I had been to Spencer’s one fine Sunday, two weeks back. Two men were blocking almost every person trying to enter into Spencer’s. And they were distributing some forms for filling it up.

When I tried to walk past them, S called out to me with forms in his hand.  I looked at him questioningly.

Fill up these forms and get a free gift from Spencer’s – S told me, as that was what that sales man had told him.

I was hesitant. If Spencer’s is giving a free gift to all the customers, they’ll do it inside, where you bill the things.

But S was insistent and put a pen and a form in my hand. They only need our name and phone number was his argument – it won’t take a lot of time to fill.

I am again against giving my phone number to Tom, Dick and Harry on the road. And there was no indication on the form, that its Spencer’s who are doing this free gift promotion.  No Company Name was printed on the form. Why does S take it so easily ?????

So, we filled up two forms, one in my name and one in S’s name, but I wrote S’s number on both the forms.

After a fortnight, yday, one man called up.

“Sir, you filled up a form sometime back at Spencer’s. Remember ?????  Congratulations, Sir !!!! You have been shortlisted among the top 20 winners. And I am very happy to inform you, that you have got gifts, not one, not two but three. They are Kitchen set worth 5000/-, One week stay at Munnar and a One Night stay at a Beach Resort on the outskirts of Chennai.  Can you come over to our Office by 5pm today and collect your gifts ?????? “

Now, I am sitting stunned listening to all these.  Who on this earth will give three free gifts, to the top 20 shortlisted winners, just for filling up a form ????? What do they want from us ???????

Then, when I checked out their Office Address, I found that they are a Holiday Resort Company, trying to sell the holiday shares to people. They make a few people attend a meeting and talk and talk and mesmerize the crowd into buying holiday shares.

And when we didn’t turn up at the meeting, at the scheduled time, they kept on calling us.  Even after politely refusing the gift offer and clearly telling them that we cannot attend the meeting, the calls continued.

Then my Dad told me that he had attended one such meeting and Thank God, he got some urgent call, he left half-way through.  Only if you buy the holiday shares, you’ll get all those free gifts, was explained later in the meeting, I believe.

It’s such a cheap marketing initiative, is my opinion.

I dug into everyone’s archives for the tag posts they’ve done.  I need something to write for my NaBloPoMo and it better be gud too.

And this tag, I found at Nancy’s and the googling of images made it interesting for me.  So, here I go.

This is somewhat similar to Vimmuuu’s Flickr Mosaic Tag !!!! Both are fun and sure keeps us busy for sometime.

The rules states that for every answer one has to do a Google Image Search and paste a picture from the first Google Image Search page with minimal explanation. So here goes….

1. The age you will be in your next birthday: I’ll be celebrating 39 wonderful years in this Earth.

  To tell you the truth, when I just wrote my age, all I got was some old woman (she really looked old), celebrating her bday. So, I modified my answer to get a wonderful picture of flowers, which I felt is more like me.

Sorry for that, but see, I am honest !!!!!

2. A place you would like to travel : Switzerland

WOW !!! I just love this place.  The most scenic place in the World, according to me !!!!

I would also like to go skiing on the Mount Alps !!!! Dear God, When will that day come ??????

3. Your favourite place : My Kitchen

 Hey !!!! I like this picture.  Even though, my kitchen doesn’t look like this, who wouldn’t want to cook in a kitchen looking like that !!!!  This Kitchen is my favourite place, where I relieve my stress !!!!

And I love the modular kitchens !!! They are so damn neat and easy to use !!!!

Even the central island, like the one in the picture, is so wonderful !!! Overall, the Kitchen is a great place to be, for me !!!!

4. Your favourite food / drink : Hyderabadi Chicken Briyani / Mocktails made by S

This is the first picture in Google Image Search.  But the second one looked more spicier and yummy !!!!

But staying in Chennai, I’ll learn to be satisfied by this.

S is great in making mocktails, when we have get-togethers and I love the combinations he uses. S sure has a great future !!!!

5. Your favourite pet : Labrador Retriever

  This friendly dog certainly is my favourite.  He is such a darling and so lovable. His caring eyes and his gentle ways with children are his wonderful qualities.

Now, this extra image of a Labrador Pup, is here because of one simple reason.  I had a pup exactly like this, but due to various reasons, we gave him away.  I miss this little guy – he is no little guy now.

Whenever I see a Lab, I go and cuddle them, missing my little one so much.  Recently, I met one lovely Betsy in my apartment.  The moment I called her, she just jumped on me, licked my face totally and went mad with joy.  I could feel that she is excited.  Actually, I was in the same state like her.

6. Your favourite colour combination : Black and White

I love the colour Black.  Actually any combination with Black will look damn good, but my favourite is White.  I dont know, in what way Google related this picture to my query.  This picture has a lot of grey, isn’t it ??

Anyway, I like the solitude tree.

7. Your favourite piece of clothing : Pencil Jeans + Shirt

 WOW !!! These Pencil Jeans are damn good.  Such a wonderful fit and Ifeel quite thin, too.

That’s certainly not me.  Wish I could be as thin as the model in this picture.

8. Your all time favourite song : Pal pal dil ke paas, tum rehti ho

   The exact image of this song, was available as the third or fourth image. But this is the first one.

Just love the song – the tune, the lyrics, the wonderful Kishoreda, the awesome pair – Dharmendra and Rakhi.

9. Your favourite TV show : Travel & Living Nigella Feasts

 Nigella has done so many series – Nigella Feasts, Nigella Express, Nigella Bites, Forever Summer and so on.  But this specific series – Nigella Feasts, is my favourite.  She tells and does some amazing mouth watering stuff and has no qualms munching them all in front of the camera.  She is quite clumsy but the end product is exotic.  That gives the viewer more confidence in cooking !!!

Everyone in my home, loves this programme and its a delight to watch her cook the deserts.  I especially love all her cooking utensils, the spatulas, the ladles, her refrigerator, her oven, her bar – all in all, I just love this show.

10 Full name of your significant other : Srinivasan

OOPS !!!! Found a picture of a hippy guy, when I Googled.  I just can’t put the other Srinivasan’s pictures here, in place of my S.

 So, here is the picture of Sri Srinivasa Perumal, who abodes in Tirupathi, after whom, my S was named.

11. The town in which you live : Chennai

  I would have loved to put the Beach here !!!! Chennai synonyms with Beach, for me.

But this is the best bet for Google Images.  The tall tower structure you see, is the Railway Central and it certainly one of the busiest places in the city.

12. Your screen name / nickname : UmaS Reflections

When I googled my Screen name, see what image I got ??????

Can you believe this ???? OMG !!!! OMG !!!!!  I just can’t believe this.

Its my avataar picture !!!! 

I am all smiles !!!!!  

 WOW !!!! I am thrilled.

13 Your first job : Hardware Design Engineer

  Yes, now I remember the PCBs and the designing.  Its been more than a decade now, but I enjoyed doing it all.

The sad thing was, I didn’t continue with it after 3 years.

14. Your dream job : Microsoft

 It was my dream and it still is.  I had been fascinated with Windows when it was introduced and that day I decided that I would join the company which made this wonderful software.

Hope I’ll atleast visit the premises in Seattle, one day.

15 Bad habit you have : Irritation

I get irritated very easily.  Particularly, when I am sleeping well, someone wakes me up for silly reasons – thats the height of irritation for me.

Is there any Irritation Help Centres ??????? 

16. Your worst fear :  When others ignore me

This is my fear and the thing which saddens me too.

17 The one thing you would like to do before you die : Visit Shirdi Sai Baba Temple

 There is a saying which goes like this : Even if you put in your best possible effort, a visit to this temple will happen only if Sai Baba wishes you to come.

So far, he hasn’t called me. I am waiting to go.

18. The first thing you’ll buy if you get $1,000,000 :  Buy a Farm House on a Hill.

  And have a dog, too.  Just imagine spending lovely summers in that beautiful Farm House. Its divine bliss.

Oh !!! Cool !!!! Finished them all and it was quite interesting. Hope u all liked the collection.

As a new mother or a well seasoned mother, the question always comes up. What to do I do with my little ones when I have work to do. Whether its ordinary chores, like dishes or laundry, or its work related, something has to be done with the little ones.

Let’s start with a newborn. Lucky for you they sleep a lot the first couple of months. Maybe you have heard it before but when the baby sleeps you sleep. Even if you aren’t tired or don’t want to sleep, do it. Just lie down and rest, or read a book, take a bath. Do something that relaxes you. It’s very important to take this time for yourself because chances are your nap times as well as your newborn’s are going to get fewer and fewer. 

As the baby starts being awake more and sleeping less you may start to freak out about how to get the things done you need to. For example you have laundry to fold and put away. What to do with the baby. Do what you feel comfortable with if you don’t mind leaving the baby out of site for a second while you run upstairs and put some clothes away. Then do that, it’s not a bad thing to do. Just make sure the baby is in something that will prevent injury to the baby. Or if you would feel more comfortable than strap the baby in your Baby Bjorn and the baby is with you wherever you go. It’s all about your comforts. It’s about what you feel is best for you and the baby. Know that and own it. Don’t let people tell you you’re paranoid or not paranoid enough. It’s your decision and either one is fine for the health and well-being of the child. The child is not going to know the difference anyways. It’s not going to alter how the child ends up as an adult. Don’t worry.

What about the crawling stage or the walking stage and you have things to do? This is a very fun age if you don’t worry and just chill out every once in a while.  This is where the Yes and No come into play.  My philosophy is always trying to give more yeses than nos. It’s a whole lot easier to let your children do what they want when they want to. I feel that children need to be allowed the freedom of exploring so some baby proofing needs to be done. I also feel that the baby proofing doesn’t need to be EVERYWHERE. My goodness there is some houses that are so baby proofed the adults can’t enjoy themselves.  This is where the power of yes and no is taught. For instance in the kitchen make a drawer or a cupboard that is only for the baby, your plastic containers, plastic cups, your cookie cutters, anything that the baby can play with that won’t harm the baby. That way while you are cooking the baby can be right there with you.  In this situation instead of telling the baby no every second it tries to open a drawer and play with whatever is in it, you have given the baby a yes. Make it special for the baby and praise the baby for playing with the stuff in the drawer. Why not play with the baby using those objects sometime. That just reiterates that fact that the baby can use those and not get in trouble.  There are lots of places around the house that can be yeses for the baby and not have to be baby proofed.

The older they get the more difficult mothers seem to freak out when it comes to doing other things. The children don’t need someone to play with them every second of every day. As they get older allow them to help you do the things you do. This is a great way of spending time with your children and teaching them responsibility and work ethic. Even a toddler can help pick up the toys, dry the plastic dishes, fold socks, carry the chord while you vacuum, or grab a rag and dust their toys and their room. Including your children in the tasks at hand help ease the stress of getting everything done.  The older they get the more they can help. By the time you have a 5-year-old they can be washing the dishes or putting them in the dishwasher, folding all the laundry, drying all the dishes, dusting everywhere, cleaning their room, making their bed, feeding the animals, or taking a bath by themselves. When they do these things you have to be doing stuff too. It’s not fair to turn your children into slaves and make them do everything while you sit and watch. On the other hand everyone has done it, including me. It is sometimes nice to watch your children and just sit for a couple minutes. So don’t feel guilty if you allow that to happen every once in a while. Make it fun for you and for them. Reward them with Praise. Nothing else just praise.

A couple things parents often will do wrong when it comes to having children help them do chores is giving treats or prizes, fixing the job they did, and getting mad for the job they did.

If you give them treats or prizes for everything they do that’s not teaching them reality.  Sometimes a reward or something extra is great for children. And I agree 100% to give them a special prize or a “bonus” as we get in the real world when we are doing well at work. But to get a “bonus” every day for everything they do is not real. And it wouldn’t teach them the value of doing things just because it’s the right thing to do or because it’s nice to do things for others. A thank you goes a long way. A big hug for doing a great job and being such a great helper is a huge bonus for kids.

When you’re at work and you feel you have done exactly what the bosses wanted you to do, you feel so good and accomplished. You then watch your boss “fix” your mistakes right in front of you, how does that make you feel? I would feel crushed and disappointed and sad. Parents often think that in order for the children to learn how to do things the right way they need to fix everything they do wrong. Well that’s not right at all. Your child cleaned his room without asking and is so proud of him, and it’s not the way you want it. What do you do?  Do you go up and fix it and say now it looks better, or now that’s the way it should be.( First of all I hate the word should and feel very strongly that it never needs to be used. It’s a shaming word and I don’t appreciate shaming or being shamed in any way.) Anyways the best way to handle this situation is to be proud of your child for doing a chore without being asked. That’s it, which is as simple as it needs to be. BE PROUD OF YOUR CHILDREN. If it really bothers you that much then you have a serious problem.  Ask yourself what means more to you: A clean and tidy house? Or the fact that your child has done a chore on their own without being asked? This is a very important step because your child will remember your actions that follow this. In the future if you handled this badly they may not want to do something without asking in fear of it’s just not good enough for mommy. Or you may have a very tough time getting them to do chores at all. I mean why do it if mommy is just going to fix it anyways.

This goes hand in hand with the next problem parent’s face when having children help them with chores. Getting mad. Same reasons as fixing their job just don’t do it. Same thing as if they accidently break something while helping you. Don’t get mad. If you feel the rage coming on, it’s time for a time out for mommy.  Go into another room and remind yourself that it’s just things, things don’t matter. What does matter is your child. She knows that it hurt you. And in turn it hurts her. Don’t give her a double whammy of hurt. She doesn’t need it. It was an accident so treat it as an accident. Hold her and tell her everything is fine and that you love her.  More on this topic later.

Here is a list of topics that are yet to come. I hope you stay tuned these are powerful topics for every parent out there.

Comfort – What is comfortable for you

Worry- When to worry and not to worry

Guilt-Guilty for…

Shame- Shame on you, shame on me

Pride- I am proud of you

The End. The Beginning.

“The End – 5 Things to Remember as 2009 Ends”

Sunday, December 27, 9:15 & 11:00am

“The Beginning – 5 Things to Remember as 2010 Begins”

Sunday, January 3, 9:15 & 11:00am

I had my appointment today with Dr. S and I had a feeling where things were going however I did not see it heading in the direction it took. Dr. S confirmed trying to get me pregnant with my own eggs us like making it snow in the middle of the desert. I have a 5% chance. However he then went on to tell me that our chances with Allens sperm and donor eggs is about 10-30% thats not alot. So he suggested we do donor eggs with donor sperm and Allens sperm ( I like this option the best since there is still a chance of having DHs child). He also wants to rerun my lupus clotting test to assure I can even carry a baby to term. I am a bit numb it just seems as if the hits just keep on coming again and again

Here I am sitting at my comp  

To write about an event of pomp  

Never in my dreams had it come  

I’ll be blogging till my fingers are numb. 

May be its an event, may be its a day of glory  

But for me, its my blogging journey.  

Hardly a reader to visit, when I started to write  

Slowly and steadily, got some to reply  

The moment of Pressing my Words  

Became the turning point to meet new people,  

New blogs and a World where I find friends for life.  

This is my place, my adda,  

Where I am myself without any cloak  

Blogging is second skin to me  

Rain or Shine, I write to see a happy me.  

Hyd to Chennai was my transition  

But I was glowing with determination  

Decided to post with a conviction  

The words came out without any confrontation.  

Yes, this is my 100th post  

And without you all, it would have been a dream. 

So, the credit goes to you all  

For the success of this Blog.  

I was scared to face the bat  

Wanted to be the last in the race of rat.  

But your comments bowled me over  

And I didn’t get out, but hit the century tower.  

So, here I am waiting for you all to come  

To hand me a brick or a bouquet. 

   I am ready for whatever is to come.

So this is where I’ll write about my progress as I try to create my own games. I am currently studying computer science at university and I figure that creating games would be the only way I could sit down and study programming outside of college with some motivation. Also, I’ll hopefully have some games to show for my efforts.

At the moment I’m looking to create Java, XNA and iPhone games. Althought the later 2 are along way off at the moment.

——22DEC09——

played: Pixel Junk Monsters, Shatter, Fifa 10

listening to: Cubicles by daemon (want to use this song at some stage in one of my games)

ideas: starting this blog

The ferns of Great Britain and Ireland

Nature Printing in the 1850s

Because of all the ferns in my garden, I have been finding out about the book I bought for its beautiful fern plates, (pictured in previous post). The plates use a technique called nature printing which was first brought into use around the time of the publication of this book.

Nature printing is a reproduction process, developed in the nineteenth century, that uses the plants, animals, rocks and other natural subjects themselves to produce an image. The subject undergoes several stages to give a direct impression onto materials such as lead, gum, and photographic plates, which are then used in the printing process.

The person attributed with the invention of the process, Naturselbstdruck, is Alois Auer; the first publication, of instructions for the process, was by this Austrian printer in “The Discovery of the Natural Printing Process: an Invention” (Vienna, 1853). This was written in four languages by the author. He shows the use of plants, a fossil fish, and lace impressed by a roller onto a lead plate, which  is then hand coloured and transferred to the final print.

Many others botanical and natural history illustrators had attempted to use techniques that were a ’shorthand’ in the representation of subjects. Another printer, the Englishman Henry Bradbury, immediately used Auer’s ‘nature printing’ process to publish work of his own. These included two major botanical works; The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland, by Thomas Moore, (1857) which is the book I have, and The Nature-printed British Seaweeds (1859-60).

In the process of nature printing, the specimen was not used directly to make the print, but instead it was used to make a printing plate of wood or metal, from which the print was then made. It involved laying the item to be illustrated on top of a plate of soft lead. The specimen was then covered with a hard steel plate, and this sandwich was run through an intaglio printing press. The pressure forced the image of the specimen into the soft lead. The ink could then be applied to the lead plate and prints made from this. It was also possible to transfer the image to a copper plate by electrotyping and a reverse plate made from that for printing.

These images are not only very decorative, but each print precisely and delicately traces the image of the plants, capturing the detail of nature itself almost “first hand.” Another interesting example of nature printing was Sherman F. Denton’s use in 1900 of actual butterfly wings to make the prints for As Nature Shows Them: Moths and Butterflies of the United States. Denton created the prints by pressing wings into the pages. He recorded that he had to collect over 50,000 insects in order to produce his work!

From http://antiqueprintsblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/nature-printing.html

]]> http://umsreflections.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/traffic-comedy-or-serious/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:48:49 +0000 umsreflections http://umsreflections.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/traffic-comedy-or-serious/

S is a great fan of the Aditya Channel – which telecasts only the comedy scenes from Tamil movies.  Even though I find the scenes very repetitive, I don’t mind watching the ones starring Vivek, for I greatly appreciate his comic timing and the way he gets back at people for their silliness and superstitions.

Last week, when we were glued to this Aditya Channel, I happened to watch one of my favourite scenes by Vivek.

In this scene, Vivek is travelling by bike with his friend and they happen to wait in a traffic signal.

Vivek says at this point, “We’ll put the right indicator, show our left hand and go straight ahead, to confuse you all, as we always do in India”.  It’s a pun alright, but sadly its also the plight of traffic in India.

It’s quite surprising that people in India, have got this idea of going first, over taking everybody on the road.  Are we in a race or something ?????

If we allow the vehicles ahead of us to move forward, then automatically we’ll get our way.  There’s certainly no patience, especially when people are on the roads, behind the steering wheels.

At this point, I am reminded of a funny incident, in Hyd.  Whether its funny or not, it just shows, how even stupid people get a driving license in India. There’s no need to know the traffic rules and regulations.

One of our friend, was driving his car. He is a very cautious driver and never crosses the speed limits.  And at a particular junction, he wanted to take a left turn. Since, there was free left available at that junction, he just put on the left indicator of his car and turned left.

Suddenly, there came a scooter, over taking his car, with a ferocious man on it.  He parked his scooter just in front of the car and asked our friend to get out of the car.

Our friend, being quite the docile type, didn’t want to get into any confrontations. With lots of hesistation, he got out of the car and the man on the scooter started shouting.  Without understanding the reason for his shouting, he quietly asks him to state the reason before shouting.

That man on the scooter asks our friend - Why did you turn left without any indication ?????

Friend (with a bewildered look) – Of course, I did put my left indicator !!!!

Man – No, all that is not enough.  Why didn’t put your hand out and show that you are turning left, with your hand ??????  You saw me doing the same while I was driving the scooter, eh ?????

Our friend was stunned beyond belief.  How in heaven’s sake, can you put your hand out and tell that you are turning left, while driving a car ?????

This is the height of traffic sense !!!!!  I still wonder,  How did that guy ever get a driving license !!!!

And another irritating thing in Hyd traffic, is people don’t take their hands off the HORN !!!!  They are always honking. Even if the traffic is stand still, due to some reason, the honking will go on and on.  Its absolutely irritating.

I’ve also noticed that people give more respect to the traffic signals than the traffic constables on duty.  While they listen without any question, to the red / orange / green lights, they argue and talk badly with the traffic constables.  Even if the traffic constable says STOP, the people give him a stare and drive away.

Even though we make fun of the road sense in the people of India, the whole scenario is really pathetic.

One, there is a sudden surge in the number of people owning a four-wheeler. Every Bank is calling the people walking by their branch and giving them a Car loan. Who wouldn’t want to buy, when the banks call you and give you loans ????

Second, the Government is totally unprepared for the increase in number of vehicles and there are no concrete plans accordingly to widen the roads or build flyovers or take any measures to ensure smooth traffic.

Third, the people want to reach their place of destination, in just a few minutes of sitting in their vehicle.  There is no patience, no giving way for ambulances – the top priority is only themselves.

Fourth and most important is talking on the mobile while driving. This certainly distracts the driver and confuses the person driving behind this man. The reflex is quite slow, because of the distraction of talking on the mobile phone.  Even though it’s a rule – TALKING & DRIVING DONT GO TOGETHER – people are just going on talking on the mobile, as though this rule doesn’t apply to them.

Any phone call can wait – no call is more precious than your life.

Follow traffic rules and have a safe and enjoyable Driving experience !!!!!

Tomorrow afternoon I have another appointment with Dr. S at Conceptions to see what he thinks of all the test results he just ordered. I have a bad feeling his answer may be donor eggs (DE) not that it is totally bad but it will officially mean the end of our genetic search either way we are given a child we are going to love it. I am going to wear my peguin socks again just in case.

Sometimes it’s hard to stand on your own.

And even when you think the people you have in your life would help. . .

Seems like they too can destroy and put you to the ground

This journey, life, at its core is dirty filled with twists and turns and potholes everywhere

Me, figuring how to overcome it all and be great.

God gave me that mentality, and I’m still standing after 18 years, why not keep going?

That’s the question we will hope to answer.

As I search for my own place in this heartless world…..

Welcome.

We love her and appreciate all she did for us but when it comes down to it, it’s your turn so she’s got to go. I am talking about our mothers. They raised us well or so we hope and they have set us free. But as you will find out when your baby goes off and gets married and has children of their own, it’s not that easy for our mothers to let go. They want to be there for every second holding your hand and telling you what you’re doing wrong. They want to tell you what kind of food to get and how to properly diaper the baby. Well enough is enough.  I don’t mean to sound harsh but sometimes harsh is what you have to be. It’s time for you to tell your mother no. Tell your mother that it’s your child and you will diaper the baby the way you want. You will feed the baby however and whatever you want. The decisions that involve your child will be made by you and the baby’s father only. You may ask for suggestions but in my experience that is just a way for them to tell you what you’re doing wrong instead of giving you the support and advice you are looking for. Your mother needs to be the one that supports you and encourages you when you are down even if they “told you so”. They don’t need to put you down and make you feel like a bad mother for your own unique ways of parenting.

If you have decided to use disposable diapers then your mother needs to support that. If you decide to breastfeed then your mother needs to honor that decision. It’s about you and your child, not your mother I hate to say. Its life though. If your mother does not support and encourage you then that’s when boundaries come in handy. It’s time to set some. And clearly explain them to your mother. It is your rights as an adult to make these boundaries fit to what your needs are. When you are making boundaries consider the consequences if they are not met. For example, if your mother insists on smoking around your baby then simply tell her that she cannot see the baby unless she is not smoking and she doesn’t smell like smoke. If she only smokes at her house then the baby will not go to her house, until she changes. If and when she changes the boundaries can be altered as YOU see fit. You will probably have to set pretty firm boundaries at first to get the point across. Your mother may be very upset with you at first but in the end will see that this was a good decision. Your mother and probably everyone else will try and shame you for making this decision. Don’t let them do it. Stand your ground.

You are an adult and you can make your own decisions. This is a very important step in becoming a great mother whether a stay at home mother or a working mother. Either way if this step is not done, you will always struggle with your mother.  This step is not only for your benefit but also for your children’s benefit. It teaches your children how to be an adult. More importantly it makes them feel secure that if they have a problem with your parents or your in-laws they can come to you and you will stand up for them. They don’t have to be afraid to go to grandma and grandpas because you have set the boundaries for your children also.  I hope that makes sense. Here is an example: Say you don’t spank your children, instead you discipline them in a different way. Well how would you feel if you found out that your parents or in-laws were spanking your children as discipline? I would be very upset with them. This is when I would make a boundary. I would tell them that we do not want our children to be disciplined like that anymore, and that if it continues they will not be alone with my children, or if they still insist then they wouldn’t see my children at all. That’s it. That is all you have to do to stop it.

 I would then go to my children and talk to them about what the grandparents did was wrong and I am sorry if they hurt them. I would then praise my children for coming to me and telling me. Tell the children they did nothing wrong and were very responsible for coming to me. Praise them praise them. They deserve it. Don’t go over board and drag it on, but do give them kudos. If you set in motion now that when they come to you really listen and either take action or just talk to them. When they are teenagers they will do the same. 

My mother always knew how to get everything out of me when I was a teenager. I couldn’t keep secrets for very long from her. We talked every night since I could remember and now she is my best friend. I love hanging out with my mom of all people. I am very grateful too her.  These steps to becoming a great stay at home mom works trust me I know.

This recipe is an all time favourite in my home.  Actually this recipe is like handing over the tradition to the daughter-in-law.  And my MIL has done with her job of handing it over to me, perfectly.

Since S and my girls just love it, and prefer to eat it for lunch, dinner and even next day, it’s a delight to make it for them and see that happy smile and finger-licking gud comments from them.

So, here it is :

MASALA KOZHAMBU

Ingredients:

Carrots (cut into small pieces) – 1 cup

Beans (cut into small pieces) – 1 cup

Cauliflower (cut into small pieces) – 1 cup

Potatoes boiled  - 5 medium-sized

Green peas – ½ cup

Onions (finely chopped) –  6 onions medium-sized

Garlic cloves – 8

For the Masala:

Cinnamon (Dalchini) – 1” stick

Cardamom (Elaichi) – 4

Aniseed (Saunf) – 1 tsp

Cloves (Lavang) – 6

Poppy seeds (Khus Khus) – 2 tsp

Fried grams (Putnal) – 1 handful

Red chillies – 10 to 12

Procedure:

- Dry fry these masalas in a pan and allow it to cool. Then grind it into a powder. Add the garlic cloves and grind again.

- Pressure cook the carrots, beans, green peas and cauliflower with a little salt.

- In a heavy bottomed pan, pour 3-4 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 tsp mustard and let it pop. Now add 2 tsp of broken urid dal and add the finely chopped onions and fry it till light brown.

- Now the ground masala powder and let flavours arise.

- Add the cooked vegetables, crumble the boiled potatoes in big pieces.

- Sprinkle salt as required.

- Add 1 glass of water and allow it simmer for 5 to 10 mins.

This recipe is very nutritive as it includes a lot of vegetables in it.

Masala Kozhambu is a great with chappathis and puris.

Also, it tastes very well with hot rice and papads – this combo is the favourite at home.

” You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

~ C.S. Lewis

I slowly came to my senses, fading in and out of reality and my imagination..

” Why?! Why did you do that?!…HOW….NO!….Of course! Ahhh…Sam…please…” Maggie faintly screamed…” Sam…Sam…SAM!”

Reality hit like a brick wall…” YES! Maggie..are you alright? What happened..where are we? Why does my head hurt so much…” I asked as my words hung around me in waves, my vision blurry…my skin…indescribable..

” They drugged us Sammy, before lift off. Apparently so we wouldn’t know where we are going, its something they do to all the new people..” Maggie informed as she held me in her arms.

” Hey, look you guys. I said I was sorry. I know I broke a few rules..but…it was a seriously rough day, and the penalty for NOT drugging you is far higher than not asking…Ahh…I feel terrible..look, go ahead report me…but rules are rules around her you guys…they are meant to be followed, and if they aren’t..Look, Mia and I are treading on a thin line as it is and…I’ll make it up to you two I swear, look I’ll get Dr. Smith to hook you up with some nice sedatives that will take all the pain away, trust me.” A flustered Fenz apologized.

” Okay, yeah drugs sound awesome. Hook us up and you got a deal Fenzy.” I accepted, while my sensory perception nearly convinced me Fenz was a reptiliain humanoid who smelt like a daisy…

” Ah fuck yeah that’s what I’m talking about.” An excited Foghorn Leghorn expressed with a chicken dance…

Fenz picked us up and carried us to a room not to far from where we were, and layed us on a table.

” Is this a doctor’s office or am I still tripping the fuck out..?”…” …were you always made of bricks Fenz…?” I asked as I starred at the ceiling.

” Oh fuck…what the hell did I inject you with…” Fenz murmured under his breathe..” Just sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

” Maggie…why do I feel like I’m dreaming..? Are we awake..? Maybe I can move things with my mind..Are sound waves malleable for you too..?” I asked with a spaced out smile while waving my arms and feet in the arm, pretending to climb it..

” I would be worried…if you didn’t subject yourself to shit like this for fun…” Maggie trailed off into a sun set with colours I’ve never smelled before.

” Oh its beautiful Maggie, it’s almost as stunning as you… the..whoa…what the hell is that…” I trailed off as my words wrapped around my body, pulling me up from the table and onto my feet. ” Something…is different…I feel, a force I’ve never felt before its…beatifully disturbing..I..” I pressed my finger tips against the side of my head and focused my mind on what I was feeling.

” I think..I can project it through…my thrid eye..I think..its more…of a hand now…? What have they done to us…Who am I now? What are these forces…how has the Earth changed so much…Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t they tell us Maggie?” I asked very seriously while holding her hand.

” Um..Sam…You’re scaring me…” Maggie stammered.

” Oh, no. My beautiful ray of sunshine. It is not I who scares you, its whats channeling through my body…its…a lady..shes listening to me talking to you.. SHH! We must whisper…shes on of them. not us…” I cautiously informed as I grabbed her and hid under the table.

” Where are in their home..they..think they are us…but…they are they, and we are everything, and us is somewhere else…I can’t focus..something is blocking me…It’s…oh my god…” I whispered in sheer astonishment. ” This is the enlightenment I’ve sought my entire life…this is it. This is the moment. And I get to share it with my ray of sunshine, how beautiful. This moment is more than every English word, every word in any language, I, get it.” I rambled before kissing her…

” Uh, Hello? GonZo? Maggie? Where are you?” Inquired that auspicious Foghorn.

” Hiding under here is futile…we must surrender. Follow me, I’ll take us down the path of glory and Victory. I see it as clearly as the yellow brick road, illuminating under my steps, it glows for me, right now. It lives to serve me at this point in time.” I informed Maggie as I grabbed her hand and flew out from under the table.

” Foghorn. I am here and waving the white flag, please do not consume me as you have other chickens. I come in peace, and My Maggie carries the same sentiments. If you, or this…Alice. You are not Dr. Smith. And you hide behind The Shadow…you block me from seeing you, how sketchy. How fake, how very unForghorn. Fenz, who is she really? ” I inquired suspiciously.

” This is Dr. Alice. She helped us infiltrate United to get you guys out. ” Informed Fenz.

” She betrayed them! Used them! Shes a dirty double agent, unable to choose a side. Her gift, her weakness, she likes but does not love, not anymore, not since…her heart broke. Who..? Alice. Who was it that made you this way?” I asked as I slowly walked closer toward her, bringing Maggie along with me until our noses nearly touched.

” Samuel. I see the drugs have really taken to you. So I will not hold it against you, for intruding and being so rude. But, we must get you sober. You are to meet Marx within the hour, and we can’t have you going around here, acting like this. Now, I have a needle that will even you out. Please sit down while I prepare the injection.” Alice calmly directed.

” What? No! How dare you! I am seeing clearer than all of you! Especially Marx! Where is Mr. S? He will listen to me. He understands the under belly of secrets. I will not take the shot until I can have a proper talk with Mr. S!” I declared as I stood behind the table, Maggie, confused and worried, yet completely trusting of my behaviour.

” Mr. S is not here, he was shipped out as soon as he got here to take care of something. Now, sit.” Alice ordered.

” How dastardly! How insensitive! How inhumane! And you call yourself the human soul! You bring disgrace to us all! Do you even understand what he went through this last month?! And you ship him out for MORE work?! I say, you aren’t doing a very good job in convincing me you are real people. I beginning to think you are nothing but drones! Worker Bee’s just following orders until they die. How sickening, if this proves to be true.” I lectured as I held a chair in between myself and Alice.

” Good GOD GONZO! I do NOT have time for this! You must take the shot! I have very important work to attend to!” Alice demanded as she tried pulling the chair from my hands.

” Foghorn!! Help!! She’s insane!!” The look of fear on my face, was absolutely terrifying.

” Okay, okay. Listen, I’ll look after Hunter S. here and inform Marx that he had a bad reaction to the injection, and is hugging the toilet. Then, once he’s sobered up, we’ll get the induction going, cool? Everybody wins?” Fenz negotiated while slowly lowering the chair from in between us and putting his foot on it.

” Do you completely understand, that you gave him the blue injection? Do you know what that is? He is suppose to be asleep right now, for another 4-5 hours. The fact that hes awake talking nonsense is a miracle. There are chemicals in there, including DMT, that will leave him tripping like this for a while. It’s in everyone’s best interest that he take this shot.” Alice strongly recommended.

” What?! NO! This is the best trip of my life! Don’t take it away from me! Foghorn Fenz, lead the way! Maggie and I have a toilet to hug!” I declared while waving my arm in the air.

” You know what, fine, whatever. Fuck this. Fenz, deal with it.” Alice submitted as she stormed off in a flustered fury.

Maggie stood with her mouth wide open as to what she just witnessed.

Fenz patted me on the back while giving me a goofy smile, ” I can tell, we are going to be friends.” He said we wrapped our arms around our shoulders like best friends in elementary..

..

Maggie and I bunked with Fenz and Mia for the night in their flat. They were super nice and set up a few mattress ont he living room floor for us to sleep on. After Fenz sorted our induction for tomorrow instead, and Mia came home from her shift, the 4 of us bantered madly about life before zombies, movies, music, love, history and most importantly, they opened up and showed us who they were, beautiful people. Our first friends….but what really got us on the same wave, was when I offered them some of Roland’s finest (who we smoked in the honor of), and they accepted with excitement, because they hadn’t had a smoke since The Soul outlawed all drugs a couple years back. A wonderful ending to a hectic day…

The morning would come quickly, and with it, another busy day. Mia woke us up around 8 am (which counts as sleeping in, by the way) for our induction at 10. Apparently this one was very special, as Marx would be doing it himself, according to him, we are very special, and deserve such an honor…

..

As Maggie and I stood before an audience, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Marx, I grabbed her sweaty hand and looked around the cold, clean room. It was very large, with glass pockets on the ceiling, and fancy gold trimming and colourful patterns. It very much had the feeling of a doctor’s office and church. Fenz, Mia, Mr. S, Alice and a bunch of faces I did not know, sat behind us on the benches, smiling with pride. Stain glass pictures of famous paintings of the 108 era surrounded us, and behind the altar, The Human Soul coat of arms, or logo, which either you prefer…

Finally, off beat, Marx showed up in a strange outfit while holding a book in one hand, and waving with the other.

” Good Morning fellow Souls. Today, we induct two very special people into our family, Samuel Abdallah and Margret Williams. Two fine specimens that have survived the roughest conditions these End Times have subjected them to. But all of that is in the past now, for these people are about to become apart of the last stronghold of man. We are the future, brothers and sisters, we are the hope, we are, The Human Soul. Sam and Maggie, will you please come forth.” Asked Marx.

We walked onto the stage and beside the altar.

” Have you read and agree to the rules and registration presented to you yesterday?” Asked Marx.

” Yes, and I agree.” We answered.

” Then, with the power invested in me, I pronounce you, SOUL SOLDIERS! Welcome, to salvation.” Declared Marx, as he knighted us with a sword.

The audience cheered, and we waved awkwardly. Maggie turned to me and gave me the same look I was thinking…What the mother fucking hell is going on here….

..

After the ceremony, Marx lead us on a personal tour around the facility. It was all very much the same, white floor, white walls, dome glass ceilings, and people walking around. I stopped paying attention after 20 minutes, and ran away with my imagination to a happier place in my head. Only to be awoken after a long couple hours to the door of our flat. 42b, hallway 23 sector…108. Either these people loved repetition, or these numbers bear meaning that I have yet to discover…either way, I was happy to finally receive a proper home, with food, water, our own bed, shelves to be filled with our things. It had been so long, but we were finally home…if only more of our friends made it…

..

Ever week, we fill out order forms for what food we want for the week. Hours are like money, or I guess, points or more like money, but, however many hours convert to points we get to cash in however many we have for whatever food items we want…Training starts tomorrow, lasts for 2 weeks, 5 8 hour days, that is. Then we finally get to see some action…

And my mom said I’d never get a proper education…

- GonZo -

Fourteen months ago, I walked into a new therapist’s office, determined to get better. I was tired of living my life as I had been for many years. I wanted to face my monsters head on.

I imagined that the initial intake session would be like many others I had experienced over the years when I dabbled in therapy. But this was different, because of one sentence she said to me. “You are an addict.” I was stunned and didn’t believe her that day. Surly, this was not me that she was talking about. How could I be an addict? I was not an alcoholic, not a drug addict, not even a sex addict. To me, I was a normal person, who just often engaged in purging and maintained a long-term relationship with a married man. 

It took a few months for me to see me as my therapist did – a true addict. But, when I did finally come to think of myself as an addict, one who could not live without purging or the relationship with the married man, was when the true work and healing could begin.

This blog will be a record of my journey to overcome these two addictions, to find the true person I am and finally begin to live life with myself at the head of the line.

The Original Planting of the Garden

Ivy Ivy Ivy. Not ordinary Ivy but a special sort of North American ivy that has jungle-sized leaves and growth habits. A neighbour once came to apologise for planting this about 20 years ago, but its too late now. The smell of this ivy when you rip it up is rude and nasty. Embedded within this ivy, so deeply that it was invisible to the eye was an old shed that the first owner of the property (an alcoholic, according to local legend) built for himself and perhaps his dog. This structure was discovered when I began to clear the vertical bank of its metre high undergrowth.
The other smelly growth is the geranium, a rapid-fire speed-creeping geranium, but this has the benefit that it keeps the soil clear of other more pernicious weeds and is easy to pull out. It spreads via underground tubers and covers the ground rapidly once established. The smell is like none other and if you have been working with it, the clothes you have worn will retain the geranium odour until next washed. A pernicious smell.
The Ferns constitute one more large proportion of the gardens natural flora. They love it. Large and well established ferns grow at any height, and upon investigation are found to have substantial root balls so dense that they are impossible for me to move, and which upon overnight consideration I decided to leave as they obviously play a large part in supporting the bank and its boulders.
An interest in ferns has led to the purchase a number of old books with lovely plates like this one by Thomas Moore.

Ferns are intimately tied up with the history of the area I live in, south Lancashire in the Pennines, through the endeavours of the handloom weavers in the filed of natural history. These working class naturalists  (described charmingly in the book ‘Scientists in Humble Life: The Artisan Naturalists of South Lancashire’ as  ’a remarkably and imperfectly understood phenomenon in the social history of south Lancashire, the working class naturalist) – were responsible for the discovery and recording of the natural environment around Manchester, ranging far and wide on foot in search of plants, insects, fossils and rocks. Lancashire handloom weavers, for some reason also concentrated on the cultivation of  ‘giant if not always tasty, gooseberries’.

An illuminating excerpt from “The Lost Teachings of Atlantis” by Jon Peniel.

The Fall.

This book devotes an entire chapter to the history of the Children of the Law of One, from its Genesis prior to Atlantis, to the present, directly translated from the ancient texts, and my accounts of recent developments. But in the following segment, Noah just briefly describes the specific aspects of that history which led to the creation of the Children. You’ve heard Darwin, you’ve heard Genesis. Now you are about to hear another theory, the first one that made sense to me. And according to the Atlantean teachings, Genesis is actually a simplified, loose allegory, based on this.

“The historical records start with the premise that there is One Great Being (God/Universal Spirit) that is All things, including the Universe itself. It divides/multiplies within itself to create us, thus, our history begins with all of us (humans) essentially being part of, and One with God. The records describe us as being spiritual or ‘angelic’ beings, free to roam, create, and enjoy the Universe. The teachings go on to say that our beginnings on Earth, came in two steps – a ‘first wave’, and ‘second wave’ of ‘human’ (& semi-human) materialization into physical bodies on Earth. At the time, we had the ability to instantly alter our vibration, and instantly create anything we desired, with a mere thought. It was in this way that we ‘thought ourselves’ into matter, into material existence on Earth. Which began our fall from our angelic state, and Oneness with God.

You have probably heard of mythological beings such as the Minotaur, Centaur, Mermaid, etc.. The Minotaur, had a bull’s head and a human body, the Centaur, a human head and torso with a horse’s body. You may also have seen pictures of Egyptian ‘gods’ with animal heads and human bodies, or animal bodies and human heads (like the Sphinx). In the Pacific regions, ancient drawings and carvings of ‘bird headed’ humans can be found on both sides of the ocean. Why do you think so much of this exists? Many legends and myths have some foundation in fact, and this is no exception. The ancient teachings from Atlantis, reveal that such creatures did indeed exist, and that their origins were not what you might expect – they were the fallen angelic beings from the ‘first wave’ of materialization on Earth.”

“Fallen angels??? You mean like Lucifer?”

“Well, yes and no. You have a misconception of sorts. That is a personalized concept from the allegory. The first wave of materialization was a terrible mistake [Author’s note: this will be explained in greater detail in the history chapter]. The first wave beings materialized as partly human/partly animal creatures. This is why in the story of Lucifer, or the various creatures that were called ‘devils’ or demons or whatever, they appear as horned, cloven hoofed creatures with tails – the fact is, they were part goat. This is why goats have become associated with the devil also. But evil, is an entirely different matter. Think not that evil does not exist. But true evil, disguises itself, and points the finger at innocents.”

“So Lucifer was not evil?”

“Not initially. The stories you have heard have become terribly mixed up. Even the bible originally paints him as a great angel. But there was no ‘rebellion’ or defiance against the will of God until AFTER this fall, not prior to the fall as is often depicted. It was just a mistake at first. Try telling one person in the meeting hall a story, and ask him to repeat it quietly to the next, and the next person to the next, until it comes back to you. By the time you hear your original story, it will not even be recognizable. That is why our teaching methods are so stringent. We must keep the truth straight, and consistent, and this has been assured by our forebearers.

Getting back to the primary teaching today, there were more ‘fallen angels’ than Lucifer. And they took many different part animal forms. For ease of description we call the part human, part animal beings that fell into physical vibration or matter, during the ‘first wave’ of materialization, ‘humanimals’. As soon as the first wave beings materialized in their ‘humanimal’ bodies, they suffered a great ‘fall’ in vibration from their previous spiritual, angelic state of existence. They instantly experienced a near total loss of consciousness, awareness, and intelligence. In less than the twinkling of an eye, the consciousness that just moments before, had encompassed the entire Universe, and experienced Oneness with the Universal Spirit/God, was virtually gone. The new limited consciousness of these pitiful creatures, ‘trapped’ them on the physical plane of the Earth, where they had to live in ignorance, with their animal-like intelligence and awareness. They were suddenly isolated from Universal/God Consciousness, and trapped in the lonely anguish of ‘separate’ consciousness. This separate consciousness gave birth to a sort of separate free will, which was ignorantly used selfishly, rather than in harmony with the will of God. Ultimately, they would also be trapped in slavery. Evil is spawned by selfishness, but later, even greater degrees of evil came about (which we will discuss more later). Yet all selfishness and evil, has since mistakenly been blamed on these poor unfortunate ‘first waver humanimals’. To be sure, some had horns, and tails, and cloven hoofs – but they have been used as ‘scape goats’, and diversions, in order for others, including regular humans, to avoid taking personal responsibility for the real evil, the real devil, which is the selfishness living inside each human who maintains separate consciousness from the Oneness of God.”

Other novice monks in the class, including me, immediately responded with a flurry of questions.

“What do you mean?”

“How can this be?”

“How did it happen?”

“Slow down,” Noah said. “One question at a time please. All will be answered in time.

Remember, we were spirits only. Very ‘fine’, ‘high-frequency’ vibrational beings, with no experience in this physical realm. These humanimals came upon their terrible fate because of a rapid, uncontrolled slowing down of their vibrational frequencies, for purposes of materialization of their spiritual selves into the material plane of the Earth. It occurred in a way that cut them off from their normal consciousness, like changing the dials on a radio to an area of radio frequency that had nothing to receive. Their ‘internal radio’ of consciousness, was no longer ‘tuned in’ to God. It was a materialization that went too far, too deep, into the dense, slow vibrations of the physical plane. When the finer frequencies were ‘cut off’, they were left ‘cut off’ from God and the rest of spiritual creation, and thus the consciousness of the Oneness of the Universe – the consciousness of God – the Universal Spirit. This left them with only a ‘separate self consciousness’, that lost touch with ‘Oneness Consciousness’, or ‘Universal Consciousness’.

“Then why aren’t all of us still lost, and out of touch with God?”

“A couple of reasons. Some of us did not make this ‘fall’. Those who didn’t fall, were still in their angelic state, and watched all this happen to the first wavers. Our grand master [Author’s note: later known as Jesus in his last life on Earth], organized and led a rescue mission. With their great Love and compassion, many of the other angelic beings who had not ‘fallen’, decided to help the trapped first wavers, even at great risk of the same fate. They became what we call the ‘second wavers’.

The second wavers knew they could only help the first wavers, if they too, materialized in forms that would allow them to work on the lost souls (the humanimal creatures) in their own physical form and dimension. And the grand master and various angelic volunteers, knew that in order to do that, it would require lowering their own vibration, towards that of the physical plane, and subsequently lowering their consciousness to some extent. They knew this was dangerous, and that they had to be very careful how they did this, and be careful about how deeply they went into physical matter, or they too would become trapped in limited consciousness just as the humanimals were. Thus the ancient Atlantean teachings describe how this second wave, became the first consciously controlled thought projection, or materialization, of modern ‘human’ life on Earth (or at least they eventually became modern humans as they gradually solidified into the material plane from their spiritual ‘angelic’ state). The ape-like early human form was actually just eventually chosen by second wavers as the preferred type of physical vehicle to model themselves after, because it allowed for the greatest control and manipulation in the physical plane, that would be required to help the first wavers. That is why scientists cannot find the ‘missing link’ – because there simply is none. Because while evolutionary change certainly does exist, our present existence on Earth did not involve evolving for millions of years from apes.”

Again, if the above theory of creation that is offered by the ancient Atlantean teachings, is disagreeable to you – no “biggy”, that’s OK. There are all kinds of theories of creation, that people are VERY intense and pushy about. We aren’t.

Scientists are supposed to stay objective, and stick to proven facts, and if they can’t present absolutely proven facts, they are supposed to present their ideas as “theories”, and only as “theories”. Yet many alleged “scientists”, have sneakily insinuated, and taught the “theory” of evolution of humans from apes, as FACT, even when they have a huge gap, a huge “missing link” in their “theory”- they have not found a direct ancestral lineage of modern man, that connects the whole evolution of apes and “cave men” types of semi-ape, semi-humans. And on the flip side of the evolutionist theories, many religions have followers, and thus money and power at stake. Unlike both of those categories, we have nothing at stake, nothing to prove, nothing to lose or gain since we don’t make money or get power from the teachings we present. While we have personally viewed it as an historical, written record, you are welcome to “take them or leave them”. We really, really don’t care if you believe the concepts of history or creation presented in this book, or not. If it “rings the bell of truth” for you, fine. If it doesn’t, that’s OK too. We obviously can’t prove ancient history, nor do we feel it is important. It isn’t important. We really, truly, don’t care about any of those intellectual ideas, theories, or concepts. We DO care about the reality of human life and suffering, NOW. The things that really impact everyone’s lives on Earth. So what we want, and what we really care about, is simply for everyone to be kind, caring, compassionate, and harmless. Is it really too much to ask even if you believe you are descended from an ape? Is it really too much to ask if you believe God created you out of Adam’s rib? Who cares? We don’t think it’s too much to ask. Regardless of what you believe, don’t believe, or have faith in, or don’t have faith in. The same goes for everything else you read in this book – who cares? Be nice. Let’s all be real caring friends and family.

The Creation of The Children of the Law of One.

Before Noah could catch his breath, I began my eager questioning again, “So the second wave of materialization began as a ‘rescue’ operation of sorts – to save the ‘humanimal’ beings who ‘fell’ in the first wave? Please tell me more about who organized this, and how could they do anything about it?”

“Who, we will discuss later. Please just let me finish relating this part of the

teachings.

In order to accomplish this ‘rescue’ as you called it, two things had to be done. One, methods had to be devised that would help the humanimals REGAIN their spiritual consciousness and awareness of Oneness with the Universal Spirit; and two, methods had to be devised for the second wavers to MAINTAIN their spiritual consciousness and awareness of Oneness with the Universal Spirit. To both these ends, second wave beings founded the spiritual path of the Children of the Law of One, and created the methods and teachings that are still in use, and valid, today.

Thus, the spiritual order of the Children of the Law of One was founded with a very specific and unique purpose. And while this order included aspects of what would later become numerous ‘religions’, the Children of the Law of One was unlike any other religion that would ever appear on Earth. And remains so. It was NOT created to fill a need in people’s hearts and minds, NOR to strike fear into their hearts, NOR to worship anyone or anything, NOR to answer the spiritual questions that arose in the spiritually ignorant masses, NOR to control those masses. It was created before all those issues even existed.”

“So the Children are not really a religion in a sense?”

“No. By many modern definitions, it could be considered such. But again, the whole point of the Children’s materialization was to rescue their ‘trapped’ kin, by returning the first wavers to their angelic state of existence and awareness (Universal Consciousness). Thus the whole point of the Children’s spiritual path, was to be able to enter the material plane so they could help the first wavers, while maintaining their own spiritual consciousness and angelic state, so they wouldn’t get trapped also. If I may continue.

Falling Again.

As the second wave rescue mission gradually descended into materiality and human form, some of them, lured by selfish desires, turned away from the Children’s spiritual path. They then lost spiritual awareness, and separated from Oneness with God. Ultimately, this division created two ‘religious’ or ‘philosophical’ groups in Atlantis with very different purposes and ‘politics’ – the Sons of Belial and the Children of the Law of One.

The Sons of Belial mimicked the Children in many ways, even in the sense of being ‘spiritual’ or ‘religious’. But their ‘religious practices’ were mockeries of true spirituality – phony, empty, and self-serving. They would use ‘prayer’ and visualization to attain whatever they wanted, and they turned a blind eye to what the repercussions of getting what they wanted would have on others. Some popular present-day religions, are offspring of the Belialian religion. And then there are the secret societies that still practice their original ways.

In Atlantis, the most significant contention between the Children and the Belialians was over what to do about the humanimals. The humanimals were easily controlled by the powers of a second waver’s mind, and they could be made to do anything just through visualization. Since the Belialians had turned away from their awareness of Oneness with God in favor of selfishness, they wanted to use the ‘humanimals’ as ‘pet slaves’. The Children, however, still wanted to help return the humanimals to their higher state of consciousness. Thus the Children also became ‘activists’, and their goal as a group ‘movement’ was still to free their trapped kin, but now they also had to contend with other SECOND wavers who had ‘gone bad’.”

“So Noah, did the Children win out over the Belialians – there aren’t any humanimals walking the Earth any more, right? Were they all killed, or rescued?”

“I’ll answer that in a moment, but first let me say that even the best of the Children of the Law of One, eventually succumbed to some degree, to the separation from the Universal Spirit. But that is another story, which involves the allegory of Adam & Eve.

“Now, to answer your question, while part of the Children’s goal was eventually achieved (the humanimals were freed from their animal entanglement after the destruction of Atlantis), freedom from darkness and slavery has not been fully accomplished. The battle continues. As far as the first wavers go, reincarnated humanimals still walk the Earth in normal human bodies – you have seen them. If you are observant, you can see subtle animal traits, mannerisms, or facial appearances on many of the people of the world. But humanimals or not, the age old struggle between the Children and the Belialians – the struggle of freedom against slavery, still continues. These days slavery can be in many forms, traditional, economic, socio-political oppression, imprisonment, and mental programming. The world is basically populated by five groups, the Children, Belialians, reincarnated “lost soul” first and second wavers, and the enlightened. Most from both the first and second waves, are still separate in consciousness from the Universal Spirit.

That makes them easy prey for the Belialians, and they either become their pawns in one way or another, or their slaves in one way or another. [Author’s note – In previous editions of this book, the only description of Belialians was that of the old teachings. This left many people confused about who and what they were, and how they look in modern times. Belialians are not some kind of genetic creatures who have physically lived and survived for thousands of years. Like all of us, they have continued to reincarnate, and live in modern human bodies. But they are so evil, those of us who are sensitive to it can sense or feel that. This can sometimes even be physically or intuitively seen as being reptilian- like, or as the old teachings call it, “lizard-like”. But whether you see or sense this yourself, you can know them by their agenda. Lifetime after lifetime, they maintain their maniacal drive for power and agenda of slavery and domination. Many of them are the people who run the world. The upper echelon are the real power people pulling the strings behind the scenes. Like Initiate monks of the Children, the higher level Belialians are totally conscious and aware of who they are, and what they are doing. The middle and lower echelon are sometimes in the forefront, or in the public eye, functioning as political, military or business leaders who are apparently not being told what to do - yet they really are. Of course some leaders are just pawns, and not consciously aware of who they serve (and wouldn’t care anyway). Belialians are usually born to rich and powerful families who are already of the Belialian heritage, and their families train them and continue to pass on their tradition. They go to the best schools and join the “right” “special” fraternities and sororities. They are trained in the ways of using visualization and ritual to practice their dark magic. They always want more money and power. They want to maintain economic slavery and child labor slavery in the world, and even worse. They want a state of total monitoring and control of all people (and they have been making great strides in this). They will use physical force to dominate and control if necessary, but mental programming through education, media, peer pressure, or other means, has been extremely successful - and parents continue to pass their own programming on to their children also. Examine world history and you see these struggles continuing through time - entire groups of evil oppressors trying to enslave. We have continued to fight them, and they continue to fight us.

Just as many of the scientific advances have come from reincarnated Atlantean scientists, so too have those with thirst for power and control at any cost, come from reincarnated Belialians. They continue to develop more sophisticated ways to keep people under their control. So how do you identify them? Again, you can feel it, and sometimes see it when you look into their eyes. But anyone whose agenda is control of others, is either Belialian, or one of their pawns. They care only about themselves and would be willing to harm anyone or even everyone on the planet if it helps them get more power - and they can do this all with a big smile and warm handshake (which many people “buy” into as being a “nice” person). Ask yourself if this could be true, and feel the response from your inner voice.] Noah continues:

So our ‘religion’, and work, continues on. And now, because of the time and situation, you [he pointed at me!], will soon be publicly revealing the teachings of the Children, and heralding the coming spiritual changes.

Remember, because of the unique nature and purity of the Atlantean Children’s spiritual way, it is as valuable today as it was then. Their teachings and methods can help anyone return to the Universal Spirit, achieve enlightenment, and live in harmony with Universal Law & Universal Will.”

“Thank you Noah.”

“It was my honor to help you.” And with that, he bowed and kissed my hand with the feeling of love and respect that one might only expect to see offered to his teacher, or the head of the order. It was rather shocking to me, because I felt I wasn’t worthy of it, didn’t deserve it, and that it wasn’t appropriate for someone of my humble station. But he was honoring who I was inside, which at the time, I didn’t really see in myself (even though my ego thought it did). Nevertheless, it was there, just waiting to manifest. [Author’s note: Now, as I deal with my students and others, I also see who they really are inside - their potential - and support that. We relate to that as well as their present level of consciousness. To reinforce and strengthen the Inner Being, while attacking and starving the selfish separate self, is our constant function and duty]. Then Noah put his hands together and made a gesture of spiritual respect to the other novice monks in the chamber, and crawled off through the little door.

I spent the evening with an acquaintance of mine,  her children as well as a friends children, we went to see the Holiday parade of homes. They were beautiful by the way and then we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse YUMMY. Well this is the part I don’t understand maybe my readers can help me out. Why would you marry someone you are not in love with? I just don’t get it and sadly my mom told me the same of her marriage to my dad (maybe that is why they are divorced). I can not fathom why you would pledge your life with someone you just like……thats like eating  your favorite sandwhich wet or  going skiing without your skis.

I love my husband to death which is why I said yes, I cannot picture my life without him, not to say that there will never be a time when it may call for us to separate we are human and capable of human error. However the main thing is I love him, I have loved him since the day we met in high school I love him with all my heart and being. And you know what he loves me, I am his wonderful, amazing wife. I don’t know how you can share a life with someone you really just like………..would a pet have been better?

My best friend from Hyd called to tell me that she is missing us all a lot and especially during Christmas, when all of them are practising the songs and the dance. Hey, dear friend, I too miss all the wonderful times, out there.

So, here to pacify my racing heart, I picked and chose the following Christmas songs, which are my favourite.

When you say Christmas, the visit by Santa is a must. And so here he is.

And without the bells ringing, theres no fun. So, heres the Jingle Bells.

Rudolph, my favourite reindeer of all – says Santa !!!!

And Christmas is marked with Snow is Falling !!!!

And here’s the meaning of CHRISTMAS !!!!

And heres wishing everyone a Happy Christmas !!!!

And the most favourite of mine by Cliff Richards – Mistletoe and Wine !!!

Hope you all liked this collection as much as I did selecting them all. Have a wonderful festive time !!!!

By reciting slokas everyday, will God help me to write my exam well ????? – My daughter’s innocent doubt.

Yes, by reciting slokas, you’ll become more focussed and mentally strong that you’ll write your exams very well – is my answer to her.

Have you seen Khatron Ke Khiladi ??????  Before every stunt, all the participants along with Akshay Kumar, recite the following prayer :

Even though, I don’t advocate so much, my daughters who were watching this show with me, were quite impressed.

In their school, this Gayatri Mantra is the main prayer, everyday. And every day at school, begins with this wonderful mantra.

Yeah, the girls have learnt the mantra and they recite it everyday at school, but have never realised at the importance – that importance came into the picture, after Akshay Kumar insisted that all the participants recite it before every stunt.

Is this Mantra so great ???? How does it help those participants in doing the stunts ??????

The Gayatri Mantra consists of twenty-four syllables – three lines of eight syllables each. The first line (Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah) is considered an invocation, and is not technically a part of the original Gayatri Mantra as it appears in the Upanishads. Gayatri is also referred to as a Vedic poetic meter of 24 syllables or any hymn composed in this meter. Hence, there exists a whole family of Gayatri Mantras, which serve as meditative aids to pray for the blessings of a particular personal God.

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

A basic translation can be given as…

Oh God, the Protector, the basis of all life, Who is self-existent, Who is free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles, Who pervades the Universe and sustains all, the Creator and Energizer of the whole Universe, the Giver of happiness, Who is worthy of acceptance, the most excellent, Who is Pure and the Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God, so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction.  (Source : Eaglespace.com)

I am really in awe of this wonderful Gayatri Mantra.  As is rightly told in the last line of the meaning – it directs our mental faculties in the right direction, thereby making us mentally strong.

OK !!! Just by reciting this, how does it all happen ??????

This is my understanding.

The Upanishads and the Vedas, which form the core of the Hindu Religion, are all written in Sanskrit.   And every syllable of the slokas in these great collections, are meant to be pronounced properly, so that they reverberate in the air and thereby produce sound waves in the air. All the syllables used in our slokas, produce sound vibrations around us, which in turn creates a lot of positive energy.  And it sure is powerful positive energy, which can change our pessimistic mindset to a more optimistic one.

And when postivity surrounds us, anything is possible.

The one and only AUM has got such power, as it produces absolute positivity around the place, it is recited.  Thereby the mind is calmed and the focus is better, for any given work.  The whole place reverbrates with positive force.  People who listen to this will also get benefitted.

Just try this – Close your eyes. Use both your hands for this exercise. With your right hand, index and tall finger, gently cover your right eye and at the same time, cover your right ear with right hand thumb.  Do the same with your left hand for your left eye and ear.

Keep reciting AUM slowly and steadily and feel it vibrate all over your head and body.  Its an amazing feeling and you certainly will feel energised by this whole exercise.

In effect, by reciting The Gayatri Mantra, people can become more positive and work towards a positive goal.

Those are the words I got to wake up to this moring as I read my Blackberry :0)

What a wonderful way to wake up my husband sent me an email not just to tell me he loves me but he thinks I am amazing. WOW!

There are no words to express how much I love my husband, if you can think of loving someone until it hurts then your half way to understanding the love my husband have for each other. I guess you can say that he had me from hello :0)  I am thankful everyday for GOD placing Allen in my life I don’t know what I did to have such an amazing partner in life but I am so blessed that I do.

We have faced the highs and lows of IVF together and it has made our bond that much stronger, I remember when we were in Korea and I just knew that I was pregnant when I took the test and it came out BFN (Big Fat Negative) I remember just falling into his arms and crying we stayed that way all night only to wake up to him kissing me on the forehead telling me its ok and how much he still loves me. I just layed there staring at him in disbelief I thought for sure after all my miscarriages that at any moment he would tell me get to stepping but no he stayed and he loves me like I am the most valuable thing in the world. How many women can wake up to that feeling????

Even when I am mad I know he is still there for me.

I love my husband