KARMA BY JEFFREY ARMSTRONG

TITLE : KARMA
AUTHOR : JEFFREY ARMSTRONG
PUBLICATION : JAICO BOOKS

Jeffrey Armstrong has been a student and scholar of Vedic Philosophy for over 35 years. He holds degrees in psychology, literature and comparative religion and is based in Vancouver, Canada.
The book if you include the glossary and the acknowledgements consists of just 91 pages, but believe me they are very heavy duty 91 pages. It took me a couple of months to read the book. There were times when I'd read a few lines and keep the book down, so that I could chew on what I had read. If you are big time interested in spirituality than by all means read the book.
The author is a student of Vedic studies and the information in this book is extracted and summarized from the Vedic sources. The author has tried to explain things in very simple way taking similes from today's life.
The book says that there are few basic rules of life and if you follow them, it is possible that in a few life cycles you may attain final liberation.
 According to the book what you do to others will ultimately come back to you and when we speak bad about others we are eating their bad karmas.
There are  some young souls and some old souls in this world. The journey from young soul to old soul is usually a gradual process. The old souls have an attitude of ' been there and done that' and are on look out for an exit from this world. Apart  from these souls there are a lot of 'atmas' in the transcendental world who have not entered this world. The atmas are eternal, joyful, conscious and individual in nature.
We are accountable for each and every action of ours. We are always reaping and sowing results of our actions. We create heaven or hell on earth for ourselves by cooperating or violating the basic rules i.e.the 'ritam'. We have come to this world to explore and learn, our karmas decide how we live our life in this world.
 The last step of an old soul is 'moksha' that is the final liberation. The book also explains about the different types of karmas. The book has been brought to an end with a round of frequently asked question and their answers.
A very good book albeit a little on the heavier side for novices like me. Though I found it a little difficult to fully comprehend the meaning of the stuff mentioned in the book, but it certainly left a positive impact on my life.

TROFEO 2.0 When Toys Had a New Year Party [Category: Middle Entry No.: 7]

Once in the castle of Disney , princess Cinderalla with prince Chraming held a ball on occasion of the NEW YEAR’S EVE for all the toys inthe town.From the four feet tall teddy bear to the tiny peas in the pod there were toys of all sorts of sizes and shapes. From the bright yellow to the to the dull grey there were multicoloured toys all around. All the princesses and princes from the neighbouring town were there with their fairy guardians. There were a bunch of different toys like the smiley ball and their partner bats. Macqueen and Sally Carrera were the cutest couple there was an interesting menu with chocolate fountains and donut stacks. The hall was not only decorated with flowers and lights but also candies ‘n’ chocolates . There were tables of OREO and chairs of biscuit sticks. There even were couches of marsh mellows and cushions of cotton candy. Every toy danced to the tunes that Bookworm played. Bullseye and Buttercup had a lot fun dancing on the gems the dance floor. Woody, Buss, Lotso’huggin bear and Alladin loved the mocktails served in the ice creamcone . Barbie, Ken and Jessie enjoed the party a lot. Just as the clock struck twelve the lights went off every one screamed in a chorus voice and wished ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR TOYS’. When the lights came back all the toys wished each other HAPPY NEW YEAR . And that was the end of the NEW YEAR party for all the toys.

Oh !how much I wish I could be a part of such a colourful and happy party like this.

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : This story certainly includes practically every toy a child might have in the toy box!  You effectively describe what each toy is doing during the party.  You also include lots of sensory impressions about the colors, food, decorations, and dance floor.  I liked your comparison of sizes – the big bear and the tiny peas.  You have a few spelling errors that are easily fixed, so when you do that, you will have a wonderful story that might be fun to illustrate.

Sandhya : It is very clear that this story has been written with the names of actual toys that the writer has. A very charming idea.

Do read stories written by Enid Blyton – especially Tales of Toyland and the Amelia Jane series. Work on your writing, add paragraph breaks and dialogues to improve the narrative. Good attempt.

Keep reading and writing.

Neha : You can work on your imagination more. Story line is simple and could be made more interesting by developing it more. 

TROFEO 2.0 When Toys Had a New Year Party [Category:Middle Entry No.: 6]

Once upon a time on a foggy New Year eve Mrs. Amanda’s little playhouse witnessed a very beautiful and unique thing. It was 9 pm and almost two hours had passed since the playhouse had been cleaned and locked for the night.

 Suddenly the toy cop blew his whistle and all the toys became alive at once as if they had just woken up after a long day sleep. This would happen every night. The toys used to discuss what the children did in the morning. Today also they were discussing the same thing when the cuckoo bird suddenly reminded everyone that it was a New Year eve and they could really have a party on this special occasion. The year 2014 would start just in a few hours.

All the toys agreed happily but they didn’t have any party food there. The toy cook had an idea. He went and opened the kitchen set and soon was busy baking a chocolate cake. The toys became very happy. All the clocks secretly decided that they would sing a really melodious tune the moment the clock struck twelve. When the cake was ready, all the toys admired it but to their dismay the big fat teddy bear by mistake stamped hard on the cake. The cake fell down with a crash and all the cream spread on the floor. The teddy also became very dirty with cream all over him from head to toe. All the toys were scared that what would Mrs. Amanda say when she saw that the bear was all dirty. So they had a brilliant idea. The bear went to the washroom and bathed himself and then he sat in front of the dryer. Meanwhile, the other toys were busy mopping the floor.

Now Mrs. Amanda had two small daughters Lily and Lucy. Both of them heard the crash when the cake had fallen. Both of them felt very scared and tucked tightly into the warm blanket.

 There the toys decided to have a different type of party without any food. The toy clown presented an interesting and amusing show. The toy magician also did a no. of wonderful tricks and magics like taking out a live rat from the toy cook’s hat. The teddy bear started singing a song and all the dolls started dancing on the song.

Now Lily and Lucy heard the songs and were very surprised. They decided to look into the playhouse through the little keyhole. They could not believe their eyes on what they saw. The toys having a party!!!! They thought that it must be a silly dream but how could two people have a same dream. They both entered the room without making a single noise and quietly hid behind the curtain.

 Suddenly there was a loud shriek by one of the dolls that her beautiful pink and white party shoes had been nibbled. The toy policeman sat up. He saw the nibbled portion and knew at once that the shoes had been nibbled by a mouse. Now there was only one mouse there whose name was Nibbly. All the toys shouted his name but no Nibbly appeared. So they decided to go and look for him and after a long time Jimmy the dog found Nibbly under the dining table. The doll scolded Nibbly and his punishment was that he had to buy another pair of beautiful party shoes by taking money from the FBRT (Federal Reserve Bank of Toyland). Nibbly apologized and everything was normal again and at the stroke of midnight they all were taken aback by the sudden melodious tune of the clocks. They all wished each other a very Happy New Year and happily went off to sleep.

 Lily and Lucy were very amazed by the night’s happenings. They kept it a secret and finally told everyone in the form of a story. The title of their story was ‘When Toys Celebrated New Year’ and they hope you liked it. 

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : The toys in this story had a very active, interesting New Year’s Eve!  They were so busy that the reader begins to feel that he or she is in the middle of the story with Lily and Lucy.  I like how you added so many sensory images of the teddy bear covered in cake, the cuckoo announcing the start and end of the celebration, and the description of the doll’s shoes.  At first I wondered why a rat had been pulled out of a hat, then I saw that it was actually part of your story when Nibble enters the scene.  However, you called him a rat first and then a mouse.  Those are two different creatures, so be consistent and call him a mouse when he is pulled from the hat.  Overall, this a fascinating story about toys on New Year’s Eve.

Sandhya : Yes, do tell Lily and Lucy that I liked this story very much! I liked the specifics like the toy cop blowing his whistle, the toy cook cooking with the kitchen set, and the girls wrapping themselves up even more tightly in their beds on hearing the noise.

Do work a little bit more on this story, with breaks paragraph breaks, dialogues – there is a lot of potential for that. This will add more interest to the narrative. A suggestion – try to find books written by Rumer Godden, with toy characters. You’ll get many ideas.

Well written. Keep reading and writing.

Neha : Excellent story: characterization, dialogue and premise, all have been given due importance. The beginning and the end is well written. There is a lot of imagination and creativity in the tale.

There is a well planned storyline and structured plot. The interest of the reader is maintained throughout.

No notable errors in either grammar or spelling.

TROFEO 2.0 When Toys Had A New Year Party [Category: Middle Entry No.: 5]

Mostly people make a simple new year party with snacks, cold drinks, Chinese, etc. But I and my family were getting bored with this new year party celebrated every year.

This is my best experience in my life when I was just seven. We went to a Toy's New Year Party. Where there was a show which just concluded of toys. All the toys were sitting on the chair to see the show. We took the permission of the toys for seeing the show and then we went inside. First there was a wonderful dance of toys, the toys did handstand, back flip and many other gymnastics in the dance. This situation arrived that we all thought that the humans are dancing. Then a type of circus dance was shown to us. Some toys took a ring and rotated around their belly and some of them caught the rope and slide in the air. Others did juggling with leather balls and were dancing very well staying on the ground. And at last they made a goodbye skit, which we enjoyed a lot.

This was the best new year party we ever had since my 6 years of life.

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : What a fun view of the toys at a New Year’s party!  I could see them enjoying themselves as they did gymnastics, danced, and juggled.  However, while this is a fun story, there are many grammatical errors which made it difficult to read.  When you clean up those problem areas, you will have the start of a story that has the potential for a wonderful picture book where each page shows a different group of toys doing different performances for the people who watch them.

Sandhya : Quite an interesting party!

You should practice writing on different topics – maybe take a random topic (you can search for random topic generators on the net), and write on it for half an hour without thinking too much about it; anything and everything that comes to mind. Slowly, you will begin to get a hang of how to write, and will see your own writing maturing. All the best! Keep reading and writing.

Neha : Very average attempt. There are some language errors and punctuation mistakes too. Practice writing more. Work on imagination and story line. 

TROFEO 2.0 When Santa Came Home [Category: Middle Entry No.: 4]

It's almost that time of year,

When everybody’s heart fills with holiday cheer.

There is one person who lives in the North Pole,

Getting ready to bring joy to every child’s soul.

His name is Santa Claus and his sack is full of toys,

To be distributed to all the little girls and boys.

Christmas Eve has finally come,

It’s the time when no child feels glum.

Santa’s all ready to come to the U.S.A.,

With his reindeer, presents, and his sleigh.

He’s checking his list to see who’s been naughty and nice,

I hope he doesn’t bring me a sack of rice!

I was waiting anxiously for Santa to stop by,

And leave presents under the tree before saying good-bye.

When Santa came home, he brought lots of gifts for me,

The sight of all those presents filled me up with glee!

December 25^th is slowly passing by,

So let’s celebrate with some delicious apple pie.

I can’t wait for Christmas to come next year,

When Santa will come flying on all his reindeer.

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : This is a fun little poem that shows one child’s feelings about when Santa visits her home.  You include all the elements of the season and leave readers looking forward to next year’s celebration.  Your rhyme is well done, but your rhythm is a bit off.  Each line should have the same number of syllables and pattern of stressed vs. unstressed syllables.  When you work out the rhythm of this Christmas poem, you should have the effect that this could become a Christmas song.

Sandhya : Lovely! Delightful to read a story written in verse. I was amused by the child waiting anxiously for Santa, hoping he doesn’t bring just a sack of rice – clearly worried about the year’s ‘naughty or nice’ quotient!

Very well narrated. Read poetry by R.L. Stevenson, Kit Wright, Julia Donaldson and Kenn Nesbitt (these write great children’s poetry) – it will hone your sense of verse. Keep reading and writing.

Neha : It is a simple sweet poem. The effort at rhyming is remarkable. There are no errors

Imagination could be better and it is more descriptive in nature.

TROFEO 2.0 When Santa Came Home [Category: Middle Entry No.: 3]

On a cold foggy Christmas eve I was sitting beside the fire warming myself and softly humming some Christmas carols when suddenly I was shocked to see something red hanging from my chimney. I froze. Could it be a burglar or a ghost??? But to my utter amazement none other than Santa himself stepped inside my house carrying a heavy bag loaded with all kinds of gifts and parcels.

 When Santa saw me he was taken aback because he had expected me to be in bed. He was quite angry for being discovered. As usual he asked me what I wanted. He expected me to demand for a no. of things like toys, gadgets, stationery etc. but I didn’t want any.

 I told him that I wanted something different, something that maybe nobody else had wanted. He was very surprised when I told him to follow me. He invited me on his sleigh and I guided Rudolf. I took Santa to a place he had never seen before. Little children starving for food, wearing torn clothes and sitting either on the roadside or in the cold tents. They didn’t even have a blanket to keep themselves warm nor did they have any warm clothes on. Santa was shocked to see all this.

 Soon I called all the children and Santa gave each of them a warm cardigan. The children became very happy and hugged Santa. Santa had tears in his eyes. Never in his life had he experienced such joy in giving.

 We played with the children for a long time. He even distributed Santa caps to all the children. The children jumped with joy on seeing such warm and cozy caps. They all wore it at once. I lit a very big bonfire and all of us including Santa danced around it. We all sang Christmas carols together. It was almost 1:00 by then and Christmas eve was over. I felt bad for Santa because he still had got to go to thousands of ever-demanding children’s houses but Santa didn’t take the slightest notice and kept on singing and dancing.

 He even took out an extremely large mince pie and cut it into several pieces. He made sure that every child had their full. Soon the party had to be stopped as it was getting too late. Everybody parted with teary eyes.

 Santa came to me and thanked me for showing him one of the biggest truths of life. As he lived in the North Pole he couldn’t even dream of such a situation and here he was seeing it in reality. He sadly bid goodbye to me and went on his way sitting on the red-nosed reindeer.

 That night when I lay in bed I felt a sudden warmth in my heart as I remembered the warm smile on the face of those small children. Even today when I sit beside the fire warming myself I feel as if something red is hanging from my chimney…..      

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : Who knew that Santa was so clueless about needy children!  This story showed the true meaning of Christmas, especially when the main character asks nothing for himself, only for the needy children.  You effectively showed the conditions in which they live, and then the transformation to a few moments of happiness as Santa gives them food, clothing, and warmth.  Your ending is especially poignant as it reminds the reader that the spirit of Christmas should live all year long.  I see much potential for this story to become a picture book someday.

Sandhya : A very heart-warming story that wonderfully captures the spirit of giving at Christmas. Hold on to this story, and work on it sometime - add anecdotes, dialogue and specific characters, maybe from among the poor children, to make it an even better story.

Very well written. Keep reading and written.

Neha : Lovely story indeed. Good plot, interesting beginning and well thought out story-line. The plot is well constructed and the premise is unusual. A good climax and a well polished conclusion that leaves a warm glow. Good use of simple words and short sentences to build up the story.

A Good attempt.

TROFEO 2.0 When Toys Had A New Year Party [Category : Middle Entry No. : 2]

Fred and his family had gone for a holiday to New York. Fred’s toys were in is room. The special thing about these was that they got alive when no human was watching them. It was Christmas. All toys were scattered in the room. Some toys were watching TV, playing video games. Suddenly Doon, a cowboy toy who had the habit of getting agitated often, said, "ENOUGH!!! This day is such a special day but we are just playing disgusting games. As we are toys we cannot even conduct parties like humans do. Humans are given freedom to do anything like conducting parties, breaking we poor toys and doing other stuff which we cannot do." Doon wanted to show his political knowledge to everyone. He said "WE WANT JUSTICE!!! We must write a justice letter to the president of United States of America who can't hear our toy's voice. All the toys started chanting" WE WANT JUSTICE! WE WANT JUSTICE! WE WANT JUSTICE!" Annie who was Doon's sister said " Let us conduct a New Year Party at our own skill! It will be fun.

Mr. iOS Apple genius who was an ex- computer engineer and was now the king of the toy kingdom said" I agree with Annie's idea and it is much better than Doon's idea. Teddy said" Can I mastermind the party?" All the toys agreed.

After a few days Teddy started the preparations . He asked a few magicians toys to make food for the party. All the toys decorated the room. At 11:00pm their party started. All the toys sang and danced. Doon smiled and exclaimed" I did not expect for so much freedom!" All the toys were enjoying and forgetting about their worries for once. When it was time for food all the toys loved it. Some toys liked the food a lot that they jumped into their bowls. The ice cream tasted as if you were in heaven. Then there were some competitions. Then some toys showed their old written creative stories which Mr.iOS Apple Genius had posted to the Zealot Readers website. The environment was for once filled with joy and happiness. Then at 12:00 am all felt tired and went for a sleep. Then the next morning when the woke up they cleaned the room and all appreciated the leadership of Teddy who brought wonders to the party.

I wish I was in the party too!!!

Happy New Year!!!

JUDGE’S VIEWS:

Renee : What a fun image of toys having a party.  I was very glad to see that they cleaned up their mess before the people in the house woke up!  Your addition of a political reference was new and refreshing for a young audience.  I think they should have gone ahead with their letter.  Then when the Presidential permission came back to be free, the toys would have much reason to celebrate.  Overall, this is a great story with many different levels of interest.

Sandhya : Lovely! Loved the ‘Mr iOS Apple genius’ who is ‘now the king of the toy kingdom’! And ice cream indeed tastes as if you were in heaven – I agree completely with you. If I were a toy, I would have loved to come for this party. The stories written by the toys on Zealot Readers is a nice touch.

Well written. Maybe you should do a little more of editing to have a better flow to the narrative. Keep reading and writing.

Neha : Reads like a toy version of Animal Farm. The story has a good conclusion. The plot is not too well developed as in why did they want justice, for what? I liked the characterization specially the Mr.iOS Apple Genius.

The premise of a party is not well developed; from a mini revolution to a party is somewhat unbelievable downturn.

Its free of errors except usage of ‘the ’instead of they: possibly a typo.

A fair attempt