My MindSpace Puzzles :-)

Life has been very hectic oflate and indeed the world is a strange place. Infact the synonym is the word ‘society’ for ‘strange’. I see in all spheres that we all have arguments with each other most of the times..be it in professional workspace or personal timespace but still we all remain together binded by harmony. There are always norms of right behavior but we hardly believe in all that ! Don’t you think so? Most of the times we feel society is just an airspace with some invisible chains which affect our morale adversely all the time. I don’t doubt that to some extent the presence of a societal framework is important but to a large extent we are just bounded by some blind chaos. Take for example, a manager reportee relationship. I know that my manager does not have guts to take decisions and is a very submissive man but still I have to work with him, sing a tune what he wants to sing. I have been aggressive in most scenarios but how often can I be termed as a ‘bully’ when I know I am just and fair in my decisions and it is for setting the right behavior on the floor. But this man is a man! Afterall he is so scared of being known as a ‘feared organization’ in cases where you need to take a tough stand for the organization’s welfare…ahh you can imagine how perturbed I am with him!! It’s affecting my decision making ability and jeopardizing my organic growth J

How can I forget the girl who sits next to me? Damn, she is so jealous of me! Yes, it does boost my ego but I don’t enjoy negativity around me. Jealousy always leads to negativity and poisonous vibes being spread everywhere. Thankfully, my stars save me! Haaa…since when did I started believing in all the stars story!!  Well, I have always been a person who believe in fair and ethical deeds in life’s circumstances and due to a clean heart, no enemy can harm me.

How often in all our lives have we felt that giving a piece of our mind at the right time is important?

The first employee who came for interview for promotion has very bleak thoughts about what he wants to do in his life. And the way he was answering had a hint of bloated attitude which was shallow. He is a total reject basis his attitude.

Global warming is the news today where average temperature rose just 0.01degree Fahrenheit since 1999. Are we getting too panicky on this subject? Global temperature has been stable for a decade and may even drop in the next few years.  The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines had a cooling influence, as the volcano threw off veil-like emissions. Then, in 1998, an El Niqo episode in the Pacific Ocean set off a record-setting hot spell. Since 1999, global average temperature has warmed only a nearly imperceptible 0.010 Fahrenheit. So what does this mean?

Hahahaa…Read this. Calling your husband “bhondu, pagal, bewakoof” and making fun of his educational qualifications does not amount to cruelty and is not a ground of divorce, the Bombay High Court has said. This is a weird world afterall.

 Some days are just mumbo-jumbo and when you revisit the memories of those days, either they still remain a puzzle or a twisted musing with a twisted laughter.

Today, after long I felt like writing something but really couldn’t think anything worthwhile to pen down. Was watching “Iss Jungle se mujhe bachao” reality show which prophase that one should overcome one’s fear by doing something which you are scared of. As usual then, I was trying to google something on ‘fear’ and landed up to an interesting point of ‘fear and sex’. This is a book written by Dr. Susan Block. Wow, I never thought that there could be people who fear sex. Maybe I was ignorant about it or never ever imagined about such a fear. But this is not what intrigued me to this topic. It was some excerpts from this book which left me thinking on fear alone. Below is some excerpts which provoked my thoughts:

 [[[ However educated or sophisticated we think we are, a part of our brain slithers through the shadows of our consciousness, like a snake. Our Reptile Brain is one of the older, more basic parts of us, making us all--no matter how moral or dignified we may think we are—fear the fear.

 But what about those fears at the bottom of the Battle of the Sexes, our fears of the opposite sex? Everyone fears being hurt, of course. Men aren't from Mars, and women aren't from Venus. We both have the same down-to-earth fears of pain, failure, rejection, exploitation, abandonment and destruction.

But, if you don't mind generalizing, there are a few interesting differences. Most men seem to fear a woman's irrational side: the hysterical premenstrual woman, the witch, the bitch, the nag, the unreasonable ex, the false accuser, the fatal attractor. These have been figures of fear and loathing throughout patriarchal history. Perhaps even more than the blatantly ugly witch, men fear the beautiful secret witch, the beauty who is really a bitch, the adorable angel with the devil inside, the Circe who seduces men only to savage them. Men fear being tricked, rejected, and emasculated by women. Whole societies of men fear women's sexuality so much that they demand that all fertile females in their communities cover their bodies from head to toe, and/or surrender their reproductive rights to the state.

And women? For us, it's quite simple: Most women fear male force, rape, physical or mental brutality. Women also fear the more chronic form of male brutality: oppression.

So, that's what the fear fueling the Battle of the Sexes ultimately comes down to: Brutes and Nuts. Women fear brutes. Men fear nuts. On the whole, of course. We are generalizing. But to generalize just a bit further, aren't men excited by a woman's witchy wildness, her beguiling feminine mystery? And aren't women attracted to men's brute strength, fantasizing about being "swept away" by the irresistible force of a powerful man? And don't we all do foolish risky things in the name of love? You bet your shivering bootie, baby.

So, are we attracted to what we fear? Or do we fear what attracts us? Both, my darling, it's inevitable. It's reptilian. And it can be dangerous. But, life is dangerous. Best to let your conscience and intelligence steer your personal "fear fetish" away from real danger and into safe, positive, nonviolent directions.

In nature, feeling afraid is what often saves an animal from destruction, inspiring fight or flight. Physiologically, fear is a wave of excess energy pumped into a creature to help it deal with a crisis. If you think of fear as extra energy, you can use it to enhance your power, performing a kind of mental alchemy. As the old alchemists turned lead into gold, "brave" people turn fear into focus, excitement and power. This may get you killed (or rejected), of course. But it's the only chance you've got to go for the gold. You can turn the fear that inspires fight (anger, frustration) into hot, dynamic power, the power of mastery. Turn the fear that inspires flight (helplessness, inexperience) into cool, magnetic power, the power of mystery.

Should you expose your fears? To your partner? To the world? That is a question with no simple answer. Exposing your fears will, without a doubt, scare some people away.]]]

I do not have anything to write today except this pic to display my state of mind after yesterday!!!

Read this interesting article in TOI so thought to pen it here…

It’s a scary thought. But, sometimes just a word, a sentence spoken at the wrong time; a response or lack of it can sound the death knell of a respect that has taken a lifetime to build. It’s happened to all of us at some point. We hang on to the high regard we have for people through many ups and downs, excusing them for almost anything. And then, just one unfeeling action or word can bring that high esteem crashing down like a pack of cards.

Truly the last straw, and suddenly you find yourself disillusioned and empty-handed, surprised at the face you saw, the entity that lurked behind the identity you thought you knew so well. Is this the friend you trusted with your deepest secrets and shared your most spontaneous laughs with? Is this the lover you gave your all to? Is this the colleague you mentored over the years and is this what he actually thinks of you? Is this the way your boss maps your career path, so at variance with your self-perception?

Maybe yes. Hurts, but we do all get negative thoughts about even those we love best. And in an unguarded moment of passion or unmindfulness, it may well slip out. We may reveal our innermost, darkest selves to a loved one and sometimes there’s no taking back those words or actions. A friend who suspected her husband of infidelity was shocked out of her wits and out of any shred of respect she may have had for him when he told her, “Most men do it; wives accept. You learn to do so too.” That one sentence ended their marriage.

One wrong judgement could well result in loss of respect for the judiciary; one unfeeling law could mean losing respect for the government; one crude cop could result in loss of esteem for the entire department.

It is true that we all have a social face that we present to rest of the world. It is only under extreme pressure that our true character is revealed. Sometimes we say things in self-defense or attack a well-wisher when cornered, with verbal barbs that we may regret later, but there are no taking back words.

Each of us knows deep down what or who we really are. That however doesn’t mean that those close to us are privy to that self or to our deepest thoughts. The problem arises if the inner self is at great variance with our social self. And someone who is suddenly exposed to a side of you they never knew existed, may not be able to get over the shock and so never regain the respect you shared in the relationship.

It needn’t necessarily be a dark side to yourself that gets revealed. Sometimes, it could just be what you really think about a wife, friend or colleague person but have never shared with him or her. When this happens, sometimes you may lose respect for a friend, sometimes for yourself for not being perceptive enough.

A friend talks about how she sailed through the first 10 years of marriage, careless about the way she spoke to her in-laws, believing her husband didn’t mind, because he smiled with her. And then, on day, in the middle of a fight, he accused her of arrogance, claiming she had always tried to turn their children against his parents. The shock was great because it revealed to her he had not been true with her all these years, allowing her to believe he admired and respected her. She lost respect for both him and herself that day.

Is respect such a fragile thing? Is it so easy to lose the respect we build most relationships on? It would seem so. Its certainly not something that can be taken for granted. Respect, unlike regard, is something we need to work at maintaining. Or, it could snap like a thread. When we have a high regard for someone, it is more because of who they are or the group they belong to or tradition they are surrounded by. You have regard for an old man, a teacher, a boss or for a learned person. Respect, on the other hand, is what we develop for a particular trait in those we observe more closely, those closer to us. And since respect is quite often the basis of most relationships, it is important to maintain that aspect.

How often are we warned to think before we speak? And yet there are times in all our lives when we have spoken without thinking and lived to regret it! Time was when I used to think that its important to weigh our words so as not hurt another. Its only later I realized that greatest hard we do when we speak without thinking is to ourselves!

Today was a day of shock for Bangalore…something which this city has never ever witnessed in its history.

9 serial bomb blasts one after the other in a gap of 10minutes each….Wohaa, who would have ever imagined this??? And to top it all, I was very close to the second blast which happened…just 3 buildings away in my office in a workshop talking about how to work on a marriage and relationship so as to balance our personal lives and what challenges come across in a relationship. The session was fabulous and we had just had lunch and came back to our training room to talk about how to manage our finances. And bhappp, one colleague (Fats) got a sms that there has been a bomb blast in Bangalore (1^st one). We all immediately hopped on to internet news sites and within 2 mins, we read that 3 bomb blasts has happened. Fats said that she did hear a noise at around 1.45pm when she was having lunch in 7^th floor Cafetaria and she discussed this with a friend who immediately refuted saying that maybe somewhere some construction would be going on and noise could have come from there.

Now, every minute we refresh our news sites, the count of blasts started increasing to 5, 6, then to 7 and in all known and crowded places. If you ask me, though we all were trying to be calm, but inside we all were scared. I was shit scared!!! My parents were out shopping in Indira Nagar and I tried calling them but my cell phone calls got barred as I had forgotten to make payments…Look at it, it has to be barred today only!! Tried calling from landline but calls refused to go. All Phone networks were shut off so as to disable any attempts of blasts by terrorists. FYI, the terrorists had planted the bomb in some dustbins in a timer machine and were eroding it by mobile phones!! I still have not understood the concept, but look where technology has led us L Is technology a vice at times??

Luckily after sometime, call did go through and parents had reached home at 1.30pm so I just heaved a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, there was an announcement at work requesting us not to panic and remain stay-put in the premises. I sat ear the third floor window in Adugodi and did not see any traffic turmoil neither panic among people. Surprising, how can bangaloreans be so cool in such a situation. My tension is building up and now my only worry is how to get back to my sweet home safely. I wanted to be with my parents. Then I realized what is it to love your dear ones…Such situations make you feel like running to your family and be with them. When I asked the trainer today what is the definition of unconditional love, everyone started laughing as if I am asking something very filmy. He described lot of situations about parents, husband and wives and said that he would just describe it in one word – “Sacrifice”!!! It’s easy to describe but very difficult to put in practice. I don’t want to say much on this as I think I have felt this at some times in my life with certain loved ones.

I had to skip the training and came back with Shishir who had to go and pick up his 16months old angel from the day-care centre. Nysa – the most innocent being was very beautiful. He dropped me in Indira Nagar and Dad picked me up and we reached home safely. We were watching all news channels on TV, that there goes the 8^th one at 5.30pm and 9^th one at 6.30pm. Man, what’s going on. Terrorists have alerted now saying that there will be 12 total blasts. My heart started pounding badly. Started praying to Sai Baba to keep people out of danger…

In my entire life, I have never been so scared. I am the most daring female – that’s what I used to think but not anymore. Everywhere I can hear police vans moving around, even at 11pm now.

Wowww…do we ever realize how short our lives can be? Next minute is not a guarantee for your next breath. What do we worry so much for? Why can’t we enjoy living in the moment – the precious moment which we have been gifted by God? Why do we spend time in fighting with each other, running behind money and religion, “my state”, “my country”, “my religion”, “my caste”, “outsiders in my state”…yes, this was what I heard from the auto-rickshaw guy on my way back from work two days before. He was disgruntled at the fact that so many outsiders have come in Bangalore and city has never been the same. Mother earth is one and only one and she never assigned a territory to any religion, caste or creed.

What’s wrong with us human beings???

Wow, wow, wowwww… I saw the pics and was awestruck at its beauty with a sad pang in my heart as to why did I miss going to such a beautiful place. It’s only 3 hours further to Mysore and such an amazing scenic beauty. 

Nestled in the southern fringes of the Nagarhole National Park, the Kabini is a perfect getaway for nature lovers. The breathtaking locale with the tranquil backwaters of the River Kabini presents an ideal setting for a long-awaited vacation. Once the hunting lodge of the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, Kabini River Lodge is today rated by the British Tatler’s Travel Guide as one of the top 5 wildlife resorts in the world. Kabini is pure elephant country as one can see numerous herds at a time. However, the blaze of the elusive tiger always haunts you as you roam through the verdant jungle here. Once widely known for the mass elephant-trapping operations called ‘Khedda’, Kabini stands as the one of the brightest beacons for wildlife preservation in India today.

Ooof look at these pics…. a place with depth of mind and depth of being can be felt. I like such secluded and wild places where one can explore onself and reach on a higher platform in the layers of our thought process. Don’t want to say much as pictures would speak better than words :-)  Orange County is “the” place to stay and enjoy the beauty.

If you are a regular audience of news channel shows in Indian television, you would laugh your heart out Specially Aaj Tak channel has made a mockery of itself.

Check out the below pic:

Now can anyone tell me why he/she would be bothered about a cat’s story on this earth!

Case of Arushi has been so bloated up with all the stories made but if I see it in the correct sense, media has been very helpful in putting pressure on the criminal board of investigation team to find evidences of real truth behind the murder of Arushi. Usually when a case takes ages to get resolved by natural course of legal law in our system – take for example Nitish Kataria’s murder case. Poor mother had to fight literally for so many years to bring justice to sad demise of her son. Going back to Arushi’s case, the convict had made up such dirty stories about her father’s “undesirable relations with her daughter”, that the entire nation felt ashamed of such a thing. Children were questioning their parents “would you also do this to us if we are naughty to you or don’t listen to you” as quoted by a news channel. Isn’t this disgusting?? Thanks to the media that all these false claims have been cleaned.

Media has a big responsibility to engage in information dissemination which is useful and not clog our minds with unwanted and petty things like Amitabh Bachchan felt cold or Commissioner’s dog missing!!

Har pal jaate hai zindagi se, kyun naa jee lein khushi se

Rishta hai mera bandagi se, kehta huun har kisi se, toh suno

Kisne hai kya jaana kal kya hoga zindagani mein,

Kya kya judega pal jo beeta iss kahani mein

Dil ki sunta huun, khush rehta huun,

Mann hi mann kehta huun, toh suno

That’s what even I say to everyone” to enjoy the moment” which is there presently in your life. Once this moment goes by, you will never be fortunate enough to achieve it back. Life is very very beautiful and unless one understands the value of it, you will only crib. Even my life is filled up with some “interesting and unique” challengesJ, but still I don’t take it to heart anymore. God has given me everything – right from beauty to brains but he held back “love” and asked me to work on it a lot and am just being that crow who is hoping that pebbles would be filled in the tumbler and some day his thirst for water will get quenched. That one drop of love then will make a big big difference to his life. Woof, what an example I used!

So enjoy this song and always try to have a big heart and treasure good moments.

The day has been so busy today at work, that I finally got time to have my lunch at 4pm :( Have been closing on things which were not really my cup and plate. Guess, everybody would be involved like this in ‘not-so-interesting” tasks at their career front. Today, I felt is this what I studied so much for??

Management is very good in giving philosophy and portraying that “we” are their “babies” which they would like to nurture and Manager is the world for us. Anyways, I will close things what is expected of me. There have been times when I had clearly said a big NO and my previous manager was rubbed off due to this. Nowadays, have started taking such things with a pinch of “sugar” and am loving it :) remember the advertisement of McDonalds – Am Luuvving it

Now have to rush to another office to solve a behavioral problem where one guy is showing diverse interests in a female and sending some disturbing emails, due to which the female is not able to concentrate at work. Hehehehe…Man, have I become a counselor at the end of the day.

So many such cases I have been solving offlate that it’s pulling me to different directions in my career life. Ahh, what all I had thought to become when I was in class XIIth. Kitu Gidwani’s soap on DD1 had really inspired me to the glamour world and had made up my mind to be into aviation industry, only reason being that I loved traveling and this was the easiest way to explore the entire world. But, but, but… rest is history and long long story. Then all kinds of options went to waters like advertising field, news reader – glamorous one though , model (this was the least of the options looking into how corrupt the industry could have been).

Wowww, looking back, I see myself altogether in a different plane now but ofcourse have no regrets :) kyunki woh kehte hain na “Jo hota achche ke liye hota hai” So here I am the biggie biggie big girl with an amazing sense of maturity but believing in one philosophy always that “life mein thodi pagalpanti bhi zaroori hai” hehhehe

Cheers !

Yesterday was so much fun in the class J Am I so hilarious?? Everyone laughs at things which I say and my dear friend Preety, is fida on my jokes Ved asked what is the prof teaching past 2 hours and I told him “I guess he is teaching about diversification” and the entire group standing there started laughing..hehehe Infact, the prof was just blabbering something since 2 hours o just one slide and all our faces should be seen that time. Sandeep’s eyes had gone red as felt so sleepy, Rajeev was almost about to drop his head on the table, Vijay had already fallen on one chair in his slumber, Arun sitting in first bench had the habit of dozing off in all the classes, well…he is an epitome of sleepiness…hehehhe

I told Rajeev that “am totally switched off now”, to which he replied “I am out of reach already” to which I laughed so much that the bubble gum I was chewing went inside my throat to my stomach, I guess…hahhaa…I told Sandeep that bubble gum has gone inside, to which he casually said ok. I thought maybe it is usual for him. When we met on lunch table, I told the group in a very sad tone that I swallowed the bubble gum while laughing, to which everyone went berserk and had a heart laugh that our tears came up. Hehehhee 

Then Prince asked Rajeev what the way to Palace Grounds as he was planning to attend Jagjit Singh’s live show with his wife. Rajeev proudly started explaining the route and you wont believe it, this went on for 1.5 hours – even after Sandeep, Preety and myself finished our photo shoot in my amazing Canon camera Hahahaha… Prince had a paper and pen now and he jotted down 5 different ways to reach Palace Grounds, that at the end of the conversation, he said “it will be good if I follow a BMTC bus which will go via that route”. Hahahaha

Day was so full of laughter and fun that Preety said that she remembers my jokes even at home and starts laughing and tell her hubby about it.

Am I so hilarious? – Is the big ticket question in my mind