learnings

  I have this book. I picked it up at one of the book fairs held annually. I used to enjoy my pilgrimage to the book fair. It required some planning depending on where the fair was held. I would always ask one particular friend (Anand) if he could join me. Both of enjoy hoarding books and reading them at pleasure. We have exchanged books and thus ended up reading plentiful. I say with some embarrassment that we do have books that we have not read and they sit prettily waiting for us to devour them. The thought that the books are there give us both a sense of joy. We have also visited the book fair to just browse through.  One of my favourite stalls at the book fair is the Sahithya Academy stall. I enjoy browsing through the small 'English' collection. The books are hardbound and smell from an ancient era. It was during one such visit that I had picked up some books of author Manoj Das. Shri Manoj Das passed away at the ripe age of 87, due to cancer, on April 27th this year. Th...

  How magnificent is sleep. A fantastic pause button, memory button, reset button, a normalcy button. A huge button indeed.  I snapped this morning. I was feeling irritable and hungry. Low in energy and so pessimistic.. I hadn't slept till the wee hours of the morning. It happens once in a while where I toss and turn.. I will be resetting myself with a good dollop of sleep.

  I am continuing to keep myself upgraded on the Growth mindset list when I read - Scout mindset blog -  (Thank you Rohan for reading and sharing your learnings) about this..  So insightful especially in these times. Whatsapp is playing with our confirmation bias. I am trying my best to not sink in the mire. The scout mindset resonates especially that I have actually been part of the NCC_National cadet Corps ( similar to girl scouts during my undergrad).   Constant reminders help provided we are on the lane of growth mindset- an openness to learning and change with it.

Feeling 'meh' -   I was reading this article from Quartz news. It struck me how many of us go through such days of feeling 'meh'. We feel a lethargy; a sense of dullness; no motivation to kick up our creative juices; just languishing.. Some of us are blessed to have our lives pacing on, with a job, food on the table in this pandemic. Yet the social connect is missing; travel is missing; the new normal is still sinking in.. the fear of the unknown lurks!

 I celebrate festivals in a different manner. I do not enjoy cooking so I usually buy the traditional food. I share the food with my domestic helpers. Rituals are most basic to me. I used to enjoy celebrating when my son was growing up. Now it's all about comfort and convenience.  I however enjoy calling up my cousins and elders who are in my native place, Kerala. The calls are peppered with warmth, laughter and joy. I am grateful for this.  On this Vishu (new year) day the young ones receive pocket money called 'kai neetam' . My cousin and I remembered how our older uncles would give a new shiny ONE rupee coin, while the youngest Uncle would give a new five rupee note. My summer vacation was filled with fun and pocket money. Today I spoke at length with my peramma. Peramma is how I call my aunt- aunt who is married to my dad's older brother. Sadhi Peramma was married to my uncle (26) at the mere age of 13. It is always shocking to me when I hear her recount the days. M...

  Food is so personal to each of us depending on our demographics. Food is the first 'item' with which we punish or celebrate life.  In my personal life I have known family members giving up certain foods for varied reasons.  I am deeply grateful for the food I get to eat. If I feel like eating a delicacy/mundane stuff I do not hesitate to make it for myself or ordering it for myself.  I do not need a reason. I love life and hence my love for food.

  Seth Godin has so beautifully explained the difference in his  blog . 

  A client mentioned he had begun hearing a voice in the head. Sometimes the voice got so loud that he had to run out of the house. Sometimes it was like a good friend. Mostly it was manipulative. Have you heard voices in your head? It is an auditory hallucination. Interestingly most of us hear voice sometime or the other in our lifetime. for some of us it is the voice of our conscience guiding us.  for some it may be positive while for some it may be a critical, negative, manipulative voice.  Some experience during a phase of life; some live with it; for some it is situation related. Auditory hallucination is pretty common Usually when we hear of someone complaining about hearing voices we immediately wonder if it is schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder.  Auditory hallucination can occur without any mental condition too. Auditory hallucination is different from intrusive thoughts. we hear thoughts in our own voice usually.  There are several reasons for audito...

  I was biding time to go at noon to cast my vote. I wanted to avoid the crowds. However I left on hearing that the my street's booth was practically empty. The process was so smooth and well organised. Really impressive. due to the pandemic, more centres have been opened; ladies and gents were assigned separate booths. I came out in less than a minute.  The EC has a mammoth task to ensure a free and fair election. It is a thankless job too.Mostly school teachers and govt officials are accorded the most basic amenities to perform their duties. The para military and police do such a great task in taking care of the discipline. In spite of the numbers and the dreaded heat they are so courteous. They literally sit on the those dirty floors to have lunch. Timing was extended this time as one hour  was kept aside for Covid patients to cast vote.  Election campaigning and now the counting of votes- it is like a festival here. All would be glued to the media for all the mel...

  One of the most common complaints from parents is that their child is 'addicted' to video games.  I would prefer to use the term 'overuse'  than 'addicted'. Let us look at the ingredients that make the video game a success: 1. fun 2. competence is challenged 3. hangout with peers or related company 4. positive feedback Research says that when the child's basic psychological needs aren't met at home/school; for the adult it would be home and work- the person would be drawn to playing video games.  A person experiences challenges, gets positive feedback, hangs out either alone or in virtual company of similar interests. The person feels connected and part of a fraternity. when his psychological needs like relatedness/belongingness; autonomy and competence are met he is obviously drawn to play. And if fun is added to these elements why is it not a surprise? Like in Maslow's hierarchy of needs unless a person's basic needs are met heshe cannot elev...