Chat...You Are Missed!

Chat…You Are Missed!

                 Frederika Menezes

I have always loved to chat – it’s a human thing! Whether face to face or online or over the phone, a chat can brighten one’s spirit sometimes – only sometimes! The different points of view on certain aspects in life being exchanged, discussing favorite books and television shows, movies, talking about friends with friends – no not gossip but rather sharing one another’s friends’ names and what is most loved about the person. Maybe even introduce the friend you chat about to your chat friend! 

I remember when we first got a telephone at home – it was a marvel! It was bright red and had a dial that I would simply love to turn by inserting my finger in the right holes and numbers. How many happy moments were spent on the telephone just dialing and saying hi when my friends picked up their phones!
Simple happy times when chatting meant just that, ‘chatting!’

Today, the word ‘chat’ has lost its innocence! Be it on the telephones or on cell phones or online…only certain few folk who have sensible brains and morals still know how to actually ‘chat.’ The others use this simple word to express animalistic desires and show their daftness!

Poor ‘chat’ where has your innocence gone?

What’s different today that the sex addict, shameless pervert and brainless git use ‘chat’ to fulfill their sick desires? The answer is simply: life is too busy, the world a whirlwind and coming down to it all, easy access to chat-rooms online, chats on cell phones is satisfaction on the go with no gratification only more addiction!

One only has to enter a free chat-room online and invariably one gets hit with ‘hey cute guyzzzzz – horny girl here…pm me’ or ‘horny here…plz someone chat with me…I have my webcam ready’ and the kind of messages scrolling across, up and down your screen oh and yeah they are usually followed by a link to view webcams. Assault to the mind! Insult to the decent user of the chat-room who simply wants to have a nice ‘chat’ not view anyone’s webcam, not see any users sleaziness and definitely not talk dirty and get headaches reading sex driven messages.

Oh chat how I pity you!

One day, I deliberately logged into a free chat-room and it felt like reading the dirtiest magazine! I figured that one had to arm oneself with every moral fiber, every brain cell, every intelligent retort just to hold the porn addicts, brainless gits and shameless perverts at bay.

I thought to myself – a new age Count Dracula that corrupts the innocence of ‘chat’ and destroys values!

Of course there are times when one does get sensible people in these chat-rooms but it is rare. And when such people do make contact, 95% of them lack the knowledge of plain interactive skills but many of these are willing to learn chat skills and change, and are tolerable, harmless.

Bottom line is: Chat has lost much innocence and charm it once had. I write this to say how sad I feel that ‘chat’ is no longer the free thing it used to be – now it is a servant, a slave to perversity!

Chat, your innocent existence is missed dearly!

Brainwashers out there - Everywhere!

Brainwashers out there – everywhere!

          Frederika Menezes

I see we are both back – you to do the reading and me, well, I am back with more thoughts to voice, that I have done on paper!

I was thinking the other day about how certain people think its their obligation to make their friends, loved ones think and believe the way they do. Its like these people must have the final word and thought from themselves instilled into those they decide to brainwash.
I have no tolerance for brainwashers – you cannot tell me whatever you believe is true and what all I am doing is wrong, unless of course, its murder!

I read a lot of books – different kinds but nothing to make me hide my face in shame – the same applies to music, I love every kind of music that I find interesting.
I understand some stick to just one or two types of genres of books and music and I may try to suggest a third genre of each to them but I have never tried to drill it into their skulls! That’s just plain wrong. Plus some are just too strong headed for that task to succeed!

One day two old friends were sitting together and catching up - a natural thing to do for friends who don’t meet for years because one of them is living out of town and reinventing life while the other, is just happy with the everyday routine and little surprises that sometimes spring up from the ground of that very routine.

I happened to be around when the two friends met and it was nice to see joy being exchanged in way of greetings and comments about how little, how much each had changed and so on. Okay, it would be fair to say that I am a good friend of she who happily lives a routine once-in-awhile surprise in life. Nothing wrong with this, especially if she keeps busy and doesn’t poke around in others’ business wrongfully!

Gradually, it became evident that the friend from out of town had a mission in mind – a mission that has been etched in the mind by powerful forces. I tried to catch my friend’s eye to warn of the imminent blowout but could not get the attention required long enough to somehow convey the message.

A book lay on the table between the two friends and it was something my friend likes reading very much - tales of magic and dragons and fairies. I like that stuff myself – it’s all a great pastime and a way to escape reality when it gets right out shitty.
The out of town friend took a look at the book and asked her why the choice of reading? Adding that, the book about magic and the sort went against “Realism”- a book that interested this person and his like minded friends, but not our mutual friend as reading material.
My friend explained how enjoyable it was, took it a step further to add that there was a collection of such books that had been read very enthusiastically and were waiting to be reread. My dear friend spoke highly of the book and the series on the whole, face bright and excited to be sharing this with an old friend. He listened intently – only I knew then irritability stirring inside him.
The question was just there, waiting to be asked, only it never got asked – never saw the light of getting asked. The tirade had begun – angry gestures and exclamations about how bad the book was and the series, how untrue to “Realism” – how my friend shouldn’t be reading such stuff as it was going to bring bad forces in life and turn it bad. ‘Read “Realism”’ the out of town friend said, rather forcefully. If I know my friend I know that if anyone forces her to change her way of thinking, she has no tolerance- still, the friend from out of town went on ranting – eyes had a life of their own on this one that moments before had a melancholic glaze to them, now, they were blazing, intense – much like a waking dragon ironically!

My friend waved the ranting off and smiled – I could see how hard she was trying to keep her lips from curling the wrong way! A vein pulsed in her temple as she tried to change the subject to music. As she asked about the out of town friend’s favorite music, I could tell that she already knew the answer – hell, even I knew it!
Yes, the friend from out of town listened only to “Realistic” music and everything else came from bad influences and got created by those who were trying to ‘wipe out Realism’ – these were his words.
My friend wanted to know (out of pure curiosity only of course!) how the creators of her favorite music went against Realistic music. She asked her now increasingly annoying friend.
With the melodies and words that are used in the songs he explained – went into detail about how if one plays a song of certain genre of music backwards, it will sound like a message from those against “Realism” and how that is bad to listen to!

Well, it ended in a big ‘mind your own business and be my friend or GET LOST!’ from my friend’s expression and yes, her words as well.

The out of town friend has stuck by his beliefs – brainwashing every mind that has no firm thought matter to stick with. Still does am sure but he will restrain himself on this subject when it comes to meet his old friend whenever he comes to town now, he’ll find a subtle way to tell her how the music she listens to and the books she reads are not in the interest of her living a right life. Whatever.

End point - no matter how off the wall one’s tastes might be, do not sit one down and forcefully brainwash that person as peoples’ thoughts are their own.
Books are good – they aren’t mediums of evil and neither is music if you know how to listen to it.

What can ruin an entire life is doubt – doubt in your own beliefs, doubt in the way you live your simple everyday once-in-awhile surprise life.

Sadly, brainwashers are real – they are out there everywhere!

Each To Their Own

Each to Their Own

                                    Frederika Menezes

The world is full of different kinds of life. There’re people, animals and birds, reptiles, insects of various types and aquatic and plant life. All these come in a grand variety and it is wonderful that to certain extent, all can co-exist without much interference from the other. There are for sure some times when one kind of life form causes trouble to another – it is natural I say. The world or earth we live in is part of all living and as such, all life forms must interact, interfere and cross the line with each other at some point or other. That is, after all, what being alive is all about!

However, we humans take the number one position for being alive it seems! I say this because a great many of us are rather too social not just with other living beings but toward one another as well. Oh, we are supposed to be the ones with brains and powers to think about what is right and what isn’t.

How many of us use those powers? Oh we use our brains all right but not always for the best.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we are all bad but just that more often than not, the scales tip the wrong way.

Man is never happy until he has had his way with living, most of us I mean. That is fine – I, myself, am one of the kind but it does not mean that man can overstep all boundaries set by nature. I know I haven’t and never would – not if I can help it and many of us can help it but prefer to pretend we cannot.

What is it we, many of us, do by pretending to be unable to ‘help it’ in certain circumstances? Let’s see, we become civilized savages – invade animal terrains so we can claim them for our own selfish purposes which we are quick to point out that we’re are doing whatever it is for the benefit of all humans.

How very noble of us to be so concerned about our fellow beings! Really, though, what about those lives we have evicted and destroyed?

It’s a constant battle, this one and the losing side are the most vulnerable of the living beings – no guesses as to their identities, now are there? Sure, they might look tough and vast, vicious and capable of defense but hey! looks can deceive and do.

If we aren’t invading terrain, we are taking lives for our benefit.

Respect nature for one is part of it and if one doesn’t respect it, only means one doesn’t respect oneself!

All I have said thus far is about man vs. other living beings. Now, I wish to say a little something regarding man vs. man – might sound ridiculous but stick with me to the end if you aren’t laughing yourself to breathlessness. Okay?

Of all the stuff we folks bug each other with, the silliest and most irritating would be superstition!

Look, I have no problem with people believing in things – every one of us is not the same. We cannot all have the same thoughts, ideas, beliefs and that’s a boon. Imagine if we all thought alike on everything, what a mess!

Granted, there are some things we’d do right by if think alike on them. Things like Peace, Equality, unconditional Love and Respect toward our fellow humans, Understanding, yes well, these are but a few from the top of my head.

One thing that we should not do is compel others to believe in what we believe in or what we fear is right. Superstitious is something not everyone is and those who are must not and cannot force them others to see and think the way the superstitious do.

All brains aren’t wired the same way!

There all types of superstitions. I have to wonder how they, who are superstitious, get on in today’s world. My guess, they’re missing out on lots – this isn’t the Stone Age after all!

The best thing to do would be to keep one’s beliefs to one’s self – don’t spoil it for the non-superstitious ones because face it, this is one war you might never, ever win!

Hospitals and Smells

Hospitals and Smells

 Here’s something I’ve been dying to get off my chest – I hate hospitals! Yes, I know a lot of folks feel the same way but me, who when a kid, once dreamed of being a doctor to feel this way! Shocker! But not really because with time and as kids grow, dreams change.

Most of the time, they do anyway.

I know mine did.

What’s the deal with hospitals being painted white or another equally unimaginative color? No, I love white – just not on a wall and certainly not unaccompanied by a splash or many of other livelier, brighter colors.

The inside of my dream house, I tell you, every room would be painted in the warmest, most pleasant shades of every color in the rainbow.

A positive, optimistic vibe, to life!

Now, do you not think that someone who is ill could feel much, much better if she or he were surrounded by walls that convey cheer and the feeling that her or his health would soon be restored to the fullest?

Or if not that, then at least that the person and those loved ones, if any, could be surrounded by hope until it all fades away when the ill one passes on?

Why are ‘get well’ cards colorful? And why do they come in varied sizes? And those cards that come with words printed inside them, why are those words heartwarming and filled with negative – free sentiments?

Oh, if they do not come with such words printed on them, then why is it that we scribble all thoughts positive on the blank spaces inside the cards?

So many questions and just one answer: to bring a smile, hope and cheerfulness to someone who is in much need of it, to try and make the person forget her or his not being well, if only for a few moments.

If ‘get well’ cards can do that, imagine what soothing colored walls, with every color’s shade of the rainbow could do!

How many folks will then not like the hospital, I wonder! Of course, there is just this one other issue, one of many I must say. But let me talk just about this one now.

The atrocious smell of disinfectants! And dirty floors, horrendous cafeteria  food, walls that look like they have been taken from a horror flick (and badly painted over in white!) but let’s leave these issues for another time maybe – or is it too late???

We have room sprays, eco friendly room sprays most of the time I may add, to spray our homes’ interiors – different scents and all delightful!

Wouldn’t it be really something if the whiff of a disinfectant while in a hospital – whether as a patient or a visitor, made one think of freshly baked chocolate cookies or one’s favorite jelly sweet or just about anything of one’s liking, except the disinfectant smelling like itself?

Ah my friends, my dream hospital presented to you!

Imagination getting the better of me, you think? Maybe! But hey, I have the right to express my thoughts!

Colors and scents play an important role in everyday healthy lives – it only makes sense that it will play an even more important one in the everyday of the not-so-healthy, hospital bound lives.

How many of you agree?

Where's the Music?!

For all those who DO NOT like the radio Indigo show every evvening from 5 to 9 - yeah I DO NOT like it now that's it has turned to a ...here goes - oh and I understand the great Joey D is no longer on the morning show...why, god! why!
I have nothing personal against these radio jocks who come on in the evenings - just that the drive has now turned into a drag (among other things!)

Where’s the Music??

                            Frederika Menezes

Its summer out here in Goa, India and while some make crazy decisions over summer, I have made one good one – to finally get to writing a blog!

I will write when the mood to do so strikes me – meanwhile, here you have it, my first entry!

I choose to share my thoughts (and maybe feelings) about radio shows – how they entertain, bug and of late drive me up the wall at such high speeds I fear hitting the roof would shatter it! My place does have a titled roof you see so…a lot of tiles would shatter but my frustration wouldn’t.

During the times of no television and scattered power supply, people still had the radio however rare. They were big models with a knob or two to get them turned on and tuned into the only station that gave both music and news.

Music, they played music! And what’s more, I am told that the radio jocks were pretty good – good voices, no ramblings like drunken lunatics or any of the sort of thing. No sir!

We are right now at a time where we get so many radio stations and they all give us various kinds of shows – they are catered to the so many varied tastes of the people around. Fine!

Forgive me if you think I start to drift anytime during this piece – I have my radio tuned into this ‘zoo show’ at one of the most popular stations in my little town.
At one point in time, not too distant past, this very program was called the Highway of Music. Like this show, there have been other superb radio shows on one or two other stations that gradually ran their course into muddy lanes and eventually got lost in forests’ trails of newer and wilder audiences that didn’t really appreciate the effort that went into getting these shows together every day.
In other words, they were eaten up by time.

Those who haven’t forgotten the great radio jocks who truly did splendidly over the airwaves and gave us some awesomely fun radio moments and introduced us to the best music at the time, must at times wish they were back on the airwaves doing it all again just like they used to.
I know I feel that way…especially when the ‘zoo show’ knocks me out cold. From sheer boredom and then brings me to in a fit of frustration.

While out cold, I dream I am listening to music, great music with short outbursts of a few seconds coming from the radio jock of my teen years – once I have come to, I hear zoo parliament in session. Music is reduced to what adverts and exciting movie trailers are – teasers!

Confused? It’s the show’s side effects – first, it’ll bore you and then frustrate you! I know I’m not the only one grumbling about the ‘zoo show ‘ but there are many who love the braying of the mule behind that microphone, the cackling of the hens who give the  impression that they are laying and hatching eggs right there in the studio of this otherwise superb station, the other visiting chimps, orangutans, giraffes, horses, wild boars – well, you get the picture. All these have been trained to do humans’ jobs of radio entertaining but development is microscopic.  This circus has no more business but to ruin our listening pleasure – oh, where are the menagerie caretakers?!

The Highway of Music has been hijacked and none of the hijackers want anything but to bray and cackle on air with or without the rest of the circus acts – mostly with!

Those hens must be very good in laying eggs. They do it every day – the mule truly is a beast of burden, it plagues a good many of us by throwing the trash it eats up – the mule spits it all out on air and we got to listen to it barfing so happily.

To a radio music lover , there isn’t a worst kind of air pollution than this!

Why do I tune into the ‘zoo show’ every day if I hate it so much? It is for the same reason many others who are of like mind to me, do – we hope every day that the Highway of Music will be freed from the control of the ever annoying mule, the cackling hens and the assortment of other circus animals.

So far, it’s a futile wait and the ‘zoo show’ goes on…