Faith Anna Brown: 2013

WISHING Y'ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR

I just want to say a big "Thank you" to everyone who has been a frequent visitor to my website, Facebook author pages, book pages, and other social media pages. This is wishing y'all a wonderful Christmas and an awesome new year! And make Jesus the centre of Christmas!

E-sharing Series 2 : Are you a giver?

It is that WONDERFUL time of the year!!!

Indeed it is. It is that awesome time of the year around the world.
The time we celebrate the Savior's birth.
The Christmas lights are amazing sights to behold.
Shops are very crowded and sales are up.
The excitement is palpable!

As we get into the spirit of yuletide, let's also remember those who are in need of help around us. Christmas is for everyone. It is the time for giving and sharing, not only with friends and family but also the lonely and needy far and near. There is always something we can do to make a difference in someone's life. Givers don't give because they have enough. Givers give because they derive joy from giving and sharing with others. Giving is an act of love. Make giving a lifestyle.

Spread the love and cheer around this Christmas season by brightening someone's life! Be a stranger's sunshine.

Here is wishing y'all many blessings this Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Photos source: Google Images

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY, FA LA LA LA LA

Thanksgiving celebrations.
Black Friday, Cyber Monday....
Christmas lights are coming up everywhere.

TV commercials are nearly taking over the screens.

Santa is at work and will continue until Christmas day.
Shopping, family, friends, fun, gifts, carols, outings, giving, giving, giving.

Christmas-themed movies, shows and events.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
It is indeed the season to be jolly, everyone.
There is always something to be thankful for!

It is that wonderful time of the year!

Many blessings to you and yours this Christmas season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HAPPY WORLD KINDNESS DAY!

Today, we celebrate World Kindness Day.

I invite you to commit to deliberate and conscious acts of kindness. Start with the simple caring acts you often overlook: giving a stranger a smile, greeting, helping hand, a listening ear, words of praise. We need to brighten the corner where we are.

Most acts of kindness do not cost much but they may mean everything to the recipient. A smile or greeting may be all it takes to save a stranger's life.

To see more kindness ideas, please go to : http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas

Keep up the acts of kindness; not in WORDS but DEEDS! :)

Happy World Kindness Day!

Photo source: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas/71-make-a-new-friend-today

E-sharing Series 1

From me to you this month…

1 Set SMART goals. Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Goal-setting is a deliberate effort to choose the events you want to happen in your life in the days, weeks, months and years to come. Goals help you decide and focus on the path you desire to walk as well as your destination. Goals enable you to successfully follow your dreams. That's your GPS to help you navigate or chart your path in life's journey. So set SMART goals and follow through with dogged perseverance.

That, dear readers, is my word to you for November! See you next month on e-sharing, by God's grace.

Have a fabulous week!

Ciao :)

*****************************************************************************************************

HERE ARE SOME QUOTES TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE YOU TOWARDS (SMART) GOAL-SETTING:

"Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life."

- Harvey Mackay

"Goals give you a compass in order to direct your path through life. Goals focus your thoughts and actions on areas that have precise purpose and meaning." - Catherine Pulsifer

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Abraham Lincoln

"For me, goals are my road map to the life I want. They have helped me accomplish things I once thought were impossible." - Catherine Pulsifer

"Goal setting is the core of existence that defines life." - Joanne Bonomi

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Zig Zigler

Exciting, challenging, so much fun!

The mid-term assessments are over. I enjoyed meeting students I don't usually teach. It feels like overnight I have become acquainted with double the number of students I used to know. Isn't that wonderful?

I am having a satisfying day this Friday staying home and catching up on a few house chores.

My writing project is always on my mind. Regardless, I need to always priortize. Remember the story of The Big Rocks of Time.

In case you're wondering, it hasn't been all work. I have also been having my share of recreation: reading, watching movies, eating out and doing many other things with my significant other.

We recently went to a neighboring city to see a charity basketball game between some US basketball professional players and a home team. It was as unconventional as it was hilarious! The turnout was unprecedented and every age group was represented. We were hugely entertained as we watched real game spiced with comic interludes. It was such fun!

I went to the mall yesterday from campus. I had an absolutely exciting time window shopping and really shopping. The added bonus to my amazing shopping experience was running into some of the students I had got to know this week when I invigilated their mid-term examinations.

Being at the top of my game, means putting in quality time and it is a challenge I am glad to take on. I enjoy doing what I do

and have the most supportive partner anyone could have. He is such a blessing to me! I am also very thankful for my colleagues and students. They are amazing!

Here are some photos I'd like to share with you.

Many blessings to you!

Ciao

A New Season

Change is a continuous process. Seasons change literally and figuratively. It is a good trait to be a champion of change. Most of us fear change because we actually have a fear of the unknown, not the concept itself. When we develop a positive mindset towards change, we will begin to be excited about change.

So, here we are: a new month, the beginning of another season! Summer is gone and autumn (fall) is here. Yay!

If you have been reading my blogs, I guess you already know that this is my favorite season. I like summer, spring and winter but fall has a special appeal.

It is that time of year when:

Trees glow and look like burning trees along the streets.

Maple Leaves take on many shades of beautiful, bright colors.

And the weather is neither hot nor cold - just the right balance.
Thanksgiving celebrations....
And so much more!

This post made me laugh: http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/20-reasons-we-are-looking-forward-to-the-fall/

Since completing my Federal Government of Canada assignment exactly a month ago, my life has taken a very interesting turn! I loved the work I did in the Public Service. And I absolutely love what I have been doing since then. It is amazing to be doing what I love to do! So thankful to God for the privilege to use the talents He has given me. #mycalling

In the last couple of weeks, it has been such a pleasure to interact with one of the most amazing group of people I have ever met in all the countries I have lived and places I have worked - both young and regular adults! I have always striven to be thankful whether the sky is gray or blue; yet I have to say that they are such a blessing!

I haven't posted on this website in a long time. My apologies, dear readers. It's same classic excuse: busy, busy but I take responsibility for slacking a bit. I have for years taught undergraduate students about setting SMART goals. In order to manage my time well, it is pertinent that I set SMART goals which take career(s), family, leisure, social media/networking and so on into account. It is a given and I would say that I am doing well
but there's always room for improvement.

Change. Progress. Improvement. Excellence.

Happy Autumn/Fall!

:)

Being real in our real world

I like reading about Will and Kate (and more recently, Harry and Meghan). That they are passionate about humanitarianism and conservation of wildlife in Africa is a huge plus: it makes me like these royal couples even more.

I am also interested in reading about happenings around the globe. International news is full of happenings around the world where people face all kinds of oppression and discrimination: racial, religious, tribal, gender, class, and on and on. It is offensive and reprehensible, to say the least. While these situations leave us with a feeling of empathy for those inflicted, we must realize that the perpetrators are actually people who are very unhappy with themselves and are in bondage of diverse kinds. Take a look whenever the opportunity arises.

I find myself pondering the following questions and wondering what your take on them are:

How do you feel when you see the wicked 'prospering'?
How do you feel when you see injustice around you; real, not enacted in a movie?How do you feel when you are discriminated against in obvious and/or subtle ways?How do you feel when you see politicians abusing their offices?

How do you feel when you see, read or hear about these things?

Ever been at the receiving end? I think the idiom 'Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches' is only partly applicable here. You don't have to be a victim to know what is morally wrong or right. No one can sit on a fence. There is no fence anyway.

What drives a man who practises female subjugation?
What drives a racist?

Look. See. It is glaring.

This isn't a rant. I am just being real in a real world.

On another subject: how many books have you read this summer?

Reading is a most effective teacher.

Are you engaged in a book or Bible challenge for the year? How good is it going?

Don't stop, keep moving!

And as much as lies within you, brighten the corner where you are. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

Ciao!

(updated 2018)

The Versatility of this Catalyst

Catalysts are by nature volatile. They are like winds of change and can blow in diverse, sometimes surprising directions. Since the release of E. L. James' Fifty Shades Trilogy, the buzz around the books has not significantly declined. Fans and foes have continued to express their thoughts since the first installment of this erotic romance series, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' came out in 2011. Now it is being adapted into a movie due for release summer 2014.

So, how has the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' fared in the face of all the criticisms from literary and academic experts? I would say that it has remained unaffected. The large following it has garnered has kept it at the top of the bestseller list.

One thing that has caught my attention in all the excitement is the emergence of several other similar titles ranging from Fifty Shades of Green/White/Vegetables to Fifty Shades of Wine.

What's there not to like?

I would like to think that with the preponderance of similar titles all over the place, the Fifty Shades Trilogy has inspired some writers to be more productive.

Perhaps too, it has motivated some people who are not into reading fiction to do so. But is the trilogy a worthy source of that motivation? It depends on who you talk to.

A downside which is mostly ignored or regarded by some as crying wolf is the negative effect the book might have on some readers. The explicit nature of some scenes has been greatly criticized because it may lead to some negative outcomes for society, considering, for example, how underage children have easy access to adult books these days. Is this one more addition to adult materials parents don't want their children reading or watching on the television?

We must acknowledge that erotic romance is a booming genre in the society today and the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a testament to that. It has inspired some writers who previously were not courageous to write within that genre, to begin to comfortably do so.

I surmise then that the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a catalyst of sorts. Its versatility speaks for itself - as illustrated above.

As a writer, what kind of change do you want your book to bring about in your readers? What kind of effect do you hope your book would have on the readers?

As a reader, what are your motivations for reading a particular book or genre? What kind of feelings did the best books you have read bring out in you?

Happy Reading! Happy Writing!

Ciao!