Frivolous Friday · Uncategorized

Friday Euphoria…

Friday arrives here in the UAE and we all feel – I guess most, a sense of relief, elation and excitement especially as most places, except privately owned businesses literally shut their doors earlier for Masjid and an early start of the weekend. Of course for the Emirates of Sharjah, that sense of elation arrives on Thursday as they now practically operate a 4-day work week and 3 days of weekend which is particularly enjoyed by those in government establishments and schools.

I think the 4 day work week is truly great and much better way of creating more work-life balance, and I daresay it is likely that those who are enjoying this extra day of weekend perk are far more productive than those of us who have to reluctantly hightail it to work on Friday for just a couple of hours which is largely spent around the coffee machine.

There’s this psychological button in my brain that the thought of Friday switched on. It signals to me a whole 2 and half days of simply unwinding and minding my personal affairs. A time to put the alarm clock at bay and to try to snooze a bit deeper though my body clock has more or less set itself and wakes up despite my best intentions to get more delicate snores in.

Fridays through the weekends make me feel like I have a bit more life to live and not just the constant survival rat race. I am still trying hard to find my Eureka moment and a magical wand that will crack that code that pushes me to enlightenment, unprecedented breakthroughs, abundance and growth and to subdue the feeling of gravity pulling me down into the abyss of constant strive to stay afloat and not drown in the sea of bills and just these extra hours off gives me a sense that ‘I will get there soon.’

I suppose I have grown so used to the universal staple diet of Saturday/Sunday weekends that they don’t feel as euphoric as a Friday half-working day. Friday has slowly become for me, not only a day that I let down my hair and put on my dancing shoes – sometimes only in my mind – but also a day that leads to a much need soul-satisfying me time.

What do Friday’s look like in your neck of the woods?

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Blogging

8 years already! How did that happen?

So WordPress sent me a congratulatory message for having spent 8 years in this space and I must say that the notification escaped me except that I just started going through the outstanding comments that I haven’t attended to in a while and found the gem tucked away in the thick pile of comments. How remiss of me!

I honestly can’t believe that 8 years have passed since I first made my post albeit in hesitation and yet, here we are – years down the line and the excitement for blogging hasn’t waned in the least. Although I did take a hiatus now and again to get myself together when life is a bit rough, my blog has never been far from my mind and has become that interwoven abstract tapestry of my life.

In this space I found a voice, I found a part of me that was missing, I found a community of likeminded souls, I found friends who though I have never meet them physically, I feel like I have known them for a good while. In this space I have found solace and encouragement, laughter and upliftment, inspiration and growth, camaraderie and so much.

Time does pass in a blink of an eye. I still vividly recall sitting on the high-stool of my kitchen’s island back in Houston, with the hot Summer sun peeping in through the blinds and tapping out my very first post not sure where I was heading…. and here we are… 8 years later. It has been a worthwhile experience and I have enjoyed it in entirety. To many more years of blogging, may this space continue to treat us well.

Musings · Philosophy of Life · Poetry/Poems

Paint Me Joy…

Joy has no colour

yet it radiates far brighter

than all the colours

put together…

 

I feel beautiful

not as a result of makeup

but for joy

that bubbles within…

 

P.S. As I get older, I do understand the fact that money and material things certainly make life easier and less stressed, but I have also learnt certain valuable lessons during infernal times of financial constraint that the true depths of peace and joy that we experience in life can never be attributed to what we own materially. It is borne as a fruit of the spirit.  

 

 

 

Writing

My venture beyond self publishing…

Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com

So, early this year I thought I could try to break the mold of self publishing my books and try approaching publishers to see how things can proceed forward and to find someone interested enough to want to publish my 3rd poetry book, collection of short stories and the novel that I am still trying to beat into shape.

I approached just a couple of independent publishers (here in the UAE) ‘cos I thought that would be an easier way to break into getting published by those whose business it is to run such things.

I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed in the least. I got a favourable and quick response after they had reviewed my materials, but I must say that I was startled out of my shoes at the exorbitant cost that they included in the publishing contract couched under the term ‘contributory fees.’ Maybe I am too naive about what it truly entails to publish, promote etc. and such found the quote a bit shocking to say the least.

If I had the said amount, would I go ahead with the proposal? I suppose so for various obvious reasons that I can’t even begin to delve into right now but most especially on top of the list is to see my book published and marketed professionally and see how it moves.

On the other hand, even if I had the funds, how on earth would I recover the amount invested, not to talk of making any sort of profit from the whole venture, or are we not expected to make proceeds from our endeavours? The sale of the book has to be in huge numbers to break even before you can talk about profit.

Hmm. There’s no easy way out there. As I don’t have many nickels to rub together right now, much less pay a publishing outfit a king’s ransom to get my books published, I guess my desire has to be dampened till further notice. However, knowing that the opportunities are out there was a good outcome in my opinion.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever tried using an independent publisher for your books? What was the experience like?

Hope · Poetry/Poems

The strength of hope…

Photo by Yelena Odintsova on Pexels.com

With hope
we hold on
with hope
we stretch far
with hope
we dare to dream
with hope
we don’t unravel
at the seams
never lose hope

Sometimes,

that is truly all that we have. 

Blogging · Philosophy of Life

This life…

Life is an interwoven maze of our experiences. Days blur into each other creating our past, present, future and indeed, life is truly what we make of it.

The past is done and gone. A mere recollection that serves, hopefully, as a compass and guide in our present. A memory bank of moments lived which we sometimes relive in nostalgia or regret. The past we can never return to nor regain no matter how hard we try or how much we want it.

The present is what we live and inhabit and the culmination of our presents make our past, which is why our presence in our present deeply counts. This is where the key to our happiness lies. Staying fully present and living our best moments in the now – no matter how mundane our day may seem – so that when we look back on our recollections – which we tend to ruminate on – we will have fonder thoughts and reasons to smile and not sigh nor wince in regret.

The future is an illusion of time that we do not have. The future is infinite. We postpone everything to an imagined future when all we truly have is ‘NOW’ This is the bane of most of our lives: waiting, postponing, planning! When we truly get to understand that

Live all aspects of your present time as well as you can. Give everyday that you receive the best of you and life will reward you in the same coin.

Health · How To · Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Life · life skills

For the joy of laughter…

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Laughter. Music for the soul that’s absolutely contagious. When you see someone laughing at a joke that you can’t hear, chances are that you will smile anyway – even if you don’t realize it.

You do know that laughter improves your overall health? It is a strong medicine that triggers healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. It is a stress buster that diminishes pain, boosts mood and improves our emotional health, strengthens the immune system and grants us a better outlook to life – it even adds more years to our lives.

When we were younger, we laughed over little things countless times a day but adulting makes us become unduly serious about life, with laughter growing less frequent in our lives. Just like the way that we seek out food to fill our belly’s we must seek the nourishment of humour and laughter. Have you ever wondered why comedians never go out of fashion? People pay them to make them laugh.

Sweet peals of laughter trigger the release of endorphins – the body’s natural feel-good chemicals and these endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being. We cannot undermine how much laughing is good medicine for the mind and body. A powerful antidote to conflict and stress. These peals lighten your burden, uplifts your spirit, relaxes your whole body, helps you connect to others, inspires hope and lightens your mind of anger and unforgiveness.

A recent fad I learnt off boasts that laughter burns calories, though I wouldn’t ask you to quit your gym subscription, your daily dose of walking or to join a laughter fest, but finding ones’ funny bone is worth its weight in any priceless gem that you can think of. This priceless serum is absolutely free. It comes without any manual and fun to use.

How to bring more laughter into your life
Laughter is your birthright. Babies start smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born and even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.

Set aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you would with any hobby that you are interested in cultivating. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything.

Spend time with fun, playful people. Those who laugh easily at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you don’t consider yourself a lighthearted, humorous person, you can still seek out people who like to laugh and make others laugh. 

An essential ingredient for developing your sense of humor is to learn not to take yourself too seriously and laugh at your own mistakes and foibles. As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, we all do foolish things from time to time. Instead of feeling embarrassed or defensive, embrace your imperfections.  

Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you “become the problem” and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning. It is important to use humor to overcome challenges and enhance your life. Laugh out Loud!

@beyondexisting.j

Self love. You are priority to you. If there’s no you, there’s nobody else. Never forget that! #fyp #selflove

♬ Obsessed With You x All About Him – ARNEL REMIX
Poetry/Poems · This Is My Life

My tomorrow…

my tomorrow came
when today arrived…
for yesterday I waited
on a day that I hadn’t seen…
hoping that if and when
it does come around…
there will be the light of change.

my tomorrow is here
yet my thoughts ain’t truly there…
for how can it be
when in fragmented pieces…
I watch…

the broken circles

of many yesterdays

Photo by Todd Trapani on Pexels.com

Short Stories Series · Short story · Writing

Sweet Meats…

white ceramic plate
Photo by Viktor Tasnadi on Pexels.com

The semi-circle slow turn showed off the graceful flow of her jalabiya, albeit she wasn’t satisfied with the way her rolls stayed prominent. Reema harbours a love and hate relationship with her abayas. They did their best to conceal the bulge of indulgence, yet constantly reminded her of her ever-shifting shape that spread like butter left out in the Summer sun.

Flopping down on the pink sofa, she flipped through the pages of The Weekend woman, sighed in resignation and popped another sweet meat into her mouth. Delicious and warm, the taste of the succulent morsel gave her joy.

Maybe she should go shopping, she thought. Retail therapy of buying pretty things always made her happy for a little while. How did she let her weight get out of control? Would she ever lose it and look trim again? She didn’t trust Khalid with the help especially the new one Nadia – many a times, she caught him  casting lascivious looks at Nadia’s bubble butt that tended to quiver with each step she took. Reema’s musings tumbled over each other and chose to zoom in on her husbands’ recent fascination.

Nowadays, his slumberous thick-lashed dark eyes held a mischievous glint in them and her assumptions of what it meant was giving her sleepless nights. Biting into another piece of spicy meat, she hoped that his attraction to Nadia will not be as fatal as his previous tryst. She truly abhorred driving to the desert to dump a lifeless body.