Category: You Asked

Friday Flashback-Was it a good year?

I am sharing this post from May, 2020 as a part of Fandango Friday Flashback!

And also because I think it was an interesting post.

The very inquisitive Rory has asked;

Who were you and where were you for those ages – ages – 17, 21 and 35 – do you remember? 

what were the years? Have you changed significantly from the person you were at 17 to the person you were at 35 and were they indeed ‘very good years?’

The bonus question should you wish to answer it is this …. answer the same questions for the ages of 25, 45 and 55. Alternatively looking at the six ages 17, 21, 25, 35, 45 and 55 – have you changed profoundly from the core of who you were at the beginning of the Life journey?’

~*~

This is a test of my memory;

Do I remember when I was;

17

I was just finishing school. Not very confident or sure of myself. I knew that my aim in life was to go to med school and was studying towards it. At this time of my life, I was an extra sensitive teenager, taking on too much stress and always a nervous wreck.

21

In Med school. With a few like-minded friends having a whale of a time. Studying hard and having lots of crazy fun. Lots of laughs and lots of pranks. In fact, we were known as giggling girls in our dorm. Though I still was very prone to stress, but being away from home, and with great friends, it helped me a lot to talk to them and share my feelings.

25

I was a mom to a one-year-old daughter and was enjoying both the stress and the joys of a new parent. Managing home, motherhood, and finances of my own home was a twofold task. The tension of making the wrong choice and happiness at being able to do it on my own. It helped a lot to have the support from my husband. And the guidance I got from my father. Happy days, all in all.

35

This is a phase of which I don’t remember much. Unknown to me, I was developing full-fledged hypothyroidism and it made me lose big chunks of my memory. I would gain weight rapidly and lose it quickly ( the condition I had is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis). With this yo-yo in weight, I also had other health issues. But not an unhappy or bad time as such. It’s just not that clear in my mind.

45

I started to get more confident. More sure of myself and was getting less concerned about the opinions of others. After turning 40, I had realized that I need not conform to what others expect of me and do my own thing. This gradually improved my own self-worth and I became less prone to stress-related health issues.

55

After bi-lateral knee replacements, I have entered a new, and healthier phase of my life. I am looking after myself more, walking more, and eating better. An overall improved me, in fact.

58

This is now. I am grandma to three adorable grandkids. A ten-year-old and two 13 months old babies. Wow! A wonderful place to be in.

Thank God for all the blessings that I have received in my life. I thank the trials in my life too because they have taught me much. All that has lead to the present is a result of what has happened in the past.

What about you, do you recall how it was, good or not?

#Keepitalive

#YouAsked

#FFF

Fandango Provocative Question # 117 – First Impression

Fandango is the host of Fandango Provocative Question

FPQ

Welcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question.

This week’s provocative question is about first impressions. There’s an old saying that says you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Yet, it’s tough to know how you actually come across to new people.

So, the question is this:

What impression do you think you give when you first meet someone?

Now this question actually should be asked from someone who has met me for the first time. Because they are getting that first impression!

If I go by how people react to me on the very first occasion I meet them, I think I come across as a middle-aged woman who is quite benign.

For I don’t look dangerous or demented. And I often behave very reasonably and politely.

All this would be correct if they are meeting me under congenial conditions. Like, say while out walking, or in a store or at a friend’s house or as a visitor at my place.

But if they are the ones causing me grief, like not providing the service they are supposed to, or taking me for a ride, thinking they can make a fool of me, then I think they will get a very different first impression of me. 😛🤪😜

What first impression did I give you on my blog when you first visited?

#Keepitalive

#FOQ

Share Your World – May 10th, 2021

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS;

What do you believe but cannot prove?

There are a lot of things we feel are true but we lack the tools to prove or disapprove them. I believe that we all can be good if we put effort into it. But I cannot prove it unless we all try to prove it together. I also believe that if we try to educate ourselves about the damage we are inflicting on our planet, we can do a much better job of it. But this can only be proved if we, the humans collectively do that.

Do animals have morals? Exclude human beings from the equation please.

Animals, humans excluded, may not have morals per sé but they do have a code of conduct ingrained in them. Very few act outside of their natural instincts. Liked dogs are faithful and protective, so they will stay by you and try to keep you safe. While it’s not in a cat’s nature to be openly affectionate, so they will act accordingly.

Is there inherent order in nature or is it all chaos and chance?

There is always order and logic in nature. It is bound by the natural law of balance. Too much of one thing can tilt this balance, which is then automatically corrected by its built-in mechanism. It’s the influence of mankind that disrupts the order.

GRATITUDE SECTION (Participation Always OptionalFeel free to share something about the seasons that makes you smile!

Where is your least favorite place in the world?

Hmmm…… In a tight spot! Someplace where I am not able to be me.

GRATITUDE SECTION (Participation Always Optional

Feel free to share something about the seasons that makes you smile!

It is the holy month of Ramadan. We fast from dawn to dusk. I’m grateful that the weather was kind to us and we are at the end of it now. Even today there is a lovely breeze and the temperature has dropped again.

Iftar platter for the whole family

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Blogging Insights- Year of the pandemic

Tanya is the host of Blogging Insights

TODAY’S QUESTION 

How do you think this pandemic year has been for blogging in general and your blog in particular?

Blogging is one activity that can be done when one is home bound and alone.

I was visiting my daughter in Seattle when we were informed that the city will be going in 2 weeks of lockdown. Everyone knows how these 2 weeks extended into months and then more than a year of covid restrictions.

Blogging saved me from boredom. It helped me stay connected with my online family and gave me something to do with the free time I had on my hands. In short, it turned the enforced inactivity into a great pastime.

My blog grew in followers as many new people started blogging. Though I curtailed my posts from a minimum of 4 to 3, the traffic and visitors increased.

Blogging during the pandemic also brought the community closer. We connected on a more personal level with each other and shared our concerns for each other’s safety and their family’s safety. Exchanging notes on getting the covid vaccination too.

The down side was that we saw a few very loved bloggers, leaving the blogosphere. They were either overwhelmed or had some personal reasons for not posting on their blogs but it was sad to see them no more. I miss Becky and Punam most. I hope to see them back.

Thank you Tanya for this opportunity to take a look back at the last year and assess how it was.

Thanks for reading!

#Keepitalive

#BloggingInsights

Some Questions for the weekend

Rory is the host of Weekend Quickie

6 Quickie Questions

How do you like your sausages – straight, curved, short, long, fat or thin or do you not even like sausages?
Interpret as you wish ….

I don’t like sausages!

How often [under normal circumstances] would you visit a hairdressers/barbers in one year?

I have graying hair so before covid, I would go after every 4-5 weeks to get my roots colored. After a couple of months for a haircut. And while I am getting my hair done, I’d use the time to get a manicure and a pedicure.

What is it specifically do you think about humour that makes you laugh – as in ‘what’s so funny to you?’ Why do you laugh at some things and not others – what is the magical ingredient for you?

Now I don’t think I can pinpoint one specific thing that makes me laugh. It can be humor of the situation, or the lines themselves. It could also be the character or how they act or deliver the lines. But I really don’t like when people laugh at the misfortune of others.

If you were convinced you had seen an alien or a UFO [from another planet] how would you make people believe you or would you not tell anyone?

I would do what’s done these days. Make a video of it and upload it on social media or send it to a local tv station. They will be better suited to convincing people that it’s real.

Do you know what your place is in the world – where you fit in – and is that important to you?

It is important to know your place in the world. A place where we belong. I think my place is right here, in my home, in my city and country. I’m happy visiting other countries and places but I am happiest when I am home. It’s where I fit in best.

Is it important to you to get ‘noticed’ or are you happy enough to just be seen and is there really a difference do you think?

When I am with people I know, I want to be noticed and given some attention. If I am with strangers, I’m happy to stay in the background, and just be seen.

And yes there’s a difference and people we love should always be noticed and not just seen.

Thank you Rory for these wonderful and “thinking” questions!

#Keepitalive

#RoryAsks

12 Bloggerz – May Edition

Rory is the host of 12 Bloggerz

12 Questions

When was the last time you were totally lost?
[Be this physically, mentally, emotionally or so on, interpretation is yours]

When I moved to Seattle in 2015, I often got lost both physically and mentally. A new city, a new country and a new culture. It took me many months to find my way around.

Do you think that we as viewers to the entertainment industry have much higher and perhaps unrealistic expectations to the content that we read, watch or listen to today in comparison to previous years and or generations?

Literature/Film/Television/Music

I don’t think that Looking for something original is an unrealistic expectation. If you look at the movies Disney is making these days, most are remakes of their original cartoon movies. Where is the originality?

In books, many great authors are writing original content. Though we still have those who are churning out the formula stories.

And as for television, I find most of the stuff so boring that I seldom watch any of the shows. Though the Netflix originals are usually good watch.

Does Money ‘Really’ make us happy or is that just a myth and more importantly it is ‘what you do with it’ that makes you happier?

Having enough money does makes life easy. Having too much money makes life even harder!

How important to you is it to be right?

It’s usually our ego that wants us to always be right and to always have the last word. I have learned humility with age and am open to discussion and opposing views.

How often do you find yourself completely confused with life and the way it is changing and has changed over the last ten or twenty years?

Never totally confused! I mostly have a handle on how things are moving and I adapt to it pretty well. Even the very big change the covid imposed on our lives didn’t confuse me much. I go with the flow.

When out shopping and carrying your goods or groceries which do you prefer to use more often – paper or plastic bags [reusable] or cotton totes or something else?

Reusable cloth bag that I’ve bought from different stores and that I carry in my car. If I’m buying a lot of groceries, I carry the cart out to bag it in the parking lot.

How many emails do you get a day [roughly] and from who do you get the most?

I get an email for every post that I post and for any new followers. Then there are the emails that are spam and even after marking them as spam, I still get them. I’d say around 20-30 emails a day most of them ending in recycle bin.

Have you ever made for yourself ‘homemade wine/spirits’ and if so what was it made from and how was it?

Nopes, I don’t drink alcohol

In your opinion and from no ‘fixed time period’, what have been in your eyes the top 5 most memorable television series you have ever watched and what made them special to you?

I liked the Crown and 13 reasons why on Netflix in recent years. I remember waiting very excitedly for the Little house on the prairie as a kid. Then there was the original Avengers and the Man from UNCLE, which I loved to watch when we got our first TV.

What’s wrong with today’s music as opposed to the music of your yesterday’s – do you consider the music now to be far worse or greatly improved and why?

I like today’s music, any song that has good lyrics and a good melody. I’m not fixated on music from any era and just go with what I like when I hear it. Too much noise doesn’t make for good music to my mind.

Does world history really matter to our daily lives – is it that important – l mean it’s not like we can change anything right – what do you think?

It is important to know history. It’s how we can stop making the same mistakes again and again. It’s not usually possible to know the history of all the nations of the world, but we should try to know as much as we can about our own. And that of the countries we are interacting with.

Besides, knowledge is power.

Do you believe that a good night’s sleep and waking up refreshed the following day helps you make better decisions or worthier improvements to your life – or it makes no difference at all?

Oh yes, that’s a definite. The day I’ve had my 7 -8 hours of sleep, I am in a better mood the whole day and relaxed too. I feel more energetic and able to face life’s challenges better!

Thank you Rory for these thought provoking questions.

#Keepitalive

#RoryAsks

Blog Series Questions – Game 4

Rory is the host of Blog Series Questions

What are your top 5 favourited Blog Genres – the ones you enjoy reading the most?

I don’t follow bloggers based on what they write but more for how they write and how they think. So the genres I follow are a mixed bunch. There is poetry, fiction, and blogging advice. Some writers write about a lot of things so it would be hard to classify their blogs. As Fandango says, they write about this that and the other.

My preference always is easy to understand writing, story, or poetry. Complicated words and plots are not my thing at all.

Have you ever experienced Writer’s Block and if so, what did you do to get yourself through it and if not, what do you do to avoid it?

I agree with you Rory that mostly what is called writer’s block is just plain disinclination to write. It could be exhaustion of mind or ennui that could be stopping the creativity. I usually don’t have trouble writing and if I do, I just take a break and come back to it later when my ideas start flowing again.

Bonus Question – Do you believe ‘writer’s block’ is an actual thing?

See above!

Do you think colour psychology is an important part to the blogging journey and does it play a big part in how your readers view a blog?

So I am one of that lazy blogger who exclusively uses the WP app and the reader. I seldom see the actual site of the blogger and the colorful display some people have. For myself, I like things in black and white. Though I really admire colorful images which compliment the writing. I always look for an appropriate image to match my writing.

I haven’t changed the layout of my site in ages. And to me it only matters in so far as it is easy to navigate and read. Some blogs have such colorful writing that it’s hard to read. I hope that any of my readers who access my blog through the browser are able to read and enjoy my posts easily.

How do you feel about Interview series and or Guest Writing opportunities on other blogs?

I would love to do an interview or a guest post but I would have to learn how to do a guest post. Interviews are easy as I think I’ve done one for your blog a long time back.

As for doing interviews on my blog with other bloggers, or asking them to do guest posts, that idea has crossed my mind! Under consideration, you may say!

#Keepitalive

#RoryAsks

Fandango Provocative Question(s) # 116

Fandango is the host of Fandango Provocative Question

  • Best sandwich?
  • For breakfast, peanut butter and bananas
  • For a meal falafel with hummus
  • What’s one thing you own that you really should throw out?
  • Some of the shoes from my vast shoe collection.
  • What is the scariest animal?
  • A cockroach
  • Apples or oranges?
  • Both, oranges in winter and apples all year long.
  • Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
  • I might have as a school girl because I had an autograph book. Probably from my favorite teacher and friends.
  • What do you think happens when we die?
  • Our souls go to a state of sleep till the judgment day.
  • Favorite action movie?
  • Too many to choose from.
  • Favorite smell?
  • I love floral scents. I also love the smell of chocolate.
  • Least favorite smell?
  • Some of the strong cheese
  • Exercise: worth it?
  • Definitely
  • Flat or sparkling?
  • Flat
  • Most used app on your phone?
  • WordPress
  • You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?
  • The alphabet song
  • What number am I thinking of?
  • 5
  • Describe the rest of your life in 5 words?
  • Trying to be better person

Blogging Insights – Award Freedom

Tanya is the host of Blogging insight series

TODAY’S QUESTIONS 

How long have you been blogging? Can you remember the first blogging award you received?

I joined WordPress in February or March of 2018. I joined WP to follow and comment on my dear friend Dr. Tanya’s blog as unless you are in WP you cannot comment on a blogger’s post without going through hoops.

But I wrote my first blog post on 6th September 2018.

My first blogging award was also Sunshine Blogging Award and I was nominated by Mel of Caramel, a learner at love . I was very happy when I got my first nomination and continued doing the award posts for almost a year and a half.

Do you still accept blogging award nominations or is yours an award free blog? If your blog is award free, what are your reasons for this?

I am very grateful and honored when someone thinks of my blog while nominating. It is morale boosting and a sort of validation that they think my blog worthy of an award. The last award I did was from Cranny of Cranny’s Cove. She nominated me for the Golden Bloggerz award. I haven’t made my blog award-free and do respond whenever I get the time to do so.

However, the creation of an award post is very time-consuming and often tricky where nominations are concerned. Very few bloggers accept awards these days and most just ignore the nomination. The fact that you’re supposed to nominate 10-20 bloggers is a bit too much. So if I get a nomination these days, I gratefully thank the blogger and answer the questions posed by them. I may ask a few questions of my own but I refrain from nominating people and ask anyone who is reading to please consider themselves nominated.

It’s not the ideal solution , but still better than ignoring the award or politely declining the honor.

Many thanks to Tanya for these interesting questions.

#Keepitalive

#BloggingInsights

Share Your World- May 3rd, 2021

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS;

Would you rather be a super nice person and be depressed all your life, or be happy and a total *sshole? (Credit goes to Cyrannyfor this question, aired on one of her “Cyranny’s Quickies” posts.)

Why can’t I be a super nice person AND be happy too. In my opinion and observations, a caring person is often happy as it brings a feeling of elation when we are good.

Have you ever made someone cry?

Yes, many times when I scolded my kids. Never scolded my grandkids but they often cried when I wouldn’t give in to their demands. As for making an adult cry, not intentionally but sometimes it happens when one is sharing a personal experience.

Are you a dreamer or a go-getter?

I think I am more of a go getter than a dreamer. Though my dreams of losing lot of weight never came to fruition, so in that respect, I am just a dreamer.

If you were in a band, what instrument would you play?

I wanted to play drums at one point in my young life. I thought it’s a breeze and you just have to bang hard on them. Well….. it turned out to be way harder than that. But if I ever learned to play them I would love to be a drummer.

GRATITUDE SECTIONDo you feel gratitude is necessary?

Gratitude is essential in my view. Otherwise, we would never acknowledge our blessings and would remain unaware of how lucky we actually are.