#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge personal reflections ultimate blog challenge

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)

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge personal reflections

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 !

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge music for the soul music monday music mondays lady java musical emotions musical inspiration

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!

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge personal reflections photos ultimate blog challenge

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 !

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge personal reflections ultimate blog challenge

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

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge blogging ideas ultimate blog challenge

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 ?

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blogging challenge blogging ideas perceptions ultimate blog challenge

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 ?

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge expressing emotions perceptions personal reflections ultimate blog challenge

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 ?

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge ultimate blog challenge

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 !

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog topics blogging ideas ultimate blog challenge

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 !

#blogboost 31 Day Blog Challenge blog challenge blogging challenge blogging ideas ultimate blog challenge

The Ultimate Blog Challenge is BACK and the challenge commences on 1st October 2012.

I participated for the first time back in January this year and quite looking forward to the challenge as this Diva has been a bit of a bad blogger the past few months.

If you haven’t ever participated in a blog challenge, then I would highly recommend that you try this one out.

You can sign up over here : http://www.ultimateblogchallenge.com and enter your name and email address (this also allows the organizers of the challenge to send you across daily blog ideas and gets you listed on the site as someone who is participating)

There are few simple rules to follow :

1. Post every day for 31 days (duh !).  Doesn’t matter if you post twice a day and then skip a day – but you have to hit 31 posts over the entire month of October.
2. Each post must have a minimum of 100 words to count – so you can’t just put up a picture or a video and leave it there
3. Once you’ve posted, then tweet your post with the tag #blogboost so other participants can find you, and come comment on your blog
4. Go to the #blogboost page and take the time to read other participants blogs (and don’t forget to comment!)
5. No adult blogs – so keep it PG
6. Have fun whilst you blog !

If you are taking part in the challenge, please make sure you leave a comment and share your blog link so that I can stop by your blog .

Now I’m excited.  Bring on the Ultimate Blog Challenge !

animal escapades animal transport just for fun wordless wednesday wordless wednesday meme

A friend of mine took this photo and shared it on FaceBook and I had to share it with you all this #WordlessWednesday !

Anyone else seen a sight like this ?

funny road signs funny signs just for fun wordless wednesday wordless wednesday meme

Yup you read that right ! It had me laughing but also makes me wonder how is it possible that one doesn’t do a spell check before printing or painting a sign ?

Don’t forget to share your linky if you are participating in #WordlessWednesday !

music for the soul music monday music monday meme musical emotions musical inspiration

I’m not the biggest fan of Rihanna but this is a fantastic tune ! It’s almost been my summer anthem. 

The beats in this track are absolutely fabulous and my favourite beat is at 1:12 till 1:30 into the track. 

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!

music music for the soul music monday music mondays lady java musical emotions musical inspiration

Something new for me – perhaps for you too … What do you think ?

The lyrics are quite intense when you actually think about it.

I only miss you when I'm breathin'
I only need you when my heart is beatin'

The actual beat of the track is very peppy when you think about how ‘sad’ the actual lyrics can be … Hmm I have noticed a slight pattern here …any ‘emotional’ song I tend to like has very upbeat lyrics !

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!