Did you give thanks for today?

I think it's high time for a new post. Lots of things have been happening to keep me away from my blog. One of which was a very brutal flu virus that had some serious lasting effects. But finally I can say I am free. And we all know that feeling all too well when we recover from the flu or any illness for that matter: you feel like your body is yours again and you can almost conquer the world. Well it's been so long in coming, I'm not really sure about the conquering the world part but you don't take good health for granted anymore. I have to admit that I have built up a pretty strong immune system over the past few years so I was taken aback by this flu. Long ago I use to catch every thing passing in the air but gone are those days (knock on wood).

Anyhew.....Carnival is in the air around here and I am not really feeling it. This is the one year that I feel kinda left out but I refuse to give away hard earned mula to say I partied hard. Spend half a gran and more for all you can eat food and drinks....just how much can I eat anyway? Well not to sound completely unpatriotic but I was planning to go to one good all-inclusive fete but I couldn't - even if my ticket source had come thru for me, because I coughed all night that night. To tell the honest truth I was never all that into the fete scene in previous years, then again I was always busy studying or doing something else and now I am free at last to enjoy it and I feel I should be and why not? We are in the heights of the season and you can't ignore it. Perhaps it's not too late. But que sera, sera. If I don't, it won't be the end of the world....there's always next year.

photo credit - elegation.posterous.com

On another note, sometimes when you really want something and then you finally get it, you wonder if this is it. Have you ever had that feeling? As I always say to myself you have to make the most of what is given to you. Something may look all glamourous on the outside until you sink your teeth into it and live it day in and day out. Everything is not as it's cracked up to be. 

When I look at my life from the outside...it looks pretty cool and comfortable. And I need to do that more. Learn to appreciate it as an outsider. You have to live life each day as if it's the best day on the planet. Marvel in it. Give thanks for it. Sing, dance and LIVE it. For it all can be taken away in a flash and there are several others that perhaps wish they had a piece of it. If you don't like something about your life, you have the power to change it and if you want something bad enough- you can have it. 

One of my co-workers sparked a light in me today and I realized that maybe I don't have all the answers. There's something to be learnt each and every day from everyone you meet. He said to me, if you want something bad enough you need to pray steadfastly and live each day as if your desire has been granted. Live as if you can see, touch and grasp what you want in your hands. Believe that you have gotten or will get your wish. 

Believe in God and it will happen. And for those of you that are thinking you have to be deeply religious to think and live this way...newsflash you don't. Just spiritual. My friend is actually a bit of a rebel and yet he seems to have it together in terms of his deeper goals, commitment to succeed and ultimate happiness. My sister also told me something similar last night and it's because of this I believe miracles can happen and there is much hope in all that we do.

Time for thinking you cannot should cease. All is possible with the power of prayer and faith. Faith can indeed move mountains. I will never forget this poster that my other sibling bought maybe in the 1980s and it still hangs on her old bedroom wall. The mind, words (spoken and unspoken) and thought has infinite power. Never forget it.

May God bless you and may all your dreams come to fruition. ©

Peace.

Breathtaking View

I started a most unorthodox post a few nights ago…but had to retract it because it just wasn’t representative of this blog Moment to Moment. Last week I was griping about a lot of things, which I have since resolved. Sometimes you just have to step back and change your perspective in order to appreciate life for all that it is and that’s just what I did. In my case, it took a trip to the gym to clear my head, toughen up and change my perspective. Cos let’s face it; some things are just out of your control. If we could help it, I’m sure most of us would rather be working from home and would trade in our work suits and overalls in a heartbeat for swimsuits on an exotic island sipping pina coladas and going to the spa. Ahh! If only life was that simple! But seriously, I was talking to a co-worker today and he happened to mention his real passion and all I could hear was the things that were keeping him from living his dream. And without prying, I tried to tell him that he shouldn’t let anything hold him back, but people I suppose need to do things on their own volition and in their own time. I have been taking steps gradually over the past 2 years to start living my passion and it’s happening slowly but steadily. This blog is a growing passion of mine, which is really exciting when I think about it. Thanks to my many international readers I am able to reach a global audience, which means my message is getting out there and that makes me super happy. I take this opportunity to encourage you to leave your comments so I know what you’re thinking. I would love to hear from and learn more about my European and North American neighbours!

photo credit - flickr.com

Life is great folks. A wonderful blessing to behold. The routine may get a bit tiresome at times but when the bigger picture is viewed from a distance…the sight is like the scenery at night from a hilltop…. absolutely breathtaking with all of the individual lights that shine and sparkle for the world to see. You’ve only got one life to live, so live it up the best you can, cos you never know what may come your way. Fill it with the things that matter the most: people you love, pastimes you enjoy and passions that enrich lives and allow your talents to shine through. Do you feel it? It’s coming….....the moment you’ve been waiting for…..........ultimate fulfillment of all your desires…..............your life is now!!!

Hope you’re enjoying your view from whatever corner of the world you’re at or time zone you’re in! ©


Peace.

A Look to the Future



photo credit - ucdavismagazine.ucdavis.edu

Well the holidays are behind us and I am a little sad to take down the Christmas lights, tree and decorations this weekend. Even sadder that my vacation is over and I had to go back out to work today! (Not to mention having to explain to everyone why I came back out to work on a Friday!). Driving home tonight there were little or no lights left, the 6th day of January being officially the last day for lighting up. This dates back to Christian tradition, where it is supposed to be taken down 12 days after Christmas or the day after the Epiphany. Last night I sat outside on the porch and then in front of the Christmas tree for the last time, soaking up the last of the lights and the festive season. I know you’re probably saying what a drama queen… but I just love Christmas! And I’m sad to see it go already…it’s as though it just went by in a rush. Wherever did the time go???!!! I can still remember Christmas Eve as though it was yesterday! But apart from the lights, I will especially miss the music and the food! Yumm….no more fruit cake and ponche de crème! Ahhh. There are still some pastelles in the refrigerator though, which I shall be selfish with and use sparingly. As far as the music goes, now I have to listen to the onslaught of bacchanalia on the airwaves as we approach party central as the momentum of the Carnival season is building and soon to be in full swing. Although I do like some songs, I am not a big fan of Carnival, which is unheard of in these parts with the exception of a few. But what can I say? If you can’t beat them join them right?! Lol. To each his own.

On another note, I look towards this year with a feeling of hope and anticipation. Although I look with favour on the latter part of the year, I can’t wait for each month to unravel…but I resolve to savour each and every moment and make it count. Take it slowly and enjoy to the max! I have many aspirations that I would like to see fulfilled, one of which includes the publication of my first book, which is simply a collection of short articles and the continuation of another book which was put on hold for a number of reasons. With faith and persistence I will…I must reach my goals!

What are your dreams for this year? I hope you are putting the balls into motion, for now is the time to grasp it with both hands and don’t let it slip away, for time waits on no man. You may not get another chance, depending on what your desire is. If it requires planning and thought, you need to set timelines for achievement, so you know exactly where you would like to go and how to get there. Don’t let anyone steal your joy and passion or tell you, you can’t. Forget the haters, pessimists, and naysayers…anything you desire can be yours in time. Believe it, and it will be yours. ©

I will leave you with this quotation from the good book: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” [Ecclesiastes 9:11].

Peace.

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing everyone a Happy and abundant New Year 2011!! May all your dreams come true this year!!

Goodbye 2010 - The Countdown is on!!

 

photo credit - dinikusuma.com

Well they say all good things must come to an end and it so happens that today is the last day of the year 2010. Wow! Time certainly flies! I remember distinctly just sitting on my front porch last year around this time reflecting on the past year gone by and silently making my New Year’s resolutions for this year. A-m-a-z-I-n-g! Some friends of mine tell me I think too much and I’m too deep for my own good but my mind sometimes works overtime…I was thinking to myself once that right here in this moment is all we have, and it will never come again…. and how quickly it passes…and poof! It’s gone and now the past. Every single moment that we have is seemingly fleeting. If we try to grab on and hold on to a single moment it is self-defeating because the truth is you can’t. The most you can do is try to cherish and fully enjoy it. Last night I was at a Maroon 5 concert and if I look back in my mind’s eye…I was just there standing in the crowd singing along to their songs and thinking wow what a great way to end the year…these guys are super talented musicians in every sense of the word and although my feet hurt and I sorta wanted to get to put it up…I don’t want it to end. And now that moment is gone and I’m sitting here at my computer. I did indeed enjoy it to the max and will do it over again in a nanosecond (but probably with sensible shoes:). It seems like time is just racing faster and faster without us even being aware of it. It’s sort of bitter sweet. On the one hand you sometimes want time to progress so you too can move forward and then there are other times when you want to savour every moment and wish it could last forever. Like if you have a child that you want to grow up and have kids of their own and yet you want to savour the little moments…the developmental stages from first words and steps as a baby to toddler to adolescent, teenager and young adult. Sometimes you can’t have your cake and eat it to. You have to experience and endure it all…it’s all a part of life and learning.

Have you ever thought that something in your past feels like just yesterday and yet it seems like soo much time has passed in reality? Call me nostalgic but time is an enigma that I can’t seem to relinquish. I don’t often sit and reminisce but in the fleeting silent moments I reflect in awe of this magical creation and universe. I guess that’s why I am a writer. I observe the little things that people don’t usually talk or even think about…. if they do it’s in their quietest moments of solitude. This year has been a good year for me though. A lot of milestones and events, I am grateful and happy to have experienced it all. Every year is an opportunity to start anew and try to make it better than the last. Each year is unique and it will bring with it, it’s ups and downs, joys and sadness, disappointments and blessings in disguise if you want to look at it that way. Each unique experience is an opportunity to find a lesson and meaning from which we can grow and transform it into something positive or creative. Life is an adventure and it’s up to you to make it work in your favour. Every moment is to be savoured and enjoyed so that we can pass on our lessons and joy with others. The negative ones are put in our path for a reason and it is up to us to turn inwards and find that reason so that we can move on and make way for the positive ones.

 

The Christmas season is also almost over and we take with us those memories of celebration and reflection. So as I say goodbye to all of my experiences of 2010, I tuck away those memoirs in a very special place in my mind so that I can visit them often and draw from them so as to help me in the future. Time will tell where we would be in another year’s time. Keep on living in confident faith and love and you would be exactly where you need to be at any given moment.

Wishing all a very introspective New Year’s Eve or Ole Year’s as we say in these parts (amidst the celebration) and may God smile on you in 2011 so you may have a blessed and bountiful New Year with the best of health, strength, love and peace with all your nearest and dearest dreams coming true!!! :-) ©

Cheers!



photo credit - sodahead.com



Merry Christmas!!

I did not get a chance to blog yesterday – Christmas Day since my Internet was down but the sentiments remain true and I would like to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas!!! Hope you had a wonderful day! As we celebrate with our family and friends, we give thanks for all our blessings and living to see another Christmas with special people to share it with. May this Christmas bring you all the things you wished for and may you create memories to last not only at this yuletide season but also throughout the New Year 2011 and beyond!

My vacation has officially kicked off and I look forward to blogging even more regularly and sharing with you my thoughts and feelings on issues that present themselves in my consciousness and day-to-day life. I changed the name of my blog and from here on end it is no longer “Reflections” but “Moment to Moment.” I wanted “A little bit of me, a little bit of you” but that was already taken so Moment to Moment it shall be until I think of something that can better encapsulate what it's about. Look out for a year’s end article coming soon as 2010 winds down and we reminisce on the good times and look forward to major breakthroughs, revelations and goals realized. Life is wonderful! …. Can you even wait to find out what is in store for us in 2011?!! Hold onto your seat and enjoy the ride cos it’s only gonna get better. ©

Think it, believe it, live it!!

Peace/

Where is your Christmas Spirit?!

Four more days for Christmas 2010…. and somehow the Christmas spirit is now kicking in…. despite the fact that I spent the entire day Saturday shopping for gifts. Is Christmas moving further and further away from Christ and becoming more materialistic I wonder? This mad rush that happens every year…somehow is not reflected in our respect for humanity…. simple things like how we treat fellow motorists and pedestrians on the roads among other things. How come I’m not really feeling it this year despite the decorations, ham and grog, Christmas music and fandangle? Our tree was actually up since late November and I usually feel that feeling in the air as early as September when one of my favourite radio stations starts to play carols and parang on the radio.

On another note, we had our Annual Christmas Gift Exchange and Birthday Club celebration today at the office. While hosting it, I realized I really like doing this and I should be doing it full time…as a business perhaps?! Apart from the joy on people’s faces and laughter emanating from the room, people comment (sometimes not to me) on how much they enjoy it and I like to recreate nostalgic moments. So I have individual prize giveaways and team games based on a particular theme from the 1980s and 1990s ….I am obsessed with the 80s actually…. love the music, television, movies and fashion.

Christmas is right around the corner and I have so much to do still. It seems like just last year I was studying for my final postgrad paper and barely had time to enjoy the season and now it’s all behind me. God is good and we must remember to give Him thanks. By next year round this time…we will be in totally different situations and circumstances, a year older and wiser hopefully progressed from our former state(s) and having accomplished much more. So whatever our desires whether it is a new home, new job, new baby or relationship we have to set our sights and release it into the universe for with perseverance and faith it WILL happen!! Even if it takes a little longer than expected, if we really desire it, I’m sure it will be well worth the wait and the sweat and sacrifice. ©

May all Your dreams come true this Christmas. All the best to you and yours for the season and beyond!~



photo credit - vocationvibes.franciscan.org

What does Christmas mean to you?



photo credit - istockphoto.com



The days are inching closer with the events leading to the culmination of the Christmas holidays. We are now in the month of December and it’s raining every day in these parts. Yet life must go on and we all must brave the rain and put in an appearance at our various destinations. It all depends on your perspective, rainy weather (or snowy in some cases) can be a magical time and it’s up to you to make the most of it. It can be a cozy time indoors if you bundle up with warm clothes and heated beverages and think warm thoughts. People all over the world are making plans, some have been planning months in advance to spend Christmas with their loved ones at perhaps a far off exotic location or a winter wonderland. Others may be just going back home to spend the holidays with the parents or grandparents, aunts, uncles or otherwise.

photo credit -christmaswallpapers.info

Times like this deserve someone to share the festivities of the season with even if it a neighbour, a close friend or a distant relative. Our life is such that we must cultivate and foster close relations for the old saying rings true “no man is an island.” Christmas is a wondrous time of year where all little kids fantasies come true and are usually granted by their parents. Although we are now adults, and we don’t have a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand as in the fairy tales, we can attempt to make our dreams a reality one day at a time whether it is personal, career/business or leisure. For Christmas we can treat and pamper ourselves with a day at the spa or a day of shopping. If we can’t afford to do that we can make our favourite Christmas treats and invite friends over to watch our best holiday movies over teas, liquors and wines or listen to carols or parang while we decorate and reminisce over the good ole days. We can volunteer our time at a soup kitchen or children’s home. Christmas brings back memories and if we can’t spend it with the ones we love we can share it with those in need of love.

Remember Christmas is about thanksgiving for a second chance given by our Saviour whether you celebrate it at this time or in this way, the sentiments are universal. It’s about love and sharing and peace to all men and most of all inner peace. We have to find ways to make Christmas special because it is not about you and it's not about me - it is about selfless giving especially to those less fortunate. Like everything in life, we have to work at it to make it magical and keep the fires burning long after the last Carol has been sung and the last gift opened. May your light shine bright during this month of December and may your Christmas 2010 be special beyond words. ©



photo credit - deplicque.net



Break the Monotony

photo credit - grzegorzmilos.com

I haven’t written a full-length article in a while and I’m thinking maybe I should revisit this. I miss writing but life is such that there is little time for the things that matter the most to us. Everything is just rushed as we try to squeeze in the many things that encompass a typical day. You get up early, get ready for work, for those of us with families we hurry to get our kids ready for school all packed and ready to face the day equipped with all the necessary tools to have a productive day. All set, we hit the road…literally. Some days the traffic is better but some time or another we encounter some sort of discomfort on our travels. I have found it worth the sacrifice (of sleep) to leave at least fifteen minutes earlier on mornings and afternoons to avoid the agonizing delays and frustration spent in jams…not to mention less fuel consumption…it’s amazing! You hear me going on and on about traffic but the plethora of cars on the roads these days is just horrific! I know everyone wants to be independent in terms of their daily commute but it is frustrating at times (forgive me for saying this) especially with all the “bad drives” you have to dodge on a daily basis.

When you get to work you juggle many tasks, meetings, deadlines, phone calls, projects and the like in an effort to get everything done before it’s time to hit the road again. Some days it passes faster than others…other times you can’t wait for it to end so that you can just spend some quality time with loved ones, relax or get to your after work activities. Some may have classes, some may have hobbies such as exercise or sports. Others may not have it so easy and have to pick up the kids from school and make drop-offs to after-school activities and help with homework - leaving little time for much else. Most of us get home at nightfall with just enough time to prepare for the next day, whether it’s meals, ironing or other household chores. By this time you are just praying for your bed to put up your feet and catch some zeez. Before you know it …your alarm goes off and it’s time to do it all over again and you feel like you're trapped in the movie “Groundhog Day.” For those of us that haven’t seen this 1990s movie, it’s about the actor Bill Murray’s character who keeps reliving the same day over and over until he finds redemption. Then the weekend goes so fast sometimes you wish there are less workdays and more of the weekend.

My point through all of this is that it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and forget to enjoy life. You get bored with life, work and those around you. You hear people complaining about this all the time. It’s the little things though (that we don’t stop to absorb) that makes you thankful and bring a smile or laughter to your countenance. It may be a scenery of trees or flowering poui that you pass by everyday on the way to work and never take the time to notice until you are stuck in traffic one day and you suddenly notice it, or a bird, a breathtaking sunset….or rainbow that just catches you by surprise. This has happened to me on several occasions and it brought such joy and appreciation for life. To think that all these things were there all the time and I did not realize it until that moment. Every time I pass by the foreshore and the sun sparkles on the water as it sets, I can’t help but slow my pace a bit and thank God for the ability for my sense of sight. I was giving a colleague a ride home yesterday and without prompting, she said to me as we both passed this same spot: "don't you just love it when the river meets the sea?!" We both looked across and watched it in silence (someone else notices I thought!...although mute). At work it may be an eccentric co-worker that breaks the monotony of the day. Or at home, a pet that greets you when you open your gate…we must all find ways to get a little enjoyment from life…it’s the simple pleasures that makes your life unique and worthwhile. Whether it is a nagging spouse or sibling that you constantly argue with. Thank God that you have a spouse or brother or sister to nag you sometimes, for there are many lonely people out there that long for the experience and wish they had someone in their life. If you hate going to the gym like me, stop to give thanks that you have the ability and means to exercise, for there are many that can’t for one reason or another. And when I think about it, it is for my benefit and I do get some enjoyment when all is said and done and I am grateful that I find the energy and willpower to rally through and maintain a healthy fitness lifestyle for the past 8 years.

No matter how busy your life gets though, you must make the time to do something for 'you' regularly. Whether it is sewing, baking, caring for your automobile, listening to music, playing an instrument, talking to your best friend on the phone, sharing a joke from the day with your neighbour or spouse, watching your favourite television show or writing in a journal. I haven’t watched television in almost two years as I was studying and it did not bother me, now I have re-discovered what I was missing. It is an escape from reality for half an hour or more as you enter into a make-belief life with your favourite characters. I have found that I like old movies maybe from a decade or two ago (no not black & white!), sitcoms, comedies and action/drama. Just three times a week I like to escape to a private world. Nikita and The New Adventures of Old Christine are some of my favourite shows on TV right now. Recently I have watched Home Alone, Pretty Woman and Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory and for those few minutes I don’t think about anything else which is a simple pleasure for me. I am not fond of television but it takes me back to a time when life was simple.

These are just some of my favourite things that I like to do to break the monotony when I am not out enjoying the outdoors. I thought that I would share, so you too can pass on what you like to do to make life fun. Remember it’s not the big things that make you happy, but little moments that add to your joy and form part of the whole picture. When you look back at your life you would not remember that one 'big thing' that suddenly caused utopia, but snapshots of a good life well lived to the fullest. Live it in a way so that you can testify to this. ©

Peace.