Friday, July 29, 2011

Fridays will be Different... Thanks to Rob "The Power"

Yes, Friday again! And this is the last (did I hear someone say Yippeee!?) With so many things coming up and the new job and loads of lesser time, I wanted to end the series on a wonderful note. Not that we won't be thankful anymore but we might just kvetch more! 


So the final "performance" by Rob Adelphia of Today Has Power. Rob has a wonderful blog that talks about having coffee baths and inspiring music. Do go across and show his blog some love. So, after much pleading and begging to ask the wonderful "Power" to guest post, here goes: 
Rob!


It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I didn't have the space here for 15,000 words, so I included the pictures instead. Each of these pictures have a permanent impression in the recesses of my mind and heart. They reflect what I value and love. They reflect me, and what I'm thankful for. 
Wisdom to know that life is meant to be enjoyed...


That my baby-girl's beauty won't last forever, but the wonderful person she is, will...


Thoughts of the young dreamer…


Time spent with friends…


Time spent alone…


The cowboy in all of us… 


For days at the beach…Your browser may not support display of this image.


Second chances…


A creative and lovely wife…


Being encapsulated by nature…


The man my son is becoming (even at six)…


The encouragers, the givers, the joy spreaders… 


Snap your own memory today. It really is the little things in life that make the difference.Your browser may not support display of this image.
One final thing I'm thankful for…fellow bloggers.


Live it LOUD!
So there goes! Say hi to the wonderful Rob and go over to his blog for his wonderful power boosters he has to offer (Really!). Also, say bye to the Friday series! Ending on Rob's powerful post! 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Really, who are we again?

Two weeks back I wrote a post titled Who are we. And as many suggested, and gave in their inputs – there are two ways of looking at who we are. How we define ourselves and how others chose to define us. Depends on what you want to go with.

So, after the on going kvetch about how and who and what I think I am, I thought we could go into the second aspect. What do others think of us? I mean, it’s really okay what they think of us. But how do they remember us. What of our features stand out the most? And how do we remember others.

Just the other day I ran into a college “friend”. Seems like we took classes together for two years, lived just a city away and have been “friends” on Facebook for a long time now. But how do I remember her… ah, not by any of that. I remember her as “the girl who cheated on a Social Psychology monthly test and got caught and got kicked out of the class”. Yes, so much for Social Psychology and so much for memories.

Then, a few years back when I fell into this social media craze, I get a request from a girl who I went to school with way back in fifth grade. And how does the all grown up and supposedly mature 23 year old introduce herself, “Remember I am the girl who exchanged Boyzone posters with you. And you didn’t return my poster. I still remember that” … I mean, Gosh… that girl knows me by my “poster-not-returning” tactics. And that is what she will always remember me by. The non-poster returner Hajra.

Besides, one sad poster exchange gone all wrong, the consensus is that people remember me by the way I talk – too much, too fast. Some might remember the Psycho factor in me (Ha Ha, I am just referring to my subject), some might remember me as the girl with the colorful flip-flops, some as the one who wrote wonderful blog posts (Yes, I ain’t modest), some as the speaks-her-mind-way-too-much person, or else. Sometimes I care, sometimes I don’t. But yes, I still keep talking. Hoping that people remember me for what I made them kvetch about and how I brightened  their dull day (I said I wasn’t modest).

So, tell me, what do you refer to me by… what do others refer to you as? You like it that way? Or do you think there should be a change in the way others think about you?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fridays will be Different... Thanks to "Techie" Carolyn!

Another Friday…after a week of featuring the amazing Bill Dorman, I fell silent. Yes, a new job, entering the corporate sector has already had its toll on me in just one week! Also, Bill was so amazing that I had to shut up! So, this week there is nobody as thankful as I am for the week to end and to breathe a sigh of relief for two days – yes, we have Fridays and Saturdays off this end of the world!


But, then I find the amazing Carolyn Nicander Mohr to come across and be thankful for me. Yes, let her do all the talking. My tired fingers are too tired to “talk”!
What has she to be all thankful about! 


  1. My amazing husband. I am blessed to be married to a man who goes beyond my dreams. My marriage gives me the foundation and freedom to grow as a person. My husband is a quiet hero who does a lot of good in the world that few people know about.


  2. My awesome daughters. Everyone marvels at their babies when they are born, but you don't know who they will become as they grow older. My daughters are loving, caring girls who are fun to be around. I know, I sound like a proud mama, and I am!


  3. I have good health. My mother never lived to be the age I am now, so I appreciate every day that I have enjoyed good health.


  4. My friends. I have incredible friends who support me when I rise and when I fall. I have made great friends online recently through my blogging who astound me with their support. I am very grateful for the kindness of friends, both close and far away.


  5. Living in a place of peace. I live in a beautiful area of the world that gives me peace. I have lived in many places but right now I am living in my favorite place I have ever lived. If I hadn't moved around so much I may never have appreciated how incredible it is to live in a place of peace.


Do say hi to Carolyn, she is very “technical” at her Wonder of Tech! And she is a wonderful visitor too! Say hi, share your thanks and visit her blog… do your Friday bit!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Fridays will be Different...Thanks to Dorman, Bill Dorman!

So after featuring six super ladies (me, Janine, Samantha, Melanie, Diana, Roberta) I pester the Invisible Blogger, Bill Dorman to be thankful this week! If you have no idea what I am talking about, do check out how I force people into being thankful on Fridays!

So, what does the James Bond persona-like Bill Dorman have to say..here goes:

We all have something to be thankful for, right? Even if we are the mushroom in the middle of a field and a cow comes by and deposits a ‘patty’ right on top of our heads; at least it kept us out of the sun, huh?

Here is what floats my boat and I’m thankful for:

1.       I’m thankful for being perfect; and I don’t mean kind of perfect, but the hair never out of place, breath always fresh, doodie never stinks and never annoying kind of perfect.

  1. I’m also thanking for being so cool; the kind of cool that everyone wants to hang with me and copy what I’m doing.
  2. And I certainly can’t leave out good looking; the kind of good looking that makes women stare and men are so jealous they want to fight me.
  3. How can I not bring up popular; so popular that I block calls from Charlie Sheen and Tom Cruise because they became such incredible douche bags and I can’t have them sullying my reputation?
  4. Finally, I’m just thankful for being me; I mean I have to pinch myself everyday and sometimes more than once a day to remind me this is real, I’m living the dream.
Ok, that was my attempt at humor and before everybody thinks I am the ultimate douche bag, let me tell you what I’m really thankful for.

1.       I am certainly thankful for my family and my health.

2.       I am thankful for my friends, both on and off line as they energize me and give me a sense of purpose. I appreciate them immensely.

3.       I am thankful for being smart enough to know I’m not going to win just by showing up; anything worth doing is going to take preparation, time and effort.

4.       I am thankful for the simple things including Hajra inviting me to be a part of her Friday series.

5.       Finally, I’m thankful I like to help others any way I can and a big believer in paying it forward. I like to give with no expectations in return.

So, that was Bill saying how thankful he is. And don’t worry he isn’t as invisible as his blog says. You can just find him everywhere….and I mean, everywhere! And tell us, could you relate to this “good looking, popular amazingly perfect” Bill…. Or just compliment him!

Monday, July 11, 2011

WHO ARE WE?

OK, I don’t mean your About Me page or your Twitter bio or how you describe yourself on Facebook. I mean, all of it.

Let’s take it from the beginning.

When I was say younger, people knew me as my elder sister’s younger sister. Yes, one of the pitfalls of being the younger sibling to a smarter, very pretty, popular elder sibling. Everyone will call you by “their name –followed by the sibling tag”. And that’s how it went till I started calling myself by my name or just when my sister changed school.

Asked to write an “About Myself” essay and it would include the tedious details of how fun-loving, outgoing, friendly, love reading books, hanging out, surfing the net, listening to music - person we all are.

Then, college. Here you are known by the subject you take or the controversies you create. Yes, I was known as the Psychology girl from the Arab World. And that is how I referred to myself as – Name- followed by “the girl from Psychology”. Well, it didn’t matter that there were 30 other girls from Psychology. They probably called their selves the same.

At work, obviously, but obviously, you are defined by your work. I am the psychologist. And that is how one would introduce oneself. “Name – followed by profession”.

Then, comes the oh – so – intriguing online world. The world’s your stage here. Say what you want, everyone believes you. Here, you could be the person you had always wanted to be! But when it comes to writing “about myself”; just what can you include.

The details of how you were a nerdy be-spectacled younger sister to a elder sister, the Psychology mumbo jumbo, your interests, the movies you like, your hobbies, your family, being a mommy / wife /aunt (if you are one!) or what?

Really, who are we? Or, who are you?

Friday, July 8, 2011

Fridays will be different...Thanks to Roberta!

Friday again! Time to meet someone new and see what they are thankful for! If you have missed the series and trying to figure out what we are talking about check out the following thankful:
Me, Janine, Samantha, Melanie, Diana!
So, this Friday time for ROBERTA BUDVIETAS of Get Out of Stuck. A brilliant lady who helps you get out of “sticky” situations and much more! So, what’s Roberta all thankful about:


• Baking with my granddaughter


• Watching my husband and granddaughter create robots or origami


• Christmas day or any holiday when my children and grandchildren are around or at least in touch


• Being able to see the ocean whenever I want by walking a short distance with my husband


• Watching old movies and sharing the tears with my husband


• Snuggling in bed and reading a good book


• Speaking to a group of people and making a difference to one or two of them


• Soaking in Paradise pools and enjoying the heat and beauty of natural hot springs in Rotorua.


Say Hello to her! And do find your way to her awesome blog too!
So what are you thankful for this week? Anything similar? Or has it been a bad week? Would love to hear you’ll kvell!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Getting up on the wrong side can be good!

You know, those days when you get up on the wrong side of the bed…not left or right or whatever superstition you go by; just the wrong side. Yes, those miserably terrible days when everything makes you go Aaargh…; well I have been having those days quite often lately.

The days when even the coffee turns out bad (Gosh!); the days when the hair just won’t settle; when the wind will blow out the perfect hairdo; everyone around you will seem chirpy, happy and all bright and beautiful.

The day when you have to send out an important mail and the internet has connectivity issues and the phone is not working and the mobile just crashed into bits and pieces.

The day when you just snap at everyone and don’t feel the guilt, don’t cringe after doing it and don’t worry about it until the “bad day grumpiness” wears off.  

Well, I don’t mind them actually. They do strike once in a while to make us get back to our grumpy old selves. Call me sadist, but getting up on the wrong side has its benefits. Yes, not for you specifically but in general. People around you are “scared”; yes, I don’t know about kids; but parents seem to nag a little less when you are having those days; one look and your colleagues know that today isn’t the day they should be messing with your coffee, your boss will shout irrespectively of anything and THEN THE BOSS will feel guilty because you just gave him a nasty stare!

So, the next time you are having a bad day; use it to your advantage! People need a little dose of the nasty you… be nasty!

So, when was the last “wrong side of the bed” day you had? Had fun or just grumped along?

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Why You SHOULD Be Lazy!

I have always been a lazy girl. Like I said earlier, mommy dearest kept telling me that if I got anymore lazier, spiders would be making webs around me and the sofa.


Not that I am proud but my laziness just got me a guest post! Yes, I am kinda proud about that. On Linda's blog about positively spinning your life, I talk about why we need to stop, take a pause for some time and just be lazy. Not that I am endorsing being on the couch with a pack of chips and grunting when the remote doesn't work. While, that sounds just lovely, that gets people into a lot of trouble. Long term trouble actually. And if your mommy is nearby, big trouble! 


So, the guest post tells you to "Stop Right there, Don't Even Think About Reading This. You're Much too Busy...Aren't you? But please do, do read it! :)


So head over to Linda's blog, where I talk about being lazy, why and how you SHOULD be lazy. Join in the conversation. Tell us if you enjoy taking it easy for a while. Whether you are just too busy and needed a reminder. And how you enjoy being lazy! 


P.S. I am closing comments on this post (Oh, how I hate closing them!) so that you people do hop in there to give in your two cents! 

Friday, July 1, 2011

Fridays will be different....Thanks to Diana!

Time for Thankful Friday again! The week was very hectic and thus no posting in between! So time for someone to be thankful again! After me, Janine, Samantha and Melanie; I have Diana Simon doing the kvelling for us!

Diana
Through the same club, Diana has been such an awesome support for my blog and has got some absolutely brilliant ideas all raring to go! So what’s she thankful for? Here goes:

I am honored that Hajra has asked me to be part of this “Fridays will be different” series.  

1.       I am thankful for my family.
My husband is the most amazing person in the world and is always so patient in putting up with me. I wouldn’t put up with myself!  My sister is another saint who plays an important part in my life and it’s great when two sisters can also be best of friends. I am also thankful for my extended family as well as my husband’s. If you don’t already know, I have twin nieces who are 2-years old and I am thankful for their laughter and the joy they have brought to my life.

 2.       I am thankful for my health.
Four years ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and while it was a challenging period, it was a blessing in disguise. I now take better care of myself and it is important for me to be healthy as I intend to life a full life even at a ripe old age. I want to be able to do daily routine tasks without doing so in pain.

 3.       Talking about my health, I am thankful for my doctors.
In Italy, and it will shock many, my doctor and his team are extremely efficient and professional. My doctor even makes his team speak to me in English!  Did I mention, this is a public hospital?  While the infrastructure is questionable, my doctor and his team are god-sent. I am so thankful for him that I told my husband that if we have a boy, I am going to name him after the doctor.  That was until we found out his first name and my husband refuses!  LOL

 4.       I am thankful that my internet and laptop is working again.
Last week, I had two days where both my laptop and internet didn’t work at the same time.  I am glad they are both working now but the twist is that I was thankful that I had two days offline. It was a much needed break!

5.       I am thankful that I am on holiday for until September.
As most of you know, I teach and always make the most of my summer by taking 3 months off.  I am away for a month visiting family but that doesn’t mean I won’t be blogging

So now as always just tell Diana how much we enjoyed having her here! Do visit her Coaching Blog; she does wonders there!