Just The Way I Like

'Sorry' and 'Thank You'

2012-02-12T21:58:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine never forgets to boast of his extensive vocabulary. He used to say, if words were money, He would be a millionaire. But I would call him poor, since, despite having a good vocabulary, he would never use the words ‘Sorry’ and ‘Thank you’.

Friendship and the definitions of friendship have evolved with time. .

Some of my friends remark that I sometimes behave very formal when I’m with them. And they come to that conclusion because I keep saying ‘Sorry’ and ‘Thank You’. I tell them that I value my friendship and I take care to see to it that I don’t take anything for granted at any point and I’m just making it known to them as well. I take extra care even in small things because I want to make sure I’m not hurting anyone inadvertently. Since its always small things done in haste that makes a lot of difference and leads to a lot of misunderstandings. I’d rather be cautious than to be at loggerheads for some trivial, insignificant stuff. That extra bit of caution they say is formal, I’m Sorry. I can’t help it.

I seriously do not comprehend the logic behind people saying “No Sorry or Thank you among friends”. Ok, So who else are you going to say it to? Your Enemies? Seriously? It is understandable that in friendship, the small things that may instigate bigger spats can always be overlooked. Hence friends do not like or rather prefer it, if their friends refrain from saying sorry or thank you. But my question is, they are our friends, Next to our family, or even on par with our family, Shouldn’t we treat them better? Don’t they deserve a thank you for all that they’ve been doing? Don’t they deserve a word of Sorry for all the times we irritated them? Or are we taking them for granted?

For a minute, let’s just get back to the basics. Two questions. Why Sorry? Why Thank You?

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People say Sorry when they are deeply disturbed with something which should have never happened in the first place. Well generally that’s what people do. We say sorry when we feel we’ve hurt someone or caused them pain without intending to. We say sorry because we get scared that our actions might have hurt the sentiments of our friend and we apologize for having caused them pain. It might be just one word, but it conveys a lot of thoughts.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

We Thank others either for taking their time off to tell us something or do us a favour. We say Thank you, because we appreciate the efforts of someone takes for us and as a token of our appreciation we thank them. We say “Thank you “because we value their time and presence. We say Thank you because despite their numerous commitments they always manage to find time for us, and it is just a simple way of letting them know that we value that and not take it for granted.

Now back again to our friends. Why shouldn’t we let them know that we’re happy they are spending time with us? Why shouldn’t we let them know how we feel after that bitter spat? Why is this considered formal? After all they are the ones who are an integral part of our lives. They are the ones who would always stand by us. They are the ones who would never think twice to come to our rescue. When you say Sorry to a stranger for stepping on their foot and When you say “Thank You” to a stranger for picking up our bags, why shouldn't we say Sorry and Thank you to those who mean a lot to us? Is it that big a deal?

What good would it do, if you knew a thousand meaningless words, and you do not know the value of two words uttered earnestly by a sincere soul?

When Our Passion Needs A Break!

2012-02-04T23:31:00.002+05:30

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It’s been more than a week since I updated my blog.10 days in fact. Somehow I couldn’t think of anything to write for the first few days. Even after I made a note of a few ideas I somehow couldn’t get myself to sit and write it down in detail. I realized it would be wise to abandon the attempt, rather than force myself to write something just for the sake of it.

Just when I was thinking of this, a thought struck me. I write because I like to. That is why I started a blog and I continue to write about things which catch my attention and which make me think. My blog is a collection of my thoughts and not just a place where I vent out my thoughts against the society. All said and done, I chose to write and I can write whenever, wherever and whatever I want to. It’s entirely my call. There is no compulsion. So when I don’t feel like writing I have all the liberty to just stay away from it.

I was wondering about those people who write for their living, who do it as a profession. If you ask any of those people as to what keeps them driving, they would say “Passion”. Now my question is, what would happen when they find themselves in a kind of situation I was in, a few days back, with no inclination to write. When you have your mind set on writing, all you need is to think of a good start. The rest would just keep flowing sans any obstruction. But when one is not inclined to write, but has no other option left, what would they do?

Yes, the obvious answer is they would make up something and try to do justice to it. But what I keep wondering is, they chose writing because they are passionate about it, and despite that, writing something for namesake is not something they would do in normal circumstances, so how would they deal with that kind of a situation, I really have to ask someone!

Well, this is not just about writing. It extends to all walks of life.

Following our heart and following what we are passionate about is always an uphill task. We enjoy what we do only till that passion lasts. By some means, if that level of enthusiasm or interest dips down, the repercussions might be disastrous for us. Human beings are never the same at all times. One day we might be interested in something, another day we might jump into something else. Why, it can change even in a minute. And I’m talking about a situation where the intensity of the interest is just a 0.1 percent less. Somehow even that small percentage, makes a lot of a difference. And we are not even talking about completely losing interest.

It is not fair to blame ourselves either. It is human tendency. Our mind keeps wandering here and there and though we might be focussed on what we want, there are distractions and we tend to get distracted and steer away from our path once in a while. It doesn’t matter how much we’ve gone off course, all that matters is, how soon we realize it and get right back in track.

Some people might state that, the above reasoning is completely wrong, since you can never run out of passion, when you started doing something just because your heart was in it. Yes, that is indeed true, to a certain extent, but the level of interest might not be constant throughout. If it is at an all time high one day, definitely at one day or the other, it would be at an all time low. There might be a certain period of time when we probably need a break.

The question is, can we afford to take one?

Longing For Company!

2012-01-24T01:54:00.003+05:30

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

Man is a social animal. Yes. And that is perhaps one reason God gave us more than one effective way to communicate and stay in touch with those whom we want to.(Oh come on, there is no point in staying in close contact with those whom we are not bothered about, except perhaps to keep a tab on them, just to eliminate the element of surprise). Right from our childhood days, we are taught the importance of socializing and the impact of the bonds of friendship and affection in our life. We may like a few people because we have so much in common. We may like a few others because they’re completely different from the way we are. There is no specific reason regarding why we should or shouldn’t like someone.

All said and done, what matters is not making new friends and staying together through the days at school or the years at college. What matters is one’s ability to stay in touch with them even after not being able to see them on a daily basis. Anyone can maintain a good rapport with those whom we get to see all day long. But retaining the essence of the friendship, for days together and years together, despite not being able to catch up with the other in person, is not something which everyone can proudly say ,they are capable of.

Ok, Why all this gyan about Friendship and Socializing with people?

Human Beings always seek company. Any day we would prefer to be stranded on a deserted Island with 10 people we know, rather than be present in our favourite hangout place, all alone. What fun it is when you don’t have people to share it with? The main purpose of having fun is lost when there is no one around to share it. Just like how someone said, if you have fun, you’ll be happy. When you share your happiness, the intensity of the feeling just increases manifold, it doesn’t diminish.

Yes, sometimes we would prefer to stay away from the crowd, and keep to ourselves either staring at the sea or gazing at the sky. Either way, there are times when we feel that we need some time off just for ourselves .Agreed. But when duration of these “few” moments extends to a major portion of our time, we can be assured that we’ve got ourselves into some kind of depression or inferiority complex, neither of which is going to benefit us in any way.

Image Courtesy : Free Digital Photos

It always feels good to be accepted by a group and to be a part of a gathering. It feels great to know that, come what may, there are people who think you are the best. It gives one a sense of contentment to know that there are actually people who like them for the way they are, with all their vice and virtues, without having the need to pretend to be someone they aren’t. It is always good to know that, there are few loving souls who would never leave us stranded, especially when we need them the most.

One main reason behind bonding with others is Trust. To Trust others and to be Trusted by others, instilling and them a sense of faith. After all, faith can move mountains. Faith might not give us the solution to a problem, but would help us stay grounded in adverse situations and give us the confidence to face the obstacles in our path.

Likewise, People who care for us might not be able to provide a solution to every problem of ours. But when they are around, their mere presence can give us the courage to face whatever fate throws at us. They might not show us the destination, but they would help us get there!

Celebrations!

2012-01-15T23:37:00.003+05:30

It’s time for my share of Sugarcane, Melagu vada , Paniyaaram and Chakra Pongal. These days whenever I think of festivals, the first thing that pops in my mind is the sweets and savories that are made for the special day. Mom doesn’t make the same sweet for all festivals. If it’s Pongal, you have the Paniyaaram and Melgau vada. If its Diwali you have Ladoo, Gulab Jamoon, Coconut Burfi. For New Year she makes this special kind of Halwa, which just melts in the mouth. Yummy!

More than the spirit of celebrating the festival, what makes me feel excited is, celebrating the spirit of being together, having fun and spending time with our dear ones. It gives us a break from our monotonous routine and gives us the gift of time, to sit and relax and have a casual chat with our family.I remember what my Grandpa used to say about his childhood memories of these festivals. I used to listen to his stories on how he used to celebrate it with his siblings and cousins and how being in a joint family, they were able to mingle well with all their cousins, aunts and uncles and it was obvious that their bonding was really close. The games that were played, the movies that were watched, The huge terrace and the compound wall where they all played, were all close to their heart, for everything second was a moment to treasure.

Today, celebrating Pongal at home are Me, Mom and Dad.

Except for My Grandma, my cousin and one of my aunts, most of my relatives are abroad. My dad grew up in a Joint family and till date he maintains contact with all his cousins. When they get together and speak of the days gone by, I can’t help but feel jealous of how they had the chance and the time to mingle. I don’t mean to say that I’m not in touch with my cousins. The Cuppu Family is one big family and I am in touch with most of my cousins, but mostly only through Gmail and Facebook. But Still, I am in touch with them. Before, we cousins got together during our Summer Holidays. We made family trips to many different places. We were young then. But now, everyone is grown up and settled in different parts of the World and meeting everyone in person at one place is not possible. Even if it is, it happens just once in a few years at a wedding probably.

In a way I’m happy. At least I get to mingle with my cousins and other relatives when we can. Thanks to our parents and grandparents who made sure that the bonding they shared was carried on by the next generation, we never find it difficult to get along.

Once when I told a friend that I was going for a get together, she asked me the occasion. I said, it’s been long since we all met and so we are all meeting up. She just couldn’t understand why we meet up just to catch up with others. The Absence of a concrete reason was bothering her.

Thank God, I don’t look for reasons to meet others.

Coming back to Today’s Pongal celebrations, Take a look :-)

Melagu Vada

Paniyaaram

Chakra Pongal

Paysam

Amma's Kolam

My attempt @Kolam :-)

I had a great time today. Hope you had a great time too :-)

How Not To Lose Your Temper!

2012-01-08T23:14:00.003+05:30

Image Courtesy : Free Digital Photos

My sister and I were very mischievous when we were kids. Being the younger of the two, people would take it for granted that I was the more notorious one ( which Swathi would repeatedly insist), without giving me a chance to explain. So I accepted things the way they were and just lived up to the expectations of others(being the notorious one, that is ).

My sister and I did the weirdest of things and however smart we were in pretending, Mom would invariably find out what we were up to in her absence and she would scold us. 90% of the times I never used to listen to her gyan. It so happened that, once when mom was in the middle of scolding us, I caught my sister's eye and we both started laughing like idiots. Mom was in a fit of rage,but the next minute, to our surprise, she joined us in laughing. Funny how one second can completely change the way you feel.

I narrated the above instance just to show how quickly, within a fraction of a second, our thoughts and feelings change. One second we are extremely angry and another second we are laughing for no reason at all, despite being in the same situation. So after all, it is not an arduous task to control your temper, don't you agree?

From what I gather, these are some ways by which you can keep your temper under control.

There are people who are specifically born to irritate us and annoy us to intolerable levels. Next time they irritate you or annoy you, just think how lucky you are that you did not turn out like them. It is not your job to correct them and make them see sense. If God himself can't do it, you can never do it.

Ten sentences spoken with love and affection can work wonders rather than one sentence spoken with anger/hatred. If you want people to listen to you and understand you better, first articulate in a manner they can understand. No point blaming them for your ambiguous expressions in the first place.

Do not rebuke others for each and every mistake. Even you would have made mistakes in the past. If it is for something trivial, you know its's not worth spending so much of your energy for it. If it's critical, you know the gravity of the situation and understand that shouting and criticizing would only make matters worse.

Most of the problems occur because of the spur of the moment actions/reactions. If only we took a second to think about it, we would have saved us, the trouble of embarrassing ourselves by losing our temper and acting stupid in front of all.

Treat others they way you would like to be treated. Think of the situation from the other person's point of view. If you were in their place, would you like to be shouted at. they way you are shouting at the other person?

Life should be dealt with properly. Know when to be serious and when to be cool. Come what may, always remain composed, think clearly and be a little patient enough to give your mind a chance to think, before your hand or tongue takes over.

Remember one thing.Raising your voice and losing your temper at the drop of a hat, just to prove a point wouldn't make others think highly of you. Staying calm, curbing your temper and speaking in a gentle way with others, irrespective of the situation, is what would make you a Great, Inspiring person.

My Interview.

2012-01-07T21:57:00.001+05:30

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

(My Interview for a fellow Blogger)

Yes yes, you heard it right. .

Jidhu Jose , a blogger, dedicates a part of his blog to Interviews, where he takes interview of fellow bloggers. I'm not sure on what basis he chooses, but I'm happy to be noticed and to feature on his blog. Thank you Jidhu!

It feels great to be noticed by people and receive appreciation for the work that we do. I know I've still loads to learn and have a long way to go, but little perks like these, definitely encourages amateurs like me and instills a sense of determination to perform even better the next time.

Could I BE more happy? :-)

You can read the interview, here.

Thank you God :-)

Book Review : "Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul". A Book Of Miracles.

2012-01-04T11:31:00.003+05:30

Before I write this review, I would like to Thank Blogadda for selecting me to review this book. I’m a person who strongly believes in God, in the faith of a prayer and in miracles. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise for me when I received that mail from Blogadda stating I was selected to review this book. In spite of it, I was surprised. Ever since”Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul” was up in Blogadda, I very badly wanted this book and I applied for it, with so much of hope. Out of the many souls who had applied, I’m happy that I am one among the 10 chosen to review this book. I read this book at a time when I was feeling quite low, for some reason, and I felt as if this was God’s way of telling me not to lose hope, that too just as we begin a brand new year. Thank you God. Thank you Blogadda. God is great! Indeed!

Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul : A Book of miracles, is a collection of personal experiences of people , who at some point of time in their lives have felt the ubiquitous presence of God , helping them overcome their fears and troubles. This book has people from all walks of life narrating their experiences where they felt the divine intervention, to help them out.

In this fast paced tech-savvy world, where people think they are the Ultimate, these small instances just proves that there is someone just above all of us, proving them wrong , every minute and working miracles every second. There have been instances where people claim, that the vision their eyes projected was too good to be true and too much of a coincidence to be real, but it happened, in front of their very own eyes.

There are many ways and means by which we can feel the Presence of God. As the book says, there are “Signs From Above”, “Healing Power Of A Prayer”, “Love From Beyond” , ”His/Her Messenger” , ”His Saving Grace” , ”Angels Amongst Us” , ”Answered Prayers” , ”Everyday Miracles” , ”Divine Appointment” , ”Magic Of Faith” , ”Our Guardian Angel” , ”Call From Within”.

Intuitions and premonitions define one’s ability to sense what would happen in the near future, to a certain extent. They also help one to sense the presence of trouble, things which do not happen normally and a sort of mystery that unfolds. One can never understand completely how life works. It is always and still remains an enigma just as how Alexander Pope says

“Heaven hides from its creatures, the Book of Fate.!”

When I was reading the narratives of different people, I could relate myself to many of the instances and I realized that what I’d taken for granted as co-incidence and timely help from others was God’s way of ensuring that I received the help that I’d asked for. When my prayers are answered, I used to think that, May be it was destined to happen that way. Little did I know that the things which happened for my benefit were actually because of my prayers.

I’m sure there must be many people like me, who miss out on these minute details and fail to notice how God helps us all the time and take it for granted. I should say, after reading this book and what people had to say, I’ll keep my eyes open for “Signs from Up Above”.

I’m always a big fan of the Chicken Soup Series. This Book tailored for the Indian Soul is by far the best in the series, is what I feel. I strongly suggest people to read this book. It would help us realize how many times God has helped us in the past without our knowledge and therefore it would help us to lookout for the Miracles which God has planned for us, in the days to come.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Dare to Dream!

2011-12-26T01:18:00.003+05:30

Image Courtesy :

Free Digital Photos

" All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". ~Walt Disney

Childhood days are the best days in our lives. One day we desired to be a Doctor, Another day, engineer, One day we aspired to become a scientist and another day we decided we would be an entrepreneur.

When we were young, we dared to dream, beyond our will, beyond our might. We believed in ourselves and we had the confidence that we would be able to accomplish and fulfil our dreams. Looking back, I’m not sure of how and where that confidence came from, but still there was something deep within , some burning desire, to set a dream; a destination and to fulfil it, at some point of time in the future . Agreed that we were completely ignorant of the course of actions which we would have to undertake to realize our vision, but our mind was set on the destination. We dreamt without being gripped by a sense of fear, we knew we could do it; we knew we would do it. We just had to figure out how.

As we grow up we restrict our vision and force our minds to think within an imaginary boundary. There was a time when we opted for a panoramic view of things. Now we restrict ourselves because of some inexplicable fear. The fear of what others might think. We are worried of the consequences we would have to face if we do not succeed. We give undue importance to trivial matters which do not deserve a mention. More than worrying about the process which we would have to undertake, we are concerned with stuff which wouldn’t have much of an impact on our performance or on the process, per se. Even before we start dreaming, we put an abrupt end to it.

When I was talking about this with a friend of mine, he said “When we are young we are not aware of the complexities of the process. But when we grow up, we realize how difficult things are and we try to remain content with what we possibly could muster.”

This reply got me thinking about an obvious fact. We weren’t aware of the so called “complexities” way back. Now that we know what they are, and we are in a position to define what difficulties and obstacles we might stumble upon, shouldn’t we make use of the available resources and try ways and means to overcome them? They are difficult, not impossible. Nothing comes without one’s hard work and if it does come without one’s effort, it would be ephemeral.

Today we see people blindly following what most of the others do. Of course, there are people who pursue what they are passionate about, but the percentage of people who fall under that category is very little. We should learn from them, how to be bold enough to stand up to everyone and prove ourselves worthy, in a field of our choice. I’m not saying we should stick to what we dreamt of when we were young. Not entirely. I’m trying to say that we shouldn’t lose or forget the ability to dream big. Our dreams will definitely evolve over a period of time, but the core theme of the dream will persist.The happiness which we get from following our dreams and fulfilling it is incomparable.

Just like how Robert Frost, in his poem “The Road Not taken”, says

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Story of My Name!

2011-12-16T23:09:00.002+05:30

Every day something interesting happens to every one of us. Some of us are lucky enough to pay attention to the little “interesting” things which happen. Some of us are too busy to notice it. It all comes down to how you respond to, when something happens.

The other day when I was on my way to office, I as usual, kept myself occupied with twitter and music, when a lady came and sat next to me. She was accompanied by her son who was around 5 to 6 years. He was very well behaved, sat quietly without pestering his mom. I was surprised. Such a well behaved boy, at such a young age!

Just when I was thinking of how well he was brought up, I noticed that the boy was looking at my mobile and he said something to his mother. His mother smiled and said “No, you shouldn't ask for others’ mobile phones”. I asked the lady what her son wanted and she told me that he wanted to know what model I was using. After giving him the information he wanted, I casually asked him, “What is your name?” He said,” I’m Adarsh”, with a smile. No wonder he was such a well behaved child, I thought.

I told his mother that Adarsh was a very well behaved child for his age and lives up to his name, even at that young age. I added that he had a very nice name. The lady said that she actually wanted to name her son “Aman”. But her husband felt that Adarsh would be a better name. The poor lady had no other choice and had to give in to her husband’s idea. Just when the lady had finished with her narration, I realized that I’d reached my destination, I said bye to Adarsh and his mom, I disembarked and I started walking.

On my way, I was thinking of how I was named “Ashwini”. Since my sister was named “Swathi”, my mom had wanted to name me “Shruthi”. It so happened that I was born at the time when one star was setting and another star was rising. So when our relatives had come to visit me, they had asked my parents if I was born under the star “Ashwini” or “Bharani”.

Relatives “ Is her Nakshatra Ashwini or Bharani ?”

Mom : “Ashwini”

(The same question and answer was asked for about 15 to 20 times by different people)

My sister, who was around 3 years old then, presumed that people had been asking my parents what they’d decided to name me. When my mother kept telling “Ashwini” she thought that, it was the name my mother had chosen for me. When our relatives had asked my parents what name they’d zeroed in, before my parents could reply, my Sister had proudly said “Ashwini”. I was told that everyone was surprised, for they did not expect a 3 year old to answer the question and they did not expect a 3 year old to give such a good suggestion. My sister did not know the difference between the Name and the Nakshatra, and she had decided that I would be called Ashwini.

My parents were happy with the name and more than that, they were proud that my sister, my 3 year old sister was choosing my name. So it was decided, unanimously that I would be named “Ashwini”.

I was silently thanking the lady I met. Had it not been for the explanation she had given me regarding the name of her son, I wouldn’t have thought about how My Sister chose my name. Wonderful memories. Just thinking about such memories would enlighten my day.

To this date, I am filled with a sense of pride when people ask me how I was named. Every time, I tell them, proudly “My sister chose my name :-)”. They say,”That is so cute, your sister is so smart.”

I just reply, “I know, it runs in the family :-).”

If I Had Two Extra Hours In A Day...

2011-12-15T01:23:00.000+05:30

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

If you had two extra hours in a day, how would you spend it?

This is the question which Indiblogger and Surf Excel have been asking us bloggers.

Today, in this fast paced world, in trying to cope with the speed, we tend to sacrifice a lot of things. Things and activities and people who are dear to us. We do not have the luxury of spending time for our favourite shopping or for a match of cricket. We are not lucky enough to manage the hectic schedule and spend quality time with our loved ones. We are deprived of time to enjoy the small things in life. We complain when it rains, we complain when its sunny, we complain for anything and everything. We’ve lost patience and the art of relishing things. All this leads to anger and irritation, and finally one is never content.

Dreamstime

Most of us can relate to the above mentioned situation. Somehow I feel people who say “They don’t have time” are the ones who are bad at managing time. There are 24 hours for everyone. And it is up to us to make the optimum use of it. We have no one else to blame.

Still, If I were given two EXTRA hours a day, I wouldn’t mind it.

If I were given 2 hours a day, I would probably do one or all of these things.

I would want to spend it alone, all for myself and give time for introspection. I would want to reflect on how much I’ve covered in the path I chose to reach the destination I set for myself, how much is yet to be achieved and how I would go about it.

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

I would want to spend time with Mom and Dad. Despite talking with them and seeing them every day, I could never get enough of it. I would want to take Mom and Dad to some quiet place and spend some time (two hours, probably)cut off from the rest of the world.

I would want to spend some time with my sister. Ever since she got married and settled abroad, Skype has been my only point of contact. I would want to talk with her and catch up with all that we were missing out on. (How much ever we speak, Sisters always have something to tell each other)

Image Courtesy : Stock.Xchng

I would want to lie down on my Grandma’s lap and listen to her stories. When we were young, during the weekends, she used to tell stories about Ramayana and Mahabharatha. She was really good in narrating a story.

I would just want to talk, or rather listen to what my Grandma has to say. When people get old, more than wanting someone who would talk to them, they would need someone who would listen to them without showing any signs of disinterest. I would want to be that active listener.

I would want to connect well with my friends and spend time with them, talking and happily laughing and savoring the most cherished moments. Here I would want to spend time with my closest friends ONLY.

Image Courtesy : Dreamstime

I would want to talk to a person who would make me feel good about myself. After a long and tiring day, that would lift my spirits and ensure that I maintain my positive attitude.

I would then want to talk to someone who has been low for some time and try bringing them out from their gloominess.

I would switch off my PC, Mobile and other modes of communication and read books in my rocking chair without any disturbance from anyone

I would want to meditate and clear my mind of everything which would have been bothering me.

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

Image Courtesy : Dreamstime

To sum it all, I would want to spend it alone, or probably with a handful few people who mean a lot to me. I would want to be in a calm and serene atmosphere. So if I were given 2 hours, this is what I’d probably do!

It's Today!

2011-12-14T17:13:00.000+05:30

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

The alarm went off.

I got up immediately.

I couldn’t stop smiling,

The day had finally come.

The day I’d been waiting for so long,

The day I was looking forward to

Ever since I was a child.

I’d dreamed of this day, so many times.

Years back, I remember listening to Grandpa,

His stories about his work and travel.

Listening to him and seeing dad at work,

One day I knew I would work like them.

I promised I’d get one of those leather cases

Just like Grandpa and My dad,

For my “Office”, for my first job,

Irrespective of what/where the job was.

The day has indeed come.

It has been a long wait;

But it seems it all happened so fast.

With her ever radiant smile,

Mom gave me my coffee.

I Came to the balcony and sat on my swing

Relishing my coffee, with the wind.

The sun rays and then gentle breeze

Made me feel so much at peace.

The atmosphere was so serene

My mind was in a tranquil state.

All of a sudden, I realized,

How beautiful everything was.

Tress bending towards me,

Flowers swaying towards me,

God was wishing me luck, probably.

I missed both my Granddads.

How proud they would’ve been

To see their little one, go for work.

Praying and seeking their blessings,

I set off, for the first day of my career.

New place, new atmosphere,

New friends, a new world altogether

Surprises lie hidden.

The sun is rising in my Life.

Looking forward to everything.

~Ashwini

Guest Post : "Real Treasure " By Saru Singhal

2011-12-10T23:34:00.000+05:30

Saru Singal. She doesn't need an introduction, because I'm sure everyone in Blogosphere would have read her wonderful poems. I was under the impression that one could write poems only on certain topics, until I read her blog. She chooses the best of the words and writes poems on topics one could ever think of. She has inspired me ( and many others )to write poems. I would describe her poems as "Soul- Stirring " ones. I'm happy she consented to write a Guest Post for my Blog. Thank you Saru, I'm extremely honored!

We can live alone, lest we wish
Treading day in and out.
All success we can achieve,
Enough to stand on roof top and shout.
No song is difficult to sing,
No wood difficult to cut.
But try listening unsaid,
Cut the silence for that you must.
No one is born to be alone,
No one is born to shed tears.
Bring more people in your life,
And shed all your fears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep a treasure, a treasure of relations;
For all ups and downs of life.
When stuck in storm,
They help you survive...

~ Saru Singhal

Guest Post : "The Secret Of Our Society" By SUB

2011-12-08T01:06:00.002+05:30

Subhrashis Adhikari aka SUB writes at KHOJ . His blog makes one think, or rather challenges one to think and stretch one's level of imagination. He writes on common topics of discussion, but his style of writing and the way he frames it up, and the way he clearly conveys the abstract thoughts is simply amazing. I'm sure his words have a huge impact on his readers and followers. Simple yet, powerful it is! I'm glad that he was able to write a Guest Post for me, when I asked him. Thank you Sub. I'm honored!

Inequality is the biggest problem in today’s society. However it is inequality that makes us, some of us, rich. ‘Enough’ is never enough for human beings, they always want more. They want more so that their future is secure. That is why we work hard everyday over-stressing ourselves to have our own house, a big car, a big bank balance. And in that process we forget to live our life that exists only in the ‘present’. Precisely because of that reason we started agriculture 10000 yrs ago, to have more food than required for the ‘secured’ future.

However, we forgot a simple fact - nature sets its own limits. The moment you take something more than that limit, someone else somewhere is bound to get less. It disturbs the balance of nature. It creates inequality. That is exactly what we have done. First we have stolen resource (food, water, space) from other animals/plants, and now we are stealing the same from ourselves. Some of us are over-consuming our tiny planet leaving ever so less for the rest. You are well above the world poverty limit and are indirectly the reason why a child in a poor nation is dying because of malnutrition. It is not your fault, but it is all related because the world is a closed system. We always want to make progress in our life. But, even if the progress comes with full honesty and hard work, we end up making someone somewhere poor. Everybody cannot have more than required from a limited resource.

We feel sad for all the problems of the world and try to find a solution. But we will never be able to find a solution because we do not realize the root cause of the problem. We have been brainwashed by society to think in a way that we overlook the true cause. The brainwash has been done by creating a ‘sense of separation’. We only feel bad for our ‘own people’, people who are closer to us. The moment you feel different from a particular bunch of people, you will not feel that bad exploiting them.

Our brains have been trained to think in a particular way. We have been taught what is good and what is bad, and we accept most of it without questioning. As a kid we are taught to believe in a particular faith/god. We believe it without questioning making ourselves separate from all those who believe in other faiths/gods. As a kid we are taught to love our country. We love it without questioning making all those people within the border our own, and all on the other side our enemies. We differentiate in terms of skin colour, status, caste, creed, and even sex. That makes it so mush easier for us to exploit the others. Remember how the Egyptians exploited the slaves in the ancient world, how Muslims exploited the pagan faiths in Middle Ages, how ‘civilized’ Europeans exploited the New World since industrial revolution, how Hindus exploited the ‘lower castes’, how whites exploited blacks? Moment the sense of separation is erased inequality will vanish and we will become united. But unfortunately that would never happen, because we will not let that happen. If we let it happen then all of us, who are above the poverty limit (includes you and me), will become poor. Who will afford to donate their hard earned wealth other than a mad saint?

We are the ones who are exploited, and we are the ones who exploit. We have made an exploitation pyramid where higher up you are the more powerful you become and at the fat base are the people of the poor nation who die of malnutrition. In between, all of us are trying to exploit each other. We are the ones who are not only under the spell, but also the ones who enchant others by incepting the ‘sense of separation’ in their minds. That is the biggest secret of our society. It has become part of the ebb and flow of our life from which we can never escape. Happy exploiting!

P.S. To read the detail series “Bank Barrels and Blood” click HERE!

Guest Post :The Letter" W " By Sahana Rao

2011-12-04T18:38:00.003+05:30

Sahana's blog, Ahamkaara is one of its kind. She writes about instances which happen in our everyday life in a very engaging manner. Anyone reading her blog will be able to relate to what she writes. Among other things,I like the way she sticks to conveying simple thoughts, in a beautiful way. I admire the way she plays with words and her ability to connect with the numerous fellow bloggers who follow her blog. She is one of the best bloggers in Blogosphere and one of my favourtie Bloggers. Thank you Sahana for writing me a guest post. I'm honored!

http://www.englishwithjo.com/

The 23rd letter of the English alphabet. Yes. The letter I do not like to see. A Plagiarist. A Copy-cat. Letter sans individuality. A Parasite. Oh.. Am I calling names? Wait. Wait. Let me explain..

Now, go back to your phonetics and voice out "W". Loudly. Now, again. Loudly and Slowly. Did you say "double-u"? Supporters of W, try not using "Letter U" for voicing out "W". Does it have a unique sound? No. It does not. Let us come back to this later.

Let us analyze, how do people write "W", They write 2 'u's or 2 'v's together like conjoint twins. it also depends on 'Letter V' for its survival? And talk of calling this letter out, DA-BAL-U Ufff! It takes 3 syllables! While all other letters in the alphabet take just one. Can anyone explain why we have given this special status to one letter?

Coming back to the phonetics, check out some words. We will now see if "W" can STAND ALONE

Who? ---- Hu? (Bu.haw.haw. Now it needs "Letter H" also)

Went ---- Vent?

Dew ---- Due

Wrinkles --- rinkles (Phew! DEAD...)

But, there are minority appeasers everywhere.

So, they reserved W for an important chemical element called Tungsten (where have you heard of this metal's name? Did the BULB on your head glow?) also known as wolfram. So, it occupies the famous periodic table also.

And then, they wanted people to think that "W" has bound the world to make it a global village. They were so desperate to do that, they made us write "w" 3 bloody times when we write a URL (imposition?)

Woman, War, Work, Wine - Crucial driving factors of the cycle of life and death in the planet from time immemorial. Still we chose to give them to an underserving "W", which is nothing but a pretender with no originality of its own. And arguably, the most important word in all of our lives "we" although pronounced V, was still given away to W. "V" did get a raw deal here.

I here by conclude the argument, that the english vorld should consider jettisoning the obsolete, vasteful letter "uu" and stop it from recking our lives by vilfully reaking havoc. And provide relief and compensation to other affected but more deserving letters of the alphabet.

Guest Post : "Beauty is Skin Deep" By Sujatha Sathya

2011-12-01T10:16:00.003+05:30

Sujatha's "Conversations "was the first blog I read, after joining Indiblogger. Reading her articles on various topics written with a natural style, triggered me to get into blogging more actively.If it had not been for her, I wouldn't have taken blogging so seriously and I would've been completely ignorant of the beautiful world of Blogging. The thing with Sujatha is, she can write on any topic under the sun, and ensure that her readers enjoy what she writes irrespective of the topic, which proves her versatility. I felt so honored when she consented to write me a guest post, when I asked her. Thank you Sujatha.

Beauty is Skin Deep

And hence, it is superficial; it doesn’t last, it can’t be trusted & so shouldn’t be idolized or desired.This is the puritanical view of beauty. Is it really so?

“I am tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want – an adorable pancreas?” - Jean Kerr (writer)

Why do we, pseudo-intellectuals, always trivialize beauty, especially the kind that takes the form of a woman? Why are we skeptical of those who are physically striking? Why do we immediately scorn & say, “See beta more than physical attractiveness, mental/spiritual beauty is more important.” Can’t a woman be both? Are gorgeous women necessarily bad/dangerous/evil or even stupid? I think it is our own inadequacy that makes us pull down a stunner. We gloat when we run someone down with our high-sounding ideas.

If someone is good-looking, it is hugely thanks to their genes & to their efforts at trying to be that way. Why should I grudge someone their moment under the sun? If my neighbor is beautiful, & my prettiness doesn't crack a mirror, doesn't mean I go around philosophizing “Beauty is nothing. It is only skin deep, character is everything” while all along, deep down, I’m dying to get the adulation that she is receiving, & whole-heartedly envying her looks, & wishing, if only I were as arresting as her. I’ve looked & openly admired women who looked stunning. Many find that odd, coming from another woman, but I feel what the big deal is anyways? She is a sensation & whether I’m or I’m not, has no bearing on the fact that she is! And if it’s there for everyone to see that she is totally rocking, why not admit it instead of throwing nasty comments or evil glances? Why hide behind inane moralistic statements?

Every love story has begun with the eyes. And if there are those that haven’t, I salute those who transcended their worldly pleasures & rose beyond the compulsions of the flesh. Amar prem. But how many of those do we really have - a handful? I’m not one of those. I’m a normal, hot-blooded woman who feels attraction has a role to play in all amorous relationships & totally loving the fact that it does. I believe in love at first sight. Retrospectively speaking, the ones I had incurable crushes on or a romantic relationship with, were all men who I had a serious physical attraction to – a crackling chemistry, a glance, a look, a stare, a smile. That is what sparked off the initial interest in the person & thereby, a desire to know him better. Then, once you interact, & the person opens his mouth, that’s when you gauge whether the attraction will wane or wax. The attraction doesn't guarantee a long-lasting relationship but it sure is the starting point.

We involuntarily judge, like, dislike, a person on the first meeting based on how he looks. How he wears what he wears, the way he walks & talks, all add up to make an impression within the first few seconds of the meeting. Wit, approach, preferences, humor, mutual tastes all follow later & will decide the fate of the interaction. So if I’m attracted to a handsome man, why is it looked down upon? What crime have I committed? You say, “Beauty is skin deep”. I say, “He IS edible, isn't he”?

Definition of beauty varies. Large eyes, fair complexion, long thick black hair, clear skin, full red lips for women, & broad shoulders, strong arms, tall stature for men is the Indian standard. But I've seen darker women being extremely beautiful & curly haired ones ravishing. Though I prefer men with hair, Vin Diesel is one bald man I swoon over. A dimple, which is a facial defect, is alluring & so is the crooked tooth that gives some people their ‘cute’ smile. Beauty is truly in the beholder’s eyes. Beautiful people are sought after & desired. Now what makes them beautiful is your own prerogative. Enjoy!

~Sujatha Sathya

Book Review : I’m Not Twenty Four.. By Sachin Garg

2011-11-22T11:07:00.002+05:30

Sachin Garg says that there are two kinds of stories. One is the kind where, everyone can relate easily to it. The other is where one finds it difficult to believe that such a story actually exists. "I'm Not Twenty Four.." belongs to the second category. It is about a city bred girl, an MBA graduate, who is asked to report for work at a remote village in South India. The story revolves around how she tries to adapt herself to her new environment.

Saumya Kapoor is waiting for her official confirmation from Lala Steel. With just a few days left for her joining date, she is not yet aware of where she would be asked to report for work. She gets the first shock of her life when the company mistakes her to be a guy(Saumya is a unisexual name) and gets another shock when she comes to know that she has to report to a remote village called Toranagallu and she is expected to take up a role, which was originally designed for a guy. With just two days left for work, just two days left to enjoy the city and the malls, with no other job at hand, she forcefully prepares for her journey, a journey which she know she wouldn’t enjoy, a journey which might change her life completely.

On reaching Toranagallu, Saumya realizes that the place was far better from what she had imagined. In fact, inside the Lale Steel premises, it was an entirely different world altogether. The village was chaotic, but everything inside the premises was wonderfully and tastefully done. The guest house where she would be accommodated was nothing short of a Five star accommodation. This was a welcome relief for her. Soon she adapts herself to the new atmosphere, and gets to know Malappa, another fresher and Amit. Amit was also from MDI, the same B school as Saumya but they were never friends and did not get along well. But in this remote Village, Saumya felt relieved to know someone.

After a week long Induction, Saumya gets the next shock. She comes to know that she would have to work under the Safety Department (In case of accidents in the Lala Steel plant, it would be entirely her responsibility to decide and take the immediate course of action). She realises that this job is more than challenging and tries her best not to give up, but she witnesses a very gruesome incident on her very first day. She also meets Shubhrodeep, during one of her visits to Hampi, and finds herself getting attracted to him, despite knowing that he is an enigma, since he doesn’t divulge any details about his life, before he graduated from IIM Kolkata. How she manages to survive and whether she continues her job, forms the rest of the story.

I still don’t know what relevance or what significance the title has with the story, but I liked reading the book. I was able to finish reading this book in 3 hours at a stretch. The plot is good and the way the author takes us through his world, which he says (that world) actually exists, is done very well. The author narrates the story in a very engaging manner and at no point would you want to keep the book aside and call it boring. The story moves on quickly and doesn’t keep dragging. Over all, I liked it. You should read it too.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Reflections!!!

2011-11-18T23:55:00.000+05:30

(Taken on a rainy day, from my DSLR. I focused on the image , that the puddle was reflecting)

The World, as you see it.

One must learn to look at the bright side of life more often, than just lamenting about the other side.

There are positives and negatives to anything and everything. Take in the positives ,don't be bothered by the negative aspects.

Look at the world, the way you want it to be. You'd be surprised to see, it's not a bad place after all.

Book Review :"A Splash of Love, A Kiss of Infatuation" By Rajeev Ranjan

2011-11-07T23:33:00.001+05:30

RajeevRanjan , the author of this book is at present serving the Indian Coast Guard. When Mr Rajeev sent me a mail asking me to review his book, I was completely taken by surprise when I came to know that he is with the Indian Coast Guard. It is evident how passionate he is about writing, when one sees his book. After all, it takes so much of effort and perseverance to get a book published. He has done all this amidst his hectic routine. Rajeev Ranjan is indeed an inspiration for many budding writers who aspire to become an author one day. I offer my heartiest wishes to Mr Rajeev Ranjan and request him to write many more of such wonderful books.

A Splash of Love, A Kiss of Infatuation. This book is a story of two individuals, who are very much in love. It speaks about how one tends to stay committed to the other and how despite finding true love, the protagonist finds his heart beating for someone else as well. The book is about an individual and his dreams, his determination to do something exceptional, fulfill his dreams and live up to the image of a hero which he had painted for himself when he was young. This book speaks about the lives and the sacrifices of the unsung heroes who leave their motherland in search of jobs and live in adverse conditions, with humiliation, to serve their dear ones waiting at home. The author speaks about how human beings fail to notice the value of the treasures they posses until fate comes along and plays a game and robs them of their possessions. The author describes how one feels lonely in such a crowded world and the emotions playing inside the soul. Throughout the book the author conveys a lot of emotions that a human being experiences.

Arunoday and his family lived in a village. They were content and happy but not for long. Fate plays a malicious trick when one of his cousins, dies in a freak accident. Depressed on losing one of his closest friends, Arunoday agrees to shift to Jalandhar with his father. Living in a city for the first time proves to be a completely different experience for him. He is amazed by the various facilities the city provides when he compares it to his village. Soon he shifts to Delhi and resides in the Cantonment area, where he dreams of becoming an Army officer along with his friends Rajeev and Manish. After his basic graduation he wants to live his dream of becoming an officer, but he gets rejected. Losing hope, he then enrolls in the Delhi university to pursue his post graduation where he is smitten by the girl of his dreams, Sanjana. His roommate and close but recluse friend Jha, aspires to become an IAS officer. After a lot of thinking, he decides to convey his true feelings for Sanjana and his is accepted by her. Sanjana is blind in love with Arunoday and goes to any extent to help him.

In the midst of all this, Arunoday meets Anjali and he is drawn to her like a magnet. He keeps Anjali’s Chapter away from Sanjana, since he somehow feels that he should not cheat on Sanjana. After an alarming incident, Sanjana is shocked to learn of Aruonday’s behavior and stops communicating with him and refuses to stay in touch with him. College gets over and Arunoday shifts to Mumbai for his job. He curses himself for his behavior and realizes how much he had hurt Sanjana, and he knew she would never forgive him. He then leads a lonely and guilt-laden life in Mumbai. A few years later he comes back to his village at his parent’s insistence. Though he is happy to see the village, he is appalled to see that the village has not prospered. He determines to set things straight, at any cost. The rest of the story is about how he sets on to improve the conditions of the village and re-live his dream of being a hero.

I liked the fast paced story of this book. The author’s style of narrating the story is remarkable. There are no ends left hanging. Every character introduced in the book has relevance and is not just for the sake of it. I liked the instances where the author points out about how one never realizes the value of things when they get it very easily in life. How they take things for granted. When the protagonist returns to his village after a long time, the author then speaks about the plight of numerous souls who live in miserable conditions just to earn for their family and keep them happy. Apart from a few grammatical errors here and there, I think the author has managed to draw the attention of the reader and ensure that they don’t put it down until they've completed it. After all, it’s a story which any of us could relate to.

The Self Proclaimed Critic

2011-11-03T00:15:00.000+05:30

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

I recently read this on Twitter. “Anyone with access to the Internet turns a critic”

I’m not against people voicing out their opinion, or against critics ( Yes, It’s their job after all. They get paid for it). I’m talking about those lazy ones, who find it difficult to get their work done as per schedule and finally resort to Facebook, Twitter and You-Tube(And Torrents to download movies), spend their day slouched in front of their laptops and comment (In no way even remotely related to a Review) in the most absurd way possible. Then there are a few others who would want to be seen as someone who has a different opinion (desperate to gain attention) and would go to any extent just, just for the sake of opposing the general opinion.

I have a question to ask these people. Before that let me clarify that I’m not against those people who just happen to have a different opinion from the rest. I agree that in reality, despite the “General Opinion” Not everyone will like a particular brand (movie/book/cuisine). Some people have valid reasons and express their aversion for them. Totally acceptable. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. At least these people take an effort from their part to try watching/ reading/tasting, before they give their opinion.

Now, to the rest, who are critical of everything, just for the sake of it. Would you like it if some random person, you hardly ever knew, threw disgusting comments at you just because he was jobless and thought that would be a great idea for having fun? You might not like it, you might not be bothered or your might pretend that you are not troubled by it, that’s different. No sane person would like to hear someone speak ill of them for no apparent reason. Would you like it if you are ridiculed in front of a million people, when you are the cynosure of all eyes, just because one random person just can’t stand seeing you?

By all means, I do not wish to state that one should never call a spade, a spade. All I’m trying to say is, give your review. List out what you liked about it and what you did not, give your reasons. Know where your limits lie and try not to cross the line and resort to using abusive words and offensive language. The person who is being judged would have put in his utmost and no one works for something knowing it would fail, or puts in effort, wanting it to flop. Everyone wants to succeed and works for it, hoping that the outcome would work in their favour. No one wants to be a disgrace and spoil their reputation. People say, one must never give undue importance to the outcome, but focus on doing their part with perfection. Not everything might turn up the way we want it to. We might start working with something and end up with something else, much better than the original intended outcome. We need to keep improvising.

Way back in school, when I used to bring my mark sheets to get it signed from dad, he used to sign them without looking at the marks. I used to get upset with this and one day I asked him why he did not bother looking at the marks. All he said was, “I’m looking at your efforts, and I know the amount of hard work you’ve put in. I don’t need to look at the marks/outcome for this”. This was my dad’s way of encouraging me. In a similar way one should learn to appreciate the effort one takes to succeed. No one is successful in everything. If they appear so, they’ve learnt well to convert their failures, as another step, towards reaching their goal.

So much goes into the planning of a movie/book. It is not done over night. So many details and particulars to attend to, which has to be taken care of, to ensure everything runs smooth. And what do we do? With Internet access just a click away, and just for our pleasure, we mock at them. How easy it is, to be sitting at some remote corner and saying such things. How difficult it is to be on field and coordinate the minute details from various sources, simultaneously with just a little time to spare. Next time before you give those rude and insulting comments, just for a minute, pause and think about the efforts of that person. If you were in his place, would you be doing what you are doing now? If something is ridiculously stupid, tell it, not in a demeaning way. After all, even they are human beings.

Sunset. View From my Terrace.

2011-10-29T19:20:00.001+05:30

In our lives too, the Sun keeps setting and rising(situations, emotions,relationships). We should be smart enough to use both to our advantage. We should know what should be done when the sun rises and what can be done when it sets.

Book Review : 'Conversations' By Rajeev Nanda

2011-10-26T22:57:00.006+05:30

This book by Rajeev Nanda is collection of stories, or rather, conversations about Life. It includes a few poetic verses as well. The words in the poem and the meaning conveyed through those powerful emotions portrayed by the words, are more than enough for anyone to realize, why Life has not been going the way they hoped it would. It addresses the simple needs and thoughts, which naturally most of us take it for granted. The poems point to the various themes which the author discusses in the book. There is a story for every theme that handles the various aspects and the varying phases in one’s life.

A few excerpts from the Book.

“I have a million reasons to exist,

But , all I need is a passion to feel alive”

According to me, this seemingly simple yet reflective sentence, does it all. All one has to do, is to analyse and apply this to their life, and see if they still hold the passion or lost it out in the journey of life.

“Before I seek out, I need to look within.”

How True. Often, we end up searching for a particular thing, everywhere else, other than where it would obviously be present. In a similar way, we always try to look for inspiration from some unknown source and we fail to notice that we can always derive inspiration from within.

“In relentless effort to optimize time,

I rushed through a lifetime;

Now, I search for moments of joy”

Typical of us human beings. We are so focussed in planning for our future, that we forget to live in the present, and when we actually are in that future, which we once dreamt of, we keep worrying about the past. Human beings take the present for granted and are always in the quest for future, thereby forgetting the very fact that the present moment, once lost would never come back and that it has to be cherished and enjoyed.

There are many more of such wonderful lines, I just chose to write about the best, the ones which impressed me, in a way, more than I could probably imagine. I believe in destiny, like the author. May be, I was destined to receive this book, through Blogadda because I like reading books about Life, it’s inner meaning, the purpose of it, the introspections. For people who like to read books of this kind, please read it. I’m not talking about it making a radical change in your lives, rather I cannot assure you, But you would have the sense of satisfaction of having finally solved a puzzle or answered a question which was bothering you for so long.

Sometimes when I need an answer for something, I don’t go looking for it, everywhere, or ask others because, every individual’s life is different. We may be dependent on our family and friends, still the way we live life and our outlook is completely different from others. I look from within and introspect. That way, this book may not answer all your questions about life, but yes it would help you find the answers to what you were seeking.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

The Balancing Act

2011-10-21T11:11:00.001+05:30

Image Courtesy : Dreamstime

Everything in life comes down to how one learns the art of balancing. It is defined by a line.

For instance,If you need to measure the level of confidence of a person on a scale, it would range from, Not confident, Confident, to Over Confident.

At the outset it would be easy to distinguish people who are not confident and those who are over confident. But how would you define a confident person? Somewhere between the Over-confident and the Not so confident people are those with the optimum level of confidence, in the midst of the two, bang on the line. Swaying a little to either of the sides would make a difference, gradually. So it all depends on that thin line of separation between the two. One shouldn't appear too humble which would portray that they have no confidence. Neither should one appear as a ”know-it-all”, which would go on to say they are over confident. It should be a proportionate balance between the two.

Image Courtesy: Dreamstime

Let’s just say Tom has a test. Let’s assume he has prepared considerably well. Now if he keeps saying, “Oh, I don’t know, I’m not too sure about what I read”, despite having prepared well, being in that state of mind, would affect his performance in an adverse manner. On the other hand, if he keeps saying “Yea, I know all this. Just simple stuff, Not worth going over it again”, he would falsely give an impression, implying that he knows the whole history behind it and no one can challenge his knowledge about it. This Again, will have an adverse effect. For Tom, the trick to being confident here is, Knowing that he has prepared well, to an extent, yet being on the lookout for some unexpected things which might be thrown at him. So he’s confident and cautious, and firmly grounded.

It doesn’t matter which side of the line you stand, All that matters is how you managed to stay in the middle and maintain that balance.

Image Courtesy :Stock.xchng

Life is like a see-saw. You sit at one end, and the world is at the other end, When you go down, the world looks down upon you. When you go up, the world looks up to you. You can continue oscillating between the two extremes but you would lack that consistency and you would be undependable. Anyone can play with the see-saw, by going up and down. But the trick is knowing the art of staying on par , maintaining a state of equilibrium with the other end. Success or failure, Happiness or sorrow, you know not to yield in to your emotional state and keep your feet firmly grounded and stay balanced.

Any day people prefer standing on a solid ground, than on a trampoline. You might go up in the air, but it’s short-lived, you know that soon you will have to down.

Book Review : I Luv My Lyf ,By Chital Mehta

2011-10-20T19:14:00.002+05:30

I Luv My Lyf . A book by Chital Mehta. This book is about a teenage girl who has just completed her School and is all set to join College. As she steps into an entirely different world, she faces the reality of life and realizes that college life, though fun and happening, is not a bed full of roses. She meets new people and tries to step out of the boundary which she once made for herself and tries making new friends. This book takes us through her three years in College, her relationship with her friends, the misunderstandings, the ragging and everything one would have experienced in their college lives.

Nisha Moti, is basically a shy person who learns to be content with who she is.After reasoning it out with her parents who were initially reluctant to send Nisha to study at Coimbatore from Tirupur, she manages to convince them and enrolls in a college at Coimbatore.Just like any other teenager, she is very excited at the prospect of having to attend college. Being a shy person, she struggles to break the ice and befriend her classmates, though most of her classmates are the type, who would go out of the way and socialize.She is not orthodox, just a tad conservative and takes time to adjust with new people and new atmosphere. She comes across a different mixture of people from diverse backgrounds and she realizes she does not have the nerve to cope up with many of them.

Nisha's best friend Nikki, is the exact opposite of what Nisha was. She was outspoken and very friendly and was more outgoing. She helps Nisha through the various ups and downs which Nisha is put through. Together with her friends, what was once a boring and strenuous journey, with assignments and work keeping them busy 24*7, they learn to have fun while bunking classes and catching up with movies as a gang. From being suspended for playing with colours during Holi, to their very memorable final year trip to Goa, they learn what life is about, with its own share of happiness, fights, fears and sadness. Finally, as they bid farewell , promising to each other, they realize how college life has prepared them to face the vagaries of Life.

This book is written entirely from a girl's perspective and it would reach out well to them. This book describes everything which one faces during their college days. From the emotional swings to crushes to disappointments, it's all in there. Overall, One could pick it up for a light reading.

Chennai IndiBlogger Meet October 2011

2011-10-15T23:31:00.001+05:30

My 49 seconds of Fame

IndiBlogger Meet at 'Namma Chennai” And I was going to miss it? Not at all!

I was super excited when I received a mail from Indiblogger, about the Chennai Meet which they'd planned, since this was going to be the first time I would be participating and I made sure I’d made arrangements to see to it that I do not have any prior engagements on the same day. Though I did not know many bloggers from Chennai( Yes, that was before the Meet, Now I know a lot of them from Chennai), I was looking forward to see those whom I’d established contact with and of course, to meet new bloggers and make new friends as well.

I reached there before the event was set to begin and I was surprised to see that people were actually busy with their mobiles than socializing with the fellow bloggers. It was then that I was informed we could use the Wi-Fi and tweet about the meet which was happening then. (We were actually trending on twitter that day. How cool!) And after a few good introductions among ourselves,( with the eminent food bloggers) the much awaited event, began.

The first thing which they mentioned was, Never before had an Indiblogger meet started on time and in fact, It was the first time that people were all on time for the meet. Of course, when one is in Chennai, what less can they expect? After initial rounds of applause and freebies (I got a laptop skin :-) we moved on to the ’49 seconds of fame’, where Bloggers were chosen at random and asked to speak for 49 seconds. It was nice to know the face behind each blog, listen to their interests and what they had to say about their blogs. I made a quick list of what I would speak, if my name were to appear on the screen, I thought of a few points and when I held the mike, I completely forgot about them and managed to do a neat job, sans any stammering.

Talking about this screen, when people registered on entering the hall, our names were displayed on the screen, saying “Ashwini walked in 2 minutes ago”. It made me feel like a celebrity.(Seriously, yes!). Then the Marketing manager and a few others from Tata Motors, took us through the Tata Grande Dicor, about its features and design. In fact, he did mention that they were surprised by the turnout, since they never imagined that bloggers from Chennai would participate with so much of enthusiasm.

Later, when it was time for High Tea(great spread, Coffee was A1), I met Vipul Grover, Anand Arun, Sulaiman Sait, Kaushik and Vishnu. It was such a pleasure talking to them. We were discussing about bloggers from other states and that is when we were talking about Sujatha, Sahana, Saru, Subhrasis, Anne John, and a few others, whose names we did not know, but we were able to remember their blog names. Funny, how in the blogosphere, you aren’t able to place a person by their name, but by their Blog name and URL. I then met Shashi, I was in touch with him earlier, after he had mailed me about my Open Page Article.

Just when I was done talking with him, there was this Marketing Manager, who was standing next to be, waiting for his coffee. I introduced myself and said that I would be starting work with TCS from the next month. I could sense a change in his facial expression, and he proudly said “ Welcome to the Tata Family, Ashwini. It is a Big family indeed.” I was feeling great and said I was looking forward to be an integral part of it. He then asked me about what I write in my blogs, and having listened to the conversation I had with Shashi, he asked me what I’d written for the Open Page. I told him all about my blogs and what I write about and that article in particular.Felt nice when someone enquired about my blog with so much of interest.

We were back to the hall, now with a sheet and a sketch to share our blog links with others. It was at this time, when I was roaming about meeting many people and asking for their blog links, that I realized, I had either read most of the blogs before, or I was familiar with the names and the blog names, to a considerable extent.I made so many new friends then. It felt good when people were able to recognize my name and blog and even took time to appreciate me for it.

My Sheet

We were then asked to choose one among the discussion forums. Majority of us opted for the No-Agenda group, which was the most happening group there. We showed our Chennai Spirit, we had fun, laughing and playing truth or dare. Everyone took it in the right spirit and carried out the dare given to them. At one point, almost everyone from the other groups where looking at us, wondering what on earth we could be doing, considering the amount of noise we made and the fun we had. It was memorable.

We then proceeded to take a group snap,collected our T Shirts, and we also had a small photo session by ourselves( thanks to Kalyan and to all those who clicked pictures that day and were kind enough to share it with the others later.) and we left Hyatt after what was one the best evening ever, in the lives of the Chennai Bloggers.

Chennai Bloggers @ Indiblogger Meet

Looking forward to the next meet at Chennai.

What's making me Smile these days?

2011-10-14T00:08:00.004+05:30

Image Courtesy: http://www.dreamstime.com/

The Cheque which I received from "The Hindu" for my Open Page Article.

The Dove Gift Hamper.

I just had to click the link from Indiblogger and that's it :-)