Are You Too Old for Blogging?

I first learned about blogging more than three years ago, while researching on line about my paper. I was looking into the possibility of introducing the "website connection" into my "work" and discovered blogger.com instead.

"Create your own blog for free!" it said; so I click on it and then followed the prompts to open my first blog. That was relatively easy, I thought then.

I discovered later however; that it was useless creating a blog if no one gets to read it. My blog does not even appear in the search engine...so I ran for help to google search and typed "how to add your URL to google search" and " search optimization".

The instructions for optimization were more difficult than I had thought, because I did not understand computer "lingo". It talked about, HTML, widgets, RSS feeds, body tags, etc. There was an instruction about editing the HTML of my template. I tried at least 15 times to place the "meta tag" for the verification code in my HTML, before I could do it right. In fact, I was ready to give up. I am thankful now that I did not, because on the next attempt - I made it...Halleluyah!


www.freeimages.co.uk

Eventually I learned how to download pictures, attach widgets (what is a widget?...lol), insert links, and change templates with ease.

Chat fed, an entrecard member suggested that I use banners/flags and I don't know exactly what he means. (Thanks)

But the search engine is there so I will do my research again. I am learning while I am blogging. I wonder if there are people out there (my age) who still blog? ( Am I too old to blog?...thinking out loud)

Anyway; indeed, experience is the best teacher! and Truly, patience is a virtue!

Is Crying in a Man A sign of Weakness?

I am a sentimental person. I cry when I feel sad and frustrated. I cry when I am extremely happy, and I even cry just watching those tragic soap operas on TV.

When a woman cries, people say it's natural; that women are expected to cry. People don't see anything wrong when a woman cries.

But when a man cries, there are several notions about this. We often hear a mother say to her child " Don't cry , you're a big man now," implying to the child that big men don't cry;
or worst, we often hear young boys taunting each other - " You're a sissy, you're crying."



It is observed that men cry less often than women. This maybe because women are more emotional than men, or is it because people expect men to be less lachrymose and they have to live up to that image?

As for me, I believe that crying in a man, denotes just the opposite - that he is strong enough and sure of his manhood that is why he is confident to show to the world that he can feel; that he has emotions and that - he is human!


Image from SurfDoggy.com Best of Web.com

What about you?

If you are a man, why do you not cry often? or do you cry but you don't want to show the people around you? Why not?

If you are a woman, what are your thoughts about men who cry?

What True Friendship Is All About

Jhayson and Timothy -" The Best of Friends "

Webster defines the word "friend" as "one attached to another by affection or esteem."

For centuries, people gave their own definition of the word in several, unique ways.

Here are some noteworthy quotations related to friendship.

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand,
nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship;
it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when
he discovers that someone else believes in him
and is willing to trust him."

By: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.

By: Elbert Hubbard

Indeed true friends are like precious jewels who lighten up your load and brighten up your days. Friends are not judgemental they understand your limitations and make room for them. They always believe the BEST in you even when the whole world shuns you.

They find time to listen to your woes. They tell you the ugly truth in gentle ways that makes you aspire to be a better person.

They don't gossip behind your back but defend you instead against wagging tongues and malicious persons.

They cry, laugh and walk with you along life's road.

Before you can find a true friend; however, be a true friend first!

When you find one, treasure him/her for life, for true friends are rare to find.

Jhay says, Tim is his true friend because " He listens," And when Tim is asked the same question, he answers: " Because he understands."

Simple requirements for being a friend.

Do you have someone you consider or have considered a true friend? What makes him/her different from the rest?

How Would You Explain Nakedness to Your Child?

Message For Those Who Are Receptive

Let me start with a famous quotation which goes this way: “ What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.” Or, that of Master Jedi Yoda in Star Wars : “Do , or do not. There is no try.“

These two simply mean that the ultimate secret to success is belief in one’s self…belief that you can do anything you are committed to do.

When you were kids, your dreams know no limits or boundaries. You wanted to reach for the stars, to travel around the world, to become a famous scientist, etc…but as you grew older, the sense of adventure had become vestiges of your atrophying imagination.

You should never lose that pioneering and undaunted spirit. It should always be there (the child within us), You should continue dreaming big and believing you could achieve them. If you persist long enough and never give up, then you will succeed. You only fail when you give up; as long as you keep trying, you still have not failed.

It is easier said than done, but IT CAN BE DONE!! Perception has a lot to do with this. Always see the glass as “half full” and NOT “half –empty”. You have to psyche yourself everyday that you can do whatever you intended to do. It is a continuous process - a challenge that you have to conquer. Believe you can, and YOU CAN!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay-tee-xx/2631921903/
Monologue Theatre

MY THOUGHTS ON DEATH

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"It is often said that death comes like a thief in the night." How true! Just this month a co-worker who was seemingly healthy went to bed and never woke up.
(May he rest in peace). The doctor said it was myocardial infarction....
and I was just talking to him the day before!

He talked about his plans to visit his daughter abroad after he retires, and to spend some time with his grandkids. He even talked about buying a bigger house in the outskirts of the city.

This has kept me wondering - I have my plans too. Up to what extent would I be able to live and implement these plans? I have no idea! - and NO ONE KNOWS but God.

I believe death is predetermined; that when it is my time to die, I cannot escape the scythe of death no matter what I do.

And I would certainly act differently, if I have had any inkling of the day of my demise.

And again: " Is there life after death?" A profound question, which I would not attempt to answer, as it requires sufficient knowledge and data to be able to do so (which I don't possess).

Let me focus on the question:

"WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE, HAD I KNOWN THE DAY OF MY DEATH?"

Perhaps, I would have forgiven everyone who had done me wrong.
Visited each of my relatives and told them how much I love them.
Doled out those "excess" material things to people who needed them more.
Shared more of my time and knowledge with whoever is interested.
Have gone skydiving - I had always wanted to feel how it is like to "fly".

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Danced and bathed in the rain.
Toured the hills where the Sound of Music had been filmed.
Wrote that novel I had always wanted to write.

and....many more....

if I knew the day...perhaps... but I don't.

THE UNCERTAIN UNCERTAINTY

Image from: Free-clipart-pictures.net

The uncertainty of something makes us hesitate to move forward. If we want to succeed, we should be courageous enough to take risks. Life is about taking risks. If we refuse to take risks, we would be wondering forever if we could have succeeded or not.

Take this specific example: Let's say your teacher encouraged you to join a Science Quiz Contest. You have never joined any competition before and it would be the first time for you, if you did. You felt that you were not ready yet, so you had refused to take the chance. The question will remain forever in your mind: "Would you have won, if you took the risk?" , and this will bug you for as long as you can recall that event. However, if you took the risk then - whether you succeeded or not - would not really matter. What counts was that you were brave enough to face the challenge.

Take the risk, give it your BEST shot and then cross your fingers(grin). Those who are willing to do this are the ones who usually make it to the top.

JUST A THOUGHT

I was typing a paper moments ago and a thought crossed my mind: "Do we really have the option to choose or is it true that what is meant to be, will be?" If I don't act now, will I regret enormously my inaction? Or are things predetermined that no matter what I do, things will always turn up the way they should? They also say, things happen for a reason; but do people have to bring with them a lot of luggage from past experiences - including the inconsequential "gewgaws" - and make these as reasons for present actions? We are influenced by our past exposures, by our family and friends. We "assimilate data" and process them in our "being". Sometimes, we turn paranoid and fear everything because of the skeletons in our closet. This however, is unfair to people around us, when we perceive them the way people have treated us in the past. I believe we have the option to choose and I believe also that what is meant to be, will be. Both apply to life but to different circumstances.

A DAY SUCH AS THIS ONE

Image from: Freebyte.net
As usual the day in school was “toxic” as ever. There were deadlines to meet, paperwork to be accomplished, meetings to attend to and many more. I went through all these like a robot; performing competently but mechanically.

A day such as this one, I grope in the dark for my motivation – for my heart. Do I just exist to go through the hours like a machine? Oftentimes, I read and hear people say that to do something meaningfully – one must put her heart into it, or one must do it “with a heart”. What does this phrase actually mean?

The heart symbolizes love, so it simply means do something with love. But how can one do something with love when her heart is numb with pain and sorrow? How can one wake up in the morning and perform her daily task “with love”?

I am just thinking out loud .