Stress

Hi All 

Couple of days ago i was stressed to breaking point .. to much work preasure. I happened to chat with a very good friend who forwarded me a letter that he wrote to himself some time ago. 

I can tell you guys this .. after reading the letter i felt better, it was almost as if i should have written the letter myself. 

Well not wasting any more time. Copy is pasted below

Take Care

C

Dear Stress,
I know I ignore you a lot. It's my coping mechanism or whatever, and it's gotten me through many a tight spot, which would be a good thing if I dealt with you afterwards, but mostly I don't. Which is bad? For one thing, your effects, combined with those of boredom, often leave me crushingly depressed, which is probably a topic for another letter. Lately, however, I've been becoming more aware of the fact that when I tune you out with my mind, my body takes a beating.
Headaches, sometimes even migraines, nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea, and most recently diabetes the likes of which I hadn't ever expected. I just finished a notebook, which meant rereading it, which in turn meant revisiting all my health complaints of the past four and a half years. And with the exception of a particularly wretched bout of stomach flu, just about all the health problems I complained about coincided neatly with the times I had the most to complain about stress wise.
Usually work was the culprit. But whatever. I mostly don't have to work with the guy who it turns out literally makes me sick anymore, and I've started a new job that's much more mellow and self-directed, with coworkers who are at once friendlier and less immediately involved with what I'm doing. Somehow it's easier when I'm responsible for everything, which I guess makes me a control freak. No big surprises there.
But meanwhile, stress, you haven't been getting as much attention as you deserve. It'd be one thing if I wasn't paying attention because you weren't around, but you're definitely out in force, and I'm probably building you up in my mind even as I pretend you're not there. And it's not like you can advise me on how to deal with you better, though that sure would be great if you could (while I'm dreaming). My head-in-the-sand habits might make more sense if you were always a bad thing, but you're not, and while I'm acknowledging that, thanks for all the fight endorphins. They've come in handy from time to time, even if I suspect they've got something to do with why my body hates me so much sometimes. You're really not to blame here; my response to you is. So I'm going to have to learn to recognize you instead of ignoring you, and deal with you in a more responsible way than pretending you're not there and getting sick later.
Exercise might help. It's good for all kinds of things, and there's far worse ways to burn off those fight hormones I thanked you for earlier. I'm thinking of taking a yoga class, maybe even learning to meditate. Writing letters like this one, letters I can't send but need to address, seems to be good for my heart and my head, which I hope will translate into fewer headaches and less physical trouble on the whole.
Can we work together, stress? I hope so. Because making myself mentally and sick for lack of a better way to cope with you is pretty miserable.
Love,
AA

What would you do with an extra hour?

Reader’s Digest did this worldwide survey asking people what they would do if they had an extra hour in the day (i.e, if there were 25 hours in a day). The choices were – family time, work, exercise and sleep. Here are the results. I am surprised that 50% Indian voters said they would work. I would have said family time for sure. Out of all the countries listed, India is a country where families are closely-tied. Everything revolves around family in India. But I guess, in our daily running around after upgrading the life-style and wanting to make more money, we are choosing to work an extra hour. As it is Indians have a long work day and long work week. I am guessing on average, people are working 10 hours a day and 6 days a week = 60 hours a week! (Except IT folks, majority of the country is still working 6 days a week, right?) A typical US / UK work week is 8 Hrs X 5 Days = 40 hours. So, what is your choice?

whats the next big thing?

If we look back at the evolution of humane beings I believe that the last 100 odd years were the best of our evolution, in the last 100 yrs we have learnt to fly, to use energy out of fossil flues, and other alternative flues. Then came in the atom and the nuclear energy.. Yes the good and ugly part of it, then we have invented and equipped our self with the computers, more importantly discovered and learnt the art of using computing in our daily chores of life, internet was the next big thing to happen, which has actually shrunk the world. Biotechnology has shows us what promising future can be by answering the problems of reducing food production. The mobile phone, which has made humans more humans by easing the means of communication.

May be I have not listed all the important events and discovery, yet I believe that it was electricity, which has been the common thread that has woven all the industries, its been the OS of all the industries. Electricity has propelled the entire revolution, and has changed the life that we live today. Come to think of it we would not have been this smart a species if electricity was unknown to us. Without electricity how would have used computers and internet, which today is a huge source of learning, with out the Television the would have been mere geographical divide, and the knowledge of one society or a country would remain only with it.
It’s been a combine drive of electricity and petrol / diesel which has given the world the concept of transportation.

I wonder what would be next big thing that we would reinvent the human species, the next big thing which will be as potent as electricity and fuel, the next big thing that will be omnipresent, and drive the future economies.

testimony of humanity

This post carries a narrative of an event and follows by two pictures. Would request you not to jump to the attachment directly, plz spent some time reading the narrative and then read the text in the attachment. I have a small story to be told, about an incident that happened with my family.In the mid of December, my parents, my sis and Bro in law and I had been to Shilparamam, it's an annual art and craft exhibition at Hyderabad, with a objective to promote the rural art and craft, and this idea had been sold very well over years. Being appreciators of such art we had been to the Shilparamam exhibition on a Sunday evening, though I am unable to recollect the date I guess it was December 14,08. around 1900 hrs my mom realized that she was unable to locate rs 3000, which she candidly remembers putting in her purse, after a few mins of search we had to accept that she had lost it, may be some one had flicked it from her purse. That evening mom was lost in the pain that she had lost her 3000 bugs. Rubbing things away we went ahead with the exhibition, bought other articles and left the place by around 2300 hrs. That night was uncomfortable for her, she was still in the grief and could not sleep the night long. Now read the text in the scan attachment labeled "scan 01"And scan 02 is the testimony

Non-traditional ideas to celebrate Valentine's day

1. Go for a long drive at 6:00 AM in the morning and stop for continental breakfast. Do the opposite of romantic dinner! Enjoy the most important meal of the day together.

2. If you are in outdoor adventures, take a long hike and camp. Take a small grill and cook. May be a bon-fire?

3. If you like pets, get one on Valentine’s day instead of buying each other gifts. A small fish or a cute bird.

4. Cook your favorite restaurant meal at home from scratch. Prepare some nice cocktails and a dessert to go with.

5. Join a gym or start playing a sport (pledge to start living a healthy life). If you love your partner a lot and want to grow old with them, start living a fit life today.

6. Surprise an elderly couple (or parents) by visiting them. These days when most of us live away from our parents, it will be nice to surprise them and take them out for dinner.

7. Spend the whole day volunteering for your favorite charity. At the end of the day, stop to pick-up some take out and a bottle of wine to reward yourselves for the great work.

8. Make a small movie featuring your favorite spots in town where you shared special moments. You will be surprised how good this will feel 10 or 20 years later. Share the video with your close family and friends.

9. Book a fancy hotel room in your own city and order in champagne and food thru room-service. Treat yourself like a celebrity!

10. Rent 2-3 movies. Switch off cell-phones and laptops for the whole day and get a pint of ice-cream. Tip – drop off the kids at a relative :)

Consumer Complaints

Came across this website, where one can voice their concerns and complaints about any service, product they use. Not sure if this is a government thing.. but it looks very active..
http://www.consumercomplaints.in
so go ahead and pour ur complaints...

Questions to ask of myself

After putting a comment to Sumeets last post (edit... Every one needs to read Sumeets last post and the comments to understand where I am coming from ...) 

here is the link  http://elevencousins.blogspot.com/2009/02/other-person-inside-me.html#comments

I realised for my self that there are questions that most are afraid to ask. Difficult answers to difficult questions that might throw a persons life out of gear.

I call these questions .....

Simple questions that could help define the meaning and purpose of life. (I am putting them down randomly)

1. What am I doing that will further my knowledge of life?

2. What do experiences teach me?

3. How do I help my self learn about my self?

4. How true am I to my self?

5. What if any are the problems that I face that reduce my knowledge

6. What knowledge must I share with people I know?

7. Why am I on this planet in this space and time?

8. Where do ideas come from? Does an Idea have a right or wrong associated with it?

9. What would I tell my self if I could travel back in time or what questions would I ask if I can travel forward in time?

10. What is God? Are rituals associated with God necessary? Do I ask god to help me or do I Thank god for what I have?

11. Does a sage/seer know more than I do or is the sage/seer struggling with the same questions that I am struggling with? And if so have I taken a more difficult path to learning about life?

12. What are ethics, morals, and values? What teaches me these things?

13. What do I do if ethically or morally I was proved to be wrong?

14. Where do I find the answers to all my questions?

………..

The list is endless.

I am stuck for words as there are questions I have put down that I ask myself very often even though I know what my answer is going to be. (May be it is to reassure my self and also to take time out to review what i have learnt and un-learnt during the time when i asked my self the question last)

What I can tell you is that my answers are true only for me, not for meghna, ishan, simmone, mom, dad, papa, mummy or darshana or extended family or my friends. They will find their own questions and answers. As a parent I can teach my kids how to think but not think for them. As a husband I can help Meghna ask the questions but i cant answer for her, She can help me ask questions that i might have not thought about but will not be able to answer them for me. As a son/brother i can learn about questions that i might have overlooked but will not be able to answer their questions.

I can also tell you this – start asking questions like this list and more and give your self truthful answers and you will be taking small steps to discovering your self and your purpose.

Purpose is what gives meaning to human life.

C

the other person inside me

More often than not we live our lives for the other person who lives in us, we fail to figure out our self, and yet pamper the other person in us. most people are other persons, there thoughts are someone’s else's opinion, their lives are others mimicry, their passion are quotations.
Wondering if all of us live by the other person inside us.