Contentment!

Dec4

My husband is like my reservoir of inspiration, a few days ago we were talking about wealth, its distribution and the unfairness of life in general and he said and I quote:

‘You know there are people who live on less than a dollar a day and others live on millions a day!’

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief and he continued,

‘Lakshmin Mittal (UK’s richest Asian) bought a property (around 2008) worth £117 million pound for his son and got a £70 million property for his daughter. The guy is rich but that’s not where I’m going… Is he contented with his life?’

‘I bet I’ll be if I have that kind of money!’ I quipped in with a smile.

My husband grin then continued,

‘In a remote village in Nigeria, a farmer could be living on less than a dollar a day, take care of his wife and children. Eat and breathe on his farm, and believe me, this farmer could be more contented with his life than our rich Mittal.’

I nodded in agreement and he continued but I’m not going to write everything we talked about that night. When we went to sleep, I couldn’t remove the image of the farmer from my mind – such a simple, uncomplicated life… and I wonder how many of us can live without our iPads, iPhones, Apple laptops etc.

Don’t get me wrong, wealth is good but when we attach the success of our lives to material wealth, it’s a tragedy. And this brings me to this wonderful quote from Dalai Lama:

‘When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes – I already have everything that I really need.’

I hope you’ll all enjoy the rest of this week. I’m almost through with packing (we recently moved house) and If you look on the sidebar of my website, you’ll see the image of my new book, Cydonia, you can pre-order before it’s official launching date on the 16th of this month.

Keep smiling and keep loving my friends!

Much love, always!

🙂

Is It Too Late?

Nov4

(Photo credit: Flickr)

It’s too late to apologise, it’s too late!’ sings a man on the radio and this thought struck me deep and I wonder if sometimes, having a perfect relationship is as elusive as trying to grasp air.

Are some sins unforgivable? Or aptly put, are some relationships beyond repairs?

Take Lillian for example, she gave her twin sons up for adoption, lived a life stoned twenty-four hours a day, then miraculously, her life changed positively. She met and married a nice gentleman who loved and adored her.

But there was a problem, Lillian didn’t tell her new husband about her past, her twin sons were conveniently forgotten. But like a sour thumb, some secrets can’t stay hidden forever. Twenty years later, the twins are grown up, knew they were adopted and wanted answers.

By now, she had other kids, and by the time the truth came out, her husband of twenty years was appalled his wife could forget to mention that she had kids! The sons weren’t that forgiving either, they wanted answers.

This kind of story happens every day, and you may say – there are worse things out there and I agree, but is it too late for Lillian? If you were in her shoes, what would you do? If you were in her son’s shoes, what would be your reaction? And if your were Lillian’s husband, would just pack your bags and leave?

These questions are not easy to answer, but I would love to know what you guys think!

On a lighter note, I wished I’d seen the eclipse of the sun yesterday, it’s one in a lifetime event, but I didn’t, so life goes on I guess! And Nanowrimo is live, but I’m afraid I would not be doing that this year, got too much on my plate as it is.

I received the edited version of my upcoming thriller today and boy, was I thrilled? It was great! I can’t wait to hold the book in my hands…

Hope you’ll read it too when it’s out guys! Counting on you!! 😉

I’m afraid I can only blog once a week now until Christmas, but I’ve been visiting blogs as often as I could, if I’ve not visited yours for a while, please bear with me, I’ll definitely pop in soon! 🙂

I’m moving house soon and coupled with my book and other office related deadlines, I’ve got my hands full. I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas (my kids are already making their lists! 😦 ) Can you believe that?

Anyway, enough rambling! I hope you’re all okay, and I wish you’ll all have a wonderful week, wherever you are in the world!

Much love, always! 🙂

On This Day…

Oct28

(Photo credit: Flickr)

I love this wonderful quote from American author, Neale Donald Walsch:

”On this day of your life, dear friend, I believe God wants you to know…that there is a solution to all of this- and it is right around the next corner.

A few weeks from now, you will not even be facing this problem. A few months from now, you will have forgotten you ever had it. A few years from now, you will wonder why you let yourself worry so much.”

I don’t want to add more to this because it’s self-explanatory, though some situations in life takes more than weeks to resolve but all the same, worrying is stressful, even though it’s in our nature as humans to worry, but we can live better lives if we eschew that two headed monster and enjoy ourselves. Like the storm that battered us in the UK today, that’s life – sometimes predictable, sometimes not!

So on this day… and this week, I hope it would be interesting, peaceful and productive for you all wherever you are in the world!

Much love, always!

🙂

The Piano

Oct21

My son came home from school today and told me about this short animation they watched at school. While he recounted the story to me, he had tears in his eyes. I was moved but thought nothing of it. Then before he went to bed, he took my laptop and showed me the animation.

Well, I listened to it and had tears in my eyes too.

It was a very moving story about a man, who lost his wife, friend, son and was only left with his grandson. In all honesty, I couldn’t explain this story using mere words, but I guess if you listen to the music you’ll understand it.

A wise man once said, ”Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it.” Sai Baba

This week, I hope you’ll all sing life’s song, meet life’s challenges, play life’s game, realise your dreams, offer sacrifices of love and above all, love and enjoy your life!!

Have a great week everyone!

Much love, always!

🙂

My Hearfelt Wish!

Oct14

(Photo credit: Flickr)

‘Happy birthday mom!’

My eleven year old son congratulated me this morning, gave me a bear hug, a kiss, money, and cards as presents. My husband, daughter, little son did the same!

I’m really rich now! 😉

Anyway, my son had this amused look on his face when he asked,

‘Mom what do you really wished for today?’

I looked at him, he’s going to secondary next September, and he knows me like the palm of his hands. I didn’t answer him, rather, I went downstairs, opened the door and staring at my lawn, I saw images of people of all nations, ethnic groups, hugging each other and Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a wonderful world’ came to my mind.

I see trees of green…….. red roses too
I see em bloom….. for me and for you
And I think to myself…. what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue….. clouds of white
Bright blessed days….dark sacred nights
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world.

The colours of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..saying.. how do you do
They’re really saying……I love you.

I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more…..than I’ll never know
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world

The colours of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..saying.. how do you do
They’re really saying…*spoken*(I ….love….you).

I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I’ll never know)
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself …….what a wonderful world.

I closed the door, and went upstairs, hugging him briefly, I said,

‘I want peace, love, and safety for all.’

He didn’t say anything. When he was ready to go to school, I had the strangest feeling. If I could physically stand before God today, I’ll tell him the same,

‘I want peace, food, shelter and safety for all.’

I wish you’ll all have peace and safety wherever you are in the world, have a great week! I’m going to do a bit of shopping after work from my cash windfall. I love you all!

Peace. 🙂

The Borrowers

Oct10

(Photo credit: Flickr)

Ethan smiled and his blue eyes danced with glee, the contract was a done deal. He strode toward his private jet, a man with the world under his feet. He felt like he owned the universe but at the corner of his eyes, he saw a glimmer… And that was the last thing he remembered…

++ ++ ++ ++

Raja hid under the bed, his heart beating with fury, but his impotent rage would achieve nothing. He gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the brown smelly carpet. Then the men came in stealthily, searching for their target, their cold ruthless eyes noticed a flicker of a movement.

And they smiled.

Then the rapid sound of gunfire reverberated throughout the estate…

++ ++ ++ ++

Jonathan stretched his long taunt body on the sofa, his accountant breathing down his neck in excitement.
‘We did it,’ Jonathan said with a boyish grin. Two hundred million pounds worth of cocaine had sailed through unscathed.

Then the accountant’s smile slowly faded like a receding shadow.

‘Honey,’ his new wife called from the bedroom, ‘I’m waiting!’
Jonathan stood to his feet and then saw the gun,

His heart froze.

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

‘The glory that goes with wealth is fleeting and fragile; virtue is a possession glorious and eternal.’ Sallust

I consider all men (by that I mean everyone!) as borrowers, we’re living on borrowed time. No one is going to physically live forever, and the earlier we let that sink into our subconscious mind, the better for us. When we realise how futile it is to wage wars, to keep malice and abhor love, I guess we’ve cracked the code to world peace!

I’m happy to be writing this, although I’m still navigating slowly through my deluge of deadlines but things are looking up. And I also have great news – I now have the official release date for my upcoming supernatural thriller, 16th of December 2013! I want to garner as many reviews as I can get, it always boost sales.

Please, if anyone is interested in giving a sincere review, do let me know and once my publisher releases the ARC (Advance Review Copies) I’ll send it to as many of my friends as possible. Thanks for your friendship, I’ve visited several blogs and enjoyed reading diverse and richly entertaining contents. I’ll still continue to do so, and if I’ve not stopped by yours, please bear with me and I’ll visit soon!

Enjoy the rest of your week and have a fantastic weekend!

Much love, always!

🙂

The Plunge!

Oct3

(Photo credit: Flickr)

‘The step between prudence and paranoia

is short and deep.

Prudence wears a seatbelt,

Paranoia avoids cars altogether.

Prudence washes with soap;

Paranoia avoids human contact altogether.

Prudence saves for old age;

Paranoia clings to every penny!

Prudence prepares and plans;

Paranoia panics.

Prudence calculates the risks and takes the plunge;

paranoia never enters the water.’

* * * * * *

I read this today and it had a profound effect on me. I have been extremely busy at work, and coupled with my upcoming book, it was like walking in a sea of unending deadlines. But then I paused and allowed these words sink into my spirit, mulling it over, I realised that as humans, we’re certainly creatures of comfort, and taking the plunge could be easier said than done.

What do I mean by plunges? They’re simply changes, making new decisions and following them through. Having faith in God and yourself (if you believe in God) and stepping out to make the needed changes to your life. To reach a glorious destiny, you have to stop holding back. Some have changed their lives by going to college and following their dreams, others signed up for reality shows, and some, just improving their skills by attending night school.

But you must first take the plunge!

I need to apologise for my silence, I have been inundated with work and had certainly missed a lot of posts. Please bear with me, and I’ll catch up soon. I’ll be travelling out of London this weekend but would be back next week, before then, I’ll still visit your wonderful websites!

Have a fantastic month! October had always been my best month (I was born in October! 😉 ) and as the weekend inch closer, just have fun and enjoy life!

Much love, always!

🙂

Growing…

Sep28

To live is to grow, when we stop growing, we stop living.

Some one once asked what inspires me to write, and I told this amiable fellow, ‘life inspires me to write and when I write, I grow, I keep learning everyday!’

Life is full of mysteries and wonder, that is why writers would always have inspirations to write. I read everyday and I write everyday! Our lives would be mundane if it’s static. When asked as an old man why he still practiced six to eight hours a day, one of the world’s best violinists replied, ‘Because I think I’m getting better!’ And I think that’s the attitude we need to cultivate, the desire to be the best in whatever we do.

When I read some of my earlier works, I laugh, because I saw through my mistakes, and I quickly improve on it. I am not the same writer I was yesterday, because today, I learnt how to write better. Life is progressive, death is static. If we don’t want to learn, what the hell are we living for then?

Growing takes time… we spend our whole life growing.

When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an old man, an admirer asked him how he was able to write so beautifully. Pointing to a nearby apple tree, he replied, ‘that tree is very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms. The tree grows a very little new wood every year, and out of that new wood those blossoms come. So I try to grow a little each year.’

What a decent man! I want to be more like Longfellow, grow like a tree, throughout my lifetime.

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend, and as we head into a new week, I hope you will have the courage and patience to learn new things, to grow like an oak and impact your world!

If any of you, my friends, recently bought one of my books, do leave a review at Amazon, or if you haven’t, do support a writer who loves the written word and click on my sidebar. ‘Tales Of Five Lies’ is less is than a dollar or a pound, ‘The Feet Of Darkness,’ is also available worldwide, online and in bookshops… My upcoming supernatural thriller, ‘Cydonia Rise of the fallen,’ will be released before Christmas.

It’s a pleasure being your friend and I value every one of you dearly. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a beautiful week!

Much love, always!

🙂

A Loud, Noisy World…

Sep23

(Photo credit: Flickr)

A loud, noisy world.

Cacophony of sounds

reverberated everywhere.

Hatred danced openly,

while love is in remission.

Wars and rumours

of war danced freely on our streets.

Toddlers were afraid to chuckle.

A little peace, a little love

We Plead.

But instead

We got

Bullet wounds.

Snipers.

Terrorists.

And paedophiles,

Roamed freely.

A loud, Noisy World.

I hope for peace

and pray for love.

Elusive as it is…

I won’t give up!

It seems killings, deaths, wars has become a bit of a pastime in the world now, Kenya‘s mall killings, Pakistani Christians (women and children murdered), the naval base killings in the U.S, Syria‘s on going war, turmoil in Egypt, Philippine‘s rebels. The list is endless. My daughter asked me yesterday, ‘mum, why can’t we have peace in the world?’ I had no answer to her question. She’s just seven, yet, I can’t shield her from the cruelty of our world. The noise is a constant ringing sound… but you know me, I’m a diehard optimist – I still believe we can live in peace, we just need to start acting it. Like that picture, I hopefully long for peace and quietness in our world…

I pray you’ll all have a peaceful week, and please keep safe!

Much love, always!

🙂

Words Are Forever!

Sep21

(Photo credit: Flickr)

Sean kicked the grass in frustration, his eyes filled with tears and he tried to control himself with great difficulty. His dad‘s harsh voice resounded in his mind like a volcanic eruption, ”You’re no good, you’re like your mother – a drug addict! I hate you.” He dashed inside the house, his dad recoiled on a chair, a glass of beer in his right hand, remote control on the other. They exchanged hateful glances. And Sean raised the gun.

Hamza tried to stop the tirades of abuse from the boys in the estate, ‘you’re a loser, go kill yourself.’ At home, it was worse, his mother was stoned twenty-four hours a day… He left the house but the words of the boys clung to him like a second skin.

Chloe’s brown eyes light up in anticipation. Her dad kissed her on the cheek, and said with a smile, ‘you light up my world angel, you’re a star, you can do this.’ She nodded, her future is bright, she knows she can do anything she set her heart to, she had been nurtured with loving words, right through her childhood, and now at the age of twenty, the world is her oyster.

* * * * *

The words we speak has the power to destroy or build up, let’s be mindful of our words. Some people were damaged by words of others while some have killed others by their words. Let’s choose our words carefully. A word fitly spoken has the power to change a life…

Think about that this weekend, and I wish you love, peace and happiness, wherever you are in the world my friends. Have a great weekend!

Much love, always.

🙂