tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58564914144703178522024-03-13T03:01:02.122-07:00AwakeningAstraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-49117624650781692162023-03-22T10:19:00.007-07:002023-03-22T10:32:49.249-07:00Yuga-Adi aka New Beginnings<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dear Chance Blog Readers, </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">
The auspicious festival of Ugadi is celebrated today with utmost joy and enthusiasm in Karnataka and other South Indian states. Ugadi is observed on the first day of Chaitra according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The name ‘Ugadi’ originated from two Sanskrit words, ‘Yuga’ and ‘Adi’, translating to a new beginning. It is believed that Ugadi was the first day of the creation of the Universe. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma created the Universe on this day and then days, weeks, months, and years.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ugadi also marks the onset of spring, which symbolizes renewal, growth, and prosperity. <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">Special dishes are prepared for the occasion. In Karnataka, foods such as Holige or Obattu, and mango pickles are made. In addition, a specialty of Yugadi in Karnataka is to create "bEvu-Bella" a mixture of neem and jaggery. <b><i>This symbolizes life's own experiences with a little bit of bitterness and a hint of sweetness.</i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Click <a href="https://karnatakatourism.org/ugadi/" target="_blank">here</a> for more information about this auspicious day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Today marks the first day of <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/festivals/chaitra-navratri-2023-full-calendar-start-and-end-date-ghatasthapana-parana-ashtami-and-navami-time-101679285654162.html" target="_blank">Chaitra Navratri</a>. It also marks a personal milestone close to my heart which I would like to share with you all. Today, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I experi</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">enced the </span><a href="https://medium.com/oxford-university/the-amazing-phenomenon-of-muscle-memory-fb1cc4c4726" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">amazing phenomenon of muscle memory</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> firsthand. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">As some of you may know, I first started driving while I was living in the US from 2007-2012. My first internship required me to commute by car and hence had picked up driving back then. I was in my early twenties in a foreign land away from family at that time. I was also extremely lucky to have a few good friends to guide me, through getting a license and letting me borrow their car for the internship back then. I was lucky to have done some fun road trips with good friends.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After spending five memorable years there, I moved back to India in 2012(Gurgaon) and later to Bangalore in 2015 for personal reasons. Ever since my move back, I was overwhelmed by anxiety due to the chaotic traffic in India which had deterred me from driving in India(something which I used to enjoy).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I finally picked up the courage and moved beyond my fears today. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>After almost 11 years, I drove to the airport today( a total of 80 km) for the first time since I moved back to India in 2012 from the US😀. </i></b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My husband and I had initially planned to drive around a few streets near our neighborhood (given the long gap). However, as he saw me confidently pick up the wheel, we decided to go farther on busier roads and finally covered 80 km driving on the highway to and from the airport today making it yet another memorable evening. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b>Changing, and challenging ourselves is what keeps us alive and growing. It’s always an easier option to give in to our internal negative self-talk or self-limiting beliefs, but if we keep on doing that, our capacity contracts.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">The great thing about life is that we can invent ourselves over and over. We can continually discover new skills and new areas of experience as we go through life. It’s sometimes a struggle, but it leads to a vibrant and fulfilled life.</span></b></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9AddAWiO6052Foy9uI9NsdGZ9lOJ1Y9fSvdg05tsHepY5Tsc2Jt5KY4qYu2o9oc2G7JBz8D9VTPLhKlhqpdbrCIaVe5QzCDkhwlak9VfErNJ_0THNsHkDCe9eNjFRmGgY5KNhueg2h0ecYVvZ8e-YjjOt4FiRoZJmDMFehdo6sSa_8O4aJ7d4hBftg/s304/1663364.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="304" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9AddAWiO6052Foy9uI9NsdGZ9lOJ1Y9fSvdg05tsHepY5Tsc2Jt5KY4qYu2o9oc2G7JBz8D9VTPLhKlhqpdbrCIaVe5QzCDkhwlak9VfErNJ_0THNsHkDCe9eNjFRmGgY5KNhueg2h0ecYVvZ8e-YjjOt4FiRoZJmDMFehdo6sSa_8O4aJ7d4hBftg/s1600/1663364.gif" width="304" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia;"><b>It is frightening to leave the safe ground where the caterpillar dwells and enter a cocoon of </b><b>unknowingness.</b></i><i style="font-family: georgia;"><b> </b></i><i style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia;"><b>But the reward, the sweet reward ...</b></i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="color: #741b47;"><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><i style="color: #741b47;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiUjTI4Qs2d0mHtbSPxx8ECneSdoG-0rF3pBtZcIifMlgqu9Sr1EB9-jmE3cTeUMFX5-7lb1cMpro_4PdZRh1oKQNuKKL1y-mWATUTkv30E_6wxagT23dM6TOtIvhGA5RaiWyXz7w-F3x3MWRXVl9i0m0XF3YR3_squ6cdG-nFDM2OF1g-8KWqBpezQ/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-03-22%20at%209.16.58%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiUjTI4Qs2d0mHtbSPxx8ECneSdoG-0rF3pBtZcIifMlgqu9Sr1EB9-jmE3cTeUMFX5-7lb1cMpro_4PdZRh1oKQNuKKL1y-mWATUTkv30E_6wxagT23dM6TOtIvhGA5RaiWyXz7w-F3x3MWRXVl9i0m0XF3YR3_squ6cdG-nFDM2OF1g-8KWqBpezQ/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-03-22%20at%209.16.58%20PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Credits: Hubby Madhu</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div><i style="color: #741b47;"><b>is to discover your capability to drive through the chaotic traffic of India, celebrate the randomness of life, </b></i><i style="color: #741b47;"><b>thank your lucky stars, and </b></i><i style="color: #741b47;"><b>blissfully pose for this picture!! </b></i></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s to new beginnings, moving beyond your fears, trying new things, picking new skills, and honing existing ones!! <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Let's greet "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Yug Adi'</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Ugadi) with a lot of optimism, excitement, and expectation. Let's hope for plenty of health, happiness, fulfillment, serenity, and wealth.</span></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">"'</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Yug Adi</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">' (Ugadi) means the beginning of a new Yuga (year). Let's begin this new year with new hope. Wishing you and your family an auspicious Ugadi!"</span></i></b></span></div></div>Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-5113636096202152772022-08-03T07:45:00.002-07:002022-08-03T07:49:52.472-07:00The Beautiful Tale of Two States<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>The Beautiful Tale of Two States</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's interesting how with a little attention to our breath and a smile on our faces, we are more calm and present. I recently came across a TED Talk which describes that fundamentally every one of us lives only in two states. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul><li>No-Stress or Beautiful State</li><li>Stressful State</li></ul><div><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry00CD1zIGtb7uQn1CQh0-jCvi3s3CRKomfslkudnmVsJpR74-e054BMqBsk2x_z9CmY2ttueAJ1q9siyLAg_3bbceDV-LqP38hRtvon3fTXh__2EvxquFSqJTM_l4MUHzpY8gRZkXi9kAE_4IN5iIiV8_qMAwm8faeBFyWMa-FGr4eU_HI1nxkq8Fw/w253-h320/Screenshot%202022-08-03%20at%207.31.55%20PM.png" style="text-align: center;" width="253" /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="830" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-c1kpyYJHTfNpWIOwEzZsXssNSGGRPTf7LqFWEVAyEbbjETZ3MoPlSxIaYjDMwnVQpl_3_8N0XJ4o-SiD61KH4HZQduPqv9qDCyPli-08G3MhqlKWfFOfof6QaXJG_MkDVAbqCHCvOqZYKK8JAsZsTc1bHQWX_V4D-RijyuyixnW4OXgLwcYMsxN_Q/w272-h320/Screenshot%202022-08-03%20at%207.33.47%20PM.png" width="272" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="820" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigX-_vF28xxxK8jxCSs4bvbDLrnjaUNYajkybzeSOC4zVUG9IZU-6-hK-oah_r5yGItgdNYwpvtYPla5izUDb_vYyoCbULPRrZFB6LDjtBm6VjsVjJQRqYiMiN9BBtKx_x9Pu0-Ycva94hhbzlqd2o7g82-8SIFilXSavmpwuXvjs2BOmefz9LhIKOjQ/w275-h320/Screenshot%202022-08-03%20at%207.44.09%20PM.png" width="275" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">. <img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="858" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAvT7erVNS7XwQHoAdmx8Uu-Xy8aYb_AE-kUu1qt3cqfq04R3nTNSh5oOTdqTp3tLzOksGEjFz_Rny7-R9WRMvV-AUEjYVKE44A_wSMAyBPBjxQgky3xGp4rH4Mj1Z9XYP2EynJ4npE45tW9z9lsBbReg095lam6OJ2-VVPqTal25L5FOVeHpFM5aRA/w272-h320/Screenshot%202022-08-03%20at%207.37.13%20PM.png" width="272" /> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="822" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XV4RM6HCqbAq8eoS4ns1CIl0BjOFpSXKGklX12HD3ChPRX_5AuCPm3GSxVKdxOVjyw6h7Ax8w4uPMvxo3qMRo0_c5gkuKveEKJCgKjnqMz64kpyy_m5lqlvda8Nv6Jl0SFpjl19_I_6IDvh90Xon8iYecWwY-HNxpG96VPY0yUqLJx_Zynn5A-BIdA/w276-h320/Screenshot%202022-08-03%20at%207.42.47%20PM.png" width="276" /> </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Behind every choice and every action is the driving force of only these two states. Sadly, our education, the entire system of our society, our parents, and our religion do not bring sufficient attention to our <b>inner state. </b></div>The very structure of education at school makes us </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>compete</li><li>feel jealous of another's progress</li><li>feel ashamed of being less</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A total compromise on the essence of being human. </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We need a greater inner power to get us to a <b><i>beautiful state</i></b>. And that is the way of <b><i>inner truth</i></b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">This truth can be inconvenient for us. All emotional suffering arises from obsessive self-centric thinking. We are pre-occupied with</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>injustice done to us</li><li>pleasure that was denied to us</li><li>opportunities that did not come our way</li><li>love that was withheld from us</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;">In this state, we are not concerned with solutions to the problem at hand.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">When we see this truth (that all lingering and suffering is a total preoccupation with oneself): Not only do we walk out of stressful states, but there is a great release of energy and you awaken to a sense of power, connection, freedom and purpose. </span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The questions to ask ourselves time and again is <b><i>Are You</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>engaged with your past?</li><li>engaged with your future?</li><li>in the present?</li><li>preoccupied with yourself?</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;">(OR)</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Are You in a state of connection?</span></i></b></h2></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TqxxCYnAxo8" width="320" youtube-src-id="TqxxCYnAxo8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How to end stress, unhappiness and anxiety to live in a beautiful state!!</div><br /> <p></p>Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-68159915928477139372019-08-22T09:34:00.001-07:002019-08-22T09:34:24.511-07:00धन्यवाद ie dhanyavāda aka Thank you<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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बदला? उसमे क्या मज़ा है? मुझे तो चुन चुन के धन्यवाद बोलना अच्छा लगता है :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Backbencher</b>: Wow, this is pretty cool. Totally agree</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Astrea</b>: Thanks for the appreciation. Would you like to add your 2 cents worth of wisdom?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>BackBencher</b>: Of course. Am glad you asked. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>"Make hay while the sun shines"</b></span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-41864043363965065622019-08-21T21:18:00.002-07:002019-08-21T21:18:44.017-07:00Looking back into my all-time favorite Newspaper ... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="storyhead" style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"><b>What is the difference between "intervene" and "interfere"?</b></span></div>
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<i> (Sita, Chennai)</i></div>
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"Interfere" has a negative connotation. When you interfere in something, you are poking your nose into other people's business. You are meddling. The word carries with it the sense of obstruction or getting in the way of something. Here are a few examples.</div>
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*The slashing of funding interfered with the work on the project.</div>
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*The politician tried to interfere in the police investigation.</div>
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*I don't want you to interfere in my life.</div>
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"Intervene", on the other hand, has a much more positive connotation. When you intervene in something, you are playing a much more constructive role. This probably explains why the Americans talk about their intervention in Iraq, rather than interference. Here are a few examples.</div>
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*The lawyer intervened in the dispute and resolved the problem.</div>
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*I don't want to intervene in a dispute between a husband and a wife.</div>
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*The police intervened when the students started throwing stones at buses.</div>
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***** ***** *****</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i>"Britain has invented a new missile. It's called the civil servant - it doesn't work and it can't be fired." </i>— <b><i>Walter Walker</i></b></span></div>
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S. UPENDRAN</div>
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Source : <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/edu/2003/08/26/stories/2003082600070303.htm" target="_blank">https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/edu/2003/08/26/stories/2003082600070303.htm</a></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-70084440119968980062019-08-21T02:30:00.001-07:002019-08-21T02:30:29.364-07:00Quirky teachers Ant and the GrassHopper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://stunningmotivation.com/golden-lesson-from-the-story-of-grasshopper-and-ant/" target="_blank">Click here for Golden timeless lessons from the ant and "Grass" hopper</a></div>
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To be continued .</div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-7864167516109764422019-08-19T07:48:00.002-07:002019-08-19T07:54:30.402-07:00What women want? err... I meant .. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCoPGx4ZGf5N7y6zzC_MZJ5PbKYOlTdOlbhghS_rHBKGEkUX4rw1pTbwIKFe7usaownpivJdpHePLVnS7CAK1UUcg2NXnadvgY2PEDYh9TkY41c5O_aXw8U1Iji3E-433Zwr7m-wrXzfB/s1600/Nerdy_To_Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCoPGx4ZGf5N7y6zzC_MZJ5PbKYOlTdOlbhghS_rHBKGEkUX4rw1pTbwIKFe7usaownpivJdpHePLVnS7CAK1UUcg2NXnadvgY2PEDYh9TkY41c5O_aXw8U1Iji3E-433Zwr7m-wrXzfB/s1600/Nerdy_To_Me.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The answer to a cuckoo's calling</td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: 13px;">backBencher: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;">Sorry Astrea, I left in a hurry the last time we spoke.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: 13px;">Astrea: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;">no, worries, I understand. Happens to me too all the time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: Thank you so much for understanding Astrea. You are indeed a godsend!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: Haha, nothing like that, as you know it's all a matter of perspective. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: I lost you there Astrea ...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: It's a simple but powerful concept. Drawing and Design fundamentals explain these concepts like Perspective, Color Theory, Harmony, etc ...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;">You know I kind of see your point! I am curious about one thing Astrea, may I ask you?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: Aah backbencher, when did you start being so formal ... Fire away, am all ears. Will do my best, to clarify ... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: Have been pondering on this for ages, What do women want?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: Aah that's a tough one to answer. However, if you like I could clarify as to what women need :)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: Hmm .. I never thought of this question. Sure do enlighten me, might come handy in my family life :D</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: haha, am glad you are eager to know what women need :)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>backBencher</b>: ofc, this might be the question for the Millenials. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><b>Astrea</b>: :), unlike rocket science, for starters it would be loads of</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Love and Fresh Air akin to the Garden of Eden</span></b></i></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: 13px;">backBencher: </b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><i>Pretty interesting and insightful. Am sure it would be filled with several breaths of fresh air.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 13px;"><i><b>backBencher</b>: So Astrea, do you get that where you live?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i><b>....but Astrea was gone already, back to her creative-den, and there went her sweet fragrance too!</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCxH6clpX9J4GiOhjd4hnozKT2IHypbYXmOdtVzh05LOojDrUsRAS6N76D5hkY31_Iw3Z0w6-cj_ivbrL7mS_h6SfwKflGeH2jRJqPfM4p5LtGfudUsn7n0ucHYWQrQIsl9kwxDQuDM0s/s1600/ttd_1523503834m2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="738" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCxH6clpX9J4GiOhjd4hnozKT2IHypbYXmOdtVzh05LOojDrUsRAS6N76D5hkY31_Iw3Z0w6-cj_ivbrL7mS_h6SfwKflGeH2jRJqPfM4p5LtGfudUsn7n0ucHYWQrQIsl9kwxDQuDM0s/s320/ttd_1523503834m2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><i><b>Lalbagh botanical garden - Bangalore: 2019</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-90646239708223107372019-08-19T01:27:00.002-07:002019-08-19T01:27:41.113-07:00Secret sauce for a beautiful mind in the making<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pJdzTWr9ryJ0TJOnh-RuMUQOe2dzLqyk3HcvMqVz4Dx0dmgYob8uFIkiqeTgP98ZXSYT5ZDha54pRgmgwxdpyumDa3S65lbcQ85Q2q6b2dfyLIK0D-zOSTxiqwIv1LjDrLw_uYJfAtdJ/s1600/Fresh+and+Organic+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pJdzTWr9ryJ0TJOnh-RuMUQOe2dzLqyk3HcvMqVz4Dx0dmgYob8uFIkiqeTgP98ZXSYT5ZDha54pRgmgwxdpyumDa3S65lbcQ85Q2q6b2dfyLIK0D-zOSTxiqwIv1LjDrLw_uYJfAtdJ/s320/Fresh+and+Organic+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My take on secrets for a beautiful mind</td></tr>
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Enrolling in the following course from my alma mater remotely via EdX(<a href="https://www.edx.org/school/utaustinx" target="_blank">utAustinx</a>) prompted me to inscribe this digital post, with the sole hope of leaving behind a digital footprint, that is hopefully useful to chance blog readers.<br />
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<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><span class="course-name" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; display: block; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;">Effective Thinking Through Mathematics</span><span class="course-name" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; display: block; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span class="course-name" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; display: block; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u>Understand Deeply</u> </strong></span><span class="course-name" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; display: block; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><br /></strong></span><i><span style="color: #990000;">Don't face complex issues head-on; first, understand simple ideas deeply. Clear the clutter and expose what is really important. Be brutally honest about what you know and don't know. Then see what's missing, identify the gaps, and fill them in. Let go of bias, prejudice, and preconceived notion. There are degrees to understanding (it's not just a yes-or-no proposition) and you can always heighten yours. Rock-solid understanding is the foundation for success.</span></i><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></u></strong>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;">Make Mistakes</strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Fail to succeed. Intentionally get it wrong to inevitably get it even more right. Mistakes are great teachers - they highlight unforeseen opportunities and holes in your understanding. They also show you which way to turn next, and they ignite your imagination.</span></i></span></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;">Raise Questions</strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #990000;">Constantly create questions to clarify and extend your understanding. What's the real question? Working on the wrong questions can waste a lifetime. Ideas are in the air - the right questions will bring them out and help you see connections that otherwise would have been invisible.</span></span></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"> <strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.4em;">Follow the Flow of Ideas</strong></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #990000;">Look back to see where ideas came from and then look ahead to discover where those ideas may lead. A new idea is a beginning, not an end. Ideas are rare - milk them. Following the consequences of small ideas can result in big payoffs.</span></span></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;">The Quintessential Element </strong></strong></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><u><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.4em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><br /></strong></strong></strong></strong></u></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #990000;">The unchanging element is change - by mastering the first four elements, you can change the way you think and learn. You can always improve, grow, and extract more out of your education, yourself, and the way you live your life. Change is the universal constant that allows you to get the most out of living and learning.</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>As always, the sweetest reward of practicing such effective mathematical thinking is to discover your ability to create and nurture a beautiful mind </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>~ Quintessentially curious student for life </i></b></span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-82938584653836550892019-08-18T20:27:00.001-07:002019-08-18T20:27:15.619-07:00On Creativity and Imagination ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI9Zg3UB8ZNeOcm01Wo5_WcDImLA7HRGFX8MasTk0z7FxGVkCT05pCTuJtUJanrkGCqHh_EmDPCsyZaLo_Aue9JiGMM4-WRYDVonyRxBQTdGFnDTRDlnwl2LSXAl4pC0rb3oZeQock1rp/s1600/create.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI9Zg3UB8ZNeOcm01Wo5_WcDImLA7HRGFX8MasTk0z7FxGVkCT05pCTuJtUJanrkGCqHh_EmDPCsyZaLo_Aue9JiGMM4-WRYDVonyRxBQTdGFnDTRDlnwl2LSXAl4pC0rb3oZeQock1rp/s320/create.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #665ed0; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Csikszentmihalyi</a><span style="font-size: 2rem;"> </span>in his book on Flow observes the lives and psyche of creative people. Below is a brief summary of the same.</div>
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<span style="background-color: initial; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; text-align: center;"> The Myth</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">That there is</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">one "creative personality</span><span style="text-align: left;">". Something all creative people seem to share is</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, "Source Serif Pro", serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">complexity-they "tend to bring the entire range of human possibilities within themselves".</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The lesson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 2rem; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000;">The author says that it would be too easy to see creative people as a privileged elite. However, their lives are a message that we should all be able to find work that is fulfilling and that we love. In fact, the greatest achievement for them was having created their own lives or careers without recourse to social expectation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Intrinsic Reward</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">We are happiest when we are being creative because we lose our sense of self and get the feeling that we are part of something greater. We are actually programmed to get satisfaction and pleasure from discovery and creativity because its results lead to our survival as a species. New ideas are needed more than ever if the planet is going to survive, and the best ones are likely to come from genuinely creative people.</span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-90937265217965322912019-08-18T20:19:00.003-07:002019-08-18T20:19:38.317-07:00Tribute to all the elusive creative geniuses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM5dyzk1mw3Sq4jPVskwqjxUXCODT8qSrX9riXvx_q2dSdxt84opF3-pyu9RBsi_ozq7iKULyLTVxDeFKrEzWm3vZS-bqZi1BtqMtx2IvjxxT-drRNhevulWXyuiuY2FyqDDtkZnOG81k/s1600/elizabeth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM5dyzk1mw3Sq4jPVskwqjxUXCODT8qSrX9riXvx_q2dSdxt84opF3-pyu9RBsi_ozq7iKULyLTVxDeFKrEzWm3vZS-bqZi1BtqMtx2IvjxxT-drRNhevulWXyuiuY2FyqDDtkZnOG81k/s320/elizabeth.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth Gilbert</td></tr>
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The ultimate intrinsic reward of creative individuals</h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: "Source Serif Pro", serif; font-size: 20px;">Creativity is first and foremost a form of expression: it creates a special link between the internal and external worlds. It allows one to get a grasp of our powerful emotions, by molding them into a physical form. In fact, the most important thing for us is to be able to release our emotions. We need to be able to touch them or look at them in concrete form and to do that we have to find a way to make them come alive. This is how our desires and anxieties take shape. Keeping things bottled up creates a tension that can only be resolved once you have expressed how you feel. This means we have to be strong enough not to let ourselves get swept away by chaotic impulses; if we turn our creative urges on everyday life — making a picnic, singing to the baby, choosing what to wear — we can express ourself while staying rooted in reality. Creativity is principally cathartic. It relieves a deep need, an almost primal, archaic impulse. For us, being creative is about having the power to give form to something we feel, to those deep personal issues that are often raw and disorganized. For these reasons, we are usually attracted to art that demands physicality, that allows us to express what’s inside, and that unites spontaneity, strength, freedom, power, and movement.</span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-28498890420382233952019-08-18T20:13:00.000-07:002019-08-18T20:16:41.285-07:00Pearls of Insipiration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-42235023924441630842019-07-16T03:50:00.002-07:002019-07-16T03:50:21.892-07:00Lines Written in Early Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I heard a thousand blended notes, </div>
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While in a grove I sate reclined, </div>
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In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts </div>
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Bring sad thoughts to the mind. </div>
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To her fair works did Nature link </div>
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The human soul that through me ran; </div>
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And much it grieved my heart to think </div>
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What man has made of man. </div>
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Through primrose tufts, in that green bower, </div>
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The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; </div>
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And ’tis my faith that every flower </div>
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Enjoys the air it breathes. </div>
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The birds around me hopped and played, </div>
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Their thoughts I cannot measure:— </div>
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But the least motion which they made </div>
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It seemed a thrill of pleasure. </div>
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The budding twigs spread out their fan, </div>
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To catch the breezy air; </div>
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And I must think, do all I can, </div>
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That there was pleasure there. </div>
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If this belief from heaven be sent, </div>
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If such be Nature’s holy plan, </div>
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Have I not reason to lament </div>
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What man has made of man?</div>
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<span style="font-weight: inherit;"> ~ </span><b>William Wordsworth</b></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-43674069372867023292019-07-12T09:44:00.001-07:002019-07-12T10:05:34.032-07:00Tribute to Raja Ravi Varma's Inspiring women of Indian Mythology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #191e23; font-family: "Noto Serif"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a poet writes poems to pay ode to people they admire, artists pay their homage/tribute by painting. The celebrated Malayali artist Raja Ravi Verma discovered this form of paying tributes and I am grateful for Ganesh's informative talk at NGMA which helped me realize this. </span></div>
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Thanks to him and the <a href="http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_bangaluru.asp#" target="_blank">National Gallery of Modern Art( NGMA )</a> I came to know that, today marks 125 years of completion of the Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press. <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/ravi-varmas-legacy-in-print/article28373605.ece" style="font-family: TundraWeb, serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">Click here for context</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/21zyoc/article28373596.ece/ALTERNATES/FREE_460/11BGM-GANESHSHIVASWAMY2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/21zyoc/article28373596.ece/ALTERNATES/FREE_460/11BGM-GANESHSHIVASWAMY2" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #282828; font-family: TundraWeb, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;">Lawyer and art collector Ganesh V Shivaswamy</i></div>
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Attending his well-researched informative presentation today got me curious to learn a bit more about India's great artist <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m03p0s9" target="_blank">Raja Ravi Varma</a>. </div>
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Hence, I turned to the growing omniscient knowledge source of our era, that I am aware of which is accessible a mouse clicks away ~ <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Arts and Culture</a> and these following lines caught my attention.</div>
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<i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Malayali Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art for a number of aesthetic and broader social reasons. Firstly, his works are held to be among the best examples of the fusion of European techniques with a purely Indian sensibility.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Attending this lecture made me realize that I needed to read more about the great people of India. As opposed to limiting myself to Europian intellectuals like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci" target="_blank">Leonardo da Vinci</a> whose autobiography I have been reading. </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi396K2mEXcN3Si27hGE67TJt3ZZkVM4YvXNy0q_pSKJpqtZJv_6ACZwxmyY9bBIaXyrc1djd9mHNBTpLclHFk6LMDsrOhbHLoPpjEzBRQ2frzOX8Num5jhFB8L4gmwiBCq2XmNOL-vfNIJ/s1600/menaka-vishwamitra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="470" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi396K2mEXcN3Si27hGE67TJt3ZZkVM4YvXNy0q_pSKJpqtZJv_6ACZwxmyY9bBIaXyrc1djd9mHNBTpLclHFk6LMDsrOhbHLoPpjEzBRQ2frzOX8Num5jhFB8L4gmwiBCq2XmNOL-vfNIJ/s320/menaka-vishwamitra.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.3704px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishvamitra" target="_blank">Birth of Shakuntala</a> - Vishvamitra rejects the child and mother because they represented to him a lapse in spiritual pursuits and his earlier renunciation of domestic/king's life.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 9.89632px; line-height: 1; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishvamitra#cite_note-8" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[8]</a></sup><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.3704px; text-align: left;"> Painting by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ravi_Varma" style="background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.3704px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Raja Ravi Varma">Raja Ravi Varma</a><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.3704px; text-align: left;"> (1848–1906)</span></div>
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Ganesh (in today's talk) points us to observe the positions of both the characters in this composition by the great artist Raja Ravi Varma. He explained the concept of Hierarchy of spaces used in our Indian dance form Kathakali, and how Raja Ravi Varma employs it in all his compositions. As per this hierarchy, the person playing the dominant role appears on the left side of the stage, and the one playing the submissive role on the right side. He further explained how Raja Ravi Varma uses this hierarchy of space concept in all his compositions.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As per folklore (<a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shakuntala" target="_blank">Click here for more</a>), the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Beautiful" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Beautiful">beautiful</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> apsara </span><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menaka" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #663366; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="w:Menaka">Menaka</a> (the mother in the painting)<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> leaves </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">the innocent new-born infant on the bank of river Malini and goes away. Rishi Kanva happens to find this infant and below are some references from <a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shakuntala" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Rishi Kanva says: </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And beholding the new-born infant lying in that forest destitute of human beings but abounding with lions and tigers, a number of vultures sat around to protect it from harm. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I went there to perform my ablution and beheld the infant lying in the solitude of the wilderness surrounded by vultures. Bringing her hither I have made her my daughter. And because she was surrounded in the solitude of the wilderness, by Sakuntas (birds), therefore, hath she been named by me Shakuntala (bird-protected).</span></span></i></b></div>
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The great poet Kalidasa portrays the infant's character and life in the sacred text:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sha/sha12.htm" target="_blank">Abhijnana Shakuntala </a></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Kalidasa's Shakuntala is crafted as an epitome of virtue, modesty, subservience, and sacrifice. These characteristics are meant to conform to the perception of "the feminine ideal of Indian women: in a patriarchal culture. The Shakuntala of Mahabharata is a remarkable woman who does not conform to the dictate of a patriarchal society. She belongs to the fifth century, and yet she represents the contemporary "feminine ideal of Indian women." Perhaps she is timeless. </span></i></b><a href="https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-shakuntala-represent-feminine-ideal-indian-172019" target="_blank">Click here for source</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6Adh-w1zPXuQe4PefUlL-cGA6m965QnBgNd9uhLgHWX8GRnbL18JKj8rhpJo7HXlP69P0FfSGjoQQZVIzPcQhBFrT-Gbwf9-bPhCa1qckQjByWMUE4-v0g2eViF38JwDfOD5p6oKvWtR/s1600/shakuntala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6Adh-w1zPXuQe4PefUlL-cGA6m965QnBgNd9uhLgHWX8GRnbL18JKj8rhpJo7HXlP69P0FfSGjoQQZVIzPcQhBFrT-Gbwf9-bPhCa1qckQjByWMUE4-v0g2eViF38JwDfOD5p6oKvWtR/s320/shakuntala.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: #fffff1; font-family: Optima, Segoe, "Segoe UI", Candara, Calibri, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Shakuntala looking back to glimpse Dushyanta</i><span style="background-color: #fffff1; font-family: "optima" , "segoe" , "segoe ui" , "candara" , "calibri" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> by Raja Ravi Varma (1898)</span></div>
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Coincidentally, Shakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharatha, after whom our country is named :).</div>
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Ending the post with these closing thoughts ...</div>
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<b><i>As a poet writes poems to pay ode to people they admire, I feel artists pay their homage/tribute via paintings. I am unsure if there is a word in the English language for this form of expressing tribute to someone. If so, I would be grateful to you for enlightening me. </i></b><br />
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-6245611276950007152019-07-11T00:22:00.000-07:002019-07-11T00:22:18.868-07:00अमर aka Immortal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://media3.mensxp.com/media/content/2017/Jun/mom-trailer-2-sridevi-and-nawazuddin-siddiqui-are-giving-us-some-creepy-chills-1400x653-1498215680_1100x513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="800" height="149" src="https://media3.mensxp.com/media/content/2017/Jun/mom-trailer-2-sridevi-and-nawazuddin-siddiqui-are-giving-us-some-creepy-chills-1400x653-1498215680_1100x513.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Immortality</u></b></div>
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<b><i>Dear Chance Blog readers,</i></b></div>
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Reading the below article about how Michael Jackson failed to buy immortality from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/timesofknowledge1/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCC7Afk7mpIInZ83Amthqqqsz0TdAR5tc0_CaLQF2ZdDKFsfptoVVMBot7UuMnFDhlJq-UFP55vuZIOw1jOwh8qxQ3HV6DPJRotSZzG87HmAHl5clGO2WhOgAjqXBUQiz_WM9A6N7b5BjasI08viSBF6dV4pzi_1eGnXIYDhmweOT8jidmu0i_BDa4Ye4qoVPofFhfEBPaCaj7cbTjLcKzxfmxEX2sIflyZ1bZIn5S1K6x4L9_-nBenyBEzyru4W__J6O4flUkiRKyTFkIHbS51QMbRrDrXkYle0tTSETvWz3-fnSiAwmtEcVkYsv_hKgApuEZB7FkuMtM2ceswd1FZUg&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARDwnS5wYe2inrl_7GvLdEcj8Q1Nk6eTBUn6VI0DN2TswwOYK7gL_R_TsqIyoTkuCTM8W6wtct5KAxUjUArKE-uRpvxvSvE10YyX7SDg0jnpg4Ue-ks58Mm05TB0RTXsVEhGhq1LIWD5g3vGr1LiwpD3vknha-1gtDt3tHPdYNY0yMX3FWLCK1DUm9GwoyF4-PnWV6E87Z63opFc_NNt56vIvBWi5CF80bvGq05De1c915p7V-aRO4SOeKbPkGSsVBX3UJ6Ohg9_Spf8BFvKJrv_XxYG3waS8hZZ36q54OGt4gz1MX1eouXZxDaxPbkFQfjQ5EfXA2NfMCBSGy8BU70_Necd&__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARCxNJa7XOBeLx52dhUP-PKWlbHbC5IXf2Z39PnYkCU0a4oFByR12HiboZfbrOhMyktRgODr9l6t-rmX&hc_ref=ARRLbF3A5VnRcenaoWQ4_spnZYB48Dl1i9sYF3X0NMitRYsG2_wW-SzK5XtpKbtlU88&fref=nf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Time of Knowledge Facebook group</a> post made me realize the truth that the Tamil art film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seethakaathi" target="_blank">Seethakaathi starring Vijay Sethupathi </a></div>
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<i style="color: #990000; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Immortality is never something to be bought. I believe it is what we leave behind as creations, inventions or discoveries in any chosen field of interest. </i></div>
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<b style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>I feel </i></span></b><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Michael Jackson's spirit is Immortal in his songs, especially like the one below</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Heal the world</b></span></div>
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And the immortality award goes for .. Wait for it ..</div>
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<span style="font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Michael Jackson. </i></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">And the reward, the sweet reward of this award is the</span></b><b><span style="color: #990000;"> satisfaction that he is immortal in the hearts of posterity. </span></b></div>
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And as usual, my woolgathering mind, could not help but wonder if <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawazuddin_Siddiqui" target="_blank">Nawazuddin Siddiqui</a> was thinking of Sridevi's Michael Jackson painting while quoting "zara tasveer se tu nikal ke samne" ~ <a href="https://www.bollynook.com/en/lyrics/8013/meri-mehbooba/" target="_blank">Click here for context</a> in the hindi art film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mom_(film)" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Mom</a>. </div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13;">I believe Sridevi is an immortal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mom_(film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mom</a> whom posterity would always adore </span></i></b></div>
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<b>Do comment below your thoughts. Thanks for reading </b></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-3556744021391032832019-06-25T03:39:00.002-07:002019-06-25T04:35:16.350-07:00अहम् प्रेम: aka Self-Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: q_serif, Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", Meiryo, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><i>Love is all about setting them free.</i></b></div>
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<em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Open-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Aham Prema</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> is a mantra that is typically translated as “I am divine love.” It comes from the Sanskrit, </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Open-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">aham</em><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Open-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, meaning “I,” and </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Open-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">prema</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, meaning “love” or “affection.” <a href="https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/9462/aham-prema" target="_blank">Click here for more</a></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Through my life experiences so far, I have come to realize that true-love for others or self-love are no two different ideas. When we truly love someone/something, we learn to set them free. Practicing this thought might be really hard initially, but when we are able to practice this, we realize the secret to setting ourselves free and living up to our life potential.</span></i></b></div>
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When we truly love someone and learn to let them go, set them free to do whatever they want, you realize ultimate bliss. Love is not about to live with someone forever or until you die.</div>
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We often tend to get confused with the concepts of Attachment and Love. Attachment I believe rises out of a need/imagined void or incompleteness in us. The kind of love that makes you think that you have to live with someone forever. This is definitely not Love. It is an attachment. This is the thing which hurts you when you let someone go or when ur beloved one left you alone. Attachment is the cause of all the sufferings. In our modern times, I am tempted to associate it with unrequited love. </div>
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Quoting these below lines from a fellow Quora user: <a href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Sadab-Khan-13" target="_blank">Click here for his profile</a></div>
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According to Bhagwad Geeta, We all have souls that are eternal but our bodies are materialistic things. We have a relationship at the bodily level and as we are in the body relationships are important.</div>
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<i>But Love is completely a different thing different from Relationships and Attachment. Love is something that doesn’t need a body to be in love with. </i><b><i>It is a sacred feeling between two souls which is eternal.</i></b><i> True Love is a never-ending feeling as it does not depend on the material bodies. Love is hope, gives us a reason, a purpose to live. Love is that shares happiness among people. Love is God, something that is beyond our understanding.</i> <i>It is unconditional</i></div>
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So don’t confuse between Love, Attachment and Relationship.</div>
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Love unconditionally and spread love.</div>
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And always remember one thing-</div>
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<b>When you love someone, you make yourself love the world.</b></div>
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Reading these above sentences, brought goosebumps in me as I realized the unconditional love of our parents and the fact that it does not end with their demise. </div>
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On a similar note, </div>
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<b><i>We would all agree that marriage is one relationship that we consciously choose for ourselves. It is not something we are born with like in the case of parents, siblings, etc. And I feel that's what makes it very special</i></b></div>
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These words from <a href="https://www.speakingtree.in/article/freedom-in-relationships-is-important" target="_blank">this article</a> make me realize and appreciate to an even greater extent, the kind of love we experience post marriage.</div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "robotoregular"; text-align: justify;">In an Indian marriage, there is a sentence that states: “<b>I give you my heart.</b>” Both say this at the same time. Then the next sentence states: “<b>Let your mind be in keeping with my mind.</b>” Here it means granting freedom to the other person to think the way that person thinks. That is the proper translation.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: robotoregular; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "robotoregular"; text-align: justify;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: robotoregular; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "robotoregular"; text-align: justify;">May you approve of my way of thinking as long as it is proper (dharmic), of course. It is not merely thinking; doing is also involved. So may you approve of my way of thinking and acting. That is a prayer for both parties. May each of them approve of the other’s thinking and doing and help and validate each other. Thereby, both of them will grow. That is how there is freedom in a relationship.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "robotoregular"; text-align: justify;">Let the other person think the way he thinks. Even if he is wrong, it is better than he discovers what is right. That validation is important, and it is mutual. Anything one-sided is not going to work in a relationship. If you commit a mistake that is good, because learning from you I won’t commit the same one. Therefore, in relating to another, granting freedom to the other person seems to be the most crucial thing. Courtesy: www.dayananda.org.</span></i></div>
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I feel the reason the divorce rates were extremely low in our previous generation of Indian marriages, was because they truly understood this concept. </div>
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Ending this blog post with my favorite quote by Kahlil Gibran </div>
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<h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<i>“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”</i></h1>
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<i>Do share your thoughts in the comments below. </i></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-74448918070318249992015-09-20T08:32:00.001-07:002015-09-20T08:32:39.216-07:00Floppy Disk Photo Frame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Floppy disk wall hanging<br />
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Inspired by an old CD wall hanging experiment from a friend and an innate urge to keep near and dear ones close to my heart in my living room came up with this floppy disk experiment today. <br />
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Items needs <br />
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1. Old floppy disks<br />
2. Thread<br />
3. Fevi-Quick<br />
4. Old curtain hanger<br />
5. Photos capturing memorable moments with/of loved ones (Size 9X9)<br />
6. Lots of love <br />
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Procedure<br />
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1. Insert the thread into the floppy disk slot to make a connected chain of floppy disks.<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD6zc_iCzcBDPKRRgbuNiGVuLp_jMwYQ7flfbYMpCNxFHDkPERiMiWgdcx_RWV30Fvq-IES5DKmqOH2Gcqb7EtL1TOK5wIiEIdAZjep3OCz06Dc6aO22nAFgREJz4Xnl3Mdwv8kmp_eVo/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="80" /> <br />
2. Using feviquick stick your favourite photos onto the floppy disks<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxGf7WBk55dR5MbQ5sRxp8thL0K6bBwFsetGbx96MMpcGd13GzpPzHUrgcltqZG453S0nZbFZrU_X-DlyJNwIsBpdc9xfHdKBDPSh8dN5r_xM-xDr_Up79srgyNl-UX-lXSy8tydo9ee9/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxGf7WBk55dR5MbQ5sRxp8thL0K6bBwFsetGbx96MMpcGd13GzpPzHUrgcltqZG453S0nZbFZrU_X-DlyJNwIsBpdc9xfHdKBDPSh8dN5r_xM-xDr_Up79srgyNl-UX-lXSy8tydo9ee9/s320/FullSizeRender+%25285%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM0SJbUc6c2K2coJHFOlVfqHep1a3VgqM3g31owPatyxcwi5MC7JPnTYKe9rlIGW81A2-M0q_f9_ScLPbXcPCodfZTZDqpHHabkrBnszW7fdUg_2wKC6fqmcJX6eD3h8RFQZQedTRGIdH/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM0SJbUc6c2K2coJHFOlVfqHep1a3VgqM3g31owPatyxcwi5MC7JPnTYKe9rlIGW81A2-M0q_f9_ScLPbXcPCodfZTZDqpHHabkrBnszW7fdUg_2wKC6fqmcJX6eD3h8RFQZQedTRGIdH/s320/FullSizeRender+%25286%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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3. At the top end of the thread tie an old curtain hanger.<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJsDQnXNGfXQ96ZaKqy3JrIINNbAXgz7M6CX6Sn1CfaYWIyNH2_O7lvAomGhyGGHX82oPPNNhxSFPuhRNEm0ucHSP2OoL5wgzBXTHhJahzFM32RDp_5-WeHKA21QAG1f1xvDhFkfVRhlv/s320/FullSizeRender+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /> <br />
4. Hang the chain of floppies/ err photo frame :) onto a favorite spot in your wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHeT-iD_fODdeqa3u6K_EwdA8c64gHYy7EyZoce9GKDQm3otCeKZBnOFGRq8G8OFnnLB_aQye7g1PHtXBafONR8KfEf1tY9TB_DhPVrJ4Fp__3BvBLvLHlyirySQEQ9eMIWrr0p7L8iYL/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHeT-iD_fODdeqa3u6K_EwdA8c64gHYy7EyZoce9GKDQm3otCeKZBnOFGRq8G8OFnnLB_aQye7g1PHtXBafONR8KfEf1tY9TB_DhPVrJ4Fp__3BvBLvLHlyirySQEQ9eMIWrr0p7L8iYL/s320/FullSizeRender+%25283%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LhhwUaajA8kzcWrTj1ux-6NO2LaLsVx33yKHfpzr7cxQRGbx0yp3x1HxeYSNHMxQ6ZSvNeBNNzaJ2Qo1VGW9YuhcB4wEDRZTnD7ZfihJftL0rqIHYlaZm99_Iy95b8AY6scLc62tbMir/s320/FullSizeRender+%25284%2529.jpg" width="129" /><br />
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Well this is the fruit of boredom and lots of love for people close to my heart. A Sunday well spent indeed :). <br />
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-34988666006458742672014-11-15T22:07:00.000-08:002015-02-11T10:38:38.069-08:00Leadership - From Ambition to Vision<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/_1rJDNWZLdU/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_1rJDNWZLdU&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_1rJDNWZLdU&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Excerpts from above video : </span></b></i></div>
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Ambition is just an exaggeration of the existing. Vision as the word suggests is about a new possibility, something which is not yet. Ambition is about wanting to take as much as we can take, vision is about making everything yours. One is an aggressive way of taking it, another is an embrace. There is a world of difference. <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Making the world yield to you willingly and trying to take a piece of world are two different dimensions.</span></b></i><br />
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Business is about expansion. If we forcefully take something you will never be expand to the full capacity. Only if you learn to make the world yield to what you want it to be only then you can take it all. <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Ambition is about more, vision is about all</b></i></span>. <br />
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A leader is somebody who is trying to create a situation and people are looking up to him believing that he is going to make it happen. He must be in some position within himself that he is able to see things better than the people around him. <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>If you are not even able to manage your own mind, it will be accidental management</b></i></span>. Managers of the world are the most tense human beings. If you succeed you will suffer is the message that is going in the world. Success is becoming a suffering simply because we are managing to do outside things without doing anything about ourselves.<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b> If the work that you are doing is important, the first thing that you need to do is to work upon yourself. </b></i></span><br />
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Each human being is his own, everybody is unique. Our idea of success has become like this right now.If we fail we will be depressed, if we succeed we will be damned. At present, our ideas of success and well being are not consciously worked at. <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Today leadership means that we are able to re-engineer the very ideas of success and well being in this world</b></i></span>.<br />
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If we bring about the necessary shift from economic leaders operating out of narrow personal ambitions to a larger vision that will be the greatest things for the future generations. This message that success is the sweetest thing in your life, success is not a miserable thing has to go for which economic leaders need to do something about themselves.
This is important because everything that we ever know and experience
is within you. <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Working about the inward nature of who you are is
extremely important. </b></i></span><br />
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We have mistaken that intelligence means thought. The intelligence which is the very source, that which makes the body happen is so phenomenal. The way to find access to this intelligence is Inner Engineering. This inner dimension is needed the moment we are taking a position of leadership. Once you are a leader every thought, emotion and action you perform is going to impact million people. We are going with ambition right now.<i><b> <span style="color: #cc0000;">If we journey from more to all, we have traveled from ambition to vision</span></b></i><br />
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To transform a society, we need to transform individuals. If we cannot do what we can do then it is a disaster. All the technology and resource is present except the person who can use it effectively. There is an intelligence that gathers the body and mind. We need to access it. A range of human experiences are different chemical basis within you.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">We are talking about a
technology of creating the right kind of chemistry. You are at a
chemistry of blissfulness, does not matter what the situations are, you
are at your best!!</span></b></i> <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></b></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Especially if situations are going wrong, its all the more important that you are on the track.<br />Once you establish your way of being and it cannot be disturbed by what is around you, one thing that is happened to you is you are free of suffering. Once the fear of suffering is gone in your life, only then you will walk full stride in your life. Otherwise every step you take is half a stride worrying what will happen to me, if this doesn’t work what will happen to me.</b></i></span></div>
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Action has to be focused, a multitude of actions will lead us no where.We have to learn to do everything the way it works. We just have to learn to do it the way of the world/planet. Only then we will be a sustained success. Otherwise my way or your way, is ambition. Vision means we do it the way it works. If we do it the way it works we all do it the same way. Organizations will become monstrous if we function out of individual ambition rather than a larger vision. Somehow get there is the nature of ambition.<br />
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Human consciousness should shape our business environment. Essence of being human is we can create our situations. Leadership means we have a vision to craft the situations where everybody can fit in and everybody can prosper.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Working with people is not management, it is a big love affair.</b></i></span>
<i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> People are in love with you, they will do it. They will not fall in
love with you unless you fall in love with them, that is the secret. You
have to do it first :). </span></b></i></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-83268042270512289242014-09-27T06:24:00.003-07:002014-09-28T12:21:57.028-07:00Three things an adult can learn from a child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwXhg5EoubgXHEM4Y35n-8HIZlxgXJXqyecUrtwHD2fQzo8l-VsSUh7Fl1THdY-8lLDX1Ue0PCipSWHxiMgXx6O6LQL9nONBbxonWhYhPevo9hS_dDphPE6VJEphHENFCAVpy1zB_B4_t/s1600/1908432_10204011255775928_1961262687684074996_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwXhg5EoubgXHEM4Y35n-8HIZlxgXJXqyecUrtwHD2fQzo8l-VsSUh7Fl1THdY-8lLDX1Ue0PCipSWHxiMgXx6O6LQL9nONBbxonWhYhPevo9hS_dDphPE6VJEphHENFCAVpy1zB_B4_t/s1600/1908432_10204011255775928_1961262687684074996_n.jpg" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">To be happy for no reason</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">To always be busy with something</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">And to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires ~ </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=11777366210" href="https://www.facebook.com/paulocoelho" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; text-decoration: none;">Paulo Coelho</a></span></div>
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Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-13938823520907901762014-05-15T08:14:00.001-07:002015-02-11T10:42:29.202-08:00Non-artists creating something stunning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Art a medium of self expression, has the ability to evoke emotions in both the artist and the perceiver. Besides being a great stress buster in today’s busy lives it also enhances qualities like focus,patience and creativity much needed for successfully solving complex problems both at work and in life. Art inspires creativity in the perceiver as well by making him/her ponder upon the artist’s state of mind.</div>
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Today @<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hightailindia">Hightail India</a> we had an opportunity to explore Oil painting as a team! </div>
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It was fascinating for me to observe the inner child inside my colleagues awaken during this activity. After the event team members were excited to talk to each other about their art.Amazed at realising their hidden talent,they were appreciating one others work. I felt immensely happy watching these non-artists create something stunning with minimal guidance on drawing/painting techniques. In fact some of them were inventing their own painting techniques .Watching them explore, I reminisced some of my initial attempts at painting. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CiTNP8MfIsZleqzEMsMeS2AfCaXTPZglgXgiKyub00ASrpwECjqyIwHTfnHhqo1WwokLcrudZNaQS1wO1OLbtH7XeM6VF2cnpLVmfG6zGXP66fw4EBdPWy6kFRMtuLyFRzmaIP1FIAT1/s1600/_DSC0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CiTNP8MfIsZleqzEMsMeS2AfCaXTPZglgXgiKyub00ASrpwECjqyIwHTfnHhqo1WwokLcrudZNaQS1wO1OLbtH7XeM6VF2cnpLVmfG6zGXP66fw4EBdPWy6kFRMtuLyFRzmaIP1FIAT1/s1600/_DSC0253.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winning Entry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_znsvspbmZ1uEI-DXU1pLHp5rQ82L5qJ8m9-99rC0eCzdTNhNJDUuqpiqYHD8q_a4nlkTfqm9fGPq35elUOGT2k2NTyCxGqXvc85PTgIVSCcNOSyZd-YRcPLD4NRnoezEF2HIp3StaK1N/s1600/_DSC0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_znsvspbmZ1uEI-DXU1pLHp5rQ82L5qJ8m9-99rC0eCzdTNhNJDUuqpiqYHD8q_a4nlkTfqm9fGPq35elUOGT2k2NTyCxGqXvc85PTgIVSCcNOSyZd-YRcPLD4NRnoezEF2HIp3StaK1N/s1600/_DSC0254.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Place </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjgATy3LjFKwgLvUsUNUfR3F1FFROOaIpBhGl4PeXsaUyw0H6S41eSdH7xGajt3EhtKJOaS_TWif6HMS0z8lyafbzVbe8LAoNuxLQS1YhTraW4XErHay7EsUyjFOPVw3VP6Y0TluZcyYF/s1600/_DSC0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjgATy3LjFKwgLvUsUNUfR3F1FFROOaIpBhGl4PeXsaUyw0H6S41eSdH7xGajt3EhtKJOaS_TWif6HMS0z8lyafbzVbe8LAoNuxLQS1YhTraW4XErHay7EsUyjFOPVw3VP6Y0TluZcyYF/s1600/_DSC0262.JPG" height="320" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third Place</td></tr>
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<br />
<div class="p2">
Some notes on experiences of the art session </div>
<div class="p1">
<b><i>“Never knew I have an artist inside me!” </i></b> </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><u>“ Today’s session has given me tremendous confidence to explore art further!” </u></b></div>
<div class="p2">
<b></b><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“<b>Never Give Up!</b>” </i></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p2">
<b></b><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Srinivas(one of my colleagues) who greatly enjoyed today’s session has already started his next masterpiece :)</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to embark my colleagues on this exciting journey of brush strokes. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>When we are at loss of words to express ourselves all one needs is to pick up the brush and paint :)! </i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<i><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/brushstrokesbyvidya"><i>https://www.facebook.com/brushstrokesbyvidya</i></a></div>
</div>
Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-60992268063183243992013-10-12T02:15:00.004-07:002013-10-12T02:15:48.954-07:00Tribute to Taare Zameen Par<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5XQf3kJqRyxRA6c7qAsHiWJJawzwWwQQfgzCo0PmVFQdTklVUosnbxfxS4_aunEWZmIbrVV-48W8p6jI9K84NNM4DTlb5qD-bRgAX61jps_DLNY4jIqEAdchEAnPA9epK4u0frLo8kvr/s1600/Ishaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5XQf3kJqRyxRA6c7qAsHiWJJawzwWwQQfgzCo0PmVFQdTklVUosnbxfxS4_aunEWZmIbrVV-48W8p6jI9K84NNM4DTlb5qD-bRgAX61jps_DLNY4jIqEAdchEAnPA9epK4u0frLo8kvr/s320/Ishaan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> <i> Every Child is special ...</i></b></div>
Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-12416470807239226102012-11-14T21:50:00.003-08:002012-11-14T21:50:44.979-08:00Fall Colors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBsT5PYeXF-smJGLAx5I3ogYCF2AheXSDKsG8wN1UcjIdWzuWZece1bzuULpMWLyJmP25tKI6LKCr0nLcanx8zQXOpzTg8vmzNgtIznEY-AJ1H8yXwGa8WVHMJww4Jj4mJt0WJ-9GyXk8/s1600/IMAG0192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBsT5PYeXF-smJGLAx5I3ogYCF2AheXSDKsG8wN1UcjIdWzuWZece1bzuULpMWLyJmP25tKI6LKCr0nLcanx8zQXOpzTg8vmzNgtIznEY-AJ1H8yXwGa8WVHMJww4Jj4mJt0WJ-9GyXk8/s320/IMAG0192.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-76703284218898995812012-09-17T06:12:00.001-07:002012-09-17T06:12:54.377-07:00Detached Attachment <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #741b47;">Nothing better describes the secret sauce for a happy life than the water droplets on a lotus leaf</span> ..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71xMPcN5Fxier8oJm3HT1uuBLi7nIYAhKf_uIftLSJZ0JVxWb0_wLW56Rmd3PYsZ0Z-iZ1nRHZwFm_KULDktKV_fXL2H_Sq0sVKl2SMeYwgq3EM-7rzx4JZgB3YVrrVXDrULUyXh97DHE/s1600/IMAG0160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71xMPcN5Fxier8oJm3HT1uuBLi7nIYAhKf_uIftLSJZ0JVxWb0_wLW56Rmd3PYsZ0Z-iZ1nRHZwFm_KULDktKV_fXL2H_Sq0sVKl2SMeYwgq3EM-7rzx4JZgB3YVrrVXDrULUyXh97DHE/s400/IMAG0160.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amateur attempt at capturing the beauty of the lotus leaf !</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-10895736127067179932012-07-29T04:07:00.001-07:002012-08-10T00:47:11.353-07:00Artsy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JNOTaWNApxFeVGVfKVWoiOeDTYC2Y1bTHmYkHW0A7swc4TrUgaAHUwA0eS1Jz40-DLpfJkeIm5U2X_nxLDr2t5ga5WHkflO5np9jJHeWwqOi-JdIKTkgm1e_76j21jkAwkSyx5mBrNYt/s1600/KrishnaJayanthi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JNOTaWNApxFeVGVfKVWoiOeDTYC2Y1bTHmYkHW0A7swc4TrUgaAHUwA0eS1Jz40-DLpfJkeIm5U2X_nxLDr2t5ga5WHkflO5np9jJHeWwqOi-JdIKTkgm1e_76j21jkAwkSyx5mBrNYt/s320/KrishnaJayanthi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Happy birthday Krishna , Hope you had a blast :)! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><b> What Caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls it a Butterfly ! </b></i><br />
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<br /></div>Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-76303427489822091202012-07-05T09:16:00.002-07:002012-07-05T09:16:33.992-07:00In the end, it is all a matter of perspective<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><b>While we cannot control others or given situations in life, </b></i></div>
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<i><b>What we can control is our perspective towards any given situation.</b></i></div>
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While choosing a positive perspective in any given situation will enable us to deal with life's situations in an effective way;having an unique perspective towards any given
problem/situation is the key to the ability to think outside the box or
being creative.<br />
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From this below story we can see how Shankar's different perspective enables him to be creative and stand apart from the rest of the crowd. <br />
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Once upon a time, there lived a young boy named Shankar. Unlike most boys of his age in his town Shankar had an immense interest in music. His talent became evident when he started to learn musical instruments like violin. Besides that, in his spare time he also wrote lyrics for songs. In fact, he was even good at composing his own pieces of music by mixing tunes of a couple of songs of very different origin.Thus the inherent creative talents of Shankar became evident through his musical interests. Friends and strangers alike were enthralled by the tunes that Shankar played on his violin.Constant support and encouragement from friends and relatives motivated Shankar to come up with novel musical compositions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWb5VUM7gDdZDgIGzwOonY-74-LIwaH_OgY4yDCLSNMyjTp0h-pGXwu5l-qboFJ03ATuhUrZRcg4ym6LntEok2uDnArBS5Y2hOIYaZa1a9A35PpuZweFeAJuDLrLz34nHIT0Q4RSeoe8ba/s1600/boy-with-violin.jpg!xlMedium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWb5VUM7gDdZDgIGzwOonY-74-LIwaH_OgY4yDCLSNMyjTp0h-pGXwu5l-qboFJ03ATuhUrZRcg4ym6LntEok2uDnArBS5Y2hOIYaZa1a9A35PpuZweFeAJuDLrLz34nHIT0Q4RSeoe8ba/s1600/boy-with-violin.jpg!xlMedium.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Lost in Thoughts</b></i></td></tr>
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One day, Shankar picked up his violin and went to a scenic spot. He was lost in thoughts. As many might guess he was not thinking of any existing or new music compositions. <i><b>His mind was instead preoccupied with thoughts of altering his violin to invent a new musical instrument that would enable him to come up with even more better and novel musical compositions. </b></i><br />
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<br /></div>Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-48175863707114794552012-06-28T08:44:00.002-07:002012-06-28T08:44:54.662-07:00Counted Cross Stitch and the Bhagavad Gita<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1kxJNb48ya8/T5_z5-oPq2I/AAAAAAAAJ38/nxZ1PIRu7Ss/s1600/12+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1kxJNb48ya8/T5_z5-oPq2I/AAAAAAAAJ38/nxZ1PIRu7Ss/s320/12+-+1" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Experiment with Counted Cross Stitch</td></tr>
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Life is like a journey on a train. Be it a train like Hogward's Express or an ancient chariot driven by many horses, the journey is best experienced only when the vehicle is on it's track ;)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaZwj1Z1BXmB61Fq5kXGGZZ8oweFnZagiJS5NYyddogXgJ99M9CF27MbAZGIPwRWgorRA2Idh40sGDNzkx9wbKCSWS_JCHli12sF3T8_1AzCvovHqto6aFdVrqXv598ggI4Fp_JORzcMP/s1600/BGC-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaZwj1Z1BXmB61Fq5kXGGZZ8oweFnZagiJS5NYyddogXgJ99M9CF27MbAZGIPwRWgorRA2Idh40sGDNzkx9wbKCSWS_JCHli12sF3T8_1AzCvovHqto6aFdVrqXv598ggI4Fp_JORzcMP/s1600/BGC-200x300.jpg" /></a></div>
Am sure knowing this truth was Arjuna's secret to success in his role as a warrior prince, and will be to any human being attempting to live in this modern world filled with challenges. The only difference being, not all may be as lucky as Arjuna to have Lord Krishna as their charioteer and have to instead only imagine his presence ;). <br />
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<br /></div>Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5856491414470317852.post-57737231378578774992012-06-28T08:43:00.001-07:002019-02-12T08:27:09.455-08:00Pura Vida The End ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I felt like I learned a lot of lessons through observation during my Costa Rica volunteering trip in particular. I am tempted to jot down the lessons in bullets as below.<br />
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<b>Life Lesson 1</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Sunburn Experience</i><br />
During surfing, my skin became terribly sunburnt. Even though I took the necessary precautions by applying sunscreen etc, my skin(especially near my shoulders) got terribly sunburnt<br />
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<i style="color: #38761d;">Lesson 1</i><br />
Sunburns are not necessarily the best thing to experience. However, experiencing it without resistance would enable us to uncover the hidden positive end result in any situation; like in this case the appearance of new healthy skin after the ugly unhealthy old skin is peeled away.<br />
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<b>Life Lesson 2</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Carpentry Experience</i><br />
While doing carpentry we were searching for a sharp pencil to make markings on the wood. However, all that we found was a blunt pencil. One of the fellow volunteers skilfully used the saw as a sharpener to sharpen the pencil.<br />
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<i style="color: #38761d;">Lesson 2.1</i><br />
Make the most of existing tools by thinking of innovative ways to use a tool for a slightly different purpose. aka. <b>TOOL REUSE</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;"><br />Wood Sawing Experience</i><br />
To saw wood skilfully we had to make gentle and slow saw strokes initially. Once a groove is made in the intended marked position we can apply more pressure and draw swifter saw strokes to saw wood based on available time.<br />
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<i style="color: #38761d;">Lesson 2.2</i><br />
To let the saw to do the work for us. aka <b>KNOW YOUR TOOLS</b><br />
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<i style="color: #38761d;">Lesson 2.2.1 </i><br />
To be cautious at the start of any project with slow measured/calculated steps when unsure and later on proceeding with greater involvement depending on results obtained from initial steps. aka <b>LEARN TO BE PRUDENT AS OPPOSED TO BEING IMPULSIVE/RASH.</b><br />
<b><br />Life Lesson 3</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Bon Fire Experience</i><br />
After reaching Costa Rica we saw the first sunset by the beach alongside a bonfire we had set up.<br />
Must say, I could not help but observe the parallels between setting up a bonfire and successful team collaboration. It is a group activity that enhances team collaboration through its diverse tasks such as gathering wood, assembling it in a pile, lighting the pyre and continuously feeding/ flaming the fire by blowing air until the fire grows. It shows how great tasks cannot be achieved by just one person and that it requires a team of diverse people to get together to successfully accomplish any task. We worked together as a team to collect wood and splitting the other tasks amongst each other to get the bonfire started.<br />
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<i style="color: #38761d;">Lesson 3</i><br />
<b>TEAM BUILDING</b><br />
<b><br />Life Lesson 4</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Zip-line Experience </i><br />
The Experience: While on zip-line tour I met a fellow tourist who was also taking part in the zip-line adventure. However, he was fairly old and overweight as well and found it difficult to complete the zip-line tour; that he needed a guide to help him successfully complete the zip-line journey without difficulty. At the end of the line, I heard him say that he had been like a brave fool in trying out the zip-line adventure.<br />
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<i>Lesson 4</i></div>
It is important to understand the fine line between bravery/foolishness.<br />
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<b>Life lesson 5 </b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Jaguar rescue center visit </i><br />
The Experience:<br />
We got a chance to visit the Jaguar Animal Rescue center. The guide showed us different species of reptiles, birds, and mammals. She also explained how the rescue center management "loved the animals enough to let them go" once the injured/diseased animals gained their health back.<br />
<i style="color: #38761d;"><br />Lesson 5.1</i><br />
<b>Love animals enough to let them free</b>. This made me ponder on the truth of the statement of how letting loved ones be free to live their lives in their own terms is the highest expression of love as opposed to trying to set rules/ restrictions(thinking it is in their best interest) on what loved ones like children/ spouses/ close friends and relatives can do and cannot do.<br />
<i style="color: #38761d;"><br />Lesson 5.2</i><br />
We got to see a friendly deer(unafraid of humans) which cannot survive in the jungle on its own as it would be easy prey for hunters. This made me draw a parallel to the importance of prudence while making friends<br />
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<b> Life Lesson 6</b><br />
<i style="color: #741b47;">Cleaning the Beach Experience</i><br />
The Experience<br />
As part of the volunteering trip, we set out to clean a beach which was filled with plastic junk/rotting leaves and coconut shells.<br />
<i style="color: #38761d;"><br />Lesson 6</i><br />
<b>Environment friendliness</b>. Got to observe the detrimental effects of only taking from any source. How giving back in this case in terms of service actually brings about inner fulfillment/ joy of accomplishment.</div>
Astraeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01357809284155431672noreply@blogger.com2