There is a time for everything for every living thing on this earth.
Just as it is mentioned in the Book of Ecclesiastes of the Bible. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to find love and a time to lose it. A time to laugh and a time to weep.For some, they have too many people to love and take care of. For others, they long to be loved and taken care of. Some are lucky to be drowned in love their entire lives. Others wish and pray for a moment of happy bliss.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund
The above is German and means "The early bird gets the worm (literally, "morning-hours have gold in the mouth")". My son Ryan is just 10 months old but he seems to follow this already very religiously ! Little Ryan's been waking up every day at 7 am. And to break all records, he got up at 6 am today, knocking me off completely.
I have to think back to those times when I was a little kid and my mom had to wake me up at 6 every day so that I'd get ready for school. Here and now my son is waking up his mommy ! Keep it up, dear :) !!
I have to think back to those times when I was a little kid and my mom had to wake me up at 6 every day so that I'd get ready for school. Here and now my son is waking up his mommy ! Keep it up, dear :) !!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Silent Marriages
Is it enough to have a husband,and never mind the fact that he has not looked at your face for years, ... not spoken to you in decades? I was reading "A Matter of Time" by Shashi Despande and this line struck me. Or rather made me think about the marriage system in India. Can a husband and wife live like this? I guess, yes, in India it is certainly possible. And why is this system of "Once married, always married" so prevalent ?? It's because people don't search for their soulmate. Instead bride and/or groom look for wealth, family name, prestige or plain just some family who can "adjust" to THEM. Yes, you heard it right, one does not marry a guy/girl but the entire hierarchy of his/her family tree as well.There is no place for "Shall we dance in the rain?" or "Do you like strawberries with Cream?" or "Let's gaze at the stars?" questions. And,once married, it's like having acquired whatever one wanted to acquire and nothing else matters. It doesn't matter whether the wife and husband get along with each other or not, or if they love each other or not.What matters is that you are married and society should be shown only that certificate, not the intricate workings or non-workings of it.
The West is so different with respect to marriage or relationships per se. A guy will marry a girl only if he likes her well. He doesn't care much about her family and vice versa.And very often you get an interesting set of new in-laws.
Also,the girl will never allow her husband and in-laws to harass or abuse her. Sadly though, the people in the West have little patience and if there arises a problem between the couple very few give it a serious try to rescue their relationship.
If we could combine the attitude of the guy/girl in the West with the patience and perseverence of the couples here in India, we would certainly get some great relationships!!
Had a chat with a class mate of mine who got recently married. When asking about his wife he was telling me that "She is an amazing person" !! This was the first time that I heard someone praise their better half. I know, I know, Change has to start from within oneself. But, when was the last time you praised someone at all ?!?
The West is so different with respect to marriage or relationships per se. A guy will marry a girl only if he likes her well. He doesn't care much about her family and vice versa.And very often you get an interesting set of new in-laws.
Also,the girl will never allow her husband and in-laws to harass or abuse her. Sadly though, the people in the West have little patience and if there arises a problem between the couple very few give it a serious try to rescue their relationship.
If we could combine the attitude of the guy/girl in the West with the patience and perseverence of the couples here in India, we would certainly get some great relationships!!
Had a chat with a class mate of mine who got recently married. When asking about his wife he was telling me that "She is an amazing person" !! This was the first time that I heard someone praise their better half. I know, I know, Change has to start from within oneself. But, when was the last time you praised someone at all ?!?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Simple Family - Happy Family
Now being a mother I religiously follow parental & baby e-magazines. I was reading the following article in http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/20-simple-ways-to-have-a-happier-family/?sssdmh=dm17.467635&esrc=nwpmmdailytip090310&email=2734178923 and thought I have to keep this with me .... I need to keep reading this once in a while, coz these tips are all that matter to have a simple but extremely happy family life. So, here it goes:
These instant happiness boosters take little time, money, or planning, but they can make a big difference in your life.
1.Snuggle Time
2.Mood Music
3.Deep Breathing
4.Indirect Compliments
5.The Talking Napkin
6.A Cure for the Postparty Blues
7.Lullabies of Broadway
8.Checking In
9.The Never-Ending Game
10.One at a Time
11.Hitting the Road
12.Counting Blessings
13.Sunday-Night Soiree
14.A Very Merry Half-Birthday
15.Relax-Ercize
16.Once is Enough
17.Dinnertime Switch
18.Media Blackouts
19.Share the Care
20.Think Small
In our run for material gains, for money to enable our children a good education , a good life, we forget something very important. That when they are still little children, they don't need our money as much as they need our LOVE.
These instant happiness boosters take little time, money, or planning, but they can make a big difference in your life.
1.Snuggle Time
2.Mood Music
3.Deep Breathing
4.Indirect Compliments
5.The Talking Napkin
6.A Cure for the Postparty Blues
7.Lullabies of Broadway
8.Checking In
9.The Never-Ending Game
10.One at a Time
11.Hitting the Road
12.Counting Blessings
13.Sunday-Night Soiree
14.A Very Merry Half-Birthday
15.Relax-Ercize
16.Once is Enough
17.Dinnertime Switch
18.Media Blackouts
19.Share the Care
20.Think Small
In our run for material gains, for money to enable our children a good education , a good life, we forget something very important. That when they are still little children, they don't need our money as much as they need our LOVE.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Bon Anniversaire !!
This Sunday I accomplished a small but nevertheless historic milestone in the life of Sylvia R. On 23rd August I completed 5 years in my very first company. This day being a Sunday, I did not have to hurry to office but instead could recapitulate my golden days from the comfort of home and family. 5 years ... wow. In the beginning, I would have never thought that I would celebrate this occasion in my first company.
But in the last few months I was desperately hoping I can cross this landmark. The reason for both being extreme opposites. I joined this place along with a group of 60 or so "Mermaidians" but hardly few are left now. When I look back I see many familiar faces coming back to my memory. The thing I cherish most is the 2-day Personality Development session with Mr.Kim. A lot of introduction and interactional games. That was real fun !! I came out winner in one of the games, and Mr. Kim gifted me a small blue keychain in the shape of a fish as prize. I was really thrilled and looking forward to a wonderful future ahead. Also,met some nice people on this journey. Although we were split into various projects after the training period, we still kept contact and once in a while sent mails to the entire group. On completion of 1 year we (all those who could and wanted to) met in amphi and exchanged old memories. We also planned a trip to Palace grounds where we played some indoor games coz of the rain and this was followed by go-karting. Nice time indeed ! Now all that is gone. We have settled into various new roles over the years. On Sunday a flower bouquet arrived for me.. a thankful gesture from my company. I was pleasantly surprised. Somehow in these times of recession and layoffs, I didn't expect such things. And I felt very thankful to God. Thankful that I have been given the opportunity to work all these years. I realize that this certainly has helped me in living the life I have tried to live and improving the life of dear ones, even though I may not have felt so.
But in the last few months I was desperately hoping I can cross this landmark. The reason for both being extreme opposites. I joined this place along with a group of 60 or so "Mermaidians" but hardly few are left now. When I look back I see many familiar faces coming back to my memory. The thing I cherish most is the 2-day Personality Development session with Mr.Kim. A lot of introduction and interactional games. That was real fun !! I came out winner in one of the games, and Mr. Kim gifted me a small blue keychain in the shape of a fish as prize. I was really thrilled and looking forward to a wonderful future ahead. Also,met some nice people on this journey. Although we were split into various projects after the training period, we still kept contact and once in a while sent mails to the entire group. On completion of 1 year we (all those who could and wanted to) met in amphi and exchanged old memories. We also planned a trip to Palace grounds where we played some indoor games coz of the rain and this was followed by go-karting. Nice time indeed ! Now all that is gone. We have settled into various new roles over the years. On Sunday a flower bouquet arrived for me.. a thankful gesture from my company. I was pleasantly surprised. Somehow in these times of recession and layoffs, I didn't expect such things. And I felt very thankful to God. Thankful that I have been given the opportunity to work all these years. I realize that this certainly has helped me in living the life I have tried to live and improving the life of dear ones, even though I may not have felt so.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The One Minute Workflow Manager
This is from the book "Ready for Anything - 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life" by David Allen.
David's answer to the question "What is the one thing we do that gets in the way of being productive ?" is as follows:
It's not one thing but five things all wrapped together:
1. People keep stuff in their head.
2. They don't decide what they need to do about stuff they know they need to do something about.
3. They don't organize action reminders and support materials in functional categories.
4. They don't maintain and review a complete and objective inventory of their commitments.
5. Then they waste energy and burn out, allowing their busyness to be driven by what's latest and loudest,hoping it's the right thing to do but never feeling the relief that it is.
And the solution:
1.Get everything out of your head.
2.Make decisions about actions required on stuff when it shows - not when it blows up.
3.Organize reminders of your projects and the next actions on them in appropriate categories.
4.Keep your system current,complete and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you are doing.
Makes sense ... just like the quote below:
For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. - Father Alfred D'Souza
David's answer to the question "What is the one thing we do that gets in the way of being productive ?" is as follows:
It's not one thing but five things all wrapped together:
1. People keep stuff in their head.
2. They don't decide what they need to do about stuff they know they need to do something about.
3. They don't organize action reminders and support materials in functional categories.
4. They don't maintain and review a complete and objective inventory of their commitments.
5. Then they waste energy and burn out, allowing their busyness to be driven by what's latest and loudest,hoping it's the right thing to do but never feeling the relief that it is.
And the solution:
1.Get everything out of your head.
2.Make decisions about actions required on stuff when it shows - not when it blows up.
3.Organize reminders of your projects and the next actions on them in appropriate categories.
4.Keep your system current,complete and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you are doing.
Makes sense ... just like the quote below:
For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. - Father Alfred D'Souza
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
EQ ~ eMotional iNtelligence
The other day, I was going through some material on "Emotional Intelligence" and I came across some pretty interesting stuff.
It talks about a scientific experiment called "The Marshmellow test" that was done on 4-year old kids.
A marshmellow was placed in front of them and they were told that if they can wait for 15 minutes and not take this marshmellow, they will get two instead of one. So what did the kids do ? Well, some simply couldn't resist the temptation and took the marshmellow. Some kids, however managed to wait the full 15 minutes. These kids would close their eyes, sing a song or do something or the other to keep their mind of that marshmellow in front of them. And at the end of 15 minutes they were awarded with the promised two marshmellows. And the story does not end here. One would assume "So what? They are little kids and when they become bigger they will do better..." To really find out, these kids were observed for say, the next twenty years and their progress in life tracked.And to everyone's surprise it was noticed that the adults who resisted the marshmellow when they were small kids fared much better in their lives than those that couldn't resist the temptation.
And for the very same reason. The former were able to resist temptation and handle certain situations better in their adult life.This really surprised me. I never thought that such traits should be learned from such a young age and that if you don't change your kid's attitude or behaviour towards certain situations, it will never change... something to keep in mind.
It talks about a scientific experiment called "The Marshmellow test" that was done on 4-year old kids.
A marshmellow was placed in front of them and they were told that if they can wait for 15 minutes and not take this marshmellow, they will get two instead of one. So what did the kids do ? Well, some simply couldn't resist the temptation and took the marshmellow. Some kids, however managed to wait the full 15 minutes. These kids would close their eyes, sing a song or do something or the other to keep their mind of that marshmellow in front of them. And at the end of 15 minutes they were awarded with the promised two marshmellows. And the story does not end here. One would assume "So what? They are little kids and when they become bigger they will do better..." To really find out, these kids were observed for say, the next twenty years and their progress in life tracked.And to everyone's surprise it was noticed that the adults who resisted the marshmellow when they were small kids fared much better in their lives than those that couldn't resist the temptation.
And for the very same reason. The former were able to resist temptation and handle certain situations better in their adult life.This really surprised me. I never thought that such traits should be learned from such a young age and that if you don't change your kid's attitude or behaviour towards certain situations, it will never change... something to keep in mind.
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