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Showing posts with label actions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label actions. Show all posts

Over the past few weeks I have come across some websites which support good causes – primarily addressing the Hunger issues faced by many people across the globe.

Whilst browsing online today – I came across an Univited Writer who I think would be a great addition to our amazing neighbourhood in Bloggerville; and she is also a Cyber Supporter for Good Causes.

What is a Cyber Supporter and how do you join the club is probably what you are thinking right about now …. I am aware that not all of us have the free time or funds to continuously support good causes such as ‘Feed a Hungry Child’; ‘Adopt a Dolphin’; or even donate clothes … but all of us have access to Internet (otherwise we wouldn’t be out here in Bloggerville), and all of us have the ability to point our mouse on a ‘CLICK’ button.

Here are some great websites that you can visit and show your support for humanity, animals and the rain forests too – all with the simple click or tap of your finger.

Free Rice is not only a website that supports a good cause – it also helps us improve our general knowledge skills with multiple choice game broken into various subject areas. As with Uninvited Writer, I also enjoy the Vocabulary game and have reached level 30 and have been able to donate (today) 500 grains of rice to feed the hungry.

I have added various banners to my blog page to show my support of these causes, which include :

  • The Hunger Site where every click gives 1.1 cups of food to feed the hungry;
  • The Breast Cancer Site site which allows women to avail of a Free Mammogram;
  • The Rainforest Site which aids in protecting endangered habitats – so a must visit for any nature lovers out there;
  • The Animal Rescue Site where every click counts towards giving free food and care for animals that have been abused or abandoned;
  • The Child Health Site where your click allows sponsors to provide free health care for those children in need; and
  • The Literacy Site which provides free books for children so that they can learn to read and write just like you and me – a click from us and we can help a child attain literacy.

As my fellow neighbours in Bloggerville– I’m sure you understand the value of what we could achieve if we all showed support – together – for such good causes. Granted – it won’t necessarily make an immediate impact but if you also spread the word, somewhere out there a child, a woman, an animal and perhaps even endangered species will be sending us blessings for our support.

Have you shown your Cyber Support today ??


Here I am sitting in my office at 19:49 on a Friday night ... and instead of making plans for a 'date', I am in fact making plans to hang out with a girlfriend at her place. So why not just go out on a date is what you must be wondering ...

Maybe it's because people are just too tired on a Friday after 5 days of work ... in a city like Mumbai where I am currently based ... this would incorporate a total of anywhere between 55 - 70 hours of ones week.

A week of 7 days has 168 hours; the average person sleeps at least 7 hours a day which is 49 hours - therefore leaving 119 hours for a person to fit in his / her personal, professional and family life. In my 119 hours that I have to fit in the above ... my work keeps me anywhere between 8 - 10 hours in a day (during peak wedding season - I've done close to 20 hours a day for 10 days !!) .. so taking an average of 9 hours per day for 5 days which is 45 hours. I typically spend almost 10 hours in a 5 day working week just traveling back and forth between my home and my office.

So really I have only 64 hours during the whole week for myself which is about 2.67 days. In those 64 hours - I have to find time for my family, friends, and again being in a city like Mumbai - I need to keep extra hours just for traveling between destinations as the traffic and commute is absolutely ridiculous. Believe me when I tell you that it has taken me almost 45 mins to travel by car a mere distance of 5 kilometers ! Seriously I could have walked a whole lot faster !

Taking the above into consideration - I figure I spend about 3 hours per day of 'my time' of 64 hours in my car ... so that leaves me with only 58 hours to myself during the whole week !!!

Now when you think about it - 58 hours sounds like a hell of a lot of hours ...In essence that's about 8.28 hours per day 'free' in a 7 day week ... however I've noticed that those hours tend to space themselves at very awkward time slots therefore leaving one with very little choice of what they can actually utilize that so-called free time for !

Using myself as an example ... I typically start waking up around 7:30 - 8 a.m, and then sit down with my dad for a bit, watch the news, talk about the markets (I finally joined the stock market world this time last year) and then head over to chill with my mom, read the paper, have breakfast, shower and then head to work by about 10 a.m. That's 2 hours gone right there. Once at work - everyone takes about 30 mins or so to settle into the day .. and of course then comes the inevitable 'lunch hour' that we are all meant to have but don't always take full advantage off !

Technically and legally - we are meant to have 1 hour of lunch break during the course of a working day ... most days I eat lunch at the office with my colleagues in the 'cafeteria' but I don't sit there the whole hour ... it's mostly a quick sandwich or some fruit or salad - hence taking only about 15 minutes of my time ... oh I'm one of those people who inhale my food in and don't really do the whole 'chewing' etc lol I tend to spend the remainder of my lunch actually catching up with some personal emails | facebook | msn or g-chats | or personal phone calls with friends who are also on lunch ! Ever so often - my boss, colleague and I all go for lunch together - which would typically involve at least a 15-20 minute car ride, 10 minute waiting period, 30-45 minutes of eating, 10 minutes for the bill and another 20-25 minutes for the drive back to work - so all in all about 2 - 2.5 hours IF we go out to eat for lunch.

As one's work day progresses - taking into account that no meetings are scheduled that involve another car ride - around 5:30 - 6 p.m typically everyone will take a break to grab a coffee | tea | snack ... Indian mentality - 'chai lo fresh ho' ... A cup of tea freshens you up ! (I just find that I get sleepy but that's another story altogether). This would normally take up about 30 minutes and its also the time used for teams to just gather together and go over their day and provide feedback on whatever they are currently working on.

I typically finish work around 7 - 7:30 p.m BUT I wait around at work till about 8 or 8:30 p.m just to AVOID the heavy 'going home traffic' ... I have the following options (1) Leave at 7:30 and get stuck in 1 hour worth of traffic and eventually get home by about 8:30 - 8:45 p.m OR (2) Leave work after 8:15 p.m and get home within 30 minutes. I obviously choose the latter because then I have 1 hour to sit back at the office and either catch up with some of my day's work or just catch up on some reading, writing, phone calls etc. Since I've not yet gotten myself a blackberry (I'll be working 24/7 then !!) nor a 'net connect card' for my laptop - I can't really work on my laptop whilst in the car if it involves browsing the net ... another reason to stay back at work before heading home .. another 1 hour gone ...

When I eventually do get home .. I try to spend some time and have dinner with the parents and siblings till at least 10:30 p.m 'cos that's when my parents retire to their room for the night and watch their tv shows etc ... another 1.5 hours of my time ... therefore by 10:30 p.m on any evening I have already utilised 6 of my 8.28 hours of free time !!

Now I am left with 2.28 hours - so what do I do with that free time ? I live in South Mumbai - and any good friend of mine that I would want to hang out with lives within 8-11 km's from my house. So given this - I tend to step out of the house again around 11 p.m and hang out with a friend, go for a drive or just chit chat till about midnight or 1 a.m. at the latest and then head back home to get some sleep and prepare for the next day.

Mumbai isn't the kind of metropolitan city that has 24 hour cafes and lounges or hang out areas - even parks aren't open after 8 p.m which really leaves nothing for one to do later in the evening aside from hanging out at a coffee shop in a 5* hotel (and really after a while that gets boring AND pinches the pocket) because those are the only coffee shops 'open' late in the evening. Gyms close by 10 - 10:30 p.m - there is one that's open 24 hours but that's in Bandra which is about 18 kms from my place ... a good 30 minute drive in the evening still !! Maybe that's why I'm not going to the gym - can't seem to find one that fits into my schedule and price bracket !!

Whilst talking to my cousin yesterday - we concluded that I spend most of my 'free hours' in my damn car !!

So now that I know where my hours go ... I just need to figure out how to go about finding more time to actually do the things I want to do !!!

"We look at each other wondering what the other is thinking but we never say a thing"


I came across this quote and quite liked it – also do quite agree with it as well.

Now to add my two bits to it … Do you ever feel that that sometimes when you share some sort of chemistry with someone – that you can both look at each other, wander what he / she is thinking, and you have your own thoughts going on through your mind, and instead of saying what your thoughts are – you end up saying something else completely. It might be something off the topic, it might be a cruel way with words, it might be sarcasm, it might be flirtatious – but it's not exactly what's on your mind …. Has that ever happened to you ?

I am one of those people that tends to blurt out what's on my mind – regardless of how it might affect the person it's directed to – not because I'm an inconsiderate person but moreover because I'm quite an honest person that way. There's no sugar in my words … they tend to come out spicy without me necessarily meaning for it to be that way. Of course over the years I've learned to control my sharp tongue and have managed to sweeten my words with certain peer groups so as to avoid unnecessary tension. However I still find that sometimes – I just slip back into my old self and say what's on my mind.

This can be a good thing – and a bad thing .. really depends on the situation. For instance, the other night, I met this person who I've known for months, and somehow I just feel that the two of us have never really communicated what 'we really want' to each other … it's always a play of words … like a mind game almost … Don't get me wrong – I can play mind games with the best of them – but what's the point ?

This has gone on for months now, back and forth – almost like a hide-and-seek game – each one trying their turn and ultimately ending up in a Catch 22 situation. At least that's how I feel about the whole thing ! I've gone on to express this exact thought to the concerned person but sometimes it just feels like my words have gone in one ear, and left out the other ear.

Is there any point in pursuing what could be an acquaintanceship, a friendship, a relationship (business or personal) when the process of actually starting one of these so-called relations just stretches beyond a reasonable time frame ? What does one do when that happens ?

I don't even know where to begin .. and here I am trying to pen down my thoughts.

There's so much history and background to be given for one to even understand where my current thoughts are coming from. I'm not quite sure if I should go into the background or just get on with my current thoughts.

Now that makes me think – is it necessary for one to know of the background, history and thought process behind a statement for one to fully understand what the other person is actually saying or trying to communicate across ? It's probably true – however it's almost impossible to always know the processes that an individual uses to actually communicate a thought.

So does that imply that none of us are actually able to fully comprehend what another person is trying to say to us ? There are numerous people out there who tend to fragment their thoughts when putting it into actual speech … unless they are talking to like-minded people, there's a high chance that those around wouldn't actually understand what the hell that person was trying to say. It's almost like reading these thoughts right now …

You don't actually know what I want to communicate … why did I start this note ? what was the purpose ? If I told you that I wrote the first 3 paragraphs day before yesterday and just picked up from the previous paragraph today as I'm sitting here at work waiting for a colleague as I'm hitching a ride today .. wouldn't you wonder what the hell was I thinking when I actually started writing the note ?

Something actually happened last night when I went out – I'll probably write about it later at some point when I'm more calm about it .. but last night … Oh my god ! I just wanted to get inside the head of the person and yank at the part of the brain that was actually trying to communicate with me in the most unconventional way !

I think I'll stop now … It'll just get too confusing …. But when we meet in person one day – maybe you'll understand.

I have always thought the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.

However I have also found that actions do not necessarily equate or reflect one’s thoughts. It is human nature really to deny our thoughts and act on what we think society or our peers will accept.

The thought is there – and we would like to put it into action – but due to ingrained upbringing, we as people look out for what others in our peer group and society deem up to standard.

Don’t get me wrong – it is a commendable that we as individuals place others before ourselves … but when does one realise that we must put ourselves before others ? When do we stop trying to 'fit in' to our society and just 'be ourself' ?

It becomes habitual that one places someone before themselves … so when is it okay to break a habit ?

Have you ever noticed that the smallest actions can be interpreted in various ways by different people ? A small token of affection, the slightest touch – can be taken to mean so much more if the mindset of the person on the receiving end wants more than what it could mean to be.