LITTLE RED DRESS

Well...hello there! Today I thought it was time to pop back in for a moment and show you something pretty. I come across fabulous little finds around the web that ended up on my "lil red dress" folder. You know... that lil red dress that catch your eye, that would be nice to have...here are few of them:

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KATE MIDDLETON'S STYLE

Many people have asked me if my wedding gown is inspired by Kate Middleton's gown. The answer is yes and no. Yes, coz I fell in love with long sleeves gown after seeing Kate's wedding gown. And no, coz it's not exactly like Kate's. Shachina, creativity and design has made my gown beautiful.

Btw I am a big big big fan of Kate's wardrobe. She is so elegant and graceful. I love her style, her shoes, her simplicity and her smile. Here are few of my favorites;

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5 WAYS TO MAKE EACH DAY COUNT

Left: Pink flowers on tree in March. Right: Same tree dried up in April.

While walking to work last month, I saw a tree with beautiful pink flowers. It was so captivating that I took a picture of it. Today when I saw the same tree, there were no flowers. It had all dried up. well, our life is like the flower, we're here today and gone tomorrow. We each are given one life, and that life is comprised of only so many years, weeks, days. In order to live it up, we need to work on making each day matter. So I just wrote down few ways to make each day count.

5 WAYS TO MAKE EACH DAY COUNT

1. Have an attitude of gratitude

Gratitude is thanking God even before the miracle and Thankfulness is thanking God after the miracle. I'm learning to develop the attitude of gratitude at all times and for all that God has given me. This reminds me of the Scripture passage that says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God.” It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy. I personally have the habit of writing down the things I am thankful to God for. I also have a thankfulness page on my blog. When life gets sour, season it with gratitude. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

2. Show kindness to someone

Sounds cheesy, but what better way to make your day count than to help someone? It’s always an amazing feeling to help somebody in need. And even better: Try to touch someone’s life every day in a special way whether it be through a warm greeting, a smile, a word of thanks or any other gesture of kindness. The Scripture also says encourage one another daily. Every day, try helping somebody in need, whether that’s a friend or family member, a random stranger you see in the street, or an organization that needs volunteers. You might be surprised how fulfilled you feel.

3. Watch your thoughts and words

Your thoughts control the measure of your happiness; keep them positive and constructive at all times.  Don’t let the shadow of doubt and negativity creep in; Joel Osteen says, "If you cannot be positive, than at least be quiet". I think that makes a lot of sense. Don't let the drama of the world drain you. Shape your thoughts to create life. You won't have to watch what you say if you watch what you think. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. So let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt so that you can make your day count.

4. Pursue towards your dream

Think about it. Perhaps it’s something you dreamt about, but it just faded away in the business of life. Or, perhaps it’s some goal you set that you've never even attempted, but have always wanted to. Remember God put that dream within you. The main reason why days tend to lose meaning and slip away is because we’re not working towards anything. Sure, we’re going to our jobs or doing menial tasks we must do, but we’re not actively pursuing our dream. Start dedicating time to that dream daily. You’ll not only be doing something you love, but you’ll be making progress—and thus, you’ll make your day count.

5. Fulfill the purpose of life

God has put each of us on this earth with a purpose. If you're alive, there's a purpose for your life. You have been given an assignment by God to fulfill in your life time. One of the purposes of life is to serve God and to bring glory to Him. I believe that we are to serve God out of love we have for Him. Rick Warren says, "Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope."  If you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose. Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life. Make every single day count, and you won’t regret it.

Make each day end, knowing that you have served God.

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RAINBOW AFTER THE RAIN

A couple of days ago there was a cricket match between South Africa and New Zealand. I looked up on the internet for the updates on the score of the match. Unfortunately the match had stopped half way due to rain. As the internet showed pictures of rain, my eyes lit up. I noticed a picture of a rainbow over the cricket stadium. It was so beautiful! It was like God was in a mood of painting a rainbow on the sky. God has his own way of getting my attention. I couldn't help but thinking about the rainbow.

Rainbow was a sign given by God. It was a covenant between God and man never to destroy the earth by floods. But how does that apply to me now? Does it have a deeper meaning? I then, came across this Thai proverb, "Rainbow after the rain!". On a rainy day the sky is grey, with dark black clouds. Everything look gloomy and miserable. Then the rain stops, the clouds pass and with the sun, the sky becomes bright and blue, lifting our spirits. In life we face many times when things are not going well. But these dark times always pass and the good times return. Indeed, often having experienced the bad, we appreciate the good even more. Difficult times do not last for ever.

I read this somewhere:

God never promise us a good life on earth;

but He gave the assurance that there will always

be a rainbow after the rain.

Life on earth is not always what we expected

and wanted it to be. But if we can put our

trust in God, He can sail us through definitely.

God never let us bear what is impossible;

and He makes sure what we bear is the

limit that we can take without much difficulty.

After the rain, things will be changed;

everything on earth seems to be new

and clean.

After rain there's a rainbow, after a storm there's calm, after the night there's a morning, and after a ending there's a new beginning.

PS: After world cup there is IPL ;)

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MISS YOU NIGHTS

Another night without you beside

In the midst of darkness outside

Empty house, newly wed, all alone

Miss you nights, call on my phone

Dreams of laying on your arms wide

Memories of how we cuddle and collide

These eyes are heavy but yet no sleep

Miss you nights, in anguish I weep

Wishing away that you could be here

To wipe away every drop of tear

Is there a way you could read my mind

Miss you nights, expectation I unwind

Is it only me who is killing time

I hear the tinkling of the chime

Counting hours with every yawn

Miss you nights, waiting for dawn

Surviving through every night

You told me to sleep up tight

Replaying my dreams over again

Miss you nights, relieving my pain

I know you miss me too like mad

You work so hard I feel so bad

Days like these will be very few

Miss you nights, I just love you

- by Grace Xavier

"Miss you nights" is a poem written for my husband. I was inspired to write this coz I miss him a lot when he works during the night. Those are some of the toughest days of our lives to be apart from each other. The words of "Miss you nights" are real and true. 

PS: i miss you!

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50 REASONS I LOVE MOM ON HER 50th BIRTHDAY

Well, this is the list I prepared for MM's 50th birthday to make her a wall frame.

50 REASONS YOU ARE LOVED:

1. You are the glue that holds us together
2. You always taught us to fear God
3. You love us more than anything else.
4. You gave us the best from whatever little you had.
5. You always made our birthdays so special growing up.
6. You made sure we ate even if you did not have anything to eat
7. You take care of us like we still are your little babies.
8. You inspire us to achieve our goals
9. You forgive us
10. You let us follow our dreams
11. You are the best cook ever
12. You dressed us up well when we were babies.
13. You carried us in your womb for 9 long months
14. You always stayed up the whole night whenever we were sick.
15. You are so beautiful.
16. You stalk our every move on Facebook and then act like you have no clue.
17. You watch the TV shows with us (even though you have no clue what the show is about)

18. You are very hard working
19.  You always know better
20. You have good intentions for us.
21. You taught us good manners.
22. You always stood for us against the world
23. You are always kind to all our friends when we get them home.
24. You never stop us from eating nutella.
25. You gave us the best education.
26. You always find things that are lost like shoes, dress, ear rings…
27. You always put up with our mood swings
28. You taught us to play the guitar
29. You wake up early every morning
30. You keep the house clean
31. You make sure we are safe
32. Your amazing talent of making pots, candles, craft, flower art etc…
33. You attended all our PTA’s and sports days
34. You are an amazing wife to dad.
35. You always put family first.
36. Your chapattis are the best.
37. You pack awesome lunch box with the little snack box.
38. You helped us save a lot of money.
39. You are the best singer (no one else can take that high note that you do )
40. You are so hospitable to people who visit our home
41. You let us choose our partners.
42. You are always ready to take pictures of us.
43. You always buy something for us when you go out of town
44. You are so patient with us
45. You call us million times to make sure we are okay.
46. You wash all our clothes
47. You're a good listener
48. You did a great job of raising your kids
49. You taught us to always be grateful for the life we have
50. You love us unconditionally no matter what! and you are an amazing mom!

We hope to be half as good a mother as you some day!

Check out the wall frame here.

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