The Book of Tomorrow – Cecelia Ahern

The Book of Tomorrow tells the story of 16-year old Tamara. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she’s like almost any other girl her age and of her class – interested in boys and flashy stuff, lashing out at her parents, rebelling against things around here. Until tragedy strikes and her family is bankrupt, at which time they move out to the country to stay with her mother’s brother at a ruined castle.

While there, Tamara finds a book at a traveling library – an empty book that miraculously has an entry for the next day’s events. Using those entries and clues, Tamara is about to uncover a secret that has been hidden 17 years.

I think the novel is aimed at tweens, and with this category, it should be a hit.

Cecelia Ahern has done a great job of writing from a 16-year old’s point of view, and she builds up her characters and the plot well. You pretty much find things out along with Tamara, and can feel her excitement and frustrations. The novel is pretty well-crafted, but then you’d expect that from Cecelia Ahern, and should keep tweens (and maybe some adults too) engrossed as they wait to find out what comes next.

If you were hoping for something along the lines of P.S. I Love You, though, you just might be disappointed.

Overall, I’d say you could pick it up for a quick, light read on a rainy day.

Stylishly yours

Last Sunday, I got the Stylish Blog Award from my bloggie friend Reenie, and then, just as I was thinking of posting it on my blog and had the nomination list all ready, yesterday, my buddy Ann (who I was going to nominate, btw) nominated me too! So, that means I have myself two Stylish Blog Awards, making me doubly stylish! 😉

To accept this award, I’m supposed to thank the person who awarded me – Reenie, Ann, you gals rock! Thank you! – share 7 things about myself and pass it on to some more stylish bloggers. There’s a number confusion here, ’cause one says 15, the other 7 – I guess I’m gonna bend the rules!

First up, 7 things you probably didn’t know about Modern Gypsy:

1) I’m generally a very happy-go-lucky person, which also means that at times when I NEED to take action, I don’t. At such times, my friends push me, yell at me and motivate me – and I love them for it!

2) I started out as a dog lover, but once I met the husband and realized his fear of dogs and love for cats, I became a cat lover myself. So now, I’m one of the few people who loves both dogs and cats.

3) I cry easily at the movies, in real life situations, though, it takes a lot to get me to shed those tears.

4) I LOVE comedy – but of the intelligent variety. Think The Birdcage.

5) I hate cooking, unless I’m trying out a new, exotic dish, like a Spanish Express Paella (recipe to come on the blog soon!).

6) My dream job would be one as a travel writer and photographer. I LOVE traveling, exploring different cities, cultures and cuisines, and clicking away like there’s no tomorrow. I’d love to be able to hold an exhibition combining photography and art. Some day, hopefully!

7) I’m fascinated with divination and the Tarot, and am learning how to read the cards.

Now, on to nominating the award to some of my fellow bloggers! I can’t nominate Reenie and Ann, since they both nominated me. So, I hereby nominate these great bloggers with the Stylish Blogger Award! Do hop over and say hi!

Jade at No Longer 25 writes about her favorite things: family, friends, food, travel and gardening.

Jacki at The Raven’s Spell chronicles the ever changing adventures of a stubborn, book-obsessed woman as she redefines her life, family, and self.

Adriana at La Dulce Vida, a bohemian mother of three that is inspired by all the beautiful things in life… Art, food, fashion,parenting, travel and culture.

Miranda at Mangoes and Chutney is someone I discovered while doing the 31 days to a better blog over at SITS. She offers new recipes, some Virgin Island knowledge, and a few cooking tidbits, all infused with a little humor.

I found Jennifer at Scraps of Life through her SITS feature day. Her blog is full of interesting, arty stuff that is sure to jump start your creativity!

It's magical when technology meets art

Think New York, and what comes immediately to mind? For some it’s Central Park, for others it may be Times Square, and still others may think immediately of the Statue of Liberty. Me? I’ve always thought of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The main points of attraction for me are its Egyptian art, European paintings and sculpture and medieval arts collections. I could spend a couple of days at the museum…wandering through the Temple of Dendur – a large sandstone temple that was given to the US in 1965 and was assembled in the Met’s Sackler Wing in 1978 – and examining the many Egyptian artefacts scattered through the Met’s 40 Egyptian galleries. Then there are the European masters – Monet, Vermeer, Cézanne, Van Gogh…the European sculpture gallery, with a reconstructed 16th century patio from the Spanish castle of Vélez Blanco, and the collection of Medieval art, divided between the museum and The Cloisters.

NYC: Metropolitan Museum of Art - Sackler Wing...

Temple of Dendur, Met, NY Image by wallyg via Flickr

So you can imagine my delight when I read about the Google Art Project, which brings together over 1,000 works of art by more than 400 artists. Using its Street View technology, Google has mapped 17 museums from around the world, including the Met, allowing you to take a stroll through the museum from the comfort of your own home. Each of these museums has selected one image that Google photographed using some amazingly advanced technology so that you can zoom into it in great detail – maybe greater detail than would have been possible if you were seeing it hanging on the museum wall! You “can zoom in to see Van Gogh’s famous brushwork or watch how previously hard to-see elements of an artwork suddenly become clear – such as the tiny Latin couplet which appears in Hans Holbein the Younger’s “The Merchant Georg Gisze.” You can also create a collection of your favourite works of art, add comments and share it with friends and family.

I clickety-clacked my way over to the site immediately and immersed myself in the beautiful works of art available online. As I slowly work my way through the site, I’ll start sharing my collection of favourite artwork, so stay tuned!

You can read Google’s blog post announcing the project or go straight to Google Art Project.

Excited? Hoping to find a particular museum or a favourite artist? Tell me about it in the comments!

'Tis the season of love!

Image by PinkMoose via Flickr

Happy Valentine’s day my sweets!

What a beautiful day this is – a day to celebrate love – love for yourself, your family, your pets, your significant other.

Scratch beneath the surface of the commercialization, and you’ll see that this can be a beautiful day indeed…a day to pamper yourself and your loved ones just a wee bit more than you do usually.

Here are some ideas for you.

For yourself:

Have a bubble bath with candles, wine, some music, a book
Indulge in your favorite foods – forget about health food for a day – indulge in some yummy cakes or lasagna instead
Dim the lights and meditate. Try some of the meditation music and guided meditation clips on my blog
Meet up with your girlfriends for a day out in the town
Spend the day doing something you love – photography, art, cooking…

For your significant other:

Try doing something extra special that they wouldn’t expect – for me, it would be cooking up a meal!
Rekindle the romance – light some candles, put on some soft music, curl up together and watch a movie…or talk…or…
Go hiking together
Leave a love note on the steamed up bathroom mirror

Need a last minute valentine gift idea? Try one of these!

Got any ideas of your own? Tell me!

Friday Frame #12: Christian Lacroix – Sleeping Beauty

Legendary couturier Christian Lacroix illustrates author and style expert Camilla Morton's take on Sleeping Beauty, part of her Fashion Fairytale Memoir series.

(More Friday Frames)

If you have any artwork or photography to share, please leave a comment, a link back to your blog and your e-mail address, and I’ll feature it on an upcoming Friday Frame!

Happiness is…

Image via Wikipedia

Licking an ice cream cone on a hot summer day
Catching up with friends for a leisurely dinner at the end of the week
Lazy Saturdays at home, curled up with a book
Coming home tired and irritated to find Pepo (my cat) in a playful mood
Long conversations with the husband that start out as you’re turning in for the night, and go on until well past bedtime
The feeling of oneness with the Almighty
Planning our next vacation
Taking a day off work for no particular reason
Going out with the camera and returning with some really great photographs

So, what makes you happy?

Protected: BLC – week 2

Attitude Makes All The Difference

This short clip features Zig Ziglar telling the story of a woman with a negative attitude who hated her job, shifted her attitude and changed her life.

Hope this inspires you to bring about a change in your life!

(Click to read older Spiritual Sunday posts)

Book review: Angel Words – Doreen Virtue

I’ve read a few of Doreen Virtue’s books and worked with her Angel cards, which I love, so when I saw Angel Words, I was curious to see what the book was about. Co-authored by Doreen and her son Grant, the book takes a look at the vibration, as represented by sound graphs, of different words.

The mother-son duo noticed that whenever Doreen said the word angel during her podcast, the recording graphics were shaped like angel wings. This led them to study other words, and they realized that those with a spiritual or loving basis had large graphs, while those with negative words had tight and small graphs.

Doreen calls positive words Angel words, and through stories and illustrations of sound graphs, she shows how just changing the way we talk (even self talk) can dramatically change our circumstances. One of the stories she shares is of Carolyn Purchase, who owns a metaphysical store in Nova Scotia. She noticed that whenever asked about her business, she said “I’ll never be rich but it pays the bills,” and that was exactly what she experienced. When she noticed what she was saying, she had an epiphany and said instead, with total conviction, “Fantastic! This place is a gold mine!” In a year, her sales have increased by 40%.

The chapters on “Words that can heal your life,” “Positive, high-energy words” and “Negative, low-energy words” are very interesting. The only chapter that I didn’t quite agree with was “Life-affirming clichés and expressions,” where she offers a more positive spin on some common, negative clichés. Some of her positive takes on clichés are a bit absurd. For e.g., “I’m between a rock and a hard place” versus “I move through life with grace and ease” or “It’s like stealing candy from a baby” versus “The sweetness in life is plentiful for all of our inner child’s needs” The positive replacements do seem a bit lame!

Overall, though, I think it is an interesting book that illustrates the vibrational frequency of different words and makes a compelling case to try to talk positive.

An experiment in community living – Auroville

The visitor centre at Auroville

Located 10 kilometers out of Pondicherry down a narrow, tree lined lane punctuated on both sides with cafes and shops is Auroville, an experimental township founded by The Mother (Sri Aurobindo’s disciple) in the late 1960s. Her vision was to offer Aurovillans an experience of community living. Anchored by the Maitri Mandir (the soul of Auroville), a golden golf ball shaped structure, the community is currently home to about 50,000 people from 16 countries.

Cross-section of the inside of Maitri Mandir, visitor centre, Auroville

“Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.”

When you reach Auroville, your first port of call would be the visitor center, where you can read about its history and charter and watch a short movie on its philosophy and on the establishment of the Maitri Mandir. There is also a bookstore selling titles by The Mother and on Auroville.

On the way to Maitri Mandir. Want to see what the old lady looks like? Click on the image

Visitors are allowed to see the Maitri Mandir from a viewing point some distance away from the main temple. The walk to the Mandir is beautiful and peaceful, along a narrow tree shaded walking path. If you want to go in to temple, you will have to take an appointment after you have seen the Mandir. The Maitri Mandir isn’t a temple in the traditional sense, there is no religion followed and you aren’t supposed to pray. It is for

“those who want to learn to concentrate…No fixed meditations, none of all that, but they should stay there in silence, in silence and concentration. A place for trying to find one’s consciousness.”

The Mandir “wants to be the symbol of the Divine’s answer to man’s aspiration for perfection.” but I didn’t get that from its shape – a golden golf ball in the center of 12 petals. Ah well!

The Maitri Mandir, viewing point, Auroville

After we had seen the Mandir, we rode around through the township, though the best way to really understand what Auroville is all about is to stay there. Since that wasn’t happening on this trip, we thought we’d gather information and be touristy. 😀

Auroville is famous for its arts and crafts, incense, and organic foods. There are three boutiques in the complex, which sell a variety of products, ranging from silks, knits, and leather to pottery, metal work, and wood craft, to incense, aromatherapy products, massage oil, shampoos and lotions. All of these goods are hand made using traditional techniques that do not harm the environment.

Sustainable_energy_installation_Auroville

An audio-video installation on sustainable energy, Auroville

When at Auroville, you should definitely have a meal at the café, which serves up organic food with raw materials that are either grown at Auroville or procured from nearby places, with a strong focus on sustainability. I had an absolutely fantastic fried fish and a yummy lemon cake. The thought of those dishes can still make my mouth water! We also picked up a plum cake from there, and it was one of the best plum cake’s I’ve ever eaten!

On our way back, we stopped at a cute open air cafe for a cup of refreshing lemon tea…then drove on back to our hotel…and spent the rest of the evening at the beach! Bliss…

(text in italics is from Auroville’s website)