Like Riding A Fish

Our faces describe us, define us. Or so we think. Red Dino wonders if there is more to be said about (and by) our backs or if it is all a front.

Transcription:

People are adept at hiding their emotions. Their faces less often poker, more likely a mask. But with all our gazes fixed on the eyes, the twitch of the brows, the movement of the lips, with our guard up against this keen and constant assessment, we all forget to look at, to train our backs.

Have you ever thought:

"Is my shoulder too stiff, can people tell I'm uncomfortable?"

"Is my spine too straight, is my pride palpable?"

"Is my head lower than usual, does the curve of my neck scream my disappointment?"

I haven't. I don't. Fixing my face seems enough most of the time. But we forget, we carry our lives on our backs.

Time bends our spine; our age and baggage both weighing down our bodies. No wonder we lose a few inches if we're lucky enough to last that long.

And yet, we hide behind niceties, polite expressions pasted on permanently, sham ingrained in our DNA.

Despite all this effort, all the pain we take to hide our true selves, we forget there's more to an interaction than what's said, what's shown, what's heard.

Backs turned, we feel safe, find respite, confident that our gazillion tricks have worked. While it's the same view that proves our undoing.

At this juncture, there lay two roads ahead of us:

Either, we train our backs as we have done our faces; ready to fake at a moment's notice.

Or We train our minds and hearts to let go. We find our peace in telling our stories without filter, fear, or falsities.

And until we reach a decision, all we can do is...smile and wave.

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)" by Till Paradiso

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)

Background sound from Pixabay

A day planned for trekking transforms into even more of an adventure when fleeting feelings get involved. Blue Dino recalls a recent memory of chancing upon an unlikely companion amidst the greenery of Coorg and a hundred leeches...

Transcription:

A wagging tail. Check Soft, loving eyes. Check And a full set of floppy ears. Check and Check.

Against the green tapestry of Coorg, a sweet creature greeted me, all smiles and happy hops. It was immediately clear, he was loved, but wanted more of it. And who was I to deny him of all my time and attention?

So as I trekked on narrow, mushy paths, this cheery companion accompanied me; all too familiar with the birds and the leaves and the leeches all around. But this company was only till a point. You see, the moment I felt the blood being sucked out of my thighs was also when I realised his hops and skips had changed directions. Now going away from me to safer grounds. I had been abandoned, just like that.

An hour, three leech attacks, and a hundred shrieks later, I finally made my way back to where we had first met.

Now greeting newly arriving trekkers, he all but ignored me. Did it hurt? Just as much as an ignored text.

Very well then. The new visitors, all adorned in shorter shorts than mine, could have all his love for now. The leeches would get them later.

Involuntarily shuddering, I walked back to the car, side-eyeing my old lover.

Though there were new recipients of his love, the markers remained the same:

A wagging tail. Check Soft, loving eyes. Check And a full set of floppy ears. Check and Check.

I wondered if I showed similar markers when looking at my fleeting loves...

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)" by Till Paradiso

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)

Background sound from Pixabay

Some stories, some memories, some figures are too firmly cemented in one's childhood to ever leave the scope of legendary. Resigning herself to waves of nostalgia, Red Dino recollects moments from her past that made a shoe spotting in a strange city feel like home.

Transcription:

Growing up, martial arts movies were a rage in my household, thanks to my father's love for them. And as often happens, me and my sister inherited that love. Even though today I might find it difficult to come up with the names of the films we binged back then, the name Jackie Chan still evokes a sense of warmth. Nostalgia, you see, has me in its clutches.

But while Chan lived in our hearts, respect was a word reserved for another martial artist. Bruce f*cking Lee.

I don't remember watching many of his movies, maybe one, and then with YouTube, a couple of scenes here and there that my father would share. And though Jackie Chan CDs were a constant in my childhood home, Bruce Lee stories often accompanied any venture into the world of deadly strikes and kicks. His philosophy, his craft, his excellence, the stories about his kindness and grace, even rumours about his death, they were a tiny but memorable part of my growing-up days. And man were they legendary.

So imagine my surprise and joy, when 20 years later I stumble across a pair of sneakers with his famous face, striking pose, and iconic quote. Sadly, the shoe was many a size too big and quite out of budget. But thankfully, my phone was within reach.

Today, my memories of the movies I watched, the tales of Lee my father recalled from magazines decades old, and my own sense of wonderment are vague and a little hazy. But what remains is a feeling; ripe with discovery, connection, and excitement. And though I have the power of the search engine at my fingertips, I retire my mind to the feeling for once. Facts can be for another time.

Being water isn't easy, but I'm trying.

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)" by Till Paradiso

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)

Background sound from Pixabay

Exactly one year to the date, Blue Dino, along with her sisters, had stood amazed at the sight of the shining Tokyo Sky Tree. Some moments hold your gaze for an eternity, whether it be through pictures or your dreams. Well, this one was too special for Blue Dino to not capture as a postcard as well. So here goes...

Transcription:

When you have lived a perfect day with the perfect companions in a perfect city, captivating all your senses all the time, what more of the day, you would wonder, is left to cap it off. That's a question I would not have even thought to ask when my sisters and I made our way back to our rented apartment sitting on the 4th floor of an elevator-free building in Tokyo.

One step after another, we climbed, lugging our heavy tummies and still heavier shopping bags; a lethal combination, that as you would expect, had rendered our wallets much too light. But the dropping yens in our bank accounts had also served as a reminder of our dwindling days as tourists in Japan, a place that had never made us feel out of place. And so as we climbed, we also reminisced about each second earned in this charming island country.

The first storey passed reminding ourselves of the bowls and bowls of heavenly ramen we had devoured. As though our sodium-puffed faces were not reminder enough.

The second storey climb was dedicated to cracking up over the hungover day spent in the Hakone hot water springs, or onsen as they call it; also how now we call it.

By the time the third storey came around, our bags had started slipping off our shoulders and our aching legs had begun to throb.

And so we stumbled onto the last flight of stairs. And, to this view.

The Tokyo Sky Tree stood tall and proud and unabashed. And we stood gaping at it. The drapings of the night sky and the flickering of the pulsing lights had transformed the view that had gone unappreciated this morning. It felt like for a moment, the tallest tree in Tokyo shone bright only for us three rambling idiots.

And perhaps, just for that moment, it did.

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)" by Till Paradiso

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)

Background sound from Pixabay

Colours and moments have one thing in common, people perceive them in their unique way. This is Red Dino's tale of a moment filled with colours. What's yours?

Transcription:

Blue, green, white,...light. Framing it all, orange.

Sometimes a split second is all you need. Walking, talking, you gaze upwards and, lo and behold, a moment.

You capture a snippet of the present within the bounds of some quaint yesteryear magic. A passing cloud, fluttering leaves, warmth of the sun, today's sky...all enclosed within the context of the past.

Can it be called a reverse time capsule? Where a transient slice of today is extracted and placed inside the protection of the steadfast, revered monument from days gone by. Does the orange blaze bright to share its spotlight with the spirit of the now? Does that make this specific feel of the blue, green, and white worthy of being remembered?

A tiny portal. A window. A peek into the never-ending. All thanks to a glance. All thanks to being present in the presence of the past.

What magical moment will another gaze bring? It's worth looking around just for that possibility.

Our Website: https://likeridingafish.wixsite.com/my-site

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music Credits:

https://freemusicarchive.org

"Woke up this Morning (TP 53)" by Till Paradiso

License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)

Background sound from https://quicksounds.com

Yes, we are back after 2 months but dare we say this one is a banger?! A long-awaited episode finally drops with two of our closest friends - Sunflower and Purple Bunny! From first impressions to when three became four, this episode is a peek into our hearts, our friendship, and of course, our story of a lifetime to come!

Our Website: https://www.likeridingafish.com

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

TW: Reproduction Troubles & Challenges

Recent conversations with family and friends prompted this rant where we talk about societal expectations, the myriad of options available to bring kids both the into world and one's life, and what this immensity of information and options means in terms of opportunities as well as pressures.

Our Website: https://www.likeridingafish.com

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Is there something universal about what women experience all around the world? That's the question we set out to answer in this episode while uncovering a few of our own encounters as women in the dating world, in the workplace, and in society in general.

Timestamp:

Intro: 1:00 - 4:17

The Roots: 4:17 - 24:54

Of The Pop: 24:54 - END

Our Website: https://www.likeridingafish.com

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Links to articles & studies referenced:

https://time.com/5795626/what-womanhood-means/

https://time.com/5793540/simone-de-beauvoir-100-women-of-the-year/

https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=philosophy_theses

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/07/judith-butler-interview-gender

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/06/business/superintendent-ladies-email-microaggression-experts/

Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Segment Break Background Music adapted from Early Riser by Kevin MacLeod.

Licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0))

For a human being, loneliness is not a question of if but when. As sad as it sounds, facing feelings of isolation doesn't have to be all that bleak! Listen to this episode to find out all about how and why loneliness has come to be a mandatory yet self-imposed experience in every person's life. And what we all can do to navigate the lonely moments a little better!

Timestamp:

Intro: 1:00 - 4:30

The Roots: 4:30 - 16:30

Local, Global: 16:30 - 31:45

In The Lab: 31:45 - 52:15

Of The Pop: 52:15 - 1:09:00

Coming Ashore: 1:09:00 - END

Our Website: https://www.likeridingafish.com

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Links to articles & studies referenced:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/06/the-history-of-loneliness

https://socialself.com/loneliness-statistics/

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/sunday-edition/loneliness--a-silent-killer.html

https://www.elitedaily.com/life/science-solitude-loneliness-choice/865287

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/humans-evolved-to-be-lonely

https://bigthink.com/hard-science/you-might-be-a-neanderthal-if/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/twin-dilemmas/202110/why-loneliness-can-be-more-painful-twins

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/twin-dilemmas/202207/can-you-overcome-twin-loneliness

Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Segment Break Background Music adapted from Early Riser by Kevin MacLeod.

Licensed under Attribution 3.0 International License (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)).

In our first episode of 2023, we thought what better way to start the year than by covering our top 23 quotes from the 23 books that we read over the last year! Of course, as always, we derail into what these quotes mean to us, represent to us, and even make us think of! We hope there are learnings even you can take from them. And don't worry, this is a spoiler-free episode. So listen!!

Our Website: https://www.likeridingafish.com

Follow us on Instagram: @likeridingafish

Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Feelin Good" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)