Monday, 2nd February 2009
A Tin Heart Beats Too!
Sometimes the world just frowns at you. If everything can go wrong…chances are it will. But it’s not until you savour the crap that life throws at you, that you can truly enjoy the best that it decides to shower you with at times. Some of us are as they say ‘cursed’ it’s almost as though the world has a chip on its shoulder with them. But in the end, there must be some hope for them somewhere!
I particularly like the story of the Tin Soldier. “It’s just a story” some of you might say, but whenever I read a story, I try to apply it to real life. You see there’s always a subconscious meaning to every story told. There is always a second meaning in everything we do or say in life. Some people argue that they tell it like it is. Well yes, to some extent that is possible. If a glass sits on a table, anyone can shout out to the person in the next room that a glass is sitting on this table. Asked which colour the glass is, the person may then choose to give any colour they see it as. It could be green or maybe bottle green, or maybe bottle green and half full, or half empty to the pessimist! I guess I’ve always stood by the notion that, everyone perceives the world in a different manner and that is why I love my job.
I get to write songs about anything I choose. I get to relate a story just the way I want to. No inhibitions. I get to talk about something which people might experience and know that someone out there, can feel the same way, relate to what I say or even disagree with me completely. That is the beauty of life. The way all of us are born into this world of ever changing opportunities. How all of us struggle in some way or another. It’s not always about class, money or luck and something called ove does play quite a specific role!
With Valentine’s just round the corner, I am almost tempted to throw myself into writing a piece smothered with the illusion of red roses and pink cotton candy. But real love isn’t that now is it? To me real love is what makes us a person. It’s finding the half to make your whole. It’s knowing that the person you’re with will watch your back no matter what. Knowing that he/she respects you. Feeling wanted or desired or loved by ANYONE, not just your partner is what keeps us alive.
It keeps us fighting to survive, live and most of all want to share the world with that person. ‘The Brave Tin Soldier’ story by Hans Christian Anderson, is a story of a tin soldier, who arrived incomplete in a box, given to a little boy for his birthday. The soldier was incomplete because there was not enough cast iron to make him, so one-legged he stood there on the boy’s desk.
That same day he saw a ballerina figure sitting on the same desk. With her leg hitched up in ‘arabesque’ style he was misled into thinking she shared his same defect and fell in love. That night an ugly toy troll warned him to stay away from the beautiful ballerina, as it would be the road to his demise. Ignoring the troll, he continued to court the ballerina, until one day the Troll knocked the soldier out of the window into the street below. Two boys put him into a paper boat and he falls into a gutter and was washed away to the drains and into open sea. A fish swallowed him up and the soldier found himself in the belly of this fish in mid ocean.
The twist to the story happens when the fish is caught and taken back to a household, cooked and opened….. The Tin soldier staring back at the little boy in his plate. For some odd reason the little boy throws the tin soldier into the flames in the stove, a draught blows the ballerina into the fire with him and they both perish in the flames together. The maid then finds that the tin soldier has melted into a heart.
How ironic that life has this way of giving us all these emotions. Love on day, hurt the next, hope the other. It is an inexplicable journey that is laden with traps, pathways, and experiences that are best enjoyed with the people we truly love. Happy Valentine to all of you!
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Comments
You're right Ira everyone is entitled to an opinion, but usually an opinionist/critic is backed by facts... or at least well-informed on the subject he's writing about.... I'm afraid Mr Joe Fenech is none of these.
Here you go Mr Fenech take your glory.... but forgive him oh Lord for he knows not what he is saying!!!!
It just shows the jealousy trait one finds in our Maltese DNA. By chance (or NOT) Ira wrote about this in a previous blog posting!
Everyone is entitled to an opinion and you have yours. It's always good for me to gauge where I'm at. A small correction would be in order though. I am possibly one of the only singers sprouting form the Euro song who does not do Hotel entertainment! Which isn't such a dismal job anyways! Always better than being an armchair critic easiest job in the world! Together with other local bands I write and produce my own music and sing my songs, making me YES a professional singer/songwriter. As regards to my degree well thank God I have one and I have a card up my sleeve. now THAT surely doesn't mean I have to ever be a hotel entertainer if all else fails. Even though like I said before WHAT's wrong with that anyway, it's an honest job isn't it? Also about where I've performed a quick visit to my official site and all other google searches will inform you otherwise. In case the Times have a vacancy I'm sure they'll call you though..you write pretty well!
It's as relaxing as going out on the boat ;)
Enjoy the blogs!!
"What I do is MY business - in fact I don't go and write a national blog an a supposedly quality newspaper. Times - give us quality!" - quality is subjective ... your comments are far from being considered as quality pieces but they still appear!
"OK...for those who want to enjoy Ira's woes, runts, and self-indulgence...carry on. You don't seem to have much better to do life!" - If I managed to find time to read your comments, don't you think that I can find time to read quality blogs such as the above?
"A degree in communications and Psychology....Whoooo caaaares???!!!!! There are millions in the world who have the same thing" - probably there are more Joe Fenechs in Malta though!
"A pro singer? Where does she give concerts? At the O2 Arena, the Zenith, Las Vegas... If not - then what is she???!!! OK, maybe not a pub entertainer...a hotel one? Does that classify her better?" - maybe the BMAs and the MMAs? Maybe in Prague last year? Maybe at Duran Duran's and Minghi etc?
"Malta - look at reality in the face for once! Stop deluding yourselves!!!! Success in Malta is easy." - that is why every household knows about you?
"Everyone who opens his mouth becomes a star." - Then I'm a Star!
A pro singer? Where does she give concerts? At the O2 Arena, the Zenith, Las Vegas... If not - then what is she???!!! OK, maybe not a pub entertainer...a hotel one? Does that classify her better? Oh, yes..I forgot - she once participated in a European tongue-in-cheek TV programme where everyone (except the Maltese) goes once a year for a good laugh.
Malta - look at reality in the face for once! Stop deluding yourselves!!!! Success in Malta is easy. Everyone who opens his mouth becomes a star. I'm not saying Ira is bad, but who cares about a blog by an entertainer (with a degree in communicatons and psychology though)... Well, psychology..that's a good one. She could at least have an agony aunt column - now THAT'S useful!
What I do is MY business - in fact I don't go and write a national blog an a supposedly quality newspaper. Times - give us quality!
OK...for those who want to enjoy Ira's woes, runts, and self-indulgence...carry on. You don't seem to have much better to do life!
Times: can you give us some good writers? Offer us some quality not this nonsense!
I just read your blog write-up and felt that I should put down something that actually happened to me whilst living in Malta. I use to work in a hotel and fell head over heels in love with a married woman who NEARL felt the same way. I say nearly because she did not leave her home for me so it was close but not close enough. However, one day as I was walking down South Street, Valletta I met a complete stranger who was lost. I gave her directions. An hour later we had a coffee together and met again that evening. She left Malta the following day. We kept in-touch and now we live together in France. So Ira, for me love was just around the corner and it was and still is like a fairy-tale.
Happy Valentines x
I disagree. There can be many meanings to any message, let alone a whole story. The subconcious plays an important role as well, which brings out sub-texts, both from the writer, and more so from the interpretations and insights of each separate reader. What I understand by a message or story may be quite different from what you, Ira or anyone else understands (hence different meaning). The writer, on the other hand, may have one (or more) improtant message or concept to impart, conciously, but others that he imparts sub- or unconciously. That justifies the many studies and seminars done about literary writings. Even context change (historical, cultural etc) can bring out new meanings.
Happy St Valentine's. Think of all those who love you, and not of those who don't.
Trumped by the urge for self expression =)
A tin soldier
A one-legged mess
He still had his feelings
His heart beat no less
A ballerina,
A beautiful lass,
She fell for the soldier
For his passion, his finesse
A disagreeable troll
And a fated doom
Tried to keep the two lovers
From letting their love bloom
A hearth fire
Like a funeral pyre
Turned the two little lovers
Into a little tin heart