Out with the Old, In with the New!

Picture from clip art

I, for one, do not believe in resolutions. They are easy – maybe too easy – to make and just as easy to break. Like promises or good intentions (though having intentions is a good thing), it is easy to fall through the cracks on them.

In fact, synonyms for resolutions include words such as intention, resolve, commitment, pledge and promise...pretty strong words to say the least, don’t you think? The definition of resolution is "a firm decision to do or not to do something."

Regardless of the strength of these words, unless we have determination, discipline, and conviction at minimum, resolutions may not be met. And why bother setting up for failure, especially at the beginning of a fresh, new year?

A goal on the other hand is "the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result." Synonyms for goal include objective, aim, target, intent as well as intention, and purpose amongst others.

I actually prefer this though I have heard that "target" is an even better word than "goal" as a goal is finite whereas a target can be changed as in "a moving target."

After a number of years of setting goals and/or resolutions and even writing them down at times, I decided to stop this practice. I was willing to dismiss what no longer served me. I strongly suggest you do the same: Stop it. Throw it out if need be. After all, if it doesn't work, why keep doing it?


Brief comedy sketch video featuring Bob Newhart regarding "STOP IT!"

As Albert Einstein smartly remarked insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" or as he also similarly stated, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” It starts in the mind with action being the final result.

Thus, I changed my strategy. Instead, I set a focus or theme for the year; I find this more powerful a practice. Sometimes it comes in the form of one word, sometimes two different words such as "peace" and "joy" for example.

I had come across one or two other bloggers recently whom I understand do similarly - hmmm, reminds me of the 100th monkey phenomenon! (see ) - and I liked a word chosen as their focus for next year; however, even though I thought I would remember it, I didn't write it down and have since forgotten it!

I had recently pondered a word along the lines of pursuing my interests or the like. However, I discovered this past year that the word "passion" has a negative connotation as in "suffering."

Thus, keeping all the above in mind, do you perhaps now understand why I chose the word "transformation" as my focus or theme for 2015? That's the word that came to me spontaneously, i.e., intuitively.

Let’s see what happens, shall we? Stay tuned… ;)

Do you set resolutions, goals, or intentions? Any or all of the above? Which one(s) do you find work best for you? How do they work for you in terms of a focus for a new year?
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Happy 2015!! :)

P.S. I was going to feature a picture of a dart pointed in the middle of a dart board as that symbolized 'target' (read more above). However, since soccer is such a universal sport, I decided to depict a soccer goal instead! ;)

Linked to UltraBlog, Blog-A-Rhythm, and WordOfTheYear.

An InLinkz Link-up

Boxing Day and Kwanzaa

Due to various factors today, I am blogging primarily from wikipedia. (Sorry.)

Picture from Clipart

Boxing Day is not today what it was originally intended to be. According to http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day:

Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers, in the United Kingdom, Barbados, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other former British colonies. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover food.

In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. Due to the Roman Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, the day is known as St. Stephen's Day to Catholics, and in Italy, Finland, and Alsace and Moselle in France. It is also known as both St. Stephen's Day and the Day of the Wren or Wren's Day in Ireland. In some European countries, including notably Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia, 26 December is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.

In the UK, Canada, and some states of Australia, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) in the US. Boxing Day sales are common in Canada. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price reductions.

Picture from clipart

Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers. Many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience.

The local media often cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queuing up, providing video of shoppers queuing and later leaving with their purchased items. Many retailers have implemented practices aimed at managing large numbers of shoppers. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the queue to guarantee them a hot ticket item or canvass queued-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.

In recent years, retailers have expanded deals to "Boxing Week". While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year's Eve. Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy Canada. Boxing Day has often been compared with the American Super Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas.

In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or municipal bylaw, or instead by informal agreement among major retailers to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day. In these areas, sales otherwise scheduled for 26 December are moved to the 27th.

I personally like the idea of one day of relaxation after Christmas as I find it makes most sense and is practical.

Today is also Kwanzaa honouring those of African heritage in African-American culture . It was developed by Maulana Karenga in the mid 1960's as a week-long celebration that begins December 26th and ends January 1st with the giving of gifts and a feast.

Check this video for a brief history on Kwanzaa: http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2013/11/kwanzaa-candles-candleholder-H.jpeg

According to http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa:

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Photo from wikipedia

Kwanzaa symbols include a decorative mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: corn (Muhindi) and other crops, a candle holder kinara with seven candles (Mishumaa Saba), a communal cup for pouring libation (Kikombe cha Umoja), gifts (Zawadi), a poster of the seven principles, and a black, red, and green flag. The symbols were designed to convey the seven principles.

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa".

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani? which is Swahili for "What's the News?"

At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values.

Today, many African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.

Picture from wikipedia

Maya Angelou, American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer...) was the narrator in The Black Candle, a documentary about Kwanzaa (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Candle).

What essence of Boxing Day and/or Kwanzaa do you celebrate? If not, do you celebrate any of the other days mentioned?

Winter: Solstice and Harp

First snow 2014

We associate winter possibly with snow and Christmas, though many people throughout the world also celebrate the winter solstice. I certainly have.

What is the solstice you ask? Though commonly referred to as winter solstice, at least in the northern hemisphere, it is known for the shortest day of the year and the longest night; it is opposite in the southern hemisphere where they experience the longest day and the shortest night as they are experiencing summer solstice! (

Did you know that the solstice is actually not the whole day, but actually at a specific point in time? For us here in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was 3:03 pm (or 1503 hrs) when "old man winter" finally arrived.

For the past approximately 15 years, I have participated and volunteered at a community event marking the winter solstice. Jerry DesVoignes, chantmaster leads community gatherings of chants and songs, including those that mark the shortest day of the year and the return of the light.

I actually got hooked (for lack of a better term) when I attend my first such event the same year, 1997, when both Princess Diana and Mother Teresa died: two bright lights snuffed out within a week apart.

It was a fun and also a magical experience due to a ritual - Aarti ( - and rose petals showered upon people, usually their heads. (You can see why I got hooked.) ;)

Unfortunately at this time, I do not have any pictures to show of the beautiful altar that is created with candles, flowers, and symbols. However, you can get a taste of one of Jerry's chants here below at about the 5:25 time mark...you can hear some of his vocal range - I believe he has an eight-octave range - as he starts to tone at the 4:15 time mark:



Do you celebrate the solstice and if so, how?

Backdrop for Part 2 of Winter Harp concert
This past week I attended a concert by Winter Harp, a group of musicians/performers who play various harps. flutes, and other ancient instruments. Here is a video of some of them playing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."

Or how about this one, where some other members play, "Girl in the Red Skirt" a flamenco tune.



Have you seen any Christmas concerts this year, and if so, which ones or what kinds?

Ode to Joy/Joyful Joyful

Youtube video

The word that came to me immediately after listening to this video was simply "WOW!"

'Ode to Joy' also known as 'Beethoven's Symphony No. 9', was written by German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven in his later years when he was mostly deaf.

Ode by the way means, "a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter" or "a poem meant to be sung."

In fact, it was originally a poem written by Friedrich Schiller who was a German poet, playwright, and historian, though it was adapted later by Beethoven http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Joy

Here is a bit of background to this song: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_%28Beethoven%29

On the 130th anniversary of the founding of Banco Sabadell, a number of people wanted to pay homage to Sabadell, a city in Spain with a flash mob consisting of 100 people from Vallès Symphony Orchestra, the Lieder, Amics de l'Òpera, and Coral Belles Arts choirs (as shown in the video above).

Here is a version that sticks out in my mind from years ago, from the movie Sister Act 2, with Whoopi Goldberg as one of the main actors:

.
This musical piece is seemingly popular during the Christmas season, though with differing variations of lyrics, one of which is as follows: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/soundtracks/ode+to+joy_10220943.html

byoV (short for 'bring your own voice'), the community choir that I sang with sang a somewhat similar version for our recent Christmas concert. It was a lot of fun for us choir members as well as the audience who heard us. How can it not be when you add a little funk, soul, and rap into it? Ok, that's my interpretation anyway! ;)



There is nothing like music bringing people together now is there?

What do you most enjoy about the videos above?

December 10: Human Rights Day

Picture from Clipart

STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT ALREADY! ENOUGH is ENOUGH!! I say, and isn't that enough?! Oh I wish it was and it was that simple.

Didn't you - the world - just kidding, but am serious at the same time for you followers/readers of mine - not hear me the first time? Did you not read my post the other day?: 'December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women' at http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/12/december-6-national-day-of-remembrance.html (or you can scroll down to the bottom of this post to 'older posts.')

At the end of that post I say, "When will it STOP?! S-T-O-P! Enough is enough! Enough of this sickening brutality! What can I as an individual, we as individuals - yes, you men too, in particular! - country, society do to end this...once and for all?!?" I'm speaking here of violence against women which denies women the basic right to safety.

And then I read something else a day later, another sickening and disheartening article on sexual assaults and child brides in India - that is criminal! - 'As sex assaults increase, Indian girls get pushed into marriage.' And I see that women might partly be at fault too; however, there are reasons for that, namely tradition and poverty...not a good mix: http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/as-sex-assaults-increase-indian-girls-get-pushed-into-marriage/ar-BBgux6W

I say, stop the atrocities against girls - women too - all females! Where are the girls' rights to be children? Their right to play and learn and have fun? Their right to explore the world with their childlike innocence intact?

Picture from google search

Why do females - women or children - need to feel or be made to feel subservient? And at such a young age? () It just breaks my heart.

I wrote a poem in one of my expressive arts therapy classes a number of years ago on how my heart, my soul aches for women, for females as I am one too. I shed tears copiously - 'rivers of blood' - for us women, metaphorically speaking of course. (When I find this poem and its accompanying artwork, I will be sure to let you all know and will refer to this blog post.)

These females are not only my 'sisters.' They are somebody's wives, girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, siblings, nieces, cousins, and friends.

When will women be able to roam the streets at night and even during the day in peace? Get an education in peace? Make a living in peace? Raise a family in peace? When can we females feel at peace, experience peace without such worries? When? When, when, WHEN?!

December 10 is considered Human Rights Day and observed around the world - I say 'supposedly' - in recognition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The theme this year is Human Rights 365, meaning everyone is or rather should be entitled to human rights every day of the year, i.e., daily.

However, it makes you wonder when you hear about the tip of the iceberg on reports of sexual assault - most are unreported - and human trafficking for instance, prolific even in first-world countries such as Canada and the United States!

Please note that though this post primarily focuses on India, I am generally speaking for all women around the world. There are and have been many missing and murdered Indigenous women in British Columbia, a much closer-at-home example.

December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Montreal massacre, the murder of 14 females, most of whom were engineering students at Montreal's university, École Polytechnique: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Remembrance_and_Action_on_Violence_Against_Women.

The gunman, Marc Lépine, ended up committing suicide by shooting himself. Feminism" was his claim to the shooting death of these women and the injury of 10 other women.

Every day all around the world there are incidents of brutality against women committed primarily by men. Violence can include:

1. gender-based violence
2. rape, marital rape, and incest
3. murder and assault including dowry-related violence and honour killings
4. forced marriage
5. female genital mutilation
6. human trafficking including cross-border prostitution rings and bride kidnappings
7. war crimes including rape as a weapon of war

Source: http://www.bwss.org/resources/information-on-abuse/numbers-are-people-too/)

Statistics are astounding and may vary depending on the source; however, here are some from the Canadian Women's Foundation: http://www.canadianwomen.org/facts-about-violence. I'm not sure what they are for Stats Canada.

Some recent close-to-home incidents include allegations of sexual assault against Jian Ghomeshi, former CBC broadcaster and Bill Cosby, American comedian and actor.

There are also sexual harrassment incidents by Members of Parliament, and sexual assault and harrassment by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and other such positions as with male firefighters against their female counterpart.

Other cases include the female victims of Robert Pickton, serial killer in BC and also aboriginal females who were killed and/or missing along BC's 'Highway of Tears.'

In countries such as India and Pakistan, there are numerous so-called 'honour' killings. According to Wikipedia,

An honor killing or honour killing (see spelling differences) is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the family or community, usually for reasons such as refusing to enter an arranged marriage, being in a relationship that is disapproved by their relatives, having sex outside marriage, becoming the victim of rape, dressing in ways which are deemed inappropriate, or engaging in homosexual relations. (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing)

Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban because she promotes 'western thinking and fights for the rights of girls to go to school.

A woman in various parts of the world can be stoned or beaten even if pregnant for alleged adultery, or have acid thrown on her and then shunned as it is believed she deserved it.

I remember cigarette ads from years ago that claimed "You've come a long way baby" but have we, as women? Yes and no! No when it comes to equality in terms of social status for one. We have a long way to go, yet!

And calling us 'baby' doesn't help matters! That sounds rather deragatory, doesn't it? I, for one, do not find that an affectionate endearment. It sounds too disempowering a term, at least to me...same with 'girl.'

Do women call their husbands or boyfriends, 'boy' as in "hey boy..." or "good boy" or the like? No! That sounds like language used to talk to a dog!

Ok, I'm getting off tangent here though I'm trying to make a point here. You get the drift I'm sure.

White awareness ribbon from symbols.com

The list of violence against women goes on and on and on... You hear or read about such reports on a daily basis unfortunately. The following is an indication of such crimes and worse, and also reports the top five countries reputable for such acts of violence against women: http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/malala-yousafzai-said-to-be-improving-in-british-hospital-while-a-young-afg.

When will it STOP?! S-T-O-P! Enough is enough! Enough of this sickening brutality! What can I as an individual, we as individuals - yes, you men too, in particular! - country, society do to end this...once and for all?!

(breathe)...Ok, first of all we need to focus on the opposite of violence..what is that again? Oh yeah, peace! ...

2nd Time Round: Liebster Award! Woohoo! ;)

Read this previous post about this award for details as to its origins and meaning: http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/another-award-wow-woohoo.html

Carrie Tripp, from her blog, Daily Musings nominated me for the Liebster Award yesterday, known in the western world as Giving Tuesday. Thank you Carrie! :)

You can read about her and her post yesterday at http://www.dailymusingsbycarrie.blogspot.ca/2014/12/ich-liebe-dich-and-award-too.html?showComment=1417586330904#c4140079930676445635.

There are some rules or guidelines to follow should you accept this award, but from what I have read, they vary:

*Link back to the blog from which you were nominated.
*Answer ten questions about yourself.
*Give ten new questions to your nominees.
*Nominate between five and ten new bloggers (some say 5, some say 10, your choice) [On an aside, 10 seems perhaps a bit too much, maybe get 'out of hand'.]
*Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by notifying them.
*Comment on this post when you are finished, so we can follow the trail.

My answers to Carrie's questions are italicized.

1. What inspired the first blog post you ever posted? Thanks for this question. My first blog post was inspired with the thought that if anyone googled my name, they would find out nothing about me as I was attempting to start an alternative children's/youth choir. A 'Call to Action' was acknowledgement to myself that I needed to take action and blogging in part was that first step as indicated by the picture I used. (Since I was new to blogging, my first two posts in particular were rather lengthy...ahem....oops!) ;)

2. If your life was a reality show, what would the theme song be? I can think of fairytales but no songs come to mind at the moment. Let me ponder this one as I do like this question...

3. Name your blogging hero. Why do they get that position? Though I could name other bloggers whose 'work' (writing) I admire - some whom I nominated the first time I won this award, including Penny McDaniel (whom you chose Carrie Tripp: wise choices!) - and particularly two based on their inspirational life story, I will instead nominate them as my first two nominees at the end.

Amy Bovaird, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa while still travelling, teaching, and later writing a book is a major inspirational hero in my eyes. And Carol Graham too whom has overcome such major adversities in life - seven (I believe) that would leave most people flat or dead. These women are 'fighters!' ;)

I also feel a bit of a hero, actually more of a survivor perhaps, in that I have been working hard at blogging as of late, especially the three months of daily blogging (in July, September, and November of this year) that I have undertaken thus far. Not only writing, reading/researching for my own posts, but also reading and commenting on other bloggers' posts, and those who comment on mine. It takes dedication AND time! ;)

4. If you could live anywhere other than where you currently reside, where would it be? This is an interesting question 'cause where I live feels most like 'home' for me and reminds me of Europe. I think down the road I would like to move to the interior of BC in Nelson, a town that is known for 'hippies' like myself at heart and art - hey that rhymes! ;) I think that I would feel most at home there. :)

5. What food best describes your personality? Two answers come to mind: pizza 'cause I love it and it's a mix of anything you want to put/throw onto it just like I am: a potpourri of ingredients or qualities... LOL ...and cookies...hard on the outside at times, but soft on the inside ...hmmm..or is that the other way around?! ;)

6. It makes me uncomfortable when __________ reads the articles I post. I'm not sure if my Dad reads them anymore, but I think he did at one time! ;)

7. What was the last news report you read/heard that gave you hope and inspired you about? A young boy who wanted to help the homeless due to something he witnessed, and also two young children - two girls(?) who protested against the potential pipeline on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, BC. I love these younger 'evolutionary' children who are being born of late: they are so sweet and generous and kind...wanting to help others whether people, animals, and/or the planet! :)

8. If you could do anything and KNEW you couldn’t fail, what would you do? ONLY one (1) thing?! SO many things come to mind, in no particular order: author, public speaker, choir director, conductor of an orchestra - ok, that last one is pure fantasy! ;)

9. Have you ever been a recipient of “pay it forward” ? Have you ever paid it forward? Which is better? Yes, I believe I have though have to think about the first question - these awards that I have won on my blog where you are encouraged to 'pay it foward' comes to mind. There may be other instances, but I cannot think of any other at the moment! I have paid it forward and I wrote a blog post, actually two, about that in fact: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/from-kindness-of-strangers.html AND http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/02/pay-it-forwardwith-umbrella.html

Though receiving is always a pleasure, it is a great feeling to give as well, when it is sincere and comes from the heart. There is no lesser or better than...read my post today about that! ;) (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/12/december-2nd-givingtuesday-national-day.html)

10. Christmas or Thanksgiving?This is a tough one for me as I sometimes have a challenge with Christmas having no partner and/or children; however, I do see my folks. I think Christmas is for kids and though there are wonderful qualities about Christmas, I do not like the consumerism. Other than that, I would say Christmas for the season of giving and love that is felt in the air generally-speaking...sometimes, I admit I can be a bit of a humbug due to loneliness I think. Though Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition as well (which I also blogged about in October), in terms of a meal and giving thanks, I so long to donate my time to serve meals to those who are homeless.

10 Questions for My Nominees:
1. What inspired you to write a blog?
2. What inspires you in your writing?
3. Are there bloggers who inspire you or have inspired you? (3 names and/or blog sites)
4. How did these bloggers inspire you?
5. How would you describe your writing style?
6. Who is your ideal audience, i.e., reader of your blog?
7. What are your favourite types of books to read?
8. Do these books (#6) influence your writing/blog and if so, how?
9. Do you write about family/friends/pets? Directly or indrectly or both?
10.Who do you most admire and why?

I would like to nominate the following bloggers for the Liebster Award:

1. Amy Bovaird (for her humourous, poke-fun-at-self anecdotes with her limited vision)
2. Carol Graham (for her warm and compassionate stories based on her inspirational life)
3. Francene Stanley (for her true-to-life posts with such fascinating tidbits of info)
4. Lynn Ward (for her delicious, healthy organic recipes)
5. Amy Young Miller (for her fun amusing stories about farm-living with her two daughters)
6. Aathira Jim (for her wonderful poetic writing)

Nominees, remember to link back to this post in your post. Answer the 10 questions I gave you, nominate 5 to 10 bloggers, give them 10 new questions, and come back and comment on this post when you’re done. Congratulations and have fun!

Please take this as the compliment it is. You aren’t required to complete this process. However, when you do you are gaining readers for your blog and for everyone attached to this one. :)

December 2nd: GivingTuesday - a National Day of Giving :)

Picture from Clipart

We just finished with Black Friday where retail businesses make a profit and are thus 'in the black' as opposed to 'being in the red' with a deficit.

According to Wikipedia,

Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since the early 2000s, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and most major retailers open very early and offer promotional sales.

(http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29)

This followed with Cyber Monday for online retailers offering great discounts on items in order to take advantage of pr-Christmas sales (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Monday).

I discovered today via the media, AKA (also known as) the local newspapers, that today is "Giving Tuesday (or "GivingTuesday"). Was this giving in the form of donating money to charities? Or was it any type of giving? Those were the questions that ran through my mind.

I hadn't heard of this day before or had forgotten so I decided to check it out. This is a link: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Tuesday.

Was this giving in the form of donating money to charities? Or was it any type of giving? Those were the questions that ran through my mind.

Another site states,

It is a new Canadian movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Cyber Monday. The 'Opening day of the giving season,' it is a day where charities, companies and individuals join together to share commitments, rally for favourite causes and think about others.

(http://www.givingtuesday.ca/about/#.VH5xu8no430)

According to Wikipedia,

Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation as a response to commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday).

(http:/www./en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Tuesday)

(Picture from Clipart)

I like this concept. I really like it! We, at least in the western world seem to be plagued by consumerism, like an addiction. And unfortunately, I think other countries who idolize America and the American way may follow suit.

I think it a wonderful idea to be able to think of others and contribute/donate our resources, whether money and/or time. Both are valuable!

Giving is essentially a win-win situation as the charitable organization and/or individual recipient receives as well as the giver. There is a universal law about this you know? ;) Think of it this way, would there be a recipient without a giver or a giver without a recipient?

Deepak Chopra, author, physician, and spiritual guru came up with 'The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success' of which 'The Law of Giving' is one such spiritual law:

The universe operates through dynamic exchange . . . giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

(http://www.chopra.com/the-law-of-giving-receiving)

Deepak also claims that:

...Every relationship is one of give and take. Giving engenders receiving, and receiving engenders giving. What goes up must come down; what goes out must come back. In reality, receiving is the same thing as giving, because giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And if you stop the flow of either, you interfere with nature’s intelligence.

(http://www.purposebalancelife.com/law-of-giving.html)

He expands even further on this principle,

...The more you give, the more you will receive, because you will keep the abundance of the universe circulating in your life. In fact, anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given. That which doesn´t multiply through giving is neither worth giving nor worth receiving. If, through the act of giving, you feel you have lost something, then the gift is not truly given and will not cause increase. If you give grudgingly, there is no energy behind that giving.

(http://www.purposebalancelife.com/law-of-giving.html)

When you think of giving, what comes to mind? Are you a generous philanthropist or one-at-heart like 'The Little Drummer Boy'? (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Drummer_Boy) (See around the 1:30 time mark if you are short of time.)



Or maybe a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Scrooge) in A Christmas Carol? (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol)

HOW did you give today? ;)

I am linking this to #GivingTuesday, Ultra Blog Challenge, and Bloggers United.

AIDS Yesterday, HepC Today

Picture from Wikipedia

This is a very brief posting for now which I may update later due to time and other factors. As some of you may know, today, December 1st is World AIDS Day: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_AIDS_Day

I remember many years ago when I first heard about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) as a medical secretary at The Hospital for Sick Children. Staff - all? - were to attend a news announcement in the hospital's auditorium. I recall vaguely that what was discussed was news of AIDS and cautionary measures that the hospital was to take. I imagine this is possibly when gloves wear worn by all nurses dealing with needles and the like.

I read a newspaper headline briefly today along the line of my title (which I made up). According to Dr. Julio Montaner, director for the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, a world-renowned doctor for his efforts in treating patients with AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC, he had closed the AIDS clinic as that was no longer an issue. However, Hepatitis C or Hep C or HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) for short has replaced AIDS in terms of severity - http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_C.

Some people believe the AIDS epidemic originated in Africa or with monkeys. Others believe that it was a way to wipe out a certain sector of the population. These conspiracy theories may or may not be true - though I'm beginning to think the Ebola virus (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus) might fall into this category too - notice that both AIDS and Ebola started there?

What is your take on AIDS, Hepatitis C, and/or the Ebola virus? Just curious! ;)

Soulful Sunday: 4th NaBloPoMo Favourite Blog Posts: Mine and Yours

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

It seems that Forecasting my Foggy Bloggy Future was my favoured post this past week which surprised me, and yet I suppose it makes sense. Followers of my blog may especially be curious as to where I am going with my blog(ging) for various reasons.

I had hoped that my inspired poem and its reverse mirror image - A New Angle on 'You' or is that 'Me?' ;) - would achieve first position. However, that post http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/a-new-angle-on-you-or-is-that-me.html tied with NaBloPoMo Social Media Challenge at http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/nablopomo-social-media-challenge.html.

Now, onto a number of blog posts I enjoyed this past week, in no particular order (except possibly date wise going backwards) are as follows:

Laurel Reagan's very short post but with a long title, Today’s Gratitude List – Linkup No. 56 + 100 Happy Days – Day 72 at http://www.alphabetsalad.com/todays-gratitude-list-linkup-no-56-100-happy-days-day-72/ on enjoying life: forget everything else, just zentangle! At least for her! ;)

Shailaja Vishwanath's Pushed to the brink- #Five sentence #Fiction with a witty mother-in-law! http://www.shailajav.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/pushed-to-the-brink-five-sentence-fiction/

Shilpa Garg's post on Toilet for Babli, though a sad read, is important to help those in an important and basic need for sanitation, women and girls particularly: http://www.shilpaagarg.com/2014/11/toilet-babli.html

Carol Grahama's post, Were You Born With It? was an interesting take on selling: http://www.batteredhope.blogspot.ca/2014/11/were-you-born-with-it.html was a delightful read on how to sell and how not to, a post within that post! ;)

Pixie wrote Peter's Treasure, a short nonfiction story which was a suspenseful read, at least for me: http://www.mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/peters-treasure/

Roshan Radhakrishnan's post, Year 10 - Happiness is the Path at http://www.godyears.net/2014/11/year-10-happiness-is-path.html was inspiring as a blogger. I was SO excited by his post and felt inspired by it; however, I hope I do not have to wait 10 years to be recognized for my writing aptitude! ;)

SanchLivingLife's post had a different viewpoint on this important topic: Eliminate Violence Against Women #WhiteRibbonDay at http://www.livingmyimperfectlife.com/eliminate-violence-against-women-white-ribbon-day/.

Rajlakshmi H Boruah's post Sunrise at Huskisson, featured a lovely sunrise that I would have loved to see perhaps as a video as well: http://www.shutterbug-rajlakshmi.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/sunrise-at-huskisson.html

Nisha Sanjeev's post on I am too precious! was a refreshing read; http://www.nishasanjeev.blogspot.ae/2014/11/i-am-too-precious.html. I absolutely loved what she had to say including her powerful statement at the end.

Inderpreet Kaur Uppal's post Nurturing My Child’s Explosive Potential For Change at http://www.womensweb.in/2014/11/happy-india-childrens-ideas/ I found an inspiring post for children and mothers alike.

Aditi Kaushiva's post, Each Morning Beckons, her gratitude poem at http://www.makeitbeayoutiful.blogspot.in/2014/11/each-morning-beckons.html

Tulika Singh's endearing post, Pigeon mums don't quite make the cut was an amusing post on motherhood: http://www.obsessivemom.blogspot.in/2014/11/pigeon-mums-dont-quite-make-cut.html

Shailaja Vishwanath's important post on Would you write about your pain? http://www.shailajav.wordpress.com/2014/11/28/would-you-write-about-your-pain/ rendered views between fiction and non-fiction writers: no surprise there at least for me! ;)

Rajlakshmi H Boruah's first attempt on a short piece of fiction, Drabble - Oh No !! at http://www.destinychildosheen.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/drabble-oh-no.html was a delight to read.

Nabanita Dhar's post on To Do or Not To Do... at http://www.nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2014/11/to-do-or-not-to-do.html#.VHmNa2eVZac probably because I can SO relate! ;)

Carol Graham's post The Best Gift ..... Ever was a tender touching story about an unusual gift that made her day and her Christmas! ;) Read http://www.batteredhope.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-best-gift-ever.html for details.

Nabanita Dhar's post on I've Spoken..It's Your Turn Now! on a clean India offered some practical ideas and solutions to an environmental issue: street litter! http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2014/11/ive-spokenits-your-turn-now.html#.VHnXmTGUdtg. Something about the following lines that she wrote in particular that I bolded appealed to me: "...this campaign for a cleaner India. I quite like it you know and it's about time we do something about it. After all cleanliness is next to Godliness, isn't it?"

I sure do hope you get a moment to enjoy these posts! Or rather, did you get a chance to read any of these them? ;) And did you find them as enjoyable as I did?

Smorgasbord Saturday: 4th Week of NaBloPoMo

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

Below is a review of my posts this past week which were a potpourri of topics - from blog titles to a social media challenge, to a different perspective on an inspired poem to my future blog, and TV and non-fiction bloggers: such a mishmash as usual! ;)

Monday's post, Favourite Headline/Blog Post Title? featured some of my favourite blog titles as I can't only choose one! Considering some of the comments I received, I think my readers and I were on the same page about that! ;) Check out some of these titles at http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/favourite-headlineblog-post-title.html

Tuesday's post, NaBloPoMo Social Media Challenge was an idea to revolve social media on the theme of kindness: http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/nablopomo-social-media-challenge.html

Wednesday's post was entitled A New Angle on 'You' or is that 'Me?' ;) Yes, a wink is a part of the title and I love how this blog site now can understand or rather take my wink and possibly - sometimes? - heart-shaped symbols! Woohoo! ;) This post was a different take, a reverse, a mirror image of my inspired poem that came to me a number of years ago: http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/a-new-angle-on-you-or-is-that-me.html

Thursday's post, Forecasting my Foggy Bloggy Future was an aim at predicting my future behaviour regarding blogging. I think I would need to look into a crystal ball to determine what fate lies ahead! ;) Read http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/forecasting-my-foggy-bloggy-future.html for some ideals that I have in mind. ;)

Friday's post TV and Non-fiction Bloggers is a take on being a cast member for a TV show, and possibly on bloggers who write non-fiction like I do! ;) OK, well I wanted to tie the latter in somehow! ;) See http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/tv-and-non-fiction-bloggers.html featuring some attractive men! ;)

Thank you again to all of you who read my posts and especially those who commented on my posts this past week.

What post would you most favour of mine this past week, and why?

P.S. Blogging friends, you may be interested in my post tomorrow ...

TV and Non-fiction Bloggers

Picture from clipart

The writing prompt for NaBloPoMo today is, "If you could be a cast member on any television show, which one would it be? Tell us about your character."

I admit, I haven't watched TV for a long time, except a few movies two Christmas seasons ago. I actually am not sure if I know how to operate the fancy gizmo black box that accompanies it!

And when I turned on the channel station, I was flabbergasted: how many channels?! Whoa, no wonder ADHD is on the rise! Ok, just kidding, but seriously, why THAT many?! That's crazy!

When I was a little girl, I think we had started off with three channels and of course that grew over time.

My favourite show as a child was Walt Disney on Sunday evenings often featuring Jodi Foster as the primary actor on a lot of shows.

Especially as a youngster, I did watch tons of cartoons and shows. Some of my favourites included Picket Fences, a brilliant drama based on controversial cases involving the town's sheriff and judge ending up in court. According to google search, "An aging sheriff tries to keep the peace in a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes." Read here for some of the issues they covered: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picket_Fences. I found it an excellent program to stimulate thinking.

I also enjoyed Ally McBeal, a legal comedy-drama TV series featuring love and infatuation relationships amongst lawyers. According to Wikipedia,

Ally McBeal is a young attorney who joins a prestigious law firm with a highly sexual environment and whose staff includes Ally's ex-boyfriend. The series contains fantasy sequences, flashbacks and voiceovers to reveal what Ally is really thinking. Many episodes contain an appearance by singer Vonda Shepard, who performed the show's theme song.

Interesting they didn't mention the unisex washroom! ;)

What I loved most were the special effects, animated and comedic in nature, as well as hearing Ally's thoughts. That show I considered my laughter therapy for the week.

Here are some of the characters dancing in the washroom pre-show to Barry White's deep and sexy voice - listen to the beginning when he talks: ;)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1-9vw8cUi8

And here is a video clip of Episode 1 with a taste of some special effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lJcvWfmItk

And then of course there were shows that I loved due to certain characters, ahem, had a crush on one of the main actors. For instance Noah Wyle in ER (short for Emergency Room) as follows:

And also Eric James McCormack in Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years and also some episodes of Will & Grace.

I think I would love to either be a patient seen by 'Dr. John Carter' (played by Noah Wyle) on a regular basis or be the love interest opposite 'Clay Mosby' (played by Eric McCormack's) antagonist character. ;) Ooh la la! ;) ;) (that deserves a double wink!)

On an aside, in my post Envy AND Kindness: What a Combo! - http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/envy-and-kindness-what-combo.html - I mentioned some of my favourite 'characters' online known as fiction blogging writers or the like (whatever they call themselves), whom I met through a few blogging challenges.

Now I would like to feature a number of non-fiction bloggers who are also extremely gifted and talented in their writings, in no particular order: Corinne Rodrigues, Vidya Sury, Usha Menon, Carol Graham, Amy Bovaird, Francene Stanley, Judy Yaron, Penny McDaniel, Rajlakshmi H. Boruah, and Asiya Fathima (aka Asma Feroes).

Perhaps one day I can be a 'cast member' on my non-fiction blogging friends' posts - I have so far at least on one! - or likewise on mine! ;)<3

Forecasting my Foggy Bloggy Future

Photo of fog taken by me

NaBloPoMo's writing prompt today is, "Where do you see your blog in one year? Five years?"

So that means I have to look into a foggy future to forecast my blogging fortune does it? ;)

Okay seriously though, I can only speculate what might occur as life just loves to throw curve balls at times! Did you notice life's circumstances are never linear? ;)

A few years ago, on April 25th 2011 to be exact, or at least when I wrote a brief post entitled, Blogging Switch, http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2011/04/blogging-switch.html, I was considering some changes to my blog.

I had considered changing my blog name from 'Xpress Your Essence' (as 'Express'... was taken) though I was fine with that. At the time, I was playing around with the terms 'express' or 'expression' or 'expressive' for two main reasons: I had graduated from an Expressive Arts Therapy program and love and appreciate the expressive arts, and self-expression is important to me. I think it is for everyone, though may be unbeknownst to various people.

Another possibility I was thinking about at the time was changing my blog site, i.e., from Blogspot (now called Blogger?). Readers, please note that I would love your feedback on this, i.e., those of you who have transferred from Blogspot (or Blogger) to WordPress in particular, and if not, then those who use WordPress or another favourable blogging site. Please keep your comments succinct, perhaps in point form if need be.

Contemplating a different possibility would be a second blog; however, there are pros and cons to this (as with everything in life). ;) For example, one post could be targeted towards my vision (what I used to call 'dream') and anything related to that such as music and similar forms of expression. The other might be a mishmash of topics such as this blog has become.

I may consider a different path, though I enjoy blogging - I had at one point declared that I wanted to be a professional blogger, when I learned what it entailed, I had a slight change of heart. Read Me? Professional Blogger? And You? for details: http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/todays-post-is-nablopomo-prompt-with.html

However, for the reasons listed in Talented Thursday: Blogging AND...?!, I write about my juggling acts, or rather responsibilities: http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/talented-thursday-blogging-and.html...that, well, keep me busy and not necessarily able to post every day ad infinitum! ;)

However, I would love to enjoy the success that fellow blogger Roshan Radhakrishnan experienced. Did he blog daily? I would have to check! ;) However, he stuck at blogging for seven years before he published a few stories and that increased over time.

Godyears, the name of his blog features a post written a few days ago on Year 10 - Happiness is the Path: http://www.godyears.net/2014/11/year-10-happiness-is-path.html

I think he could teach me and others a few tricks or rather tips about blogging. Perhaps I can ask or interview him (if he will allow me the opportunity) so I can pick his brain if I am to keep at this.

On the other hand, I may end up writing a which will take time. One, I have already written - a young children's storybook - and I am looking for either a hybrid publisher or to self-publish it. Another book or two I have yet to write. See Books inside Me? at http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/books-inside-me.html.

These are some ideas that are floating around in my mind right now. Which actions I will pursue and take within one year and five years...well, time will tell. I'll let you know how things go as best I can, or else you will find out for yourself. ;)

However, I am open to ideas and suggestions. Feel free to let me know; however, again keep as succinct as possible. Those of you whom I know, feel free to FB me. Thanks kindly! ;)

A New Angle on 'You' or is that 'Me?' ;)

Photo from clipart

Today's interesting and unusual writing prompt is as follows, "Take a post or scene you've written and find a new way in by rewriting with another angle."

Well that's quite a challenge when you - or in this case I - have written quite a number of posts already! Which one do you, or in this case I, choose?! (Should that be ?! or !?) ;)

Tribute ... to You!, a post written on November 9, 2012 - http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/11/tribute-to-you.html - featured an inspired poem that came as a result of a relationship I had with an ex-boyfriend. I thought he was the beginning of a change in the men I seemed to choose, i.e., be in relationship with.

I'll repeat it here for your benefit. The original poem simply entitled "You" is as follows, though I’ve had several slightly different versions of the poem's ending:

You,
a perfect reflection of me
A reminder of my own glory
as I see [slight pause] your inner and outer beauty

You,
a mirror
of my thoughts
my feelings
my desires?

Oh, how I am in awe of you
and thus me as you

You,
who reflect that which is pure and deep
and light and love and happiness
within me

You,
whom I cherish with all my heart
my mind and spirit

Thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are

God bless,
God bless you
and thus me
as our spirits intertwine*
and become one

WOW!
I am in love!
I am in love with life
with God
with you
and thus me

Again thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are. ©

*intuitive movements with my hands here like a DNA/RNA spiral

So, on a slightly different angle, a different take or perspective, how about this:

Tribute ... to Me! Well, that sounds rather weird or the title would definitely need to be changed, to what I do not know, yet! ;)

Me,
a perfect reflection of you,
A reminder of your own glory
as you see [slight pause] my inner and outer beauty

Me,
a mirror
of your thoughts
your feelings
your desires?

Oh, how you are in awe of me
and thus you as me

Me,
who reflect that which is pure and deep
and light and love and happiness
within you

Me,
whom you cherish with all your heart
your mind and spirit

Thank me,
thank me for being me
and all that which I am

God bless,
God bless me
and thus you
as our spirits intertwine*
and become one

WOW!
You are in love!
You are in love with life
with God
with me
and thus you

Again thank me,
thank me for being me
and all that which I am. ©

*intuitive movements with my hands here like a DNA/RNA spiral

Ok, now be honest here, which version do you like better or better yet, which do you find most grabs your attention? Is more inspiring?

P.S. I ended up enjoying this post 'cause it gave me a brilliant idea if and when I publish this in future. And I need to remind myself to send it to a local singer so she can make it into a song! ;) <3

NaBloPoMo Social Media Challenge

Photo credit: Roberto Kaplan

I have a confession to make: I lost my mojo, my 'magic power' according to the world of google, my spark, my joie de vivre according to me.

With certain circumstances weighing me down, my heart feels heavy today, and my somewhat vague concept for today's writing prompt seems to be one that I would prefer to throw out the window. I feel completely incongruous to it at the moment, feeling extremely disheartened. This manifests as a lack of interest and motivation.

However, (since) I am determined to keep my NaBloPoMo commitment, i.e., blogging daily this month, AND considering the time and for the benefit of my readers and this blogging challenge, I will let you in on my original idea for today's theme. Consider though that this is a work in progress.

Today's themed post is a challenge for one's intellect or at least speaking for myself! I'm not exactly sure if my mind is quite ready for it given that I haven't given it much thought with my busy schedule of full-time work and blogging and reading and commenting, not to mention travelling and cooking and eating and the like in between, during, before, and after all that! ;) However, I will do my best - that's all I can do anyway, right? ;)

The question posed today is in the form of the following statement: "You are given unlimited funds and a fabulous team of programmers and told to create your own social networking platform. Tell us all about your ideal, fictional social media site."

Off the top of my head, what comes to me (not as an immediate reaction) is the following.... No, wait! BEFORE I share my idea, I NEED to share the definition of social media in the first place! After all, we may not all be on the same page about it, right? I want to ensure that I understand the question!

So this is what google has to say about it: so·cial me·di·a - if you sound this out phonetically the way it is written, you may sound like a robot! ;) - social media is a noun (with social medias being the plural: I don't agree with that! Shouldn't it be 'medium' as singular and 'media' as plural?)

Anyway, getting back to the definition, here is what google defines it as: websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

For a backup coverage definition I sought out Wikipedia's opinion and this is what that site had to say, "Social media is the social interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks." And for those research buffs, there is a more expanded, i.e., continued definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media.

In advance, what I would like to ask of you dear readers is to be gentle with me, keeping in mind that I am not technological savvy. I am learning as I am going and my limited technological tools, i.e., computer and cellphone, not to mention my limited knowledge of them, testify to that! ;)

Thus, I would appreciate if you file that in the back of your mind as you read the following, remembering that this is my initial reaction to the question.

How about something along the lines of a site (website) on which people could only write positive comments? Yes, you read that correctly! For instance, what a person thought about their day, the weather, their work, what they love/appreciate/admire about another whether a loved one - human or pet (they're family anyways) - or what good deed someone did for them.

IF there were to be likes on a page/site, it would be in the form of points, solely based on the accruation - that word was just invented by me - not in terms of number of admirers, but rather how many good deeds a person did with a maximum of one (1) point per day.

And perhaps once they reach a certain level of points, like say one for each day of the year, then they receive a reward of some sort: a small token of appreciation for their gestures...possibly to be determined by them and/or another.

Then, if the points increase to a maximum limit (of so many points undetermined at this time of writing), a person can choose where an allotted amount of money goes towards a charitable organization of their choice or perhaps they get to interact with an author, inspirational speaker, movie director, or artist - favourite? - online via Skype or other medium for a short period of time; they are busy people after all!

Thus, people get rewarded for kindness. And this is all created with a pseudonym or avatar identity - or is that only for bonus points? - so no one really knows who is who (except for the behind-the-scenes registration information). It makes giving and being of service more genuine.

After all, is there enough positivity in the world? It seems there is too much focus on negativity, including and especially sensationalism to the nth degree; see the fourth definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nth_Degree.

Photo of billboard I took

Those were my thoughts on the question, however strange they may seem. Tell me how they sound to you: what do you think of my zany idea?

I won't be offended if you don't like it at all...I don't think! ;) After all, this 'game' would need to be expanded and thought out more at length in terms of its details.

Favourite Headline/Blog Post Title?

Words: elitetrack.com

Today's NaBloPoMo prompt is, "What's your favorite headline/blog post title you've ever written? What was the hardest post to title?"

My apologies but I cannot only name one. You see, I have many as I get titles a lot intuitively. I will categorize some of my favourites below.

My favourites include some of my first blog posts titles in particular:

Call to Action which initiated my blog: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2010/07/call-to-action.html.

And A Matter of Degrees as I thought it a perfect title - judge for yourself here at http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2010/08/matter-of-degrees.html - though a possible twist on the words as it can have a different interpretation. I certainly don't mind that, as that can intrigue a potential reader's interest, I think! Or at least, I hope so! Doesn't it? ;)

Continuing on the theme of my love of playing with words, I came up with this title for one of my posts, Part 1: To Write or 'Write' ... Right?: 0http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2011/05/write-or-write-right.html/.

However, I loved this one even more: how about A Rat's Tale...as it was a play on the word 'tail.' ;) Though in retrospect, it could have easily been called "Rats' Tales" as my post shared not one, but two stories of rats! ;)

Mulling over Mulled Wine was another word play title I came up with: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2013/01/mulling-over-mulled-wine.html.

A mix of two musicals and a play on words was this post title, Defying Gravity so No One can Steal Your Rock ‘N Roll! - http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/05/defying-gravity-so-no-one-can-steal.html.

Picture from google search

I also like my tribute post titles such as A Tribute to David: Connection with a Stranger, the first one on my blog, or Touched by a Stranger, an indirect 'tribute' post if you can call it that - I think I can! ;) - http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2011/08/touched-by-stranger.html.

My favourite tribute blog title though was, An Angel in Boots: Tribute to a Life-Saving Hero: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/01/an-angel-in-boots-tribute-to-life.html.

One of my favourite post titles (and posts) - perhaps my favourite? - was an easy one to title, Beauty in the DTES: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2011/01/beauty-in-dtes.html. It also happened to feature the first of many posts (when my camera was working) with my photos on it (which I prefer and preferred doing).

Picture from clipart

I'm not sure if it was my hardest post to title, but I certainly think it was at least one of them: my very first blog post title! The reason being that (1) I was just starting my blog and wanted to make a good, or rather as best an impression as I could, and felt the title was important to convey the theme of the post and possibly the blog (at that time) as well, and (2) I was just attempting to play with the word 'sole' or more likely 'soul' but I just couldn't quite come up with a captivating title. I'm sure there was at least one, though I couldn't rack up my brain enough to come up with something clever/witty/amusing. ;)

Another challenging post to name due to the sensitive nature of it was Aftermath of an Almost Glorious Victory about the post-hockey game in Vancouver, BC: http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2011/06/aftermath-of-almost-glorious-victory.html. There are a lot of die-hard hockey fans here in Canada, including Vancouver, BC!

Which of the above do you most favour? Naming more than one is okay. ;) I would love to hear and also the reason(s) for it! Thanks! :)

Soulful Sunday: 3rd NaBloPoMo Favourite Blog Posts: Mine and Yours

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

Wow! There were A LOT of wonderful posts this past week; however, I think I may have read more than the usual number of posts - I think! - so quite a challenge to name only a few.

I will categorize them so you can pick and choose if you prefer; however, I will start with mine: My favoured post this past week was Books Inside Me? not surprisingly as those who responded are all writers! ;) http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/books-inside-me.html ... with From the Kindness of Strangers following second (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/from-kindness-of-strangers.html).

On the topic of realism including posts for a good cause are the following (in date order from oldest to most recent chronologically):

I had read Vinodini Iyer's post first, A plateful of compassion to help feed starving children in India (http://vinodinii.blogspot.ca/2014/11/a-plateful-of-compassion.html?showComment=1416201120196#c7058932907373383942) before I read a few others on the same theme.

Adita Kaushiva's Food Over Education, or Both? #BlogToFeedAChild at
http://www.makeitbeayoutiful.blogspot.in/2014/11/food-over-education-or-both.html was also contributing to this noteworthy cause (as stated above).

Inderpreet Kaur Uppal's brilliant idea to feed children in India in #DonateYourParty & #BlogToFeedAChild can be applied anywhere else in the world, I think!: http://inderpreetkaur.blogspot.in/2014/11/donateyourparty-blogtofeedachild.html

Another important issue effecting many people in India is noted by Nabanita Dhar on her post from nothingness to I've Got Something Important to Say... (http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2014/11/ive-got-something-important-to-say.html#.VGxAd2eVZac). And with the click of your computer mouse, you can make a big impact on the lives of others, similar to the two posts above.

Vidya Sury's witty titled post, Do you #giveashit @worldtoiletday #ToiletForBabli @DomexIndia @UN_Water was an eye-opener for me as I wasn't aware of this. It makes perfect sense though and I hope her blogging will contribute to spreading awareness, hope, and money and the means to build toilets for those in need, especially women, children and the like: http://vidyasury.com/2014/11/world-toilet-day-2014.html

Contrast Nabanita and Vidya's posts above to Francene Stanley's theme. France wrote a very important, must-read post, How clean are you really? http://511580395457358476.weebly.com/blog/how-clean-are-you-really. If you wish to keep healthy, this is one way to do it! ;)

On a much lighter note and with a great sense of fun and joy, I particularly enjoyed the second video in Shilpa Garg's post to make a case on Staying Healthy Can Be Fun, http://shilpaagarg.com/2014/11/staying-healthy-can-fun.html Do watch: it's a riot!

Carol Graham's post, 6 Ways to Turn a Blogger Off is a practical post with important tips essential as a must-read for all current or potential bloggers: http://batteredhope.blogspot.ca/2014/11/6-ways-to-turn-this-blogger-off.html.
(I know I used to be guilty of two or three of these blogging 'sins' as I was still learning...wished I had known way back then, right at the beginning!)

Usha Menon penned a lovely poem on the way of being a parent, i.e., mother in My Home, http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.in/2014/11/my-home.html.

Never say never at http://www.livingmyimperfectlife.com/never-say-never/#comment-110247 was SanchLivingLife's post on the amusing power of this word. Like Sanch, I too came to learn the true meaning of saying "never!" That is I should say "never" IF I want something to come true! ;)

Now, onto some fiction (though some could be non-fiction...sometimes I can't tell!) - and rather short posts:

Kathy Combs, Destiny within the Jaws of Death, a powerful read (which I don't want to give away): http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.ca/2014/11/destiny-within-jaws-of-death.html

Cold Haiku was another powerful post by Kathy, this one of lost love, http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.ca/2014/11/cold-haiku.html

And yet another by Kathy Combs, The Money Pit - realistic and what a predicament: http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-money-pit.html

Cat Graham's post, Ten things you would tell your 16 year old self if you could was 'motherly advice,' ahem 'wisdom' to a growing teen - yourself - at that age: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2013/01/ten-things-you-would-tell-your-16-year.html Who could resist that!?

And Cat's unusual take on a prompt, Dinner Invitation: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2014/11/dinner-invitation.html?showComment=1416532434745#c1894527543306388884

Usha Menon's delightful and amusing post of photos, smile a while of sleeping animals and babies at http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.in/2012/12/smile-while.html

A longer, though extremely amusing, even hilarious and witty post, this one by Nabanita Dhar on When Writers chat on WeChat brought a huge upward curve to my lips: http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2013/05/when-writers-chat-on-wechat.html#.VG1CScno430. A brilliant post! Don't you think she's a writer? I keep telling her, "Nabanita, you ARE a writer!" :)

Nabanita Dhar's more serious and true-to-life version of A Missed Touch http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2014/11/a-missed-touch.html#.VG6Tz8no430 was extremely sweet and tender. I was definitely moved! (Even though it featured an appropriate commercial, I wish that video was in English or had English subtitles!)

A category on its own is a hand-drawn picture entitled Wanderlust - Zentangle from Rajlakshmi at http://destinychildosheen.blogspot.ca/2014/11/wanderlust-zentangle.html?showComment=1416621827406#c1606822430409268189.

I'm stopping there, only Monday to Friday as there are a ton of favourable blog posts. Except for the first few posts, most are quick or relatively quick reads.

I sure do hope you get a moment to enjoy these posts! Or rather, did you get a chance to read any of these them? ;) And did you find them as enjoyable as I did?

Have a great blogging and/or reading week!

Smorgasbord Saturday: 3rd Week of NaBloPoMo

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

Below is a review of my posts this past week which were a potpourri of topics - from controversial kindness from strangers to being (naturally) funny - not! - to helping feed a child in India for one year and writing a book to favourite appliacnes.

Posts of the Controversial Kind! posted on Monday, November 17 answered the prompt question: "What is the most controversial thing you've ever written on your blog? What compelled you to write it?" - http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/posts-of-controversial-kind.html. Self-explanatory!

From the Kindness of Strangers on Tuesday, November 18th was a blog that began from, "Tell us about one time that you benefitted from the kindness of strangers." I loved this theme as I had three stories to share, though two were of me being a recipient of kindness. Can you get what the other one was? ;)

Wednesday, November 19th’s post was my idea of merging two blog prompts into one: I barely mentioned one only to go into another, thus the title: NaBloPoMo Prompt to Feed a Child: Universal Children's Day ;) - http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/nablopomo-prompt-to-feed-child.html

The original prompt was actually as follows: "Are you the funny one in most groups? What kinds of things do you find funniest?" In one line: No, I tend to be serious, quiet, and contemplative generally; however, I do love to tease and have fun (though I have to feel comfortable/safe in order to do that). ;)

Books inside Me? on Thursday, November 20th was in answer to, "Do you have a book in you? Fact or fiction? Related to your blog or totally different?" (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/books-inside-me.html)

Appliances: My Favourite?! http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/appliance-my-favourite.html was written from this prompt, "What is the one appliance you can't live without?" Otherwise, if I wasn’t so lazy/tired that day, I might have blogged about something else! ;)

What post would you most favour of mine this past week, and why?

Thank you again to all of you who read my posts and especially those who commented on my posts this past week.