Hi everyone! Becky Winchester over at the Life of B has hosted another square photo challenge (KindaSquare) for October. This month’s theme is related to kindness:
Something of the kind (mirror images, carbon copies and doubles)
Our imagination kindled (inspire us!)
Of its kind (a unique object or could be a picture of nature and wildlife)
Kindred spirits (kindness in action or photographs of people)
Take kindly to (something you like such as my Warbler on Sunday or Ellie’s cheese)
‘Kinda Square’ Rules:
Take a square photograph of something that reflects the theme
Create your post for any day in October, and pingback to one of my daily squares
Include the theme’s tag – KindaSquare
Leave a comment on my post as well as your link
Whether you post squares or not, be a kind member of the Square team and make time to visit others and the square galleries
I took some creative liberties with my gallery frames and included all 31 shots! Enjoy! 🙂
1. Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity with this gal! We chatted about our favorite Korean dramas!2. Our Rotary Club hosted a fundraiser to build these cool mini-libraries around town.3. 10 Bit Works is an awesome maker space. Members build all sorts of neat projects here!4. These cute scarecrows are a sight for sore eyes at the coffee shop!5. These ducks were not afraid of me at all! They waddled right at me expecting a meal!6. Meet Chi-Chi and Coco, our lovely parakeets!7. So many monarch butterflies on my morning walk! 8. Lovely flowers that remind me of a trumpet!9. Gwangju Pagada’s entrance is really inviting!10. Love the heavy contrast of light and dark! This sole leaf caught my attention!11. What a peaceful pond! The saturated colors were so calming!12. These fascinating tree root knots created a woven masterpiece of light and shadows.13. An incredible fire show at a local Japanese restaurant!14. An incredibly beautiful and ornate church door of a UNESCO Heritage site!15. Nothing like an obstacle course to start your morning! It’s harder than it looks!16. I’m grateful for the ability to vote. I have friends on all sides. It’s been a crazy election cycle. 17. These purple berries look so delectable, but they might be poisonous. So… NO SA!18. Take a seat! I always welcome a park bench when I see one. Wonderful conversations take place.19. Such a bright, cheery lot! 20. I was climbing a tree, and I saw this curious tag. I wonder whose studying this tree!21. This lovely, clay nativity set was made in Mexico. A blend between simplicity and symmetry! 22. I absolutely love pop-up greeting cards! 23. San Japan anime convention poster is stunning! Sparks a sense of wonder!24. I love how the sun light hits this particular flower. It was such a gorgeous day!25. There’s always a compelling story behind an old, rusty piece of machinery!26. I love stories that begin with ‘Once upon a time’! Every person has a story to share!27. During the pandemic, I began to cherish this pink bubble of positivity.28. This park has a “Kindness Rock Garden” where people can pick a rock and paint it for others.29. I wonder what the artist was thinking when he made this sculpture!30. The little boy wants to take the moon home with him!31. My friends had such a lovely floral arrangement when I visited them!
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows not.”
― Blaise Pascal
Traversing in the fading light of the tunnel Courageous heart leads down an alluring path Unaware what lies on the other side Sprawling trees anchored in place Within its soaring, mighty arches Gateway initiates life’s new phases A dance of duality, perspectives a flutter Flickering shadows accompany glowing sunbeams Reasons for renewal are but a possibility Transition however imminent
One more post before I go hit the books again! I found out that today is National Coffee Day from Tony Burgess. I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker, but I love the atmosphere of coffee shops for studying and meeting up with a friend. Today, I’m welcoming the new fall season with a pumpkin-spiced French Roast coffee. What kind of drink helps you start your day? Enjoy!
Good evening! The horror genre is not exactly my forte, but I want to deliver a story for Jude’s birthday and introduce the month of October! It’s been a long while since I’ve last indulged in this genre and maybe, I’ve purposely chose to stay away. 😉
Lois Duncan and Tess Gerritsen are two of my favorite horror/ thriller authors who successfully gave me the chills. I also interviewed a parapsychologist and learned about some mysterious encounters he’s experienced to discover some inspiration. Hope you enjoy my flash fiction below!
Dicey Appearances
Lightning lit up the sky as the rain from the thunder storm pelted the mailman. The package finally arrived at the man’s doorstep. Weeks ago, he bought a set of adorable, amigurumi voodoo dolls from Etsy. It was the perfect gift for his granddaughter.
He placed the dolls in her closet and walked away to make some dinner. Little did she know who resided in her closet. A shy, young girl emerged from the dark. She curiously peeked outside and immediately shut the door.
Image Credit: Pinterest
Spinning their webs, the spiders watched as the dolls sprung to life and began walking around. They danced around the girl, and she was happy to have new friends. One of the dolls did a somersault in the air and landed on the dome of a board game.
POP! The magnified sound of the dice reverberate throughout the closet. Five slimy leaches materialized in the dome and slithered away from the closet in search of a host. They found a sleeping dog peacefully unaware of the danger that lurked nearby and stealthily surrounded it.
Pirouetting in the air with the finesse of an acrobat, another doll landed on the dome. POP! A terrifying creature materialized. One hungry demonic sprite flashed its sharp teeth at the ghostly girl and opened his red, gleaming eyes. Ensconced in the tight closet space, it opened the door eagerly waiting to tear into some juicy flesh…
There has fallen a splendid tear from the passion-flower at the gate. She is coming, my dove, my dear; She is coming, my life, my fate; The red rose cries, “She is near, she is near;” And the white rose weeps, “She is late;” The larkspur listens, “I hear, I hear;” And the lily whispers, “I wait.
Hope you are well today! This morning I read an article from Politico magazine titled, “The Most Important Woman Lawyer in the History of the Republic“. Ginsburg captured my attention many years ago during the appointments of justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
She has led a remarkable life and left a legacy advocating justice for marginalized societies. For those who aren’t too aware of her work, I thought to share some headline quotes from several legal thinkers from the article below.
‘She pivoted the entire structure of the Fourteenth Amendment’
Linda Hirshman is a lawyer, writer and author of Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World.
‘She was a champion of our democracy’
Geoffrey Stone is a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.
‘A symbol of everything that is right about our system of justice’
Ted Boutrous is a partner in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and global co-chair of the firm’s litigation group.
‘A person who modeled civility, compassion and decency’
Kimberly Wehle is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
‘Part of her legacy will be to encourage the end of lifelong tenure for justices’
Sanford V. Levinson is a professor of law at the University of Texas Law School and co-author, with Cynthia Levinson, of Fault Lines in the Constitution.
‘Her death is a call to do more to protect equality’
Peggy Cooper Davis is a professor and director of the Experimental Learning Lab at NYU School of Law.
‘One of the most articulate defenders of a right to choose abortion’
Jamal Greene is a professor at Columbia Law School.
‘Women and men both owe her a great debt’
Susan Deller Ross is a professor and director of the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at Georgetown Law School.
She transcended the traditional role of a justice
Rick Pildes is a professor at New York University School of Law.
Despite naysayers, she was to women’s rights what Thurgood Marshall was to civil rights
Ilya Shapiro is the director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Rights at the Cato Institute and author of Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America’s Highest Court.
‘She never let abstract ideas distract her from reality’
Gillian Metzger is a professor and co-director of the Center for Constitutional Governance at Columbia Law School.
‘The founding mother — or simply founder — of our nation’s sex equality jurisprudence’
Kenji Yoshino is a professor of constitutional law at NYU School of Law.
‘She was an exemplar of purpose and poise’
Josh Blackman is a constitutional law professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and the President of the Harlan Institute.
‘She reminded us that realizing America’s ideals is a work-in-progress’
Robert L. Tsai is a professor of law at American University and author of Practical Equality.
‘She was as kind as she was smart’
Roberta A. Kaplan is the founding partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP.
‘Hers was the path of millions of once-scorned immigrants from exclusion to acceptance’
Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
Delicate fuzzy memories like a watercolor piece Verdant fields juxtaposed by cumulonimbus-filled skies Traveling abroad and delighting in the spice market
Wax drips along the antique brass candle holder Re-reading tales of a wild Huckleberry Finn by candlelight The grass is always greener where I water it
A few weeks ago, I met a new blogger named Kamal who has introduced a new initiative with her new Great Achiever Blogger Award to spread peace among the blogging community. She is an ambitious visionary, and the award itself has such a beautiful origin story!
“It has given me an extreme happiness and immense pleasure that I am here to introduce a ‘GREAT ACHIEVER “महासिद्धी” BLOGGER AWARD‘ to expand peace in our global village- WordPress. This award goes to a real achiever and successor who has been giving their creative feelings and thoughts exquisitely presenting a good perfection of work of art in WordPress Writing.
I am from a birthplace of Gautam Buddha who enlightened many parts of the world in his lifetime by his wisdom and knowledge of equanimity, or peace of mind which is achieved by detaching oneself from the cycle of craving that produces trouble. And, from a lap of Mount Everest, giving an adventurous taste of mountain climbing to the people around the world. The most important thing is purity from the Himalayas, everyone get tastes of pure water flowing from mountain to the hills and then Terai region spreading tranquility in spring.
“महासिद्धी” is a term for someone who embodies and cultivates the “Siddhi of perfection”. A Siddha is an individual who, through the practice of sādhanā, attains the realization of siddhis, psychic and spiritual abilities and powers.
We are a member of a global village “WordPress” to help shape the world peacefully through our continuous effort to dedicate and invest our valuable time for writing giving a perfection, i.e. “महासिद्धी”.
What an introduction! Thank you, Kamal. ❤ I’m truly honored and humbled by such serendipity. Throughout my journey in blogging, earning a badge for reaching particular criteria is a fascinating concept. I apologize for replying sooner as I have many other obligations outside of my blog.
However, spreading peace is a wonderful cause I can easily rally behind during these times. Unlike a peacekeeper, a peacemaker is neither passive nor fearful. Throughout history, society has a myriad of approaches for maintaining peace. The complexities of human nature, being what it is, has demonstrated conflicting ideas of how peace will transpire.
It takes diligence to remain calm within your heart in the midst of chaos. I have known many bloggers who have done this well but are award-free. Thus, I will open this nomination to any of my readers who would like to contemplate and explore these ideas.
Rules & Regulations
Thank the person who nominated you, with a link to their blog.
Make a Post of the Award with a Statement of PEACE & SAVE ENVIRONMENT as above. Tag your post with the #greatachiever.
Mention the rules and regulations.
Ask 7 questions of your choice. One of the questions must include “PEACE” and one for “SAVE Environment”.
Nominate at least 7 fellow bloggers or more to 21 bloggers and notify them.
I like to imagine climbing Mount Everest one day, but I think I’m content watching the incredible views in a documentary while I condition myself. 😉 If you are not familiar with the Terai region, these flatlands stretch along the border between Nepal and India. They can be quite beautiful in the spring time.
With such sweeping, natural beauty, it’s unfortunate to know that the country is struggling with many challenges such as natural disasters, cycles of extreme poverty, and political instability, to name a few.
Some of my readers are aware that I was raised with mixed religious traditions. Sometimes, my hybrid, eclectic upbringing has led to some friendly tension with my “pure” friends, but c’est la vie! (That’s life!) 🙂
Years ago, one of my classmates once called me a “Bodhisattva“. I had no clue what that was, so I looked it up.
A person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings.
Oxford Dictionary
Image Credit: Stephen Lucas Kuan Yin (also known as Avalokitesvara), Bodhisattva of compassion
My father’s brother was a Buddhist monk. When I was a young girl, I attended various beautiful temples with some lovely gardens and fountains. My dad said Buddha’s birthday was near my own which I thought was a fun piece of trivia. There I spent time with and learned from other monks and more devout Buddhists.
Image Credit: Dan Pancamo This photo contains an example of some of the colorful, architectural elements that I remember most
Kamal’s Questions
How can you be a good blogger as a member of WordPress Global Village?
If by “good”, you mean integrity: I pay it forward and recognize other bloggers whenever I can or when time permits. I help others enjoy the blogging process and encourage them to keep growing in their craft if they’re new. If they’re veterans, I participate in their challenges. I enjoy interacting with other bloggers, and I learn new things everyday.
Could you please define a word “PEACE” from your point of view?
I’ve experienced many peaceful moments singing with groups of people in harmony. I also enjoy digging my toes in the sand and feel the ocean wash over my feet as I see the sun rise.
For the past few years I’ve been following photography entries for the Global Peace Photo Award inspired by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Alfred Hermann Fried and Tobias Michael Carel Asser. The photos are quite compelling. Here’s one I absolutely love!
Sadly, I’m trying to save a weak crepe myrtle tree that has developed some lichens. It’s been fighting to stay alive for a very long time. I need to apply some herbicidal soaps and add more mulch. I feel like I have to accept the inevitability of the cycle of life on this one, but I will keep trying so long that it’s showing signs of life and sprouting new leaves.
Do you think human trafficking is still a crosscutting issue?
Yes, human trafficking is one of the largest crimes in the world and intersects with a variety of studies. “This Power and Control wheel outlines the different types of abuse that can occur in labor and sex trafficking situations.”-Polaris Project
Image Credit: Polaris Project Domestic Abuse Intervention Project’s Duluth Model
It’s even in my own backyard! A few years ago, the store where I worked at made national headline news. A trucker was smuggling illegal immigrants across the border in a large 18-wheeler truck. One of my coworkers reported suspicious activity in the parking lot and heard yelling inside the truck. The individuals in the truck bed were suffocating in summer weather, had no water, and no restrooms. Some died due to asphyxiation, and many were treated at the hospital.
What do you think about the journalist or Youtubers?
Youtubers and journalists have a platform to share news, photographs, and information that they have gathered and researched with the public. They share their opinions, their truths, and sometimes deliver a new angle on an existing topic. Journalists expose themselves to potentially dangerous situations everyday. Youtubers also deal with their particular trolls. I feel that those who move forward in such situations are courageous and resolute.
Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy.
MSNBC
Is a movie-star play a vital role to aware most of the people around the world or just they present their performance to earn money?
There is a wide spectrum of the type of movie stars out there. Some movie stars try to raise awareness about many pressing issues. They play a role in the movie to enact change or shift the public’s mindset about a topic. Sometimes, they raise money to donate to a charitable cause. Audrey Hepburn danced in underground concerts to raise money for the Dutch resistance during World War II for instance.
There are also movie stars who have done a movie purely for the money. I feel that there is no shame in this sort of honesty as money is a necessity. Acting is a profession, and they don’t call it “show business” for nothing. Do I feel that some are overly paid exorbitant amounts of money? Sometimes, but it’s peanuts in relation to an underground network of elite individuals who the public doesn’t see or know about.
Sometimes, actors would just like the cash and openly admitted it like Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Paul Bettany, Richard Dreyfess, Eddie Murphy, Jackie Chan, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Michael Caine, Marlo Brando, Betsy Palmer.
Image Credit: Fanpop Ben Affleck in the movie, “Paycheck”:
My Questions
What does peace mean to you?
How do you resolve conflict?
What is one thing you do to help the environment?
How does security play a role in maintaining peace?
What kind of food makes you feel at peace with the world?
If you won the Nobel Peace Prize, what would you want the award recognize you for?
If you were sign up for the Peace Corps, what kind of work would you consider?
