I am suddenly reminded of words of a song, a happy jubilant song full of hope and optimism Hope and optimism being two of my very favorite emotions and two favorite words. I was thinking of events of the day, how everything is just coming together perfectly. This is the amazing part – I did not even know that things were not together before. How terribly frayed they had become. Too much attention was being paid to the wrong people – people who did not, in any sense of the word, deserve me. My kindness, my humor, my joy but also my intellectualism. They could not be bothered – they wanted only to be entertained. Too bad, so sad for them as they shall learn – perhaps not immediately but soon.
First lets go to the words of the song. Wikipedia informs:
“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” is a song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written initially for the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy. Introduced in the show’s inaugural production by Ethel Merman, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” became one of Merman’s signature songs.
Wikipedia goes on to tell you way more then you ever wanted to know – even more than I would ever want to know. Here are the lyrics to the song. Go to YouTube and hear it sung with great gusto, particularly by Bette Midler, my favorite rendition.
I had a dream
A dream about you, baby!
It’s gonna come true, baby!
They think that we’re through
But, baby—
You’ll be swell, you’ll be great
Gonna have the whole world on a plate!
Starting here, starting now
Honey, everything’s coming up roses!
Clear the decks, clear the tracks
You got nothing to do but relax!
Blow a kiss, take a bow—
Honey, everything’s coming up roses!
Now’s your inning
Stand the world on its ear!
Set it spinning
That’ll be just the beginning!
Curtain up, light the lights
You got nothing to hit but the heights!
You’ll be swell
You’ll be great
I can tell—
Just you wait!
That lucky star I talk about is due!
Honey, everything’s coming up roses
For me and for you!
When I tell you what happened convincing me that this is my inning, that I might just stand the world on its ear, and send it sparkling, you are going to say: Huh???
Me: I got a phone plan that works! FINALLY
Alter Ego: That is not such a big deal, Everyone and everybody has a phone plan.
Me: Everyone but me! The first plan was temporary and did not allow me to make International calls, The second plan only took cash not cards and it was impossible for me to get cash and then impossible to make an connection to give them the cash once I got it.There was a ridiculous sign in their outlet at Queensbury Mall that sad NO CONTRACT with a device. How can you do business when here is no contract? I was constantly frightened that all of a sudden I would be without phone. YIKES.
Alter Ego: So what happened to make everything work.
Me: Well it was Prince Mumbai (a nickname). He finally answered all of my prayers. Arranged for a driver to take me to the Penang International Airport. Arrived there, went to Celecom, talked to Mira who was SO incredibly helpful I have the phone plan of my dream – not my nightmares like the other two Malaysian phone plans. And she gave me a rememberable number. Celecom is open 24/7 she said..
There were even greater joys emanating from the drive to the airport. The hotel driver asked if it would be okay if we picked up his six year old child from school on the way.
Me: It would be a great idea, no problem at all. I love kids and they love me.
The three of us held hands as we walked into the airport. Then on the way back to the hotel, with the wifi now on my phone, was able to entertain with reels. One was me doing water aerobics in the swimming pool, which brought great delight, expressed in Malay but clearly understandable. Talked with the father, SO on Sunday the driver and his daughter are coming to my Lexis Suites pool. I cannot wait to share. I now have greater motivation to learn Malay – it will definitely be a crash course. I have a very strange vocabulary based on words like push and pull, I love you, stuff like that. Life is constantly full of challenges.
With my phone plan I can do so many things that I have been forced to delay. I can perhaps get my life in order. It is been in disarray since I came to Malaysia. However, this disarray gave me an opportunity to be in peace which allowed allowing concentration on the faith and my writing. All’s well that ends well. Shakespeare.
Now two definitions. The first is disarray. I do love its synonyms which are so descriptive: , dishevelment; mess, muddle, clutter, jumble, hotchpotch, shambles. My favorites are hotchpotch, shambles and muddle.
Then the Shakespeare quote. if something has a good result or finally succeeds, previous problems are not important. The message of the play is as follows: Remedy and Resolution. The title of All’s Well that Ends Well marks the play’s interest in positive resolutions and happy endings. Indeed, one of the defining features of comedy as a genre is this kind of happy ending that supposedly makes the problems of the play go away, such that all really is well that ends well.
My goodness that is a great motto for everyone’s life. The importance is a happy ending. That is possible with a never ending attitude of hope and optomism which only can be gained by Believers (in the Islamic Faith). Then all the hardships one suffers are forgotten leaving only the joy of benefits. The hardships make you appreciate the benefits. My new phone plan being the prime example.
Onto another very disparate example. Instagram. I stopped direct messaging people as it took so much time and concentrated energy on only one person. (That is also true about WhatsApp but more about that later.) Instead, on Instagram I publicly comment. From that I receive so much gratification, from so many. Here is my recent example, but there have been many others.
A comment I made on Instagram has achieved, at this moment in time 174 Likes. What I said was not that earth shaking I did not think
Me: Humor is so important in these times. Laughing at Israel’s absurdities is a weapon, very rarely used and must be deployed.
My popular response was to a Sundeep Bhardwaj comedy routine which hilariously spoke of his fears and reluctance in putting a Palestinian flag outside his home. Here is the link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA7EdLZNIGP/?igsh=MTVtemhkaGt5eHhvbw==
The one problem with Instagram is that one receives negative comments as well. Happily there was only one and I had the last word. What was my last word?
Me: You have my sympathies. You must not be a Muslim.
I shan’t repeat the negative comments made. That person does have my sympathies. Not all is going to end well with that person.
October 12, 2024
I write now from the breakfast buffet. I was promised Lexis Chicken and, yet again, it was not served. The communication system in this hotel is deeply and terribly flawed. I am surrounded, not by Malaysians, their families, their good manners, their joy in one another. I did ask a woman (they are mostly women) what country they were from and the answer was Taiwan. Hmmm. So much infighting, terrible table manners, loud voices. I am thinking, however, that it is not distinctfully Taiwanese but instead what happens when people travel in groups. Particularly groups of women. Much of the same behaviors were experienced in the Medina Oberio Hotel which catered to large groups of women pilgrims. One learns a great deal when one travels alone, observing quietly what goes on around them.
Lexis Suites has been a blessing with its Malaysian families but I guess to keep their numbers up they have to let the riffraff in during the week and other ‘down’
Look at me, I did it again. The word riffraff came to mind, looked it up and it is a perfect word. The synonyms are most descriptive and so much fun. Here goes: rabble, refuse, vermin, the lowest of the low, in the underclass, the dregs of society, good-for-nothings, undesirables, rubbish, peasants, Z-list, as common as muck. The antonyms are elite and high-class. Elite and high-class people do not travel in groups, ignoring the customs and habits of the countries they visit. Existing only to please and impress the people in their group.
The riffraff have largely disappeared. They are probably checking out today. Soon the Malaysian families will arrive. Peace, order, tranquility, joy in one’s family and country will reign supreme. Allhanduillah.
A Malaysian family just arrived, sitting at the table next to me. Such a welcome relief.
A couple of hours later.
It was the greatest of families. My new friend will be pictured. She lives in Malaysia, close by. She a kindergarten teacher. We are now Instagram friends. We talked and talked and talked.
On the way out of Roselle saw the sign that reminded me of the 5:30 Zumba class on the beach. Not been to a Zumba class before. Then the Skyview Terrace is open for business, so I can go sing Karaoke with my awful singing voice. Now is one of those moments.
All’s well that ends well.
My YouTube has a short called Summer 2024. The background music is Life is So Good These Days. This is Fall 2024, Life is So Good These Days – yet again.
For believers life can be so good, because it is the Way of Ease. “We will facilitate for you the Way of Ease. (Quran 87:8) . The footnote tells us: “The Islamic way of life which brings about ease in this life and salvation in the next” All’s well that ends well.
Photographs are of my new Instagram friend and I. A early morning photograph sent to two men with the caption Me making a statement this morning. Another photo of the sign in the Queensbury Mall store offering no contract with device – most probably because the Apple phones they are selling are knockoffs with no warranties or guarantees.
