Interesting things are happening around us all the time. The past week was no exception. There are explosions in a few countries that Israel blames on Iran. Whitney Houston is rumored to have taken prescription drugs along with alcohol and drowned her in bath tub. Syria is on a boil and the situation is getting worse and worse.

Greek economy is still where it was a week ago – in the abyss. China says it will help the European Union come out of its financial crisis!

Romney looks forward to Michigan primary as Rick Santorum looks to be gaining popular support in the polls there.

All said, quite a week this one’s unfolding to be. How much does the world events affect the common man?

I have always wondered about that particular question. I would hazard a guess and say maybe not that much.

Local happenings affect immediately and global happenings are news to the common man.

Pain is something that is easily infectious. When a child is in pain in any part of the world and if it is beamed on television, one tends to pray for the baby to get well soon.

Hatred too is infectious. Patriotism is infectious.

Smiles are highly infectious too. Nothing like laughter to fill the room with happiness.

World will unfold with its share of tragedies and good news and our lives will go on.

Care for the one who care for you and pray that all goes well for one and all.

Wish you a great day!

I have noted couples live for each other for the simple smile of their infant. I have seen guys go for a girl jus’ because she sports a pleasant smile that will drive his woes away. I have seen a leader’s smile reassuring his followers.

I have seen children finding God in the smiles of their aged parents. I have seen love transmitted in the form of smiles.

There is so much a smile can do. Then why in the world does it take so much effort for people to smile and be nice to each other?

Why the hatred?

Why the world is fascinated about violent uprisings and unwarranted attention seeking celebrities?

You know what goes well with a smile?

A hug.

And a kiss.

Live life the way You want to live. Not the way others want you to. Do not for a moment hurt anybody and please don’t be indifferent to three people in this world:

1. Parents.
2. Best Friend.
3. Partner.

Too short a life this is. Learn to live it sporting a smile. You never know what difference that smile might make in the life of the one who spots it!

Whitney Houston made history through her music and she is no more.

Talented people lack longevity in this world and that’s a pain. A beautiful soul who transcended color and continents and reached hearts of every single music lover and made them smile is no more.

Maybe, it’s time for a reality check. Teenagers who turn pop idols and adolescents who become icons should take a step back and see what’s in store. Maybe they should go to school along with going to concerts. Maybe there should be a selfless guardian who could guide them into going to bed early and waking up early. Maybe it’s all a fantasy.

A lot many people want to live a life these deceased idols led. Legends they are, but were lonely in their journey. And sadly every celebrity and their fame come with a expiry date. Make hay while the sun shines and after that?

Well, one should know when to say enough is enough. Everything is a phase. Everything has a sell by date.

The worrying fact is the trend these days. A flurry of messages on social networking sites about the death of a celebrity, a bit of conversation and mad rush to inform others of the obvious.

Then, everyone moves on. I mean, completely. No word or reminiscence or learning. It’s over when it’s over.

Maybe, you and I… the nobodies should take notice of the fact that nobody is noticing. Maybe, we should teach what we learn and get the basics right for the little ones that we know and care for – education and a little bit of discipline and most important of all – Care.

With that thought, I wish you get off to a good start this week beating off the Monday Blues.

When you realize that you are all alone in the maddening crowd called life, you miss the person who cares for you the most.

Heart is a selfish organ. It yearns for people that take care of it and not the one it takes care of. Brain is the one that directs the heart in everything else, but when it comes to the matter of the heart there is no reason, there is no logic, jus’ emotion.

Isn’t it a wonderment that love exists in today’s world of deceit, betrayal and greed?

Everybody looks at religion as the one that keeps a set of people together as a community, but the truth is religion is the exact synonym of love. Love is what God preaches irrespective of Him being a Christian or others.

Love is what everyone seeks and love is what God promises. God didn’t ask for jus’ that and some prayer to cleanse the soul.

Love has what kept human beings from being wild animals.

Humans are a fickle breed; they can love an instant and fight like an animal, the other. Man is the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. May be that’s why God made women to keep him in check.

Flowers won’t bloom, rivers will dry, leaves will fall, sun will set, all will be dark if there is no love in this world.

Smile is the by product of love. Happiness is the result of love. God is the form of love. Love is what makes this world exist.

Love is what keeps me going. Love is what keeps us connected.

Who said men don’t cry?

Who said women cry at the tip of a hat?

Who said a kid is all innocence and no smarts?

Who said plants and trees don’t speak?

Who said music is jus’ sound?

And who said, Love is a feeling?

Men cry when women hurt them.

Women stay strong, without shedding a tear, in support of their men.

A kid will do whatever it takes to grab his mom’s attention and seek her love.

Try being in love. Forget plants and trees… Even chairs and tables speak.

All the words in a song feels written for the one who is in love… Be it pain, happiness or sadness.

Love is not a feeling… It is a habit.

Yes, you heard it first here. Love doesn’t happen at first sight. You like someone on first sight. You get infatuated on first sight.

Love happens gradually. Eyes may fall in love on first sight.

Heart takes time.

You have to spend time with that person. Go through good times with that person. Go through really bad, worse and disgusting situations with that person. And come out of it all together.

You should feel like murdering that person and then find yourself never being able to leave that person. You hate the person from the bottom of your heart one second and love him or her to the core the next second.

Congratulations. You are in love.

$5 Billion.

That’s the sum Facebook is expecting to raise through its Initial Public Offering. Staggering, sum one would say.

Well, maybe Mark Zuckerberg deserves it. The man who wears hooded and other casual attires for meetings at high places is looking at a mass of wealth.

We provide a channel at www.123Greetings.com to reach out to all your friends and family on Facebook through our Facebook App. You would find quite a good crowd of our users there sending out their love and care in the form of greeting cards. And by the way, don’t forget to visit our Facebook Fan Page too and make sure to ‘Like’ us. Do that for me please.

That’s the growth story of a nobody to somebody who inspires the world or at least, the software guys.

There is another growth story in the making. Mitt Romney increasingly looks like the chosen one for Republicans to wage battle against Obama.

Exciting times!

Hillary Clinton says she has had enough of politics. The one, most Americans thought, would shatter the glass ceiling and place herself at the White House was not to be.

The wait continues…

74 people died in Egypt not in Arab Spring, but in clashes between two groups of fans of their respective soccer clubs.

Life is hard and smiles are a rarity. There are not even any blockbuster movies in the horizon. Oh! Well, all that’s going to change.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Love will walk again, spread its wings and soar high.

Fragrance of goodness I can sniff and I hope you too could feel what I feel.

What do I feel?

Hope.

Do you?

Seal and Heidi are headed for a split. Ashton and Demi quit. Courtney and David called it a day. There is trouble in Johnny Depp’s union with his long-time partner too.

What’s happening?

The fickleness of relationships in the star studded world is coming to the fore.

Not a good time to be a star spouse nowadays. Love is no more the base of all relationships.

Whatever happened to ‘till eternity’ and ‘till death do us apart?’

In the fast world and in a glamour cocoon, all world looks glossy and people live in a bubble and the bubble has to burst one day.

There are quite many stories of break up but not many make up stories.

Why?

And I will never understand the meaning of ‘we still will be best of friends.’

Really?

If you were, you wouldn’t have broken up.

Best friends breakup, but they makeup too.

Maybe they didn’t look at them as ‘us’ but as only individuals.

The family systems that worked so well for America has gone into recession. And this is one recession we can’t afford.

You can earn money any day. Blood ties and marital bliss are something that shouldn’t be traded for individual, selfish or stupid reasoning. Love is above reason.

Love is the height of stupidity. And those who commit that folly are lucky.

Bring love back.

Will it be Hugo? Or The Artist?

This time for a change, we have a very good list to choose from.

The lookers or the guys who were long keepers of sexiest men in universe, Brad Pitt and George Clooney are nominated for Money Ball and The Descendants respectively. May the best man win!

As for the ladies, there is the Oscar favorite, Meryl Streep and giving her stiff competition would be Glenn Close, Rooney Mara, Michele Williams and Viola Davis.

Quite a lineup there wouldn’t you say?

Good to see Martin Scorsese back in reckoning. Who knew that he can make a children’s fantasy?! All along I thought he made only mafia stories and worked with guys who speak in Italian accent!

There is a dark horse out there too. You can love him or hate him, but can never ignore him. Yes, I am talking about the one and only, Woody Allen.

He is here this year with his beautiful and picturesque, Midnight In Paris.

Well, those are the guys fighting it out for the shining black lady on Oscar night.

Now, let’s see whom we have for animated characters:

There is the second beautiful installment of Kung Fu Panda, Puss In Boots, A Cat In Paris, Chico & Rita, and Johny Depp’s “Rango.”

All sorts of pets are fighting it out there from panda to cats.

Rango has a good buzz going for it. Let’s see if it grabs the coveted prize.

Apart from the inevitable Oscar buzz at this time of the year, the rest of America is busy listening to politicians, present and future keepers of the society’s well being and keeping their cards close as to whom they are planning to vote for.

All said, uneventful and happy week is in the passing and a lot more action looks in store over the weekend and later.

Let’s wait and watch as the action unfolds.

What’s a democracy without healthy competition, isn’t it? Newt Gingrich is in the radar now giving a tough fight to Mitt Romney. It isn’t going to be a cakewalk now for the front runner, Romney.

Obama has created a million jobs, made health care available, got troops out of Iraq and getting troops out of Afghanistan but still there is a smoke bomb thrown into the White House.

That doesn’t mean his Presidency is without flaws. There are a number of them. It is not about politics but the human psyche. Maybe it is a fast food world and we want results fast. And we are impatient and bored with incumbents.

Maybe, the change Obama was preaching and came to power with, is acting against him now. You never know until autumn, who is where in the polls.

World history changes in hours not days and there is a lot of time before the bell rings for the polls.

Santa Claus is back home and the New Year festivities has ended… What to look for now?

Valentine’s Day!

Time to look forward to the single event that is dedicated to love.

Now that most of us would have already broken our New Year resolutions and with a guilty smile explained your lack of will to your loved ones… Let’s get on track to do what you can do without much pain – Spreading love.

For all you know, the world needs it more than ever.

A bouquet of flowers is the order of the day. Send some to the one you love.

Call a person whom you long forgot to call.

And it’s Monday, maybe you should send a Monday Blues greeting card to a colleague.

Good day!

America is what it is because of its dream makers. People who dared to dream and realized it through sheer hard work.

The individual flourished and the reason was because his country allowed him to.

There is always a sense of “why does the world criticize us all the time?” And that’s a valid question.

The answer is this:

The world looks up to America and if there is a small disturbance here in this country then the psyche of the world is affected. Americans are role models to countless human beings out there. This is the country which spends the most on philanthropy than any other. This is the country that provides freedom to citizens like no other.

Being the strongest and the most powerful has its drawbacks and one should accept it. There will be cynicism and the cynics will laugh at our miseries. Let them be. They are a negligible minority. To each word of cynicism there are a thousand words of love for us.

If we had gone for oil, as they cynics say, then we wouldn’t have had recession.

This is the country that glorifies its soldiers, champions its women and celebrates its secular credentials.

There is a robust media that can question the President and there are comedians who can make fun of the President.

We are a tolerant country. A rational republic.

Yes, there is problem here.

So what?

We had the Civil War, Great Depression, 9/11… But we are still here.

America is not just a country. It is an idea.

And that idea will live forever.