Hush

Don’t tell anyone …

Old time “Games”

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

Do you remember when you used to play games with your family or friends? Wasn’t it just a great time? Monopoly, scrabble, candyland, Cluedo, snake and ladders, operation (also known as Dr Maboul in French)  … What happened? Why did we stopped playing?

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Our society has changed and I guess that we prefer watching series, playing games on our phones, chatting on Facebook and so on. If you went at a friend’s house and if he’d ask you: “Do you want to play Monopoly?” wouldn’t you be surprised? Children are not even playing games anymore. It has to stop! I learnt so much from these games. I learnt how to be careful and how to come up with strategies, I learnt that being good is not enough you also need Luck, I learnt that you cannot get angry if you lose, failure is just the first step to success in many cases. I took morality lessons especially playing snake and ladders, where a player’s progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes).

Games … We still play them. In fact, we play them everyday. With our colleagues, siblings, lovers. We have to admit that it’s difficult to live thinking that everyone is playing. How do we play? I guess we just roll the dice to see what comes next, we step into something and deeply believe in it. We try and try again until it works or, … it doesn’t. We let go, we come back we feel trapped and we wait for our turn. We wait a long period of time, we pretend, until someone else loses. Are we bad people? No, we are just human beings, we expect and we fight.

When NYC was in the dark, some friends of mine told me that they played games to pass the time. Turns out they had a great time! However, will they play again? Will they get together to play, share,fight, laugh and learn like old time?

I truly believe we should get our youth back and start playing these games. Throw Games parties with friends and have a blast. In order for it to happen, just think about easy holiday gifts that you could give or receive such as Cluedo, Monopoly and every other game we played that are etch forever in our memories.

I thank my sister and Isabelle for these cherished moments.

Weird thing about the human brain

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

This is an easy and quick test.

Count how many “F” are in the following text:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Done? Okay, scroll down only if you counted all the “F”

How many? Three?

 

Wrong, there are 6 “Fs” No joke. Count again.

The brain cannot process “OF”
If anyone has found 6 “Fs” he/she is a genius.
Rare to find more than 3 and less you were just not paying attention…

What love really is …

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

― Bob Marley

Voler dans un espace hors du temps, Fly in a space against time

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

Voler dans un espace hors du temps,

Fermer ses sens au goût de la marée

Peut-être est ce possible, vraiment ?

Ou bien faut-il pouvoir aimer ?

Fly in a space against time

Close your senses at the taste of the tide

Is-it possible? Really?

Or do you need to be able to love?

Aimer qui ou quoi comment ?

Love who or what, how?

Ne laisser pas les fleurs fanées !

Do not let the flowers fade!

Mes sourires ternissent en pleurant

La persécution ne fait qu’augmenter

Ou vais je ?

My smiles become dull while crying

Persecution is growing

Where Am-I heading?

Je vole dans une sombre mais douce vallée de coton

Une biche passe par la, hop ! Elle saute si haut…

Je ne la vois déjà plus. Je suis à nouveau seul(e) ?

I’m flying in a dark but sweet cotton valley

A doe is passing by! She jumps so high …

I already can’t see her … Am-I alone again?

Parez-vous pour le défi du temps, les parapluies ne doivent pas oublier

Surtout pas d’évanouissements

Or, il existe toujours ces fées

Elles sentent mon enchantement,

Get ready for the time’s challenge ,Umbrellas cannot forget

Above all, no fainting

Yet, these fairies still exist

They feel my delight

Tout à coup, je suis tuée

Suddenly, I am killed

Mais sans peurs ni regrets et pourtant,

But with no fears nor regrets and yet,

La vie, table basse a bout portant.

 Life, coffee table at point-blank range

Je ne vais plus.

A quoi bon ? Les fruits des désirs me reviennent, Une mûre, une orange et du cassis

La salade de fruit sera pour plus tard.

Repars, temps qu’il est encore temps.

I am not going.

What for? Desires’ fruits are coming back to me, A blackberry, an orange and blackcurrant

The fruit salad will be for later.

Go back, time it’s still time

Choses dites, Choses faites.

Thing said, thing done.

Me revoilà, toujours la, en face de toi…

I’m back, still there, in front of you …

YP

Finkelstein

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

I just cannot pronounce the “TH”. I’ve been speaking English all my life. My father tried so many times to teach me the pronunciation. It’s simple maybe, for me it’s just impossible. I have to really focus in order to make it happen. The first is when it comes to number such as Thirty and Forty. Turns out I pronounce Firty and it sounds like Forty! My “TH” are “F” sounds. So I guess it became cute. I should maybe write a song or a poem, replacing all the “THs” with “Fs”. That would be really interesting. I’ll keep you posted with that idea. So, I guess the fun part is when I say ‘I Fink”, which I usually say in every sentence. The Parisian have this tendency to say “JE” (I) quite a lot. “Je’, “moi” (I,me) no no it’s not egocentric … I mean maybe it is a bit, that’s the French culture. So anyways, I’ve been saying it a lot here too. At first, I’ll even make these huge mistakes: “Me, I Fink that blablabla …” And that’s how Finkelstein was born. No no, not Frankenstein, although it feels a little close. My nickname for now is Finkelstein. That was just ridiculous. I’m getting better everyday, practicing and writing helps too. I just love this side of me though. I don’t know if I ever want to get rid of it entirely. I know I could lose my accent one day, living here, speaking English (as I am half-american already).

What if I lost this cuteness? Would I still be me? It’s funny how speaking another language allows you to change. It’s weird but you get to be a little different, it’s not the same melody, the same sound that comes out of your mouth. The notes are higher in English sometimes in my opinion. I do not speak as fast also. I get to think more about what I’m going to say next. I think in English but I’m careful. I do not know the exact words to describe things or feelings sometimes so I hope it doesn’t affect who I am. I hope one day, I’ll be able to express myself fully like I would in French. The humour will never be the same! Changing languages, having conversations, everything becomes a new experience. Of course, your inner humour is still the same, the physical stuff stays there but playing with words is an entire new world! I was lucky to be raised with American references (TV, Musicals, Songs, Writers …) . It was mandatory that we sang “take me out to the ballgame” and watched the “Wizzard of Oz” when we were little (my sister and I). I am so thankful for all of this, it really allowed me to be part of this wonderful culture, the American one!

Time difference

~ yvonnepearl ~ Leave a comment

Being miles away from friends and family can be difficult. You say you’ll call, you’ll skype, you’ll do the best to keep in touch but there is a certain mechanism that engages. It’s hard to explain but at first, it’s as if you were part of a different world and you did not need to speak to anyone. I want to get set before I call anyone or meet new people. I want to be in the second phase of discovery. I want to know the city a little better so I’m not just a visitor or an outsider. I need to be in control.

Being in control is always such a big deal. For some, it doesn’t mean anything. It usually comes from your childhood (obviously everything does). Your parents were not available or did not show you any affection for instance. You get to build your own world and it seems you get to control it. You have many close friends and you are usually a leader.

I had this conversation with a friend earlier. Yes, I answered the phone. It is always the same though. I feel people call me to get answers and to clear their minds. Is that my role? Is only talking about yourself and focusing on your own problems a selfish behavior? I feel these people need my help in a way. I do not know if I can give them what they need but I can at least give them what they want: a little bit of serenity. When someone frees their mind, opens up, the process itself allows them to feel much better. They are releaved of this pressure …

Being in two different time zones makes it a lot more difficult. It is hard to get a hold of someone and maybe they’re having dinner or starting their day when you need them. The dialogue therefore, is a little less productive and you also get different vibes. I am not saying you cannot help your true friends when you live across the globe, it gets harder that’s all.

Experiencing a new city is also a kind of rebirth. You get to rediscover yourself, you even feel surprised sometimes of the way you’re acting. You act differently because the people, the culture is different here. You may also encounter some dilemmas on how to react to different situations. In Paris, it’s a habit, you live your life as you always did. You need some kind of transformation in order to adapt and become a real LA person. You can try all you want but you’ll always have this Parisian skin underneath, even after years of practice.

Time difference is not just a matter of space. It also comes from misunderstandings. The worst miscommunication you can hear about is usually in a couple relationship. I heard this terrible story earlier. A jealous and possessive woman always asking about her fiancé’s past. She’d only focus on what he experienced before, with who, … Questionning his past sexual life was her favorite topic. It was not really to know or understand him better, it was done in a jealous possessive way and led to hatred. In otherwords, the more he’ll honnestly answer her questions, the more she would get crazy jealous imagining him with another woman doing something. This led to perversion and she became acting aggressively and attacking him for no reason. If he had understood all she needed was to be reassured and if he had said she was way better than the others, maybe even embellishing the truth, the couple could have grown stronger. These thoughts are only maybes … But this behavior led to disaster. They were in different worlds, had a different time zone clock and didn’t connect really. People have to meet when the timing is right. They could be the most suited person, be a perfect match, if the timing is not right, their love, their feelings, anything they have will go to waste …