Once again before I jump right to the post I have a small request for all my readers. Please vote for me over here - http://nekonette.com/contest/vote.php - and help me win.

Today we are going to talk about the second winner of January Show Your Best Contest. The review of the first winner’s blog you can find here.

About the author

Rachana Shakyawar.

I have an odd mix of emotions and practicality, perfections and common sense. Lover of humming Butterflies, colours, chocolates.. Who fears of unknown.. Who needs little appreciation in sincere words with a tint of charm over the top.. Who gives sharp feelings for taste, time, hearing and sense of smell..

This is a girl whose writing will inspire you, will keep you thinking and wondering. This is a girl who would surprise you with her writing even when you think that it is not possible. You wonder if it is really so? Check out her blog Humming Today. She started that blog almost 3 years ago, in March 2007. As she said back then “I’m here to explore..inspire..and aspire”

And so she did, for 3 years already.

About the blog design

Humming today has a very unique design. Landing on the pages of this blog you will at once know what it is all about: creativity, art, celebration, travelling, cooking and many more. A very user friendly design with menu that can lead you to the posts in the areas you are most likely to enjoy. Once you visit the blog you will also find a sufficient information about the author and her achievement in the blogging world including a great number of awards which show the love of her readers, well deserved.

About the blog

I reflect upon my day.. through Humming Today.. Be a Miracleand blaze.. Humming Today Blog is content of true glowing colors in my life. Each post is like my sip of the sweet moments and memories.

That is again what Rachana says about her own writing space. And that is something I agree upon. If there is a  more colorful and beautiful blog I don’t know about it. Humming Today welcomes you into the world of contemplation, feelings, memories, experiences, tastes and many many more.

I can not say how many posts are there in the blog. I can only assure that they are devoted to almost each aspect of human life (blog’s labels can surely prove that). And it would be so tough to choose best ones or favorite ones. A special mention should be given to the post that has won The Colors Magazine contest  - “Oh, What an F-Word”.

It is amazing not only how Rachana writes but how she is arranging content in her posts, the structure, the pictures (including her own, told you, the girl IS gifted), the font colors. It is always a great experience to read her posts. The favorite section of mine is 55 Fiction (that is not much surprising, is it?). I still remember her very first 55 Fiction - Eyes on Me and many more since that. Some of them devoted to social issues, like quite a number of Rachana’s posts.

Rachana is one of not many people who manage to find joy in the simplest of things, who can be inspired by them and inspire the rest of the world. Her posts have that positive something that makes you want to be a better person and to enjoy life the way it comes. Daily delights is one of such posts. And Everyone needs a Personal Cheerleader is one of the inspiring ones.

There should be special attention paid to her recipe’s posts. Gosh, are they yummy!! You can not afford miss any of them. You can read my personal favorite - here. More recipes you can find under the tag Indian Cuisine.

And last but surely not least there are posts of beautiful places to visit in India. She describes her own trips and experiences the way that you not just WANT to be there, you feel that you NEED to be there. Check out her Kerala - Munnar is Must to Visit or her post about Delhi.

All in all I can say, Humming Today is the blog you should not miss. It is all about celebrating life, live simple but happy. Enjoy life and help others enjo theirs. Check out Rachana’s blog and you will never want to leave it.

You can also check out Rachana’s guest post here on The Colors Magazine - Top Ten Simple Delights of Life.

Do you want to have the review of your blog on The Colors Magazine? It is really simple. Submit your best blog post for our contest  and win it. You still have 2 days to submit your February post. Read details by clicking here.

You can also take part in our ongoing writing contest - Tell Your Love Story.

To stay updated you can subscribe to us. Just click here to read our postsin your favorite reader, or subscribe via e-mail by filling in the form below (you should remember to click activation link to complete subscription process).

Humming Today: Blog Review is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Destiny’s Child: Blog Review (4)
• Show Your Best: Contest’s Results (35)
• It’s All About Love… For Blogging (14)
• Tell Your Love Story: Contest (11)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Contest: Last Call (7)
• BlogContest: Show Your Best (48)
• And The Winner Is… (16)
• Readers’ Choice Voting (18)
• Contest Entry #40 (10)

Before we get to a new post, I have some request for my readers. I have taken part in some writing contest and judging up to some extent is based on voting results. Will you please vote for me over here http://nekonette.com/contest/vote.php

Now to the post itself.

This is a guest post by Rachana Shakyawar

Every person has a bit of philosopher in him/her and have his/her own a way of philosophy of life to define, look and explore the experiences, feelings, and fundamentals! I have tried to ponder, express the unexpressed thoughts and define my own quote that I follow in my life.

Ever since I have been aware of these things, I accepted and implemented them in my greatest percentage of life that is lived in the daily routine. During the journey of life I discovered the courage to see the things with a complete shift of the prospective, perhaps rediscovering the creativeness in me.

I came across to simple delights through reading, talking to different aged, the chain of circumstances and from a steady upgrade of wisdom with age. Different phases and position in life gave plentiful thoughts, experiences, and fluctuation of mood and emotions which redirected me much concrete action plan to lead a life and in all a better life-style.

I enjoy and celebrate this change everyday. So, here I share my top ten simple delights that made a difference in my life.

Keep Smiling: Smile is one and only language that world understands effortlessly. The interesting fact is that it takes 37 muscles to frown and 22 muscles to smile. So smile and uplift the aura instantly with the sparkles of joy. Perhaps, “Beam” is the synonym for smile. Keep smiling for it does improve your face value. And well goes the quote, “Don’t frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.”

Never Mess up with Hair: To your early teenage and younger hood, people have this tendency to experiment with their looks and hair comes first in the list. The more you mess up with the hair with iron rods, blow hair dryers, chemical coloring or changing frequently shampoos, the more fragile hair becomes. Do not hesitate to take help of the hair-specialist to decrease the damage done to the hair. Of course you know, something is seriously wrong, don’t you!

Dance as if nobody watches: Play your favorite song and dance, at least 10 minutes. Try shaking your body while dancing if you have both left-feet. This will not only give you a chance to enjoy hearing your favorite song, but will also help you to sweat a bit to keep you up fit. I love this very cute quote “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Rock the life! I feel enriched! Life is bountiful. And yes, I am often seen doing the flamenco and applauding my own ass. Dontcha you love to do it?

Respect Old: One day you will also be old. Never forget, one day you will also have wrinkles of your face. A comfortable old age is the reward of a well-spent youth. So being a youth respect the old aged. One quote that I like to believe in is “Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.” Perhaps remember the blessing of the old people just works as miraculous wonder indeed! Go for it and respect, after all the blessing in return comes free of cost, cash on!

Love your limbs: Don’t know when unfortunate time arrives and in an accident, you lose your limbs.  No matter how ugly your hands and feet looks, but they surely serve you at best all throughout the life. Whether walking, running, hugging, writing, painting or as simple as combing your hair, it’s your limbs which always helps you to facilitate your things. So honey, do take care and pamper your body! Go for pedicure and manicure, you will love that.

Cherish old friends: Not everybody can be your best-friends but there can be few as in your friends circle. You must keep in touch with some of your childhood friends or school or college friends. As you grow old these people shall be there to remind you how you were in your younger days. This will help you share things with much ease. Ironically, I have the mirror as my best friend! But in today’s scenario I have added one more list of friends who are bloggers. I never met them or know them personally but few are there who know me ever since I started blogging. I can read their blogs and they read mine, we exchange thoughts in terms of comments only. Still we share a beautiful blogging bond that embraces us together.

Be Singular in this plural world: Often I believe that each one is special. Yet only difference is that one is 18 and other is 19. Perhaps the difference between good and better is that little “extra effort made” to be the best. Focus on what you really want to be and want to have to capture your dreams. You must strive to use your creativity and courage that reflects your very unique individuality. We need not be perfect but just an extra effort to be perfect can make us unique. Toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other. I love to quote myself as “Unconventional in the willful way“; this is how I feel Singular in this plural world and each one of us has a right to feel so, isn’t it!

Daily Delights: Stimulate through sensual exploration and open up to feel the little and simple pleasure of the day. Adoring the simple pleasure is a state of mind which gives a power to respect others, appreciate the nature and feel grateful to God, besides this will preserve your innocence intact in the busy life. Go for a walk and inspire yourself praising the green lush grass around, the sun rays passing their fingers through the branches, a dribble drizzle rain in the morning, orange hue light in environment just before the evening starts, dew drop on flower petal,  a gentle breeze in your hair, a friend’s hugs, a phone call of a beloved, radio playing the same song that you had been playing in your head, the curtain moving due to gentle wind at the window, aroma of the cup of coffee, your baked cake coming up from the oven just perfect, standing on the roof glazing the tiny stars, ocean tides touching the feet, wondering and smiling at the same time when no one is around, receiving a surprise greeting card from your old friend or just a cute comment in your new post…the list is as long as you want to absorb the pleasure from your daily living. But my delighting pleasure is when I see my tears followed after my loud laughter and my jaws hurting so badly. These are the simple pleasure yet sprinkles some magic that turns a routine day into a great one and making you feel so blessed. Always remember, “Each day has its Moments!”

Learn: Life is all about learning. One of the greatest lessons in life is learning.

Make it your rule to learn something new everyday. Then use what you learn to make your life better. Learning gives us an ability to take risk in doing new things and apparently leading to creativity and innovation. New techniques, new ways and brushing up own knowledge to do things help you to see things a lot clearer and learn to rationalize a lot more. Besides, the more you learn, the more you can share. The one quote on learning I highly appreciate is, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

Travel: Travel for young is a part of learning and for the old is a part of experience. On the way of journey you learn about new people, place, customs and traditions. Traveling helps us to shape our new vision, our thoughts and mold the ideal our life. Traveling helps you to accept the change and make you more integrated in nature. There are many people who are very unenthusiastic to leave their home town and hesitate to do job or stay outside their area. They really are not aware how much they are missing. I wonder how we forget that we all live on the same planet, the earth! Never leave the opportunity to travel. Always remember the Chinese Proverb “Walking ten thousand miles of world is better than reading ten thousand scrolls of books.”

The list to pursuit of happiness can be as long as you want to. Perhaps you can add your own humble points yet a powerful act to enhance the list and better living.

Nevertheless, I consider that not those big booming philosophy, perhaps the smallest pleasures, gentlest joys and simply way of living make a long lasting difference in creating a phenomenal journey of life. The choice to care or to take chance is yours.

May you celebrate the change and Keep the spark Alive.

Rachana Shakyawar likes to be known as an Integrated Person. She worships Nature and adores Creativity in all forms. Learned Chef and a passionate painter by nature. Strive to bring beauty, hope and joy through words and Rachi Creations though Unconventional but in the Willful way..Because Life is a Journey, she loves Travelling! Celebrating and cherishing life.

Rachana Shakyawar is also one of the winners of  January Show Your Best Blog Contest. The review of her blog you will be able to read on The Colors Magazine on this Saturday. To take part in the contest (February edition) you can by submitting your entry here. It is completely Free.

You can be a Guest Author too. Check details here.

Besides we have a month of love here on The Colors Magazine. You can take part in the writing contest “Tell Your Love Story” which is also free. Please check the contest’s details here - http://www.thecolorsmagazine.com/2010/03/tell-your-love-story-contest/

Top Ten Simple Delights of Life is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• The One You Used To Know (8)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• 10 Big Life Issues and Movies to Help You Deal With Them (from Criminal Movies) (7)
• Truth of Life - 2 (8)
• Truth of Life (4)
• 5 ways to feel better (34)
• Big Girls Don’t Cry (9)
• Tips and Tricks for Saving Money at the Grocery Store (6)
• Moving Experience (10)
• I Wish (11)

What is it all about?

Write a love story, personal or someone else’s, fiction or real, sad or happy, beautiful or ugly, in any possible form, be it a poem, an essay, a story or something more original. But no more than 500 words.

Guidelines and Rules.

1. Anyone can enter

2. As already mentioned, write a love story, not more than 500 words. And yes, I will count them.

3. Only original work, not published anywhere before, not even on your own blog. The copyright remains with you, however, you grant me worldwide first electronic publishing rights to post (if chosen) your entry on The Colors Magazine.

4. Entries in English only

5. Entry is free.

6. One entry per person. However you may increase the number of entries if you

• Retweet this announcement on Twitter (+1 entry)
• Join our Facebook Group (+1 entry)
• Subscribe to The Colors Magazine via e-mail (+1 entry)
• Write about the contest on your own blog (+1 entry)

7. Entries should be mailed in the body of e-mails (no attachments, please) to info@thecolorsmagazine.com. If I do not respond within a day about receiving your entry feel free to contact me at thecolorsmagazine@gmail.com.

Deadline

The contest will last a month. From March 9th till April 9th. About the results’ announcement date I will inform later depending on the turnout.

Judging

As of now I am the only judge, if the number of entries will be more than I can handle, I will seek another judge, you will be informed about that. I judge originality, creativity, emotions, grammar and much more. You got to surprize me to make a winner. However to make all the chances even, this time in addition to the winner chosen by me we will pick a random winner with the help of random.org.

Prizes

I believe the best prize is writing itself. But it is much more fun when you have some real prizes as well. I can’t promise anything big (as the magazine is still not that big itself) but I still can offer you something.

Both winners will receive one month featuring on The Colors Magazine with a banner on the sidebar and a link to their website/blog. And since it is contest about love, I add a little bit extra. Lovely heart-shaped candle sets for each of the winners.

The best 10 entries will be published on The Colors Magazine in Tuesday Love Ramblings with an active link to the authors’ blogs (if they have any).

If you have any questions, please ask in comments’ section or mail me to info@thecolorsmagazine.com.

To receive updates about the contest you might want to subscribe to our feed.

Please keep in mind that you also still have time to submit for February Best Blog Post Contest. Read more about it here.

Tell Your Love Story: Contest is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Show Your Best: Contest’s Results (35)
• Big Girls Don’t Cry (9)
• Because You Were There (8)
• Love Letters (22)
• Sometimes You Love More (43)
• Not Anymore: When Love is Gone (26)
• How to Keep Your Relationship Alive (29)
• Happily Ever After (58)
• Yesterday’s Letter (10)

I have happened to come across Rajlakshmi’s blog Destiny’s Child some time ago when she participated in the first contest we ever had here - 55 Fiction Writing Contest. With the story Her Last Breath she took the third place back then and surprisingly it was her first try on 55 Fiction. No doubts, the girl is talented. The more reasons to check out her blog.

The Author

That is how Rajlakshmi describes herself.

I am a fun loving girl … trying to make niche for myself … {search for the location is still in progress} … I hopelessly believe in everything that exists in this Universe … {read that as incredibly credilous }… I can even hop along if someone tells that Alpha Centauri has come down to meet me… currently suffering from blogossesive disorder …

Design

For a long time the blog had a simple design, nothing that fancy or super unique but you would not notice it at all because of the content this girl provided on a regular basis. When you read good stuff, you don’t care much about design. When you read posts in a reader (like I do) you don’t care about the design at all. However right now Rajlakshmi seems to have found a perfect design for her blog. It is cute, colorful and very positive.

The blog

Destiny’s Child started in September 2008 but it seems to be the only post in 2008 and the active blogging phase started in 2009 becoming more intensive towards the end of the year. The posts are a mix of random ramblings on different topics and creative writing. The variety of topics is so large that the tags take up half of the page in blog’s sidebar.

As example of her creative writing you can check out short stories - An Awakening and Gift a Smile. A special mention needs shape poetry which she has quite a number of pieces on her blog including the winning entry. The ones I liked the most are Colors of Love, Strewn Across the Sky and Twist in Love. You have already checked The Saviour Angel, have you not?

What is special about Rajlakshmi’s blog is not that she is writing great (which she actually does) but that she constantly works on improving, introducing new creative forms and ideas. You not only have fun and enjoy her writing but you learn new things and have a chance to improve yourself too. Isn’t it the best part of blogging, when we learn from each other, share experiences and knowledge.

Another proof of how great the blog is are the tokens of love in the form of awards given to her by fellow bloggers. She deserves each one of them and more. If you still have doubts, drop by and check yourself, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

If you want your blog to be reviewed, it is not impossible. Take part in our February Contest, submit your best post and be the winner. Simple as that. It is Free and it is Fun, as well as the opportunity to present your blog to new readers.

Next week on The Colors Magazine: WRITE YOUR LOVE STORY contest. Stay tuned. Subscribe, if you don’t want to miss anything - OUR FEED. Or click here to receive updates via e-mail

Destiny’s Child: Blog Review is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Humming Today: Blog Review (0)
• Show Your Best: Contest’s Results (35)
• It’s All About Love… For Blogging (14)
• Tell Your Love Story: Contest (11)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Contest: Last Call (7)
• BlogContest: Show Your Best (48)
• And The Winner Is… (16)
• Readers’ Choice Voting (18)
• Contest Entry #40 (10)

This is a guest post by S.I.F.

I am an almost 27 year old single woman with no children. I am far more concerned with eradicating the no children part of that sentence than I am with changing the single part. Many of my friends are married. Some are not. I’m at that bizarre stage when it seems like everyone in my life who I was once right in line with are now all off doing different things. No one is on the same page; most of us aren’t even in the same book any longer. And, it is in this transition that I am realizing how much friendship and marriage have in common.

Everyone knows that marriages require work. It is fairly common knowledge that most marriages will hit a rough spot at some point (the 7 year itch) and that if that relationship is not nurtured and cared for that rough spot could lead to the end. People change. They grow and morph into something completely new all the time. If we weren’t an ever changing species, the world would be a boring place. But, it is in those changes that relationships must also become flexible and easy to mold. Everyone knows this in terms of marriage, but no one ever seems to want to acknowledge it in terms of friendships.

If you’re lucky, you will have maybe a handful of truly good soul sister friends in your lifetime. These will be the women who will be by your side as you cry, laugh, and scream through this life you have been handed. They aren’t to be mistaken for the fun acquaintances who will fade in and out of your life like the tides. These are the women who stick; the ones whose hearts have staying power in your life.

But with that staying power comes the necessity for a relationship that can grow and change. You won’t always be the same women you were when you were 14, 18, 21, 26, 30 and beyond. It just isn’t possible. You may both wake up one day and realize that you don’t even recognize each other anymore. There may come a point when you both need a previous version of the other, and when you find yourselves miffed that that version no longer exists. You would never stand for someone questioning why you have changed, but you find yourself wondering why your soul sister has.

These are the times when it becomes important to take stock; of you, your friend, and your friendship. You may need to remind yourself of the people you each once were, and why that bond was there to begin with. Any long term relationship (be it marriage or friendship) will be plagued by rough spots at some point. I think people sometimes hit those rough spots with friendships and decide it’s easier to walk away and start over. This is a decision that wouldn’t be easily made with a marriage, so why is it so easy to make with a friendship? Is it because we delude ourselves into thinking that there will always be another new friend around the corner, or because we aren’t bound legally as we are to our husbands (and would you walk away easier from your husband during those rough patches if it weren’t for the legal mess that would be left behind in your wake?) Or is it simply because we don’t know how to start over with this person we used to think we knew?

I am at the stage in my life of wanting to settle down and have children. Most of my friends are either behind me (at the stage of enjoying their single mid twenties life and not being in any rush to move past it) or ahead of me (already at the marriage with kids part). No one is walking along with me now, and it has made me look at all of my friendships in a different light. My married friends no longer call on me first in times of crisis; they now have their husbands for that. My single friends no longer call on me for a night of drinking; they know I’m over that. We are all struggling for new ways to connect, and to find those areas in which we can once again bond.

I almost lost one of my closest friends recently when we hit a time of complete and total disconnect. We were both blindsided by life at the same precise moment; me with a medical diagnosis I wasn’t prepared to handle, and her with a loss she never should have been dealt. We both needed each other and couldn’t be there for the other all at the same time. There was a crack there; a moment in time when we both longed for the person the other used to be. Add to this the whisperings of others (because, when there is disconnect in life isn’t it always the case that there is someone whispering in everyone’s ear trying to forge their own path of destruction?) and before you knew it we were barely talking to each other. There were many factors involved (many people who seemed to thrive off the drama of it all) but in the end it was us who had allowed our friendship to break and crack. There was a point there where it would have been so easy to walk away and be done with each other. Had I been married and had a new rock to lean on, it’s very possible that this may have been the path I chose. But instead, we fought. We fought, and we talked, and we quite literally started from scratch in many ways; both redefining what they needed from a friendship. This happens in marriage all the time, but no one is prepared for the fact that it may be necessary in friendship as well. In marriages, those that survive the rough spots are the ones that come out the other end stronger and more intact. Shouldn’t this same theory be applied to our friendships as well? Shouldn’t we all want to come out the other end stronger?

Friendships change. They grow and transform and need to be redefined all the time. People do this willingly in their marriages because it seems like such an important relationship to maintain, but your soul sisters are just as important. They are the women who will listen to you vent for hours when your husband pulls a stupid move. The ones who held your hair back when you had too much to drink, and are there to do it again when a growing baby is keeping you from holding anything down. They are the ones who will watch your children when you need a romantic weekend getaway, and they are the ones who will laugh with you through the tears when life throws you another curveball. Fight for those relationships, and don’t be afraid to redefine them when the rules begin to change.

After all, these are the women who knew you when you were someone else.

At the age of 25 S.I.F. picked up and moved from San Diego to Alaska with the plan in mind to find a man, settle down, and have babies as soon as possible. Less than a year later she was told that she had a debilitating case of endometriosis that had wreaked havoc on her reproductive organs, and she had to face the reality that she may never be a mother in the way she had always pictured. Making the decision to go it alone and fight for her right to be a mommy, S.I.F. works to lend humor to the less humorous parts of life. Her two biggest goals are to make a career out of writing, and to one day scream her way through a horrific yet awesome labor. The miracles are in the details.

You can be a Guest Author too. Check how here. On Saturday we will publish the review of Rajlakshmi’s blog, one of the winners of Show Your Best January Blog contest. You can be the winner too. Submit your entry to the February contest. Just click the link and read the rules. It is Free and it is Fun. But it is less Fun without you.

The One You Used To Know is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Top Ten Simple Delights of Life (12)
• 10 Big Life Issues and Movies to Help You Deal With Them (from Criminal Movies) (7)
• 8 Tips To Deal With Being Taken For Granted Feeling (16)
• Red is Red. Not A Short Story (12)
• It Is Raining Here (39)
• 23 Pictures to Help You Through the Day (33)
• Love is what makes you smile when you are tired (5)
• Wish You Were Here (8)
• Trust issues: forgiveness after cheating (8)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)

You might have noticed that the frequency of articles in The Colors Magazine has reduced these days and it has a few reasons. Other than workload and shifting to a new hosting (some things might still be messy, let me know if you find any) one of the reasons is launching of my mom’s blog over here http://lifemixture.ru. Before you drop by I must warn you that it is in Russian. So if by accident there are any Russian readers you are welcome to drop by and leave a couple of comments.

Before I proceed to today’s post which is actually Tuesday Love Ramblings- one I want to add a few more things.

There is a contest we launched on Sunday -  Show Your Best for the best February post. It is Free and it is Fun. But it is less FUN without you. Take part in the competition, read details here.

And welcome the winners of the January contest - Rachana Shakyawar  and Rajlakshmi. You will be able to read a review of Rajlakshmi’s blog here one The Colors Magazine on coming Saturday.

And one more thing. My friends launched a new blog. A travelling one. A travelling blog about India. Beautiful destinations, landscapes, personal experience and lots of good tips. You can find the blog here -  Travelling Rants. If you drop by and show some love and encouragement to new bloggers, it would be really appreciated.

Today in Tuesday Love Ramblings we will have TOP 10 Movies Quotes about love.

10. …someday my wish is for him to hold me in his arms, in a sea of deep blue, together at last, together as two.

~ Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)

9. If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just… passes you by…

~ My Best friend’s Wedding (1997)

8. I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No…not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening. but love that…overthrows life. Unbiddable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture.

~ Shakespeare In Love (1998)

7. I love that you get cold when it is 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

~ When Harry Met Sally (1989)

6. Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever.. and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you.

~ Meet Joe Black (1998)

5. I would rather have three minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.

~ Steel Magnolias (1989)

4. I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.

~ City of Angels (1998)

3. This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime.

~ Bridges of Madison County (1995)

2. Do you know that place between being asleep and awake, where you still remember your dreams? Thats where I’ll always love, that’s where I’ll always wait for you.

~ Hook (1991)

and

1. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more; that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.

~ The Notebook

What is YOUR Favorite Movie Love Quote? Please share in the comments?

Coming next week: WRITE YOUR LOVE STORY CONTEST. Be ready, be creative, be inspired.

Top 10 Movies Love Quotes is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Tell Your Love Story: Contest (11)
• Big Girls Don’t Cry (9)
• I Have Wings (20)
• Top Ten Simple Delights of Life (12)
• Because You Were There (8)
• Love Letters (22)
• Sometimes You Love More (43)
• Not Anymore: When Love is Gone (26)
• Truth of Life - 2 (8)
• How to Keep Your Relationship Alive (29)

These are the criteria on which the entries have been evaluated:

• Originality (1-5 points)
• Presentation of ideas, structure (1-10 points)
• Creativity (1-5 points)
• Grammar (1-5 points)
• Voice (1-5 points)
• Personal liking (1-5 points)

As you see the total scored you could get is 35. I included personal liking as a separate category as there were a number of entries  which scored almost perfect but some of them I liked more, some less. You can say it is a bit biased but how would you choose between a dozen of really great blog posts?

Now I talked a lot and I am sure you really want to know who is the WINNER. I must say it was a tough choice. 3 entries scored near 35 points but 2 of them were a little bit more creative, a little bit more original, a little bit more attractive to me. And it was almost impossible to choose one of them. After a bit of thinking I decided that we have 2 winners in the 1st The Colors Magazine’s blog post contest “Show your best”.

They are:

Rajlakshmi with the post  The Saviour Angel and Rachana Shakyawar with the post Oh what an F-word.

Both the winners will receive the review of their blogs on The Colors Magazine within the next 2 weeks.

Besides, the number of the participants have received a really high score.  And if they are not in the winners’ list it is only because we can’t make everyone a winner as much as we want to.

These are the posts that scored 30+ points in this month’s contest. Please do check them out, you will not be disappointed.

Dare I Help Someone out of a Pit by Jinnia Low

Strawberry-licious by Riddhisharma

Finding Frozenland by Nishant

I say less: I mean more by Adesi

Helping Child Deal with Grief and Loss by J.S. Brooks

The Deterioration by Maddy

Thank you everyone for the participation and making this contest big.  Now to another great part.  While this contest is over, the next one starts. Yes, right, today we announce the February Best Blog Post Contest -  Show Your Best.

Remeber that Show Your Best is a series of the contests. We are choosing the best blog post of the month. In the end of the year we all together will choose the best post of the year among the 12 best posts of the month. Are you in?

Details about FebruaryBlogContest

on The Colors Magazine

Who can take part in the contest?

Everyone, as long as you have a blog and have posted in there in February 2010.

Which posts are eligible for the contest?

Any post written between February 1st and February 28th. Only posts in English are acceptable.

How do I enter?

To enter the contest you don’t have to fill in any forms or send the submissions to me. All you have to do is:

1. Write about the contest on your blog with an active link to this post or subscribe to the magazine via mail.

2.  Post 2 links in the comments section to this post: the link to your post about this contest and the link to the post you enter for a competition. If you chose to subscribe and not to write about the contest, let me know with which mail id you have subscribed. If you are already a subscriber, the only option you have to enter is to write about the contest.

One post per person per blog. It means if you have 2 blogs and want to enter with 2 posts you should write about the contest on both blogs.

Who will choose the winner?

I will. Solely. You can read about the criteria above.  I might consider more than 1 winner depending on the turn out. Just like in January Contest.

Prizes

You know it is not about the prizes, right? First, people get to know you and eventually you get some new readers, isn’t it the best thing here? However the winner of the month’s contest will receive a free review of their site/blog here on The Colors Magazine. The winner of the year’s contest will receive some bigger prize which I will inform you later about.

Deadline

You can submit your posts for the contest till MArch 15th, 10PM Moscow Time. Please consider the time difference. At 10:01PM I will close comments on this post.

Results

I will post the contest’s results on March 22nd, 2010.

I hope you will enjoy the competition and take an active part by checking the competitors’ blogs and maybe find new interesting reads you would not be able to come across otherwise.

Good luck, everyone!

To stay informed about BlogContest on The Colors Magazine you can subscribe to my Feed. You can even receive updates in your inbox. Just fill in the form below.

Show Your Best: Contest’s Results is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Humming Today: Blog Review (0)
• Tell Your Love Story: Contest (11)
• Destiny’s Child: Blog Review (4)
• It’s All About Love… For Blogging (14)
• 55 Fiction Contest. Next Stage - Your Choice (0)
• Smile! It’s Fun Weekend - 7! (2)
• Update about 55 Fiction Contest (4)
• Contest Announcement (42)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Contest: Last Call (7)

I know many of you have been looking forward to this day because of the blog contest they have taken part in. The contest’s results should have been announced today but unfortunately it is not going to happen. Due to enormous turn-out (I have not expected that many entries for the contest) I was not able to read all the entries and we want to give everyone a fair chance, don’t we? So the results’ announcement is shifted to Sunday, February 28th. On that day a new contest will be announced. So you better drop by, congratulate the winners and take part in a new contest.

Now, since it is Tuesday, it is time for Tuesday Love Ramblings on The Colors Magazine.

Imagine a perfect relationship. A relationship full of love, passion, respect, tolerance, understanding. Imagine that you wake up to sweet good mornings and go to bed after a good night kiss. Every single day. 365 days a year. No exceptions. No failures.

Imagine that a simple smile of the person you love is brightening up your day. And the way they look at you takes your breath away. And the soft touch of their hands makes you realize that they will never let you fall.

Imagine that you have someone who you would like to share hard times with. Someone you want to have beside you in a storm. Someone, who you know won’t let you down, won’t betray your trust. Someone who knows who you are, accepts all your faults and loves you anyway. Someone who sees your heart and touches your soul.

Imagine that your fairy tale finally has come true and you are happy. You really are. Really. Are. Happy.

And each time when you whisper “I love you”, you remind yourself that this is the best that ever happened to you. And you don’t want to let it go.

Ever.

Imagine the state of absolute overwhelming happiness. Where ‘happily ever after’ seems to be the truth of your life. Where the sky is always blue and the sun is always bright. Where the rain is always ending with a rainbow. And where you wake up and are thankful to the Universe for making your dream come true.

Have you imagined all this? Have you really seen the unalloyed happiness? Have you witnessed this kind of beautiful love?

Now imagine that there is no ‘happily ever after’. There is no future. There is no eternal bliss. There is nothing. Only emptiness.

Because this perfect relationship has to end. Because due to circumstances no matter how great and awesome and wonderful and amazing and true your love is, one day you will have to let go. Because there are things you can’t control. Because life has its own rules. And because you can’t win all the games. And because of all this one fine day you have to let go of something so perfect, something so real. You have to let go of your dream.

Because at some point you can’t afford having a relationship which leads you nowhere. At some point you need to settle down and move on. No matter how big your love is. No matter how happy you are.

At some point you’ve got to take this decision and accept that fairy tales don’t always have happy endings. And yours is just one of them.

But how do you do this? How do you end something which makes you happy? Which makes both of you happy. How do you let go of something which makes you smile, something which makes you live, something which makes you dream.

It is like heart surgery.

But the heart is yours.
And the surgeon is you.
And the outcome is unpredictable.

“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 it’s 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.”

Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy

So how do you decide for a surgery if you still have this tiny bit of hope that things might work out. That circumstances will favor you and life suddenly changes its rules. How do you make a decision of cutting your own heart if your fairy tale has a small chance of a happy end? Even if your practical mind realizes it isn’t going to happen. HOW?

“It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever after, just that it’s happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away.”

Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy

Someone once said that having a moment of true happiness is worth a lifetime of sorrows. How do you decide when to end this moment of happiness? How do you choose the date for breaking your own heart? And for how long you can be living in confusion and wondering about your own decisions.

The decisions about FOREVER.
FOREVER that you don’t have.

You want to be happy. And you want them to be happy too. You want to be happy together.

The bitter truth of life says you can’t. The sweet hope of yours says you might.

You have to make a decision. Not about whether to cut or not. But about when to cut. Now or later. Either ways it will hurt. Either ways it will be tough.

Whoever said big girls don’t cry, was mistaken.

They do.

Big Girls Don’t Cry is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Because You Were There (8)
• Not Anymore: When Love is Gone (26)
• How to Keep Your Relationship Alive (29)
• Happily Ever After (58)
• Because It Was He; Because It Was Me (11)
• Honey, Why Are You Calling Me So Late? (16)
• The Miracle (6)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Love Letters (22)
• Yesterday’s Letter (10)

This is a guest post by Heather Smith

Hi, my name is Heather and I’m a super coupon junkie and a very frugal shopper.  I have a really hard time paying full price for anything and beyond that, I’m in it for the rush!  There’s a thrill to stand at the checkout and watch the total $$ go down as the total savings goes up…  I’m a huge fan of couponning and making every sale work for me, so much that I actually blog about it at http://couponning101.blogspot.com

It always feels like I’m standing up at an AA meeting when I write my intro… and that’s probably because couponning and saving money is both a necessity and an addiction for me… I have set a goal to spend less than $50 a week on groceries, personal items and cleaning supplies for the entire year… so how does a family of four eat, stay clean, smell nice and keep a clean house on $50 a week you ask?

It takes planning, dedication and a little sacrifice but, with some simple ideas and plans you can make it work… In this article I’m going to give you five tips to get you started, and if you want to continue, you can check out my blog at http://couponning101.blogspot.com for more details…

1. Know the price of tea in China… and in your local grocery stores… It’s important to track prices, sales and quantities of items you buy regularly and know where those items fit into your shopping threshold…

a.       For instance, I keep a price book that breaks down the items I buy regularly and includes:

Date, Store, Item, Brand, Size, Price,  Unit Price
(To figure Unit price, take the cost of Item divided by number of Units. For Example: $ 1.99/18 (ounces) =11 cents per ounce)

What this list helps me to determine is the regular and sale cost per unit prices and also helps me track how often the items I buy come on sale… for instance, I am not entirely brand loyal to one particular spaghetti sauce, but my family prefers one so I track how often it comes on sale … every 8-9 weeks and try to get and save my coupons for that brand for the sale.  I also know that I only need to stockpile enough to last me 8-10 weeks because I will be able to replenish…

My family also knows that if I can get another brand for pennies ($.49 or less), they are stuck…

b.      It’s also good to keep track of when produce you like is on sale…

i.      December is usually sweet potatoes, collards, winter squash, apples, and potatoes for me, whereas spring is strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, etc..

2. Meal plan around your sales and your pantry- Meat & seafood, fresh produce and fresh dairy are the biggest part of my grocery bill and the items that have the fewest coupons, so if there are good deals, I try to take advantage and plan around the best sales…

a.       If you start building your stockpiles, try to make sure at least two main meals a week feature pantry items as the main attraction to allow you to spend a little more on ‘treats’

3. Stockpile your pantry items (and freezable items if you’ve invested in a chest freezer)

a.       Track how much flour, sugar, coffee, cereal, dry pasta, rice, canned goods etc that you need for each given period and buy that much when it comes on sale… if you stockpile one or two items a week at significant savings you build your capacity without stretching your budget and you become less dependent on needing to run to the grocery store for something you ran out of..

i.      If you’ve invested in a chest freezer, frozen vegetables, meat deals and even excellently priced fresh but freezable produce become more important… and make it easier to meal plan.

4.       Get to know your stores

a.       Use ‘regular’ cashiers if you can… and talk to them - be friendly, thoughtful and thankful

i.      At my main store, the cashiers, department personnel and stockers all know me by name and I know theirs, and they will tell me about good deals, upcoming sales and changes in coupon policies… sometimes they will even share new information on additional savings that I’ve missed

b.      Keep an eye on the register

i.    Believe it or not, computers are programmed by people and not all sales items get put into the computer all the time and even regular priced items can be mislabeled.  Double check that the price you are paying is the one you expected… and that includes produce and meat

ii.    Many stores have a right price guarantee where you can get the item free if its priced wrong, but all should honor the shelf price/sale price

c.     Ask about their policies on price matching, coupons and rain checks

i.    Do they require you to buy 2 products for a BOGO deal, or when they have a 10/$10 sale, or will you get the sale price for buying one?

ii.    Do they have double or even triple coupon promotions and what is the threshold (under $.50, $.99 or something else?)

iii.    Do they have store coupons or online coupons to compliment their sales?

iv.    Can you register for email alerts of their weekly specials?

v.    Do they price match or accept competitors store coupons and if so, who do they consider competitors?

5.     Contact the companies you are loyal to and tell them why you are loyal

a.     Everyone loves to get compliments and by calling or emailing companies you make yourself known to them.  In return, some will send coupons, put you on email alert lists for new products, or even ask you to be part of a consumer panel (where you often receive free or discounted products to try)

i.    I try to choose 1 to 2 products a week to contact and I usually find that taking the time to phone works better than email - a live person is always great!

ii.    I also make a point of calling if something with my product isn’t right - they need this information too… and your feedback and loyalty is valuable enough to try and make your experience right.

6.     (Okay I lied… there is a sixth) Be fair… and don’t try to circumvent the rules that stores set or argue if they don’t accept a coupon… you are trying to save money, but they’re also in business to make money and sell products… people who try to over-print, photocopy or scan coupons, use the wrong coupon or contact companies to complain when their product isn’t defective make it more difficult for those of us who are trying to play by the rules… Saving money is not worth losing dignity or honour.

To learn more, please feel free to stop by http://Couponning101.blogspot.com, or leave a comment or question here and I will try to respond quickly.  Thanks for reading and happy shopping!

Heather is a stay-at-home mom who is rarely found at home.  She currently lives in South Carolina but spent most of her life in Toronto, Ontario and Southwestern Ontario. She has two fabulous kids and a wonderful husband.  She spends her days volunteering, keeping up with the kids, bargain hunting, reading and eventually keeping up with the house

Tips and Tricks for Saving Money at the Grocery Store is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Top Ten Simple Delights of Life (12)
• The One You Used To Know (8)
• 10 Big Life Issues and Movies to Help You Deal With Them (from Criminal Movies) (7)
• Moving Experience (10)
• The Fear Factor: Top 10 Worries of Parents (14)

“Because only with you I learned what happiness is.
And with you I knew this solace and comfort”, he whispered.

Silence was the reply for him.

“Because you were there when I most needed you.
And you stood by me when I failed. And it gave me strength to stand up”, he smiled.

Only gentle wind touched his skin.

“Because you made me laugh every time I fell down.
Your radiant smile was sunshine of my life”, he wept.

Only clouds were the witnesses of his tears.

“And now that you are gone I don’t see any reasons for holding on”.
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
All the pain he felt because of his loss, all his inconsolable grief longed to get out.

“Because only you gifted me with utter bliss.
And you were my comfort and calmness.
And your peace was my peace too”, the lonely tree rustled.

“Because I needed you more than you needed me.
And your strength was my strength too”, the wind whispered.

“Because I couldn’t bear you being down.
And you were the sun to make me shine all through the hard times”, the clouds uttered.

“And now it is time to move on. Time for a new beginning. I know you can do it… for me.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks but he knew he would hold on. Just for her.

***********************
So much for Tuesday Love Ramblings on The Colors Magazine this time.

If you felt it is a bit sad, you can check out one of the latest posts - 51 Things Which Can Make You Smile.

Because You Were There is a post from: The Colors Magazine

Related Posts

• Big Girls Don’t Cry (9)
• Love Letters (22)
• Not Anymore: When Love is Gone (26)
• Honey, Why Are You Calling Me So Late? (16)
• Wish You Were Here (8)
• Tell Your Love Story: Contest (11)
• Top 10 Movies Love Quotes (12)
• Sometimes You Love More (43)
• Yes: A Short Story (26)
• How to Keep Your Relationship Alive (29)