How many cartoon characters are you familiar with? A few – which I regard as my favorites are - Tom n Jerry, Aladdin...a few which I hate to watch – Mr. Bean, a few which I am forced to watch - chota bheem, animated series of Mr. Bean, kumbhakaran.. and the list goes on. My knowledge in this area was very limited and thanks to him – my toddler, for broadening my sphere of knowledge and making me watch all that I don’t.
Ever thought why only these things, like watching cartoons, are contagious? Why we limit our learning from them to the names of these cartoon characters. I know we concur when I say ‘Kids need to learn a lot but we need to learn a lot more from them’.
These toddlers have no work - then what keeps them occupied all day? Some piece of toy some thing which is so trivial for them and where in the course of life did we lose this patience – don’t we hear very often stuff like ‘I am now bored of this task assigned to me’. We speak like this for the job which is our own choice.
We can run campaigns regarding ‘save tigers’ but that genuine love for nature is a quality which reflects in children in its purest form. When was it last that you sat in a park/a garden or your courtyard for a few quiet moments relishing the beauty around you? You are lucky if you can recollect one such occasion.
Often we come across parents nagging their kids... Don’t do this don’t do that… this will harm you, that will prick you. As kids know nothing about the harm some thing can cause, they embrace everything. Such a simple learning- To embrace something, ignore the harm it can cause... half the harm is mitigated by doing so.
The trust with which a little one gropes for his mom in sleep - thinking the default location of this person is next to me, or, plunges into his dads arms - thinking, this person is bound to catch me - is a true definition of blind trust and of course a lovely experience.
I had read somewhere that children do not have sense of time until 5 years of age. If you tell them we will do it later - they hear it as we will do it. The word 'later' is not grasped and they want it to be done then and there. The only time they know of is 'NOW'. They live in the present in true sense - Live in the present! See one more…why don’t we learn this from them (I know I have heard it many times…so many that this line now seems to have lost the value it deserves!).
Ok now, are you of the curious lot or do you fall in the -‘know it all… seen it all… done it all’ category? I ask this as there is one more thing these little creatures teach us…never ending curiosity... they are so inquisitive... keep asking… keep digging things n thoughts, keep exploring… keep learning.. keep growing…OOOps! Does that mean we have stopped growing???
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Coffee...Coffeee
“Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.” That’s the recipe for coffee, according to the utterly French statesman Talleyrand (1754-1838).
I was amazed at the fact that coffee has so mannny stories hooked to it..thought to share a few.
The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas. Firstly it was hard to believe that coffee was grounded by the Arabs, which is now such a craze in the west.
Also, never thought that coffe would fall in the list of banned drinks unlike the aerated drinks being banned nowadays...yes, in Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption. It was banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons,and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe... is this coffee..or?
American scientist Yaser Dorri has suggested that the smell of coffee can restore appetite and refresh olfactory receptors. People can regain their appetite after cooking by smelling coffee beans...hmmm this smells good!
One study suggests that it may have a mixed effect on short-term memory, by improving it when the information to be recalled is related to the current train of thought but making it more difficult to recall unrelated information...who am I? what am I writing?..huh
What more - The Oromo people(ethnic group found in Ethiopia) would customarily plant a coffee tree on the graves of powerful sorcerers. They believed that the first coffee bush sprang up from the tears that the god of heaven shed over the corpse of a dead sorcerer.
I donno about you, but after all this..I am badly in need of one cup coffee!
I was amazed at the fact that coffee has so mannny stories hooked to it..thought to share a few.
The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas. Firstly it was hard to believe that coffee was grounded by the Arabs, which is now such a craze in the west.
Also, never thought that coffe would fall in the list of banned drinks unlike the aerated drinks being banned nowadays...yes, in Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption. It was banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons,and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe... is this coffee..or?
American scientist Yaser Dorri has suggested that the smell of coffee can restore appetite and refresh olfactory receptors. People can regain their appetite after cooking by smelling coffee beans...hmmm this smells good!
One study suggests that it may have a mixed effect on short-term memory, by improving it when the information to be recalled is related to the current train of thought but making it more difficult to recall unrelated information...who am I? what am I writing?..huh
What more - The Oromo people(ethnic group found in Ethiopia) would customarily plant a coffee tree on the graves of powerful sorcerers. They believed that the first coffee bush sprang up from the tears that the god of heaven shed over the corpse of a dead sorcerer.
I donno about you, but after all this..I am badly in need of one cup coffee!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tag it to tune it!
I have not been writing for quite sometime now and I think... when I tried to figure out why, I could list a few reasons:
1. I must have started working at office
2. I must have gone busy - not just at office but also at home
3. I must be feeling it to be a task to update my blog
4. ....
We will stop here because I think the most appropriate reason was where we stopped - the third pick.. 'I have begun to take it as a task, a project, an obligation, a duty'... something mundane...something which demands me to sweat through..drain mentally...hmm, OK!
So what made me write today... I have a free flow of thoughts today and so I am able to write, as simple as that. That implies I am not considering writing to be a task today. It is an expression for me for the day, a conversation with you. Yes, if I rephrase - 'I am blogging today' to 'I am conversing today' - it makes writing easier - its easier to converse than to blog!
Something to mull over - Just a change in thought, a change in tagging something would change what and how I do things I do.
Lets weigh this selftalk - 'I will work on ugrading and uploadng a document today' here I perform as I do daily, against - 'today I will see how I can get this thing done beautifully' - Here I will excel as I am thinking more creatively and creativity in any form entices a human.
Change the name of your work to something you love to do and you would love to work! This implies only if you have any negativity related to the word 'work'. Instead of saying 'I am working today', which will leave you tiring for the day, just say - 'I am enjoying what I am doing today' and that makes all the difference.
This is no gyan line - its just a method to mould our mind... its our brain so it will listen to us.. its just waiting for us to say something...say it...not just to perform better but to gain a control over our train of thoughts...Trust me it helps!
1. I must have started working at office
2. I must have gone busy - not just at office but also at home
3. I must be feeling it to be a task to update my blog
4. ....
We will stop here because I think the most appropriate reason was where we stopped - the third pick.. 'I have begun to take it as a task, a project, an obligation, a duty'... something mundane...something which demands me to sweat through..drain mentally...hmm, OK!
So what made me write today... I have a free flow of thoughts today and so I am able to write, as simple as that. That implies I am not considering writing to be a task today. It is an expression for me for the day, a conversation with you. Yes, if I rephrase - 'I am blogging today' to 'I am conversing today' - it makes writing easier - its easier to converse than to blog!
Something to mull over - Just a change in thought, a change in tagging something would change what and how I do things I do.
Lets weigh this selftalk - 'I will work on ugrading and uploadng a document today' here I perform as I do daily, against - 'today I will see how I can get this thing done beautifully' - Here I will excel as I am thinking more creatively and creativity in any form entices a human.
Change the name of your work to something you love to do and you would love to work! This implies only if you have any negativity related to the word 'work'. Instead of saying 'I am working today', which will leave you tiring for the day, just say - 'I am enjoying what I am doing today' and that makes all the difference.
This is no gyan line - its just a method to mould our mind... its our brain so it will listen to us.. its just waiting for us to say something...say it...not just to perform better but to gain a control over our train of thoughts...Trust me it helps!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Football or Soccer....?
I just hope this title does not portray untrue truths like 'I adore Ronaldinho or Lionel Messi, or I support Brazil or Argentina and I am an ardent follower of Football, which I am not! Yes, I did watch the game this year- so that I fall a company to my husband who enjoys watching the game. It is then that I started pondering - why two names for a single game? I then began to explore our immense source of information - "GOOGLE" and came across a few things that astonished me. That is when I thought this to be worth sharing.
Ok lets move further, rather lets go back to 19th Century in England when arguments to standardize the rules for football among a congregation of private schools fountain headed two games - Rugby football (named after a school called Rugby) and Association football, after the Football Association.
Would you believe if I were to say-'the word Soccer is an outcome of slang’? It works like this: you shorten a word and add “-er” on the end. Similarly, recipe for the word ‘Soccer’ = chopped off the As from Association, slice off the –iation from sociation and called it “soccer”. Sounds weird, but true!
One fact is that soccer wasn't universally accepted over football in the U.S. for a long time. The governing body for soccer in the U.S. was called the United States Soccer Football Association until 1974.
The game originated in Europe and most European languages call it FOOTBALL (Spanish: fútbol; German: Fußball; French: Football;…)! Also, it is ruled by FIFA (which stands for Federation International de Football Association – in French).
'If you’re reading this in the U.S. or Canada, then maybe you love soccer. If you’re reading this pretty much anywhere else, then perhaps you love football’. That says it all!
Ok lets move further, rather lets go back to 19th Century in England when arguments to standardize the rules for football among a congregation of private schools fountain headed two games - Rugby football (named after a school called Rugby) and Association football, after the Football Association.
Would you believe if I were to say-'the word Soccer is an outcome of slang’? It works like this: you shorten a word and add “-er” on the end. Similarly, recipe for the word ‘Soccer’ = chopped off the As from Association, slice off the –iation from sociation and called it “soccer”. Sounds weird, but true!
One fact is that soccer wasn't universally accepted over football in the U.S. for a long time. The governing body for soccer in the U.S. was called the United States Soccer Football Association until 1974.
The game originated in Europe and most European languages call it FOOTBALL (Spanish: fútbol; German: Fußball; French: Football;…)! Also, it is ruled by FIFA (which stands for Federation International de Football Association – in French).
'If you’re reading this in the U.S. or Canada, then maybe you love soccer. If you’re reading this pretty much anywhere else, then perhaps you love football’. That says it all!
A fresh path... a fresh mind.
Part of our routine - wake up - get ready - get going. Now, this ‘get going’ was going a bit tough for the past few days…My brother and I would leave home for office and what do we find… a multitude of people awaiting to welcome us, all trumpets replaced with the honking, a place of no rules – our roads! - Everybody in a rush to thump and leave the other behind, people in the cars would prefer to have the windows up even if the weather was awesome… who would want to enjoy the weather when it brings with it an unwanted headache of decibels ringing! Two wheelers, four wheelers, trucks and buses, all of them trying to make space, JUST for themselves…what a selfish world being portrayed!
Then one fine day, as though the sun gleamed in a differently, as though all the Gods above were favoring us, it flashed to us to diverge from this chaos.. and were astonished to find ourselves in this heaven… we were on a road that though was though not a red carpet welcome – but a lush green one, so serene, peaceful, pleasant and untouched. It was hard to believe greenery on either side of the road, we do not see many people no stodgy traffic, no signals… simply uninterrupted drive.. too good to be true..something similar to what Alice must have felt in Wonderland. I think exactly like that! Then slowly as we moved ahead we would see the huge buildings growing as we near them, the backdrop of clouds.. I wish I had better words to describe the joy within me. I was enjoying both the natural and artificial world around!
Now we take that path daily, it’s the outer ring road…it’s a fresh feeling to come to office with a fresh mind. You do not have any guilt of scolding and fighting and cursing people on your way to office, no hard feelings towards anyone...plain mirth!
This is what makes me ponder of what life would be after all that chaos and humdrum creeps everywhere! I know I can’t do much but just hope that I don’t add on anything harsh to this beautiful world around us which translates into beauty within us! I strongly believe in it. So why don’t we take minute steps to beautify the world around us? Trust me it’s worth a try!
Then one fine day, as though the sun gleamed in a differently, as though all the Gods above were favoring us, it flashed to us to diverge from this chaos.. and were astonished to find ourselves in this heaven… we were on a road that though was though not a red carpet welcome – but a lush green one, so serene, peaceful, pleasant and untouched. It was hard to believe greenery on either side of the road, we do not see many people no stodgy traffic, no signals… simply uninterrupted drive.. too good to be true..something similar to what Alice must have felt in Wonderland. I think exactly like that! Then slowly as we moved ahead we would see the huge buildings growing as we near them, the backdrop of clouds.. I wish I had better words to describe the joy within me. I was enjoying both the natural and artificial world around!
Now we take that path daily, it’s the outer ring road…it’s a fresh feeling to come to office with a fresh mind. You do not have any guilt of scolding and fighting and cursing people on your way to office, no hard feelings towards anyone...plain mirth!
This is what makes me ponder of what life would be after all that chaos and humdrum creeps everywhere! I know I can’t do much but just hope that I don’t add on anything harsh to this beautiful world around us which translates into beauty within us! I strongly believe in it. So why don’t we take minute steps to beautify the world around us? Trust me it’s worth a try!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Versions of my Saga – Blog VS Personal Diary
I posted a poll on the blog for a week now, and I now come up with a plan (I am not sure till when will I stand on it though.. also it does not limit my blog to this thought). And the thought goes - “I would write based on the analysis from the poll results and its comprehension”. The poll was about ‘Personal Diaries’ (PD), being replaced by blogs in our W3 era.
The poll result: 40% say No, 20% say Yes and 40% go for Maybe.
The analysis part: Here let me go by my example - If I had to write my heart in a diary on the topic ‘how was the weekend’ -how would it differ from what I write in my blog? My diary will have the version ‘A long ride with my hubby, good time spent with him – not that we painted the town red but for sure reveled the time doing nothing’. My Blog would be read as ‘Went to the exhibition at HITEX over the weekend with him and the lil one. Awesome weather for a long drive and got to explore the new arrivals/technologies looming across the counter’. Ooops! The place was the same, the people were the same the experience same, still, I never thought it would be such a whopping difference while communicating the same. I conclude – there is a greater personal touch to a PD than to a blog! I know now, all those 40% in the poll above will concur with this.
Well, once you are done with reading I know you will not forget to poll your views for the question up there.
The poll result: 40% say No, 20% say Yes and 40% go for Maybe.
The analysis part: Here let me go by my example - If I had to write my heart in a diary on the topic ‘how was the weekend’ -how would it differ from what I write in my blog? My diary will have the version ‘A long ride with my hubby, good time spent with him – not that we painted the town red but for sure reveled the time doing nothing’. My Blog would be read as ‘Went to the exhibition at HITEX over the weekend with him and the lil one. Awesome weather for a long drive and got to explore the new arrivals/technologies looming across the counter’. Ooops! The place was the same, the people were the same the experience same, still, I never thought it would be such a whopping difference while communicating the same. I conclude – there is a greater personal touch to a PD than to a blog! I know now, all those 40% in the poll above will concur with this.
Well, once you are done with reading I know you will not forget to poll your views for the question up there.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Is learning that onerous?
"Brush up on, burn midnight oil, commit to memory, crack the books, get down pat, get the hang of, major in, minor in, pore over, soak up, specialize in, take course, wade through"- These are the dictionary meanings for the word 'learn'. Going through them, one would not just imagine 'learning' to be a cumbersome task but something that would drain them off.
I have come across a few quotes on learning that paint it a little better...“Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.” - Daniel J. Boorstin quotes (American social historian and educator, 1914).
This one makes you feel good.. it actually makes you feel that not knowing something is not that bad! You would eventually learn it sometime. But then, this one - “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” - Benjamin Franklin quotes (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. 1706-1790). Which implies the willingness to learn is much bigger a need than Learning itself!
Well, I chose to write about 'learning', as this is what I have been doing in the past few months. I have now developed a love towards it and I trust myself to get addicted to it. I knew it for a long time now that I need to learn something everyday and I have been tarrying it, until my friend, put it through to me in a tone that I will hear! And yes I did!
What is my learning for the day? Answer this daily.. it helps us grow!
I have come across a few quotes on learning that paint it a little better...“Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.” - Daniel J. Boorstin quotes (American social historian and educator, 1914).
This one makes you feel good.. it actually makes you feel that not knowing something is not that bad! You would eventually learn it sometime. But then, this one - “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” - Benjamin Franklin quotes (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. 1706-1790). Which implies the willingness to learn is much bigger a need than Learning itself!
Well, I chose to write about 'learning', as this is what I have been doing in the past few months. I have now developed a love towards it and I trust myself to get addicted to it. I knew it for a long time now that I need to learn something everyday and I have been tarrying it, until my friend, put it through to me in a tone that I will hear! And yes I did!
What is my learning for the day? Answer this daily.. it helps us grow!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Getting started..
I have been searching thesaurus for the word 'Procrastinate'...this is what I have been doing whenever I thought of starting a blog on my own.. now that I am getting started... I am actually getting started!
More to come...
More to come...
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