Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tapping the Self
"The soul that meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self, there remains nothing more for him to accomplish." -- Bhagavad Gita
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell." -- Gautama Buddha
"Your daily life is your temple and your religion. Whenever you enter it take with you your all." -- Kahlil Gibran
Who rules your finances? What rules your life?
What's the first emotion that comes to your mind when you say finances?
Bliss? Joy? Anger? Hate? Any other? …confused?
Chances are you are unlikely to associate some emotion to finances or your financial decisions. We have been conditioned to believe that anything to do with finances or financial planning has nothing to do with emotions. Managing finances is pure logic and arithmetic, governed purely by set rules, guidelines and principles. This is where most financial plans fail.
Financial planning is a process to make our lives simpler. And irrespective of how good a plan may be its success is directly proportional to your needs, desires and feelings.
This is something that a good financial planner will say — you cannot discount the human element of financial planning. An important factor to consider when managing finances is to understand what drives you, what you feel, what fears do you have, and how you react financially under different situations. The more you decipher the motives driving your financial decisions, the higher are your chances of creating and executing a financial plan that is tailor made to your aspirations.
The list below will help you identify if you give in to some of the common emotional traits I have observed in people.
There is nothing wrong with my finances
When your financial position is healthy and things are progressing as planes, people tend to become relaxed about their finances. They start believing that nothing can affect their current status or money flow. If at any point the funds start to tighten, they think that they can rely on the next paycheck or bonus to resolve the condition.
The problem arises when things don't go as per plans and no measures are taken to arrest the situation. In good times, we fail to plan for the bad ones and do not have a backup plan for emergencies. Work towards setting up an emergency fund to safeguard yourself.
If he has it, I should too
There is an old Indian adage - 'to be happy look at those who are not as fortunate as you are.' Yet, most of us seldom follow this line of thinking. Being in a race to have everything first, we start competing with those around us. "I want a better phone like my office colleague, I want the new LED TV...
: like my neighbour, I want a better watch than my boss," the list of such desires is endless.
The impact of such behaviour hits people more since they end up spending more than they can afford, creating a debt trap for themselves.
I should have it first
Some of us fall into the trap of believing that we deserve a lot more than we already have. Believing that one is entitled to everything, one tends to start getting into a habit of purchasing everything irrespective of whether it is affordable or not. This is one of the easiest ways for people to get themselves into a credit card debt.
Finances can be sorted a little later
The list of things you should have done earlier is likely to be endless. We all are victims of procrastination, waiting to do things at the last minute and in the bargain not doing it at our optimum. The need of keeping one's finances in order is common knowledge but how many of us actually put it into practice?
By postponing decisions about money management, one runs the risk of a negative impact on overall finances. The worst part is that at the end of everything one keeps regretting that despite knowing what needed to be done, the result is disappointing.
Finances = fear
Human tendency is to stay away from anything that can cause us pain. It's easier to refuse to face the truth rather than accepting it. I have come across many individuals who refuse to look at their finances simply because they fear it. They become so afraid of problems in their finances that they never put serious effort in addressing the issue at hand. Eventually, this pattern continues to erode the finances further. If one knows that a situation is difficult, running away from it cannot help. The only way of overcoming this is by facing your fear.
Tiredness and fatigue
Learning to manage your finances is a long term process, one that takes discipline, time and effort. Unless the importance of money and timely management has been imbibed in people at a young age, they do not develop the drive to maintain finances. You might have seen many colleagues, who have a pile of papers on their desk, just playing games online or updating their facebook accounts when they should actually be clearing up the backlog....
Ask them about it and you get a prompt reply, "Just took a short break since I felt tired."
Finances are too confusing for me to handle
Often half knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge at all - and this really applies to people who are not adequately informed about their own financial matters. One ends up consulting friends and relatives when there is confusion about the course of action related to finances. And more often than not, every one gives a different view point or suggestion. The worst part is that the people we consult may not be qualified to respond to such queries. At the end of the day, you end up confusing yourself about how you need to proceed. Many just cease to resolve things at this stage and give up.
Anger or resentment
Financial problems are an inevitable part of one's life. Some people are unable to withstand the pressure created by such troubles and over a period of time develop anger or resentment towards themselves, their situation and their finances. In such a frame of mind, they are unwilling to disentangle their problems or make a sustained effort at improving their finances. Consumed by resentment, they just end up ignoring means to pick themselves out of their financial woes.
Are any of these demons haunting you? If yes, then try to figure out how did you first got pulled into such emotions. It may also be a good idea to consult a financial planner, who can guide you in identifying and confronting these traits. However, ultimately the state of our finances is in your hands. Recognising the bond between these emotions and your finances is not enough, you need to exhibit an unrelenting determination in overriding these factors.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Nisargadatta Quote - Wisdom and Love
"Wisdom tells me I am nothing.
Love tells me I am everything.
And between the two my life flows."
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj"
Love tells me I am everything.
And between the two my life flows."
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj"
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Driving in India
This hilarious article was written by an Expert from Baan, Netherlands who spent two years in Hyderabad.
Driving in India
For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.
Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company. The hints are as follows:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road?
The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.
Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts), or, just mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.
Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwaters to recede when over ground traffic meets underground drainage.
Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty,
often meeting with success.
Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi): The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion en route to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to irritate.
Mopeds: The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.
Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.
One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive, as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type. Least I sound hypercritical; I must add a positive point also. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house.
This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.
Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Chenghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes. Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously. Of course, all this occurs at night, on the trunk roads. During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never show any Signal. (And you must watch for the absent signals; they are the greater threat). Only, you will often observe that the cleaner who sits next to the driver, will project his hand and wave hysterically.
This is definitely not to be construed as a signal for a left turn. The waving is just a statement of physical relief on a hot day.
If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons between 8 pm and 11 am-when the police have gone home and The citizen is then free to enjoy the 'FREEDOM OF SPEED' enshrined in our constitution.
Having said all this, isn't it true that the accident rate and related deaths are less in India compared to US or other countries!!? ?
Driving in India
For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.
Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company. The hints are as follows:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road?
The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.
Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts), or, just mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.
Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwaters to recede when over ground traffic meets underground drainage.
Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty,
often meeting with success.
Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi): The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion en route to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to irritate.
Mopeds: The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.
Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.
One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive, as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type. Least I sound hypercritical; I must add a positive point also. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house.
This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.
Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Chenghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes. Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously. Of course, all this occurs at night, on the trunk roads. During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never show any Signal. (And you must watch for the absent signals; they are the greater threat). Only, you will often observe that the cleaner who sits next to the driver, will project his hand and wave hysterically.
This is definitely not to be construed as a signal for a left turn. The waving is just a statement of physical relief on a hot day.
If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons between 8 pm and 11 am-when the police have gone home and The citizen is then free to enjoy the 'FREEDOM OF SPEED' enshrined in our constitution.
Having said all this, isn't it true that the accident rate and related deaths are less in India compared to US or other countries!!? ?
Put the Glass Down
Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see; asked the students "How much do you think this glass weighs?"
'50gms!' ..... '100gms!' .....'125gms' ...the students answered.
"I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the professor, "but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"
'Nothing' ..the students said.
'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.
'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the student.
"You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?"
"Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress; paralysis; have to go to hospital for sure!" .. ventured another student; all the students laughed.
"Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?" asked the professor.
'No'. Was the answer.
"Then what caused the arm ache; the muscle stress?"
The students were puzzled.
"What should I do now to come out of pain?" asked professor again.
"Put the glass down!" said one of the students.
"Exactly!" said the professor.
Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head; they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache.
Hold it even longer; they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything..
It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to 'PUT THEM DOWN' at the end of every day before You go to sleep...
That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh;strong; can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!
So, when you leave office/college/workplace today,
Remember to ' PUT THE GLASS DOWN ! ‘
'50gms!' ..... '100gms!' .....'125gms' ...the students answered.
"I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the professor, "but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"
'Nothing' ..the students said.
'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.
'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the student.
"You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?"
"Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress; paralysis; have to go to hospital for sure!" .. ventured another student; all the students laughed.
"Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?" asked the professor.
'No'. Was the answer.
"Then what caused the arm ache; the muscle stress?"
The students were puzzled.
"What should I do now to come out of pain?" asked professor again.
"Put the glass down!" said one of the students.
"Exactly!" said the professor.
Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head; they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache.
Hold it even longer; they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything..
It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to 'PUT THEM DOWN' at the end of every day before You go to sleep...
That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh;strong; can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!
So, when you leave office/college/workplace today,
Remember to ' PUT THE GLASS DOWN ! ‘
Monday, April 05, 2010
Who was HE?
He had no servants,
yet they called HIM Master;
He had no degrees,
yet they called HIM Teacher;
He had no medicine,
yet they called HIM Healer;
He had no army,
yet the Kings feared HIM;
He won no military battles,
yet HE conquered the world;
He committed no crime,
yet they crucified HIM;
He was buried in a tomb,
yet HE LIVES Today!
yet they called HIM Master;
He had no degrees,
yet they called HIM Teacher;
He had no medicine,
yet they called HIM Healer;
He had no army,
yet the Kings feared HIM;
He won no military battles,
yet HE conquered the world;
He committed no crime,
yet they crucified HIM;
He was buried in a tomb,
yet HE LIVES Today!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Even the Blind can see now
Wow this is sensational news! Technology is enabling the blind to see now. This is something akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation's blind character Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge who can see with special glasses called the VISOR which enable him to see clearly. Of course this is far off but still a possible reality.
I remember asking mom after seeing a blind old woman with those thick black glasses, "Do those glasses help her to see?", my mom thought it was a ridiculous assumption at that time.
Original news item!
BrainPort Allows Blind Man to See With His Tongue
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/BrainPort-blindness,news-6164.html
What Today's Tech looks like!
What Tommorrow could look like
I remember asking mom after seeing a blind old woman with those thick black glasses, "Do those glasses help her to see?", my mom thought it was a ridiculous assumption at that time.
Original news item!
BrainPort Allows Blind Man to See With His Tongue
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/BrainPort-blindness,news-6164.html
What Today's Tech looks like!
What Tommorrow could look like
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Mumbai Facts
Interesting Facts....
Mumbai makes us proud and here are reason for people who need them
Mumbai singlehandedly handles about 25% of the domestic and 38% of the international air passenger traffic in the country. Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 2.2 billion passengers every year. Incidentally, the world's population is 6 billion.
Mumbai's literacy rate is 85.6% (female: 82.7%, male: 90%) compared with India's overall literacy of 65.4%.
Mumbai's per capita income is Rs 48,954. This is almost three times the national average!
At the end of financial year 2002-03, Mumbai paid Rs 28,000 crore in taxes, 35% of India's collection of Rs 82,000 crore!
The original Walkeshwar Temple was destroyed by the Portuguese, but was rebuilt by Rama Kamath in 1715.
Bombay University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874.
The Elphinstone College was originally built for the Government Central Press at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh.
The city's first church - the St Thomas Cathedral - was built at Horniman Circle in 1718.
The first post office in Bombay was opened in 1832 at the residence of the junior magistrate of police at Byculla.
The Stearns & Kittredge company was given permission in 1874 to start Bombay's first tram service with a fleet of 900 horses.
The East India Company appointed Sir George Oxenden the first governor of Bombay in 1668.
Until 1864, the city's highest ranking police officer was called Police Chief. Post 1864, the title was changed to Police Commissioner.
The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water.
The first inter-city railway was built between Bombay and Surat, and was completed in 1864.
The Great Indian Peninsular Railway laid the first rail tracks in India between Thane and Bombay.
It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845.
Bombay's highest population growth rate was between 1661 and 1675 when it rose six times from 10,000 to 60,000.
The 2nd governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier, was behind its development into a major centre of commerce.
The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.
When a person travel towards Mumbai,one can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is Mumbai Zero Kms, it is at Flora Fountain.
The railway tracks of the Churchgate Station originally extended beyond Azad Maidan in the direction of Afghan Church, which was later changed to a tar road.
Former English cricket captain Douglas Jardine of Bodyline fame was born in Malabar Hill, Mumbai, in 1900.
India's first cricket club, Orient, was founded in Bombay in 1848.
Mumbai orginally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman's Island.
Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling who wrote Kim and The Jungle Book was born in Mumbai.
There are 14 platforms inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus.
Mumbai's first ever meteorological observatory was built in Colaba in 1826.
The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.
The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay's Watson's Hotel in 1896.
There is an original portrait of former US President Abraham Lincoln at the Prince of Wales Museum.
Lord Elphinstone performed the opening ceremony after railway tracks were laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853.
The railway line from Mumbai to Pune through Bhor Ghat was built by a woman named Alice Tredwell in 1863.
The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhiji in Mumbai in 1942 from Gowalia Tank. It is now called August Kranti Maidan.
Mumbai industrialist Jamshetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Batman & Robin - The Kiss
You just gotta love MAD mag...LOL
Click to view larger size
From the Indian Issue of MAD Magazine Issue No 14.
Click to view larger size
From the Indian Issue of MAD Magazine Issue No 14.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Lifecycle of a videogame addict
LOL, this is something every gamer should read...Hilarious...heheh. Now to get back to my Dragon Age: Origins game...must save the princess from those Ogres!!!!!Aaarrrggghh!!!!
GameSpy: Life Cycle of a Videogame Franchise Addict
GameSpy: Life Cycle of a Videogame Franchise Addict
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Funny Error - Adobe Reader
Here's a real funny error that PDF Reader gave when I'm not sure what I was doing, but apparently Adobe Reader was quite upset at that there was no "dict object" present...whatever that means!
Yoga-Man by Fali Singara
My extremely innovative friend Fali Singara has made a parody comic on me using the wonderful Pixton.com website. Head over there if you too always wanted to make comics without the need to know drawing, etc.
YOGA-MAN™ BY SINGARA के द्वारा Singara
Click on the image for larger view
YOGA-MAN™ BY SINGARA के द्वारा Singara
Click on the image for larger view
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Good Quote
Good Quote to remind ourselves
There is nothing Good or Bad, it is all about Choices ........ So choose wisely.
Don't believe all that you hear and don't say all that you think.
Learn to listen. It is an art.
Not knowing something is normally a milestone on the way to Knowledge.
Regards,
Nikhil
There is nothing Good or Bad, it is all about Choices ........ So choose wisely.
Don't believe all that you hear and don't say all that you think.
Learn to listen. It is an art.
Not knowing something is normally a milestone on the way to Knowledge.
Regards,
Nikhil
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
"Why you don't need 5 crores to retire"
A very interesting blogpost regarding how and what to factor in when planning on retirement taking Indian scenario. Of course it isn't comprehensive but yet manages to inform one well and keep worries at bay especially those caused by financial planners today.
Why you don't need 5 crores to retire
http://processmashup.blogspot.com/2009/08/self-explaining-and-forgiving-roads.html
Why you don't need 5 crores to retire
http://processmashup.blogspot.com/2009/08/self-explaining-and-forgiving-roads.html
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
That's not a cat that's a lemur!
This is a story of how we got conned into getting a lemur instead of a cat.. Don't believe, read on, the horror!
At first we got a new shrink wrapped sweet kitty. The freshest piece from the store too!
When we opened, definitely it was the sweetiest, most charming kitty we'd ever seen.
So Adorable!
Just the perfect little Kitty we thought!
But then when it started to grow up, something strange started to happen. Our sweet kitty turned more and more into a something else!
How can that be? See for yourself. (I've included comparison photos because it is so unbelievable)
But before you scroll down, this is a formal warning, Viewer discretion it advised.
Evidence No.1
Evidence No.2
Evidence No.3
Evidence No.4
Evidence No.5
Evidence No.6
Evidence No.7
As you can see the obvious similarities and intelligently judge for yourself that, what we have is not a cat but a lemur! In fact it is much worse, it neither belongs to the cat species nor the lemur species, it is infact a cross between a cat and a lemur, A Catmur!
The evidence is simply overwhelming! I dug further as to this unnatural occurrence. Why did such a thing happen? Why, oh why did God allow this?
That is when I found the photo of her mother, which explained it all!
Please Note: - No Lemurs, cats or catmeurs were hurt when making this. Well except my sister's ego.
At first we got a new shrink wrapped sweet kitty. The freshest piece from the store too!
When we opened, definitely it was the sweetiest, most charming kitty we'd ever seen.
So Adorable!
Just the perfect little Kitty we thought!
But then when it started to grow up, something strange started to happen. Our sweet kitty turned more and more into a something else!
How can that be? See for yourself. (I've included comparison photos because it is so unbelievable)
Evidence No.1
Evidence No.2
Evidence No.3
Evidence No.4
Evidence No.5
Evidence No.6
Evidence No.7
As you can see the obvious similarities and intelligently judge for yourself that, what we have is not a cat but a lemur! In fact it is much worse, it neither belongs to the cat species nor the lemur species, it is infact a cross between a cat and a lemur, A Catmur!
The evidence is simply overwhelming! I dug further as to this unnatural occurrence. Why did such a thing happen? Why, oh why did God allow this?
That is when I found the photo of her mother, which explained it all!
Please Note: - No Lemurs, cats or catmeurs were hurt when making this. Well except my sister's ego.
Past Life Analysis
http://www.thebigview.com/pastlife/
Monday, October 19, 2009
An Island Of Peace
AN ISLAND OF PEACE
I would like to tell you a story that will help you to understand better the practice of taking refuge in the island of self. About 30 years ago, I was practising and living in the northern part of France and there was a hermitage called “Les Patates Douces” and I went to a solo retreat in that hermitage, and that morning, it was beautiful, and I decided to spend the whole day in the wood. The hermitage was situated in a kind of forest called “La foret d’Othe” and I like to do walking meditation and sitting meditation in a wood, so that morning, I decided to spend the whole day in the wood.
I brought with me a bowl of rice, some sesame seeds, a bottle of water, and off I went to the forest and wanted to stay the whole day there. I enjoyed it very much, but at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon black clouds began to gather and I knew that I could not stay longer in the wood, that I had to go home to the hermitage. Before I left the hermitage I had opened the door and all the windows so that the sunshine could come in, and now the wind had begun to blow and I knew that I have to stop my stay in the wood and go home to the hermitage to take care of it. When I arrived at the hermitage, I found the situation not pleasant at all. The wind had blown very hard, and all the papers I put on my table were blown a little bit everywhere, and then it’s cold, it’s miserable in the hermitage, cold and dark and disorder, it’s a mess!
The first thing I did was to go and close all the windows because I didn’t want the wind to continue its work of destruction, so I closed the windows and I also closed the door. And then I made a fire in the chimney and when the fire began to come alive, I began to collect all the sheets of paper on the ground and put them on the table and then took the little brick I had to put on it, and tried to make the hermitage tidy, in order. By that time, the chimney was very pleasant already. By that time it was warm, it was pleasant, it was cosy in the hermitage.
There are days when you feel that it’s not your day, everything goes wrong. And the more effort you make, the situation becomes worse. Of course you have gone through days like that in your life. You fail in everything, you suffer, you get angry, people blame you, you are not happy, you are frustrated. And you tell yourself that you have to make more effort, but the more effort you make, the worse the situation becomes, and then you know that it’s time to stop, it’s time to stop everything, it’s time to go home to yourself and take refuge in yourself. You have to close your windows, the eyes, the ears; you have to close the five windows.
You should not be in touch with the outside any more; you have to close the windows of your hermitage. Because there is a hermitage within yourself – that is the island of self that I want you to discover. If you continue to be on the outside, then you continue to suffer, you know. That is why in moments like that, you have to go home to the island of self, and the first thing you do is exactly what I did with my hermitage, to close the five windows.
And you know that eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, are the six windows you close. Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t touch, and don’t think. Stop everything in order to prevent the strong wind from the outside to continue to blow in and to make you miserable, because the eye is a window, the ear is a window, the mind is a window, and if you keep them open, the wind of suffering, the wind of disturbance will continue to come and make the situation worse and worse. Don’t try any more. Stop trying and shut the windows. You shut also the door, and you have to go to the chimney and make a fire.
You want to get a feeling of warmth, cosiness, and comfort by practising mindful breathing, going home to yourself. And rearrange everything, your feelings, your perceptions, your emotions, they are all scattered all over, it’s a mess.
You have to recognise each feeling, each emotion, and you have to collect them like I collected all the sheets of paper that were scattered a little bit all over. Practise mindfulness and concentration, and tidy up everything within yourself. You are going home, you have gone home to your island of self, and you are transformed into a place that is cosy and pleasant for you to take refuge in. Everyone has a hermitage within, very safe, very cosy, very comfortable, very calm, and they have to go home to that hermitage.
The expression that the Buddha used is “dÃpá atta dÃpá saraná.” “Atta” means self, “dÃpá” means island, and “saraná” means refuge. “Taking refuge in the island of self.” This is the dharma talk that the Buddha gave when he was 80 to many groups of friends and disciples. If you rely on the outside, you get lost. That is why you have to go home and rely on something that is reliable, that is the island of self.
There are many ways to go home to the island of self. One of the ways is to practise mindful breathing and concentrate on your breath. You will discover the island of self. The other way is to do walking meditation. Every step brings you home to the here and the now, and then you can open the door of the island of self and go into it. We remember the teaching of the Buddha when we are tired, when we feel that we are not solid, we feel we are victims of the environment and victims of our emotions, and then what we should do is to go home right away, to the hermitage, to the island of self.
And with the practice, we will discover that is the safest place to go back to. And after some time being in the island of self, in the hermitage of self, you recover yourself and then you are in a much better position to get in touch with the world outside. And Thay has said that it takes time, it takes practice in order to recognise, to find our island of self, because the island of self is not exactly in the body.
When we say inside, that does not mean exactly inside the body, it is not really located in the body. We have a better chance to find it in the dharma body than in the physical body. And everyone has that island. No waves can reach that island, so standing on the island, we are very safe, we recover ourselves, restore ourselves, become strong, and then we are ready to go out again, to help. And so even if you are still very young, you know that there is an island within yourself.
Every time you feel you suffer so much, nothing seems to go right, you have to stop making efforts, you have to go home to that island right away. And taking refuge in the island for five, ten, fifteen minutes, half an hour, you know that you feel stronger, much better within yourself.
THICH NHAT HANH
www.plumvillage.org
Author of " Old Path White Clouds"
I would like to tell you a story that will help you to understand better the practice of taking refuge in the island of self. About 30 years ago, I was practising and living in the northern part of France and there was a hermitage called “Les Patates Douces” and I went to a solo retreat in that hermitage, and that morning, it was beautiful, and I decided to spend the whole day in the wood. The hermitage was situated in a kind of forest called “La foret d’Othe” and I like to do walking meditation and sitting meditation in a wood, so that morning, I decided to spend the whole day in the wood.
I brought with me a bowl of rice, some sesame seeds, a bottle of water, and off I went to the forest and wanted to stay the whole day there. I enjoyed it very much, but at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon black clouds began to gather and I knew that I could not stay longer in the wood, that I had to go home to the hermitage. Before I left the hermitage I had opened the door and all the windows so that the sunshine could come in, and now the wind had begun to blow and I knew that I have to stop my stay in the wood and go home to the hermitage to take care of it. When I arrived at the hermitage, I found the situation not pleasant at all. The wind had blown very hard, and all the papers I put on my table were blown a little bit everywhere, and then it’s cold, it’s miserable in the hermitage, cold and dark and disorder, it’s a mess!
The first thing I did was to go and close all the windows because I didn’t want the wind to continue its work of destruction, so I closed the windows and I also closed the door. And then I made a fire in the chimney and when the fire began to come alive, I began to collect all the sheets of paper on the ground and put them on the table and then took the little brick I had to put on it, and tried to make the hermitage tidy, in order. By that time, the chimney was very pleasant already. By that time it was warm, it was pleasant, it was cosy in the hermitage.
There are days when you feel that it’s not your day, everything goes wrong. And the more effort you make, the situation becomes worse. Of course you have gone through days like that in your life. You fail in everything, you suffer, you get angry, people blame you, you are not happy, you are frustrated. And you tell yourself that you have to make more effort, but the more effort you make, the worse the situation becomes, and then you know that it’s time to stop, it’s time to stop everything, it’s time to go home to yourself and take refuge in yourself. You have to close your windows, the eyes, the ears; you have to close the five windows.
You should not be in touch with the outside any more; you have to close the windows of your hermitage. Because there is a hermitage within yourself – that is the island of self that I want you to discover. If you continue to be on the outside, then you continue to suffer, you know. That is why in moments like that, you have to go home to the island of self, and the first thing you do is exactly what I did with my hermitage, to close the five windows.
And you know that eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, are the six windows you close. Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t touch, and don’t think. Stop everything in order to prevent the strong wind from the outside to continue to blow in and to make you miserable, because the eye is a window, the ear is a window, the mind is a window, and if you keep them open, the wind of suffering, the wind of disturbance will continue to come and make the situation worse and worse. Don’t try any more. Stop trying and shut the windows. You shut also the door, and you have to go to the chimney and make a fire.
You want to get a feeling of warmth, cosiness, and comfort by practising mindful breathing, going home to yourself. And rearrange everything, your feelings, your perceptions, your emotions, they are all scattered all over, it’s a mess.
You have to recognise each feeling, each emotion, and you have to collect them like I collected all the sheets of paper that were scattered a little bit all over. Practise mindfulness and concentration, and tidy up everything within yourself. You are going home, you have gone home to your island of self, and you are transformed into a place that is cosy and pleasant for you to take refuge in. Everyone has a hermitage within, very safe, very cosy, very comfortable, very calm, and they have to go home to that hermitage.
The expression that the Buddha used is “dÃpá atta dÃpá saraná.” “Atta” means self, “dÃpá” means island, and “saraná” means refuge. “Taking refuge in the island of self.” This is the dharma talk that the Buddha gave when he was 80 to many groups of friends and disciples. If you rely on the outside, you get lost. That is why you have to go home and rely on something that is reliable, that is the island of self.
There are many ways to go home to the island of self. One of the ways is to practise mindful breathing and concentrate on your breath. You will discover the island of self. The other way is to do walking meditation. Every step brings you home to the here and the now, and then you can open the door of the island of self and go into it. We remember the teaching of the Buddha when we are tired, when we feel that we are not solid, we feel we are victims of the environment and victims of our emotions, and then what we should do is to go home right away, to the hermitage, to the island of self.
And with the practice, we will discover that is the safest place to go back to. And after some time being in the island of self, in the hermitage of self, you recover yourself and then you are in a much better position to get in touch with the world outside. And Thay has said that it takes time, it takes practice in order to recognise, to find our island of self, because the island of self is not exactly in the body.
When we say inside, that does not mean exactly inside the body, it is not really located in the body. We have a better chance to find it in the dharma body than in the physical body. And everyone has that island. No waves can reach that island, so standing on the island, we are very safe, we recover ourselves, restore ourselves, become strong, and then we are ready to go out again, to help. And so even if you are still very young, you know that there is an island within yourself.
Every time you feel you suffer so much, nothing seems to go right, you have to stop making efforts, you have to go home to that island right away. And taking refuge in the island for five, ten, fifteen minutes, half an hour, you know that you feel stronger, much better within yourself.
THICH NHAT HANH
www.plumvillage.org
Author of " Old Path White Clouds"
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