Me Versus My Soul

Adding life to years…

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:25:00 +0000

Am I adding life to years or just adding years to life?
This question has started bothering me lately.
I guess now it’s just that years are adding to life.

Need to bootstrap. Get things together. Perhaps I am taking the life as it comes and do nothing much to change the course to the way I want it to be.

Today I will take one step towards changing things the way I want them to be rather than accepting the way they are. I know one step towards this would be a giant leap towards adding life to years!!!

Mommy-To-Bee

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:28:00 +0000

" Our family is growing by two feet

We will have a bundle of good fortune come to us in Feb

Tiny fingers, Tiny toes

Boy or girl nobody knows! "

Check out my new blog "Joys Of Motherhood" where I share my experiences of a mommy to be !

Back into Action!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Hey I have been missing blogging for a long time. Staying out of the action was due to personal and professional reasons.
Nevertheless I am back and will try to keep up with my blog :-)

Cheers!!!

The 11 Rules To Change Our World

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:31:00 +0000

This is a nice article I came across on Robin Sharma's blog.

Thought of sharing it with you all as well.

The 11 Rules To Change Our World

1. You be the change you dream of seeing (Thanks Mahatma Gandhi). "If everyone of us would sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean," observed Mother Teresa. She was right.

2. Make time every day to reconnect to your highest ideals and boldest dreams. Without hope, people perish.

3. Leave every person you meet better than you found them. Life's too short to withhold encouragement and kindness.

4. As I wrote in 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", see every setback as a stepping stone and every problem as a blessing in disguise. Contrary to what critics might say, these are NOT corny aphorisms. They are timeless truths of humanity. (And critics are just people too scared to grow their dreams anyway - pay no attention to them. The world needs more people lifting people up rather than putting people down).

5. Go the extra mile in everything you do - you don't need a title to be a leader. And on your deathbed, you'll never regret expressing the best within you

6. Do what's right rather than what's easy. Being a great person isn't a popularity contest. Many of the greatest leaders were disliked because they refused to bend to the winds of public opinion. That's called Strength of Character

7. Care for your health. You elevate the world by elevating yourself and your health really matters. Why be the richest person in the graveyard?

8. Tell your kids they are geniuses - and how much you adore them. Each of us are born geniuses but lose that gift within the first 6 years of our lives as we adopt the fears and limiting beliefs of those around us. Your kids are the leaders of the future. Grow their potential. Now.

9. Learn something new every day. As you grow, you begin to see possibilities you didn't have the eyes to see before. Read from an inspiring book, listen to an audio program, visit a good blog, go to a powerful workshop or have a conversation with an elder. One idea is all it takes to transform your life.

10. Keep your life simple. Please. The secret to success and happiness is building your life around a few important things. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. As I recently mentioned on my blog, "What's the point in being busy doing the wrong things?"

11. Remember that life is a mirror and we receive what we give out. To get more joy, give more joy. To have more respect, give more respect. To realize your dreams, help others realize theirs.

P.S. I've written these lessons to help you make this year the single best year of your life yet. And to do my part to improve things. I need your help!

If you were inspired by The 11 Rules To Change Our World, you can inspire others - and do YOUR part to improve our world. My goal is to circulate this list across the world via The Net within the next few hours. TOGETHER we can touch so many people. Just circulate The 11 Rules to all those you know. Let's change the world by spreading good ideals rather than celebrating negative ones. Thank you.

I am so much caught up with the work at my office that I didn't get enough time to tell you people about my refreshing break in Ramgarh. I am not one of those who believe that promises are meant to be broken. I will keep my word, but we would need to be a little more patient.

Cheers!

Ramgarh - A Himalayan Hideaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Sharing the delights of a refreshing break that we relished in December 2008 ...

The guests are here.
The feeling has settled in.
The days are drifting by like some aimless cloud on a summer day. (Well this is a metaphor coz it is already Winters here in Delhi)
The year is about to end and it has been almost 6 months that we haven’t set our travel feet to a quest.

But the biggest question was – where should we go for that just purrfect, deliciously refreshing break.

A thought flickered in my mind like a lonely firefly on a dark night. Why don’t we go to Ramagarh - a wonderful retreat tucked away in the Kumaon Hills which lie in the northeastern parts of Uttaranchal, or more precisely in the western-central Himalayan region. Ramgarh, despite its very 'filmi' allusion (recollect the small town in record-breaking flick Sholay?) is a small and lesser-known destination blessed with the bounties of nature, perfect for a 'far from the madding crowd' holiday.

Thought was like a sapling. Some water from my husband and then again some more sunshine from an imminent trip to Kashipur (which is 120 KM away from Ramgarh) and it became a tree. It was time to do something about it. Choosing the place to stay wasn’t a problem. We hooked on to the internet for places to stay. Based on the recommendations of a colleague of my hubby we zeroed on ‘The Cedar Lodge’. A few phone calls later the trip was on. My hubby’s two cousins also accompanied us on this refreshing journey.

We set out on the journey to Ramgarh. All agog! This trip like the many others I'd made was wild. Just as I'd loved them. I like the outdoors. The vast clean aired roads lined with trees. They weren’t lesser greener than they would have been in the monsoon, these trees. We covered these roads on a rented Innova.

A Quick Fact File On Getting There-

By Air: The nearest airports are Pant Nagar in Nainital 25 kms. away
By Rail: Kathgodam 50 kms. away is the nearest station.
By Road: Ramgarh is 318 kms. and a six-hour drive from Delhi.

For more on Ramgarh, which huddles sleepily in the green creases of the lower Kumaon Hills, be sure to drop in again. I will be back soon to share with you the delights of this trip.

To Be Continued...

My First Blog Award Ever!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:19:00 +0000

What a wonderful surprise I had on this New Year Day.Pretty Me awarded Me Versus My Soul with “you touched my heart with your words“ blog award.

This is absolutely awesome, fantabulous and an overwhelming experience for me. I mean every single letter of it. Really!
I haven’t received any nominations or any awards prior to this. And to top it all I got this award of appreciation on December 31, 2008.

What a cool way to embark on the New Year 2009!

Pretty cool wouldn’t you say?

I am grateful and humbled for the acknowledgement and the opportunity for my ramblings to be shared by a larger audience.
Thanks Pretty Me!

A Great Week Start

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:35:00 +0000

Generally (read it 'Always') Mondays are painted B L U E for me.

Last Sunday night was no different. I was feeling miserable that the weekend is over and tomorrow I would have to throw myself neck deep into the work; hectic schedule. Man, it is a very bad feeling when the good times are about to end. With a heavy heart I resigned to the bed remarking to my husband -
Dear, the weekend’s gone, Sigh!

I knew I had to get up the next morning at 6.30 AM (if I intend to prepare the breakfast). Sacrificing the breakfast I can push the time by twenty more minutes. Which means that I cannot enjoy the comforts of my bed beyond 6:50 AM. My company bus comes at 7.25 AM to pick me up at a bus-stop which is (not less than) 10 minutes walking distance from my home. So I have to leave the house by 7.15 AM. I cannot afford to lose another minute; otherwise I would have to run all the way to the bus-stop to make it in time. It’s chilly in the morning so that naturally affects the rate at which I get ready for work. Sunday night, I had put on the alarm at 6.30 AM for the next morning.
The alarm obediently shrieked at 6.30 AM in the morning. I snoozed off the alarm several times not wanting to sacrifice the comforts of my warm and cozy bed. Finally when I woke up it was already 7‘O clock.

Oh Man, I need to rush!

I quickly brushed my teeth, had a shower and arranged my purse. Just before leaving I again checked the time. It was 7:17 AM.

Now how am I gonna make for the bus on time.

I nudged my husband and woke him up. He was in a deep slumber. I kept nudging him and constantly told him to drop me to the bus-stop since I was late already. That was pretty uncomfortable for him. I knew it was way too much on my part to expect him to jump out of the bed instantaneously. But I was getting terribly late.
Boy, it took him two precious minutes to finally get out of the bed. Sleepily, he wrapped himself up in his jacket, wore thermocot pants and then his shoes. He tried to hurry up but it was difficult to switch his mode on such a short notice. Watching him get ready seemed to be an eternity; when every second was precious. By the time he started his motor cycle it was already 7.25 AM.

Oh no, my bus would be arriving at the stop any moment.

I called up my bus-mate to make the bus wait for me. My husband whish –whooshed his way to the stop. We made it to the stop in less than a minute. Kudos to him! There I saw my bus waiting for me. I thanked hubby dear for making it just in time and quickly jumped into the bus. When I settled I discovered the pair of steel keys hanging in my fingers.

OMG! I forgot to hand the keys to hubby dear.

I called his mobile to inform him. Alas, in this hotchpotch he didn’t pick his mobile while leaving. Left with no other choice I got down on the next stop. Everybody in the bus was wondering and rolling their eyes. I caught a rick to my place and saw my flustered husband sitting on his bike. I ran up to him with the steel keys still hanging in my fingers. His face lit up and a smile ran across his sleepy face the moment he saw me.
Hubby dear, how can you expect me to run away with the keys leaving you in a misery?

To make to the office I was obviously left with a single option - hubby dear would drop me to my office on his motor cycle. I generally avoid going with him because riding the motor cycle on a chilly wintry morning is quite a daunting task. My hubby dear knew I detest taking a ride on his motor cycle on a winter morning.

Phew! do we have any other choice?

We had one hour in hand before we start for the dreadful journey to the office. So we decided to snatch some sleep. We both are sleep-freaks. Great snuggle bugs ;-) And I have tales to tell you about those forty winks. But let me save them for some other time. The alarm was ringing at 8.30 AM (I had put another alarm to make sure we're on time). I woke him up telling him its time now. He said he wants to sleep a little more. I was happy on hearing the postponement of the discomforting ride for some more time; and I again slept off.

Later he woke me up. I checked the time, it was 10:30 AM. I was shocked. We had over slept. I cursed myself for making him late for the office. But I found him pretty relaxed. I asked him wasn’t he late for the office. He smiled at me and said that he delayed it on purpose. He knew that it would be very chilly in the morning and since I am not used to face the wintry weather he delayed going to office till it was warm and sunny. When we stepped out of our home it was sunny and I found the ride pretty warm and pleasant. OMG I was so happy and ecstatic. He cares for me so much. He made my day. Whoopee!

At times, I wonder why he does not do things in ways I want him to do. Ways I feel are better to go with the ones he takes. Doesn’t he care for me?

To all these thoughts and many more, I got my answer on this Monday morning.
Care is not showering gifts on me or planning holidays or doing those lovey-dovey things. Care is not to put too much stock into all that mushy stuff. Care is making late for his office so that my journey is more comfortable. What’s really important is how he treats me in general. A husband who’s supportive and caring is worth a lot more than a surprise trip to Jamaica.
Happiness lies in the small details of life!

Indeed, on a pleasant and comfortable note I had a great start for the week.

Toad Rocks!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:02:00 +0000

You can visualize different forms and shapes when you look at clouds. The same thing happens with rock formations. During our visit to Mount Abu, a hill station in Rajasthan (India), we saw a rather unusual form on a hill top when we were roaming around the beautiful nakki lake. Abu abounds in grotesquely shaped rocks which often resemble animals and human beings.

That looks familiar, we thought. We climbed up that hill to explore this unusual form. It was none other than a protrusion of a giant toad. Overhanging the Nakki lake, it is called ‘ Toad Rock‘ because of its resemblance to a gigantic toad about to leap into the water. What do you think?

It may not be the 'Shoegate' (Bush ducking the shoe), but it is pretty cool !

Happy Slob!

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:23:00 +0000

I was so caught up with house cleaning and house keeping work that I didn’t have enough time to update about how it all went. So here I am to share a quick update about cleaning task that I had mentioned in my previous post – Let’s Clean Up!

Housecleaning and housekeeping has never been my cup of tea. But keeping up with dirt seemed pretty harder than cleaning it all up ;-) I have been planning to re-organize my kitchen for ages, but never found enough time to do it. The worst past about procrastination is that even though you neglect the job, the job doesn’t leave you. It always used to linger at the back of my mind that there are a few things that I need to work on but I used to shove it. But thankfully the time had finally arrived when I could compel myself to come out of the cocoon and take care of the kitchen. The other items in the TO-DO house cleaning list (mentioned in my previous post Let’s Clean Up! ) have been done and hence marked C R O S S E D.

- clean the living room : X
- clean the dining table : X
- wash the dining table mats : X
- clean the kitchen
- rearrange the kitchen shelves
- move the unwanted items from the kitchen to storage : X
- clean the two beds : the beds are intricately carved out of wood and hence attract lot of dust : X
- change the bed-sheets : X
- extra quilt covers (it’s winters here in India) : X
- move the kitchenware from all the rooms back to the kitchen : X

Earlier, my kitchen used to be a mess, literally. So many jars and containers were piled up on one another gathering dust. And when I needed something I had to struggle to figure out the right jar. Phew! It was quite a task.
I accomplished this near-to-impossible task on Friday, after I returned home from work. I had read about lot of articles online on how to quick clean and how to spring clean your rooms or kitchen or bathrooms. And after reading them I had an eye for the details and the need of the hour. I could figure out till what level I should delve in to carry out this daunting task. The kitchen sink, tiles, cupboards were all clean. So they didn’t require any work. I fast cleaned up all my shelves, arranged all the containers so that I don’t have problem figuring out the right one when the need is. I also moved oil container, spice jars and mixer apparatus, which always cluttered my kitchen top, to other more appropriate and reachable places.

You know what! My husband was all praises when he saw the kitchen. It looked more neat and organized. The placement of all the kitchen paraphernalia seemed to be in order and made more sense. I am quite ecstatic about all this. I have also decided to keep cleaning my home frequently so that I don’t have a ‘Herculean’ task up my sleeves every time someone has to pay a visit to us. Marking the items left out undone in the TO-DO list as C R O S S E D

- clean the kitchen : X
- rearrange the kitchen shelves : X

And yes, the guests from a faraway land have finally arrived. It is their son’s birthday today. So we have a birthday party up in our agenda today;-)

Let's Clean up !

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:04:00 +0000

Yeah, since my guests from a faraway land would be soon dropping in I have to prepare my home to welcome them. As mentioned in my previous post Guests from a land far, far away, focus is on C L E A N I N G & D U S T I N G.

We are living in a rented 3-BHK apartment. Practically we have 2 bedrooms; the other one is converted to host miscellaneous activities. It is partially a store-room and partially a washing room where I have kept my washing machine. It is always cluttered with clothes; both dirty and clean. So I thought of leaving out this room altogether. At least for now I am not going to add this room to my cleaning and dusting chore. So now I am left with the following rooms –
A living room
A kitchen
2 bedrooms
2 toilets

Not losing the focus, I have prepared a list of TO-DO items for the housecleaning task. Earlier I used to mentally prepare and maintain list of items. No pen no paper. But when I read the post about maintaining List I thought even I should pen down the items on a paper (sometimes I can even make soft copies of the list too!). The mere advantage of scribbling it all on paper is that I never waste time recollecting if I have missed out something. Trust me, I waste a lot of time thinking if I have forgotten any item from my mental list. I have never been into this ever before- making lists. This is my initial attempt, perhaps naïve too, to manage house by making lists. I am not good at making lists, at least I think so. I have penned down the items I thought should dot my list. Here is my TO-DO list for preparing my home for the wannabe guests :
- clean the living room
- clean the dining table
- wash the dining table mats
- rearrange the kitchen shelves
- move the unwanted items from the kitchen to storage
- clean the two beds : the beds are intricately carved out of wood and hence attract lot of dust
- change the bed-sheets
- extra quilt covers (it’s winters here in India)
- move the kitchenware from all the rooms back to the kitchen

I am not sure if it is complete. Anyways I will try to stick to it completely. I will keep adding to this list as and when I find something needs to be pushed onto the itinerary. I will be back again on how all this has been. Till then wish me luck in my cleaning endeavor.

Guests from a land far, far away

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:52:00 +0000

This December we are expecting guests from a land far, far away from ours. My husband’s Uncle and Aunt and their two lovely children- a son and a daughter, are coming from Australia to visit us here in Delhi (India). His aunt is his Mother's sister. And my husband quite enjoys her company.

Uncle and Aunt are Indians by origin but they chose to make Australia their home land to spend the rest of their lives, or rather to begin a new journey of their life. Uncle had been with merchant navy and had sailed through almost entire world. And when he married her, they chose Sydney to start their new quest. Since then, they have been visiting their family here in India once in three to four years. Last time they were here in Delhi our engagement was being planned. Because their next visit would not have been at least 3 years thence, they pressed my husband’s mom hard to get both of us engaged before they leave. They knew, otherwise, making for our engagement and wedding couldn’t have been possible. So I thank both of them for getting both of us engaged earlier than expected.

There is a vast difference in the climate and culture of India and Australia. Well, culture wise their family is an Indian by heart. So there isn’t any appreciable culture GAP. Though their children were born and brought up in Australia but they, as parents, have deliberated a lot of hard work in inculcating Indian values in their children. So culture isn’t a problem at all. But climate certainly is a BIG problem. Unfortunately, apart from boasting a rich cultural heritage, India also abounds in pollution and dust. On the contrary Sydney has far better and cleaner environment. It’s quite hard for their children to put up with dust and pollution, esp. for the youngest one who is very sensitive to dust. All our family members here in Delhi are busy nowadays to prepare their homes for the guests. We all are specifically focusing on the cleaning part. Unfortunately, there is so much dust around everywhere that if we don’t dust clean our homes regularly our homes will look as if they have been deserted for months. All the siblings of my husband’s aunt, accompanied with their children, will be spending time with her. So we need to prepare our home for at least 10 more guests milling about my house.

So what am I waiting for? Even I need to prepare a checklist of what all things I must do to prepare myself and my house to welcome them. They will be visiting us for the first time. So it’s time to get my home in order, from the perspective of a “happy slob” ;-)

Mumbai's 49 Hours Tryst With Terror

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:33:00 +0000

(Pictures courtsey Mumbai Mirror)

It was the black night of November 26, 2008 that painted the Indian city of Mumbai red with blood. 10 terrorists struck Mumbai on that fateful night with massive arms and ammunition. Multiple sites in the Mumbai were attacked with bombs and gunfire in a coordinated terror attack. Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Trident Hotel, Nariman House and CST were amongst the main sites that were brutally hit by the terrorists. Besides these sites, terrorists openly fired on the innocent people on the Mumbai streets. The attacks killed 179 people, including at least 22 foreigners. Over 300 injuries were reported. It was nothing less than a WAR.

The attackers entered Mumbai via the waterfront near the two hotels. The first attack occurred about 9:30 pm at the Cafe Leopold on November 26, 2008. A man was seen firing an AK-47 in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel lobby before fleeing into the kitchen. Another series of injuries was reported when a gunman opened fire at a central train station. As the rampage progressed, gunmen opened fire at several locations throughout the city, including a crowded train station, a popular restaurant and several luxury hotels.

In the wee hours of November 29, 2008 the tryst with terror in Mumbai ended after battling continuously for 49 hours with the terrorists. The last gunmen were cleared out of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel on Saturday morning, November 29, as firefighters continued work putting out blazes on the first few stories. The terror strike finally got over as the sun dawned. A previously unknown group called the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack via email. The terrorists apparently sought victims with British or American passports.

The bloody show that was put up for almost 3 days has angered the citizens of India. According to intelligence reports Delhi Airport is next on their hit list.
Today I received an e-mail on ‘Travel Advisory’ from my company stating that there is high security alert for the coming week on Delhi Airport and that the employees should travel only if it is essential.

Though, the terrorists might have been cleared out of Mumbai by the heroic efforts of NSG commandos, the ATS and the Mumbai police force. But the BIG question still dangles unanswered - ARE WE SAFE. Is our tryst with the terror not yet over?

A Perfect Summer Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:48:00 +0000

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent

This is a perfect way to idle or rather spend my summer day. I am not referring to the heat and swelter of a summer day. I am referring to a sunny holiday.

I am one of those who want to imbibe more than just the peace and serenity of a place.

I always imagine a big, wide, enormous field with long green grass. A spreading chestnut tree in the middle of the field. The place thrives with fresh green grass. The field is filled with the most spectacular flowers I have ever seen. Not far away is a murmuring cascade that makes the atmosphere mellow. Though I cannot see the cascade but I can hear the deep sound of water splashing against stones and rocks. Aroma of ripe fruits adds to the ambience. Sparkling silver rays of the sun lends the Midas Touch to everything it touches. The whole field is scintillating with the glory of the sun like a thousand sparkling diamonds.

The environment is supremely tranquil and silent.

I imagine myself sitting under the shade of that spreading big tree. I could feel the whole atmosphere melt into my soul – the sweet smell of just blossomed flowers, aroma of ripened fruits, smell of green grass, melody of chirping birds, a flowing cascade. I savor the sensual delights of the atmosphere and enjoy this natural oasis.

I am stirred and energized by the fragrance of some fresh flowers blooming nearby. Then I would lie down under the tree over the soft fresh grass. As I lay I could feel the cool breeze on my face which has just touched the cascade and flown softly through the trees towards me. With half closed eyes I have almost resigned to slumber- lying silent and still.

Just perfect.

Mere thought of such a place calms my nerves and makes me relaxed. This place has always existed in my mind. I don’t know since how long. I have never been able to find such a place. But some day sure I will. Until then I will find solace of this beauty in my imaginations.

What’s your idea of a perfect summer day?

Think Before Doing

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:44:00 +0000

A Nice Article Via E-mail. Thought of sharing with you all.
--------------------------------------------------------

The bus has started moving. It is packed with people of all ages, mostly with the working men and women and young college guys and gals. Near the window is an old man seated with his 30 year old son. As the bus moves by, the son is overwhelmed with joy as he was thrilled with the scenery outside.

"See dad, the scenery of green trees moving away is very beautiful" , said son of that old man.

This behavior from a thirty year old son made other people feel strange about him. Every one started murmuring about this son. "This man seems to be a crazy" newly married Anup whispered to his wife.

Suddenly it started raining, rain drops fell on the travelers through the opened window. The thirty year old son, filled with joy said, “See dad, how beautiful the rain is”

Anup's wife got irritated with the rain drops spoiling her new dress. Anup confronted the old main, "Can’t you see its raining, you old man, if your son is not feeling well get him soon to a mental asylum and don’t disturb the public henceforth"

The old man hesitated first and then in a low tone replied, " We are on the way back from hospital. My son got discharged today morning, he was blind by birth and last week he got his vision. These rain and nature are new to his eyes. Please forgive us for the inconvenience caused."

The things we see may be right from our perspective until we know the truth. But when we know the truth our reaction to that will hurt even us. So try to understand the problem better before taking a harsh action!!

Wacky Inventions!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:07:00 +0000

As I was flipping through the channels on the TV, I came across Cartoon Network. And guess what it was airing ‘The Flintstones’. I am a big FLINTSTONES fan since I was a kid. So I quickly put on the volume. Instantly, I was laughing at the hilarious antics of Fred and Barney just as I did as a kid.

Here is the theme song I grew up with. This version was recorded in 1965. I am still so fond of it. Enjoy-

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyabba-dabba-doooooooo!"

Flintstones... Meet the Flintstones,

They're a modern stoneage family.

From the town of Bedrock,

They're a page right out of history.

Let's ride with the family down the street.

Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet.
When you're with the Flintstones,

have a yabba dabba doo time,

a dabba doo time,

we'll have a gay old time

Flintstones... Meet the Flintstones,

They're a modern stoneage family.

From the town of Bedrock,

They're a page right out of history.

Someday, maybe Fred will win the fight,

And that cat will stay out for the night.
When you're with the Flintstones,

have a yabba dabba doo time,

a dabba doo time,

we'll have a gay old time

"Wiiilllllmmmmmmaaaaaa!!!" bang bang bang

The show is set in the town of Bedrock in the Stone Age era. The show is an allegory to American society of the mid-20th century; in the Flintstones' fantasy version of the past, dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, and other long extinct animals co-exist with barefoot cavemen, who use technology very similar to that of the mid-20th century, although made entirely from pre-industrial materials and largely powered through the use of various animals. The characters drive cars made out of stone or wood and animal skins and powered by foot.

One source of the show's humor was the ways animals were used for technology.

More than just the characters I was always awed at the inventions of Flintstones- they are WACKY. For example, when the characters took photographs with an instant camera, the inside of the camera box would be shown to contain a bird carving the picture on a stone tablet with its bill. Remarkably awesome thought process- that pedal car that Fred drives from home to his office, elephant vacuum cleaner that Wilma uses to clean her house. I could recollect quite a few commonly seen gadgets in the series:

a baby woolly mammoth being used as a vacuum cleaner
an adult wolly mammoth would act as a shower by spraying water with its trunk
lifts are raised and lowered by ropes around brontosaurs' necks
"automatic" windows are powered by monkeys that dwell on the outside windowsill
birds configured as "Ryan Coombes" are activated by pulling on their tails
an electric razor is depicted as a clam shell housing a honey-bee vibrating it as the edges are rubbed against the character's face
a lobster lawn mower
Fred's wacky concoctions like his soft drink: 412 Up
the Barney Copter (a.k.a The Flintstone Flyer)
a Television with real rabbit ears
a car with stone wheels and pedals
small elephants as gas pumps
a pterodactyl with a fort on top for an airplane

Wow! I am amazed I could recount so many of them "Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyabba-dabba-doooooooo!".
How many do you remember of those wacky inventions in ‘The Flintstones’ series?

Why the hell should I blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Jyoti) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:33:00 +0000

While contemplating on what should be my next topic to blog, it just struck me 'Why the hell should I blog?'

This happened about two years back when I was a green-horn at blogging. It all started when I heard my colleagues talking about it. One of them forwarded his blog URL. Another colleague took the hint and quickly created her blog. I was curious as to who was this new cat on streets- 'blogging'. So I also decided to 'blog' - just to stay put in the race. I created my first blog - Alice in wonderland. But slowly that enthusiasm waned and I just gave up blogging- simply because it didn’t have anything in it for me.

After two long years, a couple of days back suddenly my sister came up with this question- 'Hey sis do you know how people make money by blogging'. I was not impressed at all. I had already tasted it and didn’t find it exciting. It was a simplex communication where I was the transmitter- who was voicing her ideas, her interests but wasn't sure about who the receptor was? On my first post I didn't find any comments... I didn't find anyone looking interested in my views.. then ‘Why the hell should I blog?’, I said to myself... and I left it abruptly. So when my sister asked me about blogging I was not too keen on it.

But the idea of earning money through blogging amused me.

What the heck is she trying to say? How can you earn money by just blogging?

These questions were spinning in my head. I asked my husband about it. Even he didn’t have any idea about it. But this little worm didn’t stop eating my head. I started on a new quest on exploring the equation between blogging and money. It took me almost two days to unravel this mystery.

Like an excited child who had just discovered the lifecycle of water I told my husband that I have finally found out the truth about blogging. He wasn’t curious, though he was kind enough to lend me an ear. He thought this must be one of those fake stories where you sign-up for something and share some information with your friends and your friends share it with their friends and so on then you get money equivalent to the number of hands that information has passed through. I told him blogging is not like that. A blog is basically an online diary, a journal written by an author. Blog is about the author and/or the author’s interests. The great thing about a blog is that you can blog about just anything under the sun. There are no boundaries whatsoever. It could be your career, pet, relationships, car, favorite movie, etcetera, etcetera. You can let go the horses of your creativity run free.

At this moment my husband posed a relevant question- why did I gave up blogging if it were so easy?
A very valid question indeed. I told him that I took up blogging without even knowing what it was all about. I didn’t delve into depth about what blogging meant. I started off with blogging just because people around were doing it. The important thing, that I had earlier missed out on, is that you blog about something that matters to you. Different people have different interests and you’re no exception. Chances are good that others just like you are ready to delve into your material because they have similar tastes. Don’t hesitate to write about something you’re passionate about - just do it! Check out Google’s own blogger where you can create your blog for free and get going.

Well that is fine and dandy but how do we generate money off blogging, was my husband’s next question.
Another valid question, indeed, the answer to which is- Google’s Adsense. I told him that it is a free service from Google and it is as simple as the word s i m p l e itself is. All that you have to do is put adsense on your blogging site – and you make money from people who click on your adsense ads. To top it all, users don’t even need to purchase something on the advertising site. That’s all about it. Really! My husband was impressed with this whole concept. He encouraged me to start blogging all again. I immediately called up my sister and explained to her what blogging is and how do you make money out of it. She appropriately remarked, Adsesnse is no non-sense ;-)

I know that there quite a few souls very much like me who don’t have an inkling about the power of blogging. So this post is dedicated to all those who want to know about blog. I have skimmed through a lot of stuff on the internet and have tried to get out the message in this simple blog. I found a nice article- Introduction to Blogging which discusses everything about blogging. Today I am more convinced and have a clearer picture of what will I blog. I will blog on my interests. I will blog about my passions. I will blog about just anything under the sun that excites me.

Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid
torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want
to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it
on to future generations. – G.B. Shaw

I would like to know if this post has helped anyone in gaining an insight into blogging and its power. Since a blog is a dialogue and not a monologue I welcome your comments and your suggestions on this post.