Sep 29, 2007

This thing called life



the most amazing thing happened to me tonight! I found a ladybug sitting on my computer. I SWEAR it is pure coincidence.

this 'also' prompts a "WOW".

La vita e' veramente bella:) Only in Marianna's Planet!

WOW



The little ladybug was suddenly inspired, as she jumps up with a smile on her face and runs towards the nearest softest flower she can find to fly into it with such compelling desire as if she can't get in it fast enough. She lays with joy and begins flickering her wings in slow motion, up and down, round and round. The motion of her wings is slow at first almost forming steady turning curves that grow faster to reach rhythmic dimensions. The ladybug's life becomes a volcanic eruption as she stares into the universe exclaiming: WOW!

The very happy 'little red sphere' flies away with a grin on her face ready to bring the next lucky person who she rests on some of her little-ladybug-luck:)

Gotta love ladybugs!

Sep 26, 2007

Little dots


We cross path we all kinds of people in the course of our life. Some become life long friends, some are in and out but leave an impact, some are gone, some you wish you never met, some are not even human and some you hide from;) (And it even rhymes.)

But the most irritating kind are the cocky ones. There is a clear line between confidence and cockiness, not to be mistaken with coccyx which is a recently added word to my ever so growing English dictionary, and I figure that the more I use a word the less likely I’ll forget it (my brain can only accumulate so much information) – as well the more you pronounce it the easier it rolls down your tongue (or is ‘over’ or ‘on’. Darn English).

Completely lost the point I was trying to make. Right, cocky! Arrogance is ignorance. I like to think that I’m a fairly confident individual and even if I weren’t I wouldn’t show it. However I’ve met people in the past who are overly confident, arrogant, critical and overall cocky (seems to be the word of the day). Why is it that the most incredible geniuses of our times were the most humbled ones? I don’t think education necessarily makes for an intelligent individual (though admittedly in some cases it helps). It’s obvious that it takes far more to make people ‘intelligent humans’.

By no stretch do I consider myself an intelligent human (in fact by some past events I often wonder if I came in contact with some of that ‘dumb ass’ virus often goes around) but at least I can ‘confidently’ say that I am without a doubt humanly intelligentJ

Hmmm, I really did have a point initially….

Sep 17, 2007

Tears instead of fuel....



this does not need an introduction. I just adore these guys, all three of them:)

Sep 10, 2007

ABBRACCIAMI



I ran the clip from Juan Mann when he began his "Free Hugs" campaign in Sydney before it became a phenomenon world wide. I figure it's time to run it again in the hopes that more will be inspired and continue spreading the message of love with one another, regardless of age, color or race.

So go ahead "HUG", embrace one another and make sure to hug ME if you see me on the streets:)
http://www.freehugscampaign.org/index.php?categoryid=1



HOW TO HUG


Before you give/receive a hug you must take into consideration the position in which your partner is engaging you. This is very important. Observe how the person is embracing you so that you may respond in the best way. There are 4 possible embraces:
  1. Underhand: Your partner approaches you with his/her arms ready to wrap around your torso, under yours. This type of embrace is commonly undertaken by those who are smaller than you, though this is not necessary. Respond to this embrace with an Overhand:
  2. Overhand: The person approaches you aiming over your shoulders. This is evident by a certain characteristic move which looks sort of like a "dive", though it does not always present itself like this. It is common for someone who is taller than you to approach you with this embrace. This type of embrace is hard to master, and I'd recommend you only use it to respond to an Underhand.
  3. Cross (Right): Your partner approaches you with his/her left arm higher than the right. This will result in your heads tilting to your right, and having each other at your respective lefts. Only with Cross-type hugs can the position of your head be determined by the approach, the prior two don't give any insight into this, they may end up on the left or right (it is not always, however, that the position of the head can be determined in these types of hugs, but most of the time). The left arm will come over the shoulder, while the right arm goes under: this applies to both of you. This embrace is the most common one, and usually performed by two people who are about the same height. It is also recommended, since you may both cover the most area with your arms and get a tighter, better fitting grip on each other. Use this same embrace as a response.
  4. Cross (Left): Your partner approaches you with his/her right arm higher than the left. Your heads will tilt to your left, and you will end up at each other's respective rights. The right arm will come over the shoulder, while the left arm goes under. Respond with this same embrace.


So you have come together; since your bodies should be neatly fit into each other, there are only two things you need to keep track of at this point: your head, and your arms/hands.
  • Your head: Whether you have ended at each other's respective left or right, there are basically only two options for your head at this point: 1) Look forward, maintain your heads touching, and lay your chin on the person's neck lightly if you would like. 2) Burrow your head into your partner's neck, which conveniently seems to allow it to fit. This is most common between lovers. So please do not do this unless this is your partner! It is also common if you're being embraced while crying. Note that head positioning may be limited by the person who is hugging Overhand.
  • Your arms & hands: This is where it gets tricky for most people. Depending on what type of embrace you have given and received, the maneuverability of your hands will be dictated. Once again, it is best to share a Cross-type hug, so that both your head and arms get the most out of it. Depending on which type of embrace you are sharing, your arms/hands will be positioned in several ways:
    • With an Underhand embrace you may wrap your arms around the person's torso or lift them upwards so that they reach over your partner's shoulder. The latter is not recommended unless the hug is short and generally friendly; also, your hands would only be able to tap. If you wrap around the torso, you may lay one arm over the other, though it is better if you put one on top of the other (i.e.: from the back, "-" stacked arms, or "=" arms both on the back). You may rub with limited range and also pat.
    • With an Overhand embrace your arms will typically wrap around the person's head, though you may manage to drive them into the upper torso with a certain angle. This gives you limited maneuverability: you may rub with a very limited range, and pat.
    • In both Cross embraces, the arms and hands have the most freedom. Do not be afraid to touch the person's back: you're hugging, your partner will not be upset if you touch his/her back, in fact, (s)he will want you to. Do not lay your arms on top of each other, instead, cover some ground.


After you have embraced the person for a certain time, you may go on to move your arms and hands, and either "rub" or "pat". Rubbing consists of running your hands up and down his/her back, creating a very soothing sensation. Patting consists of just that: clapping your hands on his/her back softly. Take some time to take in the hug, however, before you rub or pat. It is actually not necessary to do either of these. Note that many people do not like pats, and many like rubs very much. You may now disengage and are complete with your hug. Ahh, breathe in all the air you were deprived of while your lungs were being squished. Great job!!!

Misc.
There are many other things you can do while giving a hug. One of the simple ones includes lifting up the person if (s)he is shorter and lighter than you. Note that this only works if you have an Underhand hold on the person, or if you're engaged in a Cross-type hug. Do not try this if you engaged the person with an Overhand. If you have the person off of the ground and feel adventurous, you may try to spin him/her once or twice (make sure to have some space before you do this). There are countless other things you can do; experiment and always have fun!!!

From: http://www.free-hugs.com/index.shtml

Sep 3, 2007

CRIB NOTES





As Vinnie and I were dancing in the kitchen last night to the notes of this song [above] he suddenly turned to me and asked: mamma, if you could have a super hero power what would it be? “INVISIBLE” I replied. He laughed in approval, “that way you can come visit me while I’m at school”. I nodded with a smile and kissed him.

September 4 - First day back to school. Where does the time go? Has the summer we’ve been waiting for already left us? The start of school has always marked the beginning of a new chapter, and this year is no exception. As I walk Vinnie inside the school I can see grins on the faces of other parents who high-five each other as they pass by; some cars slow down as they enter the school “drop-off” lane without coming to a complete stop and suddenly you see kids literally being pushed out of their vehicle followed by their bags;) It’s a war zone; people running like mad in all directions as if we're all holding time bombs; it's a race to see who can ditch his/her own kid the fastest – it gives a new meaning to the phrase: fleeing a scene. Today, no one is messing around; today is OUR independence day;)
Someone should make a musical about it, really.

I drove away from the school excited for my little man’s first day back but also smiling at the thought that I didn’t have to work (remember? Stat holiday). As I opened the door and entered MY Shangri-La my sweater slips off onto the chair and I begin to hop around my happy land freely while singing “I feel pretty….” (just as Natalie Wood’s character ‘Maria’ does in the movie “West Side Story”):
I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and gay
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me today
I feel charming
Oh so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real
I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running
And dancing for joy

Ha, I pity those who lack imagination!

(Have an awesome school year amore. TVTTTB.)

Sep 1, 2007



I don't usually have an obsessive personality but I am absolutely mesmerized by her [sexy] voice and I love her version of this song. I just can't seem to get enough of it.