The home of Lesley Galston / Sloanwriter: In 7th Position of competion entry

The home of Lesley Galston / Sloanwriter: In 7th Position of competion entry

I've Won My First Contest in 2011

I woke up today morning and the first thing I did was to fire up my computer and go to the C.P. Anthologies blog. 

Thankfully, I was in time to submit my entry for the contest. I noticed that no one else had submitted an entry yet, which was surprising, since it was such a fun contest and it was free to enter:

Anyway, the rules were:

 

In 75 words or less, pitch me the SyFy channel’s next hit movie.  What does it take to be SyFy, you wonder?  Well have a look (at your own risk, of course):

The first rule of SyFy is to always base your movie around an altered animal as shown in Mega Piranha.

Or an altered “thing” as shown in Behemoth.

The second rule of SyFy is to hire the best talent available within a three meter radius of yourself as done in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.

The third rule of SyFy is that skin is optional as shown in Triassic Attack.

(http://anthologies2011.blogspot.com/)

So, I decided not to procrastinate any more and after rejecting pythons, giant cobras, dragons, dinosaurs,  flying sharks and locusts, I decided that the creepiest threat would be from 20-feet big man-eating cockroaches.

So I submitted my pitch just a couple of hours before the deadline and guess what!

I won the contest.

To read all the gory details, go to:

http://anthologies2011.blogspot.com/

(It's worth your while, because C.P.'s post announcing me as the winner is absolutely hilarious.)

Anyway, the moral of the story is be proactive and submit entries to every contest - especially the ones that don't ask for an entry fee.

So, cheers to C.P. for giving me the chance to defeat my inertia, my resistance, my anti-muse and many thanks.

Every victory on this path is sweet, and today's was very sweet, indeed.

Haiku Examples

Haiku of Loneliness:

So alone without you
in a world full of people--
lonely like us both. 

Haiku of Indecision:

I cannot make up
my mind; do I want to be
a writer or monk?

Haiku on Contemplation on Death:

The story of my
life could be funny, touching,
inspiring and short!

Haiku of Bigotry

Dangerous colors--
fools want to paint the rainbow
in their own color. 

Haiku of Half-Regrets:

The story of my 
life is not as fun as I
think it could have been.


   
 

Haiku Poems - A Simple Way to Break Writer's Block using Haiku Examples

Haiku is a simple poem containing three lines and a total of 17 syllables. It is derived from Japanese poetry. Traditionally, the first and third lines of the haiku contain five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables. The haiku does not have to rhyme. Most haiku (both singular and plural forms are haiku) use the five-seven-five progression of syllables to create surprisingly diverse effects. The third line may present a different idea that is linked to the theme in the first two lines.

Haiku examples:

To want to be the

best is to nourish your ego,

which is not very wise.

Last night my dream was

to cross all doors from my home

to your tender heart.

Wanting safety can

become the biggest hurdle

to self-mastery.

Compromising can

become a habit unless

one is vigilant.

Most traditional Japanese haiku express ideas connected to nature, and and the passing of the seasons. However, there are no such constraints in writing haiku in English. The biggest advantage of writing haiku is its incredible flexibility. Anything and everything is permissible, even a change in the number and order of syllables.

How to Use Haiku Poems to Break Writer’s Block

The short and simple form of the haiku means that it hardly takes a minute to write one. Though the 5-7-5 syllabic format of the haiku is simple enough, it is acceptable to write haiku using a total of 13 to 17 syllables. So, if you are blocked you can use haiku as a fun way to overcome writer’s block.

You can also write haiku to jumpstart your writing session, to regain focus whenever you are stuck or bored or just to have fun!

Writing Haiku Online:

Haiku can be shared in blogs and other social media. Since they are usually less than 140 characters, you can tweet your haiku to your circle of friends. You can also Google for online haiku contests.

To read more haiku examples, click: Haiku Poems - An Easy and Elegant Way to Break Writer's Block

 

Five Benefits of Daily Goenka Vipassana Meditation Practice

Mr. S.N. Goenka and his assistants teach Vipassana meditation in ten-day residential courses worldwide. During the Vipassana course, meditators learn how to meditate by practicing intensively and continuously. On the last day, Mr. Goenka explains how they should continue their meditation practice after the course so that they can gain maximum benefit from Vipassana.

Vipassana Meditation Practice After the Course:

Mr. Goenka advises students to meditate one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening at home. In addition, students should practice Vipassana for a few minutes at bedtime until they fall asleep and as soon as they wake up in the morning. In addition, he advises students to take part in a ten-day residential Vipassana meditation retreat at least once a year to deepen their understanding of the meditation practice.

Vipassana Meditation Daily Practice—Five Benefits:

The daily practice of Vipassana improves quality of life in several ways, directly and indirectly. Among them, the five most important benefits are:

1. Increased basal level of awareness and equanimity
2. Understanding of sitting meditation and daily life affecting each other beneficially
3. Development of positive mental qualities
4. Appreciation of the value of ethical behavior
5. Positive health resulting from meditation during meals

Read more at Suite101: Goenka Vipassana Meditation Course: 5 Benefits of Daily Practicehttp://www.suite101.com/content/goenka-vipassana-meditation-course-5-benefits-of-daily-practice-a347474#ixzz1FwpE4A4u

47 Hearts Kindle Book: How to Align Life Purpose with Passion

47 Hearts, a Kindle book written by Dr. Mani, is an inspirational guide to enable readers to reach their goals by harnessing three key strengths: passion, purpose and persistence.

Healing Hearts of Children Using the Power of the Internet

Initially, Dr. Mani narrates the three most important turning points of his life. The third turning point was in 1997 after he became a heart surgeon. Working with children born with congenital heart defects and interacting with their parents gave him a unique perspective about their problems. Limited finances, lack of awareness and restricted access to resources meant most children either didn’t get medical attention or got it too late.

Heart surgery is costly, even in India, and the treatment of each child costs around $2,500. Though the state government contributes 50 percent of the cost of treatment, many of his patients couldn’t afford to pay the remaining charges. 47 Hearts is the story of how Dr. Mani launched a successful internet business to raise funds for treatment of children with congenital heart defects. Since 1996, Dr. Mani and his team have raised over $137,200 from 1,020 donors, and used the money to sponsor heart operations for 70 children with congenital heart defects.

47 Tips to Live a Life of Purpose and Passion

In 47 Hearts, Dr. Mani lists 47 simple but effective secrets that helped him to achieve his mission. In addition to axioms about the importance of passion, purpose and persistence, he underlies the importance of qualities such as focus, gratitude, ethics, discipline, enlightened self-interest, meditation, leadership and teamwork. Dr. Mani describes the most effective way to apply each principle, drawing on his own experiences and insights as a heart surgeon and internet entrepreneur.

For example, one of Dr. Mani’s tipsis to use a mantra instead of a mission statement. He explains that it’s easier to recall and recite a short and pithy mantra that embodies the spirit of your dream and instantly communicates it to others. For example, his personal mantra is, “I will not accept a child dying,” and his team’s mantra is, “"Help Heal a Child's Heart".

To read the rest of the article, please click: 47 Hearts Kindle Book: How to Align Life Purpose with Passion

Earn Affiliate Income from Your Blog Easily With This Simple Tip

L

Let Your Blog Make Money for You While You Sleep
(image from freepixels.com)

If you have a blog or plan to start one, check out this simple and easy way to earn passive income by creating a resource page with affiliate links.

An effective and often overlooked way to make money from your blog or website is to create a resource page. A resource page is a separate page on your blog that has links to products and services in your niche preferably that you have used yourself and found useful.
So, how does setting up a resource make you money? Simple! Most of the links in your resource page are affiliate links, meaning you will be paid a commission each time someone purchases a product or uses a service that you recommend on this page.
Once you create your resource page, don’t forget to provide an easy way for your readers to go to your resource page. The best way is set up a link in your navigation bar at the top of your home page.

To read the rest of the article, visit:

Earn Affiliate Income from Your Blog Easily With This Simple Tip

How to Get the Best Value from Google Pay-per-Click Marketing

Targetted marketing using Google Adwords
(freepixels.com)

Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising is a highly effective way to drive targeted prospects to blogs, websites or sales pages. E-marketers can choose from Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, Facebook Advertising, MSN Adcenter (Bing) etc. However, most marketers prefer Google AdWords for their PPC marketing because it displays their ads on Google search pages.

To read the rest of the article, visit:

How to Get the Best Value from Google Pay-per-Click Marketing

S.N. Goenka Vipassana Meditation Course: Seven Special Benefits

Meditation: The Path to Happiness
(freepixels.com)

Modern life can be extremely stressful. The strain of dealing with multiple conflicting demands at work and home can be overwhelming. Each person copes with this stress differently. Some choose self-destructive ways such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Others may turn to counseling or psychiatric therapy. However, more and more people are discovering the efficacy of meditation as an effective way of dealing with this stress.

In response to this growing demand, a wide range of meditation courses is being offered worldwide. However, many people still feel uneasy about meditation and associate it with mysticism and esoteric cults. Among the various meditation techniques, Vipassana meditation is relatively unknown in the West because it is taught in ten-day residential courses and is not actively publicized.

To read the rest of the article, visit:  

S.N. Goenka Vipassana Meditation Course: Seven Special Benefits

Lose Weight Without Dieting With the Volumetrics Weight-Loss Plan

Losing Weight Can Be a Pleasant Experience!
  
The Volumetrics Weight-Loss Plan enables you to eat satisfying portions of delicious foods and still lose weight, without giving up flavor or diversity in your diet. 

Volumetrics is derived from twenty years of research on hunger and obesity by Dr. Barbara Rolls, PhD, a nutrition researcher at the Pennsylvania State University. 

Dr. Rolls has based her weight-management plan on two key concepts: satiety and energy-density of foods.

To read the rest of the article, click:


Lose Weight Without Dieting With the Volumetrics Weight-Loss Plan
  


Image from freepixels.com