Classic example of don't judge a book by it's cover.
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
DASVIDANIYA
Dasvidaniya means Goodbye in Russian. I am referring to the Bollywood movie by the same name which was released in 2008. I just happened to see it today. It's spooky that I happened to see this film on my 36th birthday. This is one of the best movies I have seen this year. Its about a 37 year old guy who comes to know that he only has a few months to live. It alters his complete perspective on life and he lives the last few months of his life doing all the things that he ever wanted to do in life but was too afraid to do.
I think as we live our daily lives, every now and then we should pause and reflect to make sure we are spending time on the right things. We should keep asking ourselves, if we were to die soon would we still be spending time doing what we are doing right now?
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who reflects on life. Even if you do not understand Hindi, the DVD comes with English subtitles. Do check it out.
45 Lessons from Life - By Regina Brett
Today I completed 36 years of my life. And I thought I should publish something on my blog on this day. My dear friend Arun Pinto who sends me some of the best emails on life and philosophy sent me this really nice email just in time on my birthday. I think this is worth sharing with anyone who cares to read my blog and to think, what life is all about. So here goes.
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
Saturday, May 31, 2008
P.S. I Love You
This is one of the most romantic movies I have seen in recent times. It touched me very deeply. This is the kind of movie that puts your life into perspective and pulls at your heart strings. For most of us we do not realize the importance of something till we loose it. We take many things in life for granted. And its more so when it comes to relationships. And it takes a very strong life altering experience to really make us understand what are the most important things in life.
I think along with Health and Wealth, it is very important to have people in your life with whom you can be yourself. With whom you can be totally honest and share anything and everything. For most people this person will be your spouse. For some it might be a best friend or relative. When you have such a person whom you can trust and who brings happiness to your life, make sure that you don't take it for granted. Do your bit to nurture and nourish that relationship and not waste too much time in fighting and arguing over petty things.
Life is too short and it goes by in the blink of an eye. We should make the most of it by investing our time wisely in realtionships which contribute to a happy life. And when we are ready to die, we should be able to confidently say that we have no regrets.
All the above thoughts were trigerred by the movie "P.S. I Love You" which I just saw. I would recommend this movie to all of you. Watch it once and let me know how it made you feel.
I think along with Health and Wealth, it is very important to have people in your life with whom you can be yourself. With whom you can be totally honest and share anything and everything. For most people this person will be your spouse. For some it might be a best friend or relative. When you have such a person whom you can trust and who brings happiness to your life, make sure that you don't take it for granted. Do your bit to nurture and nourish that relationship and not waste too much time in fighting and arguing over petty things.
Life is too short and it goes by in the blink of an eye. We should make the most of it by investing our time wisely in realtionships which contribute to a happy life. And when we are ready to die, we should be able to confidently say that we have no regrets.
All the above thoughts were trigerred by the movie "P.S. I Love You" which I just saw. I would recommend this movie to all of you. Watch it once and let me know how it made you feel.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Random musings on Travel, Politics and Economics
I think after travelling a bit I have finally started understanding why it is important to travel the world while you are young. Since I work in the Information Technology industry I had the good fortune of visiting countries like USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Belgium, India.
Travel really is one of the best education a person can have. It is one of the best ways to have fun and learn at the same time. It gives you the oppurtunity to learn the best things that different cultures have to offer. It also gives you a good idea of why some countries offer a better quality of life to their citizens than others. Travel gives you the oppurtunity to see for yourself which Political, Economic and Business Models work well in practice and which ones look good on paper, but when it comes to implementation, fail miserably.
So I guess if you want to improve the quality of your own life and have ambitions of improving the quality of life for the citizens of your own country, make it a point to travel to some of the countries who have already done some good work in the areas where you want improvement.
I spent the first 20 years of my life in Mumbai, India where the biggest challenge was infrastructure and cleanliness. So when I travelled to the US I was very impressed by the Highways that connect the different States within the US from the East Coast to the West Coast. When I lived in Singapore, I was very impressed by the Public transportation system which connected all of Singapore using the Metro and Bus services.
I sometimes wonder, if we have some of the best brains in the world who are doing cutting edge work in various disciplines, why are we not able to improve conditions back in our home country. I personally feel that the political system has degraded drastically since independence and the rampant corruption has made it difficult for honest people to really make a difference. But on a positive note I also believe that the change in economic policy unleased in 1991 by Dr. Manmohan Singh and P V Narasimha Rao is finally beginning to make a difference. There are more oppurtunities for the next generation of young Indians to really compete in the Global markets and contribute not only to the Indian Economy but to the Global Economy.
I hope that by 2020 more and more Indians feel that India offers a quality of life that is better than or at least at par with some of the best countries in the world today.
Travel really is one of the best education a person can have. It is one of the best ways to have fun and learn at the same time. It gives you the oppurtunity to learn the best things that different cultures have to offer. It also gives you a good idea of why some countries offer a better quality of life to their citizens than others. Travel gives you the oppurtunity to see for yourself which Political, Economic and Business Models work well in practice and which ones look good on paper, but when it comes to implementation, fail miserably.
So I guess if you want to improve the quality of your own life and have ambitions of improving the quality of life for the citizens of your own country, make it a point to travel to some of the countries who have already done some good work in the areas where you want improvement.
I spent the first 20 years of my life in Mumbai, India where the biggest challenge was infrastructure and cleanliness. So when I travelled to the US I was very impressed by the Highways that connect the different States within the US from the East Coast to the West Coast. When I lived in Singapore, I was very impressed by the Public transportation system which connected all of Singapore using the Metro and Bus services.
I sometimes wonder, if we have some of the best brains in the world who are doing cutting edge work in various disciplines, why are we not able to improve conditions back in our home country. I personally feel that the political system has degraded drastically since independence and the rampant corruption has made it difficult for honest people to really make a difference. But on a positive note I also believe that the change in economic policy unleased in 1991 by Dr. Manmohan Singh and P V Narasimha Rao is finally beginning to make a difference. There are more oppurtunities for the next generation of young Indians to really compete in the Global markets and contribute not only to the Indian Economy but to the Global Economy.
I hope that by 2020 more and more Indians feel that India offers a quality of life that is better than or at least at par with some of the best countries in the world today.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Friendship
"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is one of the best quotes on friendship that I have come across. Most of the times we do so many things we don't like or say things we don't mean just to be agreeable and not go against the tide of commonly held beliefs and opinions.
If you really need to know who your true friends are then apply the above test. It will tell you how many true friends you have.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is one of the best quotes on friendship that I have come across. Most of the times we do so many things we don't like or say things we don't mean just to be agreeable and not go against the tide of commonly held beliefs and opinions.
If you really need to know who your true friends are then apply the above test. It will tell you how many true friends you have.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Live a Life that Matters
Live A Life That Matters, Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't really matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.What will matter is not your success, but your significance.What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.What will matter is not your competence, but your character.What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.Choose to live a life that matters.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Purpose of Life - George Bernard Shaw
"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a true force of nature instead of a feverish clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be throughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's sort of a splendid torch which I have got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
- George Bernard Shaw
I want to be throughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's sort of a splendid torch which I have got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
- George Bernard Shaw
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Patanjalis - Yoga Sutras
Got this wonderful paragraph on Patanjalis Yoga Sutras from APJ Abdul Kalams book Ignited Minds.
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."
PSN
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."
PSN
APJ Abdul Kalam - President of India
Hi,
Just read 2 of Abdul Kalams books. One was his autobiography "Wings of Fire" and the other was "Ignited Minds". After reading these 2 books, I really felt proud about being an Indian and I felt highly inspired and motivated by his life, his thoughts and ideas. I think he is an ideal role model for any young Indian who aspires to peace, prosperity and bliss for himself and India.
I would say everybody should read these 2 books.
I would also like to highlight 5 Key Improvement areas for India to achieve its rightful place in the world order as per Vision 2020 which has been set forth by a panel of 500 top experts in India.
1) Education and Healthcare
2) Agriculture
3) Information and Communication
4) Infrastructure
5) Critical Technology
PSN
Just read 2 of Abdul Kalams books. One was his autobiography "Wings of Fire" and the other was "Ignited Minds". After reading these 2 books, I really felt proud about being an Indian and I felt highly inspired and motivated by his life, his thoughts and ideas. I think he is an ideal role model for any young Indian who aspires to peace, prosperity and bliss for himself and India.
I would say everybody should read these 2 books.
I would also like to highlight 5 Key Improvement areas for India to achieve its rightful place in the world order as per Vision 2020 which has been set forth by a panel of 500 top experts in India.
1) Education and Healthcare
2) Agriculture
3) Information and Communication
4) Infrastructure
5) Critical Technology
PSN
Monday, September 11, 2006
Life in Mumbai - The Good and the Bad
The Good part of living in Mumbai
Mumbai is a great place to live, to study, to work, to fall in love. It has got history, culture, tradition and lots of variety. Many people have come to Mumbai almost peniless and become millionaires and billionaires after coming here. So if there is any place that offers anything close to the American Dream in India, it is Mumbai. The best example of this is Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani and his Reliance Enterprise.
The Bad part of living in Mumbai
Mumbai never became one of the prominent international cities because it is dirty, congested, overpopulated. Commuting to work to and fro takes a minimum of 2 to 3 hours for most people. So even though there are great places where you could go to enjoy your weekends, most people prefer to stay at home and relax, rather than face the horrendous traffic. Nowhere in India is the disparity in income between the poor and rich so apparent as in Mumbai. You find some people who have money to burn and some people who can't afford 3 meals a day.
Mumbai is a great place to live, to study, to work, to fall in love. It has got history, culture, tradition and lots of variety. Many people have come to Mumbai almost peniless and become millionaires and billionaires after coming here. So if there is any place that offers anything close to the American Dream in India, it is Mumbai. The best example of this is Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani and his Reliance Enterprise.
The Bad part of living in Mumbai
Mumbai never became one of the prominent international cities because it is dirty, congested, overpopulated. Commuting to work to and fro takes a minimum of 2 to 3 hours for most people. So even though there are great places where you could go to enjoy your weekends, most people prefer to stay at home and relax, rather than face the horrendous traffic. Nowhere in India is the disparity in income between the poor and rich so apparent as in Mumbai. You find some people who have money to burn and some people who can't afford 3 meals a day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)