Our experiences are not only made up of what we have lived through. Sometimes, experience stems from that which we did not do.
I never had the chance to watch Luciano Pavarotti perform live. I regret that bitterly. His immaculate voice was a gift to this world and who knows when, if ever, another one like him will raise our spirits and touch our senses as deeply, as easily, and as unforgettably as the phenomenal Pavarotti. It is through this regret, this missed opportunity for not knowing how much time I had with to see the unforgettable tenor live someday, that my appreciation and curiosity for the opera has stemmed. Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
carmen,
classic,
classical music,
entertainment,
mozart,
opera,
pavarotti,
verdi
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Discovering Oolong tea for me was an accident. A life changing one. One day 3 years ago, my husband fancied the tea shop’s Oolong titled “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and bought 2 ounces for fun. We both tried it and liked it fine. Then a few months later, I happened to give up espresso in my ultimate quest to go healthy! (Well, I still drink the occasional espresso) But I was not about to give up caffeine (who knows! That may be another quest at the yoga teacher training someday!). But the ideal replacement seemed obvious: Loose-leaf Oolong tea. Then I discovered the taste and equally delightful benefits of raw honey, (thanks to Natalia Rose and her Raw Detox Diet) combined with Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong tea, I must say: one taste and you are hooked for life! Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
health,
nutrition,
oolong,
raw honey,
tea,
video
This is the second contest on Prolific Living. We had heaps of fun and participation from the first contest on photography in October 2009. For me, the reward was the spirit of engaging you, my readers, and the sheer joy of giving prizes away after building so much energy and anticipation. So I decided to do it again with a new theme. I have full confidence any one of you can participate in this contest because at some point or another, we have all been touched by a book in our lives. Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
book giveaway,
contest,
prizes
“I am sure that if I sat in a quiet place, away from the palace and the bustle of the court, I could remember scenes from my childhood much earlier than six years old.”
- Prologue to “The Heretic Queen”
I wish there were still a thousand more pages to read but alas I have finished reading all of Michelle Moran’s fantastic fiction! I could not have imagined a more fulfilling journey through time back to Ancient Egypt than the one taken through Moran’s genuine voice and her simple yet beautiful prose. “The Heretic Queen” tells the story of young Nefertari which takes place nearly half a century following Nefertiti’s reign. Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
ancient,
egypt,
fiction,
history,
michelle moran,
nefertari,
nefertiti
In the pursuit of our goals, it is inevitable that on every path, we will encounter a beast we would rather avoid. I call it a beast. In nice business language, it is called a challenge, and you may have other names for it!
No matter, it is the necessary evil in achieving the goals for which we strive. It is the thing we would rather avoid and still somehow secretly wish to be allowed to reach our target. Everyone has them. For me, it is doing strenuous abdominal training in order to develop a strong enough core to do my dream yoga poses. Or talking French to Parisians with risk of much embarrassment in order to finally someday master a language I adore. And in the pursuit of becoming a professional speaker, it is the extemporaneous speaking on any given topic which I would rather avoid at any cost.
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Tagged as:
public speaking,
speech,
table topics,
Toastmasters,
video
The bleak of winter can be a heavy burden on the soul. The sunless skies, the freezing rain, the brutal wind, the scenery of naked trees stripped of all life until the warmer seasons. However do we make it to spring year after year without losing heart? For me, it is taking refuge in the richness of the arts, the mystique of history and the warmth of theater. It is travel to a city far more frigid and sunless than home to find the warmth of soul for these winter months. A city where even on a second visit, the abundance of history and the wealth of arts and theater is simply astounding. A city so blessed with rich museums, grand cathedrals and flabbergasting talent in the theaters that you indeed forget about the weather, the traffic, the noise and perhaps even your problems at home for just a little while. The universal and timeless city of London, England.
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Tagged as:
ancient,
art,
egypt,
england,
entertainment,
greece,
london,
musuem,
theatre,
travel
The most magnificent films of our time would be hard pressed in creating the visual images Michelle Moran stirs up with her powerful words, from a history that existed over three thousand years ago, a kingdom that ruled in the heart of Egypt in an unstable period, and a queen that was so beautiful and graceful that eternity indeed remembers her, as she had desperately hoped it would. “Nefertiti” is compulsively readable and a treasure of historical fiction to behold. Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
ancient,
egypt,
fiction,
history,
michelle moran,
nefertiti
If I had to do it all over again, I would….?
When you ask yourself that question casually, what is the answer? In some situations, we cannot change the past and the opportunity has passed. In others however, we may be able to set a new course. A few years ago I realized one of my many answers. That I would have loved to read far more classics over the years. Heaps of engineering textbooks, technical jargon and business buzzwords prepared and educated me well for my career but left me with a strong desire for voraciously consuming the classics, literature, poetry, art and history – hence my reading mania since 2006! There is usually a very good reason a book is considered a classic and besides, exploring the genre has hardly resulted in a regret for anyone that I have ever met. Read the rest of this article
Tagged as:
classic,
English literature,
fiction,
history,
thriller
