Shedding ego..

The Speaking Tree column in sunday's TOI carried this article on shedding ego and enjoying your present. I love reading this space in TOI, it always has something good to offer. No great philosophies... just some food for thought, which if advocated can really bring in noticeable changes within self - in personality and perceptions...

Sometimes a few lines like these is all you need to trigger a change ... .... .......


"When you operate from ego, your relationships will be affected. Ego wants to prove its point of view. The point of view is more important than truth or happiness. In that state, you demand and not command respect. If a couple demands respect from each other, then they are beggars of happiness and not givers of happiness. In the egoistic state, an argument feeds the ego. Remember no one wins an argument. You accumulate more of bitterness and at different periods of time you settle scores with the other. When you operate from the 'higher self', there is a healthy discussion. In discussion, truth is more important than who has said it. Happiness and well-being become more important than the survival of one's point of view. "

"Operate from the 'higher self'. Operate from commitment and not complaint. Let your identity not depend on others. Don't settle scores with others. Create a bliss body and not a hurt body. Learn to expand others' comfort zones and not increase discomfort zones. Learn to convert a sexual act into a prayerful act. Create a learning and rejoicing family. Learn to be a good finder and not a fault-finder. Present your point of view and not impose your point of view. Focus on togetherness and not differences. Let a difference be a learning point and not a fighting point. Let us rise above differences than be victims of differences"

Remembering Calvin'n Hobbes

Hundreds of comic strips have been & keep getting published in newspapers everyday...and not all of them have survived the test of time like Calvin and Hobbes. If I have to pick the best comic I have read so far, it is CnH undoubtedly!! To me, saying that CnH is the 'best strip ever' would be an understatement. It's much beyond that - it's just different! Everytime I read it (and re-read it) I feel so fresh and good..

Most of the daily comics you read will probably just induce those moments of gags and then you forget it...but am sure you'll agree (if u are an avid reader of CnH) that when Watterson created the character of 'Calvin' he had something more in mind, than just fun. Through free-spirited, deeply-imaginative Calvin's character and his endlessly-friendly-and-eternally-bonded stuffed tiger Hobbes, you get such deep intellectual insights about life and friendships, in addition to it being so warm and heartfelt. The theories about life seem so complex yet when Calvin describes them, they seem so simple. There have been situations in life where I have actually remembered some of the CnH strips and it has made a lot of sense and made me feel better too :)

Flip open a page and you will find things like...

Calvin wondering "What is worthwile in life if death is inevitable.."

He asks Hobbes in another - "What is the true meaning of happiness?" Is it money, cars and women? or is it just money and cars?" :)
and more!

Calvin & Hobbes, written by Bill Watterson ran from Nov'1985 -Dec' 1995. When Watterson wrote his final strip, he sent a letter to all the editors of newspapers who featured his strip, which said -

“I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue. That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

Read more about the history of Calvin and Hobbes here

This one is truly a masterpiece and Bill Waterson ...a genius!

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Few of my favorites- (the list is long and it's hard to choose...)

The entire Racoon series (9 strips) ... its so touching! The first strip is below...

and the last strip of the series...

Few other ones ....

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture

Heard of Randy Pausch? By now am sure most of you would have. This guy who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, had just a few months to live and during this time he delivered his last lecture called "Really achieving your childhood dreams", at Carnegie Mellon University. He compiled this into a book, with a little more of how he went about giving this lecture and leading his life to the fullest. The book is also called 'The Last Lecture' and if you haven't read it, I really suggest you grab a copy today, coz it will fill you with so much wisdom and leave you just amazed! Some of the things he says just get embossed in your mind permanently and the moment you keep the book down, you would want to start living each day as if it was your last...

Click here to read my complete review of the book

If you haven't watched the video yet, here is the youtube link - It's about 1hr and few mins... might seem long but its worth every minute of it!

Blog Analytics..

Been a while since I logged into google analytics for my blog. Interesting to note some of the statistics for this blog in the month of September...

Visitors:
381 Visits from 21 countries/territories
260 Absolute Unique Visitors
62.73% New Visits

Traffic Sources:
25% Direct Traffic
41% Referring Sites
34% Search Engines

Now for the most interesting part :) The top 10 keywords from search engines that people have used to visit this blog....

1. Pratima Jayaram
2. pallavi anupallavi
3. how to do long stitch
4. long stitch embroidery
5. oye amritsar
6. pratima jayaram blogspot
7. isb leadership summit
8. lead india ad
9. lead india advertise
10. pallavi anupallavi review

Thank u all for dropping by... and keep visiting! :)

Book Review: In the Country of Men

Author: Hisham Matar
Pages: 245
My Rating (on a scale of 5):

Click here to read my complete review on the book blog