AROUND THE WORLD...MY IMAGINATION!

Our mind is indeed a powerful tool. We can imagine whatever we want to. I have travelled to a lot of places by reading books, surfing the net and by seeing pictures. In reality, I have never been out of this country.

I have travelled within the country, but, what I have to see is lot more. I want to see it all. I am quite fascinated with the idea of backpacking around the globe visiting exotic places. Like Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. 

Mostly I travel to my home town...home is where the heart is. And, I book the tickets online. It has reduced a lot of hassles. But, mind you, even with this convenience, I have made mistakes more than a couple of times in booking. This caused considerable monetary loss and undue stress.

Sigh! The pros and cons of me.

Kate has us writing about "How Technology Makes Travelling Easier Today" on BlogFEST2012.

IF I RULED THE WORLD.....

Jo has thrown us a curve ball with the prompt "If I Ruled The World" at BlogFEST2012. How can this be a blog? It has to be a book!

Well, if I were ruled the world 

-There would be no disparity.
-Global peace would be mandatory.
-Free medical treatment for all.
-Restricted technological advancements.
- Cell phones should be strictly used for office/work purposes.
-Real conversations mandatory.
-Education for all.
-Freedom of choice in the real sense, not just as a Constitutional Right.
-Rapists would be first castrated and then burnt to death.
-No deforestation.
-No poaching.
-Harmony among all...nature, human beings and animals.

I can go on and on with the lists, and it would become just boring.

 
 

DON'T FEED YOUR FEARS.

I stepped on a dead snake while going to school one day! Oh,boy! was I afraid! My conscience was gnawing constantly, until one day I finally fell and hurt my leg...the very leg that had the audacity to step on the dead snake. Well, the Naga Devta ( Snake God) had finally punished me!

This is how our fears are fed in the name of superstition. If you are bold enough to question, you are rebuked ..."God will show you one day!" What? I am yet to see!!!

I have seen people wearing so many finger rings that they gobble up the fingers. How can they possibly eat with their hands? How can they for that matter, even clean themselves after pooping? After all, each stone on the ring represents a planet and its power over your destiny and fate and good fortune and...what not. Hence, you are not supposed to remove them or soil them!!!

I love animals..pets, wild, domestic...anything. Maybe I am afraid of a few insects but, generally...I am fine with animals. Why, blame them for our misfortunes when they have just enough intelligence for unconditional love and their survival?

All I can say is...it's all in your head.

Kelly has made us write about our superstitions on Day 7 of BlogFEST2012.

DREAM IT...LIVE IT.

Dreams, wishes, aspirations, goals - they may have different definitions but, they all stem from a 'Want.' The fulfillment of each of these gives us a sense of achievement and happiness.

I lived a dream when I trekked to the height of 14,500 ft above the sea level, in the foot hills of Himalayas. I had almost given up at one point. But, a nod from my guide was all the motivation I needed at that time to keep me going. I have never prayed to God so much in my life as I did that day. Impressed, He should have given me a 'darshan.' And, He did! The wonderful and breathtaking view of Brighu Lake, in all its frozen glory. I was already so up above the sea level, that I was perched on the cloud 9!

I lived a dream when I first crossed the finish line of a long distance run of 12.5 kms. I was ranked 8th among hundreds of female participants.

I lived a dream of taking part in the Mumbai Marathon 2012. I will hopefully realize the dream of crossing the finish line in 2013.
Not that I have been running the marathon for the past 10 months...it is just that I was not able to complete the race then. Some unfinished business!

And last but not the least, I am living a dream everyday - by penning my thoughts on my blog.

Corinne is living her dream and wanted us to share our dreams with her....on day 6 of BlogFEST2012.

(R)E-LEARNING.....NOT FOR ME.

Even today, I have friends who have been...well, my friends for more than 25 years now.

My school and college years are the most memorable ones. Not that I excelled in studies nor was I competitive. I had lots of friends and life was just a blast.

Those were the carefree days without a care in the world and without responsibilities.

More than a decade back, I did a correspondence course. Owning a PC was uncommon in those times. It was really a bore to study alone. I had to do my own research, search for answers and there was no one with whom I could discuss. It was a bit stressful and the irony is, the course was about Stress Management. I even gave the exams from home which was absurd because I could have cheated.
It all seemed so pointless...no competition, no supervision, no deadline...just study for the heck of it.

I am not tech savvy and I cannot find my way around a computer. And studying alone is not my cup of tea. I need interaction, face to face types to make a point or to understand one.

Or maybe I am just old fashioned.

Day 5 of BlogFEST 2012
"Do you think online college courses are worth the money?" was the question asked by Toni .

TAKING CHARGE....

I would like to believe that I am in complete charge of my life. Yet, that's not complete true.

I am in charge of my thoughts though they seem to derail and go off the track often. I have to pull them back on track. 

Recently, I read a book and was taken in by an idea. An idea that is growing on me, an idea which I would like to bring to fruition.

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown."
 -Denis Waitley (American Motivational Speaker)

Venturing out of my comfort zone seems intimidating as this is the field I have little knowledge about. Yes, I can learn. And I am learning.

"When the student is ready, the master appears." - Buddhist  proverb.

When you are searching for answers, you really see. And I started seeing. The dice started rolling. There are people who believe in me and my idea.

Its time I take charge.

Stuart is asking us the question today "If you could take charge of one aspect of your life right now, What would it be?"...here at BlogFEST 2012 . 

ASPIRATIONS.

We all wish...not one or two wishes but a whole list of them. Many wishes run parallel and simultaneously....at least for me.

 “If wishes were horses, I'd need a very big stable.”
― Greg Curtis


Some wishes are fulfilled in a jiffy and some are not  fulfilled  even for years.
Some wishes take priority over others and some remain...just wishes.

Well,  for over a year now, I discovered my passion for long distance running.
My first attempt at running a half marathon had to be aborted due to an injury....still recovering.
My wish is to cross over that 21km mark the next marathon.
And this time I wish it happens smoothly without a hitch.

Day 3 here at BlogFEST2012 
We have been asked to Make A Wish by Slyvie.
 

LET'S IMMORTALIZE.

Wish I had a memory card
With unlimited storage
Embedded in my brain.
Every word, every punctuation,
Every expression captured
And etched permanently
Along with the silences
And the pregnant pauses
Which meaningfully
Fill in the gaps.
Permanent curve of smiles
Tingling feelings of love
The goose bumps
The naughty repartee
All engraved permanently...
Reminiscencing
I can come alive!

HYPERSOMNIA!

Insomnia? What's that? I am a good 'sleeper' or have hypersomnia.  But, it will be a lie if I say that I have slept through my problems...sometimes but not always.

 When I was a student, I stayed up late with just couple of hours sleep in between. That's the only way I could study, under pressure, cramming at the last minute before the exams.

As a teen, my Knight in shining Armour(s) kept me awake. Well..some were not so lucky to me Armored, they turned up in the pajamas! In my dreams of course....what did you think?

As a young bride...you all can take a wild guess for our sleepless nights.

 And as a mom-to-be, it was my huge tummy that kept me awake.

Mother's have an inbuilt radar system that goes on beeping at the slightest movement of your child. With my two kids just 3 years apart from each other, I was severely sleep deprived for a decade. There have been nights when I have counted sheep, lamb, goats, monkeys, cows and even elephants...all in one night!

Now-a-days, Planning keeps me awake. Planning involves thinking, which happens to me in bouts. And writing too.
I am at my creative best when the house is devoid of any noise and that happens to be only late in the night. Inspiration strikes me on my bed. No sooner I close my eyes, a bulb goes on in my mind's eye. Sigh! can't keep ideas at bay, can we?

Apart from my creative nights (pun intended) I am a hypersomnic.

BlogFEST day 2...hosted by Susan...who has gotten us sleepless with her prompt.
 





 

 

CELEBRATING A MILESTONE.

Today, there is a lot of hype and pressure regarding the education of our kids. Right from the kindergarten to the graduate level and beyond....100% is just not enough.

And parenting, like life, doesn't come with instructions. Just follow your instincts and hope what we are doing will work out for their best!

When I was a student, we did not take tuitions, nor did our parents pressurize us to study all the time. The students who scored distinction were just handful and were revered. The scenario today is completely different....80% is peanuts!!

So, when my daughter was in the 9^th and her friends's  parents were scrambling frantically to search for a ideal teacher/ tutorial for their kids 10^th grade “boards”, (the word used to terrorize the kids to study and cram) I was just wondering...why all the hullabaloo and undue stress?

My daughter took up group tuitions and when she scored 91%, our happiness knew no bounds. That is because we did not have any expectation. We always encouraged her to do whatever she wanted. All the pressure she experienced came from school and her tutors...wasn’t that enough?

Annnddd...it was time to celebrate and rejoice. Along with her were her cousins and her friends who had passed the boards with her. All of them...Young Achievers. It was the first milestone of their lives and everyone had crossed it with flying colours. Today, we are all super proud parents.

Am participating in the BlogFEST 2012 and prompting us today with the theme "Party Story" is Jenn.