At NISH...

NISH is an institute that trains children who are speech and hearing impaired. I got an opportunity to do a project for the institute. I went there on a particular day to get some data and on the same day there was some magic show being organised as part of the summer school activities. Lucky me, I got to see some of the ex-students who were trained at NISH and now studying in "normal" schools. Its interesting to see them interacting with each other. They were talking, laughing, gossiping and I was busy trying to figure out what they were talking to each other. It is at that moment I felt like an handicap because in their happy world I didn't follow a single thing, while they understood each other :).....

Please visit the NISH website: http://www.nishindia.org/

Life....

Its been a long time since I have blogged. Been busy with a lot of things. Life has taken a new turn. I am an MBA now :) ...The two years I spend at ASB is one one of the best times of my educational life. I never thought I would miss college and friends. But hey its not like we are not going to keep in touch. At least now the yahoo group is active with everyone jotting down their 'f'irst time' job experiences and 'away from home experiences'. 

I am also enjoying my role at my office. New office room, new responsibilities and of course along with the package comes the part where mom keeps asking "So shall I find a groom for you?".
Being a 25 year old girl in India is not that easy. Pressure to get married comes from all sides. Who said I didnt want to marry but I want it with someone who I can relate to and not because he is fair handsome or whatever looking for a fair beautiful bride whatever who is between blah blah age and has blah blah and more blah......Duh!!!

I think the society is very hypocritical because parents teach their children not to talk to strangers or have anything to do with them and then one fine day (BHAM !!! )" Sweetheart which stranger do you wish to marry from this matrimonial?" ( Its exaggerated but I think you know what I mean ). Well, all I know right now is that the time for my battle has begun :)...

A thought

This quote is really good...thoughI don't know who said it...

" I am always happy; It doesn't mean everything is perfect ...It means I have decided to see beyond the imperfections.."

Plight of the elephants in Kerala

We read a lot about mahouts being killed by the elephants and find everyone pointing fingers at the elephants. But what we do not realise is why the elephant has to be so violent in the first place?The elephants are poorly managed and painfully exploited. When cruelty towards them becomes unbearable, the elephants retaliate .I started to think of these issues when I saw a TV program called Kannadi on Asianet (malayalam satellite channel) . I was almost in tears when I saw the sad condition of an elephant (I can't recall his name though). His feet was bleeding and was lying down helplessly, unable to walk. Well that elephant died and thats why this issue got attention on the show.
There are many things to be taken care of when dealing with elephants. There are rules and guidelines to adhere to. If they are strictly observed it might be a win win situation for the mahouts as well as for the elephants.
Here are some information I gathered from various sources:

• Alarmed by the frequent instances of elephants running amok and goring mahouts to death, the Kerala government came out with a set of rules on management and upkeep of captive elephants which include penal provisions to check maltreatment of the animal.

• The rules specify norms to be followed when elephants are paraded during festivals, transported by foot or by vehicles, medical check-up and provision of water,fodder and accommodation and training of mahouts. It also lay down how to handle them at times of 'masth' during when pachyderms mostly turn violent.

• The rules would prohibit elephants being made to walk more than three hours or 30 km at a stretch.Those taking them for long treks would have to carry reflectors during night in the front and rear of the animal for road safety.

• The rules specify the type of harness to be put on the animal and chains with sharp edges or nylon ropes would not be permitted. Tuskers with festering ankle sores caused by iron chains is a common sight on Kerala roads.

• Animal rights activists allege that elephants are made to walk long distances on tarred roads and stand unendingly on concrete surfaces, in violation of Section 12 of a Government Order (No. 12/2003/F&WLD). Result: most of the elephants reportedly have pockets of infection under their feet or toenails. Feet are the gauge of an elephant's overall health.

• Animal rights groups also allege unethical treatment of elephants when they are in musth. When a male elephant is in musth, its level of testosterone rises dramatically by a factor of 20 or more. Musth lasts up to 60 days. The temporal gland between the eyes and ears swell and discharge a viscous secretion as the elephant waits for mating. There is continual dribbling of urine too. The elephant shows aggressive behaviour during this period.
  Elephants in musth are allegedly made weak through torture and poor feeding.

How much of the rules and regulations laid down are adhered to or how much really the State is doing to improve the situation of elephant is the big question??

Source: www.hindu.com, www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Read more: http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/17/stories/2007021715850400.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/24/stories/2007022402610200.htm

Stumbled Upon!!

As I always say, you can never tell what you might find out when you are really bored :). This is what my roomie and the girl next door (chuckles) found out.
Take a look at what I stumbled upon :) http://www.stumbleupon.com/ .
And for the music lovers go to www.musicovery.com

About Debt Diet On Oprah Winfrey Show

Yesterday I watched The Oprah Winfrey Show. The topic of discussion was "Debt Diet". It was about the spending habits of middle class Americans. Most families have huge amount of debt because they make purchases on their credit card and end up not having enough cash to pay the interest on the credit card. Most individuals have upto 10 credit cards with interest rates upto 30 %. And, there was also other issues attached with this like argument between husband and wife regarding the finance because stay at mother's end up shopping a lot on their husband's credit card. Hmmmmm as I was watching the show I was trying to relate the situation to India beacuse our financial institutions and banks are encouraging people to take loan for housing, purchasing car etc etc..And I was thinking to myself that it won't be long before Indians would be talking about Debt Diet. There is nothing wrong in taking loans or making credit purchases provided we have the income to service the debt. The take away from the show was to prioritize our spending and not to take credit to buy things that we don't require because after paying huge interest every month one might end up having to take debt to meet neccessities.

Check out the video :)...

Few lines from the song NUMB by LINKIN PARK....One of my favorite bands and today I feel as if I can relate to this song; One of those weird days you go through....[ Check out the video. Clik the link below]

I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take

I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZlHOlTXhLs

Dunno what to call this one...

Life has started to get hectic with the new term and lots of case presenations coming up!! My roomie and my sister has not been in the hostel for few days ( that explains the quietness and also the reason for my boredom). And I also have to tell you all that I have been a frequent visitor of www.bored.com :) ..Its amazing how exciting and creative people get when they are bored ( Thanx to my roomie that she found this;)).

Hmmmm..I mean people do get creative when they have nothing to do, think about Arthur Conan Doyle the Scottish author and creator of Sherlock Holmes,he studied medicine and his medical practice was not successful and he began to write stories while he was waiting for patients. Or I know so many of my friends who turn to draw stuff when they are bored and its amazing the kinda pictures they draw!!!

Oh! I do want to take this opportunity to write that I was one of the unlucky souls who happened to watch Salaam-e-ishq. Thanks to the power of human mind to forget things and move on from such terrible mistakes. However,I am eagarly waiting to see Spiderman 3 . I am very impressed by the promos and that black spidey suit looks sexy ;).........

Just another day ...

Today I went to visit the MILMA plant at Ambalathara, Trivandrum. The visit was a part of my Supply Chain project. Even though I was exicited to see how I get the milk early morning, I wasn't too happy with the cleanliness of the plant!!!

Other highlights of the day

• Found V's shoe sole in our shelf!! ( I am surprised he kept it in there )
• Went home with V for lunch after the plant visit.
• Had shawarma for dinner :)

Quotes about faith

That's the thing about faith. If you don't have it you can't understand it. And if you do, no explanation is necessary. -- Major Kira Nerys

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.--St. Augustine

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.--Bible

Are We Better Off ?

• Sati is banned but still women are burnt for dowry.
  
• Education has improved but we still have communal issues.
  
• We have a very educated Prime minister and a President but we still have 26% percent Indians living below poverty line.
  
• Children are educated but yet they are not allowed to speak their mind.
  
• If you have an opinion you don’t fit in.
  
• Marry who your parents choose only because they think they know better.
  
• Plus many more I just can’t think of right now
  
  I don’t know what progress or development is? If it is what I see around then I only ask myself “Are we better off?”
  
  

Thenmala

After being to Thenmala, I simply have one more reason to love the God's own country,my beautiful Keralam (Kerala). It is located 72 kms from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.
Thenmala: "Then+ mala" i.e. in local parlance "Then" means honey and "malla" means hillock i.e. it means honey hills.

I had a wonderful time.We reached there by 10 a.m. and there were lots of monkeys to welcome us. :)...(I must say that the baby monkey looks so cute!!)

The main attractions are the Cultural zone, Leisure zone and Adventure zone. We had time only for Adventure zone and Boating in the Schenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary. The Elevated Walkway in the Adventure zone was my favorite part.

The one hour cruise on a double hull boat was the best part of the trip. The cruise costs 60 bucks but the experience was priceless!!



Click the links below for more :

http://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/thenmala.htm

http://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/attractions3.htm

Finally we are going....

Finally, the class is going for a one day trip to Thenmala tomorrow. The decision was made yesterday :). It all happened too quickly. I have a bad cold :(. Didn't see that coming with the trip package.

Christmas is just around the corner. Can't wait to go home and eat good food. December is one of my favorite months. Its the month where everyone longs to be with their loved ones. Even though here in India we dont get to see the snow or reindeers, the vision exists in my heart. I don't agree with people who says that christmas is all about the presents. It's much more than that to me. It's the time of togetherness, sharing, singing carols and good food :)..

Colors in the Sky!!

I saw a RAINBOW today...:)....Thankyou V for showing it to me ..:)
Read the poem I found about the rainbow by Rachel Fogle


The Rainbow & The Sunset

Can you picture a painting of a rainbow beginning to shine.
Can you picture a sunset that's ready but not yet defined. I
can picture the rainbow and the pot of gold at the end,
I can picture the sunset and the many more to begin.
These are the simple things in life,
These at the things that are meant to be.
No one prepares you for the truth.
No one prepares you for the unfair things.
That on the other side of that rainbow dreams don't always come true.
And that you may find a bit of beauty in that sunset by the sea,
Or you may find a hard earned miracle in that rainbow made by we.
But the truth of it all is, is that the rainbow doesn't last.
And that sooner or later the sunset will pass.
And we must realize that life is not a sunset or a rainbow made by we.
That for some reason or another,
Fate is what is and fate is what was meant to be. Rachel Fogle

Few Quotes..

To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time.Deepak Chopra


What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like it you’ll never be successful in it. Lee Iacocca

Hmmm..

I haven't had fun in a very long time. My 'tomorrows' are so predictable and so is my breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Today I was thinking to myself why was this happening? Why doesn't my classmates want to go for a tour. Everyone has some absurd excuses,"lots to study","no time", "oh travelling is so tiring","it's raining in Munnar", aaaahhhhh .....What are you guys waiting for ? I would say get real..beacuse there's always something to study and time is not going to stand still for you to spent time with your friends.
Doesn't the fact that we have only 3 months to be together bother you ? I was watching you guys run around to complete the assignment(which is really good) but what about sunday or when you finish your assignment? If you spent a few hours outside college, life is not going to punish you.
Some might think what is stoping me. Well I'd say one of the 'culprit' is my best friend who I love hanging out with.:)

Oh well ! There are other good stuff happening like my roommate has been hanging out in the city quite a bit and I get to hear less " I am bored today" stories :)...but I am sure it will start again soon.
My sister is finally happy with her dentist.....
V for the first time submitted work on time this term:)
And I am waiting for Christmas ....

Don't take this for granted!!!

One issue that bothers me is people taking life, things and relationships for granted. I try and tell everyone I know to value and cherish every moment in life. I don't want to go blah blah about this now ...but read the poem I got from the net about taking things for granted.. This poem written by Dean Blehert.

Taking for Granted

Caught myself taking it for granted

that you'd be home when I walked in,

alive, glad to see me and I as glad;

that in the next hour no lightning,

heart attack, terrorist bombing

or unexplained vanishing would shatter

our plans;

caught myself, blamed myself

not for failing to appreciate

the miracles we live, but like

knocking on wood, as if to say, "It's OK,God,

I'm remembering to be scared,

so you don't have to prove anything to me.

"Stupid, because maybe I'd never

taken anything for granted; maybe

I knew we'd be fine for an hour,

for years, for happily ever after,

because I was making it that way,

making the world I want to live in

by the power of my knowing.

Maybe when I caught myself and

apologized to God, I stopped putting

that world there, put there instead

this fear.

Just Added Few Colors!!!

Yesterday was boring, and so was today :(... I went out and got some pens.. some BLUE, some PINK, some GREENand some BLACK,,,,And added few COLORS to my Life :).....

Talk to Someone...

“Amma there is something I want to tell you.” When my mom turned around and asked me what I wanted to tell her, I stopped myself and told her, “Oh! Nothing Amma, I forgot what I wanted to tell you. Will tell you when I remember what it was.” I went back to my room and thought to myself why I couldn’t tell her that my friend is turning into an alcoholic and that it is really bothering me. Was I afraid that she would judge my friend and ask me never ever talk to him? I just didn’t have a clue as to where to get help.

The very next morning I happened to watch the Oprah Winfrey show (one of my favorite shows) and it was about communication. The show featured an incident of a 15 year old female who became pregnant and she never mentioned this to anyone and the best part even her mother didn’t know that she was pregnant. After she gave birth to her baby in her bedroom she killed the baby and dumped the body somewhere. The body was later found and she is sentenced to 6 years in jail and now she is 22 years old. It’s amazing how she now realizes that all she had to do was just tell her mother about her pregnancy or talk to someone who could have helped her some way or the other. She is going to regret that moment of her life where she took a wrong decision to not talk to her mother.
And I then decided to talk to my mom about my friend’s problem because I realized that helping my friend out of the situation was more important than me worrying about what my mother would think of him.

Well what I am trying to say is we have to talk no matter what. I am sure all of us have that someone to whom we talk about anything and everything but I am also sure that we keep some issues deep inside of us even from the ones we are close to thinking that we would be judged. But let’s not judge our own emotions and let’s learn to speak our mind. Talking helps relieve tension and in extreme cases from going into depression. And one should realize that depression will lead people to take extreme steps like not eating well, suicides etc.. I also believe that my generation need to understand this and try and make a change. I am sure my parents wont be able to easily digest all stuff that I tell them about college and friends because things have changed and the generation gap that we talk about could be bridged if we are willing to talk to parents about what’s going on in our ‘world’. Oh yeah, let me add that we should make a conscious effort to tell someone how much you appresciate them or tell your brother or sister that you love them or just call up your buddies from scholl and tell them that you miss old times ...Let's learn to not take things or people for granted
Start talking and see the difference.

Check out the link below:
http://blogger.xs4all.nl/marcg/archive/2006/10/14.aspx

Just A Thought

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality". Dom Helder Camara