My favourite game

I came across a wonderful game recently. You need to have a partner to play this game. If possible, make your close friend as your partner to start with the game.

The game is very simple.. The first person has to clap his hands. The second person is supposed to prevent the first person from clapping. The game is for 2 minutes. At the end of it, you have to change roles and start off again.

This game was conducted to wake us up in one of the training sessions and all of us enjoyed playing this game.

Later when I thought about it, I realized that it was not only a game but an eye-opener. Our life is like the first person and the problems we have in life is like the second person. In the game, though the second person tries his level best to stop us, we still try our level best to clap our hands.. And the best part, we like doing it.

Why is it that we dont have the same mind when it comes to life?? We get tired of clapping, tired of facing the problems in life.. We get dissatisfied with the way life is. Why??
Is it because we dont have an open mind when we grow up?
Is it because we are afraid to clap and shoo away problems?
Is it because we think we would lose?
Lots of unanswered questions..

Isnt it time to realize that in between problems is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed??

For Young Bangaloreans

Wockhardt Hospitals is arranging a Walkathon for people who are young at heart. If you are one, please register yourself. The details are specified in the image.

Dream Book

Most of the Personality Development books encourage us to have our own "dream book". I understood the importance of my "dream book" only after practicing it. If you dont know what a "dream book" is all about, continue reading:

• Your dream book should capture atleast 101 dreams of yours.
• Even if your dreams are big, go ahead and jot it down in your dream book.
• Categorise your dreams as Family, Career, Spiritual, Material, etc.
• If possible, stick some pictures in your dream book.
• Allot 10 minutes everyday to read your dream book... If possible, visualize every point as you read.

I am sure that most of you will find this to be a very effective technique to make your dreams come true.

Night is longer for those who Dream... And Day is longer for those who make their Dreams come true...!!!

Change your past??

"If you get a chance to change an incident in your past, what would you change?" This question made me to think.. I would have changed a lot of things if this question was asked few years ago. But today, this question makes me to realize the importance of failures. Here goes a comparison of what I would have wished to change a few years back and my state of state on the same issue today.

Few Years Back: I would have changed my name (a total different name.. I hate the way people irritate me by calling "Anurammma" or "Anuraaama" or the worse, "Manorama, is it?").

Today: I wouldnt have got a blog id and a link so easily. Same is the case with any registration.. Thanks to my Dad. And ofcourse, there are people who remember me well because of my strange name.

Few Years Back: I would have studied well to get into a DOTE I college..

Today: I dont have any regrets for having studied at my college. Gosh.. all the fun I had in my hostel days and the wonderful set of friends I got during my college days..

Few Years Back: I would have got atleast 2 more jobs by trying off-campus. I rejoiced once I got my first offer letter. Never knew that my batch would face the after-effects of WTC attack.

Today: I would have never got the experience that I got in my first company. My first job made me realise the value of money. My starting salary was meagre. I used to plan for every penny I spend.. I saved them to buy something for my parents and my younger brother. The joy I had then can never be put in words.


These are just a few thoughts.. The list goes on and on. The jist of it.. "All that happens, happens for your own good". I had laughed at this phrase at many points of time in my life. I had fought with God for not giving me all the luxuries that others had. But today I thank God for the wonderful life he has gifted. I dont say that I am fully satisfied with my present life. Even now, I wish I could change a few things here and there.. but then immediately I think of all that I had wished to change from my past and how well they have helped me to face life.

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later. I have experienced this and I am sure its the way life teaches its lessons for all of us.. what say?

Happy (?) Women's Day

Why do we celebrate Women's Day? Isnt it a day to tell to the world that women are in par with men? If yes, can you tell me that no woman faced any eve-teasing today? Shouldnt we be ashamed to give a negative answer for the above question?

Why is it that a woman has to undergo all ordeals? Having her monthly friend to trouble her, do all household chores, go to work to meet her family's financial requirements, give birth to a baby and to top it all, feel ashamed for having born as a woman when guys join hands to tease her.
Shouldnt we be ashamed of this fact? I have undergone a great deal of eve-teasing. In the inital days, I never had the courage to raise my voice against those stupids. I was afraid. When I started raising my voice, started slapping those guys on their face, I realized that they were mere cowards who tend to utilize the slightest oppurtunity to touch a woman, pass comments about her, etc. If she doesnt have the guts to protect her, then they build their courage and take their liberty in over-doing their favourite time-pass.

How many of you will be happy to have your daughters out there being teased by a rogue? Are these men getting encouraged because of our movies that make women do only the glamour role? Then why are we encouraging those stupid movies? Why isnt there any rule to stop this non-sense? When government can impose rule to stop showing scenes where a person smokes, why cant they stop making a heroine wear a two piece costume while the hero is fully dressed?

There was this link at Blank Noise project where a guy has poured his mind out. Yup.. I agree with most of his points.. but, why is it that girls who are well-dressed and decent are also teased by men? Doesnt that showcase the cheap mentality of men? Why are gals getting raped and killed every day? Even if they have showcased a part of their body, why should men go to the extreme limits? Havent you seen men who roam around with sleeveless shirts? Havent you come across men wearing tight pants so that you can make out the shape of their wallet? How many of them are getting raped or the least, how many of them are getting teased by other women? When we gals maintain our decency and limits when it comes for commenting on the dresscode of men, why cant men draw boundary lines for themselves?

I am sorry if this post ended up to be a very serious one.. I had just poured my heart out.. Please correct me if my views are wrong.

This day being Women's day, I humbly request all men who read this post to take a pledge not to tease any woman. And ofcourse, to all girls out there, no adam-teasing please.

Relax

Gently close your eyes. Feel that you are sitting on this cloud. The place is absolutely silent except for the mild gush of wind and the small ripples in the sea. You are there with a smile on your face. There arent any worldly tensions to run to and you are fully relaxed. Enjoy your stay on this wonderful cloud.

'Thud' I looked around to see what had happened and lo.. I am sitting in my chair and my PC was staring at me with an angry look. Shucks.. I was listening to one of those relaxation albums and have fallen asleep. Never had the oppurtunity to get such wonderful dreams otherwise. To hell with all this monday morning blues :(

PC Life

Soon after joining this 8 hours of having PC life at office, I started facing the after-effects of having PC as my best friend:

• Oops, I had put 2 spoons of salt instead of just one.. if only I had an undo button..
• I just crossed that channel which was playing Mr. Bean's show.. if only I had a Ctrl-C option, I would have copied the channel number.. Now, I need to scroll through all the channels... phew..
• Whenever I see any guy trying to lean on an innocent looking gal in a government bus, I miss my Ctrl-Alt-Del - Task Manager - End Task which would have killed that guy forever.
• That wonderful fried rice I had cooked the other day.. Sheesh why dont we have a redo button..
• Any thing I need to keep hidden at home so that I can bring it out as a surprise after a day or two.. baah.. why isnt there a password protect option?
• I need to clean my car before taking it out.. Shucks.. why didnt I get some Disk Cleanup thing for my car also..
• For all those unwanted memories, I seriously need a Shift+Delete button
• Categorise people n their talks as 'Junk' and move it to a seperate folder.. Come back to read it only if I feel like.. If not, send them to trash directly..
• A search option to find the keys - oops, I am searching for more than half an hour now.
• Zoom into a particular place and check if there are any insects hidden there..
• An automatic security system which alerts me if a cockroach or a lizard is the same room, hiding to frighten me any second.
• A Norton Antivirus programme to remove all the yuckie people from my wonderful life system..
• A back button to go to the previous work I had been doing and continue it from the point I had left..
• If only I get to write functions for cooking, eating, cleaning, etc, I would leave it to my program to handle while I enjoy that extra hour of sleep.
• Some Bookmarks in life which will help us to go to that particular thought and recollect all the details about the person who is on the other side of the road.. Say a big 'hi' to the gal n ask "Dont remember me?" and come up with all the details about her n surprise her (I am always bad at this one in real life).

You have any such after-effects? I would love to hear them..

Why me?

I always used get this question in my mind whenever I face some difficult phase in life...

Why me??

"Oh God..Why do you want to give one or the other test to me? In all your tests, I struggle my level best to come out with an average mark thinking that I have finished all my exams when you come back with a beautiful smile and a new set of tests. Dont you realize that I am totally bugged up and pissed off?" My inner mind was shouting this all day today when I finally got a reply from God. It was there in my inbox in the form of a forwarded mail.

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player, was dying of CANCER. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease?" To this Arthur Ashe replied "The world over -- 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakh learn to play tennis, 5 lakh learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach , 50 reach the grand slam Wimbledon, 4 to the semifinals, 2 to the finals. When I was holding a cup, I never asked GOD "Why me?" And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

No one could have given me a better reply.. Yes.. God had gifted me everything I need.. I have a loving husband, a wonderful small kid, a decent job, very good friends, this blog as my outlet and YOU, with whom I can share my opinion.. I never asked "Why me" when I was enjoying all these. As long as I have all this support, why cant I face the other difficulties in life and still go around with a smiling face!?

Do you still have the question "Why Me" in your mind? If so, dont you think its time to think about all the wonderful things you have got? Dont you think its time to start living your life - Here & Now.

Pravsworld

I always love the posters sent by Pravsworld. This Monday was one of the toughest days. I had to take few major decisions and I was not sure of the outcome. With all tensions when I started my day in office checking my mails, I had got this wonderful poster from Pravs. It gave me support and encouragement in my decision. I immediatly felt relaxed. "Whatever happens, happens for good". Thanks to Pravs group for making a difference in lives of many :)

Ekkam..

'vasandangal naalai thirumbi varuma'
engira ekkathudan mega porvaiyai
izhuthu porthikolgiradhu nilavu

CAN conquer CANcer

I always used to admire Maala aunty. At the age of 40, she came to know the shock of her life - Cancer had come as her best friend for life. Her long hair was lost due to the continuous Chemotheraphy. Her beautiful skin became fully black. But her spirit was young and youthful. She made 2 wigs out of her hair for her daughter. She started paying more visits to her relatives and neighbours. She never used to talk about her suffering. We always used to have good entertainment if she was around us - She spread fun and frolic around. Cancer didnt have any discretion.. It took away Mala aunty from her kids and loving husband. It was really horrible to see how much she suffered in her last days.

You might think why I am writing all this when I am supposed to write something encouraging. Yes.. Maala aunty was gifted cancer because of passive smoking. If you are a smoker, then this post is especially for you. Please stop and think for a second. You are killing yourself and others in the due course. Do you know the pain your family will undergo when Cancer pays a visit to you? Have you ever thought how much pain you will have to undergo? It might be only a matter of Rs.2.50 now but even if you are ready to pay 2.5Lakhs, Cancer will not let you go later. Please help me to purify my world for you... Come, its time for us to conquer Cancer.