Battle of Our Hearts

We all have faced some knockdown moments in our life. For some, it may still be ongoing..one after another. It can be frustrating, depressing, extremely painful and nothing would make sense at that moment.  It's a battle that we have to overcome. A battle to stay strong in the face of adversity. It can drain us off completely -emotionally and physically.  The pain of going thru' the days can be excruciating. It can hurt horribly. It can also seem to be the end of the world..at times. In such a situation, what can we do? When we have no strength to carry on any further. Go with the flow ? Yeah, what can we do when fate plays it's role - beyond our wildest imaginations ? Think rationally...there must be a reason behind all these...so, just build that courage, get up, fight with all our might and get back on our feet. Ha! Easier said than done we say - absolutely ! But do we have a choice? Yes. We ought to learn to navigate thru' all those struggles. We must continue to try not to let those problems take over us. How upsetting and threatening it can be, we must be brave and fight that "war"...the battle in our heart. Never slip into it. Flee from it. No matter how hard and painful life can be, never let it rule our life. Hang in there and never give up too soon. Most of us have fought life's toughest battle, a hard battle and in the end that battle which we fought would be one that was worthy of fighting. Believe me. I have been in it and have emerged out of it. I am thankful for a supportive family, relatives, friends and above all some very close buddies...Today, my thoughts are for those who may be in that situation. Their struggles can be endless. The sufferings even much more painful. Worries multiplied. The feelings may be like having the weight of the world on their shoulders. Try and try and they keep falling. My thoughts are with them. Can you imagine how soul destroying it could be for them? There is a saying - "we enjoy warmth because we have been cold...we appreciate light because we have been in darkness and by the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness"...

 And this is for you, you and you... and to a special buddy of mine, who would protect me at any time....this is for you..and I hope you will find some peace soonish......here's a beautiful meaningful poem written by Emmanuel Manirakiza....just how true it is ...."The Greatest Battle - The Battle Of The Heart"....

Sometimes the greatest battle is the battle of heart;
The battle to compromise the desires of life;
The battle to stay strong in the face of adversity;
And to break the chains of history;
The battle to choose to be yourself,
The battle to stay calm in days of anxiety;
The battle to hold back the roaming word;
The battle to face reality;
The battle to get clear about what you want;
And the battle to take your turn;
The battle to acknowledge your limits;
While you believe in your strength;
The battle to step forward when you want to back off;
The battle to face your fears
The battle to set boundaries;
And to keep resolutions;
The battle of doing what works;
And of doing what matters;
The battle to accept your flaws;
And to be satisfied with what you have;
The battle to step out of the nutshell;
And to realize your destiny;
The battle to ban the desires of fame,
And to tell the truth and not flattery!
The battle to lean alone on hope;
And the battle to believe in miracles;
Sometimes the hardest battle is the battle of heart;
The battle to lead yourself before you leads others.

And I hope, you will be strong and ....

Tourist Visa Application to India

Diwali's kinda over ! And, now the real highlight of the year is about to begin - yeah ! family vacation to motherland - India ..Incredible India ! Got our tourist visa application submitted yesterday. There were some hiccups in the submission initially. We had 2 options - either to fill the visa application form manually (hand written) or fill up via online and get a print-out and submit. We chose the later. And, online visa application has now become mandatory. Ok, let me fill you in to what happened...

This is where you gotta log in to fill up the visa form
http://www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/

You'll be given a Temporary Application ID at the beginning when you are directed to fill in details  - remember to jot it down before you start filling in other required details.

Once you've completed the form, you'll be given another number called the Myfile reference - jot this down too (although not necessary) since the number will appear in the print out. Save a copy of the visa form and print out one copy for submission. You will need to sign on the first page just below where you affix your 2x2 passport size photo (with white background) and remember to sign the second page too. Signatures should be that which appears in the passport. For a single entry tourist visa the fee is RM168. So, that's what we did on Thursday morning - filling up the form for everyone and then headed straight to Straits Trading Building, Jalan Tun Perak, KL where the Indian Visa Centre is located - you'll find all these information here http://www.indianhighcommission.com.my/notification_onlinevisa.php

(this is the indian visa centre @ straits trading building - people waiting to submit their application)

At the visa centre, all our applications were screened by a lady at the Reception and everything was in order and we were then given a number to submit the application at the main counter. We waited for about 20 mins and our number was called. We hopped over and proudly presented the applications. The guy over the counter keyed in something twice and then told us to come back tomorrow and re-submit. Apparently, for online application, we've gotta wait for a day before doing the submission. Can you believe that? I thought the moment we key in all the details it would be in their file but apparently it takes a day. Haha...so much about electronically filled forms not being able to be linked instantly on network. Anyway, that was the hiccup. So, we went back home kinda dissappointed. Yesterday (Friday) we got up as early as possible and were at the visa centre 10 mins before 9. Yay ! we were the first and got everything submitted. Fees paid and our passports are now in the visa centre's custody. The collection of passports will be on Monday evening. Now, we've got to keep our fingers crossed that there won't be any further hiccups. Btw, we can even check the status of our application (whether it's been approved) by using that temporary id number - remember the one I mentioned earlier? hmm...yup, that's it. Cool, right ?

Another thing we encountered was if the passport size photos are not as per the required size, you can actually submit manually. Only electronically filled forms must strictly follow the actual measurement. But I guess with the online visa application which has now become mandatory, you have to ensure the size of photos are accurate as I think manually filled application will become history..haha...


(haa...note the online visa application ruling enforced !)

(yay ! we'll be getting ours on Monday between 5.30 - 6.00pm)

(hopefully this peeps here get their application submitted without any hiccups!)

(ummm...being a yoga freak, couldn't resist taking a pic of this poster at the centre)

( another poster at the visa centre - Taj Mahal - sadly, will not be visiting this trip...next trip perhaps !)

So, going to India soon ? Need a visa ? Umm...just follow the above - and wait ! let me get my visa approved first then you proceed...haha....goodluck to me/us ! :-)

Lucky Colours

I always wanted to know my lucky colour. So, I went on a "search" and found that our date of birth actually decides our lucky colour. So, according to my date of birth, my lucky colours are YELLOW, GOLD, RED, PALE BLUE and my unlucky colours are BLACK and COFFEE BROWN......man ! yellow's not at all in my fav list and black is what I adore :-( 

Here, take a peek into what your lucky colour is ! And note that the luckiest colours are in bold. Btw, I'm not going to use anything in yellow...lol...



BIRTH DATE: 1
BORN ON: 1,10,19,28
LUCKY COLOURS: Yellow, gold, red, pale blue
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 2
BORN ON: 2,11,20,29
LUCKY COLOURS: Dark green, green, yellow, gold, white with green
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, red, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 3
BORN ON: 3,12,21,30
LUCK COLOURS: Yellow, blue and rose mixed, gold, orange, rose, pale blue, pale red
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Green, black, brown, dark blue

BIRTH DATE: 4
BORN ON: 4,13,22,31
LUCKY COLOURS: Pale blue, sky blue, yellow, gold, ash
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 5
BORN ON: 5, 14, 23
LUCKY COLOURS: Ash, Grey, gold, silver, pale blue
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown, green

BIRTH DATE; 6
BORN ON: 6, 15, 24
LUCKY COLOURS: Green, pale blue, reddish green
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Rose, red and orange

BIRTH DATE: 7
BORN ON: 7,16, 25
LUCKY COLOURS: Pale yellow, pale green, pale blue, white
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black , red, coffee brown

BIRTH DATE: 8
BORN ON: 8,17,26
LUCKY COLOURS: Blue, dark blue, yellow, gold
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Black, coffee brown, red,

BIRTH DATE: 9
BORN ON: 9,18,27
LUCKY COLOURS: Red, blue, yellow with white
UNLUCKY COLOURS: Green, coffee brown,

Listen ! there's more to follow. This may just be some superstitious stuff.....apparently different colours have different values too. So, when we wear the right colour on the right day, it's supposed to bring good luck. Here, the colour of your day of birth is held to be your lucky colour. And, guess what?? I was born on a Monday....and oh boy !! not again...help ! it's Yellow once more... :-(

 






Yellow for Monday
Pink for Tuesday
Green for Wednesday
Orange for Thursday
Blue for Friday
Purple for Saturday
Red for Sunday

 

So much about Monday blues....


Here I am on a Monday morning wishing I could just rewind to Saturday….lol. Yeah, so much of fun and excitement over the weekend and that kinda makes me want to hang on to my blessed rest days. But, frankly …I really don’t dread Mondays. I used to resent Mondays when I was younger but now not that much. It’s just the couple of hours of waking up on a Monday morning that the lazy mood sets in. That’s when I would wish for everything. You know that feeling ? It’s really such a drag to get up on Monday mornings. And, that’s when I would wish for so many things. I remember wishing if I could just call in sick (sorry boss ! if you’re reading this…just being honest…lol). I remember how I would just get up and scowl at my alarm clock and press the snooze button. One that I remembered was pressing the stop instead of the snooze button and the rest you can imagine...lol....a rush-rush Monday it was !!…

Actually, it’s pretty easy to change your mind set about Mondays though ! Remember, it’s not only a Monday that starts the work week rolling. There are times it could be a Tuesday especially so when Monday’s a public holiday.  Then, Tuesday becomes the “bad boy” right ? Haha…..It’s pretty much the same feeling we’ll have on Tuesday or even Wednesday too.  See what I mean ?


So, let’s squash our Monday “problems” and get it going. We’ve got the choice how we want to deal with Monday blues. Mondays are for real whether we like it or not.  Go get a cup of coffee if you’re feeling sleepy and jump start your Monday. It may take a while to get tuned in but I am sure soon enough it will get your adrenalin pumpin' and you will be all alert and love your day…..your Monday !

And, remember...life is just really really really too short to dread Mondays...and we should avoid wishing for any part of our life away because every second, every minute, every hour and every day...counts !!

Love your Mondays, people. I'm loving mine... :-)

Diwali

Diwali is approaching. It's on Wednesday, 26th October 2011. I will be spending Diwali with my family - mum, siblings, relatives and my lil' sumo (nephew). It's going to be a simple family gathering since the following week after Diwali will be our family vacation to India. I have kinda planned what I'll do on Diwali. I am just going to laze around. Eat..lol (who doesn't anyway ?), watch movies, play with lil' sumo and sleep. Umm...that's exactly how it's gonna be celebrated. Just doing nothing ! And yeah, forgot to mention...it will be a cracker's free Diwali too cos' I don't want lil' sumo to jump out of fright ! So, though it may sound a lil' less interesting, however, the best part of it all is time spent with loved ones...more so, it's lil' sumo's first Diwali...that's just gonna be a super and special Diwali. I know he is too young (5 months old) to know what the celebration is all about but I guess he will be curious no doubt ..lol

So, what are you up to for Diwali ? Happy Diwali, folks ! Have a good one.... :-)


Quotes that captured my heart

Quotes speak alot. Some motivates us and keeps our spirits high whilst instilling positiveness in us. Others makes us wonder and ponder. I've seen many and these are the few that captured my heart and I hope they do for your too...




















Rain, Lightning & Thunder....

Right now in my place, there's a heavy downpour... thunderstorm and fierce strikes of lightning. Is it an indication that God is angry ? I always thought so. When I was small, I used to think that God must be so very angry for something that's been happening on earth. The rain would mean God is crying and the thunder is His loud outburst and each time the lightning strikes is that of His pen writing someone's last day on earth. I used to feel so terrified thinking of all this....then, I was told that was not the case at all ! A much more comforting story about rain, lightning and thunder was that God is bowling. Each time He strikes, that's the lightning and the thunder is the applause that He gets from his angels...and the rain ? That's a lil' sad. They all cry when God misses a strike...but I found this much more comforting than the other....lol...who wouldn't anyway? Umm...I'd better stop here before I get into trouble and I don't want my lappy either to be hit by a power surge ! ....lol