Change in perspective

It is surprising how a slight change in routine, can loosen you up and completely change your perspective. I experienced this change recently. Some urgent personal work required me to travel to another town and back to Pune and then again I had to travel. I can’t say that I experienced a lot of change in my personal lifestyle, yet it was about moving to a new place, meeting new people and adjusting to new surroundings.
I almost forgot things that worried me earlier. Suddenly I felt lighter and felt that a great burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I think any kind of movement, change of lifestyle or even a new place, helps us in changing our perspective. It helps us in viewing things through new eyes. I’m glad I could observe new things and met a new set of people.

Online Money Making Solutions

The market savvy amongst us make fast moves. When they see a business opportunity they quickly grab it. This is what happened with internet marketing which is a rich source of revenue for some while others are still trying to grasp the mantra behind it. If you are also one of those who want to make money online, there are a plethora of options available to you, but how you deal with them is what matters.
Take Affiliate marketing for instance, there are so many logged onto this band wagon that it is not easy to make money this way unless you have some great and interesting content on your website. If you think of picking up some PLR articles, remember the quality of writing would leave a lot to be desired which will be directly proportional to the quality and quantity of traffic that comes to your website. So how do you manage to get good content for your website? Think of topics that interest people, what these topics are is of course for you to figure out. It’s not always the most common or ‘in topic’ that drives traffic nor is it the obscure or esoteric content that interests people. Try thinking of a topic you are passionate about, people generally feel your passion and if you have something interesting to say, or have in-depth knowledge on the subject they may like to hear from you.
Let’s take the instance of gaming which is such a favorite with the younger generation, besides having a list of latest games, perhaps you could have some interesting trivia about games, also try to include some information for those who do not know much about gaming but want to venture into it, for any reason, maybe because their husbands or children love it or they just decided to cultivate a hobby.

Let’s take some time to list ways in which your desire for, ‘I want to make money online could be satisfied’:
1. Affiliate Marketing- This is a popular method, but, how you make money by this method is important. The trick is to drive traffic to your website. How you do it is totally up to you, either by having some interesting content or offer something to the visitor which could be free downloads of software or e-books.
2. Write- You could share your wisdom with the whole world. Whether it is about e-marketing or writing articles on any other topic. This option could fetch you some quick bucks as the need for good writers is growing in leaps and bounds, so you could pick up a few good gigs and start jotting down your thoughts. Some gigs would pay you $50 per article or more. Look for job postings on Craigslist and several other freelancing websites. You could telecommute or work as a complete freelancer at your convenience and watch the dollars flow in.
3. Marketing Guru- If you are a marketing wizard then you could sell your services like giving tips as to how people could market their products better. Make e-books and sell them
4. Data entry work- is another great way of making money online. It is very popular and pays well. You can work at your convenience and choose the number of hours you want to devote to your work.
5. New Schemes-You could even create your own get-rich-quick scheme and market it on the internet.
6. Selling products online- Selling your product over the internet is another way of earning online. You could try using Google ad revenue. This way you make money by selling products plus when people click on other ads then also you make money.
7. Consultancy: You could also become a consultant or a negotiator who hires a team of writers or data entry professionals and takes on bulk assignments, initially you may make small amounts in commissions but later you will be earning good money.

Chance Meetings

We all live our lives by routine. We religiously pursue our day-to-day goals and become so engrossed in our mundane routines that we completely forget our dreams and desires. We forget to enjoy nature or the small little things that once made us happy. We never seem to have time to stand and stare.
In our present life, we so often take refuge in shopping as some kind of  a release from our daily stress. Each time I’m at a mall Shania Twain’s song, “Ka Ching,” keeps ringing in my head. We all read articles on breaking away from the daily routine, and going to a spa to relax oneself, so you spend more time in office to earn those extra bucks to pay for the spa.
What happens when in this day-to-day existence you meet somebody who reminds you of happy carefree days. Promises you a bright and happy future and you suddenly feel life would be fun. Gently reminds you of happy things and happy moments. Suddenly the new year has a great ring to it. Life seems worth living and almost perfect.
I think in such a situation one just doesn’t want to get out of that dream like state. While one continues to perform the daily duties as usual, there is a renewed vigor in you and you keep living in the happy past and promise of a happy future. Life suddenly seems worth living. It looks like dreams do come true and happiness is for everyone and you never know when good things will happen to you.

Some great quotes for all times

I have always valued great quotes as they not just inspire you but, at times when you are completely at your wit’s end, they actually might provide a solution to problems. I found some great quotes on the Secret fan page and some other sources. I thought I would share them with you. Please feel free to share these thoughts or this post wherever you like.

Focus on the positive. Laugh often. Life is a gift.

Faith makes all things possible.Love makes them easy.

Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.

Don’t worry so much about where you are right now… Focus on where you want to be ~ the Goal is to move forward on to bigger and better… Be better than you used to be….

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes;
A philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs;
An optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - He's walking on them

make a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve and assure yourself that you are ready to work on the process. Wait for clues and then it is your turn to act. Just believe.

If you can read this? Thank a teacher.

The Law of Attraction is always working - so keep your mind focused on what is really important to you. We all deserve to be happy, loved, healthy & wealthy. Be very grateful for what you have right now and watch your thoughts become things.

When you become aware of your thoughts, you can become aware of what you are claiming to be true for you.I am tired,I am lost,I am sick and tired...Is this really what you want to claim as your reality? Decide what you want to claim as your reality and then start telling yourself that...I am a leader, I am an author,I am wealthy.

Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.

If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." –Thomas Edison

Finally, one more thought and I shall post some more like this later:

Most people are prepared for failure,what do you do if you achieve success?

How to Find a Writing Job Online

Have you recently quit your job? Are you looking to start work from home? Before you begin you need to decide how much do you expect to earn? You should have some writing samples ready.

SEO Writing

A good way of generating writing samples is to take up SEO writing though the pay is very low but you can generate lot of samples as the topics on which SEO writing is done are of a very wide range.
Search engine
Do a Google search and look for freelance writing jobs. You could volunteer. Create a profile in a social networking site like Linked in or Facebook. Even Twitter offers lot of writer job links. Just stay active on these sites. Create your blog. This gives you good writing practice and also serves as a writing sample. I would suggest that you start your blog on a niche you have knowledge of and are comfortable writing about.

References

Whatever work you do, ask the client to write a small testimonial for you. Try to get a link to all the ghostwriting assignments you do, or assignments that do not give you a byline.

Deadlines

Meeting deadlines is an essential part of freelance writing. Most clients who ask you to write articles for them, want them in a short span of time. While I would suggest you to avoid clients who ask for 5-6 articles in a day, or want you to spin articles for them, if you are hard pressed for money, you could also attempt those. Avoid clients who pay $4-7 per article though. It does nothing for your portfolio or self-esteem either.

Persistence

Please remember nobody makes a name or earns a good income overnight, patience and perseverance is the key. Patiently build your portfolio and contacts. After you have built a good client base, you can happily bid that day job goodbye.
Last word on this Good Luck!

Watch out for e-mail scams

E-mail scams have been around since the internet spread its wings. I still receive e-mails from some people who claim to be nationals of some African country and ask for my bank account number and other details. I have even received these messages on my cell phone.
Another kind of scam doing the rounds is mails claiming that you have won the British national lottery. The latest scam doing the rounds however is a lot more sophisticated, it arrives from Microsoft or Yahoo, stating you have won a lottery. The mail comes with a file attachment and if you check the web address it takes you to a site that issues discount coupons.
I once received a message from one of my banks that my internet password was incorrect, what confused me was the fact that I had never registered for internet banking for that particular account, the reason for that was, it was an old account which I just used as a savings account and never did any transactions through it.
I have even received mails from PayPal stating that my account has a problem, but the e-mail id used was incorrect.
Fake friend requests from popular social networking sites is another common kind of scam. Facebook, Linked in, my space are some of the most vulnerable social networking sites. Some people create fake accounts just to gather e-mail addresses and gain access to important personal details. Most people on sites like Linked in actually put in lot of personal details on their profile.
Messages from site administration stating that your account has a problem or that you need to log in update some information are one of the most sophisticated scams and you have to be very watchful. If you have not encountered any problem logging into your account do not click on the links provided.
Have you come across sites that promise to offer you freebies like e-books and then when you click on the link it takes you to a page which asks for your paypal password, remember never ever give out your password, you may make a payment from your account but do not give out your password.
I have also received bogus e-cards from unknown people, the reason I clicked on some of them is because the addresser referred to my school and I thought may be a friend I have forgotten has sent the card. My computer did not get hacked because I opened these e-cards from a terminal at my office.
Avoid opening mails from unknown recipients to escape any kind of scam and do not give in to panic when you see any kind of threatening message, as in my case when the mail came from the bank stating that my account was hacked whereas I had not even registered for net banking I just ignored the mail.
If you are a little vigilant you can be sure that none of these scams are going to affect you and remember, you can’t win a lottery unless you bought or applied for one.

Steps Involved in Creating Your Own Blog

The cyberspace today has more writers than it can handle. There are lots of voices in the cyber world expressing their thoughts and opinions on any and every subject. You too can join the bandwagon and have your say.
Do not assume that starting a blog is only for seasoned writers, if you feel passionately about something and you have an opinion on the subject, go right ahead, start your blog and express yourself. The internet is crammed with blogs and websites, yet, if your writing has quality, or you have a voice that stands out, go ahead, shout and there will be lots of listeners. 
Select a topic--
To start your blog begin by choosing a topic, you are passionate about. Do not worry if all the niches are taken and you already find hundreds of blogs on the same topic, start your own and if you have something unique to say or you say things differently, you will find takers.

Pick a blog service provider--
There are lots of blog service providers, depends which one you choose. One thing to bear in mind when choosing a blog service provider is its accessibility, how user friendly it is and does it allow you to export data if you plan to move your blogging services in future.
Here is a list of some prominent blog service providers-
1. Blogger.com -- is one of the most popular blogging platforms. It is user friendly and allows you to move data
2. Word Press.com- This is another blogging platform that is extremely popular. This platform is not just the choice of personalized bloggers but also who use their blogs at a commercial level.
These two remain two of the most popular blogging platforms though there are several others in the running.
Design your blog
Once you have signed up for your blog and decided on a name and topic, choose a template. Each service provider has several pre-designed templates. They also allow you to import your own, especially if you are a designer or have a web designer friend, you can even use your own templates.

The internet has many sites that offer free templates for Word Press. You can do a quick search to find the one you like. Another option is if you visit a blog and you like their template, scroll down to the bottom of  the page to see the name of the designer and then click on their link.

Once you have chosen a look for your blog, you can start adding widgets or gadgets to your blog. This could be something as links to your social media profile. Widgets that allow visitors to leave comments or subscribe to your blog via email or RSS play around and gradually you will get the hang of it. Blogger even provides online tutorials on how to configure your blog.
After you have set your blog start by promoting your blog, create a social media profile that offers links to your blogs. Try doing a guest post in some of the established blogs to get a link back to your blog.
You can update your blogs via email and even your mobile phone and most of the blog service providers already provide the facility.
With all these tools at hand all you have to do is use your Google account or sign up with Word Press and start blogging.

Stirring the Muse

The other day I read Kathleen’s blog. She had  mentioned that city life inspires the writer in her, in her case it was Chicago. I completely agree with her. While nature will definitely inspire the poet in you, if you want to write a story, I think city life or life in a small town affords lot of inspiration.
While reminiscing about childhood, I recalled that two boys in our town were murdered. One was a student of our school. Even at that time, nobody knew what was the cause and I doubt anybody ever found out as some said it was  suicide, some said a murder. The boy in question was hardly the kind who would have committed suicide.
These kinds of incidents and experiences abound in small town life, where everybody seems to know everybody else and life does not change at all. Life offers very little in terms of entertainment except for social interactions. I recall one girl in our neighborhood succumbed to consumption. This girl was tall, very beautiful and just 18 years of age. Her last wish was that  she should be dressed as a bride, so her body was covered in bridal finery when her dead body was carried away by her grieving father. I was 9 years old at that time, but, I vividly recall seeing her when she was alive as she was always kept in confinement and she stayed in a small room, later I recall seeing her pale body being taken away by her grieving parents. The sad sight is clearly etched in my memory.
One can actually build a complete story trying to figure out what she must have gone through when she first came to know of her illness and what must she have felt when she knew she was going to die.
I think stories are happening all around us , all we need is an observant eye, a sensitive receptive heart and the ability to translate these impressions into words.

Listen to Your Heart it Tells You What You Want

I recently watched a Hindi movie called '3 Idiots'-- the chief protagonist-- a guy called Rancho, makes a remark that was funny, yet, thought provoking-- he says, "our heart is weak and it tends to panic when faced with difficulties, so keep telling it, 'all is well,’  and you will have the strength to live through problems."
Amusing! yet, so true. If we do not panic in difficult situations, we can find a solution to our problems. I have often found that, if we listen to our inner voice, we not only find out what we want but are also happier because we listened to our heart.

As human beings we constantly carry on an inner conversation with ourselves, every incidence in life evokes an inner response from us. Every day we come across situations that evoke myriad of emotions in us—happiness, sadness, frustration, tears. We can't control what happens outside, what we can do however is, control how we respond to these situations. Our response to these life events makes our personality.
Loss of job, heartbreak are situations that are not easy to cope with. You can end up blaming yourself or others—but, is that the right way to cope with the loss? The answer is an emphatic, NO! It's not. You should try and think what you learnt from the experience and also think-- well, I get a chance to explore more options now. I had a nice friend who had a very interesting way of coping with heartbreaks, he used to say, "only if she leaves a new one will come." He essentially meant that do not cry over spilt milk.
When I fell sick last year, my initial reaction was, "oh God! Why me?" I was worried about pending bills, me never recovering from the illness, today, I am fit and fine and have found an avenue of work that fulfills me and the best part is I no longer have to rush to an office I hated.
If you want to succeed you have to focus on success and not on failures. Long back I read a book called, "The Power of your Subconscious mind" by Dr Joseph Murphy, the book clearly states how you can program your mind to think positive. During my illness thinking positive and believing, something good is about to happen, helped me cope and move on.
Coping positively with failures is one way to do that. Life is full of ups and downs and we do not always come across people who are nice to us. Life is a rat race and if you get bogged down by the challenges it  offers-- you can't enjoy the pleasure of living.
It is important to know that people around you can be jealous of your success-- we all know this, yet, when we come across manifestations of jealousy-- we either fail to recognize it or let the negativity pull us down. It is important that you recognize these signs and cope with it accordingly.
As human beings we are highly sensitive to criticism, when somebody criticizes us, we tend to get upset, we may show it outwardly or bottle it inside us. The best way to cope with criticism is either to take it as constructive criticism, if you feel you need to change, otherwise think that the other person is different from you.
At times our intuition tells us not to go for things, it stops us from day-dreaming, should you listen to this negative niggling voice, my answer is yes, this is not a negative voice, it is preparing you for possible failure. Never ignore your body's defense mechanism. It's like you want to participate in a beauty pageant, you are aware that the competition is going to be tough, but does that mean, you never participate? You should participate and give it your best shot. You will feel a deep sense of satisfaction because you tried, tell yourself, the winner was better than you.
Building a strong defense mechanism will not only help you in coping with stress, but also help you in coping with the stress associated with failures when you dare to live up to your dreams. Always have an intelligent and honest conversation with yourself that helps you grow as an individual.

Meeting-up with old friends

The social media has proved to be a great boon to the modern society. Whether it is Twitter for updates, Linked in for professional networking or Facebook for social or personal networking.
On Twitter you can get the latest updates on anything, whether it is your friend’s visit to the Mall or the latest buzz in the political world. Linked in is for the serious and business minded lot. You could promote your business or you could interact with the corporate world or look for a job. Facebook is a great tool for personal and social networking. Many use it to promote their business too.
I liked Facebook because it gave me the chance to interact with people, with whom I had lost contact some 20+ years ago. The joy of meeting up with old schoolmates can’t be described in words.
I recently came across a girl who was with me in the 5th and 6th grade. We didn’t know each other well as we were in different sections of the same class and as so many years had elapsed in between, it was hard to recall things.
After meeting her, I felt  very happy, because she is a very nice person. I wished I had known  her well in school. She is a brilliant scientist, a great human being and the way she writes her blog shows her clarity of thought and expression.
I was also impressed by the way she had described her visit to New York City, and WTC site. The graphic details presented showed that she had a fine eye for detail and could not just observe details, but could put them well on paper or in this case her blog.
For all those who want to now check out her blog here’s a link http://lipikazuo.blogspot.com/
Please view the blog and the pictures and also see how well she describes not just New York City but the food she had. I was very impressed, I hope you are too.

Expressing one’s thoughts

Today somebody wrote to me, and asked, for how long I had been freelancing. While the answer to that may not provide an answer to how long I have been writing, because I might have started off as a freelancer just recently but I began writing long ago.

 

For people who completed their education some 20 years ago, writing meant writing exceptionally well. Unless one expressed one’s thoughts like the great literary masters and used ostentatious language with difficult words, one dare not think of writing.

I recall I wrote a short story after my 12 std exam, but I tore the paper after I finished the story as I thought it wouldn’t be approved by anybody, as the language I had used was far from what is considered perfect English. It was more my emotional outburst.

I often used to write down things I couldn’t verbally express as I felt that way I could let out my feelings. I later wrote another story and also used to pen down everything that bothered me.

I would also form short poems and then tear of the book or diary. So I feel for people like me, the online medium is a blessing. Every time something bothers me I come here and rave and rant :) I’m not bothered if somebody reads or not. At least I have expressed my thoughts.

For people who do not like the new medium where everybody expresses their thoughts  I don’t have much to say, but for people who want to express themselves I would say, use this medium, it helps in venting out your thoughts.

Use it like your easel and paint with your words and surely you will find some takers.

Blog Versus Website.

Today I read Victoria Meyer’s blog, interesting content. Her blog reads like a personal diary. Which is what I thought blogs were till I came across blogs that have professional content.

Technically speaking, do blogs differ from Websites in any way? I mean there are sites that allow you free web-hosting and even blogs can have paid domains, then what is the difference between the two? Even blog sites allow you to customize and many blogs actually look like websites.

While the critics of blog writing, who think one should not write personal details and expect people to read it, do not like the concept of blog writing. I for one love it. There was a time when I would pen down all the thoughts crowding my mind and then tear off the page. Today my blog allows me to happily rave and rant and some people actually like that and want to share their views and as always they also give their perspective on things which often sheds new light on any particular issue.

I think the first blog that I read was Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, that is what made me think that a blog is like a personal diary and even the format actually has the nature of a personal diary, but then I do not mind how people use their blog. It basically is their own and they could even have professional content or any kind of tips they would like to offer to the reader. Even if you want to share your favorite recipes or you pet peeves.

If one is focused on making money out of the blog then it is a different thing and wants traffic to the blog, I guess one has to focus on what others want to read and maybe stuff their blog with keywords. Either way it is fine.

Let me know what you think about the concept of blog writing? Do you think people should put personal details or thoughts in their blogs and should they be criticized because their aren’t enough takers for their content?

Can Charisma be cultivated?

This post is a spin-off from Michael Maynard’s blog post. Excuse me Michael! :) I could say, I’m just extending your discussion on my blog. Let me link it to your blog, so that others can read it too.
His post discusses how charisma can be your key to success. He begins his article by discussing what is charisma, and says that most people tend to like charismatic people. I would agree with him on this one-- but-- would also like to add that charismatic people often tend to invite envy from those around them.
I completely agree with him that integrity and values could add to the charisma that a person exudes.He goes on to argue that we behave in a certain way that makes people like us. While this is true to some extent-- I feel if this is a cultivated quality, it may make the person a bit superficial; which wouldn’t in any way add to his charisma. It is almost like, if people say, “you look good in blue,” you start wearing it everyday. Suddenly people start getting bored with you. So does it mean one shouldn’t have the qualities he has mentioned? I would say, one should have, but, they should be ingrained in your personality, so much so that people say— “it’s you.” This could be true of integrity or righteousness.
Let me explain my point further; if you are righteous it shouldn’t be because you got rave reviews, but, because you just can’t be any other way. It means that you are uncomfortable without those values. This brings us to having a certain consistency of character.I can say that as a person I really like people who show consistency of character; would stand by what they think is right under all circumstances, yet, are not averse to admitting that they are wrong; if proved otherwise.
Michael also mentions some pointers to developing a charismatic personality, I do agree with some, like being hygienic, being decently dressed and of course not being coarse in one’s mannerisms.
He also feels that to make one’s conversation interesting and funny, which according to him should include, “double entendres, innuendos,” I’m not sure I agree on this one unless your idea of being funny means free rides. :) Let’s consider President Obama, for instance, he sure exudes charisma—almost everybody would agree with me on this one-- why is that? Is it his conversation, his speeches or the fact that he seems to have a deep conviction in whatever he says and does. I believe a person if he deeply believes in whatever he does exudes oodles of charisma, as against a person, who does things either to get rave reviews or to spite somebody else.
According to the OALD( Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary) Charisma is,
“the powerful personal quality that some people have to attract and impress other people.”
Which essentially means that this is a personal quality  and has a lot to do with having a personality. I would say being oneself, having good values, being funny without being rude and having an open and flexible attitude in life would go a long way in adding to your charisma.
Please let me know what you think is charismatic? More Musings later…

The beauty of Twitter

Let me be honest when I  first heard of Twitter I wasn’t actually looking forward to it. I would keep reading about Twitter on online discussion forums and occasionally thought of checking it out, but then decided against it. One day I decided to sign up for Twitter; the moment I signed up, I found some bot like profiles following me. I was disappointed; went and blocked them.
I  had just one or two followers and I was following about 4-5. I didn’t like what I saw  there and decided not to get very active on Twitter. One day I saw a discussion on Women 2.0 a group on Linked in, about Twitter. I decided to check it. Thanks to Angie Chang, who initiated the discussion, I suddenly discovered the beauty of Twitter. She asked people to introduce themselves and their Twitter profile. Suddenly I was following many and also found many following me.
I would compare Twitter to a big marketplace( don’t know if you like the analogy) where fine goods are on array, just pick and choose what you like, you can also sample some. The number of interesting links and thoughts that people tweet also the interesting conversation that goes on is a lot of fun.
One can also compare it to a big party where you can interact with many and move on. There is no obligation to follow somebody or interact with people you do not wish to. In fact you can follow people who are not following you and vice-versa.
I would also recommend Tweetdeck as one of the coolest applications to use for Twitter. Some more Twitter tips include, retweeting other people’s tweets that you like and sharing your thoughts. I also recently learnt the use of the #hashtag. It is used to search for a particular thing. Enter #hashtag followed by that particular word, for instance, use #writer and do a Twitter search you will find all tweets on that topic. You can also communicate with people following that hashtag. You can reply to anybody even those who are not following you. Follow famous news readers to follow the latest news. You also have a chance of expressing your opinions.  I would suggest that you have fun with Twitter more than anything else.

Favorite Songs and motivational quotes

Recently I saw a discussion on Linked in, asking people about their favorite songs or their favorite motivational quotes. One of my most favorite motivational quotes of course forms the descriptive  heading of this blog.
I intend to share some others with you today. I also intend to post some interesting quotes from the discussion. So here goes, after the quotes I’ll list my favorite songs .
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself

"We are all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde
Stop All Criticism
Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Louise Hay

When life deals you lemons, you make lemonade
If you think you are beaten, you are,
if you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will -
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin
Never place a period where God has placed a comma. Gracie Allen
Independence is happiness. Susan B. Anthony
Now to go to the list of my favorite songs. One of course is by ABBA, I have a dream( don’t know who sang the original, I have the one by ABBA), The other is by Carpenters, I’m on the top of the world. The next is also a great favorite of my brother and mine too, Carpenters again, Hurting each other.
Another favorite is by AQUA, If only I could turn back time…..many others…please share your favorite songs here…maybe I’ll link a youtube video of some of my other favorite songs.
Please share your favorite songs and quotes here…

Does a near death experience transform you?

A difficult question to answer, as most of us have been in moments when we had near death experiences. A serious illness or maybe a serious accident that was averted. Do these events in any way change the way we look at life?
It is often said that if a person is too passive, make them walk the edge, does it always affect them?
From my near death experiences, I can’t say I have changed a bit. I also know that people around me too changed for a short while, after some time everything became the way it was.
So why do people say that a near death experience or a brush with death changes you? Do people suddenly expect you to start eating only healthy food, exercise regularly. Become nice to mean people. Start loving what you hate or saying that you love it even though you hate it?
What do people expect from you? How do they expect you to change? I would love it if somebody were to explain, why is near death experience so important.
While I do understand that many people develop the attitude of catching the bull by the horn, when it comes to dealing with life after they have a brush with death. I doubt if it is true about everybody.
What do you think? Do you feel it changes you or it changes you only for some time and afterwards everything becomes the same? Please keep the comments rolling in…more musings later….

The tradition of leaving comments or writing letters to the editor

Letters to the editor have been a long-standing tradition with magazine or newspaper writing. There was a time magazines would offer prizes for the best three letters to the editor( I think most of them still do). The letters, not just established the magazines popularity, but also,  the writer’s credibility if the article evoked any kind of response. While some people like blatant praise, for me the ideal response is when the reader either shares his/her experiences or comments on something that was said in the article.

The tradition of writing letters to the editor has extended itself to the online medium in the form of comments on articles or blog posts. The dynamics of internet marketing demands that one leaves comments, along with the website or blog url to get back links.  So , this exercise in a way self-serves. If, this is the primary reason for commenting, you will eventually find that you are just commenting to get links. I prefer to comment on something that interests me or evokes a reaction or response in me. I think commenting has a lot to do with being passionate about a subject or life in general.

What do you think? Should you react or not? Do you feel like sharing your views with others? Do you leave comments and why do you leave comments? Do you read comments made by other people? Do you feel passionate about sharing your views with others? More musings later………

Life and color

Everybody’s life could do with a little or lot of color. Colors add spice to life-- I mean literally and figuratively. Today, I want to explore what color means to each one of us, besides, the obvious one that it adds a little spice to life.

Most women’s and feature magazines carry articles on the significance of color and the content often is centered on, statements like, blue stands for moods and red for energy.
As a child I was obsessed with the color red. Whenever I had a red colored dress I used to wear it all the time so much so, that people would begin to notice it and even comment on it. The little rebel in me refused to conform to what people wanted me to do and I continued wearing red all the time.
However this is not what this post is about. I want to explore whether one’s liking for a particular color has something to do with inherent tendencies? Is there a deeper psychological significance to the use of color. I had once read a book( I have forgotten the name) which had a set of cards in 7 colors with the book. You were asked to pick the cards and the order in which you picked the cards revealed certain aspects of your personality.
I do not know how accurate  the analysis was, because, when I first  looked at the cards, I didn’t like any card in particular, as all the cards had a slightly dull shade of that particular color. It  comprised of a dull red, dull blue, green was bright and so on. It honestly was hard to pick one or actually decide whether the book gave an accurate explanation. The whole exercise was however quite thrilling, similar to getting one’s palm read or one’s handwriting analysed.
Do colors have a meaning beyond the obvious? I wish many people comment on this post so that I could get a wide spectrum of views to derive a conclusion. Please feel free to comment on what color means to you and why you choose a particular color? Do you feel colors have a deeper psychological significance?

Writer Scams

Have you come across writer scams? I do not mean fake projects posted on content mill sites, but fake clients, who buy your article at low rates, as low as $1 for a 500 word article, then they slap their name on to the article and pose as writers and sell that article at higher rates to other clients. This is honestly not even ghostwriting. Some even use your samples to win projects and then do not give you work.
Many content farms are thronged by such people. Their project description reads something like this: “ I’m looking for a writer to write good quality 500 word articles on various niches. I’ll pay $1 per 500 word article, or $3 per 500 word article. Rates are not negotiable, please do not bid for the project if you do not agree with the price. Only native English speakers please. You must meet the deadlines. Article should be 100% copyscape free, no grammatical error, no plagiarism will be tolerated.”
After all this when you bid for the project, one person will ask for your gmail/msn id. Will begin chatting with you, completely ignore the bid amount even ask you to lower the bid amount, one wonders why are such people allowed to post. They should not be allowed to contact the service provider other than through their system. This not just gives a bad name to the site but to the people who are posting projects there. There are several good clients too. I also came across a client who asked everybody to do a free sample and I’m sure he gave different topics to each writer. He said only if I like your sample I’ll pay for it. I did not send him the whole article. I just sent him 3 paragraphs and told him if he likes the tone, I’ll continue, he later wrote to me that the project was closed because he had sent a sample of another writer to his client who had rejected it. This way he might have got some 20 samples without paying. I’m already wise about such clients so I just sent an excerpt, but many sent the whole article ( especially newbies). I appeal to all freelance bidding sites to watch out for such people who have great reviews but do not write on their own.
They are responsible for the low quality articles found in article directories.
I request all writers to watch out for such scams.