This is funny business of 'Just Like That'...there are so many things during the day that hit you, and you feel like picking up a thread and delve into it, connect it with other things ,write or express about it. Blogs help the best...however not all is said here...there's always a little residue that stays backs...sticking to the innner part of the mind.
Con_calls......amusing forum for people to come together and identify with voices only, try and figure out how the person is without physically seeing him for many many months. And then one fine day when you see someone, with whom you have spoken only on the phones----perceptions change..the image you have created in your mind..changes drastically. Doesnt it? Then there are high pitches, low pitches, psuedo accents, soft voice, tough guy, 'I will help', ' I am not responsible for anything' 'Its all your problem', 'Why this call altogether' types..always on the call..infact one should be able to pick these ones quickly during these calls.
But this still remains the best way of having meetings across the seas, tech wonder..... :)
Webex - Nothing moves....:) We end up staring at the screens with more concentration and are extremely aware of any movements on the screen, any shifty eye, any fiddling....looks shared during a sentence...you need to have a smile on your face while your mind is furious about what has been discussed. Sounds familiar? Then there are the non-avoidable cell rings, vibration modes of cells, clinking of glasses and bangles too at times....or suddenly someone barges into the room during a Webex...totally in control....when suddely he realises he has entered a wrong room and his body language changes immediately...:) and he is gone before you can react to this interruption. The con-call types will differ with webex types...however. I need few more Webex'es to go through this......more next time

Principles of Eagles

Thought I would share this with you .....Happy Reading

1. Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or with other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle.When Moses went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with eagles.

2. Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not.Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

4. Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm's winds to lift it higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her! Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again. Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare. When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly. The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes;The preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success;The being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and love on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns. The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

We occasionally need to shed off old habits and items that burden us without adding to our lives....... ..

Review - Tuesdays with Morrie.

When I picked this book first, I recollected someone mentioning it to me, on one of the online book groups. I had another book in my hand, Mckinsey Way…and was tempted to pick it up since it was a weekend and had some time on hands. But well…..Morrie ruled..somewhere my gut feel said..read this book first and thus I had this little book of 192 pages in my bag, and a wish to finish it in a day. Saturday dawned and the book reading commenced.
Morrie Shwartz, a teacher by profession. Mitchell Blom, known as Mitch by his teacher Morrie. The teacher diagnosed with ALS and fighting what slow death brings. A book on death and life, and the triumph of life. Death is certain, it’s the only certain thing in a human’s life and still we run away from it, abhor it, fear it. Accept that death is to happen and then see the change in your life, your conduct with others, your relations with others and yourself. This is what is the book all about. And it says in a language easy to understand and relate to. 192 pages; hard to put down or un-put-downable, written by the student of his teacher.
The book surrounds the fight to live, determination to live. A first hand true story narrated by Mitch. You cannot read and understand this book if you are not sensitive to human relations. At times, especially when you reach the middle portion, it becomes a bit of monotony. You may put down the book, but hang on, read it till the end.
Giving a little gist, the student starts visiting his teacher after many years of running around behind success and a fast life. A mention of Morrie on the television grabs his attention and deports him to his school days. He is already guilty of not keeping in touch with his teacher who had asked him to do so on his graduation day. Incidentally, Mitch had gifted his teacher a leather briefcase with his initials embossed on them and Morrie had liked it immensely.
Mitch visits Morrie and finds his healthy full of life teacher in a bad condition. Thus starts their conversation on life and things we need to know in life. Every reader can relate to this, at some point in time in everyone’s life, one experiences life in its reality and choices to be made.
You will savor it and remember it for all your life. They talk about the world, regrets, emotions, death, fear of aging, love, dreams, work, marriage, culture, forgiveness, and a perfect day.
ALS is a disease that hits your muscles and it brings slow painful death. You lose your legs, limbs and slowly it hits your lungs and you cannot breathe. Stephen Hawking suffers from the same disease and is a live example of willpower, determination and grit to live. Morrie became a live textbook for all the people around him. The narration of the book is simple to follow with little flashbacks wherever the author has felt pertinent.
This is interesting, I just remembered, Choice was picked just like that, with no background to it at all. ‘Choice’ by Og Mandino. Another fantastic book on dreams and life. Then the title and the cover page color had appealed to me. This time the name Morrie appealed, half expecting a story of a girl, more of a romantic interlude that ends on a sad note. But this book turned out to be different, a bit of preaching but needed and worth possessing one. Recommended. Must read.

Lifts and Thoughts

Lifts, closed door ones…not the glass door lifts that allow you to look down while you rise or look up while you fall. I am talking here about the steel frame lifts.....Very interesting places to find people, meet up or just read them(sounds unnerving?) and at times remember them..:)The first Lift song, if I have my hindi movies information accurate….”Mere Jeevan Sathi Pyaar Kiye jaaa”, it really had caught up with the youngsters then with Vasu and Sapna in the lift!!!!Lifts seem to be the most used structures around…with a quality of taking you up and down many times in a day. Ever noticed, the moment the lift door opens, few rush in as soon as possible, few as if there haste will speed up their ascend/descend. The Early Adopters..Then there are few who enter to stop the doors from closing on faces, hands, bags, strings..etc etc. The Nurturers. And there are those who lag behind the crowd, self assured, confident, who enter and try to squeeze in the place that’s available. The Laggards.The huge door closes and each one of the lift travellers, after pressing their floor choice start looking at the lift floor status, mostly a “red’ panel or at times a ‘green’ depending on the make of these steel frames. Real mammoth structures with responsibility of carrying people up and down. These stares at the panels, most of the times are just pre-occupied stares with millions of things running up and down in the mind of what is to unravel once the lift stops. Or somethings that have occured just before the lift started. The lifts at times end up with so many people squeezing in, grunting and still maintaining their 'island' status amongst the crowd. At times..one experiences the idle chatter that takes place in the lifts, especially between young giggly girls, group of friends, and women!!!! And the topics are at times really interesting......Lifts in hospitals are dreary, with wheelchairs, the depressing air hanging heavily in the enclosure, the smell of spirit, medicines, forlorn looks, lost hopes. There are those days when these same lifts witness hope rising, a silver line amongst the clouds, a smile bought back on a pained face or a child jumping up and down with the first 'lift' experience, a mother caressing her baby and lost in those little eyes.At times a good place to catch up on the gossip in the office, or take a sneak peek at someone interesting just standing opposite to you. All kinds of smells, aftershaves, perfumes linger in these structures for few minutes. Lifts can also give you those little moments much needed before a meeting. To compose yourself, to keep out the butterflies from your tummy…or to touch up a little powder on a nicely chiseled face. They at times are also witness to some few precious moments of a couple.....Well well….lifts can be boon or bane..its the way you see it.Do these lifts have a mind of their own? Do they speak….express? what will they say? Or will they not say anything?

Lifts and Thoughts

Lifts, closed door ones…not the glass door lifts that allow you to look down while you rise or look up while you fall. I am talking here about the steel frame lifts.....Very interesting places to find people, meet up or just read them(sounds unnerving?) and at times remember them..:)The first Lift song, if I have my hindi movies information accurate….”Mere Jeevan Sathi Pyaar Kiye jaaa”, it really had caught up with the youngsters then with Vasu and Sapna in the lift!!!!Lifts seem to be the most used structures around…with a quality of taking you up and down many times in a day. Ever noticed, the moment the lift door opens, few rush in as soon as possible, few as if there haste will speed up their ascend/descend. The Early Adopters..Then there are few who enter to stop the doors from closing on faces, hands, bags, strings..etc etc. The Nurturers. And there are those who lag behind the crowd, self assured, confident, who enter and try to squeeze in the place that’s available. The Laggards.The huge door closes and each one of the lift travellers, after pressing their floor choice start looking at the lift floor status, mostly a “red’ panel or at times a ‘green’ depending on the make of these steel frames. Real mammoth structures with responsibility of carrying people up and down. These stares at the panels, most of the times are just pre-occupied stares with millions of things running up and down in the mind of what is to unravel once the lift stops. Or somethings that have occured just before the lift started. The lifts at times end up with so many people squeezing in, grunting and still maintaining their 'island' status amongst the crowd. At times..one experiences the idle chatter that takes place in the lifts, especially between young giggly girls, group of friends, and women!!!! And the topics are at times really interesting......Lifts in hospitals are dreary, with wheelchairs, the depressing air hanging heavily in the enclosure, the smell of spirit, medicines, forlorn looks, lost hopes. There are those days when these same lifts witness hope rising, a silver line amongst the clouds, a smile bought back on a pained face or a child jumping up and down with the first 'lift' experience, a mother caressing her baby and lost in those little eyes.At times a good place to catch up on the gossip in the office, or take a sneak peek at someone interesting just standing opposite to you. All kinds of smells, aftershaves, perfumes linger in these structures for few minutes. Lifts can also give you those little moments much needed before a meeting. To compose yourself, to keep out the butterflies from your tummy…or to touch up a little powder on a nicely chiseled face. They at times are also witness to some few precious moments of a couple.....Well well….lifts can be boon or bane..its the way you see it.Do these lifts have a mind of their own? Do they speak….express? what will they say? Or will they not say anything?

Birthdays

Birthdays are special always, be at any age. They have to be that way and people around you make them special by their little and subtle ways of care and affection. Birthdays remind me of family get-togethers, friends, gifts distributed in school days.

In school, we had an unwritten code of distributing chocolates’ to all our classmates. Some of the well-off guys and girls distributed gifts as well to everyone. And these gifts used to vary from pencils, pencils with a head gear, erasers, sharpeners, rulers and that was once a novelty at that age. It was fun in its own way.

I always remember distributing chocolates’ to all my classmates and a bunch of them for my class teacher…(these used to be given with the best of the smiles and my starry eyes depicted the sweet li’l girl inside me...:)) Dad used to get those packets of chocolates the previous day and I could sense the celebrations starting in my mind already. Various brands did the rounds over the school going years. Ravalgaon with their flat and square shapes in colored wrappers, then Ravalgaon hard boiled confectionary in fruit flavours, then came the Parle Melody followed by Eclairs. And to think today the amount of choclates consumed then!! There were a few adventurous things available..Lollipops-most liked and adored by all of us. But now that I reminisce about them, I am able to recollect that somehow these colored Lollipops were considered unhygienic and hence I never gave them away on my birthdays. But did get a few of them though. Infact the subject is about to get digressed from this point since its all chocolates that are being mentioned here. Some other time a special mention only on chocolates. Coming back to Birthdays…….

Then the whole day used to just glide smoothly with cards and wishes overflowing. Special attention from all your friends; especially all those who used to be snooty on other normal days!!! We were allowed to dress up this day and Gosh!!! What a display of clothes and colors…..ribbons, belts, flowers, jhumkaas and what not. It was a lot of fanfare then. Now that I look back on all that, it seems ages ago and a different era altogether. Time has flown past at jet speed.

At times we (gang of girls, atleast 25 of them) threw parties at our places and the fun we had was amazing!!! Food, movies, gossips, boys, affairs…ha ha ha. That was life then. It always fun being in only girls club!!

Evenings were quite peaceful with the whole day’s download given to Mom, cards shown across to all in the family. At times we also had a family get-together with cousins, aunts, uncles are converging, meeting and eating.

Something that’s a part of a traditional Maharashtrian family, there used to be and still is the custom of Oukshaan. I look forward to it immensely still; it’s such a humbling and a touching experience. All thoughts converge at that point in time when I see the lamp lit in mom’s hands, the arti thaali, Mom handing over to me my gifts (at times something small, or a dress or a nice earring, at times just some monies). Whatever it is, I didn’t expect any thing from her…except her blessings and she has been always very generous in that respect. Infact last year it was very very touching!!! The hand that she keeps on my back is most needed, the strength that flows and the assurance that flows from her is difficult to be described here in words.

Well…well…sentimental stuff indeed. But that’s the highlight of my birthday’s…and they are always seeked and looked forward to. And I sense this to be remaining forever.

Reviews : Ladies Coupe-Anita Nair

I chanced upon this book in office library when I was searching for something different to read. On first look, I did not feel like reading it, but then after reading it completely I can say that good sense had prevailed then and I got it issued. It took me somettime to complete it due to my erratic reading schedules.

But its a book that you can read in 2 days, read it, think about the characters in it, try to relate to them understand their psyche, only then will you enjoy it. Its not a light reading at all, has a serious note in it, at times melancholic, at times rebellious. There are quite a few moments in the book that can leave you dumbfounded. The incidents in each women's life in the book can happen to any women, but what you do about it is important, how you emerge a winner in the midst of adversities. Its a very feminine book with strong portrayals of each character, not one of the feminine liberation kinds but straight from the actual experiences. It does not preach, its gives the facts as they are. Hard hitting, blunt in a lot of places, it gives different perspective altogether.The book does not preach, it delivers the facts and leaves it to the reader to judge the events as they are.

5 strong feminine characters, their lives narrated in a language befiitting their existence. The writer can transcend you to each woman's environment when telling her story. The reader can visualise the surroundings of all that has happened with each woman in her life. Akhila, Janaki, Mariakolanthu, Sheela and Prabha Devi are the central characters in this book. The ladies coupe of a train bound to Kanyakumari finds these women thrown in proximity and the tales start unfolding. Very Indian premise of the book.

Good read. I would recommend all those who are into serious reading.
Books are an experience in themselves and they have to be savoured till the last word.

By Nithya Anantham on Orkut

I believe in a smile,
in its sheer power,
I believe in early mornings,
in the beauty of a flower.

I believe in innocence,
because innocence is the key,
to all the great and wonderful things,
that our world could be.

I believe in the wind,
in sunshine after the rain,
That joy is around the corner,
after every hurt or pain.

I believe in love,
in the comfort that it gives,
In knowing that in someone's heart,
your memory always lives.

I believe in purity of the spirit,
I believe in life,
and everything thats in it... :-)

------From the Net-------Silence

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when ........
you just ran out of words and you go... s i l e n t ....

Let me assist you in recalling...

.. the moment when you left your home for the first time and you look
back at your parents who are worried that their son/daughter are leaving them yet happy that their child took the first step towards independence.

... the moment when the girl/boy you like most.. smiled back at you! You don't say anything.. you just smile back..

... the moment when you sit alone in your room after having told
everyone that you cleared that exam you prepared for 6 months!!

You can go on remembering your "special" moments! I had always wondered

Why I never said anything to myself at those moments.. as if it was
"understood"... happiness, joy, pain.. all feelings just flowed
ceaselessly in the 'years' that passed in those flash moments!

They say.. the best way to communicate is through "silence". Love. Joy. Grief. Surprise. Anger. Hope. Expectations.

Can you imagine the importance of a silent moment in a song?? When Bryan
Adams stops for a while along with music, before he goes on in his husky voice...... Please forgive me. I cant stop loving you!

Ever had those moments when you thought you were tired enough that you reach for your bed after dinner.. but find yourself wide awake looking at the roof of your room silently...

But you sure are 'thinking'... those moments of self-talk are the most important in our lives. Those moments when we listen to our own hearts!

Those promises... those decisions... those are the moments when we make our destinies!

Next time you go silent... listen carefully to what your heart is
saying..

listen to its joy...listen to its pain..listen to its fears.. listen to its desires.. Dont make it shut up and go off to sleep... LISTEN TO THAT VOICE and ACCEPT EVERYTHING IT SAYS! That voice alone can lead you to the abode of peace that your sleep lacks... peace that awaits you!


Be in touch with your true self... be silent once a day, every day!

"The Deepest Feeling Shows Itself In complete Silence"