Seize the moment, I say!

 

 

It was a regular weekend.. As always, the week’s work had piled up. In the weekdays we’re always on the run, so the weekends are filled with a long list of “to-do” tasks.. I’m sure most of you can relate to this, especially if you’re married.

So.. As my hubby and I were busy with the household chores, my 1yr old was acting all cranky. She was very much restless and was constantly following us, not letting us work. By the end of the day, we were done with our work and finally sat down to relax. I was surprised to see that her mood had completely changed then. She was running around in joy, and hugged and kissed us. It was then it struck me that she wanted our attention all along. It got me thinking. We’re so busy running the rat race, that we fail to enjoy the small moments that really mattered. Very soon, my daughter will be a grown-up. Very soon the innocence will be lost. And very soon she will be busy with her own life. I definitely do not want to regret then for not having cherished every little memory. So I have decided to chuck the weekend chores now and then, and spend quality time with my dear ones.

That brings another incident to my mind. My grandma- she was always there for us through our childhood. But after I started working, I hardly found time to talk to her. One night before going to bed, I decided to talk to her. We spoke for an hour. It felt nice. I realized how much I missed talking to her and decided that I am going to make some time for her every day, no matter how busy I am. My grandma breathed her last, that night.

So we never know what life has in store for us. Let’s remember to value every moment. A tourist guide at an underwater world once told me this-“Most visitors here are too busy clicking pictures of the sea creatures that they actually forget to see and admire them Live.” It applies to our lives also! We forget to stop and enjoy the moment. When we are old we will probably not remember the fancy PPT presentations we made. But that fun trip with family or candid moments at a cousin’s wedding will stay strong in our memory. Undoubtedly, we all know this fact. But easier said than done, most of us are trapped in this whirlpool of ‘being-too-busy’. So here are a few tips from the top of my mind and the internet.

• Make sure you always have dinner together. A family that eats together stays together.
• Turn off the tv/internet. Facebook newsfeed can wait. Go for short walks rather than sitting together and watching tv.
• Plan short trips every now and then.
• Do household chores together. Ask your kids to help you on the errands.
• Set time aside to meet your friends and relatives.
• Call people!
• Keep a journal to write a thank you note to someone/something that you have, every day.
• Take up a language course or a hobby with someone.

Let’s admit it. We all have the time. It’s the prioritization that matters! “If it’s important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse”

From personal experience, we get motivated momentarily on reading such posts but again we’re dragged back to the whirlpool! So let us make an effort to sustain this and constantly remind ourselves on what’s important in life.

Comments are most welcome! Request you to add on a few more tips that are worth sharing.

Image courtesy: Internet

Lane discipline? Eh? What's that?

So the rural development minister dies in a car crash. Because a driver thought it was okay to jump signal. How many such countless lives are lost on our roads? How many families have lost their loved ones for no fault of theirs?

An average Indian driver will come across all sorts of dangers and uncertainties on road. If you’re not on constant red alert, there are high possibilities that you might never make it home. Driving regularly the past few months has made me come across shockingly poor road etiquette. We Indians seem to be having a tough time comprehending simple road rules.

Reckless honking tops the list- it looks like people’s fingers are stuck on the horns like Aladdin’s magic lamp. They think that they can clear the traffic by just honking. At times I see people honking constantly when the signal is red. What do they expect? That the signal will turn green on honking? On the contrary, they do not honk at sharp turns when they actually have to!

Then comes jumping signals. It’s like a feat! You jump a signal- Bravo! You rock. You are a rule breaker. You’re the Don of the road. The traffic police is too exhausted and tends to ignore you!

Couple of years back I used to live in a house in a one-way street. Trust me, I have never crossed the road without looking at both sides. There is always a bike or two striding happily from the wrong side, sometimes in full speed..! They think it’s okay! Why waste time going all the way on the right side when you can quickly go through the wrong side?

Sticking to one lane seems like tying up our hands. We want full freedom to jump to as many lanes as possible. Is your lane moving slowly? Then jump to the next! If that lane is slow too, then jump to the next one. And oh! Overtake other vehicles as much as you want! When you do jump lanes, DO NOT look into the rear view mirror to see if there are vehicles behind you. It is kept there to check if your hair is in place, otherwise don’t use it at all. And indicator? You mean that fancy light on both sides of the vehicle? Is that actually used to signal the person behind you, that you’re trying to jump lane? He will know anyway when you’re jumping, so what’s the point in taking pains to switch on the indicator! Such is the state! I have seen vehicles that have no rear view mirrors. I wonder how they dare to bring the vehicle to roads. I mean, how do they even manage to drive with no view of what’s happening behind them! We seem to have a mindset of shift of responsibility. The responsibility of safety is shifted to the person behind, who has to be alert to your sudden turns or lane jumping. And it’s a cycle.

And then there’s this youth in that bright colored fancy bike with weird honk sound. He likes to draw invisible designs on road, making zigzag moves. He appears suddenly startling you, making your heart skip a beat and then disappears in the traffic! Whoa.. looks like he’ll be the first to reach home!

Then there is this haughty pedestrian who totally ignores the pedestrian crossing or any signal and runs across like a kid. I’m sure all of you would have come across the group of giggling girls who think running across roads is fun. They pose a great risk and should be banned from road. I have always wondered.. Are there laws to fine the pedestrians for breaking the rules? Tell me if you know!

We have the attitude that breaking rules for our convenience is acceptable. Jeopardizing others’ lives does not seem to be a matter of concern. And sadly, it passes on the next generation because our children learn from us. All I can say is.. Let us pledge to adhere to the rules and teach our kids the same!

Image taken from Internet.

STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM!

 

Unless you’re living under a rock, you sure are constantly noticing the growing instances of crime against women. Ok with the recent elections mela, the news channels have pushed these crime news to the backseat, but as you know, once the election flavors die down, they’ll be back on track.. The debates about these crimes against women go on and on with the blame games(Read Arnab and his primetime debate ;) ). Is the government taking sufficient safety measures? Are our laws strong enough to punish these crimes? Is gender equality a distant dream? Is death penalty the right option?

But what has been bothering me is a different perspective of this debate. The perception that a woman invites trouble by the way she dresses. Ridiculous, right? Wait.. Not all of you think it’s ridiculous? I know!!

I was angered seeing the numerous ludicrous comments by politicians who blame the victim for the crime. The most recent one being “Boys make mistakes, they shouldn’t be hanged for that” I just assumed they were uneducated and have barbarian views. But again I happened to notice comments on facebook, by apparently-educated men supporting the view. I was shocked. What pained me the most was men on my own facebook friends list sharing videos endorsing this view! It was then that I decided to write this blog.

To all those backing the view, I have a few questions.

• Crime against women are more common in villages than in cities. Does that mean women in villages are more skimpily clothed than their counterparts in city?
• Child rapes/abuses are on the rise. Do you blame their clothes too?
• You pass a house and an enticing aroma of your favorite meal reaches your nostrils. Will you barge in and eat it? (Oh come on, it’s their fault that they let the aroma linger out of the house!)
• Yes, a girl who wears shorts and dares to walk through the streets will be the cynosure of most men’s eyes in our country. A girl in the same attire in the Western nations will not be looked at twice. So is the problem with the clothes or the mindset?

And this is to the women who wag their tongues(I have done this too before I realized its wrong!) over other women’s clothes. Trust me..! “Decent dressing” is a relative term. For someone who wears a burka, a salwar/saree might be over-exposing. For someone who’s clad in saree/salwar, jeans might be obscene. For someone in Jeans, shorts or tank tops might seem skimpy.. so next time you want to moral police on someone’s clothes, remember that your clothes are not perfect either and someone might do the same to you.

The root cause of these crimes is the mindset.. I solely blame the parents(and partly society) of every criminal for failing to teach the right values and the fact that women are no lesser than men.

Image taken from internet.

YOGA KU NAAN GUARANTEE! :)

Yes I know!! You have heard it a zillion times in all forms of media. The benefits of yoga! With even the west catching up fast on yoga and celebrities adopting this practice, it is no surprise that it has become a hot topic.

But wouldn’t it be more convincing to hear the experience from someone you know?

Well, here goes my story..

I was slightly overweight for 4 yrs. From 12th grade to 3rd year of college. I’m using the word “slightly” because weight seems to be a relative term. Some long lost aunt who arrives one fine day would declare “Oh! Look at you so thin. Kids these days are dieting all the time to look slim”.  On the other hand, my classmates in college would call me fat! Anyway by overweight in this context, I mean a little above the benchmark that is set by the younger generation as acceptable weight. 

Not that I was actually bothered..  Neither did i attempt to eat less, nor did I try to work out. Also, I had wheezing problems since childhood, so I had convinced myself that physical activities aren’t for me.

4th year of college-time for a change!

Whiling away my time at home with only final semester project happening. With lots of holidays, my sleep pattern was changing like crazy. I used to be up till 4am (there was no way I could go to sleep before that, however hard I tried) and my wake up time was well after noon. I was a mess. In fact I tried walking on the treadmill in the evenings, hoping it would make me tired and get me to sleep early, but in vain!

Then one day, I happened to come across a yoga video in YouTube. Since I was pretty jobless and killing time anyway, I decided to give it a try.

It wasn’t bad-not too hard. Yes, certain stretches were way beyond my reach, but I did what I could, as the instructor in the video mentioned. Incredibly, on Day 2 I fell asleep soon after dinner. Can you believe that? In a week’s time, I sensed so much difference. I felt so peaceful and rejuvenated. The body aches that I experienced in the first week (what else can you expect after years of no physical activity?), eventually disappeared. My breathing problems were getting better. Strangely though, people started questioning about my health and advised me not to starve. All i wondered was “Me? Starve??” It was then that I noticed that my clothes were getting oversized for me. I was so rapidly losing weight. And mind you, I wasn’t starving!!!

After experiencing all the benefits, who would want to give up? I continued. I became addicted to it. My health improved so much that wheezing did not stop me from carrying out other physical activities. I could now run in games-my endurance had improved so much that when others took a break panting and gasping for breath, I was still going strong. It was a magical boon!

After i started working, of course, there was no TIME..! But I made sure that at least 15 minutes of yoga is part of my routine. I relax and perform a few poses just before catching my bus in the morning. It has become an integral part of my life. Of course, with the current work pattern and long travel, I tend to miss it on some days. But it is okay, I make an effort to catch up even if I have a tiny slot in the 24 hour day cycle. Pregnancy has not stopped me from continuing either. I am still going strong with my yoga. J

So all you people out there, I very strongly recommend yoga. It is for everyone. Doesn’t matter if you’re thin or fat or old or young or weak or healthy! It is proved to heal several diseases and also prevent many diseases from coming to you in the future. And mostly importantly it keeps your mind peaceful, considering all the stress we undergo at work. Now don’t convince yourself that you do not have the time. Start with the weekends, the addiction will eventually drag you into finding time in the weekdays. In fact, you can perform the breathing exercises and meditation while at desk, only to be refreshed to continue your work.

Trust that most of you would start the yoga journey after reading this! Comments are welcome.

To all those who are already practicing, please share your experiences. 

MY PARAGLIDING ADVENTURE!

Place: Langkawi island, Malaysia.

The last day of our honeymoon trip. My husband had been enquiring about paragliding for sometime and then we found a tamil restuarant guy who asked us to go to Cenang beach. We went there and found 3 fishermen who offered to take us for the sport ride.

Now I was reluctant! Not that I hadn’t been in fun rides at theme parks.. But of late, I’d been panicky even if the car or bus speeds down a slope. Now we’re talking about going on a parachute, several feet above the ground!! Its natural to be nervous. On the other hand I wanted to be a sport and did not want to render myself as a delicate darling!

Fortunately (or unfortunately!), we found that we were short of Ringgits (Malaysian currency) to pay for the ride. My husband was upset and I was relieved. There was enough for one, so I insisted him to go alone. He refused and tried convincing the fishermen to accept Indian rupees, they could exchange it later. However, they refused. As we were just about to turn back, they spoke among themselves in Malay and suddenly seemed to have changed their minds-they agreed to take both of us. They brought a motor boat and asked us to get in. While we were wondering why we had to get into a boat, they explained that paragliding takes place at a different part of the island and that’s why the boat. So we got in.

Well, thanks to all the movies and the news channel flashes I watched all these years, I thought we were going to be robbed and thrown into the sea!!!! Come on, that’s what they must’ve discussed in Malay!! Should we put up a fight??? We’ve been married for a week and are going to be thrown in the sea already??? Why didn’t I learn karate after school hours instead of whiling away all the time chatting??? In fact, I was looking around the boat to see if there is some object I could use!

Before I could let my imaginations run further, the speeding boat landed at an island. Wow! We aren’t going to be thrown into the sea after all! There were lots of tourists, a few ready to go on the ride, a few landing and the others just watching. Those on the ride seemed to be having so much fun, but I was still nervous.

Now expect the unexpected! I was busy putting on my safety belt, totally oblivious to the “Down” alert which the instructors were shouting. A paraglider landed in full speed, its rope cutting right across my cheek, narrowly missing my eye. I tried pulling it away, injuring my fingers too in the process. Maybe I was being warned!! Maybe the Gods were asking me to stop!!!! But I still dared to go.

Summing up all courage, I told the instructor that I was ready! Up went my paraglider, opening up in air. My nervousness was suddenly gone. Flying in midair right above the sea, I was not a bit scared. The panicky feeling I had when my car or bus sped-it wasn’t there! It was so cool. The surrounding was perfect. Strong winds, blue sea below (yeah their sea is actually blue!) and the sunset (it was around 7.30, they have a late sunset.) I just didn’t want it to end. It was the best ride ever. And the landing was so smooth too. I wasn’t even bothered that I was bleeding. The ride compensated it all!

The motor boat then took us back to Cenang beach. It turned out that the fishermen were not evil after all!! In fact, they were sweet enough to take my husband to the nearest exchange center, get the money and drop him back. Well don’t blame me, blame my genes-we Indians are taught never to trust strangers, aren’t we?

PS: The picture was shot by me, when my husband went paragliding.