'Lord, bless our week. May we leave in 2011 all our sorrows, and face 2012 with our heart full of joy, full of determination.':Paulo Coelho
Ah, one more year! Just passed away!
The year started on 1-1-11; had 11-1-11; 1-11-11;11-11-11 hummm 2011=4
Was 2011 a year of too much bad news? Or is there hope to be found amongst the rapid change and possible progress made that makes 'good news'?
Time to review the Good Bits & Bad Bits; as taught by Sharyn, and which I love.
In London; waiting to forget the vicissitudes of 2011, the year that started on a sombre note but ended with more bad news about economic downturn, the riots and the phone-hacking row. Perhaps the only feel-good event during the year was the fairytale Royal wedding of Prince William with commoner Kate Middleton in April. But it was too good to last in these difficult times.
Here the year started with a shower, and my stay at Barkhas house, after having the dinner with Barkha, Gaurav and Sandeep at Oberon Mall. : Good;
But she had to leave soon, good for her, but a loss for us; and Gaurav too leaving soon, by the end of the year; there were lots of realisations; which I could not make them understand or realise: Bad
Sandy had a Baby boy on 01-01-11; so did Binesh and so many; Was Ammas Birthday, and Neil reached home: Good
In the morning it was to hospital to meet Kumari Chechi; and she was critical: Bad.
So many new borns, God's desire that the world should go on; Wedding bells for cousins and friends: Good.
Kumari Chechi passed away on the 14th of January; following deaths and illness: Cruel deaths, especially like that of Sowmya - Train accident; unknown conspiracy; Tsunamis, Cyclones, Earthquakes, droughts: Bad.
Sharyn's, Geeta's, Shalimas visit; 3 time Athirapilly; Beaches: Cherai; Allapuzha; Mararikulam; Kovalam; Shankmukam, Velli; above all Kanyakumari; Sangamam: Excellent: Could touch the water flowing in the Bay of Bengal; Arabian sea, and the Indian ocean.: Good
Wanted to take family everywhere, started with, but could not; even had to end up loved on being in hospital and stop working; Did not get the new house as was promised: Sad
Lovely books, good movie: Good,
Travel: Airlines/Roads/Waste disposal; Poverty: Bad.
Read Dan Brown(who right now, appears to be my favourate too..., Danielle Steel, Bryce Courtenay; and so many more: Good;
As promised could not move into the own nest, and the water problems: Bad
India winning the World Cup after 28 year long wait, Osama Bin Laden caught!; INDIA RULED BY: AMMA IN SOUTH; DIDI IN EAST; BHENJI IN NORTH; AUNTY IN THE CAPITAL;... MADAM IN CENTER; NANI ON TOP: Good
Death of Sathya Sai Baba (with its contraversies); Zavveri Bazar Blast, long list of obituary : Bad
Real estate down, Gold price rocket high, highest ever! There was a lull in the primary stock market -- where companies raise funds through the sale of shares via instruments like IPOs -- and it was mostly ECBs (External Commercial Borrowings) that was sought to meet the funding requirements of businesses during 2011.
After Pawar was slapped inflation came down to 9% sensex jumped 350 points, petrol reduced by Rs 3/- & rupee appreciated by 23p! But why should there be a chance for senior people being slapped!: Very Bad
Youth against corruption; motivated by Anna; an eye opener to the present age: Good
Mullapperiyar-So much of hue and cry, over a dam whose construction started in 1887 and ended in 1895; with a height of 155ft height and 1200 ft. length; impounding periyar river? 15.66 TMC water Bomb at 873 meters above sea level; with a potential energy of 13500T Joules, which is 180 times more than energy released by a nuclear bomb explosion. Overhyped, underactioned? Many more issues not revealed?;
Just can't help thinking that this centinarian's will is the only factor protecting the lives of millions rather than the claims of its strength. Hats off to you, the Great wall of Kerala. We want you to endure till this issue is resolved peacefully.
Hope December 21;2012 or 21-12-12; is not the day of the End; but a new and peaceful beginning!
Happy to have all the immediate family members in one place, With their love, blessings and care; of the eldest and oldest person above 85 years. Nothing more soothing to see a sweety pie; just born open his palm, crawl around, try to sit and then stand. Toothless with teeth comming slowly; trying to speak, act. But that is not the case for all; and always. Hope we are able to lay a safer play ground to the next generation.
With kid, and granny around, and the Secret Scrolls message, lesson learnt is: It is possible to be happy and joyful most of the time. You just have to look at little children and see their natural joy. You may say that little children are free and don't have anything to worry about, but you are free too! You are free to choose worry or to choose joy, and whatever you choose will attract exactly that. Worry attracts more worry. Joy attracts more joy.
Wish 2012; bring people closer; there are few sorrows, and more Joy.
With Prayers,
Happiness Always!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Manorama News Maker of the Year: Vote Please!
http://www.manoramaonline.com/advt/Specials/Newsmaker11/index.htm
CONTESTANTS
1. Kochousep Chittilappalli, Industrialist
One of Kerala's leading industrialist who donated his kidney and thus became the first in a chain of kidney depositors.
Why look at others, this is the candidate to be voted.
The 'other news' that seems to have prompted KC Sirs nomination is:
The stand adopted pertaining to the unfair practices in loading and unloading and against 'Nokkukooli'. Sir's acts have brought the focus on two gnawing social issues.
Well you need to know the others too though!
2.Salim Kumar, Actor
Talented actor who brought home the national award for best actor through his brilliant performance in the film 'Adamintae Makan Abu'.
Before that:
What is common between CORRUPT POLITICIANS & DON - Dono ko Pakadna mushkil hi nahin namumkin hai...
3. P.K.Kunhalikutti, Minister
The Muslim League leader who reaps success despite the scandals that keep on dogging his footsteps. A key member in the present Kerala government.
Oh yes, even scandals are news! But should that be awarded?
4.Oommen Chandi, Chief Minister
Chief Minister of Kerala who continuously strives to take the state forward despite the controversies and Cabinet pressures that pops us frequently. In addition to that, he had to ward off the uproar over palmolein case and titanium case too.
State is taken forward? Are things open and fair? Who are behind all the corruptions?
Please Vote; Wont you?
CONTESTANTS
1. Kochousep Chittilappalli, Industrialist
One of Kerala's leading industrialist who donated his kidney and thus became the first in a chain of kidney depositors.
Why look at others, this is the candidate to be voted.
The 'other news' that seems to have prompted KC Sirs nomination is:
The stand adopted pertaining to the unfair practices in loading and unloading and against 'Nokkukooli'. Sir's acts have brought the focus on two gnawing social issues.
Well you need to know the others too though!
2.Salim Kumar, Actor
Talented actor who brought home the national award for best actor through his brilliant performance in the film 'Adamintae Makan Abu'.
Before that:
What is common between CORRUPT POLITICIANS & DON - Dono ko Pakadna mushkil hi nahin namumkin hai...
3. P.K.Kunhalikutti, Minister
The Muslim League leader who reaps success despite the scandals that keep on dogging his footsteps. A key member in the present Kerala government.
Oh yes, even scandals are news! But should that be awarded?
4.Oommen Chandi, Chief Minister
Chief Minister of Kerala who continuously strives to take the state forward despite the controversies and Cabinet pressures that pops us frequently. In addition to that, he had to ward off the uproar over palmolein case and titanium case too.
State is taken forward? Are things open and fair? Who are behind all the corruptions?
Please Vote; Wont you?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Home/Thara
Though home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit answered to, in strongest conjuration.
There are joyfull moments,
There are painful moments,
We store sweet memories by way of picture,
We wipe out sour memories from our heart,
Pictures are lovely treasures, wonderful gifts...
Sometimes when you look back on a situation, you realize it was'nt all you thought it was.
A beautiful girl walked into your life...You fell in love..or did you?
Maybe it was only a childish infactuation, or maybe just a brief moment of vanity.
While life seems to be a journey through dark tunnel, just take me along,
I dont, promise to lead you light,
But I can reassure you that you are not alone..
Within you, I lose myself, without you, I find myself,
Waiting to be lost again....
I believe in angels, the ones that heaven send,
I believe in angels, but I call them my best friends...
Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end,
But somewhere in the middle, we've become best of friends,
There are joyfull moments,
There are painful moments,
We store sweet memories by way of picture,
We wipe out sour memories from our heart,
Pictures are lovely treasures, wonderful gifts...
Sometimes when you look back on a situation, you realize it was'nt all you thought it was.
A beautiful girl walked into your life...You fell in love..or did you?
Maybe it was only a childish infactuation, or maybe just a brief moment of vanity.
While life seems to be a journey through dark tunnel, just take me along,
I dont, promise to lead you light,
But I can reassure you that you are not alone..
Within you, I lose myself, without you, I find myself,
Waiting to be lost again....
I believe in angels, the ones that heaven send,
I believe in angels, but I call them my best friends...
Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end,
But somewhere in the middle, we've become best of friends,
The Lost Symbol : Dan Brown
Yet another wonderful and bold novel from Dan Brown. http://www.thelostsymbol.com/main.html
Best part is, that atleast for the beginning; I could listen to the audio.
Authentic imagination, bold questitons, thought provoking views, which makes it difficult to put down the book or stop thinking of all that is said in there. Tapestry of veiled histories, arcane icons and enigmatic codes, intelligent lightning-paced thriller, that offers surprises at every turn.
Have turned out to be a great fan of Robert Langdon.
To live in the wold without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books. The secret teaching of all ages.
Blythe! Elohim!
(Wife,God)
The book was released on 09\15\09 09+15+09=33.
The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.
Excerpts:
The guardian angel who conquered your enemy in battle was perceived by your enemy as a demon destroyer.
(Sad that all that was typed is lost first!)
It is far easier to destroy; than to create.
Religion: ABC:
Assure Salvation
Belive in precise theology
Convert non belivers
Know ye not ye are Gods! Plural!
WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OURSELVES ALONE DIES WITH US, WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OTHERS AND THE WORLD REMAINS AND IS IMMORTAL.
Cornerstones are laid on the northeast corner, because that is where the first ray of light falls.
Dont go by the literal meanings: "Both read the bible day and night, But thou read black, where I read white".
Religious texts are old stores fabricated by man and then exaggerated over time.
You do have the capability, but you'll need enormous amount of practice to manifest it.
Gather what is scattered; bring order from chaos to find at-one-ment.
Science-Faith-Man.
Every Culture-Country-Time has CREATOR; But with Different Names-Faces-Prayers.
Hope!
Best part is, that atleast for the beginning; I could listen to the audio.
Authentic imagination, bold questitons, thought provoking views, which makes it difficult to put down the book or stop thinking of all that is said in there. Tapestry of veiled histories, arcane icons and enigmatic codes, intelligent lightning-paced thriller, that offers surprises at every turn.
Have turned out to be a great fan of Robert Langdon.
To live in the wold without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books. The secret teaching of all ages.
Blythe! Elohim!
(Wife,God)
The book was released on 09\15\09 09+15+09=33.
The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.
Excerpts:
The guardian angel who conquered your enemy in battle was perceived by your enemy as a demon destroyer.
(Sad that all that was typed is lost first!)
It is far easier to destroy; than to create.
Religion: ABC:
Assure Salvation
Belive in precise theology
Convert non belivers
Know ye not ye are Gods! Plural!
WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OURSELVES ALONE DIES WITH US, WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OTHERS AND THE WORLD REMAINS AND IS IMMORTAL.
Cornerstones are laid on the northeast corner, because that is where the first ray of light falls.
Dont go by the literal meanings: "Both read the bible day and night, But thou read black, where I read white".
Religious texts are old stores fabricated by man and then exaggerated over time.
You do have the capability, but you'll need enormous amount of practice to manifest it.
Gather what is scattered; bring order from chaos to find at-one-ment.
Science-Faith-Man.
Every Culture-Country-Time has CREATOR; But with Different Names-Faces-Prayers.
Hope!
The Da Vinci Code: Dan Brown
http://www.danbrown.com/
A stunning; global phenomenon: The Da Vinci Code, where Dan Brown demonstrates why he is the world's most popular thriller writer.
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and da Vinci, among others. The Louvre curator has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory's most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic, hidden for centuries.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to work for Opus Dei—a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory's secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's secret—and a stunning historical truth—will be lost forever.
In an exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit, symbologist Robert Langdon (first introduced in Dan Brown's bestselling Angels & Demons ) is the most original character to appear in years. The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightening-paced, intelligent thriller…surprising at every twist, absorbing at every turn, and in the end, utterly unpredictable…right up to its astonishing conclusion.
The novel begins with the code:
13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5
O, Draconian devil!
Oh, lame saint!
P.S. Find Robert Langdon.
It speaks about 'The Holy Grail', which some believes is a series of documents establishing that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and bore children, in order to ruin the Vatican.
According to the novel, the secrets of the Holy Grail, as kept by the Priory of Sion are as follows:
-The Holy Grail is not a physical chalice, but a woman, namely Mary Magdalene, who carried the bloodline of Christ.
-The Old French expression for the Holy Grail, San gréal, actually is a play on Sang réal, which literally means "royal blood" in Old French.
-The Grail relics consist of the documents that testify to the bloodline, as well as the actual bones of Mary Magdalene.
-The Grail relics of Mary Magdalene were hidden by the Priory of Sion in a secret crypt, perhaps beneath Rosslyn Chapel.
-The Church has suppressed the truth about Mary Magdalene and the Jesus bloodline for 2000 years. This is principally because they fear the power of the sacred feminine in and of itself and because this would challenge the primacy of Saint Peter as an apostle.
-Mary Magdalene was of royal descent (through the Jewish House of Benjamin) and was the wife of Jesus, of the House of David. That she was a prostitute was slander invented by the Church to obscure their true relationship. At the time of the Crucifixion, she was pregnant. After the Crucifixion, she fled to Gaul, where she was sheltered by the Jews of Marseille. She gave birth to a daughter, named Sarah.
-The bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene became the Merovingian dynasty of France.
-The existence of the bloodline was the secret that was contained in the documents discovered by the Crusaders after they conquered Jerusalem in 1099 (see Kingdom of Jerusalem).
-The Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar were organized to keep the secret.
The secrets of the Grail are connected, according to the novel, to Leonardo Da Vinci's work as follows:
- Leonardo was a member of the Priory of Sion and knew the secret of the Grail. The secret is in fact revealed in The Last Supper, in which no actual chalice is present at the table. The figure seated next to Christ is not a man, but a woman, his wife Mary Magdalene. Most reproductions of the work are from a later alteration that obscured her obvious female characteristics.
- The androgyny of the Mona Lisa reflects the sacred union of male and female implied in the holy union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Such parity between the cosmic forces of masculine and feminine has long been a deep threat to the established power of the Church. The name Mona Lisa is actually an anagram for "Amon L'Isa", referring to the father and mother gods of Ancient Egyptian religion (namely Amun and Isis).
Religious allegory has become part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality has helped millions of people cope and be better people. Like a mathematical cryptographer who belives in the imaginary number 'i' because it helps her break codes.
A stunning; global phenomenon: The Da Vinci Code, where Dan Brown demonstrates why he is the world's most popular thriller writer.
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and da Vinci, among others. The Louvre curator has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory's most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic, hidden for centuries.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to work for Opus Dei—a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory's secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's secret—and a stunning historical truth—will be lost forever.
In an exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit, symbologist Robert Langdon (first introduced in Dan Brown's bestselling Angels & Demons ) is the most original character to appear in years. The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightening-paced, intelligent thriller…surprising at every twist, absorbing at every turn, and in the end, utterly unpredictable…right up to its astonishing conclusion.
The novel begins with the code:
13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5
O, Draconian devil!
Oh, lame saint!
P.S. Find Robert Langdon.
It speaks about 'The Holy Grail', which some believes is a series of documents establishing that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and bore children, in order to ruin the Vatican.
According to the novel, the secrets of the Holy Grail, as kept by the Priory of Sion are as follows:
-The Holy Grail is not a physical chalice, but a woman, namely Mary Magdalene, who carried the bloodline of Christ.
-The Old French expression for the Holy Grail, San gréal, actually is a play on Sang réal, which literally means "royal blood" in Old French.
-The Grail relics consist of the documents that testify to the bloodline, as well as the actual bones of Mary Magdalene.
-The Grail relics of Mary Magdalene were hidden by the Priory of Sion in a secret crypt, perhaps beneath Rosslyn Chapel.
-The Church has suppressed the truth about Mary Magdalene and the Jesus bloodline for 2000 years. This is principally because they fear the power of the sacred feminine in and of itself and because this would challenge the primacy of Saint Peter as an apostle.
-Mary Magdalene was of royal descent (through the Jewish House of Benjamin) and was the wife of Jesus, of the House of David. That she was a prostitute was slander invented by the Church to obscure their true relationship. At the time of the Crucifixion, she was pregnant. After the Crucifixion, she fled to Gaul, where she was sheltered by the Jews of Marseille. She gave birth to a daughter, named Sarah.
-The bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene became the Merovingian dynasty of France.
-The existence of the bloodline was the secret that was contained in the documents discovered by the Crusaders after they conquered Jerusalem in 1099 (see Kingdom of Jerusalem).
-The Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar were organized to keep the secret.
The secrets of the Grail are connected, according to the novel, to Leonardo Da Vinci's work as follows:
- Leonardo was a member of the Priory of Sion and knew the secret of the Grail. The secret is in fact revealed in The Last Supper, in which no actual chalice is present at the table. The figure seated next to Christ is not a man, but a woman, his wife Mary Magdalene. Most reproductions of the work are from a later alteration that obscured her obvious female characteristics.
- The androgyny of the Mona Lisa reflects the sacred union of male and female implied in the holy union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Such parity between the cosmic forces of masculine and feminine has long been a deep threat to the established power of the Church. The name Mona Lisa is actually an anagram for "Amon L'Isa", referring to the father and mother gods of Ancient Egyptian religion (namely Amun and Isis).
Religious allegory has become part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality has helped millions of people cope and be better people. Like a mathematical cryptographer who belives in the imaginary number 'i' because it helps her break codes.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
THE ABAD TURTLE BEACH RESORT, MARARIKULAM….
A chance for all to enjoy the pristine beauty of one of the best beach resorts in Kerala - - - - Our Team Outing on 17th Dec has been planned to - - -
THE ABAD TURTLE BEACH RESORT, MARARIKULAM….
A beautiful beach indeed, and a lovely resort. But the team dynamic was not as expected; Nevertheless, I enjoyed in my own world; lying on the swing, staring around wondering....
Reflection, Beauty, Harmony, Co-existance, Temper, Tide, Beckon? What shall I call?
2011 was a year of beaches for me...& I loved that part...
THE ABAD TURTLE BEACH RESORT, MARARIKULAM….
A beautiful beach indeed, and a lovely resort. But the team dynamic was not as expected; Nevertheless, I enjoyed in my own world; lying on the swing, staring around wondering....
Reflection, Beauty, Harmony, Co-existance, Temper, Tide, Beckon? What shall I call?
2011 was a year of beaches for me...& I loved that part...
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Focus
A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power
You can make 2012 the best year of your life! And you can do it very easily, right now.
All you have to do is set the most powerful intention you can ever set in your life, which is that you will focus only on what you want, think only about what you want, and talk only about what you want. Decide right now that anytime you find yourself thinking or talking about what you don't want, you will stop and demand of yourself, "What is it that I want?" And with all your might, with all your strength, with all your willpower - you will focus on what you want!
This one intention, repeated daily until the New Year and reinforced through 2012, will ensure that you make 2012 the year that your dreams came true, and the greatest year of your life!
Creator of The Secret and The Power
You can make 2012 the best year of your life! And you can do it very easily, right now.
All you have to do is set the most powerful intention you can ever set in your life, which is that you will focus only on what you want, think only about what you want, and talk only about what you want. Decide right now that anytime you find yourself thinking or talking about what you don't want, you will stop and demand of yourself, "What is it that I want?" And with all your might, with all your strength, with all your willpower - you will focus on what you want!
This one intention, repeated daily until the New Year and reinforced through 2012, will ensure that you make 2012 the year that your dreams came true, and the greatest year of your life!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Brida.......By Paulo Coelho
A moving tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality from the master story teller and author of The Alchemist Paulo Coelho; Brida is a beautiful young Irish girl. The book is all about her quest for...Knowledge?
On her journey she meets a wise man the Magus, who introduces her to the 'Tradition of the Sun'. Faith.She teaches her about overcomming her fear.
Then she meets a woman Wicca, who introduces her to the 'Tradition of the Moon'. She teaches her how to dance to the hidden music of the world.
They see in her a gift, but must let her make her own voyage of discovery. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to transform herself.
Choosing a path meant having to miss out on others. She had a whole life to live, and she was always thinking that, in the future, she might regret the choices she made now.
“I’m afraid of committing myself,” she thought to herself.
She wanted to follow all possible paths and so ended up following none. After her first romantic disappointment, she had never again given herself entirely. She feared pain, loss, and separation.
These things were inevitable on the path to love, and the only way of avoiding them was by deciding not to take that path at all.
In order not to suffer, you had to renounce love. It was like putting out your own eyes not to see the bad things in life.
Ever since time began, people have recognized their true Love by the light in their eyes.
“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.”
“Don’t bother trying to explain your emotions. Live everything as intensely as you can and keep whatever you felt as a gift from God. The best way to destroy the bridge between the visible and invisible is by trying to explain your emotions.”
“But how will I know who my Soulmate is?” Brida felt that this was one of the most important questions she had ever asked in her life.
“By taking risks” she said to Brida. ‘ By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end.”
Nothing is completely wrong. Even a broken watch is right twice a day.
To test if the water is cold, dont just touch at the top; get into it full.
Whenever you want to find out about something, plunge straight in.
Magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated. Waterfalls, mountains and forests are all places where the spirits of Earth tend to play and laugh and speak to us.
With the exception of a few creatures who are descendend from the angels - and who need solitude in order to encounter God- the rest of humanity will only achieve union with God, if, at some point, they manage to commune with their soulmate.
Every women can use the four rings of revelation. The virgin, the saint, the martyr and the witch. These are the four ways, in which a women commune with the universe.
The Virgin has the power of both man and woman. She is condemned to solitude, but solitude reveals its secrets. That is the price paid by the Virgign - to need no one, to wear herself out in her love for others, and, through solitude, to discover the wisdom of the world.
The Martyrs has the power of those who cannot be harmed by pain and suffering. She suffered herself, suffers and through sacrifice, discovers the wisdom of the world.
No human being, who has walked this planet was or is different from the others. Judging oneself, to be inferior to other people, is the worst acts of pride, because it is the most destructive way of being different.
The Candle, is the symbol of the four elements, and contained in itself the earth of the wick, thw water of the paraffin, the fire that burned, and the air that allowed the fire to burn.
Witchcraft is based on collective strength. All the different gifts keep the energy of our work in constant movement. Each gift depends on all the others. St Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians speaks of the 9 gifts, and they are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of the spirits, speaking in tongues and the interpretation of the tongues.
These gifts survive over centuries.
'What is outside is harder to change, than what is inside'.
W.B. Yeats:
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.
We will never ever know the ultimate reason for our existance. We might know the how, where and when of being here, but the why will always be a question that remains unanswered. The main objective of the great Architect of the Universe is known to Him alone, and to no one else.
Some think they know, some try to find, some dont bother; but few understand, that the only possible answer is 'I DON'T KNOW'
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tu Tu Main Main
The thought of Sachin's Serial, with Reema Lagoo & Supriya Pilgaonkar in the lead inspired me to write this.
Not always but most of the times; (indeed this too is with exceptions)
4 Stages of marriage:
Stage 1: "Mad for each other"
Stage 2: "Made for each other"
Stage 3: "Mad at each other"
Stage 4: "Mad Bcoz of each other"
What is the difference between complete and finished?
Marry the right person and you are complete, marry the wrong one and you are finished.
What then over is! If comlete or finished, your spouse finds you with someone wrong, it is over! or Completely Finished!!
The someone wrong would be your own in laws, sister, and need not be an ex.
90% of your success in personal life depends on marrying the right person.
In between Children are born, some out of NC: Natural Curiosity, some by MC: Mutual Consent or just by ABC Absolute Bloody Carelessness..
Parents, siblings, spouse, children, are all part of the tree, that is we. Parents and siblings are the roots, Spouse and children are the fruits. How many of us remember the roots when we eat the fruits?
These days it is common to see every other marriage breaking apart; which is saddening; it is better that a marriage is dissolved than two incompatible people sufferning each other for life or if there is some kind of abuse involved.
My colleagues were surprised; but I was not - to hear, from my friend, that one of the conditions agreed upon when they decided to get married, was that they would not stay with any of their parents.
The urge to stay with the married son stems from a strong possessive feeling on the part of the mother. Slowly, the tentacles of possessiveness spread over every aspect of the son's life, throttling the daughter-in-law. DIL is no longer the young bride of 14, but one who has established her career, knowledgeable about the outside world and is financially quite independent. So what does such a women look for in marriage? Love, companionship, respect and understanding from her spouse.
What about the son who is the common binding factor for both parties involved? The typical reactions are usually one of these:
1. The son is emotionally torn between his wife and mother and incapable of arriving at a decision.
2. He is so completely brain-washed by his parents that he starts believing that his wife is really evil, for wanting to go away and spend her life with him and not with his parents.
3. The son breaks off with his parents and goes out with his wife(Brain-washed or out of (Mis-)understanding!).
Having a breathing space; right from the beginning; certainly would ensure a healthy and happy relationship among all the people involved, for a lifetime.
1. Mothers spend a couple of decade being the leading lady; having a character role later is downsizing, which hurts.
2. It may be said that 'A son is a son till he is married, but a daughter is a daughter all though your life'; but for mother, her son is still a son.
3. There are so many comments around; when your own make them, you understand, but if it is inlaws it is taken as a criticism.
4. When your dear and near ones come home, you are busy making arrangements; but if it is someone from your inlaws; you try to avoid them? Why dont you realise; they come not for inspection; but just to see? And when they understand and stop comming; you start commenting on it!! What are the inlaws to do?
5. Don't Son have responsiblity to take care of his mother and siblings? Is it a big thing going to meet her once a month or year? Who has ever gained respect without responsiblility?
6. MIL's are not in competition with mothers. When required she has baby sat for you.
" Age and Treachery will always over-come youth and skill".
Felt sorry for the Son; did not know what to do...But it did inspire me to write this!
There is no greater gift, that a father can give to his children, than loving their mother; and there is no greater gift that a wife can give her husband; than loving her in-laws.
Not always but most of the times; (indeed this too is with exceptions)
4 Stages of marriage:
Stage 1: "Mad for each other"
Stage 2: "Made for each other"
Stage 3: "Mad at each other"
Stage 4: "Mad Bcoz of each other"
What is the difference between complete and finished?
Marry the right person and you are complete, marry the wrong one and you are finished.
What then over is! If comlete or finished, your spouse finds you with someone wrong, it is over! or Completely Finished!!
The someone wrong would be your own in laws, sister, and need not be an ex.
90% of your success in personal life depends on marrying the right person.
In between Children are born, some out of NC: Natural Curiosity, some by MC: Mutual Consent or just by ABC Absolute Bloody Carelessness..
Parents, siblings, spouse, children, are all part of the tree, that is we. Parents and siblings are the roots, Spouse and children are the fruits. How many of us remember the roots when we eat the fruits?
These days it is common to see every other marriage breaking apart; which is saddening; it is better that a marriage is dissolved than two incompatible people sufferning each other for life or if there is some kind of abuse involved.
My colleagues were surprised; but I was not - to hear, from my friend, that one of the conditions agreed upon when they decided to get married, was that they would not stay with any of their parents.
The urge to stay with the married son stems from a strong possessive feeling on the part of the mother. Slowly, the tentacles of possessiveness spread over every aspect of the son's life, throttling the daughter-in-law. DIL is no longer the young bride of 14, but one who has established her career, knowledgeable about the outside world and is financially quite independent. So what does such a women look for in marriage? Love, companionship, respect and understanding from her spouse.
What about the son who is the common binding factor for both parties involved? The typical reactions are usually one of these:
1. The son is emotionally torn between his wife and mother and incapable of arriving at a decision.
2. He is so completely brain-washed by his parents that he starts believing that his wife is really evil, for wanting to go away and spend her life with him and not with his parents.
3. The son breaks off with his parents and goes out with his wife(Brain-washed or out of (Mis-)understanding!).
Having a breathing space; right from the beginning; certainly would ensure a healthy and happy relationship among all the people involved, for a lifetime.
1. Mothers spend a couple of decade being the leading lady; having a character role later is downsizing, which hurts.
2. It may be said that 'A son is a son till he is married, but a daughter is a daughter all though your life'; but for mother, her son is still a son.
3. There are so many comments around; when your own make them, you understand, but if it is inlaws it is taken as a criticism.
4. When your dear and near ones come home, you are busy making arrangements; but if it is someone from your inlaws; you try to avoid them? Why dont you realise; they come not for inspection; but just to see? And when they understand and stop comming; you start commenting on it!! What are the inlaws to do?
5. Don't Son have responsiblity to take care of his mother and siblings? Is it a big thing going to meet her once a month or year? Who has ever gained respect without responsiblility?
6. MIL's are not in competition with mothers. When required she has baby sat for you.
" Age and Treachery will always over-come youth and skill".
Felt sorry for the Son; did not know what to do...But it did inspire me to write this!
There is no greater gift, that a father can give to his children, than loving their mother; and there is no greater gift that a wife can give her husband; than loving her in-laws.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Steve Jobs ~ Apple
Brave enough to think, bold enough to belive, and talented enough to do.....
How he pursued his dreams and saw the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself....Leaving a Legacy; The 8th habit...how it is practiced...Worked almost till his end, knew it was time to go, and the way he went......I know there are many people who follow this, wish; pray and try, that even I can......
This is a cross-post from James Altucher‘s blog Altucher Confidential.
I saw the news this morning when I looked at my iPad. Whenever I wake up, the first thing I do, before even going to the bathroom, is turn on the iPad and check the news. My heart sank when I saw the headline: Steve Jobs, dead at 56.
From my first Apple product (an Apple II+), to doing all my homework in college on the first Macintosh, to reading this news on my iPad, to typing this sentence on my Macbook Air, so much of my life has been influenced and changed by this man. Very sad day.
I don’t care about Apple stock. Though I do think it will be the first trillion-dollar company. Or about Jobs’ business successes and failures. That’s boring. The only thing that matters to me is how Steve Jobs became the greatest artist that ever lived. You only get to be an artist like that by turning everything in your life upside down, by making horrible, ugly mistakes, by doing things so differently that people will never be able to figure you out; by failing, cheating, lying, having everyone hate you, and coming out the other side with more wisdom than the rest. That’s how Steve Jobs did it.
So, 10 Unusual Things You May Not Know About Steve Jobs.
1) Nature vs. Nurture. Jobs’ sister is the novelist Mona Simpson, but he didn’t know it until he was an adult. Her first novel, Anywhere but Here, was about her relationship with her parents. Which, ironically, were Steve Jobs’ parents too. But since Jobs was adopted (see below) they didn’t know they were brother-sister until the ’90s when he tracked her down. It’s proof (to an extent) of the nature vs. nurture argument. Two kids, without knowing they were brother and sister, both having a unique sensibility of life to become successful artists in completely different ways. And, to me it was great that I was a fan of both without realizing they were related.
2) His father’s name is Abdulfattah Jandali. If you had to ask me what Steve Job’s father’s name was, I never would’ve guessed that Steve Jobs was biologically half Syrian Muslim. For some reason I thought he was Jewish. Maybe it’s because I wanted to be him, so I projected my own background onto him. His parents were two graduate students who weren’t sure if they were ready for a kid, and so put him up for adoption; and then a few years later had another kid, Mona.
The one requirement his biological parents had was that he be adopted by two college educated people. But the couple that adopted him lied at first and turned out not to be college educated. The adoption almost fell through until they promised to send Steve to college. A promise they couldn’t keep (see below). Despite layers of lies and broken promises, it all worked out in the end. People can save a lot of hassle by not having such high expectations and overly ambitious worries in the first place.
3) He helped make the game Breakout. If there was one thing I loved almost as much as the games on the Apple II+ it was playing Breakout on my first-generation Atari. This obsession lasted through playing the game on every version of my Blackberry since 2000. If Steve Jobs had never done anything else, and I’d met him and he said, “I’m the guy who made Breakout,” I would’ve said, “You are the greatest genius of the past 100 years!” Funny how things turn out. Jobs went on from Atari to form Apple. Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, went on to form the greatest restaurant chain in the history of mankind: Chuck E. Cheese. That’s right.
4) He denied paternity on his first child, claiming he was sterile. The mother had to initially raise the kid using welfare checks. I have no judgment on this. Raising kids is hard. And when you have a kid you feel like this enormous energy and creativity you have for the world is going to get misdirected into a … little baby (Jobs’ parents must’ve felt that way as well. Like father, like son). But people change, mature, grow up. Eventually Jobs became a good father. And that’s what counts in the end. Much worse if it was the reverse. I didn’t know this either: that the Lisa computer (the “Apple III”) was named after this first child.
5) He was a pescetarian. In other words, Jobs ate fish but no other meat. And he ate anything else a vegetarian ate (including eggs and dairy). Turns out if you compare pescetarians with regular meat-eaters, according to Livingreenonthedot, they have a 34% lower chance of dying of heart disease. And if you compare vegetarians with meat eaters, they only have a 20% lower chance of dying of heart disease. I think from now on I’m going to be a pescetarian, just because Steve Jobs was one.
6) He didn’t give money to charity. And when he became Apple’s CEO, he stopped all of their philanthropic programs. He wanted to wait until they were profitable. Now, they are profitable, and sitting on $76 billion in cash, and still no corporate philanthropy. Nor a dividend. I actually think Jobs was probably one the most charitable guys on the planet. Rather than focus on which mosquitoes to kill in Africa (Bill Gates is already focusing on that), Jobs put his energy into massively improving quality of life with all of his inventions. People think that entrepreneurs have to some day “give back.” I disagree. They already gave at the office. Look at the entire iPod/Mac/iPhone/Pixar ecosystem and ask how many lives have benefited directly (because they’ve been hired) or indirectly (because they use the products to improve their life). As far as I know, Jobs never commented on his thoughts on charity. Good for him. As one CEO of a (currently) Fortune 10 company once told me when I had my hand out for a charitable website, “Screw charity!”
7) He lied to Steve Wozniak. When they made Breakout for Atari, Wozniak and Jobs were going to split the pay 50-50. Atari gave Jobs $5000 to do the job. He told Wozniak he got $700 so Wozniak took home $350. Again, no judgment. Young people do selfish things. Show me someone who says he’s been honest from the day he was born and I’ll show you a liar. It’s by making mistakes, having fights, finding out where your real boundaries in life are, that allow you to truly know where the boundaries are.
8) He was a Zen Buddhist. He even thought about joining a monastery and becoming a monk. His guru, a Zen monk, married him and his wife. When I was going through some of my hardest times, my only relief was sitting with a Zen group. Trying to quiet the mind to deal with the onrush of non-stop pain that was trying to invade there. The interesting thing about Jobs being a a Zen Buddhist is that most people would think that serious Buddhism and being one of the wealthiest people in the world come into conflict with each other. Isn’t Buddhism about non-attachment? Didn’t Buddha himself leave his riches and family behind?
It’s normal to pursue passions and outcomes, but just not to become overly attached to those outcomes. Being happy regardless of the outcome. A great story is the Zen master and his student walking by a river. A prostitute was there and needed to be carried over the river. The Zen master picked her up and carried her across the river and then put her down. Then the master and student kept walking. A few hours later the student was so agitated he finally had to ask, “Master, how could you touch and help that prostitute! That’s against what we believe in!” And the master said, “I left her by the river. Why are you still carrying her?”
9) He didn’t go to college. I actually didn’t know this initially. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are the famous college dropouts that I knew about. But apparently Steve Jobs went to Reed College for one semester and then dropped out. I guess you don’t need college to be successful. But you probably already know how I feel about that.
10) Psychedelics. Steve Jobs used LSD at least once when he was younger. In fact, he said about the experience, it was “one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life.” Apple’s slogan for many years was “Think Different.” Maybe using a drug which tore him from the normal frame of reference taught him how to look at problems from such a unique perspective. I don’t think LSD is for everyone, but when you combine it with the innate genius the man had, plus the many ups and downs that he experienced, plus the Zen Buddhism and all of the other things above, it’s quite possible that it aided his thinking process, and contributed to the many inventions he was able to produce.
Steve Jobs’ story is filled with nuance and ambiguity. People study him by looking at his straightforward business successes. Yes, he started Apple in a garage. Yes, he started Pixar and almost went broke with it. Yes, he started and sold NeXT and was fired as CEO of Apple. But none of that will ever explain the man behind the genius. None of that will explain all the products he invented that we use today. None of that will tell us about the iPad, Toy Story, the Mac Air, etc. A man’s successes can be truly understood only if we can count his tears.
The cross-post from James Altucher‘s blog Altucher Confidential ends here.
Since inception apple inspired Adam; Newton and Steve;
10 years ago world had Steve Jobs, Johnny Cash and Bob Hope;
An apple a day, keeps the doctor away,
Now we have no Job, no Cash and no Hope.
A time to bow.. to the man who made an apple every day (vs an apple each day) a reality…I take a quick train back to ‘now’ and I can’t help but be awed by the mark that an Apple has made in our world. Almost like a Midas touch - the simple ‘walkman’ was transformed into the iconic ‘ipod’, graham bell’s telephone was renovated into the uber cool ‘iphone’ and finally the all new entertainment avatar called ‘ipad’!! It just gets better, sleeker and more and more to die for.
It was Pappu, who opened my eyes to this world, and I was sure the world is going crazy...all that was said in Future shocks were becoming true, and I was not surprised.
"I have seen a few great personalities pass away in my time. But, Steve Jobs' demise has triggered unprecedented reactions from millions all over. And I can't help but feel the sense of loss shared by all. He has touched our lives in a way few tech innovators have , as we touch his innovations every day now." From Venkitesh Subramanian FB Post...
Poetry connected to engineering, arts and creativity intersecting with technology, design that’s bold and simple. It has an ease of use that comes from being an integrated end-to end system, from computer to FireWire to device to software to content management. All co-ordinated by a gem born to a Muslim father, brought up in a Christian family and followed Zen Hinduism. Your efforts brought the world at figure tips, and I could read you moving my figures... Thank you for living behind a legacy, and pondering us to stay foolish, stay hungry. Sad that you had to leave us so soon....
Thanks to Bhaskar, I could read Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson.
For now all I can say is it’s surely and definitely a JOB well done!
How he pursued his dreams and saw the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself....Leaving a Legacy; The 8th habit...how it is practiced...Worked almost till his end, knew it was time to go, and the way he went......I know there are many people who follow this, wish; pray and try, that even I can......
This is a cross-post from James Altucher‘s blog Altucher Confidential.
I saw the news this morning when I looked at my iPad. Whenever I wake up, the first thing I do, before even going to the bathroom, is turn on the iPad and check the news. My heart sank when I saw the headline: Steve Jobs, dead at 56.
From my first Apple product (an Apple II+), to doing all my homework in college on the first Macintosh, to reading this news on my iPad, to typing this sentence on my Macbook Air, so much of my life has been influenced and changed by this man. Very sad day.
I don’t care about Apple stock. Though I do think it will be the first trillion-dollar company. Or about Jobs’ business successes and failures. That’s boring. The only thing that matters to me is how Steve Jobs became the greatest artist that ever lived. You only get to be an artist like that by turning everything in your life upside down, by making horrible, ugly mistakes, by doing things so differently that people will never be able to figure you out; by failing, cheating, lying, having everyone hate you, and coming out the other side with more wisdom than the rest. That’s how Steve Jobs did it.
So, 10 Unusual Things You May Not Know About Steve Jobs.
1) Nature vs. Nurture. Jobs’ sister is the novelist Mona Simpson, but he didn’t know it until he was an adult. Her first novel, Anywhere but Here, was about her relationship with her parents. Which, ironically, were Steve Jobs’ parents too. But since Jobs was adopted (see below) they didn’t know they were brother-sister until the ’90s when he tracked her down. It’s proof (to an extent) of the nature vs. nurture argument. Two kids, without knowing they were brother and sister, both having a unique sensibility of life to become successful artists in completely different ways. And, to me it was great that I was a fan of both without realizing they were related.
2) His father’s name is Abdulfattah Jandali. If you had to ask me what Steve Job’s father’s name was, I never would’ve guessed that Steve Jobs was biologically half Syrian Muslim. For some reason I thought he was Jewish. Maybe it’s because I wanted to be him, so I projected my own background onto him. His parents were two graduate students who weren’t sure if they were ready for a kid, and so put him up for adoption; and then a few years later had another kid, Mona.
The one requirement his biological parents had was that he be adopted by two college educated people. But the couple that adopted him lied at first and turned out not to be college educated. The adoption almost fell through until they promised to send Steve to college. A promise they couldn’t keep (see below). Despite layers of lies and broken promises, it all worked out in the end. People can save a lot of hassle by not having such high expectations and overly ambitious worries in the first place.
3) He helped make the game Breakout. If there was one thing I loved almost as much as the games on the Apple II+ it was playing Breakout on my first-generation Atari. This obsession lasted through playing the game on every version of my Blackberry since 2000. If Steve Jobs had never done anything else, and I’d met him and he said, “I’m the guy who made Breakout,” I would’ve said, “You are the greatest genius of the past 100 years!” Funny how things turn out. Jobs went on from Atari to form Apple. Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, went on to form the greatest restaurant chain in the history of mankind: Chuck E. Cheese. That’s right.
4) He denied paternity on his first child, claiming he was sterile. The mother had to initially raise the kid using welfare checks. I have no judgment on this. Raising kids is hard. And when you have a kid you feel like this enormous energy and creativity you have for the world is going to get misdirected into a … little baby (Jobs’ parents must’ve felt that way as well. Like father, like son). But people change, mature, grow up. Eventually Jobs became a good father. And that’s what counts in the end. Much worse if it was the reverse. I didn’t know this either: that the Lisa computer (the “Apple III”) was named after this first child.
5) He was a pescetarian. In other words, Jobs ate fish but no other meat. And he ate anything else a vegetarian ate (including eggs and dairy). Turns out if you compare pescetarians with regular meat-eaters, according to Livingreenonthedot, they have a 34% lower chance of dying of heart disease. And if you compare vegetarians with meat eaters, they only have a 20% lower chance of dying of heart disease. I think from now on I’m going to be a pescetarian, just because Steve Jobs was one.
6) He didn’t give money to charity. And when he became Apple’s CEO, he stopped all of their philanthropic programs. He wanted to wait until they were profitable. Now, they are profitable, and sitting on $76 billion in cash, and still no corporate philanthropy. Nor a dividend. I actually think Jobs was probably one the most charitable guys on the planet. Rather than focus on which mosquitoes to kill in Africa (Bill Gates is already focusing on that), Jobs put his energy into massively improving quality of life with all of his inventions. People think that entrepreneurs have to some day “give back.” I disagree. They already gave at the office. Look at the entire iPod/Mac/iPhone/Pixar ecosystem and ask how many lives have benefited directly (because they’ve been hired) or indirectly (because they use the products to improve their life). As far as I know, Jobs never commented on his thoughts on charity. Good for him. As one CEO of a (currently) Fortune 10 company once told me when I had my hand out for a charitable website, “Screw charity!”
7) He lied to Steve Wozniak. When they made Breakout for Atari, Wozniak and Jobs were going to split the pay 50-50. Atari gave Jobs $5000 to do the job. He told Wozniak he got $700 so Wozniak took home $350. Again, no judgment. Young people do selfish things. Show me someone who says he’s been honest from the day he was born and I’ll show you a liar. It’s by making mistakes, having fights, finding out where your real boundaries in life are, that allow you to truly know where the boundaries are.
8) He was a Zen Buddhist. He even thought about joining a monastery and becoming a monk. His guru, a Zen monk, married him and his wife. When I was going through some of my hardest times, my only relief was sitting with a Zen group. Trying to quiet the mind to deal with the onrush of non-stop pain that was trying to invade there. The interesting thing about Jobs being a a Zen Buddhist is that most people would think that serious Buddhism and being one of the wealthiest people in the world come into conflict with each other. Isn’t Buddhism about non-attachment? Didn’t Buddha himself leave his riches and family behind?
It’s normal to pursue passions and outcomes, but just not to become overly attached to those outcomes. Being happy regardless of the outcome. A great story is the Zen master and his student walking by a river. A prostitute was there and needed to be carried over the river. The Zen master picked her up and carried her across the river and then put her down. Then the master and student kept walking. A few hours later the student was so agitated he finally had to ask, “Master, how could you touch and help that prostitute! That’s against what we believe in!” And the master said, “I left her by the river. Why are you still carrying her?”
9) He didn’t go to college. I actually didn’t know this initially. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are the famous college dropouts that I knew about. But apparently Steve Jobs went to Reed College for one semester and then dropped out. I guess you don’t need college to be successful. But you probably already know how I feel about that.
10) Psychedelics. Steve Jobs used LSD at least once when he was younger. In fact, he said about the experience, it was “one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life.” Apple’s slogan for many years was “Think Different.” Maybe using a drug which tore him from the normal frame of reference taught him how to look at problems from such a unique perspective. I don’t think LSD is for everyone, but when you combine it with the innate genius the man had, plus the many ups and downs that he experienced, plus the Zen Buddhism and all of the other things above, it’s quite possible that it aided his thinking process, and contributed to the many inventions he was able to produce.
Steve Jobs’ story is filled with nuance and ambiguity. People study him by looking at his straightforward business successes. Yes, he started Apple in a garage. Yes, he started Pixar and almost went broke with it. Yes, he started and sold NeXT and was fired as CEO of Apple. But none of that will ever explain the man behind the genius. None of that will explain all the products he invented that we use today. None of that will tell us about the iPad, Toy Story, the Mac Air, etc. A man’s successes can be truly understood only if we can count his tears.
The cross-post from James Altucher‘s blog Altucher Confidential ends here.
Since inception apple inspired Adam; Newton and Steve;
10 years ago world had Steve Jobs, Johnny Cash and Bob Hope;
An apple a day, keeps the doctor away,
Now we have no Job, no Cash and no Hope.
A time to bow.. to the man who made an apple every day (vs an apple each day) a reality…I take a quick train back to ‘now’ and I can’t help but be awed by the mark that an Apple has made in our world. Almost like a Midas touch - the simple ‘walkman’ was transformed into the iconic ‘ipod’, graham bell’s telephone was renovated into the uber cool ‘iphone’ and finally the all new entertainment avatar called ‘ipad’!! It just gets better, sleeker and more and more to die for.
It was Pappu, who opened my eyes to this world, and I was sure the world is going crazy...all that was said in Future shocks were becoming true, and I was not surprised.
"I have seen a few great personalities pass away in my time. But, Steve Jobs' demise has triggered unprecedented reactions from millions all over. And I can't help but feel the sense of loss shared by all. He has touched our lives in a way few tech innovators have , as we touch his innovations every day now." From Venkitesh Subramanian FB Post...
Poetry connected to engineering, arts and creativity intersecting with technology, design that’s bold and simple. It has an ease of use that comes from being an integrated end-to end system, from computer to FireWire to device to software to content management. All co-ordinated by a gem born to a Muslim father, brought up in a Christian family and followed Zen Hinduism. Your efforts brought the world at figure tips, and I could read you moving my figures... Thank you for living behind a legacy, and pondering us to stay foolish, stay hungry. Sad that you had to leave us so soon....
Thanks to Bhaskar, I could read Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson.
For now all I can say is it’s surely and definitely a JOB well done!
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Hospital...
I too my death; You too your living Who alone is going through the right way is unknown to all except .................
Health is the first of life,
Wealth is the next of life,
Character's courage is the best of life,
Respect is must in life,
Turning is the test of life,
God's blessing is the crest of life,
Love is crucial for life,
Happiness is the perfume of life,
Truth is the search of life,
Death is the rest of life.
As per the initial report, thankfully, it was supposed to be benign and non malignant. That is the good part. But local surgical removal had to be done.
Lump, Fibroid....tumour, two operations in a week.Kidney, intestine..oh nothing...Thank God all is over...and are back..in action...
Thank you so very much my friends and relatives,
For your smile, support, and strength,
For your help, hello and hand,
All this have made a difference and
Brought us to action again.
Family members for sure....then Suji, Saro, Shamu, Sneha, Anu, Geena, Priya.....office colleagues who suffered in silence....well wishers for their prayers...
An eye opener....
Life would be perfect if:
ANGER had a mute button,
MISTAKE had a Back button,
HARDTIMEShad a Fastfrwd button,
&GUDTIMES had a Pause button
Respect every profession, each has their own dreams, dedications and output. But HAIL to DOCTORS.....and equal noble is the profession of nurses...
First me, and the day I got home - my father to hospital for prostate...
Health is the first of life,
Wealth is the next of life,
Character's courage is the best of life,
Respect is must in life,
Turning is the test of life,
God's blessing is the crest of life,
Love is crucial for life,
Happiness is the perfume of life,
Truth is the search of life,
Death is the rest of life.
As per the initial report, thankfully, it was supposed to be benign and non malignant. That is the good part. But local surgical removal had to be done.
Lump, Fibroid....tumour, two operations in a week.Kidney, intestine..oh nothing...Thank God all is over...and are back..in action...
Thank you so very much my friends and relatives,
For your smile, support, and strength,
For your help, hello and hand,
All this have made a difference and
Brought us to action again.
Family members for sure....then Suji, Saro, Shamu, Sneha, Anu, Geena, Priya.....office colleagues who suffered in silence....well wishers for their prayers...
An eye opener....
Life would be perfect if:
ANGER had a mute button,
MISTAKE had a Back button,
HARDTIMEShad a Fastfrwd button,
&GUDTIMES had a Pause button
Respect every profession, each has their own dreams, dedications and output. But HAIL to DOCTORS.....and equal noble is the profession of nurses...
First me, and the day I got home - my father to hospital for prostate...
Jab we met ~ A Five Star Story?
Jab we met; it was time for losing and finding one another and hugging each other like the five star ad. Indeed; we have been lost for nearly twenty years, and have met again! A Surprise quite unplanned! When God has a better plan for everything, then why should we plan?
Geet and her Mom reached Cochin on the 7th of Sept. at around 7 pm. I reached little late due to trafic on my way from office to airport due to block (as always) especially near the Aluva bridge. Then kept looking for them at the domestic terminal, but ha, they were looking for me at the international terminal. Her mother was worried, if we would have changed a lot, and it would be difficult to identify one another!
On 8th it was temple darshan, quite an experience for me too. The long queue at Guruvayoor, and not letting in even the purse; to keep it out; I had to move out of the queue, and we got lost; for by the time I returned; they had entered inside. Then went to Chitta's house and Usha Ammai's house in Thrissur, and under the instructions from Chittapan and Guidence of Suji; visited VAdakunnatha (Lord of North) Siva temple. The feeling there was divine, so was the ambiance. From there we went to Bhuvaneswari temple (Neeranjali hall) and then to Parmekavu(Temple on rock). The world, even if you hold on to it, will slip and God, even if you want to leave him, will not abandon you. We are all instruments in the hands of God.
On 9th woke up to Achan's, welcoming Mahabali; and hey it was a Happy Onam with family, friends and relatives. After Onam Sadhya we went to Athripilli and Vazhachal. Thara had a little feaver, but Ammuma was full of joy with two great-grand-children around. We came to Surabhi Nagar Kakkand, to continue with out journey.
On 10th we left to Trivandrum; thanks to Sandeep; a very good Hotel was arranged by KTDC very near to the railway station; Chaitram. Nirmal and Sneha where at Hotel Arya Nivas. Under the guidence of Ram; we visited Padmanabaswami Shetram. Ladies are not allowed to enter inside with churidars; and we had not planned to alternative; but God had arranged. Also after darshan, I could not find my purse; just after thinking if I should buy a book or not as it was very costly. Lodged complaint with police and Thankfully got back the purse though some cash was missing, PAN card; ATM card's etc. where there in it.
On 11th we had been to Neeyar dam, Lion sanctury; Kovalam beach.
On 12th morning, we left to Kanyakumari in JayanthiJanata. Ah! finally a dream come true to visit Kanyakumari, lying on the southernmost point of peninsular India, is the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. We got a lovely lodge there called Hotel Samudra, and from our room, the scene was enchanting. One side facing the Swami Vivakananda Rock Memorial/Thiruvalluvar statue. and the other, the pond/Kanyakumari temple. Having heard that the queue to get on to the Vivakananda rock is very tiring, we left for the ferry service operated between the shore jetty to rock memorial. To our great blessings, we got the ticket quickly and the weather was also favourable. It was windy, and while returning there was a very slight shower, as though God was pouring his blessings on us. There we could see Sabha Mandapam, Devi Kanyakumari Sri Padam, Sri Pada Mandapam, Swami Vivekananda statue. Entry was not allowed to the Thiruvalluvar Statue which was 133 feet high(95 feet tall on the pedestal of 38 feet height). The place is also a paradise for shoppers. You get variety of shell and handicraft items. Geet was completely tired and had feaver by then. Her mom and myself in the evening went to Sri Kumari Amman Temple. The Kanyakumari beach with multi-colored sand and rocky shoreline is definitely one of the most beautiful beaches. The waves that hit the shore are quite strong and frequent. It makes stepping into the shallow water and having seabath difficult. The shore is rocky too. so people are asked to stay within the prescribed zone. There is a lighthouse on the beach from where one can get a ravishing view of the sea. Then there was the Gandhi Mantap; Kamaraj Memorial. The Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling Central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed in such a way that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, the first ays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept. On the way there is a staute of Barath Mata too.
On 13th Geet celebrated her B'day; with a spectacular view of the sunrise from our room and we cut her B'day cake. As she was unwell, she stayed in the room, while myself and her mother, went around the peninula once again, to bid good bye; and praying that we get a chance to be there again; craving in our heart's the beauty of Kanyakumari by night and by day. The rest of the 13th was in the train; being our return to Ekm. and I forgot my waterbottle: the loved connecticut one in the train.
On 14th there was no water in our room, and therefore went to Cintias house to answer nature's call; refresh ourselves. My meeting with doctor had to wait. Instead it was the Arabian Sea calling us, after spending enought time with the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. As suggested by Sandeep, we took the KTDC boating, walked through the Marine drive of Kochi, through the rainbow without colour, and fishing net that cannot catch fishes; viewing Lake Vembanad. Landed at Old Kochi, Mattancheri and Fort Kochi. Mattancheri, still have few Jews, most of them being migrated to the Jewish state of Israel, due to religious sentiment, lack of marriage partners and better employment opportunity. They like to follow their sabbath on saturday. We visited a palace and the Synagogue. From there we went to Fort Kochi, famous for the Chinese fishing nets, and the fishes; visited the CSI church where Vasco Da Gama was buried and his grand son came and took the remains after 14 years. Just opposite to the fishing nets of Fort Kochi are the fishing nets of Vipin; and these two land's are like the mouth to the Arabian sea.
We did some shopping at the broadway and returned.
On 15th we went to Thara's house in Vazhakala, and then returned had some rest, and then to Thrikakara temple and Oberon mall.
On 16th it was the beauty of Veegaland now Wonderla, where nature, art and technology merge, with a spectacular view from the sky wheel, the kutusan kotta, musical fountain, cinemax, fishes and the lovely rides.
On 17th it was time for them to say good bye and for me to return to chalakudy. As all good things come to an end, this too did. We went to Thara's house before living and uploaded the pics. for memory, ho ya, memory is the dairy we all carry about with us.
And then again we are lost in our lives, hoping to meet again somewhere sometime....
Geet and her Mom reached Cochin on the 7th of Sept. at around 7 pm. I reached little late due to trafic on my way from office to airport due to block (as always) especially near the Aluva bridge. Then kept looking for them at the domestic terminal, but ha, they were looking for me at the international terminal. Her mother was worried, if we would have changed a lot, and it would be difficult to identify one another!
On 8th it was temple darshan, quite an experience for me too. The long queue at Guruvayoor, and not letting in even the purse; to keep it out; I had to move out of the queue, and we got lost; for by the time I returned; they had entered inside. Then went to Chitta's house and Usha Ammai's house in Thrissur, and under the instructions from Chittapan and Guidence of Suji; visited VAdakunnatha (Lord of North) Siva temple. The feeling there was divine, so was the ambiance. From there we went to Bhuvaneswari temple (Neeranjali hall) and then to Parmekavu(Temple on rock). The world, even if you hold on to it, will slip and God, even if you want to leave him, will not abandon you. We are all instruments in the hands of God.
On 9th woke up to Achan's, welcoming Mahabali; and hey it was a Happy Onam with family, friends and relatives. After Onam Sadhya we went to Athripilli and Vazhachal. Thara had a little feaver, but Ammuma was full of joy with two great-grand-children around. We came to Surabhi Nagar Kakkand, to continue with out journey.
On 10th we left to Trivandrum; thanks to Sandeep; a very good Hotel was arranged by KTDC very near to the railway station; Chaitram. Nirmal and Sneha where at Hotel Arya Nivas. Under the guidence of Ram; we visited Padmanabaswami Shetram. Ladies are not allowed to enter inside with churidars; and we had not planned to alternative; but God had arranged. Also after darshan, I could not find my purse; just after thinking if I should buy a book or not as it was very costly. Lodged complaint with police and Thankfully got back the purse though some cash was missing, PAN card; ATM card's etc. where there in it.
On 11th we had been to Neeyar dam, Lion sanctury; Kovalam beach.
On 12th morning, we left to Kanyakumari in JayanthiJanata. Ah! finally a dream come true to visit Kanyakumari, lying on the southernmost point of peninsular India, is the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. We got a lovely lodge there called Hotel Samudra, and from our room, the scene was enchanting. One side facing the Swami Vivakananda Rock Memorial/Thiruvalluvar statue. and the other, the pond/Kanyakumari temple. Having heard that the queue to get on to the Vivakananda rock is very tiring, we left for the ferry service operated between the shore jetty to rock memorial. To our great blessings, we got the ticket quickly and the weather was also favourable. It was windy, and while returning there was a very slight shower, as though God was pouring his blessings on us. There we could see Sabha Mandapam, Devi Kanyakumari Sri Padam, Sri Pada Mandapam, Swami Vivekananda statue. Entry was not allowed to the Thiruvalluvar Statue which was 133 feet high(95 feet tall on the pedestal of 38 feet height). The place is also a paradise for shoppers. You get variety of shell and handicraft items. Geet was completely tired and had feaver by then. Her mom and myself in the evening went to Sri Kumari Amman Temple. The Kanyakumari beach with multi-colored sand and rocky shoreline is definitely one of the most beautiful beaches. The waves that hit the shore are quite strong and frequent. It makes stepping into the shallow water and having seabath difficult. The shore is rocky too. so people are asked to stay within the prescribed zone. There is a lighthouse on the beach from where one can get a ravishing view of the sea. Then there was the Gandhi Mantap; Kamaraj Memorial. The Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing the Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion. Resembling Central Indian Hindu temples in form, the memorial was designed in such a way that on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, the first ays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept. On the way there is a staute of Barath Mata too.
On 13th Geet celebrated her B'day; with a spectacular view of the sunrise from our room and we cut her B'day cake. As she was unwell, she stayed in the room, while myself and her mother, went around the peninula once again, to bid good bye; and praying that we get a chance to be there again; craving in our heart's the beauty of Kanyakumari by night and by day. The rest of the 13th was in the train; being our return to Ekm. and I forgot my waterbottle: the loved connecticut one in the train.
On 14th there was no water in our room, and therefore went to Cintias house to answer nature's call; refresh ourselves. My meeting with doctor had to wait. Instead it was the Arabian Sea calling us, after spending enought time with the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. As suggested by Sandeep, we took the KTDC boating, walked through the Marine drive of Kochi, through the rainbow without colour, and fishing net that cannot catch fishes; viewing Lake Vembanad. Landed at Old Kochi, Mattancheri and Fort Kochi. Mattancheri, still have few Jews, most of them being migrated to the Jewish state of Israel, due to religious sentiment, lack of marriage partners and better employment opportunity. They like to follow their sabbath on saturday. We visited a palace and the Synagogue. From there we went to Fort Kochi, famous for the Chinese fishing nets, and the fishes; visited the CSI church where Vasco Da Gama was buried and his grand son came and took the remains after 14 years. Just opposite to the fishing nets of Fort Kochi are the fishing nets of Vipin; and these two land's are like the mouth to the Arabian sea.
We did some shopping at the broadway and returned.
On 15th we went to Thara's house in Vazhakala, and then returned had some rest, and then to Thrikakara temple and Oberon mall.
On 16th it was the beauty of Veegaland now Wonderla, where nature, art and technology merge, with a spectacular view from the sky wheel, the kutusan kotta, musical fountain, cinemax, fishes and the lovely rides.
On 17th it was time for them to say good bye and for me to return to chalakudy. As all good things come to an end, this too did. We went to Thara's house before living and uploaded the pics. for memory, ho ya, memory is the dairy we all carry about with us.
And then again we are lost in our lives, hoping to meet again somewhere sometime....
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Fun Week in office...
Monsoon is moving forward at its strong pace.... Dark mornings, cloudy days, rainy evenings.... Do you think monsoon is trying to make us a bit lazy??
No way.... Right??
However strong monsoon is, we at office were not gonna be touched. Because, here was the most awaited week !
Week of Celebrations... Week of Enjoyment..... Week of Togetherness........
with full of fun and only fun............ " FUN WEEK"
Fun Week : Aug 8th - 12th
Date - Event - Dress Code
8th Aug - Rangoli Day - Ethnic Wear
9th Aug - Quiz Day - Go for White
10th Aug - Poster Day - Team Specific Color
(Team dress code-colors are: FSS - Blue, GE - Sandal, GSS IT - Maroon, HRO - Black, Red Dragon - Grey, Sceptre - Red, Stirling - Brown, Support - Violet)
11th Aug - Game Day - Hawaiian Style
12th Aug - Food Fest Day - Green's Day
It was truly a day filled with creativity, team work and of course enjoyment.
Knowing each other was not just fun, but gave a feeling of oneness.....
It was a day with full of co-operation, team spirit, joy, fun and of course togetherness....
No way.... Right??
However strong monsoon is, we at office were not gonna be touched. Because, here was the most awaited week !
Week of Celebrations... Week of Enjoyment..... Week of Togetherness........
with full of fun and only fun............ " FUN WEEK"
Fun Week : Aug 8th - 12th
Date - Event - Dress Code
8th Aug - Rangoli Day - Ethnic Wear
9th Aug - Quiz Day - Go for White
10th Aug - Poster Day - Team Specific Color
(Team dress code-colors are: FSS - Blue, GE - Sandal, GSS IT - Maroon, HRO - Black, Red Dragon - Grey, Sceptre - Red, Stirling - Brown, Support - Violet)
11th Aug - Game Day - Hawaiian Style
12th Aug - Food Fest Day - Green's Day
It was truly a day filled with creativity, team work and of course enjoyment.
Knowing each other was not just fun, but gave a feeling of oneness.....
It was a day with full of co-operation, team spirit, joy, fun and of course togetherness....
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Outbound training On 23rd and 24th July 2011...
We had a refreshing Outbound training.
(As Given)
Location: The Kalypso OBT Camp which is located at a scenic and beautiful location at Suryanelli, near Munnar. The camp is at an altitude of more than 5000 feet and overlooks the Aanaerangal Dam on one side and the Western Ghats hill ranges on the other side.
Camp Layout: Located on the slopes of a hillock, it is a ‘rough and tough’ adventurous camp based on the concept of outdoor living. The camp has two areas – the Activity area and the Accommodation area. The Activity area has a gazebo which is used for the dual purposes of discussions and dining.
Activity Area
Accommodation Area: It has small dome tents pitched on different levels of the hill. Sets of common toilets (western) and bathrooms, separate for ladies and gents, are provided.
Tents: The dome tents have a capacity to accommodate three persons. The Kalypso Camp usually allocates these tents on a twin sharing basis. Sleeping bags are provided in the tents.
Transportation: The distance from Kochi to Suryanelli is 165 km. The jtheney time ranges between fthe to five hthes depending on the type of vehicle and traffic. It is preferable to utilize smaller vehicles like tempo travelers (rather than buses which take longer driving time due to the ghat roads). Continue on NH 49 (Kochi – Madurai Highway) from Munnar. About 16 km after Munnar, the highway curves to right and leads to Pooppara. At this point, you will find an indicator on the left ‘Suryanelli 6 km’. You need to keep left and cross both ‘Club Mahindra’ and ‘Sterling’ Resorts and continue straight thereafter. The representative will meet you at Suryanelli town and arrange jeep transfer to the Camp.
Electricity: The Camp does not have electric connection. A generator is run most of the night for minimum lighting. Personal torches are essential.
Communication: The camp has no land line connectivity. The area has mobile coverage of BSNL, and limited coverage of ‘Airtel, Tata, Idea, Reliance, and Vodafone’ networks. Mobile charging facility is limited as electric supply is restricted. The under mentioned number can be given as contact number for emergency requirements:
Food: Excellent Indian cuisine.
Water: Mineral water for drinking.
Medical Cover: The Harrisons Malayalam Hospital is about 15 minutes by Jeep from the Camp.
Weather: The weather is likely to be cool and windy with occasional light showers. The day temperature could be around 23 degrees while the night temperature may fall well below 15 degrees. Strong winds are likely both during day and night.
What to bring: A large portion of the programme happens in outdoor environment and mostly in the hills. Considering the location, it is best to come prepared for some cooler temperatures. Please bring all the personal clothing (including towels) and toiletry items. It is advisable to avoid large size luggage pieces such as suitcases as the space in the tents are limited. Participants are advised the following on clothing and other aspects:
Attire is "Resort Casual"
Jacket appropriate for expected temperatures.
Some sort of windbreaker.
Skirts or Saris are inappropriate.
A brimmed hat of some sort (and sun glasses) to keep the sun off ythe head and face.
Comfortable shoes are a must. Tennis shoes or any other sort of close-toed shoes, which have good traction. No dress shoes or high heels.
Bathroom slippers.
A pair of shorts /half pants would be comfortable for water borne activities.
Comfortable, loose fitting pants. You will be climbing and moving about in ways that are best supported by clothing that moves with you.
Rain protection gear
All participants MUST have with them a personal torch.
Ruck sack
Suitable bag to carry back wet clothes
Please inform ‘Kalypso Adventures’ of any Medical History (illness/injury/disability/allergy)
The other recommended items to be carried include:
Sun screen lotion
Camera (Optional)
Any medication you may be taking
Please avoid valuables
Trainer: Commander R Madhusoodanan – 094470 27741
(As Experienced)
Having set out form Kakkanad at 7 am, we had our breakfast, at Kothamangalam, at 9 am courtesy Idly & Sambar; Aneesh & Ratish; and reached the site by 2pm.
Training:
After introduction; we were taken through the experiential learning cycle Viz:
Concrete experience -) Reflective observation -) Abstract Conceptualization -) Active Experimentation.
We were also taken through the objectives that would be covered in the training.
After lunch the real fun began:
1. Ice breaker was all of us standing in a circle and playing:
• Zip-Zap
• Elephant
• Rabbit
2. We tried making a star out of straight rope without entangling.
3. We tried moving a ball with string around, from one point to another without falling.
4. In two groups all of us tried to bring down a straight stick at the same time. (It kept going up)
5. We had camp fire.
6. Stayed in the tent that night.
7. Next day morning after breakfast we had been to a lake, did river rafting, and had been in the lake for some time, with life jackets. It was real fun.
8. There was a group activity of all trying to move...real fun and fuss it was...
The travel in Rani was comfortable. And did buy some things from Munnar too....
(As Given)
Location: The Kalypso OBT Camp which is located at a scenic and beautiful location at Suryanelli, near Munnar. The camp is at an altitude of more than 5000 feet and overlooks the Aanaerangal Dam on one side and the Western Ghats hill ranges on the other side.
Camp Layout: Located on the slopes of a hillock, it is a ‘rough and tough’ adventurous camp based on the concept of outdoor living. The camp has two areas – the Activity area and the Accommodation area. The Activity area has a gazebo which is used for the dual purposes of discussions and dining.
Activity Area
Accommodation Area: It has small dome tents pitched on different levels of the hill. Sets of common toilets (western) and bathrooms, separate for ladies and gents, are provided.
Tents: The dome tents have a capacity to accommodate three persons. The Kalypso Camp usually allocates these tents on a twin sharing basis. Sleeping bags are provided in the tents.
Transportation: The distance from Kochi to Suryanelli is 165 km. The jtheney time ranges between fthe to five hthes depending on the type of vehicle and traffic. It is preferable to utilize smaller vehicles like tempo travelers (rather than buses which take longer driving time due to the ghat roads). Continue on NH 49 (Kochi – Madurai Highway) from Munnar. About 16 km after Munnar, the highway curves to right and leads to Pooppara. At this point, you will find an indicator on the left ‘Suryanelli 6 km’. You need to keep left and cross both ‘Club Mahindra’ and ‘Sterling’ Resorts and continue straight thereafter. The representative will meet you at Suryanelli town and arrange jeep transfer to the Camp.
Electricity: The Camp does not have electric connection. A generator is run most of the night for minimum lighting. Personal torches are essential.
Communication: The camp has no land line connectivity. The area has mobile coverage of BSNL, and limited coverage of ‘Airtel, Tata, Idea, Reliance, and Vodafone’ networks. Mobile charging facility is limited as electric supply is restricted. The under mentioned number can be given as contact number for emergency requirements:
Food: Excellent Indian cuisine.
Water: Mineral water for drinking.
Medical Cover: The Harrisons Malayalam Hospital is about 15 minutes by Jeep from the Camp.
Weather: The weather is likely to be cool and windy with occasional light showers. The day temperature could be around 23 degrees while the night temperature may fall well below 15 degrees. Strong winds are likely both during day and night.
What to bring: A large portion of the programme happens in outdoor environment and mostly in the hills. Considering the location, it is best to come prepared for some cooler temperatures. Please bring all the personal clothing (including towels) and toiletry items. It is advisable to avoid large size luggage pieces such as suitcases as the space in the tents are limited. Participants are advised the following on clothing and other aspects:
Attire is "Resort Casual"
Jacket appropriate for expected temperatures.
Some sort of windbreaker.
Skirts or Saris are inappropriate.
A brimmed hat of some sort (and sun glasses) to keep the sun off ythe head and face.
Comfortable shoes are a must. Tennis shoes or any other sort of close-toed shoes, which have good traction. No dress shoes or high heels.
Bathroom slippers.
A pair of shorts /half pants would be comfortable for water borne activities.
Comfortable, loose fitting pants. You will be climbing and moving about in ways that are best supported by clothing that moves with you.
Rain protection gear
All participants MUST have with them a personal torch.
Ruck sack
Suitable bag to carry back wet clothes
Please inform ‘Kalypso Adventures’ of any Medical History (illness/injury/disability/allergy)
The other recommended items to be carried include:
Sun screen lotion
Camera (Optional)
Any medication you may be taking
Please avoid valuables
Trainer: Commander R Madhusoodanan – 094470 27741
(As Experienced)
Having set out form Kakkanad at 7 am, we had our breakfast, at Kothamangalam, at 9 am courtesy Idly & Sambar; Aneesh & Ratish; and reached the site by 2pm.
Training:
After introduction; we were taken through the experiential learning cycle Viz:
Concrete experience -) Reflective observation -) Abstract Conceptualization -) Active Experimentation.
We were also taken through the objectives that would be covered in the training.
After lunch the real fun began:
1. Ice breaker was all of us standing in a circle and playing:
• Zip-Zap
• Elephant
• Rabbit
2. We tried making a star out of straight rope without entangling.
3. We tried moving a ball with string around, from one point to another without falling.
4. In two groups all of us tried to bring down a straight stick at the same time. (It kept going up)
5. We had camp fire.
6. Stayed in the tent that night.
7. Next day morning after breakfast we had been to a lake, did river rafting, and had been in the lake for some time, with life jackets. It was real fun.
8. There was a group activity of all trying to move...real fun and fuss it was...
The travel in Rani was comfortable. And did buy some things from Munnar too....
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Salt & Pepper has a delicious recipe to offer…
Again the review from Vinay:
S&P is a refreshing movie and a perfect recipe for a weekend matinee! The movie is a rare breed as the central character is no one but "FOOD". Yes, that’s right! And all actors revolve round the 'main character’ very interestingly.
The writer has cleverly used a different dimension of FOOD as not just as a medium of sustaining lives but one that changes lives. How it happens forms the crux of the plot and with some hilarious moments offers a very interesting watch.
On the acting front, Lal fits in perfectly into the character aptly supported by Swetha Menon. Although they do not come together in any shot (barring the climax), they develop an interesting Chemistry thru' their rather unusual conversations. Asif Ali also lives up to the character with his good sense of comic timing. Rest of the star cast is also good but among all it is Baburaj who steals the show with his impeccable comic timing and dialogue delivery. This character has the potential to change his acting career forever.
For a perfect dish it is important that all ingredients are mixed in right quantities at the right time, and that is exactly how other technicians have contributed. Music by Bijulal is good especially the opening song. Cinematography, art direction and BGM are top class.
It is heartening to see, lately Malayalam film has started experimenting successfully with unique themes. Be it daring "Cocktail" or the thrilling "Traffic" or be it an honest attempt like "Adminte Makan Abu", it seems the good times are back and hopefully this trend lives on.
Kudos to the makers, for coming out with a unique subject and giving it a fresh treatment.
What are you waiting for? The feast is ready... Go for it!!
We all friends (room mates) with Surajith, watched it on the Friend ship day and liked it...The Love story of Salt & Pepper and the way it is entangled!
The One Minute Manager
The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson is indeed a guide to increase productivity, profits and prosperity.
There are three secrets to one minute Management:
I.ONE MINUTE GOAL SETTING: It is simply:
1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behaviour looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words.
4. Read and reread each goal, which requires only a minute or so each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at your performance, and
6. See whether or not your behaviour matches your goal.
'Take a Minute:
Look at your Goals
Look at your Performance
See if your Behaviour Matches Your Goals'
II.ONE MINUTE PRAISING: It works when you:
1. Tell people right from the start that you are going to let them know how they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right - be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other poeple who work there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them 'feel' how good you feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that you support their success in the organization.
It works because:
1. Praising is done as soon as you've done something right, and not wait for your performance review.
2. Since what is done right, is exactly specified, sincerety and familiarity is there.
3. There is consistency, even if things are not going well somewhere else.
The Key for training someone to do a new task is, in the beginning, to catch them doing something approximately right until they can eventually learn to do it exactly right.
III.ONE MINUTE REPRIMANDS: Just as one minute praising; but for the wrong, It works when, again the same 1-5 and 7. i.e 6 points, and then
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it's over.
Behaviour and worth are not the same things. What is really worthwhile is the person managing their own behaviour. This is as true of each of us as managers as it is of each of the people we are managing.
We are bit just our Behaviour
We are the person Managing our Behaviour
Thus a one minute manager 'Let the people know right from the start what they are doing and why.'
Goals Begin Behaviours.
Consequences Maintain Behaviours.
Who would play football if there were no goals?
Remember: 'Feedback if the Breakfast of Champions.
Touch is very honest, 'When you touch, don't take, Touch the people you manage only when you are giving them something - reassurance, support, encouragement or whatever.
It is neither the autocratic or democratic managers, but effective managers, who manage themselves and the people they work with so that both the organisation and the people profit from their presence.
People who feel good about themselves Produce results.
Productivity is more than just the quantity of work done. It is also the quality.It is good for everyone to do well, and one need not go by the bell curve.
People are the most important resource.The best minute you spend is the one you invest in people.
Everyone is a Potential Winner
Some People are disguised as losers,
don't let their appearances fool you.
Thus this book give yourself & others 'the gift' of getting greater results in less time. Set goals, praise & reprimand behaviours; encourage people, speak the truth: Laugh, Work & Enjoy.
There are three secrets to one minute Management:
I.ONE MINUTE GOAL SETTING: It is simply:
1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behaviour looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words.
4. Read and reread each goal, which requires only a minute or so each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at your performance, and
6. See whether or not your behaviour matches your goal.
'Take a Minute:
Look at your Goals
Look at your Performance
See if your Behaviour Matches Your Goals'
II.ONE MINUTE PRAISING: It works when you:
1. Tell people right from the start that you are going to let them know how they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right - be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other poeple who work there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them 'feel' how good you feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that you support their success in the organization.
It works because:
1. Praising is done as soon as you've done something right, and not wait for your performance review.
2. Since what is done right, is exactly specified, sincerety and familiarity is there.
3. There is consistency, even if things are not going well somewhere else.
The Key for training someone to do a new task is, in the beginning, to catch them doing something approximately right until they can eventually learn to do it exactly right.
III.ONE MINUTE REPRIMANDS: Just as one minute praising; but for the wrong, It works when, again the same 1-5 and 7. i.e 6 points, and then
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it's over.
Behaviour and worth are not the same things. What is really worthwhile is the person managing their own behaviour. This is as true of each of us as managers as it is of each of the people we are managing.
We are bit just our Behaviour
We are the person Managing our Behaviour
Thus a one minute manager 'Let the people know right from the start what they are doing and why.'
Goals Begin Behaviours.
Consequences Maintain Behaviours.
Who would play football if there were no goals?
Remember: 'Feedback if the Breakfast of Champions.
Touch is very honest, 'When you touch, don't take, Touch the people you manage only when you are giving them something - reassurance, support, encouragement or whatever.
It is neither the autocratic or democratic managers, but effective managers, who manage themselves and the people they work with so that both the organisation and the people profit from their presence.
People who feel good about themselves Produce results.
Productivity is more than just the quantity of work done. It is also the quality.It is good for everyone to do well, and one need not go by the bell curve.
People are the most important resource.The best minute you spend is the one you invest in people.
Everyone is a Potential Winner
Some People are disguised as losers,
don't let their appearances fool you.
Thus this book give yourself & others 'the gift' of getting greater results in less time. Set goals, praise & reprimand behaviours; encourage people, speak the truth: Laugh, Work & Enjoy.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Power of One: Bryce Courtenay
Super. A lovely, gift from Sharyn, one of her favourate books. Waiting to see a picture of 'Grandpa Chook' in her garden, honouring Peekay!!!
If 'The secret' contains instructions - theory, this is with example - practical; a motivating story to remember and learn from:
In each of us there is a flame that must never be allowed to go out. That as long as it burns within us, we cannot be destroyed.
One ting is certain in life, just when things are going well, soon after they are certain to go wrong. It's just the way things are meant to be.
Small can beat big, all it takes is brains and skill and heart and plan.First with your head, then with your heart,, without it even plans are useless!First the facts, then the trust.
The power of one is the courage to remain separate, to think through to the truth and not to be beguiled by convention or the plausible arguments of those who expect to maintain power, whatever the cost. The power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability previously demonstrated.
Pride is holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed. Courage is what makes you do it.
Life is all beginnings and end. Nothing stays the same. Parting, losing the thing we love the most, that's the whole business of life, that's what it's mostly about.
'No matter what has happened bad, today I'm finished from being sad! Absoloodle!' (Say Today was a good day)
Nothing is unexplained. Nature is a chain reaction. One thing follows the other, everythin is dependent on something else. The smallest is as important as the largest. Dont be afraid of originality, Always listen to yourself, it is better to be wrong than simply to follow convention. If you are wrong, no matter, you have learned something and you will grow stronger. If you are right you have taken another step towards a fulfilling life. You cant always go by expert opinion. Always you should go to the source, to the beginning. The more you know, the more you can control your destiny. Always do the exercise, if you do the exercise, you have the foundation. In this world are very few things made from logic alone. It is illogical for a man to be too logical. Some things we must just let stand. The mystery is more important than any possible explanations. The searcher after truth must search with humanity. The truth can only add to the sum of what you know, while a harmless mystery left unexplored often adds to the meaning of life. Always ask questions, maybe the answers come slow, but always they are coming if you wait with your head and your eyes. No point in leaving things to chance.
Anticipate problems likely to occur in any situation and review the answers to them long before disaster strikes. Survival is a matter of actively making the system work for you rather than attempting merely to survive it. It is not what a man does, it's what a man is that counts! Love independence, take control of life.
Surprise your opponent in the first few seconds and so unsettle him. Anticipate the problems likely to occur in any situation and review the answers to them long before disaster strucks. Have emergency plans. Routine which, when practised a thousand times, becomes an automatic reaction to a crisis.
Knowledge, learning makes you a man, I am nothing without learning.
Nanny, Grandpa Chook, Hoppie Groenewald to Gideon, Rasputin and the Judge; all of them give us a lot, indeed a lot, you want to know more...
Yes, leaving with the legends, taking the best of them, Peekay, had become a companion to Doc, enchantment to Mrs. Boxall, champion to the people, fulfilment to Captain Smit, a foil to Hymie, a product to Singe 'n Burn, an idealised school boy, winner and great guy to Peers, and a role model to me!
And what is your say on this?
If 'The secret' contains instructions - theory, this is with example - practical; a motivating story to remember and learn from:
In each of us there is a flame that must never be allowed to go out. That as long as it burns within us, we cannot be destroyed.
One ting is certain in life, just when things are going well, soon after they are certain to go wrong. It's just the way things are meant to be.
Small can beat big, all it takes is brains and skill and heart and plan.First with your head, then with your heart,, without it even plans are useless!First the facts, then the trust.
The power of one is the courage to remain separate, to think through to the truth and not to be beguiled by convention or the plausible arguments of those who expect to maintain power, whatever the cost. The power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability previously demonstrated.
Pride is holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed. Courage is what makes you do it.
Life is all beginnings and end. Nothing stays the same. Parting, losing the thing we love the most, that's the whole business of life, that's what it's mostly about.
'No matter what has happened bad, today I'm finished from being sad! Absoloodle!' (Say Today was a good day)
Nothing is unexplained. Nature is a chain reaction. One thing follows the other, everythin is dependent on something else. The smallest is as important as the largest. Dont be afraid of originality, Always listen to yourself, it is better to be wrong than simply to follow convention. If you are wrong, no matter, you have learned something and you will grow stronger. If you are right you have taken another step towards a fulfilling life. You cant always go by expert opinion. Always you should go to the source, to the beginning. The more you know, the more you can control your destiny. Always do the exercise, if you do the exercise, you have the foundation. In this world are very few things made from logic alone. It is illogical for a man to be too logical. Some things we must just let stand. The mystery is more important than any possible explanations. The searcher after truth must search with humanity. The truth can only add to the sum of what you know, while a harmless mystery left unexplored often adds to the meaning of life. Always ask questions, maybe the answers come slow, but always they are coming if you wait with your head and your eyes. No point in leaving things to chance.
Anticipate problems likely to occur in any situation and review the answers to them long before disaster strikes. Survival is a matter of actively making the system work for you rather than attempting merely to survive it. It is not what a man does, it's what a man is that counts! Love independence, take control of life.
Surprise your opponent in the first few seconds and so unsettle him. Anticipate the problems likely to occur in any situation and review the answers to them long before disaster strucks. Have emergency plans. Routine which, when practised a thousand times, becomes an automatic reaction to a crisis.
Knowledge, learning makes you a man, I am nothing without learning.
Nanny, Grandpa Chook, Hoppie Groenewald to Gideon, Rasputin and the Judge; all of them give us a lot, indeed a lot, you want to know more...
Yes, leaving with the legends, taking the best of them, Peekay, had become a companion to Doc, enchantment to Mrs. Boxall, champion to the people, fulfilment to Captain Smit, a foil to Hymie, a product to Singe 'n Burn, an idealised school boy, winner and great guy to Peers, and a role model to me!
And what is your say on this?
Full story from Wikepedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_One_(novel)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Achan API
API presents Venugopalan K,
with this certificate as a token of appreciation
for rendering 20 years of good, loyal and faithful
serivce to the company.
We look forward for many more years of such close association. (15.4.88)
And then he was with the company for another five years till it was locked out in 1993.
The year, when my sister was to start her 10th and me my 12th.
Where could we go, whom could we trust, what could we do...
With the support of our well wishers, friends and relatives, and by the grace of God,
we could spend another one year there to complete our important thresholds of education,
and then move to Kerala..
Well he was also looking forward for many more years of close association,
But destiny had something else instored for us.
And now when here, he has been in the present organisation for past 13+ years,
while I have moved 5+ organisations...He calls me Naranath Prandhan,
he adds to the chorus of people saying I will reach no where.
I know, it is because he wants to see me reach somewhere...
He keep telling me rolling stone gathers no moss...but am I rolling?
Natundeeamma dingi dingi....
FATHERS
F: Faithful
A: Always There
T: Trustworthy
H: Honoring
E: Ever-loving
R: Righteous
S: Supportive
Thank you father for being there always for me, and indeed the best gift any father can give to their children is to love their mother.
with this certificate as a token of appreciation
for rendering 20 years of good, loyal and faithful
serivce to the company.
We look forward for many more years of such close association. (15.4.88)
And then he was with the company for another five years till it was locked out in 1993.
The year, when my sister was to start her 10th and me my 12th.
Where could we go, whom could we trust, what could we do...
With the support of our well wishers, friends and relatives, and by the grace of God,
we could spend another one year there to complete our important thresholds of education,
and then move to Kerala..
Well he was also looking forward for many more years of close association,
But destiny had something else instored for us.
And now when here, he has been in the present organisation for past 13+ years,
while I have moved 5+ organisations...He calls me Naranath Prandhan,
he adds to the chorus of people saying I will reach no where.
I know, it is because he wants to see me reach somewhere...
He keep telling me rolling stone gathers no moss...but am I rolling?
Natundeeamma dingi dingi....
FATHERS
F: Faithful
A: Always There
T: Trustworthy
H: Honoring
E: Ever-loving
R: Righteous
S: Supportive
Thank you father for being there always for me, and indeed the best gift any father can give to their children is to love their mother.
Ramayana: Cricket
The current Cricket World cup situation between INDIA vs SL as this.
INDIA(Ram) married World cup (Sita) in 1983 and in 1996 Sri Lanka (Raavan) took away Sita (Cup).
Now after 14 years of vanvaaas they meet again and you know the result J :D
The epic Ramayana is coming back….don’t dare to miss it.
INDIA …… BLEED BLUE ....They lifted the cup again, There were tears in many a eyes...but then were they fixes?
Memorable Gettogether: Short & Sweet
Finally she set her foot on Indian soil,on a lovely and bright saturday, fascinated to see a magnificiant elephant on the highway, on the 26th of March 2011; when we wanted to be in the airport. But we had to wait till the 27th., to have the first glimpse of her when we were going to Athirappilly.Ah! it was a dream come true! Was it real or just a dream? Did patiences really pay? Well, yes says the photographs, for I belive that the technology is yet to develop, such that we can capture pictures of our dreams.
The view from the Rainforest Hotel was lovely, we went both to the starting point till the falls below, and returned in the scrotching sun; which was indeed too hot, it turned her red, but she was the first to return and I was the last to make the uphill climb. The explantion was thought provoking, just get it done, and then you dont have to worry about it, it is over. After lunch, we went to Vazhachal, and there it started drizzling, and then rain. Wow! Both sun & rain on the same day. Father was happy that she visited our house, while returning. She was surprised to see the crowd in the oberon mall, at 8pm. She wanted to buy a ray ban glass, but settled for fasttrack. Well it is the fast track one which I liked. See I am not a brand freak.
Next day, when she came to office, she had brought for us, Milk chocolate delights; mini eggs; from a magical Carury world. It was yummy milk chocolate inside and crisp sugar shells outside; and then we had meetings for days, and lots of work.
Well then it was the cricket time, cricket cricket everywhere, biddings, guessings, practicals and theory. The India, Pakistan match reminded of the old fights, where kings from two different countries would come to watch it, and here was the primeministers of both the countries sitting and watching at Mohali. Our meetings and presentations had the crickinfo ie minimised, to keep us updated. But we could be home to watch the climax, and listen to Sachin say something like: Focus, give your best not worring about the result and the rest will follow.
She said lovely cards to both her mothers, it being Mothers day, on the comming sunday, and birthday cards to Gareth and Claire. Yes it was Claire's birthday, the next day; and she emailed me saying all great people were born in March!
It was great to have her here, with me to share my birthday (I had already celebrated by malayalam birthday/Piranal which I share with my grandmother), when she presented me with a beautiful Kashmiri shawl! Wishing me may Joy & Love be yours Always! Her presence was my best present!
We could begin yet another close with her, in her presence.
As we were getting ready to watch the war(match) between 'Ram Sena'(India) and 'Ravan Sena'(Sri lanka) in the land of 'Siv Sena'(Mumbai), Fss team won the practicals in the morning. She and me, went to Kodanad, and were lucky enough to find 5 elephants of differnt age group, both male and female; having their morning shower, in a river, surrounded by beautiful scenery.We had to return soon, as there was this appointment for this special body massage at Anjaneaya Ayurveda Vaidyasala; but that I believe was something not very positive about the trip, as the massage did not turn out to be as expected living some marks; the ones on hands were clearly visible and heartning. We then did some window shopping at kalyan silks and she helped me but some things for my nephew. We went around Fort Kochi and Marine Drive. As the 2011 calender is a replica of 1983; so where the Cricket results! India won the world cup again, bringing tears of joy, in the eyes of the millions. Sachin could finally kiss the cup; and so also many others!
Next day, was her lovely and memorable treat, at the house boat in Allapuzha; with typical kerala food. Then she invited us for the evening tea, at the Taj Malabar where she stayed. Even there there were two lovely big elephants. From there we could see Mattanchery, Fort Kochi, Marine Drive, marina. It was the whole team with family: AP family; my father; and our marketing solutions team in whole. It was mother's day in UK. She had her mother's and daughter in UK, and missed them.
Then began the long month end, with its ups and downs, whatever had to go wrong, went wrong, which was sad. But all days are not the same. The next day was again better, a good day! We felt blessed to be part of the call, where the results were discussed. It gave us an insight to what actually happened.
We had lovely Paw Baji, Fish Birayani and Kheer, made my Pravin's wife, Prachi. Chicken and Chapathi made my Cynthia. Team dinner at the Park.She even enjoyed the Pooram at the Kakkanad devi temple, where there was five elephants beautifully decorated like a bride. Shopping at kalyan silk, Bhima jewellery, and oberon malls. It was lovely to see her in the Salwar Kameez, Bindhi (Third eye) & Payal (Anklets). Then there was the semi finals and finals of the WL cricket team. Our FSS team won the semi finals, and she was there to watch both the matches and give the trophy to the winning team! (Our team was the runner up). After the finals, they had been to Cherai beach and had dinner today. But I had to be home, waiting anxiously to see my mother, sister and Neil! Next day she was going to Chennai, and had an adventure, when due to bad weather, the flight could not land in Kochi, and as it was running out of fuel, had to go for refilling to Banglore. We could even exchanged few books, in this short span of time.
She learned Anna & Kakka when she was here, and called my bag, Mary Poppins's!
She said, she wanted the team to remain the same, for atleast next one year! But the best of her advice as I take it is: There would be problems and failures, dont learn to just leave with it!
On her last day in office, she presented all of her team members with a lovely gift: Pen hand turned by a gentleman named Ian Darbyshire in East Yorkshire(ian@handturnedpens.co.uk)(www.handturnedpens.co.uk). The wood used to make the pen is Bog Oak, that are 1000 years old having been preserved in a local peat bog.
There was a piece for us to see.
Note said: I hope when you use them you remember our time together with fondness:
Santhi
Sharynx
She was.
Yes we would:
Guess what? As I had just finished typing this, there was a courier from Amazon: Yet another surprise: (Including the courier charges!)
All of us had yet another gift from her:
1. Penguins stopped play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the world:For Pravin,
2. The Power of One: By Bryce Courtenay for me:
And this is her favourate book. She has a statue of garndpa chook in her garden to honour Peekay!!! Is that not lovely! would love to see a pic. of it. (Who knows, one day may be in person too!!)
3. Not Dark Yet: A very funny book about a very serious game: For Jay.
Things come to an end: Bad and good; and this too had come to an end; for the time. With prayers; to see again in an years time. A lot can and will happen between now and then; with regard to house, relations and other things. Fingures crossed!
The view from the Rainforest Hotel was lovely, we went both to the starting point till the falls below, and returned in the scrotching sun; which was indeed too hot, it turned her red, but she was the first to return and I was the last to make the uphill climb. The explantion was thought provoking, just get it done, and then you dont have to worry about it, it is over. After lunch, we went to Vazhachal, and there it started drizzling, and then rain. Wow! Both sun & rain on the same day. Father was happy that she visited our house, while returning. She was surprised to see the crowd in the oberon mall, at 8pm. She wanted to buy a ray ban glass, but settled for fasttrack. Well it is the fast track one which I liked. See I am not a brand freak.
Next day, when she came to office, she had brought for us, Milk chocolate delights; mini eggs; from a magical Carury world. It was yummy milk chocolate inside and crisp sugar shells outside; and then we had meetings for days, and lots of work.
Well then it was the cricket time, cricket cricket everywhere, biddings, guessings, practicals and theory. The India, Pakistan match reminded of the old fights, where kings from two different countries would come to watch it, and here was the primeministers of both the countries sitting and watching at Mohali. Our meetings and presentations had the crickinfo ie minimised, to keep us updated. But we could be home to watch the climax, and listen to Sachin say something like: Focus, give your best not worring about the result and the rest will follow.
She said lovely cards to both her mothers, it being Mothers day, on the comming sunday, and birthday cards to Gareth and Claire. Yes it was Claire's birthday, the next day; and she emailed me saying all great people were born in March!
It was great to have her here, with me to share my birthday (I had already celebrated by malayalam birthday/Piranal which I share with my grandmother), when she presented me with a beautiful Kashmiri shawl! Wishing me may Joy & Love be yours Always! Her presence was my best present!
We could begin yet another close with her, in her presence.
As we were getting ready to watch the war(match) between 'Ram Sena'(India) and 'Ravan Sena'(Sri lanka) in the land of 'Siv Sena'(Mumbai), Fss team won the practicals in the morning. She and me, went to Kodanad, and were lucky enough to find 5 elephants of differnt age group, both male and female; having their morning shower, in a river, surrounded by beautiful scenery.We had to return soon, as there was this appointment for this special body massage at Anjaneaya Ayurveda Vaidyasala; but that I believe was something not very positive about the trip, as the massage did not turn out to be as expected living some marks; the ones on hands were clearly visible and heartning. We then did some window shopping at kalyan silks and she helped me but some things for my nephew. We went around Fort Kochi and Marine Drive. As the 2011 calender is a replica of 1983; so where the Cricket results! India won the world cup again, bringing tears of joy, in the eyes of the millions. Sachin could finally kiss the cup; and so also many others!
Next day, was her lovely and memorable treat, at the house boat in Allapuzha; with typical kerala food. Then she invited us for the evening tea, at the Taj Malabar where she stayed. Even there there were two lovely big elephants. From there we could see Mattanchery, Fort Kochi, Marine Drive, marina. It was the whole team with family: AP family; my father; and our marketing solutions team in whole. It was mother's day in UK. She had her mother's and daughter in UK, and missed them.
Then began the long month end, with its ups and downs, whatever had to go wrong, went wrong, which was sad. But all days are not the same. The next day was again better, a good day! We felt blessed to be part of the call, where the results were discussed. It gave us an insight to what actually happened.
We had lovely Paw Baji, Fish Birayani and Kheer, made my Pravin's wife, Prachi. Chicken and Chapathi made my Cynthia. Team dinner at the Park.She even enjoyed the Pooram at the Kakkanad devi temple, where there was five elephants beautifully decorated like a bride. Shopping at kalyan silk, Bhima jewellery, and oberon malls. It was lovely to see her in the Salwar Kameez, Bindhi (Third eye) & Payal (Anklets). Then there was the semi finals and finals of the WL cricket team. Our FSS team won the semi finals, and she was there to watch both the matches and give the trophy to the winning team! (Our team was the runner up). After the finals, they had been to Cherai beach and had dinner today. But I had to be home, waiting anxiously to see my mother, sister and Neil! Next day she was going to Chennai, and had an adventure, when due to bad weather, the flight could not land in Kochi, and as it was running out of fuel, had to go for refilling to Banglore. We could even exchanged few books, in this short span of time.
She learned Anna & Kakka when she was here, and called my bag, Mary Poppins's!
She said, she wanted the team to remain the same, for atleast next one year! But the best of her advice as I take it is: There would be problems and failures, dont learn to just leave with it!
On her last day in office, she presented all of her team members with a lovely gift: Pen hand turned by a gentleman named Ian Darbyshire in East Yorkshire(ian@handturnedpens.co.uk)(www.handturnedpens.co.uk). The wood used to make the pen is Bog Oak, that are 1000 years old having been preserved in a local peat bog.
There was a piece for us to see.
Note said: I hope when you use them you remember our time together with fondness:
Santhi
Sharynx
She was.
Yes we would:
Guess what? As I had just finished typing this, there was a courier from Amazon: Yet another surprise: (Including the courier charges!)
All of us had yet another gift from her:
1. Penguins stopped play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the world:For Pravin,
2. The Power of One: By Bryce Courtenay for me:
And this is her favourate book. She has a statue of garndpa chook in her garden to honour Peekay!!! Is that not lovely! would love to see a pic. of it. (Who knows, one day may be in person too!!)
3. Not Dark Yet: A very funny book about a very serious game: For Jay.
Things come to an end: Bad and good; and this too had come to an end; for the time. With prayers; to see again in an years time. A lot can and will happen between now and then; with regard to house, relations and other things. Fingures crossed!
Awesome Foursome - Echoes/Mixed Blessings/The wedding/Mirror Image - Danielle Steel and Chetan Bhagat's - Five Point Someone, Three Mistakes in my life, Two states and One night at the call centre
Yes the family of four, which we were together after long, but with more joy and additions beging grandparents and grandchildren. But this is on some things other than this:
Just four months of 2011; and here I am having read four books each of Danielle Steel and Chetan Bhagat; barring the other ones!
Danielle Steel:
Thanks to Barkha could read Echoes and Mixed Blessings.
Thanks to Sharyn could read The wedding and Mirror Image.
Echoes:
For the Wittgenstein family, the summer of 1915 was a time of both prosperity and unease, as the guns of war sound in the distance. But for eldest daughter Beata, it was a time of awakening. By glimeering Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart anyway. As the two built a new life together, Beata's past would stay with her, and when Europe faces war once again, Beata must watch in horror as Hitler's terror threatens her family-even her daughter Amadea, who has taken on the vows of a carmelite nun.
As family and friends are swept away without a trace, Amadea is forced into hiding. Thus begins a harrowing journey of survival, first in the Nazi death camps, and then as she escapes into the heart of the French Resistance and finds a renewed sense of purpose.She meets and extraordinary man, British secret agent Rupert Montgomery, who help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations...and between her lost family and her future. (This took me to the sound of music.)
From the elegant rituals of Europe's prewar aristocracy to the brutal desperation of Germany's death camps, Danielle Steel draws us into a Vanished world, weaving an intricate tapestry of a mother's love, a daughter's courage...and the unwavering faith that sustained them- even in history's darkest hour.
The wedding:
Simon Steinberg and Blaire Scott are among the most respected couples in Hollywood. They have defied the Hollywood cliche and stayed together for decades. Their three children - the entertainment lawyer Allegra, teenage aspiring model Samantha, and medical student scott - are successful and happy. Allegra, as an attorney to the stars, has a career that consumes so much of her energy that she has little time for a private life - until a chance encounter with a New York writer turns her life upside down. Suddenly, she finds herself planning a wedding at her parents Bel Air home. After there earlier breakups, she finally meets her Mr. Perfect. Her wedding, is a bridge between the past and future, and an opportunity for reconciliation, forgiveness, and new hope - as weddings often are for us all.
And yes just like the names, there were similarites and continuity in the books as they were different!
Well, if 'The Wedding' is about The dreams and expectations of a cermony that unites us all...; 'Mixed Blessings' is about the desire, the difficulties, and the joy of having a child.
Mirror Image, is of identical Twin children, very similar in looks but different in dreams, which take one to the war in Europe - World war 1. Echoes, is again, in the back drops , which begin with world war 1 and ends in world war 2.
_________________
Chetan Bhagat:
All the books are a quick read, which even the beginners in reading can go through.
Five Point Someone
One Night @ The call center
Three mistakes in my life
Two states.
Five point someone:
I would say, the similarity between Five point someone(the book) and Three Idiots(Film from book) would be just 50% to 60%. The film is indeed an improvised version of the book.
Three mistakes in my life: Is about an youth named Govind, who dreamt of owning a business. To accommodate his friends Ish and Omi's passion, they open a cricket shop. However, nothing coes easy in a turbulent city. To realise their golas thtey will have to face it all - religion, politics, calamities, unacceptable love and above all their own mistakes. The book is based on real life incidents. With some insights like team work, passion and discipline, the need of them to be taught in school.
Two states: is about Krish and Ananya who are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, theri parents don't agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but much harder to convince. Because in India, for marriges to succeed, it is not sufficient that boy and girl love each other, but their parents have to love them,and each others parents too!
Moreover the striking feature for me in this book, was about Krish's father, and the saint and psychatrists advice to 'forgive' and how the rest will follow.
I really wonder if Chetan Bhagat's father really did like that, and how is he and mother now?
One Night @ the call center; indeed had some thought provoking points
The most important call in the world is the inner call.
Follow your thoughts.
Four things needed for success: Intelligence, imagination, self-confidence, and Failure.
Be firm!
Life is uncertain, screwed up at times, but still fun.
Remember:
1. I can do whatever I really want.
2. God is always with me.
3. There is no such thing a loser after all.
______
Waiting to read more of them!
Just four months of 2011; and here I am having read four books each of Danielle Steel and Chetan Bhagat; barring the other ones!
Danielle Steel:
Thanks to Barkha could read Echoes and Mixed Blessings.
Thanks to Sharyn could read The wedding and Mirror Image.
Echoes:
For the Wittgenstein family, the summer of 1915 was a time of both prosperity and unease, as the guns of war sound in the distance. But for eldest daughter Beata, it was a time of awakening. By glimeering Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart anyway. As the two built a new life together, Beata's past would stay with her, and when Europe faces war once again, Beata must watch in horror as Hitler's terror threatens her family-even her daughter Amadea, who has taken on the vows of a carmelite nun.
As family and friends are swept away without a trace, Amadea is forced into hiding. Thus begins a harrowing journey of survival, first in the Nazi death camps, and then as she escapes into the heart of the French Resistance and finds a renewed sense of purpose.She meets and extraordinary man, British secret agent Rupert Montgomery, who help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations...and between her lost family and her future. (This took me to the sound of music.)
From the elegant rituals of Europe's prewar aristocracy to the brutal desperation of Germany's death camps, Danielle Steel draws us into a Vanished world, weaving an intricate tapestry of a mother's love, a daughter's courage...and the unwavering faith that sustained them- even in history's darkest hour.
The wedding:
Simon Steinberg and Blaire Scott are among the most respected couples in Hollywood. They have defied the Hollywood cliche and stayed together for decades. Their three children - the entertainment lawyer Allegra, teenage aspiring model Samantha, and medical student scott - are successful and happy. Allegra, as an attorney to the stars, has a career that consumes so much of her energy that she has little time for a private life - until a chance encounter with a New York writer turns her life upside down. Suddenly, she finds herself planning a wedding at her parents Bel Air home. After there earlier breakups, she finally meets her Mr. Perfect. Her wedding, is a bridge between the past and future, and an opportunity for reconciliation, forgiveness, and new hope - as weddings often are for us all.
And yes just like the names, there were similarites and continuity in the books as they were different!
Well, if 'The Wedding' is about The dreams and expectations of a cermony that unites us all...; 'Mixed Blessings' is about the desire, the difficulties, and the joy of having a child.
Mirror Image, is of identical Twin children, very similar in looks but different in dreams, which take one to the war in Europe - World war 1. Echoes, is again, in the back drops , which begin with world war 1 and ends in world war 2.
_________________
Chetan Bhagat:
All the books are a quick read, which even the beginners in reading can go through.
Five Point Someone
One Night @ The call center
Three mistakes in my life
Two states.
Five point someone:
I would say, the similarity between Five point someone(the book) and Three Idiots(Film from book) would be just 50% to 60%. The film is indeed an improvised version of the book.
Three mistakes in my life: Is about an youth named Govind, who dreamt of owning a business. To accommodate his friends Ish and Omi's passion, they open a cricket shop. However, nothing coes easy in a turbulent city. To realise their golas thtey will have to face it all - religion, politics, calamities, unacceptable love and above all their own mistakes. The book is based on real life incidents. With some insights like team work, passion and discipline, the need of them to be taught in school.
Two states: is about Krish and Ananya who are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, theri parents don't agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but much harder to convince. Because in India, for marriges to succeed, it is not sufficient that boy and girl love each other, but their parents have to love them,and each others parents too!
Moreover the striking feature for me in this book, was about Krish's father, and the saint and psychatrists advice to 'forgive' and how the rest will follow.
I really wonder if Chetan Bhagat's father really did like that, and how is he and mother now?
One Night @ the call center; indeed had some thought provoking points
The most important call in the world is the inner call.
Follow your thoughts.
Four things needed for success: Intelligence, imagination, self-confidence, and Failure.
Be firm!
Life is uncertain, screwed up at times, but still fun.
Remember:
1. I can do whatever I really want.
2. God is always with me.
3. There is no such thing a loser after all.
______
Waiting to read more of them!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Bloodline
My first of the Sidney Sheldon, ‘Bloodline’, has it all; passion, suspense, Intrigue; powerful enough, to make me wake up from sleep to know who the killer was?
Sam Roffe had just died, and at his death his daughter Elizabeth Roffe, had to obey his behest and take command of his mighty global empire. She possessed beauty, intelligence, youth, and now riches too. Their help in office who knew the all and all was Rhys Williams.
Her mother had died at the time of her birth, and there was nothing interesting in her growing up days, though she visited places, and lived a luxrious life. She happen to read of her great grandfather Samuel.
Samuel and his broken-down horse, Lottie, had created a dynasty. Roffee and Sons, a little less than half a century after it had been founded, was a multi-national behemoth that circled the globe. It all happened because of Samuels’s passion for Terenia Roffe, and medicine. To him, medicine was for healing and not for profit!
They had five sons-Abraham, Joseph, Anton, Jan and Pitor. Samuel had send each of his five sons, to different places on their 21st birthday to grow his business.
Abraham had gone to America, married an American, had first grandchild, Woodrow, who sired a son named Sam.
Joseph had married a German girl, who bore him a son and a daughter. The son had a daughter Anna who married a German, Walther Gassner. (Twin children killed)
In France, Anton had married a French girl, by whom he had two sons. One son committed suicide. The other married and had a daughter, Helene. She married several times but had no children. (The bold and capable)
Jan, in London had married an English girl. Their only daughter had married a baronet named Nichols and had a son whom they christened Alec. (Vivians: Red ribbion)
In Rome, Pitor had married an Italian girl. They had a son and daughter. When the son, in his turn, married, his wife gave him a daughter Simonetta, who fell in love with and married a young architect, Ivo Palazzi. (Wife, and another lady)
Someone, somewhere was determined that she must die, ....This become evident, after the death of Kate Erling, their secretary, in The special express lift.
Max Hornung, help them solve the puzzle. He had a single-track mind, and it was a very narrow-gauge track at that. All he needed was one loose thread, one tiny piece that did not fit into the rest of the fabric, and once he had that he would begin to unravel it, until somebody's brilliant, foolproof scheme fell apart at the seams. He had a photographic memory, and was very economical too.
There were so many troubles which Roffee and Sons, had to face as the days go by, that they needed to change the presided, and therefore she decided to marry Rhys Williams.
Though Samuel had believed; that one should ‘Never let a friendly fox into your hen-house. One day he’s going to get hungry.’ It happened that, over a period of time, someone from your own house would be hungrier than a fox!!
Sam Roffe had just died, and at his death his daughter Elizabeth Roffe, had to obey his behest and take command of his mighty global empire. She possessed beauty, intelligence, youth, and now riches too. Their help in office who knew the all and all was Rhys Williams.
Her mother had died at the time of her birth, and there was nothing interesting in her growing up days, though she visited places, and lived a luxrious life. She happen to read of her great grandfather Samuel.
Samuel and his broken-down horse, Lottie, had created a dynasty. Roffee and Sons, a little less than half a century after it had been founded, was a multi-national behemoth that circled the globe. It all happened because of Samuels’s passion for Terenia Roffe, and medicine. To him, medicine was for healing and not for profit!
They had five sons-Abraham, Joseph, Anton, Jan and Pitor. Samuel had send each of his five sons, to different places on their 21st birthday to grow his business.
Abraham had gone to America, married an American, had first grandchild, Woodrow, who sired a son named Sam.
Joseph had married a German girl, who bore him a son and a daughter. The son had a daughter Anna who married a German, Walther Gassner. (Twin children killed)
In France, Anton had married a French girl, by whom he had two sons. One son committed suicide. The other married and had a daughter, Helene. She married several times but had no children. (The bold and capable)
Jan, in London had married an English girl. Their only daughter had married a baronet named Nichols and had a son whom they christened Alec. (Vivians: Red ribbion)
In Rome, Pitor had married an Italian girl. They had a son and daughter. When the son, in his turn, married, his wife gave him a daughter Simonetta, who fell in love with and married a young architect, Ivo Palazzi. (Wife, and another lady)
Someone, somewhere was determined that she must die, ....This become evident, after the death of Kate Erling, their secretary, in The special express lift.
Max Hornung, help them solve the puzzle. He had a single-track mind, and it was a very narrow-gauge track at that. All he needed was one loose thread, one tiny piece that did not fit into the rest of the fabric, and once he had that he would begin to unravel it, until somebody's brilliant, foolproof scheme fell apart at the seams. He had a photographic memory, and was very economical too.
There were so many troubles which Roffee and Sons, had to face as the days go by, that they needed to change the presided, and therefore she decided to marry Rhys Williams.
Though Samuel had believed; that one should ‘Never let a friendly fox into your hen-house. One day he’s going to get hungry.’ It happened that, over a period of time, someone from your own house would be hungrier than a fox!!
Assessment!
At times life is so simple and beautiful, at other it is such a complex process. Life is a good teacher which alwayz teaches us better.
I often wonder whether the time spent in making something is more valuable than the results it produces. I often wonder if people have always enjoyed the process more than the end result and after? Isn’t end result indeed a mixed blessing? After, is the immense fear and anxiety of many things including, judgement. No one likes that. Whether it be in case of our work (job) or anything else. But that is what motivates us to the profession. I often wish if we could spend all our time on work and not have to face the wrath and unpredictability of result, what a wonderful life it would be.
There is such great joy in work, but also there is equally, such a great desire of distancing oneself from it when it is to be assessed. Assessment brings doubt and uncertainty. Would it not be wonderful if we were never to be assessed, and still share the benefit of its import. Ahhh … life asks and tempts one into taking always the easy way out. The brave keep going regardless, the weak succumb and sit by the shade of the tree, tired and prone to giving up! Am I getting tired? It is said that the best is to compete with self and not others, but then why comparisons? Indeed talents differ; all is well and wisely put. OK, first assessment, then why again counter assessments, and criticisms? Once done should be done!
Life goes on...you feel that happiest moment is your graduation, then getting a job, then it is your marriage, then the joy of having your child...when you feel, that tell then you had feeling, now it is that you have started facing reality. Then it is when you play with your grandchildren...Life goes on...until death, with assessments at everystage!!
Why be angry and lose the temper? How much of Self-control, control of the surroundings? Is it posible to be tolerant and fight for justice, both hand in hand? What is Just? Again an assessment!
For Hitler, it was just (right) to kill the Jews. The fall of Russia, Capture of Saddam Hussain and the fight in Iraq, The unrest of Libia and Gaddafi, Corruptions in the Politics, Politicians eating money?, Fight for different house/family/state/country. Rich and the powerful are they right to do anything? Spoil the love one has for sports, which needs to be played by way of sportsmanship, but which too is fixed these days? To add to the misunderstandings, riots, and nuclear disasters, there are natural calamities? Are they God's plan or ways to keep things intact or his wrath?
Why do each feel that they are right and the other is wrong. And then set out to garnish their own traits and tarnish that of others, when there is good and bad in everything?
Wonder if everybody is not entangled in the staccato painted on the broken walls?
Joy and woe are woven fine....as life goes by... You too your living, I too my death. Who alone is going through the right way is unknown to all except God! I pray: God give me the wisdom, to understand and do what is right; Keep my Control and set things right!
Love & Respect All Good! (Again an assessment! What is good?)
I often wonder whether the time spent in making something is more valuable than the results it produces. I often wonder if people have always enjoyed the process more than the end result and after? Isn’t end result indeed a mixed blessing? After, is the immense fear and anxiety of many things including, judgement. No one likes that. Whether it be in case of our work (job) or anything else. But that is what motivates us to the profession. I often wish if we could spend all our time on work and not have to face the wrath and unpredictability of result, what a wonderful life it would be.
There is such great joy in work, but also there is equally, such a great desire of distancing oneself from it when it is to be assessed. Assessment brings doubt and uncertainty. Would it not be wonderful if we were never to be assessed, and still share the benefit of its import. Ahhh … life asks and tempts one into taking always the easy way out. The brave keep going regardless, the weak succumb and sit by the shade of the tree, tired and prone to giving up! Am I getting tired? It is said that the best is to compete with self and not others, but then why comparisons? Indeed talents differ; all is well and wisely put. OK, first assessment, then why again counter assessments, and criticisms? Once done should be done!
Life goes on...you feel that happiest moment is your graduation, then getting a job, then it is your marriage, then the joy of having your child...when you feel, that tell then you had feeling, now it is that you have started facing reality. Then it is when you play with your grandchildren...Life goes on...until death, with assessments at everystage!!
Why be angry and lose the temper? How much of Self-control, control of the surroundings? Is it posible to be tolerant and fight for justice, both hand in hand? What is Just? Again an assessment!
For Hitler, it was just (right) to kill the Jews. The fall of Russia, Capture of Saddam Hussain and the fight in Iraq, The unrest of Libia and Gaddafi, Corruptions in the Politics, Politicians eating money?, Fight for different house/family/state/country. Rich and the powerful are they right to do anything? Spoil the love one has for sports, which needs to be played by way of sportsmanship, but which too is fixed these days? To add to the misunderstandings, riots, and nuclear disasters, there are natural calamities? Are they God's plan or ways to keep things intact or his wrath?
Why do each feel that they are right and the other is wrong. And then set out to garnish their own traits and tarnish that of others, when there is good and bad in everything?
Wonder if everybody is not entangled in the staccato painted on the broken walls?
Joy and woe are woven fine....as life goes by... You too your living, I too my death. Who alone is going through the right way is unknown to all except God! I pray: God give me the wisdom, to understand and do what is right; Keep my Control and set things right!
Love & Respect All Good! (Again an assessment! What is good?)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Change....Who Moved my Cheese - Dr. Spencer Johnson
When things change in our life, often we have resistance to the change. But if you understand the structure of the Universe, life, and creation, then you will understand that life is change, and nothing ever stands still. Everything is energy, and energy is in continual motion and change. If energy stood still you would be gone, and there would be no life.
Change is always happening for the good of you and for everyone. It is the evolution of life.
Those who survive are not the intelligent or educated but those not resistent to change...I wonder if, the Politicians are the only ones who understand it the best and apply it!!
Glad that, I caught hold of two books as these thoughts were crossing my mind:
1. The Future Shock; which I had read before; but have started reading again.
2. Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson:Thanks to the lovely Birthday present from Suji.
Written for all ages, by Dr. Spencer Johnson, Who moved my cheese? Is a simple parable that reveals profound truths. It is the story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.
Cheese being a metaphor for what you want to have in life - good job, loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spiritual peace of mind.
Maze is where you look for what you want - the organisation you work in, family or community you live in.
We need to deal with change, so that we suffer less stress and enjoy more success in work and life. It can be done by:
~ Anticipating change.
~ Adapting to change quickly.
~ Enjoying change.
~ Being ready to change quickly, again and again.
As 'The Secret' Message always ends: May the joy be with you.
Change is always happening for the good of you and for everyone. It is the evolution of life.
Those who survive are not the intelligent or educated but those not resistent to change...I wonder if, the Politicians are the only ones who understand it the best and apply it!!
Glad that, I caught hold of two books as these thoughts were crossing my mind:
1. The Future Shock; which I had read before; but have started reading again.
2. Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson:Thanks to the lovely Birthday present from Suji.
Written for all ages, by Dr. Spencer Johnson, Who moved my cheese? Is a simple parable that reveals profound truths. It is the story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.
Cheese being a metaphor for what you want to have in life - good job, loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spiritual peace of mind.
Maze is where you look for what you want - the organisation you work in, family or community you live in.
We need to deal with change, so that we suffer less stress and enjoy more success in work and life. It can be done by:
~ Anticipating change.
~ Adapting to change quickly.
~ Enjoying change.
~ Being ready to change quickly, again and again.
As 'The Secret' Message always ends: May the joy be with you.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Books to read...
Books I am looking forward to read; so dears, you know what to gift me.
Dan Brown books are spine chilling. Are you into thrillers? Am NOT at all into it. But would want to read Da Vinci code. Havent read any of other books by Dan Brown.
Twilight Series are good read. Haven’t read it but have seen the movie series. I am not an avid lover of Twilight series as far as the story and its saga is concerned. But the movie takes you to a different world. The movie has a blue colour, whole through it. A different world – I must say. That’s what I like about it. And yea, the lead character – Bella & the actress who played the character – Kristenn Stewart! She’s soooo pretty J
Btw, don't know what made me to finally fall into this genre??!!
__
Dan Brown
Novels
• Digital Fortress,
• Angels & Demons,
• Deception Point,
• The Da Vinci Code,
• The Lost Symbol,
Stephenie Meyer novels: Twilight series.
Bernard Cornwell's books Sharp series.
Danielle Steels books: So many ha....
------
As recommended by Ian:
Millennium Trilogy by the Swedish author Stieg Larsson.
If you enjoy Scandinavian crime novels, you may also the Harry Hole detective series by the Norwegian author Jo Nesbo.
Need to read and enjoy the following books (shown in chronological order):
Redbreast
Nemesis
The Devil’s Star
The Redeemer
The Snowman
The Leopard
----
And yes 1Q84 (Guess name is right) in two or three volumes by Haruki Now? These are very much talked about. But I am yet to read them too. It is difficult to remember the names in The Chinese & Japanese books; but they are quite interesting.
Generation Gap and Raising Children!
Ever since the East have started adapting to the west, what happened yesterday in west, is happening here today!
My grandparents lived in a closed society, where marriages were within a community, or locality. There was no much competition. It was more of a Joint family concept, and there was love within family, where family was not just father, mother and children but included their siblings and their family too.
My parents’ generation started moving out and the society was becoming open, there was a move towards nuclear family.
Both my parents and grandparents generation, often stayed married to people they shouldn’t have married in the first place, and were miserable for years, sometimes an entire lifetime. They didn’t want to get divorced, and staying married for 50 years to someone they didn’t love became some kind of honorable goal.
And in reaction to that, my generation, I think, have become global. They move international, get divorced too easily and sometimes too often. If they were unhappy, they bailed.
And subsequent generations will look around them, see all the wreckage, remember the bad stories we told about divorce, alimony, custody battles, and they are the generation that would suffere for our mistakes, and many don’t want to get married at all.
I liked the recent ad. of a parent taking their child to doctor, because he would not study.
Doctor, as part of check up: asked if he knew of any war?
Child: My parents, have told me not to discuss what happens at home with outsiders!
Children, are each different distinct people from one other and from their parents. Having had to live with various kind, I think one of the greatest challenges as a parent is adjusting to who they are as people, and not expecting them to be just like you, or do what you want them to.
Again I am reminded of another Joke:
Father: At your age Abraham Lincolon did not have a decent place to study.
Child: At your age, He was the President of America!
Dont underestimate a child, even if he does not study!
Their visions are different, their dreams, their needs. They may never be anything like you, or they may turn out to be more like you one day than you think, or would even believe when they’re young. It is really, really hard to just let them be, and not nag them about what you want. Sometimes you see them heading straight for a wall and want to stop them, but you can’t always. They have to find their own way, and be who they are. One of my biggest lessons has been learning to respect that and back off.
It’s a lesson I’m still learning and working on.
But I will still love them forever, no matter how old they are, committed to helping them, worried for them, and concerned about the dangers, disappointments and risks they may face.
They may not understand that, I know...But that is how I am.
I like to have the growing up, in the phase of transition with me! They teach me many things and keep me going...Some come back to me, some dont! But that does not matter! I remember them, though may not be in touch with them often!
My grandparents lived in a closed society, where marriages were within a community, or locality. There was no much competition. It was more of a Joint family concept, and there was love within family, where family was not just father, mother and children but included their siblings and their family too.
My parents’ generation started moving out and the society was becoming open, there was a move towards nuclear family.
Both my parents and grandparents generation, often stayed married to people they shouldn’t have married in the first place, and were miserable for years, sometimes an entire lifetime. They didn’t want to get divorced, and staying married for 50 years to someone they didn’t love became some kind of honorable goal.
And in reaction to that, my generation, I think, have become global. They move international, get divorced too easily and sometimes too often. If they were unhappy, they bailed.
And subsequent generations will look around them, see all the wreckage, remember the bad stories we told about divorce, alimony, custody battles, and they are the generation that would suffere for our mistakes, and many don’t want to get married at all.
I liked the recent ad. of a parent taking their child to doctor, because he would not study.
Doctor, as part of check up: asked if he knew of any war?
Child: My parents, have told me not to discuss what happens at home with outsiders!
Children, are each different distinct people from one other and from their parents. Having had to live with various kind, I think one of the greatest challenges as a parent is adjusting to who they are as people, and not expecting them to be just like you, or do what you want them to.
Again I am reminded of another Joke:
Father: At your age Abraham Lincolon did not have a decent place to study.
Child: At your age, He was the President of America!
Dont underestimate a child, even if he does not study!
Their visions are different, their dreams, their needs. They may never be anything like you, or they may turn out to be more like you one day than you think, or would even believe when they’re young. It is really, really hard to just let them be, and not nag them about what you want. Sometimes you see them heading straight for a wall and want to stop them, but you can’t always. They have to find their own way, and be who they are. One of my biggest lessons has been learning to respect that and back off.
It’s a lesson I’m still learning and working on.
But I will still love them forever, no matter how old they are, committed to helping them, worried for them, and concerned about the dangers, disappointments and risks they may face.
They may not understand that, I know...But that is how I am.
I like to have the growing up, in the phase of transition with me! They teach me many things and keep me going...Some come back to me, some dont! But that does not matter! I remember them, though may not be in touch with them often!
Here & There
Ah spring! they say in the west,
Oh summer! we say in the east.
Daylight Savings, lesser clothes from this month,
We don’t need day light savings, it’s same all year.
Goodbye to snowdrifts, happy no more spine chilling winter,
Looking out for coolers, sweating, waiting for the monsoon shower,
On the same earth, who say everything is same everywhere?
When we are here, we want to be there & when we are there, we want to be here.
Here or there or wherever, there are something’s that we enjoy without fear,
Guess what? Yes, rising sun, changing moon, air, love, joy, laughter and cheer.
Oh summer! we say in the east.
Daylight Savings, lesser clothes from this month,
We don’t need day light savings, it’s same all year.
Goodbye to snowdrifts, happy no more spine chilling winter,
Looking out for coolers, sweating, waiting for the monsoon shower,
On the same earth, who say everything is same everywhere?
When we are here, we want to be there & when we are there, we want to be here.
Here or there or wherever, there are something’s that we enjoy without fear,
Guess what? Yes, rising sun, changing moon, air, love, joy, laughter and cheer.
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