Reproduction of Obits
For those few of you who do not read my sister's LJ:
Pavarotti is dead
And so is Madeleine L'Engle
They both died on Thursday, if I'm not wrong.
This is sad. Pavarotti had a rich voice that swelled up through your chest and diaphragm and then felt like it was going to spill out of you in a wave. It got into you through your ears and brought your entire body into the listening experience, thoroughly captivating you for the duration of the song, then releasing you at the end of it to take what feels like the first breath of air you've taken since the song started. Even when you have no idea what he's saying. :D
Strangely enough, I'd been expounding on his greatness only two weeks ago to a schoolmate, amazed that she had never heard of him. And I am sad that she never will now, except through recordings and such. Then again, it is highly unlikely that the man would have come back to Singapore for a concert, considering his ill health and age, and even if he did it is unlikely she would have gone, but. It's the finality of it, I think. He's gone, and all that's left are "memories draped by the beneficient spider" and recordings.
Madeleine L'Engle, ah, that's even sadder. For me anyway. Books have always been more immediate than music, to me, and L'Engle's Time books spoke to my heart. In fact, I read the O'Keefe books recently - I think I posted about them - and totally fell in love with them too; amusingly enough, I was reminded of one of them in class, when a mention was made of the regenerating arm of the starfish. I also read And Both Were Young, way back when I first read the Time books, because it was one of the few unrelated books that weren't part of the massive Kairos and Chronos chronologies. The libraries didn't have all the books and I didn't want to read bits and pieces of them, so I went for the ones I knew were unrelated and bought the Time Quartet for myself.
I could go on and on about A Wrinkle in Time, but more and better people than I have written about it, and I'll leave that body of work - and the Newbery Medal it won - to stand as testimony to it. The following books are uniquely beautiful in their own ways too, each dealing with a different topic, and yet all subtly - or not-so-subtly, such as in Many Waters - dealing with faith. Of the three, I think I liked A Swiftly Tilting Planet best - it showed the history of the same place and the advancement through the ages, and how one simple thing can change the entire outcome. And I love Celtic mythology, which helps. Though I have to admit, for A Wind In The Door, that I wondered for years afterwards if farandolae were real. After all, mitochondria were...! xD
The O'Keefe books were actually very memorable as well; I stopped at A House Like a Lotus and need to go back and finish it and the rest of the books. Maybe I'll finish the Chronos books as well this time. I really want to read the non-fiction work too. Her work and the way she wrote remind me of CS Lewis, and I have much love for CS Lewis.
The Wikipedia entry has been changed. Mm. I can't believe there'll never be more work from her. She's apparently been publishing collections of work since 2000, but the Chronos and Kairos books were - are - done. I can't help but think of how Meg and co were trying to think of famous people who had lifted the darkness of this world in Wrinkle, and while L'Engle's light might not shine as bright as that of Jesus, the first one they thought of, or any of the famous scientists and mathematicians and artists they thought of next, her work has made such a great impact for truth on the world that I think she can rightly be named among them.
Interview with her. *laughs* She has a real attitude. I like it. :) Dang it. Had. :( Now I really want to read her non-fiction work.
~*~
In other news, Adam took Deb and I sailing yesterday (Saturday); I couldn't wake up today, and whenever I awakened for a bit, I was running a fever and very ill. And then I had diarrhoea the only time I ate. Well, it was coming; at least I got yesterday.
But I'm amused that I went sailing in a tiny little boat with a sail that had "John 3:16" blazoned on it. As we said then, "No one's gonna come rescue us if we capsize!" xD
And we played Lost Cities, which was fun, but man I suck at games. Just don't play them enough, and when I do get the chance, I get tired playing them really fast coz my brain's not used to thinking that way. xD Though surprisingly, when I was at the camp over last weekend, I found that I'm surprisingly good at camp games (though it's usually assumed I'm not, especially since I generally assume I'm not!) because I have all kinds of skills that most people don't. Like I can sneak up on people, and I can focus on one thing and drown all else out, and I can cut through crap and get to the heart of the matter really fast (though perhaps without much delicacy), and I do weird strategising. xD But apparently I suck at stomping on balloons - most people have trouble getting to the balloon, but I swear I was the only person who had her foot on the balloon twice and didn't manage to burst it! Talk about frustrating! And of course I got ribbed about being overly gentle. >< Ah well. At least they didn't notice me turn back and apologise to the person I'd run into in the middle of the game, when other people were body-slamming into each other and being helped away with sprained ankles and such. :$ Yeah, not cut out for rough games, that's me. Most people loved that game; me, I was quite happy sitting it out, pasting the phrases down when I got them, taking my turn when people noticed me and not before. :)
The organisers later used that game (among others) to illustrate identity in life - you're willing to go on an all out attack on other people just because you've been randomly categorised into a different group, but I guess I don't fit that description. I was afraid of kicking someone and carefully aimed each step I took instead of frenziedly going at my target, and I kept apologising and backing off. Yeah, don't send me into a rough game. I have no sense of competition. I think it's because when I do get my blood up and want to win, I can't stand to lose. Not that I don't want to win now, but I will not easily forget that these are randomized groups and I have no real reason to fight them, and I will not hurt them just to win, especially when winning doesn't really get me anything. A bit too cool and logical, my mind is - I can't help but see the psychological games the leaders play with us. And most of the time I play along, but sometimes I don't.
Um. I just meant to comment on the John 3:16. And yeah, sleep now.
~*~
Datta: what have we given?
My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment's surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract
By this, and this only, we have existed
Which is not to be found in our obituaries
Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider
Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor
In our empty rooms
You have given us much. We mourn you.
Pavarotti is dead
And so is Madeleine L'Engle
They both died on Thursday, if I'm not wrong.
This is sad. Pavarotti had a rich voice that swelled up through your chest and diaphragm and then felt like it was going to spill out of you in a wave. It got into you through your ears and brought your entire body into the listening experience, thoroughly captivating you for the duration of the song, then releasing you at the end of it to take what feels like the first breath of air you've taken since the song started. Even when you have no idea what he's saying. :D
Strangely enough, I'd been expounding on his greatness only two weeks ago to a schoolmate, amazed that she had never heard of him. And I am sad that she never will now, except through recordings and such. Then again, it is highly unlikely that the man would have come back to Singapore for a concert, considering his ill health and age, and even if he did it is unlikely she would have gone, but. It's the finality of it, I think. He's gone, and all that's left are "memories draped by the beneficient spider" and recordings.
Madeleine L'Engle, ah, that's even sadder. For me anyway. Books have always been more immediate than music, to me, and L'Engle's Time books spoke to my heart. In fact, I read the O'Keefe books recently - I think I posted about them - and totally fell in love with them too; amusingly enough, I was reminded of one of them in class, when a mention was made of the regenerating arm of the starfish. I also read And Both Were Young, way back when I first read the Time books, because it was one of the few unrelated books that weren't part of the massive Kairos and Chronos chronologies. The libraries didn't have all the books and I didn't want to read bits and pieces of them, so I went for the ones I knew were unrelated and bought the Time Quartet for myself.
I could go on and on about A Wrinkle in Time, but more and better people than I have written about it, and I'll leave that body of work - and the Newbery Medal it won - to stand as testimony to it. The following books are uniquely beautiful in their own ways too, each dealing with a different topic, and yet all subtly - or not-so-subtly, such as in Many Waters - dealing with faith. Of the three, I think I liked A Swiftly Tilting Planet best - it showed the history of the same place and the advancement through the ages, and how one simple thing can change the entire outcome. And I love Celtic mythology, which helps. Though I have to admit, for A Wind In The Door, that I wondered for years afterwards if farandolae were real. After all, mitochondria were...! xD
The O'Keefe books were actually very memorable as well; I stopped at A House Like a Lotus and need to go back and finish it and the rest of the books. Maybe I'll finish the Chronos books as well this time. I really want to read the non-fiction work too. Her work and the way she wrote remind me of CS Lewis, and I have much love for CS Lewis.
The Wikipedia entry has been changed. Mm. I can't believe there'll never be more work from her. She's apparently been publishing collections of work since 2000, but the Chronos and Kairos books were - are - done. I can't help but think of how Meg and co were trying to think of famous people who had lifted the darkness of this world in Wrinkle, and while L'Engle's light might not shine as bright as that of Jesus, the first one they thought of, or any of the famous scientists and mathematicians and artists they thought of next, her work has made such a great impact for truth on the world that I think she can rightly be named among them.
Interview with her. *laughs* She has a real attitude. I like it. :) Dang it. Had. :( Now I really want to read her non-fiction work.
~*~
In other news, Adam took Deb and I sailing yesterday (Saturday); I couldn't wake up today, and whenever I awakened for a bit, I was running a fever and very ill. And then I had diarrhoea the only time I ate. Well, it was coming; at least I got yesterday.
But I'm amused that I went sailing in a tiny little boat with a sail that had "John 3:16" blazoned on it. As we said then, "No one's gonna come rescue us if we capsize!" xD
And we played Lost Cities, which was fun, but man I suck at games. Just don't play them enough, and when I do get the chance, I get tired playing them really fast coz my brain's not used to thinking that way. xD Though surprisingly, when I was at the camp over last weekend, I found that I'm surprisingly good at camp games (though it's usually assumed I'm not, especially since I generally assume I'm not!) because I have all kinds of skills that most people don't. Like I can sneak up on people, and I can focus on one thing and drown all else out, and I can cut through crap and get to the heart of the matter really fast (though perhaps without much delicacy), and I do weird strategising. xD But apparently I suck at stomping on balloons - most people have trouble getting to the balloon, but I swear I was the only person who had her foot on the balloon twice and didn't manage to burst it! Talk about frustrating! And of course I got ribbed about being overly gentle. >< Ah well. At least they didn't notice me turn back and apologise to the person I'd run into in the middle of the game, when other people were body-slamming into each other and being helped away with sprained ankles and such. :$ Yeah, not cut out for rough games, that's me. Most people loved that game; me, I was quite happy sitting it out, pasting the phrases down when I got them, taking my turn when people noticed me and not before. :)
The organisers later used that game (among others) to illustrate identity in life - you're willing to go on an all out attack on other people just because you've been randomly categorised into a different group, but I guess I don't fit that description. I was afraid of kicking someone and carefully aimed each step I took instead of frenziedly going at my target, and I kept apologising and backing off. Yeah, don't send me into a rough game. I have no sense of competition. I think it's because when I do get my blood up and want to win, I can't stand to lose. Not that I don't want to win now, but I will not easily forget that these are randomized groups and I have no real reason to fight them, and I will not hurt them just to win, especially when winning doesn't really get me anything. A bit too cool and logical, my mind is - I can't help but see the psychological games the leaders play with us. And most of the time I play along, but sometimes I don't.
Um. I just meant to comment on the John 3:16. And yeah, sleep now.
~*~
Datta: what have we given?
My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment's surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract
By this, and this only, we have existed
Which is not to be found in our obituaries
Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider
Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor
In our empty rooms
You have given us much. We mourn you.