Love Insomnia

"When I am with you, we stay up all night.

When you're not here, I can't go to sleep.

Praise God for those two insomnias!

And the difference between them."

- Rumi.

Photo of Emily Blunt from The Times Magazine cover.

Talent and Turpentine

After he visited the French Polynesia and was awed by the seas there, Anthony Bourdain wanted to imitate the painting legend Paul Gauguin by painting the surroundings. After the futile attempt, he said the following:

"To capture these colors, one needs little things like talent and turpentine. I have neither."

- Anthony Bourdain in No Reservations.

He may not be an expert painter, but he is really good in the show which needs its own talent.

Painting of Raro Te Ouiri by Gauguin from Awesome-art.biz.

Face of the Day - Kathakali dancer in India

This picture of a Kathakali dancer is part of Republic Day celebrations in India on January 26, 2010.

A Kathakali dancer performs during a cultural program in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh February 1, 2010. Kathakali is an elaborate classical dance-drama from the southern Indian state of Kerala that combines literature, music, painting, acting and dance. The dance depicts stories from Hindu mythology and is usually religious in nature. (REUTERS/Ajay Verma)

Face of the Day - World War II Veteran with President Obama

This photo of the World War II Veteran after shaking hands with President Obama is very inspiring. The story behind the photo is also inspiring. Thank you sir.

“After his speech in Normandy, a crush of people tried to get close to the President to shake his hand. I noticed this guy waiting patiently and then literally being pushed back into the crowd. I felt bad for him, and mentioned the incident to the President’s trip director, Marvin Nicholson. Marvin pulled the guy out of the crowd, found him a wheel chair, and brought him over to meet the President. He was a French veteran. The man’s face shows his emotion.” (Official White House photo by Pete Souza) June 6, 2009.

Gabrielle Bouliane: What Are You Waiting For?

Gabriella Bouliane asks this question, what is keeping us from doing the right things and when will we begin to follow our dreams.

Bouliane's gave this speech days before she died of cancer.

Let's Go.

Via Seth Godin.

A Book Experience

If you want to gain experience quickly, then read lots and lots and lots of books not only from your region but all other regions as well. If you try to gain experience any other way then you have to live countless lives.

"A book is an experience* in a nutshell**."

- Chris Veerabadran in All Are One.

* - or experiences

** - in a nutshell: summed up briefly; "gave the facts in a nutshell"; "just tell me the story in a nutshell"; "explained the situation in a nutshell" - wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Charity Water: 1,350 students, One island. One well

Baradapur School, India - (charity: water) from charity: water on Vimeo.

The children of Baradapur School in India are not happy because they received money or other rewards, they are rather happy because they got fresh water. Thanks to Charity: Water, the children are able to smile and be healthy with clean water and improved sanitation.

A couple of days ago, I traveled with our partners Water for People to the island of Patharprotima in West Bengal, India. They had identified several schools without enough clean water or toilets and wanted our help. The school you see in the video had 1,350 students attending and only one well. They also had a few broken-down toilets. A tube well should serve about 250 people, not 1,350 students.

— Scott Harrison

Read more about this project here.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Sofia Vergara, is very funny in the new hit TV show "Modern Family". She is able to smile despite having gone through hardships. Her brother was abducted and killed in 1998 and she survived Thyroid cancer in 2002. She told Parade Magazine (January 31, 2010 issue):

"Don't sweat the small stuff, because there's bigger stuff than can really make you sweat."

- Sofia Vergara.

For more great quotes click here.

Laughter is the Medicine

We all know smiling is contagious but laughter is contagious as well. See the video and remember it when you are in public.






Via Kirthi.

Smile Source

My father asked me to read Thich Nhat Hanh's books. He said that Hanh offers tons of wisdom. Here is one how we should smile always whether we have a good or a bad situation.

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."

- Thich Nhat Hanh.

Photo courtesy of Sugar Plum.