OCTOGENARIANS WE ALL
ARE!
Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale
We are all now proud Octogenarians,
without a single exception. That is a long time to live, but I am not
complaining!
Apart from water, food and
oxygen, we need most of all a sense of humour. And here is an outstanding example
of good humour.
This oft-quoted adapted lyrics from her well-known song, My Favourite Things, by the famous actress Julie Andrews, who needs no introduction, and hence providing one as required by the Octogenarian Society.
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| Then and Now |
Dame Julie Andrews (born
Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author.
She was awarded numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight
decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, three Emmy
Awards, three Grammy Awards, and seven Golden Globe Awards as well as
nominations for three Tony Awards.
She also has a Granny award as she has several grandchildren!
One of the biggest box office draws of the 1960s, Andrews has been honoured with the Kennedy Centre Honours in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2000 New Year Honours.
Julie Andrews Turning 85
To commemorate her birthday, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favourite Things' from the legendary movie 'The Sound of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:
Botox and nose drops
and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails
and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines
tied up in string,
These are a few of my
favourite things
Cadillacs and
cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent
and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts
and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favourite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my
favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets
and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or
food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating
pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favourite things.
Back pain, confused
brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and
fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention
our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favourite things.
When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the
great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from most of the crowd (some remained seated for very valid reasons), which lasted over four minutes and repeated encores. Please share Ms. Andrews' clever wit and humour with others who would appreciate it.
Sincerely hope all you guys like it and come up with many more unfogettable quotes (which may be forgotten of course!)
ReplyDeleteFabulous! thanks a lot Speedy for sharing. I love Julie Andrews her exceptional voice and acting. This song beat them all! Fits us Octogenarians beautifully
ReplyDeletepramilla
Many thanks for commenting Pram. You are indeed a "fair lady" in more than one way! Keep accessing the blog and commenting.
DeleteThank you Speedy for sharing Julie Andrews hilarious version of Favourite Things. I've read it before, but it still made me chuckle. Yes I do agree with you, one of the important things you need as you get older, to retain your sanity is a sense of humour!
ReplyDeleteSuri
The Sound of Music was such a hit when we were at the faculty. It is so lovely to see a parody of its lyrics so cleverly put together to illustrate the problems and also the vanity of old age. Thanks Mahen, for bringing some humour when it is in such short supply after the loss of our dear friends recently and also the tragic news of the wars and the suffering around the world. Laughter indeed is the best medicine at least for a temporary relief.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nihal. I always believed in the importance of humour just as the author of "The importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde said, ""It is a curious fact that people are never so trivial as when they take themselves seriously." –Oscar Wilde
DeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeletewhile we need to have a sense of humour to navigate our 8th decade, I feel we also need to count our blessings.
So I'm sharing with you some Beatitudes
Blessed are they who understand
My faltering steps and palsied hand.
Blessed are they who knows my ears today
Must strain to hear the words they say
Blessed are they who seem to know
My eyes are dim and my wits are slow
Blessed are they who looked away
When coffee spilled at Breakfast today
Blessed are they with a cheery smile
Who stop to chat for a little while.
Blessed are they who never say
" You told that story twice today"
Blessed are they who know the way
To bring back memories of yesterday
Blessed are they who make it known
That I am respected,loved and not alone
Blessed are they who knows I am at a loss
To find the strength to carry my cross
Blessed are they who ease the days
Of my journey home in loving ways.
"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it"
I think we all are blessed with the above.
Suri
Suri, I can see how a strong Faith can benefit a believer. Your wise words are always appreciated because of your underlying sincerity.
DeleteMahen, thank you for posting Julie Andrews' witty take on old age. We all need to be thankful for reaching this milestone and as the song goes:
ReplyDelete"When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."
There is much for which we need to be thankful
My philosophy is that one must accept these limitations and make adjustments, before they become emergency situations. One has to keep moving, literally, as best as possible.
I think the Brits have a better outlook and acceptance of old age than the Americans. This hits me whenever I watch British movies or television. The older actors in American productions have had cosmetic surgery and try to look much younger than their years. The females look really glamorous (and fake) with all their make up! This is not the case in British productions. The older actors (male and female) have wrinkles,
double chins, thinning grey hair and are often overweight. They look like us -ordinary folk. I have also noticed that there are more roles for older actors in British productions. I just finished watching and thoroughly enjoyed "Thursday Night Murder Club" on Netflix with a great bunch of older actors.
Your observations on American and British Oldies is very interesting! I wonder whether others share your view, at least among your friends and associates.
DeleteThe Human tendency to artificially change their appearance either to look attractive, intelligent,sexy, compassionate, artistic, powerful, etc is a continuous source of amusement to me. Not only do people try to look different but they have different images for different situations. Other animals do not bother as no animal apart from Human beings wear clothes or make-up!
Kumar ,
ReplyDeleteThank you all in celebration of octogenarians. Some quotes from celebrities.
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt.
We are always the same age inside. Gertrude Stein.
I’m not old.I’m vintage .
When you are 20 , you care what everyone thinks, when you are 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks; when you are 60 you realise ,no one was thinking about you in the first place.
Winston Churchill
Great quotes Kumar. Thanks a lot. You quoted Winston Churchill, a master of the intricacies of the English Language. I like his witty comment of John Foster Dulles, a former US Secretary of State, after whom the Dulles Airport is named- "“Dull, Duller, Dulles.” —1953.
DeleteMahendra
ReplyDeleteThank-you very much for this lovely Julie Andrew post which I thouroughly enjoyed. Her humour is much appreciated.
I used to enjoy Sound of Music with Julie Andrew's singing so much that have the CD and see it on and off even now.
We need a lot of this type of humour as we are all octogenarians. Lets hope others would contribute. Laughter is the best medicine ! We should enjoy life as we don't have much long to live.
Chira
I agree with you Chira. I have the CD too although I have not watched it for some time. Indeed we should make best use of the time left to us, as I have said in my comment. Your efforts in keeping the Blog alive is much appreciated and do send some more of your artistic contributions.
DeleteThank you, Nihal, Suri, Pram, Chira, and Kumar, for your positive comments. I am really enjoying all the comments this article has generated.
ReplyDeleteHere are some points to ponder.
Our lives are reaching the inevitable end (unless you believe that death is not an end, but a milestone in a path which extends before and after death).
But we have a responsibility for the generations that follow us. Being conscious of climate change is generally agreed upon. Each of us can contribute even though they may be very small. We may die but humanity will outlast us.
We have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that we should pass on to our younger generation, helping them live a better life. We should be proactive in offering this help with humility and motivated by generosity and not for personal glorification.
Unused skills is a waste that should not happen. Go out and offer!
We may have little time left but we can make it more satisfying if we concentrate on making use of the range of skills we have acquired, making maximum use of the time left and trying our best to be “out of ourselves” and do our best for our family, our community and more broadly, to humankind.
Even when we were young, we knew that life does not go on forever, and we did our best to make the most of our time. That hasn’t changed, although there are more limitations because of the mental and physical effects of an ageing body.
To be cognisant of the fact that we are at the tail end is wise but please do not let this thought dominate your thinking but let it make us value even more, the time left for us.
Out of 167 of us, 63 have passed away, or to put it more positively, 104 are still with us!
Beg your pardon, we have lost 64 counting Padmini. I have been trying to trace the following:-
ReplyDeleteANANDAPPA ,MARIE (ANDRADI)
DOSS, A.E.J.
NAVARATNASINGHAM, G.J.
RAMANATHAN, U.C.
SELLIAH, S. PADMANATHAN
Can somebody help me?
We need good humour now more than ever as our energy levels drop and more inclined to stay at home. I find the Blog a forum of great hope and comfort from the time I start my day. It is so easy to be in touch with a few clicks.
ReplyDeleteHi Mahen
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post very much. I will share parts of it with my friends at the golf club and at social dances. Many thanks for keeping the Blog buoyant.
Chira: I agree laughter is the best medicine; we need lots of it at our age. A few days ago we had lunch at Kanthi and Lukshman Karaliedda's place. I entertained them with quotes from the Blog, specifically those relating to Dr Niles. Both of them broke into paroxysms of laughter making the afternoon all the more enjoyable. It gave me great pleasure seeing their gleeful response and hearing their chuckles. I was so chaffed when the host told me that hearing these stories had a tonic-like effect.
Bora, that was so lovely to hear! Thanks a lot for your support
DeleteMahendra, thank you very much for being the catalyst for an interesting discussion. Another interesting quote attributed to Winston Churchill.
ReplyDelete"A good speech should be like a woman's skirt. Long enough to cover the subject and short enough to draw your attention".
Another superb quote by Warren Buffet, who was the wealthiest person in the world at one time " Birth is an ovarian lottery".
Sanath, as a loyal supporter of the Blog for so many years, it was especilally good to read your contribution. The Churchill quote was hilarious! Warren Buffet's was different but equally fine. Thanks again.
Delete