Freebies

Hello my dear blog friends! Fantastic weekend. Guess why? Lots of dancing. Sat. night we attended a graduation party. The party was well attended and so much fun with great food, an open bar, (what else can one ask for) and a live DJ! What an evening! Had a blast! Danced away to glory and still not tired! Madhuri Dixit once said, dancing is a spiritual experience. I have to agree with her. Sunday, had a sleep over at my dear friend Anu's place. She was all alone. We never slept the whole night. Went back to being silly school girls, giggling all night. I paid for it today. Suffered a severe headache till late in the evening. Went for a walk and felt better after that. Phew! Sunday evenings, after dinner, is my time alone with my favorite YouTube. As usual, I was browsing for some melodious Hindi songs and came across this one from the movie Singham, which is the Song of the day.

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The minute we hear "Free" we get all excited as there is a thrill in receiving something for free. Irrespective of the value, we rush to accept something that is offered for free. Just seeing the word “free” on a sign heightens our interest in a particular product or service. It is inevitable when shopping in stores on online that the word “FREE” will appear at least several times. This strategy used by companies has been around for a long time and it still has a strong effect on consumers.  The Internet has become the major hub for finding free stuff available. Now, one does not even have to leave their house to get free stuff. There are hundreds of websites out there that cater strictly to free products online. A person could potentially make it their “job” to live off free offers. The notorious happy meals that offer free toys are really so unhealthy for kids. But parents completely see the worth in it. Its a win-win situation for both parties. How many times have we completed surveys for stores, just to receive a $5.00 mail in rebate. Of course, its another story that I takes for ever for you to actually receive the $5.00. Offering free appetizers at restaurants is one way to get customers in. Once they arrive, they have to eat a main course too!  Doctors offices hand out free samples. I found it very useful, when my son had to try out some acne products which were, horrendously expensive otherwise.The old adage that “there’s no such thing as free lunch,” still applies . Yet, the appeal of not having to use your own dollars is very strong among consumers. How do you think I got the idea for this post? You bet, for FREE! From a friend. :) Shub Ratri.

Natural Calamities

Namaskar blog friends! Gorgeous weekend filled with beautiful weather, walks, friends, cricket and the Super Moon. I tried taking pics. of the luminous, round ball, that was so divine, that I wished to soak in its luminescence. Check out the pics. below.

 From our deck

From our deck

Clicked by a friend from his porch (gorgeous capture!)

 

One singer came to my mind. My favorite, Ghazal King - Jagjit Singh. It has been a long time since I had posted a Ghazal. Today is a perfect day for that. Song of the day, is this Jagjit only version. Enjoy! Love the following lines. Let me know, if you felt a sense of calm after listening to this.

Sunte hain ke mil jaati hai
 har cheez dua se
 Ek roz tumhain maang ke
 dekhenge Khuda se

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After a spate of dismal-gloomy news last week , it was really nice to hear India defeating England by 5 runs in the Championship Trophy last night. Uttarakhand, formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Land of the Gods" due to the many holy Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state. Northern India is bracing itself for further floods during what is believed to be the heaviest monsoon rains for 60 years. At least 1000 people are thought to have died with more than 40,000 still said to be stranded in the mountains of Uttarakhand state. Eight days after the emergency began, there are fears that emergency supplies of food and clean water are running short. It is so devastating to read about this news and see the gloomy images on television. I am leaving today, with a heavy heart, praying for all those families who are suffering the loss of their near and dear ones and with those who are craving for some food, shelter and clothing. For the thousands of innocent people who have lost their lives. may your souls rest in peace. Only God can answer the question, why do we ingkeep hav such natural calamities around the world. Om Namah Shivaya!  

My very own iphone

Hello there folks! How often do you find good people who dedicate songs to you? Well, today was one such day for me. A good friend dedicated this song to me on Facebook and that my friends, is the Song of the day from the movie Maya Memsaab. This was one controversial movie then. I don't remember the story now. I plan to watch it again soon! SRK anytime! Talking of SRK, there is not third child in the making for him. It turns out, it was a publicity stunt for his soon to release movie - Chennai Express. Looking forward to it. Although, I get the feeling that its going to be a dud. Deepika with her dubbed South Indian accent. Ayyo!

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With hundreds of handsets to choose from, it can be tough to find the right one. So, finally, after a lot of thought and quizzing my tech savvy kids, I went and purchased the iphone 5 yesterday. It was a fun experience. I was so happy to see that the price of the phone had dropped from $200.00 to $150.00. That was a sign. A friendly sales person helped me pick the phone. I wanted white, as it represents purity and peace. It makes a difference to me. Chose a plan, picked a carrier and picked a random new phone number. Ended up paying through my nose. Next, I had to pick a fancy case. Ended up picking a cute, black and white one. It has patterns of  "chakra" on it. I will post the pic of it, on my next post. The kids were excited to teach me how to use it. I have to admit, they definitely know more than me when it comes to technology. I am already face booking, chatting, whatsapping, clicking pics, browsing, listening to music and face timing on it. It has become the center of my universe. Only regret is, I should have bought it sooner. By the time I get used to this, the iphone 5S is going to come out and my phone is going to be obsolete. That's a good thing, though, because it demonstrates how innovation in the wireless industry has skyrocketed. We're seeing rapid progress across all fronts, including displays, data networks, user interfaces, voice quality, third-party apps, and even mobile gaming. Nice going! Tring, Tring... Oh, forgot to mention, I love the Siri feature. Amazzzzing!!! Miss you Steve Jobs. RIP!

How to make "Goli Bajo" (All Purpose Flour Fritters)

Happy Father's day folks! I had a fantastic weekend. On Friday, my dear friend Anu and I recorded a video of yet another Konkani recipe. How to make "Goli Bajo" (All Purpose Flour Fritters). A good friend from Mangalore India, had lent his voice. He sent it to us in MP3 format via email and we had to incorporate it into the video. It was quiet a challenge. It took me at least 7 hours to edit the video. But it was all well worth it in the end. Very happy with the end product. If interested, you can type this title in You Tube and check the video. Don't forget to comment.

 

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
George Bernard Shaw

We have adapted this quote with the making of our videos. :)

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Saturday, we attended a house warming party, where we met some new interesting people. It's always nice to meet new people. New perspectives, opinions, and the hope of  a new exciting friendship keeps it very interesting. Sunday, we celebrated Father's day by going out for brunch. I presented Shekar with some shirts, which sadly, he did not like. :( I understand, everyone has their own taste, when it comes to clothes. I  have done that to him too! Hey, it's the thought that counts right? Sunday afternoon, I spent cleaning house and then went for a walk in the evening. The walk was enjoyable as the weather was beautiful and I got some quiet time to myself.

My good friend from New Jersey sang a song for me on the phone today. She sang it so well, that all day I had it running in my head and therefore, to get it out of my system, I am posting it here as the Song of the day. This is from the movie Sazaa sung by none other than Lata Mangeshkar. Shub Ratri folks!

Hocus, Pocus... FOCUS!!!

Hello folks! Finally, getting back on track with my daily routine. It was so heart wrenching, to read about the death of Priyanka Chopra's Dad. PC did not miss a single opportunity to talk about her love for her Dad and how much of an influence he was for her in her life. May god give her strength to deal with this huge loss. I am following the Jiah Khan suicide case closely. So, they are blaming Suraj Pancholi for this and he has also been arrested. I fail to understand, simply based on a letter, how is it possible to take someone into custody. Besides, Jiah was a voluntary part of this relationship. They were in a relationship for quite sometime. She had even complained about his behavior to her Mom. Her Mom herself said this in her interview. Then, how is a case of rape being slammed on Suraj? Jiah could have walked away form it all when she knew what type of a person Suraj was. Easier said than done I guess. Lonely world of glamor leads one to take some drastic steps. Praveen Babi is another sad example. Song of the day is from the movie Saathi. Those were the days of Anuradha Paudwal. :)



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Life can be such a chaos if one loses focus. I was in that boat for the past 20 days. I was going about my routine like a zombie. Fortunately, yesterday, was an eye opener and I am slowly regaining my focus. I am able to concentrate one thing for a longer time. Phew! I feel like I am back now.  I read somewhere that, every time you focus your attention you use a measurable amount of glucose and other metabolic resources. Studies show that each task you do tends to make you less effective at the next task, and this is especially true for high-energy tasks like self control or decision making. So distractions really take their toll. Focus to me is a type of cultivated discipline. It can be achieved by anyone who is willing to put forth the necessary effort. This is one of mankind’s greatest challenges; staying focused in the fast paced, technology driven world we are living in. Information overload and work overload. So how do we stay focused? In my opinion, the first and most important thing that can help is to disconnect from technology. Turn off all notifications and reminders of emails and tweets etc. Take control of all communication and social media and only go to them when you are ready to spend time there. I found that I am not strong enough to ignore these teasers. Number two on my list is to De-clutter my mind from wavering thoughts. They say, that meditation helps with this. Keeping life simple is the key to retaining focus in life. I found out today, that I had made a lot of mistakes in  my work (both personal & professional) from last week, the time that my mind was out of focus. Not good. Shub Ratri folks!

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
― Zig Ziglar

The power of Om or Aum

Namaskar friends. Coming back after a long hiatus. I got busy with family obligations. And it happend again! The big bad world of the Bollywood has taken away yet another innocent life. They are blaming lack of work and a failed relationship for Jiah Khan to go into depression. I was really disturbed when I heard the news of her death by suicide. Song of the day is a Om Namah Shivaya chant. So peaceful. I needed to listen to this today as I am going through some emotional up and downs myself.

 Shekar was playing this the whole time today and it brought a sense of clam in me. So I decided to research about the word Om.

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Om or Aum is of great importance in Hinduism. This symbol above is a sacred syllable representing Brahman — omnipotent, omnipresent, and the source of all existence. A symbol becomes mandatory to help us realize the unknowable. Hence we have the Aum symbol. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined together, make the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. It is a mantra or prayer in itself. If repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being, the atman or soul. There is harmony, peace and bliss when this word is chanted. By vibrating the sacred syllable Om, one will certainly reach the highest state of "stateless" eternity, states the Bhagavad Gita. During meditation, when we chant Om, we create within ourselves a vibration. Mind moves between the opposites of sound and silence until, at last, it ceases the sound. In the silence, the single thought—Om—is quenched; there is no thought. This is the state of trance, where the mind and the intellect are transcended as the individual self merges with the Infinite Self in the pious moment of realization. It is a moment when the petty worldly affairs are lost in the desire for the universal. Such is the immeasurable power of Om.

 

Most of this information was ontained fromt he website below.

 

http://hinduism.about.com/od/omaum/a/meaningofom.htm

 

 

Hari Om folks! Have a good night!