5 Ways to work with one you dislike

Stumbled upon this interesting article published in Times of India June 14 th edition. Thought would be a good idea to quote this article in my blog.

Am sure everyone working in today's corporate world would be able to relate to this post.

"5 Ways to Work with One you Dislike


1. Understand them
Instead of harping on the negative, focus on having a productive working relationship with the one you dislike. Closely examine the person and find ways of working with that person. The key is to understand the styles of others as well as being aware of your own style. Such understanding lays a solid foundation to develop mutual understanding and improves working effectiveness.

2. Build Trust
Try and be patient and tolerant. While dealing with people you do not like, always start with trust. It should not be blind trust, but one that fosters a productive working relationship.Small demonstrations of trust established over a period of time eventually lead to business success and development of strong relations that build dependability. The time will soon come when the person himself will start liking you.


3. Don't let dislikes rule
In life, you keep facing such situations that we need to handle with maturity and wit. You need to decide upfront whether it's a personal or professional association. If it's the latter, then you must be comfortable on the work front. So unlike in a personal relationship, a like or dislike should not be an important part of the equation.


4. Embrace Diversity
Working with people with different preferences, age groups, ethnic groups, personalities, working and communication styles is about embracing diversity. Working successfully with a diverse set of people is an important factor in modern workplaces. You must be comfortable with that if you wish to succeed.


5. Focus on Core Tasks
Likes and dislikes are usually temporary and change depending on the action taken. None of us has the luxury of working only with people we like. Instead of wasting precious time and energy, focus should be on the core tasks and completing them within the timeline."
                                                                                   - Source: Times of India News paper article!
                                    

 

The recollection of some time spent with her mom by a 19 yr old daughter

Blogging below the scribblings of a 20 yr old's recollection of some time spent with her mom  

before a pilgrimage trip. 

Time spent unaware that it was her last chance to interact with her mom. 

Thanks to a good memory, the scribblings were made after this fact was known.

Scribblings made in an attempt to make the grieving process easier then.  

Little did the 20 yr old realize that these very scribblings now

Would become a source of joy , the reason explained in the last paragraph of this blog!  

Amma became very spiritual during her last few days(ie. before leaving to the pilgrimage trip). She was getting ready for her pilgrimage to Bhadrinath and other places. She wanted to visit Brindavan, Gokulam and other temples again. She was inquiring everybody as to what all should be given to the people there at Bhadrinath. Her Athai(dad's sister) had called up the other day and she tactfully averted her from gossiping and instead gathered information on her Bhadrinath visit experience. Amma was telling that whenever we visit temples we have to mentally prepare ourselves a week before itself ie. be happy that we are going to see god and that we are blessed by him to have a chance to meet him. Even during a previous motor accident(read as an unfortunate incident) she had no other thoughts except for the Mennadai Annam pasuram of Andal. She did nt blame anyone for the accident and said that one's sufferings are due to one's sins. She took it lightly by saying "Pavam Kazhiyardhu"(something similar to "Sins being abolished")

I was unhappy with dad for a personal misunderstanding and as a result was not able to study properly. But Amma understood me and advised me saying that I should learn to be detached. Amma said that she had been with dad for 23 years or so and that she would not get upset over such things. Amma advised me that I should be detached from everything and do my duty as that would only help me out. Amma also added that she would not worry if I did not study well because she has read the Gita and according to that we really were not related it seems. She said that she was a jivatma and I was a jivatma and that god was everything to us. She told this looking at the picture of Lord Oppiliappan(the presiding deity of a temple in Kumbakonam, India) hung in the living room.

<!---When I read this now, must say that I listened and recollected this, whether or not I had/have the capability/maturity to understand and follow her advise in its totality -->.

Amma said that I should not grieve for dad taking away the cell(read as related to the personal misunderstanding) and should be detached from it. She wanted me to show that I can perform my duties well even without it and care a damn about it and not ask dad anything about it. This situation is very analogous to her sudden separation from me. Maybe she wanted me to show the world that I can survive even without her.

In the pasurams Amma and I were learning, "Nachiyar Thirumozhi"( in particular) narrates the pranks played by Lord Krishna.

• Krishna stealing gopika's clothes - Amma visited this place and saw the tree behind which Krishna had hid their clothes.
• Krishna dancing on the Kalinga hoods - Amma saw the river as well.
• the place where Krishna did Rasalila( I was lucky enough to see this along with Amma in her previous trip)                                                 

Amma used to sing the pasuram "Kannan Kazhalinai Ennum Mana Mudaiyir" in a very enjoyable manner. She was always excited about the phrase "Veede Peralaamae"( analogous to attaining the lord's abode). In the Aaraamude paasuram she used to say that she could feel the sweetness of the name Aara-Amudam(meaning endless nectar) while saying it. One day after the accident she said that when she thought of the pasurams she had a very different kind of feeling.

On tuesday(Amma left on Saturday morning to the airport for the trip) I was lucky enough to go for shopping with her. ( Thank god I did not mind my CAT exam preparation as I always used to do and instead accompanied her)

We first went to Mambalam where she wanted to get me Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavadam(English translation). She said that Gita press had published a cheap edition which grandpa wanted to get it seems( But he passed away before getting it). We inquired at Aruna book mart and the shop did nt have it. Then we got some Ayurvedic medicines. She told that she was very happy to do shopping with me :).

Then we went to Bhavani book store and there they luckily had Bhagavad Gita and she purchased it. She did not buy Bhagavatam since the price on it was erased with a whitener and the shopkeeper was trying to cheat her. We next went to T.Nagar Usman Road. There at Nalli 100 she got some 3-4 dhotis for the Lord. Then she got combs, mirrors etc to give to the people at Bhadrinath. She got plastic covers and plates for the trip. Then she got needles and threads to give it to those poor people at Bhadrinath for stitching clothes. She also bought a gum bottle. Then she got a slipper for her trip. She asked whether I wanted anything. I thought Amma was very sweet towards me and asked me as to what I wanted. I asked for a jute bag. Since that was not available I got a bag for college use.

Amma then enthusiastically asked whether we could go to Gautam bookstore to get Bhagavadam. By then we had boarded the auto and Amma was hungry. I felt that I would not have time to read Bhagavadam as well besides the Gita.( while she was away on her pilgrimage trip)

So I asked her as to what was the hurry? I told her that we could get it some other time.

There is no time like the present

She smiled and replied to me that "Oru Neram Pole Ennuru Neram Varaadhu"( implying something similar to "There is no time like the present"). Alas what she told turned out to be true and she cannot come and get it for me again.

She was hungry and unfortunately there was no hotel. I got a pepsi and she had some of it. Luckily we got all the items that she had written in the list for making the trip. This is a very memorable day in my life.

Due to CAT exams I could not help her much in packing and even she did not expect anything from me. Luckily after my last CAT exam I came home by PTC though none of my good friends came along. Luckily something in me told that I should follow my priorities and boarded the bus with a classmate(Shalini) of mine. I came home early and luckily she was there. It seems aunt had come to grandma's place and Amma had gone there as well, but she did nt stay there. Amma had changed a lot. If she was the same old person, she would have stayed at grandma's for some more time.

Thank god neither Amma stayed there nor I at college. Amma was surprised to see me as she did not expect me. I tried helping her with packing but by then she was almost done with it. I spent time with her and watched her check her bags and baggage.


<!--Must say, to this day, I think this day has and will be the most memorable day in my life -->

As I read today these above dear thoughts written down by me when I was 20 these below words from the book "the five people you meet in heaven" I recently read comes to my mind. Only that I am tempted to interpret it in terms of the motherly love I thought I had lost. 

Lost love is still love , Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You cannot see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. 

"Life has no end", she said. "Love doesn't"! 

The realization/reconciliation of a 26 yr old ?!?!

The End?

            

<--to be continued in next post(s)-->

Pura Vida! Aka 'Real Living' ....

On popular request am writing this real quick prelude post on my recent Costa Rican volunteering trip.
The trip has been the "Week of my Life" trip till date for several reasons which I will pen down in future posts soon.

However, the top most reason for me to make such a statement is mainly attributed to the wisdom/experience I feel like I gained from the trip. This below picture rightly summarizes the wisdom I gained from this memorable volunteering trip.

Wisdom from a Costa Rican Tree

Recapturing these above pearls of wisdom in case the lettering is not clear in the picture for chance blog readers !

Stand tall and proud

Sink your roots into the earth

Be content with your natural beauty

Go out on a limb

Drink plenty of water

Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

And yea, the reason for such a short prelude post about such a super hyped trip that totally psyched me?
Hmm .. have 'nt you read about the profound statement made by great Shakespeare in Hamlet ~ one of the most powerful ancient plays?
                           
                              Well it goes something like this, and guess it makes a lot of sense too ;)

...................................................................Brevity is the Soul of Wit !!

Nurturing Girl Cells and Remembering the International Women's day

International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day, is celebrated today on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. 

Watching this below video today in particular inspired me to write in this post in a spirit of remembering Women's day. This is one of those rare videos where am able to completely relate to each and every word of the speaker.


These below words in particular caught my attention!

Embrace your inner girl!
Embrace the Girl Cell which is a composition of compassion, empathy, passion, vulnerability, openness, intensity, intuition which is essential to balance, wisdom , which is in all of us, which is the future of all of us. 
Indeed compassion informs wisdom, 
Vulnerability is our greatest strength and 
Emotions have inherent logic which lead to radical appropriate saving action.
Capacity for girls to overcome situations and to move on levels is mind blowing! Being a girl is indeed so powerful!

I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE
I love being a girl.
I can feel what you're feeling
as you're feeling it inside the feeling before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears.
I know when your girlfriend's really pissed off
even though she appears to give you what you want.
I know when a storm is coming.
I can feel the invisible stirrings in the air.
I can tell you he won't call back.
It's a vibe I share.
I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me.
The way I walk in the street.
The way my mother wakes me up.
The way I hear bad news.
The way it's unbearable when I lose.
I am an emotional creature.
I am connected to everything and everyone.
I was born like that.
Don't you dare say all negative that it's a teenage thing or it's only only because I'm a girl.
These feelings make me better.
They make me ready.
They make me present.
They make me strong.
I am an emotional creature.
There is a particular way of knowing.
It's like the older women somehow forgot.
I rejoice that it's still in my body.
I know when the coconut's about to fall.
I know that we've pushed the earth too far.
I know my father isn't coming back.
That no one's prepared for the fire.
I know that lipstick means more than show.
I know that boys feel super-insecure
and so-called terrorists are made, not born.
I know that one kiss can take away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.
This is not extreme.
It's a girl thing.
What we would all be if the big door inside us flew open.
Don't tell me not to cry.
To calm it down
Not to be so extreme
To be reasonable.
I am an emotional creature.
It's how the earth got made.
How the wind continues to pollinate.
You don't tell the Atlantic ocean to behave.
I am an emotional creature.
Why would you want to shut me down or turn me off?
I am your remaining memory.
I am connecting you to your source.
Nothing's been diluted.
Nothing's leaked out.
I can take you back.
I love that I can feel the inside of the feelings in you,
even if it stops my life
even if it hurts too much
or takes me off track
even if it breaks my heart.
It makes me responsible.
I am an emotional
I am an emotional, devotional,
incandotional, creature.
And I love, hear me,
love love love being a girl.

So true! Very well said Eve Ensler!

These below thoughts raced across my mind as I watched this video in total agreement. Well I am not afraid anymore to openly admit that there has been those

Days where I had not been comfortable with my emotionality. 

Days when my tears were washed away in restroom waters or wiped away secretly in my pillow at bedtime.

Days were I wished I was little more light hearted like I was told or expected to be. 

Days were I hoped that I could have cried little less and perhaps saved some energy over every real and imagined problem/hurt. 

Days that made me wonder what is all this intuition, passion, openness, intensity, empathy, compassion, vulnerability within me for. 

Am sure every girl out there would agree with me (atleast to some extent) on these above thoughts. But over these years as I travel a bit and see reality around me, listen to some heart wrenching stories of people around me and watch inspiring videos like the above one,  am indeed amazed at my ability to feel what other people feel whether or not I have directly experienced the same emotions. Am realizing these very qualities of a real girl are indeed her source of strength and not something to be embarrassed about.

Am glad have finally moved over my fears and am willingly admitting embracing the Girl Cells within me. 

Yes, This is indeed what makes 

the REAL ME !

Every girl a REAL GIRL! and ....

Every human being a REAL HUMAN BEING!

In fact, having tasted it's power I feel like going one step further now. I feel like nurturing these cells and hope they thrive and grow to become my entire being, nay the entire cosmos as opposed to just being a single chip/ cell within me :)!

This realization has indeed made me Awaken from the delusional expectation that some outside entity might come to turn every tear of mine into a smile or every dream of mine into reality. 

Must say, I value each and every tear drop I have had to shed in my life so far as much as I cherish the moments of laughter in my life. I understand it might be weird or frightening to value/cherish tear drops just as much as laughter. But the reward, the sweet reward of doing so ................................

 .........................is to discover your capability to convert every tear drop into a waterfall ;).

This one is for all those girls out there who have not realized the power of embracing their Girl Cells.
This one is for the few good men out there who have their inner Girl Cells activated.
This one is in the hope that every chance blog reader realizes the importance of nurturing their inner Girl Cells just like I did :).



Being a girl is indeed great since I know for sure that I can get away by writing such an honest open emotional post. In fact I may even be more appreciated than ridiculed by society for being open and emotional as opposed to these coming from a guy  ;)

And yea, a real girl knows that this one kiss can take away all her decision making capability and like Eve Ensler says it probably should! ;)

                                                             Happy Women's day folks! 

Paasamalar Times Aka Sibling bonding ...

Paasamalar was an old Indian movie depicting a lot of sentimental love between a brother and a sister. I would say, the amount of drama done by me and my brother in Austin,TX rightly earned us that title/nickname amongst his friends.

Am sure anyone with a genuinely loving sibling would agree with me on this one. Having a sibling is indeed a unique relationship. Especially if they are around a similar age group for the extent to which they can relate and unconditionally guide you.  I feel like sometimes we never realise or tend to take people who really care for us the most for granted. 

Of all the many many gifts my brother has unconditionally given me I feel like the words on this card below is what I would cherish the most :). I wish I had the bird feathers from the NCC cap he had saved for me in the tiffin box way back home.But I do remember vividly the day he handed them to me after returning from the rigorous camp.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder who has been a better sibling between the two of us.

I feel at times our genuine love towards each other has sometimes even gotten our parents jealous ;) . I feel like I am blessed with a brother who has been more than a brother any sister could have ever dreamed of and sometimes I do not even know if I truly realise the difference his presence has truly made in my life.

I feel like inventing this below quote now :)

Behind every successful sister there is an even more successful brother saying she is wrong

And since these words are coming from the sister am sure the brother would magnanimously correct the statement like below ..
Behind every successful brother there is an even more successful sister saying he is wrong :P .

I am writing this post in a spirit of brotherly love for Valentines day. And yea, I do take the pleasure of embarrassing him many times  ;). But hey, what else are sisters for :P.

Dear brother,
This might sound silly, and I know I might have said/done real mean things to you, not realising your value. But all I can say is I find it hard to thank you/appreciate you for the little things that you say and do for me. I may loose the ipod you gave me long back but the words "Apple of my eye" engraved in its back, will be engraved in my memory for ever.  I hope to never take you for granted ever.Am glad am finally getting to write this post out :).
                                                                                                             As Always
                                                                                              A silly loving little sister :)

Sense and Sensibility : Adam & Eve in prospect

The Karnaugh map (K-map for short) is a method to simplify Boolean algebra expressions. The Karnaugh map reduces the need for extensive calculations by taking advantage of humans' pattern-recognition capability, also permitting the rapid identification and elimination of potential race conditions.

I am starting this post with a definition of K-maps to give some context about a recent blog post written by a friend, which compared the Boolean states of variables used in  K map to the bread winning(1) and homemaking(0) roles that Adam and Eve would play in their family lives. The short gist of the long post was that couples would evolve and transit across these states 00 01 11 10, ie. end in a state where Eve would be the bread winner and Adam would be the homemaker of the family. 

The blog post was probably attempting to solve the equation of happy marriages (analogous to Boolean Algebra Expressions) by assigning Boolean values to roles Adams and Eves would play after marriage.

Link to post if interested :) 

Whether or not the above post made logical sense to me, I must say that I admired the creativity involved in tying together boolean algebra concepts with the views of how relationships would be in the future. I feel like if this Adam indeed followed the words in his post he would end up being a frustrated/grumbling homemaker ten years down the lane, only to see all his cherished career dreams crushed and probably pining over children who have outgrown their childhood lives and have instead moved on with their own adult lives. 

With these thoughts I am tempted to redefine the Boolean states as below with genuine hopes of sharing my 2 cents worth realisation on relationships.

True state(1):

Adam(1)

 With all due respect, the well meaning friend was probably writing the post in a great spirit of feminist liberation. I am tempted to define such kinds of "Modern" Adams as "Adam: the extreme feminist" or 1 or true state! :)

 False state(0): 

In my recent trip to India I overheard this below conversation in a temple premise in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. I am sharing this to introduce the other kind of Adams  "Adam: the anti-feminist" or 0 or false state! :)

 Adam(0) : Sir, I am looking for a bride for my friend. He has a good job and earns pretty well.

Foo : Wow, good for him. So what kind of bride are you looking for your friend.

Adam(0) : Sir, nothing in particular. A girl(raised like the little one on left) preferably NOT educated more than 10 std or high school would be an ideal bride for my friend. 

I was passively hearing this conversation and must say that I was really tempted to ask whether the anti-feminist Adam was indeed looking for a bride for his friend or for a maid to only raise a family and do household chores. However being aware of the attitude of people in rural India to some extent I decided to keep mum and not let my mind wander away from peaceful thoughts of god at the temple :). I instead felt obligated to thank my stars for not being raised in such an environment.

Now, having redefined the Boolean states lets go back to our initial definition of K maps.  The word "race condition" in the above definition caught my attention in particular and the following realisation dawned to me. These below questions raced across my head first before leading me to my refreshed sense of realisation :)

• In the modern world are Adam and Eve delusion-ally running some sort of race between themselves as to who is better or who is one level up in the relationship?

• Do they even realise that this unwitting race could potentially be destroying the happiness in their romantic lives analogous to the cliche of "falling" in love rather than "rising" in love ?

•  Can Adam handle/feel non-threatened by a prospective Eve who may be as good as or maybe even better than him in the professional arena? 

•  Can Eve handle/feel non-threatened by a prospective Adam who maybe as good as or maybe even better than her in child rearing/cooking/homemaking arena?

With these questions in mind the "don't care" condition (defined as below) concept of K-maps crossed my mind and I realised a possible solution to this issue had struck my mind.

K maps also allow easy minimisations of functions whose truth tables include "don't care" conditions (that is, sets of inputs for which the designer doesn't care what the output is). They are usually indicated on the map with a dash or X. 

This in turn made me imagine the possibility of WHAT IF the roles of Adam and Eve were like don't care conditions marked with an X? 

• What if Adam and Eve learnt to not stereotype/dictate each others responsibilities and instead mutually promote their growth by enabling them to follow their dreams and ambitions? 

• Could they both learn to compromise and juggle the roles of bread winner and homemaker ?Something along the lines of Adam focusing on bread winning while Eve is busy child bearing/nurturing and later on switching roles?  

Redefining the happiness quotient in a healthy relationship with the below integration formula .  (Click "integration" if interested in a definition)

                                              Happiness Quotient Q =       

where Q between Adam and Eve would be quantified by the area beneath the curve formed by the function f(x) between the interval a and b ranging between 0 and 1. Like you may have guessed, 0 would represent the homemaker and 1 would represent the bread winning role/state.  x and y axis represents the lives of Adam and Eve in which the roles they play will be constantly changing between 0 and 1 with time.

Compromise may be the most important and often most misunderstood word in sustaining happy relationships.

 

It just needs some wisdom and maturity to be able to look at the bigger picture and realise that by compromising you are not giving up or giving in ~ you are just seeking balance in the relationship!

Benefits of this proposed solution are many. Listing below a key few

• Adam and Eve would be two mature self sufficient individuals who would be in a relationship based solely on true love and compatibility instead of being together for dependency reasons(example: Eve need not always depend on Adam for resources and Adam need not always depend on Eve for food etc etc ).

• The partnership will truly tap into and promote both of them to grow as a person instead of diminishing their innate abilities. 

• The word "divorce" would be unknown.

• Natural calamities like death/accidental loss of one(touch-wood) would have relatively lesser impact on either of them.

The beauty in this art of compromise lies in the fact that it can be applied to any relationship.

 I feel like if Adam and Eve truly realised the beauty in the art of compromise, their lives together would not have to be compared to complex Boolean Algebra/ Integration concepts and would instead be as simple and wonderful as the below quote :)! 

     

In a true partnership, the kind worth striving for, the kind worth insisting on, and even, frankly, worth divorcing over, both people try to give as much or even a little more than they get. "Deserves" is not the point. And "owes" is certainly not the point. The point is to make the other person as happy as we can, because their happiness adds to ours. The point is -- in the right hands, everything that you give, you get.

                                                          Happy Valentines day folks ! 

Wisdom from a dog ...

In the middle of cleaning my system, stumbled on this picture had taken last year. The simple words of wisdom in this block of wood inspired me to take a picture of it besides buying this and keeping it in my living room.

Really liked the analogy that was attempted here, the things we can all learn that a dog seems to do so effortlessly in its day to day existence and felt it was worth a real quick blog post :)! 

Journey through Grad school ...

Life at Grad School

Dear chance blog readers,

If there was one word to describe the nature of my life at grad school it would be something similar to the above picture. A good friend of mine had rightly compared it to be similar to that of a roller coaster ride and I cannot agree more with her :). Whether or not I was a great student is a totally different story, best not delved by me here ;) .

My take on the biggest reason for this journey to be so bumpy would partly be my then naive frivolous nature, combined with an insatiable curiosity/ inappropriate bravery in wanting to take hard courses without considering the implications it might have on my GPA :D. I would say it was the side-effect of something more on the lines of lacking the maturity of looking before leaping !

On the plus side, this quote by Arnold Edinborough was what kept me going throughout my self inflicted arduous journey through grad school

“Curiosity is the very basis of education and 

if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat,

I say only the cat died nobly.”

Must say, if I were to wholeheartedly thank one person  for saving/guiding the curious cat in me through grad school it would be my thesis supervisor. He was indeed more than a supervisor any student could have ever asked for. Must say, his genuine guidance inspired me to passionately continue my current line of work. As we can see from the below picture he was indeed more happier than myself that I graduated successfully ;) 

With the guide who saved the curious cat in me

Reading about the art of gratitude elsewhere inspired me to write this post.I take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt gratitude to each and every soul that had helped ease this bumpy ride of mine :). This post would also be an humble attempt to explain my late start in entering the lovely world of blogging :).

The end result of this journey: 

• Lots of knowledge gained in a melange of courses ( yes, more than the no. required to count towards graduation)
• A masters thesis (Click next to read if interested) Milao: A novel framework 
• The thesis recently, luckily became a conference paper( thanks to hardworking lab mates and my guide/professor)
• 2 internship opportunities
• 5 job offers ( The number of job rejects I got would be a secret close to my heart :) ) 
• An average GPA of 3.52 ( my GPA at the end of first sem will also be a secret very close to my heart :) )
• Worldly wise learning on living by myself away from family
• And yea not to mention a delayed graduation date by one semester :D.

 Above all, lots of love from friends with a heartwarming farewell party and this cute graduation card which I will cherish forever :)

Better late than never, for a heartfelt biggg THANK YOU  

 

Looking back, while I do regret the many mistakes I made which stressed my family and myself a bit at grad school, am glad now that I feel like I did learn a bit from those mistakes and it was in a way those mistakes that indeed strengthened me to a certain extent. 

This my dear readers is: A survivor's story of Life after Grad School Hijacking :D 

Well, the story of how I got into grad school in the first place while having a job offer to work in India after my undergraduate degree, is a totally different story which I will hopefully pen down in the future ;)

दान ! Aka Charity

  Charity in a sense is a virtue that promotes unlimited loving kindness towards all living beings. 

People who have this virtue indeed have immense levels of universal love within them. Such love is contagious and immediately spreads to those around them. 

It is however little disturbing to see how this noble virtue has been misconstrued a bit in today's modern world.

There has been a trend for non profit organizations in developed nations to organize volunteering activities of several kinds like marathons, cultural shows etc etc. People are enticed to participate in such fund raising activities for several reasons such as these


- helps them reach their fitness goals
- peer pressure / to gain popularity among friends
- helps them make new friends
- donations made are tax deductible
- participate for the simple pleasure of whiling away the hours

I am NOT attempting to say that volunteering for these above reasons is bad. The funds raised are indeed for a good cause and something is definitely better than nothing. I admire such organization's work towards team building and giving back to the society. But it is indeed bit sad to see participants/donors get self conceited and bask in the false sense of accomplishment upon pursuing such events.

If only we realize that this noble selfless virtue (charity) can be inculcated in our every day lives as well by doing simple random acts of kindness, the world would definitely be filled with truly humane people.

Simple Humane gestures likes these

Lending your only jacket to the friend beside you on a cold winter night
A friendly smile to a stranger we walk past the road
Holding the door for the person behind us( whether they be a friend or a stranger)
Offering an empathetic listening ear to a troubled friend
Offering a friend/acquaintance a place to stay for the night
Dropping some change for the homeless on the road
Getting food for a sick friend/acquaintance
the list goes on ...

will truly help us manifest/spread the inherent abundant love and joy within us to the world around us!
With that said, I am no exception as well . Seeing myself and friends/acquaintances around me participate in such events is what that prompted me to write this post!

I could try making pretense statements that I am attempting to do a form of vidhya-dhaana(knowledge charity) by helping the poor kids of Costa Rica get a high school building for free through my hard manual labor. Honestly I do not know if I am doing this for that sole noble purpose alone. This week long volunteering event has a fund raising goal of $2000.  I had a great deal of learning done from my previous fund raising experience. It was not easy. This time my goal is even bigger goal.
I am really not sure whether or not being genuinely honest about my intentions will help me reach my goal. The answer to which I will know next month end!

Even otherwise it's all the experience that counts and I am grateful with life for this unique opportunity to make a tiny bit difference to the world around me. 

If you have come up to this far end of the post, do click the link below. I am sure you wont regret it !

Donate and Ride the Wave of Joy With Me

Game of life ...

As I look back the years that came and went I am beginning to better understand the fact that life need not always be predictable. Even though we can plan life to a certain extent there need not always be any guarantee that life would turn out to be the way we had planned.

Life is like a journey through these woods. The journey may be windy and dark sometimes. But there is always light in the end and part of the excitement lies in not knowing what lies ahead of us :).

 Quoting these below words comparing life to a game I read elsewhere that caught my attention

In normal games there is a winner and a loser. We play against an opponent. In the game of life there is only one opponent and it is us. We win and lose against ourselves. Whenever we win we go up one level where we encounter a different self to play against. Going up levels does not require conquering dragons. Even if you resist a temptation you have won a point. When you overcome a resistance you win another. Character building gets more points than mere knowledge. Service to others takes us to higher levels than the seeking of personal pleasure. Dispelling ignorance earns very high bonuses. 

Celebrating new years this year prompted me to write this post I guess.  We all know New Years day is celebrated widely across the world. Life would indeed be a lifelong celebration if we all had the spirit and enthusiasm of taking each day as a new years day :).

 I do not know what each day of this new year has in store for me...

but I am sure that the experiences I would gather would be as colorful as the sparks inside these firecrackers .  

And yea,  part of the excitement lies in figuring out the unknown like us here                  ---------------->

blissfully unaware of what might turn out from the box of firecracker we had in our hand :).

Wish you all a wonderful new year 2012 :) !