Singing at Sainsbury's Event! :)

Yesterday evening was fun at Sainsbury's Kidlington store! :) Everyone enjoyed the songs and food! :) Here is the video I talked about in my previous post :)

(click on the pic to view it)

And, below is the video, choose "1080p HD" for better viewing experience :)

Did you like watching this video? Do share your views in the comments column! :)

Have a great day! Take care :)

It's never too late to Dream...

A 47 year old single, unemployed woman from a little village walks on the stage of a popular television talent show, she sings and that one performance changes her life forever! 

People laughed at her when she said her dream was to become a professional singer and be successful like her idol Elaine Paige. 

She was not fashionably dressed, she had no attractive make-up, but she had that passion in her to achieve something fruitful in life - to sing and showcase her talent and make her dream come true! 

The great inspiration is Susan Boyle and below is her first audition in 2009 at Britain's Got Talent which changed her life!!

Here is her biography in brief - Susan Boyle.

And documentaries made on her life - I Dreamed a Dream - The Susan Boyle Story and Susan Boyle - An Unlikely Superstar.

She was nobody before April 2009 but by November 2009, her first album I Dreamed a Dream became the No.1 best-selling album on charts and went on to sell almost 9 million copies around the world till date.

She had the will to pursue her dream despite all the setbacks and finally tasted success!!

And that inspiration is not just for singing - but for any dream in your life. If she can, can't we too? If it was possible for her, won't it be possible for everyone of us?

So, keep dreaming and sincerely work towards making your dreams come true, someday success will embrace you too, never give up!! 

P.S: As this post is about singing, I'd like to share about an opportunity I got to sing!

I am singing at a small fun event being organised for colleagues at Sainsbury's(my workplace) on Sunday, 29th of Sept in our canteen premises with fashion show, quiz and other fun games. The event is scheduled from 5pm to 7pm and I'm allotted 10 minutes - I need to sing 2 songs - one Christmas song and another of my own choice.

The Christmas song is already decided - it'll be Last Christmas by Wham! but the 2nd song is yet to be finalised.

I'm gonna practice well and I'm positive and confident - I hope it goes well! :) I'll try if I can get a video made when I sing, if I am able to get it done, then I'll share it with all of you here on blog :)

Poem: God gives us Hope...

Poem: God gives us Hope...

In the spaciousness of silence

And emptiness of thoughts

Beyond questions and answers

Lies a world of beauty and peace...

With the earth your bed

And sky your warm blanket

Live a dream of experiences

Full of visions and intuitions...

God will reveal himself

As a form or a feeling

Or a thought or a wave

In the light of your faith...

For his name is like a healing balm

A transforming nectar for a hungry soul

Wisdom that sees beyond limitations of forms

Giving us the hope to awaken our true self...

Charan xx

Master the Art of Oration...

When was the last time you spoke in front of a huge crowd or a group of people?

Were you confident in what you were saying? how did you feel about it? 

Do you think it could've been done better? 

Here is a post that discusses public speaking. Continued from The Roar of a Lion...

I believe that we all have an orator in each of us, it depends on how you bring out that ability and enhance your oratorical skills to effectively deliver a speech / seminar / presentation which can grab the attention of the audience.

How can you give a great speech? or What qualities do you need to become a great speaker? 

I'd like to share some points out of my understanding and experience at University level speeches.

• Thorough knowledge on the subject/topic you are addressing, knowing exactly what you are speaking
• Be well prepared, practising the speech a number of times till you are ready to deliver
• Come up with an extraordinary start - the first few lines you speak will make a huge impact on the rest of your speech, so your introduction should be attention-grabbing.
• Build confidence and have the passion to deliver the speech in the right tone, varying the volume, pace and pitch of your voice and pausing at the right times, stressing on important words/phrases and making the right gestures with your hands during the speech.
• Grab attention of people by using interesting quotes/humour/any examples, tell a story to make the speech interesting
• Maintain good eye contact with your audience and connect with them, feel like you are having a conversation with them and try not to look at only one direction, cover everyone in your view
• Stick to the time limit - be straight to the point of what you are saying and finish it in the allotted time and not drag it.

There are many examples of great speeches and great orators in the world - both from the past and in the present. We can always take inspiration from speeches given by great orators like Abraham Lincoln, Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, etc.

One of the powerful orators in the present day is US President, Barack Obama. His speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 gave him a position among the top orators in the world. 

Many believe that this speech made Obama the President - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Democratic_National_Convention_keynote_address

Here is that speech, don't miss it, just check the way he narrates his story and uses it to Unite America:

Video courtesy and copyright: C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network)

This speech is full of optimism and hope, making it one of the most inspirational speeches of modern times!

Wish you all the best for the next time you speak in public, 

Take care :) 

Best things in Life :)

I have randomly made a list of some best things in life that give us joy :) 

Please do add more in the comments column! :) 


first sip of water when you are really thirsty...

laughing your heart out with your best friends...

meeting your family and friends after a long gap...

enjoying your favourite delicious food and ice cream...

relaxing at a beach resort when you are on a vacation...

switching on the radio and your favourite song starts playing...

dancing in the shower and getting a feeling of dancing in the rain...

appreciating a polite smile, a sweet memory, a long awaited hope...

someone gives you a nice compliment/wishes and it makes your day...

listening to the right song/music that perfectly suits your mood at that time...

watching the sunrise/sunset over a peaceful lake admiring the floating swans...

sipping a cuppa hot tea/coffee sitting near a window watching rain/snow outside...

waking up to the aroma of yummy food and knowing breakfast is ready for you...

singing in the shower with the bathroom tiles giving an echo effect like in a studio...

that moment of joy when the results you were expecting exceed your expectations...

kissing your loved one on forehead and holding their hands and looking into their eyes...

cuddling under a warm blanket with your loved one on a cold night and watching a nice movie...

start reading a novel which turns out to be so interesting that you can't resist to finish it in one go...

waking up in the morning to a bright blue sky and getting ready to become a part of the sunny day...

when you notice the seed you planted in the garden has popped out of the soil, a sign of new life...

being love struck and the sweet feeling of belonging to someone special who calls you their own...

the feeling of warmth, care, love and security when resting your head in the lap of your loved one...

when a toddler(your nephew or niece) comes running to you with open arms and gives a hug that melts your heart...

And the best among all - offering prayers to God and able to feel your mind and soul cleansed with purity, peace and inner calmness...

Take care, have a lovely day! :) 

Beyond Barriers...is 5 Today! :)

Beyond Barriers turned 5 today as I celebrate my 27th birthday! Sharing this joy with all my friends and readers here on blogger! :)

This journey of 5 years of blogging was possible with blessings and wishes from my family, friends and readers :) It all started from here --> Welcome to Beyond Barriers....

My heart felt thanks to my friends. You were the driving force behind every post I wrote cause every comment, opinion and an encouraging word was like fuel that kept me going strong.

Way back in 2008, as a 22 year old I started this blog to fulfil my desire to share my pieces of writing with people on the internet and I was happy about that. But I never knew then that there was so much more to come in the future - I met wonderful people through blogger, made some great friends and now they've become like a family of friends. I mentioned about it last year, but it is worth talking about again :)

In the beginning, I was inclined more towards posts describing the beauty of nature and its elements but slowly I started to write on other topics, some silly, some funny, some philosophy and since the last couple of years I write mainly on two topics - love and motivation. I express my views on how to love a girl or maybe how I'd love my future girlfriend and along with that, I share the motivation behind my desire to achieve all my goals in life.

Two of the three objectives taken from last year were successful. Firstly, writing more number of posts - this is the 44th post this year. And second was to personalise the content - yes, I write personal stuff to a certain extent where the blog can be called as a diary of events in my life. But the 3rd objective still waits for attention - to work on expanding the reader base for this blog, which I won't search for an excuse as to why it didn't happen. But before BB turns 6, I am determined to promote and reach out to make more new friends here on blogger :)

And before I turn 28, parallel to my professional career, I wanna work a lot on my singing, once I feel confident, I can start to sing and make video recordings of songs and share them with you. Now I can play the beginners chords on an acoustic guitar but I really wish to learn it further and also learn the electric guitar by 5th Sept 2014 - they are all on my 'to-do' list, so I'll keep focussing on my dreams, will update on the progress and wish you all the best too for everything you wanna achieve! :)

5 has always been my lucky number in life, may be it was coincidental that it was good to me, but still I love 5 :) 

Thank you, yes I am thanking you my dear friend as you read this line, for all the motivation, support and encouragement you've given to Beyond Barriers... over the last 5 years! :) 

Just gimme a call and lets decide what time we're gonna have the party this evening, else we'll still have a party the next time we catch up! :)

Have a lovely day, take care,

Cheers!! :)