet Cloudia Swan - Film Star












Cloudia Computing!







 Yes, there are a surprising number
of Cloudias
in the world today.





Strangely, 
many of them did seem to speak
directly to me:






Ah! what fun to be a simple
Cloudia. . .






Only fair, I suppose, 
to close with a picture of myself
creating 
Comfort Spiral
JUST for YOU-










No wait;
Here I am -








Thank YOU 
for making all of this nonsense
worthwhile!

Funny Comment?  PLEASE !
Fondly, 'me'































Catullus lived from around 84 to 54 AD.

He wrote a number of love poems to Clodia, giving her the pseudonym, Lesbia. Below is my paraphrase of a very famous one, (a very loose translation, mostly because the original doesn't mention water).
V - Vivamus, mea Lesbia


 Come let us live and let us love                                               
Beside the ev'ning shore.
And all the grumblings of old sots
We'll patiently ignore.
 The sun has set, and soon returns
- Our lives should be so long.


 Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.

Lively translation Courtesy of
 "Ted" of Ted's Museum





Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Weight?

A L O H A !


" Santa Claus has the right idea. 
Visit people once a year. "
Victor Borge













"Green
is the prime color of the world,
and that from which 
its loveliness
arises." 

Pedro Calderon de la Barca,
1600-1681














“ I always like walking in the rain,
so no one can see me crying. ”

   Charlie Chaplin
" A day without laughter
is a day wasted. "
 
Charlie Chaplin 


And now, on a personal note:



 Sure, we all gain a little weight
over the holidays,

but there's NO reason
to call me an elephant!
Oh wait. . .


Monday, December 26, 2011

Holiday Week

A L O H A !

Funny how comforting 
small, normal things can be
after special events

The holiday

was delightful -

Hope yours was too ! 














So nice and cozy


The world is quiet
on Christmas night.






This week
we look back on the past year
and ahead to the new.


From my still-point,
to yours:

May the season's magic
  bring you
smiles.

                                             Warmly, cloudia