To happiness, joy and a great spectacle of a lifetime</h1> <article> <h1>To happiness, joy and a great spectacle of a lifetime</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 08:54:00 +0000</p> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <b><br /></b> <b><br /></b> <b>Light up</b><br /> <br /> Stumbling through leaves<br /> and stepping on stones<br /> along a deep dark forest trail<br /> hunched trees peer down<br /> cupped branches entrap darkness.<br /> Along the most unlikely forest bend<br /> glinted a few tiny sparkling hints.<br /> Gathering pace I gaze and squint<br /> at a galaxy of stars<br /> propped up on bushes near and far.<br /> <br /> Hedged within reality<br /> on the horizon of fantasy<br /> is a forest of stars.<br /> Afraid to appear<br /> yet here they are.<br /> It's no lie<br /> the foreplay of fireflies<br /> They come alive and begin to play<br /> hide and seek, slowly they stray.<br /> Eavesdropping on the sweet talk<br /> I took a walk<br /> with my thoughts<br /> fleeting wings and pulsing joy.<br /> <br /> I hook my palm and stole a star.<br /> Then I had to let it go<br /> The only way to enjoy the glow.<br /> I thought of a jar<br /> full of stars.<br /> But captured and jarred<br /> they would burn and char.<br /> Fireflies and joy are meant to fly<br /> though they may seem fleetingly shy<br /> yet lasting in the minds eye.<br /> <br /> I seek not what I find<br /> I bind not what's meant to fly<br /> Memories of joy will always light up.<br /> Now I step back and watch the show<br /> as the rhythm peaks and flashes flow<br /> A forest fire in cold glow<br /> <br /> April 2015<br /> Sakaleshpur</div> </article> <article> <h1>Defining onesself - Finding the Purpose in Life</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:00:00 +0000</p> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During social gatherings, when the people I meet introduce themselves, most of them <b>define </b>themselves by their fancy job title, regardless of the fact whether they are truly passionate about their job or believe in it or not. Often, it has left me wondering who that person actually is. And I quickly get bored with them and simply move on to the next. It is true that social community sites like Linkedin, Facebook, dating/matrimonial sites have made us define our profiles in the typical job, career, school, 'likes'- model, creating in us the belief that we are what our job is or the money we make, or what our relationship status is, or the community that we belong to. And those who think they are that, they obviously will have nothing else going on in their life and believe that they are nothing more than that. No wonder they lose their sense of identity once they lose the very thing that 'defined' them.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90NRkWsP03-HR_lNqIVNbjGpkkcoM62kd4GHRFi90pxRSBZMEiEtlR0b6CVICYsJeBLQZ9i7M-D73ZIIkJ_vH9qVKi8314VOhxvKMCo58HkLHd7Wv4NgLptN6G-XKw_mhI8OMrxjMiCOH/s1600/2334182753_d3c80b784e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90NRkWsP03-HR_lNqIVNbjGpkkcoM62kd4GHRFi90pxRSBZMEiEtlR0b6CVICYsJeBLQZ9i7M-D73ZIIkJ_vH9qVKi8314VOhxvKMCo58HkLHd7Wv4NgLptN6G-XKw_mhI8OMrxjMiCOH/s1600/2334182753_d3c80b784e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">'Just Red'</span> by <span style="color: #93c47d;">©© </span></span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jade_cabbage_closeup.jpg?uselang=en-gb" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: right;">Flickr/Nam Nguyen</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once I asked a few friends to find out and tell me what defines them, and what they stand for. Even after a month, none of them could come up with any answers! This is where profile filling columns of '<i><a href="https://www.couchsurfing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Couchsurfing</a></i>', stand apart. It mostly focuses on what sets one apart and makes them unique, and a self-introspection on one's life. (At the least, their earlier version of the questionnaire was much more introspective, which I liked better, though complicated) To be honest, it took me 2 whole weeks to figure out the answers to all those questions!!</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I believe that one must define oneself by what they believe in and what they do for realizing that. It means following your heart and being in sync with who you are; and aligning your life with it.</b></span></blockquote> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Although rare, I am sometimes asked by some curious minds - what is the <b>purpose of my life</b>, and why I do what I do. I believe that one must <b>define </b>oneself by what they believe in and what they do for realizing that. It means following your heart and being in sync with who you are; and aligning your life with it, whatever your job may be. If you can create a career out of it, well then that is totally great. It's just that it shouldn't be your job (unless that's what you believe in or is passionate about) or paycheck or social status, where or whom you belong with, be the one defining you. That's why they say that you must be passionate about something, and passionate enough to follow it. And that is where one finds meaning in themselves, and in their life and purpose. <b>Let it be any activity or a cause you care for; just stand for it and do something about it. Let that be your definition; because that's where true happiness lies.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></b></div> <a href="http://empoweringmindsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2015/11/define-yourself-finding-purpose-life.html#more">Read more »</a> </article> <article> <h1>10 Habits of Highly Confident Women</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 May 2014 17:22:00 +0000</p> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br> <div class="MsoNormal"> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Confidence </b>is the belief in oneself and one's abilities and power. <b>Confident people</b> exude a sense of charisma, optimism and composure. They <span style="color: #e06666;">attract positivity and optimistic people into their life.</span> If you notice, people with high confidence levels show certain distinctive characteristics in their personality when compared to others. And if it is a woman, people note them with raised heads. Here are some behavioural traits of <b>highly confident women</b>. </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>1. She stands for herself.</b></span></span><br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOPZ4p8o0YuUjwzv3b_ANapFwQjUY7THr0BG0SEKwacdysAE1VooZOtQ1oH68QkakxLcQgH4rVCm8mH7oTfOBfX0ryA2ZPDnixVS4stkF_bvj-kbC1yrUZ2KCgXjHPnYtJT-VDnM2X3KR/s1600/highly-confident-woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">'Soar free and high' </span> by <span style="color: #93c47d;">©</span> <a href="http://500px.com/muthusphotography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Muthukumar Balachandran</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She never lets anyone take her for granted or disrespect her. She never allows anyone- be it family, friend or colleague -walk all over her, let whatever may happen; if someone acts so, she either walks out of it or make them behave. <span style="color: #e06666;">She considers herself with high regard </span>and hence never let anyone take her - her time, energy, body, talents, dreams- for granted. She plants her feet firmly to the ground and <span style="color: #e06666;">never tolerate disrespect to her</span> in any regard. She knows to leave when situations do not work out for her, and move on without any unnecessary guilt.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>2. She does, because she wants to.</b></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And doesn't, because she just doesn't want to. She doesn't do things because it is expected of her, or others want her to be or do so. <span style="color: #e06666;">She knows what she wants. She does what needs to be done.</span> She doesn't care whether the sun revolves around her or she revolves around the sun. And she simply ignores the rest.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>3. She maintains her independence.</b></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She has dignity and honour. She believes in standing on her own feet rather than depending on others to take care of her needs. <span style="color: #e06666;">She asserts her independence</span> in every aspect of her life. Independence doesn't mean she keeps herself detached from people due to pride or vanity. It means, she prefers to keep her integrity intact rather than depend on others, and knows clearly, when to ask for help or be interdependent.</span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span> <br> </div></div></div><a href="http://empoweringmindsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/10-habits-highly-confident-woman.html#more">Read more »</a> </article> <article> <h1>"What's dead must stay dead" - On Digging up the Past</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 May 2014 18:16:00 +0000</p> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Known for its quirkier and funnier scripts, this is one of the frequent quotes of the leading protagonist of the TV series - Supernatural. The fans of Supernatural know what it means – You don’t go <b>digging up</b> the dead; if you do so, do it at your own risk; because it’s going to backfire for sure – and the ‘Hardy Boys’ will raise a hell…!</span><br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoMsXNmGrgFWemv2ImxDyzx_dEZhaDJJDiEPL2qXeFjSHyyScGjfUnCpBrPE8s5J1ZB9N0QljOohC50e86RxGNdVmI7-jfVxUXQsO2KL_9yrTg957bSHoM_Uu2fat9aD6_NMNhHtuswrX/s1600/digging-up-past.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="color: #c27ba0;">'Mr.R.Graves, Syracuse'</span> by <span style="color: #93c47d;">©©</span> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/18962433@N02/2947325441/in/photolist-5urPaT-7kojot-5bfP82-a2LB4B-6e2jq2-eeR2Lv-6auJMt-7S1syy-5pgVjc-5ZohqR-7S1rFj-7S1rSw-xkcLz-4kEAhS-9snXi9-5eDoWM-4Zcw7k-5ZogWv-5ZoiTe-5Zoii8-71LTvo-4TfY6s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flickr/Jake Shivery</a></div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lifetimes are made of glorious, exciting, adventurous and happier moments, along with heart-breaking, dreadful, depressed and boring ones, with its share of the pie. Often during these dragging moments, especially the dull ones, people think of the ‘good ol’ days’ and the excitement and happiness of those times. And often, <span style="color: #e06666;"><b>many, instead of cherishing those golden happier memories, try recreating it, to bring back the missing excitement. They dig up the dead experiences and memories to relive them, only to find that it was not as exciting as they thought it would be.</b></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><b><br></b></span></span><br> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Moments last only for the moment and once dead can never come back.</span></b></blockquote> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">dig up</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> moments and experiences of their younger days – the exciting adrenaline filled days of youth, especially when their life clock strikes middle age – and try to relive those once exciting and happier but now dead moments. Some, like the married, missing the excitement and freedom of their old bachelorhood days, go for, outside marriage affairs and relationships with younger women or men, hoping to rekindle the passion and excitement as in their first love. Some, being burdened by guilt, insecurity or regret, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">dig up</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> past incidents or relationships, hoping to make it right the second time. However, sooner or later, many realize that </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">the fun and excitement that they thought can be rekindled by reliving the past does not exist anymore, and one will never be able to enjoy any golden moments in any other time frame or circumstance other than when it was meant to be experienced</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. Some, who still do not realize or accept it even when the facts are so evident in front of them, end up messing their present, even much better, lives.</span><br> </div></div><a href="http://empoweringmindsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/digging-up-past-dead-moments.html#more">Read more »</a> </article> <article> <h1>Are choices made for the right reasons?</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:32:00 +0000</p> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Often we hear people saying, ‘ I did not have a choice’, regarding some choices made in their life without realizing that there was also a choice to choose ‘nothing’ when they were conflicted with choices or did not have a choice of their liking. Well, whatever choice we choose or don’t choose, those are still choices and we choose them for the ‘reasons’ that we believe are ‘right’ or it is the universally accepted right or simply because, it is what we think we want.</span><br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08SnmXNAjl3KuJtbWuzD5fZ0mmQZRupIfy60rH5YQVdTme2s9n2-zvSa9TT43oNXmBygbJ0wVIxHXzNMwav-yEKc1poE1BwemQUhQhoq-XnRm4DDVAcFfFxvcj1p4yNpYXk8Xx7pIAZkC/s1600/making-confident-choices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">'Freedom of Choice' </span>by <span style="color: #93c47d;">©©</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/navrasas/4762805164" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flickr/Geeta Nambiar</a> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, in the case of choices made based on reasons, <span style="color: #e06666;"><b>are the choices we choose made for the ‘right’ reasons?</b></span> And if we believe we make choices for the right reasons, what exactly is then the ‘right’ reason? How do we call a reason the right one or what makes a reason ‘right’?</span><br> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br></span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Think of any choice taken in life which you believed was the right one. Usually, these ‘rights’ are decided against the universally, societal or personally benchmarked rights and reasons. Now, for whatever reasons you made the choice, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">was it what you had really wanted and/or were you really happy with that choice?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I am not talking about the cons of the choice you made and whether you were happy with it or not, since each choice has its own pros and cons and these we accept as we go ahead with the choice. This is about the choice itself that you made. When you decided to go ahead with that choice, where you really happy and content with it and, more importantly, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">was that what you had really wanted or, more specifically, needed?</span></b><br> </div></div><a href="http://empoweringmindsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/03/making-right-choices-reasons.html#more">Read more »</a> </article> <article> <h1>Creating a Perfect Art - From Imperfection</h1> <p>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:42:00 +0000</p> <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNormal"> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">During my stay in Taiwan a few years back, I happened to visit the National Palace Museum of the country in Taipei. The Museum is one of the largest in the world, with over 65,000 ancient Chinese artifacts and, this is in fact, is the national museum of the Republic of China. Floors and floors of artifacts and relics, stand as a proof to that!</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0H6rDdoFBnLNrmCWjMJqqCTGFpLci2PVMLL5SUoS0daY_sLiP1oN_xPKUzcQcZ2fKjLbMNNqj0_7YJkcFqNTY4jldIFTGINosmUpgUNQzr6noBA5xqG2vodLw5akkCOlY9P6F25KMztR1/s1600/jadeite-cabbage-perfect-art-imperfection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">'Jadeite Cabbage' </span>by <span style="color: #93c47d;">©©</span> <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jade_cabbage_closeup.jpg?uselang=en-gb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WikiCommons/Peellden</a><br> Derivative <span style="color: #93c47d;">©©</span> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/theroadlesstravelled-seena/14114156590/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flickr/Seena Joy</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br></div> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Once while in the art gallery, I noticed a large crowd in front of something. I found a glass case that was the center of attraction and lots of 'ooh's and 'wow's. There it was a beautiful cabbage carved in green jade - a marvelous piece of art that captures anyone's eye. And more than the art itself, I was mesmerized by the reading of it, on a nearby pamphlet.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <br></div> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here it goes.<i> “</i></span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #93c47d;"><i>This jadeite, part green and part white, which is now a wonderful Chinese cabbage, would be considered mere second-rate material full of impurities if it was to be made into usual vases, jars, or ornaments, because of the cracks and blemishes that came with it. However, the artisan ingeniously transformed the rock into a lifelike vegetable of leafy green and white stems, with all unappealing rifts now hidden invisible amid the veins. And the discoloured spots take on the marks of snow and frost. So with a stroke of genius, defects turn perfect. Beauty is in the detail and creativity works wonder.</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>”</i> That is, by the magic wand of creativity, the clever craftsman turned the cracks and discoloured blotches to create a beautiful art. </span><b style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Anything can be made perfect by creativity, if one have it or utilize it.</span></b><br> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br> </div></div><a href="http://empoweringmindsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-perfect-art-from-imperfection.html#more">Read more »</a> </article> </main></body></html>