Mothers Know!!!

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me and my brother who is four years older than I am. I was maybe 3 and a half years old and had just recovered from an accident in which my arm had been broken among other injuries.

Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!!'

My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??'

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
....Mothers Know!!!


I laughed my head of at this forward which i got from a colleague in office. everyone arround my desk burst out into peals of laughter.... :-)

reminds me of the Johnson’s baby powder advertisement where mummy and baby happily agree—”Haina Papa budhu’’

Delhi Blogger's Meet - XXI (4th Anniversary Meet)

Exactly 4 years ago, a bunch of bloggers in Delhi met offline for the very first first time in 2004. Today Delhi Bloggers have come a long way. Join them for this special edition of Delhi Bloggers Meet.

Date: Sunday, January 13, 2008
Time: 4.30 PM to 9.00 PM
Venue: Blues, Outer Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

For further details click here: http://delhibloggers.eventbrite.com/

HAppy LOVE Year!!!!!!!

Holiday in Bangkok n Phuket

Just got back from an amazing week in Bangkok n Phuket. It was wonderful spending time with family - Nani, Nana, Mom, Mamu, Diya, Chetan and Nivritti.

Pictures.....

Bumper Stickers - For Women, By Women

BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL WOMAN IS HERSELF

OH MY GOD, I THINK I'M BECOMING THE MAN I WANTED TO MARRY!

A WOMAN IS LIKE A TEA BAG...YOU DON'T KNOW HOW STRONG SHE IS UNTIL YOU PUT HER IN HOT WATER

I HAVE YET TO HEAR A MAN ASK FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO COMBINE MARRIAGE AND A CAREER

SO MANY MEN, SO FEW WHO CAN AFFORD ME

COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, MEN. SOME THINGS ARE JUST BETTER RICH


DON'T TREAT ME ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU WOULD THE QUEEN

I'M OUT OF ESTROGEN AND I HAVE A GUN

WARNING: I HAVE AN ATTITUDE AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT

OF COURSE I DON'T LOOK BUSY...I DID IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

DO NOT START WITH ME. YOU WILL NOT WIN!

ALL STRESSED OUT AND NO ONE TO CHOKE

I CAN BE ONE OF THOSE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENS TO BAD PEOPLE

HOW CAN I MISS YOU IF YOU WON'T GO AWAY?

DON'T UPSET ME! I'M RUNNING OUT OF PLACES TO HIDE THE BODIES

And last but not least:

IF YOU WANT BREAKFAST IN BED, SLEEP IN THE KITCHEN

To-Do Lists

At some point or the other everyone's had a written to-do list. For some it gets more sophisticated with time. There are gadget to manage them. You name it and they have it - phones, computers, software programs.... the list goes on. Enough has been written about them... they are not my focus. Search for "to do list" on google and you get 1,480,000,000 results for it.....

NOTHING BEATS HANDWRITTEN TO-DO LISTS.....


Found a very interesting article on http://www.todolistblog.com/. It reads

Eight Surprising To-Do List Facts

While writing and compiling To-Do List I took an online survey to find out more about our common quirks , compulsions and habits as listmakers. Six hundred people participated, and full results are in the book, but I thought I would share a few of these stats with you now along with some of my other observations based on collecting lists. How do you compare?

1. Many people hang on to their lists for years, if not decades. A list is like a diary. It captures a moment in time. (Two of the lists in the book more more than fifty years old.) I was amazed when these people trusted me with these treasured keepsakes and sent them to me in the mail.

2. Most people (83%) still prefer the tactile experience of writing their lists with pen and paper. The visceral pleasure of crossing things off cannot be underestimated. And people often feel more accountable when a list is in their own handwriting.

3. 29% of people have written at least part of their lists in code. The most common codes were from women who don’t want the boss or co-workers to walk by and see they were buying feminine hygiene products. “Tampons,” “birth control” or “maxi pads” equal T, BC, and MP. I could not believe when these answers kept coming up again and again in survey answers! Uncanny!

4. 50% admitted to writing down tasks they have already done, then triumphantly crossing them off. That way, they have a more complete picture of everything they’ve done, plus another opportunity to cross something off. It’s sort of insane how much we love crossing things off, huh?

5. Ideal mate lists are more popular than ever. 51% have made a list describing their ideal mate. But only 38% think these lists are useful in finding or evaluating a partner. How good is good enough? Many of the people who contributed dream mate lists said 70% was the threshold. If someone fulfilled fewer than 70% of the desired traits, they would say, “Let’s just be friends.”

6. More people cross off tasks (66%) than check off (21%). 4% write a checkmark, and 5% do nothing at all (let it be). Very odd.

7. 96% say their lives are better with to-do lists. 89% say they enjoy making lists. 28% identify as obesssive listmakers.

8. 26% of listmakers at one point have written a "to-don't" list. According to the survey, most concern men not to date or sleep with.

Some online to do lists

To Do Lists

• Toodledo - On the more advanced end, Toodledo allows you to organize your tasks into different folders or projects, assign due-dates and priorities, and attach notes to tasks. There is also a pro package available.
• TaskThis! - You can create tasks with notes and publish them via RSS, or share them so that others can add/complete tasks on your list. Last I used it, it was running a bit slow, but great functionality wise.
• ListPool - A neat solution that allows you to build your own to do list selecting only the fields you want to add and share them when complete. You can select from preset types of lists or start from scratch.
• TaskFreak! - Although it’s not a hosted solution and requires you install it on your own server, it’s a great system. Features excellent organization, status marking, and priority control. TaskFreak requires PHP and MySQL/SQLite and installation on your server. Online demo available at site.
• Time Tracker - Keep track of the time you spend on any task. Add a task and record time-splits until completing the task. You can also view an overview of total time to complete your tasks.
• voo2do - Advanced task and priority management for busy, ambitious individuals. Features organization by project, deadlines and time tracking, collaborative functionality, and more.
• Tasks - King Design, makers of Feedlounge, offers Tasks, a commercial suite of web-based task management software. Tasks requires installation on your own server and comes in three packages: Tasks, Tasks Jr., and Tasks Pro.
• TaskToy - Todo list service with note taking, bookmarking, and projects. Also gives a lot of options for list items.
• e2doList.com - Allows you to create and manage multiple lists, add notes to individual tasks, share them with others, and set email reminders.
• Sproutliner - a “supercharged structured to-do list” that has the more advanced feel to it. Source is also available.
• Tudu Lists - Nice todo list that has a simplistic style to it and features sharing and cool priority functionality.
• Bla-bla List - Simple and sharable todo lists that uses Macromedia Flash. It also features RSS updates and private sharing.

Someone also complied a NOT to do list..... it's available here.....

http://www.52projects.com/52_projects/2005/09/a_nottodo_list.html.
it basically reads..... SHUT UP...STOP FOOLING AROUND..... N GET TO YOUR DESK AND START WORKING..... :-)

Some people who are more polite and civil would prefer to analyze it........

How to Actually Execute Your To-Do List: or, Why Writing It Down Doesn’t Actually Get It Done......
a lot of us don't get to our to do list cause

• “I feel resistance when starting work on something.”
• “I am terrified of certain tasks, or of working on certain projects.”
• “I start, but I get distracted and never finish.”
• “I often don’t feel like doing any work at all. The idea of work seems horrible and I never start doing anything.”
• “I make a list of things to do the next day.. and on that day, I wake up looking forward to a bad day, full of unpleasant tasks, I don’t feel like doing anything from the list.”

if you can identify with these thoughts...... check out this article. It really helps.

while writing this, i ticked off one item off my list - Apply for leave.... :-)


Does your list read.....
flower deliveries
Car detailing
Restaurant reservations
Clothes alterations.
Dry cleaning
Book tickets to a movie

Have a to-do list? Your company will help you get it done.. I hope Indian companies will wake up to these realities....... Soon.

My current list

Chak De and Me

Popular Cricket vs Obscure Hockey……

Abhishek….. arrogant vice captain for the Indian cricket team…… telling Preeti, weather u win or lose, you’ll still be my wife….. not that you’ll be the highest scorer and have India going crazy over you………

She proved him and lots of others all wrong…….

All thru school I had to grapple with Karate vs Taekwon Do.
Oh! You do karate? The word “Taekwon Do” never registered in people’s heads.

Can u break a table? If you are Taekwon Do champ, break this wall. Can you to a twirling kick in the air? Black Belt, can you fight with 6 boys simultaneously?

My reaction to such pompous asses….. Go take a hike…. You don’t effect us… we have even greater heights to achieve…….

“Humla samne wali team ke dimag par karo, field mein goal apne aap ho jayega.”
~ Something which was a constant my coach drilled into my head….. Never lose “eye-contact” during a match.

The result was

Boys vs. girls match
~ There weren’t any girls in our club when I started practicing at some 6-7 years of age…. I use to practice with boys my age. It gave me the advantage which stood me in great strength over the years. I was beaten up but then was tended to with utmost care too.

~ We use to have an event called “Group Sparring”. Any 5 member of a team competed with any 5 members of another team… Height no bar, weight no bar… Gender was no bar till I had entered this competition

Yes, I have made history by fighting a guy in a championship…… obviously I won….. It was difficult….. but it wasn’t sheer strength that won me that match. It was strategy with strength that helped me win.

Ache player ki kismet achi hi hoti hai…..
Black belt at 10 years 11 months….

That's Abhimanyu and me

Extremely hard practice sessions…..
This is what one of the sessions did to me but still took part in the championship and came back with a silver medal.

Australian Coach: which one of them is didi?????

~ LOLZ….

Arya Menon who played Gul in the movie was someone who embodied “The Chandra’s” syndrome. Our clan comprised of Abhimanyu, Tushar, Nivritti, Chetan and me. The Mehras were also closely linked as they are my Bua’s daughters: Akshita and Amrita. That makes 7 of us.

It was so essential to win… it was expected of you all the time.

Tushar and I sharing a fun moment in Goa

Injury in matches….

This particular match was crazy where I saw blood pouring from my nose……… a rivulet was more like it ;-)

Losing….
It’s not that you never lose….. I lost many matches in the beginning of my career to a girl called bindiya….. she was my cross… my albatross….. it just hung on my head. But then you have to come out of it. It’s like being a phoenix… rising from the ashes…..

Something this movie makes you live thru……

Winning Moments….

There were so many… I now wish I had more pictures and had archived stuff…..

Fun Time after matches…

Party time in Goa

Shreya and I
I

Fashion Show

Sattar(70) Minute, sattar min hai tumhare paas. Shayad yeh.. tumhare zindagi ke sab se… khaas sattar minute. Aaj tum aacha khelo ya bura khelo, yeh sattar minute tumhe zindagi bhar yaad rahegi. Tho kaise khelna hai.. aaj mein tumhe nahin bataunga.. Bas itna kahunga, ki jao aur yeh sattar minute jee bhar kar khelna.. kyunki iske baad aane wali zindagi chahe kuch sahi ho ya na ho.. chahe kuch rahe ya na rahe.. haro ya jeeto..lekin yeh sattar minute.. tumse koi nahin cheen saktha, Kyunki mein jaantha hu ki aagar yeh sattar minute is team ka har player apne zindagi ki sabse badiya hockey khel gaya.. tho yeh satar min khuda bhi tumse vapas nahin maang saktha. (This is one of the best scenes from Chak De India. Just before the Hockey Final)

The coach gave each girl the strength to believe in herself and do something really cool for themselves. Everyone had a personal battle to fight…… but they did it with a certain “togetherness”…. Everyone contributed to each other…..

Komal passed the ball to Preeti, who gave the penalty shoot out to Komal. Bindiya came around… Balbir was able to control her temper…. They were doing what a team does…. Play Hockey and nothing else…..

This is something only a coach can do… take all the pressure off the player… all the player has to worry about is playing his/her game.
Having a good coach/ manager makes the difference between a match won or lost.
I lost a cherished match against a seeded player in an inter-school only because of this.
Round 1: I was winning cause I was playing better. Half time – our coach gave her a tip….. I couldn’t make out till the end of the match what happened……

Interviews with the press after winning…..

Coach: you were all brilliant during selection but now you are all equal and as far as I know, you know nothing about hockey.
~ prove ureself all over again…. Unlearn n relearn to actually learn n advance.
The transition from school champ to noone in LSR was difficult in the 1^st year, where each one was a champ in their own space. I had to do it again.


Thank you Rana maam. You are the best. She was just amazing.

Shah rukh khan’s wanton eyes when he sees the field after being appointed the coach…..

~ Whenever I go back to the Talkatora stadium (where most of our championships use to be held) I can feel a tug at my heart.

Throughout the movie, every instance had me going back to 20 years of Taekwon Do…. The tenets of Taekwon Do have been ingrained in us from the very start....

Explanation of Tenets

1. Courtesy (Ye Ui)
Taekwon-Do students should attempt to be polite to one another and to respect others. Students should address instructors as Sir and to bow to the instructors before and after classes. Turning up early or on time for classes is also an aspect of courtesy.

2. Integrity (Yom Chi)
One who has integrity is able to define what is right or wrong and have the conscience, if wrong, to feel guilt. Taekwon-Do students should strive to be honest and to live by moral principles.

Shah Rukh ~ "team banane ke liye takat nahi, niyat chahiye"

3. Perseverance (In Nae)
Perseverance means having patience. One of the most important secrets of becoming a leader in Taekwon-Do is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Confucius said," One who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve success in matters of great importance."

4. Self-Control (Guk Gi)
Without self-control, a Taekwon-Do student is just like any fighter in the street. Loss of self-control is disastrous both in sparring and personal affairs. "The term of stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather than someone else", Lao Tzu.

Balbir controls herself in one of the critical matches to save the team from loosing a player…..

5. Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul Boolgool)
A true student of Taekwon-Do will never give up, not even when faced with insurmountable odds. The most difficult goals can be achieved with indomitable spirit.

Eggs, Vodka, and a Kiss

A HEARTY YUMMY NOURISHING COCKTAIL SNACK

[Eggs, Vodka, and a Kiss]

Read more at vikramkarve.'s blog.

How to get out of DIFFICULTY....

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine,
after the rain ....

Perhaps you may stumble,
perhaps even fall,
But God's always ready,
To answer your call ...

He knows every heartache,
sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
can calm every fear ...

Your sorrows may linger,
throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
in dawn's early light ...

The Savior is waiting,
somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
and send you His love...

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
"God always sends rainbows ....
after the rain ... "

To get out of difficulty, one must usually go through it!!!

Just what i needed...... I am now free of my cross......

Rokne Wala Fail Rahega - Chak De India

I have so much to share. Let me first thank those people who have made this possible.

The Crew – for making this movie…..
Shimit Amin Director
Jaideep Sahni Screenwriter
Aditya Chopra Producer
Salim-Sulaiman Composer
Sudeep Chatterjee Director of Photography

My mom and sis for watching this movie with me the first time and a very dear friend for watching it with me the second time (her first…. Yes… I bullied her into it.)

I had caught the trailer of 'Çhak De India' when I went for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix at priya. In that one minute piece, the shots of the hockey matches impressed me. Though it was still a Shahrukh movie, we decided to go for it because we wanted to see the 16 girls playing and see what the directors take on the topic was.

I did not go with as high expectations… but somewhere thru the movie I was jumping thru the roof…. It involved me totally……. It was like seeing 20 years of my Taekwon Do career flash in front of my eyes…..

Chak De had the entire hall cheering as if the match being played by someone in their family.

P.S.: My favourite scene in the film is the one where the team goes to McDonald’s where they beat the living daylights out of a gang of eve-teasers wihout any help from a male!! As shuklaji called it “Rakshason ki sena”
That moment taught a team to be a team….. we were rolling in our seats….

Yes, that was the yash raj studio canteen doubled up as a McDonald’s. Have u ever seen a real McDonald’s without an A/C????????

It is so deliciously fulfilling that you want to give the writer and director a clap on their back for depicting the gender war in an urbane recreational zone without trivializing the larger issues involved.

The 16 girls have bought alive the movie like noone else..... Preeti Sabarwal, Komal Chautala, Bindia Naik, Vidya Sharma, Gul Iqbal, Molly Zimik, Mary Ralte,Balbir Kaur,Aliyah Bose, Gunjan Lakhani, Rani, Nethra Reddy, Soimoi. They Rock. Their effort shows

The first match the Indian team wins in the international arena is against U.K. Not China or Italy or France, but England. We still have that subliminal ‘colonized no more’ point we seek to make.

Of course, now, Australia is a different league all together. Whether on film, or in life, that team is just something else. It doesn’t matter what sport they’re playing.

The only true villain in the story is narrow-mindedness and a limited outlook, personified in the holier-than-thou media, the apathetic hockey board, and characters such as the self-obsessed new vice captain of the Indian cricket team.

After a point it doesn’t matter whether the girls are playing hockey.

It’s not the sport. It’s the spirit that shines through in every glistening frame of this tale that needed to be told before hockey became as obsolete as films about people who play to redeem their souls.

I like this film more because it speaks about achievement, belief, faith, ambition, intent, commitment, selflessness, team work,… all good traits essential not just for a successful sportsperson, but for anybody in any walk of life.

Yes, you can use it in the corporate world aswell.

Favourite Chak De India dialogues:

• Jo nahin ho sakt, wahi tho karna hai.
• Mujhe states ki naam na sunayie dethe hai, na dhikaie dete hai. Sirf ek mulk-a-naam sunayie detha hai, I-N-D-I-A
• Humla samne wali team ke dimag par karo, field mein goal apne aap ho jayega
• Har team mein bas ek hi gunda ho saktha hai, Aur is team ka gunda mein hun!
• Vaar karna hai to mardho ki tarah aage se karo… Woh kya hai ki humari team me chakke nahi hote!!
• Chandi (Srk referring to his silver medal) Ko Sone Me badlne ki koshish kar rahaa hoon.
• Pehli baar kisi ghore ko Bharath ka jhanda leharate hue dekh raha hoon.
• Marr jaayenge - par haar ke nahi aayenge!!

Highlights:

• Srk wasn’t hogging the entire screen with his slurrrrrrrrrr,
• Awesome real depiction of Indian women's sports
• The hilarious though exaggerated scene in McDonalds….. Just brilliant J
• No songs with the women in sexy dressing dancing in clubs or around trees.

Songs - loved them.....

• Bad Bad Girls song lyrics Click here for the lyrics
• Maula mere le le meri jaan son... Click here for the lyrics
• This is the story of a team so... - Click here for the lyrics
  
• chak de india song lyrics - Click here for the lyrics
• Badal pe paaon hai song lyrics - Click here for the lyrics

Coming soon …. Chak De and me