During a sharing session that I’ve attended during last Saturday, someone shared this very inspiring poem written by Portia Nelson.
Since it is such an inspiring and enlightening poem, I would love to take this opportunity to share with all you lovely souls out there who have been with us in this post after our recent long silence:
Autobiography In Five Short Chapters
Portia Nelson
*****
Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in. I am lostā¦.I am helpless.
It isnāt my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
*****
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the side walk.
I pretend I donāt see it.
I fall in again.
I canāt believe I am in the same place.
But it isnāt my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
*****
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I fall inā¦itās a habitā¦but my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
*****
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
*****
Chapter 5
I walk down a different street.
Ahhh…those darn deep holes in our life…do they sound like a familiar place to you?
I’ve fallen, many times before, without knowing
I’ve fallen, many more times before, knowing very clearly that I would need to get out via the hard way
Those were done during my younger days. thinking that I still have many days ahead to waste
At this stage of my life
I might need to fall into them a few more times, without knowing
But I need to get rid of this bad habit, so that I can walk around them with my head held high
For getting rid of this bad habit may make me wiser than before
Wise enough to help myself discover many more streets to walk down
Before ending this post, this is a soundtrack from the movie “Evita” (one of the few movies that I had watched in cinemas) to share with you lovely soul out there.
I simply love the tune of this song and though the lyrics sounded really sad, it is also very enlightening as well.
May you lovely souls enjoy the poem and song that we’ve shared in this post.
I’ve gotten this answer from Rhino the hamster after watching “Bolt” during a few years back and thus would like to share with you lovely souls out there via this post:
The answer from Rhino (or should I say the script writer) has waken me up.
A ball indeed is all he has.
To us, he is just a hamster inside a ball and yet he sees that ball as his main asset.
Ever wonder, especially when we are solving those very complicated mathematical problems and after writing almost half a page of working lines, the answer turns out to be only a O or a 1?
I am not a mathematician and I won’t and will never understand the beauty in those equations, thus I, together with my very sore fingers, would get very frustrated even after getting the correct answer.
Technology is so advance these days that sometimes it makes us forget about the simplest and the most basic things in life.
A simple smile can break an icy/awkward situation.Ā
A sincere ‘Hi’ or ‘Goodbye’ can resolve a misunderstanding.
A heartfelt handshake or hug can enhance a new-found relationship.
Life itself is really not a bed of (thorn-free) roses.
Roses have thorns but we don’t really need any fancy equipment to get rid of those thorns in order to make our bed of roses a thorn-free one.
A simple cutter will do the trick.
Rhino has a ball, have you lovely souls found that simple cutter of yours yet?
Thank you so much for reading this post.
Have a wonderful and thorn-free day ahead, always!
The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivatedĀ and its fruits have been improved through selection over thousands of years.Ā The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called “common apples”.
The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, fiveĀ petaled, and 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres (0.98 to 1.4 in) in diameter. The fruit matures in autumn, and is typically 5 to 9 centimetres (2.0 to 3.5 in) in diameter.
The center of the fruit contains fiveĀ carpelsĀ arranged in aĀ five-point star, each carpel containing one to threeĀ seeds, calledĀ pips.
Apples appear in manyĀ religious traditions, often as a mystical orĀ forbidden fruit.
One of the problems identifying apples in religion,Ā mythologyĀ andĀ folktalesĀ is that the word “apple” was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries, but including nuts, as late as the 17th century.
Though the forbidden fruit in theĀ Book of GenesisĀ is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple thatĀ Eve coaxedĀ AdamĀ to share with her.
In this case the unnamed fruit ofĀ EdenĀ became an apple under the influence of story of theĀ golden applesĀ in theĀ Garden of Hesperides.
As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve, the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself.
Apples are often eaten raw; except for the seeds, which are slightly poisonous, the whole fruit including the skin is suitable for human consumption but the core is often not eaten, leaving an apple core as a residue.
Peacocking and weaseling may sound like strange terms when weāre talking about writing, but they should be understood if youāre on a quest to become a better writer.
Peacock and weasel termsare difficult to avoid, but once you learn what they are, and why they should be avoided, youāll be able to spot them in your own writing.
PEACOCK TERMS
Peacock terms promote a subject without providing attribution and they are often used to grab a readerās attention, but typically reflect an unqualified opinion.
Examples:
one of the most important
one of the best
the indisputable
outstanding
among the most notable
WEASEL TERMS
Like peacock terms, weasel words and phrases aim to create an impression that the writer wrote something meaningful and specific, when in fact only vague, general, and ambiguous information was claimed.
Weasel terms tend to promote the thought that something is widely accepted, whether it is or isnāt.Ā Weasels are clever and guile mammals ā so are weasel words. In fact, weasels are so sneaky, that their often mistaken for a rodent, rather than a mammal.
Examples:
Studies show… (What studies?)
Some argue…(Who argues?)
Critics say…(Ok, what critics?)
Is considered by many… (Great, but who?)
Peacock and weasel terms are difficult to avoid, but once you learn what they are, and why they should be avoided, youāll be able to spot them in your own writing.
AĀ farthingĀ was aĀ coinĀ ofĀ England,Ā Great Britain, and finally of the United Kingdom, worth one quarter of aĀ penny, 1/960 of aĀ pound sterling.
Such coins were firstĀ mintedĀ in England in the 13th century, and continued to be used until 31 December 1960, when they ceased to beĀ legal tender.
These old BritishĀ PennyĀ andĀ FarthingĀ (quarter penny) coins had inspired the name of the Penny-Farthing bicycle.
The penny-farthing (also known as High Wheel, High WheelerĀ and Ordinary), the first machine to be called ‘a bicycle’, is a term used to describe a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel, popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s.
An important and unfortunate attribute of the penny-farthing is that the rider sits high and nearly over the front axle. Ā To stop, the rider presses back on the pedals while applying a spoon-shaped brake pressing the tire.Ā When the wheel strikes rocks and ruts, or under hard braking, the rider can be pitched forward off the bicycle head-first, called “taking a header” or simply “a header”.
Two new developments changed this situation, and led to the rise of the Safety bicycle. The first was the chain drive, originally used on tricycles, allowing aĀ gear ratioĀ to be chosen independent of the wheel size. The second was the pneumaticĀ bicycle tire, allowing smaller wheels to provide a smooth ride.
Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the lateĀ Victorian era. Its popularity also coincided with the birth of cycling as a sport.
A big thank you to this lovely soul,Sagedoyle, Ā for sharing his happiness with us and with this last sharing received, we shall wrap up our ‘Happy List’ series at this moment.
If you lovely souls would like to share your happy list with us after reading this post, do feel free to fill up our comment box with all your happy lists so that we can share with all the lovely souls out there!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Vijay @ HEMĀ Ā and Sagedoyle and for sharing this lovely award with us on 5th Jan 2014 and 27th April 2014 respectively:
These two lovely souls love reading and of course, writing, each having their own unique styles. Do free feel to pay them a visit and indulge yourselves in their writings.
ReadingĀ is a largeĀ townĀ andĀ unitary authority areaĀ in theĀ ceremonial countyĀ ofĀ Berkshire, England.
The name probably comes from theĀ Readingas, anĀ Anglo-SaxonĀ tribe whose name meansĀ Reada’s PeopleĀ inĀ Old English,Ā or less probably theĀ CelticĀ Rhydd-Inge, meaningĀ Ford over the River.
By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, and tax returns show that Reading was the 10th largest town in England when measured by taxable wealth.
The town continued to expand in the 20th century, annexingĀ CavershamĀ across the River Thames inĀ OxfordshireĀ in 1911.
āAngry people are not always wise.āĀ
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Portrait of Jane Austen, drawn by her sister Cassandra (c. 1810) – Wikipedia
Jane AustenĀ attended Reading Ladies Boarding School, based in theĀ Abbey Gateway, in 1784ā86.
“Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.”
Oscar Wilde
Photograph taken in 1882 by Napoleon Saron – Wikipedia
Oscar WildeĀ was imprisoned inĀ Reading GaolĀ from 1895ā97.
After his release, he lived in exile in France and wroteĀ The Ballad of Reading Gaol, based on his experience of the execution ofĀ Charles Wooldridge, carried out in Reading Gaol whilst he was imprisoned there.
āJust because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.āĀ
Ricky Gervais
Gervais at Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars” in 2010 – Wikipedia
Ricky GervaisĀ is from Reading.
He made the filmĀ Cemetery Junction, which, although filmed elsewhere in the UK, is set in 1970s Reading and is named afterĀ a busy junctionĀ inĀ East Reading.
September 2, 2014
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