A tourist once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making, an idol of God.
Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby.
Surprised, he aked the sculptor Do you need two statues of the same idol ?
"No said the sculptor without looking up, We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.
The gentleman examined the idol and found, no apparent damage.
Where is the damage? he asked.
"There is a scratch on the nose of the idol, said the sculptor still busy with his work.
".Where are you going to install the idol ?"
The sculptor replied that would be installed on, a pillar twenty feet high.
"If the idol is that far who is going to know, that there is a scratch on the nose"? the genleman asked....
The sculptor stopped his work, look up at the, gentleman smiled and said I will know it"
The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not.
"Excellence " is a drive from inside not outside...
Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficency...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
My thoughts on "Velayutham"
Velayutham proved again that there is unseen power that will do wonders unexpectedly. Craze for Vijay was completely seen in theaters. Even after one week of release, the theater was full and whistling when Vijay entered and at some of his dialogue deliveries. People have started seeing him as next to Rajanikanth (May be I am seeing him also like that?...Not sure!) It was 80% comedy and 30% seriousness. I liked the way it was picturised. Brother-Sister relationship was shown neatly and to the limit that it can/shoud be shown. I felt Hansika was out of the scope. Would have been better if they had decided on some other heroine. Genelia's Character was nicely framed. Vijay's acting experience shows nicely and he shines in all the expression he makes. Dialogues length was at good pace rather than his usualy never ending dialogues. Did not feel like getting up in between the movie and that should be complemented as one of the best attempt by the director Raja. Train Sequence was attracting compared to all of the other fight sequences. An effort has been made not to make it too cinematic and they wanted things to look as real. I think this idea did come through but at some scenes I did feel unrealistic. How can a person kill so many just like that and justify for his actions?. The theme taken was good and I hope it did not give any worst ideas to any terrorist. I would give 8 out of 10 for this movie. If you love Vijay, If you are looking for a 2 hours of complete witticism entertainment, Watch Velayutham. It would be worth the time spent.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Excellent Thoughts
Almost five years ago, Carol and I interviewed a fascinating neuropsychologist named Rick Hanson for our book, Happy for No Reason. Rick brilliantly explained how a “happy brain” works. He shared with us the great analogy that our brains are like Velcro for the negative, but Teflon for the positive – the negatives stick to us while the positives tend to slide right off. More importantly, he shared simple ways we can reverse that negativity bias.
I’ve continued to be a huge fan of Rick and his work—we even began a book together. I avidly read Rick’s “just one thing” articles, which are wonderful short pieces about easy, powerful practices that can make a big difference in our happiness and well-being levels. In today’s ezine, I’d love to share one of my favorite “just one thing” ideas that I think you’ll find really helpful.
Here are Rick’s wise words about “Don’t Take It Personally” (excerpted from his wonderful new book called Just One Thing):
Here’s an updated parable from the ancient Taoist teacher Chuang-Tzu: Imagine that you are floating in a canoe on a slow-moving river, having a Sunday picnic with a friend. Suddenly there is a loud thump on the side of the canoe, and it rolls over. You come up sputtering, and what do you see? Somebody has snuck up on your canoe, flipped it over for a joke, and is laughing at you. How do you feel?
Okay. Now imagine the exact same situation again: the picnic in a canoe, loud thump, dumped into the river, coming up sputtering, and what do you see? A large submerged log has drifted downstream and bumped into your canoe. This time, how do you feel?
The facts are the same in each case: cold and wet, picnic ruined. But when you think you’ve been targeted personally, you probably feel worse. The thing is, most of what bumps into us in life—including emotional reactions from
others, traffic jams, illness, or mistreatment at work—is like an impersonal log put in motion by ten thousand causes upstream.
Say a friend is surprisingly critical toward you. It hurts, for sure, and you’ll want to address the situation, from talking about it with the friend to disengaging from the relationship.
But also consider what may have caused that person to bump into you, such as misinterpretations of your actions; health problems, pain, worries or anger about things unrelated to you; temperament, personality, childhood experiences; the effects of culture, economy, or world events; and causes back upstream in time, like how his or her parents were raised.
Recognize the humbling yet wonderful truth: most of the time, we are bit players in other people’s dramas.
When you look at things this way, you naturally get calmer, put situations in context, and don’t get so caught up in me-myself-and-I. Then you feel better, plus more clearheaded about what to do.
How?
To begin with, have compassion for yourself. Getting smacked by a log is a drag. Also take appropriate action. Keep an eye out for logs heading your way, try to reduce their impact, and repair your “boat”—relationship, health,
finances, career—as best you can. And maybe think about finding a new river!
Additionally:
1. Notice when you start to take something personally. Be mindful of what that feels like—and also what it feels like to relax the sense of being personally targeted.
2. Be careful about making assumptions about the intentions of others. Maybe they didn’t do it “on purpose.” Or maybe there was one not-so-good purpose aimed at you that was mixed up with a dozen other purposes.
3. Reflect on some of the ten thousand causes upstream. Ask yourself: What else could be in play here? What’s going on inside the other person’s mind and life? What’s the bigger picture?
4. Beware getting caught up in your “case” about other people, driven by an inner prosecutor that keeps pounding on all the ways they’re wrong, spoke badly, acted unfairly, picked on you, really really harmed you, made you suffer, etc., etc. It’s good to see others clearly, and there’s a place for moral judgment—but case-making is a kind of obsessing that makes you feel worse and more likely to overreact and create an even bigger problem.
5. Try to have compassion for the other people. They’re probably not all that happy, either. Having compassion for them will not weaken you or let them off the moral hook; actually, it will make you feel better.
And—really soak up the sense of strength and peacefulness that comes from taking life less personally.
As a recovering “personalizer,” I love this reminder from Rick. Try applying these ideas over the next days and see how you relax and enjoy your life more.
Marci
P.S.
Want more great practices like this? Check out Rick Hanson’s new book, Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time.
The book presents 52 practices – simple actions inside your mind – that light up neural networks of deep well-being and resilience. And because “neurons that fire together, wire together,” each time you do a practice, it strengthens key neural circuits like building a muscle in the gym.
Each practice is grounded in modern neuroscience, positive psychology, Rick’s background in the very real world of business and raising a family. Each bite-size chapter introduces a new practice, explains why it’s important, and shows you how to do it.
I’ve continued to be a huge fan of Rick and his work—we even began a book together. I avidly read Rick’s “just one thing” articles, which are wonderful short pieces about easy, powerful practices that can make a big difference in our happiness and well-being levels. In today’s ezine, I’d love to share one of my favorite “just one thing” ideas that I think you’ll find really helpful.
Here are Rick’s wise words about “Don’t Take It Personally” (excerpted from his wonderful new book called Just One Thing):
Here’s an updated parable from the ancient Taoist teacher Chuang-Tzu: Imagine that you are floating in a canoe on a slow-moving river, having a Sunday picnic with a friend. Suddenly there is a loud thump on the side of the canoe, and it rolls over. You come up sputtering, and what do you see? Somebody has snuck up on your canoe, flipped it over for a joke, and is laughing at you. How do you feel?
Okay. Now imagine the exact same situation again: the picnic in a canoe, loud thump, dumped into the river, coming up sputtering, and what do you see? A large submerged log has drifted downstream and bumped into your canoe. This time, how do you feel?
The facts are the same in each case: cold and wet, picnic ruined. But when you think you’ve been targeted personally, you probably feel worse. The thing is, most of what bumps into us in life—including emotional reactions from
others, traffic jams, illness, or mistreatment at work—is like an impersonal log put in motion by ten thousand causes upstream.
Say a friend is surprisingly critical toward you. It hurts, for sure, and you’ll want to address the situation, from talking about it with the friend to disengaging from the relationship.
But also consider what may have caused that person to bump into you, such as misinterpretations of your actions; health problems, pain, worries or anger about things unrelated to you; temperament, personality, childhood experiences; the effects of culture, economy, or world events; and causes back upstream in time, like how his or her parents were raised.
Recognize the humbling yet wonderful truth: most of the time, we are bit players in other people’s dramas.
When you look at things this way, you naturally get calmer, put situations in context, and don’t get so caught up in me-myself-and-I. Then you feel better, plus more clearheaded about what to do.
How?
To begin with, have compassion for yourself. Getting smacked by a log is a drag. Also take appropriate action. Keep an eye out for logs heading your way, try to reduce their impact, and repair your “boat”—relationship, health,
finances, career—as best you can. And maybe think about finding a new river!
Additionally:
1. Notice when you start to take something personally. Be mindful of what that feels like—and also what it feels like to relax the sense of being personally targeted.
2. Be careful about making assumptions about the intentions of others. Maybe they didn’t do it “on purpose.” Or maybe there was one not-so-good purpose aimed at you that was mixed up with a dozen other purposes.
3. Reflect on some of the ten thousand causes upstream. Ask yourself: What else could be in play here? What’s going on inside the other person’s mind and life? What’s the bigger picture?
4. Beware getting caught up in your “case” about other people, driven by an inner prosecutor that keeps pounding on all the ways they’re wrong, spoke badly, acted unfairly, picked on you, really really harmed you, made you suffer, etc., etc. It’s good to see others clearly, and there’s a place for moral judgment—but case-making is a kind of obsessing that makes you feel worse and more likely to overreact and create an even bigger problem.
5. Try to have compassion for the other people. They’re probably not all that happy, either. Having compassion for them will not weaken you or let them off the moral hook; actually, it will make you feel better.
And—really soak up the sense of strength and peacefulness that comes from taking life less personally.
As a recovering “personalizer,” I love this reminder from Rick. Try applying these ideas over the next days and see how you relax and enjoy your life more.
Marci
P.S.
Want more great practices like this? Check out Rick Hanson’s new book, Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time.
The book presents 52 practices – simple actions inside your mind – that light up neural networks of deep well-being and resilience. And because “neurons that fire together, wire together,” each time you do a practice, it strengthens key neural circuits like building a muscle in the gym.
Each practice is grounded in modern neuroscience, positive psychology, Rick’s background in the very real world of business and raising a family. Each bite-size chapter introduces a new practice, explains why it’s important, and shows you how to do it.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hardworking Friend
I met this lady when I sent my son to special language class 4 years ago and to be too exact in the month of April year 2007. At first I was amazed by her energy. She was so beautiful and more beautiful when she smiled. We were just talking for about one hour or so and felt as though we had known each other for long time.
Our names were same..need anything to accept a person as friend at the first meet?
She had one son who was one year elder to my first son. They also started getting along. Her husband was also friendly and we were discussing about the house we bought... they were having plans to buy house. They came to our house to see and it started the long endless journey.
We shared information about studies, about happenings, about everything...shared gifts and wishes and helped each other in need and also had travelled together. Now became the most envied friends in the surrounding...
She was working before she met me and left her job to take care of her son. I was working and am still working. Still we manage to find time to talk to each other and keep in close touch. She has started a small scale business and I am just watching and amazing her determination and talent in handling people. She is too good in conversing with people...
The business she is doing is selling Silver goods (pooja items, jewelry, and everything you can expect in pure silver) with unique designs, small and affordable. She takes up orders too. She manages all by herself as her husband is too busy in his job. Her blogspot is Here
Please do contact her if you are interested in her designs and mention my name to get discounts ;)
Our names were same..need anything to accept a person as friend at the first meet?
She had one son who was one year elder to my first son. They also started getting along. Her husband was also friendly and we were discussing about the house we bought... they were having plans to buy house. They came to our house to see and it started the long endless journey.
We shared information about studies, about happenings, about everything...shared gifts and wishes and helped each other in need and also had travelled together. Now became the most envied friends in the surrounding...
She was working before she met me and left her job to take care of her son. I was working and am still working. Still we manage to find time to talk to each other and keep in close touch. She has started a small scale business and I am just watching and amazing her determination and talent in handling people. She is too good in conversing with people...
The business she is doing is selling Silver goods (pooja items, jewelry, and everything you can expect in pure silver) with unique designs, small and affordable. She takes up orders too. She manages all by herself as her husband is too busy in his job. Her blogspot is Here
Please do contact her if you are interested in her designs and mention my name to get discounts ;)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Powerful Message
We seemed to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.
One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position
in a big company.
He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the
last decision.
The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were
excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate
research, never had a year when he did not score.
The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth
answered "none".
The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The
youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother
who paid for my school fees.
The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My
mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his
hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.
The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more
books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.
The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your
mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*
The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back,
he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt
strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.
The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It
was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and
there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his
mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.
This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that
washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in
the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation,
academic excellence and his future.
After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all
the remaining clothes for his mother.
That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.
Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.
The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me
what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"
The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all
the remaining clothes'
The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."
The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother,
there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and
helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get
something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of
family relationship.
The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who
knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not
put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.
Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his
subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's
performance improved tremendously.
A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would
develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be
ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every
person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know
the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of
people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but
eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of
hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we
really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*
You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a
big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it.
After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers
and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is
because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no
matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as
the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how
to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to
work with others to get things done.
One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position
in a big company.
He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the
last decision.
The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were
excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate
research, never had a year when he did not score.
The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth
answered "none".
The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The
youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother
who paid for my school fees.
The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My
mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his
hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.
The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more
books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.
The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your
mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*
The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back,
he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt
strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.
The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It
was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and
there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his
mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.
This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that
washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in
the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation,
academic excellence and his future.
After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all
the remaining clothes for his mother.
That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.
Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.
The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me
what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"
The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all
the remaining clothes'
The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."
The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother,
there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and
helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get
something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of
family relationship.
The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who
knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not
put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.
Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his
subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's
performance improved tremendously.
A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would
develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be
ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every
person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know
the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of
people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but
eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of
hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we
really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*
You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a
big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it.
After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers
and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is
because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no
matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as
the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how
to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to
work with others to get things done.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Hong Kong
Visa?
No Visa required for Indian passports if the stay is only for 14 days
(good news... :) )
How many days needed?
Minimum of 5 days to have a relaxed sight seeing
About Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is mainly composed of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
Hong Kong is a city for tourism, which is known as a fine place for entertainment, shopping, recreation and food.
What are the main attractions?
1. Hong Kong Disneyland
2. Ocean Park
3. Victoria Peak
4. TSing Ma Bridge
5. 360 Ngong Ping
No Visa required for Indian passports if the stay is only for 14 days
(good news... :) )
How many days needed?
Minimum of 5 days to have a relaxed sight seeing
About Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is mainly composed of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
Hong Kong is a city for tourism, which is known as a fine place for entertainment, shopping, recreation and food.
What are the main attractions?
1. Hong Kong Disneyland
2. Ocean Park
3. Victoria Peak
4. TSing Ma Bridge
5. 360 Ngong Ping
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