Just Like The Four Cs Of Good Diamonds
Did you know that there was no consistent way or system to grade diamonds until the early forties?
Diamond merchants used various, usually broad- terms to talk about the quality of a diamond. Words like “river” or “water” were used to describe colorlessness. The term “Cape” was used to describe pale yellow diamonds from South Africa (following the 1867 discovery of diamonds in the Cape Colony). Words like “without flaws” or “imperfect” were used to describe clarity. And subjective terms such as “Well-made” or “made-poorly” were used to describe the cut of a diamond.
As a result, jewelers found it challenging to communicate a diamond's value to their customers. …
Paradise on earth.
When the Mughal Emperor Jahangir visited Kashmir, he famously said, “If there is a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.” I can say the same for Torres Del Paine National Park. Words cannot describe the majesty and beauty of Patagonia. It’s vivid colors and tranquility are hard to forget.
The tour bus picked us up at seven-thirty from Hotel Costaustralis. The drive to Torres Del Paine was pretty much straight. The sky was slightly overcast, and our guide was hopeful that it would clear up by the time we reach the first scenic location.
With the lens of a student.
How can one study Botany?
There are millions of plants on our planet. How can one study them? It will take us several lifetimes to understand the differences between species.
Yet Botanists know most of these differences by heart. They have arranged the information so that it is easy to know where everything fits in the big picture.
Botanists divided all plants into two major groups — non-vascular and vascular. The non-vascular group contains early plants with no vascular system, while the vascular plants have a well-developed vascular system.
Then they further subdivided the groups. Non-vascular plants have two divisions— Bryophyta(Mosses), Marchantiophyta(Liverworts) and, vascular plants have four divisions — Pteridophyta (Ferns), Coniferophyta (Conifers), Ginkgophyta (Gingko), and Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants). …
Punta Arena and Puerto Natales
When I traveled to Patagonia in November 2017, I knew nothing about the place. None of my friends had been there, and I had not read any books on it.
Normally when I visit a place, I like to read some books on it — not the lonely planet kind of books — but the books that use the country or the region as a setting in a novel or a memoir, so when I get there, I have a bit of understanding of the culture and history of the place to appreciate it more.
In the case of Patagonia, I didn’t have a clue. I read Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia and Julius Beerbohm’s Wanderings in Patagonia after witnessing the amazing land. …
Submission Guidelines, what I'm looking for, how to craft your stories, and what I will accept for publication.
Thanks for your interest in writing for Authorpreneurs. I started this publication to help writers become authorpreneurs.
An authorpreneur is a person who creates written products, participates in creating her brand, and actively promotes that brand through a variety of outlets.
Since the internet going mainstream and blogging and content marketing becoming a way of life, the writing industry has changed forever. Writers no longer have to go through traditional book publishers, newspaper and magazine editors to get their work published. Neither do they have to live on meager wages and tiny advances.
In the 21st century, it is possible to a good living using outlets such as websites, blogs, social media, content marketing, writing platforms, newsletters, promotional materials, speaking engagements, courses, and workshops. Today writers have several business models available to them. Through this publication, I aim to bring them forth so more and more aspiring writers can benefit from the experiences of others who have succeeded before them. …
Helping writers become authorpreneurs.
The dictionary defines ‘author’ as a person who has written something, especially a book, and ‘entrepreneur’ as a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.
Many years ago, I combined the two to develop the word ‘authorpreneur’ to describe someone who takes risks to turn their writing into a business.
I didn’t give it much thought because I was new to writing and still finding my feet. But soon, I started spotting the word being used by other writers. I even noticed some books with the word ‘authorpreneur’ appearing in the title. …
Three mistakes to avoid when traveling to the Lakes District of South America
In December last year, I wrote two posts — Santiago — A City of Painted Crosses, and Valparaiso — A City Where Creativity Is Everywhere — on my South America trip in November 2017. Today’s post is a continuation of that series. If you are planning a trip to you Chile, you might find some of the information useful.
After spending three days in Santiago and two days in Valparaiso, we took a flight from Santiago to Puerto Montt. From north to south, Chile extends for 4276 kilometers. …
And a big lesson on learning in tiny increments.
I am a bit late in posting this, but I thought it would be a good idea to put all my sketches in one place and show you the progress one can make by learning in tiny increments.
When I started the Da Vinci course in July 2019, we were required to do two things: 1) Draw for fifteen minutes everyday 2) Post your drawing on social media every day.
Drawing every day builds muscles, and posting every day gives you deadlines.
Noting gets done without the deadlines. So, at the end of the day, I had to make sure I had something to post on Instagram. It had a side-benefit. My classmates started leaving comments on it. …
Many people are happy to see the back of 2020. One thing is for sure; none of us will miss it. And the bar is set very low for 2021. but 2020 was perhaps the most enlightening year in recent history. In less than ten months, it has changed the way we live and perhaps for good.
Much has been written about the havoc 2020 has caused, but I decided to concentrate on the lessons it taught us.
Here are nine insights, mostly from my journal entries.
1. This, too, shall pass.
Who would have thought that the whole world can come to a halt? As Burkeman puts it in his newsletter, “the treadmill, you’ve been on for decades just stopped.” If it’s possible for the world to go into lockdown, what else might be possible? A lot, in fact. We might have to continue to work from home. We may not be able to travel for another year. We continue to get tested repeatedly. …
It involves becoming a fan of other writers.
Tiger Woods was at the top of his game, and free of the scandals that came shortly after. In 2005, he had formidable skills and worked amazingly well under pressure. In that very year, Tiger Woods was at Augusta, one of the majors of golf, and had managed to get himself in a truckload of trouble.
He’d hit his shot in what’s considered the collar. Even if you know nothing about golf — and I know nothing — Tiger was in a royal mess. At which point, Woods pulls off a miracle.
A sportswriter, who’d been to every golf event in the world, wrote about the miracle he witnessed that day. …
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