Posts from — January 2009

This is it! The crazy American tradition of Super Bowl Sunday is here. What better way to start off on the International Friendship Month than getting your friends together for a fun party and lots of cheering. Take a leaf off Rick’s idea book and start making those calls to gather support. No matter which team you had supported, no matter if your team is already out of the competition, you can always cheer for football. After all, the idea is to have a crazy time and as long as there’s a game on, any team is as good! Plus the commercials are great.

I love the way friends go at each other, trying to outdo the other by their knowledge of game strategy and planning. Everyone seems to have acquired a special inside scoop from the coaches or the players by which they know more about what’s going on. You think it’s just a guy thing but there are some ladies out there who are really into it too. They yell, they cuss and urge the players to do something that may be physically impossible, but in a high-tension game, there is no time for afterthought. They want the game to be as they want it to be. And I like to watch the small triumphs and tragedies that are a part of a die-hard sports fan’s life. They don’t affect the fan directly, but who said sports taught you to be selfish? Sports is a team effort and will always be.

So this Super Bowl Sunday, root for your favorite team and your favorite game! Who are you rooting for? What are your plans? Are you going to be watching the game just like us? Or you’re really not into the hype? Some answers you could write to me while you wait for the whistle to go off.

My friend Lydia asked me a bunch of questions on Facebook, here’s what she said:
One thing, real quick, is I miss the holidays like- “Rubberband Day”- you could take off on this- like a “Hand Day”- everyone holds hands or observes people’s hands. Say if you are stuck in traffic, look through the car window to the neighboring cars and observe the drivers’ hands on the steering wheels. What are they wearing? What do they look like? If you ride the subway or commuter rail to town, observe passengers’ hands and then try to imagine what all these folks do for a living or how old they are. “Drum Day”- create a drum out of one of those oatmeal cardboard cylinder containers and bang away on it this day. Drum on buckets, cans, jars, books, boxes, car hoods, your friends’ head- rat a tat tat. Research drum of the world- China, Africa, Tibet, America, Ireland. Visit town and watch the street musicians bang on their home made drum set of buckets and cans. Love.
123Greetings specialize in wacky holidays that are fun and fantastic. Do you have a favorite holiday? What is it? Let me know!

Did you know that February is International Friendship Month? Well, so it is and I’m glad that it is so. The times call on us to stick this out together. To build up a forum of solidarity among all my readers across the globe, I’m trying to build up a readers’ community where people can come in and share their views about topics that are abstract, commercial or gut-wrenching. You can take part in this as well. Join the 123Greetings Official Fan Club or the Bob Lawrence Fan Page on Facebook. The idea is to get as many readers as possible under an umbrella. I want you guys to know each other and connect with each other personally, and not just through my writings. I want to pass on the power to you. I’m really excited because we have guest writers, who are also readers, contributing to the newsletter too! If you think you can inspire people with your stories of family, love and friendships, please let me know and I’ll publish them!

There’s another announcement that I’d like to make here. February being the International Friendship Month, you can get to our “Friendship Quote Discussion Board” and contribute there. I want to publish some of them on this blog with your names. If you have a friendship or love story that you want to share with readers like you, you are always welcome. So get cracking and get back to me as soon as you can.

The charm of Valentine’s Day is in the air. There is a sense of urgency in couples to buy gifts for their beloved and I am being used as a sounding board to bounce Valentine’s Day gift ideas for a lot of my friends. I know things will reach a feverish pitch as THE day approaches. There will be last moment cancellations and flipping of ideas. Amidst all this chaos, the one thing that popped up in my mind is to try and figure out what you should keep in mind while choosing a Valentine’s Day gift.

Choosing a Valentine’s Day gift is not going to a shop at the last minute and picking up something up on an instinct. It requires planning and carefully understanding the tastes and preferences of your sweetheart. If she’s not into music, there’s no point giving her an ipod, no matter what the cool quotient is. And when you get a Valentine’s Day gift, try not to let your money talk. It’ll earn you more brownie points if you get something that has emotional value rather than something that costs a bomb, but looks awful. If you have to get something golden, get a golden watch and not a golden football!

Artistic value is always appreciated, no matter what the occasion. Especially so on Valentine’s Day. Do you agree with me? What factors will you be keeping in mind while choosing your Valentine’s Day gift? Chime in!

For all you football fans out there, here’s a toast for you guys from us at 123Greetings! Sample our football ecards that set up the mood of your classmates, friends and rival cousins just before the ball rolls at the Super Bowl. It’s the perfect mix of fun and football that can add an extra zing in your build up to the Super Bowl. What’s football without a gang of friends together right? These ecards can also double up as vehicles to carry out your ‘come-to-the-party’ call. Try them and if you feel the vibe, get your friends to try them!

Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
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“We are most alive when we are in love” - John Updike

I just heard that John Updike passed away. I wanted to remember positive things about this influential writer so I thought I’d share what he said. This quote by him says a lot about lovers like Adrian and Cathy. They have both led very disjointed lives before they met each other. And now, they are so deeply in love. I don’t know much about Cathy because I have not been witness to the changes in her as I have been in the case of Adrian, but Adrian has changed a ton for the better. He’s become more sober and focussed about what he wants to do in life. He’s taking himself seriously and taking mature steps. Cathy gave him a much-needed confidence boost.

Love is a strange emotion and bring about very uncertain changes and these differ from person to person. I have known people who got carried away when they fell in love and that took their eyes off their goals. And they suffered and went down the spiral. While there are others who have found determination and focus when they felt love. It all comes down to how you look at it. I mean, with ten dollars you can gamble it way or buy food for an urchin, it’s all on how you take it. What change did love bring in you? Chime in.

The New York Times reported on 27th January that BBC refused to air an appeal for aid to help the people in Gaza. Their reason, as stated by Mark Thompson, Director General of BBC, is that they want to do their reporting in a “balanced, objective way” and they don’t want to take sides in the Arab-Israel conflict.

This has prised open a lot of questions in mind. It is true that journalists and reporters have to be objective and impartial and must be fact-driven rather than feeling-driven. But when the question is about as big a human tragedy as the Gaza issue is turning out to be, it is time we extend a velvet glove rather than the iron ones. Leading aid agencies like the Red Cross, Help the Aged, Save the Children etc. are trying to reach out medical supplies and other basic necessities to help out as much as they can. It’s really time that we showed that we care.

I also see some ethical questions being raised here. Journalistic ethics are fine, but what about the human ones? Must we be so firm in our ideals that we ignore a suffering fellow-human just because some accusatory fingers will be raised? I don’t think I accept this and I really want you to voice your opinion on this. Do it here or post on the wall on the Facebook group or the Fan Page.

I’ve received great comments about the newsletters. I also know that many of you are there who want to connect but do not have the time to do so. This is the time, if there is any. I want you as a reader to tell me what you think about the newsletters. I want more of your participation. Click here to join our reader community and contribute. You can also invite your friends who don’t know about the newsletter so that they are inspired to read them. I want to share my friends around the world with you so that we can get ideas and go through trials together. I have a large network, I’m sure you have a network of friends that you rely on too, so let’s make this work for the benefit of all our friends.

If you are a regular reader, you’ll know that I publish your comments and stories on and off. I want to do that in a bigger way. If you have quotes or stories you want to share with me, let me know through any of the major social networks, my blog, or the newsletter. You can reach me everywhere!

And if my newsletter really inspire you, make you laugh and cry, tell your friends and folks about it. Let them laugh and cry with you, let them be inspired. I want to meet them and hear about them from you too! A friend of mine on Facebook told me that we can never have enough friends, I agree.

Thank you all for your amazing support! Keep ‘em coming!

“A compliment is something like a kiss through a veil,” wrote Victor Hugo. Mind gurus always tell you to compliment your fellow people because a compliment is free to give away but comes back to you with handsome returns. I know the power of compliments by watching Frank and how he earns brownie points off everyone by his habit of paying compliments generously. Even when he was only just a butcher to Eleanor, he would compliment her every now and then. Of course, he was really charming too. No one can deny that he or she doesn’t like to be complimented or appreciated. It was no different with Eleanor. Look where it has got him! But he didn’t stop at that. He still compliments her lavishly even after they’re going somewhat steady now. I have noticed him get her flowers and little token gifts on and off. Not only gifts, she compliments her when they are going out and she turns up in resplendent dignity.

I think we must take a leaf out of his book and start complimenting people we hold near to us. Even if the person is not your friend or related to you in some way, you can never miss a good gesture or a virtue. If you go out of your way and compliment that person, it’ll surely help that person remember you. Friends and folks need to be told how much we care and how much they mean to us. It’s not that they don’t know it already, but stating it will tell them that you actually notice the good things about them.

Do you compliment people often? Have you noted a change in their attitude towards you when you compliment them? Write to me.

I’m sure you guys liked my previous selection of Chinese New Year ecards. If you didn’t have the time to check them out, you can do so here. This time I’ve come up with a special pick of Chinese New Year ecards which are exclusively designed for your family and friends. Friends and family make up our support system and any occasion to thank them or show your appreciation is well worth the effort. The Chinese New Year is one such occasion, not only because it’s the time for a new beginning, but also because it’s time to hit the ‘Refresh’ button on our friendships and other ties. Take your pick. Get back to me with your feedback. If you like them enough, recommend them to your friends.

Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
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