~~Something To Read About~~

CLOSING CYCLES by: Paolo Coelho

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through.

Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden?

You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened. You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that.

But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

None of us can be in the present and the past at the same time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us. What has passed will not return: we cannot for ever be children, late adolescents, sons that feel guilt or
rancor towards our parents, lovers who day and night relive an affair with someone who has gone away and has not the least intention of coming
back.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away. That is why it is so important (however painful it maybe!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.

Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them. Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not
expect anything in return; do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, and decisions that are always put off waiting for the ideal moment. Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person. Nothing is irreplaceable. A habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, and shake off the dust. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.

Posted by tEtAy at 11:23 PM 12 comments

Sunday, February 11, 2007

~~Steps To Take To Avoid Getting Hurt In A Relationship~~

The biggest fear when it comes to a relationship is whether or not a certain person will leave you hurt, heart broken or otherwise affected. What I've found though is that many people open themselves up for potential hurt by not following a few common sense rules. It seems that the desire to be around someone who is interested in you, even if you are "settling" by being with him or her is worth the risk. If you find yourself in, or afraid of these types of situations, keep in mind the following tips. They just might help you avoid a future hurt.

*Find Out Where You Stand
The unknown is a powerful force. It can drive you crazy, make you doubt yourself and potentially destroy a relationship. Don't let this happen to you! Make sure you know where you stand in your relationship. In the same respect, make sure you continually let your partner know where they stand as well. You'll both be happier, and you'll have an easier time of communicating to each other.

*Don't Play Mind Games
The person you are involved with, or about to be involved with, is another being -- just like you. Playing mind games is just another way to increase your chances of getting hurt in the end. Personally, I feel that if you are willing to play mind games with a person, then you don't respect that individual enough for a relationship anyway. So do that person a favor and let him or her go.

*Don't Sleep with Someone You Don’t Know Very Well
This may seem obvious, but for many people it is not. I've heard countless requests for advice which involve a person not sure where they stand with a certain person, yet they've been involved intimately with them. Now they are faced with a potential loveless affair, are completely unhappy, and are being driven by the fear of the unknown. No matter what the urge is, if you are interested in someone for more than just a fling, don't do it until, at the very least, you are clear about the other person's feelings for you. You can avoid many future downfalls by following this tip!

*Be Honest With Each Other
Your honesty, or lack thereof, can either build or destroy your relationship. Be honest with your partner about everything,and expect the same from your partner.Too many times, I see people who have let their partner lie to them about everything, cheat on them, and worse -- yet, they continue to be with them all "in the name of love." That type of love is no love at all. It is clinging to the fact that being with someone, even though they are hurting you, is better than being alone. It is fine, and perfectly reasonable to have strong feelings or affection towards someone, but it is altogether something else when you allow yourself to stay in a relationship that has a negative effect on you.

*Don't Settle
If you know that a person isn't right for you -- go find someone who is. Don't wait to see if the relationship could turn into something better. You'll only find yourself a few years down the line in the same, or in an even worse, situation than you are in now. If you find yourself nit-picking about too many of your partner's traits early in your relationship, think forward to how much these "traits" will bother you after a few years.
========================================================

A relationship is 50% your responsibility, and 50% your partner's. Sometimes those numbers change depending on the situation. If you find things going down the wrong path, speak up and do something about it. Don't let it slide, thinking that things will get better. Proclaimed ignorance is not an excuse.This is YOUR life, don't be afraid to do things that will make it better.

~~Depression~~

Depression is very common and affects as many as one in eight people in their teen years. Depression affects people of every color, race, economic status, or age; however, it does seem to affect more females than males during adolescence and adulthood.

Why Do People Get Depressed?
There is no single cause for depression. Many factors play a role including genetics, environment, medical conditions, life events, and certain thinking patterns that affect a person's reaction to events.
Research has revealed that depression runs in families and suggests that some people inherit genes that make it more likely for them to get depressed. But not everyone who has the genetic makeup for depression actually gets depression. And many people who have no family history of depression have the condition. So, although genes are one factor, they aren't the single cause of depression.
Life events - for example, the death of a close family member or friend - can go beyond normal grief and can sometimes lead to depression.
Family and social environment also play a role. For some teens, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere can affect their self-esteem and lead to depression.

Types of Depression
For some people, depression can be intense and occur in bouts that last for weeks at a time. For others, depression can be less severe but can linger at a low level for years.
Doctors who treat depression distinguish between these two forms, diagnosing the more severe, short-lasting form as major depression, and the longer-lasting but less severe form as dysthymia.
A third form of depression that may be diagnosed is called adjustment disorder with depressed mood. It refers to a depressive reaction to a specific life event (such as a death, divorce, or other loss) when the adjustment to the loss takes longer than the normally expected time frame or is more severe than expected and interferes with the person's daily activities.
Bipolar disorder (also sometimes called manic depressive illness) is another depressive condition that involves periods of major depression mixed with periods of mania. Mania is the term for abnormally high mood and extreme bursts of unusual activity or energy.

Yes, I’ve been to the doctor and I’m depressed…

~~Bitterness or Girl Power!?~~

Watch the video and Pay attention to the lyrics…

What do you think of the song?

Bitterness is an emotion which encompasses feelings of anger and hatred. It is often a feeling of resentment directed towards others for reasons of neglect, jealousy, or trauma.

Bitterness is loss frozen in resentment. Bitterness grows out of our refusal to let go when someone or something is taken from us.

Perhaps it grows from the literal loss of a loved one or of a job, or income, or relationship. Sometimes it might be more subtle and grow from the loss of a reputation, or social position in a group, or control. Whatever the cause, bitterness grows out of unreleased loss.

Whenever we lose something or someone significant we often feel the following thoughts and emotions over a period of time as we grieve over that loss:

• There is often denial. 'This can't be happening to me. I will wake up and it will go away!'
• There may be shock and numbness.
• There is often guilt. 'I did something wrong. I'm being punished. This is my fault!'
• Perhaps there is depression, especially when a death or loss of career is involved. 'This is so awful. Life is now meaningless. I can't cope!'
• There is almost certainly anger. 'My world is changing. How dare anybody come and change my world? Why should it happen to me?'
• There is almost certainly bargaining. 'If only I hadn't said that … made that journey … If only he/she hadn't moved got promoted … moved away … bought that … This loss would not have happened. If I could change the circumstances I could lessen the loss. I could have prevented it!'

The final stage of grieving is to be able to let go.

The phrase "Girl Power," as a term of empowerment, expressed a cultural phenomenon of the mid-late 1990s to the early 2000s and is also linked to third-wave feminism.

There is great debate as to both the origins and meaning of the phrase "Girl Power." While "Grrrl Power" was a term frequently associated with the Riot Grrrl movement during the early 1990s (it is written on the cover of Bikini Kill fanzine #2, which helped start the riot grrl movement), this term was also associated with the Plumstead pop-punk duo Shampoo. They released both an album and single titled Girl Power in early 1995 (despite the fact that they were quoted—tongue planted firmly in cheek—as saying, ""Girl Power is a load of rubbish, who the hell thought that one up anyway?"^[1]

However, it was Welsh indie band Helen Love who first recorded the words, on their debut single Formula One Racing Girls, released on the Damaged Goods label in 1993.^[2] The song itself is a nod to Riot Grrrl and embraces the concept of Girl Power and Female Emancipation:

I bought these jeans to make you love me

I cut a hole so your hand would fit

Now I don't care about you

So I'm going to sew up all the rips

Girl power.

I bought these boots to make you happy

I strapped them up to turn you on

now I don't care about you

I've got my Huggy Bear t-shirt on

I'm not going to dress up for you

I'm not going to pay your rent

outside the sun is shining

I'm hanging out with my girlfriends

Girl power.

In 2001, the Oxford English Dictionary added the term Girl Power!, defining this phrase as "a self-reliant attitude among girls and young women manifested in ambition, assertiveness and individualism."^[3]

The OED also gives an example of this term by quoting from "Angel Delight", an article in the March 24, 2001 issue of Dreamwatch about the television series Dark Angel:

After the Sarah Connors and Ellen Ripleys of the eighties, the nineties weren't so kind to the superwoman format—Xena Warrior Princess excepted. But it's a new millennium now, and while Charlie's Angels and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are kicking up a storm on movie screens, it's been down to James Cameron to bring empowered female warriors back to television screens. And tellingly, Cameron has done it by mixing the sober feminism of his Terminator and Aliens characters with the sexed-up Girl Power of a Britney Spears concert. The result is Dark Angel.

Going back to the song, I actually caught myself arguing about it with some friends(male and female). Some say its bitterness and some would say its just a girl thing called “Girl power”.

Is it Bitterness or Girl Power!?

Check out my Slide Show!

~~Theme Song~~

What caught my attention last night was a scene in the cartoon Family Guy. Family Guy is an American animated television series about a nuclear family in the suburb of Quahog (IPA [kowhɔg] or [kowhɒg]), Rhode Island. It was created by Seth MacFarlane for FOX in 1999.

Family Guy's humor is famous, or even sometimes infamous, for its use of non sequiturs, usually in the form of flashbacks. The show was cancelled once in 2000 and again in 2002, but strong DVD sales and the large viewership of reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim convinced FOX to resume the show in 2005. It is the first canceled show to be resurrected based on DVD sales.

Watch this...

What's Your theme song?

~~Do you have a DIRTY MIND?~~

Take a look at the first picture first… So what did you see?

Now proceed and read below to find an explanation of what you really saw.

I’m sure you will find this very interesting..

Research has shown that young children cannot identify the intimate couple because they do not have prior memory associated with such scenario. What they will see are the nine dolphins.

Additional note: This is a test to determine if you already have a corrupted mind. If it’s hard for you to find the dolphins within 3 seconds, your mind is indeed corrupted.

~~Moments~~

Everything good and everything bad that ever happened in our lives happened in a single moment. When we make school, career and life decisions that affect us for the rest of our lives, we are aware at the time of their significance, of their risk and of the consequences if we make a poor decision. And then we make the decision as best as we can, and face whatever may come thereafter.

However, as time passes by, the more I realize that it is not just the few and mighty moments that define us. It is not just who we are, what career we decide to follow, whether we have a child or not, whether we face a life-threatening illness or traumatic situation. Indeed, the moment is much bigger than that.

It is in the moment that we act and react. It is in the moment that we decide to pay attention to our family, respond to our subordinates and go home on time rather than work late at the office. It is in the moment that we decide to be honest about how we feel, or hide our truth. It is in the moment that we notice something is funny or take it as an angry and serious event. It is the moment that leaves us elated or depressed.

Funny because at times I always find myself asking such: Does the moment define the life? What is the difference between a great life and a mediocre life? Is it the vastness of the talent and the years of experience that a person possesses? Or is it the way a person handles a handful of moments that explains that person's success?

Hmmm…

Moments in Life

By Author Unknown

There are moments in life when you miss someone
so much that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often times we look so long at the
closed door that we don't see the one,
which has been opened for us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
because it takes only a smile to
make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go;
be what you want to be,
because you have only one life
and one chance to do all the things
you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human and
enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always
be based on a forgotten past;
you can't go forward in life until
you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying
and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end,
you're the one who is smiling and everyone
around you is crying.

Don't count the years-count the memories...........

Brighten Someone's day by sharing this poem!
Someone who means something to you
Someone who has touched your life in one way or another;
Someone who makes you smile when you really need it;
Someone who makes you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
Someone whose friendship you appreciate!

Posted by tEtAy at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 4, 2007

~~History of giving the Finger~~

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew").

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew! PLUCK YEW!"

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute are mistakenly thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter.

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird".
And yew thought yew knew everything!

~~The Irony of Love~~

Irony is an implied discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.
Three kinds of irony:

1. verbal irony is when an author says one thing and means something else.
2. dramatic irony is when an audience perceives something that a character in the literature does not know.
3. irony of situation is a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results.

The Irony of Love

The greatest irony of love;
loving the right person at the wrong time,
having the wrong person when the time is right
and finding out you love someone right after
that person walks out of your life…

and sometimes, you think you're already over a person,
but when you see them smile at you,
you'll suddenly realize that you're just pretending
to be over them just to ease the pain of knowing that
they will never be yours again…

for some, they think that letting go is one way
of expressing how much they love that person…
in my opinion, some are afraid to see the one they love
being held by someone else…

most relationships tend to fail not because
the absence of love. love is always present.
it's just that one was being loved too much and the
other was being loved too little…

as we all know that the heart is the center of the body
but it beats on the left. maybe that's the reason
why the heart is not always right…

most often we fall in love with the person we think we love
but to only discover that for them
we are just for passing time. while the one who truly
loves us remains either a friend or a stranger…

so here's a piece of advice;
let go when you're hurting too much.
give up when love isn't enough.
and move on when things are not like before…

For sure there is someone out there

WHO WiLL LOVE YOU EVEN MORE…

Being with someone doesn't guarantee happiness. Finding your other half does. It doesn't matter how long you've been alone, how long you've hoped or how long you've waited. There's no such thing as a perfect love story. Heartaches will always be a part of loving. But remember, though no perfect, if that love is meant for you, it will stick with you 'till the end. No matter how tough it gets, no matter how long. Far from perfect...but real.