Random Thoughts: On A Week-End of Service & Other Thoughts.....

This past Saturday was a day in the Community.   For me,  It began with a visit to a harvest sponsored by the Harvest Club.  They are a cooperative that have created a network of residents who allow them the ability to harvest produce--this was in Orange as I was able to garner some grapefruits and oranges for the St. Timothy's Parish.  This is as I was witness to the St. Timothy's Parish being busy with the Monthly Recycling Drive--which was an Eagle Project that was launched.  It is amazing how a legacy has been sustained as it has!!  I also released a write-up with another tribute  for an Eagle Scout that achieved the near impossible.

As I was working away, I saw this "popping up" on the privilege I had to meet Senator Kamala Harris which I captured:

After doing some work in support of the Daily Outsider (including some tweaking of the templates today), I will be "kind of dark" to close out January and gear up for February as I hope all who visit the Daily Outsider properties enjoy the Daily Updates over Twitter and the live broadcasts of Sky News & Al Jazeera.     This is also a very joyous time as I reflected upon it during my Virtual Visits as I "book-ended" my weekly walkabout before I go "dark" for the week: 

This was also a week as I took the Oath of Office for a third term of the City of Laguna Niguel's Traffic Commission--I am still in awe as I look forward to doing what I can to serve.

Grateful to be witness to such ....

Random Thoughts: On Remaining Hopeful

It has been quite  a week.  I decided to once again be upbeat here in my "Random Thoughts" despite a challenging one I was witness to and our team at the Daily Outsider reflected upon.   The need to be hopeful is ever so.

In the midst of the insanity that prevails upon Iran right now, there are always some signs of sanity.      This was one example: 

My grandmother's Family is the Gharib Family, one of the most prominent families in Iran.  These six leading figures of the Family were honored recently in Tehran.   For me, there was a personal connection as when we were living in Iran, My Mother took me to Dr. Mohammad Gharib who was the founder of Modern Pediatric Medicine in Iran and he immediately diagnosed my on-going coughing issue --something that Doctors in the United States could not cure.   Other leading members of the family have been prominent in Science, culture and the languages. 

This was also the week that India celebrated Republic Day as 69 Years ago, India was born.  It was quite a ceremony that showcased Indian Military Might and also the beauty of India.     It was quite appropriate, then, when I picked this up from Gandhi Ji that I thought to "book-end" this edition of Random Thoughts before "being dark" for the weekend to work away on on-going projects:  

Seven dangers to human virtue:

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Business without ethics
5. Science without humanity
6. Religion without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi #WEF18 pic.twitter.com/MSO8MSNq5f

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 22, 2018

Random Thoughts: On the Prowl As a New Week is at hand....

As a new week dawns, I wanted to begin on a positive note as I pulled selected thoughts from my forays around the Grid over the past week as I look forward to a new week at hand: 

An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.
- Lao Tzu

Whatever happened, forgive others, forgive yourself,
move forward, live for today and tomorrow.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Guy in Tehran took lift from a local ride-sharing app and got text message from driver telling him he was deaf. He now writes to thank company, @Snapp_Team, for giving disabled a chance to work. ht @LadaneNasseri https://t.co/mHw1sxWY2v

— Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) January 16, 2018 

“To save one life is to save all humanity.” — Quran & Torah

Woman saves man as he attempts suicide. This is powerful. Bless her. I pray he gets the support he needs and deserves pic.twitter.com/mrNSrBlbaQ

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) January 16, 2018

As I was uplifted by the thoughts, I saw this which was disheartening as I also was witness to the dysfunction in Washington as well on a broad basis that the team at the Daily Outsider had commented throughout the week:   

NEW: In a big court win for JW & @DailyCaller News Foundation, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled the FBI must turn over former FBI Director Comey’s memos allegedly detailing convos he had with President Trump (which Comey leaked to the press). 1/https://t.co/a2a2IXZvCI

— Judicial Watch 🔎 (@JudicialWatch) January 12, 2018

I do remain hopeful especially as I had this published at the Kaplan Virtual Times based on my Random Thoughts earlier in the year:

(Image retrieved from pic.twitter.com/YSAeMJo1lz)

It has been a bit of a challenging week as two of the family icons who had been ailing for a long time
passed away.  I attended the funeral of one of them in Santa Monica this past Friday and will be
joining my Uncle's funeral later  on this week on Thursday.

This past week reminded me, yet again, about how cherished life is and how to continue to do what I can to be a force for good, for hope and to reflect upon love.   As I continue onward with work in support of the Daily Outsider, continue my ongoing community projects & initiatives and hopefully continue to develop my ongoing Random Thoughts.  One article I read up was on habits courtesy of the team at Inc.   The habits Murphy Jr. (2017) underscored is simple and common sense to extend the gift of life.  He talked about not smoking, quitting smoking, losing weight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, being open to ideas and  continuing life-long education.  I found this to be a very poignant reminder and a "sanity check" on what should be done.

As I finish off these brief "Random Thoughts”  the image above underscores what I hope to continue to live
up to--a life of curious intellectual engagement and elevation as I embrace this that Vala Afshar noted
for us all:  

Why we read:

1 to learn

2 to escape

3 to validate beliefs

4 to know we are not alone

5 to find new ideas

6 to be inspired

7 to learn to think

8 to stay teachable

9 to dare to dream

10 to gain courage

11 to hope

12 to strengthen convictions

13 to learn to write

14 to fall in love

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 5, 2018

Onward to the new week.... 

Random Thoughts On this #MLKDay 2018.....

#GoogleDoodle Honors the Life & Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Today is the Day where America remembers the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   Our team at The Daily Outsider featured the call to action sent out by the Corporation for National Service at all our properties for all to hopefully take up this call to action.  The Twitter handle @MLKDay was also quite vibrant throughout the weekend showcasing it all.   It is of profound note that Dr. King's Widow, Coretta Scott King and her valiant effort throughout his life must be remembered as well.   I never forget Bill Clinton's Eulogy for Mrs. King.   He noted that when Dr. King was assassinated, Mrs. King could have chosen to stop and stay it is enough and she needed to raise her children.  Yet, she decided to go to Memphis and lead the marchers hand in hand with her Children.  I am shivering as I am writing this.  I made it a point of noting this in response to a Tweet from the King Center--and they were spot on.  

Service, though, is a lifelong commitment and it should always continue.     For me, this week of service began on Wednesday as I had the pleasure to be at St. Timothy's Parish briefly before joining the opening of the Pickle Ball Court Opening Ceremony at Crown Valley Regional Park.    As our team worked on curation for this weekend of service in line with our continued commitment to serve,  I began the evening with an evening of service supporting the Aliso Niguel High School Solo Ensemble Concert at Aliso Niguel High School.  

 

Aliso Niguel High School Orchestra 

I continue to marvel at the level of engagement by the Parents.   The Orchestra Director, Mr. Jeung, does fabulous work in showcasing the best in our Youth.      One of the students arranged a composition by Yanni that Yanni would have been proud of to listen to.

I spent the weekend working away on projects and gearing up for the new week as I also was monitoring the tragedy unfolding off the coast of Shanghai as an Iranian Tanker collided with a Chinese Freighter.   The Iranian Tanker sank and as I am writing this, 29 members of the crew were not accounted for and presumed dead.   The interview by the widow of the Chief Engineer was tough to listen to and I released it to my Twitter Feed--and when they got the news as the Tanker Sank, the widows grief was too tough to be witness to.    Our team released a notation on it as the news broke-the team decided to delay the publication of a Notation on Iran in deference to the Day of Morning in Iran and it is slated to be published later on in the Week.    I also was extremely proud of the Persian Community as it came together to raise funds for the Children of Kermanshah through the Keep Children in School (KCIS) Foundation at a star-studded event.        

As I was reflecting the year so far, I got this from the folks at RescueTime: 

840 Total Hours Logged

Last year, you logged 840 hours of time with RescueTime on 109 days. Of that time, 247 hours were categorized as Productive time, and 455 hours were Distracting.

Here's how productive your days were.

You may also enjoy reading our global data trends from 2017, and a recap of our top blog posts for the year. In my case, due to the on-going commitments for the Daily Outsider and on-going Virtual Projects, it will be "higher" than usual although I had to reinstall RescueTime.    It is a nice tool to get a sense of how much one is online.  There is also InBox Ready that is so vital to get a handle on Emails--and I need it big time!!   Understanding and managing it is critical especially as there has been a lot of research that has underscored how staying online is not healthy--although our team has tried to make sure that our work will help create a legacy of purpose as I also try to do this with my own on-going weekly Random Thoughts. As I finished off these Random Thoughts , the distressing news of another bombing in Baghdad was a stark reminder about the profound challenging times our World continues to be faced with--and as in Syria the war raged on, Gaza continued to suffer, Yemen continued to be subject to a relentless onslaught by the Saudi-Led Coalition and as conflicts raged on in Africa.    Onward to the New Week:  “The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions.” Winston Churchill — Sheila Molavi (@SheilaMolavi) January 13, 2018

Random Thoughts While On the Prowl re: #MLK2018 & Other Thoughts.....

I normally write here weekly to reflect upon the week, the work at the Daily Outsider and other on-going thoughts.  As I was on an extended commitment for the Daily Outsider, helping with Social Media Curation and assessing other initiatives, I was extremely moved and profoundly grateful when I got this earlier this afternoon:

I wanted to share these thoughts as I am about to be "dark" for a few days as I wind things down over the next twenty four hours to attend my Uncle's Funeral who passed away--a true gentleman of faith and class that was always larger than life for us all.

Tommy R  attained his Eagle Rank last month and taking the time to share this truly made my day.   If one makes a difference in even the life of one individual, one has succeeded.   May the almighty continue to grant all who serve the continued strength to make a difference especially as America gears up to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on #MLK2018 as I wind down my thoughts with this from Dr. King:

 

Every day is a day of service--I will be on the road tomorrow as I will at St. Timothy's Parish and then later on attend two meetings on Schools that I have the  privilege to serve on.  Although #MLK2018 is a day to step back and reflect, one should not stop serving--and do what can and should be done to make a difference in the lives of all:

Onward....

 

 

Random Thoughts.......

 

It has been a bit of a challenging week as two of the family icons who had been ailing for a long time passed away.   I attended the funeral of one of them in Santa Monica this past Friday and will be joining my Uncle's Funeral later on this week on Thursday.

This past week reminded me, yet again, about how cherished life is and how to continue to do what I can to be a force for good, for hope and to reflect upon love.   As I continue onward with work in support of the Daily Outsider, continue my on-going community projects & initiatives and hopefully continue to develop my on-going Random Thoughts.  One cool article I read up was on habits courtesy of the team at Inc.   The habits this writer underscored is simple and common sense to extend the gift of life.  He talked about not smoking, quitting smoking, losing weight, lower cholestrole, lower blood pressure, being open to ideas and  continuing life-long education.  I found this to be a very poignant reminder and a "sanity check" on what should be done.

As I finish off these brief "Random Thoughts" for the week, the image above I captured courtesyo f Vala Afshar underscores what I hope to continue to live up to--a life of curious intellectual engagement and elevation as I  end with two things I picked up during my "Virtual Rounds" 

• On "Why we read" and the need to read thanks to the great @ValaAfshar:  

Why we read:

1 to learn
2 to escape
3 to validate beliefs
4 to know we are not alone
5 to find new ideas
6 to be inspired
7 to learn to think
8 to stay teachable
9 to dare to dream
10 to gain courage
11 to hope
12 to strengthen convictions
13 to learn to write
14 to fall in love pic.twitter.com/YSAeMJo1lz

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 5, 2018 

• On the Great Warren Buffet

Onward to the new Week with all its' possibilities!!!

On the Prowl......

This was a fabulous way as I concluded a very interesting first week of the new yer.

This made my day as I got word on where my Platelet Contribution Went!!!

Onward to the weekend.....

 

Your donation made its way to save lives.

Thank you for being an American Red Cross platelet donor. Your platelets may be a lifesaving gift to patients in need, including cancer and trauma patients, individuals undergoing major surgeries, patients with blood disorders and premature babies. After first ensuring local needs were met, your donation on 12/24/2017 was sent to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, CA to help patients in need. Your donation made its way to save lives. Platelets have a very short life span – only 5 days! It's critical for us to collect platelets continuously to ensure they're available for patients when they need them. Your ongoing donations are greatly appreciated. On behalf of the hospitals and patients we serve, thank you for being a Red Crossplatelet donor! Sincerely, American Red Cross

Random Thoughts: Reflections & Hopes.....

As the new year is now at hand, I have been reflecting upon quite a remarkable year.  For me, the final 10 days of the year was quite a 10 days for me. 

My final 10 days began with a day of service at the St. Timothy's Parish Pantry as that final week before Christmas we served some 152 Families.    I also attended the Homeless Memorial Service at Christ Catherdal and produced a Visual Essay on it.    Some 210 Souls died on the Streets of Orange County in 2017.    

As I worked to wind down Project Commitments for the year, my Christmas Eve began with a day with the American Red Cross.    I had signed up to give Blood--and I ended up giving Platelets to help Cancer Victims.     As I was working away in support of commitments at the Daily Outsider, I picked up a thank you email from the American Red Cross with this image which I am proud to feature.   It was a proud moment for me to do this--and yes I was entertained too!!!   It was also such a privilege to be able to join the Our Fathers' Day Homeless Reception at Doheny State Beach.   This is as The Daily Outsider's New "Landing Page" was launched courtesy of the team at Google.    It was interesting how the Economist of London was so dismissive of the evolution of Virtual/Digital Media in light of the rise of Facebook & Alphabet/Google.

. 

The New Year has already begun in earnest as I say onward to 2018 with all its possibilities as I took comfort in this from Dr. King as two weeks from today America remembers his life and legacy & of course amused by what I was up to on Pandora as I hope to start New Year with a "Bang"!!!  

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter...I just want to leave a committed life behind.” #MLK pic.twitter.com/iqchjmFogK

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) December 28, 2017

Your 2017 Here’s what your 2017 sounded like on Pandora. Play it again and again and again. Chained To The Rhythm (Feat. Skip Marley) Radio your number one spun station TWEET STATION You were a station BEAST. 24  stations listened to You thumbed up some great tunes. 11  total songs thumbed up You played all the songs. 2,548  songs played this year You made the most of your time. 11,191  minutes of music listening You started off the year right... Guzarish (From Ghajini) by Ghajini Cast And you’re ending it with a bang! Look @ Me Now by Louie DeVito & Bad Boy Joe

LISTEN NOW