Serenity Saturday

Even though I don't particularly care much for frogs (at least when they are close, and it looks like they are ready to jump on me), I do love this picture...

 

Happy Weekend and many beautiful days full of serenity, 

from my pond to yours!!!

"Flower Power" Friday

Today's flower is blooming in my own back porch, it's a beautiful Fire Dancer Cattleya Orchid.

After about 2 & 1/2 years of having this orchid, it's the first time it delight us with this wonderful gift, so it's pretty special to us. Happy Weekend!!!!

Letter from a "criminal"....

"Dear" Mr. Traffic policeman (who yesterday saw me parked in the wrong zone);

According to you, my car was withing 45 feet of a pedestrian crossing, although yourself managed to park your car in front of mine and still had enough space between the crossing on the street and my car, but you also insist that my car was obstructing...

Them Mr. Traffic policeman, when I came back to my car you were sitting inside yours, right there in front of mine, doing whatever is it that you do, and because of this you were unable to come out of your car and give me the ticket in person, instead you check the computer files for my personal information, got my cell phone number and called me but not without harassing me over the phone.

When I answered the phone, you Mr. Traffic policeman asked me my name, then proceed to asked me the following in the worst possible attitude of abusive power:
Do you drive a white Honda CRV? I answered, Who is this?
Are you driving your car? I answered, Who is this? (again)
Is it you driving your car or is it somebody else, where are you? Again I said, if you don't tell me who this is, I am going to hang up...

Then Mr. Transit policeman, (after my reaction to your harassment), you identified yourself, but not without asking me the questions again, then I answered all of them, and you proceed to tell me that you were going to give me a summit for a ticket....

And here's the deal Mr. Transit policeman, if in fact I was parked in a wrong zone, if I was breaking the law, I will take full responsibility of my acts and pay whatever fine I have to, and I know you are only doing your job, but part of being a policeman or a public servant is to give the example of education, politeness and empathy (yeah, well at least in Utopia)...

I wonder Mr. Traffic policeman, why do you have to harass people like that? If I did something wrong, like I mentioned just before, I'll take full responsibility of my acts but there's not need of you to invade my privacy and call me to ask all of these questions like I'm some kind of criminal...

Now Mr. Traffic policeman, I have called your Superior and complained about your procedure, attitude and the way you handle your so call "power of the law". Because Mr. Traffic policeman, if this is the way you treat a good citizen, I don't even want to imagine how you treat criminals, or is it maybe you've watch one too many "Dirty Harry" movies?

Best regards,

Wordless Wednesday

Greetings to you...

Lately I cannot help but noticing how rude people can be.

From when I was a little girl my parents always teach me (and sometimes even forced me) to say hello to people, specially grown ups, to shake their hand or even kiss them if applied, so I guess I'm pretty used to encounter people and greet them. I know you cannot do this with everybody that you encounter during the day, but at least those that you make eye contact with you should, right?

Let me explain when I coming from with this:

I work at a gallery which is part of a souvenir/apparel shoppe building located right in front of the waterfront in downtown George town, Grand Cayman. This is probably the most touristic zone of the whole island (besides the beach), so daily I have to deal with at least 98% of tourist customers.

The gallery is located on the second floor of our building, so as soon as people come up and are at the top of the stair (if there's nobody around), they can see me sitting at my desk usually catching up on my emails, sending my orders, etc...

So as soon as I see them I try to make eye contact and greet them: -"good morning/good afternoon, welcome to the gallery"... Very few people actually acknowledge my greeting and reply to it nicely. But most people act like I talked to them in some weird alien language and their heads might just explode if they look into my alien eyes. So instead they just look down, keep on walking and ignored me before they even dare return the greeting....WTF?

It's not like they need to come right at me and give a kiss or even introduce themselves, but c'mon I am the first person they see up here, and sometimes it even happens with people that are walking right by me and they still don't return my greeting, how rude!

photo source iStockphoto

I don't know if this happens because people feel intimidated when walking into a gallery, like if they talk back they might just break something and will have to pay for it... LOL!

Another scenario is when people are looking at the art and I approach them and say: -"If you have questions or comments about our art, please I'll be glad to help you, so let me know"... Some people react immediately and they say: "Oh, we are just looking and not buying anything". To this I wish I could reply: -"well, it doesn't mean that if you ask me a question or give me your comments I will force you to buy anything". I only wish I could, LOL!

To me by being polite and greeting people you share good energy with them, it's so much more pleasant when people take a second of their very busy minds to share a hello, a smile and maybe even a few minutes to have a random pleasant conversation with a stranger...

Think about, try it and you'll see how much brighter and nicer your interaction with other would be, and if you already do it, know that your greeting or just a smile could make somebody elses day happier!

Happy Tuesday!

60 for 60

Unlike Madonna back in the 80's when she sang "I'm a material girl in a material world" I don't consider myself one of those girls.

Of course I like things. Pretty things, shinny things, useful and not so useful things, sometimes expensive things (actually most of the time) and occasionally even things I don't even really need, but who doesn't right?


But now, when it comes to buying things for other people, that is a completely different story with me... I LOVE to buy people presents, I am a big time giver, and I take pleasure in finding things for people that I know they are going to love and appreciate.

Whenever I go back home to visit I make sure to get gifts for my parents as well as my closest relatives, to me giving people presents is another way to show them how much I care about them, besides the most important presents of love, care, respect, honesty and happiness among others....

This year my mom turns 60 years old and to me that's pretty important milestone, specially cause out of those 60 year she has giving most of them to me, my dad and my brothers....

So besides going home to spend the day with her (and I know that will be the best gift) I've also decided to buy her 60 birthday present!!! Of course the presents are small tokens of my love and how much I think of her daily, some things I will buy and others I will make myself.

I started buying the presents last week and I hope to be done before April 20th (her birthday is the 25th), so far I got about 26 things and this coming week we'll be getting some more stuff....

Now I can't wait to go back home and see her opening 60 presents... All of these present I will be giving her don't come close to ALL that she has done for me, so I hope to make her day extra special!