Quote of the day

An awesome quote I found that I would like to share :D

“After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, and you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning and company doesn’t mean security, and you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises, and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child, and you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure… that you really are strong, and you really do have worth.” ~Veronica A. Shoffstall

Happy Mother's Day

I know I whine and grumble,
That I complain about your nagging.
I know sometimes I disappoint,
That sometimes I make you worry.
I know I forget to call sometimes,
And can't seem to find the time to talk.
But most importantly,
I know how much you love me,
I know how much you care,
I know how unconditionally you accept me,
And bypass all my flaws.
I honestly can't think of anyone else (except maybe dad and Ivan and Ivor :D)
Who could love me for who I am,
And not for who I should be.
So if anyone ever asked me,
If I would ever change anything about my mom.
I'd say 'No.'
There's nothing I'd change about her,
Because she's just perfect the way she is.
God must've known exactly what I needed.
For he gave me the most perfect mom I could ever ask for.

So I'm sorry for all those times I've disappointed,
And all those times I've said thing to make you cry,
Even those times I forget to drop a line just to say hi.
I hope this makes you smile,
I hope this lets you know,
How much I love you,
And that I know how unbelievably lucky I am to call you 'Mom'

So Happy Mother's Day, mom.
Here's to many, many more years of memories and love.

Love,
Your daughter.

Beauty

What is beauty?
Is it what society says it is?
Is it a golden tan, flawless skin, a small waist, long legs, perfect hair?
How many of us strive to get there, how many of us wish our genetics had dictated us to look like that?
You read in magazines everyday of all these famous, 'beautiful' people quoting on what they think beauty really is. They say things like 'Beauty is only skin deep', 'Beauty is confidence', 'Beauty comes from the inside'.
Easy for them to say, they have personal stylists, personal trainers, personal cooks. They are already there. THey are already there at what society defines to be 'beautiful'. And coincidentally, after some star says that she's curvy and loves her curves, that she does not need to be a size zero to be happy, the next thing you know, she appears on magazine cover promoting a diet that helped her get to a size zero. What superficial fools we humans can be!
Because I think what no one dares to say out loud is that, society's definition of beauty IS exactly what it seems like. A size zero barbie doll with perfect skin, hair and body.
How did we get here?
How did we get to being good enough, perfect enough to judge who is beautiful and who is not?
How did we get the right to judge what people need to change about themselves just so they can fit into that 'Beautiful' label?
I like to think that beauty is what we want it to be.
I like to think that beauty IS confidence, intelligence, a kind heart, a sense of humour.
I like to think that everyone is beautiful.
But I wonder if it even matters what I want to think.

Another random musing

So life has been pretty flat out these days.
Probably because we're still on holidays and I've just been working working working. And working some more, I swear sometimes I think the money isn't worth it. But I gotta save up for that Brisbane trip I'm planning and looking forward so much to!!!

Its back to school next week. Dammit. Time flies when its the holidays. First you're planning on what to do for the hols, next thing you know, you're getting ready to do your readings (or try to anyway) and wondering when the next holidays will be.

Anyhoo, before I ramble on too much without spouting something the least bit insightful or intelligent, I'm just going to wonder aloud about birthdays. I was just sitting around surfing the net when for some reason this random, random thought crossed my mind.

Why do we celerate birthdays???
Why do we give presents, throw surprise parties, eat cakes, be merry when someone is a year older?
If I were to be a pessimist, I'd say that a birthday just means you're one year closer to death.
If I were an optimist, well, I'm not usually. :D
But I gave it some thought (because, obviously, I don't have enough to do) and I wondered if maybe we feel this need to celebrate birthdays for people around us so much because we just need an excuse, a reason, to show that person how much we love and appreciate them. We feel the need to at least once a year, show that special someone that they are important to us, and that everyone deserves that one day.

Ah, random I know. But if I don't hash it out on my blog, I'm going to keep wondering about it. You know what I mean, fellow bloggers ;)

Dear God.

Dear God,

Isn’t it strange how

There can be so much sadness

In a world of such happiness?

I used to wonder how

You could let such things happen

To all your children on earth

How you could take away lives

And leave the living with their pain

How you could let our hearts be broken

Again and again, until it seemed we could stop loving

How you could cast the world into such shadows

Until it seemed there was no longer hope for any light

It gets me down sometimes, it makes me question why.

But then I open my eyes,

And i see the little signs you leave for us

Signs that you care, signs that you love.

A baby’s first breath gathered to scream as it greets the world

A fawn’s first wobbly steps as it learns its way in the world

An old woman’s smile as she holds the child of her child

I smell the wondrous scents of freshly cut grass, of fallen leaves;

A mom’s home-cooked roast, prepared with so much love;

I hear the music you created,

In the laughter of children around me,

In the voices of the people I love, as they tell my about their day.

Now I’m sure there will always be sorrow,

And there will always be pain.

And I may not know, Lord, why you let them happen,

But I’m also sure,

That you will always be there,

Giving me hope through these little pleasures of life,

These little post-its of nature,

Just so I can stop, appreciate, and know that I am loved.

Lalita's Birthday

Went to a Mongolian restaurant for Lalita's birthday.
They do this cool thing where you select your meat, vege and sauces, and then they cook it for you.
With the birthday girl.
After that we went back home for the birthday cake and just to hang out.
Group photo ( as always)

City Tour

We decided to do a tour of the city the other day.
Mostly because we (I) realised that I've been in Adelaide for so long and haven't seen most of the touristy spots. So we made like tourists, and spent a day walking around the spots in the city that always show up on those Lonely Planet books. Wine Centre was the first stop. There's this thing where you press the button and smell the different flavours of wine.
The vineyard outside of the Wine Centre.
Next stop was Botanic Gardens. I had no other it was this huuuuuuuge!

One with the girls.
We then went into this place ( I forgot what it's called) where they had this whole tropical forest in there. We walked right in and took a deep breath, looked around, and felt like we were home again.

Look at that!!!! It was so familiar!
A picture at the rose gardens.
This tree is apparently I-dunno-how-many-centuries old. And the hole was made by people in the past to be a shelter.
Whoops.
We were so tired at the end of the Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery and the museum, we decided to forgo the other parks we were planning. So we headed to Lalita's place and hung around for a while before heading home.