ASSUMPTIONS....

You know what they say about assumptions....The only real thing that assuming achieves is making an ASS out of U and ME....I never really understood the impact of this statement before....I just treated it as a funny play on the word.....and generally used to quote it when my friends made silly little assumptions about trivial little things....

Today however....this little saying has made a huge impression on me....ASSUMING definitely makes an ass of both the person who assumes and the person who is in the receiving end of the assumption.....in someways making assumptions is even worse than lying....because at least when you lie....it is a conscious action taken DESPITE actually being aware of the truth....However when making an asusmption, something is essentially being taken for granted or accepted as being true without proof or validation...

Why this sudden revelation today you may ask?

This past 6 months has been very difficult....I have never experienced such a crazy rollercoaster of emotions as I have this year...In just a span of 3 months.....I lost someone I loved a lot, an extremely unfortunate incident changed a valuable friendship of mine forever....the blind trust I placed on someone came back to bite me....interwined with these incidents....I have had a lot of wonderful moments as well.....there's no denying that....I have accomplished a lot that I have always wanted to but never took the time or initiative to, in this past 1/2 a year....I have also met a variety of interesting people...people who have made me think...made me smile....

But the above negative incidents affected me a lot...They changed the way I think and behave greatly...When previously I'd welcome any new person in my life with open arms and complete warmth, now I am a little more cautious and wary.....It has become so much more difficult for me to trust people and believe that they will trust me....For some reason however, these feelings of mine have manifested externally in a way that has made a lot of people in my life assume that maybe I care for them less, I do not value their company...that that I feel that they are not worthy of my trust....or in some extreme cases...that I even dislike them.... In addition I am afraid of getting too close to people lest they get taken away from me....

While the catalyst to these assumptions could very well be my own actions....It still hurts that such assumptions have been made....because more than any material possesions in my life....the people in my life matter to me a lot....I know that the people who matter will believe in me no matter what.....but it is still disheartening to think that I could potentially lose friendships I haven't yet even had the chance to cultivate because of these assumptions that stand between us....

Assumptions need to not happen....especially when it comes to issues or people that mean something.....it is better to talk it out...clarify...validate....one may not like what one hears or finds out or absolutely be thrilled with what one hears or finds out....but either of these is definitely better than sitting around and making baseless conlusions or opinions....

Meanwhile....I shall trying to open myself up more again and embracing people with more faith....It will not be an easy or quick process for sure but I sure do hope to get there as soon as it is possible for me too....

And that my dear reader....is the truth...and no assumption.............

I love and live Ice Cream

Did you know.....

That July 16th in the US was National Ice Cream Day?.....Imagine...a whole day dedicated to one of the most wonderful edible inventions ever and to the people who love and live it.......yours truly included....

I am a dessert maniac.....and you will never find my freezer devoid of ice cream....which is one of the key reasons I will never ever be able to shed those last few pounds that I need to to reach my desirable weight.....and why I will probably never adorn a bikini in public....BUT......all that does not matter.....because once I put a spoonful of Haagen Dazs Coffee into my mouth.....all my troubles and shortcomings just fly out of the window and I feel like a complete person.....:)......It is indeed weird how the simplest...or seemingly silliest...things in life can take one to such a state.....

But Ice Cream can do that to me my friends....so the next time you see me blue....you know just what to do!........

Some fun facts about Ice Cream:

1. To this day, the history of ice cream remains a mystery. Some say that ice cream was a mixture of snow, nectar, fruit pulp and honey made for the Emperor Nero of Rome by his slaves. Others trace it back to China's Tang Dynasty, where King Shang had 94 men on his staff who helped make a dish made out of buffalo milk, flour and camphor!
2. The average American consumes 21 litres of ice cream PER YEAR.
3. Around 13% of men and 8% of women will admit to licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream.
4. The average single-scoop ice cream takes 50 licks to finish.
5. The ice cream cone is considered one of the most environmentally friendly forms of packaging. (Areille will like this for sure)
6. Baskin Robbins offers almost 950 individual flavours of ice cream!!
7. In 2005, the size of the ice cream market in the US alone was over 20 billion dollars.
8. A traditional name for ice cream is Hokey Pokey. The name originated from early ice cream vendors who peddled their product shouting “ecco un poco” which translates to "Try a Sample".


So anyone wanna do the Hokey Pokey with me this weekend?

Everybody Is Free to Wear Sunscreen

I have accidently meandered into the outskirts of the blogosphere...Whether I choose to take further steps in is yet to be determined.....While I make this crucial decision....enjoy the lyrics of one of my favorite "songs" ever by the fabulous Baz Luhrmann.


Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97,
Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or reliable then my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice....now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, nevermind, you won't understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded, but trust me in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind: the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive; forget the insults. (if you succeed in doing this, tell me how).

Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of Calcium.

Be kind to your knees -- you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40; maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body: Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it; it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have no where to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions (even if you don't follow them).

Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents; you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings: they're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but what a precious few should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps and geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old; and when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse, but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you are 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal--wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me, on the sunscreen.