From : Problem Solving (Career Skills Library)

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I’ve always been a romantic.  I cry if a story or a movie does not end in everlasting bliss.  The heartaches, joys and complexities of the love game fascinate me.

It all started in sixth grade when I had a long affair with True Romance Magazines.  Teachers confiscated my copies more than once, as I sneakily tried to read them in class.

One summer my parents sent me to Puerto Rico, where I discovered “novelas”.  These illustrated Spanish tales of love, betrayal, yearning, broken hearts and affection triumphant mesmerized and captured my imagination..

I’m certain these influences helped shape my sensitivities.  Fantasy flavored my expectations of  love.  Of course, as I grew older my ideas of romance changed.  Now, I’m happy to share some soft music, receive flowers or be surprised with a favorite meal.  To me, that’s very romantic.

But I also view romance from a larger perspective.  I look at life as romance.   Always enticing, it leads me on, not to the proverbial happy ending but to the depths of new beginnings.  Like a big tease, it seduces me and asks, “How much can you love?”

It takes a lifetime to answer this question, the way it takes the little flower its lifetime to be romanced by the sun.

“To love one’s self is the beginning of a life-long romance.”

Oscar Wilde

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The author is Myrna Rosa  whose blog Daily Spirit is evidence of her great talent for poetry and story writing. In the last year or more that I’ve interacted with Myrna I’ve found her to be very deeply reflective and very sincere and thoughtful. I do feel that Myrna’s writing deserves a lot more readers and she is hiding her talent under a large bush in New Mexico, where she lives.

Please visit Myrna’s blog and I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

Thank you for writing here, Myrna. I’m feel so honored that you did.

May you be inspired – every day!

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Title: Tamasha in Bandargaon

Author: Navneet Jagannathan

Publisher: Tranquebar

ISBN 978-93-81626-26-9

Price: INR 295/- (Paperback)
 

Bandargaon, a fictional suburb of Mumbai, is full of a large variety of characters. There a politicians and entreprenuers, shopkeepers and journalists, builders and building society members. Some people dream and some people scheme and Bandargaon has plenty of both.

The book is divided in to thirteen chapters each of which are little stories in themselves. However, they are interconnected by some common characters. There is also an ongoing story of the battle of wits between Chagan and Vinayak to win the hand of Shalini. Another ongoing story the attempt by Sajjanpur to win the local elections.

With great subtlety it deals  the very present realities of life in Mumbai: the struggle of the poor,the filth of the slum and their lack of basic services like water, rampant corruption, the hypocrisy of politicians, the sensationalism of the press etc. The author has managed to bring all this out with humor and without hurting any sentiments.

The book is reminiscent of the much-loved  television serial Nukkad in tracing the stories of different characters. Some days they win, and some days they lose but they keep plodding on and accept their lot much like the people of Mumbai.

I loved the colorful cover of the book – its cartoon like look with attention to details made me quite eager to read it.

Navneet Jagannathan had me very early on with this line: Chagan lay hunched on a plastic chair at Jinias Chai House – Bhavani Nagar’s one-stop source of refreshment and disease. This is just the kind of wry humor I love.

The author uses simple language but very effectively. Here is an example of a sentences I found very interesting: Her mother blamed her for falling in love with a rogue. But it wasn’t the rogue she was in love with. She love the gentleman inside the rogue.

There was just one place where I found a problem with language usage. Lakshmibai and Santra breathed easy. Terror was still writ large on their faces. The two sentences seem to contradict each other. It might appear that the author didn’t really understand the phrase ‘breathe easy’.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a whole host of characters in the book. I felt that some of these were not developed as well as the others. Just as one was beginning to understand a character, s/he was ‘done away with’. I felt that Geetha too disappears unceremoniously from the scene.

I felt that the author has set up some unfinished stories for a sequel. One such story is the interest of the politician Sajjanpur in a single lady, Geetha. The other story is about the debt that Shimpi owes to Chagan.

However, Tamasha in Bandargaon kept me entertained and engaged. There were several unexpected outcomes so there was a constant element of surprise in the narrative. The characterization too is excellent. Living in Mumbai as I do I can find parallels from real life in many of the characters.

Overall, the book is humorous and highly entertaining to an Indian audience. It is well worth a read.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Thanks, Blogadda – I enjoyed this!

May you be inspired – every day!

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According to ShyamSpace.com, the word Gyaan means: “Fully integrated knowledge of the Self; the vision of Oneness; awareness of the Self as the only reality.”

Everyday Gyaan means all that stuff (above) every day, right?

In that spirit, I was invited to share a few ideas about my personal journey toward loving myself with you here today. Thank you, Corinne, for the opportunity!

In the past I’ve had a hard time learning to love myself. It still sometimes feels like a tremendous challenge. I often feel self-conscious and inadequate. I think many people feel that way — perhaps you do, too.

For example, a couple days ago, I ran into a business colleague who had invited me repeatedly to collaborate with her, but then she would not return my messages or follow through on our plans. I felt like I was getting mixed signals from her, so when she started to make excuses again for not getting back to me, and she suggested we get together, I said, “Never mind – I can’t stand to wonder what’s going on with you anymore since you constantly don’t do what you say you’re going to do – good luck!” She quickly became very upset and the next thing I know she and her ‘business manager’ are calling me “mean” and accusing me of “appalling behavior” in a public forum.

Suddenly I flash back to ‘Baby Linda’ and I hear my parents screaming at me, “If you weren’t such a damn, mean, little, brat then we wouldn’t have to spank you all the time! Don’t you dare talk back to me! What is wrong with you?! You are disgusting!”

I feel shame, which is the opposite of self-love. I feel embarrassed. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to fix my broken self so I can get along with ‘normal’ people.

The next morning, a friend sends me this message, “Linda, straight forwardness is rare…some people like to touch the nose the other way around.” I tell him I’m not quite sure of what he’s saying and he assures me he is supporting my forthright form of self-expression, unlike some people who think I am “mean”.

Another friend says, “What’s with that hostile guy who attacked you the other night, anyway? Holy aggressive!” I realize she believes my behavior was perfectly appropriate under the circumstances, and she’s as confused by my attacker’s actions as I am.

This morning, yet another friend congratulates me on having a “good BS meter”. She shares this link to a video about the power of vulnerability and authenticity which she says reminds her of me. (you can watch it here)

I suddenly realize I’m completely surrounded by supportive people I admire, who love me just the way I am. Really? I’m not an appalling b****? Who knew? I’m starting to believe it, too!

When people are repelled by my actions it doesn’t mean they’re bad or I’m bad. It mostly means that those are not the best people for me to hang around with. That’s fine, because it leaves more time and energy for me to bask in the love and appreciation of people who share my values and think I’m cool, which nurtures my own self-love.

Today I’m learning to love myself by living an authentic life based on the integrity of my personal beliefs with the understanding that some people will be attracted to who I am and some people won’t. Nonetheless I’m okay. with who I am. That’s my current, fully-integrated, loving reality. What’s yours? Please share your wisdom in the comments below.

The author is Linda Lee of Dangerous Linda who I’m proud to call my friend. Linda is a professional storyteller and a fantastic artist. I love her tell-it-like-it-is approach to relationships. Linda is a fun person to know, but she’s also deeply spiritual and very wise. I would urge you to read her blog which really stirs you to think.

Thank you, Linda for being you and being here!

May you be inspired – every day!

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My apologies for flooding your inbox with so many repeat mails. My site is under construction and a technical glitch caused this.

I’ll be back to regular blogging as soon as I figure all this out.

May you be inspired – every day!

Or e-mail me if you like: corinne@everydaygyaan.com

Remember, you’re good – no, in fact,  you’re wonderful!

May you be inspired – every day!

Follow @CorinneCR

Linking in to Gypsy Mama’s 5 Minute Friday - writing for 5 minutes flat – no editing – no overthinking.

Today’s prompt: REAL

It’s often so hard to figure out what’s real and what’s not. So hard to make out who’s sincere and who’s just mouthing platitudes.

So difficult to tell whether it’s genuine Nike or something that looks so much like it  that even manufacturers of Nike might get fooled.

One wonders why people try so hard to fit in and in the process lose what’s real. Perhaps they haven’t figured out what real for them. They’ve got so used to pretending to be someone they are not.

 I’m still working on being the real me. Have you figured out the real you?

May you be inspired – every day!
 
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From Google

Holmes and Watson are on a camping trip. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes up and gives Dr. Watson a nudge. “Watson” he says, “look up in the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions of stars, Holmes,” says Watson.

“And what do you conclude from that, Watson?”

Watson thinks for a moment. “Well,” he says, “astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meterologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and we are small and insignificant. Uh, what does it tell you, Holmes?”

“Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!”

(excerpted from Thomas Cathcart’s and Daniel Klein‘s book, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar…)

Perhaps, you’ve been struggling with a problem for a while and don’t know how to resolve it. Could it be that the solution is right there before you and you’re not really seeing it?

May I suggest some simple steps you could take:

- Specify the problem
- Name the concerns
- Say what need to be done first: I need to ……
- Decide when you will take that first step
- Take the first step
- And that first step will lead you to the next step and

Hey, you’re on your way towards resolving your problem.

Elementary, my dear.

Would love to hear what first steps you have decided to take.

May you be inspired – everyday!
 
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The other day, my friend, Lisa Brandel, wrote on her Facebook page ‘The Widow Lady‘ about dealing with the loss of a loved one:

One thing stands true though, after any kind of loss, we “start over” to one degree or another. The relationship is seen in reflection, and sometimes even more clearly. Those things we cherished about the people we lose, well, those sting for a long time after as we come to terms with the fact we will not have that from them again.

There is a unique opportunity……as we see those things that made the person we lost so special to us…we have an opportunity to be that for people we still have in our lives.

May you be inspired – every day!
 
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