The Secret Daughter - My Review

-My Sanctuary-: The Secret Daughter - My Review:

 

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http://shilpigowda.com/gowda-overview.htm

Despite my TO READ list which I have been updating every now and then in my previous posts, I ended up buying a book recommended at MPH and which was on sale last Christmas. 

It was so apt with the moment that I was in when I read it, while I was in Brunei visiting my parents. My father is currently working there for the past 7 years. 

I was emotionally connected to the book instantaneously. The author addressed the issues of a mother who is passionate in having kids and the emotional turmoils she had to endure when she physically could not conceive.

I shared similar concerns as I am not blessed like some mothers who is able to conceive naturally and easily. I cant imagine myself if I am actually her, to not being able to conceive forever.

Being a mother has taught me a lot and I am still open in reading anything new on parenting skills. Reading a book is very much different than having to apply to your child. I am blessed that I am able to go through the experience with my girls when there are so many women who are trying to conceive.

The author also wrote about a woman who was able to conceive naturally yet was unable to keep her daughters due to cultural reasons. In the Indian culture, having sons are celebrated more. More so at that particularly time the mothers were in. 

It is so ironic. Women who wants to have kids and is not able to conceive against women who are able and have disposed of their duties by either murdering or giving the baby up for adoption.

That is life. The harsh facts of life determines what you do. The unfairness is apparent however with the cultural intervention, it seems natural. 

The book solidified my passion to become a mother who will nurture her children with the right values but at the same time instill fun to anything and everything that they do. 

It is all about having the right balance. Very simple to want and imagine but very difficult to carry out. 

Let's not give up. 

To the mothers reading this, let's treasure our children and always remember that to be able to conceive and have healthy babies being born are miracles in itself.

To the women hoping to be mothers, please do not give up. There is always a way to shower all the love that you have. Be it to your natural family or to any strangers.

Here's a reader's review of the book via http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-secret-daughter-by-shilpi-somaya-gowda/article1374464/

Knowing Yourself

-My Sanctuary-: Knowing Yourself:

Listen to your heart. Ask yourself. Debate with the inner goddess. Rationalize with you, yourself and you. Its about understand your wants, your needs, your desires.

What do you want to achieve? 

Career wise. Family. Personal growth. Spiritually.....(read on)

Hyperemesis gravidarum - Know Your Condition

Duchess of Cambridge has been reported by St James Palace to be pregnant

The statement in full:"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby.The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.'The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter."

Awesome news to me..it makes me truly happy when anyone is about to have a baby. The gift of life is such a wonderful experience to you as a person and how the baby affects you and your surroundings  is priceless. 

To be able to enjoy the pregnancy feel may be very easy to most but a challenge to some ladies.  Everyone is different, their body, their hormones and their agenda set by God. 

Let's have compassion to those striving to experience one of the greatest miracles of life.

via

http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981794289

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Hyperemesis gravidarum is extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that may lead to dehydration.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Nearly all women have some nausea or vomiting, or "morning sickness," particularly during the first 3 months of pregnancy. The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is believed to be rapidly rising blood levels of a hormone called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is released by the placenta.

Extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can happen if you are pregnant with twins (or more) or if you have a hydatidiform mole.

Symptoms

• Severe, persistent nausea during pregnancy, often leads to weight loss
• Lightheadedness or fainting

Signs and tests

The doctor will perform a physical exam. Blood pressure may be low. Pulse may be high.

The following laboratory tests will be done to check for signs of dehydration:

• Hematocrit
• Urine ketones

Your doctor may need to run tests to rule out liver and gastrointestinal problems.

A pregnancy ultrasound will be done to see if you are carrying twins or more, and to check for a hydatidiform mole.

Treatment

Small, frequent meals and eating dry foods such as crackers may help relieve uncomplicated nausea.

You should drink plenty of fluids. Increase fluids during the times of the day when you feel the least nauseated. Seltzer, ginger ale, or other sparkling waters may be helpful.

Vitamin B6 (no more than 100 mg daily) has been shown to decrease the nausea in early pregnancy.

Medication to prevent nausea is reserved for cases where vomiting is persistent and severe enough to present potential risks to you and your unborn baby. In severe cases, you may be admitted to the hospital, where fluids will be given to you through an IV.

Expectations (prognosis)

Nausea and vomiting usually peaks between 2 and 12 weeks of pregnancy and goes away by the second half of pregnancy. With proper identification of symptoms and careful follow-up, this condition rarely presents serious complications for the infant or mother.

Complications

Too much vomiting is harmful because it leads to dehydration and poor weight gain during pregnancy.

Social or psychological problems may be associated with this disorder of pregnancy. If such problems exist, they need to be identified and addressed appropriately.

via

Hyperemesis gravidarum - PubMed Health

Ekspresi Karya Gemilang, Konser Gratis Hadirkan Artis Indonesia-Malaysia

-My Sanctuary-: Ekspresi Karya Gemilang, Konser Gratis Hadirkan Ar...: Would anyone be interested? To create and foster a deeper relationship between two countries via cultural arts. 

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Digagas oleh sebuah perusahaan kelapa sawit.

Sebuah gelaran yang mengangkat kolaborasi budaya antara Indonesia dan Malaysia akan dihelat dengan tajuk Ekspresi Karya Gemilang.

Digagas oleh sebuah perusahaan kelapa sawit, Minamas, Ekspresi Karya Gemilang yang akan digelar di Jakarta, Pekanbaru dan Banjarmasin ini bertujuan untuk melestarikan budaya Indonesia dan Malaysia yang memiliki rumpun sama, yaitu Melayu.

"Kami di Minamas Gemilang dan tim tentu saja percaya pelestarian budaya harus dimulai dari individu, dan bisa dimulai dari konser ini, supaya kaum muda bisa memahami dan melestarikan budaya untuk kedepannya," jelas Mohd Ghozali Yahaya selaku Presiden Direktur PT Minamas Gemilang saat ditemui di acara jumpa pers Ekspresi Karya Gemilang di kawasan Menteng, Jakarta Pusat hari ini.

Konser ini nantinya akan menampilkan deretan musisi dan seniman terbaik tanah air seperti Titi DJ, Rossa, Inka Christie, Ungu, Radja, Armada, Dara Jana yang berkolaborasi dengan musisi dan seniman dari Negeri Jiran seperti. Siti Nurhaliza, Amy Search, dan Shilla Hamzah yang akan disutradarai oleh Denny Malik.

Nantinya Denny akan bertanggung jawab atas kemasan konser tersebut. Para penyanyi, pemusik dan penari akan ditampilkan dalam satu panggung lewat nuansa etnik dan tradisi Melayu.

"Ada dekorasi, panorama dari dua negara dalam satu bnetuk musikal yang menarik. Saya bikin non stop review, jadi konsep yang enggak terputus. Ada hampir 400 personel pendukung," terang Denny.

Nuansa etnik Melayu itu kemudian didukung dengan sentuhan orkestrasi yang dipandu oleh Yusuf Oblet, pemain musik etnik yang memiliki latar belakang musik klasik dengan permainan nada-nada diatonik Barat.

"Saya akan membawa 30 personel yang nanti ada kolaborasi dengan permainan orkestra," paparnya.

Ekspresi Karya Gemilang akan digelar di Jakarta pada tanggal 10 Desember 2012 di Mata Elang International Stadium yang kemudian dilanjutkan di Lapangan Batrai P Kodam, Pekanbaru pada tanggal 12 Desember 2012, dan Stadion Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarmasin pada tanggal 14 Desember 2012.

Menariknya, perhelatan akbar ini disuguhkan tanpa menarik biaya apapun bagi penontonnya. Pihak Minamas menyediakan sekitar 10.000 tiket undangan bagi para penonton yang berminat menyaksikan sajian spektakuler kolaborasi budaya dua negara ini.

Bagi para calon penonton yang berminat menyaksikan konser ini dapat langsung menghubungi kantor Synergism di nomer telepon 021-75910791.

Why Mitt Romney Lost: Empathy | The Current Conscience

Why Mitt Romney Lost: Empathy | The Current Conscienc

Last night, Barack Obama won re-election because of one big reason: empathy. More specifically, he and the Democratic Party were more successful at expressing empathy than Mitt Romney and the Republicans.

In the election post-mortem, one number stuck out to me more than any other. If we put aside which candidate the voters thought would be a better steward of our economy, what people thought about the multitude of issues, there was plurality of voters (by a margin of 10 percent) who felt that Barack Obama understood what they were facing, or to be more exact, that he was “in touch” with their problems.

I am obsessed with empathy. I have written about it in the past and I am writing about it today because in the coming weeks and months, I intend to address this idea of the empathy gap. Empathy should not be confused with sympathy; to put it simply, empathy is about feeling and understanding the pain or joy of another. Moreover, empathy is not about pity…far from it.

Empathy is incredibly healing and incredibly powerful in life, and especially in politics. The ability or inability of a political candidate to make people feel like they are being understood, that they exist, that what they are facing–good or bad–is something that can be appreciated and understood, can either move a candidate forward, or cause voters to extinguish their passions for that candidate.

People can try to explain that Mitt Romney did many wonderful things for many people, that his advisors should be blamed for poor messaging, or that the Democrats “swiftboated” him, but in my mind, it is nearly impossible to manufacture or message empathy. While a political candidate can say all the right things, without a sense of empathy for the population, he/she will eventually display a lack of humanity and understanding.

Perfect example of this was Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” moment (notice I didn’t use the word “gaffe”).

But excuse-making doesn’t work for either of the political parties. Perception is everything in politics. If you have to spend time explaining why people are misunderstanding your message, you’re never going to gain their support. There are no “buts” in politics.

To prove that I’m not delving into partisan attacks here, I want to look at a Democratic defeat. The many factors that led to John Kerry’s loss in 2004 (key word: many), there is one that he shares with Mitt Romney: disconnection.

I honestly don’t think that their supposed disconnection from the rest of America has anything to do with wealth. In other words, the fact that both men are incredibly wealthy did not and does not lead to this disconnection. People who don’t have money can be just as lacking in the empathy department as people who do have money. We connect wealth as a way of explaining why they don’t understand or why they at least lack the ability to project that they understand. However, these two men wouldn’t be able to express empathy if they were working in a minimum wage job.

People make jokes about this, but when Bill Clinton said “I feel your pain” in the 1992 presidential election, it had a startling impact on how he was seen.

“I feel your pain” may be seen as cheesy, but anyone in a difficult position wants to know that what they are facing is understood by others, especially by the man or woman who is vying to lead their country.

So how does this all play out in real life? If you’re a part of one of these groups that is struggling, this is what you heard/hear from the Republican Party, and this is what many voters perceive of the Republican Party:

Undocumented Immigrants: You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to give your family a better life. Look over your shoulder. And if your parents brought you here as a young child, too bad. Not our problem.

Gays and Lesbians: Your love is impure and you don’t deserve validation or any legal protections. Your relationship doesn’t exist.

Women: You have just faced the most gut-wrenching, painful trauma in your life: sexual assault. And now, you realize that you have been impregnated. Now get over it. Too bad.

Anyone On Government Assistance: You are a lazy thief.

Again, the intention of the party or candidate doesn’t matter, it’s all about perception.

When we look at the issue of empathy on a practical, political level, it doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with someone. Having empathy for someone else just means that you have to understand and care about the “how” and “why” of a person or groups of people in their life journeys.

For example, on the issue of immigration, it would be much more effective for someone to say “I don’t blame a single person who is living in America undocumented. We are the greatest country in the world and any person, and especially any parent, would want to seek a better life here. But unfortunately, we simply can’t sustain this in the short or long term.”

If a politician or speaker opens a statement about a difficult issue like immigration through expressing empathy, he/she immediately diffuses a bomb; when people feel understood, they are more easily willing to engage in debate, discussion and forgiveness.

I woke up this morning hearing in my head, the lyrics of Nina Simone’s song, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,”

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood

That’s what it’s all about folks: everyone just wants to be understood. Oprah Winfrey, on the finale episode of her talk show put it simply by pointing out the one thing all of her guests over the 25 years of her show (30,000 total) had in common was the need for their experiences to be understood: “They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?”

This morning, several news clips featured Mitt Romney’s his close supporters and friends sharing their frustrations that “the real Mitt” wasn’t exposed to voters and that his intentions were misunderstood. That may be the case, but his inability to empathize–to understand–led to this misunderstanding.

I need MRT because...

-My Sanctuary-: I need MRT because...: Let's join in the competition and give your best slogan...when you do..appreciate if you could vote for two Suhana M.'s submission :)

-My Sanctuary-: Christian vs Gideon

-My Sanctuary-: Christian vs Gideon:

I found insightful reviews between my fav trilogy to my current read. I agree with her :) I am on chapter 2 of Reflected in You. Book 2 of the Crossfire Series maintains clarity and depth to the descriptions of Eva's surroundings and her feelings to Gideon.

However, on several issues, it seems Sylvia Day refuses Gideon to confess and answer to Eva's frank questions. 

It wasnt so in 50Shades where Ana could wrangle it out of Christian and Christian in due time gave his perception and plausible explanation.

Gideon keeps things hanging too much and its annoying to me sometimes. I guess since the Crossfire Series is too fast paced, the crux of the matters are kept at abeyance to keep the suspense running.

Let's see the 3rd book when I get there.

-My Sanctuary-: Snow 'White'

-My Sanctuary-: Snow 'White': Does anyone dislike wearing white? White is essential to my wardrobe. Be it white on white or a piece of white. I especially love wearing white when I am on a beach holiday.

-My Sanctuary-: Denim on Denim & Suit Up

-My Sanctuary-: Denim on Denim & Suit Up

My Sanctuary: Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

My Sanctuary: Don't Judge a Book by its Cover: This post tugged something deep within my heart, the lil something that seems lost in some, called compassion.