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blog-makeover

Just the other day I was desperately seeking inspiration for my blog; and voila today I found it !

A blog make-over ! What do you think about the new look and feel of my blog ? I found it over at TemplateGrid.

I’ve managed to tweak the template to suit my requirements (I quite like being able to edit HTML – it’s my secret skill); but still working out how to change the fonts on all the previous posts so that there is some uniformity.  

Any suggestions or tips ? I really don’t want to manually do that ! 


Don’t you just love getting a special delivery parcel ?  The excitement of receiving something out of the blue, it makes you feel just like a kid doesn’t it ?  That’s exactly how I felt when I eventually got around to answering the persistent ringing of my door bell !

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I’m a big fan of actually receiving something personal in the mail (other than the usual bills!) and on seeing the UK post mark – my heart practically skipped a beat. 

Here’s what I got …

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My very own copy of The Crazy Nigerian !! AND it was autographed as well !

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I’m an avid book reader and honestly, this is an incredibly funny book filled with the trials & tribunes of a young lad topped with his crazy adventures which you will not be able to put down once you start  ! I had the privilege of being able to read it prior to publishing and I was cracking up throughout the book.   The Crazy Nigerian is available on soft paperback and has an E-book version available on Authorhouse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  If books don’t work for you – then you can swipe away on your iPads or Kindles as well.  

 

Once you’ve had a read – feel free to drop over to The Crazy Nigerian blog and leave your feedback there or drop him a note on Twitter on @dcrazynigerian

Music-MondayThis is one of that tracks that was part of a commercial in UK.  Every time I hear it – reminds me of being back at home, in London.

Quite a simple track – but there’s something ‘special’ about it don’t you think ?  Its something of a mix of happy and sad. 

Have you heard this before ? What do you think ?

Happy MM Folks !

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!

Desperately actually.

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The summer has seen this Diva be a bad blogger.  I just completely neglected my blog ‘cos I was busy having an absolutely fabulous summer jet-setting around the world to meet my friends.

Then I got back on track because I’ve always found solace in my blog.  It’s the perfect outlet for me to express all the things running through my mind.  There’s too much going on for me to contain it all.

Last month was a great because I got to take part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge for October 2012 and I actually got in 31 posts in 31 days ! Round of applause please !

For the last 11 days, I’ve been wanting to write but I can’t quite get the words out.  My screen is a blank slate and there’s no pencil / crayon / marker to scribble with !

So for those of you who take the time to read my blog – how about hitting me up with some inspiration ? I could really use it right now !

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It’s officially ‘Movember 2012 !

For those of you who aren’t aware; Movember is a month-long moustache growing charity held every year in November that raises funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostrate cancer and male depression.

Since its Australian inception in 1999, the world has seen an increasing number of ‘Mo Bros’ every November.  Movember has since been adopted around the world, including the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Spain.

I think it’s a fab way for men and women to discuss men's’ health issues.  Women tend to be more open about discussing things like breast & cervical cancer; whilst men aren’t really that open about it and tend to leave doctor appointments till the last minute ! 

Guys, will you be growing a moustache this Movember? And what style will you choose – the gringo, the porn star or the after eight? If you aren’t gonna grow a moustache – I hope you are going to be supporting and sponsoring those who do in your country.  I’m sponsoring a bunch of my mates in the UK for the cause.

So folks, if you see more moustaches on the streets – don’t worry – it’s all for a good cause !!

You can find out more about how to participate and learn the rules by visiting the official website of Movember.com

Day 31

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.

 

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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.

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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.

Day 28

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 ?

Day 27

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 !

 

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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 ?

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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 ?

Day 24

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.

Day 23a

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.

 

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.

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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

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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!