Doubt

Last weekend, hubby and I rented the movie Doubt, starring Philip Seymour and Meryl Streep. Excellent casting. Powerful acting by both dynamic actors. There is one scene that has most impacted me. Father Flynn's (Philip Seymour)sermon on gossip. Here it is:


A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this - that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rourke, and she told him the whole thing.

‘Is gossiping a sin?’ she asked the old man. ‘Was that the hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?’

‘Yes!’ Father O’Rourke answered her. ‘Yes, you ignorant, badly brought up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbor, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!’

So the woman said she was sorry and asked for forgiveness.

‘Not so fast!’ says O’Rourke. ‘I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!’

So the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed.

‘Did you gut the pillow with the knife?’ he says.

‘Yes, Father.’

‘And what was the result?’

‘Feathers,’ she said.

‘Feathers?’ he repeated.

‘Feathers everywhere, Father!’

‘Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.’

‘And that,’ said Father O’Rourke, ‘is GOSSIP!’

Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper?

Author Unknown, Source Unknown



You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.

For All You Cookie Lovers Out There

An interesting email was forwarded to me by my cousin today. I think its a hoax but we don't have anything to lose by trying out the recipe...do we!Here's the email.If you do ever try the recipe out, please let me know how it turned out.I would love to know if the $250 was worth it after all ;).





Neiman-Marcus, if you don't know already, is a very expensive boutique shop (they sell a typical $8.00 T-shirt for $50.00)

My daughter and I had just finished lunch at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas , USA . Because both of us are such biscuit lovers, we decided to try the 'Neiman-Marcus cookie'. It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe. The waitress said with a small frown, 'I'm afraid not, but you can buy the recipe.'

I asked how much, and she responded; 'Only two fifty - it's a great deal'. I agreed to that, and told her to add it to my bill.

Thirty days later, I got my Visa statement, and the Neiman-Marcus charge was $285. I looked at it again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two sandwiches and about $20 for a scarf. At the bottom of the statement, it said, 'Cookie Recipe - $250.00'. That was outrageous!

I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them the waitress had said it was 'two fifty', which clearly does not mean 'two hundred and fifty dollars' by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase.. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund my money because according to them; 'What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money.

I explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes which govern fraud in the state of Texas. I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and The Texas Attorney General's office. I was basically told: Do what you want. Don't bother thinking of how you can get even, and don't bother trying to get any of your money back'

I said, OK, you've got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250 worth of fun. I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the world with an e-mail account gets a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for free. She replied, 'I wish you wouldn't do that.' I said, 'Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you RIPPED ME OFF!' and slammed down the phone.

So here it is! Please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250 for this, and I don't want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny from this recipe!


NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES (Recipe may be halved as this makes heaps)

2 (500 ml) cups butter
680 g chocolate chips
4 (1000 ml) cups flour
2 (500 ml) cups brown sugar
2 tsp. (10 ml) Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
2 (500 ml) cups sugar
500 g Grated Cadbury chocolate
5 (1250 ml) cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder
2 tsp. (10 ml) vanilla
3 cups (375 ml) chopped nuts (optional)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees (180 C).

The above quantities make 112 cookies. Enjoy!

When Will They Ever Stop???????????????

The dog, known as Kiwi, was believed to have been hurt by metal traps set for wild boars . A vet had to amputate the remainder of its leg. According to Gandhi, the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. What do such inhumane, ruthless acts say about my nation I wonder!!!!!!

Love A Dog For Who He Is!

Recently, a report I read in the paper left me sick in my stomach. A barbaric, ruthless, heartless creature, in the form of a human of course, tied up a beautiful pomeranian (photo above), in a plastic bag and dumped him near a rubbish bin to die. Luckily, this fortunate soul was discovered in time by a smart husky. He was found motionless by the husky's owner, covered in poo and pee. This dog is a true survivor and a fighter cus he is alive and kicking now, waiting to be adopted by numerous kindred souls who were taken in by his plight. Kudos to the husky and its owner. You guys deserve a standing ovation. As for this beautiful, traumatized soul, I wish him a speedy recovery and may he find a home where he is showered with heaps of love, care, bliss and lets not forget respect....respect for all lives....regardless how big or small.


This is for all you heartless morons out there.

Judge not a dog for how he looks, for like humans, they outgrow their cuteness and child like antics.

Judge not his lineage, be it a champion's bloodline, or a mongrel's humble beginnings.

His past doesn't matter, his future does. Love a dog from your heart, not from society's standards.

A dog symbolizes loyalty, love, faithfulness and friendship. He does not represent status, affluence, beauty or your ego.

A dog is happy with himself. He doesn't need anything to improve his standings among his peers. We all can learn a thing or two from them.

Look not with your eyes but feel with your heart, the soul of a dog, his trust, his affection, his loyalty, his total surrender.

Treasure them, for you will find these qualities scarce amongst us.

Love a dog for who he is, because he loves you for who you are, unconditionally and without expectations.

My parting line to you barbarians, what goes around comes around. Thats what we call KARMA.

My Reflections on India

India is a land filled with richness. Richness in tradition; culture; spirituality and above all, resilience, the everlasting human spirit that is conveyed in the form of smiles. Every single minute, you could see the people drowning in poverty.Not having proper sandals to wear in the unbearable scorching heat. We had to remove our footwear to enter the holy sites and boy did I sprint for my life. It was above 40 degrees and it felt like I was walking on fire. Yet these resilient souls walked calmly, barefoot, without a cringe. Maybe they were immune or shall I say accustomed to all these hardships. But what did not fail to catch my attention was the bliss. The bliss they had on their faces. These are souls who do not even have a proper roof over their heads.They either live by the roadsides in small tents or in dilapidated slums. If you have seen Slumdog Millionaire, you would know what I'm talking about.

There was one particular soul who tugged my heart strings. He was around 7 or 8. When he approached me, I thought he was a tout,trying to harass me for money. But I was so wrong. All he wanted was a notepad and a pen to write. His family doesn't have the means to send him to school. He had the burning desire to study and that could be seen in his eyes.

What was a real awakening was the fact that these souls are deeply embedded in poverty and yet they are able to smile from the bottom of their hearts despite their daily battles with life. The bliss they were expressing among themselves was definitely not a facade. It was a heartfelt genuine contentment that they showed. We, on the other hand, the ones from the developed nations, who are living a materialistic life, cant be easily contented. Why is that so? Are we really blessed or cursed? That burning question has been on my mind ever since.

I'm Bacccccccck

Finally, I'm back. Feeling much settled in life at this point in time. No dramas. No emotional stress. A much deserved "ME" time is here finally. Just returned from a mindblowing trip in India. It was spiritually charging and enlightening. It really feels great to be back. Thank you to all for leaving your comments behind despite my much obvious absence. I appreciate it deeply. Hope everything is fine with all of you. We have lots of catching up to do :).