Innocent infanthood to rebellious teenage, life is really somewhat bridled, because that’s what is absolutely necessary, in my opinion. What after that? That’s when I think the real life begins. There is a particular way in which I thought I should live, am I living it that way? Not sure.
I was thinking about how I should lead my life, keeping values, ethics and principles in place and encompassing all the experiences one is likely to have during their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s etc… then the ‘Mantra’ for life, as I call it, happened. This is exciting … provided I live to be a hundred! Bleak chances!
Plenty at Twenty (20’s)
Dirty at Thirty (30’s)
Naughty at Forty (40’s)
Thrifty at Fifty (50’s)
Healthy at Sixty (60’s)
Plenty at Seventy (70’s)
Naughty at Eighty (80’s)
Nice at Ninety (90’s)
Happy (and Dead) when Hundred
In my opinion: Each word in the 'mantra' has a positive connotation and adds to the excitement of living. It has far more meaning than just the superficial definition. The context takes over and is deep.
Iam now in the ‘Dirty’ phase! Just to throw a little light, this is when Politics (at office and in general), Ego hassles, Drive (well, in every sense ;)) etc rule the context of living through to 40. Dirty ain’t it? It is almost like life is throwing a challenge ‘Wanna play dirty?’ Hehehe!! And hey what can be done in the 30’s can’t be done later. At every phase in our life there are a few things one can do and a few one can’t.
I went through the ‘Plenty’ phase and really wish I lived that phase forever. Fun, Excitement, Friends, Adventure, Experiments etc… All in ‘Plenty’! It just seems like yesterday! Well that’s what phases are, I guess!
Can’t write about the next phase for a long time, but hey! What the heck?! I’ll live it when I get there.
Time and tide wait for no man! Enjoy living!
Life is Fun, make it happen!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Classic Syndrome:
In a day (for most of us now): 10 hours at work, 2 to 4 hours of travel to and from work, 2 hours for freshening up, breakfast and dinner, 1 to 2 hours of preparing for the next day at work, 6 hours of sleep…this is almost how a weekday looks like for professionals today. There could be additions to the hours at work, travel time and preparation time for work.
Ultimately the body and mind do not get the rest/relaxation required. Well, the weekends are for completing chores and planning for the next week and whatever free time is available is spent on the phone or in a meeting with people/friends/acquaintances to share the depression. ‘Misery seeks company’!
What’s the result?
High stress levels leading to disturbed health and relationships,
Over expectations from people (not communicated, just expected) leading to isolation, irritability, mistrust, blame and irrational behavior
Troubled personal life…Professional life sucks!!
So what do we do about it? Complain and blame!! That’s all!
In my opinion, the final deduction is what I call the classic syndrome of this era, ‘I don’t like what I have and I don’t know what I want’!
Why I say this, as mentioned in a few of my other posts, is because the life we are leading is not worth it now, (change is in your hands)for simple reasons that we work hard, earn well, spend foolishly, lose health, save for death, invest in funds and not in relationships, become mechanical in approach etc… A day is nothing but a calendar or a schedule. All our lives we live for someone else, rather the most insignificant someone else! Think of it! What do we compromise on? Where do we vent? What do we nurture?
We work for our bosses and not for our passion/happiness. We work for money alone and not for fulfillment too. We earn not to make ends meet but to create more debt. We invest (money, time and energy) to prepare for our death and not in the relationships. We are living for someone else and by others’ standards, not ours.
C’mon, honestly, think of it. Ok! if there is any disagreement, here is a test. Think of the answers to the questions below, be honest.
1.Do you have new cutlery and crockery sets at home? If yes, do you use it? Most likely not, because this is for the guests/important people … god only knows when they will arrive.
2.Again, at home, do you have a set of hand towels/face towels and bed sheets and pillow covers that are costly and new for a long time now? Do you use them? Most likely not, again it is for someone else.
3.Do you clean your wardrobe and tables and show cases every day? Do you dust and vacuum your carpet or sofa sets every day? Do you clean your bathrooms and place air fresheners and new soaps and soap boxes frequently? No! Stop kidding me by saying yes. This again is only when VIPs are to arrive home.
4.Do you have a towel that is almost thread bare and still in use by you? The answer is most likely to be yes.(Check with your folks at home, there are new ones in the cupboard)
5.Do you eat your noodles with a fork that has bent or missing tines? Do you still use an old glass which can barely stand and has dents, to drink water? Do you still eat in an old plate that has dents and moves as you eat? Yes!! The costly crockery is not for you buddy!
6.Do you have perfumes for special occasions and costumes that are stacked in your cupboard? Yes!! You don’t want to use many of them; in fact you would be surprised to see when you check that you still have some of them in your cupboard. Oh did I really buy this?
I can go on about this and more, including gifts that you may have received, gold, silver etc…but think of it! This is the reality! Anyway, you pass the test…
Why? Oh why do we do this? Why is it ok to have the good ones stacked away for someone else while you adjust? Why is good life only when someone else comes home?
You earn the money but you do not enjoy what you deserve to. What are the priorities? What is ok for you should be ok for the guests too. So if you eat with a bad fork give it to the guest too.
The first step to get out of this dangerous syndrome is to go home pick up the good ones (all of it) from the cupboard and use them every day. Do it right away!! You earned it and you deserve it. Tell your folks at home this, they deserve it too. You live well and then help others. Invest in today as much as you are investing for the unsure tomorrow.
This weekend, do your bit. Create some space in your wardrobes and cupboards (and your hearts too). There are underprivileged people who would need the ones you use now, give it to them. They really need it. That would be a great start to ... reclamation!
Invest time and energy in relationships. Earn well and spend well. YOU are important to your friends and family as they are to you! If you don’t like what you have please know what you want and pleeez! for heaven’s sake COMMUNICATE effectively and have what you want.
What is inside is for you to use and what is outside is for you to give. (I mean at home ;))
Live YOUR life! Yours!
Ultimately the body and mind do not get the rest/relaxation required. Well, the weekends are for completing chores and planning for the next week and whatever free time is available is spent on the phone or in a meeting with people/friends/acquaintances to share the depression. ‘Misery seeks company’!
What’s the result?
High stress levels leading to disturbed health and relationships,
Over expectations from people (not communicated, just expected) leading to isolation, irritability, mistrust, blame and irrational behavior
Troubled personal life…Professional life sucks!!
So what do we do about it? Complain and blame!! That’s all!
In my opinion, the final deduction is what I call the classic syndrome of this era, ‘I don’t like what I have and I don’t know what I want’!
Why I say this, as mentioned in a few of my other posts, is because the life we are leading is not worth it now, (change is in your hands)for simple reasons that we work hard, earn well, spend foolishly, lose health, save for death, invest in funds and not in relationships, become mechanical in approach etc… A day is nothing but a calendar or a schedule. All our lives we live for someone else, rather the most insignificant someone else! Think of it! What do we compromise on? Where do we vent? What do we nurture?
We work for our bosses and not for our passion/happiness. We work for money alone and not for fulfillment too. We earn not to make ends meet but to create more debt. We invest (money, time and energy) to prepare for our death and not in the relationships. We are living for someone else and by others’ standards, not ours.
C’mon, honestly, think of it. Ok! if there is any disagreement, here is a test. Think of the answers to the questions below, be honest.
1.Do you have new cutlery and crockery sets at home? If yes, do you use it? Most likely not, because this is for the guests/important people … god only knows when they will arrive.
2.Again, at home, do you have a set of hand towels/face towels and bed sheets and pillow covers that are costly and new for a long time now? Do you use them? Most likely not, again it is for someone else.
3.Do you clean your wardrobe and tables and show cases every day? Do you dust and vacuum your carpet or sofa sets every day? Do you clean your bathrooms and place air fresheners and new soaps and soap boxes frequently? No! Stop kidding me by saying yes. This again is only when VIPs are to arrive home.
4.Do you have a towel that is almost thread bare and still in use by you? The answer is most likely to be yes.(Check with your folks at home, there are new ones in the cupboard)
5.Do you eat your noodles with a fork that has bent or missing tines? Do you still use an old glass which can barely stand and has dents, to drink water? Do you still eat in an old plate that has dents and moves as you eat? Yes!! The costly crockery is not for you buddy!
6.Do you have perfumes for special occasions and costumes that are stacked in your cupboard? Yes!! You don’t want to use many of them; in fact you would be surprised to see when you check that you still have some of them in your cupboard. Oh did I really buy this?
I can go on about this and more, including gifts that you may have received, gold, silver etc…but think of it! This is the reality! Anyway, you pass the test…
Why? Oh why do we do this? Why is it ok to have the good ones stacked away for someone else while you adjust? Why is good life only when someone else comes home?
You earn the money but you do not enjoy what you deserve to. What are the priorities? What is ok for you should be ok for the guests too. So if you eat with a bad fork give it to the guest too.
The first step to get out of this dangerous syndrome is to go home pick up the good ones (all of it) from the cupboard and use them every day. Do it right away!! You earned it and you deserve it. Tell your folks at home this, they deserve it too. You live well and then help others. Invest in today as much as you are investing for the unsure tomorrow.
This weekend, do your bit. Create some space in your wardrobes and cupboards (and your hearts too). There are underprivileged people who would need the ones you use now, give it to them. They really need it. That would be a great start to ... reclamation!
Invest time and energy in relationships. Earn well and spend well. YOU are important to your friends and family as they are to you! If you don’t like what you have please know what you want and pleeez! for heaven’s sake COMMUNICATE effectively and have what you want.
What is inside is for you to use and what is outside is for you to give. (I mean at home ;))
Live YOUR life! Yours!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Vuvuzela
The Football world cup is over!! Paul the Octopus has won many hearts!! The Spaniards have emerged champions! The vuvuzelas have created quite a din! And the noise lives on!!
Some celebrities, experts and common people expressed their views about Vuvuzelas. Some said it created a very annoying noise, some said it was fun and some said that it was noise pollution. Vuvuzela, also known as Lepatata, is to football just like how our DJs' famous horn sound is to the IPL Cricket matches.
In my opinion this adds to the energy and excitement on the ground and is over in 90 or 180 minutes. It is good to have this. Somehow, our news carriers have exploited this too and created famous news around this using the comments from different celebrities and people. Now the Vuvuzela is famous and so it should be.
My concern is about the unwelcome 'Vuvuzelas' that are locally available and played at odd times and near your house or on the road, blocking traffic. Iam referring to the 'Marriage bands', the other bands used during festivals, death ceremonies and the music played on loud speakers. Why doesn't anyone speak of this? This is more harmful and we actually have a law in India that bans this from 10pm to 6am and also has set a certain decibel limit.
Where is the press? Where is the media? Where is the police?
In fact most of the bands have police escorts while they break the rules and law.
This is not right, you know it, I know it and we all know it! So what?! So nothing. Why I say this is because, a few months ago I had a procession start near my house at 1am in the morning and the band played loud enough for my heart to pound really hard. I called our police control room, number 100, and there was no response, I called just dial services and took the number to the police station in my area and called. What happened? yes, you guessed it right...the number was engaged...I tried for 30minutes. Then I called the control room again and this time a miracle happened, the phone was answered and the gentleman on the line took my complaint and said that it was booked under noise pollution and that police will come there and take care of it. For the next 45minutes I went through this extreme noise with no relief. Don't know if the police arrived, anyway, it did not help.
So just when you think this is where it ended, the procession came back after 2 hours and played loud enough for the entire area to wake up and for heart patients to have seizure. Iam amused how this was done exactly during the ban hours. Also, it does not take a phone call for the police to reach, the band was loud enough even to disturb the policeman's sleep!! Hahaha!
Someone is getting married and a procession is on the road, blocking traffic for hours. Is this the idea of celebration? The groom gets cursed many a time even before he gets married. What stupidity is this? I travel 2 hours from work to home and get caught in these kinda things. Festival time, 6am, the music on the loud speaker at the street corner starts and worse still is that not many of the songs are religious and it would need god to do the famous 'Teen mar'/street dance to this music. We are living in hell and tolerating such nonsense only because we have nowhere to go.
Numerous incidents, day after day, common people put to pain, no place for the ambulance to rush, no place for the people to walk, can't rest at home, can't reach home etc etc. We live with this but make a noise about Vuvuzela that we heard on TV with volume control?! I think we need to blow the Vuvzelas till the law keepers take action. Anyway this is like a game and we might as well cheer our law makers and law keepers!! Paul the octopus what is your prediction?? Even with 8 arms I don't think you can choose the right option...there are just too many!! :)
Some celebrities, experts and common people expressed their views about Vuvuzelas. Some said it created a very annoying noise, some said it was fun and some said that it was noise pollution. Vuvuzela, also known as Lepatata, is to football just like how our DJs' famous horn sound is to the IPL Cricket matches.
In my opinion this adds to the energy and excitement on the ground and is over in 90 or 180 minutes. It is good to have this. Somehow, our news carriers have exploited this too and created famous news around this using the comments from different celebrities and people. Now the Vuvuzela is famous and so it should be.
My concern is about the unwelcome 'Vuvuzelas' that are locally available and played at odd times and near your house or on the road, blocking traffic. Iam referring to the 'Marriage bands', the other bands used during festivals, death ceremonies and the music played on loud speakers. Why doesn't anyone speak of this? This is more harmful and we actually have a law in India that bans this from 10pm to 6am and also has set a certain decibel limit.
Where is the press? Where is the media? Where is the police?
In fact most of the bands have police escorts while they break the rules and law.
This is not right, you know it, I know it and we all know it! So what?! So nothing. Why I say this is because, a few months ago I had a procession start near my house at 1am in the morning and the band played loud enough for my heart to pound really hard. I called our police control room, number 100, and there was no response, I called just dial services and took the number to the police station in my area and called. What happened? yes, you guessed it right...the number was engaged...I tried for 30minutes. Then I called the control room again and this time a miracle happened, the phone was answered and the gentleman on the line took my complaint and said that it was booked under noise pollution and that police will come there and take care of it. For the next 45minutes I went through this extreme noise with no relief. Don't know if the police arrived, anyway, it did not help.
So just when you think this is where it ended, the procession came back after 2 hours and played loud enough for the entire area to wake up and for heart patients to have seizure. Iam amused how this was done exactly during the ban hours. Also, it does not take a phone call for the police to reach, the band was loud enough even to disturb the policeman's sleep!! Hahaha!
Someone is getting married and a procession is on the road, blocking traffic for hours. Is this the idea of celebration? The groom gets cursed many a time even before he gets married. What stupidity is this? I travel 2 hours from work to home and get caught in these kinda things. Festival time, 6am, the music on the loud speaker at the street corner starts and worse still is that not many of the songs are religious and it would need god to do the famous 'Teen mar'/street dance to this music. We are living in hell and tolerating such nonsense only because we have nowhere to go.
Numerous incidents, day after day, common people put to pain, no place for the ambulance to rush, no place for the people to walk, can't rest at home, can't reach home etc etc. We live with this but make a noise about Vuvuzela that we heard on TV with volume control?! I think we need to blow the Vuvzelas till the law keepers take action. Anyway this is like a game and we might as well cheer our law makers and law keepers!! Paul the octopus what is your prediction?? Even with 8 arms I don't think you can choose the right option...there are just too many!! :)
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