The Social Media Kindness Project

The Social Media Kindness Project
by: Talin Orfali Ghazarian

Social media has become a big part in today’s society and some people use it for goodness, positive and inspiration, but others not so much. Some people tend to use social media in a negative and toxic way to spread hate, bullying, rudeness, and sending terrible comments to anyone. As previous generations have taught “If you have nothing nice to say or do, do not say or do anything at all”. That is the golden rule.

So, with that I have come up with the social media kindness project. You have no idea what someone is going through in their lives. It is always a good idea to be kind and use social media in empowering and positive ways. This is going to take a village to do. Social media needs a big makeover and we need to start somewhere.

I cannot believe that we have to teach people proper behavior and how to act these days, but we have to. It has become too much and has gone way out of hand. We are not perfect and we do mistakes, but being rude and unkind is not a mistake. It is a bad habit and we need to eliminate it as much as we can.

Social media should be a place where we can be free to post pictures, updates, videos, status updates, stories, ideas, opinions and suggestions. It should be used to get us out of our daily life and to unwind, have fun and share a bit of our lives, but not to the point where it can be misused.

Now, here are instructions of what we can do together to build a safer and happier community online:

• If you see unkind, rude and horrible comments made by somebody in any group, pages, or to an individual person, report it to the social media outlet that it is found on, and then if you are able to, send that person a private message to teach them kindness and to point out what they did wrong in a civil way. Remember, we are trying to make a difference and be kind to unkind people, so that they can hopefully learn from their mistakes.
• Vulgar language, inappropriate posts, swearing, threats and other profanity should have no place on social media, especially when shared with people of all ages from children to elderly. Respect each other and create a safe and enjoyable place for everyone.
• If you see bullying happen, someone being made fun of, being humiliated and ridiculed, step up, report it, take screenshots, record everything, time, date and names involved in the bullying and then find out who you can send the information to. If the situation becomes to the point where authorities need to be contacted, please do. Silence is not the answer. It could save lives, it could prevent from further escalation of the situation.
• We are all entitled to our opinions and how we feel, but there are all kinds of personalities and people in all walks of life online and we need to be general as can be, and we cannot discriminate. There needs to be 0 tolerance in racism, making fun of someone’s color, orientation, religion, beliefs and how they live their lives. We are all human and deserve love, respect and being treated equal, and fairly.
• Everybody needs a friend, we all need to feel included, to feel welcome, and be amongst people who care, who needs good advice, love, and being in diversity with all kinds of people. We need to give people positive empowerment.
• Some people have lived in a toxic lifestyle with nothing but negativity and bad days in their lives, and we need to make sure that these people can be in a place in their lives where they can count on us and it is important to mean it to make them feel better, to take them out of that negativity to be there for them in great ways, to mentor them and to let them know they are not alone and they can come to us at anytime.
• Social media is open 24/7 365 days a year and there are people in every time zone, It will be amazing and so incredibly beautiful to see social media blossom like flowers to see a fun place for us all to enjoy, be safe and to use it wisely.

This is not some kind of chain letter or those copy and paste posts. This is authentic and very real. This project is very important. I have seen so much as a person who has used social media, since it began before the MySpace days, Asian Avenue and all that. It has been a long time. I have seen a lot of rude and unkind people online and it is very disturbing. We need to combat and make a difference in people’s lives. So important.

What do you think should be done? What are your opinions or suggestions or other measures we can take to get this project underway? Would love to hear from you in the comments below.

This Kindness project will help billions of lives online, and it will make this world a better and safer place. Let’s do this, and let’s start to get things back on track. Now, are you with me on this?

I cannot do this without you. I would appreciate it. Thank you.

The Comfort of Disrespect and Ignorance on Social Media

In the many years of social media existence, we come across many strangers in all walks of life and different kinds of personalities and how people react to things seen. Now more than ever people are engaged into social media in some shape or form.

Not everybody agrees with certain things, and there are just some really nasty, disgusting and horrible posts with a lot of disrespect, rudeness and sheer ignorance. Some people do not think about what they post online for others to see.

Be kind and if you do not like a certain post or if there are things you do not adhere to, there is the magic of a scroll button on your computer or use your thumb to scroll down on your phone. It’s honestly ridiculous. Enough is enough with people’s criticism and rude comments. Like this world isn’t going through enough, people just add fuel to the fire.

I’m appalled at today’s society and comfort to hide behind screens to act in a horrible manner. Morals and respect is very rare. It’s getting too much! It is disgusting. People have certainly lost their way. As a social media blogger and writer, I have seen a lot in the many years I’ve been online and it’s getting worse. People just don’t care about others feelings. It’s very wrong.

People think that they are the only ones on social media and they think they can do whatever they please, but you are not alone. There are over a billion people in the world that use some sort of social media platform and all can be seen from all parts of the world. Use discretion. Everything has its limits. Just because the internet is a place that is open 24/7 365 days a year, it doesn’t mean that you are entitled to be ignorant and rude to others who you do not even know!

You know, comments and reactions that are negative in nature can do serious damage to another persons self-esteem, confidence, mental health, emotions and it can have consequences that can lead people to do physical harm to themselves and even worse. Yes, you maybe a stranger to another person, but when people actually get affected by it, its horrible. What you do online affects others too.

Ahhh if you think its not a big deal to insult others online because you don’t know them, then you are sadly mistaken.

Now, with the pandemic of COVID19 of more than a year now, a lot more people are spending more time online to pass time. It is always a good idea to reach out to people who are going through a lot. We all are going through our problems, issues, and all kinds of things and we want to get on social media to escape those troubles.

Social media is supposed to be a fun environment where people share photos, ideas, advice, videos, tips, sharing memories, a joyous place to laugh and to pass time without seeing so many negative, insulting, offensive posts by others.

Being kind to others is very important. There are ways to approach certain situations and to react in a civil, good-hearted manner. So many groups and so many posts on certain pages have so much disrespect and its just so disturbing by the amount of people that have become so cold. All of us go through things, but it doesn’t mean that you can use that as an excuse to be mean to others. To me, I have 0 tolerance with rudeness.

Just think about it. You wouldn’t want people to be disgusting and ignorant to you, would you? Can you imagine how that would make you feel? Life is too short everyone. Tomorrow is never promised. Love each other, appreciate one another. We are all human. Respect, appreciation and goodness go a long way in life. Practice good behavior on social media and in your daily life as well.

All the best and hopefully you make a wise decision about your actions. Think before you post anything. It is that simple. It will save a lot of problems and consequences in the long run. I am just looking out for everyone’s interest. Be careful, have fun and spread positive joy to others lives.

Just trust me on this. Social media needs a huge overhaul and makeover to kindness, respect and love. Spread this and just think about it and do it!

Celebrities Complaining About Being Isolated & Quarantined During COVID19

RANT from me:
Warning.
I am so pissed off right now!

Some celebrities are complaining that they are stuck in their homes during the COVID19 pandemic and some say that they are bored in their villas/mansions. Sorry but you are complaining about being stuck in your 6,000 to 20,000 sq feet or more mansions when you have swimming pools, hot tubs, ample space to move around to do things, movie theatres, workout rooms, game rooms, massive walk-in closets, pool tables, super expensive cars, super expensive clothing and so much more. I don’t feel for any of you at all. Try and be in people’s shoes right now and your complaining!

There are alone people in this world who are isolated, there are people who are suffering, there are homeless people out there, there are people who live paycheck to paycheck and some who are struggling to make ends meet, some people who have lost their jobs and got laid off due to this pandemic, there are people who can’t pay their bills, there are people who can’t be with their family and friends who are in hospital and YET celebrities have the audacity to complain while they are in the millions of dollars worth of mansions?

While front line workers, nurses, doctors that are pouring in their sweat, tears, exhaustion to help patients with COVID19 who are trying to save their lives, security guards, grocery workers, parents, fast food places, restaurant staff, delivery people, transit workers, pharmacists, truck drivers, post/mail servers, teachers and other essential workers out there who are busting their asses off working so hard to help YOU, who are working so hard to make sure you have food at home.

Kids who can’t go to school now, who were looking forward to seeing their friends, who were supposed to graduate, teens who are supposed to have their proms, graduation valedictorian speeches, and all these special pivotal moments, people who are supposed to have weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, milestone birthdays, holiday gatherings, travel plans, business trips, cruises, and all kinds of events that are canceled, and

yet Celebrities are complaining that they are bored and feel so isolated and cooped up in their HUGE ASS MANSIONS, GET OVER YOURSELVES!

Appreciate what you have, be grateful and be thankful. There are people who are dying every day from this pandemic and who are deeply suffering, there are other people who are dying from various diseases and illnesses around the world too. While you’re in your MANSIONS, there are people taking in their last breath. SO UNBELIEVABLE!

Rant Over.

How to Keep Busy at Home During The COVID19 Pandemic – Self-Isolation Quarantine

I know it is a difficult time for us right now where our lives were filled with our busy lifestyle, going and coming, going out, but now with COVID19 CoronaVirus pandemic going on, we need to really focus on being isolated and quarantined just for a while until things clear up. Our Governments want to keep us healthy and safe as much as possible keeping us at home so that we won’t become a statistic too.

We need to entertain ourselves while we are quarantined and isolated at home and social media, the internet, and communication with others are so important right now as it always has been. Some people underestimate social media, but at times like this, we need to connect more than ever right now.

I know it is serious what is going on in the world and I am thinking about the lives lost and families ripped apart and those who are currently in the COVID-19 condition and those heroes in the front lines Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists, Grocery workers, Teachers, public transportation workers, and others. I love you all, I respect you and I thank you. I appreciate all of you.

Some Tips from me to keep busy at home during this difficult time we are all facing during this pandemic of COVID19:

1. Play board, card, and other games do crafts, puzzles, and color, do things without screen time for a bit.

2. Have a baking or cooking challenge. Search for a recipe online or do something on your own, and then share your progress on social media. Hashtag it to #QuarantineRecipeChallenge

3. A good time to do spring cleaning around the house, organize closets, pantry, and drawers. look at your medicine cabinets, bathroom and organize and discard any expired medicine, shampoo, creams, and other things that have been laying around for a while.

4. Watch movies, TV Shows, and anything to steer your mind away from COVID19 related issues.

5. Read books or look up a subject online, do some research and write about it. Like a book report or something.

6. take out a pen and paper and start writing or do some doodling.

7. Communicate more on social media and phone and just keep connected with your friends, family and the world. Share funny memes, inspirational quotes with each other, and have fun with others virtually while being physically distant.

8. If you sometimes don’t want to cook, order some take out and have it delivered to you. Also if you need to stock up on food, go out once a week safely to the grocery store, pick up whatever you need and then come home, restock everything.

9. Take this time off from the fast-paced busy lives as an opportunity to catch up on sleep, rest and things that you wanted to do for a while around the house to accomplish it.

10. Work from home if you can.

11. Get some fresh air outside your home, balcony, look out the window.

12. Walk around your neighborhood being physically distant from others at least 6 feet for half an hour or less.

What other tips do you have? Share in the comments below.

Most importantly Stay Healthy, Wash your hands often, wash your clothes or put them in the hamper right away when you go grocery shopping for essentials and focus well on hygiene and keep safe.

 

My condolences to those lives who were lost during this terrible illness.

The Celebrity Feel – Toronto Pearson International Airport

In life, we are given this incredible privilege to travel and see the world and how aviation, technology, engineering, and aircraft make this world a smaller place by getting to places quickly. Toronto Pearson Airport is an airport that is so near and dear to me with all the great memories created whether it is traveling, dropping off, picking up and just spotting aircraft nearby. Very special to me.

Every single time that I land in Toronto Pearson Airport, as soon as we taxi, gate, get our belongings from the aircraft and walk our way out to the terminal, to get through customs, to claim our baggage, the adrenaline, and that feel of seeing flight attendants, captains/pilots and amongst CATSA and CBSA officers, plus other passengers sharing the same atmosphere. It makes me feel so incredibly appreciative and thankful to the travel industry and our beautiful Airport of Toronto Pearson.

As we are about to claim our baggage, that moment comes along where we begin to exit to reunite with loved ones, meet colleagues, or go get a shuttle, bus, taxi, uber, lyft or other transportation to take us home or where ever else.

As you are walking out, you see all the eyes on you as you are carrying your baggage, that automatic celebrity feels where you glance at everyone and people are smiling and making eye contact with you. It feels like you are a celebrity coming home. So at this point, I walk a bit slower and I do the same looking at everyone else and I smile too. I just absolutely love that moment. I appreciate every moment and cherish it and this is one of them.

That part whether it’s at Terminal 1 or 3, is one of my favorite parts of the airport and of course when I am at the gate waiting for my flight and watching beautiful aircraft go by. Toronto Pearson Airport is a sentimental place for me and I always feel like a celebrity there. I am thankful to all the workers and volunteers at the airport. Appreciation, kindness, and patience go a long way when traveling and expressing that is very important. It makes life and people’s day go by a lot better.

Toronto Pearson Airport, Thank you – I love you. Safe, well wishes and happy travels to all of us.

YYZ ALL THE WAY!

The Hard Truth & Sad Reality of Social Media – Devices That Consume Us

The sad reality of how smartphones and other devices are consuming us and face-to-face human interaction and communicating is diminishing and at a rapid rate. We need to set limits within ourselves to go offline, explore our world around us, connect with humans at a personal level, show emotions, and develop our personalities.

This is the fact and the hard truth and it has become a huge problem in our society, when we prioritize what’s on our screens, and play with apps. We no longer need to do any critical thinking anymore, we no longer need to learn the basics, even mathematics, spelling, counting. Everything is done for us and there are apps for everything.

We are putting smartphones and devices first in our lives, and physical communication with people second. Even paying attention to our families and friends have diminished. I see it happen far too often where people get together at restaurants and coffee shops and they sit around not talking, but they are on their phones and showing no emotion, and no personality. It is so sad. Why have we come this far? Why do we have to do this 24/7?

Here I am talking about this on a social media blogging platform.

We have become so dependent on these devices that we even ask Siri and Alexa to do basic chores around the house like taking down decorations for example, but we know that it won’t happen that way, but maybe one day. I wouldn’t put anything past it. Screen time is consuming our time at a very alarming rate.

So much of our lives are going by and we don’t realize it. Spend time with your loved ones and create memories without these screens. want to take pictures? Buy a digital camera and take pictures and then look at them later. Smartphones have made it easy to take pictures and to share instantly too

Our brains are no longer functioning without these devices that we stare at for hours and hours a day. People cannot even put these devices down when driving, walking, and even shopping. This has become a big disease and it is running people’s lives.

It’s very serious. I am very concerned about the coming generations.

These images are so powerful and the description exactly and spot on of what these devices are doing to us. Hopefully, it will make people think about their actions and take these matters seriously. What can we do to combat this? How can we take a break from this all?

I am definitely making changes in my life. Life is too short. 

Mandalorian – Baby Yoda – Takes over the Galaxy and our hearts – Star Wars

It is so exciting to report that a new character has been added to the Star Wars Mandalorian franchise. It’s so incredibly cute, cuddly, and absolutely adorable. Baby Yoda is his name. This beautiful green icon has taken over the galaxy. It eats Frogs and has choccy milk, soup and its a protector from evil. He protects the people he loves and enjoys touching things he is not supposed to.

I was never into Star Wars until I saw one of the films a few years ago. I got hooked. I love the series and it gets me excited and now more especially when Baby Yoda came into the picture.

I just learned about Baby Yoda this past week and I am already hooked and obsessed over the little guy. I just joined the group on Facebook where you can see videos, memes, photos, and all sorts of things relative to Baby Yoda and here it is. Enjoy the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Yodababy/ –

You can also check out another group called baby Yoda memes gallery  https://www.facebook.com/groups/399739984242246/ filled with memes and fun stuff too!

So many cool postings from so many people who enjoy, love, obsess and adore this cutie patootie. I am warning you though, You will experience cuteness overload that you cannot handle it. I am sure that this cutie Baby Yoda will bring us all together in this world to enjoy and love him and he will spread out joy to people of all ages.

To learn more about Baby Yoda, you can check out the group link I posted and you can check on Google too for more information on him. Enjoy the cuteness!

Parties and Wedding RSVP Frustration and Annoyance

In life, we have special moments that come up with friends and family and planning parties, weddings and everything else is absolutely so difficult with inviting people and it becomes so stressful. When you want people to be part of your special day and when you enjoy the process of setting up the cards, mailing them out, and happily do it until stress strikes.

It is not everything that is the most difficult, frustrating and annoying; it is sending the invites to people with a due date that is never honoured and respected and some take their sweet time and others respect it and send the invite on time, whereas others respond after the due date. Some you have to remind. It is absolutely crazy.

You also have those people who don’t respond at all and then just show up. It doesn’t work like that. In most cases RSVP Cards come in, people need to fill those out and return them. The people inviting put postage stamps and have those cards out for a reason. To get organized. You can’t just tell the person they are coming by mouth. Chances are the people planning the wedding or event will forget, so it’s important to fill out the cards and mail it back in a time-sensitive and timely manner.

When you get an invite to any party, it is either a yes or a no. It is not that difficult. You look at your schedule, and boom, you answer and send back the RSVPs. It is not cool to wait for people to respond back while you have a million things to do and plan with the tables, how many favours or gifts you need to get for the guests arriving to your party as well as financially too with how many people you need to pay for.

It really isn’t easy to plan things when some people do not co-operate and respect you enough to send the RSVP’s back. It is common courtesy. It isn’t nice at all having someone wait and then hunting people down with calling, messaging, emailing, texting them until the last weeks of the wedding to see if it is a yes or a no.

Then there are those people who respond with attending, and then you write them down on a table card or chart and then they never show up or give an explanation as to why they did not bother to show up where you spent money for their meal. It is absolutely unfair and disgusting behaviour which needs to really stop. Some do not even respond back and you know you sent it to them and it did get sent to them or else it will be returned back to the person who mailed them with the return address.

Weddings and parties all go smoothly with planning until it comes time to the people attending them. You expect people to respond right away, but that never happens and it probably never will even with a strict time limit and being time sensitive.

The guests don’t think about how much work it takes to plan tables and everything. If you have ever been in these shoes where you plan an event and you wait for responses, it’s absolutely so frustrating and annoying and so absolutely ridiculous.

Yes, I realize some people cannot financially to maybe afford to go to parties, weddings and everything, but there is no excuse not to answer on due dates. It is not right at all. There is no excuse unless something very very important comes up or some other things arise, but it doesn’t give someone the right to delay an RSVP.

Have you ever been through this situation? Have you been frustrated and annoyed with this? Would love to hear all about it.

All the best with planning. It is not easy.

Time is Flying – It Doesn’t Wait For You

Already time is flying. The 4th day of the year of 2018. Always live life to the fullest, enjoy, be happy, keep smiling and remember to always be grateful, love, appreciate and cherish the moments you spend with your family and friends. Time is ticking. One day you will look up and see the moments you spend with your loved ones will become a memory.

Always Say I love you,
Always say thank you,
Always be who you are,
Always make time for friends and family.
Always spend time with friends and family,

Some family and friends can be in different cities and countries and so much time goes by without seeing them. As we age, and months and even years go by without seeing each other, They can have children, they have all these special moments in their lives, gatherings and it is absolutely heartbreaking to see time go by and they grow, they live their lives in their own different places with different life dynamics and we miss so much of it because distance and not being able to connect with family and friends all the time is something that makes you think about so many things in life and how we miss this valuable time.

Sometimes due to financial reasons people cannot travel to see family members, time constraints from work and school or other reasons can arise, but life is passing by and there is no stop button. You need to enjoy your life too. You can’t just commit yourself to work, work, work.

When wishing that family and friends can all be in one place which would be incredibly amazing, however its not always possible. The only way to connect is by phone, social media, email, but it definitely isn’t the same without seeing each other face to face and being with one another sharing life’s moments together.

It is even difficult to get family and friends together being in the same city too. Life has definitely changed and so much happens in life with school, work, and other life’s commitments.

Circumstances puts life into perspective, it puts things into light. Sometimes life can throw us examples right in front of us.

Life is too short. Always try your best to manage time well, and do what is absolutely important in your life and prioritize. Don’t waste a second of it. Time doesn’t wait. It flies by without you even knowing. Today is Thursday already. Weeks fly by so quickly. Its so important to take each day and do whatever you can to make the most of it.

I keep hearing, people don’ like Monday’s and all that. Well I know its a day where people have to go to work, school and start the week all over again, but you know what? Its a day and we need to make most of it no matter what it is. Its something I keep seeing on social media and the memes and everything. It really has to stop. Monday is a day, we are alive and that is all that it matters. The weekend will come again. We just have to be patient.

This year, we must change our habits, and gather together and make memories and cherish them. We all can do it, it just takes time management and re-evaluating priorities.

January 2016 is Behind Us. Where did It Go?

Can you believe that January has come and gone? So quickly. It seemed just yesterday we were ringing in 2016. Tomorrow we will welcome February. I have a feeling that this year too will be flying by. I can feel it already. I don’t want it to, but I guess there is no stopping time as some of us would like. Sometimes we question and say, where did it go? Nobody knows where time goes, but all we know is, that it goes. When our lives are busy and we have so much to do and to get done, time just goes by so much quicker.

This year, we will be having a leap year. Which means that February will have 29 days instead of the 28. All in all, it has been a very pleasant winter. We have been very lucky thus far with the temperatures, snowfall and all that here in Toronto. Well, we are really not out of the woods just yet, there is still a few weeks left of winter, but from here on, I think the temperatures and the consistency of flurries we have had will stay about the same and which I have heard from the meteorologist, but then again, I do not want to speak so soon though. I do not want to jinx it either.

Weather like this in Canada is pretty unusual, and people are concerned with global warming and everything. I know it is concerning and something to be alarmed about climate change and everything, but to me this is great. Less problems on the roads and better conditions. People do want the snow and stuff, but it creates havoc on the roads, and it becomes dangerous for pedestrians, drivers and those who commute daily.

Let us continue to be thankful that we have made it past another month. Some people did not get to. I cannot believe we lost so many people in the entertainment industry this year and also unfortunate losses with loved ones, friends and all that. My condolences to all the families and friends.

Let us be grateful always and count our blessings, enjoy our days as much as we can, cherish moments and make memories.

Have a happy and healthy February and the rest of the year. 🙂 Talk to you tomorrow.

Fitting in is So Over-rated – Fit Out Instead

In life as we grow up, some people have the tendency to always want to impress people, and be like everybody else and be someone they are not in order to fit in. Ladies and Gentlemen, boy’s and girl’s, it is important to never try to fit in anywhere. Take a step back and think about who you associate with, or where you are and want to be employed with.

Being yourself is the best fitting in you can do. There will always be people who will appreciate and accept you for you. In this world, I truly believe that we all have people that suit us, who can relate and understand us. It may take time, and sometimes not, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel that you will see. Fitting in is so over-rated. If you ever think that something is wrong with you, and the way you are, that is just something absolutely ridiculous.

If ever in your life, you find that you are in the wrong place, the wrong chapter of your life, change your place, change your chapter and change your life. These are messages that are being sent to you saying that, its time for you to put your foot down and do something that will benefit you. Not for others.

Don’t ever be afraid to disappoint people just because you are not in their league, or do what they want you to do. Never allow others to make a mockery of you. Just because you are where others are, it never means that you do not have what it takes to do something or be someone special, because you are special and you do have what it takes.

Always be happy with who you are. Do not be afraid to fail, and never be afraid to try. Who cares if you do not fit in? you are in the right direction to be an individual that you are. Not on other people’s standards. Others standards do not matter, what truly matters is how you want it to be.

Don’t ever give up with anything in life. That is the easy way out in any situation. There is a quote I have read online “Why fit in, when you are born to stand out?” I truly believe in that. Stand out to people who are like you, and they will come to you or you go to them.

These quotes I found online as well. (unknown)

– Things just do not happen right away.

– be the change you want to see

– Some of the most wonderful people are ones who do not fit into boxes.

You are the example of your life, and never allow others to write the story of your life with your pen. Never allow them to hold it either. Not even for a fraction of a second. Everything you do comes down to holding your pen and writing chapters of what you want to do and be in your life. Never forget that. Don’t ever fit in. Fit out and do what and be what makes you happy. You are in control of your own happiness.

Chores are Development of Responsibility & Life Skills

As we are born and become children, majority of our parents/grandparents/guardians have taught us about responsibility, doing chores around the house and to gain experience and knowledge on to keep clean, tidy, and organized. Also teaches kids to obey, and prioritize life to do what is important first, and then make time for fun and play after.

When children wake up in the morning, they teach them on the importance of getting up to make the bed, brush the teeth, groom themselves, wash up and shower for good hygiene, and then they teach them how to eat, and then venture off to school with the grandparents/parents/guardian or with a school bus.

During school, the teachers and other staff of the school teach kids on importance of learning about the world, how to read, write, to learn about many subjects such as sciences, music, gym, dance, language classes, mathematics, chemistry, and the most important thing to teach children to be kind to other classmates, develop group skills during group work, also leadership.

When school is over and the children are on their way home, that skill to teach them about sharing, kindness, respecting others should also be implemented at home, so as they can continue that outside of school. The children come home, and the importance to wash hands, and change out of their clothes, and to start homework if they have homework that day and teach them to do homework first before they play with toys, tablets, colour and all that.

When it is time to make dinner and set the table, it is always a good idea to get your child involved in cooking, helping set the table with plates, cutlery, and then children should start to develop skills on washing dishes, and after dinner to help clean the table with a cloth, taking the dishes to the sink, and make the parents/guardian/grandparents life easier and for the children to help them out. This also teaches them for the future when they have greater responsibility when they get older.

Nowadays, it is so difficult to teach children these life skills because of the screens, video gaming consoles and technology that has taken over. Nowadays children always want to feel that sense of entitlement to do whatever they want, whenever they want without having to listen to their parents/guardians/grandparents. They feel the need to always want to be on their screens and not develop skills that will benefit them in the future. some Kids these days are immune to technology and less hands on skills, not having manners, not respecting and being kind to others, talking back to adults and also rude gestures and mannerisms. Some children are so spoiled and tend to have an answer for everything. We should never allow it for it to get that far.

Children see everything, they are observant, they listen to everything that goes on in the house. start them early, influence them in such a way where it becomes easier to ask them to do chores. Tell them to do things in such a way where they won’t feel threatened. Give them conditions that if they do not help clean, or do simple things like washing hands or whatever, tell them that they will not have a birthday party, tell them that they will not be allowed TV Time or play time if they do not eat, or listen to do things around the house. Also, nowadays children do not have an idea of responsibility and helping out family. They need to learn that.

Nowadays, children are untouchable, and if heaven forbid, you really yell at them and give them discipline, they will use it against you and they may involve teachers and other authorities. These days, showing children how to do chores, and get them off of their bums to help around the house, and develop these important skills is a chore and a very difficult task in itself. These screens, smartphones and devices are like a magnet to them.

As adults teach their children that it is bedtime, that means washing up again, brushing teeth, undoing the bed, getting clothes and everything ready for the next school day or whatever else, making their lunches, and everything.

Then the days that children are at home, it is important to teach them how to vacuum, wipe and mop the floors, dust the furniture, clean doorknobs, clean the kitchen counters and the table, take out the garbage, help wash the car and everything. Of course it is important to give them time to play, and do fun stuff as well. I am not saying that they should always be doing chores and everything, but they need to learn balance, time management and everything. There is a limit and time for it all.

It is the time now, and to be strict with children. strict in such a way that will not intimidate them, but to put them on track. Set rules, guidelines, time limits to screen time, and monitor what they look at and supervise them to make sure they are making good decisions while on the computer and so much more. That is the important thing.

When you see they are trying and everything and doing great work at school, and at home, give them gifts, or surprise them to a movie, take them out to an amusement park, take them to play in the park, when they obey and do good, give them an allowance of whatever amount you wish, teach them the value of a dollar when they do get allowances and teach them about spending accordingly.

One day when I have children of my own, all these things will be taught to them and I will not allow them to do whatever they want all the time. Not going to happen. they need to be taught lessons of life and develop skills.

If you have children and/or take care of them such as being a guardian, babysitter, or grandparents. What skills and what things do you teach them?

Appreciating Someone When They Are Alive

With all these people dying that have happened so far this year in 2016 and other years is terrible and heartbreaking to lose a loved one in our families, friends, co-workers and others, however it seems to me that after someone dies, some people tend to appreciate them more, they become more popular, that person who has died starts trending even more than they were alive and they become more important than they were when they were present in this world. I guess some people do not know how to appreciate a person until they pass away. People need to show the same love, appreciation and importance to someone when they are alive. That is what counts.

After someone dies, don’t say, I wish I had spent more time with this person, I wish I had done things differently and be there for the person and give them more attention, love them and appreciate them more. Do it when the person is alive and can see and feel how important that person is to you. Not just talk about it, but to act on it. Actions speak louder than words. Care about a person when they are alive, not when they pass away.

As we have heard on the news, in our social media news feeds, news sites about Natalie Cole, Rene Angelil, Lemmy, Alan Rickman, David Bowie and others who have passed away, I keep seeing all their names trending even more, a lot more people begin to talk about a person more, their memory and everything. It matters, but it doesn’t matter in other ways because the person is no longer with us. Yes a legacy lives on and we will remember people, but the most important thing is to spread that energy to these people when they are alive.

Life is too short, be kind to each other, care, love, support, appreciate and be there for each other as much as you can. don’t have these feelings after a person dies and cannot feel it and see it. They can only see it from up in heaven when they look down to you on earth.

Eating Healthy is becoming Impossible

In the last little while, as I have been venturing off to the grocery store to do my weekly shopping for food and other necessities for the home, I have noticed that eating healthy is becoming impossible with the huge price hike of fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. It has been absolutely crazy.

Doctors, dietitians, health pros keep telling us to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but they should also realize that groceries are not cheap anymore. Many years ago, it was decent, you could go a long way to stretch your dollar, but now food, cost of living is increasing. People have to work harder to make a buck, and that is just ridiculous.

I do not care, food should never be expensive and on top of all that, people need to pay food tax too. Some people are buying less healthy foods in other aisles of what they can afford. I remember one time I was shopping at my local store, and I was in the canned food aisle with the high sodium soups and those ready made noodle ramen soups as well as pasta and rice and all that, also aisles with sugar based foods, I couldn’t help overhearing these 2 people talking to each other saying, “I have been trying to get healthy, but I cannot afford it, the prices for healthy food is insane, so to feed my family, I have to do anything and everything, so I got to do what I can”. It broke my heart. Life has become so difficult. It is unbelievable.

These governments and those who control the prices for our food, should think about all the people that need to dig into their pockets a lot more, but I do not think they care about people at all, as long as they make the money, who cares the health condition of people?

If all these professionals are promoting and expecting us to eating healthy, then they should back us up and offer us coupons, or better yet to work with the government and these food companies, farms that these veggies and fruit come from to come up with a plan that healthy eating is important and where obesity, overweight people can be motivated more when they see prices becoming more reasonable.

For cauliflower now, it is at a staggering $6.00, then for apples it is almost $4.00 for the bag, and there the total is now $10 just for 2 items. For a bag of onions is like $3.50, for red, orange, and yellow peppers is $2.97 a pound. So on and so forth. So with tax and everything it comes up to $20 or more for those things. fruits and veggies should not be more than 1 dollar or $1.50 at the most. They are fooling us.

No wonder why people are so stressed out. I am planning on setting up a petition online to decrease prices for food and to encourage people to eat healthier.

What do you think about it?

The Key Component to Genocide Prevention

The Armenian Genocide

101 Years
1915-2016

On April 24, 1915 the Turkish Government and the Ottoman empire committed a terrible criminal act against humanity, tried to wipe out a whole race and culture. They killed 1.5 Million Armenians, stole our precious landmarks, churches, lands, Mount Ararat, pulled the rug right under us. The blood, flesh, bones, decapitation, tears, fears, displacing people from their homes, families, with Armenians changing their Armenian names to something Turkish so that they will not be targeted and where they will feel protected from harms way. The Turkish Government still denies and lies about ever committing Genocide against the Armenians and also still fails to recognize.

We will prevail, Justice is timeless.

This is why it is imperative to spread Genocide awareness as much as we can so that history will never repeat itself again.

In 2015, we commemorated the centennial. 100 years have gone by and this year in 2016 is the 101st. After 100 years, we will still continue to spread Genocide prevention.

Recognize, Acknowledge, Awareness, Educate, Prevent.

Those are the key components to Genocide prevention.

Not just for the Armenians, but all those in the world who have had to unfortunately, deal with Genocide in other cultures, races.

We received a lot of Global recognition last year which was incredible with all the coverage, letting people know about us, being put on the map, and addressing this very important subject.

Let us utilize the same energy we had during the Armenian Genocide 100th Centennial in 2015 and bring that same drive into 2016, to be big in numbers once again during peace demonstrations, marches, vigils, and so much more.