Routine is also exciting!

I have great memories of the last 2 weeks of my life. My baby sister got married!!! Everyone was here. My favourite aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.The days were filled with fun, happiness and great food and nights with awesome parties. But i also had my share of stress, a little bit of sadness, mixed feelings and not to forget lots of CHAOS with so many people and events to be managed.  Every day was different and there was no sign of anything routine. I enjoyed that thoroughly and learned from it too...learned to work under pressure, learned that every thing can't be perfect, that everyone can't be pleased all the time and learned that its important to develop the capability of finding things in a mess. While that was great for a change, the most important lesson is the one i've learned about myslf.. I love routine. I love order in my life . I love to be prepared with everything... By the end of the fortnight, I surprised myself when i was eager to go back to work. I realise that work is such an important part of my normal life. With most guests having gone back and Z,K,F & Z leaving yesterday, life will slowly go back to normalcy.  My yoga class will define my mornings every M T F and diet and meal schedules will once again be well planned and healthy. Most evenings will entail some reading on my new iPad and some cooking sessions (not so frequent though).   While tht routine too will get boring and i will look for another opportunity to break the monotony, for now i look forward to "a sequence of actions regularly followed", simply known as The Routine.... Lots of love,  The Eternal Aspirant... 

In pursuit of a teacher!

During childhood we have been taught so many things. Ever since, those teachings become our guiding principles, till such time we are teenagers or in our early 20s. Then comes the phase when we explore life on our own, reading, absorbing...experiencing, as we go along the journey of life. That's when we form our own beliefs, our own guiding principles. We find our own direction. Our own path! Would this be influenced by those learnings from our childhood? Perhaps to some extent, but then maybe not. 

And then one day, certain incidents or situations bring us to a crossroad once again! Now there's the tough part. All those principals and learnings go for a toss! Enter self doubt, confusion, frustration, anger and complication.

That's when one needs a teacher. A guide who is unbiasd. Someone who hasn't been instrmental in moulding us into who we are in the first place. But someone who knows us in a certain way. Almost like our alter-ego stepping out to look at us from the outside just as a stranger would. That would bring new learnings and perspectives, perhaps new principles too. Or just reinforce the same ones, and help YOU choose YOUR direction once again. The teacher could be God, a spiritual leader, or even our own internal voice which would just draw from our inherant strenght to show us the way.

But to gain from this process one requires an open mind, acceptance of the fact that all our past beliefs could be shattered and an openness to accept a new you!!

I am out to find my Teacher! I am out to rediscover myself!

Lots of love....H.

Eat that frog!

 
“If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful.” -Mark Twain
“If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it for too long.” -Mark Twain

Yes, I'm referring to Procrastination. I think Procrastination is a quality we are all blessed with in abundance. To avoid tasks that are difficult and large, ones that we fear, those that will take effort, those that are painful. Although we know its an important task on our to-do list, we avoid taking it up.

But believe me, its not difficult to change this habit with constant practice. The first thing you need to do is to find your frog. As you break up the task into pieces, it may not be as large as it appeared to be when you started. And then single mindedly complete it 100%.

According to Brian Tracy, if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. And if you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn’t pay to sit and look for very long. 

So, resist the temptation to clear out easy things first. This habit of Eating a frog first thing in the morning is not only helpful at work but also a great help in keeping our everyday lives in order. It also brings about a great deal of relief and satisfaction once its out of your way.

So lets make that phone call, write that email, do whatever we have to. Let's Eat our frog! 

The Mumbai Grand Prix !

Hello!

My first post in 2011.

Today, I managed to get myself a spot in the Mumbai Grand Prix. Infact, I am a part of this race almost every single day. The cars are all lined up at the start point (which is actually a traffic light that's just turned Red.....) You can hear the engines revving. The light turns Orange to say Get Set....the cars at the back have already started honking...all of us start inching ahead slowly.. The light still doesnt say 'Go'...We move ahead a bit further...the honking intensifies as though to say "come on man!...go..go.. go..." Its finally turned green and the race has begun...



Yes i'm talking about Driving - in the City of Mumbai. It's no less than a race! No one wants to wait even for a second and everyone's already run out of patience. Hardly matters if its 9 am or 9 pm.

As though the car honking from the back isn't creating enough stress for me, the cabbie who was driving in the leftmost lane has suddenly realised he had to make the right turn that we just passed by.. So what does he do? Stick's his hand out and swerves to the right. Its my way on the highway buddy! And of course, its totally my responsibility to slow down and let him pass by. Well, since I care for my car, I have no choice but to let him go.

So that done, now I'm cruising comfortably in top gear at a speed of 60 kms/hr and Oooooh! A man with his wife and 4 kids has decided to cross the road..Now thats when i forget all my manners and shower at him all the choicest abuses. Abusive language in a situation like this is permissable behaviour, i think. Feels good for sure.

Finally, my smile's back and I continue to head home. So what if no one else has the patience, let me try and keep mine intact. I turn up the volume and decide to enjoy the music.... Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel!!!!

Happy New Year! Its the time to Disco!!!

Hey everyone!

Its party time again! This new year's eve, I'm gonna be celebrating with some of my favorite people in a small town not too far from home. After all its who you're with that matters more than where you are! It's a long weekend for me and its gonna be filled with Dancing, Food, Fun, Games and Karaoke..

I hope you all have a great new year's eve filled  with lots of hope for an enjoyable and fulfilling 2011.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Lots of Love.

My Happiness Project

My friend Unnati had written about a book called 'The Happiness Project' on her blog. The title was quite intriguing. I was skeptical and wondered whether its possible to really work on your happiness. As in...a project and all? So I thought of reading the book to find out more. 

In this book, the author Gretchen Rubin makes a conscious effort to be a happier person. She suggests 3 steps to do this:

Step 1 - Identify what brings joy and satisfaction and what brings boredom and anger.
Step 2 - Define a set of 12 resolutions, which are more like positive changes that one would like to bring to their life. These are actions that you take to enhance the joy component.
Step 3 - Dedicate a month to each resolution, stick to it and evaluate at the end of each month how you feel.

The idea is to identify what makes you happy and make a conscious effort to increase that element in your life. Makes sense to me! One doesnt have to be depressed to think of making life happier. Its important to do it now, while 'All is Well'...Its almost like finding a treasure and digging into it when times get tough.

So here i am, trying to write my resolutions as 2010 comes to a close. Not that this year wasn't rocking enough but the plan is to make 2011 even better. So, i'll keep you posted on my resolutions and you let me know what yours would look like. Would love to hear from you. Until then.........

Cheers!

SPARK - Chetan Bhagat

This is something I really try and imbibe in my life.. Thought i'd share it with some of you who may not have read it before.
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Exerpts of Speech given at the orientation program for the new batch of MBA students Symbiosis, Pune, July 24, 2008
© Chetan Bhagat

When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost.   So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms. To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order. There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

Life is 1 of those races in nursery school, where u have 2 run with a marble on a spoon, kept in ur mouth.
If d marbles falls, there is no point coming 1st. Same is with life, where health & relationshps are like marbles. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in ur life.Else u may achive the success. but the spark, the excitement will start to die.."

Don't be serious,be sincere..

Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

You can get the full speech on http://www.chetanbhagat.com/speeches/speech_2.php

President's Award to my NMIMS batchmate - Congrats Ashish Goyal

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Double MBA and world’s first visually-impaired trader to receive President’s award

Bombay boy Ashish Goyal who turned blind in his teens is in India to receive the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities 2010 from the President tomorrow.

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I am proud to say that Ashish Goyal who was my batchmate at NMIMS, is to receive the President's Award. Ashish is visually impaired.

I got to know Ashish a little better when we had all gone to Lonavla for an HR session. It was called "Open Spaces" where all of us could discuss our thoughts and 'problems'. But after listening to Ashish's story, none of us felt we had anything to say anymore.

It was great to be around Ashish in college. He would greet everyone very cheerfully but more importantly, everyone loved greeting him. Thats because we all wanted his positive vibe to rub off on us. His independance and interest in learning was truely contagious.

  

Ashish has proved to the world that all limitations are only in the mind.. We are so proud of you!!!!

Teenage to Terrific 30's - The journey just gets better....

During a conversation about choices, my uncle once asked me ..."would you overeat now if you knew how uneasy you'd feel later?" And i said "Yes, ofcourse i would" .......Ofcourse, I was a teenager then...

Today the answer would have been "definitely not".. I wonder why? What makes the difference? Perhaps age? Has the body's ability to manage the same level of uneasiness gone down. Or maybe i just know better..Maybe that's what we call Wisdom!

Then there's the physical changes where energy levels deplete with every passing year once u cross 25. So what do i do? Take on some workout sessions, dance classes, yoga, marathon training, which not only make me look better, they make me feel great too..

Can't not mention the Independence factor. Sometimes it tilts a bit towards I Know It All...But at most times brings in clarity on many issues and helps me develop opinions. Monetary independence is just a small factor. Its the freedom of thought that matters most.

After all, age is just a number and i'm only as old as i think i am.. Having crossed 30 now, having shed a lot of my inhibitions, with very little impression management to be done, my objective is to enjoy each day and pack it with lots and lots of laughter fun and activities. And to make a difference to as many as i can in my own small way.

So all in all, the journey's just getting better..

A Walk in the Woods - Hanging Garden @ Malabar Hills



Bengal Almond



The butterfly zone



The Mumbai Skyline

 A nature walk at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning. It was something I always wanted to do but never got down to doing it. So when Lahar and Satviki, (two young environmental enthusiasts) took the initiative, i grabbed the opportunity. They've started this thing called 'Walk the Mumbai Trees', where they bring together a group of interested people and take them through the various trees in a particular area. They talk about how to identify them, their uses, their history..Wow! never looked at trees that way. Never knew Mumbai was lined with Gulmohar, Sonmohar, Bengal Almond and Asopalav..

They started by asking us to list the names of trees we can recognise, and my list stopped at Coconut and Mango :) But by the end of the 90 minute walk i had learned to recognise atleast 3 - 4 more.. so not too bad huh!

Honestly, I didn't find myself really interested in going into the details of each tree, but what it did for me was that it made me realise a few things. One, it made me aware and conscious of my environment. Just realised after that day, that the largest Gulmohar tree was in the garden behind my appartment. Two, made me realise that i really like photography.But most of all, what it did was to bring in a sort of serenity just by being there and observing. Each tree emanated so much peace and selflessness, it had a sort of purpose in life. The Wonders of Nature....!

Restaurant Review - Fondue Fest @ Cafe Mangii

It was my second visit to Cafe Mangii. Its a classy place yet not too formal. The menu's not run of the mill, has unusual dishes, mostly Italian, good preparations, and is priced ok too.

This time around i went there with some friends for their Fondue Festival. Wasn't disappointed despite the comparison being Melting Pot, the fondue chain in USA and Canada.

So Mumbai's very own Melting Pot (Cafe Mangii) had on the menu about 5 veg and 1 non-veg fondues to choose from with a good variety of cheeses too. As the dip, they gave us flavoured bread which was slightly hard, like croutons, which i liked better than the usual bread we are given with a fondue. They repeated the potion of bread too. They had 1 steward who knew cheeses a bit more than the others and helped us in making our choice. Chocolate fondue was on the dessert menu although we didnt end up ordering any.

The quantity was just right and a pot of fondue was perfect for 2 to 3. Its priced at Rs.575 for a Non-veg fondue and about Rs.475 for the veg one.

A nice place to visit on a sunday evening, cheerful and buzzing yet not too noisy.

Oh, and dont forget to make a reservtion before you get there   :)

A few shots from up there.

These are a few shots of Varca Beach in Goa. The rest of the pics are of Mumbai from up there.



 





Finally...plucked up the courage to start blogging

I was always apprehensive about my writing capabilities.. but then i thought...writing is about sharing our thoughts and not about using flowery language, descriptive choice of words, etc..

I've always felt penning down my thoughts really helps me think better. So, with this blog, i hope to have more clarity in my thoughts and also, find like-minded people from whom i can learn and discuss my ideas.