Bonne Année

If 2009 didn’t bring you joy, just leave it behind.

Let’s ring in the new year with good things in mind.

Here’s to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old!

Cheers!

It’s the Time to be Merry!

♪ ♪ Dashing through the snow…
In a one horse open sleigh…
O’er the fields we go…
Laughing all the way…
Bells on bob tails ring…
Making spirits bright…
What fun it is to laugh and sing…
A sleighing song tonight…

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way…
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh…
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way…
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh… ♪ ♪

Woohooooo… Christmas is here and that’s my Santa.

I actually had other plans for the nativity scene but couldn’t do much about it and this is what I made.

So during this festive season…

The gifts I’d leave beneath your tree,
Aren’t those that you can touch or see,
Not wrapped in Christmas tissue gay
But gifts to bless you every day.
The gift of friendship warm and true,
Is one that I would leave for you
Good health, happiness and cheer
To keep you smiling through the year
The gift of peace that comes from God,
With prayer to guide each path you trod
And when your heart has lost it’s song
The gift of hope to cheer you on.
These are the gifts I’d leave for you.

Wishing you… the Gladness of Christmas, which is Hope; the Spirit of Christmas, which is Peace; and the Essence of Christmas, which is Love.

Life is Tough but I’m Tougher

To all my bloody nosy relatives,

Don’t you dare control my life.

Instead take the time to mind your own business.

And, stop trying to get me to conform to your biases.

You don’t want me to bash you up, do ya?

**********************************************************************

To my blog buddies,

I do miss you and your posts, but at the moment not in the right frame of mind to read anything, let alone blogging.

And of all the things, I really miss my mind the most…

Will you excuse me? Pleaseeee?

Leo & Don

Say hello to my new pet turtles, Leonardo & Donatello, the red-eared sliders.

Leonardo

Donatello

Don is bit reserved while Leo is the active one, who always pops his head from the water trying to investigate something he finds interesting and is very fond of staring into the monitor.

The 1.5 inch babies must be around 6 months old.

Also got them a cute kidney-shaped tank  that has a palm tree and a staircase island with a feeding station.

Leo & Don

I’m Kinda Back ;)

Hiya!

Howdy?

I know its been a while with no new posts here as well as the absence of my comments on yours. Was kinda taking a break from blogging.

Apart from working on projects and preparing for certifications, I …

… was lazing on the sofa… Ahhh

… was planning and making Christmas decors…

… started exercising (No wonder it rained here continuously for 2-3 days )

… oh and had been to the Soorya Festival during the Eid holidays!!

(Soorya festival? No idea? Click here for more info.)

It was awesome!!!

As part of propagating the art of India outside the country, Soorya Kuwait Chapter conducted this year’s last program. A team of 7 renowned artistes from India were flown into Kuwait to stage ‘LAYA SHAKTHI’, a two-hour breathtaking performance.

The festival began at sharp 7pm! Haven’t seen this kind of punctuality anywhere. Hats off to that!!!

The first session was a thrilling instrumental fusion presented by four music gurus:  Ustad Rashid Mustafa on Tabla, Prem Kumar on Mridangam, and Ustad Nazir Khan on Sarangi accompanied by Fateh Singh on Phakhawaj.

The second session was a splendid Bharathnatyam performance by Kirti Ramgopal.

The third session was the highlight of the evening: Kathak by Hari and Chetana. I sat there totally spellbound. A flawless presentation!

The mastermind behind this festival, Mr. Soorya Krishnamurthy, was present there too.

It was indeed a true delight for the art lovers of Kuwait. 2 hours seemed like 2 minutes! Can’t wait for their next programme which will be in April.

Neither video nor stills were allowed inside the auditorium, so I couldn’t click, but managed to get the above snaps from Abu Dhabi Chapter. You can find more photos here.

And, now for my latest indulgence…

Yum! Yum! Yum!

So, how you doing dudes and dudettes?

He

Dad was furiously searching for something in the storeroom  and I overheard this serious conversation between my parents… 

Dad: “He still didn’t leave, did he?”

Mom: “No, he didn’t…”

Dad: “Then he’s here to stay!”

Wondering who ‘he’ was , I inquired,

“Er … Whom are you talking about?”  

Dad: “Shhh…”, and pointed to the living room. 

I went in to the room anxiously, with Dad following me…

And I stood there stupefied seeing him!     

<<<S-W-A-T>>>

There lay the pestering housefly!

Mom…

… I wish I could tell you
How much you mean to me…

But there are no words to say
how much I admire you…
how much I appreciate you…
how much I thank you…
for everything you’ve done.

Wishing you a day

As sunny as your smile,

As warm as your heart –

A day as wonderful as you are!

Happy Birthday Mom!

No Experts Needed, Really!

Losing a job is one of life’s most stressful experiences and, can even be devastating too. With the economy in meltdown, and more and more companies getting leaner and meaner, most of the employees end up being laid off.

I was a victim of a workforce reduction about 7 months ago.

Though I’ve not much responsibility (as in taking care of the family et all), I realized I’ve been going through a range of emotions: emotions that can spur me to action, send me seething into a rage, or make me wanting to crawl and hide in my own cocoon, moments of shame, betrayal, and as a result almost stopped socializing with my friends. I’ve gone through all. I know my termination was through no fault of my own, and I know it’s not a career killer, but it definitely is depressing and hard to overcome the emotions! To divert my mind, Mom even took me for a 2 week vacation to India.

As months passed, I started devoting most of my time on blogging and twittering, which led me to meet a bunch of wonderful people, aka my blog-and-twitter buddies, who inspired me so much in one way or the other. Nothing would have been the same without you all!  Gradually, I started to think of my job loss as an opportunity to re-frame my thinking, and to pause and reflect on how happy I was with my career. Before I knew, it was a relief and a much-needed break from a much-hated job, and hence ended up learning new technologies and, now I’m a freelancer.  Working from the comforts of my home plus I’m my own boss too! So much freedom and I’m enjoying it. Yaaaaay!!

Now the purpose behind this post is to introduce you all to Louise Lewis and her book “No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You!”.

No Experts Needed by Louise Lewis

Most of us have been through terrifying times in our lives, that often lead us to lose hope, and Louise had been there too. She had lost her job of eleven years. There were all the emotional and financial concerns to get through.

One day as she sat relaxing at home watching TV, one particular episode of a program caught her attention. It was the episode titled “What Does the World Think of Us?” on The Oprah Show!  (Love the show BTW! )

Inspired from the show, she then decided to embrace life and find out just what life means. Through many interviews with people and getting their definitions of life, a book was born.

Hadn’t she passed by my blog and dropped in a comment, I wouldn’t have known her.

I started reading her masterpiece and I must say that it’s absolutely amazing! It’s more than just a book in dealing with job loss. A book full of positive thoughts and by reading it you could almost feel her energy through her words!

The book doesn’t bring out the advice of the experts, but rather from everyday people who share what they believe, and how they face the bumps along the road of life.

If you just need a break from the doom and gloom, I did recommend you read the book and pass it on to your family and friends or to someone who is struggling in life.

That's Louise!

The beautiful author will be sending the link to a FREE cover-to-cover download of her book to my lovely readers! All you got to do is to sign up here.

Ain’t that cool?

Thanks a bunch, Louise!

P.S.: She recently celebrated her birthday. So here’s me wishing Lou once again a belated happy birthday!!!!

Day 7: The Reason for Everything

Today is a special post.

Did you notice something extra on the image above?

Yup, EXCLUSIVE it is!

It’s not me writing the review today, but a guest blogger! Surprise!!!

He’s my blog buddy, who’s kindly agreed to guest blog for Day 7 on the Journey with Elegant Chic.

Ladies & gentlemen, please put your hands together for Matthew Parker!!!

Oh yeah, our very own Matt from British Thoughts!!! 

Now, over to him.

*********************************************************************

The reason for everything

It’s all for God.

Not only were you created by God; you were created for him, too.

The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God.

God alone is the source, the means and the end of all things.

It’s all for God. It’s that simple really. The reason God created everything is to show His glory.

You must now be thinking what exactly is God’s glory?

The author answers this by saying, “It is the essence of His nature, the weight of His importance, the radiance of His splendor, the demonstration of His power, and the atmosphere of His presence.”

So where is the glory of God? This is a rhetorical question and needs no answer.

Just look around. Everything that you see around you is Gods Glory!

Living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.

Even though we were created to glorify God, these days we seldom find the time to even pray!

Doesn’t he deserve a ‘lil’ glory?

So the question arises, how can we bring Glory to God?

Rick Warren describes in detail, five ways by which we can bring glory to God:

We can bring God glory by

* worshiping Him,

* loving other people,

* becoming like Him,

* serving others with our gifts and talents,

* telling others about Him.

I agree it’s not that easy. It never is. But at least you can try!

You have to change your priorities and activities in order to spend more time glorifying God.

In all of creation there are only two things that do not bring glory to God. They are the fallen angels, aka the devils, and people. Every time we sin, we rob God of His glory.

The author mentions, “When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God.”

So how do we know what our purpose is and when we fulfill it?

Well that is the essence of this whole book, – What on earth am I here for and what is my purpose?

I suggest you buy this book and find it out yourself!  :D

By sharing this particular review with you guys, I believe I am bringing glory to the creator!

–

Matthew Parker

*********************************************************************

Point to Ponder: It’s all for Him.

Question to Consider: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God’s glory?

*********************************************************************

That was wonderful Matt! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review for my blog.

The first seven chapters of Rick Warren’s popular book, Purpose Driven Life, have now been finished reviewing. Those chapters were so much thought provoking and meaningful, and gave me a new insight, a whole new dimension. And, I hope it has been the same with you.

The number of hits to my blog have increased so much that I guess this virtual journey has been a success in some way or the other.  And I’m proud in taking the pains to present it in a generalized way.

But, there is one thing that makes me so upset. Have a look at the comments section (on the journey posts that is).  I see only a handful of them. Where are the rest of you? What are you doing there? Eating peanuts and reading it without any input from your side? Or is it that you feel like commenting but refrains from it, thinking what others and I will think about you? Or is it that what I talk is crap?

With a busy schedule, lots of strain and sacrificing even my sleeping hours just for YOU, yes, YOU!!! YOU, who are silently following me! I’ve now got some really bad news for YOU, lurkers!  This post sees the end of the Journey with Elegant Chic.

Tadaaa!

No use gulping down the feel of guilt. YOU asked for it!

To my blog buddies who followed me faithfully during the journey, I’m indeed grateful to you. Thank you so much for supporting me and dropping in your views!

So, here’s a gift for each one of you.

(I forgive you, lurkers! I can’t afford to be this mean!) 

It’s none other than the first 7 chapters of “The Purpose Driven Life” !!!

Kindly pick it up from here.

Require more info on the book? Click here.

Happy? You gotta be!!

Feel free to leave a feedback on the journey as both Matt and I would love to get your input.

Love you all, some more than the others! 

Day 6: Life is a Temporary Assignment

Our perspective on life determines what we do with our life — that is, what we do with our time, our talents, our money, and everything we have. Dr. Rick Warren gives us 3 perspectives for a purpose driven life:

1. Life is a test.

2. Life is a trust.

3. Life is a temporary assignment.

The first two metaphors were discussed in the previous post. Today, we will be reviewing the third one.

Life is a temporary assignment:

Imagine you migrated to a foreign country. And, now imagine that you fell in love with that place. We might forget everything with all the mesmerizing things that the place has to offer, but deep within us we know it’s not our home. There would be moments of discontent and we would long for our homeland.

Just like that, God placed us here on earth. When we fall in love with earth, God places feelings of unhappiness and dissatisfaction in our life. And that’s a reminder to us that this life is not the final destiny.

Here is a way Warren explains his point that we will never find happiness unless we have our perspective on things of heaven instead of the world:

A fish would never be happy living on land, because it was made for water. An eagle could never be satisfied if it wasn’t allowed to fly. You will never be satisfied on earth, because you were made for more.

The author also goes on to explain that we are ambassadors for God. If we were ambassadors for our country to another country, we would do all we could to represent our country in the best way we could. We are ambassadors for God here on earth, and need to represent Him in the best way we can.

There’s only now…
There’s only here…
Give in to love…
Or live in fear…
No other path…
No other way…
No day but today…
No day but today.

~Jonathan Larson

Remember life is a temporary assignment and live each day as though it was our last, learn something each day as though we’ll live forever.

*********************************************************************

Point to Ponder: This world is not my home.

Question to Consider: How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?