Postcards From J

Take a chill pill and maybe some of these too! (Image Source: Unknown; Don't sue me!) In no particular order: # Listen to some upbeat music and sing your favourite lyrics out loud. # Or just DANCE - even if you have two left feet like mine. Here's my current jam: # Think of parents, family, friends, just about anyone who loves you - pretty much unconditionally. # Read old, funny IM conversations you've had with your favourite people. Like the ones I have with Lo and DC... So much entertainment!  (Thank God for search functionality within chat apps) # Check out the Instagram 'Explore' tab and discover interesting people and their feeds. Some of the super accounts I follow: mumbaipaused , marsder , petesouza . Go, check them out NOW. # Dream of Japan.  (Insert your own dream destination.) Somewhere along the Hanshin Expressway, Kobe - Japan | December 2015 # Count your blessings. Be grateful. EVERY DAY. # Pray. Without an agenda...

Mondays can suck. Especially when you're coming back to work after a five-day break. Anyway, if you need a little pick-me-up, here are two videos from the Golden Globes held earlier today. One where Viola Davis pays tribute to Meryl Streep and the second is Streep's speech on receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her body of work over the years. I'm ignoring the hate that Streep is getting for the 'political' slant she took (some of the comments are just vile), but that final Carrie Fisher quote has just become a major inspiration for the year ahead. via GIPHY Take your broken heart, make it into art.  How beautiful! 💔 ~j~

This 2014, here's my wish for you... ...and me! :) I have decided to make a conscious effort on one facet of my life: HEALTH! Starting January 1st, I'm giving up aerated drinks. Will add a few more things-to-do in the coming weeks related to this. Tons to do at work, so need to keep myself healthy and fit. And I'm praying healthy habits will last me at least a year. As Oprah Winfrey's optimistic greeting says: "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." Hope to blog regularly too. Best, ~j~

On a day I'm suffering from a terribly upset stomach (what the hell did I eat?), this Eve Ensler quote cheered me up: "Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don't want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you're doing here. Believe in kissing."  ... "Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back." Ah! Signs.

Someone I admire a lot sent me this thought via sms early in the day: You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. Hmmm... Got me thinking. Have a great evening, everyone! #ABC POSTCARD 16/31

Read this on a colleague's Facebook status: There's always a little truth behind every 'just kidding,' a little emotion behind every 'I don't care,' and a little pain behind every 'It's okay.' True?

 Take the road less travelled today!  (Pic taken inside Ranthambore National Park - Jan 2009) *** " All the woulda-coulda-shouldas layin' in the sun, talkin' 'bout the things they woulda-coulda-shoulda done... But all those woulda-coulda-shouldas all ran away and hid from one little did."   ~ Shel Silverstein, Author

I love quotes... And I love quoting them. So, once in a while, I will publish a quote that I find interesting, poignant or inspirational. Here goes the first in my "Think About It" series. Hope you like it... "When life is pulling you down, seek inspiration from the duck – calm and cool on the surface but paddling furiously beneath to keep afloat." * *Thanks to HNatarajan for posting this quote. I hope we all can emulate the duck. Have a great week ahead, folks! Cheers, ~j~