Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS: 

Do you think psychic abilities exist? 

I don’t think that psychic abilities exist, it’s just that some people have a very keen intuitive nature and that helps them to learn in a glance what others can take days to learn.

I remember the tv show, “Mentalist” in which the protagonist seems to have psychic abilities, but he is just a very keen observer. Someone like legendary Sherlock Holmes.

How would you describe peanut butter to someone who didn’t know what it was?

Something that can be creamy or crunchy, brown, and yummy. You can spread it on bread, toast, or a cracker. Tastes good with chocolate, bananas, jam, jelly………

Why does an octopus squirt ink?

To make you blind so that it can get away! Natural defense. Or if the opponent is small, it may consume it as a meal after blinding it.

Who are two of today’s greatest entertainers in your opinion?  (can be actors, musicians, singers, etc)

Morgan Freeman

Tom Hanks.

GRATITUDE SECTION

Please feel free to share a moment of gratitude in your life! 

 

Both I and my husband have gotten our covid vaccination. My husband got his second shot yesterday and I will get mine on 20th April.

New April lily is blooming.

Discovered this hive on one of the flower planters today.

The weather is great. Not too hot as yet!

♾♾♾

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS:  

What is knowledge? 

I think knowledge is what we learn in life. The process starts from the day we are born and continues till we have an open mind. The moment we think we know everything, we stop learning.

How do you define consciousness (self awareness)?

It’s the knowledge of our inner self, and what’s around us. Through consciousness, we also attain a perception of something which we cannot see but feel.

Is it possible to prove that other people besides yourself have consciousness? 

Everyone has consciousness, but not everyone has a conscience.

Would you be able to tell if time had been altered in some way? 

Do you mean like a time warp? Perhaps, but I’ll have to live through it first. Till now time has a one-way linear flow, from past to present and then future. After all the stories of going back in time or change what happened in the past, the concept seems probable but in fact, it is not possible.

Do you like potato chips (they’re called ‘crisps’ in Europe I believe)?

I like everything potato! Fries, crisps, chips, mashed, or in any other form.

GRATITUDE SECTION

On this side of the world, it’s coming into Springtime.   Celebrate Spring by sharing an image or anecdote that shares “Spring”!   Alternatively, it’s coming into Autumn on the other side of the world.  Please do the same for Autumn!   Thanks! 

A photographic journey of the first April lily blooming.

Found this one growing by the roadside.

♾♾♾

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS: 

If not now, then when?

There’s no better time than now, and nothing better to start with yourself. I am talking about change that we want to see in the world around us. We need to change our way of thinking and behaving before we expect others to change.

We have to be the ambassadors of change.

Can you describe your life in a six-word sentence?

No regrets about past, no worries about the future!

( oops, these are nine words, but describe my life so well!)

Do you remember that thing people used to say, about how you swallow eight spiders a year while you sleep? It’s not true, but do you think you’ve ever swallowed any? What bug do you think you’ve eaten the most of by accident?

To my knowledge, I haven’t swallowed any spiders but who knows! I might have swallowed/ eaten crow when I spoke out of turn a few times!

I do suffer from Foot in the mouth disease!

What’s the best approach to resolving conflict?

If it is my mistake, I apologize, if it’s a family dispute, I try to pacify the conflicting parties but I don’t advocate on behalf of one to the other. That just creates resentment.

Gratitude Section

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration from my blogging community, my family, and life itself.

Thank you so much Melanie for these wonderful questions. I appreciate how much effort goes into thinking new questions every week.

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS: 

If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be for?  (Covid considerations are suspended for this question)

I would invite my immediate family and close friends for an open air barbecue party. Though Melanie has kindly waived off covid restrictions, I think we should be prepared for them for at least this year and the next. Actually, I’d like to have this party for my sixtieth birthday!( it is in November this year! )

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

A picture can show what sometimes the words cannot express fully. Besides, an image can be different things to different people!

Where IS Waldo?   (Waldo, for those unfamiliar with him, is a cartoon character featured in many ”find Waldo” images and puzzles)    

  <——  WALDO

I think he was in Washington the last I’ve heard. But he keeps on traveling and could be anywhere now. Even in blogosphere!

What’s the best part of waking up?

Being alive. If I wake up in the morning, I am alive. Now I can get my cup of real coffee and get down to the daily routine.

Would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales?

Neither, thank you very much! I already am quite big and don’t want to add more to my volume.

GRATITUDE SECTION (Always optional) 

Feel free to share your gratitude for our world!

I am grateful that it rained last night and delayed the advancing summer. The weather is lovely these days, flowers are blooming and walking outside is a treat!

♾♾♾

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS:  (an “odd” basket full today)

Have you ever ‘butt dialed” someone?  (‘butt dialed’ means have you ever made a phone call that you weren’t aware of making, because the buttons on the phone got pushed by your sitting on them (in your pocket) OR having something in your handbag press against them?)

Many times!

My phone is in my handbag when I’m out of my home and I usually manage to dial the last dialed number if I accidentally unlock my phone. It’s usually my husband or one of my kids.

If you were given 1000 acres of land, what would you do with it?

I think if I am given money with this land, I would like to start a wind farm. A clean source of energy!

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on-line recently? 

I did see a movie that I liked very much before the lockdown days.

Johnny English strikes again.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-Qv6p6pTz5I&feature=share

Have you ever eaten something off the floor?  ‘5 second’ rule applies or not (the ‘5 second rule’ is that if you pick up the dropped food within a set time frame, it’s still ‘clean’ and you can safely eat it)?

When my piece of dark chocolate falls down, I pick it as fast as I can and eat it. Though I’ve never eaten anything “off” the floor!

GRATITUDE SECTION

Feel free to share your gratitude with everyone in the form of a quote, a thought or an image.

I am grateful every day for the blessings that are bestowed on me and my family.

This week I am grateful for the fact that my family is safe and healthy. My grandson’s school is going to be 4 days in person and I could finally go with my elder daughter for a manicure and pedicure at a nearby salon, fully masked of course.

Thank you Melanie for these fun questions.

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS:

Do you feel you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?

I think I do ask questions, but mostly I Google!

Sometimes people get irritated when we get too inquisitive. But as a rule, I think asking questions should be encouraged and so should answering them.

As long as the questions are NOT personal.

When did you fail to speak up when you feel you should have?

When someone was being unkind to me, I was too intimidated by them to speak up. It wasn’t such a big deal at that point but I felt later that I should have stood up for myself. And should have gotten into the habit of doing that. I still struggle to take a stand for myself. I guess old habits die hard.

When was the last time you felt lucky?*

I always feel lucky when I get up in the morning. What if I didn’t get up at all?

Whatever the day brings, I can handle it because I am alive.

What is a boulder?

Boulder is that shoulder that is frozen solid, like a rock. It could be due to the fact that you’re being given the “cold shoulder treatment” or it could actually be a medical condition when the movements of that arm feel so painful that it feels like you’re moving a very heavy load!

GRATITUDE SECTION

Feel free to share your gratitude with everyone!  

I am recovering nicely from my gallbladder surgery and am starting to eat somewhat normal food. Even have been able to have coffee a few times. Yay!

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS:

In your opinion, do May/December romances ever work?

I think it’s not the timings that decide the fate of a romance but the genuineness of the feelings. True love may strike in August or January, even. The thing to do is to examine the feelings closely and not get swept away with the holiday spirit.

What physical action or gesture do you find romantic?

I find genuine gestures of care romantic. For example, giving someone their gloves to keep their hands warm when it’s freezing or offering to cook dinner when the other person is not feeling up to it. Anything that shows that the other person loves with all their heart.

What is your idea of a romantic dinner?

Dinner cooked by someone else or paid for by someone else. Don’t expect me to cook your dinner, over a hot stove for hours and serve it in candlelight. That would just kill the idea of romance.

Is ‘love’ a real ‘thing’ or merely a physical-chemical response and brain activity pulling our emotional strings?

It can be both. The lasting kind has the right chemical reactions backed up with a lot of affection. Pure chemistry doesn’t make the relationship strong. I really don’t believe in love at first sight because one needs to know a person to love them. ( This is my personal opinion)

GRATITUDE SECTION (as always optional)

How do you show your loved ones that you love them?

(image borrowed from Rory, an awesome bloke!)

I care for them, more than I care for my own comfort. I listen to them when they need an ear and support them when they need a shoulder to lean on. And give a good talking to when it’s needed.

#Keepitalive

#SYW

Melanie is the host of SYW

QUESTIONS:

If the government offered to suspend all laws, and law enforcement for 24 hours, letting you (and everybody else) do whatever you wish… Would you be in favor of it, or not?  (Credit for this question goes to Cyranny and her Daily Quickie Question)

Oh no, absolutely not!

I’m not the sort who would be in favor of any unlawful activity and on top of it, EVERYONE would be free to do as they pleased. A very good recipe for a MEGA disaster.

What would be the creepiest thing you could say while passing a stranger on the street? (We’re suspending the whole social distancing and Covid involvement in this scenario)

Hi, it was fun last night, wasn’t it?

I’m sure it would confuse them no end!

As a child, what did you think would be great about being an adult, but isn’t as great as you thought it would be? 

I thought, like almost everyone that being grown up and being able to do as we pleased would be just wonderful. But alas it is never like that. First, it’s the parents and later the pressure of the society. And when we have families of our own, they want us to do things their way!

What, in your opinion, has been blown way out of proportion?

I think we have blown the concept of being super achievers way out of proportion. We should do the best we can but not all of us can be the ones who are at the top of the ladder. It’s okay to be midway and be content with our lives.

In the end, it’s better to be at peace rather than famous or tremendously successful.

Gratitude Section (Optional as always) Where is your ‘happy’ place?  

My happy place is in my mind. When I have nothing pressing to do and can relax with a good book or read and blog on WordPress.

Thank you Melanie for these lovely questions.

#Keepitalive

#SYW