Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

And a winter came...

That means only one thing - Holidays!

For most of the world Christmas comes first, meaning Christmas shopping, and everything that goes with it. Means - lot of stress and lack of funds... What everyone tries to achieve during that day is to make someone happy, surprising him with a gift. 

Thing is... People tend to forget that Christmas is not a state of bank account - it`s a state of mind. And it shouldn`t be once a year, it should be celebrated every day of the year. I guess you got confused by this statement.

Well, allow me to explain. As I said earlier, Christmas is a state of mind, so instead of buying gifts, try something different this year, try to forgive those who have done you wrong - that`s the greatest gift for your enemies, and it comes with surprise, cause I bet they never saw that coming. So, no matter what they`ve done to you, find a strength in yourself to forgive. It will boost your Christmas mood, and make someones day.

And, as for your loved ones... Well... just show them how much you love them. It doesn`t matter that`s the thing that they are suppose to know, it always feels nice to hear that again.

Than, New Year comes... Time to sum up previous year, and make new resolutions for the next one. Well, first thing you need to do there is to stop making resolutions! Like, right now! Ever wonder why you always feel kinda depressed around this time of year? That`s because. Stop making long term plans, cause you never know what tomorrow brings. Just go for it, use it best way you can, and don`t forget to have fun along the way. That`s most important thing. Next year try not to do things that make you feel anything but happy. 

To sum things up... Things to do next year: 

1. have fun - lots of it

2. keep up the Christmas spirit all year long by forgiving and loving

That`s all you need for successful year... 

And of course lot of music, good friends, lot of laughter and everything that goes with it...

Imaginaerum

Taikatalvi, an Elvish lullaby that came straight from Middle Earth. Calming music, and Marcos` hypnotic voice slowly gets  you into daydreaming. 

Then - Storytime - captures you, inviting you to adventure, to the unknown, forcing you to embrace your dream and explore it to it`s limits. 

All of the sudden, comes unexpected - on your road there`s wild river that you need to cross, and a pale light on the other side - Ghost River. Storm hits harder with every step you take on small, old, rotten bridge. Fear overrides you, but still, pale light on the other side is calling, and there`s no place to hide, no way back - you have to cross it... 

You made it to the other side. Sitting tired on the shores, you`re watching the sky clears, and stars appears one by one. The road ahead is covered with moonlight. Wet stones on the road sparkle, and the distance is calling you - Slow love, slow... 

With the ticking of the clock, the dawn comes, and then you get to see the landscape surrounding you for the first time. Beautiful nature, wounded by the last night`s storm, almost being able to hear it - I Want My Tears Back. 

Than beautiful landscape turns into dark forest, and with every step you take it becomes more and more dark, until tree branches cover the sky completely. Trying to get to the other end, you rush, making even more noise than that that old trees are making. Fear gets to you, and you start to imagine things that are not there, things that came from your childhood nightmares... Scaretale gets you, and you can`t escape it easily.

Once you made it to the brightest place in the middle of the forest, you sit to catch your breath, while your heart is pounding in the rhythm of Arabesque.

While resting, you see small path that seems less dark than the main road, and you decide to take it. The path leads pass the sea shores. On the horizon there`s a ship sailing away. Sea breeze caresses you. It`s time to Turn Loose The Mermaids. 

Without noticing, day slipped away, and another night is coming. Stars start to light the sky once more, and pale light that you once saw turns out to be lighthouse. You walk to it fallowing sea shore, watching the waves Rest Calm on the shores. 

Walking within your thoughts, unusual flock of birds caches your eye. They are moving south, or so it seems. All you recognized were  The Crow, The Owl And The Dove. 

And there you are. Standing in front of lighthouse. You reached your destination. It`s time for the Last Ride Of The Day. The old lighthouse door are half open, and you enter...

At first your step is uncertain while you climb the stairs to the top. Fear of unknown is getting to get to you. But you fight it, determined to find out why your road lead you there. At the top surprise awaits - the room of mirrors. Making you face your biggest fear - yourself. You reach back for the door, but they`re gone. Instead of them, a tombstone stands there - with your name on it! Below, stands carved Song Of Myself - the story of your life. You stand there, scared, reading it... It seems like it will never end, and everything`s there - every word you said, every thought you had...  Everything fades while you read, and you can hear only sound of sea, in the end that fades away too... And you realize that you`re gone... forever...

You wake up from your dream. Not knowing was it real or not. Feelings are still really strong, all the sights you saw are still colorful. You`re happy that all of that was just a dream, your own Imaginaerum... 

....Or was it?....

The Story

Each one of us has a story to tell. Some just know better ways of telling it. 

The story I`ll be working on comes to this sentence: "Love story that happens in a dream connecting two people from different centuries."

Sounds good enough... There`ll be some twists and turns of course, unexpected events, and all the things that seems to make a good story. 

The only problem is this... Everything sounds good in head, but when it comes out on the paper it become lifeless... it simply dies... All that fantastic nature, and people, all those characters real or imaginary die... Because there`s no place for them to live in. They came out of writers imagination, they are written and printed, and then stored on shelves. And as time passes it seems that they`re getting forgotten more and more. Main problem of imaginary characters (and I`m sure they would agree with me on this) is that there`s no one to bring them back to life. They all need someone`s imagination to get a form and life. 

Storytime poster (imaginaerum)

As time passes I just guess Snow-white won`t find dwarfs, Cinderella has no need to lose shoe, Rapunzel has no need to grow golden hair... they`ll all get forgotten in the land of Neverland...   

The Crow, The Owl And The Dove

 Second single (?) from Imaginareum. We sure haven`t see this one coming. After blast that Storytime was, Nightwish presents to us one calm song, without bombastic effect of the orchestra. Music composed in a way that seems like a soundtrack from dream you just had, but forgot after waking, leaving only humming melody in your head and question where did you hear that song before...

To hear it go here and type Yovissy.

For those who want to wait until Imaginaerum release, but still curious about lyrics here they are:

Don't give me love, don't give me faith
Wisdom nor pride, give innocence instead
Don't give me love, I've had my share
Beauty nor rest, give me truth instead

A crow flew to me, kept its distance
Such a proud creation
I saw its soul, envied its pride
But needed nothing it had

An owl came to me, old and wise
Pierced right through my youth
I learned its ways, envied its sense
But needed nothing it had

Don't give me love, don't give me faith
Wisdom nor pride, give innocence instead
Don't give me love, I've had my share
Beauty nor rest, give me truth instead

A dove came to me, had no fear
It rested on my arm
I touched its calm, envied its love
But needed nothing it had

A swan of white, she came to me
The lake mirrored her beauty sweet
I kissed her neck, adored her grace
But needed nothing she could give

Got to grieve her, got to wreck it
Got to grieve her, got to wreck it
Got to grieve her, got to wreck it

Don't give me love, don't give me faith
Wisdom nor pride, give innocence instead
Don't give me love, I've had my share
Beauty nor rest, give me truth instead

Unofficial The Crow, The Owl and The Dove cover

Storytime

It`s one of those songs that you want to play in your car on the freeway and see where the road takes you. No planes, no agenda, no nothing... Only this song and open road ahead, taking you into new adventures. 

This song makes you feel free and unleashed in so many ways, ready to take a leap into unknown, and face your deepest, darkest fears, knowing that you`ll come out into the light on the other side. 

It`s like jumping off the high cliff into the deep water, and than rising up for some air before you continue your search for the lost treasure under the surface of water. 

Roller-coaster ride - that`s for sure, and that`s what we`ve been promised, and that`s what we got. A small preview of the upcoming Imaginaerum album, that will for sure continue what this single started. Only 2 more weeks to go... 

"Imaginaerum - a dream emporium"

Precious

That`s sad but true... Life goes on... Even if we lose someone dear we couldn`t imagine life without. No one lives forever... The ones left behind get stuck with the pain, the tears and empty place in their heart no one will ever fulfill. 

Life is precious thing, not given to be wasted. And it`s fragile... And it`s a lot of things that it shouldn`t be, but those things we can`t affect on. We should try not to affect situations, but to affect and inspire people that surround us.

Time doesn`t wait for anyone. It goes on, smashing the mountains, and drying up rivers, changing everyting all the time. 

In the end... it`s not what you did, but who did you knew, and what kind of person you were is what defines you. 

Erase/Rewind

Many of us would be really glad if we could just go back in time and erase bad things that have happened, or just change things we have said or done. Only that can never happen. And we shouldn`t be able to do that. Why? Well, the answer is more than simple - If we haven`t done those things in past, we wouldn`t have become who we are today. Good things, or bad things, they all influenced who we are today. And all those mistakes we have made... well we made them so we could learn from them, and grow. History repeat itself, that`s what we`re told, but it doesn`t have to if we`re careful enough, and willing to learn from mistakes we have made.

Quietly...

There comes a time when all you need is silence. When speaking causes so much effort that it seems unbearable to speak, and you hate every sound that comes out of your mouth. And somehow, everyone needs to know why you don`t feel like talking, or laughing, or just wants to know what`s up. How do you explain that there`s nothing wrong and that you just want to be left alone, surrendering yourself to your thoughts, fallowing them wherever they may lead you? I guess you don`t... Cause they wouldn`t understand... No one ever does...

Ocean Soul

Feeling of loneliness... It sucks! It really sucks! Feeling that no one really cares about you, even you thought they do, even they are supposed to... That really sucks! Big time!

No matter how hard I`ve tried not to think that everyone`s the same - they kinda are... Everybody cares about themselves. They come first - then everybody else, if there`s space for them of course. People are selfish and self-absorbed. That`s the truth. 

And when we`re on the topic of truth - Have anybody noticed that "truth" is really flexible? For each and everyone "truth" is what they want it to be. And when you tell them how things really are, all they can do is scream something in their defense and end the topic. Just like that. "It`s over. We have nothing further to discuss." Come on, seriously? Is that all anybody can ever say? I guess that`s it. Cause I never found anyone so far willing to finish discussion they started.

Everyone is searching for someone to blame. They are never the ones to blame. They all play victims... Yeah, right!

Don`t get me wrong... I can be like this sometimes, but I`m not afraid to admit that I`ve been wrong. And I`ve been wrong many times. I might be even wrong right now... 

But so far, this is my choice. And, if all of this isn`t right I "choose" to be wrong, same way I will "choose" to say that I`m wrong. And I`m not scared, or ashamed to admit that I`m wrong.

And after all, we all choose to become who we really are. Maybe that`s their choice? I just need to learn to accept things as they are, and if things are really like this... than this isn`t the society I want to belong to...

OceanSoul - Nightwish/by TheIslander

Losing emotion
Finding devotion
Should I dress in white and search the sea
As I always wished to be - one with the waves
Ocean Soul

Sleeping Sun

There`s something about fall that speaks about life more than any other season of the year. Maybe it`s the shortening of the days, less sunny and more rainy days. Maybe it`s the gray sky and trees that look like they`re caught on fire...Fall is time of contrasts, time where nothing is the way it was, when everything changes.

A lot of people think about fall as ending season. But not me. I guess it`s because I`ve always been a bit Dark & Twisty, or weird in most ways (but good weird, not bad weird). Fall is simple the season of transition. Transition from light into the darkness, from technicolor into monochromatic, slowing down for a bit, until everything stops for one single moment just to start all over again. 

There`s time to stop, take a breath and see where you want to go next, what you want to change, who you really wanna be. Close all doors where you don`t want to go back, and see what lies ahead. While everything else falls into hibernation you get a chance for a fresh start. To set a goal and go for it. 

I`ve never been that good in fallowing one path to the end and see where it leads. I always find some smaller path that goes along the main road and decide in one moment that I want to see where that path takes. Most of the time that side path leads nowhere, but it`s not about the destination sometimes, it`s about road taken. And sometimes missed chance opens the new side path worth exploring and discovering something that others missed. 

And that is all about. Small things, that doesn`t matter to anyone else, but means whole world to you. Things you value more than anything else. Things worth living and fighting for. Things that makes you unique, someone`s stranger, someone`s best friend. Nothing is out of reach, it only takes longer walk to get to it. 

Like I said... Fall is time of waiting... Time of time... Time for thoughts... Before we notice winter will come bringing some new challenges with it, and silence of cold white nights. 

So, for me, fall is just another:

"...a moment for the poets play

until there`s nothing left to say..."

Take the Lead

There`s constantly a lot going on on my mind.

Seems like there`s a highway of thoughts, rushing through my head at the speed of light. I fail to catch a lot of them, and rest just seem to be pushed back until they fade away. There`s a lot of things I remember, lot of good as well as bad things I`m more than willing to forget... All those things made me who I am today.

I`m willing to share those things with you. So I`m gonna take the lead, take the first step into the thing for me unknown. Many people do this kind of things to became famous. I don`t. I do it cause I have something that I think is worth saying. There`s lot of "I" here. Get used to it. This is MY life, and it`s gonna stay that way.