Saying I LOVE YOU and mean it..

It's easy to say "I Love You" but what's more important when you are brave enough to say "I Love You" to your loved one is the meaning behind it. Do you really mean it? Or you just say it like you say any other things? When you say "I Love You", you say it with your heart and mean it, it means that you actually LOVE him/her no matter what. You will love him/her unconditionally. Here's one short writing I found about Loving someone unconditionally written by twodog from on Everything2.

Do we all know what love is? Do we all know what unconditional means? If you can come close to understanding , even if it is just something so tenuous in the back of your mind that you just might not be sure... be assured... you know.

Love is not so great a mystery that we should find ourselves trying to explain it and quantifying it. We know when we are loved and we know when we are not.
We know when we love someone and we know when we do not.

I am not speaking of lust or infatuation. Those things do not come close to what love is. Loving another is not about what you receive . Loving another is simply giving yourself. All that you are. It can never be about what you can get.
If you are fortunate to find yourself beginning to love someone and you ask yourself " what can i gain from this relationship ?" than I would ask you to think long and hard about why you believe you think you are being loving.

When I love you and you tell me you do not love me , do I stop loving you ? If i say yes than my love was given with conditions. Is that love that any one of us really wants ?
If I believe that you love me , I want to know that I can totally screw up and leave you
completely disappointed in me . Each of us , has it it within us to totally screw up and disappoint those that love us. If I become fearful that I will "lose" your love if I act wrongly than I must believe your love comes with conditions. Is that what we really want? I want to love and be loved.

I did not say " I want to love and be loved in return " I do love. Those that I love will receive all that I am . They do not need to give me anything. Not even their love. They can lie to me , they can abuse me , they can tell me that they have never loved me and i will still love them. Does this sound hard ? Is it really possible to love someone that way?
Yes to both questions. To love another unconditionally is the hardest thing you will ever do. No conditions means absolutely no conditions. When you get to the point (and I hope you will) that you can honestly say that you love another unconditionally, you will wonder how you could love any other way.

(article source: here - image source: starrymornings.tumblr, scruffydoodle.tumblr)

Picnic..

Picnic is always fun. Especially when you don't need to bring lots of picnic stuff. I found this really awesome stuff for picnic on coolthings. It's called Tailgate Wooden Picnic Table. The best thing about this table is that it can be folds into a suitcase. Do you see a suitcase below? Yup, that's the only thing that you have to bring. And voila...a picnic table is set and ready =) Isn't it great?

An Awesome Day

You have to always be positive. I know it's hard for some people to do it, but it doesn't give you any harm to at least give an effort to be positive. I have a friend who don't seem to be able to think positive about many things going on. Sometimes I try to encourage her to think the other way round, which is to be positive. I know that things will not always go the way you want to but at least if you keep that positive vibe in your thoughts, you will at least have a chance of being positive. Even if it's just in your mind.

Here's an article about Positive Thinking. The article is called "Positive Thinking Activities: 3 Easy Ways To Make Everyday An Awesome Day". I stumbled upon this article on articlecube.com, written by Michael Lee.Hope this will be helpful for those who need it and since it is now Friday...maybe you can start to practice one of the points below so you'll have a brilliant weekend ahead =) have a nice weekend everyone...

"Positive Thinking Activities:
3 Easy Ways To Make Everyday An Awesome Day"

Positive Thinking Activity # 1: Meditating

Meditation is a great way to start your day. It gives you the peace and quiet you deserve instead of the flurry of clothes, breakfasts and elbows you might usually start the day with.

It allows you to have a deeper connection with yourself. It calms you and helps you prepare for the challenges waiting ahead.

Contrary to what some people might think, meditating is not that difficult. All you have to do is find a comfortable spot, settle in a comfortable position, close your eyes and breathe. Focus on your breathing so you can reach a state where you’re no longer thinking about too many things. Do this for even ten minutes and you’re good to go.

Positive Thinking Activity # 2: Singing to Uplift the Spirit

Singing has the power to uplift you. It is an outlet which allows you to voice out your energy into the world. You don’t have to be a great singer as long as you choose a song that is positive and that resonates with you.

Sing while you’re cooking breakfast or while you’re in the shower. You might be surprised at how refreshing that will make you feel after!

Positive Thinking Activity # 3: Smiling

Smiling doesn’t take a lot of effort to do, but it’s not something that comes naturally to most people either.

One important thing to remember is to never fake your smiles. People will find out if you're just forcing it. One thing you could do to give out genuinely likeable smiles is to find and focus on the positive qualities of people you're smiling to.

Smiling is an instant mood booster, so don’t stop finding reasons to do it often.

Positive thinking activities don’t have to get in the way of your everyday lives. If you notice, most of these suggested activities won’t even interfere with your daily morning routine.

In fact, they are created to blend into whatever activities you do in the morning. Of course, these can also be done at any time of the day. The more you do them, the more positive your outlook on life will be.

(article source: articlecube.com - image sources: sayingimages.com, bri-chan.deviantart.com)

Holding hands..

Found this short writing on Everything2.com. It was written by hookskies. It's a short writing about holding someone's hand. The opening sentence said that "Holding someone's hand is like coming home". Don't you just feel fit right into those words? I do. It always feel good holding the hand of someone that you care and love the most. it's like you don't need anything else in this world to protect you but only those hands.

Holding someone's hand is like coming home. Even if you don't really know what home is supposed to be like or feel like. You still have this vision in your brain of what you may have hoped it to have been, or what you wish it could be like.

You get that tingly feeling at the end of your finger tips and your toes. You feel like nothing else matters because you are there, in that moment with someone, and nothing is going to break it up. Nothing is going to tear that person away from you. There is no fighting, there is no shouting, there is no screaming. There is just you and that special person, and that feeling of complete and utter acceptance. There is comfort in holding someone's hand. There is security. There is pure joy. Sometimes you don't want to let go. You don't want to let go of that feeling. You're not used to it perhaps and you like the feeling, and you don't want to let go,say goodbye, and move on because you have finally found your home. Yes indeed, holding someone's hand is like finally coming home.

(source from everything2 - image sources: liveinternet.ru, flickr)

Circle of LIFE

Found this wonderful and breath-taking image on Flickr. Isn't it just a gorgeous picture? It reminds me about how important friends are in our life. I can say that my life is not complete if I don't have close friends to share my ups and downs. For me, close friends are as important as families. My close friends are the one I know since we were 6, back at the time when we first learn how to read, how to count and so on. When I came to think of it, I realize that I am blessed to have such close friends who love me for what I am, just being me.

“We are friends and I do like to pass the day with you in serious and inconsequential chatter. I wouldn't mind washing up beside you, dusting beside you, reading the back half of the paper while you read the front. We are friends and I would miss you, do miss you and think of you very often.”
Jeanette Winterson

Chic Living Room

Ever wondered how famous people decor their living room? Now you don't need to wonder about it no more. Here are some of the famous celebrities' living room from ELLE DECOR. Each decor fits with her/his own character. I am loving supermodel Jessica Stam's living room and Candace Bushnell's living room. Love all the colors...

Donatella Versace

Cindy Crawford

Candace Bushnell
Jessica Stam
John Mayer
Julianne Moore(all images from Elledecor.com)

Monologue...

As you know that I love the show Grey's Anatomy. So far it's the best TV show I've seen. It has a dramatic side, an educational side, a funny side and the best thing about the show is the monologue or the voice over in every show, at the beginning and at the end. Mostly, it was said by Meredith Grey - the main character of the show. Although one or an other time, the other casts take over the monologue. Here are some of the monologues that I love...

"You know how when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales, that fantasy of what your life would be, white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You would lie in bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were so close you could taste them, but eventually you grow up, one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they can trust. But the thing is its hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely cause almost everyone has that smallest bit of hope, of faith, that one day they will open their eyes and it will come true."

— Grey’s Anatomy Monologue

At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out, they fence you in. Life is messy. That’s how we’re made. So you can waste your life drawing lines… or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines… that are way too dangerous to cross. Here’s what I know: If you’re willing to take the chance, the view from the other side… is spectacular.

— Grey’s Anatomy Monologue

“At the end of a day like this, a day when so many prayers are answered, and so many aren’t… We take our miracles where we find them. We reach across the gap, and sometimes, against all odds… against all logic, we touch.”

— Grey’s Anatomy Monologue

“Remember when we were little, and we’d accidentally bite a kid on the playground? Our teachers would go, “Say you’re sorry.” and we would say it, but we wouldn’t mean it. Because the stupid kid we bit… totally deserved it. But, as we get older, making amends isn’t so simple. After the playground days are over, you can’t just say it, you have to mean it. Of course, when you become a doctor, “sorry” is not a happy word. It either means “You’re dying and I can’t help”, or it means, “This is really gonna hurt.”

— Grey’s Anatomy Monologue

When we're heading towards an outcome that's too horrible to face, that's when we go looking for a second opinion. Sometimes, the answer we get just confirms our worst fears but sometimes, it can shed new light on the problem. Make you see it in a whole new way. After all the opinions have been heard and every point of view has been considered, you finally find what you were after, the truth. But the truth isn't where it ends , that's just where you begin again with a whole new set of questions.

— Grey’s Anatomy Monologue

(image source: greysanatomyseason.net)

25 life lessons...

Don't you love to learn new life lessons? I love it. It's like I'm able to dig deeper into life. Here's another source of life lessons that I just found. Dave Berry is the one who made the list. Dave Barry is a humor columnist that is why you can see below that the lessons are not those serious type of life lessons. Instead, he's able to bring life into a more relaxing side but still the idea of the lessons are still very deep and important. He made a 25 things of life lessons he has learned for 50 years. My fave is point number 21 "A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.". Below is the complete list.

Dave Berry, "25 Things I Have Learned in 50 Years

1. The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of helicopters in it.
2. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight-saving time.
3. People who feel the need to tell you that they have an excellent sense of humor are telling you that they have no sense of humor.
4. The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment.
5. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that m oment.
6. A penny saved is worthless.
7. They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never be peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth is hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the planet except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in the Middle East will be bitter enemies.
8. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

9. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.
10. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.
11. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
12. People who want to share their religious views with you almost nev er want you to share yours with them.
13. There apparently exists, somewhere in Los Angeles, a comp uter that generates concepts for television sitcoms. When TV executives need a new concept, they turn on this computer; after sorting through of possible plot premises, it spits out, "THREE QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT," and the executiv es t urn this concept into a show. The next time they need an idea, the computer spits out, "SIX QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTM ENT." Then the next time, it spits out, "FOUR QUIRK Y BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." And so on. We need to locate this computer and destroy it with hammers.

14. Nobody is normal.
15. At least once per year, some group of scientists will become very excited and announce that: The universe is even bigger than they thought. There are even more subatomic particles than they thought! Whatever they announced last year about global warming is wrong.If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings"
16. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.
17. The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite of what the advertiser actually thinks. For example: If the advertisement says "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," the advertiser is desperately concerned that this Oldsmobile, like all other Oldsmobiles, appeals primarily to old farts like your father. If Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars to convince you that there are significant differences between these two products, both companies realize that Pepsi and Coke are virtually identical.
18. If the advertisement strongly suggests that Nike shoes enable athletes to perform amazing feats, Nike wants you to disregard the fact that shoe brand is unrelated to athletic ability. If Budweiser runs an elaborate advertising campaign stressing the critical importance of a beer's "born-on" date, Budweiser knows this factor has virt ually nothing to do with how good a beer tastes. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.
19. You should not confuse your career with your life.
20. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

21. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
22. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
23. Your friends love you anyway.
24. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

(source: villines.com - image source: vi.sualize.us, vi.sualize.us, randomnessnstuff.tumblr, moonbeam-layouts.com)

Douglas Friedman..

I have a new photographer crush. This time it's Douglas Freidman. Douglas Friedman was born and raised in New York City in 1972. He went to LA ro study Anthropology and Documentary Film Making and came back to NY to study photographic technique and theory. Here are some of his marvelous works! Love it ...

(image sources: http://www.douglasfriedman.net)

Cheese...

I love warm melted cheese. Especially when it's cloudy or raining outside...yum. Found this very simple recipe of classic grilled cheese sandwich by the oh-so-famous Martha Stewart. The steps and the ingredients are so simple you can make it right about now =) Not only it's simple but we can also call this a comfort food so you can have this and feel better afterward. I can even smell the cheese right now ...

Classic Grilled Cheese

(makes 2 sandwiches)

***The key to making a good grilled cheese sandwich lies in the heat of the cooking surface. A griddle or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will produce equally delicious results.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices (1/2 inch thick) firm white sandwich bread
• 1/4 pound cheddar cheese, sliced 1/3 inch thick
• Unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions:

1. Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Place two slices of bread on a clean work surface, and cover each with a layer of cheese; top with remaining bread slices, pressing gently to adhere. Generously butter both sides of each sandwich, spreading it all the way to the edges.

2. Place sandwiches on the griddle or in the skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side and the cheese has completely melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once. Before removing from griddle, flip sandwiches to reheat first side, about 15 seconds. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half; serve immediately.

(recipe and image source: Martha Stewart)

Physical Appearance..

How do you feel when people judge you based only on your physical appearance? Honestly I hate the feeling. I guess the quote is always true that "you can't judge a book by its cover". Do you think when people judge you based only on your physical appearance, they just try to be honest or they are just those outspoken people? Does ethic play a role in here?

It's just seem funny to me that in the so-called modern era, some people still snap someone's personality based on his/her looks only. I don't say that it's wrong. I'm just saying that those who often judge others by their physical appearance only, should keep their first thought for themselves until they finally found out the real people behind that physical appearance. Don't you just think so? I'm trying to say that it's not really right to jump straight to the conclusion without taking a proper look on someone. I've once studied about "Halo Effect" on my management class. Based on wikipedia "Halo Effect" can be described as;

The halo effect is a cognitive bias whereby the perception of one trait (i.e. a characteristic of a person or object) is influenced by the perception of another trait (or several traits) of that person or object. An example would be judging a good-looking person as more intelligent. The halo effect is involved in Harold Kelley's implicit personality theory, where the first traits we recognize in other people influence our interpretation and perception of later ones because of our expectations. Attractive people are often judged as having a more desirable personality and more skills than someone of average appearance.

Here's what I found more about why people judge from physical appearance only, from eHow:
Scientific research suggests that opinions based on looks alone have been present since ancient man. Much of this strategy is based on fear and the avoidance of that which may be dangerous. Looks are the first criteria we have to assess a person. Communication was limited, so there weren't other methods to judge a person's character or suitability for mating. Most of what is considered attractive is directly related to physical attributes that indicate health. Luckily, unlike ancient humans, we can now say that these impressions are only our first impressions, not our only impressions. We must be aware of our human predisposition toward forming impressions based on looks and fight to judge people according to better criteria.

I am hoping that less and less people judged other people based only on physical appearance. As humans, we have brains and logical thinking that we can use to see more into people. It's such a waste if we try to make a whole perception of someone based only on how they look, what they wear and so on. What is more important is to be able to listen to what you feel inside and what matters to you. Try not to get carried away with what other people say about you. You know yourself more than they know you. And just like the wise man say that

“Appearances are often deceiving.” (Aesop)

(source: wikipedia and eHow - image sources: weheartit.com, stuffnoonetoldme.blogspot.com & teenagedreams.tumblr)

Room decor

I was browsing and stumbled upon these three types of living room decor on WUNDERWEIB.DE. I asked my Tumblr friends to choose which one they love the most among the three room decors. Here's the result. My favorite is of course the blue

• marlene-d answered: 2nd :)
• lorenianp answered: 3rd one
• annamaniacs answered: middle..
• fearlesshearts answered: 3rd one
• sally-amore answered: 3rd one :)
• estadia answered: image farthest to the right….maybe it’s the lighting
• carolinapearls answered: I love the middle one!
• extremelycomplicated answered: last one
• joli3 answered: last one
• konfetti answered: middle one - I think :-)
• kaaayte answered: 2nd
• lifestorieslover answered: 3rd, d green one
• hayatiwahab answered: 1st
• humblebumble answered: Far right one.
• joannagutierrez answered: 2nd
• pielcanela answered: second
• keepsmehappy answered: the one on the left. :)
• heyitsharuz answered: the one on the far left. i loike.
• rollingyellowpanda answered: 3rd photo
• sitizuhairah answered: right
• ehc answered: 1st or third :)
• white-crow answered: third
• swered: the middle. it’s a nice balance of sophisticated and enjoyable.
• tinymind answered: right one.
• jennifergracecook answered: center, well yeah luv the black chaise too
• citradanwati answered: i love the green one !
• aprilisover answered: the third
• iatemygoldfish answered: 1st :]
• natalia-angulo-rico answered: third
• 19miracles answered: the 3rd one.
• dreameveryday answered: a mix of far left & far right.
• iamsorandom answered: 1st one.
• pughs-news answered: the middle one
• chachicast answered: blue one
• nycgal127 answered: third
• sweetthings answered: 2
• iraitsil answered: the first and the last
• iambird answered: Eh, depends… middle or the left
• samanthanaomi answered: i like #3 :)
• iadelle answered: 3rd one with the green curtain.
• helloiiloveyou answered: right
• withoutwhich answered: last because it has green gingam roman shade and thats so very rad.
• zeppelinuponthesky answered: the third one!
• merelyatweet answered: the 3rd one. lots of light but still cozy cuz of the colors
• phernicious answered: middle
• toomuchto answered: 1
• -badreams answered: right oneee
• tolaughoftenandmuch answered: the third one
• acidwkisses answered: most right
• charmtastic answered: the third one is nice
• stephxor answered: First one for sure
• theredpiano answered: middle one
• imalicious answered: 3rd ;) the green one.
• sweetdreamsalways answered: far right.
• hellastellar answered: First one!
• jenyey answered: second :P
• shessorad answered: the middle one. it looks like bliss
• ssadweka answered: the left one :D
• beatdataye answered: 1.
• aesthetx answered: #3
• dlo- answered: firsttt
• michellegrace17 answered: third. it’s brighter, more natural, and has more storage space! :)
• championharlot answered: The far left, definitely.
• lookinglasslife answered: I like the first one.
• spray-can answered: first one
• bottledmessage answered: the one in green
• iwritetobefree answered: I like the black and white one
• cheshirekat answered: the left one
• gabriellaxxx answered: the one on the extreme right.
• cloudbearer answered: I like the first one :3
• nextstoplondon answered: left
• notfersure answered: first

(image source: wunderweib.de)