Soulful Sunday: Favourite 2nd NaBloPoMo Weekly Posts - Mine and Yours

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

It seems that my post entitled the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
was favoured this past week with some interesting dialogue initially fuelled by my question:
http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-11th-hour-of-11th-day-of-11th-month.html

Another post that brought up some interesting dialogue - forced kindness vs. spontaneous acts of kindness - that followed a few comments behind was my post on Thursday. Envy AND Kindness: What a Combo! was my attempt at writing on two prompts, one on something I admired about other bloggers, and also on the theme of World Kindness Day (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/envy-and-kindness-what-combo.html).

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

...now, it's my turn to salute some blog posts that I've particularly enjoyed this past week.

I enjoyed reading Mary Burris' post, Sir Duke on Stevie Wonder with some surprising facts about him that I didn't know about. Check out http://jinglejanglejungle.blogspot.ca/2014/11/nov-13-2014-sir-duke.html.

Similarly, Francene Stanley's post, The Cost of a King's Desire, http://511580395457358476.weebly.com/blog/the-cost-of-a-kings-desire had some rather startling news about King Henry VIII in how he changed the course of Christianity.

SanchLivingLife's tribute to her parents on 30 Letter Series: Dear Parents was endearing - http://www.livingmyimperfectlife.com/dear-parents/.

Speaking of parents, Meena Menon's post on A Father's Gift is a lovely tribute to her father and I think men who are like him as well. Read http://meenasspace.blogspot.in/2014/11/a-fathers-gift.html) to find out why.

Sanch again with A Fairy Tale about her real life story fictionalized that may give some women hope: http://www.livingmyimperfectlife.com/a-fairy-tale/.

Shailaja Vishwanath's post, Anything you want- #FridayFictioneers was an unusual twist on a gift of a dream destination (http://shailajav.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/anything-you-want-fridayfictioneers/).

On a more fun note, Whatta Blunderful Day by Rajlakshmi H Boruah on exercising was amusing and made me laugh. http://destinychildosheen.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/whatta-blunderful-day.html

Cat Graham's post on Mannequins was also a fun and unsuspecting read: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2014/11/mannequins.html

Did you get a chance to read any of these posts? And did you find them as enjoyable as I did? Have a great blogging and/or reading week!

Soulful Sunday: Favourite Weekly Posts - Mine and Yours

Photo of me by Roberto Kaplan


Hello Readers,

I am leaving off where I continued this weekend series at my last blog post challenge, i.e., Ultra Blog Challenge in September.

It seems that the two favoured of my blog posts I wrote this past week were the following: November is National Novel Writing Month (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/november-is-national-novel-writing-month.html), followed by my Thursday' post, Me? Professional Blogger? And You? - not a surprise there (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/todays-post-is-nablopomo-prompt-with.html) and My Blogging Voice (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/my-blogging-voice.html).

Speaking of surprise, I was rather taken aback about the lack of enthusiasm for my Post-Halloween Photos... post (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/post-halloween-photos.html). And I'm glad I was able to empower/inspire someone by this posting, Writing when Emotional? Not! - still wonder about the title! - http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/11/writing-when-emotional-not.html.

What post would you most favour of mine this past week, and why? The feedback is good for me to learn to improve my writing and/or blog!

And my favourite posts that I read this past week, in no particular order:

Carol Graham's post, My Dog Can Talk, http://batteredhope.blogspot.ca/2014/11/my-dog-can-talk.html though sad is one you dog lovers in particular will appreciate!

Rajlakshmi wrote an amusing post, The curious case of Terrifying Typos, http://destinychildosheen.blogspot.ca/. It is a must read in my opinion, especially if you want a good chuckle!

Another fun read and great perspective, one posted by Nabanita, Dear Central Incisors, http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.ca/2014/11/dear-central-incisors.html#.VF9HbmeVZac.

Meena Menon - you aren't related to Usha Menon are you? ;) - wrote a fun post at Bingo Reading Challenge - An Update!: Take a look as I think you blogger/readers will enjoy it! ;) (http://meenasspace.blogspot.ca/2014/11/bingo-reading-challenge-update.html)

I appreciated Usha Menon's blog about pens, Where is my pen! - http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.ca/2014/11/where-is-my-pen.html

Suzy Que's creative post, Playing with Six Words and a Pot of Pretty Flowers: http://suzyspics.blogspot.ca/2014/11/playing-with-six-words-and-pot-of.html.

Eli Z's post - not because of her name! ;) - The World through Expat Eyes has a very interesting take on travelling to another country with a number of really great questions: http://expatliv.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-world-through-expat-eyes.html.

It seems that the two favoured of my blog posts I wrote this past week were the following: November is National Novel Writing Month with a hit of 11 comments, followed by my Thursday' post, Me? Professional Blogger? And You? - not a surprise there with 10 comments and My Blogging Voice followed as a close second. Speaking of surprise, I was about the lack of enthusiasm for my Post-Halloween Photos... post which garnered only nine responses.

What post would you most favour of mine this past week, and why? The feedback is good for me to learn to improve my writing and/or blog!

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

Soulful Sunday: Fave Posts - Mine and Yours

Photo I took of smarties (candies): see the heart-shaped one? ;)

It seems that the top favourite post of 'mine' was....drum roll please...

"No, I do NOT Speak Indian!" by my guest blogger and friend, Vinodini Iyer! Woohoo! It's no wonder as her writing is brilliant. With replies from both myself and Vinodini to the people who commented, it added up to a lot of comments. And it seemed a bit heated. It made for an interesting post, just with the responses themselves! ;) So thank you Vinodini Iyer for provoking controversial discussion.

Here is a video entitled, "I M Indian" - thanks to Corinne Rodriges - that perfectly illustrates the point Vinodini was attempting to make in her guest post, though I do suggest you read that as well.

Post by Manisha Chaubal-Menon.

I have met quite a number of other brilliant Indian writers through my blogging challenges. They amaze me with their language and some of the words they use. Their writing is so captivating! I find quite a number of them who have twisted storylines. Please understand that this is a compliment. You all surprise me with your superb writing...yes, that includes some of you male bloggers too: Anmol Rawat, Shashank Tiwari or Shanx, etc. (I don't have your names memorized yet, though actually I have with a number of Indian bloggers which rather amazes me. Must be my chanting in Sanskrit! ;))

The second most favourite post was World Gratitude Day: Part 2 (#MicroblogMonday) inspired by the writing of another blogger, Nabanita Dhar - thanks again dear! The post featured remarks that were uplifting, positive, joyful, and well happy, just like the song! I highly recommend listening to the video at http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/world-gratitude-day-part-2.html. ;)

Though the In Honour of National Tree Day post didn't receive as many replies, it did however bring forth rather unusual and intriguing ones. For that in and of itself is worth a read! (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/in-honour-of-national-tree-day.html)

My own writing favourites were World Gratitude Day: Part 2 because I love that song: Read the post! (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/world-gratitude-day-part-2.html) ;) Also, though I loved receiving two awards that I wrote about last Friday, it was fun to figure out what I wanted to write about in terms of 17 points about myself.

And some of my favourite posts that I read this past week:

Shailaja Vishwanath wrote a brilliant piece that I just love as sometimes it can be a challenge to always be happy. It reminded me of a poem I "should" have written when upset about an incident that I experienced this past week. The phrase, "Plastic Voices, Plastic Faces" came to mind and I knew intuitively that that was the title of a poem (the one I should have written)! Maybe I will, later. ;) See http://shailajav.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/unreasonable-amwriting/.

I loved Nabanita Dhar's theory on gratitude which inspired my post early in the week (see above). Check our her blog at http://nabanita-blacknwhite.blogspot.in/2014/09/a-theory-and-some-gratitude.html#.VB-37ldGiQE.

Judy Yaron's posts usually make me laugh. These two are guaranteed to do the same for you: http://www.cutthecrapsolutions.com/#!Actually-I-wanted-to-write-about-SEX-/clxq/B71C3993-506C-40C7-949C-3DE4BAD7127B as well as http://www.cutthecrapsolutions.com/#!I-used-to-be-a-maleperson/clxq/D50DE852-4FDC-4505-8DDD-C1933E83AEF8.

What post would you most favour of mine this past week (other than Vinodini's which we know you all love)? And why? (The feedback is good for me to learn to improve my writing and/or blog!) ;)

World Gratitude Day (Part 1): Fave Posts of Mine and Others

It seems that the two favoured of my blog posts I wrote this past week were the video on Frolicking Fun Friday: Painting with Fire Part 2, though Talented Thursday: Walkie-talkie You! brought in a lot of "Oh no. That's me" type of remarks. I wasn't judging anyone, only sharing information, educating others if you will.

However, I also received some rather creative captions for my picture that I posted on Wordless Wednesday: Caption Wanted. I was rather surprised and somewhat disappointed that the Michael Jackson impersonator didn't garner more views and/or comments in Tantalizing Tuesday: Child MJ Impersonator. (By the way, if anyone finds the video from 'China's Got Talent' with Canadian subtitles, please DO let me know so I can post it!) One of my shortest posts this week, "100 Words: Write to Change the World" brought more comments than I expected.

What post(s) would you most favour of mine this past week (Monday to Friday)? And why?

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

In terms of other blog posts I read this past week which were many, these are a few that I really liked:

Usha (as in Usha Menon) whose name I love as well as her nickname 'eccentricgrandmum' posted Haiku and Humour which I found quite amusing! :) (http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.ca/2014/09/carpe-diem-ghot-writer-27-haiku-and.html

Penny McDaniel again wrote a lovely post, Bee Here Now. I appreciated the creativity and colourfulness of the words and images: (http://pennymcdaniel.com/bee-here-now/#comment-1471)

Has there ever been a Mrs. B in Your Life? by Judy Yaron as she shares story with wit and humour: a delightful read (http://www.cutthecrapsolutions.com/#!Has-there-ever-been-a-Mrs-B-in-your-life/clxq/450AA109-FAC8-46DB-BED7-1419661EAA9B).

I could say this one is in a league of its own: The Creep by Vinodini Iyer as her posts are, well, read them and you'll find out! ;) (http://vinodinii.blogspot.in/2014/09/the-creep.html)

Other posts of a serious and courageous kind were Francene Stanley's - can't seem to find it - and Amy Bovaird's Climbing Mountains: My Passion - Pursuing a “Can Do” Mindset (http://amybovaird.com/pursuing-a-can-do-mindset/), the latter about her dogged determination to climb a mountain no matter what, that is, with a lack of night vision!

As today is World Gratitude Day, what are you most grateful for? For me today: blogging community of friends around the world! :)

Soulful Sunday: Favourite Weekly Posts - Mine and Others!

Photo by Roberto Kaplan

It seems that the two favoured of my blog posts I wrote this past week were the following: my Tuesday posting about the Supermoon (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/tantalizing-tuesday-supermoon-no-5-in.html) which garnered some interesting commentary as well as the last in a series on Robin William's death (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/part-3-aftermath-of-brilliant-comics.html), the latter on the stigma of mental illness and how I overcome it.

Friday's post, "LOA: Suicide, Homicide, and Me," was somewhat unusual in that I reversed Thursday's and Friday's posts and also I had forgotten to ask a question on both days. I did so later. Thus, the remarks on Friday's post reflected around my courage for telling my tale online (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/09/part-3-suicide-prevention-week.html).

Was I justified initially in feeling upset and angry about not receiving comments hours after posting? This in response to my raw exposure of my soul and in observation that some fiction writers received lots of replies on their themes of suicide? That is, they didn't pour their heart out like me, leaving it raw, open, exposed, and vulnerable. However, I later realized that it was Friday night, the start of a weekend here and a Saturday on the side of the globe. Maybe that was the reason?!

All but one of my postings this past week ended up being on the topic of suicide. And I read some great posts too, though I didn't have as much time nor record them with an exceptionally busy week:

Vinodini Iyer’s scintillating writing on the theme of 'darkness' –
http://vinodinii.blogspot.ca/2014/09/the-power-of-black.html. Her blog post inspired me to want to write on that about the circles under my eyes - LOL - which could be a due to a lack of sleep and/or allergies. ;)

Penny McDaniel’s post on water which sounded so poetic. I wished she had written poetry instead to counter the photos she posted (http://pennymcdaniel.com/lessons-we-can-learn-from-water/#comment-1435).

What post would you most favour of mine this past week, Monday to Friday? And why?

Soulful Sunday: Favourite Weekly Posts

"Inspired Elly" photo taken by Roberto Kaplan

Again, as Kathy Hadley suggested in an email about the Ultra Blog Challenge, I am recapping with my favourite post and the posting that was most commented on this past week.

My post on "Frolicking Fun Friday: Painting with Fire" would have been my favourite if I was able to download (or upload?) the videos. Since that was unsuccessful, I would say my favourite post this past week is a tie:

"Word-less" Wednesday was not only easy to post as it was such a short posting, but it also can require some creative thinking on the part of the reader.

My tied favourite was "Talented Thursday: Blogging AND...?!" as it featured a fun and potential interactive video, and an animated photo that depicts me perfectly: LOL. ;)

However, my blog post that came with the most comments this past week (that was meant for Monday) was not surprising a commentary about mental health, featuring in part Robin Williams who committed suicide about a month ago. A touchy, sensitive yet important topic.

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

Defying Gravity so No One can Steal Your Rock ‘N Roll!

(Title is based from the songs Defying Gravity from the musical 'Wicked,' and Steal Your Rock ‘N Roll from the musical 'Memphis')



Some of the lyrics from one of my favourite musicals the Burstin' with Broadway choir (http://burstinwithbroadway.com/) that I sang with this past weekend at the Kay Meek Centre (http://www.kaymeekcentre.com/), Defying Gravity, an original arrangement by Roger Emerson (http://www.rogeremerson.com/) is reflective of this – my – inner voice, at least in relation to my Children's Co-Creative Choir: “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game. Too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep. It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap. It’s time to try defying gravity..."

Almost everyone I talk to seems to love the idea of this defying-gravity-so-no-one-can-steal-your-rock-'n-roll choir, even the Marketing Director of the Vancouver International Children's Festival Society (http://www.childrensfestival.ca/) whom I spoke to a few days ago! And I didn’t even finish telling her about it!

So the questions that come up for me now are: What am I missing or how am I getting in the way? What are the obstacles of the children not showing up, rather the parents not signing them up, yet? Hmmm...perhaps, rather than find out what the missing link is, maybe it's better for me to rephrase the question: What do I need to do in order to have this choir show up?! Ah, different words, different perspective.

Could it be that I am simply too attached to it? Possibly, after all the original idea of a children’s choir came to me at about 3 a.m. a number of years ago. (You can read more about this in my first two blog postings: (1) Call to Action and (2) Why Me? Why this Choir?)

If you read my earliest blog posting, I even got the name Angelic Voices as a choir name at that time though have since seen that name for a children’s choir on the North Shore, in North Vancouver where I live. Such a small world we live in! (I’ve had lots of those kinds of experiences since moving here just over 20 years ago.

In addition to initially receiving a few ideas and a lot more since then, I also had a vision last summer of an opening scene for the choir.

Thus, for all those reasons and more, I know that if and when this choir materializes, I will cry. Would you like to know why? (And I’m not just saying that to rhyme!) Simply, out of gratitude. Gratitude because I believe the original idea came from God/Spirit and it has become my heart’s desire, if not my soul’s desire.

As I type that, some of the lyrics to Steal Your Rock 'n Roll from the musical 'Memphis' comes to mind, “I swallowed my fear, followed my heart right here. Listen to your soul, listen to your soul. Heed it, ya need it. Let it make, let it make you whole. And if ya listen to the beat and hear what’s in your soul, you’ll never let anyone steal your rock ‘n’ roll!

It’s interesting how art can imitate life, don’t you think?! ; )

After the show and the following couple of days in particular, my mind was constantly filled with lyrics of musicals, including a verse and song title from Spamalot that the men sang, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamalot). Wise advice indeed, I might wish to heed! ;)

Ask yourself – and feel free to answer below – Do you ever defy gravity (in a positive way) by being true to your heart, your soul’s essence? Do you pay attention to that still small inner voice and heed it, and, if so, how?