Live without prejudice

When I first learned that I may have to move to the United Kingdom, I wasn't too keen on it, honestly. As time went on, I realized that I would have to get on board eventually. So I started preparing myself mentally for the transition. Physically, I was capable of enduring any hardship, as do most human beings.

When the date of my journey started inching closer, I was a little biased; not only because I sort of had the mental makeup that I just wouldn't adjust to life there. After all, every country has its own fun and quirks. When it came to the UK, I wasn't so sure about the fun.
I didn't have a choice - I had to move ! I had a lot of prejudice and negative impressions about England. I had a talk with my folks and they seemed that I would do all right there. It seemed that simple (well, to them).

So I went. I landed there on a Sunday - Boy was I shocked when I entered the city. It had its English charm; it was quaint, but also it was so modern ! The buildings, the transport, the people everything about the city made it so mystique. I liked it on sight immediately.

The little I knew about the UK, was from TV and lets be honest here, TV shows always don't paint the correct picture about any culture - a brilliant example would have to be our 'Saas-Bahu' soaps.

The population of this city is about a little more than a half million. I found the world in this place. Its expensive all right, but the living is good and I feel that anyone would get used to this way of life quickly and with minimum fuss.

Its hassle-free, in a nutshell.

Now all my thoughts whilst I was in India proved to be wrong. I was scared and judgemental. I don't want to be that way and I certainly look forward to continued pleasant surprises in this land.

Chrome

So, heard about Google Chrome from my Ma the other day. Decided to try it and see what the fuss is all about. Turns out, there IS something indeed to be made a fuss about !

When I searched for Chrome on the google search engine, I didn't have the slightest idea what it is - a browser, application ? So, I downloaded it and installed it.

When I double clicked the icon on my desktop and was transported directly to a page that said "Chrome", I realized what the fun is ! You can actually type the query on the usual address bar and it generates the search result. It also boasts features like fast and safe browsing, the option of opening multiple tabs, displays other Google application links, generates suggestions for your search query and plus get this -- it saves and imports all your bookmarks that previously existed on firefox. I really enjoyed using Chrome. It was, in a nutshell, hassle-free.

Although I still use Mozilla, I like using Chrome for all my googling. And I love the new tab browsers that Internet Explorer took forever to implement. Makes all your work easier and works great in an office too (especially true when you have a game running and your boss walks by).

My next big task is to teach my Mom how to use it; well she's not exactly computer comfy.

All the info and the download is available here

So happy browsing ! Enjoy !

Multi- tasking

I have started multi-tasking.. again !!

I was cleaning my shelf and found my pencil box from high school. I opened it and found about 6 to 7 ink pens lying in it. I took one out, cleaned it in water, steamed the nib with my breath and filled it with ink. I didn't have a dropper so I took an empty syringe which pretty much did the trick, only I spilled about 10 drops of bright blue ink all over my pant !! Anyway, with the urge to write using this pen only, I started with the idea of writing something on a small scribble pad.. But I ended up writing a short story! ( The story will be one of my next posts) 'Twas fun.
Then I got yelled at by Ma, because I wasn't paying attention to her shouts for dinner. So reluctantly pulled myself out of my eternally occupied chair and headed to the dining room, with my pen and book in one hand, a towel on my shoulder, my other hand controlling the volume on my iPod, the cell phone tucked under my arm and my feet dragging my 2 pairs of bathroom slippers ( I've always wondered why I need 2 pairs of in-house slippers !) .

Now call that multitasking.

Another of my favourite bi-tasking activity, which I perform frequently, is talking on the phone and removing chipped nail polish from my toes. I had stopped this habit for a while and picked it up yet again !

I think I've passed on this multitasking thing over to my husband. He does it too ! You know how? While watching TV (usually the same ol' cricket reruns) he actually eats junk food !!!!!

Now, that's what we call -- It runs in the family !

The Google Story

We all use it frequently and it has become our default search tool. If we need any information about anything either or not on the web, we seek help from this search engine. So much so that the term "google this, google that" has replaced "search this, search that".
What is Google? Which brilliant mind started this company? Like many others, the taste of success would have been experienced after the company went through failures.
Google is today a large software company with over 10000 employees founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1989. The company headquarters are located in MountainView, California, U.S.A.
The book that portrays the rapid growth and rise of Google over the years is written by Dr. David Vise.
Read all about the story, expansion of Google, its partners, etc etc. over here.
To order this book online, click here.
To see the full profile of Google and its corporate working, visit this page.

An OS for mobile phones

So the newest operating system introduced is the one for mobile phones and this has been launched by Microsoft. Who else?
The facility of reading e-mail , typing documents on Word, using Excel spreadsheets , viewing text and images with their original format is indeed a treat.
Now the convenience of carrying the computer with you wherever you go, literally in your hands, is a step-ahead in technology from Microsoft. And what with all its speed and dominance in the PC world, it sure is creating waves.
Click here for more information.

Talk about kicking a$$

Me and my honey were playing Literati today. We had so much fun and shared a great bonding and all. The game started off pretty well, with each of us making decent words and scoring pretty good points. He was very good for a first-timer, taking time to strategise and constructing practical words for the board. Gotta say, I was impressed.
So each of us had crossed 50 and were looking to beat (or impress???) the other. I was thinking hard and long as to how to form long words using all my 7 tiles, as that would have fetched me more points. I could have consulted a dictionary, but my conscience wouldn't allow it. I tried to make words within 2 to 2.5 minutes and each time I succeeded in doing that, it was a moral victory for me, too. I was doing pretty well when mid-way through the game, he took over and was many points ahead of me. I felt ashamed, but strangely proud too.
I actually was a spoil sport then and thought of quitting the game, because I can't accept defeat.
Half-heartedly, I looked at the word he made and looked at my tiles. It was hopeless. There was no word I could make. I was losing. He was ahead of me and I couldn't possibly catch up. I was looking at his points and mine and I was literally feeling so bad and at the same time, very happy that he was ahead of me.
All of a sudden, like some sort of push from God, a word, a beautiful word, a word that could fetch me many many points came to my mind and I knew it was feasible to play it. I was drowned in bliss. I knew I would get ahead of him IF I made this move. And so, I did. I got ahead.
Who would win? Him or me? He had a fat chance of winning, but then, so did I.

Only 9 tiles remaining. His move.

7 tiles remaining. My move. I had to pass. There was no damn space to make my word. There were no letters to fit into that space. Damn! Pass!
His score: 162. Mine: 191.

His move: a 21 point word. His score: 183.
My move: a 2 point word. My score: 193

And then he got ahead of me by 1 point. Too late! 0 tiles remaining (BTW, if you hadn't noticed, I WAS taking this game verrrry seriously).

His score: 198. Mine: 203 (I somehow gathered some brains somewhere to make that second last word )

His move. His score: 202. Mine: 203. My turn.

I made one last move and got 210. Game over!!! I had won. But I think, the moral victory was definitely his. He played a challenging game. My worthiest and most interesting opponent, till date. So proud of him.

PS: However, I did kick some butt.

Basic principles of thyself.........

Fiddling with experiences -- Here are some scruples I believe in...

--- Reversing what John Donne said, "Every man is an island".

---Experiences of joy are immediately followed by sadness.

---No one is genuine(A modern version of Newton's III law)

---All relationships are temporary. Its best not to get too close.

---If you feel the need to share your feelings with someone, start with yourself. Build your inner strength tougher than concrete. Rely only on yourself.

---Misery is never short-lived. All good things come to an end, but bad things are further nurtured by evil and live on.

---Revenge is sweet, but self punishment is strangely sweeter.

---Smile when your enemies are around; but nurture the malice within.

---What goes around never comes around. So don't expect it to. Be prepared to fight verbally and physically, enjoy it with force and passion.

---There are millions who suffer with you, but you have to fight your own battle.

---Explore. Everything.

---Have self-pity because no one else is capable of sympathizing with you.

---Bitterness goes a long way. Travel with it.

---Never judge anyone. They could be otherwise. Similarly, don't judge yourself. You can also change.

PS: The above is a snippet of how I feel. Not applicable to anyone else!

Shudders $$$ ..the importance of meditating

Its been a while since I sat down and analysed myself. The crazy things I do. Ways of justifying those things. And methods of inventing new ones.
From a long time, I knew I was feverishly active and fidgety. I never comprehended that this activity would lead to some sort of discomfort when inactive.
There was this story where a genie released out of a bottle, tells his master that he needed to be kept busy all the time. And if he failed to do so, the genie would kill him.
So, relating myself to this story, I was a little scared because I need to do something all the time and if I sit down without doing anything, I get impatient. Inactivity kills me! Just a few minutes back, I felt restlessness flow through my veins. It was so frustrating!!!
So, asked my friend who is a doctor as to why I have anxiety and bouts of racing zeal in me. He has asked me to meditate. Believe me, I have done transcendental meditation before, and it helps. It really does.
You feel a sense of peace and quiet and calm. For me, it has acted both (though paradoxically) as a mild sedator and a refresher. In true senses of both words.

The mind and brain are 2 different entities. The mind is abstract. A thing made or broken out of desire and emotions. Much like the heart.
The brain is physiologically the reason as to why I am sitting and typing this blog (God knows why!) This info isn't important, but essential enough to emphasize the need to keep both the brain and mind calm and alert. Remember, being calm doesn't mean you have to be passive and invigilant. Serenity and vigilance go hand in hand.

Too bad none of you bothered to read this far :D