Wordy Wednesday: Everyone is Self-centered

Here is a more challenging prompt thanks to B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member and blogger Shilpa Garg (http://shilpaagarg.com/), whose sentence prompt for today is "Everyone is self-centered; it's just the radius that differs.."

Whether spelled self-centered or self-centred, the meaning is the same. Self-centered refers to being "only interested in yourself and your own activities" or similarly, "preoccupied with oneself and one's affairs" or "engrossed in oneself and one's own affairs."

Synonyms (similar meanings) include that of being "selfish, narcissistic, egocentric, egotistic, egotistical, egomaniacal, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-seeking, self-interested, self-serving." That's a lot of words!

Radius on the other hand is "a straight line from the center to the circumference of a circle or sphere," definitions of both courtesy of google.

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"...And so it was that they lived their secret lives in the shadows of silence." (from previous Wordy Wednesday prompt)

Suzette was enjoying her rendezvous with Jean-Pierre, but something seemed a little off on this particular day.

Was it that the rose-coloured glasses of their three-and-a-half-month relationship came off her nose? Did she now see her "love" differently? Were the expectations that she had projected onto him come to an end in her mind?

Whatever the reason(s), she noticed Jean-Pierre in a different light. That is, he seemed to be fussing about in the bathroom for what seemed like such a loooooooooooong time. She realized this was actually a pattern of his behaviour that she had dismissed prior. What on earth was he up to? What could he be doing? He seemed so quiet.

Suzy finally could take it no longer, her impatience and budding anger growing by the minute. Without knocking on the door, it was partially ajar anyway, she peered into an unapologetic scene.

What?! No wonder! Jean-Pierre was taking pictures of his biceps and chest, his recently acquired muscular frame from having worked out at his local gym since having met Suzette. Now she knew she had her moments, but this?! Really!

She knew then this truth: Everyone is self-centered; it's just the radius that differs.

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?

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!