Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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10 GOSPELS OF DISNEY

Sure, the movies are often fluffy and unrealistic; but damn it, they shaped a large part of my childhood and maybe part of yours too. And the songs were not just super-catchy, they also had some pretty deep lyrics if you were paying attention. Let’s take a look.

 

1. “I’m like a shooting star / I’ve come so far / I can’t go back to where I used to be”

aladdinjasmineIn the song “A Whole New World,” Aladdin and Princess Jasmine set out to do something different (since even in a cartoon, a flying carpet is noteworthy) and they have the time of their lives while travelling and falling in love with each other. In real life, we seem to hear a lot less of “When did you last let your heart decide” … and more of the common annoying questions like “When are you going to settle down and get married?” or “When are you going to stop playing around and get a real job?”

The other awesome thing about this line is the fact that it acknowledges experience and adventure as things that can change you, possibly permanently, and hopefully for the better. It isn’t about getting travelling or art or spirituality or self-discovery “out of your system,” like some kind of stomach bug, so you can then go back to doing what everyone else is doing. It’s about growth.

 

2. “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

I want it more than I can tell 

And for once it might be grand to have someone understand

I want so much more than they’ve got planned”

belle

At least Aladdin and Jasmine found each other (and Aladdin always had Abu); poor Belle felt trapped in a town full of people who thought she was a weirdo because she’d rather read books than marry Gaston. Her father, also a social outcast, loved her dearly but didn’t seem to quite get her, either. Almost every great Disney movie I can think of centres its plot on a character who feels (or is) alone somehow, and wants to belong. Probably one of the most universal feelings out there, expressed very nicely within the first act of Beauty and the Beast.

 

3. “Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though I’ve tried

When will my reflection show who I am inside?”

mulanSpeaking of wanting to belong, have you ever tried to make your outward appearance fit a certain standard even though “inside” you felt … well … different?  Always wanting what is best for her family, Mulan starts out struggling to appear as docile and delicate as a woman “should,” and then joins the army and struggles to pass herself off as a male soldier. Feeling as though you aren’t enough (good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, smart enough…) is an awful feeling; I can only imagine how much more difficult it is when you’re facing the risk of a violent death every day.

 

4. “There’s more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done”

The Lion King movie image

I suspect that this line, in the opening song from The Lion King, is supposed to encourage awe and respect for the beauty and vastness of nature, and remind us that each of us is a small part of a very, very, very large family here on planet Earth. But I have a more recent personal reason to repeat these lyrics to myself once in awhile. *ahem*

Ever felt overwhelmed by your to-do list or the expectations placed on your shoulders? Feel like you always seem to have a full plate? If you’re any good at what you do, your list/plate will always be replenished with new tasks that need to be done by someone. If you aren’t, your list/plate/hamper will stay full by default. It’s just now starting to sink in that even the super-busy, ultra-productive workaholic that is me will never complete every single thing I want to complete, and — here’s the kicker — that is the way things are supposed to be. *exhales*

 

5. “I remember Daddy told me, fairytales can come true

You’ve gotta make ‘em happen, it all depends on you”

tianaNo disrespect to the old-school Disney heroines who placed great value on wishing and hoping and dreaming, but the likelihood of a dream coming true will increase dramatically from the moment you get up and start working toward it. Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog, has both the dreaming and the doing down pat … although she does need to learn to loosen up and live a little … hey, no one is perfect.

 

6. “When you find out who you are you’ll find out what you need”

mama odieMama Odie said so! And you can count on some serious wisdom from this “197-year-old blind lady” who we also met in The Princess and the Frog.

Here’s my take on this lyric: Comparison kills! We (me especially) seem to have a tendency to look at the titles and possessions and accomplishments of other people and feel as though we’re lacking if we don’t have roughly the same ones. I wish society would put more of an emphasis on finding out who you are before you go chasing after a career or certification or goal or lifestyle that may or may not hold much value for you (as opposed to waiting for the clichéd midlife crisis). Let’s start this new trend together, shall we?

 

7. “Think of the happiest things! It’s the same as having wings”

peterpanIs this a corny line? Sure it is. Just as you might expect from a song sung by a magical fairy-boy teaching his human friends how to fly out of their bedroom window.

Although this is probably the most racist Disney movie I’ve ever seen, I read somewhere that the story of Peter Pan has pretty interesting connotations if you consider wartime London, England as the setting. Think of how many children had to “grow up” too fast; think of how badly you might have wished your son or brother could remain a boy forever and only ever fight imaginary enemies. I’m sure many people of all ages, in war-torn areas throughout history and all over the world, have wished they could just fly away. The simple hope offered in this lyric … the suggestion that if you focus on “the happiest things,” you can get away from fear and gloom, if only for a brief moment … is vastly preferable to a chorus of “duck and cover,” don’t you agree?

 

8. “You think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you 

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew”

pocahontasjohnIn other words, we could all stand to judge less and listen more. Far more. Or as my mom told me once, “Never assume that someone knows as much as you do or as little as you do.”

Yes, this movie is historically inaccurate and incredibly sugar-coated; that’s another talk for another time. But Disney’s Pocahontas has a wonderfully patient and understanding way of showing John Smith how limited his thinking has been, and making movie audiences everywhere reevaluate the meaning of the word “savage.” This is just one wise lyric in what is still one of my absolute favourite Disney songs. In fact …

 

 9. “How high does the sycamore grow? If you cut it down then you’ll never know”

TreeNot only from the same movie but even from the same song as #8 above, this is one of the lines that is most likely to bring a tear to my eye, anytime, anywhere. I can think of few things that make me sadder than the idea of wasted potential. Wondering if someone who died young could have grown up and been the next Nelson Mandela or Mother Teresa; knowing that the five minutes it would have taken to ask someone how their day went, once in awhile, might have saved that relationship. I think the underlying lesson here is about long-term gratification, and realizing that if I chop down a tree today because I want a better view from my house tomorrow, I may be stealing something from future generations that they will never be able to get back (the idea of saving trees has really resonated with me since my fifth-grade school trip to see the effects of clearcutting in Northern Ontario).

 

 10. “I ask for nothing, I can get by

But I know so many less lucky than I…”

Esmeralda-(The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame)-5I dare you to listen to the song “God Help the Outcasts” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and pay attention to the lyrics, and not be moved. This is one of the simplest yet most touching prayers I have ever heard, and the entire song poignantly revisits the idea of wanting to belong. Sung by Esmeralda (a “gypsy”) inside a Roman Catholic church (a place that would have preferred her to stay away) to an all-knowing deity who might rebuke her as the people of the church did and whom she is not even sure exists, this entire song is worth listening to if you’re new to it or revisiting if you aren’t.  In fact …

Here it is. Thanks YouTube!

Oh, and an honourable mention goes to the song “When You Believe,” from The Prince of Egypt.  The movie version is nice; the Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet is awesome.  Til next time …

DSC07589

10 THINGS DUBAI HAS TAUGHT ME SO FAR

It’s Tuesday! And the first Tuesday of every month this year I will publish a Top Ten list of some sort. Let’s see how this goes …

Being away from home, especially when traveling solo and especially for long periods of time, provides an awesome opportunity to learn new things. Mind you, most are things you could have learned at home too, but sometimes it takes a new environment or a new experience for a lesson to really hit home. Here are a few that have found their way into my consciousness since I came to the UAE.

 

1. Language doesn’t have to be a barrier.

The UAE is officially an Arabic-speaking country, with English commonly used as the language of business. With roughly 80% of the population being expats from some other country, you can hear dozens of languages being spoken, including every accent and dialect of English imaginable. Knowing how long it took me to become even somewhat functional in the French language, I have so much admiration for people who have perfected or are learning English (which is a VERY difficult language to learn), and true respect for everyone who has ever packed up and moved to a place where their mother tongue is not commonly spoken.
DSC02685
This lesson has also taught me more about the power of music; the amount of people worldwide who know the lyrics to an iconic song by The Eagles or Bob Marley, even if they speak very little English, is mind-boggling.

 

2. You can miss someone even as you’re talking to or seeing them.

This one surprised me a bit — the last time I spent any significant amount of time away from home was in 2008, and I didn’t have Skype but I was physically close enough for about 10 of my family members to come visit me midway through the trip. I figured homesickness would be an obstacle during this Dubai gig, especially during the holidays, but sometimes it goes deeper than “I wish I could hear this person’s voice” and “I wish I could show them what I did today” … Sometimes, even as you’re looking at their face and hearing their voice and commenting on one another’s Facebook pictures, all you’re thinking is “I wish I could give this person a hug. Right now.”

Nothing beats in-person contact. Case in point: my godson.

Nothing beats in-person contact. Case in point: my godson.

Don’t get me wrong, Skype is awesome! But there really is something magical about being able to share the same physical space as a friend or family member. Makes me think I should plan some kind of big party when I get back to the T.Dot =)

3. Remain grateful.

Now is a good time for this reminder — there will always be something to complain about, and there will always be something to be grateful for. Focus on the latter (unless you want more things to complain about; then focus on those instead and watch them multiply.) Much more here than at home, I wake up and am immediately reminded that it’s a better use of my energy to focus on the many amazing things about my life, right now and in general, than the things that aren’t exactly to my liking. Especially when you don’t have to look too far to find someone who would gladly trade their troubles for yours (I blogged a bit about this here, at Christmastime).

In fact, it’s interesting to list some things that really stressed you out at one time in your life, now that you’ve reached a vantage point where you can see how unimportant those things really were. I had to stay in a hotel overnight in Montreal once on my way home from Haïti because the plane left Port-au-Prince too late to catch my connecting flight, and when I got there they wouldn’t let me use my dinner voucher … oh, boo hoo! It’s almost embarrassing now to remember how much I groaned and complained about that.

 

4. Go ahead, try a new dish.

Most of us love food, but lots of us are scared to eat something we’ve never eaten before, or something we find difficult to pronounce, or something we don’t know the name of at all. There are things on offer here that I don’t want and may never eat (like mussels … ew), but I’m proud to say I did start sampling new things right away. Like ful medames (pictured), and malva pudding, and millefeuille, and these little pastries with ground-up pistachio and sugar and cinnamon that are heavenly once I pick out the raisins with my fork.
fulYou never know when you’ll get a chance again, so take a lot of chances.

 

5. Go ahead, try a new drink.

Whoa! Some people get really, really attached to their favourite cocktail or brand of beer. While I am not the worst example of this, I have always been a hardcore piña colada girl (just ask the bar staff in the lounge where I sing, they tease me about it weekly). And yet, the other day I was cajoled into trying something called a mint splash, a milky minty green cocktail that reminds me of the Shrek McFlurry at McDonald’s awhile back. Love it!

Not sure why all the images I'm seeing online are white or brown; mine was green =)

Not sure why all the images I’m seeing online are white or brown; mine was green =)

I also tried the newest drink offered by KFC in mall food courts out there: a mojito that has no liquor and tastes like a hybrid of Sprite a 7-Up with real mint leaves in the cup. Weird? Yes. And I didn’t really like it. But at least I tried it =)

6. It is acceptable, even admirable, to take a nap every day.

Back at home, my attitude toward naps was back and forth between “Naps are awesome and I totally deserve one today” and “Napping?! Who has time for that?!” But when I got here, jet lag kicked my butt and a nap a day became my new normal (sometimes 2; 9 hours ahead is no joke!).

Napping in the sun? Don't mind if I do ...

Napping in the sun? Don’t mind if I do …

Besides, my main job here is to sing; just my luck, when I’m tired, you can hear it in my voice. Plus 6 nights of the week my shows wrap up around 12:30, with me often being too keyed up to go to sleep until 2am, and sleeping in would mean missing breakfast — so naps are imperative, no matter how much the more seasoned musicians tease me! Your schedule may not be as funny as this, but for real, if you aren’t making time to rest once in a while, you are doing a disservice to you and everyone involved with you or your work.

7. Establish a routine.

While we’re talking about daily naps, we might as well discuss other good dailies. I say aim for at least 3 things that you do every single day, without exception, which are helpful to you. 3 of mine are praying, doing my simple floor exercises, and writing something.

DSC07672There have been times when my list of dailies exceeded 12 activities, and feeling like you’re your own drill sergeant can be kind of miserable sometimes, so I eased up a bit. But when you start with 3, it takes less time than you think to get into the routine of doing those 3 things every single day. Then you can start to add in more. Whatever your goal is, I am willing to bet that the people who have achieved it already did so by focusing on their daily activities, no matter how mundane it seemed at the time. Routine is important.

8. Dash it away once in awhile.

Because breaking from the routine is important too! That’s why there are vacations and PA days; veering away from the routine, for some needed rest or for something spontaneous and fun, is also necessary.

Being in a situation where I get one day off per week, I’ve been making the most of each day off. I laze around at the beach. Or I catch up on chores. Or I shop and sightsee and attempt to get into Tyrese Gibson’s birthday party and get home after 5am. (Yeah, that was a really good day off, lol!)

dec29.009You know what they say about all work and no play … So change it up every now and then. =)

9. Whatever you wish, believe or have been told your area of work is, your primary business is connecting with people.

Honestly. Can you give massages better than anyone else in the world? No one will call you their favourite masseuse if you do so with a scowl or with dirty hands. Likewise, if your architect designed a gorgeous house but it was different from what you’d commissioned them to do, you might not be too happy about it.

Two of our awesome bar staff, Sumesh and Dony! I'm too much of an alcohol novice to comment on their bartending skills but I know they make the experience enjoyable! (This is them jumping up to Hot Hot Hot - made me so happy!)

Two of our awesome bar staff, Sumesh and Dony! I’m too much of an alcohol novice to comment on their bartending skills but I know they make the experience enjoyable! (This is them jumping up to Hot Hot Hot – made me so happy!)

All skills are important in pretty much every field of work, and that includes communication and other social skills; and I’m starting to realize how little of that was taught in school. When you throw language differences into the mix, it becomes even more important to connect and communicate with people.

 10. Learn about yourself.

Have you noticed how many people seem to pride themselves on knowing a lot about someone else? Sometimes the someone else is a person who they will never even meet. For example, it worries me when a parent knows who all the celebrities are dating and marrying and divorcing this year, but is unaware of what’s going on in their own home. I really recommend taking the time to learn or rediscover things about yourself, whether you ever feel the need to share those discoveries with someone else or not. Here’s one thing I found about me: I am happy when people come together and sad when people separate. (Deep down I always knew that, but again, being here helps crystallize a few things.)

Jacuzzi journalling. I need to do this more often.

Jacuzzi journalling. I need to do this more often.

So there you have it!  My first Top Ten Things blog of 2014. I’d love your feedback, either here or at www.facebook.com/chattrisse or www.twitter.com/chattrisse or even www.youtube.com/seechattrisse … And to be added to my mailing list, please send an email to chattrisse@gmail.com with MAILING LIST in the subject line. Bye for now!