*C'est la vie*! *Life*!

Here's something I came across a couple of weeks ago. It was a supplement to a Magazine I enjoy reading (and which I purchase when its already outdated; its cheaper then). Its a "List it all to Enjoy Life more" list. That's the best translation I could come out with.

It stated that in the US, two therapists , Illene Segalove and Paul Bob Velick, studies are mainly based on "List-Making". They publish guides which prompt us to make lists in specific fields: to be better parents, to become more creative etc... Or to simply rediscover ourselves.

Here are the lists – Let's call this a meme. You should list at least 3 and no more than 10 for every entry. Do not think. Be as spontaneous as possible.

1. The happiest moments I lived this year.

• Getting in touch with my cousins in the UK through hi5.com. We've never met.

• Succeeding in getting our Residence permit without any help from "Someone who's Something".

• Losing 2kgs.

• Getting the frame I've been dying for. A squarish model. Chocolate brown lining and black finish. Enhances my hazel eyes :-)

• Finally managing to find my size in this

• Touring the island with Z, L and N.

• Anytime I made anyone smile, laugh or happy.

   

   

2. The people I love.

• Mama.

• My sisters and brothers.

• C. M.

• Rouna and her kids

• Sanata

• Lau

3. What I love about the people I love.

• Mama: She's the most courageous person I've ever known. She has unshakable belief in what she believes in. She has patience à revendre. She's my Mama.

• My sisters and Bros: They make me feel indispensable. They make me feel responsible. They make me feel in charge. They bug me. They make me laugh. They make me feel like having a family like my own. They are my family.

• C. M.: For being my best pal. My brother. My confident.

• Rouna and her kids: My Mauritian family (part of it). Rouna, our sister. Our big sister. So proud to show us off to everybody. So proud to tell anyone who'd listen how smart we are. How her little bro (my bro) M just passed his exams her. I love her for being so down to earth, so frank and for trusting us with her kids. They spend their free time at my place. They play hide and seek with no one but me. They call me auntie sometimes. They laugh at my creole accent. My kinky hair just amazes them. They think I was born wearing the hoops am forever adorning my ears with!

• Sanata: My only cousin who keeps in time from more than 200 hundred cousin both from my mum and dad's side. The only one who calls or writes. The only one who takes it upon herself to advice me on this or that. The only one who, apparently cares.

• Lau: our newly adopted sister from Côte d'Ivoire. Dad's homeland. I love her for her mordant comments. For her love of French fries. For the way she makes us laugh non-stop when we get her going on a subject. We love her for making us believe that we could love living in Côte d'Ivoire.

4. The little imperfections I see in each of the people I love.

• Mama: Intransigent

• Sisters and Bros: They borrow my stuffs and then pretend the contrary.

• C. M.: Timid.

• Rouna and her kids: can't stay still for a mo.

• Sanata: Cries whenever she talks to mama on the phone.

• Lau: Can't sing.

5. My positive input to my relationship with them.

That's for them to say but since they don't blog then:

• Mama: I make her feel good cause she did a good job raising me.

• Sisters and Bros: They get my stuffs. I bark then but do not bite. They come to me for advice. I teach them how it feels when you got a job and you're bossed around by your superiors by bossing them around :-)

• C. M.: We share views on all and everything. He thinks am wise.

• Rouna & her kids: We share the joys and the sorrows. Am there for her and she's there. Her kids get a sitter for free.

• Sanata: Am currently choosing a name for her soon to be born baby! Am a good listener. She often needs to talk.

• Lau: just being friends is positive enough I guess.

6. The things in my life am grateful for .

• My family.

• My character.

• The way I am.

• The way I think.

• The things I do.

• My life.

7. The challenges I've taken up to in different fields (profession, romance, relations)

• Managing to write and speak English to a respectable level in less than a year. Forgive the ... humm. Cosmetic flaws here and there if you pray :-)

• Managing a Freight Company during the Managers absence for a month.

• Booking six orders in my first week marketing for a printing company.

• Succeeding in writing my one (and only but its a good start) Poem. No inspiration since then.

• Not hearing one single complaint from my superiors in my current job in the course of the year and half I've been here.

• Being self and financially defendant by age 22 (great by our standards).

8. The failures or mistakes I would to be able to come back over. What would I do differently?

• Proving the "love is blind" theory right. I was a complete fool at that. What in God's name made me believe anything could come out of an Internet relationship. Yeah, you heard me right. Now I think I was just fooling myself into thinking I actually was in love or something like that with the fellow. Am glad we never met. Am glad it happened though. Never be making a fool of myself like that.

• Showing off what I was capable of at work. You end up doing everything you're not assigned to do. You're told no one can do it better so you're left with no choice. Next time, I shall be humble.

• Failing lamentablement in Maths at the SC level. If I could I'd get back to when I went to Form I and change my class instead of being into the class of that teacher who asked me out then sadistically managed to make me lose all my confidence in Maths when I told him to go to hell. Maybe then things would have been different....

9. The 10 things which bring me the more instant pleasure everyday.

• Waking up at dawn.

• My morning jog on the Sodnac Track while everybody else is still sleeping or curled up under covers.

• Seeing the people I love.

• Laughing with them at silly jokes.

• Having my little sister press my feet after work and my mum massaging my scalp then

• Curling up in bed with a book.

• Managing to finish my everyday tasks at work.

• Receiving comments on my blog.

• Reading your blogs.

• Listening to music.

10. The 10 things which brought me more satisfaction on the long term.

• Passing my HSC in English Lit, Arabic Lit and Management of Business.

• Diversifying my work experiences.

• Teaching myself all and everything I am capable of. Information technology, Italian, sewing, beading etc....

  Long term? Still a lot to learn and do and be satisfied of when your 24 like me....

11. The Heroes who inspire me, the people I admire more....

• Muhammad (PBUH). See Introduction to Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah.

• Oumar Ibn Al Khatab: One of the Muhammad (PBUH), companions. For his good bigheartedness inspite of his hot temper. His sense of justice.

• Soundjata Keita: A Malian Hero. For his incredible courage.

• Nelson Mandela: All comes to he who waits. It did come, didn't it?

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12. The 10 things I would like to have the time to experience before I die.

• Seeing and feeling falling snow.

• Getting married.

• Giving birth.

• Raising them.

• But before that, meeting someone. THAT someone.

• Hold hands with THAT someone.

• Touring the world.

• Learning how to swim.

• Fitting in a size 6. (:-)

• Telling the people I love how much they mean to me.

13. What I could do, starting from today to succeed in the realisation on the above named projects.

• Finding THAT someone.

• Dieting.

• Going to Uni.

14. The movies or novels which touched me more.

• La Vie est Belle. A Roberto Benigni Film.

• The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kewi Armah

• Le Cercle des Poètes Disparus.

• Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

• The Green Line

• K-PAX

I apologise for the French Titles. I don't know the English titles of these movies.

15. The everyday situations which make me stress-prone.

• My fellow passengers in the van and their dirty-never-makes-me-laugh-jokes

• The what-he-calls-music the driver relishes to listen to and make listen in the van

• my next seat neighbour in the van who constantly complains about her kids and her husband or her husband and her kids or her employers or her colleagues ....

16. What makes me relax, go back to my secret world, my "Moi".

• Praying

• Meditating

• Thinking

• Reading

• Listening to music

17. Quotes, proverbs which inspire me and give me courage.

• Obtain from yourself all that makes complaining useless.

• No use crying over spilled milk.

• Petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid (= little by little, the bird makes its nest)

• Nurtute your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.

• If you don't appreciate it, you don't deserve it.

• While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, The other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.

   

18. What these lists have taught me.

If I want and wish it, whatever it is, I can achieve it.

Who are you passing this on:

• Jenele, hope this will help you somehow.

• Suley

• J. Star : BTW, that "....ity" quote was forward to me by a friend. Don't know who said it and in which circumstances. Shall inquire.

• The Great Saphenous

• Adeline

•  Heather (1)

• Cmhl.....

• M

• Heather (2)

That's all folks!!! And hey, you guys take a read at "Une poignée de Poussière" post. Its the continuance and end of the "Faking Poor" post!!!!