Happiness, Peace and Kindness

Tags: friends, happiness, inner state of mind, inspiration, kindness, life, lifestyle, links, love, me, opinion, peace, people, personal, philosophy, photo, photo inspiration, picture, post and photo by Ineta Mcparland, random thoughts, reflections, relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, stories, thoughts, wonderocity

For Cat Lovers

This post is dedicated for cat lovers everywhere.  I know many of my friends have cats.  My previous post was about how to take pictures of pets.  This post will be about how to capture a cat’s personality.

Cats are very interesting creatures.  They are very independent and they usually are masters of the house.  Cats come and go as they please.  But when they come near us, gives us that look and start purring, we can’t help but smile.  Our hearts melt.

Cats may be small, but they have a gigantic personality.  So, how to capture that on camera?  How to take pictures of these elusive beauties?

First, we got to get them used to the camera.  Second, we have to become cats ourselves to be able to sneak up when they do something interesting.  Third, cats love space.  So, it is always better to shoot from a little distance.

Here are some photos I shot of cats at the ranch.  Raj is a sweetheart.  He was left by owners in RV park.  So, he kept waiting and waiting.  People called a cat rescue.  He hated to be in a cat rescue among other cats, so he escaped and came to us.  He adopted us pretty quickly.

Raj loves a loving touch.  This is one of his purring spots.

What do you mean, No.

Raj scouts the area from the porch.

Strong shadow accentuates this shot

Being lazy

What do you mean you did not bring any coffee?

What was that?

Natural scratching post

Boy, I hate Mondays.

On the lookout

Where did that lizard go?

Watching a sunset

Raj was sure the king of the house until Tiger showed up.  The word travels fast, I guess, especially when mentioning a Free kibble.  Tiger is a wild cat, but hangs out around the house and comes for food every day.

Tiger is thirsty

Ah, it is cooler in the shadow.  Here he casually hangs out under the car.

Tiger sleeps in the bushes.

And then came the kitten. Misha was adopted from cat’s rescue.  He is adorable.  At first, he was really afraid.  It took awhile for him to get used to us.  But, with a little coaxing, food and play, he got over his fears.  He is the smallest of the cats, but has the largest personality.  Right now, he pretty much rules the house.

Misha in hiding

Misha is teasing Raj.

A big kiss.

Misha is doing yoga.

What do you mean no chicken?

Just peaking.  Cats LOVE boxes.

Misha is so cute.  Everything fascinates him.  Here is he hugging a peace of grass.

It is all mine!  All mine and nobody can have it.

Life is GOOD!

Wait, there is a bush I can climb.

Hello.

First time in a tree, Misha sees a large screaming hawk

“You know, you are the best buddy in the whole wide world!”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Life is Awesome after getting rid of fears.  You, too, can rule the world, just like Misha!

Also, I was fortunate to capture Savannah cats.  They were so curious and energetic.  Absolutely, loved their personalities!

How come this reflection follows me?

Investigating a cricket

Who are you?

Boy, I am beautiful!

Playing with reflection.

What was that?

Smile for the camera.

Pandora, the adult Savannah cat

Now go capture your cat’s personality.  You never know.  Your cat might teach you something, too.

See Big Cat Love photography here.

Tags: cat lovers, cat photos, cats, fun, humor, inspiration, life, me, personal, philosophy, photo, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, picture, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, reflections, stories, thoughts, wonderocity

Today’s Thought

Silence feels amazing when we quiet our chattering mind and outside noises, and just be: feel a gentle breeze in the hair, a warm sun’s touch on the skin and breathe.

Today I did just that.  I sat for a couple of minutes.  I thought how to keep my already so much improved vision longer at the time.  I get periods of 20/20 vision, but as I blink, it gets a bit blurry again going into about 20/30, 20/25 field.  The answer came: instead of keeping on narrow focus got to expand my vision, and it all starts with the heart.  I opened my eyes, and I could see every blade of the grass and every leaf on the tree.  It felt amazing.  The perfect vision stayed with me longer than usual.  Then, all of the sudden I saw a seemingly lifeless dragonfly in the water.  I touched it and to my surprise, he moved his wings desperately trying to escape.  Unfortunately, the wings were already submerged and the weight of water did not let it to fly.

I gently picked it up on my finger and wanted to put on the branch to dry it out.  He fought to stay on my finger, so I let it stay, and I chased off the wasp who tried to get him.  As his wings dried out, he started to move them in the breeze little by little.  When he got stronger, I put him on the branch.  He stayed there for a little bit and flew away…

So this is what I learned:

Narrow Focus => Expanded Vision = Seeing things that otherwise are easily missed.

With expanded vision and using our love, we can see more and hear more and feel more, and make a huge difference.  It might start with a dragonfly at first.  Then it might go to other things.  Small as a dragonfly and big as the world.  It is only a matter of perception.

Can you imagine how world would be if we would move ourselves from a narrow focus of everyday life to an expanded worldly vision and do everything from the heart?

Tags: dragonfly, dragonfly whisperer, expanded vision, helping nature, how to see better, inspiration, journal, life, love, me, narrow focus, nature, philosophy, photo, picture, random thoughts, seeing without contacts, seeing without glasses, stories, story, thoughts, vision, wonderocity

Passion

A cold natural stone becomes warm and ignited once touched by caring hands.  Imagination comes into play.  Colors, design, and inner vision – all ties up into a beautiful masterpiece.  Dalia Koss is a master designer who makes every woman look beautiful.  Her energy is captivating and women feel it by wearing her necklaces.  Her shared love and passion radiates in every piece she creates.  The necklaces become a part of the women.  Instant connection make women feel special, beautiful, brave, fun, as if the masterpieces they wear have some magical power.

The expression, the mood, the pose, a sense of calm, a soft skin tone are all portrayed in Brent Twit‘s work.  His passion for detail and beauty make people real in his paintings.  His love flows in his works of art and it shows.

Eyes are windows to the soul, they say.  Chevas expresses that in his paintings.  Eyes are the most profound feature in his work.  It feels as if his paintings are watching over you.  His passion for life and fun personality shines in the most vibrant colors.  Reading people and finding their wisdom and goodness shows up in expressive eyes he concentrates on in his paintings.

Last week, I went to  William Wolk‘s gallery and felt instant love and passion for his work.  I am passionate about animals myself.  Therefore, I could feel his each brush stroke.  His paintings were works of love for nature and beautiful creatures.  Each feather, each muscle, the whole detail…  Each brush stroke made a magnificent creature come alive.

What these artists have in common?  They all have a passion for their work.  Passion – what a beautiful word.  It is something that can not be taught.  It is something that can not be touched.  It is only can be felt within our hearts.  We are either born with it or we develop it in later years.  Some of us might not even know what are our passions.  It is only because we did not awaken what is deep within our hearts.  It is because we live our lives according others’ expectations.  We are too busy working, taking care of business, responsibilities, etc., etc.  We do not have time to stop and ask ourselves “What is our passion?  What we would like to do today?  What lights up our inner fire?”

Passion is our inner knowing, love for what we do.  Passion can be expressed in infinite ways.  We express our inner world into the outside world.  We express what we see, what we feel, what we hear, what we touch, what we taste.  It is about endless imagination and creative ways.  We create for the world to enjoy.  Some people might not understand what we create.  That’s O.K.  It is not their time to understand it yet.  Yet if we put all our heart into creation and our whole passion, many people will be awed and even inspired.

So, what is your passion?  What would you like to do more than anything in the whole world?  Awaken what is inside of you, and let your heart bloom.

Tags: art, beauty, Brent Twit, Chevas, creation, creative ways, Dalia Koss, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, design, expression, fashion, fun, gallery, inner knowing, inspiration, life, lifestyle, links, love, men, nature, outfits, passion, passionate life, people, personal, photos, pictures, random thoughts, reflections, self-expression, shopping, stories, style, thoughts, William Wolk, women, wonderocity

Seeing Miracle Continues

I can’t thank enough my brother Markus Urban and author Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D. for giving my eyesight back (see my previous post).  It feels so incredible!  Each day, I feel spurs of joy when I start seeing something new.  A few nights ago, for the first time I saw a Big Dipper, and the sky filled with the brightest stars.  I see more and more stars now.  All without my glasses!  Even nights became brighter.  Now, I started to see smaller street signs, numbers on mail boxes, a menu board at Starbucks.  Each new seeing is a victory.  According to the eye chart, I went from 20/200 to 20/30 in two weeks.  Now into 2 and a half weeks, I read 20/25 line, and saw 4 letters in 20/20 line.  I left my eyeglasses and I did not put them on since I started this journey.  I even drove through a little fog and in the rain day and night without glasses.  Interestingly, rain made my vision even more clearer.

My vision is not constant yet, but I have longer and longer periods of great seeing.  One blink – I see everything absolutely clearly, another blink – it becomes a little blurry (but nothing like it used to be), a third blink – all clear again.  When outdoors and in the car, I see it better than being inside in the artificial light.  Sometimes, I see double or triple, but with adjusting blink it goes to normal again.  When that happens, I think it would be neat to capture what I see on the camera:  like a triple moon or a handsome double guy.  LOL!  It all depends on light, my mood, my thoughts, how I react to people’s conversations.  If a person is stressed out, I find myself putting blur blinds because I feel that person’s energy, and I do not like it.  If the person is excited and enthusiastic, my vision becomes really clear.  The same is with my thoughts.  If I get excited, the vision becomes really clear.  If I start to worry about something, the blur comes back.  The blur is not like used to be, though.  I used to see only fog.  Therefore, when I would get up, I would automatically put glasses on.  Not anymore.  When I wake up, in the first minutes, my vision becomes clearer and clearer (especially in the last few days, as at first it would take 15 minutes to half an hour for vision to clear).  Also, if I stress to see, it does not work.  If I relax and breathe, I see so much better.  Interestingly, the faces I start to see are so smooth.  Still have a hard time to see them in a distance, but I’m working on it.  Again, outside I see them so much better than inside in the low light.

This experience is unbelievable, and I am determined to have a perfect vision.  I can’t believe I do not need glasses and contacts anymore.  Without glasses, I feel as if somebody lit up my world.  It is not everything about my vision either.  The whole outlook changes.  I feel like I am peeling blur layers one at the time.

First layer of blur is fear.  Some people are afraid to try this.  How can anybody go out in the world when all they see is blur?  Self-doubt sets in.  “What ifs” will boggle the mind.  I dove into this experience straight without any doubt.  If author could do it, so can I.  Bravery, determination, and persistence came into my world.

Second layer of blur is self-constriction and staying in the known.  Some people think, “It is great for you, but I’ll wear my glasses anyway.  I just got my new prescription.”   Although it was unfamiliar to me, I had no doubt I’ll succeed.  I opened doors widely to a new possibility of seeing, and I am succeeding.  Freedom came into play.  If I just breathe and relax, I see better.  If I stretch, freely dance, I see better, too.  When I dance, I express myself more through freeing motions.  I feel music with all my senses.  I let it flow through every fiber of my body.

Third layer of blur is a “wall of protection” (that’s huge for me).  To be safe, we often do not take chances.  When people hurt us, we start not to trust anybody.  We build a wall.  It is all about our thoughts and emotions.  Early memories might flow in, the way we felt before we needed glasses:  What we did not want to see, could not see a way out, did not understand.  I used to be really shy.  I did not trust anybody, including myself.  So, it might be one of the reasons why I had difficulty to see faces.  Right now, I’m re-framing my mind and the faces I see are so soft.  They become more clearer each day.  All it takes is to be open.

Life is incredible and I love seeing it without constricting glasses, fears, and self-limiting beliefs.  I want to see more, experience more, touch and feel more.  My self-expression is wide open.  Anything is possible, even a miracle of seeing, if we persist and really believe.

See how it all started: Seeing Miracle

See my latest update here: Mind over Body

Tags: being open, books, eye health, eyeglasses, freedom, freedom of expression, health, improving vision, inspiration, Jacob Liberman, journal, life, lifestyle, links, Markus Urban, me, natural improving of vision, no glasses, no more glasses, overcoming fear, overcoming self-doubt, personal, photo, picture, post and photo by Ineta Mcparland, random thoughts, re-framing mind, reflections, review, seeing, seeing clearly, seeing miracle, seeing without contacts, seeing without glasses, seeing without laser surgery, stories, Take Off Your Glasses and See, taking chances, thoughts, training, wall of protection, wonderocity

Seeing Miracle

Miracles do happen when we believe in them.  They are occurring every day, if we open our eyes to see it.  Literally…

My incredible brother suggested that what if I would take my glasses off and see.  I thought, “Are you out of your mind? I am blind without them!”  Then he told me about this book Take Off Your Glasses and See.  That sounded intriguing,  so I went to Barnes & Noble.  I asked at the desk, “Where can I find “Take off Your Glasses and See?” The lady looked at me offensively and said, “I beg you pardon?” She was wearing glasses.   Giggling inside, I bought the book.

As I started reading it, I could not put it down.  It all made sense.  I took my glasses off and start seeing the world.  It is only sixth day, and I am already driving without glasses day and night.  Every day, I am seeing more and more.  It is incredible!  I am living a miracle!

I wore glasses for around 24 years.  I thought I was doomed to wear glasses for all my life.  At first I hated them.  Then I got used to them.  Then I got contact lenses, and I loved lenses more.  I had no idea that our vision can be improved or restored.  Many people go as far as to get Laser surgery, when our eyesight can be improved naturally!!!

It is not only about vision.  It is about our mind and body connection!  It is about when we put our “blur blinds” on, what we are not willing to see, what we are afraid to face, what we do not understand.  It is about traumas in our lives and how we react to them.  It is about our fears, our hidden feelings, about how we see the world.  Eyeglasses and lenses are only our visual crutches.  We can see through them better, but they do not help to see and deal with reality.  It is like living behind the glass that makes everything smaller (if we have nearsightedness).  It is like living in aquarium with bottled up feelings.

It takes a courage to take off glasses and to have an open mind.  Eyeglasses, especially when we wear them for a long time, becomes our security blanket.  We see what we know, and what we know gives us comfort.  It is pretty scary to be without glasses when all we see is blur.  It is like walking in the unknown.  The miraculous change occurs if we are brave enough to keep glasses off.  We start seeing more clearly.  We got to be patient though.  It depends on our mental and emotional state.  If we feel down for some reason or get scared, the blur might come back, and we might be tempted to put glasses back on again.  It all takes is to be present and feel the emotions that we are not willing to feel.  We got to be brave to see through it no matter what.  If we persist, we might start feeling things that are unfamiliar that we wanted to block it off all our lives.  We got to feel them, express them, see through them.

In my first try of driving, I put my glasses on the nose, just in case.  I wanted to see how it is like, so I drove some seeing through glasses, and some through my blur.  The next morning, I did the same, but I found that glasses were just in my way, so I took them off and put them by my seat.  To my amazement, the vision got clearer and clearer.  Right now, I feel like a grade school student after learning how to read.  I read businesses signs everywhere.  I started seeing street signs, some even in small print.  It is amazing!  I still can not believe it!  Right now, I am training my eyes to see faces.  I see them on and off, blurry and in all detail.  I had a flash of great vision where I could see faces across the street.  It is work in progress.   I am persistent, though.  I’ll break through that barrier, too.

Another thing is when I see the real world and not hiding behind glasses and contact lenses, I have surges of joy when I start to see more and more.  My heart is filled with love and passion.  I want to touch, see, feel, experience everything.  I want to push my limits, be brave.  I am already brave.  If I can drive without glasses, I can do anything!  I do not have limits anymore.  Everything feels more beautiful, more fuller, more bigger, more closer.  I am facing uncomfort straight.  I see it eye to eye.  Today for the first time, I left glasses on my desk.  Before I carried them with me in hands, just in case, like a security blanket.  Yes, it felt uncomfortable at first, but I made it!!!

I can’t wait for each day to see more.  The whole new world is opening up before me where I am brave to see through anything. My vision went from 20/200 to 20/60 in 6 days.  I have flashes of vision where I can read 20/50 and even some 20/40 line.  I even started to see more stars at night when before if I would see one, I would be lucky.  Thank you, my brother, and Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D. (the author) for opening my eyes where I can live my life to the fullest.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  You are my heroes!

See my update here: Seeing Miracle Continues

See my latest update here: Mind over Body

Tags: books, curing blindness, eye health, eyes, health, inspiration, Jacob Liberman, journal, life, lifestyle, me, miracle, myopia, nearsightedness, personal, post and photo by Ineta Mcparland, reflections, review, seeing clearly, seeing miracle, seeing without contacts, seeing without glasses, seeing without laser surgery, Take Off Your Glasses and See, thoughts, training, wonderocity

Star Within

A Star…  What comes to your mind when you think about it?  Sure, there are stars at night…  What else?  How about Movie Stars, Star Athletes, Rock Stars, You Tube Sensations, famous artists, etc.? We all look up to our role models.  We want to be just like them, or we just admire their talent and creativity.

Now, can we think of ourselves as Stars?  Can we become one?  Do we want to become one?  For those who say “No,” why not?  The reasons will pour, “Have no resources, no time, being too old, too young, too late, not good enough, kids is priority, too broke, nobody sees our potential, and many more.  These reasons are just butts.  The stars we look up to are just ordinary people leading extraordinary lives because they chose to follow their dreams.  Most of us did not see their struggles, their rejections, their failures.  We only see their successes.  Everybody started from somewhere and for most of them it was not easy.  The breakthrough came when they stuck with their dreams no matter what.  They persisted and they won.

So, can we be Stars? Do we see our family and loved ones as Stars?  Some of us already are.  We just do not look at it this way.  For example, my Mom Dalia Koss is a famous jewelry designer whose creativity is never-ending.  Her unique jewelry are not only works of art, but women feel renewed and rejuvenated when they wear Dalia Koss jewelry.  Many women ask why jewelry feel so good and so comfortable to wear.  The answer is Dalia puts her heart and loving touch into her creations.  That’s why they feel magical.

Photo courtesy of daliakoss.com

My brother Markus Urban is a star extraordinaire.  He is not only a world traveler, he is an inspiration to everybody.  He touches everyone’s life with his love, passion, generosity, giving, wisdom and creativity.  He does everything with open heart and expanded mind.

His girlfriend Ashley at Shoerazzi.com is a Shoe Princess.  With her insightful and creative blog, she satisfies every shoe-lover’s desires.  Ashley is giving, kind, smart and really passionate.  It shows brightly in her work.  She is a Shoe Star.

I am so fortunate to have my Star family.  You probably ask how about me? I put my heart into my writing and photography.  I am work-in-progress Star, I see myself as being published writer and photographer.  My photos are already published in stories, were used for creative artwork, and in the ads and in magazines.

How about you?  What Star do you have within that can’t wait to come out? What makes you come alive and gives huge sparkles in your eyes?  What is your passion?  What is in your heart that you wish to share with the world? Who you want to be, no “buts” and “somedays” about it?  Dreams are attainable if we persist.

May you be a  Star because Anything is Possible .  Best Wishes and Thank you for being my reader.

Tags: Ashley Spiker, beauty, being star, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, dreams come true, family, fashion, friends, http://www.daliakoss.com/, inspiration, life, lifestyle, LivingonImpulse.com, Markus Urban, opinion, passion, people, personal, photography, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, reflections, Shoerazzi.com, shopping, Star, star within, stories, style, success, thoughts, wonderocity

Interesting Ways How to Make Millions

“Paul Hartunian figured out how to make a fortune from selling pieces of the bridge.  This is a true story.  Hartunian was working as paramedic, looking for his lucky break.  One day he was watching a newscast of some work crews repairing parts of the Brooklyn Bridge – taking down old wooden beams and carting them away.  And this idea popped into his head.  He immediately called down to the construction site and asked the project manager if he could buy the old wood.  Of course, the manager thought the wood was worthless so he was happy to get rid of it.

Hartunian took the old beams of lumber and had them sliced into one-inch-square and 1/8-inch-thick pieces of wood and glued them onto an official certificate saying that the holder of the certificate had purchased the Brooklyn Bridge, or a piece thereof.  Then he did something quite remarkable.  He sent a press release to hundreds of media outlets that said, “New Jersey Man Sells the Brooklyn Bridge for $14.95!” His phone rang off the hook!  Literally hundreds of media outlets called him on the phone and wanted to learn more.  He ended up selling thousands of these pieces for $14.95, plus a couple bucks for shipping and handling.  He turned those old, worthless beams into SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS.”

“Cindy Cashman took an old idea and added a twist to it and made a fortune in the information business.  Cindy was able to purchase a huge mansion on a lake in Texas, having made over a million dollars from marketing her specialty book, which she published with a partner.  You might have seen her book, Everything Men Know About Women, by Dr. Alan Francis (her pseudonym). But here’s the real amazing part: Cindy’s book is totally blank! There isn’t a single word printed on any of the 128 pages of this paperback! And yet women bought this book by the caseload. A hundred books at a time to give to their friends!  Cindy made enough to retire.”

The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen.

What great idea lurking in your head? Follow it through.  You never know unless you try it!

Tags: articles, best seller, books, business, Cindy Cashman, Everything Men Know About Women, fun, humor, inspiration, inspiring story, interesting ways how to make millions, life, lifestyle, Mark Victor Hansen, media, Paul Hartunian, people, personal, reflections, relationships, reviews, Robert G. Allen, selling Brooklyn Bridge, stories, successful stories, The One Minute Millionaire, thoughts, wonderocity

The Real Rocky Story

In  1974 Sylvester Stallone was a broke, discouraged actor and screenwriter.  While attending a boxing match he became inspired by a “nobody” boxer who “went the distance” with the great Mohammed Ali.

He rushed home and in a three-day burst of creative output produced the first draft of the screenplay entitled Rocky.

Down to his last $106, Stallone submitted his screenplay to his agent.  A studio offered $20,000 with either Ryan O’Neal or Burt Reynolds playing the lead character.  Stallone was excited by the offer but wanted to play the lead himself.  He offered to act for free.  He was told, “That’s not the way it works in Hollywood.”  Stallone turned down the offer though he desperately needed the money.

Then they offered him $80,000 on the condition that he wouldn’t play the lead.  He turned them down again.

They told him that Robert Redford was interested, in which case they’d pay him $200,000.  He turned them down once more.

They upped their offer to $300,000 for his script.  He told them that he didn’t want to go through his whole life wondering “what if?”

They offered him $330,000.  He told them that he’d rather not see the movie made if he couldn’t play the lead.

They finally agreed to let him play the lead.  He was paid $20,000 for the script plus $340 per week minimum actor’s scale.  After expenses, agent fees, and taxes, he netted about $6,000 instead of $330,000.

In 1976 Stallone was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor.  The movie Rocky won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing.  The Rocky series has since grossed almost $1 billion, making Sylvester Stallone an international movie star!

Follow your gut. Stick to your guns. – from book The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen.

Tags: Academy Award, actor, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, best seller, book, books, inspiration, life, Mark Victor Hansen, movie, movies, people, personal, reflections, review, Robert G. Allen, Rocky movie, screenwriter, stories, Sylvester Stallone, The One Minute Millionaire, thoughts, wonderocity

Connection with Nature

This video warms my heart and leaves me speechless.  What a gift to have, see it for yourself.  Click on Big Cat Whisperer below.

Big Cat Whisperer

Tags: animal behaviorist, connection with big cats, connection with nature, environment, family, friends, fun, inspiration, Kevin Richardson, life, lifestyle, links, lion whisperer, lions, movie, movies, nature, people, reflections, South Africa, stories, television, travel, videos, wonderocity