The Money Angel

Money, money, money!

Drowning in plenty, Who can value anything. When nothing is denied? Foolish ads we all heed. Then buy things we don’t need, Driven by greed that Can’t be satisfied.

Poem by Neil Harding McAlister

Today a lot of people sent around this forward on Money Angel. After deleting it a couple of times, I finally smiled and decided to put it on my blog.

The song by BoneyM "Money Money Money" has a catchy tune and is an old time favorite. It has that word in it that rings in your ears for a long long time. (There is a word for this that escapes my mind right now). Ever since I was a tiny blob I had learnt the value of money, starting from the time I started saving up to buy a white ink whitener at the age of 7yrs.

I have learnt over the years that money addiction never goes away once it begins. We always feel that if we earn more we can save more and all that. But in reality, we realise that in our niche of the society, the more we earn, the bigger our needs get.

So the idea is to watch out for the money addiction bug and than, happy shopping!

Thinking Outside the Box

Here is a picture taken at a colleague’s wedding last week. I have been working at my present company for almost three years and I have never been happier. (Touchwood)

But career life was not always this happy. In my life, I have met people who have not been very appreciative of my presence in this world. They are the ones that provide those negative vibes that I tend to avoid. Every time one of us meets such a person, do we really sit back and reflect why these people do what they do, and why to us? In this fast paced life, I hardly have time to deal with people and their problems. But what if the problem lies with us?

The weirdest things happened to me after I got back to town and got myself a good job. Initially, people who appeared friendly, and who in fact I had known from before, suddenly besieged me into an arena filled with negative vibes that threw me off balance. I tried everything possible to get back into their acceptable books, but nothing deemed successful, not even when I remembered birthdays, wedding ceremonies and so on.

With internal objection from certain colleagues, I had several incidences that had me reduced to tears in an attempt to fit in. I had my computer wires dismantled, username on my logon address changed slightly so that I was not aware of it at moments of emergency. I have been alienated from social groups at the workplace, and when I tried being friendly I was looked upon with ironic indifference. I was talked about in whispers and I was avoided in public places.

After so many years now, after joining a new company, whenever I go back to visit my ex colleagues, not only are they really friendly but they actually are very nice. So, finally I have learnt that whatever the cause was for their initial behavior while I was working there, it was not because of who I was.

Every time we face disapproval, our instant thought is to take it personally, but over time, I have learnt that things are usually not personal. There might be an event, an occasion or a situation that could be causing this behavior from others. So, before we force ourselves to fall prey to negative feelings and self demotivation, we should try to "think outside the box".

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." (Anne Frank, 1929-45, German Jewish diarist and holocaust victim, from The Diary of Anne Frank, entry dated 15 July 1944.)

A Rainy Day, Fever and Fond Memories

It rained heavily this morning bringing to the lives of people the respite they were seeking from the unbearable heat. Sometimes wishes do come true. Sometimes, like today, rain makes me melancholy.

When I lived in Bangalore, I would sit in my lovely balcony overlooking the garden, sipping a cup of herbal tea during weekends and reading a book. Today, however, while I stayed back home after the grueling week, I felt under the weather, and had to call in sick because I felt feverish and there was a numbing feeling in my limbs. It’s a rare incidence and it’s the time when I know that being productive is the last thing on my to-do list.

There were no unread books to soothe me today and the balcony at home is just not the same as it used to be in Bangalore. That reminded me that I needed to invest in some good books to read on my trip to Singapore after two weeks.

I have always loved traveling. I love seeing new places and I am totally comfortable being on my own. Some like company, some just love traveling for the sake of traveling. I fall in the group of the later, though having a good company would definitely make a trip even more worthwhile.

Today, suddenly I remembered my childhood Gujrati friend Pinky and wondered what she was up to these days. She was my look-alike twin back in school. We were best friends ever since kindergarten till grade six. When we parted I remember crying a lot. She had told me that she would invite me to her wedding as that was perhaps the monumental get-together occasion of all times. Back when I was young, 10 years seemed like a lifetime and parting always meant forever.

Strangely enough, she did invite me for her wedding which was over a decade ago. Now, the mother of two, she resides in London and suddenly we have reestablished contact which was surprising. She had told her hubby that she wanted to come to Bangladesh and put my picture in the papers. I did search for her on yahoo too all this time. With a stroke of good luck, she came across another contact who knew me and after one whole decade, one fine day she just called. Some day I look forward to the reunion, there will be some catching up to do.

This year, in August, another close friend from high school Samina is tying the knot and this is yet another wedding I will be missing out on. Like always, I tell myself, there will be a day, for the reunion. It’s strange how things turn out in future. People we think we shall always be in touch with somehow fades into the distance, and some people who we feel we will never meet again ends up being there forever. There is no telling how and who will be our dear ones in the journey of life. We can only cherish the friends we have right now and enjoy the times we spend with them while looking forward to those special few who come back into our lives.

Sounds Wrong but Feels Right

The most dangerous thing in this world is to live completely unconsciously. The state of the world is a stark testimony to this fact, as is the condition of the lives of most human beings. When we are not conscious, we are not only ruled by our subconscious programming, we are a puppet of the global unconscious. Now that is scary!!

We all have examples in our lives where we have created turmoil and conflict without consciously choosing to do so. Who wouldn't choose prosperity, loving relationships, vibrant health, joyful living and rewarding work? Then why are so many people suffering from poverty, painful relationships, depression, illness and unrewarding work?

Why do we create so many problems and then have to spend so much time and energy dealing with them? The answer is lack of consciousness, which links us to the cycle of karma and struggle.

Yesterday, as I was dining with my friend, she wondered aloud about why we do the things we do, and whether our lives would have been different if we didn’t do them. There is no easy answer to that question. But I believe strongly, that if we are in touch with both our conscious and unconscious minds we won’t really go wrong and nor will we ever regret not listening to our intuition either.

“Each of us can be represented as an iceberg, with the larger part of ourselves deeply submerged. And there's a place in the depths where all of our icebergs come together, a place in the unconscious where we connect with each other”

Click here for more on this article…

The Month of May

In England, first thing in the morning of May 1st, young girls ran out into the garden to wash their face in dew. An old tale says that the May dew has magic properties and anyone who washes their faces in it will have lovely complexion throughout the year.

The month of May was named after the Greek goddess called Mala. It was first called May in 1430. Before that, it was called Maias, Mai or Mayes. Let see, the month of May also marks Labor Day and May Day.

This is a significant month for me. My brother was born this month many years ago and every time I wonder about the significance of the month that’s the first thing that comes to mind.

This was a busy month in my event calendar this year. I worked 27 days at a stretch without overtime incentives or extra assistance. Now I know what the Engineers at work feel like while they work day and night. I have successfully completed more projects in a month at work than I could have possibly done in the space of three months before. I see more pressure coming up.

To keep stress at bay, I organized a birthday for my brother; discovered two café’s called Déjà vu and Red Shift in town. Went to the first café Mango restaurant in Dhanmondi following a horror movie at CinePlex, which I didn’t quite watch as I had my eyes and ears closed most of the time.

I also attended a party at Ernesto’s celebrating Celtic festivals along with my friends and a colleague’s “ holud” and wedding.

The month yesterday ended amidst terrible heat wave sweeping through the country. People are falling prey to the tremendous adverse effects of the weather merged with electricity problems. A drop of rain would most certainly relieve the suffering.

Life is a Pencil

When I was young, I used to dream of pencils that were colorful, sharpened and beautiful. No matter from which side I tried to view the pencils, I could not see the entire picture. I just saw a side of it or an angle.

I always figured life was like a pencil. When its smooth, it writes better and faster, if its hard and rough, it has its uneven edge and sharpness to it. Eventually today, out of the blue, I came across this article, and it surprised me. It was something I used to think about when I was a little girl with ponytails.

“Does life have a purpose? Does it have real meaning? Is life anything more than a brief span on earth, with nothing but eternity on either side of this physical existence? This is the question of the ages, a riddle that has challenged human beings since they came to be. Why am I here? Why do I exist? Thousands of years ago, the biblical King David wondered about the purpose of man just as we do today. EVERY ONE OF US WAS CREATED FOR A PURPOSE, BUT FEW UNDERSTAND WHAT GREAT PURPOSE IS.”

A simple incident of using a pencil to hold my long hair in place at work today reminded me of my childhood dream to write about. Mind you, I don’t think I actually have enough time to think nowadays. Take for example, something that happened a few dawns back. As I was getting to work in a rush, my finger nail broke half way through, it hurt very much. I looked around for something similar to a band aid but couldn’t. Than, I realized that my office had a first aid box with lots of band aids. So, I went to work holding my finger delicately all the way while taking extra care of not bumping my hand against anything that would trigger pain.

I got back home almost at night that day, and realized that my finger nail still sorely needed a band aid or better still, have it cut. I had bumped my finger several times during the day and each time, I winced in pain and realized I needed it to be tended and kept putting it off.

That same day, I came home in a cab, which didn't have a wiper on it. Something that you really don’t get to notice until it rains. And it rained that day, heavily, halfway home, the driver to my utter horror stuck out his head, and drove the car through a busy highway, rain pelting down his face and flying through the window and drenching me to the bone. It took almost an hour to get home safe and sound, but I was so petrified, not to mention drenched that I went home shivering with a bit more than the cold. Now, I always check if the cab has a wiper, along with other necessities before I happily agree to ride in it.

Today, I got home and reflected on how to make my situation less stressful. So far, I have listed things down that I would require changing, especially as things are looking a lot more stressful in the next few days. I don’t know if I am going to dream of pencils again tonight, but at right now, I have a pen that works and that’s a blessing.

List of Priorities

I have learnt over the years that we require maintaining a list of priorities to get ourselves organized. I started by taking notes, using post aid stamps, timer on my mobile phones and of course there is a journal, a computer timer and the stick-on board in the office filled with papers, news articles, important phone numbers, urgent notes etc.

The problem is that organizing everything into slots gets so important that it takes a great amount of time organizing the time slots itself. For a person with a high demanding time frame, it’s difficult fitting everything else into slots. Eventually, something like going to the gym for a workout gets pushed into the recesses of the folder. And what may seem high priority now, might turn out to be found on the bottom of the list later.

One way to be organized that has helped me over the years is to handle only one piece of paper only once and than to stack it in a folder with a title. Besides, writing down things that needs to be organized also helps. The only problem occurs when knowing what exactly needs to be on the high priority list for now and which one needs can be actually pushed down a little notch lower, to be dealt with, just a bit later.

Sweet Slumber

Last night, after a long while, I slept well and I actually had a dream. The dream I don’t remember but I do remember getting up refreshed, hyper energized and ready to face the world with a smiling face.

Sleep can do wonders to the body, mind and soul. Even a few years back, I could just crash anywhere with bare minimum of sleeping arrangement and under any excuse of obtaining a little Beta zone-Therapy. But one thing detrimental to a good sleep is also a good waking mechanism for me. The waking mechanism has to be slow, steady and soothing. I have a nice song for my alarm.

In my childhood days, each morning, I remember my dad coming in to switch on lights, switching off the fans and air-conditioning, removing my blanket and massaging my head, hands and feet until I opened my eyes. As I grew older, it was replaced with a light tap on my door and a voice telling me I have to get up for office.

But, mostly, I have an inborn internal biological clock. My internal clock hasn’t failed me till now. In cases when I do not have access to an alarm, I tell myself that I have to get up at the dot of seven, and whey and behold; I am up at the dot of 7am. Today, while I was browsing the internet, I found something on this topic “How to wake up on time”. The article says that internal biological clock works for those that are light sleepers, those who go to bed at the same time each day amongst other things.

Some other links that I found interesting are

How to Wake Up On Time

How to Know How Much Sleep You Need

How to Treat Insomnia

How to Sleep Better

How to Fall Asleep

How to Cope With Sleep Paralysis

How to interpret your dreams

How to Sleep Well While Traveling

How to Wake Up Without an Alarm Clock

Happens Only in Hindi Movies?

This is a statement that is analogous to any event where disbelief reigns in our real life. Take for example, where celebrating mother’s day in style brings forth tears of happiness. Or the surprise birthday party where the brother is so happy he doesn’t know how to express himself.

These were slight exaggeration from the immediate past events of my life. However, life has been busy, whose isn’t? But, with my friends in town, going through Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood phases in life, creating changes, depicting surprises, applauding happiness and overcoming pain, here's a peek at why we say "it happens only in hindi movies, and not English movies or Bengali movies".

Baghban : Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini are separated right after Holi remember Amitabh singing Holi khele Raghubeera?). They are said to be separated for six months, ie from March to September. Within that six-month period, they celebrate Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14, and karva chauth, which is usually observed in October. There is no way these two occasions could come between March and September!

Lagaan : Lagaan was shot in the late 19th century. At the time, an over in cricket used to consist of 8 balls. But in this movie, an over has 6 balls. Maybe modern cricket learnt from the movie.

Amar Akbar Anthony : Three men donate blood at the same time to the same person.

Khalnayak : The police tracks the villain from an MS Word Document screen! something that office team will be interested in)

Pyar To Hona Hi Tha : Kajol gets off the train to use the public toilet at the railway station and the train chugs off without her. Poor girl,little did she know that every train compartment has four toilets inside.

Raja : Dilip Tahil empties a can of petrol over Madhuri Dixit. Minutes later, Sanjay Kapoor takes the same can and pours it over Dilip Tahil. That's what I call an autofill!

Guddu : Manisha Koirala and Shah Rukh Khan are seen hanging on a parachute during a song. But when the song ends, they land on a glider. What a switch above sea level!

Tere Mere Sapne : Priya Gill is doing her BA. But at the bus stop, she is carrying an electrical technology thesis by B L Theraja. What an electrifying interest !

Click Here to read the poem for the day: "Anything is possible"

Wishes Do Come True

A ram is said to run very fast up a mountain and than once it's up there, it doesn't really know what to do. Either to decide whether to walk back downhill or to enjoy the view. This was a characteristic trait painted for a particular horoscope character.

My life is not akin to the galloping nature of a ram. I possess qualities akin to that of a mountain goat, treading softly and climbing slowly, munching on grass or nails as I see fit. Once atop the mountain, I pause to take a pause, and muse and enjoy the view.

But, though satisfaction at victory may seem quite the norm, there can be disappointments too. Here, the wise sayings of mother Teresa “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones” holds true for some of my prayers, not to a huge extent though. Take for instance when I went to Katmandu. I am not saying that Katmandu is not a highly unexpected disappointment but it didn't quite meet up to what I had wished it to look like, as I saw in the photographs. The temples were interesting and Pokhra was a sensational nature's paradise so my trip to Nepal wasn't a complete loss.

But, on the other hand, take the case of my possessing a laptop into realistic view. I had wanted my own personal official laptop for so long that when I got it, I was terribly overwhelmed. I took home work with glee, placed the dainty item on my table, which previously hosted only books and stationary and looked at it for a while. I couldn’t stop smiling, grappling with the feeling of being a proud owner of such a beauty. But, interestingly enough, the joy didn't last long. The laptop was cumbersome to carry to work and back home, besides taking home office work soon became a norm. After all, they gave me a laptop, it was expected to be made use of 24/7. Initially what seemed a convenience turned into a chore. Besides, for security reasons, I was not allowed to download personal software onto office property. Until finally, exasperation forced me to get my own gadget, which, mind you, I could have done initially without waiting for an office to provide me with it.

A year ago, a friend of mine, who has lived in Dhaka all her life, was musing about going abroad and living on her own. She punched buttons on the lift of her cousin's house and wondered when she will have the keys to her own apartment. It brought back memories of my own, and Ï gave her a big sparkling smile saying "one day, amigo, you shall". And whether she will enjoy having the key to her own apartment, remains to be seen. But, than what I am saying is, that in our joyous attempt to enjoy life, we overemphasize the phrase "joy". They say, even people who live in the mountains cease to see the beauty of it after a while.

So I believe, its important to know what we wish for, think about, because it may happen and because we really were not specific and we didn’t think it through enough, we may be unhappy with what we get. But, if we are in touch with reality and are more practical about our wants and needs in life, we tend to be less disappointed.

“As we think, so shall it be“! I believe too that we have the power to manifest whatever we focus on. Like the naked soul said, Our thoughts will become our reality. “I wish everything I touched turned to gold”, etc and we all remember what happened to King Midas, right?

"There are two things to aim at in life: First, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second." Logan Pearsall Smith.