Thought Control

Thought control refers to the control of our thoughts while traveling through the seas of life. As a kid we live in the moment enjoying everything that we come across with true spontaneity.As we grow older we spend an inordinate amount of time either regretting something in the past or worrying about the future and spoil a perfectly lovely present.
We do not realize that what is past is over and we should move on. This type of activity is a waste and does not serve any purpose. The key here is to control our thoughts so that we do not waste our mental breath on either things that have happened and cannot be changed or by worrying about events that may happen in the future.
Rather we should spend the time in learning from the past or in planning for a brighter future. Our minds come to each one of us with a fatigue limit.
Our minds can handle only so much of worrying, regretting, hoping, anxiety etc. After that we are just exhausted and do not have energy to focus on issues or opportunities in the present. Sometimes certain words or actions of others hurt us and tends to rankle in our minds. What happens after that is we spend our time reliving the situation and keep getting angrier by the moment. It is very essential that we break out of this cyclical thought process and move on in life. As difficult as it is, it definitely makes more sense to step back and look at the whole incident objectively and learn from it.
We then have to learn to consciously just “let go”. The ideal way to progress in life is to conserve our mental energies and focus fully on the task at hand. Our performance and the results will be far greater when we do not fritter away our energies on regrets, worries, and hatred and mind games. This is the true secret of success. We need to be aware of the workings of our mind and manage it intelligently so that our energies are always channelized to opportunities that require our whole hearted attention. We have to conserve our energy and follow the dictum, ‘When eating eat and when sleeping sleep’. We should neither be too overjoyed at good news nor feel down in the dumps when something bad happens. All these sap our mental forces and there is no energy when it is most needed. This active thought control requires us to put our heart and soul into what we do by conserving our mental energies in order for us to succeed. Finally as physicist Sean Carroll of California Institute of Technology puts it “The past has happened and the future is up for grabs".

10 for a Better Bangalore

(On a more personal note, I am nostalgic writing about the place I love the most – All the memories to cherish, family, friends, Food, weather, people and most importantly the feeling of home)

From being a somnolent hamlet to an active metro. From being referred to as a pensioners' paradise to a fashionable city, Bangalore has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two and a half decades. The city has projected itself onto the world map, thanks mainly to its admirable weather, sociable locals, multiethnic culture, scientific and defense installations, top scholastic institutions, high-end hospitals, and above all, software companies. Metro Rail is all set to get on to the tracks. Eco friendly Volvo buses for commuters are traversing the city. The job market is on a high, attracting bright youth from all over the country. There's simply no looking back.

But the other side of this success story is rather gloomy. The city's administrators have failed to provide matching infrastructure. They laze around in the glory that the software industry brought. They gained dividends from huge investments and netted big revenue. But they failed to give ample power and water supply, good roads, better connectivity, fast transport and a corruption-free system. Result: Haphazard growth. Frequent power breakdowns, incomplete fly overs, traffic jams, inadequate drinking water supply.

This doesn't mean that nothing good is happening. Expansion is on. But it’s all at snail pace. Lokayukta has fixed corruption. But the government has been slow in taking action against the guilty. A single window has been created to meet the needs of the industry, but it's anything but single. Infrastructure projects are being given a push. But vested interests, particularly corrupt politicians, are erecting either caste based or personal hurdles. Big promises remain on paper. For every step taken forward, the city moves two steps back.

It's still not late. The city needs efficient policy makers and law abiding officials who are given a free hand. It has some brilliant minds armed with strategies. After all, we ask for a peaceful city to live in.



1. Uninterrupted Power Supply: There is no reprieve from Power cuts anytime during the year- summer power cuts to account for no rains- monsoon power cuts due to rain and winter power cuts to save for summer. Maintenance of trees will be done without shutting down. No fluctuations. No unscheduled breaks. Streets will be brightly lit. Like any global city.



2. 24x7 Drinking Water Supply: The Chennai City officials made it mandatory for every house to have a rain water harvesting system to replenish the ground water table. Irony, Chennai never gets rain. When the existing alternate day supply, that too for a few hours, will become part of history. No water leakage or broken pipes. No theft. Rainwater harvesting system will be strictly enforced.



3. Garbage-free City: Follow the 3 Rs – Recyle, Reuse and Rethink. Effective garbage disposal. No overflowing garbage lorries. Solid waste management process will be strictly implemented. Busy roads will be cleaned at night. Heavy fines will be imposed to deter people from littering and dumping debris on road side bins and letting animals lose on public roads.



4. Smooth Traffic Flow: Better roads, lane system and orderly traffic. Elevated roads, underpasses, subways, skywalks and good footpaths will be in plenty. Toll roads and expressways will help traffic move out of the city. Multi-storied parking slots at crucial points. No overtaking, no honking, no road rage. More effective traffic lights and avoid blocking roads during politician visits in the city.



5. Better Transport: Something that makes us wonder- When Metro Rail will become the main mode of transport- how will people commute to and from the stations? How can the city accommodate parking near the stations? Monorail will serve as an effective feeder service. State-of-the-art buses will ply across the city. Dependence on autorickshaws will come down drastically. Use of two-wheelers and priavte cars will be cut down too.



6. Safe from Terror and Crime: An alert police force equipped with modern gadgets, weaponry, and vehicles police to keep vigil. An intelligence wing to keep a constant watch on suspicious elements and their activities. Policemen can someday be citizen-friendly.

7. Coordination between Civic Bodies: Civic workers and Officials from various departments must put their heads together and chalk out a work plan before a project is to be taken up. Avoid politicizing the issue and keep the corruption out of reach for anyone involved at any given time.



8. Road Safety: Keep drains covered to avert accidental deaths and to prevent dumping of garbage and debris. Regular desilting of lakes and sewage can prevent inundation of roads and low-lying areas during rains and have a mosquito-free environment.



9. Corruption-free Govt Offices: Lokayukta must have full powers to punish the corrupt and attach their property. Surprise raids be conducted. Whistle-blowers be awarded. Educated leaders and politicians must have candidacy in elections and not interfere in government work. There should be a minimum level of qualification for any of the people chosen leaders in all constituencies in the city.



10. Planned Growth: Good infrastructure support from private and commercial establishments. Proper approach roads, basement parking facilities, lung space, good drainage and fire safety. Encroachers will be punished. Officials who clear violations for a price will be put behind bars and their property attached. Tier-2 cities will be encouraged.



Its easy for us to read and wonder if a person is right in just blogging unrealistic ideas but these are some of the most common mistakes we can set right to make our home get a better tomorrow. This is the Bangalore of tomorrow.



Parting shot
Cash-for-vote politicians beware. Voters have learnt to se through your game. You can't take them for granted anymore. In a locality in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka, voters have laid down a condition for local politicians contesting a by-election. The local association had the following request - "If you want our votes, deposit a non-refundable sum of Rs. 30 lakh with the residents' association for a road that the area badly needs." And, for people who vote for the politician, ignoring this condition, the diktat says - "If you vote, you'll be fined Rs. 1001." Times are, indeed, changing.

What Life Means today

An Oxymoron

What is an Oxymoron?
An Oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words, such as 'Cruel Kindness' or 'Jumbo Shrimp' (Jumbo means 'large' while Shrimp means 'small').

An oxymoron term is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, phrases, terms or ideas are combined to create a rhetorical effect by paradoxical means.

Ever wondered how many Oxymorons we use in our daily vocabulary??? Check some of them


Religious Education
Logical Guess
Good pun
Great Depression

American Cheese
Express Mail
Restless Sleep
Clear as Mud
Friendly Fire
Hamburger Steak
Assisted Suicide
Woman Driver (Personal Best)
Fair Fight
Women's Rights (Really ?)
Literal Interpretation
Awful Grate
Conservative Movement
Meteoric Rise
Dropping Like Flies
Out Like a Light
Reality Television
Government Worker ( In India ? )
Long Shorts

Authentic Reproduction
Partial Cease-fire
Limited Lifetime Guarantee
Self-help Group
Civil war
Mandatory options
Common sense
Hot water heater
Adult male
Uninvited guest
Airline schedule
Open Secret
Mideast peace
Dry lake
Silent Alarm
Reasonable Attorney's Fees
Live recording
Non-Stop Flight
Non-Dairy Creamer
Marital bliss
Clearly confused
Wireless Cable
Holy war
Mutual Differences
Legislative restraint
Congressional ethics
Original copy
Act naturally
Found missing
True replica
Resident alien
Advanced BASIC
Country Music (thanks to Cute Kate)
Genuine imitation
Airline Food
Good grief
Same difference
Almost exactly
Government organization
Sanitary landfill
Alone together
Legally drunk
Silent scream
British fashion
Living dead
Small crowd
Business ethics
American culture
Athletic scholarship
Black Light
Chili
Corporate planning
Media scrutiny
Forward lateral
Definite maybe
Liberal values
Good television
Honest politician
Jumbo shrimp
Logical Thought
Moral Majority
Never generalize
Plastic glasses
Postal service
Practical logic
President Bush
Standard options
Rapid transit
Social Security
Sweet sorrow
Union craftsman
Highly depressed
Soft rock
Butt Head
Military Intelligence
Software documentation
New York culture
New classic
Childproof
"Now, then..."
Synthetic natural gas
Christian Scientists
Passive aggressive
Taped live
Clearly misunderstood
Peace force
Extinct life
Temporary tax increase
Computer jock
Computer security
Political science
Tight slacks
Pretty ugly
Twelve-ounce pound cake
Diet ice cream
Rap music (thanks to Gregory Seel)
Working vacation
Exact estimate
Religious tolerance
Campaign reform
Microsoft Works
Bitter sweet
Sensitive man
Freezer burn
Compassionate conservative
Legal principles

English - The Funny Language

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital?

Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on.

When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this blog, I end it

Aint this funny

Siddhuisms

Navjot Singh Sidhu is more famous for his exceptional "Jonty Rhodes" like fielding and batting with a big heart against any opponent. But he later had a greater fan following with his own Idioms named "Siddhuisms"... For all those who don't know much about this great Sardar, a few of Siddhuism for all u cricketing and non-cricketing fans


1. Statistics are like bikinis… what they reveal is suggestive, what they hide are essential!
2. Spit on your hands! Take the black flag! And start slitting throats!
3. Wickets are like wives… you never know which way they will turn!
4. He looks like a brooding hen over a China egg!
5. It is very difficult to kill a man who is hell bent on committing suicide!
6. He is as innocent as a freshly laid egg!
7. When you are dining with the demons, you’ve got to have a long spoon!
8. If ‘ifs and buts’ were ‘pots and pants’ there would be no tinkers!
9. The ball went so high it could have got an airhostess on its way down!
10. This team is like bicycles in a cycle stand… one falls and the entire row falls!
11. The scoreboard is running faster than an Indian Taximeter!
12. The batsman is like a three-wheeler. Sucks a lot of fuel, but cannot go beyond 30!
13. The wily fox is back… it is an ill omen when a fox licks the lambs!
14. A big outcry but no outcome!
15. All that comes from a cow is not milk!
16. Just because a rose smells sweet, you do not use it in the soup!
17. There is light at the end of the tunnel for India, but it's that of an incoming train which will run them over
19. Experience is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald.
20. This quote was made after Ganguly called Dravid for a run and midway sent him back and Dravid was run out in the third test against the West Indies at Barbados."Ganguly has thrown a drowning man both ends of the rope."
25. The Indians are going to beat the Kiwis! Let me tell you, my friend that the Kiwi is the only bird in the whole world, which does not have wings!
26. As uncomfortable as a bum on a porcupine.
27. The ball whizzes past like a bumble -bee and the Indians are in the sea.
28. The Indians are finding the gaps like a pin a haystack.
29. The pitch is as dead as a dodo.
30. Deep Dasgupta is as confused as a child is in a topless bar!
31. The way Indian wickets are falling reminds of the cycle stand at Rajendra Talkies in Patiala one falls and everything else falls!
32. Indian team without Sachin is like giving Kiss without a Squeeze.
33. You cannot make Omelets without breaking the eggs.
34. Deep Dasgupta is not a Wicket Keeper, he is a goalkeeper. He must be given a free transfer to Manchester United.
35. He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.
36. One, who doesn't throw the dice, can never expect to score a six.
37. This quote was made after Eddie Nichols, the third umpire; ruled Shivnarine Chanderpaul 'NOT OUT' in the second test at Port of Spain T&T "Eddie Nichols is a man who cannot find his own buttocks with his two hands."
38. Anybody can pilot a ship when the sea is calm.
39. Nobody travels on the road to success without a puncture or two.
40. You got to choose between tightening your belt or losing your pants.
41. The cat with gloves catches no mice.
42. Age has been perfect fire extinguisher for flaming youth.
43. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.
44. He is like a one-legged man in a bum kicking competition.
45. The third umpires should be changed as often as nappies and for the same reason.
46. Kumble's bowling at the moment is flat as a Dosa.

Know Thy Name

whats your last name?Name is a fence and within it you are nameless. ~Samuli Paronen

What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Sitting in office on a very lazy Friday morning, I got to realize how unfortunately racist some of us Indians are. At times, Office is like the family scene from an Indian movie. Vast Space, local language, coffee table with men talking loud - about Kids, work, family, news from Indian newspapers and websites, and the sweet smell of the Indian Curry and sambar. I decided to listen to some of them talk about stocks,employers,business et all. Sitting with my team in the cafeteria, listening to them talk,I couldn't help thinking,how racist all of us are (Sadly,so am i).

Indian 1: "That Gowda's son from Bangalore got an MS seat in this US university,I tell you its all about the money"

Indian 2: "But didn't he get an average score in that GRE entrance? My sister's daughter got a 1340"I

ndian 1: "Yeppa, that's good no..see that gowda's son got only 900 out of 1600"

Indian 2: "You know, It's all the money from his land i tell you ,His grandfather owns a quarter of the Kushalnagar near their Native place".

I was trying to make a mental calculation of all the property that my family would own....

Indian 1: "My boss - John asks for a lot of commitment to work but I am trying hard to get things done in my present assignment. But Murugan is lucky. His supervisor too is Indian and he is having a gala time "

Indian 2: "Shanmugam right? These south Indian people are so clever.They work less and ask for more holidays, they always say "Chennai ponam - En anna payankhe kaliyanum" (I have to go to Chennai - My brother's son is getting married)

Everyone laughs in unison. I wonder what are the reasons they give when they have to go to India and if anyone would believe them when their nephews and nieces get married in reality.

Indian 3: "Yes, yes, true ,it always better to take these biharis and north Indian people..They diligently work,and are satisfied with whatever they get".

Indian 1 responds : "Reddy is looking for an alliance for their son, MS in finance i think, stays in Houston,TX...expecting a Volkswagen and Apartment in dowry,you know him na.. they own a lot of land in Andhra and his Reddy's father is a MLA in the ruling party "

Well,its not surprising that some of us continue to call names reddys, gowds, iyers,iyengars and rationalize ourselves which is very unfortunate. This blog was neither meant to degrade or insult my countrymen or my country or hurt any feelings.Just an honest observation.:)