Feeling lonely?

Suffering from pangs of loneliness??? There was a time when I did not know what to do when I felt lonely. Couple of years from that state of mind, now I know I have transformed the negative loneliness into positive solitude and that is something I cherish so much, its the "me" time I cannot do without any single day. So any day if you feel lonely, your next thought should be to do something you enjoy doing, maybe something that you wanted to learn from a long time, a class of classical music or a driving lesson.Go for a walk all by yourself, go do your chores. Pamper yourself, get a pedicure or a manicure or got get yourself a hep outfit. Now this activity need not necessarily involve spending money :D. For instance, I personally am very content spending time given a good broadband connection and a laptop. 

          

Image courtesy

Now you would say all this is easier said than done. And you would not always have the motivation and drive to get that thing done. After all man is a social animal and you do need social interaction, a group of friends sometime. In that case, call up a friend, catch up with a friend over a cup of coffee, go for a movie..there are so many activities you can do with a friend. Its hard to come out of your shell, but do give yourself a push a day or two.I know I know you may not always also have the drive to call up a friend. That part I myself find very difficult, taking the initiative. 

Another key to driving away loneliness is engaging yourself, preoccupying yourself in an activity you enjoy doing. Now there is an ocean of options when it comes to learning something. Even a Google search on the Internet gives you thousands of results.One of the other things that also helped me to be comfortable in my solitude was the feeling that I cannot always be dependent on any person for anything. This one feeling helped me immensely in becoming independent and instilled a fearlessness, now I do not need any company for anything. I can shop alone, explore alone, do anything alone on this earth.

I discovered a new freedom in myself. A new independence. A new me. And all that came from my "me time".

But let me confess one thing that I still need to overcome. In spite of enjoying time alone, and engaging myself, when the loneliness factor is very strong, I avoid going to crowded places. I have never understood, but I know maybe its human psychology that when you feel lonely, the whole of the world appears to you having some sort of company, you always see couples roaming in your vicinity or a happy group of friends laughing away and your misery is aggravated. May be this can be over come by thinking that its just a phase, a temporary feeling.

Now I am not being preachy here but just sharing my thoughts on something I have experience in-numerous times. Being lonely is no doubt a herculean task but once we start breaking out of the chains of loneliness and the metamorphosis of loneliness into solitude begins, we will be a more happier and sane person and believe it or not we will experience a lot of self-development.

“Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.” Paul Tillich

Do you have any tips or suggestions that you can share on how to overcome loneliness??


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Competition ,Expectations ~ Death of talent

What type of a world do we live in? Certainly not a non-competitive one. There is a race everywhere, may it be getting your child an admission in the best of schools, getting yourself a promotion or the simplest example of catching yourself a seat in a public transport bus. Its as if life itself implies competition. how saddening.

The race begins from the time you come into the world, get into a good school, pass each standard with good marks, more importantly the boards. Pass out of 12th, rack your brains for an IIT or an equally good REC, pass out an engineer or possibly go into medicine. How time-table like is our human life?? I mean think of it, are we ever encouraged to think out of the box??Are we ever given scope to hone any of our hobbies so much so that we can make it our profession?? After all, textual knowledge is not everything, and certainly it does not bring out the creativity in a person. What ever  I am talking about is very clearly portrayed in the movie 3 Idiots. Yes it might have exaggerated in a few scenes, but the meaning is conveyed. Just like Silencer(the mugger) in the movie, many of us have passed exams without knowing the real meaning of the text we memorized! and what a pity that is! And why do we do all this? out of competition and out of the fear of not fulfilling our parents expectations!

Expectations, the root cause of all suffering. Parents, yes who very much love their children, want their children to be successful in life forget one thing. The fact that the burden of their expectations weighs heavily on a child. It can break a child, Neha an 11 year old girl committed suicide, how shocking is this news. And why?? She was a prodigal dancer but her parents refused to let her participate in a reality show and wanted her to concentrate on her studies, Result?? they lost their child completely, and to think of how gravely the parents decision affected the child that she chose to end her life???

Why isnt the child allowed to hone his/her talent. Why do the parents have to impose on a child?? and most importantly, why are the parents given the right to decide what the child wants to do in life. Just as dyslexic Ishaan in Taaren Zameen Par or Neha in real life are expected to study like a normal child, can't they be allowed to pursue their passions as well? I mean Neha for Gods sake was good in academics as I read here, don't understand why the parents discontinued her dance classes.

Competition to earn livelihood, to outshine others, living upto parents expectations is as good as murdering individual talent in a person. Its time we encouraged our children to do pursue professions which they are really passionate about, or work that they would really enjoy. Its time to stop more Nehas' from committing suicide..

Minimalism

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and not a hundred or a thousand… We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.” – Henry David Thoreau.

What a great blog. It really inspired me. http://artofmanliness.com/2009/10/11/go-small-or-go-home-in-praise-of-minimalism/

These are the key points that I assimilated from the blog

the following are the principles of living the minimalist life as laid out by Babauta:
Leo’s Principles of Living the Minimalist Life
   
1.  Omit needless things. Notice this doesn’t say to omit everything.  Just needless things.

2.  Identify the essential. What’s most important to you?  What makes you happy?  What will have the highest impact on your life, your career?

3. Make everything count. Whatever you do or keep in your life, make it worthy of keeping.  Make it really count.

4.  Fill your life with joy. Don’t just empty your life.  Put something wonderful in it.

5.  Edit, edit.  Minimalism isn’t an end point.  It’s a constant process of editing, revisiting, editing some more.

I would add the following:

6.  Hold on loosely. Even to your prized possessions.  At the end of the day its relationships, not possessions, that make life worth living.


Well minimalism is going to be one of my utmost resolutions for the New Year..and a good one, that.

Links to other  minimal blogs
http://artofgreatthings.com/2009/10/a-guide-to-self-reliance-minimalism/
http://mnmlist.com

please do add any other blog links you like..

How to use Holiday time to rejuvenate || New Year Resolutions

All of us need a break once in a while to re-energize ourselves, to break out of the mundaneness of everyday life and enjoy some leisure. And this is quite important as a very simple adage goes "All Work and no Play makes Jack a dull boy" unless you are a workaholic :D Well, the key to feeling invigorated is to use the time at hand in an optimum way and to make the most of it in a constructive way.

With the New Year ready to ring in, its the best time to "Ring out the old" and "Ring in the New". Simply speaking, its a time for some New Year Resolutions and resolutions that are not made namesake but ones that can be really kept. Anything and everything is doable only when we try to make small commitments to ourselves, something I have talked about in one of my previous posts "One Step at a Time". And what is a New Year without any novelty or nascence.

These are some New Year Resolutions or alternatively how I want to use my holiday time to re-invent a new me 

Health Well this is going to be a very common resolution for most of us. Now I chose to write health because I would not want to mention weight loss, rather I would like to stress on general fitness. Taking charge of my health is the top of my list now. Well, as part of this resolution, my doable action is "To do at least 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week" If am not able to hit the gym , I am going to try to compensate that with a 30 minute brisk walk :)

Saving With our high tech lifestyles and the cost of living going up day by day, there is a dire need to save for the benefit of our future. While most of our generation believes in leading a lavish lifestyle, the recent recession has brought us to our senses and has made clear the importance of having a rainy day fund. We should make an effort to save 10% of our take home income every month. Cut down on the unnecessary expenses, impulsive shopping sprees and buy our very own piggy bank. I am not joking, I do have my own piggy bank shaped in the form of a baseball. And when ever I remember to, I put a note or two in it. I have resolved to make minimalism a habit.

Cherish Love To love and being loved, none of them should be taken for granted. Hug a loved one, do something for them to show them that you care. Spend some value time with your parents, gift a nice something to your husband or wife to show that you appreciate them. Small things that count so much in life. Just a little effort for someone you love, to cherish their love.

Smile Start the day with a smile. Think on waking up "Its going to be a good day". Believe it or not it works. Builds up positive energy and even if the day doesn't go well, a smile gives you the strength to handle it, to stand strong in difficult times. After all, it costs nothing to smile.


What are your new year resolutions for 2010?? Do share your interesting thoughts here..I have kept my list short so that I can keep them :) But you are welcome to add yours..

Staying networked.Is it really necessary?

How many of us have this habit of coming home, connecting the laptop to our Internet connection and staying online almost perpetually even if there is no real need or necessity for it. The need to login to Facebook, Orkut and other social networking sites and not to forget the myriad messengers, Gtalk, yahoo etc.

Its almost like an addiction. Yesterday, when I did just the same on reaching home, I found my connection not working and my phone line down. The disappointment I experienced, not to miss that I did feel liberated as well. I mean have you ever tried keeping your mobile phone at home and coming to office without it? The freedom that comes without it is just so incredible. But my dismay soon disappeared because the Airtel people were so quick to fix it. Nevertheless, it made me think to what extent are we a slave to this technology. 

When I asked a friend about it as to what he will do if he goes a day without network, he was quick to respond that he would fill liberated and go enjoy the singing of birds and other beauties of nature.I mean think of it, how robotic we become in front of our laptop screens, just giving away to the clutches of technology. There is a saying that too much of anything is hazardous, so is too much of Technology and Internet.

Many a times I find my mind cluttered because of the many tabs of Mozilla I have opened. I experience a loss of focus and feel disoriented. I am sure most of you experience the same.Hence, my resolve is to spend some time everyday in solitude, away from the mobile phones, the laptops, the INTERNET, the social networking sites, away from the constant urge to keep updating statuses( what purpose do they solve, merely letting the world know what you are doing at any juncture, but whats the real need anyway). In short, this is again leading me to minimalism.For instance, why should I jot down a blog post in the blogger notepad, why not write it in my paper diary first. 

Can you suggest some other examples, where we can break free of technology in our everyday chores?

500 Days of Summer

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.

A fresh breeze, unique, every scene of its original and watchable more than once. Thats what led me to watch it for the 2nd time and looks like I am going to watch it more than 2 times :) Such an adorable movie. Such lively characters, ones you can actually relate with. Summer(Zooey Deschanel), with the 60s hair cut, cute as a button. Tom(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with the boyish looks and the sweet smiles( the smile that makes the eyes close :P)

Tom is looking for "The One" for him when Summer comes along as an assistant in his office. The greeting card one-liners writer falls for a girl, is totally mesmerized by her only to know that she is not looking for a real relationship. The randomly numbered days spent with Summer and the contrast between each is so awesomely shown, great originality here. How Tom swings from an elated mood to a sulky one when Summer makes it obvious that she is still not looking for a relationship. The small talks with the younger sis(she's his love guru :D), the conversations with mckensie and his other friend are adorable as well. The chemistry of the characters with each other is awesome.

Summer though is shown quite unpredictable. On one hand, she is sharing her darkest of thoughts with Tom and on the other hand, she doesn't feel for him as she should feel for a boyfriend. That part is quite queer.

What I also fail to understand that even after making him miserable, Tom falls again for her when they meet in the train only to have his heart broken again. The movie misleads when Tom and Summers in those scenes are shown so much in love. How they dance at Millie's wedding, so much in love, a made for each other couple. How Tom's "Expectations" do not align with "Reality" when he arrives at the party thrown by Summer is just fantastic. So true, seldom do our expectations align with reality. What impresses me is that this movie is closer to reality and still manages to entertain..

How in the karaoke session, Tom and Summer argue over the definition of Love and if it really exists! And how Summer whos afraid of relationship falls for another guy, just so agreeing with what Tom said "you will know love when you feel it" and how Tom is led to believe that nothing is meant to be, its just pure coincidence, everything that happens and so he moves on with his life..The end though is so Bollywood movie-like :D another gal comes along for him :) Well..A Happy Ending..

Not a love story..But a story about Love..

How not to react to situations and stay calm

Many times in our day-to-day lives, we come across situations which agitate us, which directly impact us and hence, we react to such situations. Humans are emotional, sensitive creatures. When emotions are affected, we humans react, its but human to react. We lash out in anger or frustration because we are not in our emotional equilibrium. We are emotionally disturbed, vulnerable.

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Now none of us are saintly creatures, its natural to react when someone hurts you or speaks offending words. But does reacting or lashing out help or does it make the situation worse?? Do you feel better after venting out your feelings or do you end up feeling miserable?? Does the situation end in a cordial way or does it end in a hostile way??

Let us see how we can handle difficult situations like these which tend to shake us and ruin our pacified self:

-- Monitor your emotions like a watchman Observe yourself like a 3rd person. When someone speaks hurtful words, stirs your emotions, what kind of thoughts come in your mind. What do you experience? hate, disrespect, anger, hurt and see these emotions come and pass through you. Try to analyse yourself as to why you are experiencing these emotions, learn to control and condition yourself to be calm and cool. So that next time when in the same situation, you know how to pacify yourself. Introspection in the very simple of words.

-- Keep your expectation levels low Expectations is the root cause of all unhappiness. When I expect a certain good behaviour from a certain someone, and when I do not see that coming, I feel extremely hurt and offended. Why did I raise my expectations about the other person?? I should keep to my region of influence, why should I try to raise my expectations over something that I do not have control over. As Stephen Covey rightly states in "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", the Habit 1 which is to be proactive."Proactive people focus their efforts on the things over which they have influence, and in the process often expand their area of influence. Reactive people often focus their efforts on areas of concern over which they have no control. Their complaining and negative energy tend to shrink their circle of influence." Words of such profound meaning and so rightly said.

-- Walk Away No its not cowardice, you are just staging a walkout to get away from your negative emotions. Why do people often say "Leave me alone" when they are upset about something. Isolation from the problematic situation or person does help. That does not mean you cut off yourself from him/her. No it does not mean a communication gap. It just means insulating yourself for a short period of time or the time span you need for cooling down from your pent-up emotions.

-- Write a diary Instead of lashing out verbally, instead of saying harsh words which can never be taken back, write! Write your heart out. Writing provides the necessary vent to your lava of emotions. Its a healthy habit, and if you do not want anyone putting hands on your diary, write and dispose of those writings. After all, you yourself would not want to be reminded of how you felt when you wrote a particular angry note in your diary.

-- Meditate Meditation relaxes your body, mind not to mention the various other benefits it has. The simplest form of meditation is 3 step and can be done for 10 minutes or so a) close your eyes and breathe normally b) concentrate on your breathing c) if your mind wanders and some thoughts pass through your mind, just be mindful of them and return back to concentrate on your breathing. Meditation in my opinion is any activity that you do with single-handed attention and focus.

Do you have any other points that you would like to share on how to remain cool and not react. You are more than welcome to share the same.

Yes she is married now..

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Her hennaed hands..mehendi in its true color..

Her clinking bangles..the cream and red chudhe..

Her मंगलसूत्र with the black beads..

Her hair partitioned in the center and with carefully put sindoor...

Her anklets..

Her bichiya..

Her smiling demeanor..

Yes she is married now...

Yes its a new life for her now..

Waiting..

Is too much anticipation right? Does it keep rekindling the fire of your cravings for a particular event to happen? Or does it leave you anxious and negatively excited as to what will happen when finally the much awaited event occurs.Lets see how we can perceive the word "Waiting"

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&& We all are or have been waiting for some event or for some person in our life to turn up. Waiting in turn builds up expectations, and too much expectation is not in the right spirit. I am waiting for my friend to call me and she is waiting for me to call her. Both of us have the expectation that the other will call, thats not right and can lead to ego issues and misunderstandings between people.

&& Waiting can be deemed analogous to procrastinating as well. Am waiting for my friend to arrive so that we can begin studying on a particular topic. This is not right because I in this case am dependent on my friend and I am not taking the initiative to begin studies myself. I am waiting for my manager to call me and assign me a job. I should be proactive enough to go and ask for a task myself if I have nothing on my plate.

&& Yes waiting in the right sense would be to wait for a friend to give him/her support. Lend a hand so that the other doesn't trip over. That waiting would fall under a positive category. But me being the counterpart should not wait for the other to lend a hand, that would be wrong since I would be soaring my expectations for the other. While its easier said than done, keeping your expectations low is very much possible. If I have a petty quarrel with one of my mates, instead of expecting him/her to say sorry, I should analyze my own behavior and go forward and apologize if I am at fault rather than groping for the other persons' mistakes.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Barrack Obama

I also believe in the power of NOW, everything that is, is in the now as I have mentioned in one of my previous posts Life

&& Waiting can also be an another plus. It would mean being patient, I have worked hard but still not got the much awaited promotion. In that case, I am waiting and being more patient. Yes, but it never pays to be over-patient. One needs to raise a voice against any wrong-doing being done to them.

You can't wait for inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club.- Jack London

One might wonder, why the post! My answer would be, my musings about how a particular word can be perceived in multiple ways. And how so many words can be used to describe the context of a single word. 

The ability to express oneself is such a gift which everyone should exercise! Hence, my perceptions..

Paa

As one of my friends rightly said, that hasn't Big B been given an ugly face makeup with an egg like shape? Its not really pleasant to look at. But I consented but after watching the movie, also understood that suffering from Progeria ( an extremely rare genetic disease that causes accelerated ageing) did make that look inevitable.

Auro is a 12 year old kid suffering from progeria.His mom is Vidya(Vidya Balan), a gynaecologist and also a single mom. Thankfully for the director, we are not dragged into the flashback for much time. The whole flashback is cleverly shown in just one song(Ittifaak se) and for what turns out to be quite obvious, Abhishek Bachhan(Amol) does not want to marry Vidya(she is carrying his child) because he wants to help his father in politics and is not ready for so much responsibility.                                                                              

Vidya stages a walkout because she wants to have the kid. In another scene between Vidya and her Mom, its queer how Vidya keeps saying she can't have the kid because of the society, because she still has 3 years of her medical education left and how her mom keeps asking her whether she wants to have the kid. Bollywood normally has torturous scenes where the unmarried girl is forced to abort her child to escape the wrath of the society and lo! here for a change, maybe in a way manifesting the changing mentality of our parents, the scene is moving in quite a contrary direction.

Meantime, Amol has become a budding politician keen to show the masses that politics ain't that dirty as they deem it to be. In one of his political appearances that he makes, he lands up in Auro's school totally unaware that Auro is his own kid, yet totally awed by Auro's thinking. The blank globe, where its not about my country or your country, there are no regional bounderies and we are all one. Its humorous how Auro explains to his mom, how he stole the globe from the staff room and painted it white, not too much effort for the "Visionary of India" prize that he was bestowed upon :D

How Amol meets up with his son Auro and the uncanny attachment between them is shown well. How Vidya explains to her son that they do not want to be a "hichki" in Amol's life is a good scene but again flawed considering the fact that its a 12 year old we are talking about.

The script is flawed in many places, may it be Amol openly getting infuriated at the media or Auro speaking quite maturely like a grown up. The scene where he asks for pickle,not for himself but for his mom, telling her not to sacrifice something that she does not have to. Or the kids at Auro's school, talking about the meaning of Bastard, its very strange how kids are brought upto the level of grown-ups and are shown to think like mature 20 plus something guys or gals.

Big B,Vidya Balan have given their best performance, Vidya being given a befitting role. Abhishek looks convincing as a politician but I wish he was given better dialogues, and please why was he made to say that he was happy "not wearing a condom" :| and that was why he had Auro. That sounded quite stupid. Auro calling his granny "Bum" because she has a big bum :D the obsessive talk about potty :D there are some witty one liners here and there which keep you in the movie thus saving itself. Not to forget Arundhati Naag who plays Vidya's mother. Quite an impressive performance, hers.

Overall, Paa is a good effort by ABCL after a long gap. Amitabh Bachhan in one of his best unconventional roles steals the show followed by Vidya Balan, no other actress could have done this role better than her.

A lot of credit goes to Stephan Dupuis for a very realistic make-up.And hats off to Big B cause it wasnt easy to get the makeup applied either. An article about that here

A Thumbs up and 3 stars to Paa ***

Life

Our lives are made up of million moments,

spent in a million different ways.

Some are spent searching for love,peace and harmony.

Others are spent surviving day to day.

But there is no greater moment than

when we find that life,

with all its joys n sorrows,

is meant to be lived one day at a time.

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I got this as a Good Morning mail  from one of my friends and found it to be profoundly meaningful.

Rejoice, cherish the moments of joy. Stand firm in face of sorrows and difficult times. But do not forget to be "in the moment". Whether, it be joy or sorrow, realize its in the now. Regretting about the past or worrying about the future will not benefit in any way and will only perturb the mind.

Someone has said it correctly. Life is like an ice-cream, eat it before it melts. We have only one life, then why shouldn't we make the most of it. Why don't we begin today by simply doing the following

/**  Love our dear ones, let them know how much we care.

/**  Exercise daily and be healthy.

/**  Think good positive thoughts.

/**  Help the needy.

/**  Set realistic goals and strive to achieve them.

/**  Simply smile. It costs nothing to smile.

/**  Appreciate nature and the way God created it.

/**  Innovate,Learn something new.

/**  Make friends, read good books.

/**  Relax, listen to some good music.

You do not require to be wealthy or knowledgeable to enjoy life's precious moments. All that is needed is the realization that we are entitled to all that life gives and takes in its full magnitude.Why then should we let it go? Start every day anew and live to its fullest.

Would you like to add any other ways in which you would like to enjoy moments in your life?

One Step at a Time

This is a golden lesson, a lesson in standing on our own feet that mothers teach their babies, when the tiny tots are keen to learn how to walk. This very small and simple act serves as the best illustration as to how simple things in life can be achieved.

Baby Steps!! yes :) that is what will help you to efficiently finish any task that you undertake. In the simplest of words, take one step at a time towards your goals, dreams or ambitions. One small step will take you a long way. Also it would keep you consistent on your path, since you wouldn't be too fast or too slow, you would just be in the right steady pace. A slow and gradual step towards your goal would build your self-confidence and keep you moving in the right direction without any deviations.

One step at a time has its own plus points..I have listed down the points I could ponder..

+ Motivation Making smaller commitments to yourself is easier and easy to accomplish. Once accomplished, you get the necessary motivation to keep pushing. You get the drive needed to achieve more. Say, for instance weight loss, if you lose a kilo in a month which is quite doable, you are inclined to lose more the next month. Hence one baby step at a time is quite a motivation booster.

+ Clarity Consider yourself the developer for a software product. You don't come up with the whole architecture, the whole system in a day. You brainstorm, you build upon each module, you take one step at a time. This aids in clarity of each module, how each module interconnects with each other, the functionality of each module in isolation as well as unision. See the magic of one small step at a time, helps us to think simple, implement simply, stay away from cluttered thoughts and gradually build upon.

+ Satisfaction As you look back and track your progress at each step of your journey, you will be filled with immense self-satisfaction. This satisfaction would steer you forward as you keep looking back. Every success achieved would pave the path for another.

+ Patience & Calm Focussing on one step at a time builds patience and pacifies oneself. Have you ever observed what multi-tasking leads to?? Restlessness, anxiety, stress,distraction. On the contrary, one task at a time can be nipped in the bud quickly and without much botheration, you are able to concentrate better since a single task is at hand.

Do you have any other plusses that taking one step at a time would add to?? Please do share...

While I can run, I'll run ;
While I can walk, I'll walk ;
When I can crawl, I'll crawl.
But by the grace of God, I'll always be moving forward.
Cavett Robert

The Benefits of Walking

"Walk and Talk" is quite a popular ad of Idea these days. And why not? It makes a lot of sense, its a wonderful way of advertising and at the same time conveying a message related to health. The advertiser has strategically used health as a means to advertise owing to the fact that health/weight loss is one of the buzzwords these days. 

You see Gyms popping up in each and every area, some even 24 X 7. You see Sugar free ads, you see so many health magazines on the news stalls and now-a-days there is much increased awareness about food stuffs, which fat is healthy, which is not. In a world, where technology is progressing at a rapid rate, the advent of obesity is also on the rise. With our sedentary lifestyles, we ought to be concerned. Also, with our busy schedules, sometimes its hard to be a regular gymmer. And hence, I am talking about the benefits of walking.

All you need for a good brisk walk is a pair of good walking shoes, an mp3 player(if you get bored like me while walking),good company and the most important a good levelled walking area. Good shoes are a must as they will help you give a good walking grip and help you to maintain a steady pace. Also one should try to wear comfortable track pants and a tshirt. Now for a person, who has just begun walking should take it easy and maintain a comfortable pace. It is important to keep the body relaxed. The sole aim of walking is to exercize the body while remaining calm, don't let your shoulders get strained or legs feel the pain.  Walk straight, do not droop and maintain natural motion. The right way to walk is such that the heel should strike the ground first in a walking step, not the front of the foot.

I know its hard to get the motivation to start but once you look at the benefits of walking mentioned below, am sure you would be urged to start walking your way to health :

1) Walking helps to burn fat. Walking is a cardio exercize and just like walking on the treadmill helps you to burn fat, so does walking and what can be better that its a no-brainer, you need no machine and you have a natural eco-environment unlike the fabricated environment of the gym.

2) Boosts energy levels. Sit in your house whole day, and just observe the difference after a 30 minute walk. You will feel more energetic.

3) Boosts mental fitness, cures depression

4) Helps cure sleeplesness, walking keeps stress at bay.Stress usually interferes with sleep, walking thus helps.

5) Since its a cardio exercize, walking is good for reducing blood pressure and keeping a healthy heart.

6) Brisk walking 30 minutes a day is good for boosting your metabolism.

7) It helps in increasing your flexibility, by strengthening your muscles, bones and joints, thereby toning your body.

So..Walk away and make way for a healthier you!!!

26/11

As 26/11 is drawing near, and most News Channels have started having discussions on it,  I happened to watch one such program on Times Now last Sunday.The discussion was how do we feel about 26/11, now that we are close to its anniversary, do we feel angry, do we feel determined or sorrowful? While watching the same, I felt that isn't it pointless to have such sessions? What do we achieve from them? The discussion just served as a painful recalling of dark events,one such instance being where the photographer Sebastian D'souza talked on his memory of how he photographed Kasaab on CST station where the man slaughter was on and how he was not proud of that photo..since it was associated with a bad event..

Instead if media could summarize what went wrong, what could have been improved in the plan to counter the terrorists, how more lives could have been saved..can't the media experts in turn work with the government experts to implement the changes? We have the full footage now..of all the 26/11 happenings, we have all the facts, how the infiltration happened..can't we analyse them and be ready for any such further attacks..

One should watch the documentary on 26/11 directed by Dan Reed here. Its a live account of the 26/11 massacre, with live conversations of the terrorists with their pakistani counterparts, urging them to kill more people..telling them with enthusiasm that the Taj attack was being given maximum coverage on TV, that they are coming closer to heaven. That killing one Jew is equivalent to killing 50 other people. Its nerve wrecking how victims relive their experiences, give first hand accounts of how the Pak terrorists mercilessly killed people like how a child would use toy guns to fire at people.How they hadno signs of horror or shame on their faces, 20 something boys trained to such perfection to murder innocent human lives.

With this documentary some shocking facts also came alive. The one scene where a policeman tries to fire at Kasaab while he and his fellow mate are exiting CST station and his rifle jams!! Can you imagine that?? the rifle jams!! anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare was wearing a bullet proof jacket and yet he succumbed to death . What does this manifest?? Jamming rifles, sub-standard bullet proof jackets! Is our security system, security personnel equipped enough to counter such terror attacks??

It is unimaginable, the wave of terror that was spread by just 10 terrorists from Pakistan. Is human life so cheap in India that infiltrators come easily, may it be a busy city station, a cafe, a jewish educational centre or 5 star hotels and start shooting at people as if there is no value of life!! Just 10 terrorists and a whole city terrified, 62 hours of massacre, 170 lives taken. And Kasaab the only terrorist alive out of the 10 hasn't been sentenced yet. The stark irony being that the anniversary of 26/11 just a day away and still justice hasn't been served. What can be more shameful than this for a nation like ours.

UP is UPlifting..UP you go :)

Picture courtesy : Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures

This is the first 3D animation from Pixar, yet another triumph for them.Pixar and Disney have done it again.

Indeed, Up is a charming and such a sweet movie. In some of its scenes, it touched me more than any non-animation movie. There are such real emotions in the movie that you might actually want to shed a tear or two while watching some scenes.After Ratatouille and Wall E, its UP :) And yes UP is going to go very up in its ratings.Currently, its IMDB rating is 8.5. And the tomatometer is 98% :) yey!!!

The movie's characters exude such warmth. Carl and Ellie as a sweet couple, taking life's ups and downs with a smile and Russel, the cute plump wilderness scout who is keen to earn an elderly assistance badge.Kevin, the trotting peacock-like bird, Dug the talking dog :D

In the beginning of the movie I thought its similar to Wall-E where there were such minimal dialogues. Since early in UP too, there is a non-verbal set of scenes potraying how Carl and Ellie met, fell in love, got married, could not have any children and finally slipped to old age. What superb story telling without a single word. And so profoundly moving.   

Carl and Ellie share this dream of having a Venezulean trip to the Paradise falls. Which Carl gets an urge to fulfill after Ellie expires. I love the balloon scene :) The house soaring with a bouquet of balloons...its such a happy scene :) its a balloon house cum plane :D looks so cool,so swell, so colorful in the blue sky..people exclaiming at it sight.What imagination!!  How Carl and Russel in their eventful journey bond and come to like each other, how Carl fulfills Ellie's dream and also learns an important lesson about what really matters in life. Quite a heart-moving story.

My favorite scenes in the movie, are the soaring house for one and the scene where after placing the house on Paradise falls mountain, Carl again flaps the pages of Ellie's adventure book. He stumbles on the many photos of theirs, capturing all their happy moments, each photo placed with care and thought :) These pages were meant to be filled once her dream of building the house on Paradise falls mountain got fulfilled. This very scene conveyed such a simple learning. We might not always get what we dream. The things/goals achieved in the process of achieving your dreams hold equal or maybe much more importance :) Wonderful, just a wonderful movie..

Personally I was glued to the movie every single moment while I was watching, was spellbound by it, so mesmerizing at times. An incredible movie, kids would love it, adults would enjoy it. UP is a must-watch, go watch it!!

Some extras:
See The director Pete Docter and the production designer Ricky Nierva discuss their work designing characters for the 3-D animated film “Up.” here
Quite interesting to see each character has been given such thought, some study has been done for each like for Dug, the talking dog

Watch the gallery of UP pics here

 

Indulge in Green Tea, Indulge in good health

Its high time we stopped consuming normal tea and coffee and switch to the very healthy green tea. So myriad are the benefits of green tea that one should start its consumption necessarily. Its a boon for people seeking weight loss especially.

The weight loss benefit is owing to the fact that Green Tea increases your metabolism rate by 4%. Ain't that great!!! Now after having read various sources, it has been said that consuming 3-5 cups of green tea per day can help you in reducing 70 calories a day. On other sites, they metioned drinking 5 cups a day such as here

Also green tea helps to increase the good cholestrol which is HDL and lowers the bad cholestrol LDL.Green tea has polyphenols which has anti-cancer properties, helps blood clotting and lowers cholestrol levels

It is very beneficial for people suffering from diabetes as atechins in green tea help to inhibit the movement of glucose into fat cells thus controlling obesity. Green tea may also act as a glucose regulator. It helps to slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal.I have read that it can even treat diabetes.

Green tea protects the destruction of brain cells thereby making the probability of contracting Parkinson’s to minimal levels within our body. Also it strengthens the immune system thereby protecting the body against various disorders

Green tea also helps in maintaining dental health. It aids in digestion and reduces bloating.

A very detailed article on green tea benefits can be read here

I myself have tried Twinings Green Tea and Mint, it has a particularly good aroma and is easy to drink. Pack of 10 tea bags costs 35 bucks. Yet to try Lipton green tea, cheaper at 18 bucks for a pack of 10 tea bags.Can be tried with a dash of fresh lemon juice and honey to add to the taste.

I am surely gonna drink my way to good health, so should you :)

Atonement..You can only imagine the truth

Atonement implies making amends for a wrong doing. Here the atonement is being made by Briony Tallis, a 13 year old precocious girl who lives with on her family estate with her mother and sister(Cecilia Tallis/Keira Knightley).She is shown to be an avid writer.

Robbie(James McAvoy) is the family's servants' son whose education at Cambridge was kindly paid by the Tallis family. In an encounter between Robbie and Cecilia near the fountain, both of them realise the attraction and heat they both feel for each other, but the same encounter witnessed by Briony from the window is mistaken by her. Also because Robbie is Briony's crush.

After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a sex maniac as the letter was quite sexually explicit.Robbie never meant to send that version of the letter but mistakenly does. Robbie arrives for dinner at their house. He and Cecilia discuss the letter and admit their love for one another. They make passionate love in the library but are discovered by Briony

When Briony' cousin Lola is raped, she tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed when in fact it was a visitor to the estate.

A Wounded and vexed Briony deliberately gives witness against Robbie without realising its repercussions. Robbie is taken as a war soldier, an option given to prisoners. Cecilia becomes a nurse warden, Robbie and Cecilia meet before Robbie goes on the duty of war, Cecilia wants him to come back.

The immense feeling of love that both feel for each other. The postcard that Cecilia give Robbie to remind him of her. Alas, Robbie dies on the last day of evacuation and Cecilia died a few months later when a German bomb burst a water main and flooded the subway tunnel in which she and other Londoners had taken refuge during the Blitz.

In the climax, Briony is shown in a TV interview in which she is talking about her 21st novel Atonement, which is also her last novel as she is dying. Atonement is an autobiographical novel in which she has tried to give the happiness to her sister Cecilia and Robbie which she so prevented them from having in real life. The scene when she goes to meet her sister to say how terribly sorry she was for having given the wrong evidence, the audience might think happened really. But here in the interview, its clarified that she never had the guts to do that.

She wanted to have a happy ending for both of them in her book to atone of her sins. The movie ends with a happy scene.Robbie and Cecilia walk down the beach on a bright, beautiful day. On the steps of the seaside cottage, they look at the beautiful white cliffs, then disappear inside.

What an extraordinary atonement..a heart wrenching story..

Revolutionary Road

Kate Winslet has played a remarkable role in this movie released in 2008.As April she is shown to manifest varied emotions, disappointing as an actress, trying hard as a housewife, still lost in life and trying to find a meaning in the hopelessness and emptiness. Trying to find a place of her own in the world.

Her husband Frank, having a typical office job is frustrated with the emptiness too. Then one day April recalls the fire that was in Frank whilst his youth. His talk of going to Paris and she puts forth a plan, where they should move to Paris. Why? So that he can really find the time to know what he really wants to do in his life, while she would be working in one of the government organisations and be the bread winner.Frank agrees to this irrational, impractical plan. Thereafter, they are shown to be in a state of such happiness, they proudly tell their friends that they are moving away for good, for discovering the real happiness, for witnessing the beauty of Paris.

In the meantime, Frank is getting offered a promotion to work with the chief executive on a new project: computers and hence is in a dilemma as to what to do. When April comes to know of this and also that shes pregnant, the whole plan goes to ashes.

April is shown so unhappy, this part that Kate Winslet has played so brilliantly. In her misery, she still puts up a smile in front of her husband before she gives herself an abortion. Her misery finally takes her life.

The perfect Wheeler couple story is shown to end in sheer tragedy

A melancholic movie with some great acting by Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet, based on a novel by Richard Yates.

Ajab Prem ki Bore Kahani.

Well..this movie certainly qualifies to be added to the list of movies which are advised to be watched leaving your brains at home..The movie scored in nothing, the only consolation was watching the gorgeous Katrina Kaif and the chocolate boy Ranbir Kapoor although both wasted in underrated roles.

The story begins with this school dropout guy Prem(Ranbir Kapoor who runs a certain Happy Club, members being all good-for-nothing people. A total निकम्मा guy to be precise. Parents keep cursing him for doing nothing..In comes Jenny (Katrina Kaif), an orphan who lives with her parents, who just want to get rid of her by marrying her off to some rich Christian guy Tony. And here we are shown another agonizing set of scenes where Prem helps Jenny to elope..only to realize that she already has a boyfriend Rahul(Upen Patel) My God, why on earth he was given that role, I fail to understand.  Gazab kahani actually :|

Finally Jenny falls for Prem.I do not want to go into the details why and how.There is lil humour here and there, but its not enough to save the movie..Even the music fails to impress..A total bore, this movie. Thumbs down for Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani.

तेरे खुशबू मैं बसे ख़त..

 तेरे खुशबू में बसे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

प्यार में डूबे हुए ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

तेरे हाथों के लिखे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

जिनको दुनिया की निगाहों से छुपाये रक्खा..

जिनको एक उम्र कलेजे से लगाए रक्खा..

दीं जिनको जिन्हें ईमान बनाए रक्खा..

तेरे खुशबू मैं बसे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

जिनका हर लफ्ज़ मुझे याद पानी की तरह..

याद थे मुझको जो पैगाम-ए-जुबानी की तरह..

मुझको प्यारे थे जो अनमोल निशानी की तरह..

तेरे खुशबू मैं बसे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

दूर दुनिया की निगाहों से जो बचाकर लिक्खे..

साल हां साल मेरे नाम बराबर लिक्खे..

कभी दिन मैं कभी रात मैं उठ कर लिक्खे..

तेरे खुशबू मैं बसे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

तेरे खुशबू से भरे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

प्यार में डूबे हुए ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

तेरे हाथों के लिखे ख़त मैं जलाता कैसे..

तेरे ख़त आज मैं गंगा में बहा आया हूँ..

तेरे ख़त आज मैं गंगा में बहा आया हूँ..

आग बहते हुए पानी में लगा आया हूँ..