Just me looking at Nobel 2009

Sweden's yearly Nobel Award ceremony is the most prestigious event of this little kingdom. It is an occasion that stretches in significance to all corners of the world and echoes the achievements of men and women in the fields of science, economics and literature to all generations - past and future. Nobel 2009 is particularly special because there were several women awardees. Generally, the prize takers are men which raised some eyebrows if the women population in the various fields of endeavour are truly inferior to men, intellectually-speaking.

The most interesting aspect of every Nobel ceremony - aside from the names and nationalities of the prize winners, is the pomp and glamour that characterise the event. More specifically, it is the anticipation of what and how celebrities and royalties dress up for this magnificent evening. The Swedish royal family has members whose sense of style is closely monitored by the media. Queen Silvia's stunning gowns are often spectacularly beautiful and she carries them with grace and elegance. Last night's gown of light green embroidered (?) tafetta or brocade was not her best. Princess Victoria was in deep purple with matching jewelry set and Princess Madeleine was in deep green gown. Those gowns were not the best choices and they did not do justice to the wearers.

Among the women awardees, the Economy prize winner - who looks like a kindly Auntie was dressed in a very loose African-looking attire, while the Literature prize winner came out straight from the movie " The Adams family" in her black gown, white belt and red, red lips. Among the Swedish celebrity guests - politicians and who's who in arts and media - the harvest of glamour and elegance was poor, due to a draught which probably it was in the form of an economic crisis still looming in the horizon.

Sitting in my comfortable couch and watching the show move from the Kulturhuset to the Stadshuset ( Cultural center to Stockholm's City Hall ), I remembered 1985 and 1993 when I attended the Nobel ceremony and even danced in the magnificent blue room of the City Hall. Every year, the Nobel has memorable images of both the beautiful and the less beautiful, the elegant and the gaudy, the latest in fashion and the left-overs of a vintage period. But Nobel is uniquely Swedish when it comes to honouring the noble intentions of its founder, Alfred Nobel.#

From one mother to others...

What is it in life that fires our enthusiasm to live? Is it the pursuit of lofty ambition for career, money, love and acknowledgement? At every stage in life, there are challenges we face that we must win over. Think of a new born baby suddenly overwhelmed by the bigness of a universe that sorrounds him, then a small child mastering the use of his motor and speech skills, a little boy or girl enlarging his or her social network in day care, and later in school. As the child grows older, he confronts a growing complexity in dealing with people, things and the world around him.

How are choices made on what's important and what's trivial in life? In the beginning, there is a family that guides the making of choices and it seems safer that someone can take the blame for making mistakes. I have four children I watched grow closely despite the rigours of being a single parent for quite some years. One thing that guided me in dealing with the different phases of growing up, was to avoid the errors made by my own parents and family. I am a liberal parent and dealt with my children as though they were adults, even if they were just small children. If and when they had to make a decision, I allowed them with a reminder that if they made a mistake, they had to take the consequence.

The children I brought to this world have learned to form their own opinions as early as they could muster their ability to think and weigh consequences, to make choices - some daring and adventurous, and savour the triumph of winning new pursuits with every challenge. Today, I watch them with great content that the pursuits they have chosen to take in life are worthwhile and meaningful. They have discovered values to guide them and an open mind to hold back judgment against people and situations that corrupt the world they live in.

I remain the mother and parent to my children, but the bond of friendship is stronger and lasting. One can say that close family relationship is cultural and regional. In less developed countries, the family network is strong and basic to one's life. But in developed countries where the state plays a central role in the upbringing of children through welfarism, family ties are not as close and needful. And when children become adults, it is seldom that parents and children meet except during celebratory events of the year like Christmas. One can say that between birth and death, the moments shared in family togetherness is richer among the poor than in the affluent societies.#