what i wish for the new year 2013

Every year, most of us, partake in making  some sort of a new year’s resolution and although some actually carry it out in the following year, other’s drop the ball almost immediately. Either way, it’s a good way to look  forward to the new year and new opportunities.  

This year, while I debated my own personal new year’s resolution, I decided  one of them to be  a universal wish list for 2013 and here it is:

1. I wish parents would stop fiddling with their cell phones while being around their children. Whether it be across a dinner table, or in a park or at a mall, parents need to set a good example for  their children and it should start with putting their cell phones down while with them.

2. I wish more people would stop, if only once a week, and take the time to smell the flowers. I guarantee this exercise will give each person the opportunity to reflect on what is important in life and how to reprioratize to  sift out all the things that do not  really matter.

3. I wish those who are constantly angry, find a way to turn the anger into something positive and this can only happen, if you allow yourself to let go of  what ails  you from the past, so that all the good that is available out there, could find its  way into your life.  

4. I wish families would make every effort to have dinner together at least twice a week (if not more), without the television set being on and engage in wholesome and productive conversation instead.

5. I wish everyone ,who pretends they don’t have any free time,  to find it in their hearts to volunteer at a local youth organization or a senior home to brighten someone’s day any way possible. 

And what I wish for the most is a very happy new year to all those anxiously waiting for 2013 to arrive  just so they have the chance to start over again.

photography: heavenly thoughts

As I gaze at the heavy fog lurking throughout my neighborhood on a Monday evening after work, I cannot help but envision  what heaven may look like.

inspiring thoughts to live by – part three

Women over forty spend alot of time pep talking themselves just to endure their daily life. This is not to say anyone under 40 doesn’t feel the need to do the same, it’s just that when over 40, the pep talks become part of a daily ritual.

With that said, some women require a visual reminder of what to focus on while others seek therapy one way or another to get them through. I, for one, understand my challenges and cope with them to the best of my ability and although I found blogging a great therapy, occasionally a good quote kicks me into gear.

Hopefully, you get my point and if not,  check out my favorite quotes from here.

what makes julia roberts marketable?

As I stated before, we all have a favorite celebrity role model, whether we admit it or not. I at least admit it more so than my circle of female acquaintances and speak of them often. What I do want to state is that there is not just one female celebrity I admire but many, for different types of reasons.

One female celebrity I admire is of course Julia Roberts. But it wasn’t until my flight back home from France this week, when I actually was thinking about her and wondering why or what is it about her that I admire to the extend I consider her a good role model.  I mean she is a woman over 40 and a celebrity who in my opinion doesn’t really get out of her way to look spectacular. She has a simple look, a huge mouth and of course ALOT of hair but she still looks ordinary and very unrelatable to. Come to think of it, none of the movies she made thus far is anything I relate to, not even Pretty Woman and I haven’t yet seen Eat, Pray and Love to judge otherwise (Only because I was away from the U.S.). But I still pick up the magazine with her photo on the cover and continue to see every movie she makes no matter how good or bad the outcome.

So I suppose it comes down to,  her quiet lifestyle out of the limelight, which I totally appreciate. Her ability to stay true to her looks no matter how her career dictates otherwise. Her simple acting techniques which are versatile enough to showcase in any film she makes and the most I appreciate about her is her ability to make you smile no matter what comes out of her mouth.

No matter how huge of an actor she is right now, I think in time, Julia Roberts will become our generation’s Meryl Streep.

Footnote: The best performance in my opinion was in Ocean’s 12, when she had to pretend to be Julia Roberts to bail the Ocean’s 13 guys out of a bind.