40 tips for better life - Part 1 of 4

Bharani sent an email which gave a detailed list of things that we must do (and don't do) for a better life. 40 in all. I have a suspicion that many of you also might want to have a better life; so, am sharing the list with you all. In two installments.

I am also giving my experience - briefly - in trying to adopt those tips. Man, it wasn't easy, these tips...

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Walking was not a problem. Home to office, then back home for lunch, back to office and then again back home in the evening. With little bit of cheating, it comes to 30 minutes. Anyway, in between, I go to Gudalur town to buy vegetables, to leave Vennila for dance class. Average comes to this much for sure.


But, smiling ? It was difficult. Had to stop after the first day itself. I took this tip seriously and was smiling while walking. All to myself. Immediately, got a follow-up card from our nurses - they were wispering among themselves : "One more addition to our mentally ill patients list ..."

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

I sat, but unfortunately slept off within the first 4 minutes. So, I now do this four minutes before sleeping. Clever, isn't it ?

3. Sleep for 7 hours.

Nope. Anything less than 9 hours is not possible. Can't do this. Consoled myself saying, the operative word 'minimum' would have got omitted in this tip ...

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

Easy to do. I am living with Durga and Vennila - the epitomes of Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

5. Play more games.

For a few days, I did. But, they found out and complained to the boss. Now, I am forced to play only in my home computer. Solitair ...

6. Read more books than you did in 2007.

Very easy. In 2007, I read about one third of the P.G. Wodehouse book. I have almost completed. Well on target ...

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

Same problem like sitting silently. Went off to sleep. I am learning to do meditation, yoga and prayer while sleeping.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

Children didn't find me too amusing. When I tried to discuss the global food crisis, they didn't seem to mind much about it. I am reaching the age bracket of over 70 quite fast; Once I reach there, I am planning to spend time with myself.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

I like this. And, practice it studiously.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

Thanks to Durga and my mother, we follow this tip quite well.

... Will get the second part soon ! Anything useful ?

Everyone’s in a relationship

Read a wonderful article today. Immediately wanted to share it with everyone ! It is typically my kind of article by Indu Balachandran. Will give the link below, but just to give a preview, here is how her article begins ...

It can be a little unsettling learning to deal all over again with a new person in one’s life… I recently got into a very serious relationship, with a person I’d barely met.


In fact it began in a crowded room, and was a kind of relationship-at-first-sight. “Hello! I’m your new Relationship Manager!” said the smiling stranger, way younger than me. I panicked. But where did my previous relationship vanish?

“He’s transferred to our Calicut branch. Now what can I do for you?” said the new man in my life.

I had to sit down for a while. Did my Previous One leave me for another woman with more money than me? Was her customer profile more interesting than mine? Or her assets more attractive? I felt as blank as a new cheque book.

Extremely funny and full of puns. I loved it !

And, strongly urge you to read it. Click here.

"Fall" Street ?

During the last 10 days, the Wall Street is becoming more like a Fall Street. Things are falling apart. The most capitalist of all countries is bailing out big corporates by putting in billions of dollars from the state exchequer. If India does it to 'buy the debts' of farmers from the banks, it is considered a populist and bad economic move. But, if big corporations are in the same soup as our poor farmers, then the Government of US does the same thing. In UK, Gordon Brown did the same thing this week, even before anyone knew about it. He made sure that the failed bank was taken over by another bank, the Lloyds.


All this will result in thousands of people losing jobs, they are predicting. And, more ominously, the people who put their money in these failed banks are going to spend sleepless nights. UK government is asking people not to put more than 35000 pounds in the same bank ! If the same trend continues, they will ask people not to put money in the banks, but just to keep in their homes, bury it in their backyard or still better, spend it as and when they earn it !


Ironically, our adivasis were living like that only till recently. With great effort, we have asked them to start saving money and we are boasting that more than Rs.200000 ( about $4500) has been saved already. Fortunately, our adivasis are not interested to know more about the AIG crisis or about Freddie or Fannie !

If you have the money at hand, you will spend on unnecessary things or you will gamble or it may somehow get lost, we day ! So, put it in the bank and it will be safe. But, will it ? Top executives of these banks seemed to have spent on unnecessary things; gambled on wrong investments and somehow lost it ! If Banks fail, what do we do ?

At least, I don't have one problem that the world is worried about now. Don't have money to invest in any bank. So, I am insulated from the global financial crisis. It has not affected me at all !!

Party Politics and Religion

We had a long running war between the Union Health Minister and the Principal of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The Minister removed the Principal and appointed his own man to the top; the entire faculty got divided into two camps; the old Principal went to court, was reinstated and the tussle was a public tamasha for months.

Now, almost a repeat of the same incident is taking place. This time, the power centre is not a political head, but a religious one. Read this news item :

It is being seen as a coup of sorts by a bishop. The administration of the 128-year-old American College in Madurai has allegedly been taken over illegally by the bishop.

The college was founded by American missionaries but was being run by an independent governing council with the bishop as a nominal head. But recently the bishop suspended the principal, reportedly in an illegally convened governing council, stormed the college and made his chosen man the principal incharge.

Principal Dr T Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar says: "It's a Christian college and as early as 1934 the founding fathers wanted the college to be independent of the church. And the faculty, students and all would like me cherish it and protect."

The state government has not accepted the bishop's action. The Madras High Court has restrained the principal from carrying out his work. Now there is fear and unrest on the campus. The bishop says the college is an integral part of the church.

Caught in the tussle for power are the students.

Can you believe it ? The exact repeat. Party Politics and Religion are similar in many aspects. They want large following; want to crush out opposition; and are largely undemocratic, in spite of the rhetoric.

When you get on to a stage and see large number of people in front of you listening (whether it is in a public meeting or in a church), power goes into your head, I guess

Almighty and the Electorate

The most raging topic of discussion in the world right now is secularism and the role of religion in the affair of the state. Even important things like poverty, democracy etc. have been pushed down the list of priorities by the world leaders and the intellectuals in our countries.

There is a notion that the more "advanced" western countries are secular and have clearly delineated the state from religion. And, there is also a notion that the southern countries (especially in Asia) are too much controlled by religious fundamentalists. Of course, these impressions originate from the advanced western countries.

It was wonderful to read a recent article by P.Sainath on this issue on September 12, 2008 in The Hindu.

"Barack Obama made sure his eyes looked unblinking into the television camera as he said : 'I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins, and that I am redeemed through him.' Barely an hour later, John McCain said from the very same platform (into the same television cameras) that being a follower of Christ 'means I am saved and forgiven. We are talking about the world. Our faith encompasses not just the United States but the world'.

They were reaching out to audiences of millions, but were basically aiming at a large religious constituency. Both knew what they had to say and how to say it. Neither had a problem with the idea that two potential Presidents of the U.S. could submit themselves to very public interviews (and seek absolution ?) on a religious platform of one faith.

This was in U.S. which was probably one of the first among modern nations to have a written Constitution making a strong and sharp separation of the church and the state.

Sainath goes on to say what the US would have said if the same thing had happened in some other muslim dominated countries, say Pakistan.

Let's say Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif or whoever, had had their opening debate moderated by mullahs at a mosque. You would never have heard the end of it in the U.S. media. It would have been the 'aha' proof, if any were needed, of religious zealotry, bigotry, fundamentalism and the rest of it.

In India, in spite of the Hindu religious BJP trying to push its Hindu agenda in every sphere of our social lives and state institutions, inflation is a bigger God during the time of election. And, we have caste considerations, electoral arithmetics, and what not !

Sainath concludes the article with an unique situation in our Indian politics right now thus :

"We still have a Hindu woman for President, a Muslim man as Vice-President, a Sikh as Prime Minister, a Dalit as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and an atheist as Speaker of the nation's parliament. That is apart from the fact that the leader of the country's ruling party is a Christian. As complex and confusing as it gets.

Though perhaps logical when politics is seen as a mix of so many diverse streams. In the U.S., which was the first modern nation to legally separate the church and the state, it is different !

See, this multi-religious tree is an example !

Onam & Impressing the God !

Yesterday was Onam, the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala. It is a harvest festival and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm all over the state by people of all communities. According to a popular legend, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.

Story goes that during the reign of mighty asura (demon) king, Mahabali, Kerala witnessed its golden era. Every body in the state was happy and prosperous and king was highly regarded by his subjects. Apart from all his virtues, Mahabali had one shortcoming. He was egoistic. This weakness in Mahabali's character was utilized by Gods to bring an end to his reign as they felt challenged by Mahabali's growing popularity. (It used to happen in those days as well !) However, for all the good deed done by Mahabali, God granted him a boon that he could annually visit his people with whom he was so attached.

It is this visit of Mahabali that is celebrated as Onam every year. People make all efforts to celebrate the festival in a grand way and impress upon their dear King that they are happy and wish him well. People decorate their houses and make such wonderful patterns called Pookalams. They use flowers of different colours to make these kolams.


And, of course, there are competitions all over the place where ladies make big patterns and the best ones are chosen. The images in this post are from taken from different sites in which such Pookalams were displayed.
As Vennila is growing up, we too made the first attempts - though modest - in making such patterns. (One of them is given at the bottom of this post). You are supposed to do it for 10 days preceeding Onam. Collecting flowers of different colours and making it early in the morning - I think, it is a wonderful way of celebrating a festival. But, I am quite amused at the reason for this celebration. "To impress Mahabali, the King whose spirit is supposed to visit every malayali house !"

After all, only when someone from outside visits the house, we tend to clean it a bit, tidy it and impress them ! Such preparations actually add joy to the actual event of meeting them. Changing the pillow covers and disposing off the old papers. Recently, when a top Government official visited our hospital, everyone tried to clean the name boards hanging outside - which do not fall under the strict cleaning regimen in the hospital.

I cannot think whether I do such preparations to welcome anyone. I do make plans, but not good at such visual displays. The only thing I always do is to cleanly shave and cut my hair, before I go home to meet my mother ! She is my living Mahabali.

Here is Vennila's first ever pookalam.

Thanks Gouthami for wishing "Happy Onam" !

Politics and English

John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate. I like the way they try to compensate their own weaknesses with someone who has those strengths. If everyone is calling you Old, you choose a young person (Thank God, mid 40s is considered young, at least in national politics !). You are male, so choose a woman. If you are fresh, choose an experienced person. If McCain had chosen a black woman, it would have completed everything.


But, what I am intrigued a lot is the way the media has articulated the credentials of Ms.Palin. Here it is :

Ms. Sarah Palin is a strong conservative woman,

• who is strongly pro-life and a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association,
• a supporter of conservative appointments to the Supreme Court and a committed reformer.
  

I would have thought these are contradictory qualities. But, Republican Politics is quite different !

In Politics, Words have lost all their meanings - Don't take them at their face value. When politicians call something Reforms, be sure that it is going to spoil everything and it is going to hurt you. When some tariff is getting rationalised, expect an increase in costs along with a more complicated method of calculating it. When some pro-poor policies are made more targeted, it just means that thousands of poor people are going to be left out from now on ...

Their dictionary is different from what we use, I think ...

Elephants are Mathematicians

Read an interesting article.

Asian elephants can do mathematics, proving their skill at addition in an experiment with their favourite food, a Japanese researcher said on Monday.

One elephant was 87 per cent correct and the other 69 per cent right in months of addition exercises involving single digits, according to Naoko Irie of the University of Tokyo.

In one test, researchers dropped three apples into one bucket and five into another bucket and then added two apples to each.


Five times out of six, Ashya, a 30-year-old female elephant at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, chose the bucket with seven apples rather than five although she could not see or feel the inside of the containers.

The other elephant, 38-year-old Mito from the western city of Kyoto, was also right five times in a test involving oranges. Irie, a doctoral candidate in cognition and behavioural science, said she was surprised at the elephants' mathematics skills.

"I couldn't believe it at first," Irie said. "They could instantly compare numbers like six and five." Each animal was tested using their favourite food. Elephants have roughly the same life span as humans.


Many animals are known to be able to choose the bigger of two numbers. But the two elephants maintained a good showing with larger numbers and slim margins. Ashya was correct in five out of six tests on the addition of five-plus-one and three-plus-four, which means the margin of only one apple.

Mito was four times right on the same assignment, she said.

The elephants are doing all these complicated maths of 6 and 7, probably because the sums involve apples and oranges. If we try such sums with our kids (and Adults ?) here with Dosa and Parota and Gulab Jamun, we will also do better. Whether the answer of addition will be correct or not, we will pick up the plate which has more Parotas or the bowl with bigger Gulab Jamuns for sure !

Coming back to Elephants, next time if I see a very thoughtful elephant going through the forests, I will know it is trying to do some mental maths about "if the diameter of this tree is 15 cm, what will be its volume ?" or "if the rate of vehicles going through our forests is 5 in every 3 minutes, how many vehicles pass through in a day ?" or something similar !

Don't tell me now that you didn't do the Maths homework !!

Yes, Archimedis is right.
I seem to be displacing quite a lot of water ...

It is okay, Fractions are always difficult ...

If you turn little bit more, it will be 90 degrees.

No, No, I will never accept Zero is an Even Number

I got it, I got it, area of circle is πr²

What is the square root of ...

He always goes on a different Tangent ...

Anyone has any story about their dogs or cats doing algebra or trigonometry ?

Phone Bill

Phone bill for a family was exceptionally high and the man of the house called a family meeting.

On a Saturday morning...

after breakfast...

Here is how the conversation went.



Dad :
"People, this is unacceptable.
You have to limit the use of the phone.
I do not use this phone, I use the one at the office."



Mum :
"Same here,
I hardly use this home telephone as I use my work telephone."



Son :
"Me too,
I never use the home phone.
I always use my company mobile."



Maid :
"So - what is the problem?
We all use our work telephones !!!!!"

PS : Thanks Nikhilesh.