Tag: Books

Read-view: Way of the Peaceful Warrior

by Ninagracia, posted in Books, Read-view

WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR
A Book that Changes Lives

By: Dan Millman

The book says it would change lives, but I don’t think it changed mine.

Here’s why…

  • Way of the Peaceful Warrior is a real-life story of a world-champion athlete, Dan Millman, the author himself. He spoke about his spiritual journey and his search for true happiness.
  • The author describes his close relationship with his friend Socrates and how they develop a teacher-student relationship where trust and loyalty existed between them.
  • The story is partly fictional and partly autobiographical; hence it was written as a novel.
  • The author incorporated some made-up events, which made me agonise over the validity of the story and regarded that such events were real.
  • The author didn’t say why Socrates was given a job to educate him to be a warrior. I struggled to believe that out of the billions of people here on earth, he was hand-picked by some unknown universal power to learn about the ways and life of a warrior.
  • There were some excellent passages in the story that I genuinely love. Still, I found it very difficult to put my faith into those teachings. First, it only tells you what to do, but it never tells you how to do it. Second, I believe that to apply it to your life, you will need someone to give more detailed information and perhaps dig deeper into the meaning of those passages. Reading it alone would not help that much.

The story goes into astonishing levels of details and unnecessary amount of information.

The ending of the story was not something I anticipated. I was expecting for that BIG ending – the big lesson in life like the ultimate discovery of true happiness.

I was hoping for something I could take with me as a gift of enlightenment or searching for my soul to find my true calling. But I guess, this book is only for pure entertainment, and not a “How-to” manual.

And yes, I believe that Socrates was real. He was a living, breathing human being who suffered from a heart attack. 

And no, I don’t believe that he had some kind of magic or mystical power. I am not convinced that he can transport himself to different places and can read and manipulate your mind. I am not convinced either that he glows and can make himself disappear without a trace, which by the way, it seemed like it did not bother the author.

It seemed odd too that Joy (or Joyce) was also part of Socrates mystical adventure. Through his intervention, she met Dan. And then he sent her to “dreamland”, made her disappear and re-appear again and then back into Dan’s real world and then get married.

It would have been a nice fiction-fantasy story if it was intended to entertain. If the purpose of the story is to help change lives as initially claimed, then a real and accurate account of every event would perhaps speak highly for the integrity of the story.

You may and may not agree with me, and I would love to know your thoughts on this book.

All in all, there was some light humour that put a smile on my face.

So, next time you stop at the gas station, watch out for an old man with shiny hair. You never know, you could be his next student.

Till next time, enjoy the pleasures of life.


Ninagracia

Read-view: The Alchemist

by Ninagracia, posted in Books

The Alchemist
25th Anniversary Edition
By: Paulo Coelho

I took a deep breath, and when I looked at the clock, it was already 5:00 a.m.

I couldn’t believe that I did not sleep the entire night because I was reading a book.

What was unusual about this book that kept me reading the whole night? Why couldn’t I put it down?

Here’s what I can tell you about it. It’s everything!

When I finally put it down to grab at least a couple of hours of sleep, I looked at the cover of the book once again and sighed, WOW!

WOW, for one extraordinary reason that it was breathtaking and engaging.

The story has two parts.

  • Part One is all about the boy’s desire to travel and to know the world. It is what he always wanted to accomplish. It is his Personal Legend.
  • It is also about the recurring dream that set him on a journey to go to the Pyramids of Egypt to find the treasure that will make him very rich.
  • In Part Two, the boy met the Alchemist who taught him lessons about life, people, the Soul of the World, and about following his dream.

This post is not a book review, but only my interpretation of the story and what brought me to react towards certain things and everything around me.

The entire story contains messages that are so broad, intense, and meaningful. It is vibrant and truthful because we all have lived through it in our lifetime. It made me rethink our approach towards life, people, and loving someone, and how some of us abandoned our strong desire to achieve our dream.

The story took me to another part of the world – my world, and my journey.

Here are some passages that I got particularly connected with:

          “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

Come to think of it, it is true.

You and I have probably experienced this one time, or more often in our lives. Some people seem to know what is best for you and what is not. They push to you their own opinion about how you should live your life without regard to your feelings or your situation in life. They want you to be the person they think you should be. They seem to know who you should be. And if you didn’t listen to them, they get angry, and they believe you deserve the life you currently living now.

But the truth is, we all have the ability to choose our path and how we want to lead our lives. No one could do that for you, nor could know this except you – because your heart knows what is best for you.

The boy in the story knew that. He traveled to different places, met new people, and become friends with them but he doesn’t need to spend so much time with them because he has to move around again. That is why travelling appealed to him.

       “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Some of us have chosen to abandon our dream. We allowed those negative feelings and beliefs prevent us from fulfilling our strong desire to see the reality of our vision.

Sometimes, we embraced the idea to dream about our dream because we have already got used to the way things are. We are afraid of change – to change our ways of life, our environment, or who we are.

Some are only afraid that they may not realise their dream. And that there is nothing left for them except concede defeat and give in to disappointments.

But there was a boy, the boy in the story had decided to follow his dream-his Personal Legend and find the treasure. He would travel to Egypt, and from there, he would look for the treasure.

Everything that had happened to the boy occurred between sunrise and sunset. He was a shepherd that morning when he left the fields of Andalusia. He crossed the sea to another continent. By the time the sun began to set, he was already in another country, a stranger in an unfamiliar place, no money and no longer a shepherd.

He understood that the chain of events that happened were all linked together to help him achieve his dream.

In conclusion, the boy didn’t realise that he was already living his dream. He achieved his goal to travel and to know the world simply because of his desire to find the treasures.

He met different people along the way. He made new friends and learned from them. He walked the Sahara Desert, felt the wind on his face, and discovered that even the sun, the wind, and the desert have their limitations on what they can do.

He found out that the treasures he was searching for that would make him a wealthy man were right where he came from because they were just within him all those times.

The treasures were material symbolism. I believe that the true meaning of this is that the treasures were all about the wisdom and experiences he learned on his travel. These are gems that he can share with other people to help them understand everything about life, people, and the world itself.

So, what do think? Feel free to send in your comment. I love to hear it.

Till next time.

Cheers!

Ninagracia

Does Age Really Matter?

by Ninagracia, posted in Writing, Writing Advice

The house is clean, dishes are done, dinner is cooked, so what’s next?

Over the years, you have accustomed yourself doing these routines daily. This is your weekend, but you are stuck with household chores.

You thought about the years – those years you put in towards working to make a living. It was a job that you dreaded sometimes, but you have to get up in the morning and go to work. No matter what your job is about, it paid your bills, your mortgage, and sent your children to school.

You found it hard to balance your priorities between work, family, and doing the job you like to do.

Just like everybody else, you chose family first, and you got yourself doing something you never enjoyed.

Your children are all grown-ups now, but sometimes you feel like you are too old to do anything anymore.

So, what if you are now in your 40’s, 50’s, or in your 60’s. Does it really matter how old you are when it comes to pursuing that dream of writing a book one day?

Are you still stuck on that chair contemplating what it would have been like if you pursued that dream?

Or, perhaps you are still wrapped up with the idea that the right time and opportunity will come. One day maybe, but not today!

That day is NOW.

You reached the prime of your life, your golden years. Everybody deserves something better – YOU, me, and the entire human race.

The opportunity that you have been waiting for has come. Right NOW, TODAY. It wouldn’t knock on your door. It is already there waiting. You need to take the necessary action and do what you have been waiting for a very long time.

This is the moment in your life to be the person you wanted to be and what you always wanted to do.

Write that book. You have so much wisdom to share.

Peel off the old YOU because it’s time for you to shine.

Do not focus on your age. It is just a number and be proud of it. The higher the number goes, the greater the experience and maturity you have within you.

You have so much to offer because your experiences are your lessons. You passed those lessons, and you learned from it, so it’s time to share it and let everyone learn from you.

So, till next time. Dream big and make it happen.

 

Meet the Characters in “Gracie…Shhh!”

by Ninagracia, posted in Books, Children's Books, Featured post

Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you may want to take a break from all these Christmas poetry and letters you’ve been trying to write for your loved ones to be featured here on “Get Creative With Me”.

For the meantime, why not grab a cup of coffee and take a sip and allow me to introduce to you my characters in my Children’s Book, “Gracie…Shhh!”

If you haven’t read the book section of my site yet, I introduced the three main characters.

DONALD, GRACIE, AND MAKENA

Here’s an excerpt from that book. Gracie has some opinions of her own about Makena and Donald.

Okay, move your cursor up to my Book Section, and click Children’s. Come on, it’s not that hard. It’s a good exercise for your aching finger, you know (ha! Ha!)

I understand if you’re feeling tired. Christmas shopping is taking up all our energies lately. So, let me take you there. Come on, let’s go.

My Favourite Chapter

by Ninagracia, posted in Books, Children's Books, Featured post

“Those with vivid imaginations still believed that I could do anything beyond the gates of fairyland. No matter what I say, they all have concluded that I have the power to do anything or change anything if I wanted to.”

                                                          Excerpt from “Gracie…Shhh!”  

You can read it all in Chapter 7. Yes, it’s Chapter 7, my favourite chapter. I wasn’t sure how I would write this chapter and at the same time, give everyone the pleasure of reading and enjoying the story.

Who would believe that magic still exists in today’s world? No one. Certainly not me. Oh well, maybe sometimes. Those children in Gracie’s school believe that there is magic, and Gracie was the lucky one to receive the magical power.  If that isn’t enough to drive Gracie to the edge, imagine what she did. It will surprise everyone.

I surely enjoyed writing it, so I hope you will enjoy reading it. Here’s a little peek of what’s in Chapter 7. All the rest of the story will soon be available for everyone to read. Not long to go. Promise!

Chapter 7

Abracadabra

 . . . . . . So much weird stuff was going on in our school. I was continually being called Fairy Godmother. The older boys called me Cherub Babe. Gosh, that was new. The younger children called me Elfie. Some of them tend to stare, and some don’t even blink. They love touching me too, like rubbing their hands on my arm hoping to get some of my power. Most of the time, I tried my very best to stay calm and not get upset, but our playground was beginning to turn into a circus ground.

That’s it, no more. It is time to put an end to their craziness. It must stop, and I mean now. I was determined to do it because everything was becoming unrealistic and getting completely out of control. It’s time to set the record straight.

But first, I should have some fun first.  I will show everyone my magical power.

I was so determined and fired up to put an end to all those crazy stuff, so I dashed at the playground where everybody grouped themselves. The wind was cold and fresh on my face, but it didn’t stop me from doing what I must do that day. Some patches of dark clouds were moving closer to each other, followed by the brief sizzling noise of lightning, but the playground was packed.

“Hey Gracie,” Makena called out waving her hands. “We’re here.”

I went straight to her. My face was crumpled, and my lips pressed together.

“What’s the matter Gracie, you look angry?”

I gave her a sharp look. Then, I purposely pointed my pencil to her and uttered some magic words, “Naughty-ish-tian mitoto!”

For a moment, I saw Makena’s face completely confused. Then, I waved my pencil in the air and yelled out, “Ta-dah!”

BOOOOM…!!

Something just happened. I lost my balance, and I was frightened for a moment. It was unexpected. I thought a bomb just went off, but it was a sharp, loud rumble of thunder, and I was taken wholly by surprise.

“Are you kidding me?” Makena blasted at me. “Did you just do that?”

“I think she just did, Mak. She just threw a magic spell on you,” seconded Donald.

I turned to Donald, and with a fierce look, I spoke, pointing my pencil to him. “Am I talking to you Ducky?”

“What’s with you, Gracie?”

I yelled, “Answer me!” waving my pencil in the air. But to my surprise, a flash of lightning just bolted out from nowhere, flashing across the sky.

“Whoa! Chill out, Gracie!” Donald took a couple of steps backward, shaken and scared.

Suddenly, a showcase of lightning flashing from different directions began to appear in the sky. The wind howled, shaking those leaves struggling to hold on from its bough. Everyone was astonished, surprised, bewildered, dumbfounded. Call it whatever you want, but all eyes were on me.

Remember that naughty boy who liked playing pranks on everyone? Well, I marched directly towards him. My face was still crumpled, and I fixed my eyes into him. And with a whisk of my magic pencil pointed at him, I spoke with a loud voice, “You are going to stop playing tricks on everyone!” Then, I yelled, “Understood?”

BOOOM…!!

Thunder roared up in the sky again. Poor boy, fear overtook him. He nodded his head and then he ran off so fast away from me. He almost tripped on the ground.

Wild events were beginning to take place when a teacher came out to the playground telling everyone to go back inside because the weather was getting worse. I panicked. I thought I got busted for doing those pranks. So, as I turned, I accidentally pointed my pencil to her. Unfortunately, a strong gust of wind blew towards her direction. Her skirt went right up to her face. That was unexpected, and it blew my mind too. I wasn’t sure if she was shocked about what I did to her. But all I could see on her face were traces of embarrassment, more than likely because we all saw what she was wearing underneath.