Yay!! Its Christmas yet again

Yay, its Christmas yet again.

This makes me both happy and sad. Sad, because it is end of December again and yet another year is about to come to its end. Happy, because there are lots of reasons. We reminisce all the good memories of the feats and the adventures this year has brought to us. We have added another year in the scrapbook of our life. A lot of lessons learnt and some of them have been passed on to others. It reminds me of all things I have done without expecting anything out of it and dedicated these to God. and the list goes on and on.

This is a time when we take a break from our work and dedicate our time for the loved ones and be loved in return. It is time for the singles to go and hang out with friends and ogle at all the sugar candies and hot dudes at the parties. Its time when we see other people apart from people at our work.

This is also a time when we take a moment of silence and feel one with the Almighty. It is time when we thank God for all the help he has provided. It is time to thank him for all the angels he had sent us when we were down with despair. It is time that we thank him for the times which were unfavorable to us because it has helped us become stronger. It is also time to thank him for the repeat of some uncomfortable situations through which we have learnt lesson that we have always avoided to learn.

This is time to take an account of what we have done throughout the year and what we have done through which we have made an impact in the history of time. If we have done so, then we should be content.


Life is meaningless if we never celebrated it with music and never danced to their tunes. So I have a couple of music I am listening to during this Christmas. Please enjoy them and also share your own songs!!

My Time Without My Cell Phone On

Its been the seventh day since I got back from Sweden. Alas! my cell phone is off. When I went to Sweden I had purchased a Sweden SIM which worked perfectly fine. After, I came back, it does not seem to work. My cell phone shouts "No SIM Card" Error.

Well the first thing that I needed to do was to try to fix it myself. But despite, number of restarts, it does not seems to work. Well this is what I have experienced when my cell phone is not working.

Day 1

I landed at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The first thing I wanted to do after collecting my luggage was to board a taxi and hence, I remove my Sweden SIM and loaded the India SIM. The first thing I no0ticed was "No SIM Card" Error. That got me into a panic mode. I badly wanted to call mom. An old colleague from my previous IT project offered his phone and asked me to call mom. So that was solved. I just wanted to go home and sort out my phone. I hired a MERU taxi from the airport and came home. Then my mother asked "Whats up with your phone and how many numbers do you have?"

I felt restless that I could not get my phone working and I really need it. I have to connect to the new friends I made on the way and now I cannot connect to them just because of my stupid phone.Since one of the very good friend taught me to keep calm under every situation, so I kept myself grounded and went to sleep. I needed it more than I needed my phone.

By the time, I slept and caught up with mom on the last two months, it was a wonderful feeling. Then I shared some photographs during my stay in Sweden and she was excited. The best part being that I did not try to focus my attention to my phone.

Day 2

Today was the day to office. I did not have a monthly pass for the train and I had to get that. So I kept on checking mom's cell phone for the time. Watch is not one of my personal possession. Cell phone makes it so easy to see the time. I had to keep watching my mom's phone. This creeped her out.

I got restless. I could not see the time for which i had to stand in the long queue for the pass. I could not even see the time. I was anxious. I wanted to make sure that I did not miss my train. By the time, i managed to purchase my monthly train pass, I was tired. I wanted the office to end and somehow, sort out my phone by going to the service centre.

By the time, my shift ended, it was already night and the service centre was closed already. Tough luck!!

Day 3

Today, I did not feel as restless as the first two days. But when I boarded the train, I felt that irresistible urge to check my Facebook and my gmail. But unfortunately, my SIM did not work and therefore, my mobile internet did not work too. I was feeling so bitchy at others since they could check their phones and I could not.

While coming back from office, I again felt that urge to check the status of my social media. But then I remebered. Oh!!

Day 4

I wanted to talk to my friends today and the *bleep* SIM did not work. How do I get in touch with them? I had to get this thing working. That was my though during my entire journey to the office. But I had to calm down. Someone told me not to get excited at the slightest discomfort. I tried to follow his advice but managed to keep calm throughout the day.

Day 5

Now I am getting used to the fact that I cannot use my cell phone till the problem with the SIM is being sorted out. I started noticing things. I did not know that Bougainvillia grew beside the railway tracks. I saw some spinach being grown on the small pieces of land beside the rail tracks.

While coming back from the office, I saw that everyone was playing games in their phone or using whatsapp or chatting with their friends on facebook or doing something. I felt a bit melancholic. When I traveled from Helsingborg, Sweden to Mumbai, India, I could make some useful conversation with people. But when I am back here, I seem to feel lonely. I felt that everyone was more busy with their cell phones than people around. Thats the saddest part of technology. We are present but still we are not. We do not live the moment. Rather than talking to people directly, we prefer to chat with them. What the b*bleep* is wrong with us.

Day 6

Japp, its Friday and I woke up late. Dog howls really troubled me at night. I wanted some quiet and I got that in the wee hours in the morning. I had to get my phone checked and my SIM but found that if I go to service centre I will be late to office. So I decided to forgo my phone for one more day.

Luckily, today the crowd was less. I decided to meditate. I started with breathing exercises. I calmed down and now I can sense others too. I became more aware of puffed breathes, shoves, pushes,etc. I could hear someone yelling profanity at someone else in the men's bogie too. I opened my eyes. The sensation was different. But now I feel more aware and calm and delightful. For the first time, I felt okay that my phone is switched off. I felt delighted that this was such a great experience.

By the time, I boarded my train again to go home, I could feel calm. I could meditate instead of looking at my phone. It was a really peaceful journey. The only sound was the sound of the moving train. it was a good queit and I felt peace.


Day 7

Its Saturday today. I did not feel the urge to get my phone working. I did not even visit the service center to get this thing sorted out and still I am okay. I have been getting better sleep. As far as my friends are concerned, they messaged me over facebook and I am visiting them tomorrow. I will have to get my phone sorted out but I feel much more calm with nothing to worry me or expecting some call. It is much better with cell phone switched off at night. I get better sleep even with dog howls.


It is a good thing that people are asked to switch off the cell phones during flights. At least, you get to meet some interesting people during the flights and during the transits. In fact, a research says that switching off the cell phones actually make people happier. When you really go out and meet friends and family rather than chatting with them and emailing them, you tend to have more human contact and that grounds you.

'When you switch tasks it requires attention. Paying attention to what you're doing and who you are with and turning your phone off and enjoying being with your friends is much better for you than constantly checking your phone and checking emails', The Telegraph reports.

I would have to sort this out tomorrow. But right now I am happy.

Switching off my cell phone for 7 days taught me the below

• Switch off that cell phone during the weekends and go and meet out people.
• Don't try to check time evry now and then, the more you feel you have less time, lesser the time will be.
• Check time as less as possible because it makes you anxious.
• Try to be aware of yourself and your surroundings
• Try to make small conversation with people you meet everyday rather than making it out with the device
• Although we feel that it is indispensible, we actually don't need it. It is important when you want to keep in touch with people on the go.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Believe that there is a way

Today, my friend shared a story and I loved it. I thought of sharing with you all on facebook. But I have seen that a lot of my readers are from outside facebook. Here is the story:

A father left 17 camels as an asset for his three sons.

When the father passed away, his sons opened up the will. The Will of the father stated that the eldest son should get half of 17 camels while the middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third).The youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the 17 camels.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, three sons started to fight with each other.

So, the three sons decided to go to a wise man.
The wise man listened patiently about the Will. The wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels.

Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will.
Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels.
1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels.
1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17 and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took back.

MORAL: The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the common ground, the issue is resolved.

It is difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step is to believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any...!!!

Photoreading

I signed up for PhotoReading Mindfest Event by Paul Scheele in week 30 and throughout week 31, I managed to sit through the entire event and learn something new( although during the weekends, I fell ill and ended up in doctor's dispensary due to lack of sleep).

What did I learn here?

1. I learnt that I am a visual learner. 

Whether it is a technical book or a novel or an article, unless and until I am able draw a picture in my mind, I will not be able to comprehend it. My reading will be a complete waste.  Till I am able to identify with the author, it is a big task for me to understand what the author is saying. Also reading a novel is like watching a movie.

2. You cannot comprehend unless and until you have a purpose in mind.

That is true. Whenever you are doing something you need to have a goal in mind. When I prepare to go to my office, my goal is to reach office. When I study for an exam, my goal is to pass that. In fact, when I decided to sign up for the mind fest, my goal was to learn something new to improve my life. Similarly, when you read a book or article, if you do not have a purpose you will never be able to comprehend what you are trying to read.

3. Recognition is the doorway to everything you need.

There are five  steps to photo reading.

Prepare

Preview

Photo read

Post read

Activate

The basic element here is recognition. When we use our conscious mind, we just look and try to comprehend the meaning of words. However, we use subconscious mind, we use a broader perspective. We look into the words as well as beyond it. When the author writes, he is putting his feelings into his words. he is trying to interpret what he wants you to know through words. So we need to look beyond words.

Hence, if you wan to understand something, learn to recognise.

4. I got to know my fears and trepidations

I have a very bad habit. I try to judge myself based on what people think about me. What will people say if I do this and what will people say if I am unable to do something? What if I am not good enough? Because  of this, I killed myself over the books I hated throughout my school and college life and continue doing it even today just to be better than others.

I regret about the amount of time I could have saved if I had come across such courses during school days but again it is never too late to learn.

5. Now I would know which book to buy from store

One of the fears that I have is buying the wrong book.We shell out a great amount of money from our pockets. Therefore, I go through a lot of reviews before the purchase. But now I can photoread and see if this is the book I want to buy and then only proceed to pay for it. What is the use of paying for something that you would not use at all.

6. I learnt to use both my senses to read a book

When I learnt to read, I was programmed to use my eyes first to read the word and then memorize it by reading it again and again. This is a waste of time and effort. What I learnt in the photoreading taught me to use my conscious +subconscious+superconscious mind along with my eyes. This saves y time and I would not have to waste my time on reading unnecessary material when what I intend to read in the entire book is just a line.

7. I have the power to do other things

There was a time when I would take a lot of time reading a book. I would stay awake at night to finish a book or an article. Now I know that I would have time to do as lot of other things. Do things that make me happy.

8. I learnt to boldly accept a challenge

There were lot of activities in week 31 which would discourage me to accept this photoreading challenge, but since I had made a decision and I stuck to it, I feel a lot more powerful. I am sure that I would be able to take a lot other decisions in future as well.

What Photoreading is not

Photoreading is  not speed reading. I personally feel that speed reading is just learning how to move your eyeballs faster through each line of text. As far as my opinion stands, it is useless when you want to read a book to get knowledge and transform that knowledge to wisdom.

Photoreading is more about using your whole brain to comprehend what the author wants to say. It is more about how to use alternative way for your brain to process the information that is there in the book.

What is the final verdict?

Yes, Yes, Yes

Please sign up for this course whenever the next mindfest event takes place. I loved it and it is really very useful to everyone and that is why I decided to share my experience with you. There are lot of free resources available on the web. Please use them and share to the others. 

Try to understand that our forefathers and our fathers were never this lucky to get so many resources at their beck and call as we all are.

Important Life Lesson Learnt Today

I have always heard this quip "This is life, s**t happens". Well, even I believed it till today. From this day, I would say, miracles happen too. Often the people you meet drain your energy and often the people you meet say such right words at right time that you realize their worth when you contemplate them later.

Today, I met an old acquaintance after a long time and we both went to the cafeteria to bitch about our work. It is natural to do so, right? He told me a story which I wish to share with you as this is an important life lesson.

It begins like this:

There were two donkeys and they were friends. One day, they decided to take a walk. While walking one of the donkeys, unable to see the trap hole, fell down in it. The other donkey was lucky enough not to fall down. The first donkey started to struggle to get out of the trap hole. However, he could not get out. The second donkey could not see the plight of his friend. He thought that his friend would be in the trap hole for long time without any food or water and would die a slow death. He made up his mind to give his friend a painless death. Hence, he began to kick dried mud with his hind legs into the trap hole to bury his friend. The first donkey was surprised with his friend's behavior. But he would shake off the dirt every time and stand on the mound of the dirt formed as a result of kicking the dried mud. After hours of his friend kicking dirt into the trap hole, the first donkey could finally get out. He thanked his friend and began to walk to his destination.

Analogy with human life:

People would always throw dirt on you, either knowingly or unknowingly for good or bad intention.

The moral of the story is:

This is life. It is natural to fall into unavoidable mess, sometimes and people throw dirt on you. Shake off the dirt and use it for your own evolution.

Thanks to my friend, I would not take his name. But if you are reading this then you would know. I needed this advice very badly, today and for the rest o my life.

Embrace the child within you

Last month, I got an opportunity to visit Helsingborg, Sweden. It is a beautiful place with very nice people. I did everything that a typical child would do to make my stay exciting. I would be filled with joy just to see the snow and the black billed Magpie on the bare trees. Even walking from my hotel to the office would be joyful. Few people here warned me that its chilly out there, I may not enjoy it. But it was new to me and I loved it. Then it reminds me of my childhood when everything was fun filled and exciting. Just seeing people engaged in kite-fights would be as enjoyable as fishing. I wondered throughout these years whether that child had died. But now I know although the child does not make its presence well known, it is still there.

A black-billed Magpie perched on the roof

When we were children, everything was new and exciting to us. Fear was a foreign concept to us. Thats why we learnt to walk, to ride a bicycle, to read and write, to swim and the basic things that we would require to go on in this world. To do these tasks, we had to overcome many hurdles. We stood up after we fell down. We bruised ourselves when we skidded on a bumpy road when we were learning to ride the bicycle. We faced humiliations when we confused one alphabet with another. We consumed water through our noses when we learnt to swim. We had many hurdles on our way but we heeded nothing. We still managed to learn all these things and we all learnt well. But then suddenly everything stopped. We started paying attention to what people will say about us. We started avoiding things and finding excuses about things that would bring humiliations. We became conscious. We stopped learning. In a nutshell, we all grew up.

Scene from outside Helsingborg Central Station

May a time, I have heard myself saying "I wish I could do this" and "I wish I could do that". When I analyzed the situations myself, I was surprised to find that the only thing standing between myself and my wishes were me. Why was I wishing? All I had to do was to take action towards what I wanted to do, isn't that obvious? We just have to hope that all other things will take care of themselves. If they do not take care of themselves, then we have to hope that we will be able to solve our problems ourselves. We are born with that ability. We are able to modify our situations to our own advantage.

I was trying to dust the snow off from the Pulka board courtesy- My D S

As a child we were curious. We were filled with awe whenever we saw something new. We were always able to overcome our limitations and improvise. It is high time that we discovered the child within us again who does not care about what others say about us. The child who is not afraid to follow his heart. The child who relishes everyday and loves to live in the present.


Time and again, we see the glimpse of this child. This can be when you relate your current events to some fond memories of the past or something that makes you happy. You may not notice that but the others who observe us tend to say that our age has reduced by 10 years. Well, if it can make us feel younger, why not embrace that child and let it lead us to our highest capabilities?

 The visit to Helsingborg was not only a fond memory but a spiritual journey. It was a perfect opportunity to rediscover myself, to bring out the child within. After some events last year, I was broken but today I can say I am reformed and reborn. A child ready to take flight in this world again with a different perspective. I began to see things differently.

I would not have been able to move on in this journey without my friends. Thanks everyone. Thanks Dath, My, Shafeek, Jazeena, Srijesh and Grishma. I am really glad that I met you.