Imagine - Quotes by John Lennon

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is a reality."


"Time you enjoy wasting,was not wasted."

"I get by with a little help from my friends."

"As usual,there is a great woman behind every idiot."

"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So,
I believe in fairies,the myths,dragons.It all exists even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now."

"Yeah,we all shine on,like the moon,and the stars and the sun."

Double Fantasy flower -  Lennon saw this in a Botanical garden,it inspired his last record - "Double Fantasy"

                         "Strawberry Fields Memorial" 

If you ever get to New York, be  sure to look out for John Lennon's  memorial in Central Park.

    It was designed by landscape architect Bruce Kelly.

This three-and-a-half-acre "International Garden of Peace" was a gift to the city from Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon. The lush enclave, which includes plant species representing 161 nations, was dedicated in October 1985. The entrance is located on Central Park West at 72nd Street, across from the Dakota Building where Lennon and Yoko Ono lived.

A Palette of Vegetables.

A Palette of Vegetables...

Aubergine-pungent,plump,purple.
Okra-slender,slimy,grassy green.
Chili-waxy,shiny,fiery red.
Orange-juicy,seedy, sweet tangerine.

Carrot-crunchy,cold,vivid orange.
Pumpkin-fleshy,fibrous,peachy.
Cabbage-dense,layered and pale.


Not found in your average super grocery store,this palette is laid out on a dusty Caribbean floor.It looks more appealing than anything neatly displayed in baskets or plastic bins. The colour so vibrant, the shapes so odd and imperfect. THIS is food ! When did our palates become so numb and our plates so bland? 

© 2011 Ann Ivy Male

Inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert

I attended a presentation of Unique Lives and Experiences, featuring Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of
Eat,Pray,Love. I read the book for Book Club so I was interested in hearing what inspired the author to write. Ms. Gilbert is a very relaxed,witty and warm speaker. She makes you feel as if you're in your living room, having a chat with a friend. She started the talk revealing that she knew she was good at one thing and one thing only - writing. She kept journals and imagined stories throughout her youth. She decided that if she was going to be a writer, she needed to "marry" her calling, and therefore this is how her relationship with writing has evolved - a true commitment. Her inspiration for Eat,Pray,Love came as a way of sorting through a painful time in her life. She never dreamed that it would turn into the success and phenomena that it is. Her only goal as a writer was to get "something" published before she died, and now after fulfilling her wish, she continues to write passionately about the things she loves. She is currently working on a book about gardening and botany.

A few things I took away from the evening :

Think of writing as "taking a sentence for a walk on a page", when you are inspired to write, let it grab you and take you for a walk or ride....
If you are in a slump, focus on something else, clear your mind , try not to think about "green monkeys."In the case of Ms. Gilbert's,for months,she immersed herself in her garden. Soon after, the first sentence for her book
"Committed"  pounced upon her thoughts, causing her to take it for a walk on the page.
She told the story of Clive James - poet,critic and novelist who dealt with his writing slump by immersing himself into refurbishing his little girls rusty bike. He painted it blue, then adorned it with hundreds of tiny stars. The bike was such a hit in the neighborhood that all the kids lined up at his doorstep asking for their bike to be painted the same way. After fulfilling their wish, he got back  his inspiration.

Elizabet Gilbert gives a very interesting talk on "Ted Talks"
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

She also revealed that after this tour, she would not be speaking publicly anymore. She wanted to focus her time on her two "loves" -  her husband and her writing.

© 2011 Ann Ivy Male