A Blossoming Spirit
La vie est belle
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Here’s mine. What an amazing way to pay tribute to Alan Kurdi, and to the many refugee children who are caught in the trap of homelessness. It’s unimaginable what they are going through and the efforts required to rebuild their lives for a better future. “Sea Prayer” made me play a small part in redefining the hope for these little ones. Even though this is not a full-length novel, the intention is what inspired me to be a part of this. Do grab your copy too.
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A memory I captured recently about my love for “Azaan”. Reblogging this and also wishing everyone a Happy Eid.
Ramadan is my favorite time of the year just like Christmas, Easter or Diwali. No. No. I’m not disclosing my faith here. I’m just about to share my story with one of them.
My love for Azaan began when I was in school. Next to our school, was a big mosque. It stood tall and colored with a blend of dark and light green.
As everyone probably knows Azaan, is a call to prayer five times each day. A reminder for everyone to stay connected to the Divine.
During the class it would happen, when the Azaan would start at the mosque, as always they sounded like music to my ears. I felt so connected spiritually and this holds true even now though years have passed.
My love since then has only grown deeper 🙂 and I’m always excited during the Ramadan season. A season for self-denial, fasting and the…
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Reblogging this.. Great post.
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Last weekend, after lunch I stopped by the Belgian Waffle to buy waffles for my niece and nephew. Going through the menu and deciding what to buy is always a pain with the fancy names.
So I decided to go by the pictures and whatever looked best. Since it was a takeaway, I had to wait for a while until I could get my order done. So instead of taking a seat I just looked around to see the artwork.
Even though it was a small place where hardly 10 people can be accommodated, they had done a good work to make it look cool. I was impressed!
However, I left the place with the below message alongwith the waffles.
~ Ayesha
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Love this..
I know I’m doomed to die;
Maybe today, end of the day
Or some other day if not today;
Somehow, I’m doomed to die.I don’t want to fight for fame,
For fame does not long remain;
No matter we name it fame or shame;
I’m certain, it’s doomed to die.I don’t want to live in a dream,
For I know I’m doomed to awake,
Nor I want to dry your dreams;
For I know, they’re doomed to die.Don’t think that I’d love to die,
Or I would dash inside and hide,
For when it knocks our own doors;
I know, we all are doomed to go.Copyright © August 19, 2018, Newton Ranaweera
Image source: Pixabay
Inspiration from William Shakespeare’s “Song: Fear no more the heat of the sun” -
Love this post by Katie Kay..
Hello, my wonderful readers! I wish you an incredible Friday and an even more incredible weekend.
As I’m writing this, there is a stray thunderstorm booming above my house, but it is acting as the perfect backdrop to my introverted, homebody personality today. Since I haven’t shared anything in a while, I thought it would be perfect to share my favorite reasons for why writing is good for you–in terms of your health, emotional well-being, and overall satisfaction!
To begin, I think it is important to remember that there are various types of writing, and various types of writers. There are novelists, who write books; poets, who pen poetry; journalists, who are supposed to report on facts; short story writers; essayists and diarists; and bloggers, probably like you!
No one type of writing is better than the next, and that is important. Also, if you enjoy writing poetry, it isn’t…
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Found this from a page I follow..
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An off from work on a weekday is truly a bliss. I slept like a log the entire day. It’s when I woke up in the evening, I realized how much I was deprived of sleep.
I made myself some coffee and as usual sat down to relax in my small balcony garden. It was already dark and I could hear the laughter of kids playing downstairs and a group of women chanting prayers on the other side.
When you are surrounded by buildings there isn’t much to see.
But in the dark, I saw this little creature watching me.
In a wink, I was taken back to my childhood memories with my cousins. Seeing a helicopter butterfly (that’s what we called it as kids) always fascinated us. They came in different colors and usually found in groups. We’d work hard to catch them, hold it for few seconds and then let it fly.
This one was a different view, without the colors still beautiful.
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I really loved this post by Kaylaanauthor.. Reblogging it for my readers..
A blog is a lot like a person and just like us, blogs go through their own hills and valleys. That’s right, I’m talking about your stats.
Have you ever noticed how your stats seem to climb crazy high some days and other days, there is barely a distinguishable stump? Here is my advice to bloggers:
Don’t Obsess Over Your Stats.
A lot of bloggers measure their success based on how many people viewed, liked, commented on, or reblogged their posts. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is awesome and encouraging but if you base the success of your blog on the success of your stats you are going to fail.
Yes, good stats often reflect a good blog, but over-analyzing them can lead to self-doubt, a sense of never being good enough, and inability to post due to a fear that it will not garner enough of a reaction.
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“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one” ~ Mother Teresa.
Happy Monday Dear All,
It was a peaceful and a relaxing morning today. My mornings usually begin with good and relaxing music. I think it helps so much to set the tone for the entire day. There is a sense of gratitude, helps boosts ideas on my next writing/improve my writing or plan out on the goals.
I’ve been making notes of everything that I want to achieve in life because that’s a sweet reminder to my dreams and makes me determined and focused to pursue them.
One thing on my list is to create a Kalam Library and be a part of Dr. Kalam’s dream to give the access of books to all young souls despite what background they come from.
I wrote a few posts in connection to this in the past. You can check them out here:
Fortunately, early this year, I got an opportunity to partner with a very inspiring young lady, Charmy and together we set up a library for the kids at the Juvenile Correction Facility in our city.
It doesn’t stop here.
My goal now is to independently open one all by myself, for which I have begun hunting for the place and I hope to make this happen as early as possible. I am writing it here so I don’t forget this goal. 🙂
This world measures success with career and personal accomplishments based on how much wealth or fame you earn. But to me, we are successful if we can change one life positively with one single act of kindness. And when we do, no need to keep it to ourselves. We need more people to join this mission and be inspired to make “Our world” a better place.
I hope you have a great week ahead.
~ Ayesha
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She never understood why people were raving about selfless love..
Unconditional, purest form of love, they called it !!
She mocked them all inside her heart,
For the grass was always greener on the side !!
She, herself was a victim of a selfless love..
Where he didn’t want her for himself,
For he always said, ” You don’t have to do this for me”..
He knew no one could ever hurt her, let alone him !!
His fears of himself made him let her go..
So much for Selfless Love !!!
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She never understood why green was envious,
For her , the lush greens were the most pacifying sight ..
Or why blue was always depressed,
‘Cause nothing more than a blue sky could brighten her day ..
Why was red always fierce, danger and pain,
Red meant love and only love for her ..
Happy yellows meant nothing to her,
As she was the night owl and beloved of the Moon ..
Yet the power of black was unquestionable for her,
Beyond all evil depictions, she stood high and tall, always in black!!!
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Follow her page for more..
“Mommy…. “, came the little one running to her. “I want you to draw a picture of shadow for me “, she demanded.
She didn’t quite understand the mysterious smile that Mommy gave her as an answer to her demand. But she knew Mommy would do it for her, because Mommy always did whatever she wanted.
Later that night, as her Papa forcefully shut her eyes at the sight of a hanging shadow, she knew shadows would haunt her forever !!!
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The boy who never grew up – my personal favorite.
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Love the captures by Paul. Do check out his page for more.
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I sent this picture to a group of my friends and asked how the picture is.
While I was expecting a “Wow” surprisingly, the first one to respond said – “This is just mud, what do want us to say?”
That’s a fair response, isn’t it? 😂
The picture was accidentally clicked when I was leveling the mud in the pot. I liked it though because it was one of those moments that was captured, that I enjoy the most. This is true reflection of my love for my plants and my little balcony garden.
I feel sad when I see even a single sign of leaves falling or the flowers drying. I take as much care of them by giving them sufficient water and light so that they can survive any weather conditions.
With that I leave you my masterpiece picture.. 😝
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We all have our personal reasons for wanting to publically journal or dare to attempt to write for others. I started my blog 2 years ago as a way to escape. At this time, I was beginning to work on my Ph.D. My proposal had been approved and now came the difficult part of literature research and writing down coherently on paper what I had in my head.
I remember the exact night I started the blog. It was after midnight and ahead of me, I had hours of reading and writing. I have to admit I was lonely and seeking some sort of camaraderie as well as escape from my present task. I downloaded the WordPress app and tried to think of what to write that would be of interest to others and myself. My first post was “3 Steps to Stand Out in a Crowd.” It was an…
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Indeed, time is precious.
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Send your comments and thoughts on the original posts.
Success can be a lonely road. It can be a tough road.It can be a hard road.It’s not for everyone.Those who follow others like sheep will never know who they truly are.Only those who follow their own path can discover their TRUE POTENTIAL.
Those who fly alone have the strongest wings.Those who walk alone have the strongest direction.The rest will always be IN NEED of others for their survival.They will always need attention.Need recognition to survive.You are at peace alone.Needing no attention.No recognition.And STILL you can THRIVE.
I’m not saying those who have support are weak.I’m not saying you must go it alone to gain strength.This is just for those who have fought battles alone,those who have felt like they don’t fit in,those who have never had support in anything they do.All of those who feel no one believes in them…You don’t need them to believe in you IF YOU…
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Here’s another writer, whose work I admire. Do check out her posts and follow her page for more.
Be gone my love
Till I rise and bloom
And the darkness dispels
Fade the clouds of gloom
Be gone my darling
Till I find what’s within
And I truly love myself
To love your skin and soul
Be gone my delight
Till I see none layer on
That blocks your rays
Upon me shall you dawn
Stay close my strength
For I cannot fight
Pitch dark the way
And you are my light.
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You all are the best!
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These little ones –
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Another one – please share your comments on the original post ☺
Focus, they said he lacked , when the numbers began to drop on the biased comparative scales,
Focus, he was told , at the age of 18 when they weighed his dreams against a safe future …
Focus, they demanded of him , when he was absent from the future they chose from him..
Focus, he told himself, when he finally found a reason to stay..
His pen has started bleeding again, after long, and it all had a perfect ending when they all focused on the best seller of the year !!!
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charles french words reading and writing
Hamlet is one of my favorite plays. I consider it to be one of the most difficult, dense, and deep of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. I have read it many times, seen numerous stage and film productions, and have taught it in many of my classes. I have the joy of teaching it this summer in my “Renaissance Plays in Process” class for the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College, and I will teach it again this fall in “Shakespeare.” I thought, therefore, I would offer a few of the important quotations from the play.
“There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow; if it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.” (Act 5. Scene 2. Lines 217-220)
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Act…
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The world has been divided into pink and blue forever. As a little kid, little did he know of the repercussions , that came along .
As the family welcomed his little brother, he could think of no best gift than his favourite handcraft.
He never understood why everyone scorned as he placed the little pink bow in his brother’s cradle.
As he grew up, he knew all the answers when all his pink shirts were teased and frowned upon!
But as he bid farewell to the world of monotonous colours, his little brother gave the best bidding gift – The Pink bow!!
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Her bath was cold,
It ached all over..
Shivering like a fragile leaf,
She stepped out..
Everything was too cold for her,
The floors, her bed ..
Shades of blue, everywhere !!
She yearned for warmth, all her blankets failed her..
As she saw the lady in the mirror, she just had one doubt..
Was it the mirror , or herself that was Blistered ??
The answers lay all over the place.. All the broken pieces of her lying around!!!
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“I would like to refute”, he said and the whole class stared at him, in dismay. Even she was staring at him, that hurt the most. As soon as the bell rang, he stormed out of the class and ran straight to the market.
As he saw Appa straining and struggling, he knew he was right. The next day he went up to her and said I had my reasons to refute what the teacher said. And she said smiling gently “I had mine to stare at you! “..
Years later, as she mothered their first child, he saw what he missed his untill then and as she saw the father in him grow and evolve, she knew he was all she missed all that time !!!
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Check out and follow the page to stay updated on more of these wonderful piece of work:
https://mydreammywords.wordpress.com/2018/08/05/does-she-owe-you-more/Smile was she adorned with, Had she stayed near, She wouldn’t have changed, Tumbling over and over again!
Never focused for herself She sought joy in others’- who touched her heart, leaving unhealed scars.
Easy, it is not, To be happy, when you aren’t, Letting go the moment, you are dying to stay back with!
Hope is what they say, They need from her, A hope that shatters , All her linked hopes!
What is it they want? Placed unto them, All she could afford! What else does she owe you?!
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Check out this wonderful post by
https://placeborants.wordpress.com/2018/08/08/it-aint-all-roses/
Feel free to also follow the page for stay updated on more of these.
Lilies made her happy …
He always gave her lilies just to see her face brighten up as she saw them ..
The thorns of roses hurt, she’d say, just like her mother !!
And then one day as he came home with lilies for her, he saw her adorned in roses, bleeding from its thorns !!!
He tried his best, but he lost her also to the roses, just like her mother!
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Check out this wonderful post..
On this day, Ayesha and I began following each other’s blogs and I thank her for raising my awareness re [1] her fine writing style and [2] the indomitable spirit of a science/tech savvy, published author and Afghani feminist, Ms. Fatemah Qaderyan.
Were there such a thing as a Thesaurus where words and pictorial representations get cross-indexed, then, whenever we’d be looking up synonyms for terms such as intellectual curiosity, courageousness and heroism we’d find portraits of Qaderyan.
Indeed, this young woman won’t settle for anything less than life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… to see that her gender’s curiosity, imagination, dreams and ambitions are all rewarded… not punished like some sort of crime.
Regrettably, such a stance places her in the unenviable position of being in defiance of the Taliban… jihadists notorious for their barbaric, sociopathic, misogynistic traits… not unlike the set in stone, faults of a…
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If you believe in angels, they are around you in the form of your close friends and family and so is the belief in evil. A human has the potential to bring out both either the best or the worst in you. That’s why it becomes so important to surround ourselves with people who can bring out the best.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have found those few yet close friends whom I consider as my angels because they were placed in different phases of my life and helped me to be successful in the journey so far.
When I feared to take risk, the voice said “Go on” I’m here
When I was sad, the voice said “tell me”
When I was happy, the voice said “Why don’t you share your happiness with me? ”
When I felt stagnant, the voice said “Take a different route”
When I told myself I am not worthy to deserve the best, the voice said, ” You deserve more than anyone else”
And this goes on forever..
Thankful to all my friends for being the best ones. And specially all my readers. Now you can also follow me on Instagram, twitter and Facebook. Please find the links below:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ayeshadiary2018/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayesha_diary18/
Twitter:
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This holds very true for me. During my childhood or I can say until I started my job I had no fascination for books or reading. I was super confident that reading should be the last thing I would have considered as my favorite pastime.
But things changed in the last few years. Once I gained an interest in reading, I haven’t stopped since then. Started by borrowing books from friends initially and later started buying it for myself because I thought it was worth an investment. One after the other, my shelf was filled with all kinds of books from self-development, autobiographies, biographies, fiction, non-fiction and the list goes on.
But what has this story to do with the quote I have highlighted in the featured image? Well, it has. Reading has widened the horizons of my imagination. Reading has helped me to be creative in my writing. To be a better story-teller. It has enabled me to look at every moment of life as an inspirational story that can be penned down to share with the world. I want to write more and more and learn during this process.
Last month, I was attending a corporate conference. The organizer asked a question to the audience, “How many of you think that life is simple, raise your hands”. I raised my hand and there were a couple of other individuals who raised their hands shyly. A lady sitting next to me said,”Guys, be practical. Life cannot be simple”. Probably she was expecting me to put my hand down hearing her words. But that boosted my confidence even more. Because I do think life is simple. Life in itself can’t be simple because of the challenges we come across, but the route we take can be simple without panicking in any situation.
I got this confidence after reading about so many people and their experiences, their failure and success stories.
I recently finished a heartwarming book – “A Man Called Ove” and now reading “When breath becomes Air“.
I posted a couple of blogs in the last few weeks, if you haven’t got a chance to read here they are:
Happy Weekend, everyone! 🙂
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This one came up in my Facebook memory. I had shared a post by someone. Thought it’s a good way to begin our day. 🙂 🌸
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“Everyone in this world is striving hard for happiness but the strange fact is that the happiness we strive hard for comes in our life when we give it to others” ~ Mysterious Senses
I’m sharing a wonderful advice shared by a fellow-blogger. Do check out the blogs too. There is some wonderful work which you wouldn’t want to miss.
If you also have any unique advice for the readers please comment on the section below and I’ll try featuring the same in my blog posts. I wouldn’t want them to get lost in the comments. 🙂
~ Ayesha
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Finding a reason to be happy? To feel energized? To be determined? To be grounded? Watch – Fatemah Qaderyan speak about her journey.
The stories of refugees and there struggles have always moved me. These days, we have a tendency to feel bad about our own life when we see all those posts on travel, food, fashion, weight loss and the list goes on. We follow a page based on our liking and over a period of time we tend to start getting frustrated on ourselves assuming our life and our achievements isn’t a perfect one.
I am no exception and that’s why I try not to immerse myself too much into it by also staying updated and reading stories of the real heroes whose life may not sound glamorous but still have so much to tell the world with there strength and courage to overcome all the odds.
Their stories is a also an opportunity to be thankful for what we have around us the freedom, the right to education, support of the families, our friends and everyone who have been a part of our journey.
Leaving you all with this powerful story of Fatemah.. Be inspired!
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Can’t believe it’s the last day of the month. I’ve always felt this slow pace in the first six months of the year. The second half just flies with so many festivals, public holidays and many occasions to celebrate. 🎉 And now, I’m already waiting for Christmas 🤶 🎄
This month, I plan to read some more books from my to-be-read, and also some writing as time allows. I did publish some posts in the last few weeks. Do check them out of you haven’t got a chance already and feel free to give your feedback in the comment section.
Wishing everyone a rocking August!
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I was watching an interview of Anjali Menon. A well-known and highly respected director and writer from Kerala. One thing that really struck me was the efforts she made to make a positive environment for her crew.
To her, it’s not just the outcome but the journey that matters. She wants to create a memorable journey for everyone involved in her film-making which is visible from her movies. Her new movie “Koode” is running successfully in cinemas. There are subtitles as well so don’t miss it. 🙂
For many this movie may come as a weird but yet beautiful concept and reminds us of many aspects to be thankful for in our lives.
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I always love getting into conversations with my 4 year old niece because of her cute and unfiltered responses.
Last time we met, I got to learn from her that brain is in the stomach. I couldn’t stop myself from 😂 😂.
But seriously thinking about it now, makes me feel, life would have been so much easier if brain was in the stomach. 😂
What do you think? I would leave the why part for my readers.. 🙂
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“Me, I wanted to live up to my name and be happy. That’s not to say I wasn’t annoyed, but everyone should have a bird singing inside them as well as a crow cawing” 🐦 🎶 😊
~ Happy Liu
From Happy Dreams
A Novel by Jia Pingwa
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Last month I got an opportunity to participate in several events organized as part of our company’s Community Impact Month.
One of which was a session for the budding women entrepreneurs from rural background. The objective was to provide them an overview on the ways they could promote their products through e-commerce. There was an overview on Paytm, Netbanking etc. Post introductory session we dispersed into groups with each volunteers leading one and showing the practical aspects of the session.
I sat down with a group of seven to eight women from different age groups. This was my first experience of this kind. I took my phone and assuming they know about smart phones, started showing them the different apps.
Before I could go any further they all had a reason to share why this learning wasn’t fruitful for them – some didn’t own a smartphone, some didn’t even had their bank accounts, some belonged to traditional families that didn’t allow girls to go out fearing the society, no one knew how to create an email account or access the internet.
So what was supposed to be a practical session for them turned out to be a motivational speech. Instead of showing them the apps, I convinced why it was important for them to invest in themselves. All the women came from different backgrounds and had their own struggles and thus it was important to let them know that it is ok to spend some on self to buy a phone. At the end of the day it makes you feel independent, more confident and connected to the world.
To all my comments they repeatedly said it was not in their budget. I just had one question for them, “Where do you manage to get all the money on your child’s wedding day? Isn’t spending on a phone much less than that?”
They were dumbstruck. They did not have an answer and agreed that I was right. All of them promised to take these learnings and bring them into action.
I spent almost an hour with two batches. I don’t know where those words of wisdom came from. But when they blessed me while leaving, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I came back energized and content with what I managed to give back to the society in a simple form.
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My page has a new look. Do check out and let me know how you find it. And if there are any suggested themes, please drop a note in the comment section below:
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I crossed 300+ followers today. I don’t like using the word “followers” because everyone here is definitely a trendsetter with their unique stories and content. I am really thankful to all my readers and a special mention to the ones who have taken time to not just read but also encouraging me with their kind words.
I also found a wonderful friend during my time here – rhapsody – thanks for being such a cool writer and continue to inspire us with your wonderful blogs. Ahead of the Friendship Day next month, sending you lots of love and wishes.
Of course to everyone else too.. 😊 😃 Each one of you and your blogs are the reason why I feel like coming back to this place again and again. Feels like a different part of the world. 🎉 🏡 🗺 🌎
Cheers! 🥂
~Ayesha
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To all my fellow – bloggers. I hadn’t been active since a couple of weeks. I did receive a few nominations for various awards but I’m really sorry for not acknowledging or posting it. Really thankful to each one of you who thought of nominating me. It means a lot.
I’m trying to get back to my routine – reading 📖 and writing 🖋. To start with I’ve picked these books and currently reading “Happy Dreams”
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.
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The third and the final one. I’m inspired by everything that has an Arab touch to it so naturally music 🎶 comes first. One beautiful Arabic song that I came across a few months ago is “Be yourself – Kun aanta” by Humood. Do watch the video until the end. You would love it. 😍 ♥
Be Yourself
In order to keep up with them,I imitated their looks and exteriorSo I became someone else, just to boastAnd I thought that through that I’d gained a fortuneBut I found that I’d lost, for these are mere appearancesNo, noWe don’t need wealthIn order to increase in beautyOur essence is here, in our hearts it shinesNo, noWe will not seek to please others with thatWhich we deem to unbefitting for ourselvesThat is our beauty, rising and ascending aboveBe yourself and you will increase in beautyI accept people but I don’t imitate themExcept for what I agree with, to satisfy myselfI will just be myself, just the way I am, this is meMy conviction suffices, this is my certaintyNo, noWe don’t need wealthIn order to increase in beautyOur essence is here, in our hearts it shinesNo, noI won’t seek their acceptanceI’ll be whom I love to beWhy would I care about their acceptance?
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From my childhood, I’ve always been a dreamer and there has been no control over things that I accomplish in those dreams.
Maybe that’s why the first time I heard the song, “I have a dream”, it made my belief and reasons to dream even stronger.
So here it goes:
“I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream, I have a dreamI have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream, I have a dream
I’ll cross the stream, I have a dream”
A Blossoming Spirit 