Some people will hear you when you argue about your life choices. Some people will hear and give you better ways to polish those reasons so that you can argue for yourself, making you feel better about your choices.
And then there are mothers, best friends and (sometimes) younger brothers. They won't always say what you WANT to hear but they will say what you OUGHT to hear.
And I have yet to meet a person who regretted having just listened to them once before taking important life decisions!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Chocolate Cake Story
Ask anyone studying Psychology at St. Xavier's which professor's lectures they took back something really valuable or food for thought from: Ruby ma'am undoubtedly!
So here's one of her stories which I love because it affected me a lot. I was going through a really bad phase in my life when this angel said these simple words which were like a chicken soup for the soul moment for me.
She said, "We all come across people who don't like chocolate cake. The lovers of chocolate cake know that this doesnt make the chocolate cake terrible or any bad..its just that those who don't like it are fools."
Oh what a moment for a teenager trying to find her feet. Now if I ever face any rejections be it admissions, or Summer interview rejection or some person not liking me....I just think of it as the chocolate cake situation and smile.
Try it! Its good!
So here's one of her stories which I love because it affected me a lot. I was going through a really bad phase in my life when this angel said these simple words which were like a chicken soup for the soul moment for me.
She said, "We all come across people who don't like chocolate cake. The lovers of chocolate cake know that this doesnt make the chocolate cake terrible or any bad..its just that those who don't like it are fools."
Oh what a moment for a teenager trying to find her feet. Now if I ever face any rejections be it admissions, or Summer interview rejection or some person not liking me....I just think of it as the chocolate cake situation and smile.
Try it! Its good!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Murphy's Laws!
This blog is dedicated to those lines that NEVER fail to make me laugh!!!
If anything can go wrong, it will
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong
If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway (personal experience: truth at its best!)
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop
Hahahahaha!!!!!
If anything can go wrong, it will
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong
If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway (personal experience: truth at its best!)
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop
Hahahahaha!!!!!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Who am I?
Oh no no no! I am not having an identity crisis....just some random thoughts! So the other day my aunt was getting nostalgic (as all mothers do) coz my sis is getting married this year. The words she parted me with got me thinking about this...her words were "if she becomes a good wife, daughter-in-law and mother she will be successful"...or something to that effect.
WoW! That got me! I always was cognitively aware of the fact that the female population of my country is defined in terms of the success of her relationships and her identity is in the form of wife, mother, daughter et al........but this one hit close home!!!
So it got me thinking, forget the world....how do I see myself? I guess thats more important here than what others identify me as.
I am this girl who at 15 was sure of what she wanted to do with her life and chose NOT to follow unwritten family norms of becoming a doctor, and took up Arts and Humanities as field of study.
I am a girl who finds joy in the simplest things in life...like a good book, a dish well made (by me), getting wet in the rains, the sound of bangles, the smell of the earth after the first rain, a good cup of tea/coffee, the warmth of my blanket on a winter morning.....
I am someone who believes in being there for my friends, to help, whatever the cost......
For me handwritten letters are still more precious than cold e-mails....
I love giving surprise parties and surprise gifts to people I love...and my gifts always have a personal touch...be it a comment, a card...or just shoddily wrapped by me!
But the most important of all, I hold the paintbrushes to the canvas of my life..... I CHOOSE WHAT OR WHO DEFINES ME!!! NO compromises there!
WoW! That got me! I always was cognitively aware of the fact that the female population of my country is defined in terms of the success of her relationships and her identity is in the form of wife, mother, daughter et al........but this one hit close home!!!
So it got me thinking, forget the world....how do I see myself? I guess thats more important here than what others identify me as.
I am this girl who at 15 was sure of what she wanted to do with her life and chose NOT to follow unwritten family norms of becoming a doctor, and took up Arts and Humanities as field of study.
I am a girl who finds joy in the simplest things in life...like a good book, a dish well made (by me), getting wet in the rains, the sound of bangles, the smell of the earth after the first rain, a good cup of tea/coffee, the warmth of my blanket on a winter morning.....
I am someone who believes in being there for my friends, to help, whatever the cost......
For me handwritten letters are still more precious than cold e-mails....
I love giving surprise parties and surprise gifts to people I love...and my gifts always have a personal touch...be it a comment, a card...or just shoddily wrapped by me!
But the most important of all, I hold the paintbrushes to the canvas of my life..... I CHOOSE WHAT OR WHO DEFINES ME!!! NO compromises there!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Old Diary
Going through an old diary is like meeting an old friend......and discovering yourself again.
I came across my old diary by sheer chance today....and wham! came back old memories! This was a diary I had maintained during a particularly challenging phase of my life, right after my grandma had died and school was over, I had just started college, and due to the initial awkwardness had hardly any friends.
I revisited those times, realised what I was going through, the decisions I had the strength to make. I rediscovered what makes me who I am today.
Yes, it was good to go through my old diary. It makes me appreciate what I have become all the more today!
I came across my old diary by sheer chance today....and wham! came back old memories! This was a diary I had maintained during a particularly challenging phase of my life, right after my grandma had died and school was over, I had just started college, and due to the initial awkwardness had hardly any friends.
I revisited those times, realised what I was going through, the decisions I had the strength to make. I rediscovered what makes me who I am today.
Yes, it was good to go through my old diary. It makes me appreciate what I have become all the more today!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Lessons of Life
I have always believed that some of life’s best lessons are taught when we don’t have a paper or pencil to note them down.
I don’t believe in proverbs (till I am using them for an essay). I am more of a play with the fire, get burnt and learn the lesson kind of a person. I only believe in those lessons that I have learnt through experience rather than through the words of someone great.
Some of the best lessons I have learnt are those taught to me by kids, my nieces, or other kids I have interacted with.
Take for example the lessons kids teach us about trusting our significant others. When we are playing with children and we throw them in the air, they are not afraid they will fall but they smile because they trust that we will catch them.
Another lesson is to always be a source of joy. Kids are always trying to make themselves happy, that’s as simple as that and hence we also become happy in their presence because of their simplicity. WE should really try getting joy out of simple things.
We all immediately take a liking to those kids who are jovial rather than the “cranky” ones. Human nature; people like those people who are happy rather than those who are always upset.
Be confident: Kids say the darnest things! They also try out the craziest things. My niece who is one year old, can hardly walk but now she tries to imitate all the gymnastic tricks her elder sister does. Wow! They are never afraid of public speaking because they are not afraid of being judged! We should try pushing ourselves to do such things!
So, observe kids, its fun to learn new lessons in a new way!
I don’t believe in proverbs (till I am using them for an essay). I am more of a play with the fire, get burnt and learn the lesson kind of a person. I only believe in those lessons that I have learnt through experience rather than through the words of someone great.
Some of the best lessons I have learnt are those taught to me by kids, my nieces, or other kids I have interacted with.
Take for example the lessons kids teach us about trusting our significant others. When we are playing with children and we throw them in the air, they are not afraid they will fall but they smile because they trust that we will catch them.
Another lesson is to always be a source of joy. Kids are always trying to make themselves happy, that’s as simple as that and hence we also become happy in their presence because of their simplicity. WE should really try getting joy out of simple things.
We all immediately take a liking to those kids who are jovial rather than the “cranky” ones. Human nature; people like those people who are happy rather than those who are always upset.
Be confident: Kids say the darnest things! They also try out the craziest things. My niece who is one year old, can hardly walk but now she tries to imitate all the gymnastic tricks her elder sister does. Wow! They are never afraid of public speaking because they are not afraid of being judged! We should try pushing ourselves to do such things!
So, observe kids, its fun to learn new lessons in a new way!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Education Today: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Two stories in the Times of India today, both regarding education, one a cause to rejoice the other, a cause for concern.
The good news? The Right to Education has become an enforceable law. It will be mandatory for private schools to now reserve 25% seats for the local children who cannot afford education. The state governments will be allocated Rs 25,000 crores for RTE rollout. The RTE comes as a fresh breath in this hour of need where of the 22 crore children between the age of 6 to 14 years,92 lakh have no access to education.
The other side of the coin? "Over 2000 colleges in India flaunt old ratings". According to NAAC around 2028 colleges ion India have not got their ratings updated,the highest number being in the State of Maharashtra. Some of the most reputed colleges in Mumbai have been implicated in the same.
Each year students appearing for SSC or HSC pour over books, guides, tution classes, college lectures etc to gain admission into a "good" college. They do deserve better commitment from the colleges they aspire for especially when some are even giving up their "lives" for the sae.
The good news? The Right to Education has become an enforceable law. It will be mandatory for private schools to now reserve 25% seats for the local children who cannot afford education. The state governments will be allocated Rs 25,000 crores for RTE rollout. The RTE comes as a fresh breath in this hour of need where of the 22 crore children between the age of 6 to 14 years,92 lakh have no access to education.
The other side of the coin? "Over 2000 colleges in India flaunt old ratings". According to NAAC around 2028 colleges ion India have not got their ratings updated,the highest number being in the State of Maharashtra. Some of the most reputed colleges in Mumbai have been implicated in the same.
Each year students appearing for SSC or HSC pour over books, guides, tution classes, college lectures etc to gain admission into a "good" college. They do deserve better commitment from the colleges they aspire for especially when some are even giving up their "lives" for the sae.
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