G is Great

I'm working on the letter G for the alphabet blog challenge. The challenge is to go through the alphabet, and write a post about five favorite things that begin with each letter. It's been a work in progress for a few years now. Some people have completed the challenge in one year. I am NOT one of those people. That's because I tend to write novellas when explaining my favorite things. But not this time. Now, I aim keep it short and sweet, or at least stay on track and keep it easy and simple.

At first, I had trouble thinking of five favorite things that begin with the letter G, other than God, Gautama (Buddha), and Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy). But this isn't a religious or spiritual list. So I pondered some more and made a list of G words that came to mind and classified them by category:

Favorite Foods: Guacamole, Gorditas, Gelatin, Glazes, Gelato, Green Goddess dressing.

Favorite Fruits: Guavas, Gooseberries, Grapes.

Favorite Animals: Gentoo penguins, Giraffes, Gorillas, Glow worms.

Destinations to see: Great Britain, Galicia, Granada, Germany, Galapagos, Goa, Ganges.

Other G words: Gold, Glamour, Generous, Genuine, Gentleman, Gala, Gallery, Galaxy, Gondola, and Gigantor.

Making the lists helped me figure out the top five of my favorite things that begin with the letter G:

1. Gemstones

Gemstones are amazing! They are basically just rocks or minerals that look fascinating, sparkle, and dazzle with their patterns and hues and beauty. I am astounded by the many varieties. And new ones keep popping up, created or discovered, and are presented to the world. Gemstones shows the richness and beauty of this world, and what a wondrous place we live in.

Diamonds are popular, especially the clear kind. But I like the colored varieties better. Colors make gemstones enchanting. It's why I enjoy corundum, like blue sapphires and red rubies--same gemstone but with different colors. Corundum comes in a resplendent rainbow of colors. While reds are always called rubies, the rest are called sapphires, with blue being the most popular. Spinels also come in a riveting range of colors.

Colorful varieties are also why I like quartz--clear (rock), milky, green prase and prasiolite, lemon quartz, yellow and orange citrine, purple amethyst, dark brown and dusky smoky, pink rose, and blue dumortierite are a few of the colorful quartz varieties. The mixed ametrine and rutilated and tourmalinated quartz fusions are captivating.

And the chalcedony types of quartz, such as agates, aventurine, bloodstone, carnelian, chrysoprase, holly blue, jasper, onyx, sardonyx, and tiger's eye, are spectacular with their hues and patterns. Fire agates are just gorgeous.

Pearls are also splendid. The shimmering, iridescent sheen and range of shades make pearls and paua (abalone) so resplendent!

One of the best places I've seen gemstones and amazing minerals is at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. The museum itself is so magnificent and spectacular with all its fantastic specimens and art. They even have mummies and stuffed wild creatures and dinosaur bones! The gems and minerals collection was just brilliant and stunning. Gemstones are nature's masterpieces. And man made gemstones are glorious emulations of nature's splendiferous creations.

2. Games

I like all sorts of games. Charades, billiards, and air hockey are some of my faves to play with friends. Board games, card games, checkers, and chess--I'm a novice, but I like learning how the pieces move. I like arcade games and old school carnival games. I'm competitive by nature and can get really fierce and vicious, especially when I play hard to win, sometimes at any cost. I work hard to keep that competitive urge in check at social settings. I save the killer instincts for actual sporting events. Card games, board games, and arcade games, I play for fun, for the camaraderie and companionship with friends.

Video games are a weakness. I've wasted many days and nights just playing video games. I just want to beat the game and score as high as I can. It was a compulsion I could not resist. I've missed school work and faked illnesses just so I could stay home and level up in the game! I used to play my Gameboy til the batteries died! And when I first started living on my own, I got a gaming console and wasted entire weekends trying to beat the games. I lived on Mountain Dew, hot pockets, and pizza.

When I started missing parties and stopped clubbing and bar hopping for two straight months, my friends became concerned. When I ignored party, wedding, birthday, and grand function invitations going into the third month, my friends actually held an intervention for me, concerned about the time I was wasting playing with video games. It was a wake up call for me when I finally realized how much time I lost trying to level up and beat the games.

So I gave away my gaming console and video games to avoid the temptation all together. I also threw out the gaming chair--my body had left a permanent, though very cozy, indentation in the cushions. It fit me comfortably, but felt lumpy to everyone else. It took months for the calluses on my thumbs to go away. And it felt good to be back in the real world interacting with real people once more.

I still can't have a gaming console in my place, because the temptation to waste days playing video games is just too great for me to resist. The flashing lights and thrilling sounds and fast action mesmerize me and spur me to get the high score or defeat the game by finishing all the levels and beating all the bosses. I get an adrenaline rush from crushing the opposition and laying waste to my enemies.

I also like sports. Track and field is in my blood. Luv surfing, volleyball, diving, and winter sports like skiing, speed skating, snowboarding, and biathlons. I'm a big fan of the Olympics, because it offers a huge buffet of sports. I love seeing so many sports happening at the same event: Swimming, shooting, archery, track and field, gymnastics, volleyball, rugby, and of course, the best event ever at the Olympics, synchronized swimming. I'm also a big fan of the martial arts and water sports like canoeing, sailing, and rowing.

The Olympics is one of my favorite events to watch on tv. I like watching people succeed. I like seeing people at their best forms contesting for the top spot. And I like hearing the inspirational stories behind the athletes; and I love the surprises and witnessing the sportsmanship and astounding feats of the competitors. And I love the Parade of Nations and the pageantry and festivities of the Opening and the Closing Ceremonies.

3. Giza

I've written before about the majesty and exotic wonders of the Giza plateau and the Pyramids: The enchanting and dangerous allure of the desert, that intoxicating and fatal beauty; the throngs of various people--locals and tourists, mixing, mashing, trading, and interacting; the cacophony of the crowded, ancient city contrasted with the haunting eeriness of the enveloping, vast desert; the strange and fantastic features and mystique of the ancient structures, arts, and creations left behind by civilizations long since passed and swallowed up by time and the ever encircling sands of the Sahara.

There's a magic and power that emanates throughout the region. It's where the past and present mingle. It's where memory is part of the landscape, and the sands of time are ever swirling and encompass humanity, history, and propels us forward to the future. I would like to see Giza and experience its chaos and mysteries once more.

4. Greece

I love Greece--the landscape, the islands, the sea, the people, the history, and the culture. The food is great. I luv gyros! And I am captivated by the arts and architecture of the ancients who built civilization and forged influential ideas and opinions that affect the modern world to this very day.

I would luv to spend more time exploring the more remote and hidden regions of this spread out country. I want to journey through the paths the ancient heroes, and gods, and monsters walked in times long past. It's breathtaking and enthralling to take in the incredible vistas of these ancient, venerable, and mysterious shores and sacred mountains.

I long to return to those evocative places and walk those shimmering shores; climb those sacred mountains; and revel in the beauty of the wild spaces and ancient places. I would like to get to know the people better and embrace the culture, share their joy in life, and experience the world from their perspective. I want to embrace the storied, legendary history, and live the mythical, grand mysteries that are an essential part of that life.

5. Grand Canyon

It truly is a grand canyon, a most magnificent, awesome, inspiring sight. It is a most extraordinary and stunning landscape, with gorgeous vistas and a plethora of striking shapes and vivid colors. If I could, I would love to explore every path, every hidden glen, and every forest that is a part of this majestic wonder.

I had a plan to spend a few days exploring the Grand Canyon. I wanted to hike down to the turbulent Colorado river, explore the cliffs and slot canyons, and take in the sunrise, sunset, and starry nights of this most magical, enthralling place. I wanted to revel in its rugged, wild beauty and discover some of its hidden wonders.

But at the last minute, I had to alter my great vacation plans to meet up with some friends in Las Vegas. We had a blast. We spent a night and a day at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and we were mesmerized and stunned by its wondrous beauty. And when the others left Vegas later on, I seized the opportunity to change my route and witness the unrivaled glories of the Grand Canyon from the north rim and the east side as well. It was just astounding.

It was a spectacular adventure. And I still plan on returning to the Grand Canyon. I long to hike down into that great landscape and experience the mysteries and magic of the most spellbinding, captivating, and grandest natural wonder in all the world.

And there it is. My top five favorite things that begin with the letter G. And these are just a few of the great things that make life so fantastic, terrific, and truly grand. I hope you liked some of it. And I hope you can share with me some of your favorite things that begin with the letter G. Have a Great Day!


Related Links

A list
B all that you can B
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What you C is what you get, the middle
What you C is what you get, the end
D lighted
Essential
F is for Fun
G is Great
H is Heavenly
Brought to you by the letter S
U doing that thing U do
Zing Zing Zoom