Reset Your Priorities

I recently read a great classroom story that I would like to share with you.....                                
A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The Professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the space between the grains of sand.

Our Life is just like this Jar.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else -the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. “Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The Professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

When was the last time you prioritized your life?

The Wedding Vows

Weddings are the most beautiful things. Most girls dream about this day from a very young age - what they would wear, the colors they will use, the location and theme, the ceremonies they want to incorporate, the flower arrangements they want, how they want the invitation to look like etc...basically anything and everything under the umbrella. The bride no matter what part of the world she comes from cares about every single detail of the wedding planning. There is one thing though that an Indian bride does not have to worry about and that is the wedding vows. They are kind of already made up for her. They are actually verses from their religious book and recited by the priest during the main ceremony. Imagine that you are taking/saying the exact same vows that your mother and her mother and her mother's mother took and so did hundreds of generations before them? Pretty cool, right?

As I attended my best friend's wedding yesterday, I was intrigued by this process of taking vows when the priest actually translated & explained the meaning of every Sanskrit shlok of the Hindu wedding ceremony that he recited. Now, we all know from experience or from bollywood movies that a Hindu wedding means the couple has to go around the fire 7 times to be married but have you ever wondered what its significance is....what the mantras/shloks that the priest is chanting during that time means? Well, here is what they mean as per my new found knowledge...the saat phere or the seven vows that the couple makes to each other as they take the big leap towards a life of togetherness:

1. Nourishment
With our first step together we pray to God to provide us with pure and nourishing food. Together we will live our lives with honour and respect for each other.

2. Health
With our second step together we pledge to grow in physical, mental and spiritual powers. Together we will lead a healthy lifestyle.

3. Prosperity
With our third step we promise each other to earn and increase materialistic wealth by righteous way and provide comfort to the family. Together we will share all our sorrows and joys.

4. Family
With our fourth step together we pledge not to forget our parents and elders. Together we will maintain and strengthen the family bonds.

5. Progeny
With our fifth step together we pray to God to bless us with beautiful, kind and brave children.  Together as responsible parents, we shall provide them with good education and values of life. 

6. Strength
With our sixth step together, we promise self-control over the mind, body and soul and pray for longevity of our marital relationship. Together we will live a balanced and harmonious life.

7. Friendship and love
With our seventh step together, we promise to be best friends and be always true to each other. Together we will live a life of mutual trust, love and friendship.

Beautiful, isn't it? Well, so were the newly weds yesterday. Congratulations, Sugandha & Samir Verma on your wedding. You both looked gorgeous. Best wishes for an amazing journey ahead. Love you loads.

                                                           Newly Weds:  Sugandha & Samir Verma

Quick Breather

Oh, man! I haven't blogged in a week.....thanks to a very crazy & hectic traveling schedule that will continue for at least 2 more days. Anyways, I just got a couple of hours in between my travels so I am using this idle time at the airport to take a quick breather and relax a bit. Result? I am watching this video that my brother sent me and it is absolutely hilarious. I thought you all might want to check it out. If you are someone who owns a dog, you're gonna love it. He reminds me of my dog, Sheru, who looked exactly like him & used to have silly conversations with me like this too. Unfortunately, he passed away a year and a half ago in a car accident. Anyways, you enjoy the video, while I enjoy the Acai-berry & Green Tea drink that some really nice Korean girls got me as a thank you for letting them use internet on my laptop. :)

                                                                      Courtesy: YouTube.com

Snowy Seattle

They say it never snows in Seattle. I wonder why exactly am I then stuck in this snow storm for the last 4 days? Everything is white and closed. And there goes the opportunity for a wonderful drive to Vancouver, BC. I guess I have some strange tendency to take rain and snow with me wherever I go. Maybe someone somewhere is really missing me like crazy :()

                                                          The snowy Seattle view from my window

Anyways, moving back to Seattle, I had the opportunity to learn some very interesting facts about this beautiful and vibrant city. I thought I would share some of them with you:

1. Seattle is the most literate city in the U.S. with the most bookstores and libraries per capita, and more than half of the residents over 25 yrs old having a bachelor's degree.
2. Seattle is a city that was built on top of another city after the Great Fire of 1889, when citizens raised the street level and started over. The old buried Seattle can still be toured as part of the area they call Underground. 
3. Although notorious for its ever pouring nasty rainfall, Seattle has an annual rainfall that is actually less than that of Houston, Chicago and New York City. 
4. Seattle is home to the first revolving restaurant built in 1961 which most tourists now acknowledge as the Space Needle, the most iconic landmark in the city.
5. People in Seattle buy the most sunglasses per capita than any other U.S. city.
6. Seattle has the second most glassblowing studios in the world after Murano, an island near Venice, Italy.
7. Seattle is home to some of the longest floating bridges in the world:  Evergreen Point (520) Bridge at 7578 ft, and Murrow (I-90) Bridge at 6620 ft, both of which cross Lake Washington.
8. Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle. 
9. Seattle's annual Hempfest is the largest "Legalize It" festival in the country, and is a favorite among Seattle cops due to the general friendly, no-violence atmosphere.
10. The most photographed object in Seattle is not the Space Needle but a giant Pink Elephant car wash sign on Battery Street and Denny Way downtown.

Now your knowledge about Seattle should have been enhanced beyond just the one popular fact that almost every third building in this city is a Microsoft office. :) It's okay, you are welcome!

Cigarette???? My butt!

People making planes can have quite a sense of humor.  As I walked to the toilet in a BA flight, I could not stop but laugh at the big sign that said ‘No Smoking in the Toilet’ placed very conveniently right next to a cigarette disposal tray.  Is this i-rony or i-funny?

                                                  Toilet inside the British Airways Flight from London to Seattle

I think my sense of humor is no less when it comes to this specific topic of smoking. A few years ago during college, I got a call from a friend who needed me to give a ride to one of his friend’s friend urgently so that person doesn’t end up missing his flight. Being the only one with a car in my circle and being the nice person that I generally am, I said, “Sure!” I picked up this absolute stranger & started driving to the airport. Half way through, the guy suddenly rolled down the window, took out a cigarette from his pocket and while just about to strike the lighter, politely asked, “Is it okay if I smoke?” Once again being the nice person that I am, I said, “Sure!” And right at that moment, I pulled over to the side of the road, unlocked the car, and politely said, “You can get off here and do whatever the hell you want to do. And oh, figure out a way to get to the airport by yourself.” I think he got the idea. Back went the cigarette and the lighter in his pocket and off went the car driving towards the airport again.

If you are a smoker regardless of your smoking frequency, I feel sad for you. Did you know that there is a 69% chance that you will die before the age of 65? A 95% chance that your lips will turn black, your teeth yellow, you will go bald, get wrinkles, have bad breath, get gum disease and develop a disgusting raspy voice? There is also a 85% chance that you will develop cancer in your lungs/mouth/throat/reproductive organs ,  81% chance that you will get diabetes especially if any one or both of your parents have diabetes and 75% chance that you will get a stroke and at least three heart attacks in your life? In addition, 89% chances are that you will suffer from stress, anxiety and severe depression, a 78% chance that you will have hard time remembering things, have memory loss, be irritated & agitated at all times for no reason and become a suspicious personality with trust issues. Not to mention, there is a 73% chance that you will become verbally/physically abusive towards your partner, 93% chance that you will suffer from anger management, and 67% chance that you will have few friends & become an isolated loner. Thanks to you, your kids will have a 76% chance of receiving your smoking gene & may suffer from any of the above mentioned problems at an even earlier age than you did whether or not they become smokers. However, you might not have kids at all because one fact that most of you might be unaware of is that smoking means there is a 90% chance that you will lose your sexual desires and eventually become impotent.

Last but not the least, here is a statistic from my own personal belief – if you smoke, there is a 100% chance that the always missing person you become with a stinky smell, unhealthy lifestyle, misbehaving attitude, unstable mind, and a non-reliable & unpredictable personality will lead your relationships to turn sour and your partner will eventually leave you.

Quit smoking, not life!

Breakfast Plate Special

If you are ever traveling to, from or through the London Heathrow airport, and want to grab a quick bite, try this place:

                                                                   Giraffe @ London Heathrow Airport

Giraffe, located at Terminal 5 has the ultimate all day breakfast menu. It reminds me of an upper scale version of the Denny’s chain of all day diners in the U.S. My personal recommendation is to try the very first item on their menu, the Breakfast Plate Special. With double fresh bacon, double sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans and crispy potato wedges that are to die for, you could not get an English breakfast better than this without leaving the airport. Oh, and don’t forget to supplement with a glass of fresh orange juice that comes with all that good pulp that’s super healthy fiber for you. Just looking at the picture is making me hungry again. Yummmyyyyyyyy….It really was! *Drool Drool*

                                                                                                            Breakfast Plate Special

Happy Lohri

                                                                    Courtesy: YouTube.com

I accept lohri through credit card, net banking and pay pal. Please feel free to be generous. Thanks! 

Mini Croc or Giant Lizard?

I have always been a big believer that if it rains unexpectedly, it means that someone somewhere is really missing you. The rain brings so many things with it – chaa, pakore, paper boat sailing, dancing and happy smiles. The only thing I did not know that rain could bring was this……..

                                                     You can see the drainpipe hole in the wall where it lives

Surprised, eh? Exactly! That’s how I felt too. And I also felt a little bit like, “eeeewwwwwwww…that’s weirdddd and hmmm gross” – said out loud with a very distorted face. 

When I woke up today morning, this “thing” (God only knows what this animal is) was chilling in my backyard. The gardener claims that this “thing” has been living in the water drainpipe for a long time and that with such ridiculous rain last night perhaps came out with the drain overflowed. My only question to him was why I was never told that we now have wild animals living as pets in our house? Anyways, it seemed pretty non-dangerous and even the dogs felt safe in its presence. So, I assumed I need not worry much and let it just bask in the sun with the other actual house pets.

I am a strong hater of all sorts of reptiles. I wish that they all vanish from this planet somehow and go to Uranus (since Jupiter is already inhabited by Saabu, remember?). And with such eeewww feelings towards reptiles of all sorts, the last thing I want to do is research my new pet online and see more of it. So, if anyone of you has any idea on what this animal is, please do write to me. I just don’t want to have more nightmares from horrible village stories that my housekeeper has been telling me all day about this thing blowing white smoke on the faces of humans thereby killing them.

Oh God, where art thou? Yes, I still love your creations, just not the creepy kind.

Cloud Talk

With the cloud watching resolution assigned to me yesterday by the online New Year Resolution generator, I decided to put in a commitment to the cause. As I got done with my daily grind of work & household chores last evening, I took out some time to go cloud watching. In my backyard, of course! Just as I was beginning to enjoy the blue sky, Mother Nature decided to turn hostile. Everything suddenly became dark and it started to drizzle. The drizzle soon changed to heavy rain which has continued till today morning with flashing lightening and loud thunderstorms. It has poured all night without even one second of break in between and the day right now at 9:00 AM still looks like it hasn't started yet. For the first time, in several years, I have seen hail falling in Punjab. The lawn is starting to become white and it's reminding me of the first snow day from my Penn State college days. So much for my cloud watching! But hey, at least I tried.

                                                    The clouds (or overcast sky) from my backyard this morning 

You might think I am stupid for taking cloud watching as a serious business, but did you know that there are several people in the world for whom this truly is a serious hobby? Take for example, The Cloud Appreciation Society. They are a non-profit organization with about 29,000 members from all over the world who believe that "life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day." Their manifesto continues on to say that clouds "are nature's poetry" and that "they are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see in them will save on psychoanalysis bills." The society's members include people such as pilots, photographers, painters, astronomers, wildlife conservators, general nature lovers, philosophers, writers, people looking to relax, de-stress & find peace and even a pyrrenean sheepdog named Dibba - their only non-human member. You too can become a member and join the club by paying £5.00 + postage. Once you are a member, they send you a personalized certificate, badge and occasional cloud related emails.

So, whenever the rain stops today, I think I am going to try this cloud watching thing again. I mean it's the cheapest hobby ever, so why not? Plus, I think it's pretty important to connect with Nature every once in a while. It keeps your mind refreshed and brings a strange kind of peace and tranquility to your soul. So, my advice to you (whether or not you asked for it) is to give this a shot. Tonight, go find an open area - a place where you can just lie down on your back and look upwards to the blue sky. Close your eyes, take in a deep breath and fill your lungs with tons of fresh oxygen. Then, open (your eyes, obviously) and let your imagination drift and run wild. Be sure to come back and tell me what you saw in the sky. Perhaps a monkey scratching its back? :)

Happy New Year

Happy 2012! I wish that this new year brings lots of happiness, peace, good health, success & prosperity to all of you. Talking about the New Year, one thing that can never miss such a conversation is New Year Resolutions. So, what is yours? Very interestingly, this year the U.S. government's official website listed a total of 13 most popular new year resolutions and have provided resources to help people achieve their goals. These lucky 13 include drink less alcohol, eat healthy food, get a better education, get a better job, get fit, lose weight, manage debt, manage stress, quit smoking, reduce-reuse-recycle, save money, take a trip and last but not the least volunteer to help others. I won't be surprised if your resolution fits one of these popular categories as well.

Making a resolution is a fine and dandy idea, but how many people actually go ahead and make the move from intention to action? Every single year, I see those friends or family members who are all about going to the gym and pretend as if their whole life somehow revolves around this new resolution they have made. However, as the first few days pass by, the pent-up steam releases and there they are with their wonderful new resolution turned into a to-do list for the first week of January. My question to such people is why make a resolution if you don't have the will power and drive to follow it through? I believe the main reason such people fall through is because they generally lack a sense of commitment in their personality. The reason they come up with resolutions on New years is because it sounds fun and every one else around them seems to be doing the same thing. So, why stay behind? My advice to such people, "Stop lying to yourself. It only makes you look like a fool."

                                                                      Courtesy: Google Images

If you are someone like me, you are probably seen saying things like, "What? Resolution? That's some political thing that the government passes. I don't need some special day in the year to change myself for the good." I mean think about it. Really! What changes between 31st Dec and 1st Jan? Nothing! The world stays exactly the same at 12:00 AM as it was at 11:59 PM.  Some contest that they can smell great change in the air around them. To them I say, "Dude, you are still breathing the same oxygen." The truth is that the people who truly want to make a change in their life don't need a special day "to start". For them, every day is a new start, a new beginning and a new hope to put in their best efforts to improve their own lives and the lives of people around them. If you are one of these people who is feeling nagged by the question, "So, what is your new years resolution?", I suggest that you let the online New Year's Resolution Generator come up with one for you. It's absolutely wonderful and will arm you with a very thoughtful answer to give to the naggers. I tried it and as per the online generator, this is now my new years resolution - "2012. This year I will go cloud watching (and find an animal or two)". ;)