UNWRITTEN
~ Natasha Bedinfield ~
...No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins..
The rest is still unwritten.
Friday, 26 October 2007
Song for the weekend - Unwritten
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Branching out...
... 
Last week I had my tree read by Genie. If you draw/doodle a tree - send it to Genie and she'll tell you what it says about you. She did such a smashing job that I'm posting her reading here so I can add my own comments properly.
There were so many family deaths during the 80s and 90s... most memorable would be my granddad in 1990 and my gran in 1999, my cousin killed in an accident in 1997 and my great uncle murdered in 1989? I think it was 89.
Then being burgled was a literal loss in 1998 and moving to Scotland was a semi-loss of leaving an entire continent, friends, family.. the Southern Hemisphere. Sounds daft, but I really deeply missed the loss of a Southern night sky. The stars are all different in the North.
Which losses count amongst the falling leaves? Not sure. Remembering how I was feeling drawing the tree I'd say those leaves are symbolic of all the losses rather than depicting any particular ones.
Last week I had my tree read by Genie. If you draw/doodle a tree - send it to Genie and she'll tell you what it says about you. She did such a smashing job that I'm posting her reading here so I can add my own comments properly.
This person put a lot of detail into their tree. While not a stickler for details, s/he’s certainly capable of paying attention to detail and cares about how things get done. Notice also how you can see all the branches, the leaves seem only to be at the tips of the branches. This is an honest person. The more branches you can see in a tree, the more open and honest a person tends to be. This is not to say that a person who covers their branches is dishonest, just so you know.Very true about getting things done. I like paying attention to things, but I don't get bogged down in details. Prime example is my housekeeping: it gets done, but on my terms and times - I rule the house, the house does NOT rule me! ;-)
The tree has plenty of room all around it and, except for being drawn so far to the right, it is a well balanced tree. This person probably plans well, and doesn’t run out of time for paying bills or finishing things s/he’s committed to doing.
I'm sitting laughing here! This is so true. If we have the money I pay the bills a month ahead. As for commitments... if I have doubts I'd rather say "no" than make a promise I might not be able to keep.
The tree floats on the page, it’s not planted down at the bottom of the page. This is a person who can be spontaneous, s/he can take off and do things at a moment’s notice but not without certain comforts. This is the kind of person who probably packs plenty of things in a suitcase, even for overnight. While the tree floats (spontaneity) it has also been given some lovely ground to grow in, it’s from this that I see while s/he can take off suddenly and doesn’t fear sudden change, s/he probably still must take plenty of home with him/her when s/he goes.Well... I met my husband online and agreed to marry him within one month, then I travelled to the other side of the world to meet him and see his country. A year later we married and I moved countries. I took as many of my possessions with me as possible. I had to leave things, but I took my recipe books, my stones (I collect plain old stones, not crystals. I love river and seas stones the best), and as much "home comfort" stuff as I could.
The roots are exposed and very structured. The ground doesn’t cover them up at all. This person’s family roots are important to how s/he defines herself today. There was likely a lot of family structure in early childhood.Oh, spot on! in fact I co-write a blog on those strong family roots - Kombai.
Lovely spiraled knots appear on the tree’s trunk. These denote two traumas in the artist’s life. What is a trauma to one person may be rather insignificant to another, so it’s difficult to define the nature of these traumas. For the artist, these traumas were significant when they happened and had a big affect on them. The first happened rather early in life, I didn’t get the artist’s age with this tree, but I would guess that it happened in the first five years. Time is difficult to judge in tree drawing and it’s possible that it happened anytime up to the age of ten, I just get the feeling it was earlier than that. Without knowing the artist’s age it’s difficult to pinpoint.Tricky one.. at first I hadn't a clue, but then it hit me. The biggest trauma I can think of was a dog I loved being hit by a car and killed the night my parents took me to a Christmas pantomime. I'm not sure how old I was when Tammy died, but I was definitely under the age of eight. I'd say she stands out as the biggest trauma in my early childhood.
I'd say probably 1998. We were burgled and I lost loads of stuff including a few very sentimental items. It was a night we'd spent at the hospital because the doctors thought my gran was dying. Came home to find the doors open, muddy footprints through the house and so much gone. Very traumatic time.The second trauma was more recent, in the last five to ten years I would guess. My tree drawing analysis instructor once shared a story with us, relating to knot-holes and traumas, about a man whose trauma turned out to be having his bike stolen from him. This doesn’t sound very traumatic, but it happened when he was a child and it was a shock to him, having his bike stolen was a huge betrayal in his life and caused him to stop trusting people in general.
Spirals, however, are archetypal symbols of life and continuity. To me, these spirals say, “Yeah, it sucked when that happened, but that’s life and it’s okay.” From the spirals, I feel this person is worldly enough to take the bad with the good. In fact, such a pretty, gnarled, and deeply lined trunk show this person’s ability to see the beauty in all life. The trunk is strong, thick, and well rooted. This person has a huge well of inner strength and is not easily “blown over.”My husband always says I'm one of the strongest people he's ever known - as in inner strength, not physical! I'd like to think he, and Genie here, are right in what they see in me. :-)
The branches are many and all of them reach UP! This person likely has many interest and is definitely interested in learning from life’s experiences, including the losses.That's exactly how I feel.
And there have been losses. I count four falling leaves, falling leaves mean loss. I don’t know that there were four major life losses, the artists is obviously a true artist and these falling leaves could just be artful touches. I would guess that there have been some losses, however. But this is no stretch, who hasn’t experienced loss? One of these falling leaves is on the left side of the tree—this is the past. The other three falling leaves are more recent. I would guess that there was one significant loss in the past and a few recent ones as well. Like life traumas, losses can span a wide range of things from the loss of things, pets, spouses, and deaths.There have been so many losses, it's hard to say. Past losses.. I lost my homeland when I was ten. My dad's dad died when I was two and then there were three pets who died as well as Tammy before the age of ten.
There were so many family deaths during the 80s and 90s... most memorable would be my granddad in 1990 and my gran in 1999, my cousin killed in an accident in 1997 and my great uncle murdered in 1989? I think it was 89.
Then being burgled was a literal loss in 1998 and moving to Scotland was a semi-loss of leaving an entire continent, friends, family.. the Southern Hemisphere. Sounds daft, but I really deeply missed the loss of a Southern night sky. The stars are all different in the North.
Which losses count amongst the falling leaves? Not sure. Remembering how I was feeling drawing the tree I'd say those leaves are symbolic of all the losses rather than depicting any particular ones.
The placement of the tree indicates a certain identification with the father or with male peers. There may be a certain resentment or a wish to disconnect somewhat from the mother’s influence. Despite the rightward tree placement, this is a very well balanced tree, which is indicative of a very well balanced person.I have always felt more relaxed in male company than female and I do tend to identify with my dad. I can't say I resent my mom, but I did resent my mom's mom at times. My gran was a very strong personality and strong people aren't always easy to get on with. I adored her, but I did resent her trying to control or influence my life. Added to that her family ancestral line is one of feuds, fights and tragedies that have echoed through generations of family. Just this year I had a friend do an ancestral cleansing/blessing for me to remove some of that ancient negative influence. At the moment I've been busy tracing the literal history of that maternal lineage, so it's on my mind a lot. I'd say the need to disconnect comes via this maternal line rather than being literally maternal.
The openness of the crown shows a friendly extrovert but the crown is ultimately “closed” with the addition of foliage showing that the artist feels a need to create a certain buffer zone between his/herself and others. This could be defined as a naturally friendly person who exercises discretion and a certain amount of control in how s/he allows energy to flow between self and others.
Oh wow... That last sentence is me totally: "...a naturally friendly person who exercises discretion and a certain amount of control in how s/he allows energy to flow between self and others."
Bravo Genie, you did a brilliant job. :-)
Friday, 19 October 2007
Claiming your power
...
I was chatting to a friend recently about his personal "lightbulb moment". He had suddenly realised that he had to stop blaming his parents for his unhappy childhood in order to move on. Yes, he had an unhappy childhood. Yes, his parents were the reason why he was unhappy, but as long as he keeps holding onto those facts he can never move beyond them. They have become the cage that stops him from living a full and happy Present and Future.
I told him how interesting that was, because I had just heard from another old friend who had gone through some radical changes herself. Last time we saw each other her life was a mess. Now she pops back into my emails with a new job and a brand new life and, even more important, a new attitude. Before she always blamed others for her problems: the world, her employers, her childhood… Now her victim attitude is gone. She has claimed back her own responsibility for her life choices, and in doing so claimed back her own power.
None of us can ensure that our lives, or childhoods, are perfect, but we all do have one power that can never be taken from us. We all have the power to choose how we react to our life events. We cannot always control what happens, but we always have choice. There is always choice in blaming others. You can choose to hold on to blame, anger, fear, regret… or you can choose to let go. You can choose to be the hero of your own life story.. or the victim.
My male friend asked if I thought we needed another person to become a victim. It was a great question. I told him that I don't think we do. I think "victim" is a state of being - a sense of powerlessness. We can create it through anything. We can blame something less tangible like… bad health, the weather, our culture, our gender, or war. It does not have to be a literal person or persons. The only important thing to remember is that once we blame we hand over our power to the thing we blame. We say, "This *thing* is what holds me back" or "…has held me back." We give it the power and thereby lose our own power.
Pity is another way to destroy personal power. Sympathy is a lovely emotion, but pity can be very destructive. Sympathy says "I understand and will walk with you". Pity says "I see you as being a victim" and thereby strips away that person's power. There is also security in having no personal power, because power comes with moral responsibility.
So how do we learn to let go of being a victim? Like most things in life the answer is both simple and difficult. We just.. let go. We stop clinging to those things we blame. We can choose to stop being a powerless victim at any time, but I suspect we are sometimes too scared to. There's the fear of letting go of the known for the unknown freedom. So, like someone who thinks they are drowning, we cling in fearful desperation without realising that the very things we see as keeping us afloat are also the things that stop the currents from moving us forward.
Let go...
claim responsibility for your own self and float free...
you just might be surprised to find the shore closer than you ever imagined.
...
I was chatting to a friend recently about his personal "lightbulb moment". He had suddenly realised that he had to stop blaming his parents for his unhappy childhood in order to move on. Yes, he had an unhappy childhood. Yes, his parents were the reason why he was unhappy, but as long as he keeps holding onto those facts he can never move beyond them. They have become the cage that stops him from living a full and happy Present and Future.
I told him how interesting that was, because I had just heard from another old friend who had gone through some radical changes herself. Last time we saw each other her life was a mess. Now she pops back into my emails with a new job and a brand new life and, even more important, a new attitude. Before she always blamed others for her problems: the world, her employers, her childhood… Now her victim attitude is gone. She has claimed back her own responsibility for her life choices, and in doing so claimed back her own power.
None of us can ensure that our lives, or childhoods, are perfect, but we all do have one power that can never be taken from us. We all have the power to choose how we react to our life events. We cannot always control what happens, but we always have choice. There is always choice in blaming others. You can choose to hold on to blame, anger, fear, regret… or you can choose to let go. You can choose to be the hero of your own life story.. or the victim.
My male friend asked if I thought we needed another person to become a victim. It was a great question. I told him that I don't think we do. I think "victim" is a state of being - a sense of powerlessness. We can create it through anything. We can blame something less tangible like… bad health, the weather, our culture, our gender, or war. It does not have to be a literal person or persons. The only important thing to remember is that once we blame we hand over our power to the thing we blame. We say, "This *thing* is what holds me back" or "…has held me back." We give it the power and thereby lose our own power.
Pity is another way to destroy personal power. Sympathy is a lovely emotion, but pity can be very destructive. Sympathy says "I understand and will walk with you". Pity says "I see you as being a victim" and thereby strips away that person's power. There is also security in having no personal power, because power comes with moral responsibility.
So how do we learn to let go of being a victim? Like most things in life the answer is both simple and difficult. We just.. let go. We stop clinging to those things we blame. We can choose to stop being a powerless victim at any time, but I suspect we are sometimes too scared to. There's the fear of letting go of the known for the unknown freedom. So, like someone who thinks they are drowning, we cling in fearful desperation without realising that the very things we see as keeping us afloat are also the things that stop the currents from moving us forward.
Let go...
claim responsibility for your own self and float free...
you just might be surprised to find the shore closer than you ever imagined.
...
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
My Voice... Your Voice
...
Amel has tagged me with a very interesting meme started by Mel of Monday Morning Power.
Why do we blog? I'm betting if you asked a million bloggers you'd get a million answers, but they'd all come down to one thing - we blog to have a voice. This meme is about adding your voice to the list of voices Mel is creating.
I'm tagging the following people:
1. Shastrix
2. Twilight
3. Genie
4. Blur Ting
5. Shan
If you haven't been tagged, but still want to join, please copy from **Start Copy Here** through **End Copy Here** and follow the rules.
**Start Copy Here**
We have a voice;
We must be heard;
Therefore we blog;
Now spread the word!
This meme is based on a recent post that was conducted asking the question “Why do you Blog?” and the rewrite “Why do you Blog? - Reworked.” The purpose of this meme is to tell our tales by spreading the reasons that we blog to as many sites as possible. We get to explain ourselves, direct traffic to our site and highlight our most important, most representative or most relevant post in an SEO favorable format. This will be a positive experience for everyone who wants to get involved. This will enable you to create a short advertisement for your site that will be spread across the blogesphere; a growing directory of blogs.This is an open meme. You do not have to be tagged to join in. All you have to do is follow the rules.Please let me know when you have added your site by leaving a comment on “Complete List” with a link to your post. This will insure an up-to-date list, giving you even greater distribution. You then have the option of copying the growing list back to your site.
Rules:
Create an inventive post title
Write a brief introduction to the meme.
Copy from “**Start Copy Here**” through “**End Copy Here**”
Paste into your post
At the end of the “*list*”, before “**End copy here**”, please add your name, site name (with link), a very brief description (2-3 sentences) of why you blog, and your most important, most representative, or most relevant post (with link.)
Tag at least 5 others to participate.
Leave a comment and a link to your post on “Complete List”
*List*
My name is Mel and I am the Author of Attitude, the Ultimate Power, aka Monday Morning Power. I blog because I am passionate about happiness and living in the moment. I want to spread the concept that we are in control of our own lives and can choose how we act and react. My site is focused on the Pursuit, Capture, Care and Feeding of a Positive Mental Attitude. One of my most representative posts is “Happiness Vs. Human Nature.”
I am Max and I offer weekly articles on MAX. Why do I blog? I do it because I want to share my thoughts with you guys. I present a new and interesting way of transmitting philosophical thoughts: funny, engaging and intriguing! My funniest, yet intriguing, post is "Don't you just love People?"
I am the Great and Powerful Baba Doodlius. My 100% factual blog The Thoughts and Sayings Of Baba Doodlius is intended to educate all of you curious readers about the Truth behind the Great Secrets of the Universe. I have the Truth! Can you handle the Truth? For a sample of my powers of enlightenment, read my Revelation of the terrible secret of Bigfoot, aka Don't get stepped on.
My name is Amelia and I am the Author of Amel's Realm. I blog because I need to voice everything in my world so that I won't explode. My site is all about thoughts, experiences, fears, problems, misadventures, hopes, and dreams of an introverted tropical girl in a foreign land (Finland). One of my most representative posts is On Trust and Relationship.
I am Geoff of Geoffandcarley.com and I blog for reasons as diverse and as fickle as my moods. Mostly I blog because I'm firmly convinced I've figured a few things out and that the world will benefit from my experience the same way I've benefited from others' experiences. One post that I feel captures my emotional involvement and my ire (but not my humor as much) is Decision time.
My name is Judy and I am the Author of ~~Sugar Queen's Dream~~. I blog because it's cheap therapy and I have something to say. I feel my most powerful post is called “The Myths of Smoking......”
My name is Sindi and I have written a blog entitled Life is a roller coaster!. My blog is based on the ups and downs of everyday life. I started blogging because I was going through some hard times and I wanted to meet new people to talk to. I like to write and was hoping people might enjoy reading what I have to say. I think the most inspiring post I have written to date is We Effect So Many.
People call me the Midgetmanofsteel (although I’m neither a midget, nor made of steel). I am the sole author the blog Mental Poo: a mostly true and humorous account of things that have happened to me, are happening to me, or are just filling my head and taking up valuable space where images of women should be. You can get a sneak peek into my mess of a brain by reading “Raisins are People” – a true account of my son’s first field trip.
My name is Sandee and I have a blog called Comedy Plus. My blog is just for fun, and I started it to poke fun about everyday life. My reason for blogging is to have fun and meet new friends. I have done both beyond my wildest dreams. I have posted lots of jokes, but when ask what my favorite joke is, I always pick Anger Management
My name is Lynda. I blog to as a way to expose my writings and to spread my knowledge on the subject of love. My primary blog (I have 15) is lynda's loft. My favorite piece would be I LOVE..... I have over 300 original poems and posts dealing with the wonderful and painful world of love. I love love!
My name Adrian, although most of you probably know me as the Mighty Genie King. I am the author First Time Dad. I started blogging as a way to document my growing up pains as my wife and I raise our daughter. I hope that one day my daughter will be able to look at this and get an idea what life was like "back then". Now I blog about everything but the main focus is still the same! One of my favorite posts is Goodnight Sweetheart! Hello Basil! Eh...Who's Basil...
Hello, my name is Ann and I'm the author of A Nice Place in the Sun. I blog because I care about people and want to make them happy. My site is focused on humorous, inspiring, and nostalgic posts about life, children, and memories. My most representative post, or the post where I'm most myself is "The Craziest Experience Of My Life."
We are a team of writers, and everyone calls us NAFA, so that would be our name. We are the proud authors of NAFASG©™ - United And Dedicated Behind You™. Blogging, to us, is a form of spreading useful information and sharing our knowledge to every part of the world in order to contribute to the betterment of our global community. The post that we feel would be representative of our blog and the global community at large is The Sociological Interaction.
Hola! This is Mariuca and I blog because writing is what makes me whole. I write about anything under the sun from life, love, friends to cats and work. I tend to write best when under pressure and my personal favourite post from Mariuca is Love in Disarray.
My name is Susan and I am the Owner of ~~Wake up America ~~, which is a political, right leaning blog. I blog because I believe we need more voices out there to separate fact from fiction, to support our troops and to high light the lack of ethics from journalists today. I feel my most powerful post is called "Are You Proud to be an American......""
Here I am :-) My name is Mauro and I'm the author of 1 Million Love Messages ... maybe the biggest love challenge in the blogosphere. Why I blog ??? Because I believe that bloggers can make a difference in the world. That's my challenge! My favourite post it's (for sure) Adam Donkus & Lizzie's Love History."
Hi there World I am Aussie, the author of Little Aussie Cynic and I want to Breathe among others. I was recently asked:"Why Do you Blog?" this takes me back to the beginning... I started blogging in an attempt to get people thinking, using my cynical humour as a tool to make people laugh, think and at times get the blood pumping.... Each of my Blogs takes in a little peice of my varied personality but the one which discribes me best would have to be There is Always a Natural Way the latest edition to the Aussie Cynic Family...
I am Zubli Zainordin, in Total Happiness, I organize the Book Project blog and co-author Santa's Community Blog and Hall Of Fame Blog. I blog with the purpose of documenting about my self for my own reference, my future generations and friends who prefer to know me. I also share vital and valuable information entirely on total happiness. I believe in Santa Claus and I share the Spirit of Christmas within this Blog World. In addition I promote bloggers, their blogs, and invite them to share their blogging experiences, and together with Shinade, I review their blogs and award them with the Zubli and Shinade Recommended Read awards. Those who continuously show continuous blogging improvements shall be residence of the Hall Of Fame blog.
I'm Holly from Mama Pajama. I am a stay-at-home mom to my two year old son, Cameron. He is such a joy in our lives. I just stumbled across blogging after watching a television show. I wish I had found it sooner, as it has been so much fun meeting people all across the globe. It's my own place to share about my family, interests, likes, dislikes, etc. I love that I've found my own little circle of blog buddies that will read the stuff I have to say....as mundane or silly as it might be! LOL It's fun leaving others comments, and knowing that something I post or comment just might make someone smile that day. I'm already having a hard time turning off my computer at night, so I'm hoping to keep this blogging addiction under control. My favorite post so far is Lucky Girl.
I'm Kathleen of Invisible Keepsakes.Well, I blog because if I don't, I'll go mad and get very hard to live with. I need a tableau for my creative endeavours. I write poetry. That is to say, I am a poet. I'm not a great poet; nor am I a deep poet, but I love wordplay and creating images and entertaining people with my ideas and interpretations of events and news and random topics. I've written quite a lot of poems, some have even been published, but I think the one I would have you read is Bad Dawg #7 because I feel so strongly about it.
I am Beth or Skipper - whoever you are most comfortable with, and I author My Life Starts at Forty Two. I am really trying to turn my life and myself around - and become the best me that I can. It is not always easy with family, illness, etc, but I refuse to give up. This is my journal of journey. One of the best posts that I can use to describe me is The Decision.
I am Delirious the creator of Lifeonalimb. I always wished I could have my own little newspaper and write all of the columns myself. But since I probably wouldn't make enough money to pay for the paper to publish it, I decided to go the "free route" instead. I don't think this is my best post, but probably one that most people would enjoy; death-defying Stop in, check it out, leave a comment, then go get therapy.I am Bridget from "And Miles To Go Before We Sleep"
I am a stay at home mom of five young children, ages 1-12, three of which have special needs. Two of my boys are afflicted with Autism so it is a very busy household. I started bogging because our family moves around a lot and we ar very far away from our families and this was a great was to stay in touch with them. I met so many great people through blogging and I enjoyed it so much that I now feel like it's another job (one that I enjoy). My favorite post so far has to be The Old Tree In The Middle Of The Dry Desert
My name is Winsome Gunning and I am an artist who started blogging about `The Creative Process’ and `The Power of Listening to Silence’ on Winsome Gunning Art Walk. From my own listening to silence came A New Green Earthmy personal voice for green change. About DioxinAbout Simple Ways and A Green Earth are also my voices for green change. On these two blogs I publish contemporary green news from around the world.
I am the wily Blogolope, and I blog for fun and to get things off my chest and hopefully be funny. I created Blogolope because I thought it would be fun, simple as that. Blogolope to Assist Santa, Elves if a funny post. is an example of the issues about which I have felt compelled to write.
Hi, My name is Janice Ng & I'm the miracle mum from "This is a miracle". I started to blog to document the foot steps of my 2 boys : Amos & Zachary. With this blog, they are able to look back what they have been through: their joy, excitement, laughter, fighting, crying, screaming... etc when they grow up. One of my favourite post is "The loving brothers" on how the 2 brothers showed they tenderly care through a piece of strawberry cake!!
My name is Michelle of Crow's Feet . I started writing because I love words and wanted to make people feel... and think, but I soon realised that writing is about connecting. Because the more we connect to others - the more we learn about ourselves. I'm picking my post Small Miracles as representing who I am, why I blog... and why I love the internet.
**End Copy Here**
Amel has tagged me with a very interesting meme started by Mel of Monday Morning Power.
Why do we blog? I'm betting if you asked a million bloggers you'd get a million answers, but they'd all come down to one thing - we blog to have a voice. This meme is about adding your voice to the list of voices Mel is creating.
I'm tagging the following people:
1. Shastrix
2. Twilight
3. Genie
4. Blur Ting
5. Shan
If you haven't been tagged, but still want to join, please copy from **Start Copy Here** through **End Copy Here** and follow the rules.
**Start Copy Here**
We have a voice;
We must be heard;
Therefore we blog;
Now spread the word!
This meme is based on a recent post that was conducted asking the question “Why do you Blog?” and the rewrite “Why do you Blog? - Reworked.” The purpose of this meme is to tell our tales by spreading the reasons that we blog to as many sites as possible. We get to explain ourselves, direct traffic to our site and highlight our most important, most representative or most relevant post in an SEO favorable format. This will be a positive experience for everyone who wants to get involved. This will enable you to create a short advertisement for your site that will be spread across the blogesphere; a growing directory of blogs.This is an open meme. You do not have to be tagged to join in. All you have to do is follow the rules.Please let me know when you have added your site by leaving a comment on “Complete List” with a link to your post. This will insure an up-to-date list, giving you even greater distribution. You then have the option of copying the growing list back to your site.
Rules:
Create an inventive post title
Write a brief introduction to the meme.
Copy from “**Start Copy Here**” through “**End Copy Here**”
Paste into your post
At the end of the “*list*”, before “**End copy here**”, please add your name, site name (with link), a very brief description (2-3 sentences) of why you blog, and your most important, most representative, or most relevant post (with link.)
Tag at least 5 others to participate.
Leave a comment and a link to your post on “Complete List”
*List*
My name is Mel and I am the Author of Attitude, the Ultimate Power, aka Monday Morning Power. I blog because I am passionate about happiness and living in the moment. I want to spread the concept that we are in control of our own lives and can choose how we act and react. My site is focused on the Pursuit, Capture, Care and Feeding of a Positive Mental Attitude. One of my most representative posts is “Happiness Vs. Human Nature.”
I am Max and I offer weekly articles on MAX. Why do I blog? I do it because I want to share my thoughts with you guys. I present a new and interesting way of transmitting philosophical thoughts: funny, engaging and intriguing! My funniest, yet intriguing, post is "Don't you just love People?"
I am the Great and Powerful Baba Doodlius. My 100% factual blog The Thoughts and Sayings Of Baba Doodlius is intended to educate all of you curious readers about the Truth behind the Great Secrets of the Universe. I have the Truth! Can you handle the Truth? For a sample of my powers of enlightenment, read my Revelation of the terrible secret of Bigfoot, aka Don't get stepped on.
My name is Amelia and I am the Author of Amel's Realm. I blog because I need to voice everything in my world so that I won't explode. My site is all about thoughts, experiences, fears, problems, misadventures, hopes, and dreams of an introverted tropical girl in a foreign land (Finland). One of my most representative posts is On Trust and Relationship.
I am Geoff of Geoffandcarley.com and I blog for reasons as diverse and as fickle as my moods. Mostly I blog because I'm firmly convinced I've figured a few things out and that the world will benefit from my experience the same way I've benefited from others' experiences. One post that I feel captures my emotional involvement and my ire (but not my humor as much) is Decision time.
My name is Judy and I am the Author of ~~Sugar Queen's Dream~~. I blog because it's cheap therapy and I have something to say. I feel my most powerful post is called “The Myths of Smoking......”
My name is Sindi and I have written a blog entitled Life is a roller coaster!. My blog is based on the ups and downs of everyday life. I started blogging because I was going through some hard times and I wanted to meet new people to talk to. I like to write and was hoping people might enjoy reading what I have to say. I think the most inspiring post I have written to date is We Effect So Many.
People call me the Midgetmanofsteel (although I’m neither a midget, nor made of steel). I am the sole author the blog Mental Poo: a mostly true and humorous account of things that have happened to me, are happening to me, or are just filling my head and taking up valuable space where images of women should be. You can get a sneak peek into my mess of a brain by reading “Raisins are People” – a true account of my son’s first field trip.
My name is Sandee and I have a blog called Comedy Plus. My blog is just for fun, and I started it to poke fun about everyday life. My reason for blogging is to have fun and meet new friends. I have done both beyond my wildest dreams. I have posted lots of jokes, but when ask what my favorite joke is, I always pick Anger Management
My name is Lynda. I blog to as a way to expose my writings and to spread my knowledge on the subject of love. My primary blog (I have 15) is lynda's loft. My favorite piece would be I LOVE..... I have over 300 original poems and posts dealing with the wonderful and painful world of love. I love love!
My name Adrian, although most of you probably know me as the Mighty Genie King. I am the author First Time Dad. I started blogging as a way to document my growing up pains as my wife and I raise our daughter. I hope that one day my daughter will be able to look at this and get an idea what life was like "back then". Now I blog about everything but the main focus is still the same! One of my favorite posts is Goodnight Sweetheart! Hello Basil! Eh...Who's Basil...
Hello, my name is Ann and I'm the author of A Nice Place in the Sun. I blog because I care about people and want to make them happy. My site is focused on humorous, inspiring, and nostalgic posts about life, children, and memories. My most representative post, or the post where I'm most myself is "The Craziest Experience Of My Life."
We are a team of writers, and everyone calls us NAFA, so that would be our name. We are the proud authors of NAFASG©™ - United And Dedicated Behind You™. Blogging, to us, is a form of spreading useful information and sharing our knowledge to every part of the world in order to contribute to the betterment of our global community. The post that we feel would be representative of our blog and the global community at large is The Sociological Interaction.
Hola! This is Mariuca and I blog because writing is what makes me whole. I write about anything under the sun from life, love, friends to cats and work. I tend to write best when under pressure and my personal favourite post from Mariuca is Love in Disarray.
My name is Susan and I am the Owner of ~~Wake up America ~~, which is a political, right leaning blog. I blog because I believe we need more voices out there to separate fact from fiction, to support our troops and to high light the lack of ethics from journalists today. I feel my most powerful post is called "Are You Proud to be an American......""
Here I am :-) My name is Mauro and I'm the author of 1 Million Love Messages ... maybe the biggest love challenge in the blogosphere. Why I blog ??? Because I believe that bloggers can make a difference in the world. That's my challenge! My favourite post it's (for sure) Adam Donkus & Lizzie's Love History."
Hi there World I am Aussie, the author of Little Aussie Cynic and I want to Breathe among others. I was recently asked:"Why Do you Blog?" this takes me back to the beginning... I started blogging in an attempt to get people thinking, using my cynical humour as a tool to make people laugh, think and at times get the blood pumping.... Each of my Blogs takes in a little peice of my varied personality but the one which discribes me best would have to be There is Always a Natural Way the latest edition to the Aussie Cynic Family...
I am Zubli Zainordin, in Total Happiness, I organize the Book Project blog and co-author Santa's Community Blog and Hall Of Fame Blog. I blog with the purpose of documenting about my self for my own reference, my future generations and friends who prefer to know me. I also share vital and valuable information entirely on total happiness. I believe in Santa Claus and I share the Spirit of Christmas within this Blog World. In addition I promote bloggers, their blogs, and invite them to share their blogging experiences, and together with Shinade, I review their blogs and award them with the Zubli and Shinade Recommended Read awards. Those who continuously show continuous blogging improvements shall be residence of the Hall Of Fame blog.
I'm Holly from Mama Pajama. I am a stay-at-home mom to my two year old son, Cameron. He is such a joy in our lives. I just stumbled across blogging after watching a television show. I wish I had found it sooner, as it has been so much fun meeting people all across the globe. It's my own place to share about my family, interests, likes, dislikes, etc. I love that I've found my own little circle of blog buddies that will read the stuff I have to say....as mundane or silly as it might be! LOL It's fun leaving others comments, and knowing that something I post or comment just might make someone smile that day. I'm already having a hard time turning off my computer at night, so I'm hoping to keep this blogging addiction under control. My favorite post so far is Lucky Girl.
I'm Kathleen of Invisible Keepsakes.Well, I blog because if I don't, I'll go mad and get very hard to live with. I need a tableau for my creative endeavours. I write poetry. That is to say, I am a poet. I'm not a great poet; nor am I a deep poet, but I love wordplay and creating images and entertaining people with my ideas and interpretations of events and news and random topics. I've written quite a lot of poems, some have even been published, but I think the one I would have you read is Bad Dawg #7 because I feel so strongly about it.
I am Beth or Skipper - whoever you are most comfortable with, and I author My Life Starts at Forty Two. I am really trying to turn my life and myself around - and become the best me that I can. It is not always easy with family, illness, etc, but I refuse to give up. This is my journal of journey. One of the best posts that I can use to describe me is The Decision.
I am Delirious the creator of Lifeonalimb. I always wished I could have my own little newspaper and write all of the columns myself. But since I probably wouldn't make enough money to pay for the paper to publish it, I decided to go the "free route" instead. I don't think this is my best post, but probably one that most people would enjoy; death-defying Stop in, check it out, leave a comment, then go get therapy.I am Bridget from "And Miles To Go Before We Sleep"
I am a stay at home mom of five young children, ages 1-12, three of which have special needs. Two of my boys are afflicted with Autism so it is a very busy household. I started bogging because our family moves around a lot and we ar very far away from our families and this was a great was to stay in touch with them. I met so many great people through blogging and I enjoyed it so much that I now feel like it's another job (one that I enjoy). My favorite post so far has to be The Old Tree In The Middle Of The Dry Desert
My name is Winsome Gunning and I am an artist who started blogging about `The Creative Process’ and `The Power of Listening to Silence’ on Winsome Gunning Art Walk. From my own listening to silence came A New Green Earthmy personal voice for green change. About DioxinAbout Simple Ways and A Green Earth are also my voices for green change. On these two blogs I publish contemporary green news from around the world.
I am the wily Blogolope, and I blog for fun and to get things off my chest and hopefully be funny. I created Blogolope because I thought it would be fun, simple as that. Blogolope to Assist Santa, Elves if a funny post. is an example of the issues about which I have felt compelled to write.
Hi, My name is Janice Ng & I'm the miracle mum from "This is a miracle". I started to blog to document the foot steps of my 2 boys : Amos & Zachary. With this blog, they are able to look back what they have been through: their joy, excitement, laughter, fighting, crying, screaming... etc when they grow up. One of my favourite post is "The loving brothers" on how the 2 brothers showed they tenderly care through a piece of strawberry cake!!
My name is Michelle of Crow's Feet . I started writing because I love words and wanted to make people feel... and think, but I soon realised that writing is about connecting. Because the more we connect to others - the more we learn about ourselves. I'm picking my post Small Miracles as representing who I am, why I blog... and why I love the internet.
**End Copy Here**
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Dinner Part Meme
...
Amel has tagged me to do this meme. The rules as set out by Graham (the originator of this meme) are:
1) The Dinner Party Theme: You have decided to hold a dinner party. When writing the invites you clearly state that fancy dress must be worn. Assuming that cost is no issue, who or what would you dress up as, and why?
I would pick a Halloween theme since we never celebrated Halloween in Africa and it always sounded good fun. Halloween is also my dad's birthday so we could really make it a BIG celebration!
Amel has tagged me to do this meme. The rules as set out by Graham (the originator of this meme) are:
The idea is to work your way through the eight phases of the dinner party, answering all of the questions on the way - being as honest and creative as you wish. Once your homework has been completed, please nominate any bloggers who's "virtual" dinner party you would love to hear about.
1) The Dinner Party Theme: You have decided to hold a dinner party. When writing the invites you clearly state that fancy dress must be worn. Assuming that cost is no issue, who or what would you dress up as, and why?
I would pick a Halloween theme since we never celebrated Halloween in Africa and it always sounded good fun. Halloween is also my dad's birthday so we could really make it a BIG celebration!
If I'm cooking and being the hostess.. I'd go for not wearing a fancy dress costume. I have a tendency to be "accident prone". I am the one who puts her elbow in the butter or dips her sleeve edges into the gravy. I am the girl who got her shoe heel stuck in her dress hem and fell down stairs into the lap of a stranger at a disco.. so any costume would have to have no dangly bits, no sticky-outy bits and nothing I could accidentally trip on! I think I'd rather go for wearing something simple in black and add Halloween make-up. The full "dead vampire princess" look… maybe vampire teeth. * evil toothy grin*
2) The Invitations: This dinner party is for 6 people (including yourself), you are allowed to invite any 5 other people (either past, present, real or fictional), who would you invite and why?
Like Amel all I can say is.. "Only six? NOOOOOO!!!!! I have too many blogger friends to invite and I wanna invite 'em all and I wanna invite my WHOLE family too"
and.. Like Amel, I'm cheating and inviting all my extended family and internet/blog friends and THEN picking five "special" people. I'm picking people who are alive and dead.. since it is a Halloween party I figure I can add some ghosts. :-)
1. Leonard Nimoy
because I loved him as Mr Spock, but then was amazed at his poetry and then later even MORE amazed at his photography. I'd love to ask him about his photos.
2. M Night Shyamalan
Because I find his movies fascinating and think he'd be interesting to talk to.
3. The Dalai Lama
because he's wise and adorable. :-)
4. Jane Austen
I love all her books and her gentle feminine humour would be a nice addition to the table, I think.
5. My spirit-guide Sol
I figure he's been dead 500 years.. the guy could do with a good meal! Plus he's got a great sense of humour (he has to being stuck with me!) and I'd love to be able to literally hear and see him for one evening.
3) The Starter: You are preparing the menu, which dish(es) would you choose as the starter, and why?
For Halloween? it should be pumpkin soup! I'll cheat and get my orange colour with carrot and orange soup. It's not as rich as pumpkin and more refreshing.
4) The Main Course: Okay, now for the main course? and what drink would you serve with it?
Oh boy.. I hate choosing food for others. There's always a vegetarian, or someone with an allergy, or someone who hates whatever everyone else loves. If I was cooking purely for myself… I'd go for tender Scottish lamb stew with mustard dumplings. Served with brown rice and fresh vegetables.
Drinks? I'd have a good South African red wine for those that drink alcohol and a choice of fruit juices for those who don't. Probably red grape juice, apple and cranberry.
5) The Sweet: Finally, the sweet. Which would you choose, and why?
Full cream vanilla ice cream (they make wonderful real cream ice cream here!) and a choice of sauces and sprinkles. That way every guest can be creative and find something they'd like.
Sprinkles: dark and light chocolate, fudge "bits", diced fresh fruit, and toasted nuts.
Sauces: chocolate, caramel, strawberry, black cherry, Scottish heather liqueur (Hubby's favourite), Coffee liqueur (dad's favourite) and loads of whipped cream.
6) The Entertainment: The dinner party has gone swimmingly, everybody has had fun, conversation and drinks have been flowing all evening. At the end of the meal you announce that everybody should perform their 'party piece' (no matter how strange or pointless). What party piece would you perform?
Oh what a horrible thought! I'd much rather my guests all enjoyed laughing and talking than force them to do something that might make them, and me, feel stressed. No-one should feel stressed at a party, but.. since it is a Halloween theme.. I'd ask each guest to tell their favourite "scary story", preferably something from their own lives.
7) The End Of The Evening: The party is over, everybody has gone home, the house suddenly feels empty and quiet. Your eyes fix on the hi-fi in the corner of the room. You search though your CD collection to put on some music as you want to listen to one more track before your retire to bed. Which track would you play?
Dancing in the Moonlight, by Toploader. I love the song and it seems to fit the Halloween theme.
8) The Dinner Party Nightmares: Okay, so the "virtual" dinner party is over. Now for the real thing. Have you ever been to or hosted a dinner party during which something has gone wrong (either with the food, a guest or something else)?
I went to a New Year's dinner party with my parents when I was a teenager. This family friend had made a sweet of marinated grapefruit segments. I stuck a piece into my mouth and.. YEOW! It was unbelievably bitter. We were sat around a smallish round table so there was no way I could spit it out. I ended up swallowing it whole… fast. It was just horrible!
Tagging..
I'm not tagging anyone in particular. If you are reading this and want to join in, go ahead. :-)
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Bull
...
Photo: Highland bull, taken by me several years ago.
There is a field of Aberdeen Angus cattle just behind our house. Cows, several calves.. and one bull.
Every time we drive past the field.. there he is. Standing by the gate or lying down by the gate. I'm not sure if he's there to stop things entering through the gate or exiting. Either way he's always there.
Yesterday when we were driving past we had to stop to let a tractor pass. It gave me the chance to really look at that bull in detail. He was lying down watching the cows and calves and he looked so.. content.
Utterly, completely CONTENT.
He doesn't care about anything except his field, the gate and his "family". He doesn't sit about worrying if there will be enough grass tomorrow. He doesn't fret that he's not the biggest bull.. or the strongest bull. He has no idea there are other bulls out there ans even if he did, he'd never think to compare himself. Neither does he worry about comparing anything else he has. Unlike us humans who worry constantly about comparing, our clothes, our careers, our homes.. this bull does not care.
He doesn't care if his field isn't the best. It is HIS field and it is good. It feeds him and his family enough. It gives shade and sun enough. He doesn't compare his offspring to others and worry that they're not in the best schools, not the most popular. They all look like him and I'm sure, by his smug gaze, that he thinks they are all BEAUTIFUL. It's pretty easy to guess he thinks all the cows are beautiful too - that's why he guards them!
He lives for this moment. Now. Today he has a field, twenty odd cows, calves who are made in his image, and sun shining on the spot where he likes to lie. He has enough and he is content.
..and we call him the "dumb animal"?
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Cutest Bird Video
...
I was just sent the link to the cutest bird video ever - Snowball dancing to the Backstreet Boys!
Go see for yourself.. and maybe check the list of donation requests if you're in the area. The blog is run by a bird rescue centre and they need lots of things from paper and bird toys to money and volunteers. :-)
I was just sent the link to the cutest bird video ever - Snowball dancing to the Backstreet Boys!
Go see for yourself.. and maybe check the list of donation requests if you're in the area. The blog is run by a bird rescue centre and they need lots of things from paper and bird toys to money and volunteers. :-)
Monday, 8 October 2007
Please Pass The Pink Penguin
...
...
Today I received a ‘Pink Penguin’ from ChocMint Girl - a very important (and cute!) reminder that is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
I am very lucky to know three wonderful women who are breast cancer survivors - this disease doesn't have to be a killer! So get those check-ups and become aware.
I am very lucky to know three wonderful women who are breast cancer survivors - this disease doesn't have to be a killer! So get those check-ups and become aware.
Below are the four ideas of how you can help spread awareness (recommended by Pelf, via Chocmint girl) :
1. Spread the word.
Announce the event on your blog. You could write a blog post (like this), or a little note about it. Whatever you choose to do, just go ahead and tell your readers about it.
2. Go pink.
Modify your theme if you know how to, or get yourself a pretty pink theme. If you run a website, turn your website pink. But if you don’t like pink, you could still participate by putting up a badge on your sidebar.
3. Design badges and banners.
Design a couple of “Pink for October” badges or banners for other participants to use (for free) and to publicize the event. Some of the existing badges and banners can be downloaded from the Official Pink for October Site.
4. Design blog themes.
There are a lot of bloggers (me included) who can’t even do simple designing, so if you are good at it, perhaps you could design and release a few pink themes?So, I am hoping that whoever happens to read my post, please do something to spread the awareness. It only takes a moment of our time.
I have decided on #3 - designing some new Badges. Since men can get Breast Cancer I've gone for a design especially for the guys as well as one for general use. :-)
...
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Totally Fabulous
...
The totally fabulous Amel has picked me for the Totally Fabulous Award. Thank you Amel! :-)
This award was designed by Mike At Ordinary Folk and was originally offered by Christy of Totally Fabulous.
Who to give this award to... I'm nominating my entire reading list on the left this time. If you are on my list of regular reads - you are one of the folk I think is TOTALLY FABULOUS. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)