Why Should We Learn To Be A Good Juggler?

The act of juggling

I really feel that students, when they are as young as a 7 years old, should be encouraged to get involved in multiple activities. As an adult now, I am realizing the importance of extra co-curricular activities because it teaches students to be a good juggler.

Parents during my school time were giving too much importance for studies and all they want their child to be was the top student of the school and that was like getting a Noble Prize for excellence. I can only feel sorry for those kids who couldn't think for themselves and went on to listen to their parents advice because they are nothing but a bookworm. They can't work without reference and they need a user-manual for almost everything they do and this is the reason why the First Class students fail in their working life. Nobody wants to hire someone who can't stand pressure at work place and juggle numerous responsibilities at one time. 

I'm not saying that you should be too hyperactive and get involved in every single event happening around you. Of course if that is what you do, you won't be able to focus well. But at the same time, you can't just devote your attention to one task. That shows how inefficient you are. 

To end my random ramblings here, I will let you know what are those tasks I'm juggling with. I'm actively looking for a job and this week will be busy with an upcoming interview hopefully. I need to keep an eye on my email and apply for jobs online. I need to blog and empty my head space which gets occupied from time to time with issues to be discussed with all of you lovely readers. I need to get my book-writing going which is one of the top priorities now. I am also freelancing at the moment and reading books whenever I feel the urge to stay away from the computer. I spend time going to the mountain nearby for hiking at times and cleaning my house with my mother. I am also learning a few things about Social Psychology via Coursera. The next assignment is due first week of September so I can focus on other work first :) 

If I have the chance, I wish to learn better German. I can say a few things in German and understand conversations to some extent. I need to also plan for my further education later. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Your Shame Won't Alleviate Mine

What's the point of covering your shame?

Thanking +Adrianna Joleigh for letting me know about this documentary on YouTube. As we know, India has been in the spotlight since December last year for rising rape cases throughout the nation. Women in India have come together to protest the sexual discrimination and endless violence they have to face on a daily basis. Ever since the Dehli Gang Rape case incident, more rape cases are discovered day by day and it doesn't seem to get any better.

India's image has been tarnished with world-wide accusations. Men in India are horny bastards. India is not a safe country for women. These are some of the statements that you can see in the comments for the video above. It is definitely a shameful issue for a country and its citizen. I'm feeling really sorry for the victims and I hope for a better future for women in India. 

But the question is, how do you REALLY feel when you watch the video or while reading this post? Are you feeling disgusted about India? Did your subconscious voice just told you that these Indian men are horrible? If you are from a safer place where you have been protected from these violence all your life, do you really think you are safe? Can you assure that your children's safety is protected? 

Indian men don't deserve their women. I said that in one of my older posts. But I have also mentioned that the same rule applies for all men regardless of their race or nationality. The huge misconception in our society when we come across any hideous news happening elsewhere in the world is to assume that we are in a safer part of the world and instantly feel thankful for it. 

I wanted to make a snapshot of some of the comments under the video but when I came back a day later, it was flooded by hundreds of comments and I lost track of the earlier comments. From my observation, some Indians were admitting to the fact that the situation is getting worse in India for women when authorities are not taking proper measures to arrest the rising sexual violence and rape cases whereas some are trying to protect their shame by diverting the attention to countries like Saudi Arabia and Africa where women are treated like slaves with restrictions imposed in the name of religion. 

Will their shame alleviate your shame, India? No. Are we still going to see more women being raped and subjected to brutality? Yes! Because if we are not going to admit that our men are terrible and the situation is getting out of hand, people would continue to protect the name of the nation and shame of the society by pin-pointing to what is happening all around the globe. I agree that countries like America, Australia and Canada are not safe either and you can't claim these countries to be safe as the suicide case of Rehtaeh Parsons serves as an evidence that no where on this earth is really safe. 

The only way to handle this brutality is by acknowledging the issue and start implementing better rules and regulations on sexual violators so that we can see hope for women renewing itself with no expiration date. On the other hand, it is time to reflect this issue upon our own country and see where do we actually stand when it comes to crimes like sexual harassment and rapes. Just because the media caught one country for its shameful incident, we can't be taking it for granted and throwing wild accusations. May be our shame is being swept under the carpet and could be the next talk of the world when someone were to reveal it. 

I welcome your thoughts and views !  Thank you for your feedback

We Are Moving...

WE ARE MOVING

It’s me Jasveena here. Nobody is literally moving out of home. Not my family out fear due to the recent robbery happened at our place. It’s the Thoughts And Views That Matter that is moving. I am trying shift the traffic to WordPress now from Blogger as I feel the only reason why Blogger is not my kind of platform anymore is because my effort to install Disqus on it failed. It just FAILED because Disqus can’t recover old comments to the blog and it also doesn’t allow readers to comment via G+.

I though WordPress is really cool as it is a very strong platform to be blogging from so I am going to keep all three; Glipho, Blogger and WordPress but my intention is to shift the traffic from Blogger to WP slowly and bring all my subscribers to this platform so that I don’t miss any of their precious feedback.

So, feel free to comment from WP and I will definitely comment back. If you want to stick to Blogger, that is not an issue too. Stay tuned with my thoughtful posts.

This is the link to follow on Wordpress

Love,

Jas

 I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

The Book I Gave Up On

Seven Days One Summer

I think some of you may know that I went wild in excitement the last time the Big Bad Wolf came to the town where my university is situated. I bought quite a number of books. I am huge fan of non-fiction book and I usually buy anything that is related to the Middle East. Trying to recollect the fun I had that day, I went on on my own by bus as I was really not bothered to wait for anyone else to tag along. It was worth the hassle because good books were selling like hot cakes that day and I was really happy I went early. 

I carried a huge box I found at the side of the hall and started to pile it up with books and carrying it along from one section to another awkwardly. Just to have a change in my reading experience, I bought books from all genre and Seven Days One Summer was one of it. I thought of giving Young Adult genre a try. I picked this up a few days back before I go for my holidays but there is just something that didn't attract me well in this book. I feel the story is stale and the plot is very boring. You would be expecting a twist each time you turn the pages but it would end up disappointing you. At least that is what I honestly felt. There is just not much motivation about it that keeps you going.

The story is about a woman going for holiday with her son and husband. At the holiday spot, they meet their old friends with their spouses and kids. So it ended up like a group vacation where old friends meet. Jen is actually not happy with her husband Marcus and the way the relationship is going. She meets her old flame in that group and her attentions got diverted to that guy, Sam. 

Sam shows not much of prominent interest in Jen anyway. I really feel Jen is quite obnoxious in this story as she falls for another man too easily. The entire story so far was just about them having some argument, particularly between Tara and Jen and how these two women were possessive over Sam for no reason even though they are already married. On top of that, Alfie, Jen's kid is another irritating kid in this story who comes crying to his mother all the time. I can say that the author has made Alfie very annoying as he comes crying in between every twist in the story and the excitement of yours would fade off as the story hardly develops. 

I'm not sure if I would finish reading the book but I may read just to have the satisfaction having read the book and not wasting my effort buying it. Yeah, just for the sake of it. ;) I'm sorry but I really didn't enjoy it. What else can I say. 

 I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

What Happens To Ryan and Jade?

Modern Disciples Volume 2

Modern Disciples Volume 2 gets deep into the character development and this is differs the book from the first sequel. Jane is seem to be the hero that captures everyone's heart with her bold and outspoken attitude. This book features Jane slightly more than any other disciples, even Ryan. If you have read the volume 1, you will be wondering what will happen next to these disciples especially Ryan and Jane. In this book, the characters' emotions develop and Jane's love for Ryan unfolds.

The author has once again connected the reality with mythology very naturally. As Jane trails the man who may be in league with the Titans in Las Vegas, she was joined by a few other new disciples in this story. When Ryan gathers the group back together, Jane receives another mission from her mother unexpectedly. The group was divided into three and Jane and Ryan go to the dessert where the mobster's camp is. Monsters from Norse Mythology, from Dark Elves to Fire Giants, make an appearance in this story, as well as new gods and disciples.

For those of you who wants a story with good character and emotional development, this will be a good read. Whereas for those of you who prefer action-paced story and character where there is nothing much about emotion development, this book may seem a little bit lesser than the first. 

 I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Make Love Not Porn

A new movement to rectify the minds of younster

I'm not sure how many of you are actually aware of this movement called Make Love Not Porn by Cindy Gallop. I just got to know about this movement sometime back while reading a blogpost. I thought there was a great idea lying behind it as Cindy speaks about how detrimental pornography is for the youngsters nowadays. The possible reasons why Cindy would have decided to work on this idea are:

1) You Can't Stop Them From Doing It

Nothing is really working when it comes to efforts taken to stop teenagers from having sex. Sex education has educated them to protect themselves from STD's but what about having them refraining from having sex. I don't think so it has worked really well. You will have your kids start questioning about sex sooner or later. Kids are getting very advanced in understanding the world and sex is definitely not an exceptional issue. You can't fool them any longer with an answer or sweeping statements that sound like these; ''sex refers to your gender" or "when man and woman have sex they have babies". 

MLNP

2) Pornography Is Destroying Relationships

It is disturbing to think that pornography has long been ruling over people's sexual life. Men think women will react the way they see on porn and expect their partners to behave the same way. Hardcore porn never reflect the real life sex as people show different inclination towards sexual activities. With this movement, hopefully the younger generation would know what love really is and how porn and love-making are entirely different. I feel the human contact is amiss in porn and I don't think that should be the reference for young adults. 

MLNP

3) Resources Are Everywhere

You can never stop your child from learning about sex. If you are not explaining about it, they will go looking for the information on the websites and you can be very sure that they will stumble upon porn on the internet. So that is how easy they can get mislead. Why not start a movement like this to have the right education where people learn what sex really is and know that it is about emotions, feelings, relationship and love. I think Cindy is able to send this message across to a certain extent and this movement has to go viral to be the talk of everybody so that we could save families in future. 

MLNP

4) Explaining What Love Really Is

I think the main reason why she has started her work on "Make Love Not Porn" videos is because porn is not in favour of love. This movement made us all think where are we heading towards with so much domestic violence that is shattering homes. Porn has made men and women hard and emotionless. On top of that, Make Love Not Porn also stops women from being seen as an object to satisfy men, exposing the truth on how women really feel in the reality. 

Bloody Stupid Burglars!

Finally it's my house they targeted

So finally it's my house they targeted to break into. This robbery happened on Monday morning around 8 am (+8 GMT) as estimated by my neighbours. I'm feeling bad for the robbers who went away empty handed. The only issue that is bothering us is the fact that they took one of our car keys along with them, so now we have to change key and alarm for our car and that has incurred an extra expenditure. Just imagine when you reach home early in the morning from the place you went to have a good holiday time together with family, just to see your house has been thoroughly ransacked! 

It was festive season over here in Malaysia last week and I bet most Malaysians would have been away from home for celebration and holidays. The situation in Malaysia has gone from bad to worse now following MANY gunshot incidents here. Since April 12 2013 there were 31 gunshot murders and incidents in Malaysia. Firearms are now available at very cheap price and almost anyone can own a gun now and shoot anybody he or she feels like killing. This is the new trend here and most of the victims were killed when they stop their cars or bikes at traffic lights. So the next time you are in Malaysia and you stop at a traffic light, beware as you could be the next target for no particular reason. 

Where is Malaysia really heading to now? With our economy going worse from day to day, increasing crime rate has been very worrying. The recent general election has caused great turmoil in Malaysian politics and uneven opportunities among people of different races has forced many skilled workers to emigrate and look for a better life. I could safely say that most of the students studying abroad would never return to Malaysia for a living and this is why you could see more foreigners here working as labours and even skilled workers because our own people had enough with what's happening.

If you think I'm hugely deviating from my post about the robbery by linking it with the current political scenario, you are absolutely wrong! I feel both issues are greatly interconnected as failure to handle crime while it could still be controlled with great ease has accelerated violence further. Now as problems have gone out of hand, we are struggling to offset to the situation. 

I don't believe that moving out of the place where we belonged to will guarantee a better life. If I can't fight for what is rightfully mine in my own land, I don't expect Americans, Australians or Canadians to help me out for a better life. If you can't fight for yourself NOW, you can't do that elsewhere. Malaysia's top two richest men are non-Malays. In fact, the backbone of Malaysia's economy is held by the Malaysian Chinese. I believe it is more of what you can make out of what you have right now and that is the true trait of the survival of the fittest. 

Why I'm Into Social Psychology Class?

Social Psychology

I'm not sure how many of you know the existence of an educational website called Coursera. I think it is definitely fun to join in the fun of learning with the other students across the world from different cultural backgrounds. I joined a course earlier called Rhetorical Writing somewhere in May this year and the response was overwhelming from the participant, but the only drawback of the course was the duration of it that lasted for about ten weeks. So I was not able to commit fully as my final examination was nearing at that point of time. Since I'm home now and I'm trying to occupy my time with a lot of useful activities, I joined Social Psychology class that commences this week. 

What draws my attention to this class? I love to learn different subjects that educates me with a concept I can apply in my daily life. I feel social psychology is an important aspect in understanding the complexity of human being and the problems that follow when we fail at it. History, Geography and Science have intrigued me to a great extend when I was at school as I feel those subjects deliver knowledge as a package. With this class, I hope to be able to handle human better and look at psychology from a whole new perspective. It is going to last only for 6 weeks, so I am sure this can be managed well. On top of that, I will be granted 'Certificate of Completion' when I complete the course successfully. Oh yeah, this is a FREE course, so while you laze around in the internet, why not learn something useful and that too for free? :)

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

The Harbinger

The Harbinger

The Harbinger written by Christopher Huntingford is the first sequel to the other Harbinger Chronicles that will be following up soon. This story is based on kingdom adventure with Alexander Wolfield as the main character where the kingdom of Alveus is on the rise as it conquers the economic wealth. The story evolves as a rift between the king's sons develops. Apart from that, factions are also being formed in the countryside. Alexander faces challenges from his father as he became close and loyal to his ideals who points out the sins of the nobility and he soon finds his way out to leave the kingdom. 

The characters of the King's children are very captivating in this book, with each one of them being so different from one another. I enjoyed Sofia's character in this book as much as the main character. She is the only girl among the four brothers and also the twin sister to one of the boys. The third son Calimus' is the black sheep of the family I would say as he shames the family and kingdom with his character. These characters add the suspense element to the whole plot as the tension rises when friction builds among themselves. 

Christopher has an amazing website for his book that can be viewed at this link. His blog can be viewed at this tumblr website and like his Facebook page to get the updates regarding his book. You can pre-order the book now through his website or wait for the book the be available on Amazon on 9/1. 

About Christopher

Christopher Huntingford is a citizen of the world. He was born in the United States and raised on military bases across the Pacific Ocean. At one point he attended four schools in three years and ended up attending seven schools in a span of twelve years.

 

In the midst of his journeys he developed his creative side with his love of acting and a secondary love of writing. He went on to perform in high school and college plays and sketches, but left his love for a successful career in business management.

 

When his son Wyatt turned eight, Christopher promised to finish a story he had been musing on for a decade and publish it.

Ian Anderson's Writing Experiences on Mythology

Ian Anderson

Ian was born in New York but now lives and works in Florida. He has traveled to many different

places throughout the US and has even been to Scotland once. Ian started studying Mythology at a

young age when given a picture book of Greek myths. Since then he has become a student of

Norse, Japanese, Egyptian, Irish, and many other types of Mythology. He has combined these

different mythologies into his series entitled "Modern Disciples." He is new to the world of

publishing books, but has written short stories and poems since high school. 

Ian's book can be purchased via Amazon and he has also two other sequels to this book; Modern

Disciples Volume 2 and 3. Check it out!

Here are some interesting things about Ian and his writing journey mainly based on Mythology. 

Where are you from?

         Originally, I am from Buffalo, New York. Before the turn of the millennium, I moved to Florida and I             have been living in Tampa ever since.

Why do you write? 

I honestly believe that this is what I was meant to do.  I think everyone has a specific purpose in life, something that he or she was meant to do. I think many people who are unhappy are that way because they never found their true purpose in life. Writing is mine.

What do you write about? 

I mostly write about Mythology. That is where the majority of our stories come from. Even our most 

modern stories can be traced back to Mythology somehow. You can see it in Harry Potter, the   

Hunger Games, and the Maze runner to name a few.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I wouldn’t say I have a specific style. I always try to edit my work as well as I possibly can. I prefer third person perspective. I find first person a bit too restrictive. I try to use the active voice as much as possible but sometimes it just does not sound right. When I use dialogue I try to make it as natural sounding as I can. That is how I write my fiction. When I write on my blog on Goodreads, I try to sound casual while still trying to lead a serious discussion.

What are obstacles that come in the way of writing? 

Besides life in general, I would say the two greatest obstacles are a person’s own fears, and their laziness. Those are everybody’s greatest enemies in my opinion, no matter what they do. Every excuse you can think of to not do something comes back to either being too scared to do it, or being too lazy. “I don’t know if people will like this,” your fear. “There are too many distractions in my life right now,” your laziness.

Whats the most memorable thing said by a reader about your work?

One of my friends who read Volume 1 told me about how she started crying in the middle of a Subway restaurant while she was reading my book. She thought her favorite character was going to die. It’s amazing to think that somebody could become so emotionally invested in a character that I just made up. That was when I realized that I was meant to be a writer, and I had to do everything possible to be successful with my writing.

What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

Well, seeing as how I recently quit my job, my writing schedule is now wide open. I basically write all day while allowing myself to get out when I need to.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

For some reason I keep writing “they” when I should be writing “the.” It’s something I have to keep my eye out when I edit.

            How long does it take to write a book?

That depends on who you ask of course. John Green says it takes him 3 years. I seem to take about a year to write mine. Other writers get their books out faster. Another thing you have to take into consideration is that publishing takes time also. Those times vary on the publishing company, how relevant the topic of the book is to what’s going on in the world, and whether or not the author self-published. Self-published books get to the market faster.

            Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?

Practice your trade often. Be a reader. Listen to serious, professional criticisms. Don’t restrict yourself to your own book critics. Read reviews of other people’s books, and movies as well. You can learn a lot about story and character that way.

            What do you think makes a good story?

                        First, you need an interesting premise. Next, you need memorable characters. They don’t                necessarily have to be likeable, although pulling off a story where none of the characters are likeable             is very difficult to pull off. They just have to stick in the readers mind. You also need some kind of               conflict. There must be at least one problem that has to be overcome. The most important thing is                  execution. That is the one ingredient you can never live without, and sometimes get away with being the          only thing you have going for you.

            What does your family think of your writing?

That’s an interesting question. They are my biggest fans, and at the same time my harshest critics. They are always the first ones to read my books when they come out. Some of them post reviews for me. Yet I’ve noticed that they will often give me 4 star ratings while complete strangers will give me 5 star ratings. For the most part though, they are very supportive.

            If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

            I actually studied Creative Writing when I went to the University.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? 

In my opinion, if you can make your living off of it and don’t have to take a day job to make ends meet, you’re successful.

            What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Again, this comes down to traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. As a self-published author, my greatest challenge has been marketing. Writing would be a close second, and the publishing part is easy when you self-publish. As long as you have the money and are not writing a how to book on being a pedophile, you will get published. For traditional authors, I would think getting published would be the difficult part. That involves finding an agent that will sponsor you. Waiting for a publishing house to accept your work, and then when you do sell your work waiting a year for the book to even hit the shelves. They also have to market their books as well though, so that is something to keep in mind.

            How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

At my desktop computer, that way if I need to research something really quick, the internet is right there.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign.

Modern Disciples has a Facebook page. I am working on getting it a website. It will be called Mythbooks. One thing I’ve found is that giveaways don’t work. I have spent a lot of time and money sending copies of my books away and gotten nothing in return. That’s why I tend to shy away from them. I find its better to go to Fiverr.com and get reviews there.

            Do you have anything specific you'd like to tell the readers?

                        Hey, how’s it going?

Finally, there are some who have been comparing Modern Disciples to the Percy Jackson series. How do you feel about that?

I think it would be silly to say they don’t at least invite comparison. They are both based on Mythology, Riordan and I both do extensive research into the mythologies before we write the books. I do think however a better comparison that has been used by the fans is “Percy Jackson for adults.” My stories are much darker and have subject matter a bit too mature for the younger crowd. I also incorporate all mythologies at once where Riordan prefers a one pantheon at a time approach. I have read the entire Percy Jackson series though and I do recommend it highly.    

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Virginity A Gift To Your Man?

virginity & value of women

I had this post on draft in my blog for a long time and I thought I had to write this out when I saw a post on Glipho (a new exciting blogging platform) that was discussing an issue closely related to this article.

Georgia has created turmoil lately when its women stood up for protest against ‘’virginity test’’ that was subjected to brides-to-be particularly by their mother-in-laws to ensure that their sons future wives are ‘’pure’’ and uphold their chastity. Apparently, there are as many as 200 ‘’virginity inspections’’ made each year according to Georgia’s National Forensics Bureau with each test costing about $50 to $60 and double this amount for faster results. This practise has caused uproar in the society especially among feminists who slam hard on the unethical and oppressive act. A week ago, Independent Group of Feminists organised a protest to stop the ‘’virginity institute’’ that ‘’measures’’ the value of women based on their chastity alone.

Meanwhile, as the society puts so much emphasis on the ridiculous belief that women who are not virgins at marriage are not decent women, there is a steady increase in the demand to ‘’restore’’ virginity among women who wants a second marriage and women who fail the test whereby surgeons temporarily stitch the hymens back together.

Now, getting back to my thoughts on this, I drafted this post because I was angered with the fact that women are oppressed emotionally with the common notion that the society held that blindly and stupidly believes that women’s ‘’chastity’’ is the greatest gift for their men. I found a blog where a man was discussing this and says that men treasure their wives more when they reserve their precious first experience for them. If men choose to respect their women, this freaking damn plain sheath won’t be an issue to be debated on in the first place. If men really appreciates women when they ‘’preserve’’ themselves for their men on the wedding night, why are we still seeing some of them wagging their ‘tails’ and going after another woman or ditching their wives with a few children? Is that damn hymen is something men own in women in the first place to be given away and is their concern on women as thin as the sheath?

Of course the first sexual encounter remains fresh on mind, just like the first kiss, the first phone you used, the first school you attended and everything else that came first in your life. But the first may not be the best. So men, why the fuss over the women’s chastity when you know their past won’t harm your happiness together?  

If men can be encouraged to have sex and explore sexual activities at a very young age, so can women. If the damn society thinks men need to have sex with other women who are not their respective wives just so that they save embarrassment during the wedding night, so can women. If men think they can shove their damn thing into any women just because they have sexual liberty, so can women. If men need to learn how to ‘handle’ their wives so must women or else don’t complain that your women are not good at bed!

I believe women would feel bad with the fact that someone has laid her hands on their men as much as men who feel the same over their wives. If something is wrong for women, it is equally wrong for men too.  

Shades For Surviving Engineering

Shades

So, my results came a few days back, and I am proud to say that I survived four years of engineering. I'm now an official Chemical Engineering graduate. Pheww.... Still job hunting as I believe I the best is yet to come. We are going off to my dad's place where he works tomorrow and as it is holiday here in Malaysia starting next week for Eid Celebration and it is time for real Malaysian celebration. We are planning to chill out at Cameron Highlands for the weekend too so you may expect some pictures next week on Glipho if I am not too lazy to upload them here. As for myself, I thought of forking out some money from the part time business I am doing to give myself a treat for successfully surviving the long 19 years of education with something that I have always wanted to get: A Shade ;) Let me know what to look out for if you have an idea for my shopping for shade ;)

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Slow Burn: Zero Day

Slow Burn: Zero Day

Bobby Adair has done a great job with his book Slow Burn: Zero Day. If you love stories about zombies or reading suspense and horror books, I bet this book is going to entice and keep you glued to the book. 

This book features Zed as the main character who is in the idea of approaching his mother for some money only to find out that his mother is dead. Very soon, Zed learns that his stepfather has got a zombie feast and deeply horrified Zed then kills his stepfather. He passes out for two days, wakes up and calls the cop who later arrests him. In the prison, Zed sees the world is in turmoil about the new flu strain that has been spreading across many continents and people live in fear of getting infected. 

Although Zed managed to kill his stepdad, he was actually bitten by him before he died. So Zed is considered a ''slow burn'' where he can later turn out to be infected or not which is the main suspense that drives the interest of readers till the last page of the book.  Zed comes out of the prison and finds his survival in the chaotic world where he defends himself from the zombies who are infected and faces challenges interacting with people who are not infected and runs away from Zed in fear. 

I thought Bobby has weaved this story very realistically with some sense of humor together with suspense, horror and thrilling elements. I bet you would feel the tense throughout the book as the eagerness to know what happens next keeps you hooked to the book. The characters are well drawn and well developed, and the main protagonists experience circumstances and develop a point of view not often seen in Zombie/Infected Apocalypse fiction. This book is available for free download at Amazon's link and at Smashwords. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Womens & Lemons: Your Time Is Now

Ever wondered what happens to your life when you, as a woman, hit the age of 50? How do you intend to live your life after 50 or even 40? Do you think you should slow down and live a life that is calmer and reserved? Janice L. Walker has a message for you and all the other women who think just like you as she proves you wrong with her book Womens & Lemons: Your Time Is Now. Yes, WOMENS, you read that right. Find out why when the book is out.

For the past 15 years, Janice L. Walker has conducted workshops and seminars for a variety of women’s groups. She is passionate about issues that involve women and believes that women do not truly appreciate themselves as they should, especially in their 50s. She encourages, affirms, motivates, and inspires women to be all that they can be, and accept nothing less than the best for themselves at this particular juncture in life.

I had an opportunity to read Janice's book before it is out this FALL 2013, and I feel Janice has incorporated her experience in this non-fiction work to help women start enjoying their lives. With the motto that 50 is really the new 30, I feel this book is a perfect read for our mothers who are getting old and living a dull life. It serves as a call for them to get out of their house, do what they are passionate about and achieve their dreams. 

While reading this book, I also thought it is essential for men to encourage their wives and mothers to live a joyful life by going out for vacation, participating in social events with their friends and continue exploring adventures at this age. I feel it is time for us to stop consuming too much of our mothers' lives. Women have sacrificed enough for their families during their younger days and Janice encourages them to start living for themselves. 

So, when life gives you lemon, squeeze the life out of that lemon and enjoy all that life has to offer you, which you so richly deserve!!

Womens and Lemons is coming out this fall and you can request to be notified on the release of the book by emailing to vipfalo@aol.com and you will get to choose one out of ten free posters of Womens and Lemons available when you get the book. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Janice L. Walker Shares Her Thoughts And Views With Us!

Coming soon this fall

Janice L.Walker is the Quintastic Women's woman. She is the author of the book Womens and Lemons: Your Time Is Now. Janice L. Walker has conducted workshops and seminars for a variety of women’s groups. She is passionate about issues that involve women and believes that women do not truly appreciate themselves as they should, especially in their 50s. She encourages, affirms, motivates, and inspires women to be all that they can be, and accept nothing less than the best for themselves at this particular juncture in life. Her book is coming out real soon and she shares some very interesting information about her life with us here. Sit back and enjoy the interview. 

Describe yourself in five words - Driven, committed, Quintastic, caring, unlimited

What fact about yourself would really surprise people? That I can be very sensitive and am extremely passionate.

 How do you work through self-doubts and fear?  Believe it or not, I choose that those emotions are not part of my reality.

What scares you the most?  Not having enough time to accomplish all that I want to do.

 What makes you happiest? Aside from spending quality time with my husband, engaging in my passion, which most recently was writing Womens & Lemons^TM: Your Time Is Now!

 Why do you write? I am very passionate about writing and enjoy it immensely.

 Have you always enjoyed writing? Yes.

What motivates you to write? People, subject matter, and for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment.

 What writing are you most proud of?  I just finished writing what I am most proud of – Womens & Lemons: Your Time Is Now – Begin YOUR Adventure; Live YOUR Dream!

What are you most proud of in your personal life? That I am married to the world’s most wonderful and handsome man.

 What books did you love growing up? Bermuda Triangle; Cain & Able; The Prodigal Daughter; The Prophet; and Siddhartha.

 What do you hope your obituary will say about you? She loved God and man/woman and gave of herself because of it.

 Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live? Cincinnati, OH on both accounts. I have lived in England (when in the U.S. Air force) and Arizona. I have been to Mexico, Hawaii, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and many other exciting places in the world.

 How did you develop your writing? Over time, and I always did have a way with words.

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing? I would say that marketing and promoting are not difficult, but very time-consuming, but for me it is a labor of love. You better than to be in charge of your promotional efforts than you, after all, it is your book.

 What marketing works for you? This is my first book so I do not know yet, but I am trying a variety of different media with the intent of focusing on my book’s audience-the Quintastic Woman- and the other audiences to encourage them to buy the book for their wives, significant others, sisters, or parents.

 Do you find it hard to share your work? Not all I. That is one of the things next to writing that I do enjoy. And with Womens & Lemons^TM it is even more enjoyable because every woman’s face lights up when I tell them what it is about. I absolutely love the response I get.

 Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you? Yes, every single person does. My husband, Harold, and my elder brother Warren, have been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders by being involved in reading and commenting on the book. My Mom supports everything I do, but then that’s what moms do, don’t they.

 What else do you do, other than write?  I work full-time; teach a class each week; engage in community and pro bono work as a practicing corporate attorney. Often asked to speak at various events and functions (motivation and inspirational speaking) to encourage women to make the best out of the life that they have.

 What other jobs have you had in your life?  I have been in the U.S. Air Force (surgery technician); been a Loaned Executive from one company to the other; office manager assistant at a construction site; retail grocery store manager; and the past 18 years practicing law.

 If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? Something that is related to a subject I like, e.g., writing, Fine Art, as opposed to work-related courses.

 If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Pondering on that very subject in my life now.

 Tell us about your family? My Mom is 88 years old and in wonderful health. My husband is a practicing attorney, has an MBA, and was previously a minister for a number of years, and the CEO of two organizations. He is a wonderful man and matches me perfectly; I could not ask for a better man. I have 6 siblings, and my brother Warren in California is very supportive and we are as thick as two thieves.

 How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? Desktop computer primarily except when writing in my Womens & Lemons Adventure Journal^TM.

 How much sleep do you need to be your best? About 7 hours.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? My husband Harold Cleveland; my mother, Carrie Walker, and my brother, Warren Walker.

 Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?  Replacing my currently salary (and beyond) with the books that I write, selling books like crazy and breaking the general writing statistics in every metric. Also, Womens & Lemons^TM: Your Time Is Now is intended to be the first in a series. It is also intended to begin a Womens & Lemons community and movement to wake Quintastic Women everywhere from their slumber to a bright new day ahead at this time in their lives.

 It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? I am developing it now. I have logos, planned radio endorsements, video endorsements, YouTube videos, and finding websites that target my audience, and using social media and some very creative methods.

 Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it? Because I saw so many women in their late 40s and in their 50s with so much life left and so much potential not setting their sights on any new heights or any new goals. They seem to be lethargic with the overall attitude that their best days are behind them. I wanted to change that paralyzing mindset to something the Quintastic Woman could look forward to. When one colleague told me that her husband said she was too old at 53 and weeks later she participated in a triathlon – 6 mile canoeing, 5 ½ mile run, and an 18 mile bike ride through mountainous terrain- her actions and can do attitude totally shattered his 20^th century mindset. She knew better than to believe his attempt at putting her down. But, how many women don’t know better? How many women just settle for the mediocre and their current status quo when they should understand and believe that the best is yet to come in their lives? They deserve the best after taking care of the needs and wants of others for so long. And the Quintastic mindset with ensure that they demand the best that life has to offer them at this stage in the game.

 If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

 In no particular order: Abe Lincoln; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Warren Buffett; Princess Diana; Bill Clinton; Mother Teresa; Nelson Mandela; Lazarus; and Christ.

 When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? Exercising, vacationing, being outdoors, watching a few of my favorite programs, emptying my mind and not thinking about anything.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

I hope women will first feel differently about their Quintastic stage if they have not previously embraced the concept that age 50 is the new age 30. I hope women feel affirmed, encouraged, supported, and more hopeful about this time in their lives more than they have ever felt before reading Womens & Lemons^TM. I hope women will see their unlimited potential and be driven, committed, and determined to go for it believing that the best is yet to come for them and let nothing get in their way of beginning their adventure and living their dream right now. They should feel empowered more than they have ever felt and a sense that they belong to a most unique and one of the most special groups on this planet – the baby-boomer women, especially the Quintastic Women. And with what they get from Womens & Lemons^TM: Your Time Is Now, that they will be anxious to read Womens & Lemons^TM: Butterflies and Snakes about continuing to evolve, transform, and reinvent oneself. Also, I hope they will purchase the Womens & Lemons Adventure Journal^TM, which is for writing their responses to the Action Steps in the book and be a signal to other woman when carrying it that they too are Quintastic Women and proud of it.

**Do you have links that you'd like to share for others to read? (if so please include in your mail.)**

I am asking people within all of my promotional media to send me an email for notification of the specific release date. People have been anticipating this book and it will be in large demand. For all those who request pre-release notification they will receive an exclusive commemorative Womens & Lemons poster after proof of purchasing the book, but I must have received their email notification request. It was made especially for Womens & Lemons^TM: Your Time Is Now! Send that email now to vipfalo@aol.com, and simply put Womens & Lemons Notification in the subject line and we will email you when the release date has been set. Send your pre-release notification to vipfalo@aol.com now. Afterwards, the posters will be for sale exclusively on my website with the Womens & Lemons Adventure Journal^TM.

Wishing Janice a huge success with her upcoming book that carries her motive to help women enjoy their lives. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback