Look Around You

Look around you and tell me what you can see. Just take this one minute and observe. Here are my observations, I see my laptop front of me, typing this post. I am surrounded by the office portable desk walls, sitting on the chair. There is phone beside me, and if I am ready to switch to another software on my screen, any second I will reach for the mouse. Around me, I also have cut outs from the magazines and clipped to the wall. Do you want to know what it is? I am going to tell you - there are three photo cut outs of the apples, green apples with one red in the middle. I liked this photo so much that I cut out three of them and surrounded myself with. I also have other two photo cut outs of the ostrich, one says FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS. Now let me tell that this ostrich is bending forward and looking between its legs - quite flexible, but I don't see flexible solution - so I find it funny even if I know this is just a metaphor. The second one says BE AHEAD with ostrich running really fast that you cannot see what's on the background. Could he be going 100 miles per hour, possibly, may be not in real life, but with today's digital editing - definitely yes. And the last photo cut out is something about genetically altered fruit flies, I will not go into details, but the head line states Buzz Off! Don't worry it is nothing to do with people visiting me, I like when people visit my cubical and talk to me, but I found it kind of entertaining to have it on my wall. So what else I can tell you about my surroundings, not much just a standard office setting. So would you say pretty boring, but for me nothing is really boring once you have access to the Internet, or start thinking how all this started.

Now you may ask - what's the point of all this blobbing. Well I am confused. Why? Let me explain, I started to read this book by Bill Bryson A Short History of Nearly Everything. By the way, it is currently lying on my desk beside me and then when I go home it goes with me to bed. However, when at work, when I think about my projects, I find myself looking at it, not really thinking, just looking. To tell you the truth, I started to read this book a long time ago, and then I ended up reading something else. It was no point to continue now, so I started to read over again. Well I am only few pages into the book, and these pages revoked something that I recently started to question. How do we know this and that? What I mean is - when we talk about universe creation, star formations, evolution, birth, good food or bad food - how all this has happened or is happening - and believe or not we make things, we discover things. And then is us - intelligent human beings. The world of unknown, because all are just theories unless there is real data to support, even though author on the end has explanation for everything. Therefore, just enjoy the life and enjoy the beauty of nature, the beauty of life - ask questions, but don't expect the right answer, it is all too complicated to figure it out.

This post may be lame, and there may be not substance here - but look around you - all this stuff, ideas, theories - its amazing. Yes, I am lost in my thoughts, but the more I think about it, all is just too complicated to figure out, yet it works - lol now!

Love Is In the Air

Since today is the Valentine's Day, I thought I spread a bit of love around my blog to my blogger friends, and the rest of the world. I am not sure if everyone celebrates the Valentine's Day, but I don't think you can reject a free love, lol. It does not have to be Valentine's Day to love someone extra special, it should be every day; however, that day is the day to emphasize how important love is. I know we are being bombarded with marketing schemes to buy diamonds for love ones (my birth stone is diamond), buy chocolates, buy flowers, and some go to extent to buy material gifts. It this all necessary? In my opinion not, but don't get me wrong if you like to celebrate this day and surprise your love one with special appreciation gift, yes by all means; however, my point is you cannot buy love from the store. So I like my Valentine's Day simple - I don't need extra gifts to love my husband extra special on that day, may be today I will blob to my husband, wow its been 15 years together, and soon 10 years being married. Sometimes I just look at him, and I feel like we just met, all brand new, yet inside it feels like we been together all our lives. So since we work together, this time hubby cannot hide any special gift for me. Well on the way home he is taking me to the local supermarket to purchase flowers, it will be fun - we both laughed at the idea - however, the biggest surprise is that from year to year he is so consistent no matter what, and never forgets, and that is what makes me happy! Happy Valentines Day to you. Let me close this post with this favorite quote of mine: 'My love for you is a journey; starting at forever, and ending at never.' - by Anonymous. BTW I love giving credits to the Anonymous individuals, lol.

Live & Learn From The Fish

Live and learn from the fish - what's this all about? This is a story for this post, and it is coincidental that it lines up with one of the posts form my blogger friend Kathy from Photography by KML blog, who has this really beautiful photo of her blue Beta fish - just in case you never seen this type of fish. The story is not just about the Beta fish, as you will find out. However, this is a fish with personality and fish that needs attention. Let say, I don't have any big pets in my house like a cat, dog or bird, and it is not because I don't like them, it is just I don't have the time to take care of them or spend time with them. About year ago, I did research on birds in captivity, and every article I read the emphasis was that you just don't put the bird in the cage and let it sit there, you really need to spend time with them and play, otherwise, they will get depressed, and eventually you know what happens, either the bird becomes really unfriendly or eventually moves on with other life.

I currently have two beta fish, one red and one blue. I find, and this is just my little statistics results, but the blue beta's are more friendly and more excited to see you when you around. Don't take this idea into your head, this is my opinion based on one red and two blue beta fish. You will agree, not a big population to have data on. However, lets move on with the story. Both beta fish are very exciting fish to have, they get excited when they see you, they like to eat and crunch their food, they try to jump out the tank - something you would not expect from the fish, at least something I would not expect from the fish.

These past few months, I have been busy, go to work, come from work, eat, rest, turn computer on and then rest for the night. Between, in the morning, I would quickly feed my betas, drop the food and leave. I know they get excited to see me every time, but I just have to run. Believe or not, sometimes I forget to change the water too. I admit, this is the side of me I don't like because I know if my fish is not getting attention, something is wrong, I am not managing my life properly, I am probably neglecting every one else around me, never know may be some bloggers feel like that to due to my reduced blogging visits.

The story continues, my negligence finally surfaced. Last week I noticed that the blue beta was behaving abnormally. The fins would not spread out as usual. The body was tilting to one side. I right away changed water, and really noticed that my healthy blue beta was sick now. It wasn't swimming, it wasn't eating, and even would not puff on his red beta friend. The red beta knew something also, because soon as I put two small tanks side by side, the red beta would not puff back on the blue one at all - would just rest on the rocks and look at his sick friend now. I said to myself, they are communicating. Suddenly I am different, I am very attentive, I am sad, I am angry that I neglected my fish. Now I am there every 15 minutes to check on him. He is weak, he tries to float but he cannot because his one side is tilting to one side. How do you safe fish, the worst comes to my mind, I lost my hope?

Its been few days now, and to my surprise the beta fish is getting better. It is still tilting to one side, but tries hard to get up and eat, and actually swims with excitement to see me. I am happy now, however, I definitely know that I failed, I failed to give my best to someone who always was excited to see me.

This is a story about fish. However, live and learn. I will not stress enough that our relationship with others need maintenance. When one gives you this carrying smile, please give it back. I gift that we have, and believe or not a gift animals have too.

Addition: After 2 weeks of suffering my blue beta fish died [February 16, 2008]. I know it is only fish, but I will miss him.

Pressed on Time However Lets Write About Qassia and Mails

There are times that I am so up to date, and there are times that I am not. Right now, I am behind with some of my own projects, that it is time to resume my old system - the things to do list. I usually have one all the time, and once everything is rolling, I don't need one, but when things go out of order, it is time to write one. Enough blobbing, and lets see what I have to present for you today.

Firstly, there is this new intelligent article submission site Qassia.com. It is at the beta stage, but I kind of like it. Right now you can earn money, not real, just virtual, to have your articles submitted to the 'world'. So the more money you accumulate the better chance is to get on the top of the search engine. However, I have not figure out how it really works, but by submitting some of my articles and reading other articles and rating, I generated some credits. However, most of all I learned something too by reading. So enjoy and explore Qassia.com - not to hide anything, this is my referral page, and like someone said, I will say it to, yes I get some credits if you sign up. No pressure you are free to do what you wish.

Secondly, I want to quickly write about mail versus email. Couple of weeks ago I received a letter from the old friend of mine - how nice to receive the old fashion mail. The letter was from pan pal friend I met in elementary school over 20 years ago. We never met in person yet - but I am hoping one day. All our correspondences happened through the regular mail, and even now. I am sure that she has the access to the Internet, however, some how we still write to each other the old fashioned way. I remember in the old days, to receive a letter in the mail was a big thing. We all loved it, especially for occasions like Christmas, Easter, name days, and chain letters. Yes, name days in Europe were more popular than birthdays, I guess that way you were able to acknowledge anyone you wanted to send a card just by looking at the calendar. And yes chain letters existed then, and it wasn't easy, as there was no photocopier, and there was no typewriter, only your hand needed to re-write the letters about five times or more. So that was fun and practice.

Now we have emails. The communication time among us changed from weeks to minutes or even seconds. We can write, send pictures, send videos, publish on line pictures and videos. We not just letting our friends know about our life, but any stranger may some times drop by.

So tell me, do you still like to receive old fashion mail or do you think it is not practical anymore. Just ignore the cost, because we all know that emails are somehow free. Myself, I like the old fashion mails, the fact that they are hand written makes is even more authentic.

Kids are Fun, Kids are Grown Ups

I am always fascinated what the one year old, two year old or three year old can do. There is a difference between me and my younger sister and my younger brother, five and ten years, respectively. So I have some memories of some funny moments, and some not so funny. I remember that very first word I thought my sister was a parrot. I don't know what I was thinking then, but she loved it - may be that is why she is into breeding birds now. She also loved going into the barrel full of potatoes and water, and take a bath - and that was quite a scenario. Because my older sister and myself had to take care of both of my younger sister and brother, we used to do crazy stuff when playing. We had to entertain ourselves because we had one or two occasions when we received toys, and we only had one TV channel. Going back to the story, we used to build these snow walls between neighbor kids and then play war. Well few times the curiosity of my younger sister earned her few bruises in the head from snow balls, at least we did not need any ice for compressions. The best was also racing streets with my sister in the stroller. Accidents always happened, but lucky no injuries. Lucky there were no cars, but there were light posts to which we always happened to run into. We lost our sister few times upon the impact, no injuries as she always safely landed on the grass. She was only one and a half years old, and I was about seven years old.

Then five years later my brother was born, and so more kids on the street. My brother loved horses, and he had huge collection of them by the age of four years old. So what did he do? Well there was this kid across street who just started to walk at one, and somehow he by himself always made to our backyard. Well my brother then two, soon as he saw him, he always wanted to ride him. It looked funny, but we always had to separate them just in case the one year old's mother showed up. I think the idea came from horse collection.

And now thirty years later, do I have the same experiences with kids in family, and I do find that kids are talking much more and much more like adults. The latest, my cousin's three year old daughter was really entertaining us this holiday season. We had dinner together, and the little girl decided to be at the head of the table. She would converse with all of us, and her vocabulary was just amazing. The best line of the year was when mother offered her a cup of tea, with puzzled face she responded - 'How can you give your own child a hot tea' - very clever for the three year old.