New year's resolutions

 

 

Christmas will come and go in the blink of an eye. One minute you are putting up the tree, doing last minute shopping, getting a makeover in an attempt to look younger, decorating the house and planning your parties and the next you are putting away the dirty dishes, throwing away the accumulated garbage, labelling the packed decoration boxes and wondering why you feel bloated and exhausted.

Then there is the X’ Mas post mortem – how so and so’s cake tasted, the ill-fitting dress worn by a friend , the boring party , the small talk (read gossip), the boring sermon by an ill prepared priest , the overcrowded malls – the list goes on .

Santa goes back to wherever he is supposed to have come from, the reindeers are put out to pasture and sanity is restored once again.

Oh yes you also have gifts which you will probably recycle!

OMG where did the year go – the months really flew by !

And then everyone starts contemplating the New Year – fingers and toes crossed – hoping for good tidings.

Yippee it’s New Year’s resolution time. Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months and that too is stretching it a bit!

 The origin of New Year’s resolutions is quite interesting. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their Gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts on time. The Romans began each year by making promises to the God Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Thereafter bedlam has reigned with the whole world jumping on the bandwagon  and continuing,  what has now become a  craze

New Year’s resolutions are quite a pain but “What’s your New year’s resolution”? Is a question on so many minds in January every year so everyone starts thinking in advance so as not to feel out of sync during upcoming conversations?

 We all know how easily people can fall into bad habits and why on trying to give up those habits it is easy to relapse.

 New Year’s Resolutions usually come in the form of lifestyle changes and changing behaviour that has become routine and habitual can be hard to do.

Google the term ‘NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS’ and there are umpteen pages on the same.

The most common resolutions made every year around the world are: losing weight, doing more exercise, quitting smoking and saving money. All undoubtedly look good and meaningful.

 Who doesn’t want to fit into clothes better  , drop a size or two, be able to run a mile without panting , feel healthier and have some sort of a healthy bank balance .

The main reason that people don’t stick to their resolutions is that they set too many or they’re unrealistic to achieve. They may also be victims of the “false hope syndrome”. False hope syndrome characterized by a person’s unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, amount, ease and consequences of changing their behaviour.

So here is my new year’s resolution- to try and be a better person that I was in 2018 – for myself and those around me.

Not a SMART target but ok for someone who can do without the jargon.

So what’s yours?  

New year's resolutions

 

 

Christmas will come and go in the blink of an eye. One minute you are putting up the tree, doing last minute shopping, getting a makeover in an attempt to look younger, decorating the house and planning your parties and the next you are putting away the dirty dishes, throwing away the accumulated garbage, labelling the packed decoration boxes and wondering why you feel bloated and exhausted.

Then there is the X’ Mas post mortem – how so and so’s cake tasted, the ill-fitting dress worn by a friend , the boring party , the small talk (read gossip), the boring sermon by an ill prepared priest , the overcrowded malls – the list goes on .

Santa goes back to wherever he is supposed to have come from, the reindeers are put out to pasture and sanity is restored once again.

Oh yes you also have gifts which you will probably recycle!

OMG where did the year go – the months really flew by !

And then everyone starts contemplating the New Year – fingers and toes crossed – hoping for good tidings.

Yippee it’s New Year’s resolution time. Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months and that too is stretching it a bit!

 The origin of New Year’s resolutions is quite interesting. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their Gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts on time. The Romans began each year by making promises to the God Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Thereafter bedlam has reigned with the whole world jumping on the bandwagon  and continuing,  what has now become a  craze

New Year’s resolutions are quite a pain but “What’s your New year’s resolution”? Is a question on so many minds in January every year so everyone starts thinking in advance so as not to feel out of sync during upcoming conversations?

 We all know how easily people can fall into bad habits and why on trying to give up those habits it is easy to relapse.

 New Year’s Resolutions usually come in the form of lifestyle changes and changing behaviour that has become routine and habitual can be hard to do.

Google the term ‘NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS’ and there are umpteen pages on the same.

The most common resolutions made every year around the world are: losing weight, doing more exercise, quitting smoking and saving money. All undoubtedly look good and meaningful.

 Who doesn’t want to fit into clothes better  , drop a size or two, be able to run a mile without panting , feel healthier and have some sort of a healthy bank balance .

The main reason that people don’t stick to their resolutions is that they set too many or they’re unrealistic to achieve. They may also be victims of the “false hope syndrome”. False hope syndrome characterized by a person’s unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, amount, ease and consequences of changing their behaviour.

So here is my new year’s resolution- to try and be a better person that I was in 2018 – for myself and those around me.

Not a SMART target but ok for someone who can do without the jargon.

So what’s yours?  

Christmas is round the corner

So it’s the 16^th December 2018.

Nine days to go for Christmas and there is excitement in the air.

Thanks to Facebook , Messenger, WhatsApp and the like , many of us have been receiving our FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD , OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE , OUR FIRST SANTA , OUR FIRST SNOWMAN over and over again from the 1^stDecember onwards  . Not to mention being HIT by the FIRST VIRTUAL SNOW BALL .

 Nice – thank you - but a bit too much and over the top at times .

Cakes and cookies are being baked , Turkeys ordered and then there is that wild clamour to purchase gifts  in the malls . More often than not there are the usual end of year  sales where everyone ends up buying stuff they do not need in the first place .

Christmas Trees went up during the first week of December and those who could not find last year’s decorations, as they had been put away safely and now can’t be found , went out and bought new ones – only to find the old ones in perfectly good condition a few days later !

Then there are the curtains and the cushions- the new crockery and the crystal glasses kept for those special occasions .  

Not to forget  the urgent requirement for  new clothes and shoes which suddenly become a necessity despite the cupboard already being stocked with recent purchases   .

 If you are a lady , then this is a time consuming operation . Many shops are visited and bored, tired looking  salesmen can be seen putting back dozens of pairs of shoes , folding meters of  material and putting clothes back on hangers – obviously someone looked and walked on to the next shop where the same exercise was repeated .

 Most gentlemen are adept at quick shopping and are less fussy than their female counterparts  . They know what they want – go in and  get it and the job is over and done with before you can say Ho Ho Ho !

 Remember I said MOST . I know of many fusspots who spend ages and are somehow never satisfied with the goods on offer . These are the bespoke guys who take pride in giving measurements and going for umpteen trials- good for you .  

Schools are closed now and the children are suddenly in everyone’s way – wanting to eat meals at odd times  , itching to go out , asking for gifts ,  begging to be taken to the park .

All in all it’s a season of fun – friends to catch up with , time to travel if you so desire ,  great weather , plenty  to eat and not to forget – WEIGHT TO GAIN !

And by the way for those Christians like me – let’s not forget to keep the CHRIST in Christmas.

Be kind to one another !

Christmas is round the corner

So it’s the 16^th December 2018.

Nine days to go for Christmas and there is excitement in the air.

Thanks to Facebook , Messenger, WhatsApp and the like , many of us have been receiving our FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD , OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE , OUR FIRST SANTA , OUR FIRST SNOWMAN over and over again from the 1^st December onwards  . Not to mention being HIT by the FIRST VIRTUAL SNOW BALL .

 Nice – thank you - but a bit too much and over the top at times .

Cakes and cookies are being baked , Turkeys ordered and then there is that wild clamour to purchase gifts  in the malls . More often than not there are the usual end of year  sales where everyone ends up buying stuff they do not need in the first place .

Christmas Trees went up during the first week of December and those who could not find last year’s decorations, as they had been put away safely and now can’t be found , went out and bought new ones – only to find the old ones in perfectly good condition a few days later !

Then there are the curtains and the cushions- the new crockery and the crystal glasses kept for those special occasions .  

Not to forget  the urgent requirement for  new clothes and shoes which suddenly become a necessity despite the cupboard already being stocked with recent purchases   .

 If you are a lady , then this is a time consuming operation . Many shops are visited and bored, tired looking  salesmen can be seen putting back dozens of pairs of shoes , folding meters of  material and putting clothes back on hangers – obviously someone looked and walked on to the next shop where the same exercise was repeated .

 Most gentlemen are adept at quick shopping and are less fussy than their female counterparts  . They know what they want – go in and  get it and the job is over and done with before you can say Ho Ho Ho !

 Remember I said MOST . I know of many fusspots who spend ages and are somehow never satisfied with the goods on offer . These are the bespoke guys who take pride in giving measurements and going for umpteen trials- good for you .  

Schools are closed now and the children are suddenly in everyone’s way – wanting to eat meals at odd times  , itching to go out , asking for gifts ,  begging to be taken to the park .

All in all it’s a season of fun – friends to catch up with , time to travel if you so desire ,  great weather , plenty  to eat and not to forget – WEIGHT TO GAIN !

And by the way for those Christians like me – let’s not forget to keep the CHRIST in Christmas.

Be kind to one another !

Why A Thousand Oaks Cannot Stop a Single gun .

 We seem to be passing through  a dangerously critical time in History where insanity and madness seem to be the order of the day . Why else would we be reading of the things we do . Why else would there be so much senseless bloodshed .

Resigning ourselves to FATE is not the answer. More security is not the answer . Then what is ?

We need a new mindset and being in the Education field for the last 40 years I believe that Education is the answer .

At the present moment Education is the only thing that can set the wheels in motion .

We need people to think – think afresh and catch them young .

The menace of Guns is not going to go away anytime soon – its seen a slow build up and it will take time.

Will there be more violence? – Unfortunately the answer is YES

Will more innocent lives be lost? – Say what we will but that is going to happen .

So be prepared for more and start thinking .

The quicker – the better .

A few lines in contemplation ……

 

More senseless shooting.
More violence.
More deaths. 
Innocent people who needed to live for themselves and for their loved ones .

Candle light vigils

Bouquets and tears
Newspaper headlines
Television news.
Interviews and viewpoints 
Discussions and debates 
A call for peace 
A call to ban guns
The gun control debate rises again

The blame game begins .
They blame the Republicans 
They blame the Democrats  ?

They blame the President

They blame the youth 
They blame the wars 
They blame it on depression
They blame it on society 
They blame it on family upbringing 

It's tiring
It's depressing 
It's sad 
It fills the conman man with rage 
It makes him / her want to cry.
To ask WHY
But tears have never solved anything .
Never made a dead man come alive.
STOP .STOP .STOP

It's not needed.
It's not the answer .
There has to be another way 

I believe

That Education is that way

 

We need better schools & better  classrooms

We need better teachers & more awareness

Teach them now – Tell them how

Catch them young
It’s the  way to sanity 
It’s the way to peace 
It’s the way to love .

 

 

 

Why A Thousand Oaks Cannot Stop a Single gun .

 We seem to be passing through  a dangerously critical time in History where insanity and madness seem to be the order of the day . Why else would we be reading of the things we do . Why else would there be so much senseless bloodshed .

Resigning ourselves to FATE is not the answer. More security is not the answer . Then what is ?

We need a new mindset and being in the Education field for the last 40 years I believe that Education is the answer .

At the present moment Education is the only thing that can set the wheels in motion .

We need people to think – think afresh and catch them young .

The menace of Guns is not going to go away anytime soon – its seen a slow build up and it will take time.

Will there be more violence? – Unfortunately the answer is YES

Will more innocent lives be lost? – Say what we will but that is going to happen .

So be prepared for more and start thinking .

The quicker – the better .

A few lines in contemplation ……

 

More senseless shooting.
More violence.
More deaths. 
Innocent people who needed to live for themselves and for their loved ones .

Candle light vigils

Bouquets and tears
Newspaper headlines
Television news.
Interviews and viewpoints 
Discussions and debates 
A call for peace 
A call to ban guns
The gun control debate rises again

The blame game begins .
They blame the Republicans 
They blame the Democrats  ?

They blame the President

They blame the youth 
They blame the wars 
They blame it on depression
They blame it on society 
They blame it on family upbringing 

It's tiring
It's depressing 
It's sad 
It fills the conman man with rage 
It makes him / her want to cry.
To ask WHY
But tears have never solved anything .
Never made a dead man come alive.
STOP .STOP .STOP

It's not needed.
It's not the answer .
There has to be another way 

I believe

That Education is that way

 

We need better schools & better  classrooms

We need better teachers & more awareness

Teach them now – Tell them how

Catch them young
It’s the  way to sanity 
It’s the way to peace 
It’s the way to love .

 

 

 

Allahabad - Summer holidays were fun

Summer holidays as a young boy in Allahabad , Uttar Pradesh were fun times.

All schoolchildren awaited them anxiously and they were made use of, so to say, from the very first day.

I have fond memories of waking very early on day one of the vacation , making myself a cup of steaming hot  tea , picking up the newspapers which had been deftly thrown into the verandah ,   taking the transistor out into the compound and switching  on Radio Ceylon .

The next hour from 6 .00 to 7.00 am was then spent listening to ‘TOP OF THE POPS’ – a well-known and much loved programme . The Radio Jockeys – I guess they were just known as presenters or announcers way back then- played the best music the world had to offer and their speaking was kept to the minimum. I do not remember them giving away freebies or holding radio competitions either.

For a few years, I also remember going to Asansol to visit relatives and then on to   Calcutta, to visit cousins who stayed at the Titigarh paper mills a short distance away. However most summer vacations were spent in Allahabad itself.

As we stayed in the Railway colony, there were plenty of friends in and around the vicinity and hence we were never short of good company and things to keep ourselves occupied.

Caroms, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders , Chinese checkers , Chess , Monopoly, Marbles, seven tiles   and card games  took up large portions of the day   but cricket , football and ‘Gulli danda’   took center stage . Evenings were for Kick the can, Police, and thieves!

Be they the indoor games or the ones on the road outside, they were fiercely contested and no quarters were asked for or given. If you were not playing, you were either a vociferous spectator taking sides or a judge or umpire often being judge and jury.

Learning all about  Team spirit , Team building ,  Leadership, Respect , Standing up for oneself, Rules ,skills and expertise in games  and  above all - good health-  were what we gained  . 

Cuts, bruises, sprains and an occasional fractured arm were all part and parcel of the summer holidays. There were arguments and occasional fights and adults never entered the picture. No one thought of complaining to parents and if by chance one did so, they were ostracized and spent a few lonely days looking on from the sidelines and licking their wounds until such time all was forgiven – then they joined in even more enthusiastically – a lesson had been learnt and was seldom repeated.

Rain, hail, storm or sunshine, the fun and frolic continued. No one had heard of Sunscreen lotion or SPF and being sun tanned or to put it in simple language getting ‘sun burnt’ was expected. Colds , coughs and allergies came and went unnoticed and antibiotics were for critical illnesses only .

Yes, we occasionally suffered from heat exhaustion and a friend once had heat stroke but he was given umpteen cold baths and ‘mango panna’ to drink and he lived to tell the tale for the rest of the vacation. Food was wholesome and fresh air aplenty and everyone looked fresh and happy.

There were also chores to be done like cleaning the house, running simple errands, cycling to the market to purchase meat or to deliver a note to an adult. Even then, a few friends would cycle off together and that too would turn into a mini adventure – buying snacks along the way, breaking plumbs from some tree on the road or climbing into a compound to steal a few guavas from someone’s garden. It was all harmless fun and we had a blast.

Coming to think of it, fruit was high on our agenda. We knew in whose house there were fruit trees and where we could manage to steal some. Mind you - Mangoes, plumbs and guavas were available in plenty in the market and were quite affordable but the thrill of stealing them and not being caught was far too much to resist for a teenager. Being chased by the owner’s dogs, shouted at by the owner and even called thieves were all worth the effort.

I also remember cycling with a friend to our church at about two in the afternoon in the hot sun, jumping into the church compound , climbing a tree and filling a sack with raw mangoes ,then hauling it over the wall and cycling off.

Once the man who looked after the field of fruit trees spotted us and he yelled at us at the top of his voice. We were terrified lest he report us to the parish priest and we be hauled up the next day but all’s well that ends well and we escaped unscathed!

Coincidentally all us teens were very active in the church activities as well and had probably spotted the mangoes few days earlier and planned the heist methodically and to perfection.

Pocket money, if any, was meagre and was spent on marbles, paper sweets and a concoction called ‘Churan’.

Those were days of simple pleasures and simple times and I miss them.