tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57961070043111537912023-11-15T22:27:32.653+05:30Alwayz LearningSome thoughts shared...Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-50674068104550971412017-09-26T12:50:00.000+05:302018-04-29T13:16:09.399+05:30Eternal Love...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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She could hear hushed voices of people talking in the other
room, people close to her, people who she knew cared about her; yet she could
not understand what they were hiding from her. She tried to listen hard but the
outside traffic and the low rumbling of the air conditioner did not allow her.
After some time which felt like ages she got up from her chair. Although her
knees hurt a bit making her realize she was not young anymore yet she was
strong and bold enough to demand her answers. How much ever they love her they
have no right to hide things from her as if she was weak and could not bear the
truth. Yet she moved towards the room half afraid of what she may come to know.
She crossed the room in 3 swift steps and looked behind the flowing curtains,
her heart skipped a beat. Perhaps it was better that she had not gotten up.
Still curious she tried to look what or who was under the white sheet; she
realized tears had started flowing down her cheeks. She wanted to see and make
sure it wasn’t her worst fear coming true but tears had blurred her vision and
then suddenly she saw.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Parvati opened her eyes and realized it was just a dream, a
very bad dream. She looked at her side and saw the old man with grey balding
hair snoring next to her. Earlier when she was young she didn’t like the snores,
she was a light sleeper and they disturbed her a lot but these days she was
glad for them. She could hear the birds chirping outside, the bells of a nearby
temple ringing, it must be morning she thought. She checked the time, it was 10
minutes to 6AM. She knew it was useless to go back to bed now. While brushing
her teeth she saw an old and wrinkled face looking back at her. She looked at
her reflection and thought how beautiful she used to look once. She saw the
creams and facewash her daughters had given her and for a second thought to use
them. But then she chided away the thoughts and just used plain water as
always. After some time she went in the balcony to listen to her favorite
morning music and enjoy her tea with her lovely plants. Parvati was very fond
of plants since childhood. In youth she was very busy to invest time in her
hobbies and likes but now it was different. In her small garden there were many
plants – silver jade, pothos, aloe vera, money plant etc. She treated them like
her own children and it seemed they treated her back like a mother. Music and
tea were her other passions. She loved soft music, a gift to her from her
father and tea, from her mother. Life was like that for her and Shirish, quiet
and simple. But they were not a boring couple at all, they had a big friend
circle and occasionally went for vacations and although married, their kids
always wanted their help in shopping. Life was good but Parvati knew they were
getting old. Both of them were diabetic patients staying together alone. That’s
why she was lately very particular of their eating habits. This dream of her
was actually her worst fear and she didn’t want to think about it again… ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And then it happened. It was summer time, Parvati had
forgotten about her dream. Her son and his family had come to stay with them
over holidays. Aarav was tall and fair with broad shoulders, something he had
taken over from his father and they both sounded same. That night was very
sweet, with kids running in the playground, Shirish, Aarav, and their daughter
in law, Aakriti, discussing politics. She was sitting with them and quietly
capturing all this in her mind to relish it later. They slept late that night
to be woken up at 5AM by Shirish. He was perspiring heavily and seemed short of
breath. Parvati ran and called Aarav and they rushed to the hospital. That 10
mins drive had been her longest journey till date. She suddenly remembered her
dream and hated herself for that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It had been a month after that and still she felt like it
was yesterday. She recalled how Shirish had helped her in kitchen to cook
variety of dishes and had stocked up the fridge with fruits and ice creams for
the kids. How she had worried about the expenses as they were living on pension
and he had skided away saying he still earned enough to feed his family. How
they had come to the hospital and after numerous checkups doctors had confirmed
that they need to operate him for Heart surgery. Their other children had
arrived as soon as they heard the news. People all around her were talking
about bills, doctors, checkups, procedures but her mind was fixed on one
thought – it can’t be true. They still had so many places to go, so many things
to see, so many plans to fulfill. Suddenly a loud snort brought her out of her
thoughts. She looked besides her and saw Shirish sleeping. A tear escaped her
right eye and ran down her cheek. It was all over, she thought. All what was
left now was the path to recovery. She saw the time, it was almost 6 but today
she wanted to sleep a little longer and so she did holding the strong hands of
this man whom she loves a lot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-85887068323392492412017-05-08T13:20:00.001+05:302017-05-08T13:21:10.103+05:30What is microwave used for ?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So you have a microwave and you are wondering what else you can do with it? Well we have a whole list of things just for you:-<br />
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<b>1) To warm Tea/Coffee</b> - After becoming mother this is one thing for which I cannot thank my micro more. Reason, I guess all moms know, as soon as my tea is ready something will come up with my baby which I always takes a priority. And I don't like drinking cold tea or drinking 4 cups of tea just to get the 5th one hot. So tadaaa... just re-heat the cup in micro for 20 seconds and its done!<br />
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<b>2) Warming cooked food</b> - We all know this use. The only thing we need to remember is to stir the vegetable or curry in between so that it heats up properly from all the places. Microwave heats up food through waves so if not stirred the food can be hot from some places and cool from other.<br />
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<b>3) Cooking rice</b> - Third most useful thing is cooking rice in microwave. As I am still not sure about the negative effects of using Plastic for cooking I go with Ceramic bowl. Its easy to cook and serve, moreover I don't need to rush to stir or lower the gas.<br />
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<b>4) Making cake</b> - I love making cakes. In my pre-oven days I used micro a lot to make cakes. There are some very easy recipes over the internet. My simple egg-less cake is always a win win.<br />
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<b>5) Making idlis</b> - After 2 years of struggling with cooker to make idlis and then feeling sad about all the mess and no food to eat, I gave up making idlis and turned to uttapam. But then I saw an online post about making idlis in micro. Its not just easy but pretty quick too. It takes only 2 minutes to make 8 idlis!<br />
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<b>6) Occasional cooking</b> - I do sometimes cook some vegetables using Micro. Although it is not as convenient as I am used to normal cooking but its definitely a change of taste. Try it when you want to do something new in your kitchen.<br />
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-58604331168939948012017-05-08T13:20:00.000+05:302017-05-08T13:21:28.557+05:305 silly things every girl secretly admits doing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So straight away to the point. Here you go!<br />
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<b>1) Tasting whiskey</b> : Sometimes curiosity wins over rules or ideals set by family. Whether it is taking an innocent sip from Dad's bottle, or trying it out with friends this one almost all of us have done. And have immediately felt disgusted by the taste of it.<br />
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<b>2) Washing face with baby wash to get soft skin</b> - Thanks to the advertisement explaining how soft baby skin really is, we have all wondered whether the baby soaps also deserve some credit. I remember using it regularly when I had my first kid just for the fun of it. Who knows it might work :)<br />
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<b>3) Making blank/prank calls to that high school crush</b> - Ok we all had our high school crush. Whether we shared it with our BFF or we kept it secretly hidden in our heart but the fact is we all had that guy in our life who skipped our heartbeat whenever we saw him. And we have all tried to play around with those feelings by having some fun. I personally don't understand even today why I did it but for sure it was fun!<br />
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<b>4) Saying something stupid about your friend n then worrying that she will get to know</b> - The first part may not be a secret. But the second one is for sure. We girls tend to speak so much that sometimes we say things we weren't supposed to, half of the time we don't even mean them as we are just trying to either be a part of conversation or sympathizing with someone. But when we recall we do worry if the message will get over. That's why girls have so much drama in their friendships. I am sure some of us our not proud of it and may just deny we id something wrong in first place.<br />
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<b>5) Not going out so as to avoid choosing what to wear</b> - Girls are lazy too. Plus we have so many different types of clothes for different places. Not to forget other thoughts like "oh, my hair are so messy", "oh, my legs need some shaving...", "I am not in a mood to do all that just to go out somehwere". Sometimes we are glad to sit at home n chill.<br />
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If you think you have some more secrets which you can share with us do put your comments here. Also share the article to see if your friends have same secrets too :p</div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-42652141418180790802016-09-13T10:23:00.000+05:302017-09-29T08:56:21.672+05:309 different things to do with BFF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Isn't having BFF one of the best thing in the world. But who do you call a BFF? And what do we do with them that makes them so special? Here I composed a list of things... do let me know what else you do in the comments section<br />
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1) <b>Who's who</b> - Well, may be its called gossip or may be its just being up to date. But discussing who's who with your friend is surely some time well spent.<br />
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2) <b>Discuss cosmetics</b> - Well that's no surprise. There are tremendous number of cosmetics available in the market. One cannot try 100 mascaras to know which one is best. So here comes BFF to the rescue. She will tell you the nest mascara, best lipstick and best compact. Plus she knows your skin type so will give personalized tips too ;)<br />
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3) <b>Wine Sisters</b> - She will be your wine sister. Its always important to have a wine sister, its like a sacred bond you share with that other girl. You have some deep conversations (pun intended) which only you two understand. Moreover you don't want to be alone when laughing loudly on a joke or dancing on the dance stage.<br />
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4) <b>Plan trips</b> - You can plan trips with her. I usually plan trips with my BFF on which I can never go. Once my friend told me she just wants to leave the world and go on mountains alone. I said I want same but we will stay alone together. We planned everything even though we knew we couldn't go but it felt great.<br />
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5) <b>Share deepest secret</b> - Or should I say share your darkest secret. Things you wont normally tell people for many reasons - they are embarrassing, people may judge you for being bad or fool.<br />
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6) <b>Discuss boys</b> - All men think we discuss them. Well its not completely false we do discuss them once in a while. Another way of knowing the girl we are with is totally compatible with our likes and dislikes :)<br />
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7) <b>Share common tips</b> - There's so much to share with your girl friend. And you know she is listening to your nonsense and will not just take it seriously but will give some advice too as she has gone through the same. You love her because she doesn't think your worries are baseless or based on your monthly cycle.<br />
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8) <b>Watch movies</b> - Some movies are fun watching only with your girl besties. You have same choices, you oohh and aahh on same scenes and you can even cry without embarrassment because she may be doing the same.<br />
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9) <b>Plan more dates</b> - And then you plan more dates with her so that the good times continue...<br />
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-37181065890921254412016-03-08T10:13:00.001+05:302016-09-13T10:26:07.484+05:30India and Indians ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While I was reading the articles about moving back to India, I saw so many points why one shouldn’t do it - environment pollution, infrastructure,
inflation, poverty, non professionalism, and so on. There was so much and so many that although I do agree with them
but still I got a bit angry and saddened by those remarks. So few thoughts popped up my mind....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SU-bmHtEZZ0/Vt5ZKKV0OiI/AAAAAAAAD4o/r-peTrgqh8c/s640/blogger-image-672353325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SU-bmHtEZZ0/Vt5ZKKV0OiI/AAAAAAAAD4o/r-peTrgqh8c/s640/blogger-image-672353325.jpg" width="540" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I ask myself “Who builds nations?” and I get the answer “people”.
Am I wrong here? May be it should be the government. But how can a governing
body build a nation? They can just govern! It’s same like in our offices. Our
management and governing body doesn’t build the company. Company is built by
the employees… we are the ones who work hard and build it. And what will happen
to the company if we start complaining? and then we stop working because we are
so angry with them… and we just complain? I think we know the answer - the
company will slowly shut down!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am afraid the same is happening with our country. If I see
progress of India, lets say, after independence, we achieved a lot, its not
hard to tell … and then we were born… we studied... we day dreamed… and then we
faced the reality and compared it with others in developed nations... we got annoyed
of why we didn’t had all those and instead of continuing the hard work… we
started complaining. The more we knew how better we could have been, the more
we complained!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I was in India, I didn’t care that I didn’t knew how to
swim or play guitar when I was in school.
But when I came here and saw kids doing it, I felt bad for myself and
started complaining that India doesn’t provide all these facilities... how
convenient!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But when I see my dad back there, I see a man who still
cares. He doesn’t complain… of course he gets mad about the traffic jams. But
he knows that after few months when the construction will be over and flyover will
be up it will ease the traffic. May be he has seen how the nation has developed. He has
gone through inflation too, faced some “real” difficult times, and has seen
many good and bad ministers. But he still makes it a point that the road
outside his house is clean. He doesn’t need to wait for a “swatch bharat
abhiyaan” to tell him to live in a clean environment. If he knows municipality guy
will not take responsibility to clean it, he will hire labor, or will ask
domestic helper or will even clean it himself. He is angry sometimes of course…
but not frustrated. He and many dads out there have built the nation and are
doing so even today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And we the “more” educated ones, we see, we discuss, and we
complain - Facebook, Twitter, Quora - so many places are there to vent out our
frustration… Shouldn’t we too try to apply our knowledge and skills to bring
out change… indeed we can continue complaining - its fun, its easy and it is
the first step to identifying problem… but lets not stop here… lets keep
building the nation!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We know we can do it from inside or outside of India. We are
intelligent people facing challenging situations and fierce competition daily.
We know we just need to add it to our list of “goals” we have set for the
upcoming years, and we will achieve it. We know we just need to find a little
time in our busy schedule and “do” something to bring a change… If we have time
to update social networking sites I am sure we have time to think about how we can
help India become a better nation. We are Indians after all “Once we set our minds on something we will
for sure achieve it”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-57630428778570903712015-09-23T16:35:00.000+05:302016-03-08T10:29:29.506+05:30How do we really empower women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last time I wrote about “</span><a href="http://alwayzlearningdiary.blogspot.sg/2015/04/what-is-women-empowerment-why-is-it.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is women empowerment</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">?”. So we all know and at some level understand the problem of women (when it comes to empowerment). And all the stories
or, in some cases, hyperboles doing rounds of social networking sites have
forced us to really think about the matter and we want to do something about
it? But what should we do apart from re-posting or sharing the status
update/tweet? </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">May be we can keep it in our To Do list of Social work need to
be done after retirement or during career break. But then there are already so
many important causes to fight for – malnutrition, save the planet, basic
education for kids and so on. Yet still it’s hard to ignore the matter as
deep down we know the problem exists. Almost all of us have seen something
similar happen in our house with our mom, sister, aunt, friends, helpers. So here below I give
few pointers which we can start doing from now at our homes without disrupting our day to day activities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before reading the “how tos” it would be good to remember few things – <strong><em>Women are
emotional</em></strong>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman can bear huge pain
but small day to day things matter them. So the points below may feel too small
or unworthy to you but they actually matter to her. If you still have doubts it
wont hurt to apply them and see for yourself. Also these how tos are not just
for men, women are equally responsible – look around you – your sister-in-law,
mother-in-law, sister, mom, helpers – respect all women and you will get it
back.<o:p></o:p></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><strong>Hear her</strong> - Include the women in your house
in important decision making. No one is asking to take their word as final.
Most of the times women just want to be heard. If you don’t agree don’t just
shun the point. Give her valid reasons and she will be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><strong>Ask her opinion</strong> – especially when it comes to
matters related to her. Which study course she wants to take, whether she wants to
learn cooking, whether she wants to get married. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><strong>Protect her</strong> – I don’t mean just physically. Most men are very good at that. I mean emotionally protect her. If you feel some
decision will hurt her sentiments or she should be a part of it
then speak for her. Nobody asks to put up a fight but trying to be diplomatic
won't hurt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another scenario is if someone is
pointing about her dressing sense or the way she carries herself the least you
can do is ignore the comments, even better would be to reply back to the commenter
but in social circles as we all know its not always possible. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">People always talk</i>.. But before preaching her about the same, make sure you too feel
its wrong and have valid reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><strong>Spend “quality” time</strong> with her – Especially for
spouses living with families (parents, kids, grand parents). After busy and
hectic working day its difficult to take out time for everyone. But spending
quality time with your spouse will actually lessen your stress and make you two
feel more connected.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5) <strong>Care for her</strong> - Caring can be done by as simple gesture as asking what she would like to eat for dinner one day in a week. Or when your mum asks you about your opinion you ask your sister too. Care can be shown in simplest of acts. You will be surprised that some of your actions may bring tears in her eyes.</span></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-55122823541006035092015-06-12T09:52:00.000+05:302015-06-12T11:15:22.690+05:30Meeting expectations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I read an article today about the great Bollywood legend,
Amitabh Bachchan. In his interview to the newspaper he has described how even
after acting for around 200 films he still feels nervous before a shoot. Even when
standing in background he is cautious about his body posture. He also mentioned
that he has sleepless nights. While reading the article I was wondering how a
legend like him can be so tensed for something that comes naturally to him and
what he has been doing for more than half of his life (he is 76 at present). And
then in the next few lines I read the reason. He is concerned about people
liking the movie and his role; about meeting their expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This isn’t the case only with our most loved superstar,
it happens with everyone and everywhere. We are constantly trying to live up to
people’s expectations. The more good work we do the higher the expectations.
The more praise we get the more fear of being failed. It forms a vicious circle. </span></div>
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</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My boss loved my work and promised me a promotion. I better
not let him down”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Dad and mom believe I am very intelligent and can land into
a good job. I better find it fast”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My elder brother was one of the toppers in university,
everyone in friends and family expects me to be the same. What if I can’t meet
their expectations?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--94zMbxUHyQ/VXpeJpC88NI/AAAAAAAADzQ/IPhuNoaFpK0/s1600/aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--94zMbxUHyQ/VXpeJpC88NI/AAAAAAAADzQ/IPhuNoaFpK0/s1600/aa.png"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although this fear is not bad and helps us stay motivated;
but many times it introduces unwanted stress. Seeing today’s busy lifestyle and
higher levels of competition it is not surprising that even school kids need to
take anti-stress pills. However remembering this simple fact helps us to change our
perspective – “I don’t need to please everyone, just give my best. Because people liked me </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in
the first place for what I am, so if I give my best they will
keep appreciating me.” And anyways taking the pressure doesn’t help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So are you stressed or thinking too much about something at
the moment? Just reflect back to check if its not based on “people’s
expectations”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-82740256795181678492015-04-20T10:08:00.001+05:302015-04-20T11:33:41.289+05:30What is Determination?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If we need to answer this in literal sense Determination means "The quality of being determined". And Determined means "having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it".</span><br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UtgWGgh93pY/VTSGZTbqUzI/AAAAAAAADvc/dHEzyJskvnE/s640/blogger-image--1003077201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UtgWGgh93pY/VTSGZTbqUzI/AAAAAAAADvc/dHEzyJskvnE/s400/blogger-image--1003077201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No wise man will disagree that one should be determined to achieve success. In fact we have so many famous quotes enforcing the same:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." </em>- Og Mandino</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>"What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it."</em> - Alexander Graham Bell </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>"Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power."</em> - Charles Simmons</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5BpM28uyoHo/VTSCf3SYs9I/AAAAAAAADvQ/JjQhvnT46iA/s1600/DETERMINATION.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5BpM28uyoHo/VTSCf3SYs9I/AAAAAAAADvQ/JjQhvnT46iA/s1600/DETERMINATION.png" height="126" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But this makes me wonder what if the person is going in wrong direction? What if he is determined, strong will powered and focused but his aim will be negative for him or worse for humanity? Are these quotes still valid? Perhaps yes, as there have been many great wars in history by negative but great people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>"Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters."</em> - Jeremy Irvine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another point to think is that when some people realize that already too much negative has been done and their self-conscience warns them, they tend not to listen. They don't want to retreat as they have already come so far and in the pretext of determination keep pushing themselves further and further until it's too late. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And worse are the influencers who conveniently use these quotes to mislead people as the quotes don't speak of direction. And, as always, the difference lies in individual's hands. He should decide what's right and wrong. He should decide when determination should be left and paths be changed. It takes more courage and will power to challenge ones own decision and redirect ones own path. He should decide whether to be the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great Ashoka</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, who after realizing the destruction done after his conquest of Kalinga changed his path to spread peace through Buddhism, or to be </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hitler</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, whose actions led to World War II. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
</div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-42155701402424905742015-04-13T14:54:00.003+05:302015-04-13T20:48:17.557+05:30A walk in Silicon Valley, California<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Few years back (in 2011) I got the chance to visit The silicon valley, CA. For me an IT professional it was like a dream come true. For me it was like "chaar dhaam ki yatra" (visiting famous temples). I wanted to see all the famous companies and how their offices look like. So one fine day me and my friends took our car and visited these famous places. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(source taken for this post is from Wikipedia)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FACEBOOK</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First we went to facebook and this is what their sign board looks like</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkbTbmPLn_g/VSqVLCw1XHI/AAAAAAAADrw/6T6Ae0KTLUw/s1600/DSC_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkbTbmPLn_g/VSqVLCw1XHI/AAAAAAAADrw/6T6Ae0KTLUw/s1600/DSC_0147.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were lucky enough to enter their reception area where we saw this board signed by, I guess, fans.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqohDVD_5rk/VSqVI9dh4pI/AAAAAAAADrk/8HqIblACEik/s1600/DSC_0151_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqohDVD_5rk/VSqVI9dh4pI/AAAAAAAADrk/8HqIblACEik/s1600/DSC_0151_2.jpg" height="282" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some quick facts about facebook<span style="font-size: x-small;">:</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The website's primary color is blue as Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind; he explained in 2010: "<em>blue is the richest color for me—I can see all of blue</em>"</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facebook is built in PHP which is compiled with HipHop for PHP, a 'source code transformer' built by Facebook engineers that turns PHP into C++. The deployment of HipHop reportedly reduced average CPU consumption on Facebook servers by 50%.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On July 29, 2011, Facebook announced its Bug Bounty Program in which security researchers will be paid a minimum of $500 for reporting security holes on Facebook website. </span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">India, which has the second largest number of bug hunters in the world, tops the Facebook Bug Bounty Program with the largest number of valid bugs.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About <em>Dislike button</em> - Zuckerberg explained in a Q&A session on December 11, 2014, that his reticence was due to a concern about a tone of negativity on the platform—whereby users could "shame" others—and he offered the comment option for situations where people were unwilling to use the like function. However, he said, "<em>We're [Facebook] thinking about it [dislike button] ... It's an interesting question</em>," and said that he likes the idea of Facebook users being able to express a greater variety of emotions. So who knows it might come soon.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going towards other famous companies</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTXDioHEI8g/VSqVR4i6OhI/AAAAAAAADsc/5XSzjzJL3B8/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTXDioHEI8g/VSqVR4i6OhI/AAAAAAAADsc/5XSzjzJL3B8/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4r83fdaQ9GI/VSqVS0tNL8I/AAAAAAAADsk/Q1UmfR_dGso/s1600/DSC_0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4r83fdaQ9GI/VSqVS0tNL8I/AAAAAAAADsk/Q1UmfR_dGso/s1600/DSC_0204.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>YAHOO</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yahoo! we reached yahoo's headquarters at 701 First Ave, Sunnyvale. Did you know </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the word "yahoo" is a backronym for "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle".</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqB5a-bPAKE/VSqVTntFKVI/AAAAAAAADso/DNRomYlqtCo/s1600/DSC_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqB5a-bPAKE/VSqVTntFKVI/AAAAAAAADso/DNRomYlqtCo/s1600/DSC_0215.JPG" height="351" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of the buildings in Yahoo compound. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCBWryKJOSU/VSqVVk8p05I/AAAAAAAADs0/4DgEzPM3Zpw/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCBWryKJOSU/VSqVVk8p05I/AAAAAAAADs0/4DgEzPM3Zpw/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>MICROSOFT</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well this one is my favourite. I am a big Microsoft fan (although I dont like acting crazy about it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u>Some quick facts:</u></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Microsoft was found in 1975 (40 years back) by Bill Gates and Paul Allen</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Number of employees: 128,076 (June 2014)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Microsoft Logo - Did you notice the slash between s and o? As per Scott baker, designer of the logo "<em>The new logo, in Helvetica italic typeface, has a slash between the o and s to emphasize the "soft" part of the name and convey motion and speed."</em></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My friend posing next to Microsoft's signboard</span><br />
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Uv4bnVgDNjI/VSueJD9AGgI/AAAAAAAADuM/s3rs4CzLjmw/s640/blogger-image-851868755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Uv4bnVgDNjI/VSueJD9AGgI/AAAAAAAADuM/s3rs4CzLjmw/s400/blogger-image-851868755.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">New Microsoft logo since 2012</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_5lY8uNvWNQ/VSueobOrwHI/AAAAAAAADuU/90mR1Gk45Us/s1600/Microsoft_logo_(2012)_svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_5lY8uNvWNQ/VSueobOrwHI/AAAAAAAADuU/90mR1Gk45Us/s1600/Microsoft_logo_(2012)_svg.png" height="68" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>GOOGLE</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u>Some quick facts:</u></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Founded in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin</li>
<li>The company has around 1 million servers in data centers around the world (as per reports of 2007);<sup> </sup>and processes over 1 billion searches</li>
<li>Wont say more, just see the famous google campus below in pics</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xjg_IMKNl4U/VSqVZwZ59ZI/AAAAAAAADtQ/5UVR8WGfswE/s1600/DSC_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xjg_IMKNl4U/VSqVZwZ59ZI/AAAAAAAADtQ/5UVR8WGfswE/s1600/DSC_0268.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq4wJk565DE/VSqVXV0ToXI/AAAAAAAADtA/-p9iaTQpeKE/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq4wJk565DE/VSqVXV0ToXI/AAAAAAAADtA/-p9iaTQpeKE/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVUYimb5alU/VSqVZSHMkoI/AAAAAAAADtM/MCmIKB0r5j4/s1600/DSC_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVUYimb5alU/VSqVZSHMkoI/AAAAAAAADtM/MCmIKB0r5j4/s1600/DSC_0253.JPG" height="450" width="296" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwlIzsiILsA/VSqVarXhC6I/AAAAAAAADtY/r-JWP1Bf6Nc/s1600/DSC_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwlIzsiILsA/VSqVarXhC6I/AAAAAAAADtY/r-JWP1Bf6Nc/s1600/DSC_0272.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>APPLE</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some facts about Apple:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is worlds second largest information technology company after Samsung electronics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is worlds largest publicly traded organisation </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No of employees - 72,800 As of 2014</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all know that Steve jobs gave the name "Apple" but what inspired him is his visit to Apple farm while on a fruitarian diet. The bite was added to the logo to differentiate it from cheery. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QdTBmgz_8BM/VSvc8sjFcBI/AAAAAAAADu0/dzRUmDUYrNM/s640/blogger-image--1206980676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QdTBmgz_8BM/VSvc8sjFcBI/AAAAAAAADu0/dzRUmDUYrNM/s200/blogger-image--1206980676.jpg" width="154" /></a></strong></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Apple Inc.'s world corporate headquarters are located in the middle of </span>Silicon Valley<span style="text-align: start;">, at 1–6 </span>Infinite Loop<span style="text-align: start;">, </span>Cupertino<span style="text-align: start;">, California. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZRkDwp1dxU/VSvOM2Oa13I/AAAAAAAADuk/A539wQ8J1ew/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZRkDwp1dxU/VSvOM2Oa13I/AAAAAAAADuk/A539wQ8J1ew/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>STANFORD UNIVERSITY</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The beautiful valley does not only hold corporate offices of famous IT companies but also the well known <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank">Stanford University</a>. Its campus area is 8,180 contiguous acres, has 700 major buildings and 96% of undergraduates live on campus. Isn't it amazing. It is also famous for its entrepreneurial character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going towards Stanford university</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGjXIhu5R4M/VSqVK2ku0UI/AAAAAAAADrs/IHnNdn3jRs0/s1600/DSC_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGjXIhu5R4M/VSqVK2ku0UI/AAAAAAAADrs/IHnNdn3jRs0/s1600/DSC_0162.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How it looks from highway</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHIGKcb1lz0/VSqVLt8EEhI/AAAAAAAADr8/re1GSE46P0o/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHIGKcb1lz0/VSqVLt8EEhI/AAAAAAAADr8/re1GSE46P0o/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUc6KgcDNOU/VSqVPNGQLuI/AAAAAAAADsI/VJO6SKN82Lc/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUc6KgcDNOU/VSqVPNGQLuI/AAAAAAAADsI/VJO6SKN82Lc/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG" height="296" width="450" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I dont know what is behind this door or what is its significance but it surely is a magnificent piece of work.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oorWbSWxLuc/VSqVP4i87uI/AAAAAAAADsU/Xs9AgF0Q_NY/s1600/DSC_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oorWbSWxLuc/VSqVP4i87uI/AAAAAAAADsU/Xs9AgF0Q_NY/s1600/DSC_0185.JPG" height="450" width="296" /></span></a></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-12998334676725726582015-04-11T11:31:00.000+05:302015-04-23T08:14:04.895+05:30Lets play with kids for Mommies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a woman playing with a kid is such a natural expression that people take it "obvious". Indeed for some of them it is really obvious but for some others it is a difficult task. So, apart from the usual games like peek-a-boo, tickling, singing rhymes, being monster mommy, which all women already know; I present a list of other ways of playing with your little one.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dancing </b>- This one is both easy and fun and you don't need to care about the steps. Kids love to dance around and have some giggles. And if you feel stupid then it can be you and your little one's first secret.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Kitchen time</b> - You don't need to buy a kitchen set for this. While working in kitchen try giving your little one some small plates, spoon, some safe ingredients and if he is old enough a butter knife. Enjoy the treat!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Hide and seek</b> - Well time to relive your childhood memories. Hide behind the curtains, chairs, doors and ask your baby to find you. And to add to fun make a loud sound when he does find you.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ball </b>- Who said only dads can play with ball. And there is more than one way. For instance you can throw the ball on the wall and laugh loud when you are not able to catch it. Or, you can try to do juggling.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cycling </b>- This one will be a fun outdoor activity plus you will do some good exercise. My kid never wants to get off cycle, no matter how much time we already spent.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Painting </b>- You may think your kid is still little but he wont disappoint you if you give him some paints and a plain sheet. Try experimenting with him by making use of fingers. Also make sure the clothes you both are wearing are not new. If you are worried that the colors will go in his mouth instead of sheet then wait for a couple of months. You can also try giving him paints specifically for kids. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Colors </b>- Ok you are tired of the household chores and don't want to cleanup everything after painting, then comes colors to the rescue. You and your little one both will love to do some coloring. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Drawing </b>- You liked both painting and coloring ideas but you don't have the colors and you ant to do something right now. No worries give your little one a pen/pencil and a paper. Kids never mind and with this one they can surely play for an hour (of course with regular intervals of attention and appreciation)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Suggested Post - <a href="http://alwayzlearningdiary.blogspot.sg/2015/03/lets-play-with-kids-for-guys.html" target="_blank">Lets play with kids for Dads</a></span></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-49735459890755325472015-04-03T11:08:00.000+05:302015-09-28T07:44:35.365+05:30What is Women Empowerment? Why is it needed?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
To understand what women empowerment is we should first try to understand what "Empowerment" is. As per Wikipedia -<br />
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<i>"Empowerment refers to increasing the economic, political, social, educational, gender, or spiritual strength of an entity or entities. Sociological empowerment often addresses members of groups that social discrimination processes have excluded from decision-making processes through..."</i><br />
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The meaning is clear, we need to increase strength of those "weaker" entities or people or community so that they can participate in decision-making processes.<br />
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<b>What is women empowerment?</b><br />
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As is clear from above - Women empowerment is nothing but realizing that somehow over the period of time when the concept of society was being formed we left women behind.<br />
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<b>Why is it needed now?</b><br />
Some may question that why do we need to include women in decision-making now as everything in our society is going fine when men are taking decisions. Are they taking wrong decisions? No it is not about men being wrong or women being smarter. It is needed because we have realized that if we continue in the same way we can achieve "something" but if we include the women we can achieve much better and faster results. It is needed because two brains are always better than one. It is needed because some women still don't understand whether the switch should be up or down to turn off the fan. No they are not dumb. They were never allowed to use their brains since childhood. So why is it needed again..<br />
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1) <i><b>Family planning</b></i> - We all know that this is a very important aspect of our life. This alone can decide that in future a family will grow or shrink financially. We see many women, especially poor, with many kids and wonder why didnt they plan? The answer is quite simple - as you will agree, most of the time it is the woman signaling or reminding about the precautions. Men although mutually agree with the planning easily forget. So in a family where women are not allowed to think or speak or are scared of being beaten up end up having many kids.<br />
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2) <i><b>House management</b></i><b> </b>- We all have seen our mothers taking care of the house and know that although we cant see what she does, she is always busy doing something. Her work involves lots of things - minimal wastage of food, water and electrivity, dealing with plumber, gardener, cleaner etc, keep the house clean, buying grocery etc. Here the knowledge and power of decision making is essential. Decisions may be small but can help in day-to-day activities of the house thus making the husband free to focus on work (of course when both are working the household chores should also be shared)<br />
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3) <i><b>Raising Kids</b> </i>- If a mother can decide what is right and what is wrong, then she can guide her kids to become better human being. Fathers are not always there. Mothers are available most of the time (even if they are working) and they know each action of their kids, it's in their nature, but to understand what their kids are doing or asking permission for, she should have some basic education. Or else she will not have the confidence to question them further or say "No"<br />
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4) <b><i>Travel</i></b> - Although the railways and airways will not like this idea but I see so many husbands going to and fro just to leave their wives at some destination because they dont know or are scared to travel alone. Need I say more...<br />
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5) <b><i>Self protection</i></b> - Needless to say if a woman is given support from her family and society she will feel more secure. Many times girls hide eve teasing incidents because they know if they inform their parents they wont be allowed to go out alone. But we also know that cities like Mumbai, where women travel in over crowded local trains, have almost no eve teasing. This is mostly because the men are scared that they will be beaten up by the Ladies crowd. If we empower our women they will be able to protect themselves and other women and will share the burden from men.<br />
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<b>But giving power to women is scary?</b><br />
Yes it is. It is scary to give or share your power with anyone; but the woman we are talking about is your wife, or your mom, or your daughter. We are asking you to be her strength like she is yours. We are asking you to allow her to decide what is good and bad for the family. And we are asking to give a chance to keep her say understanding that she may not be always right and you still have the right to not agree to her.<br />
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<b>What is NOT women empowerment?</b><br />
To all the ladies out there it is very important to understand what is good and what is bad. When we get power we can change things and when we take decisions it has its positive/negative outcomes. This power comes with a great responsibility. For instance, to have or not to have kids should still be mutually decided. Your partner should not feel cheated. If you are not happy in your relationship then having an affair outside of marriage is still wrong unless your partner knows and has no issues (which is rare). When we ask for our rights we should ensure we will not misuse them and that we can be trusted.<br />
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Lastly, thanks to all men who are already empowering females around them. We know its not easy to enable someone to question you. We are indeed incomplete without each other.<br />
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-62184873956221425452015-04-01T13:55:00.004+05:302015-10-12T08:56:53.857+05:30What is Meditation?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While in college I used to read my Sunday horoscope daily and almost always the last line used to be "You should meditate". And I used to think Ok that sounds cool but how to do it? Should I sit straight and close my eyes and try to think about nothing? But that's very hard and I give up after a minute; or should I chant "Ommmm"? </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now after some years, few sessions, few readings and lot of Meditation I know how to do "it". I thought there may be other people like me who want to Meditate but just dont know how to do it. Before we continue on how to do it let me make one thing clear - Meditation is not religious thing. It is trying to know one's own self, trying to understand what is going within us and trying to see the bigger picture.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>To do meditation you can follow these steps</em>:</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Sit in a room with dim light. You can lie down but sitting is better as while lying down it is easier to drift to sleep.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Relax your body - your feet, your thighs, your hands, your shoulders, your back, your eyes, your forehead.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) Take 10 deep breaths. Try to focus on the air as you breathe-in and breathe-out.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4) Now as the thoughts come try to listen to each voice within you - one-by-one.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5) Try to talk to that voice. May be its your angry voice, may be it scared, may be its confused.. Just try to listen to them. If you have answers, say them if you dont just listen. (This session can take from 5 to 15 minutes)</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6) Once you have heard all the voices try to imagine the big picture. Imagine you rising to the roof and looking down at yourself. What you see? Where do you stand in the universe? What is the purpose of your existence? (This session can take 3-10 minutes)</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7) Now slowly open your eyes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you are doing this session 1st time, it may be a little difficult to do, especially talking to the inner voices. But little patience and it will be okay. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are many other forms of meditation (first 3 steps being the same). You can see them beautifully written here at yoga journal site.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you liked it or want something more related to this topic, please leave your comments in the comment section.</span><br>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-28813505830044848362015-03-25T07:27:00.000+05:302015-09-28T07:47:52.253+05:30Twelve great Toys for kids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have so many options these days for everything. When it comes to our kids we want to buy the best ones but it is also a fact that the best ones are expensive and you will never know whether your kid will even play with it or just dump it after 2 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here is the list of top 10 toys which your kid will definitely love and you can go ahead and buy it for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Mobiles</strong> - Cot mobiles, suitable for age 0-6 months, are a great way to engage little ones while you are finishing some household activity or watching your favorite show. The sound is pleasing and your little one will get some good exercise which will help him build his leg and arm muscles.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Teethers</strong> - Teethers come in various designs. I myself had them in different sizes but my son never used to take them until he was 6 months old. After that he started playing often with almost all of them.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Night lamp Projector</strong> - Although a very nice toy, few people have this however almost everyone has heard about it. The reasons I generally get to know is that toy shops don't have it. Luckily, I got one easily. This toy is used during night time, an image of Cartoon characters rotates on the roof (through laser light) and a light pleasant music is played. The purpose of this toy is that your baby will sleep himself while looking at the images. And yes it really worked for me :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><u>Caution</u> - Please take care that the laser light should not directly go inside eyes of your baby or his elder sibling. As any other laser light it can harm the eyes.</em></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From 6 months onwards you can also play following...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Balls</strong> - I love the kids' ball pool, not for the pool but for the 100 balls that we get with them. Of course we can buy the balls alone too. They are light-weight, colorful and so many. You can make n number of games out of these.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Balloons</strong> - This one is also one of my and my kid's favorites. Whenever we are bored from our usual toys, we blow up a balloon and run around the house kicking it and laughing loud.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Stacking cups</strong> - They look like in figure below. My little one played most with this toy. He loved stacking them and then smashing them on the floor I even used to carry it whenever I went overseas as it doesn't occupy too much space.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After your little one is 1 year old try playing these games...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Kitchen set</strong> - Well we have a lot of variety in this and as all babies see their mommy or granny working in the kitchen they love to have their own kitchen set and make some tea for the family. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Soft toys</strong> - Although not all kids enjoy playing with them (mine never looked at them into 18 months), but soft toys and soft kids go hand in hand. It's like a symbol that you have baby at home. And they are great to pretend n play group games like teaching. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Tent</strong> - Kids love to have their own tent. Of course no need to buy a beach tent. Kids tent are usually smaller, lighter in weight and cheaper as compared. You can easily place them inside your living room, or any other place in house. My nieces used to take all house cushions inside the tent and also used to invite us inside their tent house ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From 18 months onwards add these to your to do list...</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Drums</strong> - Take out the musician from inside you and your baby and play some loud music and rap a song or even a rhyme. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Blocks</strong> - Blocks, like Lego, are great fun to play plus they help kids to develop their motor skills. Even though my kid couldn't construct them when I first introduced him to blocks, he always loved to break the ones I made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Blackboard</strong> - So who doesn't want to pretend n play Teacher Teacher. I never expected my little one to like it too much and bought it just to see his reaction, but he went crazy for it and I had to sometimes hide it as well. Now after few days he is normal but always likes to teach me and others in the house :)
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-13977146895925954702015-03-18T09:34:00.001+05:302015-03-30T13:55:51.737+05:30Common worries during Pregnancy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you are going through that phase of your life which many have described as the most important phase of a woman's life... Needless to say you are experiencing a very different set of emotions. And you have a hell lot of questions in your mind. Well, worrying is a natural part of being a mother. From now on you will be always (happily) worried about your baby. Welcome to motherhood!!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sRB655WSHP8/VQ6Y_wlf0yI/AAAAAAAADkk/4q-5X85vD6o/s1600/Photo%2B24-3-13%2B19%2B55%2B32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sRB655WSHP8/VQ6Y_wlf0yI/AAAAAAAADkk/4q-5X85vD6o/s1600/Photo%2B24-3-13%2B19%2B55%2B32.jpg" height="235" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although it is natural to be worried but do remember that this is indeed a very beautiful phase of your life. Moreover what and how you feel it gets transmitted to your baby. Below I have summarized some of the common questions we all (or most of us) think about and also some indicators of when you should see your doctor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>What should I eat or not eat</strong></em> - When it comes to eating during pregnancy every community has some good and bad defined. Some say No to caffeine, some say no to papaya, some say eat olives more and so on. As far as I have observed pregnancy is such a naturally managed thing that a pregnant woman will herself develop aversions from all the bad stuff. As a general suggestion we can eat everything in moderation. You can try to avoid caffeine (it is present in cold drinks also) and junk food but once in a while, especially if you are craving then you can safely go ahead. You can also try to avoid food that cause constipation or stomach gas because although harmless but if you get stomach ache you will not know the reason.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Can I smoke</strong></em> - I think you already know the answer somewhere in your heart. Smoking is a big No during pregnancy. It may have some serious side effects on the baby or the mother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Can I drink wine</strong></em> - Well this is a tricky question. Some people say occasional wine is fine. By occasional i mean once in a month. For some its a big No for wine too. I personally dont recommend as any amount of alcohol going inside the body may be harmful for the fetus. But still if you want I would suggest to ask your doctor and follow his recommendation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Can I put on makeup</strong></em> - All makeup these days have lead and other chemicals in them. But again nothing has been proven yet. So again it depends on you, if you are used to putting on makeup and would feel dull otherwise can put on little mascara, liner and lipstick. The good thing is anyways during pregnancy your skin is glowing with the healthy nutrition supply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Can I take medicines</strong></em> - Self - medication are not recommended during pregnancy. So if you have headache, tooth ache, back ache or any other health issue please see your doctor before taking anything. Even for home remedies please consult someone elderly in your family as not all of them are recommended during pregnancy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Should I do some exercise</strong></em> - Yes of course. In fact some mild exercise will be good during this time. But no need to take pressure, if you are too tired or dont get time little walks daily would also be enough. If you want to explore your exercise options during pregnancy you can see this site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>What if I have caeserian</strong></em> - Normally we all avoid caesarian (or c-section) unless we already had one and voluntarily opt for it. But if you want a normal delivery and your doctor has started giving you hints that you may need to go for caesarian that Ok too. with advanced technology and research in this area these days caesarian are not that risky. In fact doctors go for it only to keep mothers and kids safe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Am I putting on too much weight</strong></em> - Yes you are. Should I be worried - No not at all. The average weight a woman puts on during pregnancy is 12 Kgs. But if you are eating healthy and drinking water regularly then there is no need to be worried even if you are putting more than that. In most of the cases it is water retention. If at all it is a concern then your doctor will suggest you some diet changes. but again worrying will only add on to your weight (remember same thing happens in pre-pregnancy time). So stop worrying and bring back that smile on your face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Can I go on vacation</strong></em> - Yes you can go but make sure it is relaxing one and not hectic. Your body is already doing a lot of hard work so dont do too many activities that will exhaust you more. Do talk to your doctor about your plans and if you need to take some precautions/medicines. Normally the safest period is 2nd trimester of your pregnancy.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Should I see the doctor?</span></strong><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you see any drop of blood when you pee.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you get stomach discomfort</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have stopped feeling baby movements from long time</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If your water breaks/leaks</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you sense something is not right - Trust your intuition and if you feel something is not right then dont hesitate to see your doctor.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope this article helped you in some way. Have a happy and safe pregnancy!</span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-33288658089206019012015-03-17T08:38:00.003+05:302015-04-11T11:49:23.892+05:30Lets play with Kids Daddy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who doesn't want to play with kids.... It is the best and most enjoyable way of bonding with the little ones.. For some people it comes so naturally but for others its a complicated science. Here below I am sharing some tips.. feel free to try them and be innovative to twist them a bit</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kids 0-6 months</span></strong><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Singing</strong></em> - Yes, babies love to listen to music and their favourite singers are Mom and Dad, whose voices they have heard even in the womb. Caution! :) depending on their taste they may like you doing rock, pop or classic. And if you feel stupid doing it in front of others then spend some time with the baby alone and enjoy! Feel free to try all. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Take out</strong></em> - Yes daddy, however modern we become some basic things will remain unchanged and one of them will be daddy taking kids out for a walk. So next time you go to grocery store to buy milk, use this as an opportunity to bond with your kid. You will be surprised to see the quick results.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Pretend fights and punches</strong></em> - Dads are the tough guys. So don't hesitate to show your superman side to your kid by doing some fake punches and pretending being hurt when your kid reciprocates. You will love the giggles!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Dance</strong></em> - Almost all kids love to dance. Just play some music and dance around with your kid. You can also carry your kid and try ball dance. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Cuddles</strong></em> - Its not just mommy who is supposed to give all the cuddles. Daddy can too cuddle and ask/give a kiss and hug.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Make funny noises</strong></em> - I dont know what makes my little one laugh so much when every time my husband does it. But it works very well. You can also jump around and do some funny actions.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Balloons</strong></em> - No matter what the age is...all kids love balloons. And there is more than one way to play with them. So there you are... </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Kids </strong>6-12 months</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nm4jihmb8Dk/VQ6e2vgjvNI/AAAAAAAADlE/61MA7jqr-14/s1600/10603528_10152422815073299_3400228459897379234_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nm4jihmb8Dk/VQ6e2vgjvNI/AAAAAAAADlE/61MA7jqr-14/s1600/10603528_10152422815073299_3400228459897379234_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to above ones now that your baby is little grown up you can also do following activities..</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Play with ball</strong></em> - Every kid loves to play with ball irrespective of gender. Teach your little one how to kick the ball and you will be surprised how less time it takes to master this skill.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Swimming</strong></em> - Go to the nearby pool and take your little one along to swim with you. Babies love swimming a lot but keep it for short duration. The added benefit is they will be tired and sleep for a while so you can get some alone time with your spouse :)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Kids </strong>12-18 months</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to above ones you can also do following activities now..</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Listen</strong></em> - Once your kid starts expressing himself either by blabbering or pointing at things, try to listen to him and understand what he is saying rather than asking your wife to do that. By this time you already know that kids are very intelligent and will trust you more if they know you too understand them.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Camping</strong></em> - Lets do some camping. You don't need to go to the beach or park every time. Camping can be fun even in the living room. So grab the cushions, some stuff toys and balls and get inside the tent.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Play in sand</strong> -</em> Evening fun at beach side. Yes try making that sand castle of your own. Dont hesitate to buy some toys to help you do that. Your little one will be excited and proud of you for your hard work :)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Suggested Posts - <a href="http://alwayzlearningdiary.blogspot.sg/2015/04/lets-play-with-kids-for-mommies.html" target="_blank">Lets play with kids for mommies</a></span></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-55411651209589497402015-03-16T14:46:00.001+05:302015-04-05T19:23:05.899+05:30Tips for a Boring day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many times I find myself in a situation where I am free but bored. Suddenly all those things that I always wanted to do disappear from my mind. I feel to do nothing yet I want to do something. Oh God, I am so bored!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Does it happen to you too? If yes you may go through the list which I created for myself to make sure I don't get across such days very often.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Plan your day</strong> - Plan your day ahead, that is, atleast one night before. So if you were already bored when you started reading this article then it is a good time to plan now for tomorrow. List down the activities that you will do, may be with a rough timetable too. This will help you to have a "good morning" tomorrow as you will know what you have to do. Some of the activities that you can do are listed below.</span></li>
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUCS8ey3cxU/VSE-JQY8HrI/AAAAAAAADp4/Gf_BqVWWTNY/s1600/IMG_0682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QUCS8ey3cxU/VSE-JQY8HrI/AAAAAAAADp4/Gf_BqVWWTNY/s1600/IMG_0682.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Jogging</strong> - Exercise is one of the best things one can do to kill some time. If you don't like jogging, do some brisk walking, or rent/buy a bike and go biking. Take your iPod/music player, put on the earplugs and <em>yo</em> enjoy! When you come back you will definitely agree with me</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Home facial</strong> - Pamper yourself. Do some home facial, pedicure, manicure. Don't forget to put on your favorite music or movie while doing these activities.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Read</strong> - Spend some time reading books - like harry potter series :). If you like blogging then you can also spend sometime reading them. These days there are so many interesting sites to look at - </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="https://instagram.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flickr</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How stuff works</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> etc</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Write</strong> - Why not try to pen down
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some thoughts. You can create your own blog at google </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">blogger</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> or </span><a href="https://wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wordpress</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and share it with your friends and family.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Take pictures</strong> - Ok you don't need to own a DSLR to click pictures. But you have camera in your phone and lots of free apps to customize your pictures. Dig into the creative side of yours and go out and lick some pictures. You can also post them on social networking sites listed above or blog them on your personal blogger account ;)</span></li>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qnq2b9em4tk/VRQQLQ_p6cI/AAAAAAAADmY/sBodtvloCPA/s640/blogger-image--394369881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qnq2b9em4tk/VRQQLQ_p6cI/AAAAAAAADmY/sBodtvloCPA/s200/blogger-image--394369881.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Color or paint </strong>- So you used to paint
when you were in school and you were good if not the best. Why not start it again. And this time give your painting skills a meaning by painting your flower pot or crystal glass or create a wall hanging.</span></li>
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oL9PC2L5U2o/VRQRofwzLKI/AAAAAAAADmk/xi8DeR7-dfg/s640/blogger-image-1491537255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oL9PC2L5U2o/VRQRofwzLKI/AAAAAAAADmk/xi8DeR7-dfg/s200/blogger-image-1491537255.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Cook</strong> - Why not try your hands on some new recipes. I tried Chocolate mousse and pancakes recently and really they were not that difficult as they sound. You just need to google and buy the right ingredients. All the best!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Learn something new</strong> - You can also enroll yourself into any classes - swimming, aerobics, yoga, martial arts or French. Just think what was that one thing that you always wanted to learn but couldn't.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope these points will help you like they helped me from getting bored. The main point is not to get into that vicious circle of boring days. So you need to promise yourself that you will never get bored again.</span><br />
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-33684161610021611412015-03-16T12:15:00.001+05:302015-03-30T13:55:32.240+05:30One day to pamper yourself !!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you want to look beautiful for that big date and you have got some time to pamper yourself. You will find in this article few tips to prepare yourself from head to toe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to taking care of one's skin and hair, personally I believe in going with natural elements rather than cosmetic. By natural I mean nature-al and not the natural cosmetics. If you do these below steps you will see that you may not need to use cosmetics at all while getting ready...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article will guide you step-by step how to get ready for that outing. Feel free to customize it as per your wish!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Good Morning</em> - Wake up at 6:45 AM </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>7:00AM to 7:30AM</u> - Start the day with some <b>yoga</b>. I specifically say <em>yoga</em> because it tones your body and makes you feel flexible and sexy. Always remember to do some warm up before doing the tough asanas (positions). If you are more concerned about belly fat then you can try </span><a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners-sequences/shine/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">surya namaskar</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (you can start with 5 times a day). Although one day wont help a lot but it will still tone little your stomach muscles. Actually if you start doing surya namaskar even 7 days before you can see results. </span><a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> you will find a very good and organized site for yoga asanas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>7:30AM to 8:00AM</u> - <b>Meditation</b>. Its not a secret anymore that stress ruins your hair quality, your skin and your mood. Although this is an optional step it will be good to release some stress before you go ahead with other things. One simple form of meditation is to sit with your eyes closed and relax your hand and feet and then your entire body. Take 10 deep breaths. Whatever thoughts are coming let them come. Feel the air as you breathe. Now address all the feelings one-by-one. Just listen to them. You can keep doing this until you have heard all your thoughts. Now try to sit calm for 5 more minutes. Try to see yourself as a part of universe and see the bigger picture. Once done you can slowly open your eyes. Sometimes if you enter deep trance when you open your eyes your head may feel heavy but it is okay. You will feel much lighter later on. For details about meditation you can see my this blog or for details refer </span><a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/category/meditation/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> great site.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>8:15AM to 9:15 AM</u> - <b>Home facial</b> - You can of course always go to saloon and get a facial. But in case you want to do it yourself here are simple steps on how to do it. I dont know why but I find home facials more effective then the parlour ones. For all the below steps if you need to rub your face please do it in circular motion upwards to avoid wrinkles.</span><br />
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<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start with cleansing your face and applying toner after</span></i></li>
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<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next scrub your face for at least 2 minutes or as guided on the product. Wash your face with normal water.</span></i></li>
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</span>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can opt to take steam - for this put your face over a pan of boiled water so that the steam touches your face. You can cover your head with a towel to make sure that the steam doesn't escape. </span></i></li>
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<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now take a black head remover and try to remove the black or white heads. They are more prominent near the t-section of your face. </span></i></li>
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<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now take the facial cream and apply it on your face and leave it for 15 minutes or as directed on the product. Also soak 2 cotton balls in rose water and put it on your eyes. </span></i></li>
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<li><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that you can remove it with a clean wet sponge and wash your face.</span></i></li>
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</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>9:15 - 9:45</u> -<b> Hair Spa</b> - Everyone knows beautiful hair add to great looks but still somehow we tend not to take care of them. To make your hair loom shiny and strong you can apply egg white or yoghurt on your hair and leave them for 15 minutes. Then wash your hair with your regular shampoo. This may be a bit messy but its worth it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Afternoon/evening time</u> - As you may already be tired by now whenever you get free time you can do <b>pedicure</b> and/or <b>menicure</b>. Please make sure you have removed your nail polish before starting. Take some warm water mixed with shampoo. Play your favourite movie and sit with your feet soaked in it. Before sitting please take moisturiser, socks, towel, foot scrub and your pedicure set (I usually take just the filer to clean my nails and file them). While enjoying your movie you can simply take one feet at a time, scrub them, clean your nail cuticles and file your nails while putting back your feet in water. After around 20 minutes you can wipe your feet with towel and apply moisturizer. Please wear socks to make sure you don't dirty them immediately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the best and Have a great day !!!</span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-50478061727138402652015-02-12T13:22:00.003+05:302015-03-30T13:13:40.449+05:30Christmas Decorations @ Singapore Streets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bringing you some of the Christmas decoration pics from around Singapore. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox6EZfbihmY/VNxaRtjU01I/AAAAAAAADio/6tQnt62919Q/s1600/20141219_155209000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox6EZfbihmY/VNxaRtjU01I/AAAAAAAADio/6tQnt62919Q/s1600/20141219_155209000_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decoration at MBP, Pasir Panjang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8osFyZ9ZRS8/VNxaS_svBWI/AAAAAAAADi0/9fLl18JoieE/s1600/20141224_132806858_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8osFyZ9ZRS8/VNxaS_svBWI/AAAAAAAADi0/9fLl18JoieE/s1600/20141224_132806858_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnificent Entry @ Gardens by the Bay</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3VunxZYNl0w/VNxaTEv9uYI/AAAAAAAADi8/4VVrD9ToFvg/s1600/20141225_134328612_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3VunxZYNl0w/VNxaTEv9uYI/AAAAAAAADi8/4VVrD9ToFvg/s1600/20141225_134328612_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorative Lights at Orchard Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnU1pJ8u9HY/VNxaUqBAZQI/AAAAAAAADjM/rgKXEYeSnhg/s1600/20141225_135433702_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wnU1pJ8u9HY/VNxaUqBAZQI/AAAAAAAADjM/rgKXEYeSnhg/s1600/20141225_135433702_iOS.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas tree at Orchard Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1bzXwl2XJdw/VNxaUccXvlI/AAAAAAAADjI/DpJfaD7aDDc/s1600/20141225_135448999_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1bzXwl2XJdw/VNxaUccXvlI/AAAAAAAADjI/DpJfaD7aDDc/s1600/20141225_135448999_iOS.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twinkle Twinkle what a beautiful Star</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ncSEJ6IvTjQ/VNxaVxvEYMI/AAAAAAAADjc/CGncjYNgZVc/s1600/20141225_142315378_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ncSEJ6IvTjQ/VNxaVxvEYMI/AAAAAAAADjc/CGncjYNgZVc/s1600/20141225_142315378_iOS.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candies anyone!</td></tr>
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Hope they will be helpful for you to design your own place!!! <br />
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-82985423589144566422014-12-23T19:29:00.002+05:302014-12-23T19:29:18.527+05:30A Short Story on Diwali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="color: black;"><em><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">This article has been written by keeping Hindus in mind. However,
as the culture and festivals around the globe are similar others too may feel
connected to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Also this article is not a blog but rather my first attempt to
write a story so please excuse my mistakes.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">====================================================================== </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pia was looking through her Mom’s mobile when the phone beeped
“<em>Mumma maasi ka message hai. Happy Diwali walli photo bheji hai</em> (Mom aunt has
sent a message. She has sent a photo with Diwali greetings). She got excited
about the festival and started enquiring from her mom. Sunita had a tough and
long day in office and was busy cooking Vegetable Biryania for dinner. She wiped
the sweat off her forehead with her bare hand and started explaining “Pia
remember on Dussehra day I told you about Lord Rama and how he fought with
Ravana?” Pia nodded, “So this day, on Diwali, Lord Rama returns to his hometown
Ayodhya along with his wife Sita Ji and his brother Laxman Ji. All the people
in his hometown are very happy and they celebrate their victory by lighting up
their houses, exchanging sweets and gifts and burning crackers.” “Mumma will I
also get to burn crackers?” Sunita gave a side glance to her and then smiled
“Ok but only with your Dad <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and do as he
says otherwise you may get hurt” The 7 years old girl was all happy and cheered
up. After sometime when the door bell rang she rushed to open the door “Daddy,
you know we both will burn crackers this Diwali.” Rohan was working in
corporate sector and used to come home late but always looked forward to see
Pia at end of the day. Pia continued “And Daddy will you bring mithai (indian
sweets) too?” Rohan smiled while sipping water. He asked Pia what else she has
planned for Diwali. Pia thought for a while and said “I don’t know” grinning and
showing her missing milk teeth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next day was exciting for Pia. Whenever she got free time she
chatted with her friends about Diwali. Her school was also organizing “Diwali
day” where they will decorate their classrooms and have some sports and
cultural activities. At home when she was having dinner with her family she
said “Daddy I know what else I will do for Diwali. My friends are making
Rangoli. Mumma and me will also make Rangoli. And we will put lights outside
our house. Daddy when will you put lights? Golu’s dad (neighbours) have already
put lights. Daddy which lights we will put? I want red, green and yellow and
they should also play music. Mumma which dress will I wear? Will you buy me a
new dress?” Rohan, Sunita and Pia’s daadi (grandmother) all could see her
excitement. They answered all her questions. Daadi also explained Pia another
significance of Diwali “Pia beta Diwali is also about welcoming Ganesha Ji and
Goddess Laxmi in our house. It is believed that this day Goddess Laxmi arrives
at our house. So we clean our house and make rangoli to welcome them. We will
also do prayers like last year. Do you remember?” Pia nodded doubtfully but she
had something else in mind “Daadi can we see Goddess Laxmi? Tarla Mam said we
cannot see God”. Daadi smiled “Ofcourse we cannot see God but it is believed
that they come. Same like air. You cannot see air but it is still all around
you” Pia smiled a bit relaxed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Diwali day came. Pia was wearing a nice pink lace frock with small
blue color flowers on it. Her hair were neatly tied in a pony. She was looking
at other houses and their decoration from her balcony. Sunita and daadi were
dressed up in beautiful sarees. Rohan came to the hall and started talking to
Sunita “I think we should not burn crackers. We were discussing yesterday in
office about air and noise pollution and it seems correct not to burn
crackers.” Sunita argued “but Pia is so excited. How will you explain her? And
moreover it is our tradition. It is not something which we do everyday” <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I will explain Pia. She got lights, rangoli, new dress. Plus we
should also teach our kids to be responsible to our environment”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">He called Pia from the balcony and tried to explain her. Pia understood
but got upset “Dad we will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i> burn
crackers? I told all my friends.”. She was almost in tears but Sunita sent her
down to play with friends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sunita tried to put her point “Rohan I agree but I don’t think it
is right to leave our traditions. These huge industrial wastes also cause
pollution. Nobody stops them. You want to stop a small child. How much
pollution can she cause in 1 night.” They argued for quite some time. Daadi was
listening to all these things and seeing that they both are not reaching any
conclusion interfered “Rohan and Sunita you both are correct. There is no harm
in thinking about environment and your own child’s happiness. But you should
always see what you are compromising to save other. It will be no harm if Pia
burns few crackers, but few and eco-friendly crackers as many people suffer
from breathing problems. We should teach our children that everything has a
limit. But yes we are dirtying environment by even those few. So to compensate
that guilt lets resolve to save the environment. Tomorrow morning plant a tree
in the park outside. Minimize plastic use, do car pooling with your friends and
save oil.” Sunita happily added “And lets avoid unnecessary paper usage. Let’s
use hand blower instead of paper napkins. This way we will set a nice example
for Pia also.” Rohan was not completely satisfied but looked it as an
opportunity to save nature in turn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pia was delighted to hear that she will burn crackers finally. In
evening whole family gathered for Diwali pooja. They clicked lots of pictures
of Rangoli, Pia and Rangoli with Pia. She burst just few crackers as she was
really scared by the noise. Mostly enjoyed watching fireworks in the sky. Next
day they happily planted a tree which turned out to be another adventure for
Pia. This was the best Diwali ever!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-89543077481753177332014-12-22T09:06:00.003+05:302015-03-30T14:42:26.135+05:30Do we have too many Preconceived Notions?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was talking to a friend about India, when she said “Do you
still worship snakes?” and I could not say anything but laugh. May be Yes still
in some rural places but I haven’t seen it in my whole life. So does it still
make India a country of snakes? And yes I admit we had a shameful and
horrendous incident of a girl being raped last year but does it make India as a nation
unsafe? Well the answer really varies but I guess it is still
NO. I know one may wonder that as an Indian I tend to incline towards my
country but I also came across a very interesting article by Canadian writer
and traveler </span><a href="http://breathedreamgo.com/about-mariellen/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mariellen
Ward</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – </span><a href="http://breathedreamgo.com/2010/11/top-5-myths-about-india/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Top
5 myths about India</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. And you will find many other articles online.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But all these things surely make one wonder how many
preconceived notions we all carry? Below are listed some with answer - </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Does Dubai look like desert?</strong> - Below I have shown two pictures of Dubai. My <a href="http://alwayzlearningdiary.blogspot.com/2015/03/discovering-dubai-uae.html" target="_blank">this</a> blog will highlight more places in Dubai. Now you decide on your own. Also refer to their tourism site - </span><a href="http://www.visitdubai.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.visitdubai.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - if you want more details.</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcIl9Lap3Zs/VRkRinzj0RI/AAAAAAAADoY/KlUYyshd_Yk/s1600/IMG_8433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcIl9Lap3Zs/VRkRinzj0RI/AAAAAAAADoY/KlUYyshd_Yk/s1600/IMG_8433.JPG" height="300" width="230" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiyU6dw7wrs/VRkRn96xrsI/AAAAAAAADoo/hkUCVDiGbeo/s1600/IMG_8435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiyU6dw7wrs/VRkRn96xrsI/AAAAAAAADoo/hkUCVDiGbeo/s1600/IMG_8435.JPG" height="230" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Is Africa poor
and disease ridden place?</strong> - Africa is the world's second largest and second most populated continent; and like all other countries, African countries are also fighting within social and economical problems. But that doesnt make "all" of the Africa a poor place. </span><a href="http://businesstech.co.za/news/international/38178/the-richest-city-in-south-africa/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the list of 15 richest countries of Africa. As per </span><a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/the-wealth-of-african-nations" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">World bank news article</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> many countries in Africa grew their wealth much faster than world's average.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not to forget africa has the world's largest desert - Sahara desert and the world's longest river - Nile. as per </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/forget-the-cruise-here-are-17-luxurious-train-rides-to-book-instead-2011-6?op=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Business Insider magazine's article</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> it has one of the most luxurious train in the world - <em>Rovos Rail</em>, Pride of Africa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>USA is the best place to live?</strong> - Yes it is one of the best places to live. But depending on other factors people may or may not find it suitable. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_most_livable_cities" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the Wikipedia link to see what the stats have to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not just about countries or people but also about daily
activities like: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Using anti-bacterial soap keeps away from cold and flu</strong> - The fact is it doesn't matter if you wash your hands with a normal soap or anti-bacterial soap. Cold and flu are spread by virus so the anti-bacterial soap wont help. The purpose of frequent washing is to ensure we wash off the viruses from our hands so that they dont spread rapidly. In fact some experts even say that anti-bacterial soaps should not be used much as they clean up the good bacteriastoo. Details
can be found at this WebMD article - </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20070817/plain-soap-as-good-as-antibacterial"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Plain Soap as Good as Antibacterial</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Eating rice daily makes one
fat</strong> - I dont know what to say here as you may already know that rice is staple diet of many communities and all have skinny and fat people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>French fries are "French"</strong> : well may be some of you already know this. French fries are not French, they were invented in Belgium and to add to it they are not healthy either. They are counted in junk food. If you want to verify the facts </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fries" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the link</span><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you know about other misconceptions do write in the comments section below and I will dig deeper and put them on here :)</span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are living in a world where technology has opened gates
to knowledge like never before. I am not saying preconceived notions are bad.
But they are not always true and sometimes we pass them on without even
verifying facts. So lets make use of
</span><a href="https://www.google.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Google</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wikipedia</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How stuff works</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and other great websites and verify the info before passing it on!</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-82632383472062605312014-11-06T10:48:00.002+05:302015-04-05T18:13:32.080+05:30At least one thing that we should learn from the West!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By title I don't mean I am a big western culture fan. I don’t mean I don’t wear Jeans or skirts either;) but I believe Asian culture of family, love and relationship is more strong than Western. Again I know some people may disagree or agree differently but it is purely my thinking and is also affirmed by seeing the current trends. However I prefer to keep an open mind and welcome your comments/remarks.</span><br>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyways, this article is not about discussing which one is better. In fact it is about adopting something which we lack or missed during our struggles for progress. And the word is – hobby. Yes hobby. We have invested so much time and money in educating our generations that we somehow forgot this part or consider it useless. I am not saying that it is a fault. It takes a lot of hard work, courage and determination to bring up a family and ensure that their future is secure. But it is time to realize that other aspects of life are also important. And I am not talking about only our kids. I am talking about YOU. When was the last time you invested sometime in your favorite hobby? Or may be, what is your favorite hobby? Why is it that a boy or a girl who used to play sports during college, stops even remotely connecting to that same activity once he or she lands into a job or gets married. We all know we don’t have time and also that “time is money”. And of course it is not worth spending time and money on learning guitar lessons if your dream is to be a business consultant. And what is the use of playing football every weekend if you are not getting any money or fame out of it? <br>
But doesn’t indulging in hobby make us happy and content and satisfied? Isn’t it the hidden aim of life? <br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nZOLKEJKrNM/VSEt8kvi8_I/AAAAAAAADpo/Nwg8QBMDCJQ/s640/blogger-image-1230948565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nZOLKEJKrNM/VSEt8kvi8_I/AAAAAAAADpo/Nwg8QBMDCJQ/s640/blogger-image-1230948565.jpg"></a></div><br><br>I can see many people in Western countries jogging on the roadside, children doing weird stunts on skates, people reading books, volunteering themselves for elderly care and free teaching and so on. But the percentage of such people seems very less here. Also the percentage seems limited to a particular age group. and I think here is the opportunity for us to be motivated by our western brothers and do something nice for us. So lets <strike>stop</strike> keep admiring Hollywood stars – Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and try to indulge in our hobbies and stay happy and content..</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dmR7YC3IU-k/VSEt58OQ58I/AAAAAAAADpg/p6gli_HOz80/s640/blogger-image--656010033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dmR7YC3IU-k/VSEt58OQ58I/AAAAAAAADpg/p6gli_HOz80/s640/blogger-image--656010033.jpg"></a></div><br><br>
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more inspiration continue reading....</span></i><br>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hobbies also "teach us" in addition to the health benefits. Sports teach us team work, commitment to schedules and to put a common goal before our own personal ones. Music needs us to concentrate on each and every note, helps in academic development and many other advantages which can be found here. Swimming relaxes body and mind and is an excellent exercise especially for asthma (worth mentioning as number of asthmatic people is on rise) </span><br>
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</span><span style="color: #073763;"><i>If you want to share your hobby and how it helped you OR you want to discuss the difficulties you face please leave a comment below. We would love to know. (please note if you face difficulty in leaving comment let me know at gulyani.esha@gmail.com or report it to Google Blogger).</i></span></span><br>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">P.S – To all my dear friends please don’t count watching TV or playing candy crush as hobby :) </span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-36646875488321985332014-10-30T11:35:00.000+05:302015-03-30T13:54:58.724+05:30What size are you - Small, Medium, Large or Extraa Large?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today when I was walking past I met an old friend who asked whether I had lunch. I politely replied no I am fasting. And to my surprise the conversation went like this: </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>He – “Oh ok is it to loose weight?” </em></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Me – “No, I am not fat!” </em></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>He – “Ok Accepted. No arguments” </em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Me – “Yes I am not fat! ”</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And we waived goodbye. But my mind wandered over the thought for some more time – Am I fat? Why he said -Accepted. No arguments? Doesn’t he have eyes? Am I really fat? What size do I buy when I go shopping? See I buy medium.. very rarely Large” and then something stuck my mind... Whenever we go for shopping we look at the size and they are something like small, medium, large, extral large and so on… Isn’t it enough to shake the confidence of anyone? For instance lets imagine a sweet confident girl Su. Lets assume Su is curvy but generally she doesn’t care about some extra weight as everyone around says that we should love our body as it is. One fine morning Su gets up and decides to go for some shopping. She struggles for a while to find a dress which suits her best and doesn’t inappropriately show her assets. She cheers herself up by thinking anyways she is going for shopping. And then with a smile on her face reaches the malls. There she finds a very nice top and decides to try it on and looks for the size – Large…ugghhh…XL…aghh ok let me try both n see where I fit. After few minutes she concludes that yes she is EXTRA LARGE. She ignores it and moves on to find another dress and meets her friend Ria. Ria looks at the dress in her hand and points out – “wouldn’t it be too inappropriate, I mean it is sleeveless and abut short... Oh I mean you can buy something better..” Su politely agrees and leaves the dress. What is the use of buying a dress in which she feels she is beautiful but all others don’t. And anyways she is EXTRA large in size so everything will look "inappropriate" . So you see how easily and bitterly the shopping trip told Su the reality. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But isn’t it wrong that the cloth designing companies define the sizes for us? And please note that there is no “PERFECT” size. So you are either small :(, Medium (ok, but still not good), large :( or XL or XXL :'( And to add some brands don’t even sell sizes above XL. I prefer the numbering system over it. For instance I am either 8, 12, or 20. Its no one’s business to tell me if I am small or large.. I am either 8 or 20 and I don’t care. I don’t need to be reminded about my size everytime I go shopping specially now that retail therapy is gaining popularity.<br /><br />As for the caring friend Ria.. I think we don't realize how we sometimes hurt our friend’s feelings. Personally I think everyone should have right to wear and look how they want. A person knows what will and what will not suit their big or small assets. So lets not try to be fashion police or whatever unless explicitly asked!</span></div>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-89369550304045213722013-02-27T08:51:00.002+05:302015-04-08T13:35:37.308+05:30Life is a race..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Writing after a long
time without thinking much about the topic. </span>Infact these days my life is going so fast don’t have time to give thought to lots of things. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But whenever I am travelling and am forced to think I wonder what a race life is. I see so many people going around busy in talking, messaging, watching movies (thanks to smart phones). Looks like everybody is very efficient and productive and knows the value of time. And why not, we all have high ambitions, which unlike our parents, are not restricted to good house, good clothes and good food only. We want to achieve everything achievable. And this thought is strengthened when we see our peers succeed <span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">in their endeavor</span>. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well they say "Desire leads to success". And I totally agree with it. But in this race for new and better things we forget to look back and be happy about what we already achieved. When we were kids did we think we can have all what we have now? And if we thought, how confident were we? <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently heard a short story from my dear friend. He told me how our mind works to achieve success :- </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our mind sets a goal and works hard to achieve it. So if I decide, for example, that I will buy a new phone 4 months from now, my mind knows I have to save for it or have to work hard to achieve that extra incentive so that I can buy myself that long desired technological beauty. And the time comes and I successfully buy the phone, but that very moment I realize there's a new iPad launched. And now I want to buy it too in a couple of months and I start working hard. But what happens internally is that my mind gets confused as it expected that once I succeed in something I will be happy and in a mood to celebrate. But what I did was set a new goal and started chasing it. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well I think I made my point clear. So whenever we get time today, while travelling, in kitchen, walking to buy a new gadget, or simply trying to sleep at night; let’s take a short break and think what we have achieved. How brilliantly we have performed in past few years and applaud ourselves. Be proud of our own achievements and smile. Don’t worry it will not leave you behind in the race, but energise you to run faster.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><o:p>Some of the success quotes I found while writing this blog:</o:p><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.</em> - Bruce Lee </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome</em>.- Booker T. Washington </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Belief in oneself is one of the most important bricks in building any successful venture.</em> - Lydia M. Child</span> </span></span></li>
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Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-29071543252706352082012-10-01T12:36:00.000+05:302015-03-30T13:54:39.175+05:30Smiling at the little workers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just read about two great actress who went through a lot in their childhood days - separation of parents, negligence of father, financial trouble. All this eventually led them to start working in their teens. Even though both are now famous and known for their strength, but they faced a lot of challenges at a young age and this in time made them bitter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its not just these two, we know there are so many children out there who follow this fate and somehow lose their innocence. We can easily find them at tea stalls, highway dhabba, at garages, on streets either begging or selling something, at sabzi mandis (vegetable market), in our own houses as maids and as reported by news channels in big factories too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While government and NGOs have made some efforts in trying to educate them, providing facilities isn't just enough. Many of these kids are working not just because they have to but because they have no other choice. They are trying to earn bread and butter for their family. No matter what facilities they are given with they will still do these jobs. Unless they keep getting salary for studying, which no government or organization might do. I think if I were in their place I would do the same for my family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But its not the lack of education which bothered me, its the harsh cruelty of their fate that forced me to think about them. Even though these kids are working at their own will, does that mean their wish to play in the ground or eat chocolate has ended? Just because they are young their owners will ask them to work more for same wages? Just because they are too scared to raise their voice anyone can yell at them for no reason? And if they go through all this wouldn't they become rude and have this bitterness in their hearts for the whole world? Isn't it sad?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sitting here at home I cant do anything, I cant change these kids fate, I cant even make sure they go to school, I cant feed their families but I can make all these things easier for them. I can be nice to them, I can smile at them, I can offer them a chocolate or ice-cream, I can buy something from them even if I don't want it, I can forgive their small mistakes, I can show them that I know they are human too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can you do this too? </span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796107004311153791.post-62841508159654406952012-08-29T20:39:00.000+05:302015-08-28T08:48:41.191+05:30A woman's thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Once in a while when I am travelling in my way to office or just feeling low, I start pondering “Where am I going?” Is this what I signed for? My job like everyone else’s has been quite tough. I have travelled a very rough road with many speed bumps and pot holes. Sometimes have also stumbled down and hurt myself. But then don’t know how gathered the remaining strength and moved on.</span><br />
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I am sure many people, especially the females, feel the same way. All of us at some point of time have compromised their career, likes and aspirations to take care of those around them. Someone might argue that this is the path we chose - to work or to be a housewife. We knew from beginning, that out of both the partners, one has to focus on house and kids. And given a chance, we still would like to take the household responsibility because deep inside that is what gives us self-satisfaction. If you don't agree imagine your kitchen after your husband cooked for you or the room after he changed baby's clothes. Now look at yourself seeing him doing all this work. :) :)</span><br />
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However, somewhere in-between finding the work-life balance, we feel exhausted. We continuously feel the pressure of being left behind when our co-workers get promoted just because they can stay late than usual working hours. To worsen it we feel guilt of not being able to give full time and support to kids. Even the simplest thing as eating dinner out coz we were too tired to cook adds on little guilt. And its not just the working women, the ones at home are not happy either. They have to continuously convince themselves that just because they are not earning doesn't make them any lesser. </span><br />
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Well this post is not about work-life balance or any time management skills. This is just to say that you are not alone. And we do understand the tough daily routine job you have to go through. So relax and enjoy the busyness of life, as these days will not come back.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you agree please respond in a way - either +1 or leave a comment, or recommend on facebook or google+ . Just to show that you care :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ohh and the flower (above) in this article ...is for you to make you realise how beautiful you are :)</span></div>
Esha P. Solankihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01161369072099191109noreply@blogger.com5