Beauty Pagaent Of A Different Kind

The other day an extraordinary article in the local newspaper caught my attention and it appeared truly incredible.Perhaps I was intrigued by the title that I read it immediately. According to the paper, a beauty contest  has been scheduled   to be hosted here in Saudi Arabia. 'What!' 'A beauty contest ! Here in Saudi Arabia!' That was my first reaction when  reading that particular subject.But reading further I came to understand that this pageant is of a different kind.

Those participating, are from all corners of the Arabian peninsula.These contestants  from  all over the GCC countries will be vying for the prized  crown or  could it be a head dress or a headband? Maybe who knows? All these would-be contestants are obviously  natural beauties..Nevertheless I am still pondering how they might be judged.Will they be judged simply for their beauty or for their overall intelligence or how they would carry themselves on the ramp ??The  lucky winner  will not only  wear the crown  but  will be showered with bundles of notes.If given an opportunity to attend this one-of-a-kind event,which definitely will be celebrated with much pomp and pageantry,I will  without any hesitation  join  the fun. I am on the edge of my seat in anticipation  to witness this exceptional  beauty pagent purely for the  reason that they are four-legged. I have heard of cats and dogs being crowned but camels?? Oh yes ! you heard me correct!

On further researching about this interesting event,I came to know that the event is on going and will  continue for the next couple of weeks.More than 13,000 camels from Saudi Arabia,the UAE and other Gulf Arab countries have  been  flocked  inside a huge  enclosed area,for the region’s largest camel beauty contest.This spectacular  event is being  held in the North of  Saudi Arabia.A panel comprising  camel connoisseurs will chose three winners at the final day of the event..

As  enthusiastic as I am about this  whole  event , I  am  a little disappointed I am not even  a bystander  at this Kingdom's first ever beauty pageant for the ships of the desert.In any case I am depending on my reliable source ,the internet for future  updates.Before signing off,here’s me cheering… the impending winners, Hip Hip Hurrah!!

Picture source-internet

An Inspirational Quote

“Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky.We fell them down and turn them into paper that we may record our emptiness.” 
-Khalil Gibran-

Power Of Punctuation

Punctuation marks are ciphers that point out the structure and the meaning of written language.In written English,punctuation is very important so as to make it more comprehensible the meaning of a sentence. In order words, punctuation helps the reader to  understand the written text easily.Words and stories have to to be arranged in proper  order for the reader to sufficiently  grasp the story.Without properly punctuating a story, the reader would n’t  understand what you are trying to convey. I have created a picture blog depicting the popular text ‘woman without her man is nothing’ See how punctuation can also totally change the meaning of a text.

Of Tell-a-Tale And Fairy-Tales

Eid has come and gone. And with it the whole ambiance changed as well. I wholeheartedly welcome this change but wondering how I am going to cope the colder days ahead. Already the festivity mood has vanished into thin air despite the fact that the holidays are still on. My children will get back to school this Saturday. Till then, its hubbub everyday with all four, staggering for the television or the computer. And what more with the arrival of the latest thingy by name of play station 3, the children cannot differentiate day and night and if they had eaten their meals or not. How ever I have come to a decision that once school reopens, this newest gizmo will be veiled for awhile in a probable attempt to divert the children’s attention more toward school activities.

With the four at home, noise and clamor is an everyday thing. They have found ways and means to bring the house upside down. It‘s like we are celebrating Halloween here. Recently they scared the guts out of me with an eerie music they played on and off via their latest gizmo. And mind you, top of all this, there’s the high-pitched blaring that takes place in between regular intervals. Mine vs theirs. The only favourable outcome I have achieved so far from this screeching is my vocals cords have all toned up, though sadly not too good to put into use in a singing competition. Nonetheless this hullabaloo generated by my children on a daily basis has not changed my attitude towards them at all. My heart grows fonder day after day and my love for them deeper.

The children having a break from school has a positive side too. There is plenty of quality time that's being spent with each other and this - bonding, brings us much closer. As much as they create a mayhem, children also bring into our lives lots of fun, laughter and happiness.

    
The other day, extremely astounded, my seven year old came to me and said ‘Mom! I think she’s going to marry a frog.'    

My first reaction was a surprised, 'What! Who?' Although quite amused at this, I kept asking him how sure was he with his announcement. Then he went on ‘I am sure Mom. I heard her telling someone on the phone. Go, ask her.'
'Yes! Yes! Go ask her,' prompted my ten-year-old in an encouraging manner. Even though I found this outlandish, I thought it would be better if I got an explanation from my daughter so as to clear any doubts and alleviate all forms of suspicions from the perplexed two.

I was laughing my wits off when I heard my daughter very coolly say 'Oh that! My friend and I were talking about Walt Disneys’ The Princess and the Frog.'
'Marry a frog? What was he thinking! It happens only in Fairy Tales!'

    
Oh ! Dear Me! Why wasn’t I thinking?

(image source courtesy internet)

                                               

Remember This Too Shall Pass

Reflecting on the  views  of  Richard Carlson, the  writer who penned simple solutions on how  to keep daily responsibilities and household chaos from taking over your life   in one of the many ’Don’t sweat the small stuff ‘, books , made me  realize and acknowledge how motivational his ideas were and how inspiring he was as a writer,author,speaker and a family man.He has shared  with his readers his perception of how to handle household chaos in a very easy and comprehensive manner. No doubt the book is full of immeasurable facts and encouragement on every reasonable topic from how to manage stress to coping difficulties and managing the house without sweating the small stuff. He has high lighted the importance of family values in every point of view. And each chapter has been  written under  different topics relating to our home, environment and those near and dear. 

He is one of my favourite writers of the modern times. A motivational speaker who rose to fame with his ‘Dont Sweat The Small stuff series .It was quite by chance  during a visit to the bookstore that I happened to stumble upon this book.And by the time I finished reading I had become an ardent fan.With his straightforward opinions on how to tackle life’s obstacles,challenges, other negative emotions and also the many little things that  infuriate us at the slightest provocation,he has encouraged us to think optimistically. He has elaborated that these are barricades that could be maneuvered tactfully   in our quest for peace, happiness and love .

Although I have read this book an umpteenth time., I keep turning to it for moral support whenever I need to defy my unbalanced  state of mind, presumably when I am at my weakest every month.

Adapting some of his opinions that he set forth in his writing  and putting them  to practice has  enabled me  to accomplish  my  daily household  chores  in a stable mind-set which otherwise was impossible.Especially during weekdays- In the mornings ( this is the time the commotion begins) when everyone is in a hurry to go about their business: to school, workplace  leaving behind the  thoroughly exhausted self to clean-up the aftermath of the big mad rush.

Here is a  quote  from the book  that changed the whole outlook dealing with the hustle and the bustle, ‘The best and the most effective way to maintain a grateful spirit and keep yourself from being overwhelmed is to remember that all things –even the hard things –will pass.’

Am I glad! I now get about my daily household tasks with  an upbeat approach..

Time And Tide Wait For None

Sometimes I have the tendency to put off things that should be dealt with right away. By postponing the task  for another day, I found that things have got amassed and the task, mind-numbing .Like for instance clearing my emails that have gone beyond a thousand. That does n't mean I have a  thousand friends sending me mails everyday. My two boys recently became members of an online game site and pleaded  with me to sign in for their  newsletter and from that day onwards,my inbox has been piling  with mails, mails that keep coming  from Aliens,Robots and Farm animals. Then there are the spammers who send dubious mails trying all sorts of  tactics  to convince me into believing something about  winning a lottery or  that I have been  bequeathed  with a fortune  from  a relative whom I have never heard of.Do I fall for those !No way..Somehow or the other, spam mails  have found their way into my inbox,turning  my mail box into a junk box. A boxful of doubt and uncertainty. Hence it’s obvious, I find it difficult to put together the good and dispose the bad mails. Now just imagine how cluttered my inbox is with all those mails hoarded. 

Nevertheless, without any further consideration, I planned to do something, at least check the mails sent by real people.Unwaveringly,I acted fast. Avoiding another wasteful moment, I  hurriedly ran through my mails.What a surprise! Most  of the mails  looked  like they had come from outer space .I too seemed to be caught  floating into space. However after a while,  a few stars caught my attention. The ones I suppose came from this planet.  This one  I am sharing with you is exemplary.It swiftly brought  me back to earth.

It reads something like this..".Now I know why I am gaining weight.It’s because of the shampoo I am using when showering .The label on the bottle says ‘for extra volume and  body’. Therefore  I have decided to use washing liquid ,for the label in that bottle is encouraging.It says ‘dissolves fat  that is otherwise difficult to remove’.

Now do you think I did what I had to do ..No! Perhaps  another time..For I am still in the process of unraveling the treasures sent by real people and  yet again have postponed  clearing my mail box.

A Taste Of My Creation

It’s not in any way an ipod  or an ipad or an iphone ,It’s just that  ipickled...

The world is still in mourning  over the death of the Apple genius Steve jobs  and at the same time  it is heartfelt to read so many eulogies from all over the world  accredited to this mastermind of the  apple products, 

However here at  home, I was beyond awe and felt like celebrating  when I  saw  an acclamation fastened by my younger daughter on  one of the bottled  jars, which according to her was  in appreciation for the  pickles that I had created .

See what I mean.. nothing to do with apples right?

                                Made   with a pinch of this and a dash of that