Rahul Desai's Blog

It must have been due for a while. Especially for the things I’ve done (rather, things that happened to me) in last two weeks,

 

• Completely unplanned holidays
• Beach(es)
• Colored my hair red
• Football – FIFA Live in Goa!
• Bladder blast Breezers
• Explored amazing Music (Instrument) Stores… on foot
• Followed by some Asian-style Foot Massage
• Day long train journey (in a real Indian way)
• And then the fastest bus ride (like the ‘Fastest Indian’. MSRTC rocks)!
• Finally visited Ravi's house (again unplanned, or in fact, accidentally)
• Long drive(s) – of a few hundred kilometers!
• Socialized (to the core)
• Caught up with cousins (1st, 2nd and more)
• Interacted with my new relatives (no confusion, I’m talking about my brothers- and sisters-in-law)
• Danced (like a crazy) in the rain
• Saw Maradona (meaning, Argentina) losing :( and Janak winning :)
• Tones of movies (well, not literally)
• Unlocked some badges
• Donated blood
• Redesigned (re-defined?) my website
• Completed some pending articles (including some unplanned ones)
• Got tattooed!

 

...I really feel I needed this break.

For a change, I don’t want to refer Wikipedia for the ideal and theoretical details. And in trying to explore my own meaning, I feel a vacation would be the time when we wouldn’t complain of not having time – for the family, friends, the self. A time to do things we wouldn’t/can’t do otherwise. (Like playing a saxophone!?)

A vacation would be an attempt to take time away from the routine, so that we can get back to the same routine, but with different (higher) energy-level. It should be fun enough that we can gladly forget the stress at the work place (and more so, at home); relaxing enough that we can actually offload the pains and recharge our spirits (literally with spirits, on times :D); and should be long enough that we feel the crave to get back to routine, the work and our comfort zone – something we all like the most, fundamentally – for better.

I couldn’t think of a better time-off for myself. Friends, Family, Fun… what else would I want?  (Don’t even answer that! I know what you’re thinking. :D)

Rejuvenated. Guess I’m ready for the work – and the new role! :)

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It’s so amazing how we unknowingly manage to find things that can bring smile to our faces. Take this random video I ended up with. What's more, they can actually make us write an article.

Okay, before you get impatient and click on the video link – here’s a brief history: Discovering this video was accidental and completely unintentional. I was actually browsing through Twitter Feed and realized Dharmesh-bhai had been tweeting from Twidroid during an American Idol meet (or something similar – and better). Restlessly finding a better alternative for TweetDeck, I thought I had finally found the solution. Not to my surprise, I found the application was no good for my computer use and instead found this youtube.com link on the top of their list. /* End of History */

And so I saw this video once. Saw it again. A couple of times more. I kept thinking what was it about this video that made me feel so good about and… Eureka! This entire video had great (and complete) relevance to Pritesh-Shilpi’s wedding and mainly Pritesh’s jaan (Sorry Shilpi, you missed it!).

I can clearly recall that winter evening in Surat (Gujarat) – Kirsten-bhabhi, Hilde, Dharmesh-bhai (can’t specifically remember him dancing though), Vipul-bhai, Eva-bhabhi, Chintan, Bina, Paul (American/Indian Dancing Idol), Bhavana, Shivani, Dharmang (the rising star), Krupa, Maya-aunty, Mahesh-uncle, Janak, Yogesh, Vaibhav…

For that matter, the eve of the wedding… and some out-rehearsed dance performances! Given a choice, I want to re-live those three days again. And again.

By now, I’ve seen this video at least sixty times (including at least ten times at work – ten being an understatement). It kept feeling like I had been trying to look for something inside that video… and then it struck my mind: I am actually eagerly looking forward to Yogesh and/or Vaibhav’s wedding. (I’m equally cool with Khushboo or Meha’s wedding as well).

I need to attend a wedding (Read jaan) ASAP.

Congratulations, Jill-Kevin!
Thank you Chris Brown for ‘Forever’!

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"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." Alan Cohen

“The key to change... is to let go of fear.”


‘Change’ as they say, is the only constant. It’s inevitable and it’s here to stay. So how do we go about living with changes (unpleasant, unwelcome in most cases)? I don’t have any magic mantra for that. My knowledge is limited to this webpage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change

However, one of my friends happened to find more. Here are some points from the email she forwarded. Thanks, Neha!


Most people appreciate change — as long as it's happening in someone else's life. We all admire those who face major challenges in their lives and grow from their experiences to become better and stronger people. How brave and exciting! What a terrific story! But when we face change in our own lives, we feel very different emotions: we feel doubt and fear, annoyance and anger, sadness and guilt.

The current economic downturn has forced many people to make major changes in their lives. Some have had to change jobs; many others have had to change their spending habits. But regardless of what the economy does, our lives change all the time, whether we like it or not. And if we want to be happy, we have to accept this reality with some degree of calm and courage.

Change is called for whenever we're required by circumstances — both internal and external — to step out of our comfort zone. That's when we have to let go of our old familiar ways and customary habits. Sometimes this challenge comes in dramatic forms as when, for example, we're struck by a natural disaster or a serious illness. Sometimes there's less drama but there can be just as much trauma if, for example, we change jobs or decide to go back to school or start up a personal business. Of course, regardless of the size of the challenge, some people decide not to take control of the situation and they stay victims for life. Others, however, call on their inner strengths and find a way to come through better equipped to handle life's next round of challenges.

Let's look at a few concepts that can help you deal with change.

    * You have what it takes. We all have the strength to meet our challenges. This is a birth gift that we all received. But the only way to find our strength is to accept the challenge and face down our fear of change.

    * Get inspiration from others, but know that you have to meet your challenge on your own. It's fine to look to others for tips or for inspiration. If they can do it, so can you! But trying to copy what others have done to resolve their challenges may end up draining you instead of empowering you.

    * Learn from your past. If you look back at your life, you'll see that you've faced plenty of challenges before. Now ask yourself some questions. What got me to change then? What skills did I use to deal with the challenge? How did I feel after I changed? What have I learned from that experience that I can use again?

    * You're going to have to let something go. In order to bring something new into your life, you will have to let go of something you've grown accustomed to. If you want to start your own business, you're going to have to give up the security of the paycheck you've been getting. If you want to get healthier, you're going to have to let go of the pleasure you get from eating whatever you want. No matter how much you may want to fight this truth, change means giving up one thing in order to get something else.

    * Take responsibility. The single most important element for a successful change is commitment. You have to accept that you can and will change, and that the choice to do so is up to you. You may not be able to control the outcome and you may have to make adjustments in your plans, but there is no one to blame if you don't make the effort yourself.

Makes sense?

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Stress Management

Do one thing at a time. Do it mindfully. Do it well. Enjoy the satisfaction. Then go on to the next thing. Multitasking might work for computers, but humans have yet to get the hang of it. It leads to careless mistakes, shoddy work and unreliable performance. Worst of all, having to do things over. This is no way to live. Give what you’re doing your undivided attention. Take the time to get it right. And enjoy the experience. Is your life fulfilling? Or is it merely crammed? Know the difference and you’ll realize it’s not the quantity of activities you engage in (or possessions you collect) that ultimately determine your happiness. One naturally unfolding, enriching experience can easily surpasses many rushed and distracted ones. But you may be so chronically overscheduled, you never give yourself a chance to enjoy anything to the fullest. Experiment. Choose an occasion and give it your complete, mindful and unhurried attention....

Throw something out every day. You’ve got too much stuff in your house. Office. Garage. Attic. Useless clutter that’s weighing you down, getting in the way, obscuring the things you really need. Be realistic. If you’re not going to use it, lose it. And you don’t have to make a humongous project out of it. Every day, find one thing you don’t need and toss it. Or give it away. Over time, the clutter will begin to vanish and space and order will magically appear in your home and in your life.

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Disclaimer: When I say Bombay, I mean Bombay - and NOT Mumbai. And that's unlikely to change. Neat? Back to the article.

With a dense humanity of tens of millions, there’s barely anybody who can claim to be somebody here. Everyone’s in hurry and of all, everyone’s priority is the highest priority at any given time. Someone’s in the auto, some in the bus, some on foot; everybody approaching the railway station, and they all will catch 6:23 AM Virar-fast to Churchgate (which would already be filled and over-packed from Virar itself)…

On the same time, there are some fortunate ones who don’t have to deal with the crammed railways at all. I leave by 8:20 from home, reach the office at 9:00 passing through one of the greenest areas of Bombay - Aarey Township. Unless there's some unusual change in plans, I reach back home by 7 in the evening, and have all the time under the sun, all for myself. For any localite, my life is lousy or slow. Trust me, it’s not.

And interestingly, with hundreds of thousands issues, there’s no stopping here. There’s something in it for everyone. If you observe the crowded buses and trains, students apart, everyone in there is making a small or big effort to make some livelihood. (If you can locate someone apart from these two categories, it has to be some outsider, and most likely some jobless visitor from South Gujarat).

There’s a stiff competition, but a great market on the same time. Everyone feels that Bombay is hers/his and s/he runs her. It’s true and valid for everyone on the same time. Shanghai or no-Shanghai, there’s something about being a Bombayite. I’m not sure about my future with the city, but for today at least, I’m very proud to be a part of one of the most-lively-glabal-metro-mechanism…

Kasa kaai, bhankas?

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