While I was driving back home I couldn’t help to think about the situation to be in a restaurant where one doesn’t even like the type of food to celebrate his day. However, I also thought that he was really lucky to have the opportunity to spend that day with his kids, his father and his grandfather. I am one that unfortunately do not have the same luck like him anymore, both my grandfather and my dad departure long time ago.

It doesn’t matter how and where you are celebrating this day as long as you are privilege enough to be with you love ones, I truly thing that’s what really counts. We always take things for granted and we only realized what we are missing right after we loose them.

I just want to say for all the fathers out there, have a great Father’s Day.

Today, another important milestone was reached. The final printing of 2 products that I contributed with their content was finally accomplished. This brings me a great satisfaction because these products represent an original idea I had back on December 2009.

Besides its utility and nice layout, “A Simple Act” also fulfill a personal goal which is trying to make a contribution to the community and society by providing something that inspire them and others in their daily life. The calendar and the agenda, contains inspiring actions to cheer your day or the day of others.

A Simple Act is a product developed and designed by my wife in cooperation with Toronto Star and it will be sold in Chapters-Indigo across Canada very soon. I hope you like it or buy one as a gift for someone special.

Finally saving the best part to the end; one of the illustration happens to be designed by my older son Gabriel (7 at the time of drawing) which made him and us so proud of his talent. I belief he will follow the steps of his talented mom very soon.

Finding smile faces it is not as trivial as it seems to be. It might require some imagination as well as paying detailed attention to our surroundings, but more importantly I think, to have the right attitude.
The lesson I learned from this experience was that if we focus on positive and inspiring things like these smiling faces, they will start appearing everywhere. It is like when you concentrate in the color red for a couple of seconds and then you start noticing red everywhere.

Whether you focus on the negative or the positive it will become self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep looking for the smile faces and they will keep popping out.

[click] Oct. 22, 2010(Fri) 08:12 am

photo by Tony Mangan

Today I was reading a blog about  the simple joys in our life. The author made an interesting point when he said: “… we shouldn’t only engage in the joyful moments, but also in the reflection caused afterward.”
It is precisely the reflection that allows these experiences to become meaningful to us.

A spontaneous hug from a child, our pet’s enthusiasm when we return home, the burble of the coffee maker in the morning or the very moment when your favorite team scores they all can become a special moment.

How can you created and enjoy more small joys in your life? Following are some things you could try:

1.Be present. Instead of always thinking what is the next thing on our list, being in the present will allow us to recognize and value those little but significant moments.

2.Embrace it. Other important thing to do when these moments appears is to stay with it. By fully experience it will deeper it in our self.

3.Remembering the details. Remind yourself how it makes you feel and also paying attention to the details will enhance the experience every time you recall it. The smell, the color, the sounds, the surrounding, the weather your feelings, etc.

4.Make a note of it. Writing it down in your journal or send yourself a postcard if you are traveling will remind you later about that wonderful experience you had in your last trip.

5. Cultivate those moments. Do things you love, bike along the waterfront, go out into the woods and take pictures, sit down and read your favorite book

I personally like 1000 Awesome Things because in that blog  you will find a lot of samples of those very moments that can occurs in our daily life and also happen to others people too.

[click] Sep. 17, 2010(Fri) 12:13 pm

At that time very few people could afford the kind of custom made decorations made by him but the few who had access to paid very good for this kind of artistic metal work.
While I was looking his work and the level of detail he was putting into his work, I was thinking to myself how people can adapt to situations life put us on front and somehow come out with an original alternative.

Well there is the transferable skills, the actitude to take action but also the pasion for what you do. I could easily see in his face the pleasure to do something very good, no leaving anything randomly. When he was doing the final touches of paiting with his paint gun, I notice him adjusting his sights by closing a little bit his eyes like he was adjusting the focus of a camera lense. Also by changing different position to have different angles of the piece of metal he was painting even though the baranda color was white.

You can call it being professional with his job and responsible in the quality he delivers. However, I am pretty sure it was more than that. Did I tell you that this was not a regular paid work but a service exchange?

I couldn’t hear the whole conversation but this older gentleman was talking something about the responsibility to had risen 4 kids all by himself pointing out to the next table where in fact 4 kids where eaten as well. It was a unusual scene because the fact that in both tables there weren’t  moms around. It made me wonder about what could be the story behind in both cases the older with their older kids and the young man with his baby.

Wherever was the reason no mothers were present I just thought to myself  how lucky those kids are because they still have someone to look after them.

[click] Apr. 05, 2010(Mon) 12:48 pm

[click] Mar. 24, 2010(Wed) 08:38 am

We are so used to say or heard thank you in our daily routine to the point that it becomes some time as an auto response. The real meaning somehow is lost until there is really a situation where the thank comes from a really special situation. Yesterday during lunch time I was waiting my order of sandwich when a lady besides me was paying for her order. She dropped a coin, 25 cent I belief. Rapidly and without hesitation I ducked grabbed the coin and return the coin to the lady.

Usually you will get the thank you right away, but in this opportunity was different. Is funny how 2 seconds delay can cause a totally different feeling when someone take the time to look at your eyes smile and say thank you. I could totally feel that was a genuine thanks different from the regular one. Don’t get me wrong, but sometimes our words come out as instinct auto response rather than a sincere expression of ourself. What a valuable experience from a simple act.

[click] Mar. 16, 2010(Tue) 12:32 pm

Photo by TheTrueAbout

[click] Jan. 25, 2010(Mon) 12:42 pm

Photo by Jonathan

I was asking him some questions like their names and their backgrounds. The conversation started to turn very interesting with all different kind of questions I was asking him and all the answers he was giving me. I could feel a close connection during this short period of time. It was about for him to go to sleep, but my son wanted to continue talk about their friends so we continue for another 10 minutes when we decided it was time to stop.

I just realized that, kids like any other persons, want some attention and quality time to share together. And even a simple conversations like we had, make them feel important and loved. An enlightening moment and a very beautiful one.