Challenge Your Limits

I can’t believe we are at the end of the Ultimate Blog Challenge ! It’s been a month of daily blogging which means 31 posts in 31 days !

I knew I was up for the challenge this October after already having taken part in January earlier this year.  I started off with a purpose and an actual theme to the challenge and as you must have realized – I have used a series of quotes on images and just blogged away to my hearts desires.

This is the 3rd blog challenge I’ve participated in (The UBC in January; the A to Z challenge in April and The UBC Oct) – and it’s really pushed me into becoming a better blogger.

Even though I didn’t get to visit as many blogs as I wanted to; I have book marked several of them to come back to and I’m still working my way through the list of posts that have been put up on the UBC FB page.

How was your journey throughout the challenge ? Was this your first time or are you a pro at challenges ? Did you get to finish all your posts ? Did you pre-schedule any posts or did you just blog as and when you felt like ? Would you take part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge again ?

If you’ve participated in the challenge, please take 30 seconds to share your linky below so that others can also check out your blog.

 

That Sinking Feeling ...

I’ve been feeling like this all day.  I can’t believe I have to leave.  I don’t want to but I have to.  The very thought of having to leave London, pains me.  The ache that I have in my heart is just something I can’t even begin to explain.

I know I said I would stop complaining – and this isn’t a complaint, this is rationalizing and coming to a realization.  Over the last few years, after setting up base in India, in some ways I have become very cynical, and I’ve been unhappy at some level.  I’ve known this. 

Being back in London opened a flood gate of memories; cleared the path to the old me – the me that I lost somewhere in transition.  The time spent with close friends is something I treasure deeply and I hadn’t realized just how much I missed being around them.

I can’t stop the tears rolling down my face … because I know I won’t be the same person once I leave .. but I’m going to try to hold on to that.

Leave. Remember. Never Forget

So damn true.

I can’t believe that I have to leave London.  I can’t get over that sinking feeling.  Everything about this city has ‘ME’ all over it.  My best friends are here.  My extended family are here. 

It pains me to leave my best friends behind; one of the woes of living such a nomadic life style.  I said that I would stop complaining; this isn’t a complaint, it’s just the way I feel. 

The memories of London are etched into my mind, my soul – something I can’t let go of even when I have tried in the past. These are memories that make me smile.

Memories That Make You Smile

I saw this and the quote ‘Memories maketh a man’ came to mind.  Are we not a sum of our memories ? There are so many tiny details that go into a memory; and my favourite ones are the ones that make me smile or laugh out loud at the thought of them.

Today as I was packing up to get ready to head over to India for the next set of events that my company is organizing; I came across a few old note books and in it were notes that my old high school friend & flat mate and I used to leave for each other.  As I was flicking through the pages, I got these visuals of particular moments when those notes were written and it gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling.

I’m an extremely visual person and have been told many a time that I have a very good memory.  In fact, I’ve earned the nickname Miss Paparazzi’ by my friends who will agree that I have captured all the memories I have shared with people on camera.  I keep the photos not only to serve as memory forever captured; but for the off-chance that one day if and when I start to lose my memory – the photos will be there as a reminder of the good old days !

What memory makes you smile ? Do you have a favourite one that you care to share ?

Rid Yourself of Fears

We are all dreamers in a way.  We day-dream when we are bored or lose interest in a subject; we dream of the perfect present and future for ourselves – but how are we meant to achieve those dreams if we are overcome by fear of the obstacles that one has to face in order to reach those dreams ?

If you aren’t already living your dream – then it’s time to go about taking the steps to build your dreams before someone else hires you to build theirs. If you aren’t passionate about what you want – you will always hold back; so do it with passion or don’t bother at all.

What steps have you taken lately to rid yourself of your fears ? Share your dreams in the comments and allow them to start manifesting now !

 

Do It With Passion Or Not At All

This quote can be applied to so many aspects of our lives.  I just feel that if you are going to do something i.e. invest your time into a business, your career, your personal life – then you have to have passion for it otherwise it’s just a half hearted attempt which is never going to give you the results that you hope for.

Think about it … Life is just one big never ending test ! You are  always going to be pushed to your limits and it’s up to you to decide how far you are willing to go.

Are you out there in the process of building your dream or are you living your dream ?

Are You Living Your Dream ?

It’s quite a thought provoking question isn’t it ? I really liked the image with this picture.

Are you sat on a bench watching the world go by ? Or have you fallen into the slump of the daily grind where you try to get by each day and your dreams get pushed lower and lower down the priority ladder?

Over the last few months, I feel like I’ve really been living my dream life .. I’ve been traveling extensively, meeting up with clients overseas, catching up with friends who I left behind when I moved my business to India .. and it’s been absolutely unbelievable …

I really believe that if you build on your dreams – anything is possible – it’s just a matter of perseverance .. after all life is just a test; and if plan A doesn’t work; there are 25 other plans waiting for you !

So – are you living your dream ?

Build Your Dreams

Need I say anything else ?

If you don’t chase your dreams – you’re never really going to get them.  Years ago I decided that I wanted to be self-sufficient and wanted to earn for myself and not for and on behalf of another company.

It might have been a naive thought fresh out of university but within a year I had set up my own business.  Today 10 years down the line – I love what I do and have expanded my business and the model behind it.

My dream job has allowed me to travel the world; organize some very innovative events; constantly challenges my creativity; and most importantly allows me to put together the perfect event for my clients (and friends).  The joy and sense of satisfaction I get when I stand back and look at the final result of the event – I can’t even begin to explain it … something along the lines of a super proud parent at their kid achieving an A* or a getting a gold medal. 

So go out there; follow your dreams, work hard at building them, leave no room for regret and never give up ! Failure leads to innovation – so just because things don’t work out the first time – it doesn’t mean that it was a waste of time.  If it matters to you – make the time and you will succeed.

Let People Go ...

The other day I wrote a post about how our lives are storybooks that we write for ourselves and that it’s a story book life that we live in.  Then I came across this quote and knew I was going to use it as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

And just as started to write this post, a scene from CSI stood out at me .. the gist of it was in reference to 'wondering how many people out there share the same name as us but live an entirely different life to us’  and ‘would you ever cross paths with them to form your story’

There are some people who are always going to be in your life .. you know it, they know it, your gut knows it.  Then are there are the ‘seasonal’ people who come and go just like the seasons in the year. Then there are people who you think and believe you have some sort of rapport or relationship with (doesn’t mean romantic) and over time you come to realize that what you have is either one sided or semi-superficial.

Whilst talking to my girl AD the other day – she asked me (or rather told me) why would I give such superficial people any importance by even discussing them … and my answer was that it’s not their behaviour that bothers me but more the half-hearted (actually half assed) phone calls / texts that say they can’t wait to see you or meet up but of course it never happens.  That’s what irritates me.  Just don’t bother if you don’t mean it right ? If it matters enough, then make the time otherwise don’t just say something you think you should be saying.

Over the past few months I’ve come to learn a lot about some of the people I thought I knew .. and they aren’t the people I thought them to be.  They aren’t bad people – we’re just on different tangents or wavelengths and I guess our respective parts in each others stories have to come to an end.  At first I thought there might be a sense of loss – but in reality there is no room for regret and I got to learn something about the expectation levels I have of those around me.

 

Lie Down & Listen To Good Music

It’s #MusicMonday today and in accordance with the theme behind the Ultimate Blog Challenge I thought I would share some music related quotes that I am able to find a connect with.

I compiled a list called Diva’s Top 40 (Part 1 and Part 2) that I hope you will enjoy as much as I have.

I have tried on many a times to fully express how I feel when I hear certain music but every time – I find there is more I can add to it.  Why don’t you listen to the below tunes and let me know what you think about them.

1. Wolfsheim – Dream of You
2. Reflekt – Need To Feel Loved
3. Deep Dish – We Gonna Feel It
4. Deepak Chopra – Desire (you can find the video here)
5. ATB – My Everything

I would love to know if any of these track have had an impact on you or made you connect with a memory from another time.  It’s always nice to associate a part of your life with a piece of music.  That’s how I feel anyway.

Share the love, share the music – after all it is #MusicMonday !

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Life Has 26 Plans For You

Life doesn’t always go according to plan.  You need to have a back-up plan ready just in case .. and if you’re an event planner, then you probably have back-up plans for your back-up plans !

Someone wrote this on my company FB page – and I had to share this ..

I like the plan B anyway because B is the heavy string on a 5-string bass and that shit be deep and funky

I thought that was fabulous ! Maybe we should all be setting our plans to musical notes .. who knows, we might end up in a better place !

So are you the type with just a Plan A and B or do you have multiple plans in place for worst case scenarios ? Or do you spontaneously come up with plans as you see your original plan crumbling ?

Failure Can Lead to Innovation

Saw this quote and thought of that saying ‘try, try, try again’ (or something like that?) …

Some people think of failing as a negative thing .. it doesn’t always have to be.  Everything and everyone around us today that signifies ‘success’ has ‘failed’ at some point or another to get to where they are today.  No invention was perfect the first time it was created – only after trial & error did any invention get perfected to what we know it as today.

In my line of work – I have good days and a few bad days .. the bad days teach me how to prepare myself the next time round; it teaches me how to be more innovative when I find myself in that situation; it teaches me that no matter how well prepared I am for the job at hand – shit happens and something could go wrong. 

I guess we must all realize that it’s ok to ‘fail’ every now and then ‘cos it’s just gonna make us be innovative enough the next time so as not to fail again.  What do you think ?

 

Life Is Too Short To Stress Yourself

There are some people who just seem to add stress to our lives.  Doesn’t it make you wonder ‘why’ they are even around giving you that stress ?

Life is short.  Stress increases the chances of a stroke or a heart attack.  My work as an events & wedding planner is stressful enough as it is – and the last thing I need is to worry about people causing me grief when they’re really not that important.

Over the last few months – I’ve made it a point not to let people who seem to only want to cause me aggravation – hold any significance in my life.  Some of them are people I thought to be associates / acquaintances and I realized that they have absolutely no right to impose their nonsense onto me and cause me stress for reasons beyond my control.

I've also started maintaining the same with clients.  As grateful as I am for the business that I have; there are some clients who are appallingly painful to deal with and I can literally feel my blood pressure shooting up when I have to handle them.  So now, I take a deep breath – hear them out (all the while letting a ‘wooo-saaa’ feeling take over) and just let it go … unless it’s in the interest of my business, there is no reason for me to take on any unnecessary stress.

Create Your Future

Some say that the future is uncertain.  The future is what you make of it.  Sure, you don’t really know what the future has in store for you; but unless you are willing to take a chance, or gamble at a risk; you’ll never quite know what your future will end up like.

I’ve written about The 3 C’s of Life : Choices, Chances & Changes.   Unless we make a conscious choice to take a chance our life will never change.

Life is complex; it is one big test – and if you’re bad at tests, don’t worry about failing; because with failure comes innovation and the need to succeed (unless you actually enjoy failing which I don’t think anyone does).

If you aren’t already living your dream – then it’s time to go about taking the steps to build your dreams before someone else hires you to build theirs. If you aren’t passionate about what you want – you will always hold back; so do it with passion or don’t bother at all.

Say What You Think ...

Easier said than done right ? We’ve all gone through the conflicting emotions of deciding / debating whether to say what we are actually thinking or just say what we think we should say …

Most of the time I tend to say what I’m thinking .. often it has gotten me into trouble and I’ve been told that I should think before I speak .. I suppose that makes sense in certain situations i.e in the work place / with clients / at a press conference …

With friends – I believe that one should be able to say whatever they are thinking – even if at times it may hurt the other person.  A true friend will realize that it’s not meant to be intentional.  I’m very upfront with my friends and don’t beat around the bush.  My friends do the same with me.

When it comes to matters of heart or of the romantic kind or even with someone new in your  life – it gets kind of sticky though doesn’t it ? How do you go about telling someone what you’re thinking without them over-reacting / over analysing what you’ve got to say ?

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that sort of a situation and recently I have found myself wanting to say out loud what I’m thinking but I’ve been choking up.  I know I will eventually end up just saying what’s on my mind .. I just need to do it sooner than later. 

(What’s quite ironic and a bit funny for me is that in January this year – I wrote about something similar ‘Just Say It’; and I may just end up complicating my life if I don’t follow my own advice) 

5 Simple Rules for Happiness

Happiness is subjective right ? What makes X happy may not make Y happy and vice versa.  But I feel that somewhere, somehow, we have all gotten so caught up in the mayhem that is our lives – we have forgotten how to be happy (on the inside, not on surface level)

I’m often quite pessimistic and it takes my super cheerful friends such as TBM to keep me in check and to remind me of the little things that cause me pleasure (dessert !!)

Life is too short to stress ourselves and to be unhappy – so I guess we should get a grip, do the things we want to do, and say what we are thinking instead of thinking of what to say; and make time for the people that matter to us.

We should leave no room for regret in our lives – because it’s the only life we’re going to get a chance to live (unless of course you believe in reincarnation – then there’s hope for you to come back and do more in life) … and of course we must learn to manage our expectations of those around us !

Are you following the 5 Rules for Happiness ? Anything else you would like to add to it ? Or do you reckon there is something we can change from the list of 5 ?

Halfway There ...

October is flying by and I can’t believe we’re already half way through the Ultimate Blog Challenge !

How have you been faring through out the challenge ? Are you on-track or perhaps behind by a post or two ? Did you pre-schedule any blog posts or did you just set your mind to write a new post each day ?

I have compiled pretty much all the ‘quotes’ that I want to use for each day of the challenge; but turns out I made a bit of an error when it came scheduling my posts (typical right ?) so I’m behind by 3 posts at this stage.  I’m hoping to sort that out in the next day or so.

Honestly, I want to kick myself as I haven’t had a chance to visit all the amazing bloggers out there who are participating; and I’m also feeling bad that I haven’t been able to push and promote my own posts as much as I would have liked.

So guys, if you are participating in the UBC, and you have taken 30 seconds to stop by this post; PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE share your link below (I’ve created a little linky list) so that I can come back over to your blog and share the love !

Good luck to everyone of you out there who are blogging for the UBC – give yourself a huge round of applause ‘cos we are already half way through; and you can do it !!

 

Sundays Are Fun Days

Damn right it does.

Today was a beautiful crisp Sunday in London.  The skies were clear, the sun was out, a slight nip in the air, and I got to spend the day with family and friends.

A home cooked meal with my cousin PC, her two adorable daughters – my absolutely mischievous nieces, and another cousin AG who happened to have a day off between flights (she’s part of cabin crew).

AG and I had a bit of a wander around St Johns Wood and Oxford Street and realized it had been almost 6 or 7 years since the two of us had hung out together the way we did in London.  Since then she’s gotten married, had kids, and despite us both being in Bombay most of the year, we really do have to ‘plan to meet up’ (and majority of the times it’s over a drinking session with all the cousins).

AG then wanted to head over to London Bridge and of course I couldn’t quite resist the opportunity to have her pose for my camera – so that’s where we ended up.  There’s something about walking on the bridges of London that I find quite soothing. I love being next to the water.

After dropping AG off, I headed over to see my dear friend EG & her hubby for dinner and drinks at their apartment.  Her husband is one of the nicest guys I have met – and such a true Irish gent .. he let us girls catch up over drinks and continued pouring champagne (and at one point one of the best carrot soup I have tasted) for us before finally calling us over to the table for dinner. (She’s a lucky girl !!)

Eventually my night came to an end – and it truly was a Sunday well spent (and here’s hoping that I have a week of content !)

A Day With Friends

I can absolutely relate to this quote.  It doesn’t matter whether I’ve had a good day or a bad day – but any day spent with friends is not only a day well spent – it makes all my troubles go away.

This summer has been nothing short of perfect for me when it comes to being around my friends.  I got to spend a week with a girlfriend from university in Bermuda despite not having seen her for a good part of 6 years; and a whole month with two of my closest university friends MP & SL in Montreal and it gave a whole new meaning to being around those that matter.  Despite his busy schedule, SL always made time for me – even if it meant linking up with me for 30 minutes or stopping to join MP & me for breakfast on his way to work / in between meetings.  MP would call me or message me from work every day to check on my plans and just generally say hi. 

In London – it’s been all about the quality time with my girlfriends DA, EG, Nomster, IA, Vixen and AD.  Since DA is just around the corner from my house in London – we’ve seen each other quite often and we managed to go for a long weekend trip to Marbella just the two of us.  EG got married in August and I’m so glad that I was able to make it for her wedding.  We’ve had a few lovely one-on-one dinners with drinks.

Nomster & Vixen are nuts – so it’s always a major drinking session with them .. and bank holiday weekend was absolutely insane  !  Meeting IA is quite a pleasure – we had a few nights out including spending time searching for bars that had Happy Hour deals ! Hanging with AD is always fun – she’s someone I met in India but originally from the UK and we’ve spent many afternoons and evenings with bottles of bubbly !

There are people who come and go in our lives – but true friends will always be there; they overlook your flaws and despite the distances & differences – they will always be there whenever you need them.  Time may pass you by – but time with them will always pick up right where you left off.

Life Is A Test

Life is a series of constant tests.  They forgot to include that in the course work at school and at university.  No one really prepared you and said that you will tested over and over again, whether it comes to your friends, your family, or your work environment and encounters.

We are often thrown in situations where everything seems to be coming right at you in a good way (or a bad way) – and you are often left feeling overwhelmed; questioning whether or not you are capable of handling all that comes your way.  But we somehow manage.  And that says something about the will power within us.  We are all capable of achieving anything once we put our mind to it.

On the flip side – some of us may encounter a time in our lives where nothing seems to working in our favour.  It could be financial issues, unemployment / facing redundancy, health issues due to high levels of stress, and even relationship problems amongst friends and partners.  It can be extremely frustrating but just hang in there and persevere.  Everything that is thrown our way – is so for a reason – to test our will and to see how we persevere.

How do you deal with either of the situations ? Have you had that overwhelming feeling where too many things are going on all at once ? How do you react when things come to a stand still despite all the hard work that you put in ?

Nothing Is A Waste Of Time

As soon as I saw this – I could relate to it. 

I love to learn; so if something (no matter of it’s actual relevance to what I have to do) is going to add to my knowledge base – I see nothing wrong with it.

Life throws so many experiences our way – some good, some bad – and each incident teaches us something; be it about the situation, the circumstance and even about ourselves.

The people we encounter add some sort of depth to our story book life don’t you think ? If it weren’t were for all those that we meet, how else would we learn and gain knowledge from their own know-how?

The few days I allow myself the indulgence of doing absolutely nothing (i.e. not working) – I tend to browse the Nat Geo / Animal Planet and end up learning something about the animal kingdom.  These days, I’ve been watching a documentary on British History (and Britain has a history I could get lost in). 

Our mind and subconscious works in a funny way … the best ideas you probably come up with are when you least expect it ..  on that long drive to nowhere; whilst laying on the beach; or floating in the pool and soaking in the sun … and that’s when something just clicks and you realize that all all those experiences come together and have taught you something (something you didn’t even know you were capable of thinking of)

What do you think ?

The Storybook Life

Have you ever felt that way ?

I remember quite vividly when I was perhaps 8 or 9, lying in the park watching the clouds and thinking ‘wow, I must be a part of one of the best books ever’.  As a child I felt that if so much could happen in my day, my week, my life and those around me; imagine what else could be going on in other peoples lives.  I used to feel like each person I met was a character in a massively intertwined book created by God.

2 decades later – I still believer that; with a few alterations to my thought process.  If my life was made into a book – it wouldn’t be as exciting as it is without highlighting all the ‘characters’ I have met during my time.  Each person I have ever come across has added some sort of value, perception, depth and meaning to my life.  Each person I have interacted with has taught me a valuable lesson (good and bad); has made me evolve more into the person I am and added to my own character.

So if you’re reading this, you are in some way a part of my story –and I want to say ‘thanks for reading’ !  (just de-lurk in the comments so I know how to find you)

Stop Complaining ..

I’ve been guilty of complaining of things that have gone wrong in the day; we all have (and if you’re the rare person who doesn’t complain – please share your secret)

I suppose when I really get down to thinking about it – the days that I have complained about the issues from the previous day just ends up being ‘weighed down’ and it even carries forward to the next day.

I guess it’s only natural that we all have a bit of a moan & groan / rant & rave about all that happens in our daily lives .. Some of us do that more than others .. I know when it comes to being based in India – I’m always complaining to a point I’m sure those close to me are able to repeat my phrases verbatim.

My mom tells me ‘don’t complain – just get on with it’; my uncle told me this morning ‘just be grateful that you wake up each day’ .. and they are right … I noticed I tend to ‘get on with it’ whenever I’m working outside of India.  I’m not as disillusioned when things aren’t always right.  Perhaps it’s a bit of a mental block I have ?

I know I made the choice to set up a business in India; and I was well aware of the hardships I would face – and today, 3 years down the line – my business is growing, my team is expanding, the enquiries keep coming in.  There is no room for regret when achieving ones dreams.

So from now on – I’m not going to waste the little time I have each day complaining about the day before (or even the day of) … Because tomorrow is just another day !

MM #90 Macy Gray - Beauty In The World

My friend AD shared a music link on my FB page this morning and I thought it was quite ideal especially since I had come across this awesome quote as well.

We all have good days and bad days; some more than others – but in this fast paced world that we live in – we should take a minute to soak in the beauty in the world.

Personally, there are days I am so caught up with all that goes on in my daily life .. but I try to take a minute even if it means whilst waiting at a traffic light just to look around and see what my surroundings have to offer me.

I’m a nature lover – so whenever I get the opportunity to be around water, parks, a lot of greenery, the desert, the mountains – I just let myself go and allow myself to just indulge in everything around me. 

What about you ?

This marks the end of Day 8 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge; and I got to fit in a tune for #MusicMonday !

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Captured Memories

Anyone who knows me – will agree that I am utterly obsessed with taking photos.  I rarely leave the house without my camera and have also been known to turn the car around halfway to a destination if the camera has been left behind for any reason.

When I arrived in London a few weeks ago, I went about clearing up some cupboards and I ended up shrieking in delight to discover that my old photo albums were still around (I had been under the impression for the last year that my brother had thrown them away when clearing out a storage space).

One of my uncles suggested that I should throw out my old photographs because it’s not as if I was looking at them everyday. I laughed at that idea. There is no way I would throw away my photos. As a kid, I would spend my pocket money on developing a 36 roll of Kodak film every week; and that doubled up as I got older.

Today, I spent the day going through these photos and it was as if the flood gates had been opened up. 

Photographs are so special.  A photo captures a moment, a feeling / emotion, and in essence preserves your memory of that moment and the preceding ones forever (or until we still have the ability to retain our memory). 

Would you throw away your old photographs ? Are you the type of person who prefers to capture your memories and preserve them or do you believe that photographs aren’t required to keep a memory in place ?

Don’t forget to share your links below if you are participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge ! That’s Day 7 done !

Leave No Room For Regret

It’s so true isn’t it ? Everything I have ever done – the good, the bad, the not so great – I had made a conscious decision at the time to make that choice and the results of those choices have gotten me where I am today.

Sometimes I wonder if I could have done something different.  Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake by making a certain choice.  Then I pull myself together and remind myself that if I hadn’t made that particular choice – I wouldn’t be where I am today; I wouldn’t have met the people I know today and I wouldn’t have learned about just how much potential I have in me.

Today I’m based in India because I chose to explore business opportunities there.  If you’ve read my blog before you would be aware that I’m struggling with finding a balance between my business and my personal life.  I believe if I make the choice to leave India – then I would allow myself the chance to explore my personal life .. and that would be a really good change for me.  I guess it’s about balancing the 3 C’s of Life – how are you coping with your 3 Cs ?

Have you ever regretted a decision you made ? I’m talking about life altering major decisions – not things like zooming through a red light or skipping the gym for a day or two =p

The 3 C's Of Life

I feel like I’ve been on a roller coaster the past few months.  Everything I have experienced has made me think .. think of my past, my present, my very clouded future, my vision for the future that I want, and it then my thoughts just drop me straight back into the present which makes my heart clench, stings my eyes and almost crinkles my nose whilst I blink to fight back tears.

Before you start worrying about me – they are not unhappy tears – or sad tears, or emotionally distraught tears – more like tears of frustration or that inability to be able to come to a decision that would lead me on the path that I want to be on.

I’m almost overwhelmed with the choices that I have – and I want to take the chance because I know deep down inside – it will change my life.  Now it’s a matter of prioritizing the choices and the chances, and hoping that the change I want, comes about .. sooner than later.

What steps have you taken to make a conscious choice that would result in a change in your life ?

If It Matters, Make Time

This is so true.

I’m the kind of person who will always make time for the people who matter to me – be it my friends, family, work colleagues, even acquaintances.

This summer, I learned a lot about some of the people I thought I knew.  People change - the status quo of ones’ past relationship with one another also change.  The relationship  or rapport you share with someone may seem stable or solid or even continuous when you are miles apart – but the true test comes about when you come in contact again.

As with any relationship – it takes time and effort from all those involved for the relationship to cultivate and continue to grow.  If  it’s just one-sided -  then is it really as real as you think it to be ?

Now I know who are the ones that really matter and the ones that don’t.  This way I save my time and energy for those that are important to me.

Have you felt that way ? Have you ever experienced a distance between yourself and someone you considered a friend ?

To Expect Or Not To Expect ?

We all have certain expectations from those around us.  We have expectations of our friends, our families, our partners, our co-workers and we have expectations of ourselves.

When it comes to our friends and potential partners – our expectations could be the root cause of all sorts of heart ache. 

I’ve always maintained that that I don’t have ‘high expectations’ from my social circle and family.  The basics such as common courtesy, respect, and honesty – that I do expect (I think we all do – and if we don’t there’s an issue here).  All else I don’t hold expectations because I’ve discovered (sometimes the hard way) that it can lead to disappointment.

Perhaps we should all ‘expect’ to be disappointed one day by those around us.  Maybe that will somehow diminish the pain that we feel when we are let down by someone.  Or maybe we just not have any expectations at all ? Or do we just believe to expect the unexpected ?

I suppose in the end it’s about how we manage our expectations.  What are your thoughts on this ? Am I being too cynical ?

See Someone, Say Something !

I don’t remember when I came across this particular image but I had saved it and its perfect for this post.

This whole summer I have pretty much embraced the above.  I’ve had the pleasure of spotting some amazing eye candy on the tube in London, and I’ve made it a point to let the other person know that.  I reckon it totally makes their day and brings a smile to their face.

There was Adonis of a man on the tube – square jaws, bright blue eyes, cropped dirty blonde hair and a 1000 watt smile and OMG he smelled so good.   I was standing right next to him and before I got off at my stop I tapped him on the shoulder and I told him just that.  He couldn’t quite stop himself from going a bit red and his smile just got bigger – and we wished each other a good day and went our own ways.

And I don’t just do this with men – whenever I see an attractive woman or a female wearing something very funky or eye catching, I make it a point to let them know.  The women appreciate it and they walk away glowing. 

What about you – have you ever noticed someone and just approached them to say something – anything to them ?

Day 2 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – Done !

So What Do I Blog About ?

Now that I’ve gone ahead and signed up to participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge – it struck me that I haven’t really thought about what I want to blog about.

I have obviously given it some thought but not enough that I have a blog schedule in place for the duration of the challenge.  I need to get on this like yesterday !

Last year I wrote ad-hoc posts; whatever came to mind really and that was kind of hard to do.  This year I was thinking of using a series of ‘quotes’ whether it be inspirational, motivational, or even love / relationship based and see what it stirs me to write up.

Are you following any sort of theme or system for the Blog Challenge ? Have you planned your posts in advance or are you going to take each day as it comes and just blog about whatever catches your fancy ?

Please feel free to share your blog links in the linky below so that I can stop by and visit you; and would love to hear about what you are going to do during the course of the challenge.

Happy Blogging Folks !