Saturday 14 February 2009

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones, as you will agree, is a beautiful and inspired musician. However, I feel she's unfairly overlooked whenever a book on love is being written. I mean, you're bound to be moved from the core when your eardrums are caressed this way.
Admittedly, the first attempt at writing this post resulted in my branding the 21st century a 'sham' and modern mannerisms thoroughly shallow.
Yes. I'm feeling rather annoyed by the craze that is Valentine's Day. Don't worry though, for I won't spoil the occasion for anyone. So go on; send her that text message with kisses at the end; call the restaurant to confirm the reservation for dinner; double-check that the present is neatly-wrapped and safely tucked somewhere only God and you know of.
Now that you've ticked all the boxes, give yourself a pat on the back and look forward to an evening of unadulterated and infinitely-satisfying love.
Once the whole thing is over, perhaps you'd be remotely interested in my very own take on this rather important issue; one which I had, until fairly recently, a single-minded attitude towards and an unwavering belief in.
Love, or what we think of as 'love', isn't merely a chemical or neuropsychological response triggered in Male by the sight of Curvy, Well-spoken Brunette Female. It’s addiction, obsession, near-worship and an exponential desire (need - let’s be frank!) to spend every second of your day with the person whom, over time, becomes a beacon to your soul.
What a load of dreamy-eyed nonsense, right?
Right.
Love is all those emo-inspired stuff rolled into one big lump that's shoved down your throat everyday. This sadomasochistic dimension to love appeals to quite a lot of people, though, and it’s no surprise to be honest. If it’s the price I’d have to pay to wake up every morning next to Curvy, Well-spoken Brunette -none but her- sign me up and hold my lungs as deposit.
I write about this subject with no reservation whatsoever, because I feel it’s unrefined -unbecoming, even- if I did otherwise. Love, marriage (Relationships - if you want to be ‘modern’) are pivotal stages in anyone’s personal, familial and social development. It's a wildenress that we're bound to sleep-walk into at some point in our lives. Wilderness it really is. Beautiful, magical, unpredictable but thoroughly and endlessly life-changing.
What attracts me to her, though? Why her and no-one else?
Despite years of evolutionary education attributing it to the animal in me wanting to prey on fertile females, I'm unconvinced. Not good enough, I'm afraid. Whilst procreation is quite important to us all, I highly doubt it being the starting point of a relationship.
I won't even bother with the biological aspect: I wouldn't love a woman because she has particular anatomical features. I know many will laugh at this and think I'm lying, but I really am not.
In an attempt to explain why I'm attracted to Curvy, Well-spoken Brunette Female X but not Curvy, Well-spoken Brunette Female Y, scientists claimed that my radars (and yours, so stop sneering) are programmed so as to detect only those who are as attractive as we are (though if you see someone who looks better than you, don't give up!) That's why, sometimes, you notice that a couple look like eachother in quite a few ways. Tom Cruise and his utterly gorgeous wife are a case in point. Prince Charles and Diana Spencer aren't.
Whatever. This isn't anything profound or particularly interesting today. I know.
Though many have dismissed Valentine's Day as the brainchild of some marketing genius, I feel it's an opportunity for ordinary people to celebrate their partners and spouses. All year you're made to look at Jay-Z and David Beckham making all sorts of romantic gestures that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Today, however, a little card with a nice message inside will mean more to her than a diamond-encrusted ring because it's a token of your enduring love!
Well, maybe not a diamond-encrusted ring, but you get the picture.
To those celebrating today with someone, have a good time and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.
To those waiting to love or be loved, don't give up. I hope this post encouraged you to plough on and keep looking..

16 comments:

Touta said...

Valentine's day is a celebration of all kind of love, so do what all culture abiding iraqis are doing and either; if your male..nargeela your night away, and; if your female..buy fluffy cuddly toys. :D
Happy valentines!

Anonymous said...

are you the same little penguin who posts on CYC

Sincerity said...

I don’t think I’m familiar with this rather sloppy lil P? ;) To me Valentines Day is just another franchise, an overly familiar performance conducted by men in suits who work in an office for multi-million dollar companies preying on the likes of you and I. That and its just too cheesy for my liking. With that said, I still don’t oppose dedicating a day to celebrate ones love, its not going to kill you to tell her that you love her, or get her some flowers, or even send her a txt (clearly, XX chromosomes taking over). Nice piece.

To all, Good luck in love.

Little Penguin said...

Touta.. what kind of husband would leave his adorable wife to a cuddly toy while he smokes the night away?.. is that what Baghdadis do? how rude..

anon, well, yes and no.. i'll leave you to figure it out.. :P

sincerity, soppy? well.. yea a bit.. and you're right, it's just a cash-cow for Clinton's, Card Galore and the others.. and you're right too, it's not such a bad idea to celebrate the love you have for others.. everyday of the week, twice on Sunday.. :)

Anonymous said...

then you're related to the one who posts on CYC (or you post on that account sometmes)?

Touta said...

hahahaha, ahhh, little penguin you got it all wrong.

On valentines day, baghdadis go out. they separate into two groups- male and female naturally. The men go smoke nargeela, or pretend to go smoke nargeela as they make a mad rush for gifts. the women sit on plastic chairs either being handed fluffy toys, or buy them from a cute kid who also has roses. :D

and who said love exists anyway...its either physical or personality atttraction, and after that 'love' has worn away people 'love' each other out of pure habit of seeing the same person.
Its all a big hoax-who can love a relative stranger more than they love their family? It just logically will never make sense.
But other than that, the world is full of love etc, and i hope everyone can live in such a blissful state etc. :D

Little Penguin said...

Thanks for bursting my bubble.. I think I'll leave now and head back to the monastery. lol

Touta said...

hhhhhhhhhhh, okay okay i take it back, and in all fairness i did say

"But other than that, the world is full of love etc, and i hope everyone can live in such a blissful state etc. :D"

Ihsiin said...

"who can love a relative stranger more than they love their family?"

I can.

It's all very nice having a day to celebrate love and romance and all the rest of it, but when you look around at the traditions that surround Valentine's Day you have to ask yourself, is this really what it's all about? Was Saint Valentine stoned to death so that we could send cards to each other and eat chocolates made in the shape of hearts? I think not!

And what is love? A blazing inferno trapped in your soul? A cosy hearth fire in the corner of the room? Everyone feels love in their own way, and if they want to express their love by buying cards and heart-shaped chocolates on February the fourteenth it's clear that their love is of the cosy variety, steeped in familiarity and constancy.
And that's fine, if you like that sort of thing.

But given the choice I'll choose the inferno, uncontrollable and ever-changing. Any expression will be spontaneous and Valentine's Day will hold no meaning for me. But that’s just me.

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to be rude but if you write in erm normal English here why do you write like a retared fob on CYC (no offense)

Touta said...

ihsiin,
be careful you don't accidently set the poor girl on fire in your 'blazing inferno'. :D
but i agree, the whole repetitiveness of valentine, and getting a gift is a bit too commercialised and predictable.

Little Penguin said...

Ihsiin, I actually can't wait for you to fall in love with some choong ting.. you'll be so in love with her you wouldn't stand seeing her and so you'll probably end up throwing her in Welsh Harp in Neasden lol

Najafi, thanks for that.. I'm sure my CYC alter-ego isn't a retarded fob.. he's been in this country for many years.. besides, at least there's a more RP side to him.. so stop hating yea? :)

Touta, knowing ihsiin, i'd say he'll make a profound lover.. forgeting blazing inferno and what not, he'll probably set her alight then douse her with his love so that her shoes will forever squelch 'ihsiin, ihsiin' everytime she walks..

Touta said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Eye Raki said...

Your such a party pooper. Birthdays, Valentines Day, Eid, New year... Next think I know it'll be weekends that is on your hit list.

enjambment said...

nice song

some one from there said...

what a subject to talk about....
i think love is just a great, nice or infact a wonrderful feeling one may experience it doesn't need a time nor a regular way to feel it ... one can say i love you by coverring his lover while he or she is sleeping... or even by giving a cup of coffee at the exact time that he\she drinks his\her coffee.. a sight or a smile may carry more love than one can imagine.. for me i love almost all the people i know -and thats not a very good thing- everey one in a way differ than the other.

wish u all to find the type of love that u didn't yet experience.