What does freedom mean to you?

 It is wonderful to be able to work hard and then live your life according to your own terms without being judged. A kind of peaceful freedom that I took for granted. It is ok to be proud of all our accomplishments and not to pay too much attention to constant criticism. 

To be able to eat what you want, when you want and rest or have fun as you wish... To be able to clean when you want and be happy when you want is a blessing. Yes, there are boundaries but adults can be self-managed enough to set their own boundaries without help from others. Do tell me if I cross the line but respect personal space. 

I feel emotional as I complete my first term of my master's at my age. I am finally on my way to where I want to get ia. If money was not in the way, I would have got here much sooner but it is what it is.

hmm

 A good watch 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz8sUiXAnbs

The pleasure in pain

 Some people just don't know that they need not feel bad all the time. If that is how they feel most of the time - they are depressed and need help. 

They  cant see the joy in the little things in life

They complain

They criticise

They feel jealousy and not in others' good moments

Social Media Etiquettes

Social Media is not a place to vent out our frustrations

Social Media is a knife. It can be used to keep in touch with friends and family and for communication but it is not a hobby and an outlet. There are formal ways by which communication can be achieved without agitating everyone in the group and turning the spotlight on yourself. Here's what is ok and not k according to social norms of the time

Do NOT!

- insult, bully or tease anyone on social media. Even when it is not ill-intended and it can be interpreted negatively by the reader

- post pictures of your personal life, photos of food, and travel. Not everyone is interested in everything you do

- forward or share messages that you get, without verifying the truth of the matter especially if it is diet or medical related.

- start conversations on controversial topics such as politics and religion and do not get involved in such petty arguments and debates

- draw attention to yourself

- share medical and diet knowledge even if you are a doctor

Do

- Use it to thank people and make friends

- Use it to ask for permission before calling or visiting

- Use it to give charity and reach out to see who needs help where

- Know where to draw the line and stay out of the conversation.

- Share useful, verified information from true sources that you know without a doubt to be accurate. ALWAYS SITE YOUR SOURCES

Life is too short to have too many enemies. If we have nothing good to say let us keep quiet and follow the way of the prophet.

2021 is here

 We are the generation that witnessed the birth of the internet, the invention of self driven cars, the makings of a global pandemic. Some of us even witnessed the moon landing.... war and global warming, to a generation that has seen the highs and lows of humanity, let’s come together as one and unite in rising and in solving - let discrimination be a thing of the past, let evil end, let hope and peace prevail and the future be a ray of light! Happy and peaceful new year!

Ke Sera Sera - Whatever will be will be

Bru and I often discuss how unfortunate it is that we won't live long enough to be in Beijing in half an hour by the space shuttle being built by SpaceX. We talk about how photography and videography would have evolved into some kind of unimaginable 4d space. Virtual worlds that can be anything that you want it to be...

People would be surprised to learn that we killed trees just to be able to write on paper

They will be astonished that we waited three hours in airport just to be able to leave it on a 13 hour plane ride across the world

They will pity us that we had to carry our cell phones everywhere we go... taht we actually had to google up or ask alexa things

Life in the time of covid19.

In 2012 I wrote about Sandy... So let me count all the disasters that I have lived to see

2004 - Tsunami - South Asia

2012 - Sandy - New Jersey

2020 - Covid19 - Texas

So I want to write about covid19 for the future folks to read. But let me first give a little background.

We live in an 8 member household that only produces 2 bags of garbage a week. (One is still in diapers and we compost and recycle everything - none of that matters).

It has been almost a year since we moved from a 6 member household to 8. Our home has been a STEM education hub for the community for robotics learning for the past four years and now finally we have our home just to ourselves. We have seniors, tweens, toddlers, and plants - a LOT of plants. Did I mention we recycle, compost and garden which is why we have only two bags of garbage per week? 

Just like Sandy, before COVID hit the world, we were following news and sort of mentally preparing for a lockdown. I didn't buy any groceries or stock up on anything because we bulk buy anyway and have enough for a few months. But I wish had, because after the announcement the stores had nothing left. I was worried about milk for the children and other basic needs. I felt that in this case, being pessimistic was the safest route. Since my parents were in the high-risk category we took measures to be safe. We went out to eat one last time. and then... everything shut down overnight.

We were trying to digest what was happening around us. We started to play out worse case scenarios in our minds. Staying home was not a problem for us. we all like being home... we will be ok as we enjoy our wifi and our entertainment and just like being comfy at home.

Weeks passed by and then Months passed by. Months will slowly turn into years. People, we get used to wearing masks. Economies will crash. History will be recorded. We beat the Spanish flu with primitive technology, we can beat this, can't we? Has our leadership completely failed us or can we rise above and beyond and learn from the mistakes of others? 

Bru is utterly sad that our travel plans had to be canceled. We both love traveling to new places. We don't drink or club or anything so what brings the most joy to us in our outdoor entertainment is traveling and eating out. Yup sure miss that but I know better than to complain. Jobs have been lost... people are being evicted over unpaid rent and utilities and schools are still providing food because many parents can't afford it.

So what about the bright side?

We dusted the board games, bought a carrom board, grew life and food in the garden and got to know each other in times of trials. We fought and loved and lived through it hoping to come out stronger from the other end. The children will learn to learn online and parents will learn to shut down electronics to have some family time. Self-reflection, new hobbies - the birth of an era. A greener earth to walk on and cleaner air to breath... fewer vehicles and less time wasted traveling or waiting. Productivity and efficiency... creativity in the job market... Making homes prettier because that's where we will be mostly. Enjoying the company and conversations of neighbors and families across oceans -a new normal, an independent way of life - no show, no bells whistles, no icing on the cake... after all it is more important for the cake taste good rather than to look good... goodbye to all the shallowness and hello to the life, people and relationships that actually matter. In the two years that I've lived here, I never put my picnic mat out and lay down looking at the sky or pondered about the birds that flew over the back yard... Never did I admire the gracefulness in the flight of a dragonfly or help a little toad out of the pool. Never had I ever done so many laps being thankful for the blessings and beauty in life. Life is full of so much richness that I could have easily missed....and covid in many ways has been both a gift and a curse at the same time...

When this is, over and it will end like everything else ends... we have a lot to be grateful for. We are blessed in more ways that we can ever count

#gogreen

#reduce #reuse #recycle

Arguments are OK!

We don't live in a perfect world and everyone makes mistakes... While everyday interactions make arguments almost inevitable here are 9 simple ways to maintain sanity and get some good out of it.

• Arguments should be kept civil at all times

• Do not speak in a condescending tone or manner that causes the other to shut down

• Respect the other person

• Being disrespectful is unacceptable in any situation.

• Attacking a person’s background, culture or inabilities is not the way to go.

• Don’t bank on other people’s low self-esteem. Stooping low to feed your own ego will not make you feel better about yourself. Attacking and humiliating the opponent only makes you look bad. 

• Keep swear words out

• Remember that you arguing about a subject and not about a person. Name calling and swearing is abuse and NEVER ok.

• Keep to the subject

• Do not bring unrelated incidents and people into the conversation

• While it is tempting to go off on a tangent, keep the discussion relevant to the topic

• Voices should not be raised

• This is perhaps one of the toughest to keep at because arguments tend to get heated up.

• Listen

• Often the other person is trying to convey a hidden message. 

• Interrupting is rude

• Accept the good that they have to say and acknowledge the point being made

• Let others form there own opinions

• Don’t talk about the argument or person behind them

• Your opinion of the opponent is your alone and does not need to be shared

• Document 

• In the heat of the moment, thoughts, and ideas that could have been productive tend to get lost. Document a few key takeaways that will help mend the relationship

• Don't let it linger

• Be strong enough to apologize, forgive, forget, and move on. Time heals and often in a few weeks or months, the argument won't matter. If something improved and some good came out if it, learn the lessons.