Way to go Martin on your first Oscar!!

Warm congratulations to the very talented Martin Scorsese for his first Oscar! Martin won the Oscar for Best Director for 'The Departed'.

If you haven't seen that film, go see it. Wonderful! Graphic, but gripping.

Congrats again, Martin. You more than deserve it.

Congrats to the '06 Best Actor: Forest Whitaker!

How touching to see such humility! Very refreshing.

Congrats, Forest!! Well done. *Sob*

Congrats to the '06 Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson!

Jennifer Hudson just won Best Supporting Actress for 'Dreamgirls'!!!!

I am so excited! What an inspiration. She's definitely a breakthrough artist.

Jen, thanks for your example of persistence, faith and excellence...and the results these can bring in your life.

Stay grounded, chica. God bless!!

Bringing Snuffy Back...

Timberlake is bringing sexxy back, so as I am suffering from a stuffy head and sniffles this weekend, I decided to bring Snuffy back!

Remember Snuffy from Sesame Street? His official name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, but he is commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy, i.e. Big Bird's best friend.

Sometimes when people are sick, I call them 'Snuffleufogus'. I just recently realized that his name has a 'p' and that I have been mispronouncing it for years. Oh well, chalk that up as one learning for the weekend. Gladly (or sadly) it doesn't end there, other highlights from my weekend Snuffy research (yes, I researched that big, brown, cuddly thing) include:

- Snuffy looks like a woolly mammoth, without tusks or visible ears

- He attends Snufflegarten and has a baby sister named Alice

-Snuffy is Big Bird's imaginary friend and adults on the show did not believe Big Bird that Snuffy existed. Adults were often upset that Big Bird blamed Snuffy for things that went wrong

- In 1985, due to a rise in reporting on child abuse and pedophilia, people began to have concerns about this Sesame street storyline where adults refused to believe in Snuffy, despite Big Bird's assertions, and the fact that other characters had seen him. They felt that children would be reluctant to tell adults about abuse because, like Big Bird, their claims would not be believed. As a result, Sesame Street updated the storyline and adults were able to see Snuffy for the first time ever and they apologized to Big Bird for not believing him

- Sesame Street then made Snuffy a more regular character on the show and allowed him to appear sometimes without his best friend, Big Bird

I hope that was informative. Now, pass the tissues. Snuffy is sick.

Pumpity, pump, pump

Contact with you is so exhilarting and exciting

Right throughout we laugh, share secret smiles, find excuses to innocently touch **sigh**

Unfortunately our time together inevitably comes to an end

So we always find some reason to meet again

Heat is in the place, but of course we behave respectfully

I like you

No need for words today, thank God, I can barely think over the loud rush of adrenaline that is pumping through me

Good thing we started as friends - we didn't have to experience the awkward, superficial phase. You already knew me, quirks and all

Once is never enough, together we are too enjoyable
Now what other adventures should we plan for our time together?

You keep me coming back

Ouch! I really have it bad

Umm, I am sure you will forgive or hopefully enjoy this romantic, a.k.a soppy, outburst...it's a rare public display, but you must know...

I am CRUSHING ON YOU! Admit it, you are experiencing it too...

Discussion with the Greatest Salesman in the World

After a few stressful, limited sleep weeks, I was badly in need of some mental vitamins (see Jan. 6, 2007 post on Mental Vitamins) to remind me that happiness can be a permanent state of mind, despite my circumstances. Therefore, based on the recommendation of a wise friend, I decided to take my vitamins in the form of a chat with "The Greatest Salesman in the World", aka GSW.

GSW: Any ambitious person will face what appears to be impossible obstacles. However, failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough

Keri: That is an encouraging way to look at difficulties. How do I translate this viewpoint into a tangible life benefit?

GSW: Patience, grasshopper! Failure is your inability to reach your life goal. The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. You must become a slave to good habits!

Keri: Have you seen the Nelson Mandela picture on my blog page? Slavery? As the esteemed Homie the Clown would say, 'Homie don't play that!'

GSW: Please be serious, grasshopper. If you think about it, as a child you were a slave to your impulses; now as an adult, you are a slave to your habits. You have surrendered your free will to the years of accumulated habits, and the past deeds of your life have already predicted a path that is threatening to imprison your future. Your actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, habit, and the worst of these is habit.

Keri: Eek! That is me in a nutshell. Have you been spying on me?

GSW: Listen. If you must be a slave to habit, be a slave to good habits! I am sure you want to know how you can accomplish this difficult feat...well, only a habit can subdue another habit. You therefore have to discipline yourself...spend a few moments each day on the new habit. Repeat for the next several weeks and as you repeat the action you will find that it will become a part of your active mind, but will also seep into your subconscious . Thus a new habit will be born. You also need to vow to yourself that nothing will retard the growth of this new habit.

Keri: Wow. Now, I better understand why I have spurts of good behavior, but the consistency is not there. I need that continuous daily focus and reminder. I need to train myself that this behavior is going to be the new way of operating versus a quick fix

GSW: Yes. Now, I have more wisdom to impart...

Keri: Ready, when you are! Your humble sponge is reporting for soaking duty

GSW: Each day you wake up, you should greet the day with love in your heart

Keri: Umm, ok...

GSW: This is the greatest secret of success in all ventures! Love is your greatest weapon - shhhh...wait...I know it is counter intuitive, but your love will melt all hearts. Start looking on all things with love. Welcome happiness, for it enlarges your heart. Endure sadness for it opens your soul. Acknowledge rewards for they are your due; welcome obstacles for they are your challenge. Laud your enemies and they will become friends; encourage your friends and they will become brothers and sisters. Always search for reasons to applaud; never look for excuses to gossip. When you are tempted to criticize, bite your tongue, when you are moved to praise, shout it from the roofs.

Keri: This is definitely something to aspire to, I can see the clear benefits. As a current addict of celebrity gossip (perezhilton.com, anyone? See the Guilty Pleasures section of my blog *blush*) I have to ensure that this 'habit' does not make me crave real life gossip

GSW: Perez who? Focus, grasshopper. Now, in terms of how you should act, you need to love all mankind because each person has qualities to be admired even though they may be deeply hidden. Love the ambitious because they can inspire you. Love the failures because they can teach you. Love the kings because they are but human. Love the meek for they are divine. Love the rich for they are yet lonely; love the poor for they are so many. Love the young for the faith they hold; love the old for the wisdom they share. Love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; love the ugly for their souls of peace.

Keri: You mentioned earlier that love can be your greatest weapon, please expand on this

GSW: Love is your shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and discouragement will beat against your new shield, but will have little effect. Love will protect and sustain you. Most of all you must love yourself. Never overindulge the requests of your flesh, instead cherish your body with cleanliness and moderation. Never allow your soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather feed it with meditation and prayer. Never allow your heart to become small and bitter, rather share it and it will grow and warm the earth. Greet each day with love and you will succeed.

Keri: I like your point about self-love. I often am a lot more generous to others than myself, or focus more on the work part of the work/life balance equation to the detriment of fitness and health. However, you are right, to really maximize my value to myself and others, self-love is a critical ingredient

GSW: Good, grasshopper. Very good.

Keri: Thanks! *smile*

GSW: Now, to achieve success, you must persist until you succeed. If you persist that means you are continuing to try and if you continue to charge forward, you will succeed. You are not a sheep waiting to be prodded by any shepherd. You are a lion who refuses to talk, walk, or sleep with the sheep. You will not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious, let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not your destiny, because you will persist until you succeed.

Keri: Inspiring! As an aside, a few years ago, I read one of Anthony Robbins books and was so inspired I set up a meeting with a senior leader of my former company and asked for more responsibility and challenge, and also shared what I had achieved to date. My enthusiasm and confidence was clear, and in response to my leader's comment on my positive attitude, I actually said, " I am a lion, hear me roar!". Hahaha.

GSW: That's the power of positive thinking, grasshopper. You will be confident and also inspire those around you. Also, remember that the prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and you will not know how many steps are necessary in order to reach your goal. You may still encounter failure at the 1000th step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. You will never know how close it lies unless you turn the corner.

Keri: I truly believe this. Just this week, I have been surprised by many unexpected opportunities that have unfolded at work, many of which have come out of some pretty challenging journeys. It showed me that you have to diligently push forward, obstacles or not, and the benefits will in time appear

GSW: Exactly. Always be willing to take another step. One step at a time is really not too difficult. Consider each day's effort as one blow of your blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may not cause a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with your efforts of today. Small attempts, repeated will complete any undertaking.

Keri: It definitely is frustrating at times when I feel that I am putting in a lot of energy and getting minimal, if any, results. I lose hope and then feel like giving up or procrastinating

GSW: You must never consider defeat and remove the following such words from your vocabulary: quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless and retreat; for they are the words of fools. Avoid despair, but if this disease of the mind infects you, then you need to work on in despair. Continue to toil and you will endure. Ignore the obstacles at your feet and keep your mind on the goals above. Persist until you succeed. You must fail often to succeed only once. Try, try, and try again. Each obstacle is a mere detour to your goal and a challenge to your profession. Persist and develop skills by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm

Keri: Good point...even in despair, keep pushing forward. I have definitely experienced character and skillset improvements after I have endured challenging situations; these situations can really be good learning experiences

GSW: Right. You must also apply this other secret of those who excel in work. When each day is ended, whether or not that day has been a success or failure, you must attempt to achieve one more sale. When your thoughts beckon your tired body to go home, resist the temptation to depart. Try again. Make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails make another. Never allow any day to end with a failure. This is how you will plant the seed for tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labour at a prescribed time.

Keri: Applying that to my life would definitely be a differentiator.

GSW: Grasshopper, also you must never allow yesterday's success to lull you into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. Forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of your life. So long as you are alive, that is how long you should persist. If you persist long enough you will win.

Keri: You have touched and inspired me. Thank you for your contribution! I loved these vitamins. Yum!

(GSW's comments are sourced from Og Mandino's bestseller - The Greatest Salesman in the World)