What a Wonderful World

Beautiful World

Blessed are we Earthlings to be Guests on the magnificent planet Earth! The key to blessedness lies in being aware of blessedness. If your awareness is turned in different directions, towards what you cannot do or have, or what you think you cannot do or have, then this wrongly directed pattern of thought will make you unaware of the many things that you can do or have. This world is great if you can accept the bad with the good in it, but it becomes beautiful if you can see the good in every bad.

Only by uplifting our consciousness can we ever truly change the way we look at and relate to the world around us. Deeper connection with nature makes us happier and more loving human being.

Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, “You owe me”. Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.

Thank Heaven, for our beautiful world, for the birds that soar in the immense sky. For the precious flora that adorns our Earth in an exquisite array of colors. For the awe-inspiring and majestic sceneries; and for all the amazing animals our co-inhabitants that generously share their beauty and unconditional love.

We need to fall in love with nature. What we fall in love with we protect. When we fall in love, we transform. Through loving and protecting nature, we can heal ourselves and ensure a future for our children. When we align our bodies, minds and hearts with the wisdom of nature, a few examples of which could be by hiking a mountain, connecting with an animal, just taking a fresh morning walk listening the birds, or looking into the eyes of a new born child, we embrace our own humanity, becoming more peaceful, and joyful human beings

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I see trees of green........ red roses too 
I see em bloom..... for me and for you 
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world. 
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white 
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights 
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

Check this composition by Louis Armstrong visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Aba0lVdE2c

This has been one of my favorite songs for as long as I can remember. Therefore, it’s only fitting that I share a few lines

In deep gratitude may all creations thrive in peace, and dignity; under merciful grace and protection of our Creator.

Compiled by:

Isha R Ganatra

Hobby

A hobby is an activity undertaken for fun. Hobbies play an important role in one’s everyday routine. They help in freeing up the shackles of monotony in one’s life. From the outside, it might seem like that you are doing the same thing again and again, but this monotony is something you like to do; not something you have to do like everyday chores. It is something you love doing, without any reason.

You never get tired of your hobby. Neither are you satiated with it, nor unsatisfied with it. You want to do more of it; you want to learn more about it; you want to experience more of it. You want to keep doing it until you become perfect in the subject; also you keep doing it, to prove that it is under your command. All this, unconsciously, leads you to becoming an expert in it.

People might consider you to be childish or obsessive; but for you, it is therapeutic. It is a form of meditation, a form of relaxation. So much so that even if you get up in the middle of the night, or in the middle of doing something important, you are always up for it. You have had a long, hard day, but your hobby is something you find comfort in; something you use to relax and calm your mind. At other times, it is a form of recreation.

You have such an authority over the subject of your hobby that even professionals swear by your knowledge. They might even pay you for sharing your knowledge. In fact, certain hobbyists are attributed to discover things about the subject that even professionals haven’t. This becomes an opportunity for you to turn your hobby into your profession. Once it turns into your passion, you might feel like you live your hobby. You fall asleep thinking about it and you are still thinking about it when you wake up. All your talks and examples reflect the subject of your hobby. It is like it is in your blood, or you are born with it.

As to what one should develop as a hobby, suggestions from others are usually not helpful in discovering your interests. It is always better to think for oneself, what one enjoys doing no matter what the circumstances. Suggestions are usually the likes of other people’s interests. They narrow your mind as what you might like, not what you actually like. If one needs to find one’s true hobby, the best way is to look inside one, and not at suggestions given by others.

Everyone should develop hobbies in order to add significance and enjoyment to your life. As they say, “variety is the spice of life”.

Deepali Mehta

HANAMI - The cherry blossom festival

Hanami, or the cherry blossom viewing, is a popular festival in Japan. It is usually celebrated from February to early May throughout Japan, depending on the location; though cherry blossoms last only for about two weeks at one location. It signifies the arrival of the spring season. Sakura, or the cherry blossom, is the national flower of Japan. It signifies the last year’s harvest. It also indicates the rice-planting season.

Emperor Saga of the Heian Period started this practice. He held flower-viewing parties and feasts under the sakura (cherry blossom) trees in the IMperialCourt in Kyoto. Soon this practise was adopted by the samurai class and then the entire Japanese society[1].

One of the first places to celebrate hanami is Kawazu in Izu Peninsula. Here, celebrations start as early as February. A ferry ride along the Kawazu River is a must; it is flanked by cherry trees on both sides and continues for about four kilometres, it practically is a cherry blossom tunnel. Another place for sakura viewing is Mt. Yoshino. It has about 30000 cherry trees on its slopes and hence, is a visual treat for people going to pilgrimage. From a distance, these trees look like beautiful pink clouds hovering over the mountain. And at Hirosaki Castle, they are even lit up at night. In Tokyo, Shinjuku Goen garden is famous for hanami; in fact, so famous, it is usually crowded[2].

Traditionally, parties and feasts are held under the cherry trees, which are usually followed by sake-drinking (Japanese wine). Today, it is a get together and people organize picnics, play games and hold sake-drinking contests. Even food stalls spring up at these spots.

Hanami also appears in a lot of Japanese poems; anime such as Fairy Tail and Hyouka; paintings etc.

Hanami is also famous outside Japan. Festivals are conducted in Korea, Taiwan, the Phillipines, China and USA. Ironically, Macon in Georgia is deemed the capital of cherry blossoms in the world. Parties are held in Washington D. C. and New York. It is popular in Europe as well, especially in Finland.

Deepali Mehta

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami 

[2] http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/schauwecker/130228.html

 

 

Women at Work-- Hi friends , this is my first post at Versatile Soch ! Hope you enjoy it

Women at Work

Face it or ignore it, but the bitter truth is that whether it is about childhood dreams or mid-career promotions, women have always been told to take on smaller challenges. Bigger roles, from and entirely social view point are meant for the men to take up.  According to a report at Harvard Business Review, women are suffering from low self-esteem; men were more confident across all age groups, with 70% of males having high or very high levels of self – confidence, compared to 50% of the women surveyed. The study also found that the lack of self confidence extends to a more cautious approach to applying for jobs and promotions, 20% of men said they would apply for a role despite only partially meeting its job description, compared to 14% of women.

No one’s going to get permission, if they don’t think they deserve success. Women systematically underestimate their abilities, and most of them don’t negotiate over salary. Well, in reality, it’s only about lack of confidence; rather about lack of support.  Number of men willing to reach new opportunities is much higher than that of the women.

YES LADIES! Be what you really are. In today’s time it is essential to exert power and be noticeable. It’s time to be taken more seriously!

It’s been seen again and again, women fail to get promoted because they fail to step up and apply.

Ask for Rewards, we believe that one day our success will speak for itself; however , that won’t ever happen, so you have to claim recognition if you want your efforts to be noticed. Get up from your seats and tell your bosses “I have accomplished A, B, C, D and E and I think I deserve a promotion.” I can tell you with the little experience I have and observed in this corporate world, 90% of the time these bosses will have no idea of all those things you’ve done!

Don’t complain; make changes! Take up new responsibilities outside your job roles, and not only when it comes to promotions. It feels personally risky to step – up and ask for a big job or assignment – but there’s really no other way. Not asking means you’ve lost the chance to influence the outcome.

It’s not only about adding skills but also about changing everyday thinking and behaviors. It’s not only about how confident you look but how confident you feel.

Aspiring women entrepreneurs do check out this inspiring TED talk video (below)

http://www.ted.com/talks/gayle_tzemach_lemmon_women_entrepreneurs_example_not_exception.html


Compiled by:
Isha R Ganatra

Anime

Anime is a type of animation mainly popular in East Asia. However since the word so closely resembles animation and any animation is cartoon, reactions such as, “You watch anime? Grow up”, “Anime is for kids”, “We are adults, we don’t watch cartoons!” and so on, are faced by people who watch anime.

Anime and cartoons are different. Cartoons are mainly aimed at children of up to 14 years. There are different stories in a cartoon. Anime, on the other hand, is one story told in episode form.

Anime is intended for much older audience. In fact there are anime which are not suitable for children. Of course, there are anime which are aimed at kids, but they are few and far between. Most anime have varied genres such as sports, thriller, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy, music etc. And they are aimed at young adults.

Anime originated in Japan, where it constitutes almost 50% of television entertainment, in 1917 with a two-minute clip of a samurai.[1] By 1930s it was seen to be an alternative to live action form of story-telling. Most anime is adapted from manga – “Japanese comics”, which feature each episode in one issue of a particular manga.

Essentially, anime is animated serial. There is a plot and the story spans many episodes. With the help of technology, the characters demonstrate real human emotions. They feel anger, confusion, love, just as humans do. This makes anime and its characters so relatable. Just as one series’ characters are popular, anime characters are popular among anime-lovers. Just as serial watchers come back every week for a new episode, so do anime-lovers.

Any anime-lover will tell at least one thing - “Do not compare anime with cartoons, compare it with live-action”. In fact, Japanese take it as an offence if you do so. For anime-lovers, cartoons are for kids and anime is on a whole, different level. It is on the same rank as any popular live-action series.

Anime is popular in many countries such as Japan, Korea, and Indonesia etc. In India, though, it is popular mainly in metro cities, that too, in young adults. It was brought in India by Sony Pictures Entertainment through its channel, Animax. However, as expected, it was put under kids channel. Another attempt is made by Colors with its show Suraj-The Rising Star, an anime based on the Japanese anime, Kyojin no Hoshi.

Worldwide, popular anime include Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail.

Deepali Mehta

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[1] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

Aromatherapy

As soon as one hears the word “aromatherapy”, one starts thinking about natural cosmetics and skin care products. Some others may also think about diffusers and essential oils. Yes, aromatherapy is all this. But it is much more.

The first and foremost use of essential oils, and hence aromatherapy, is healing.

Aromatherapy is the practice of healing mental and physical diseases through essential oils. It propagates the use of essential oils due to their harmlessness, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, soothing, relaxing and various other properties.

If you enter the world of aromatherapy, you would realise that it is a huge world of aromatic research and success; it also relates to various fields of science and industry. With the help of essential oils, you can foray into the world of chemistry to study their compositions, the perfume industry with their smell, the cosmetics and skin care industry with their beautifying properties; or the health industry with their healing properties. The opportunities are enormous!

Many people doubt their healing powers since essential oils are not taken orally, like most other medicines. But, these oils take effect and provide relief almost instantly. In fact, they are much more powerful as well as harmless when compared to traditional medicines. Essential oils are either used in diffusers or inhaled with steam or used with carrier oils in massages.

However, just as all medicines have their dosage instructions, so do essential oils. These oils must be diluted using carrier oils before use. Their concentrated form can be as hazardous as any acid. Their use is forbidden during pregnancy. They can sometimes cause headaches or other allergies. Also, there are certain oils which should never be used in aromatherapy.

Hence, aromatherapy is a huge field of healing and beautifying when proper precautions are taken when using essential oils.

So, aromatherapy, when used cautiously, is a powerful form of alternative medicine which heals the body and mind wonderfully and without any side effects.

 

Deepali Mehta