Purpose in Life

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

- Dalai Lama 

Defensiveness

Defensiveness is usually someone silently screaming that they need you to value and respect them. 

Life Partners

I no longer believe in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I am beginning to believe that, if you are lucky, you might meet someone who is exactly right for you. Not because he is perfect, or because you are, but because your combined flaws are arranged in a way that allows two separate beings to fit together as one!

Love

To love at all is to be vulnerable.
Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.
If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.
Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.
Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.
It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
To love is to be vulnerable. 

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves   

Gratitude

Gratitude is what makes what we have enough.

Character

The true measure of a man is what he does for those who can do nothing for him!

Stress

Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it.

-Lily Tomlin

Success

It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.

-William Somerset Maugham

Dad

Thank you for always believing in me, being proud of me and loving me unconditionally. Even though you are no longer with me, I always feel you by my side. You have given me precious memories which I will always cherish.

I love you Dad, now and always!

- In loving memory of my father on his 9th death anniversary

Favorite Songs

1. As it seems – Lily Kershaw
2.  I’ve got you – Mc Fly
3. Dream – Priscilla Ahn
4.  I won’t give up – Jason Mraz
5. Youth – Foxes
6. Everybody talks – Neon Trees
7. Freedom – Dido
8.  Running up that hill – Bo Bruce
9. Whistle – Flo rida
10. Payphone- Maroon 5
11. Diamonds – Rihanna
12.  Next to me – Emeli Sande

Friendship

Sometimes we think our job is to prevent our loved ones from falling down, but maybe our job is to pick them up when they do fall down.

Change

Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go, but rather learning to start over.

-Nicole Sobon

Actions & Consequences

Every action you take is a choice you make. You'll never succeed in changing your life unless you change your choices.

Joy

Never let anyone steal your happiness, joy or zest for life. Life is too precious to waste it on negative people.

Life

Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.

-Carl Sandburg

Luck

Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.

-Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Real Love

Real love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be and will not be.

Relationships

We accept the love we think we deserve.

-Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of being a Wallflower

Live a life that matters

Live a life that matters,
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that one day seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant,
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success,but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters!

-Author unknown

Regrets

Regrets for the things said and the things left unsaid,
Regrets for opportunities missed and time wasted,
Regrets for people one always meant to get in touch with, but didn't,
Regrets for things you were planning to do, but didn't,
Need to seize the moment and live life to the fullest,
So that in the end we aren't left only with regrets...

Wish

May you always have in your arms, the one who is in your heart!

Endings

There is a universal truth we all have to face, whether we want to or not, everything eventually ends. As much as I've looked forward to this day, I've always disliked endings. The last day of summer, the final chapter of a great book, parting ways with a close friend.... But endings are inevitable. Leaves fall, you close the book, you say goodbye. Today is one of those days for us. Today we say goodbye to everything that was familiar, everything that was comfortable. We're moving on. But just because we're leaving and that hurts, there's some people who are so much a part of us, they'll be with us no matter what. They are our solid ground. Our north star. And the small clear voices in our hearts that will be with us....Always.

-Alexis Castle's graduation speech from Castle Season 4 Finale

On being dignified

To be hurt and then have to suffer in silence or pretend to be happy is a travesty.

On being Content

If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we'd be happy with more?

-Unknown

Life

Enjoy the little things in life.....for one day you'll look back and realise they were the big things.

-Robert Brault

Happiness

Happiness is not a destination, it's a way of life!

Appreciation

Learn to appreciate the things you have before time forces you to appreciate the things you once had.

 - Lou Holtz

Choices

Ultimately all people choose their own path. They can be directed and pushed, but they always get the final choice.

Parents

Every girl may not be a Queen to her husband, but she is always a Princess to her parents!

Perfection

People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.

- Edith Schaeffer

Hope

    When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better.
 

Positive Thinking

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. -Oscar Wilde

Dreams

Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live. - Henry David Thoreau

Joy

There are those who give joy, and that joy is their reward. -Kahlil Gibran

Friendship

Sometimes in life there really are bonds formed that can never be broken. Sometimes you really can find that one person who will stand by you no matter what. Maybe you will find it in a spouse and celebrate it with your dream wedding. But there's also the chance that the one person you can count on for a lifetime, the one person who knows you sometimes better than you know yourself is the same person who's been standing beside you all along.

- Quoted from the movie, "Bride Wars"
 

Marriage

Most of us consider marriage a huge step, possibly one of the biggest steps that, we will ever take, second perhaps only to having children. When one is about to get married everyone keeps talking about how life is going to change. They keep stressing how life as you know it is now over!

The thing is - Marriage is what you make of it. The ceremony is purely symbolic, and it doesn't really change anything. Marriage doesn’t make you more committed; people need to be completely committed to each other in their minds and hearts before they even think of getting married. Marriage is after all just a piece of paper that makes things official.

While marriage does change your life, it is because any serious relationship is life-changing. Marriage shouldn't be about losing freedom and losing yourself. If marriage means losing privileges or rights, and forgetting who you are as a person and what you stand for, then maybe the entire relationship needs to be questioned. Relationships are about respect and understanding not about rules and control.

Marriage is a union between two people who really want to be together, who love and support each other, and help each other reach their individual goals and dreams. I think far too many people feel like they're supposed to get married, so they get married.Getting married and having children are huge decisions, it always surprises me how little thought some people give these decisions.Marriage is something that's personal to each of us, since it is a very big step in our lives and in the end affects us the most. People shouldn't feel pressured into marriage or relationships by family, friends or society.

If people marry because they think that is what is expected of them and not because they truly love each other, then marriage becomes so much harder. Relationships are difficult even when you love each other more than anything. Perfect relationships don’t exist, neither do perfect people. Everyone has their flaws. That’s why it’s important to accept people for who they are and support them in becoming who they want to be. While it’s important to marry someone you can talk to, it’s probably more important to marry someone you can be silent with. A good relationship needs trust, patience, compromise, communication, forgiveness and most importantly love. 

 Love is what makes it all worthwhile. It is wonderful to have someone with whom you can share your hopes for the future, your dreams and the many disappointments life throws at you. When something good happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your happiness. When you are sad, you know they will cheer you up. When you are worried, you know they will listen and comfort you. Having someone special to share all the important milestones makes life so much better.

Without love, marriage is meaningless and making the relationship work would be virtually impossible. And yes, love is what makes all the annoying habits and idiosyncrasies of your spouse bearable. Love makes you take a deep breath, count to ten and try to look at things from their point of view. Relationships aren’t easy; they need a lot of work. Without love, working through differences, finding a compromise and moving forward would be extremely difficult.

 So is marriage worth it in the end? Sure it is a challenge to communicate, to understand one another; to learn to live with each other, to respect each other’s needs and wants, there are struggles to handle finances and divide the workload. Yet, somehow it is still one of the most meaningful and important adult relationships that most of us will ever have.

Trust

Trust is like a mirror, once broken you can never look at it the same.

New Love

The deep joy we take in the company of people with whom we have just recently fallen in love is  undisguisable.

- John Cheever 

Time

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.

-Henry Van Dyke

Peace of mind

You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart.

- George Michael

Indifference

Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death. -Kahlil Gibran

Cruelty

A beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets to being a beast, the less he knows it. -George MacDonald

Unhappiness

Man can only endure a certain degree of unhappiness; what is beyond that either annihilates him or passes by him and leaves him apathetic. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

True Love

You only need ONE man to love you.

 But to love you with a passion like wild fire, love you with an intensity you desire, love you with joyful abandon, love you in a crazy fashion, love you with sincerity and love you incessantly.

 Love you a little too much, a little too often and a little more each day!

All this and only ONE man.

A good love

A good love is one that sets you ablaze, that ignites your bones, that propels you forward, and turns all your dreams into reality.

Memories

The harder I try to forget the more clearly I remember.

Growing up

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.

- Graham Greene

Boredom

Boredom : the desire for desires.

-Leo Tolstoy

Goodbye

Is this how you want it to end? No more kisses, hugs or cuddles?

Is it time to say goodbye? Are you happy with the way things turned out?

Are you even the least bit sad? Are you hurting as much as I am?

I keep wondering how it all turned so bad. Is this what you really wanted?

Are you happy to let go? I guess I’ll never truly know.

Now I need to erase the memories and everything you meant to me.

I guess I have no reason to hold on, if there is no more you and me.

Rejection

"I gave him my heart, and he took and pinched it to death; and flung it back to me. People feel with their hearts, Ellen, and since he has destroyed mine, I have not power to feel for him."

- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

Love

Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to the one I’ll always want, even when I’m too old to remember what I’m supposed to want you for!!! ;)

-Dedicated to my gorgeous husband

Omission

Lies of omission are every bit as bad as lies of commission.

-Gary Peck

Changes after marriage

When a girl marries she exchanges the attentions of many men for the inattention of one.

 -Helen Rowland

Marriage

Marriage is like a phone call in the night: first the ring, and then you wake up!

- Evelyn Hendrickson

I've learned.....

·         I’ve learned that we are responsible for what we say and do, no matter how we feel.

·         I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be lovable. The rest is up to them.

·         I’ve learned that some people forget when they are angry, that they have the right to be angry, but not the right to be cruel.

·         I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

·         I’ve learned that just because two people argue it doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other. And just because two people don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

·         I’ve learned that no matter how much I care, some people just can’t be bothered.

·         I’ve learned it’s not what happens to people that’s important, it’s how they deal with it.

·         I’ve learned that no matter how you look at it, there are always two sides.

·         I’ve learned that if I’m quiet when others are screaming, then eventually they will stop.

·         I’ve learned that forgiving someone isn’t easy, especially when they’ve hurt you deeply, but sometimes it’s the only way you can move on.

·         I’ve learned that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.

·         I’ve learned that writing eases my pain and sadness.

·         I’ve learned that it’s harder to burn calories than refrain from consuming them.

·         I’ve learned that when people yell at me I stop listening.

·         I’ve learned that nobody has it all figured out.

·         I’ve learned that those who complain the most, accomplish the least.

·         I’ve learned revenge is for the petty.

·         I’ve learned that some people have the urge to punish others and it has more to do with venting frustration than correcting behaviour.

·         I’ve learned that sometimes all a person needs is someone to hold their hand and listen intently.

·         I’ve learned that I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

 

Love, Joy & Pain

Love is a feeling that brings both joy and pain. Joy from being with someone special whom you deeply care about and pain from knowing that they now have the power to hurt you more than ever.

-Poppy
 

Acceptance & Understanding

Home is not where you live, but where they understand you. -Christian Morganstern

Home

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

-Maya Angelou

Hope

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

-Martin Luther King Jr.
 

Courage

True strength is keeping everything together when everyone expects you to fall apart.

Sadness

One must not let oneself be overwhelmed by sadness.

-Jackie Kennedy

 

 

Anger

Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It's a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you're hurt. -Tom Gates

Despair

Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.

-Alexandre Dumas

Love

Love has made me stronger,
Made me want to live a little longer,
Love has made me wiser,
Made me want to be a little nicer,

Love has made me smile,
Made living worthwhile,
Love has made me kind,
Made me more refined,

Love has made me patient,
Made me more complaisant,
Love has taught me respect,
Made me want to reflect,

But times can get tough,
And things can get quite rough,
Love seems like a game,
And there is no one to blame,
But when you take my hand,
There is nothing I can’t withstand,

The road isn’t easy,
The path isn’t always straight,
Love sometimes makes me queasy,
And it isn’t all one big date,

But with you beside me each day,
I know that we can find a way,
For the best is yet to come,
I’d rather not be glum,

As I look ahead,
I think of all that’s been done and said,
You’ve given me a world of dreams,
And when I speak about unconditional love,
At least I finally know what it means…..

-Poppy

You

When I first met you,
I felt my heart melt through,
When you looked at me,
I knew I would never be free,

You captured my soul,
I was under your spell,
For the first time in my life,
I was dizzy as hell,

When you touched me,
It felt so right,
When you kissed me,
I was filled with delight,

You swept me off my feet,
I finally felt complete,
I had waited a lifetime for this,
One gorgeous moment of bliss,

A feeling I could not explain,
A passion I could not contain,
No longer was I alone,
Finally I was home!

-Poppy

.

The Vow

I vow to always hold you in tenderness and to love you now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And no matter what challenges may carry us a part, I believe we will always find a way back to each other...

-Paraphrased from the movie, 'The Vow'.

You are the reason why....

Even when i'm sad, I smile...

Even when I'm confused, I try to understand...

Even when I'm worried, I hope...

Even though I've been betrayed in the past, I trust...

Even when I fear pain, I love...

Nothing is quite what it seems.....

What if everything around you isn't quite what it seems?
What if all the world you think you know is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection, is that all you want to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself... find yourself afraid to see?

What if all the world's inside of your head?
Just creations of your own...
Your devils and your gods and the living and the dead
And you really are alone
You can live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find words
Are you hiding in the trees?

What if everything around you isn't quite what it seems?


-Quoted from "Right Where it Belongs" by Nine Inch Nails

Favorite Songs - July 2012

1. Fall – ED Sheeran
2. Other side of the world – KT Tunstall
3. Somebody that I used to know – Goyte
4. Set fire to the rain –Adele
5. Someone like you – Adele
6. Changed the way you kiss me – Example
7. Wherever you will go – Charlene Soraia
8. Love the way you lie – Eminem & Rihanna
9. Give me everything – Pitbull
10. Hangover – Taio Cruz
11. Gold forever – The Wanted
12. Sexy and I know it – LMFAO
13. Little bad girl - David Guetta
14. We found love – Rihanna
15. Down for whatever – Kelly Rowland
16. I’m into you – Jennifer Lopez
17. Mr Saxobeat – Alexandra Stan
18. Glad you came – The Wanted
19. Grenade – Bruno Mars
20. Timebomb – Kylie Minogue

Expectations

I just realised that the lower my expectations, the happier I am. Atleast this way I can be pleasantly surprised instead of being sorely disappointed.

Happiness

Happiness will never come to those who cannot appreciate what they already have.

Life

Sometimes life isn't about what you want to do, but rather what you ought to do.

Missing you

"I miss you a little,

I guess you could say,

a little too much,

a little too often,

and a little more each day!"

-In Memory of my father on his 8th Death Anniversary

Destiny

Destiny is something that we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.

- Sleepless in Seattle

Opportunity

Your life is defined by opportunities, even the ones you miss!

-The curious case of Benjamin Button

Loss

We are meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?

- The curious case of Benjamin Button

Pain

The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body.

-Publilius Syrus

Happiness & Unhappiness

All happiness or unhappiness solely depends upon the quality of the object to which we are attached by love.

-Baruch Spinoza

Change

Think about how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.

Perspective

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Interpretation

All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Tolerance

When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.

-Peace Pilgrim

Love

I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me.

Love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person.

Love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of.

Love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone.

Love is caring about someone so much that you worry about them when they aren't around.

Love is putting someone else's needs before your own.

Love is feeling weak at the knees and having your heart beat faster when you see the one you love.

Love is so much more than can be expressed in words....

Falling in Love

Falling in love with someone isn't always easy...
Laughter...tears...joy...anger... disappointment...happiness...It's when you want to be together despite it all. That's when you truly love the other person!

Good Parenting

Parents must get across the idea that "I love you always, but sometimes I do not love your behaviour."
-Amy Vanderbilt

Miss you

You may be out of my sight...but you are never out of my mind...

I Miss You Dad!

-In memory of my father on his 7th death anniversary.

Favorite songs over the past year

1. Somebody loved – The Weepies
2. Someone else’s life – Joshua Radin
3. On the floor – Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull
4. 3 Wishes – Dave Thomas Junior
5. The Riddle – Five for Fighting
6. Need to be next to You – Leigh Nash
7. Thinking of me – Olly Murs
8. Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
9. Firework – Katy Perry
10. Money is not a thing – Chase Holfelder
11. Learning to Fly – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
12. Just the way you are – Bruno Mars
13. The sound of missing you – Wildboys Ft Ameerah
14. When you know – Serendipity
15. I’d Rather be with you – Joshua Radin
16. Is it any wonder? – Keane
17. They bring me to you – Joshua Radin
18. If I had you – Adam Lambert
19. Half of my heart – John Mayer ft Taylor Swift
20. Slide – Goo Goo Dolls

Smiling

Smiling always makes you feel better about yourself, even if you don't feel like it. And it always makes other people think better of you!

-Author unknown

Strength

Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.

-Greta Garbo

Solitariness

With some people solitariness is an escape not from others but from themselves. For they see in the eyes of others only a reflection of themselves.

-Eric Hoffer

Loneliness and Communication

Loneliness is never more cruel than when it is felt in close propinquity with someone who has ceased to communicate.

-Germaine Greer

The Wait

I’ll wait for you to come and find me,
I’ll wait because I know you want me,
I’ve been standing at a distance,
It’s not that I don’t care,
Just that in this instance,
I want to fight fair,
I know that I may be misunderstood,
It’s not that I can’t explain,
I’d just rather wait to be understood,

So I’ll wait, till you come and find me,
I’ll wait, because I know you need time,
I’m using all of my patience,
I won’t even try to fake it,
I know what it’s doing to you,
So I’ll also take it,
I’ll wait till you come and find me,
I’ll wait because I know you want me,

I’m tempted to pick up the phone,
I’m not sure just what to say,
I know that you need time alone,
I’m sure someday you’ll say,
What I’ve always known,
So I’ll wait, for you to come and find me,
I’ll wait because I know you want me,

I know you feel me,
And you so can heal me,
It’s been far too long,
I want to be a part of a world where I belong,
So I’ll wait, till you come and find me,
I’ll wait because I know you want me,

I’m now close enough to taste it,
I can almost embrace it,
I can feel you falling,
I’ll wait until you’re ready,
It’ll take a while until you’re steady,
So I’ll wait till you come and find me,
I’ll wait because I know you want me.

-Poppy

Trust

Even in the common affairs of life, in love, friendship, and marriage, how little security have we when we trust our happiness in the hands of others!

- William Hazlitt

Appreciation

You must speak to be heard,
but sometimes you have to be silent to be appreciated.

-Author Unknown

Doubt

When we are in love we often doubt that which we most believe.

-François de la Rochefoucauld

Lies

Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.

-Austin O'Malley

Guilt

The guilty think all talk is of themselves.

-Geoffrey Chaucer

Honesty

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.

-Henry Louis Mencken, A Little Book in C Major, 1916

Jealousy

He that is not jealous is not in love.

-St. Augustine