My Seven Deadly Links...

So, last week I had nothing to blog about and my partner - in -crime Janine Ripper helps me out. Yes, she gives me this "challenge" and nominates me in this My 7 links project. Well, this isn't like any other award but it's way more scarier. I had to rate my own blog posts! But each one is like my lil baby... all precious but I had to pick it anyways - like Roy says, Janine made me do it! 


My Most Beautiful Post: I couldn't understand what beautiful meant to me. But my nephew and niece had come over for an amazing vacation and I wrote a post about Why Babies are Better. That was lovely and my nephew complimented me beautifully... he always does!


My Most Popular Post: I wish all. But in terms of statistics the one that did really well was the One about Study Habits (because it got over 70 comments and over 400 page views!) 


My Most Controversial Post: I don't think I write controversial posts... maybe because I am a little scared to do that here! But something I thought would have a lot of mixed reactions was when I was targeting people on what they really mean when they use these cliches. But then it didn't create much controversy anyway!


My Most Helpful Post: None! I just do a lot of Yikkity Yak! But a lot of students got back to me when I wrote about Study Habits and could actually apply it to their study patterns and how much they could relate. So I was very happy after that! 


A Post whose Success Surprises me: Just last week when I wrote about nothing to blog about. I loved the support and what every blogger thought that they could relate. I thought they would go like this "Oh, so this is the blogger who doesn't know what to blog about!" Didn't happen!


A post I feel didn't get the attention it deserved: Many! LOL! But the post which I enjoyed writing and din't get the attention I thought it would was this - What is your three something bad?


The Post I am Most Proud of: All! Yes. I love all my posts very much. They liberate me, make me happy and I just love them all. But then I have to pick one... the one which talks about finding my identity! And I loved the response too! 


So, Phew... I thought it would be easy. But this was the TOUGHEST blogging thing ever. So, now for the evil act of nominating four lovely people... (Evil Laugh!). I wanted to trap Bill Dorman and Roy Ackerman but seems like others have already done that! So here goes...

• Samantha Bangayan: Her energy would do loads of justice!
• Muriel Jacques: A blend of British and French links would be lovely!
• Melanie Kissell: Lol... her sense of humor would be so much fun to read!
• Thom Brown: Because he is such a pleasure to read! 

Looking forward to your posts! Also, others, do leave your seven links.. would love to read them! Good Day!

What now?

Okay. So here’s a confession.

I really don’t know what to blog about!

Maybe it is the cold, maybe the fasting (Yes, it’s Ramadan!) or maybe the same old laziness. But I really don’t know what I should blog about.

I haven’t blogged for about a week and still don’t know what I should be saying this time.

I thought I would do a recycling of an old post; or just a last minute attempt at something. But I just can’t seem to do it.

And to think to about it, I am closing in on my one year blog anniversary! Yes, almost ten more days to go before I complete one year! And I am already lost for ideas.

I never thought I could run out of ideas for complaining so soon; or that I just ran out of creative juices flowing all around my head – if I had any in the first place!

No, it’s not that. Maybe all that corporate job stress is making me think about nothing else but working. Yes, let’s put the blame on something else.

Or maybe, I should run into events that make me all nasty. Yes, it’s destiny’s fault.

Or maybe it is just because I am so lazy! My fault…. Hard to believe I just said that! (Sneer)

So, come just tell me what to blog about. Or what you did when everything decided to shut that blogging creativity of ours… yes, you can be immodest and tell me how you never run out of ideas.

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!

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.

2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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?
5. 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!

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!

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! 

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! 

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

So another Friday and another week to stop whining and taking time to being thankful. If you are new here then go check out the Friday rituals to see what we have been doing here: the first where I was thankful, then Janine and Samantha.


This week I have the grand Melanie Kissell of Solo Mompreneur. I met Melanie through a blogging club and it has been wonderful knowing the lady with the long comments! Yes, she writes the most amazing comments that are thoughtful, genuine and has taken effort. If you have a blog, then you should definitely have Melanie there to comment on it; makes your day! So here’s what the lovely lady has to be thankful for:

The lovely Melanie!

Migraines and dirty dishes.


Who can say they're thankful for those two things?


I can!
Now don't think I'm not grateful for things like good friends, nice neighbors, a wonderful blogging community, a reliable vehicle, and a pulse ... because I am!


But the following are what I'm REALLY thankful for.


1.) I loved kaleidoscopes as a child - all those really cool geometric shapes and colors. Now that I'm an adult, I'm so thankful I suffer with ocular migraines. I get to see all those beautiful shapes and colors flashing in front of my eyes again!


2.) I'm really thankful for the absolute *guarantee* it's going to rain as soon as I've spent hours washing and detailing my car. It's an amazing phenomenon. We get lots of "dry spells" here in Southern California. No problem. I've discovered a way to end the drought. Wash my car. How empowering is THAT?!


3.) The dishwasher is broken in my apartment. It's never worked since my daughters and I moved in almost two years ago, and I couldn't be happier. I'm so thankful to have piles of dishes to wash each week and the opportunity to prove Palmolive dishwashing liquid really does soften your hands! I've used so much of their product, I'm sure Palmolive is going to contact me to do a television commercial.


4.) There's nothing finer than paying almost $200 a month for T.V., phone, and internet service (you know, the infamous "bundle"?) and having your service fail on you at least every other week. I'm extremely thankful for those outages! I get to use my cell phone and talk to all kinds of interesting customer service representatives from foreign countries. I feel so lucky. Not everyone can say they've spoken to someone in the People's Republic of Bangladesh!


5.) I'm very thankful for the 7 - 10 loads of laundry I tackle every week. It's a nice diversion from dusting and vacuuming. With two daughters, seems like the dirty clothes bin is never empty. The only thing that's empty around here is the toilet paper spindle -- the minute "I" need to use the bathroom. I can't thank my girls enough for doing their part to make sure I never have any leisure time. And anyway, mothers weren't put on this earth to have fun (were they?).


So, that was Melanie’s thankful Friday moment. Say hi to Melanie and tell her how much fun you had reading the post! Also, do visit her blog and pretty please her to visit yours if you want some amazing input to your posts!
P.S. It was her Birthday…wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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

Friday again! Time to pause the kvetching for a day and shout out our thanks! If you haven’t been following and are new here, I KVELL on Fridays instead of kvetching! The first Friday kvell was done by me and the second by Janine Ripper.

Samantha

 This week I have the lovely Samantha Bangayan to join us in doing her thankful duties! I met Samantha through a blogging club and she soon became one of my favorite bloggers. She blogs at What Little Things about her life in Huancayo, Peru.  

So here’s what “Sammy” has to say about her Fridays:

I haven't been spending the time to be thankful for all that I've been blessed with these days, so I was ecstatic when Hajra started celebrating Fridays this way and what an honor to be invited to share my "thankfuls" too! My first warm "Thank You" goes to Hajra for being such a supportive and encouraging friend!

Other tidbits I've been thankful for this week?

 Huancaino wear

1. I am thankful that they sell Pringles and Nutella in the one supermarket here in Huancayo. This is a new phenomenon and I don't know how I survived without them.

2. I am thankful that when my kitty, Fénix, bites and scratches me, I only get real wounds around once a week. He is so vicious for an innocent-looking 7-month-old! Any cat training advice would be greatly appreciated!

3. I am thankful my partner agreed that gifts for his birthday should be gifts for me too. We bought an electric heater for his birthday a couple weeks ago that I now use right by my desk.

4. I am thankful that the rooster on the roof sings cockle-a-doodle-do all day, so I never feel like I'm alone. When the kitty refuses to stay in my lap, I can always rely on the various sounds and rhythms around my apartment building to keep me company. If it's not the rooster, there are always other cats meowing or salsa and reggae ton playing at the bar just a building away.

5. I am thankful that I learned to braid my own hair into pigtail braids because it helps me fit in with the traditional look of women in the Central Andes. Now I just need to tan a bit more, so I don't look so gringa!

So, that was the lovely Samantha with her kvellings! Say hi to her and tell her what a wonderful person she is! 


Join in, tell us what you were thankful about this week?

Fridays will be different....Thanks to Janine Ripper!

So just last Friday I started a new weekly routine where, every Friday, instead of kvetching we will be kvelling (Thanks Roy for teaching me that word!). Yes, if you haven't read it, then do it right now! Every Friday I will be featuring a blogger who gets to be thankful for something! Last Friday, being the first, I started off being thankful.This Friday, I get to feature my favorite blogger, Janine Ripper.

I met Janine through a discussion on LinkedIn and from then on, it has been such an honor to read her blog, her reflections and about her beautiful journey through the crazy thing called life. 

So featuring Janine, the first blogger for my Thankful Fridays! Here's what she says: 

My blogging buddy and partner in crime - Hajra Khatoon - recently came up with a new way to celebrate Friday’s. For this I am thankful for. I mean, I love Friday’s - or rather, I used to. Lately, my Friday’s at work consist of a meeting from about 10.30am until whenever it finishes (the first week it was 6.30-ish pm)...of which for the last 4 weeks has left me feeling shattered for most of the weekend. I am endeavoring to change that, therefore, in the wise words of Hajra, here are my top reasons for what and why I am thankful for in recent times!

Janine at the Beach
Pic taken by her dear friend,
Ambreen Beg

1.       Hajra - If it wasn’t for Hajra I may have given up on blogging. I mean, we live in different countries, have never met, have never talked, but have struck up a great friendship and supportive blogging / writing relationship, of which I hope continues for a long time into the future.

2.       The beach - Over the past month I’ve managed to get out of the house on weekends with my Mum or friends, to hang around some of our local beaches. Of course, we are officially in winter here in Australia, but the days are still mostly stunning, and have presented some amazing opportunities to break in my SLR camera, whilst also experiencing some ‘natural’ therapy at by the sea side (the waves, breeze, smell, fresh air, peace...).

3.       My beautiful friends - I am truly blessed to have some of the most amazing, genuine, down to earth, beautiful souls as friends. I am one lucky person.

4.       Opportunities -  I decided recently to take this writing thing a whole lot more seriously.  I mean, I have always wanted to write, but I have never believed in myself.  Something seems to have changed in my thinking of late - I think it’s what some people call ‘confidence’ or ‘self belief’ (something I have lacked my whole life in pretty much everything). This has led to doors opening, and opportunities being presented to me.  Although I have also put myself out there to be noticed...which is what I probably should have been doing all along?

5.       Nature - As I write this post, I am watching a David Attenborough documentary on Gorillas. Even with their bulbous bottoms and big heads I think they are amazing. There is so much beauty out there in the world.


So that was Janine with her Thankful Friday! And she is thankful for me...Yippeee! See, that's how you get featured on my blog!

If you want to be featured, tell me! Please, just be as lovely as the amazing Janine!

AS KREATIV AS I CAN BE!

It’s been less than a year and thanks to Janine, I get my second “blogging award”! It came as a pleasant surprise, I don’t think I am creative but the lovely Janine thinks otherwise, so guilty as charged! She just bestowed me the Kreativ Blogger Award!

So conditions with this award is that

• I needed to pass on the Kreativ Blog Award to 10 bloggers and notify them; and
• I needed to tell you all 10 things about me that you don’t already know.

Both really tough tasks because I have more than 10 bloggers I would love to acknowledge and I really don’t know what ten things of mine would interest you. But I am doing it anyways!

So for the top ten I would love to acknowledge:

1. Janine Ripper at Reflections from a Red Head: I know we aren’t supposed to pass it on to those who passed it to us but she is and will always remain my No.1 blogger!
2. Heather Fonseca at Style Confessions: I am no fashion crazed but a chance meeting (through LinkedIn) introduced me to the lady who believes in weaving style and simplicity!
3. Samantha Bangayan at What Little Things: I love the way she has an opinion and a voice about the life in Peru.
4. Bonnie Copeland at My Rivendell: She actually has wonderful tips to get around in life!
5. Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. at Cerebrations: Undoubtedly, the man with the most intelligent posts…always!
6.  Steve Rice at Karmic Kappuccino: I came across his blog recently and couldn’t get my eyes off the title! Wonderful words of inspiration and if you name it Kappuccino, you are bound to get readers!
7. Melanie Kissell as the Solo Mompreneur: Last I heard, she was telling us all to shorten our emails to 140 characters!
8. Veronica Campos-Hallstrom at Club Creative Studio: Where there is creativity, there is Veronica!
9. Cathy Jones at Just My Thoughts: A wonderful photographer… and beautiful posts!
10.  Linda at Talk Therapy Biz: Last time I gave her an award she wrote a post called 7 Bloggers I want to share my Couch with!

And now for the tougher part, ten things about myself:

1. I am a big foodie; to say “No, I am not hungry” is like a crime in my life.
2. My all time favorite movie remains Forrest Gump, though I watch tons of movies, Forrest Gump remains my No.1!
3. As a kid, I was so naughty that my parents were scared I would be kicked out of school. But surprisingly that never happened.
4. I hate getting my photos clicked. I always end up with the most awkward smile.
5. I don’t understand the Vampire craze that has gripped the world. I watched Twilight movies and vowed to never do it again.
6. I take a lot of time to make decisions. The only snap decisions I make are in a shoe shop!
7. I just spent my last salary on books, almost all of it!
8. I am as lazy as lazy can be… my mom thinks that spiders will make webs around me someday.
9. I am very bad at learning languages. I stayed in the UAE almost 17 years and made it without learning Arabic. I know how to read and write, but I still find it hard to speak. Contrary to belief, everyone here manages fine with English!
10. Coming up with these ten things took me the longest than writing any other post. Mainly because I have done the “things about me” posts twice already!

So, there you go, thanks to Janine once again! And to the ten of you… pass it on guys!

How About Winning1100$ for Blogging?

So I normally don’t write a post like this but I had to do this for three reasons:

1. Posting this is a part of the contest.
2. For prizes worth over 500$... (Yes, it’s true!)
3. You could actually end up making 200$ if you win! And there is that 500$ I told you about!

For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about…rise, rub your eyes and see what Kiesha is offering.

We all love to guest post, at least I do. I have done it twice (once for Kiesha) and I loved the experience, exposure, feedback and the traffic (yes!) associated with it. Now, the lovely Kiesha from WeBlogBetter (actually she blogs wonderfully well!) is hosting a Guest Post Contest over at her blog.

And she has some amazing sponsors. The entry is simple. Write an original post (related to blogging and the likes), register for a username, submit your post, announce the contest on your blog (like I did this) along with the sponsors, promote your post as well as you can on BlogInteract and Blokube or just do it any which way to guarantee as many votes as possible and then… cross your fingers and hope you win!

For the detailed version of the guidelines and others technicalities go HERE. 

And if you are still the lazy soul wondering whether you should do it or not then go HERE.

If you still decide not to do it, too bad for you but good for us, the lesser the competition, the more the chances of us poor souls winning a cool 500$ and maybe more! (Yes, I had to throw in a little devilish laugh here!)
So are you joining or will be just helping others win?


The list of sponsors: 

Darren Monroe – Online Business Ideas



Mike - WordPress Themes: Premium Wordpress Themes



Ileane - Basic Blog Tips: Blogging Tips





Dan - Keyword Winner: SEO Plugin and GSEO: SEO Outsourcing



Lisa Irby – 2 Create A Website



Linda Hewett – Positive Spin Blog



Francisco Perez – iBlogZone: Home Business Resources



Brankica Underwood – Live Your Love: How To Blog Like A Star



Mavis Nong – Attraction Marketing



Danny Brown – Social Media Marketing Blog



Roberto Montanez - PsychBits: Psychology



Jane Sheeba - Find All Answers: Blogging Tips



Laura Burke - Skip the Scams: Learn affiliate marketing



Ana Hoffman - Traffic Generation Cafe: Tools for Internet Marketing



Kristi Hines - Kikolani: Blogging Marketing



Heather C. Stephens - Blog Marketing Ideas




Peppy - The Peppy Writes Chronicles


The Health Media Watch Blog: Fresh. Hip. Healthy



Tristan: The Blogging Bookshelf: Blogging tips


Ann Smarty - My Blog Guest



David - Blog Writer for Hire



Credit Cards Canada



Sean - Find Your Peak: Make Money, Live Fully, and Create the Life of Your Dreams!