gaelikaa's diary

I used to belong to this militant group of  schoolgirls in my early youth.  We were taken away from our families and brainwashed.  We used to march around in military type uniforms and sing patriotic songs.  We used to declare that we would die for the Catholic faith if necessary (Our fathers chained in prisons dark were still in heart and conscience free, how sweet would be their children's fate, if we, like them could die for thee!").    It's hard to believe now, really.  Sounds dreadful, doesn't it?  It was called the Girl Guides.  The Catholic  Guides of Ireland, to be precise. I learned a couple of useful skills there.  I can tie a mean reef knot.  I know my rosary backwards and forwards. I always feel guilty about being late and failing to be neat enough to pass inspection.  But a free spirit like me couldn't be chained up for long and I escaped when I was around fifteen.  Mind you, it was politics.  Some young one called Treasa (that's the Irish for Te

Over at Ramana's blog (hello, brother!) there is a post about the Miss Tibet competition.  Apparently there are various opinions about this. I commented on the post and that comment makes the substance of this post. I said: I’m not a great fan of beauty pageants for idealogical reasons but I’m not greatly disturbed by them either. Live and let live. I draw the line at rabbit costumes though. As well as artificially blonde hair and breast enhancement surgery.   Miss Tibet should take her place in the international beauty pageants. She’ll have her moment of glory. Then one fine day, she’ll be battling the wrinkles, grey hair and middle age spread just like the rest of us. Spiritual beauty is the thing to aim for here. Just be ageless and transcend the limitations of the flesh. And that's about it, really. If you would like to leave a comment please click on the heading and wait for the Intense Debate Comment System to load.  Thank you.

The word 'glory' has several meanings and I'm only beginning to realize that.  The one that springs to mind is the great feeling you get when you achieve something special and particularly the recognition you get for it. Everyone knows how awful it is when you work hard for something and someone else gets the glory, or rather, the credit for it. The first time I heard the word 'glory' was in a prayer we learnt for the Mass.  I went to a government primary school in Ireland.  In those days, Ireland was heavily under the influence of the Catholic Church and I remember learning a huge amount of prayers and hymns in school.  The Irish education system was heavily into Catholic doctrine, Irish language and very little else.  I do remember learning some literature and history too.  I don't know how any of my fellow students became scientists.  There wasn't too much emphasis on scientific stuff as I remember.  But when you're being educated to be a good Cat

The Proud Wife by Kate Walker My rating: 4 of 5 stars Romance is a popular fiction genre and one I enjoy occasionally.  I liked this one a lot.   A satisfying read for anyone who enjoys emotional drama.  Only two characters and a few bit players.  A couple get together to discuss their divorce and realize that they're still in love.  Through the dialogues we learn the backstory, how they met, how they parted and how they find their way back to each other again.  If there is a message and I do believe that all good fiction carries a message, it is that when you are swept away on a sea of passion and tossed on the tumultuous waves of desire, the events of life can still bring you back to earth with a bang and love needs commitment and work rather than going with the flow.  Well isn't that what our mothers used to tell us? Kate Walker is easily one of the best writers of romantic fiction today and she writes  well.  The sexual description is tastefully done. Romantic nov

It has been several weeks since I have done my regular Loose Blogger Consortium post.  But today's topic is close to my heart, so even though I'm late, I've ot a few spare minutes and I've decided to do it .  Anyone who knows me or even reads my blog regularly will know that I was born and brought up in a Roman Catholic family in Ireland, which is as Catholic a country as you will find in the English speaking world.  I was quite a devotee of the whole 'Catholic' way of life until the Murphy Report of late 2009 (and 2010) in Ireland awakened a few old memories and shattered my illusions.  I now style myself as Christian and nothing else. However, the values inculcated by my upbringing will probably never leave me.  Respect for life is paramount in my philosophy.  I am totally opposed to abortion and mercy  killing.  Human life is sacred.  In my opinion, when respect for life goes, nothing is left. India, where I live, has a large population problem.  For many y

When Yash decided to marry me all those years ago, he was aware of the fact that he was going against a very strong tradition of the culture of his community. I am talking about arranged marriage. Arranged marriages were and still are very much the norm in eastern cultures. Things are slowly changing and nowadays, many of the marriages we attend are in fact ‘love marriages’ as they have come to be called. Well, as Yash sometimes says, in a lighthearted manner, ‘all marriages are love marriages at first. Then they turn into hate marriages'. I just say ‘speak for yourself!’. People in the modern world generally have a concept of marriage as having something to do with romantic love, but that's only a modern concept. Marriage is something which is practical and which needs a practical basis. As far as I can see, it is only in the last century or so that people have been having marriages which are based on the concept of romantic love. In Ireland, where I come from,

I'm taking a blogging break at the moment in case any of my friends drop in.  I have a lot of stuff going on at present which I'm dealing with.  It will give me great material to write about once I resume my blogging. I'm just asking my blogging friends not to give up on me just yet.  I'll be back again soon, I promise. And yes, I miss all of you!