This week I am feeling slightly less pessimistic. Thank God. Even I couldn't stand my own cynicism last week - it was really bad. Everywhere I looked I saw unsolveable problems, corruption, poverty...the whole 9 yards.
Over the weekend I went out with the girls and had a great time. In the last month I've actually developed a social life so I've been getting out of the house on a regular basis to go dancing, have dinner, hang out and have drinks and listen to live music. We went to a great jazz bar on Friday night called Gil Vicente and enjoyed open mic night. The first act was wonderful - a woman from South Africa singing in Zulu who was full of attitude and had a beautiful soprano voice. This woman and her band, along with the lovely company of my girls, helped me get out of my funk.
Today I am off to do a field visit for the project we are currently doing on horticultural production feasibility in the green zones of Maputo. I must get my things ready for the visit, but wanted to say hello, thanks for your comments, and that despite my absence on your blogs and a general lack of e-mails to friends and family, I am still reading, appreciating and thinking of you all.
17 comments:
Hi Ali
Glad to see you're feeling better. Remember it's also this time of the year - everyone's tired and a bit grumpy and out of sorts LOL
Looking forward to our visit in 11 days time - can you believe it?!
Hey Ali, glad to hear you are feeling better! A social life is important. Hanging out, forgetting about everything and enjoying our friends' company, the whole drill. It helps us relax and gather enough strength to face more days to come. :)
Glad that you are on the upswing--but everyone needs to have their cynical moments. It's how you get the best of you to flourish, to doubt, be cynical and be scared...
Here's to your best!
~Marcia - I know! Time is flying. Can't wait to have some yummy baked goods and a nice cup of coffee at your home. Really looking forward to meeting you.
~Alina - Thanks, friend. It's been nice to actually feel like I've got a life here. Finally, after 1.5 years of not getting out of the house much. It is an important part of feeling good.
~Novel Nymph - It's true, some of the most creative times for me spring from moments of depression, fear and cynicism. You need the dark to appreciate the light...
Gald you're feeling a lot happier sweetie.
You listen to some really interesting music. Is there any chance of posting some on your blog?
So glad you're feeling more optimistic, Ali. Sometimes just a change of scene helps. My daughter arrived today and I'm going to show her your blog and your beautiful jewelry, as she too enjoys creating jewelry.
happy holidays ali and i look forward to (re)delving into your very thoughtful and honest blog.
hang in there, girlfriend... i'm sending you a big hug xox
Unfortunately cynicism is sometimes a necessary evil - maybe it's a protective device - but we can be swayed over to the side of joy with the company of loved ones; which seems to be what's happened to you. That's good. However, a little bit of cynicism is still good for the soul. It stops us getting mawkish and too sentimental for our own good.
Good luck with what sounds like wonderful work.
ALI
PRECISO DO SEU ENDERECO DAI D MAPUTO
ASAP!!!!!
MANDA P MEU EMAIL!!!!
OBRIGADA PELO EMAIL!!!
VOCE MORA NO MEU CORACAO!!!!!!
BJAOOOOOOO
GABY
Oiiii d novo
mais uma coisinha....tava vendo as fotos das suas "criacoes" maravilhosas...(mulher multi talento)
tive uma ideia, se quiser mandar a Londres vendo eles facinho por uma grana mto boa!!!!e conheco varias pessoas q comprariam.
Vamos comecar um negocio...???
oq vc acha?
estou falando serio!
bjao
Gx
Ali,
Um bom fim de ano com muita saúde e alegrias!
Que 2007 seja muito mas muito melhor em todos os sentidos.
Um abraço :o)
Good that you feel...good. :) We all get these funks.
You have SUCH a cool life, I mean, travelling all over the world and all.
I am jealous.
Horticultural production feasability: I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it sounds all cool and scientific.
Hope you continue not being pessimistic.
xoxo
Happy to hear that you have a group of friends to socialize with and balance out the rest of your life ... give yourself a break, my dear, the work you do and the place you do it in is enough to make even the most optimistic turn jaded and cynical. Keep smiling, JP
The occupational hazard of being a writer is that they are notoriously manic/depressive because those who wrote for public approval are subject to the control beyond their own. That is also the problem of those who must seek the approval of the public -- like artists, musicians, and politicians.
Needless to say, their swings of mania and depression are much greater than those who don't operate in those realms. The trick is managing those movements -- and enjoying them, come what may. Some never do and spend their whole lives battling those movements -- thinking that a steady plateau of unqualified and unconditional success is their entitlement.
That's why Abraham Maslow made the extraordinary observation that in his studies of highly-actualized figures, he could not come up with a single literary figure because despite their brilliance, they were prone to instability, addictions and all manner of inadequacies that drove them to seek approval of that creativity, which is very fickle.
They were also very much at the whim of the publishers (and editors), who had their own control issues, which created a highly-charged toxic environment. In these times, we have healthier types entering that gene pool now that the limits of those involved have been expanded beyond those who are attracted to those extraordinary amounts of frustration, torment and control.
The literature of healthy people is now being written in the many publications like these blogs.
Ali,
My mom was visitng Rio this week and we took a jaunt up to Santa Teresa and had fun imagining that every pink house was saw was yours...and I disagreed with most of them because they didn't match your jewlery designing taste...and we got sunburnt and ate feijoada and listened to samba and wandered around the parque de ruinas...
thought you'd like to know people were thinking about you in rio!
Ola Ali,
eu não entendo ingles,mas gostei muito de suas fotos,são lindas.
Abraço.
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