HELLO AND WELCOME 2016

Hello 2016, you are a mystery yet to unfold. I do wonder what you have in store for me? Are you an empty field for me to plant seeds of my choice and water and watch it grow  or are you an empty book of 365 pages waiting for me to create and write my own story?  I have not come armed with any resolutions but I have come with a few positive intentions, few good ideas, few secret wishes, prayers for my loved ones, my pen and my camera.

And the journey begins....

2015 A COMBO OF GOOD, BAD, CHALLENGING AND ZENFUL

Happy New Year and thank you for visiting my blog.

When my favorite aunt wished me Happy New year, I told her thank you, good riddens  to 2015 and we laughed. Concealed in my laughter was a sense of relief. After the call, I actually thought of what I said and it reminded me of something I read. Don't say the first thing that comes into your head. Say the second or third thing that comes to you which actually would be the right thing. Those of you who read my October posts would know why I wasn't blogging for nearly a year. 2015 will forever be a year to remember for both rough seas and the joyous times. 2015 started off with celebrating new year and exploring amazing Sydney, Australia, and a fabulous trip to Malaysia and Singapore. This was my birthday gift from my husband.

A stark or should I say dark detour  in events to follow was a fall that dislocated the ulnar bone in my right wrist, wrong diagnosis, failed surgery and months of seemingly endless agonising pain. My shoulder, arm and fingers had turned stiff being in a cast for overly prolonged periods of time. It freaked me out that I couldn't use my right hand. I was out of commision for a good nine months. It took a while to train myself to use my left hand instead. With clumsy yet persistent attempts I got better at it. Incessant help from my husband helped me pull through those trying months. He was my savior.

It was a snail paced slow progress. Each day that seemed like a 100 hours. However as slow as it was, today when I think back, I am thankful for all the progress, grateful for the love, prayers and emotional support from some of my absolutely loving friends, my children and  two wonderful young physiotherapists who helped me with restoring  mobility in my arm and hand.  I stayed with my ever loving  aunt and uncle during post surgery. My aunt who took such care of me. She would call me almost daily to check on my progress when I got home. There was this one friend who prayed for me everyday, checked on me everyday, she felt my pain and cried along with me. She was a pillar of support I leaned on. It was so touching.I am thankful to each and everyone who was there for me, be it daily or even once during this crisis. And  for their inspiring words when I was at my lowest.  Sometimes people come into our lives as angels. And I am surrounded by few wonderful angelic people. And we wonder how could we have managed without them. 

The most beautiful and joyous part during recovery was I traveled to UK in October for our daughter's engagement and to U.S. to meet our son. It was indeed a celebration of life being with them.  When I spent time with my beautiful children, I was so happy, I felt myself healing even more. That's what love does. I began to type, take photographs, chop soft vegetables and hold light objects. In the past two weeks,  I sketched two pictures sent to me by a dear friend. A few days back, I even sculpted a small figure with clay. All this with my right hand.   Difficult chores are entrusted to my left hand.

So should I complain about 2015?. No I shouldn't. 2015 felt like the slowest paced year of my life teaching me what is truly important. You see, the good and the bad take turns, they come and go. Some of the bad has hidden lessons that teaches us what we need to know for our soul growth and our personal life journey. At times, it leads us to discover indomitable strength we didn't know we had. Sometimes it shows us through a filtered lens what we need to see perhaps about our own selves or even others. Certain lessons come in guise of adversities forcing us to cast off or let go what does not serve us any good,  what we needlessly cling to. No words can console those who lost their precious ones. It's only time alone that can heal the pain of loss. Every good that follows gently wipe away the residues of upleasant experiences, bringing us blessings and reasons to celebrate life,  ever subtely reminding us to trust the process. To choose to be a victor and not a victim.

Have you noticed, the most spectacular photographs of the stars are captured in the night when its totally dark devoid of city lights.  Something good is working in your favor when you feel trapped in the dark. Every rainbow is breathtaking after the rain. Like changing seasons, or the tides, nothing is ever constant, not even the bad. Change is the only thing that's constant.  I learnt never ever give up hope and faith.  The moment you do, you cease to live. Faith and hope are the most important and endearing twin components in the belief system  manifesting the extraorindary in life.

So what lies in store in 2016? Life is a mystery constantly unfolding to reveal a new day to create, to explore, to work, to contribute, to help, to love, to, to forgive, to have compassion, to make empowering choices, to pursue your passion, to embrace life with it's challenges and joys.

Here's wishing you a fabulous 2016

RETURN TO BLOGGING AFTER NINE MONTHS OF SILENCE

Where do I start? Nine months feels like a long time to be away from blogging. I had a bad fall in January and dislocated the ulnar bone in my  right wrist. I'll keep it short and restrain from  boring my readers with too many details of my traumatic hand surgery. The failed surgery on my right wrist rendered it partially handicapped with a stiff wrist and nearly stiff fingers. With intensive physiotheraphy,  I can move my right hand a little bit with lots of limitations as my wrist is still stiff with the ulnar bone set in a dislocated position. 

As much as I love blogging and photography I couldn't do either for all these months. I can type with my left hand though and quite comfortably after a little practise. Since a few days, I can actually raise my right hand just high enough to press the shutter button on my camera. And I am super excited about that.  Little developments and small progress makes me forget my limitations and I focus on what I can do rather than what I can't.  After any trauma or suffering it's amazing how the human spirit is endowed with this miraculous power to adapt, to adjust and move on even though it might seem impossible at first. 

I am ready now to pursue my zen, my meditation, my joy of photography and hope to share them on my blog. 

YAY ! KUWEIGHT 64 HITS OVER ONE MILLION PAGE VIEWS

I remember a month ago telling my husband, very soon my blog will hit one million page views and quite honestly I forgot all about it. I've been so busy. I do a write up of events I visited or enjoyed, upload the photos and post and rush to other things I have to attend to. I do look at how many visits I got the previous day but haven't been keeping a tab on the page views. Don't ask why. And today, I opened my blog, wanting to write about the beautiful events I visited over the weekend and I glance at the page views and I couldn't believe what I saw, my humble little blog has surpassed one million page views, 1000877 to be exact when I took the screen shot a little while ago.  And the count keeps increasing. I was so excited, I called my husband and showed him my page views. He was excited for me too, seeing me all so thrilled. You know, my blog's 3rd anniversary was on 25th February. 

There are a million blogs out there and there are so many interesting local blogs as well. Sometimes, I feel like a tiny fish in a big ocean of so many amazing fishes. I do end up wondering whether the contents of my blog posts are interesting to those who visit. The labor I put into my blog is purely out of the love of writing and photography, both being my favorite hobbies that have a therapeutical effect. I don't generate any income from my blog. My blog is a medium for me to share all things beautiful that add entertainment, fun, meaning, richness and peace in our busy lives that includes interesting cultural, musical and artistic events that happen in Kuwait, places to visit, besides positivity and wellness.  

Thank you my dearest readers who visit my blog. You are special to me and hope you keeping visiting and enjoy all that I share. 

Bless you!

- Kuweight 64

MY HOSPITAL VISIT AND LIKE THE FLOWING RIVER BY PAULO COELHO

I was supposed to see a couple of doctors at the KOC Hospital in Ahmadi  in October and November and I couldn't as I was out of the country. This in a way made me feel happy, because those who know me closely know how uncomfortable I am about visiting any hospital, although I have always been content with the care the doctors have extended to me at the KOC hospital. I despise falling sick, I get worried if I were to know something is wrong. But then isn't everyone the same?. The best news a doctor could tell you after all the tests, is, 'the tests have come out fine, everything is normal, there is nothing for you to worry', right? As for me, my doctor and I have mutually agreed to wait a while concerning an operation that I would require. I think I'll best do it when I am ready for it mentally and spiritually. Maybe if I am blessed with a miracle, I don't have to do it. Other little things that require attention, is nothing serious, thankfully. 

Anyways, I had an appointment yesterday for a laser treatment with the dermatologist. After my treatment, it was around 11 am, I was famished, as I didn't have anything to eat when I left home. I went to the hospital canteen and had a sandwich and orange juice. I knew it was going to take me a long time today at the hospital. I had to reschedule the missed appointments with some doctors, meet the GP, go for blood tests, x-ray and then wait for 2 hours until my husband finished his work to pick me up. I told him, it was not a problem, they have a nice canteen with delicious food, there is Coffee Bean and I am going to carry my Paulo Coelho book, 'Like the Flowing River'. 

After I was done with whatever I had to at the hospital and fortunately all went well yesterday, I decided to relax at Coffee Bean. I ordered for a cappuccino and a caramel date cake and sat on a comfortable mustard color sofa and took out my book. I have this book with me for the past 3 years and never made time to read it. After I started to read it, I wondered, why didn't I ever read this any earlier. I managed to read half of the book, it is a truly remarkable book and somehow every page would relate to the reader in some touching way. It made me feel I was on a spiritual pilgrimage. There is a profound message in every short story in this book. When I looked at my watch, there was half an hour left for my husband to pick me up. I didn't realize time fly. I couldn't finish the caramel date cake; I should have gone for my first choice, blueberry cheese cake. 

I went to the canteen and ordered for some lunch to take home. I returned to Coffee Bean to read my book and the table I sat at was cleared off the empty cup and the unfinished cake and were occupied by two young beautiful women. I sat at the next table with mustard sofas. I became totally immersed in a different world journeying along with the author as his stories, and experiences came alive. My husband walked up to me with a loving smile, helped me with my bags and we drove home.  'A beautiful day', I thought.  As he drove, I described vividly my day at the hospital and how my book kept me company as my husband listened with a few questions here and there. As we drive back home, I take out my camera and keep it ready. I notice the sunset amid the water towers, reflected in the side mirror, and try to capture what is visible in the mirror. My husband asks, 'Did you get the sunset?' 

'Like the Flowing River', gave me a renewed sense of energy. Each day is an opportunity to start a new....mend old ways, forgive, to live a balanced and poised life in harmony with nature and those around us, to improve our health, to appreciate and honor our relationships, give a little more as we take,  to change our perspective of things for the better, to be kind, to be more sensitive, to be a little more helpful. 

We have so much to be grateful for.

WHAT DOES YOUR GLASSES SAY ABOUT YOU?

Have you wondered what your glasses say about you? 

Image credit : Readers.com

I AM BACK FROM VACATION IN THE U.S !!!!!

I had the most wonderful time of my life on a 14 day road trip to the east coast in the U.S., with my husband and children. My daughter flew down to U.S. few days after we arrived in Michigan to visit our son. My husband and son took turns driving - thanks to both of them and their tireless efforts, patience, long hours of driving and their GPS. We visited Cincinnati (Ohio), Atlanta (Georgia) Orlando and Miami (Florida), Charleston (South Carolina), Virginia, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Times Square (New York City), Niagara (Buffalo, New York) and Chicago (Illinois). All these places had their own charm and was amazing. So much to do and see. At every city we stopped to tour, we wished we had more time there, to see and do more. Every Sunday night at Niagara waterfalls, they hold beautiful fireworks at 10 pm for 5 minutes,  above the gushing waterfalls that are lit up with colorful lights. We were lucky we were able to see that. Our trip was filled with little adventures, amazing sight seeing, great food, comfortable hotel stay,  lots of fun and wonderful memories. 

I'll try to cover each of these places in my blog under separate posts. Among the places I visited, I enjoyed Atlanta, Orlando, Charleston and Chicago the most. We experienced all kinds of weather in each state (hot, cold, rainy, pleasant, and thankfully no storms). It was so hot in New York city that we all got literally sun burnt on the hop on - hop off bus. The sunscreen and sunblock was no use in New York city. Nevertheless, we had a fabulous time! 

ILLNESS : A REMINDER OF HOW IMPORTANT HEALTH IS

Have you wondered sometimes how our body is an amazing machine. And we often take our bodies for granted. It's when we get a small headache or fever, we realize how uncomfortable we are and we yearn to get back to being healthy. It's important to eat healthy, exercise, and ensure you are free of lifestyle diseases and get treated even from simplest to bigger health issues and not ignore any signs of illness. 

Last Thursday I visited a GP at KOC hospital in Ahmadi for a small issue that really didn't need any medication, except the doctor gave me a few tips that would help. She asked me to do blood tests which I did and I came home. In an hour's time after reaching home, the doctor gives me a call, she sounded really concerned..... she said my hemoglobin count is very low. She fixed an appointment for me to see an expert on Monday. Little did I know what lay ahead. I went to consult the doctor on Monday and they did elaborate tests and  I had to be admitted in the hospital for blood transfusion for 3 days. I was discharged on Wednesday evening after ensuring my hemoglobin count has increased to an acceptable level.  

When you are termed as anemic, your hemoglobin is low, which means you have lack of red blood cells in your body. The red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of your body including your brain. If you lack in red blood cells, your body is not getting the required oxygen supply and it can affect the functioning of all your organs and mechanisms. Causes of anemia can be due to lack of iron in diet, lack of folic acid, heavy loss of blood during menstruation. Blood tests can determine what exactly is the cause. Anemia would include one or more of these symptoms - tiredness, pale skin, pallor, palpitation, chest pain, headache, dizziness.  When hb count is very low, depending on your individual condition, the treatment would be iron IV therapy or blood transfusion, iron supplements and diet rich in iron. Normal Hb level is 11 to 16 gms/dl for women and 14-18 gms/dl for men.  I had to attend a short seminar on 'Anemia' while I was admitted. One important thing we were told was that we should ensure a diet rich in vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin B12 for iron absorption.

It's so important to take care of one's health. There is a lot we can do from our end to stay away from diseases.  You know the feeling when you are energetic and healthy and when you aren't. Your body always tries to talk to you, it gives you signs. It's in our best interests we don't ignore those signs. 

Some pictures I took while I was admitted in the hospital.

 

Outside the window at night from my room at the hospital

Another view from the window from the hospital room

WHEN YOU FIND YOUR BLOG POST REPUBLISHED AS SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK

This morning I was checking my personal facebook account and by chance I happened to come across something shocking. My recent blog posts on Ahmadi Lights and Hala February Carnival 2013 were republished in a facebook page Namaste Kuwait, without seeking my permission nor having the courtesy to give  my blog name and blog link as reference or source. 

The photos I take and the posts I put up in my blog have a huge amount of my time and effort invested behind it, fueled by my love for writing and photography. I would appreciate that those who seek to re-publish my work to do the following. 

* Do not publish my work as 'yours'.

* If you like my posts and want to 'share' on your 'site', magazine, facebook, whatever, I'd appreciate you seek prior permission from me through my comments column or email me at kuweight64@gmail.com.  When you share my blog posts, please ensure to give my blog link and blog name as 'source'.

YOU ARE NOT INVITED - ITS AN IMPORTANT OCCASION IN THE LIFE OF A PERSON CLOSE TO YOU

A few months back a friend told me that she 'helped' find a nice groom for a young lady who was eagerly waiting to find the right person and settle down. She felt hurt that she wasn't invited for the wedding and she was told later, they forgot to invite her! . Couple of years ago, a very close relative built a beautiful house and the day before her house warming, she phones and tells me how she is holding a small house warming party and she has invited just a few people and she didn't ask me to come either. It was clear to me, I wasn't invited. It was a family affair, so an older relative (the young lady's mom) forced me to go saying my presence was absolutely necessary. Honestly it was so awkward for me to go for an 'uninvited house warming party'. The host pretended not to mind, and I stayed for a short while and left. I swore I'd never ever attend a party that I wasn't invited to, no matter what my relation is with that person. It's just not right.  

I personally feel the host has every right to 'choose' who and how many persons he or she want to invite for that special occasion such as marriage, birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, and so on.  One time I did feel a bit disappointed when another close relative told every family member and friend that his son was going to get married and didn't tell me. Forget the invitation, for this person lives in another country. But telling me that his son is getting married would have been nice on his part.  Oh but wait, he did tell me eventually...4 months after the wedding! So I restricted my response with, 'Congratulations!' rather than 'why didn't you tell me, I already knew about it from everyone else!'

Funnily there is a new trend going on, where the people who are not invited are actually sent a 'You are not invited' alert by email, or on facebook.  I feel that's quite rude and insensitive.   The host should just concentrate on the list of invitees. When the host does not  invite someone, it's only natural that person won't turn up. If the host would like to avoid certain people and  feel the need to inform them, calling them and breaking the news politely can be done as well. Even the most disappointing things can be told in an unhurtful  manner.

I  know some people can become defensive, disappointed or take offence and think, 'why am I not invited?...I know them since so many years...we are such good friends or we are close relatives, how can they invite so and so and not me....'. But is it right etiquette to expect to be invited? Life does have it's little disappointments, but don't let that spoil your peace of mind or your good relations or friendship with the host. 

Let us explore what might be the reasons for not being invited:

* Celebrations, especially weddings can be an expensive affair and it's not possible to invite all the relatives and friends

* The host prefers a small gathering and you don't feature in it as you are friends, but not close enough to be invited 

* You are not important to them as they are to you.

* Due to lack of space in the venue for celebration they had to shortlist the guests 

* They would have liked to invite you, but it was a tight budget party and they had to choose carefully who they wanted to invite and they felt you'd understand

* They didn't consider inviting you at all 

* If it's a limited budget marriage celebration, clearly there are important and unavoidable family and friends the bride, the groom and their parents would invite and there was no way they could have invited you.

As a good friend or caring relative, you can try to understand their limitations or reasons for not inviting. Don't harbor negative feelings towards that person just because you are not invited. Wish well for them. The good feelings you sent out always comes back to you. 

POWER OF YELLOW COLOR

Yellow is a color that is bright, highly visible, fast paced and stands out among any other colors. Have you noticed how yellow lines on the road or sides of pavements catch your attention, rather than white lines. Yellow flowers in a vase or a painting with moderate amount of yellow or a small decorative article in yellow or at times wearing a yellow stoned bracelet or pendant or wearing a light yellow top, cardigan or scarf and so on can be invigorating and stimulates the mental and intellectual faculties. In color therapy, the color yellow helps us to focus, study and recall information. Yellow stands for enthusiasm for life, confidence, optimism, logic,  practicality and mental challenges. Yellow relates to practical thinking related to decisiveness got to do from the head rather than from the heart. If you are going through lot of changes in life, or under a lot of stress, yellow would not be color easily tolerated as its vibrates too fast. A softer color would be more soothing during negative phases in life. 

Colors are a fascination for me. And I do believe colors affect us emotionally and psychologically. Yellow is a cheerful, zesty and attractive, attention arresting color. It's nice to creatively use it in your life. I choose to think of yellow as a fun and peaceful color. I am reminded of happiness, summer, sunshine and beaches.  I enjoy yellow as in Lemonade, succulent sweet mangoes, bananas, yellow flowers, lemon cakes, a silver ring with a lovely light yellow stone, abstract paintings with different shades of yellow blended in with other colors. I think a simple outfit of yellow t-shirt (any shade) with jeans looks so pleasing and cool in the summer

. 

During the Christmas sale in December, I bought a beautiful dark yellow Karen Millen bag (a cross between light mustard and  yellow) from  Selfridges (Bull Ring shopping area in Birmingham) UK  and I just love it. 

Karen Millen bag from  Selfridges , Birmingham

Selfridges Building, Bull Ring, Birmingham

Delicious mango

KUWAIT COVERED IN DENSE FOG

My husband phones me when he reached work at 7 am, and says, 'look outside the window!'. And this is what I saw. Can you make out anything because I couldn't really either. The whole city was enveloped in dense Fog early morning, with literally zero visibility. I could hardly see anything beyond 50 meters. How could people drive to work in this condition? Should have been a holiday. I checked the weather forecast and for some weird reason it showed as, 13 degrees C, sunny!  As I post this, the fog is beginning to slowly clear, good sign....

If you look carefully beside the car, you can see a young boy walking to school

HOT DOG AT GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKET

On the first day we reached Birmingham, we decided to visit the German Christmas market in the evening. The market was bustling with people, children, so much of activity and musicians playing jazz, carols, and lots of music. There were numerous stalls with lots of interesting things on display, lots of food everywhere and one could feel the beautiful Christmas spirit. We decided to try the famed Bratwurst German sausage at one of the food stalls.  When I was on vacation, my diet took a short vacation too. I had to be careful not to over indulge and try my best to be aware and in control of the calories I consumed in a day. The hot dog tasted good, I couldn't finish it. Felt full by the time I ate half. Here are some photos.

2013 - NEW YEAR MESSAGE

Hi everyone! Happy New Year to all you great readers.

We had a great vacation - a beautiful birthday celebration, a very joyful Christmas and a memorable New Year's eve with our daughter in UK. I enjoyed the great sales and discounts during christmas and did a lot of shopping. Its so freezing cold here in Kuwait, that I feel lazy to go out. So I havent had the opportunity to actually wear all the new stuff I bought. Waiting for the weather to improve. Somehow the winter in Birmingham was nice, there was so much to do and see that the cold weather nor the slight rains bother us in anyway. I'll be posting photos we took in and around Birmingham. A huge thanks to our daughter; she made our days very special.

I can't believe 2012 is over and another new year has begun. So what are your aspirations, dreams and New Year resolutions for this year? Was 2012 a good year or it wasn't? Do you secretly hope and wish for 2013 to be a wonderful year? What we view as good or bad is based on the attitude we hold towards life and how we perceive and interpret things, situations, people or incidents, how we chose to act or react, what choices we make with our free will. We all are equipped with an internal guidance system, some call it an inner voice, or intuition that guides us. It's important to pay heed to those signs and thoughts that guide you to what's truly good. This happens when you quieten your mind and other distracting thoughts and seek answers from within.

Are you concerned how to make your dreams and aspirations come true?. Are you worried that you may not fulfill your New Year resolutions although you want to see them become a reality? To unleash your potential, how about embarking on a journey of self discovery...We are creatures of habit. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. For example, if you want get up an hour earlier than to rush to work looking haggard, its not difficult, when you set your alarm and get yourself out of bed early, and you repeat that for 21 days, it becomes a new habit. If you decide not to snap at others, then, consciously refrain from doing so and voila, you will be a more peaceful person, not reacting and raising your blood pressure in just 21 days. If you want to start an exercise regime, don't fall prey to the lazy talk your mind gives you. Keep exercising for 21 days and it becomes a healthy habit.

Look into your past and present, explore what's actually stopping you from achieving what you want, what are those blocks or fears?. Or is it laziness or procrastination or is it that you don't think you have what it takes?. Have those unresolved issues or past pain that you constantly give life and form to turned into troublesome monsters in your mind?. Identify your strengths and talents and cultivate a sense of gratefulness for all the good things and blessings in your life that might taken a back seat. Gratitude reaps abundance. Be determined to change your negative thoughts or beliefs imposed by yourself or others, that prevent you from achieving what you want. Leave the past where it belongs, in the past. Let go of disappointments, sorrow and pain and travel light, and see how good you feel. Let the lessons of the past guide you make better choices. Obstacles and failures are a but a natural part of life. Don't remain fallen and wallow in self pity. You will find a way to overcome the obstacles. Whenever you fall, the wounds will heal through time. Get up to face the challenges. Remember fortune favors the brave.

Every new day that's gifted to you is an opportunity to engage positively in your life and you have the power to choose to do what's best for you. When we don't think positive thoughts,  our negative attitudes, vibrations and tendencies are likely to attract negative situations and life loses it's lustre, beauty and meaning. Our circumstances will not always be perfect due to the constant dualities that exist in nature. However we can live a wholesome, healthier and happier life through a positive attitude, healthy lifestyle, faith and a personal and professional ethic that touches all spheres of life.

May 2013 be a great year for all.

Peace and Blessings,

Kuweight 64

WINTER VACATION

I can't believe I haven't blogged for good long half a month. What was I so busy with that my blogging took a back seat? Even my husband got concerned. He'd go 'When are you going to blog; you haven't blogged since a long time...' I don't have an answer, except....I was busy. My detox diet was a success. I lost 9 kilos in 8 weeks. After vowing to myself that I would never travel to any cold country during winter, we are off to visit our daughter in UK and spend our winter vacation with her, since she very much wanted us to spend Christmas and New Year with her. December is my favourite month because my birthday and Christmas falls one after the other, followed by the joy of New Year.

I'll be back on January 2, 2013.  In the meantime, do visit my blog. You can read my old posts on inspiration, positivity, weight loss, art, interesting stuff, humor and so much more. I'll continue with my blogging with a little more dedication, once I return. Here's wishing all my readers a beautiful and joyful Christmas and very Happy New Year. May the New Year usher in wonderful things for you. See you next year in 2013!

Kuweight64

FISHY SURPRISE

We were at the beach near the Kuwait Towers on Saturday afternoon. The weather was fantastic. I just love being by the sea. Its so serene and peaceful. We saw this man at the pier fishing. He was catching a whole lot of fishes each time he cast his net. He would release them on the wooden planks of the tier and then place them in a huge bag. And this went on. He called out to us to come and take some fresh fish back home. And my husband waved his hand in negative.  He kept calling out to us and finally my husband went up to the pier and he was surprised at the amount of fish this man had caught. The man insisted and gave away about 10 kg fish to my husband. The fish is called Meed out here. It's small and scaly and resembles sardines. They are good for health. There were two other  fishing and they were able to get lots of fishes as well.  When we returned home in the evening, we shared almost half with our neighbour. The next day I grilled some (for me) and fried some for my husband and they tasted great. When I told this to my son, he called it life's little surprises. Here are some photos.

Can you see the fishes caught in the net?

Look at the net.  You can see the fishes little more clearly now

We were given a huge bag with  plenty of fish

LOVE IS - UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

The other day my husband came home with a small basket of flowers and yes I was delighted with his surprise gift. My hubby never ceases to surprise me...when I least expect.

LOVE IS - LITTLE SURPRISES

As much as I enjoy the big surprises my husband gives me, I truly enjoy the little surprises he comes up with. The other day, he bought a melon. I was busy with my blog and he quietly places the melon (with the flesh removed) and there were neatly cut pieces of melon in this bowl shaped melon with a little fork. The melon was sweet and tasted fabulous. I relished every piece of the fruit.

HOW NOT TO LET PEOPLE ANNOY YOU

There is a minority of people you might know, who has a penchant for speaking or behaving in an annoying way. They can literally drive others mad. What do you do? You can't even avoid some of them. It might be a colleague you detest and each time you have to interact with this person, you hope he or she won't open their mouth lest you get annoyed. It could be a friend who trumpets and boasts endlessly about things that aren't even true just to show off and feel important because actually they have a problem in their head or in their life and they are miserable. It could be a relative who invariably never fail to annoy you, but you exercise immeasureable patience out of civility. It could be parents who don't do anything about their screaming child or baby while you are dining in a restaurant. Or someone who talks so loud on the mobile while you are watching a movie in the theatre. I honestly feel like laughing as I type this because seriously...what do you do?. I am too civil to say, 'please shut up and get lost'. But the thought does cross my mind in certain 'situations'.

It started off as a beautiful day yesterday, until I had an annoying encounter with an annoying friend, just when I have been doing some conscious work towards tolerance, choosing to react wisely in difficult situations, as I believe your choice of how you  react makes a huge difference in how positively or negatively things turn out. After the phone call, I thought, what was she? An alien who missed her spaceship and got lost on earth because her behavior was certainly not earthly - unfathomable!  I needn't have given my energy away. Actually I never reacted, just that I felt bad inside at several things this person said to me. What should I have done? I should have cut the call short the moment I felt annoyed or felt my energies being drained. One thing I must I say is, don't entertain toxic people, who you can do without. You don't have to let them feed on your energy, eat your brains or drain you out. Don't waste your time thinking about why someone said or did that, because, people say or do things or behave in a certain way, as they deem right and it has nothing really to do with you. It's got to do with them, their emotions, their difficulties, their shortcomings, their inability to be positive. They are insensitive and lack manners. All they know is to annoy others, just to feel better about themselves - some of them do it knowingly, and some don't even know they are being annoying.

Do yourself a favor. Work consciously on choosing how to react in difficult situations with annoying people. Don't get angry or argue, snap back or retort or compete in their game. You won't win - you will just end up feeling terrible. So don't give away your energy. Don't allow your moods and mind to be controlled by their negativity. Calm yourself when you know you are getting upset. When you don't react and keep calm, annoying people kind of get confused, become lost, they sort of stop. I met this young man who speaks so calmly even with the most annoying people - I was amazed. And they back off! You can say calmly what you want to say - make it short and simple, then, choose to walk away, by telling you have things to do or you're busy so you don't have to be a victim. Talk the least to annoying people and only what's necessary. Honestly speaking, majority of people around us are nice, kind, helpful, generous..... - it's just the minority - a few who are annoying. Now should you allow one person to ruin your day? No...you don't have to. You can retreat to your beautiful life peacefully, leaving the annoying person to himself (or herself).

PERFUMES - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FRAGRANCES AND CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONE

With all the perfumes old and new in the market, sometimes it can get confusing which one to actually buy. The fragrance you wear or choose to buy speaks about you and your personality. It's depends on your age and how you want to smell, if you like strong smelling oriental, or woody or musk based perfume. Or something feminine like floral or fruity or fresh smelling citrus fragrance. I personally prefer floral or fruity because, they always smell lovely. I don't have to scare or suffocate people with something too strong.

I've been, once in a while tempted, when people pass by me and I get a whiff of an amazing fragrance, to stop them and ask, 'would you mind if I ask you, what perfume are you wearing?' Then I hold myself, what if they mind, they don't to want to tell, it's such a personal thing and to stop to stranger and ask what fragrance is that...hmm, I have'nt done that so far. Nevermind asking a stranger. I do my own research. As a lover of fragrances, I try out the latest perfumes and older ones at department stores, and when I return home, I wait to see if the smell stays on, what is like after several hours or 12 hours or even a day. Let me share a discovery and a fact ....80% of the beautiful smelling perfume don't last for more than an hour to 4 hours!

So my advise would be don't be in hurry to buy a perfume, just because it smells good when you try it on in the shop. It may not smell the same an hour later or couple of hours later. Trust me. It could still smell amazing or horrible or the smell would have faded or disappeared. Don't try too many perfumes on one day, it can be pretty confusing. Try just two or three. Once you are done at the perfume outlet, go about doing other stuff, return home, wait and see how the perfume actually smells on you after 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hour and even 8 hours. Then decide based on how it smells on you and whether its long lasting. The thumb rule being, don't expect a perfume to last more than 5 hours.

Perfumes and eau de parfums last longer on the skin and smells better than eau de toilettes and is more expensive.

Here are some facts and tips which will help you enjoy your perfume.

* The 'amazing' or 'wonderful' smell you first get when you spray or apply pefume, is the 'top notes', they just last for 5 to 10 minutes, followed the 'middle notes', that last say 20 minutes. It's the smell and combination of final 'base notes' or 'bottom notes' that make the perfume last longer for several hours or linger on on your body as they are heavier. The smell of the base notes is quite different from the top notes. So after you try your perfume, it's bound to smell different after an hour. Sometimes people buy perfumes relying on the smell they get as soon as they spray on them, love it, buy it and use it once or twice and then they don't like how it smells anymore and they wonder why did they buy it in the first place. So, as I said earlier, try it on and wait to see what it smells like first, then after 20 minutes, then after an hour to feel the difference and if you appreciate the base notes and if it lasts for atleast 4 hours. You can always go back the shop if you want to buy it.

* Your friend's perfume will not smell the same on you because of the difference in body chemistry, diet and age. Fragrances are made of many essential oils and certain essential oils are absorbed by our skin and others are not. If you have dry skin, the fragrance will stay for shorter time than those with oily skin since oily skin has more natural moisture to hold the fragrance. PH levels (amount of acidity in our skin) varies slightly from person to person which also causes fragrances to react differently on different people. So if someone tells you of this great smelling perfume, try it out first, don't be in a hurry to buy. See how it works on you.

* To preserve your fragrance, keep it in a cool, dry area away from sunlight and windows or else an imbalance will form in the perfume and would end up smelling something else after a while.

* Apply your fragrance on pulse points like the wrist, behind the ear, crook of the arm and knee, base of the throat. For long lasting fragrance apply or spray on your ankles, it allows the fragrance to blossom up!

* You might have to re-apply if you want the fragrance to linger on your body. So carry your favourite perfume with you wherever you go.

Here are some really nice perfumes I'd like to recommend.




Juicy Couture Classic - Hope to buy one sometime...I love the way it smells

 


Estee Lauder Private Collection Gardenia




Issey Miyake - L'Eau de Issey Florale




Hugo Boss Orange




Roberto Cavalli Perfume




Burberry London (on oldie but amazing fragrance)




Britney Spears Radiance




Chance - Chanel




A scent by Issey Miyake; there is an older version and a newer one, see what suits you better

 


Chloe Eau de parfum - preferably for evening/night,
amazing smell, long lasting. I've been using it since a year and I love it. My husband gifted it to me

 


Gucci flora perfume (Gucci has the eau de toilette version in different floral fragrances; I prefer the perfume)




Guerlein - Idylle




Lancome Miracle So Magic, I've been using this for several years




Paco Rabanne Lady Million - smells really nice and is not expensive as others



Gucci Envy Me - Mine got over, but loved using it for several years




Valentina by Valentino - Lovely perfume. My daughter gifted me one and she has one too, love it





Armani Code Summer 2011 edition - a beautiful fragrance
 my daughter uses it and when I tried it out at her place, I felt it smelt great

BVLGARI Omnia Coral - Amazing perfume. Tried it out a month ago, not once, but thrice. Yes amazing!