Sin-ical!!!

"I have prayed about this" she says looking at me defiantly!
"Oh!" I say doing my level best to keep my face dead pan knowing very well that with those few words our discussion has reached a stale mate situation.
We are having a conversation about a communication plan for an event. A task which she is not capable of handling as she has not done anything similar ever before. But she is not willing to consider the roll out plan I am recommending. And there is nothing I can do because who can argue with "this is what God has laid on my heart".
Of course the turnout at the event was not as high as they expected. But then again it is shrugged off as "Gods Will".
I am a believing Christian. Though not one of the Bible thumping holier than thou art rabid kind. But I do encounter them a lot. And over the years I have realized that 99% of them are just normal people just like us. Bitchy. Argumentative. Horny. Jealous. Jumping into conclusions and revengeful as well. But most of them cloak their negative actions in what I would like to call "God Speak".
Being rude and hurtful is saying it with love and truthfulness.
Being stubborn and obstinate is carrying out God's wishes.
If something is not going the way they want it is the work of the enemy or a spiritual attack.
And if it is an argument which they can't win of course it is earthly wisdom.
Ultimately it is the same shit in a more holier saucer.

Awwdience!

Bloody Peasants!
This was the comment made on a fb post I had shared where Derana made an apology for criticizing Kishani Jayasinghe on singing "Danno Budunge" in an operatic style.
I resented that comment.
As much as I resented all the negative comments made about the performance.
Because this, along with most of the other comments supporting the performance reeked of - a false - sense of superiority. A "my tastes are far more refined than yours" kind of haughtiness. Which I found unpalatable.
But it did get me thinking.
This was a national celebration, with a nation-wide audience, telecast live on national TV? Not a concert for the Colombo elite in a small intimate surrounding.
And the question which begs to be asked is did those who put together the show think about the audience when doing so?
To me the first priority when planning a celebration is to focus on what would please the audience? What would thrill them? What would they appreciate?
Not to get them to try and appreciate what I think is good and then cry foul when people don't do so.
My question to all those people who are shouting about casting pearls before swine is this?
Wouldn't you have to be an absolute fool to do so?

The 5 3 2 technique for happiness

This little nugget of valuable info is embedded in my previous post titled "What should have been the most popular TED talk every". However in this modern world of seven second Vine videos and 140 character text messages watching an entire TED talk to find the key to happiness would not be appealing to most people. This video distills what Professor Amit Sood was saying into sixty seconds and three easy steps. This is 1 minute you will never waste.

Validation Queen

"I don't eat fruits, or potatoes or pork or chicken and very rarely...fish" she said to no one in particular.
30 heads looked up in surprise around the breakfast table.
A few, exchanging knowing glances. Which read a desperate "Oh no!"
"I always try to eat organic, and try to eat healthy" she continued.
Now there is nothing wrong in sharing your lifestyle choices among friends.
But not among 30 strangers who were seated for a networking breakfast before starting a life realignment workshop.
Right throughout the workshop this continued.
She interrupted the lecturer constantly.
We knew how she started her morning.
We knew how she treated her work colleagues
We knew how she went about her day...
In fact we knew far more than we wanted to.
Sadly not what we came to learn....
And as she started going off on a tangent once again my eyes met with the person who was seated behind her. Who raised her eyes in exasperation and mouthed "Validation Queen!"

What should have been the most popular TED talk ever

I could also have titled this post "the most uninspiring TED talk title in history" and that too would have been quite accurate. But this TED talk addresses a problem virtually everyone I know is faced with. Not being able to focus or Mind wandering. Remember reading a book and then realizing that you cannot remember what it was that you read? Sounds familiar. Not only does he outline the problem but he goes where many other TED presenters rarely do: which is giving simple practical solutions to becoming more focused.
This talk is as life changing as the Amy Cuddy talk titled "Your Body Language shapes who you are". However this has only 23,000 views unlike the millions of views generated by Cuddy's talk.
Firstly it could be because that this is a TEDx talk which is technically a TED franchise. More importantly it could be because of the complete lack of sizzle in the title. But then this guy is a Professor of Medicine at the famous Mayo Clinic in charge of resilient living. You really don't expect him to have the marketing muscle to come up with a snazzy title. But I sure wish he had someone to help him craft a better one as he sure has something very important and interesting to say. Let me end my piece with one of the quotes which remain etched in my mind and hope that it intrigues you enough to click play.
"Science is nothing but the systematic study of spirituality".