Month: June 2010

Today, a friend of a friend passed away. She’d been admitted to the hospital with very high fever and passed away after complications. She was 8..

Many are wiped out from this planet every day..
Some due to illness, some due to terrorism, some due to political antagonism..
We, however, are most affected when we know or are connected to the person in some way or another..
The closer we are, the more affected we are..

The past few days have exposed me to many a tough situation around me..
People who are braving cancer, loss, among others..
Being not a stranger to loss, I can empathize..
But, pain brings with it lessons of different kinds, to different people..
Some live the rest of live in regret..
Some others decide life is not worth living..
Some lose their faith in God..

I just hope, with time, that everyone around helps those in pain to remember that life is a gift..

Because, it is.. it really is..
As hard as it may be to remember this fact in a tough time..
The fact that we’re breathing means we ain’t dead..
And the fact that we ain’t dead means we can do something with our lives..
Make a difference..
Change the world..
Make a dent..

It’s never too late..

To make the most of our time on this planet is not a choice..
not an option..
not just ‘one way of looking at things‘ ..
It’s our duty..

Here’s to life.. the greatest gift we have ever received..

And here’s to the little one who reminded me of thus..
May your soul rest in peace.. I’m praying for your family..

Strong and interesting I thought..

Good morning all.. Good day! :)

-> Had a reunion with a friends from school. We seem to pick up exactly from where we left of..

-> Went go-karting – it’s nice to do a sport that brings the adrenaline up once a while.

-> Ignorance is great. Being the most experienced driver in the group just did NOT work during Karting. I was braking like driving a car in the city. I was a much better karting driver before I learnt to drive!

-> Went for a birthday get together and stayed up meeting lots of fun, interesting people.

-> It was nice to do something very different. Didn’t rush back. Of course, had to get out to attend a conf call in the middle, but was all in all very interesting.. :)

-> I got a big piece of feedback today – I’m not laughing at myself enough. And that’s true… I am not. My big goals for the year are now 2 pronged –

1) Listen twice as much as I speak.. (That’s going to be a tough one, mind you!)
2) Laugh more at myself!

-> Amazingly, the previous night was extremely productive. And having very less time to sleep, I woke up irritable, locked my car keys in the car etc etc. And probably was a lot less sociable than normal..

-> Nice to get buttons pushed once a while as well..

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Lots.. it’s a scattering of thoughts at 5AM in the morning with barely any sleep since Sunday.. so obviously, I’m prone to lots of very illogical thinking. Learnt lots from the day though.. and thought I should share. :)

From a Tony Robbins Seminar
Courtesy: Brian Johnson – Philosopher’s Notes

My hunch is you’re a pretty good driver. Question for you: When you’re driving, do you spend all your time staring in the rearview mirror? Right. So why do we spend so much time staring in the rearview mirror of life?!?

Rearview mirrors have a purpose. A very limited one. Let’s look back to learn the valuable lessons our experience has to teach us. And spend the rest of the time enjoying the moment and looking at the future!

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Beautiful, loved it! :) Here’s to looking ahead.. :)

LOVE this one..

Try, fail.. and try again.. and get better.

Motto for the week..

Here goes..

Happy Monday folks! :)

There’s something nice about raiding refrigerators at 4AM in the morning..

And I’m starting to wonder why..

Maybe it’s because it was one of those things I really wanted to do as a kid..

And that maybe because setting up a meal was equated to being ‘grown up‘..

Or maybe because it’s just nice making a mess and letting family know ‘I’ve been here’..

Or maybe it gives me this sense of ‘Oh.. I am working so hard, so late!’..

and is a way of letting my family know as well.. haha..

Or maybe it’s nice cleaning up the left overs of the day..

A nice scavenger like feeling, if you get what I mean..

It could also be my love for occasional solitude..

It’s something I haven’t cracked..

But I DO know that there’s something very nice about raiding refrigerators at 4AM in the morning..

as I’m always left with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside after a nice ‘self-microwaved’ meal!

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Ta da.. it’s time to sleep.. Happy Sunday everyone! :)

By Kathy Kristof

2010 Graduates, do you want to become rich beyond your wildest dreams? Then I have a quick tip for you: Act poor.

If you do this, for just a little while, you’ll be fast on your way to having a million dollars — or more. That money can buy you a lot of stuff, of course, which would allow you to act rich and show off in no time. But if you’re smart, you’ll use it to buy freedom and give yourself options that the rest of your graduating class won’t have because they just weren’t as smart coming out of the box.

What do I mean by “act poor?” Pretty much act like you have for the past four years. Maybe even live with Mom and Dad for a year or so, promising that you’ll tell them when you’re coming home at night and help with the dishes. (As a parent, I had to say that.) The point of keeping your expenses low is to save your socks off.

Your friends probably won’t be doing this. The moment they get jobs, they’re going to want a better car; fewer roommates; dinners on the town. And that’s ever so tempting to do since you’ve likely suffered through lean years as a college student. And that new job you’re getting could allow you to pay for some luxuries, even if it doesn’t pay a lot.

But there’s a great pay off to living like a college student. If you manage to save really prodigiously for just a couple of years, you can build an emergency fund that will tide you over when times are really bad. And you can get started on long-term stock market investing at the best possible time.

Read the full article here

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Great point I think.. :)

I’m reflecting on a smile I had on my face when I watched an exchanged pop up on feed on facebook. It was a kid (or two) who had made it into a prestigious indian university pasting an email from another university abroad using profane language to snub the sender and indicate their choosing the Indian one (and hence, snubbing the other)..

A lot of thoughts popped up right then –

1) The power of technology to potentially ruin somebody popped up. Everything that we say on a platform like facebook is archived practically, forever. The possibility of all our online deeds catching up some day is a worthwhile thought..

2) I think the biggest reason behind my smile was at the naivety of the kid. The last few days have been an eye opener in terms of realizing how small the world really is. Connections seem to be popping up from all over the place..

It works the other way as well. You never really know who you are offending.. and word does go around..

3) Profane language leaves a sour taste in the mouth. (Mine, atleast) Especially when it is used for the purpose of feeling superior. It’s nice to be on a high.. heart goes out to the kid whose many years of hard work have been suitably rewarded but there’s a reason champions of sports like Federer and Nadal are champions.. they win with grace..

4) Another thought that came to me is about burning bridges. I heard a lovely story –

‘I was playing basketball once as a member of my alumni team against my alma mater’s current team. I realized that the guy I was marking was really good so I fouled him and realized he was no good at taking free throws. I kept making small fouls and at some point, he burst out -‘It’s just a game’. And I said ‘Oh yeah.. then let me win!. We did win the game.. but I definitely didn’t make any friends.’

The good thing is that all those who have an urge to get better love to compete. No world record is set in solitary practice.. I learnt that day that it was important to be on top of my game, yet be a nice guy’

5) What of friends who sweated and toiled to make it to the very place being thrown down? :)

6) I tend to remove anyone with negative statuses on facebook or gtalk. Life is tough enough without opening my computer and feeding myself more negativity. So, all these kids have been hidden off my feeds forever..

So, let’s say, 5 years later, this kid decides to apply to a top B school and is shortlisted for the interviews, and let’s just say (given the size of the world and my own dreams), I land up to be his alumnus interviewer.. Wouldn’t I have formed an impression long before the kid said ‘Hello?’..

Why am I saying this..

Because the kid’s profane language was used against my alma mater..

And the person made fun of was a friend from the Office of Admissions…

Just a thought that popped up in a football game today..

A ‘good touch’ is generally the difference between a good footballer and a great one. What’s a good touch? The ability to bring the ball down seamlessly by taking a soft/light touch..

The most skilled cricketers are those who can handle the toughest of deliveries with soft hands..

The most skilled pianists are those who can bring out the melody while almost caressing the keys..

The toughest leaders are known to tough, but yet so gentle..

It seems the better you are, the softer the touch, the better the skill..

Why, even the famously romantic french men are known to woo women with gentle persuasion.. ha ha..

At the highest level, it’s about being sensitive, it’s about precision..

Applicable in many places, I think.. :)

Good weekend ahead everyone..

Have a nice day and an even better weekend! :)