The Rebelle blog

As I reread excerpts from Rilke's Letters to a young poet while also rummaging through my memory for old images from a time long ago, it amuses me how much life is entwined within poetry and fiction. The late Swedish poet, Tomas Transtromer wrote in The Blue House about the open terrain which was once a garden and now wilderness, the house resembling a child's drawing. I am intrigued by that drawing. I wonder if it will have a small red roofed house with a chimney and flower garden, with blue skies and the sun shining bright over a small pathway lined with shrubs. This is my drawing. It has fascinated me all these years, refusing to fade from my memory. Many other things have been forgotten but this house with its red roof stands fresh and surprisingly in 2D. Transtromer writes about an amateur painting hung over the bed representing a ship with seventeen sails, rough sea and a wind which the gilded frame cannot subdue, The wind blows in my hair and sends a chill down my ...

There is so much chaos in and around our lives. Everywhere one looks at, there is noise, outrage, unhappiness, distress and uncertainty. When did this happen? We have become such slaves to lifestyles that chaos has become an essential part of us. Don't we all long for some solitude? That ME time, away from people and places increasingly! There are retreats now customised solely to help us achieve this inner peace and calm that we have been searching for from the vagaries of our busy lives. Nature has become a friend suddenly. So many people go on weekend trails and hikes on mountains, which is absolutely great. It also tests our physical fitness while really getting us acquainted newly with the many facets of nature. We miss out on so many things during the daily chaos. Even children who were thought to live stress-free lives for generations are now found to suffer from depression and anxiety. This is becoming worrisome. In our longing for better lifestyles and living conditi...

I attended a star gazing session on the weekend and it was a wonderful night. I have always wanted to lie under the night sky and look at the stars and just be there. How starry nights are romanticised in movies! Its cold and the bright twinkle in the sky is a gentle reminder and assurance that the best things in life are always in front of us, only we need to see them through the dust speckled invisible glasses we wear all the time. I always think that the stars have a mysterious charm over us. How many of us succumb to this charm? In fact many don't even register its presence. I felt so good to be there and, because I tend to get emotional over nature's many wonders, I couldn't stop tears streaming my eyes. After spending an entire night and early morning spotting comets, constellations, star clusters and Jupiter, I felt I could remain glued to the telescopes all night and day long. An incredible experience of my life. Later in the evening, I picked up 'The Selecte...