The year 2011 is slowly breathing its last. I am sure many important events have transpired this year for many of you.
For me personally, 2011 has been the year of liberation. I feel braver than before to go after what I truly desire rather than what I should be doing to be safe. I have started asking the question, "So what?"
It feels liberating. It feels right and comforting that things will eventually be alright. Even if they do not turn out to be perfectly according to my expectations, something else will turn up along the way.
Some of the best things, just like the worst things, happen to you when least expected. That is the beauty of the serendipity of life. Every event offers a chance to grow stronger and wiser and see the world from a different perspective.
I have explored many avenues of self-development including neuro-linguistic programming, yoga, discovered sites such as ktotheb and No Meat Athlete, Ivan Campuzano's blog, the environmentalblog.org and new stuff on old favorites such as RealAge (check out their yoga and workout videos) and read quite a few inspiring and eye-opening books. I've shared several of these on my blog for others to enjoy.
I have realized something valuable: When the chips are down, the best thing you can do is take care of yourself -
Eat healthy foods
Exercise
Meditate
Pray if you are religious though not in a fatalistic manner but to ask for Divine guidance, courage and wisdom to do what needs to be done (I believe in the adage, "God helps those who help themselves")
Find your own passions
Indulge in your favorite hobbies
Cherish the good relationships in your life even as some others may not be working
Be grateful for all the good things in your life
Perform some acts of kindness or charity
Much of this is cliched advice that one might see in many forums or read about in books and I have picked it up from other sources, too. However, what I say has been tested by me and therefore, has the merit of actual experience.
On the social side, I would label 2011 the year of weddings. Many people in my circle of family and friends tied the knot.
2011 also saw a few illustrious people leave this world for the Great Beyond. Steve Jobs and Amy Winehouse were people who passed away too early, especially Amy. She was barely 27 and a bundle of talent that the world would have loved to see more of. I have heard probably just one or two songs of hers on the radio but her voice and her personality left a unique impact. I hope her soul rests in peace. A young person's demise is, indeed, a sad event.
As for Steve Jobs, what can I say? I was never an Apple user and had been on Windows throughout my career.
However, since I hopped on to the iPhone bandwagon reluctantly when my husband bought one for each of us, I've never looked back. Steve Jobs may not have invented the MP3 player or the computer or touch screen or even the graphical user interface, but his genius was in 'connecting the dots' as he says in his famous commencement speech at Stanford.
Apple was the first company that actually thought of the concept of a personal computer rather than the behemoths used in research and industry.
The iPod's sliding, simple interface and immense storage capacity coupled with the iTunes concept where you could legally buy a song online for a cheap price rather than shelling out several bucks to purchase the entire album made it very popular. Added to it was the 'coolness' factor as well. The iPod did revolutionize the digital distribution of music when practically the entire music industry was up in arms against the digital world, especially after Napster.
Similarly, the iPhone was the first phone that combined a music player, computing facilities such as browsing and email with a revolutionary touch screen and the ability to add applications to the phone. It was certainly not the first smart phone and may not even be the best in every department but the phone industry has never been the same since.
I read his biography by Walter Isaacson this year and it is absolutely fascinating. Steve was a complex personality with lots of annoying and probably baffling quirks and some people thought he was a jerk.
However, with all his flaws, he still inspires me because of the simple fact that he followed his heart in everything he did to impact the world in a positive way. He showed that doing what you want to do (not illegal, immoral stuff of course) will pave the way for betterment of others. I wish that he lived to a ripe old age.
If you haven't listened to his commencement speech, please do. It is one of the speeches that will wake you up, like throwing cold water on a person who is half asleep. The text of the speech is also available here.
*********************
In Bollywood, two beloved legends passed away - Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand.
Shammi Kapoor's movies never failed to cheer me up. He had a rare knack of performing comedy and sad scenes, all the while evoking pity from the audience and adoration over his somewhat chubby good looks. He was not the guy with ripped abdominals like today's stars but his good looks were wholesome and reminded one of a well fed, nice man with some innocence still left in him.
Above all, his signature traits were his boisterous, over-the-top onscreen antics that wooed viewers all the time.
His death saddened me. My favorites among his movies are: Brahmachari, Kashmir Ki Kali and An Evening in Paris. I love the songs of Teesri Manzil and we performed a couple of them on stage back in our college days. I have to yet watch the movie though. Even if I did watch it in my childhood, the memories are quite hazy now. Who can forget his ruckus in the song, "Yahoo!" from the movie, Junglee, or the audaciously flirtatious yet funny "Badan Pe Sitare" from Prince.
He was a member of India's most famous film family, the Kapoors, and maintained a website about them.
Dev Anand was the evergreen hero who hopped from romantic hero to patriot to international spy and everything in between. My favorites among his works are Jewel Thief and Guide. I still get carried away by many of the songs which were picturized with him such as "Main zindagi ka saath" from Hum Dono and "Lena hoga janam hame kai kai baar" from Prem Pujari. Most of his movies are still on my list to watch. Dev Anand had a distinctive air and some unique mannerisms that made him the cool, unfazed, optimistic guy.
He did not stop making movies or playing an important role in them even when he was well past his prime hence the nickname of evergreen star.
In fact, thinking about yesteryear's stars and the way the scenes were shot, barring the song-and-dance sequences with playback singers that somehow made themselves the staple of every Indian film, old Indian movies were very similar in look and feel to Hollywood oldies. Whether it was the curly hair and classical features of their leading ladies or the studio sets and the suits of the gentlemen, they just seemed to be cousins from different parts of the world. In fact, Indian characters in black and white films could pass off for Caucasians because the medium shielded shades in complexions pretty well.
Time slowly chugs on, what we can do is make the most of each moment and do all the things that we want to, not by hurting others but by finding fulfillment and spreading happiness. A truly happy person spreads joy around, an unhappy person drags down others, too.
This blog has completed seven years now. This year, there are more posts on it in a single year than in the past so it is an important milestone.
To those of you who are reading, thank you and wish you a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2012.
For me personally, 2011 has been the year of liberation. I feel braver than before to go after what I truly desire rather than what I should be doing to be safe. I have started asking the question, "So what?"
It feels liberating. It feels right and comforting that things will eventually be alright. Even if they do not turn out to be perfectly according to my expectations, something else will turn up along the way.
Some of the best things, just like the worst things, happen to you when least expected. That is the beauty of the serendipity of life. Every event offers a chance to grow stronger and wiser and see the world from a different perspective.
I have explored many avenues of self-development including neuro-linguistic programming, yoga, discovered sites such as ktotheb and No Meat Athlete, Ivan Campuzano's blog, the environmentalblog.org and new stuff on old favorites such as RealAge (check out their yoga and workout videos) and read quite a few inspiring and eye-opening books. I've shared several of these on my blog for others to enjoy.
I have realized something valuable: When the chips are down, the best thing you can do is take care of yourself -
Eat healthy foods
Exercise
Meditate
Pray if you are religious though not in a fatalistic manner but to ask for Divine guidance, courage and wisdom to do what needs to be done (I believe in the adage, "God helps those who help themselves")
Find your own passions
Indulge in your favorite hobbies
Cherish the good relationships in your life even as some others may not be working
Be grateful for all the good things in your life
Perform some acts of kindness or charity
Much of this is cliched advice that one might see in many forums or read about in books and I have picked it up from other sources, too. However, what I say has been tested by me and therefore, has the merit of actual experience.
On the social side, I would label 2011 the year of weddings. Many people in my circle of family and friends tied the knot.
2011 also saw a few illustrious people leave this world for the Great Beyond. Steve Jobs and Amy Winehouse were people who passed away too early, especially Amy. She was barely 27 and a bundle of talent that the world would have loved to see more of. I have heard probably just one or two songs of hers on the radio but her voice and her personality left a unique impact. I hope her soul rests in peace. A young person's demise is, indeed, a sad event.
As for Steve Jobs, what can I say? I was never an Apple user and had been on Windows throughout my career.
However, since I hopped on to the iPhone bandwagon reluctantly when my husband bought one for each of us, I've never looked back. Steve Jobs may not have invented the MP3 player or the computer or touch screen or even the graphical user interface, but his genius was in 'connecting the dots' as he says in his famous commencement speech at Stanford.
Apple was the first company that actually thought of the concept of a personal computer rather than the behemoths used in research and industry.
The iPod's sliding, simple interface and immense storage capacity coupled with the iTunes concept where you could legally buy a song online for a cheap price rather than shelling out several bucks to purchase the entire album made it very popular. Added to it was the 'coolness' factor as well. The iPod did revolutionize the digital distribution of music when practically the entire music industry was up in arms against the digital world, especially after Napster.
Similarly, the iPhone was the first phone that combined a music player, computing facilities such as browsing and email with a revolutionary touch screen and the ability to add applications to the phone. It was certainly not the first smart phone and may not even be the best in every department but the phone industry has never been the same since.
I read his biography by Walter Isaacson this year and it is absolutely fascinating. Steve was a complex personality with lots of annoying and probably baffling quirks and some people thought he was a jerk.
However, with all his flaws, he still inspires me because of the simple fact that he followed his heart in everything he did to impact the world in a positive way. He showed that doing what you want to do (not illegal, immoral stuff of course) will pave the way for betterment of others. I wish that he lived to a ripe old age.
If you haven't listened to his commencement speech, please do. It is one of the speeches that will wake you up, like throwing cold water on a person who is half asleep. The text of the speech is also available here.
*********************
In Bollywood, two beloved legends passed away - Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand.
Shammi Kapoor's movies never failed to cheer me up. He had a rare knack of performing comedy and sad scenes, all the while evoking pity from the audience and adoration over his somewhat chubby good looks. He was not the guy with ripped abdominals like today's stars but his good looks were wholesome and reminded one of a well fed, nice man with some innocence still left in him.
Above all, his signature traits were his boisterous, over-the-top onscreen antics that wooed viewers all the time.
His death saddened me. My favorites among his movies are: Brahmachari, Kashmir Ki Kali and An Evening in Paris. I love the songs of Teesri Manzil and we performed a couple of them on stage back in our college days. I have to yet watch the movie though. Even if I did watch it in my childhood, the memories are quite hazy now. Who can forget his ruckus in the song, "Yahoo!" from the movie, Junglee, or the audaciously flirtatious yet funny "Badan Pe Sitare" from Prince.
He was a member of India's most famous film family, the Kapoors, and maintained a website about them.
Dev Anand was the evergreen hero who hopped from romantic hero to patriot to international spy and everything in between. My favorites among his works are Jewel Thief and Guide. I still get carried away by many of the songs which were picturized with him such as "Main zindagi ka saath" from Hum Dono and "Lena hoga janam hame kai kai baar" from Prem Pujari. Most of his movies are still on my list to watch. Dev Anand had a distinctive air and some unique mannerisms that made him the cool, unfazed, optimistic guy.
He did not stop making movies or playing an important role in them even when he was well past his prime hence the nickname of evergreen star.
In fact, thinking about yesteryear's stars and the way the scenes were shot, barring the song-and-dance sequences with playback singers that somehow made themselves the staple of every Indian film, old Indian movies were very similar in look and feel to Hollywood oldies. Whether it was the curly hair and classical features of their leading ladies or the studio sets and the suits of the gentlemen, they just seemed to be cousins from different parts of the world. In fact, Indian characters in black and white films could pass off for Caucasians because the medium shielded shades in complexions pretty well.
Time slowly chugs on, what we can do is make the most of each moment and do all the things that we want to, not by hurting others but by finding fulfillment and spreading happiness. A truly happy person spreads joy around, an unhappy person drags down others, too.
This blog has completed seven years now. This year, there are more posts on it in a single year than in the past so it is an important milestone.
To those of you who are reading, thank you and wish you a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2012.
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