As I do some Soul Searching​ 🔭 ....

I was listening to Joyce Meyer the other day. I absolutely love her simple and honest to goodness messages that apply to an ordinary, mortal life like mine. This particular message stood out for me where she spoke about growing up in turmoil. For that instant she was a kindred spirit. Broken homes, there I've finally said it, tend to create broken lives leaving behind indelible scars. So the decision to get married is a crucial one and a life partner who promises to stand by you even when the whole world walks out, is huge.

 Marriage is a turning point that changes everything. Its paramount to build a strong foundation that will determine the core values for your family life. This is what you will be handing down with worldly inheritances.

I was fortunate to have found someone who refused to give up on

me even when I was ready to quit. So look for your buoy 🚨 or lighthouse, swim hard and don't fear to reach out. There are different avenues like prayer or social circles, good friends ... Make the conscious choice to surround yourself with all things positive and good, like sugar and spice and all things nice. ☺
Do see the following link -
Learning to be vulnerable healed my trauma

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Aboard the luxurious Darjeeling Limited travelling through India, are three brothers who had last met at their father's funeral over a year ago. They have now reunited in a bid to get reaquainted with each other and are on a quest to find spirituality.

Francis (Owen Wilson) is the oldest and the controlling one who still insists on ordering food for his brothers and even making their sleeping arrangements. He decides to keep all three passports to ensure that no one can cut their journey short.
Then you have Peter (Adrian Brody) the only one of the three who is married and is an expectant father. However he doubts his ability to be a good husband and parent.
And the youngest is Jack (Jason Schwartzman) who is unable to get over his break up with his girlfriend.
Their mother has left it all behind and is now a nun residing at the foothills

of the Himalayas and the brothers hope to catch up with her while there. The three of them brave insane rickshaw rides amid wandering cows and the chaos of Indian streets and even get their shoes stolen. But undettered and armed with an itinerary and a Cobra the three are thrown off the train. But they must each bear his own baggage and work at building their relationships.
Hilarious and fun, enjoy the journey with the three amid the melodic strains of the sitar in Incredible India with monkeys gazing down from rooftops.

We are only as strong as we are united as weak as we are divided ~ J K Rowling

Going back some years, we didn't have too many choices when it came to watching television. Since satellite TV and on demand had not made their appearance then we had but one channel. So life, I believe, was less complicated. All we had was a half hour of television viewing everyday. That would also explain the oaters I had mentioned about previously 😐. So this meant more time on our hands to spend on meaningful and constructive activities like "family-time" i.e. dinner together, catching up on each others day, reading books to better your knowledge 😋 and so on and so forth. Not to mention the time on my hands to bully my little sister. 😗 Oooops... However that half hour was precious time and something we looked forward to. The reason I got to writing this was to mention the documentaries that were aired on TV just before our shows began. These were simple social messages that focused on varied topics, Unity being one of them.
To me, a sense of being United is what overlooks cultural and racial barriers, encouraging fraternization across all humanity. In other words - Unity in Diversity. A recent share of this beautiful video on social media made me want to watch it again so many years later.

The above video can't boast of high-tech animation or fancy story telling but it can do it's job and get the message across.

Be Happy For this Moment. This moment is your life! ~ Omar Khayyam

On world happiness day I would like to wish my readers much happiness and joy.

How do you define happiness? That's a word, the definition of which, would mean different things to different people. And rightfully so! For some it could be emotional, for others material, then for some spiritual ....

We go through so much each day right from the moment we wake up, that in the whirl of all the busyness and the flurry of activities it's easy to forget the good moments. Most times it is the unpleasant ones that stays with us long after the day is over. So what can be done? Do what I do - be an accountant and keep a ledger/diary of happiness. Mostly as the day draws to an end out comes my book where I jot down the things that made me happy or simply smile. The end of the day works best - just as I'm winding down seems like the perfect time to acknowledge how lucky I am. Most times memory fades. My little journal helps to remind me of all the happy, silly and fun memories of moments passed. This is so therapeutic and a perfect reminder of how blessed we are in so many ways.

Here is 'Happy' sung by none other than my favorite singer. A young, innocent voice, 

So heart wrenchingly melancholic and haunting!

An Education! (2009)

Jenny (Carey Mulligan) has everything going for her - all of 16 years, she is pretty and clever.

Having been an A level student all the way she has her life charted out for herself, with plans to attend Oxford University. She comes from a middle class family with parents who are focused on making sure she gets the best in life.
All  this changes when Jenny meets flashy and rich David (Peter Sarsgaard), a man who is twice her age. David is charismatic and quite persuasive! He charms his way with her gullible parents and he is soon courting a naive Jenny. Beyond the protective confines of a secure home and school life there awaits a world that spells adventure and danger. She is drawn into a life of dinners at fancy restaurants, the auctions, attending the races, weekends away in Paris and the sort. It couldn't get any better when David proposes marriage. With her parents consent, giddy with happiness, Jenny says yes. In the bargain she must kiss her dream of attending University goodbye, which, at that time, seems a small price to pay.
But all of this sparkle and glamour comes at a cost and Jenny is soon privy to the darker side of David's life. Has she risked too much to play the role of the devoted wife? Gosh! For her sake I hope not.
A great film on life and it's various shades. A perfect education on life's complexities and of the 🐺 who comes dressed in sheep's clothing. This movie was nominated for three academy awards including Carey Mulligan for Best Actress who beautifully portrays a girl who is wise but not worldly wise enough.

Communication is 🔑 to a great relationship!

So to further my personal opinion on relationships .. Watch out for where you bare your soul. 🙊 🙈 🙉 Not everyone you consider to be a friend will have your best interest at heart and your story could be just the gossip they've been looking for .. How could anyone be trusted to give any advice when they haven't walked a day in your shoes to know your journey and where you're coming from? So trust your instincts implicitly.
And leave the lines of communication always open. It's easy to get all righteous during an argument. But try to remove yourself from the given situation, view it abstractly and the matter at hand will probably take on a whole different meaning. Give yourselves a break.
With digitization growing in leaps and bounds it is definitely invading personal space, whether we like it or not. But life is racing by super fast and the chasms created by busyness/business will only keep growing. So here's the perfect excuse to create some 'couple me time', something akin to a date-night. It doesn't​ have to get fancy - a delicious home-cooked meal even, some flowers to brighten things up, a scented candle wafting your favorite fragrance and with no interruptions from  the telly or telephones, mind you. This must be your time to unwind with each other, to talk and catch-up.
I can swear by this 👍. Again, communication is sooo important. I cannot say that enough. 😉

The following link is one I found extremely helpful and I thought it would be a great one to share.
7 ways to prepare for a lifelong relationship! Courtesy - MBG

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

Mr. Kadam (Om Puri), fondly called Papa, believes that "if the brakes break, it's for a reason." So as the almost broken down van 🚐  carrying the Kadam family smashes to a halt in the village of Saint Antonin, in rural France, Mr. Kadam is convinced this is home. Here is where the family would open the Indian restaurant they'd always dreamed of. However this idea is not welcomed by  the locals, especially Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), the owner of a Michelin Star restaurant in the village. Madame Mallory is aspiring to achieve her second Michelin star and her restaurant boasts of feeding a delicious fare to the elite of French society, including the French President himself. And like any chef who takes immense pride in their culinary creations, soon war breaks out between the Indian murg mussallam 🐔  and the French pigeon 🐦 and truffles. However Hasan Haji (Manish Dayal), Papa's beloved son and cook who has immense potential, is able to win over the enemy with the perfect omelette. But Hasan must take a hundred foot walk that will change his life and future prospects - all for the best.
Watch the tale as it unfolds to tell you a story of brave beginnings, the power of negotiations and of standing by your convictions.
This is to my lovely friends who now live in France 🇫🇷 👊 😘.