Pamela Q. Fernandes's Blog, page 40
December 31, 2015
'Nuff said
Made me laugh.
Happy 2016 people.
Song on my playlist: Offering Paul Baloche, Ailee- Goodbye my love
Parish to pray for: St Agnes, NY (that all hate crimes against this parish may stop)
November 29, 2015
Three November lessons!
Its been a whirlwind November. I can't believe how soon the month has passed. Its a gentle reminder that even without me noticing the world still goes on. But its a month of constant writing with NaNoWriMo and editing for my MS. Its been studying and unlearning things I have learnt long ago. Its also been a month of giving thanks for the wonderful life- the gift of a beautiful eleven months to enjoy God's many blessings. And a time to return to Christ in the season of Advent. So let me share three lessons I learnt from November in relation to the above.
1.NaNoWriMo- Keep writing, but always backing.
Why do I say this? Last year I was 1000 words short of winning and suddenly my laptop sputtered like an old car taking its last breath before being relegated to the junk yard. Forget 1000 words, I lost the remaining 49,000 words because my sole copy also died along with my junky laptop. So backup, backup, backup, everything your write. Its sounds like a waste of time to do it everyday. But I have managed to do it this year. Data loss never again!
2.Thanksgiving 2015- My very first
This year was my first Thanksgiving. North Carolina style. And I'm praying for many more. I sometimes forget about how wonderful life is even with my problems, aches and pains. And when I think of the list of reasons, it remains long. As an exercise sometimes, before I sleep I start to think of the things I am thankful for and almost every night I fall asleep unfinished. There's just so much.
3. Advent- Am I rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship?
Today Fr Monteiro from our parish here gave us a beautiful homily. And he questioned us, if we were on the Titanic, would we like some of the original passengers be rearranging deck chairs on the sinking Titanic?
Most of us in the face of death wouldn't! But then he went on to ask, why are we re-arranging unnecessary things in our life, knowing we're going to die. Our thoughts should be on the journey to Christ, for Christ, with Christ. And I realized that in the mad chase of life I had taken my eyes off the prize. Jesus Himself. Advent is my time to recommit!
Every Advent before it begins, I feel a bit lost because I'm not the Christian I want to be. But every Advent God surprises me in a more spectacular way than the year before and on the First day of Advent he always says- 'Prepare! Prepare! Prepare to be amazed. And I am always amazed at the power of a spectacular God.
Those are my three lessons for November.
Thanks to all of you who read, and comment and reply and text and in so many other ways acknowledge these posts. All my gratitude to you. Happy Advent!
Song on my playlist: Oceans will part, Hillsong,
Drama I recommend: Love me if you dare (Thriller- Chinese)
Book you should read: Faith can give us wings by Fr Nokter Wolf(Benedictine)
Shoutout to Pallavi- you rock!
1.NaNoWriMo- Keep writing, but always backing.
Why do I say this? Last year I was 1000 words short of winning and suddenly my laptop sputtered like an old car taking its last breath before being relegated to the junk yard. Forget 1000 words, I lost the remaining 49,000 words because my sole copy also died along with my junky laptop. So backup, backup, backup, everything your write. Its sounds like a waste of time to do it everyday. But I have managed to do it this year. Data loss never again!
2.Thanksgiving 2015- My very first
This year was my first Thanksgiving. North Carolina style. And I'm praying for many more. I sometimes forget about how wonderful life is even with my problems, aches and pains. And when I think of the list of reasons, it remains long. As an exercise sometimes, before I sleep I start to think of the things I am thankful for and almost every night I fall asleep unfinished. There's just so much.
3. Advent- Am I rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship?
Today Fr Monteiro from our parish here gave us a beautiful homily. And he questioned us, if we were on the Titanic, would we like some of the original passengers be rearranging deck chairs on the sinking Titanic?
Most of us in the face of death wouldn't! But then he went on to ask, why are we re-arranging unnecessary things in our life, knowing we're going to die. Our thoughts should be on the journey to Christ, for Christ, with Christ. And I realized that in the mad chase of life I had taken my eyes off the prize. Jesus Himself. Advent is my time to recommit!
Every Advent before it begins, I feel a bit lost because I'm not the Christian I want to be. But every Advent God surprises me in a more spectacular way than the year before and on the First day of Advent he always says- 'Prepare! Prepare! Prepare to be amazed. And I am always amazed at the power of a spectacular God.
Those are my three lessons for November.
Thanks to all of you who read, and comment and reply and text and in so many other ways acknowledge these posts. All my gratitude to you. Happy Advent!
Song on my playlist: Oceans will part, Hillsong,
Drama I recommend: Love me if you dare (Thriller- Chinese)
Book you should read: Faith can give us wings by Fr Nokter Wolf(Benedictine)
Shoutout to Pallavi- you rock!
October 31, 2015
Happy Halloween- Issue 13 with my short story!
Its Halloween, and even though my celebration usually involves heading for mass the day after I can't help but wonder about all the yard decorations and pumpkin sales in the malls. For me its a wonderful time, because my speculative fiction short story has now been published.
My editors at the Quantum Fairy Tales, namely Bionic Banshee and her gnomes loved my eerie story 'Where is Ally?' Now its in the Issue 13 (ooohhh) right in time for the Halloween festivities along with some other amazing authors and their poetry, artwork and stories.
Looks fantastic doesn't it? If you want to read more head over over to the gnomes' site and check out my story. And while you read it, picture Molly Quinn of Castle fame as Ally. At least that's who I pictured when I was writing it. Do check it and let me know what you think. Good, bad, ugly whatever- do give me feedback.
Have fun guys!Songs on my playlist: Diamond Rio- Once more chanceInfinite- Can you smileBooks I recommend: We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Fantastic read- as you may have seen in my review on Goodreads)
My editors at the Quantum Fairy Tales, namely Bionic Banshee and her gnomes loved my eerie story 'Where is Ally?' Now its in the Issue 13 (ooohhh) right in time for the Halloween festivities along with some other amazing authors and their poetry, artwork and stories.
Looks fantastic doesn't it? If you want to read more head over over to the gnomes' site and check out my story. And while you read it, picture Molly Quinn of Castle fame as Ally. At least that's who I pictured when I was writing it. Do check it and let me know what you think. Good, bad, ugly whatever- do give me feedback.
Have fun guys!Songs on my playlist: Diamond Rio- Once more chanceInfinite- Can you smileBooks I recommend: We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Fantastic read- as you may have seen in my review on Goodreads)
October 26, 2015
Adieu Authonomy
For those not familiar with Authonomy here's the run-down- it was the brainchild of HarperCollins, where authors could showcase their work in return for a critique at the end of the month. The catch was you had to somehow race to the top 5.
Needless to say in order to get there authors had to rate each other's books. When I started with Authonomy which was maybe four or five years ago (Wow my fledgling writing career is 5 years old - yay)- okay to the point. Authonomy in the beginning was a lot about what it said it was. They did the critique work well, members gave feedback, the authors were all interested in reading and reviewing work.
Somewhere down the years things changed. The authors started flooding the message box with a 'you scratch my back- I'll scratch yours' attitude in a race to the top. Everybody's goal was to reach the top 5. It brought out the worst I've seen in writers. I won't comment on the ranking system, because I didn't pay much attention to it. Taking note of the chaos, Scott Pack arrived on the scene in 2009. He did some great things with the site. The blog material was fantastic and well planned. It was educative, the authors that came there were hand-picked and I remember reading Rachel Lucas' interview about her book Sealed with a kiss.
Meanwhile they published a few books, I distinctly remember The Qualities of Wood
In a couple of years time they redid the website, the deadwood of members was removed. The site itself had undergone a revamp which was fab. The behind the scenes staff was awesome. Despite rumours, I have no idea what the endgame was supposed to be, because there were great stories on the site. HC didn't pick them up or even them into ebooks. Gradually The quality of the slush-pile diminIshed. Original members started leaving and in the end this year the site shut down for good.
For what its worth, the site could have done well, with social marketing, advertising partners, ridding the ranking system and opening it up so agents and editors, had they made that possible and weekly reviews. After all they wanted the world to discover new writers. People love reading and their moods influence their choice, who knows what an editor or agent might like- as it happened for David Kessler. All in all when they did shut shop, they had some vague reason to do so. No skilled explanation, nothing. I feel sorry for Scott Pack, because he was very passionate about it during his blog posts. Authonomy could have even become an Amazon of ebooks- but alas......
For now let me just share my gratitude for the site that helped thousands of writers and giving new authors like me an opportunity to learn and hone the craft. Adieu Authonomy!
Needless to say in order to get there authors had to rate each other's books. When I started with Authonomy which was maybe four or five years ago (Wow my fledgling writing career is 5 years old - yay)- okay to the point. Authonomy in the beginning was a lot about what it said it was. They did the critique work well, members gave feedback, the authors were all interested in reading and reviewing work.
Somewhere down the years things changed. The authors started flooding the message box with a 'you scratch my back- I'll scratch yours' attitude in a race to the top. Everybody's goal was to reach the top 5. It brought out the worst I've seen in writers. I won't comment on the ranking system, because I didn't pay much attention to it. Taking note of the chaos, Scott Pack arrived on the scene in 2009. He did some great things with the site. The blog material was fantastic and well planned. It was educative, the authors that came there were hand-picked and I remember reading Rachel Lucas' interview about her book Sealed with a kiss.
Meanwhile they published a few books, I distinctly remember The Qualities of Wood
In a couple of years time they redid the website, the deadwood of members was removed. The site itself had undergone a revamp which was fab. The behind the scenes staff was awesome. Despite rumours, I have no idea what the endgame was supposed to be, because there were great stories on the site. HC didn't pick them up or even them into ebooks. Gradually The quality of the slush-pile diminIshed. Original members started leaving and in the end this year the site shut down for good.
For what its worth, the site could have done well, with social marketing, advertising partners, ridding the ranking system and opening it up so agents and editors, had they made that possible and weekly reviews. After all they wanted the world to discover new writers. People love reading and their moods influence their choice, who knows what an editor or agent might like- as it happened for David Kessler. All in all when they did shut shop, they had some vague reason to do so. No skilled explanation, nothing. I feel sorry for Scott Pack, because he was very passionate about it during his blog posts. Authonomy could have even become an Amazon of ebooks- but alas......
For now let me just share my gratitude for the site that helped thousands of writers and giving new authors like me an opportunity to learn and hone the craft. Adieu Authonomy!
April 19, 2015
Kuwait through my eyes
I haven't done one of these travel posts in quite some time, even though I've done quite a bit of travelling over the last year. One because I didn't snap enough and two the trips were so full of work.
But, this year promises to be a year full of jaunts. I have taken it upon myself to travel every couple of months and stop being so career obsessed.
Its fun to be young while we're young!
So Kuwait has been the quintessential country that went through the gulf war. They say you could easily see the whole of the country in three hours. But its the ahem Kuwaiti experience that is mostly the difference. The architecture is changing, the roads are being reworked, there is a constant buzz of new bridges being built. Its growing and rapidly at that.
Bayan Palace from afar
Nothing would stand out to me more because I was born and raised there, but if you're from another continent or even from another GCC state, you would be surprised by the level of sophistication combined with its quite calm. Unless you're driving on the roads, where driving is insane,
compared to 1990 which I remember vividly, Kuwait has made HUGE progress.
Here are a few snippets.
Kuwait is blessed with a long coastline, so parks near the beach, restaurants, seaside activities are plenty. Even on weekdays, communities and families gather and spend time, The walking tracks, basketball courts, children's play areas, are well kept and if you're a social person, picnics and bbq's can be a staple.
The evening view of The Sultan Center- Honestly we never shop here, except if we need to buy fish.
Evenings make the lit up center look like a royal wedding home. Its a truly breathtaking sight as you drive by.
The Sultan Centre
Kuwait TowersThe iconic Kuwait towers reopened and with its absolutely fabulous lights- it looks divine. The globe keeps turning so you get a 360 view of Kuwait and the changing lights on the tower are a spectacle.
Long drives on the Mubarak-al-Kabir street will give you a snapshot of the Bayan Palace, and some amazing modern architecture, various embassies, lavish homes with opulent lawns and the view of the sea. An you'll be at a cruising speed of 100 and above.
Daylight will often make Kuwait look drab and dry. You will come across the occasional tents where the citizens congregate for celebrations, but if you want to see the country do it at night. Its a mix of colour and modernism.
Despite all the odds I think Kuwait hits the sweet spot; its not as rural as dare I say Oman, not overdone like Dubai and not as stringent as its immediate neighbour to the South. Its just right.
With the most strictest food practices you can be sure that what ever you eat wherever you eat it, is good, hygienic and affordable. From a simple 100 fils shawerma (I love Canary) to a feast in fine dining- it has it all- all within 3 hours.
Of course I could go on and on about the malls and cafes etc, but this is the Kuwait you see through me. Simple, minimal clean, calm and modern.
Movie I recommend: The Ultimate gift
Song on my playlist: Meghan Trainor- I'm all about that bass
Broken by Seether
But, this year promises to be a year full of jaunts. I have taken it upon myself to travel every couple of months and stop being so career obsessed.
Its fun to be young while we're young!
So Kuwait has been the quintessential country that went through the gulf war. They say you could easily see the whole of the country in three hours. But its the ahem Kuwaiti experience that is mostly the difference. The architecture is changing, the roads are being reworked, there is a constant buzz of new bridges being built. Its growing and rapidly at that.
Bayan Palace from afarNothing would stand out to me more because I was born and raised there, but if you're from another continent or even from another GCC state, you would be surprised by the level of sophistication combined with its quite calm. Unless you're driving on the roads, where driving is insane,
compared to 1990 which I remember vividly, Kuwait has made HUGE progress.
Here are a few snippets.
Kuwait is blessed with a long coastline, so parks near the beach, restaurants, seaside activities are plenty. Even on weekdays, communities and families gather and spend time, The walking tracks, basketball courts, children's play areas, are well kept and if you're a social person, picnics and bbq's can be a staple.
The evening view of The Sultan Center- Honestly we never shop here, except if we need to buy fish.
Evenings make the lit up center look like a royal wedding home. Its a truly breathtaking sight as you drive by.
The Sultan Centre
Kuwait TowersThe iconic Kuwait towers reopened and with its absolutely fabulous lights- it looks divine. The globe keeps turning so you get a 360 view of Kuwait and the changing lights on the tower are a spectacle.
Long drives on the Mubarak-al-Kabir street will give you a snapshot of the Bayan Palace, and some amazing modern architecture, various embassies, lavish homes with opulent lawns and the view of the sea. An you'll be at a cruising speed of 100 and above.
Daylight will often make Kuwait look drab and dry. You will come across the occasional tents where the citizens congregate for celebrations, but if you want to see the country do it at night. Its a mix of colour and modernism.
Despite all the odds I think Kuwait hits the sweet spot; its not as rural as dare I say Oman, not overdone like Dubai and not as stringent as its immediate neighbour to the South. Its just right.
With the most strictest food practices you can be sure that what ever you eat wherever you eat it, is good, hygienic and affordable. From a simple 100 fils shawerma (I love Canary) to a feast in fine dining- it has it all- all within 3 hours.
Of course I could go on and on about the malls and cafes etc, but this is the Kuwait you see through me. Simple, minimal clean, calm and modern.
Movie I recommend: The Ultimate gift
Song on my playlist: Meghan Trainor- I'm all about that bass
Broken by Seether
February 21, 2015
Indian Generosity???
This happened to us last week. We were in line at Burger King when we ordered our combo meals. It was our Mardi Gras celebration so we ordered a lot of meals and when the drinks came, we asked the staff to either give it free to the next customer. We were in a fairly good mood! We thought, well it could trigger a chain but there was no customer behind us. And the guy who served us, stared at us incredulously, he kept saying 'you paid for this, you should take it.'
And we told him well you go ahead and drink it or give it to some who's thirsty and he just stood there agape. Like 'this is money that you're throwing away.' But we were polite said thanks, but no thanks and left. Now mind you, we weren't being generous. We just didn't want to have any drinks that came with eight teaspoons of sugar.
But is it that hard to fathom someone being generous? In India yes, you can't start a generosity chain at Starbucks because it would never get propagated, you can't send free meals to someone before they start demanding what the hell you want in return. This my friends is the 'Indian mentality.'
I know people who are 'charitable' and then for their charitable donations use tax friendly ways to route their receipts through 80C. That's Indian charity perfected from a particular money grubbing community on the West coast. But generosity is different from charity! Yes it is!
What is generosity you ask?
Its Lent: be generous, not just with your money, but with your smile, your love, your time, your resources, your kindness, your energy, your words, your laughter, your goodness. Like the sun who gives and gives and never asks anything in return.
Movie I recommend: Its been a while since I saw a good movie that deserved a mention. 'Reclaim' is a fantastic movie. Its about the misery adoption couples go through, their sorrow, pain and a child trafficking/adoption ring. It really inspired me.
Song on my playlist: All this time- Britt Nicole
All pics from google images....February 2, 2015
January- the seasons are changing
source: google :)Its the second day of the second year in 2015.
The foliage far removed from the naked trees is slowly returning. Birds which decided to abandon their nests are now looking for new residences and the sun, well it still stays hidden behind the fog of clouds. But the seasons are changing and so is time. I decided this would be the year of no resolutions, just small achievements and big dreams.
It's also a year where I plan to step up the support for initiatives close to my heart the Big Cat's from Natgeo, poaching of ivory, release of orcas and dolphins into sanctuaries, breast cancer awareness and no to war. You might say its quite a long and rather odd list. While I wouldn't call myself an environmentalist, my awareness of nature somehow seems heightened with each passing season. Every sparrow and every rustle rings acute in my ears.
Maybe its the writer in me.
Though late, I hope in 2015 that everyone including greedy politicians with no common sense understand that kindness is free. That we can sit together and bring good times in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Cuba and others without killing each other. I hope the powers that be realize that all the wealth in the world cannot preserve them from that final sleep called death, that all the power they accumulate is vanquished by the ultimate power of God Himself, that what matters are not the commodities but the people whose lives we've enriched.
Happy 2015... Summer is coming...
December 14, 2014
A good day at work
A good day at work is when I can leave on time.
A good day at work is when at least 75% of my patients are 90% better.
A good day at work is when everyone can work with a smile.
A good day at work is when everyone can work like a team putting aside their differences.
A good day at work is when I can eat sitting down without the need to scoff meals.
A good day at work is when everyone is on time.
A good day at work is when service is seamless.
A good day at work is when minor hiccups are owned up, apologized for and settled.
A good day at work is when there are no grudges.
A good day at work is when I've eaten breakfast.
A good day at work is just that a good day's work.
Happy 3rd Sunday of Advent
Playlist music now: Francesca Battistelli- A little bit of heaven everywhere
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A good day at work is when at least 75% of my patients are 90% better.
A good day at work is when everyone can work with a smile.
A good day at work is when everyone can work like a team putting aside their differences.
A good day at work is when I can eat sitting down without the need to scoff meals.
A good day at work is when everyone is on time.
A good day at work is when service is seamless.
A good day at work is when minor hiccups are owned up, apologized for and settled.
A good day at work is when there are no grudges.
A good day at work is when I've eaten breakfast.
A good day at work is just that a good day's work.
Happy 3rd Sunday of Advent
Playlist music now: Francesca Battistelli- A little bit of heaven everywhere
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December 7, 2014
Happy 2nd Sunday of Advent
I almost feel bad for not having posted something for the last week. But Advent and the parish feast have been upon us, hence my irregularity in posting.
This post is basically to remind everyone, put on your Christmas radio, clean up the ovens, soak your dry fruits, prepare yourself for confession and actively participate in the season of giving.
Don't forget Jesus is the reason for the season. Its not about expensive gifts, latest gadgets, the best dessert, or the number of dishes served, its about investing time in relationships, being thoughtful, grateful for the people in your life, trying to forgive and cultivating love.
So if you're not struggling through Advent, you're not doing it right.....
Song on my playlist: Offering Paul Baloche,
Feliz Navidad by Thalia and Micheal Buble
Movie I recommend: The fault in our stars(it really makes you feel grateful for everyday, life is a gift..)
This post is basically to remind everyone, put on your Christmas radio, clean up the ovens, soak your dry fruits, prepare yourself for confession and actively participate in the season of giving.
Don't forget Jesus is the reason for the season. Its not about expensive gifts, latest gadgets, the best dessert, or the number of dishes served, its about investing time in relationships, being thoughtful, grateful for the people in your life, trying to forgive and cultivating love.
So if you're not struggling through Advent, you're not doing it right.....
Song on my playlist: Offering Paul Baloche,
Feliz Navidad by Thalia and Micheal Buble
Movie I recommend: The fault in our stars(it really makes you feel grateful for everyday, life is a gift..)
November 8, 2014
Notes this November
Its NaNoWriMo month. And so its a busy month for authors everywhere. Most of my writer pals are chained to their desk's, eyes glued to the computer and typing away.
So am I!
First up I wanted to share this wonderful book that I recently read and tweeted about.
Its co-authored by Fr Robert Degrandis SJ and Linda Schubert- 'Healing through the Mass.'
Every Catholic must read this. I have put up a review on Goodreads which I'll share with you.
Review
So do check it out.
Also in three weeks its going to be Advent. I have personally benefitted a lot from Fr Robert Barrons word on fire reflections during Lent, so I signed up for his reflections during Advent. Please sign up if you're not using any other Advent reflections. The sign up page is here.
Its still a warm November. So have a great week guys!
Song on my playlist: What child is this! Il Divo
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So am I!
First up I wanted to share this wonderful book that I recently read and tweeted about.
Its co-authored by Fr Robert Degrandis SJ and Linda Schubert- 'Healing through the Mass.'
Every Catholic must read this. I have put up a review on Goodreads which I'll share with you.
Review
So do check it out.
Also in three weeks its going to be Advent. I have personally benefitted a lot from Fr Robert Barrons word on fire reflections during Lent, so I signed up for his reflections during Advent. Please sign up if you're not using any other Advent reflections. The sign up page is here.
Its still a warm November. So have a great week guys!
Song on my playlist: What child is this! Il Divo
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