Some of My Favorite Things of 2012

I am not very fond of the “Year in Review” thing. Most of the time, we don’t want to be reminded of the famous people who died; the inevitable (and increasing number of) natural disasters; the wars; the politicians.

So I just thought I would list (for myself and for you all, if you are interested) some of the things I enjoyed in 2012 – including happy memories of our five-week visit to England in the autumn. It is good to acknowledge and recall all these moments, these things that you have treasured. In no particular order (and I have probably missed out a lot; so much to be thankful for).

My book list is books I have read and enjoyed this year. Music and movies include some new, some old, and some I have loved for years now! And birds are just special.

I haven’t added any photos. This is just a plain list. But I plan to add a photo from each “favorite thing” in the sidebar, each day – starting from the top. Plus, I am going to work on some long-overdue 2012 photo albums over the next few days…

If you are not already celebrating, Happy New Year to you all!

Random moments:

∞   Earth Day with Jamaica Environment Trust. This year’s event was with Jana Bent, who read, sang and danced along with her book “The Reggae Band Rescues Mama Edda Leatherback” – thoroughly enjoyed by the children

∞   Looking up at the mountains from my front gate

∞    Picking blackberries alone, on a hillside in north Cornwall

∞   “Gangnam Style”: Yes, the video is sort of tacky, but it makes people dance, laugh and have fun and that can’t be bad

∞   Bill Maher‘s “New Rules”: Bill is outrageous at times but when he is really wicked and smirks, he makes me shout with laughter

∞   Café Cody: Online radio station (cafecody.com) that plays superb chill out music, a bit of jazz, soul etc… “From Mallorca, Spain“

∞   Visiting the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club in north London – a pilgrimage with my son

∞   Walking through the autumn fields in Sussex, England with my brother

∞   Walking along Cornish lanes, studying wild flowers and butterflies and eating blackberries, with my husband

∞   The big guango tree in our yard, hardly touched by Hurricane Sandy, always filled with birds and draped with purple vines and bougainvillea

∞   Delighting in the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition at the Tate Gallery with my husband. Favorite painting: The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt

∞   Singing “Hotel California” with my family, brother playing guitar, by the fireside

∞   The bright children at Trench Town Reading Centre planting seeds in pots

∞   Family wedding on Teesside in England, the bride’s veil bathed in sunlight

∞   Capital Pork (yes, that’s the name) at China Express restaurant in Kingston

∞   iPhotos

∞   Sharing serious but empowering conversations on violence with women (and men) at Women’s Media Watch/Prana event

∞   Bill Hader playing “Stefon” on Saturday Night Live: “And the hottest thing in New York is…”

∞   Very cold soursop juice

∞   Deepak Chopra’s “21-Day Meditation Challenge” 

∞   Walking aimlessly round the streets of London as darkness falls and the streets light up

∞   Palm fronds getting in the way

∞   Going through old family photos at my sister’s house in England

∞    Theo Walcott‘s hat trick in the last game of the year – English Premier League match against Newcastle. Gunners won 7-3.

∞    Watching a fox fast asleep in the sun, on the lawn of our friends’ home in London

∞    Garnier Dark Intense Auburn hair color

∞    Mist, drifting cloud and deep green hills in Mavis Bank, Blue Mountains just before Hurricane Sandy

∞    Holding hands with an old gentleman at JN Foundation’s Christmas treat – Golden Age Home, Cluster H, Vineyard Town

∞    Re-connecting and meeting with old friends, thanks to the power of Google and Facebook

∞    “Homeland” with the infuriatingly chin-wobbling, tearful Claire Danes

∞    Sunday morning breakfasts at Café Blue with my husband

∞    Café Latte at Café Blue; strong black coffee at home

Music:

◊    Jonsi and Sigur Ros: “Go” and “Valtari” (respective albums). This music is so sublime it is impossible to pick out one favorite track. The ethereal, earthy sound of the Universe according to the Icelandic post-rockers.

◊    Bon Iver: “Holocene” from “Bon Iver” and “The Wolves” from “For Emma, Forever Ago”

◊    Youssou N’Dour and the Fathy Salama Orchestra: “Shukran Bamba”  – one of many beautiful songs on “Egypt”

◊    Wilco:  “One Sunday Morning” from the album “The Whole Love”

◊    Kurt Elling: “Blue in Green” from “The Gate”

◊    Jimi Hendrix: “1983…A Merman I Should Turn to Be” from “Electric Ladyland”

◊    Salif Keita and Cesaria Evora: “Yamore” from “Moffou”

◊    Gustav Mahler:  “Das Lied von der Erde” (Song of the Earth)

◊    Puccini: “Tosca” (from start to finish)

◊    Fleet Foxes: “Blue Ridge Mountains” from “Fleet Foxes” and “The Shrine/An Argument” from “Helplessness Blues”

◊    Gregg Allman: “Blind Man” from “Low Country Blues”

◊    Frank Ocean: “Thinking About You” from “Channel Orange”

◊    Tedeschi Trucks Band: “Midnight in Harlem”  from “Revelator”

Birds (special section, bear with me): 

♦    Of course, the Petchary: Our summer visitor from South America is noisy and imperious

♦    The Black-Throated Blue Warbler: Bright, beautiful, always close to the house – and close to me when I am in the yard.

♦    All the other warblers: Sweet, charming, occasionally singing delicate, whispering songs – our winter visitors.

♦    The White-Crowned Pigeon or Baldpate: Big, glossy-black, shy and regally beautiful

♦    Mockingbird or “nightingale” in Jamaica: singing his heart out every day, patrolling the front yard.

♦    Jamaican Woodpecker:

♦    Smooth-Billed Anis, huddled together in a group around our bird bath – big, black, floppy-tailed and hook-nosed

♦    Robin: Its sweet, wistful winter song haunted me in the English countryside

♦    Sparrow: The regular chirping of sparrows in the eaves reminds me of my childhood in London – instantly

♦    Blackbird: Its alarm cry in the hedges of the Sussex countryside at evening time is such a nostalgic sound

Books

♥    The Stories of John Cheever

♥     The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

♥    The Rules of the Tunnel by Ned Zeman

♥    Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx

♥    Where I’m Calling From: Selected Stories by Raymond Carver

♥    The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare

♥    Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson

♥    The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya

♥   The Magician King by Lev Grossman

♥   The Festival of Wild Orchid: Poems by Ann-Margaret Lim

Films

♣    Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

♠    All Good Things with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst – my two favorite actors

♣   Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst

♠   Batman movies with Christian Bale as Batman – he’s just right

♠   Flight with Denzel Washington

♣   The Band’s Visit with Ronit Elkabetz

♣   Everything is Illuminated with Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz

♠   The Big Lebowski with Jeff Bridges and John Goodman

♣   That last Spiderman movie

♣    Ten Canoes with David Gulpilil and Crusoe Kurddal

♣   And Daniel Craig is delicious in everything