ME

Im on this medicine.. Its called abilifyI hate it so much, but no one will listen to me I miss my old depressed self.. It made me feel . nobody in the world would understand what im saying, but when i was depressed i could jot my feelings down in a little book and make poems but now i feel blank so im left to righting rants, whatever this is.. maybe i should do blogs,, i dont knowWell just jotting my feelings down.

Are Smart Boards SMART?

First, what in the world is a Smartboard? If you don’t know… according to Wikipedia, a Smartboard or interactive whiteboard is a large, touch-controlled screen that works with a projector and a computer. The projector throws the computer’s desktop image onto the interactive whiteboard (usually in the front of a room), which acts as both a monitor and an input device. Users can write on the interactive whiteboard in digital ink or use a finger to control computer applications by pointing, clicking and dragging, just as with a desktop mouse…
Now that you know a bit about this new technology, I refer back to my original question. Are Smart Boards smart? Maybe yes… and maybe no!
There is no doubt that this colorful-board technology rocks for educational uses. You can have students come up to a board in front of a class, and by using his or her fingers, can interact with a board to discuss many “hands-on” topics for a fun activity. But where the boards fall short — is in the depth of your pockets. You see, Smart Boards are VERY expensive to purchase for your average K12 School. They cost about $1,200 to $3,000 per unit, and that is not including the cost you will need to have a fast computer to run a board, and you also will need a current projector to show the image onto a screen.

Activity to Explore the Outdoors

For a quick and easy way to get preschool and school-age kids exploring the outdoors, try this simple leaf rubbing activity. All you need is:
a few pieces of paper
a couple of crayons with the paper wrappers removed
a hard, flat surface (smooth table top, floor or hard cover book)
a bucket, basket or bag for collecting leaves
1. Explain to kids that they need to collect a variety of different leaves or other flat objects in their bucket. Then we’ll use the paper and crayons to make cool rubbings.
2. As the children collect their leaves, encourage them to take their time and look at and feel the textures they encounter. Point out some of the features of the leaves, plants, trees or landscape you are exploring. Keep an eye out for insects or other little creatures you might come across. Don’t worry if they collect things that you know won’t work well for rubbings. It will be a great learning experience as they try it out. Also, don’t worry if you’ve spent so much time exploring the outdoors that you run out of time for the project. After all, the whole point of the activity is to get the kids to pay attention to nature, so… mission accomplished!
3. Once you’ve got a nice selection of items, show the children how to lay one out on the flat surface and cover it with the paper. Hold the crayon so it is lying across the paper and rub it across the leaf. Encourage children to press firmly and rub all around the flattened leaf under the paper.
4. Enjoy the oohs and aahs that are sure to erupt from the children’s mouths as they watch the images of the leaves appear.
Take it a step further by talking about the types of marks that appear after the rubbing. Which leaves make better rubbings? What didn’t work so well? After trying a few different leaves, can you predict what will make for a good rubbing image?
This activity is great for active learners as well as nature lovers and those who love crafts. It appeals to kinetic, natural and spatial intelligences, and the discussion questions can also help those with linguistic and logical/mathematical strengths also get involved.

SEVEN QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER

How often have you heard the comment, “He or she is a born leader?” There are certain characteristics found in some people that seem to naturally put them in a position where they’re looked up to as a leader.

Whether in fact a person is born a leader or develops skills and abilities to become a leader is open for debate. There are some clear characteristics that are found in good leaders. These qualities can be developed or may be naturally part of their personality. Let us explore them further.

Seven Personal Qualities Found In A Good Leader:

1. A good leader has an exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live their life with honestly and integrity. A good leader “walks the talk” and in doing so earns the right to have responsibility for others. True authority is born from respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads.
   


2. A good leader is enthusiastic about their work or cause and also about their role as leader. People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration, and be a motivator towards the required action or cause. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. This kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty.
   


3. A good leader is confident. In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members.
   


4. A leader also needs to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanor.
   


5. Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head.
   


6. A good leader as well as keeping the main goal in focus is able to think analytically. Not only does a good leader view a situation as a whole, but is able to break it down into sub parts for closer inspection. Not only is the goal in view but a good leader can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it.
   


7. A good leader is committed to excellence. Second best does not lead to success. The good leader not only maintains high standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas.

These seven personal characteristics are foundational to good leadership. Some characteristics may be more naturally present in the personality of a leader. However, each of these characteristics can also be developed and strengthened. A good leader whether they naturally possess these qualities or not, will be diligent to consistently develop and strengthen them in their leadership role.

RAIN

She got up from her writing desk to clear away the plate, full of crumbs and a smudge of sauce. On her way to the kitchen sink, she switched on the water kettle, waiting for the noise of a heated coil. She placed the plate on the sink and looked over to the open mouth of the sauce bottle—the sharp acidic smell of chilli garlic sauce. She flipped the cap shut and immersed her hands in tap water and soap. She rubbed the sponge in circles on the white surface, cold, wet, slippery, smooth and thought about her grocery list. Suddenly the rain outside gets stronger and their muffled noise rises. She looks outside and is disappointed to see it drizzling still. She makes her tea and stands by her window, with one hand at her hip. Rain. Incessant, rootless rain. Each hour, each day, melting away in rain. She loves it when it rains. She measures the episodes of her life with the feelings that the rain in that city evoked in her. She stood there watching the rain, together with the open Tupperware containers full of frozen foods, together, spinning out of the little kitchen, thinking of all the different kinds of rains she has been in. The most beautiful rain she has ever seen has been in Dhaka, during the August-September monsoons. The rain is lusty and comes ripping out from the sky in furious anger. It is like listening to a man’s recorded voice, a heavy voice full of regret and confessions. Just his voice, breaking the field of perfect silence, disturbing, hypnotic, incomprehensible and yet clear in it’s pain and intent. She would lie in her bed and look at the rain outside her window in Dhaka, watching each drop fall against the window pane and trickle down in streaks, creating little rivers from little tears. There was sadness in that rain, but not the kind that makes you forget it. Now, Bangkok rain, now that was forgettable. It was sticky, dirty sulphurous rain. She never looked for that kind of rain. Then there is rain that feeds your soul. Little by little, the kind of rain that claims you, the kind of rain that comes looking for you. This kind of rain has it’s presents only for those who recognise it in it’s middle. This kind of rain happens in Rajasthan, in the dessert. It was the strangest kind of rain she had ever seen. It wasn’t rhythmic, simple, transparent, soft, light and slender. It was harsh, transient and essential. It would come suddenly upon the dry yellow sand of the desert, wetting the trees and the footpaths, but never the sands. It would rattle the little fruits from the trees, rattling little boats in small gullies. Sometimes it would rain for days – long and mad – each drop full of sweetness, each drop not extinguishing but duelling with the hot thirsty sand. This rain amazed her. It was her first time away from home and the first day she was there, it rained, quite unexpectedly. It was an unearthly welcome song from nature. And every time it rained after that, she would look up and see the naked force of rain, a different face from the comforting friend she had left behind in the monsoons of Dhaka. The rain wouldn’t comfort her, but it would let her soul know that somehow the night, wind, the moon, the rain have all spun out of their due course and that there was no great mystery to it. It was god’s plan, god’s design. It didn’t calm her, but it gave her strength. Sometimes she thought of a rain that she only saw once, against the hills of Dehradun, with her mother. She had noticed how green and alive the hills were looking. But soon her attention went elsewhere. The hotel clerk’s typewriter was jangling away in time with the rain, sometimes drawing a pause as the he fiddled with the carbon sheets. To her ears, it was a tango for two, the clerk’s typing turned into a Milonguero, leading the noise of the rain into a turn, a hook, a break, a sweep. Notes nestled within notes. The music of the rain that she had never noticed before. She pulled her mother close to her and they both stood on the veranda, watching it rain, as the hot chocolate in their thermos ran out. She put her teacup down, it had gone cold, she hadn’t noticed. She thought of putting on the kettle again, as she looked down at the sad drowning teabag in her cup. Suddenly she remembered it raining the day her grandfather died in a London hospital. She had rushed to the hospital, after negotiating pedestrian traffic on a day when the world was battling the gusty wind and rain on Waterloo Bridge. But it was too late that day. The rain had frozen in her hands when she heard the news of his passing. It was as if on that day, the rain had claimed her. She stood there with her hair in wet little tails, her trousers wet, from the thighs down, her socks, drowned long before. She cried with her family around her. Hours later, she stood outside with her brother as he lit up a cigarette, huddled under a thin awning. His cigarette smoke melted in with her hot breath. Steam and smoke and florescent lighting, mixed together that late night, her grandfather had passed away, and it was still raining in London. It wasn’t heavy or angry or sad or dirty or beautiful. It was just persistent and made one tired. It caught one in its nets and drew one down. It felt like cold fish scales. It looked like that too. She often wondered about moving someplace where it was warmer, some place where the rain was warm, beautiful, wild. She missed the rain that she loved. She missed the rain that was from her happier days, the rain that was hers.

THE JOYS OF GARDENING

Gardening is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding hobbies. It requires time, patience, and stamina to achieve the results you want, and a great deal of care needs to be thrown in as well.
Planning your garden is a on-going task for even the smallest of gardens. It's great fun to think about the possibilities and figure out how make them a reality.
Even if you have a professional build your garden for you, it still requires constant attention; you still need to look after your flowers, plants and trees, no matter who planted them. Stems and branches will still need clipping, and grass will still need cutting. Beds will need watering and pests exterminating. So, ultimately, the only thing a professional installation will save you is the time it takes to create your ideal garden. The ongoing work will still be the same.
Gardening is a great way to get exercise in small, regular doses. All of the digging, grabbing and cutting can soon burn calories, and many people prefer gardening to a regular trip to the gym because of the sense of achievement it provides.
There are many types of gardening, suitable for all ages. Senior citizens often take up herb and container gardening while leaving the bigger jobs, such as mowing, pruning and digging, to a part-time gardener.
Kids can have a lot of fun gardening. Watching a flower or plant grow from a seed they planted can be fascinating for children. Giving them their own small plot is a great way to introduce them to the delights of gardening. They will learn that a garden takes planning and care over a fairly long period to achieve results. Gardening is educational and a great way to spend quality time with your kids.
But despite all the sense of achievement it can bring, many people enjoy gardening for one reason more than any other: to get some time to themselves. They get time to think, and all they can hear is the trees swaying and the birds singing while they're left to their thoughts. If you need some time to yourself, while remaining active and working toward a goal, then gardening may be just the hobby for you.

Gardening is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding hobbies. It requires time, patience, and stamina to achieve the results you want, and a great deal of care needs to be thrown in as well.
Planning your garden is a on-going task for even the smallest of gardens. It's great fun to think about the possibilities and figure out how make them a reality.
Even if you have a professional build your garden for you, it still requires constant attention; you still need to look after your flowers, plants and trees, no matter who planted them. Stems and branches will still need clipping, and grass will still need cutting. Beds will need watering and pests exterminating. So, ultimately, the only thing a professional installation will save you is the time it takes to create your ideal garden. The ongoing work will still be the same.
Gardening is a great way to get exercise in small, regular doses. All of the digging, grabbing and cutting can soon burn calories, and many people prefer gardening to a regular trip to the gym because of the sense of achievement it provides.
There are many types of gardening, suitable for all ages. Senior citizens often take up herb and container gardening while leaving the bigger jobs, such as mowing, pruning and digging, to a part-time gardener.
Kids can have a lot of fun gardening. Watching a flower or plant grow from a seed they planted can be fascinating for children. Giving them their own small plot is a great way to introduce them to the delights of gardening. They will learn that a garden takes planning and care over a fairly long period to achieve results. Gardening is educational and a great way to spend quality time with your kids.
But despite all the sense of achievement it can bring, many people enjoy gardening for one reason more than any other: to get some time to themselves. They get time to think, and all they can hear is the trees swaying and the birds singing while they're left to their thoughts. If you need some time to yourself, while remaining active and working toward a goal, then gardening may be just the hobby for you.

MY BRO n ME

MY FAMILY

ME
AMIT n ME @ KONARK
AMIT
MOMMY n ME

DADDY

Authentic Irish Coffee

1 bottle Irish whiskey
1 pot freshly brewed coffee (hot and strong)
1 pot piping hot water
granulated sugar
whipping cream, real
a dollop of good cheer!
some good company
a collection of Irish Coffee mugs, one for each member of your good company
one silver spoon, you need not be born with it in your mouth
Assemble all of your ingredients on a counter where you will have generous-sized working area. The secrets to making a great Irish coffee are two: you must work quickly which means having all of your ingredients before you before you begin and secondly, to warm the glasses before you combine your ingredients, otherwise, the finished product will not achieve the proper serving temperature.
Begin brewing your coffee. You can use any brand or type of coffee, prepare it in your usual way but make it a tad stronger this time. You want the coffee to hold its flavor against the Irish whiskey.
Separately, prepare a pot of piping hot water.
While the coffee is brewing and water heating, whip your cream by hand or with an electric beater until it is thick but does NOT peak. You want the cream to be semi-liquid, yet stiff enough so that it will float high in the glass and excite the palate. This is where the artist in you must come out. Please, DO NOT use canned aerosol whipped cream products. Aerosol, whipped dairy and nondairy toppings will ruin your Irish coffee. Again, real whipped cream ONLY! You can prepare the whipped cream several hours in advance if you prefer and keep it refrigerated. If you are on a diet, maybe you need go to a different web page now.
Once the cream is prepared, fill each mug with the piping hot water. REMEMBER: You must work quickly. Let the water-filled mugs sit a moment or two to warm. You want "one mug for each member of your "good company." Yes, this is much like, "Hurry up and wait!" Take a moment for final meditation before you begin your creation, the most fabulous Irish coffee you have ever had.
Quickly, empty the mugs of hot water and place all of the mugs in a line before yourself. If you are right-handed, work from left to right (if you are a student of Zen, you might try right to left). Place a slightly-rounded teaspoon of granulated sugar in the bottom of each glass.
Again, quickly, pour two-three fingers of Irish whiskey over the sugar. You can be generous with the whiskey but not so generous that you overpower the other ingredients or your good company... another call for the artist. In time, your artistic abilities will grow. Hurry now.
Pour your hot coffee over the whiskey leaving a half-inch or so at the brim. This is to accommodate your cream. Before adding the cream, stir each mug quickly with the silver spoon. Two or three brisk swirls around the glass are all that is required... Top your creation with the whipped cream being careful to keep the coffee and cream separated. It is another Mortal Sin to mix the cream into the coffee. It MUST reside on top or it is off to Confession for you.
Serve immediately.

Serves as many as you have whiskey and the stamina for.

My Memoirs of A Himalayan Trek

I was new to group travel. I have always been a solo traveller, or at most with no more than a couple of buddies.
The whole group dynamics thing hardly rated a mention in my thoughts. I simply thought, if I don't like the other people in my group I can just walk away. This walking away theory may well work in other places, but when outside is below zero, you are days away from civilisation and the only quiet place as an alternative, is an icy long drop toilet, you ain't walking away from nobody.
So who is in your group, how they act, and how you react make an awfully big difference to the enjoyment of your holiday.
After getting this rather rude surprise I asked a few of my friends upon my return about their encounters with group travel. Surprisingly their stories matched mine in some places. It seemed there are certain categories inherent in travelling groups and they seem to evolve and mutate like dank, green fungus the longer you go on.
Here's a few of the standard roles that exist in travelling groups, and do be mindful that you too could fall victim…
The Scaredy Cat

I must confess to being part of this group occasionally, in particular around steep descents and ice. Scaredy Cats, at best, are great canaries in the coalmine, as they can warn the group at an early stage of impending danger. At worst, they are that whingeing, squealing girl who is screams to her husband that she is too afraid to walk in the mud just in case they get a leech. (Right…a leech at 14,000 metres).
There was however one time when I couldn't quite bring myself to make it to the outside toilet one night. This was because of the killer cows.
I woke up sometime in the wee hours…they are called wee hours as you do this regularly at altitude as you are drinking so much…and started to make my way to the little wooden long drop. I got to the lodge doorway and looked outside. Well firstly it was snowing. I had never seen that before. I looked up at the beautiful light flakes floating down. They were almost glowing as the moon lit each and every one. I then shined my torch down to check how deep the snow was and was met with a set of glowing orange eyes. I almost didn't need to reach the outhouse after that.
In fact, on closer inspection, there were two sets of demon eyes, and I could hear a few bells mysteriously clanging quite close to me. This was yeti territory.
As my eyes got better used to the dark I could make out it was a few cold dyokyos (half cow, half yak) huddling together in the snow. Still they were too close and they had horns and there were some just moseying on around the toilet that could gore me if they wanted. But god, what was with the eye thing?
So I did what any Scaredy Cat would do. I went and woke up someone for help. My husband wasn't amused.
Well not until I told him about the Killer Cows and since he was originally a country boy, I suggested he would know whether it was normal that their eyes glowed in the dark.
He was intrigued. He ended up laughing his head off as he made shushing noises leading me to the toilet. He even waited outside just in case the killer cows tried to get me whilst I was over the toilet. (Notice I said over the toilet, not on the toilet.)
The Photographic FanaticLook, I've probably got more cameras than most people--count' em, five--but what makes a photographic fanatic is that is that they talk about it ALL the time. And they always presume that you know nothing at all. We had this one guy on the trip who was carrying a huge backpack chocful of every bit and piece you could ever imagine and all of the stuff he could attach by various gadgets to his rather ordinary Pentax. And he did nothing else than talk about it all.
Let me give you an example. You: "Oh look it's Mount Everest!" Him: "Well you will need a red filter and a polariser to capture the highlights." You: " Wow, this would look great in black and white." Him: "Really, I'm using colour. Black and white here may be a little difficult to shoot due to the strong contrast. I could show you how…" You: " This chanting by the monks is so peaceful isn't it?" Him: "Huh? It's too low in light to take photos in here, I'm going back outside." He even had his own photographic assistant with him…oh, I mean his wife.
The Jock

Jocks come in both sexes and can be any shape or size. The main defining characteristic is the super-concentrated dose of ego gratification they bring with them everywhere and the total disregard to the journey. We had a number of jock types but two in particular were outstanding in their category.
One, a girl, took 30 herb and vitamin tablets per day and did not bother bringing a camera as, "Well, all the mountains look alike really." The other, a guy, would take great pleasure in rushing ahead and disdainfully looking down from the day's high point on those of us who were taking it a little slower. He usually would be sitting on a rock laughing at us poor puffing souls as we staggered into camp.
Happily, he was duly rewarded for his haste and bad manners by a few days of high-pressure vomiting due to altitude sickness at our high point.
The Clown

We had a brilliant clown on this trip. This guy was from far north Queensland and really played on that. This means he spoke slow, acted slow, and had a funny hat. His hat actually was his entree into many a village and conversation. It was knitted from hemp fibre so it looked like a floppy knitted hat made from brown string, and it actually grew. As the lethal cocktail of sweat, snow, and dust seeped into it, the hat transformed itself into an organic living thing. By the end of the trip it had distended down over his eyes, it had changed colour, it had seeds germinating on it, and it had even been spat in by a Sherpa lady. We aren't sure why she spat in it, but I suspect it must have been a kind of warding off evil type thing…either that or she was trying to kill it. It was a very furious spit, let me tell you.
This guy would also serenade us every morning with a song. There would be a new one every day and because the lodges are so simple and very open, sound carries extremely well, so no matter where you were you could hear him. You could even sing along if you were so inclined, as I often did.
Imagine it is 6 a.m., you are just waking up, and you look out your window and see a veritable panorama of pristine mountains tinted pink from the dawn. The air is clean and cold. You hear very little but the crunch of a few pairs of boots outside in the snow UNTIL : the theme of "Neighbours" comes cracking into your head. The singer is vastly flat.
The day before it was John Williamson's "True Blue," and day before that an incredibly enthusiastic rendition of Whitney Houston's " I Will Always Love You."
Man, I loved the mornings!
The Virgin Traveller

Yes, there are people who reach their mid-20s and have never travelled. I love watching these people because everything, yes everything, is fascinating. They get bugs in their mouths for keeping them open in amazement so long. Our one lone Kiwi was a travel virgin and for someone on his first time, he was not taking it easily.
Directly after a 25-day Nepalese trek, he was going on a 21-day back roads of Vietnam trip, and then within days a two-week trek in the jungles of Borneo. To think you can happily survive all of that in a row is definite naive traveller territory. Last time I saw him he had a big sore on his nose from a combination of windburn and sunburn ("I didn't know I would need that strong a sunblock"), none of his clothes fit ("Oh, I didn't know I may lose weight"), and I gave him my supply of travel medicine ("You would be OK to eat most cooked things in Vietnam, wouldn't you?").
The Me Too

I don't suffer fools gladly. It's not one of my better more humane points, but stupidity gives me the creeps. And the worst kind of stupid is the kind that lets others make all their decisions for them. In a group it can be tempting not to think and just go along for the ride, but The Me Too really pushes that to ridiculous limits. "Oh, you are having two eggs? I should too." "Oh, you are wearing your waterproof, I better go back and put mine on too." " I don't know what to do once we get back to Kathmandu…should I shower or shave first?" My answer to the last question, was "I do hope you have a really sharp razor."

Biking in Himachal

There is splendid biking in northern India. The traffic along the trunkroads has become distinctly dangerous but once off the main roads India is a wonderful country for cycling, especially in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Here are some notes from a 2700 km tour we made in 1999.
We took a taxi to Manali at 2000 m altitude in Himachal Pradesh with the bikes still boxed up. A bit expensive but well worth the money to be able to start with our equipment in perfect condition. Our route took us first to Lahul and Spiti then back to Lahul and on to Ladakh, Nubra, Pangong Lake, Tso Moriri and back to Manali via Lahul. Nubra and Pangong we visited as excursions from Leh, where we could leave some of the weight and spend some time recuperating between rides and before setting out for the long ride back to Manali.

Our route was consistently in mountains above 3000 metres. We carried a mountain tent (Hilleberg Namatj) and some dehydrated food and a stove (Trangia Kerosene) that we used some nights, though most we slept in local hotels bringing our cycles into our room and eating the food that was locally available. It would be possible to ride from Manali to Leh without tent but it would be considerably harder, not least because of the altitudes, having to spend the night out, or getting acute mountain sickness, could be fatal.
We used mountain bikes, Crescent Ultima, with steel frames, and ancient Tange front shocks. Our panniers were Karrimore's largest in the back, and one for the front hanging on the steering bar. We used Tubus chromoly racks, and found them light and durable. Headset and stems were Tioga, bars were Kalloy, saddles Avocet Air Titanium, and the drive train a mix of XT and XTR components. Front deraileur XT, 22,32,44, back deraileur XTR, cassette XT 11-34, Sachs power chain, bottom bracket UN72. Rims Mavic 117, hubs Tioga in front, XT on the back wheel. Tyres were Micheline Wild Grippers and Geax as spares. The gear mostly held up fine, but we had some problems. A back wheel got out of true and the rim started to come apart badly after our trip to Nubra which involved endless fast descents with consistent breaking: e.g., some 70 km in one go from Khardong La to Nubra. A Swiss MTB group could fortunately sell us a wheel. A front deraileur crashed travelling up the Indus valley to Mahe, where it was used heavily as one would go in a speed of 40 km one minute, and 4 the next. I had to switch the chain between the front rings manually for some 700 km after that. Surprisingly, it worked quite well. Mainly due to the topography: in Ladakh it is either up or down. The Karrimore panniers were not really up to sustained riding on rough roads: the weakest link turned out to be the bolts that connected them to the mechanism they hung on. They gradually fell apart. Most disappointing was that the aluminium bar that carried one of our front bags snapped at Chang La in the cold of an early morning. The cold had made it brittle. A black smith in Leh made us a new of a disused steel wire.
Culturally and ethnically our route took us through great variations. In Manali the dominant people are Parabatyas, who are culturally close to the Chetris of Nepal, north of Rothang Jot people are culturally close to Tibet. They are Lama Buddhists and speak Tibetan dialects. In Ladakh the Buddhists are dominant, but there is also a significant Muslim minority, both Baltis who also speak a Tibetan dialect and Kashmiri. On the high plains one encounters Champas, semi nomads who speak Tibetan. There is also a great number of people from the plains in Ladakh.

World Filled With Wonder and Magic

Nobody owns a mountain

Nobody owns the sea,

None can possess the sunshine -

A bright reaching Summertime tree.

Nature is all around us

Lending her special charms,

Touching God's world with her magic

And holding it fast in her arms.

No one can hold a snowflake

So quickly it melts away,

We can't bid the twilight to linger

When it comes to the end of day.

Rainbows are but for a moment

There in the blue of the sky,

Bright colored leaves of the Autumn

Are gone in a blink of the eye.

Winter soon changes to Springtime

Then quickly a soft Summer day

Fades to the magic of Autumn

Then white Winter snowflakes at play.

A world filled with wonder and magic

Miracles loaned from above,

Yet no one ever can own them

They are God's gifts of heavenly love.

Enchanted Moonlight.

Enchantment. The word is enjoying a giddy revival these days. Books and seminars for reenchanting your life are everywhere. The word itself is tantalizing, tickling the tongue like a spoonful of spiced berries. But what is enchantment? It is that innocent sense of wonder that startles us, melts us and lifts us out of ordinary time and space into a magical realm where, for perhaps a heady instant, we know, really know, that mountains and trees can speak.
Living among animals wild and domestic in my Himalayan home, I'm blessed with a steady and magnificent assortment of guides into other worlds. Animals can tilt me off-center like nothing else. My appreciation of their "otherness" carries me instantly into another kind of consciousness. In this state of mind, I am again a child, innocent, playful and wide-eyed. It is on this unfamiliar ground that enchantment is often discovered.
.Last night was a perfect example. In honor of the full moon, my husband and I drove out to watch it rise over our favorite spot. A veil of steam and a blanket of ice crystals sparkling like tiny fireflies welcomed us as we pulled up to the edge of the water. We sat in silence, bathed in surreal blue moonlight. Eventually my attention drifted to the top of a bluff next to us. Silhouetted against the skyline was a moving creature. The creature shifted and took form. A deer! The surprise took my breath away. A dewlap hung from her chin like a medicine bag, and steam curled from her nostrils while she gazed down at me in all her glory. As the moon came up behind her, she pawed the snow with impossibly long silver legs. An enchantress is what she was: stunning, evocative, magnificent. My breath stopped and then fell in time with hers........

Another enchanted moment came courtesy of a flock of white butterflies that danced across our snow-covered yard. Rooted to my desk, I felt my heart slowly lighten and skip-hop in response to the fluttering of a hundred wings. And just last week I watched our dogs and cats wrestle and play. When I turned back to my work, I felt exhilarated, as if I myself had romped away those moments among them. Perhaps I had.

I used to think of these as sweet memories in the making, pleasant interludes in a busy schedule. Now I know these excursions into enchantment for what they really are: small journeys into the depths and corners of reality. I hang bird feeders, plant butterfly gardens and set out cat and dog food, but in return, the animals give me back something far more nourishing.........SOUL FOOD.

WHY WRITE ?

The best thing about writing is that moment where the feature catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it all makes sense and you know what it's about and why you're doing it and what they are saying and doing, and you get to feel like both the creator and the audience. Everything is suddenly both obvious and surprising and it's magic and wonderful and strange.You don't live there always when you write. Mostly it's a long hard walk. Sometimes it's a trudge through fog and you're scared you've lost your way and can't remember why you set out in the first place.But sometimes you fly, and that pays for everything. And I cannot wait to get back to it....

Ten Interesting Blog Trends

While researching blogs I have stumbled across some interesting and some not so interesting blogs. A number of people write about dull topics like the social life of their dust bunnies, which of course is ok, but not so interesting. Whereas others take the time to write compelling commentary on controversial or motivating topics that inspire empathy and action.

Blogs are an outlet and a stimulator, and unlike many publishing sources, blogs are equally available to everyone. So no matter how uncommon, unique or trivial the topic is, it can be shared.

Here are ten interesting trends I have have noticed in the Blogosphere:

Informative Blogs:

I commend the time it must take to research and write informative blogs. Some cover topics in history or current events; others relate detailed information on hobbies, techniques or procedures.
Creative Rants:

Rants are posted everywhere and I understand that it must feel good to get the frustration out. But some bloggers have made the extra effort to make their rants entertaining, informative and even funny.
Company Weblogs:

Companies are beginning to see the benefit of projecting a more “human” or “approachable” image and are publishing blogs. I have seen some blogs that do a good job at educating customers about products or even frustrations and accomplishments involved in developing a new product.
Personal Accounts:

Often news broadcasters/ publishers do not have the time or space to relate the whole story. Some writers are taking it upon themselves to document the daily details of an event, like a political race or a natural disaster. This has added a ground level, human voice to pivotal events.
Cultural Introspectives:

Some people are using their blogs to help others understand their culture, history and social views, in hope that understanding will inspire improved global relations and altruistic action.
Pioneering Ideas:

Many blogs start a buzz or promote original ideas before they are realized or marketed to the general public. Since most blogs are not motivated by monetary goals they are free avenues of discussion of innovative or alternative thought.
Niche Notching:

Blogs are cheap or free and readily available, so even blogs that cover obscure or unique topics find readers. No matter what your interest is, you can find a blog on that topic.
Family Blogs: Staying in touch is hard and there are always schedule conflicts. Some families use a blog to share family news and pictures and the blog is available to the entire family anytime of day.
Creative Writing:

Getting published is hard; publishing a book takes a long time and comes with challenges. Some writers are skipping the traditional publishing route and just writing. Blogs can get a writers work out to the world in a hassle free manner. We found many well–composed and thoughtful posts originated by talented writers.
Travel Blogs:

We discovered interesting travel accounts. Some bloggers write about vacationing, others about their tour of service or their research and humanitarian efforts in an impoverished or developing country.

Blogs can inspire, inform or incite. They can be used to document the smallest detail of one life or the largest, most urgent issues of the entire human race. No matter the topic or the writer this avenue of self expression is open to everyone.

An irresistible Blue Umbrella

Nothing can make you smile like a fable.
The setting is as idyllic as can be. A small village up in Himachal Pradesh, one of those Malgudi-type worlds where everyone knows everyone else, where there is tremendous peace and harmony set against a breathtakingly beautiful backdrop. All is well with this world.
Blue Umbrella opens on Nandkishor, a scruffy shopkeeper lying on a charpoy with his hand stroking his bald pate, and headphones plugged into his years, courtesy a fairground robot telling him his fortune. The mechanical voice assures Nandu that he will come into great wealth and fame, enough to rival or outclass someone called 'Bill Gate', a person who, the robot's coin-counting master assures, is very rich indeed.
Nandu, played by the inimitable Pankaj Kapur, is a shrewd feller, a shopkeeper with savvy, and he has seen something he likes. A little girl in the village, Biniya (debutante Shreya), has a bright blue umbrella, and he is utterly captivated.
To be fair, he isn't the only one. The umbrella is marvellous, an ornate creation apparently of Japanese origin. It opens up to form a superb blue circle, contrasting beautifully against the often snowy Himachal backdrop. Biniya, a friendly nine-year-old, shares her acquisition with friends, but staunchly counters any offers attempting to seduce the umbrella from her possession. As she bounces happily around the village, several eyes want to wrest the umbrella from her grip.
Until, one day, the brolly is stolen. Biniya is heartbroken, and the village is stunned. The young girl suspects the wily Nandu, and gets the policemen to ransack his shanty, the tiny shack that also doubles up as his store. Nothing is found, and Nandkishor is hurt and indignant. His pride stung, Nandu now proclaims that he too will order one of these expensive umbrellas, and the whole village is shaken when, after a few weeks, a bright red umbrella arrives at his door.
Nandu's umbrella makes him the focus of attention, especially as the village is apologetic to have suspected him in the first place. He struts merrily around like he owns the town, letting eager villagers touch the umbrella, and posing grandly with tourists who want to have their picture taken with this umbrella man. The village even wants him to preside over the annual wrestling match, which is a visibly big deal.
But all is not what it seems. Biniya is an extremely enterprising child, and she mounts her own investigations to uncover her umbrella thief.
The story unfolds masterfully, at a languorous pace with the plot revelations serving to bring up issues of ostracism, loss, longing and loneliness, without ever becoming too heavy. The film, slow in the beginning, works magnificently on the whole.
A large chunk of this credit must go to the cinematographer, Sachin K Krishn, last seen with the dramatically different horror film Vaastu Shastra. Blue Umbrella, a low-budget production, deals powerfully with snow and nature, all the while superbly highlighting the umbrella, something director Vishal Bhardwaj treats almost like a protagonist in the narrative.
Based on the Ruskin Bond novella of the same name, Vishal and his scriptwriters have embellished and created extra sections, all in conversation with the author.
The result is a powerful film, a fairytale where the umbrella is supreme metaphor, and can symbolise anything to anyone. The umbrella connotes desire and status, love and greed. Vishal weilds a magical wand, creating a profound, simplistic tale of humanity and emotion.
And there's a fabulous Quentin Tarantino reference smack dab in the middle of it all.
Pankaj Kapur, arguably the finest actor we've had, gives this film a richly nuanced performance, his textured portrayal of Nandkishor making him the leading man. Kapur, with a sloppy old-man look and a delightful accent, owns every frame he is in, and gives Blue Umbrella the pathos and drama it requires. If we didn't already know him as one of our finest ever, this role would have been a revelation. Now, it is simply more Pankaj Kapur magic.
Shreya does very well as Biniya, and is always convincing. Her role does not call for histrionics and hi-jinx, but demands maturity, and her work in the dramatic showdowns is extremely impressive indeed. This is a great movie to debut in, and the young actress could likely get snapped up by other filmmakers soon.
Vishal has always been one of the industry's most interesting directors. Starting out with music direction for Gulzar's Maachis, he made his directorial debut with the children's film Makdee (2002). Earnest in intention and unique in approach, Makdee worked largely in fits and starts, but remains very enjoyable on repeat viewing. His next, Maqbool, where Shakespeare's Macbeth met The Godfather, blew the industry away with compelling drama and startling performances.
But I like the new film the best, because while Makdee intrigues you and Maqbool has moments to make your jaw drop with awe, Blue Umbrella just makes you smile.

Supplies That Every Cat Household Needs

Outfitting a house for a new cat isn't nearly as complicated as it may seem. Just a little advance thought will help make the newcomer feel at home and welcome in strange new surroundings.
Every cat household needs the following:
Litter box and litter. The litter box, or pan, should be shallow enough for the cat to jump into easily, but the sides should be high enough to contain scattered litter as the cat scratches in it. Commercially sold plastic litter boxes are excellent. Some have high-domed lids on them to keep flung litter from spreading throughout the house.
You probably won't have to worry about training your cat to use the litter box, but you will need to show your cat where to find it. Cats are fastidious and have a keen sense of smell. It is important to clean the pan daily.
Never place a litter box close to where the cat is fed, because cats believe these two duties are quite separate, and they will choose to do one or the other elsewhere. Many people put the litter box in the bathroom, away from high-traffic areas.
Cat dishes. Each cat should have his or her own food and water dishes. These must be shallow; cats like to keep their faces and whiskers clean while they eat.
Grooming tools. Although cats groom themselves, they generally love to be brushed and combed. Long-haired cats must be brushed daily to prevent their hair from matting. Even short-haired cats enjoy the attention and the stimulation of being personally attended to. Use a daily brushing ritual to keep an eye on your cat's overall health and on skin and coat conditions. Some rubber brushes have special teeth that dig down and remove loose dander and dead skin cells. Metal, fine-toothed combs are designed to extract fleas from the coat.
Nail clippers. You also can use human-nail clippers. Read our tips for trimming your cat's claws (see link below) and, if you have trouble convincing your companion to cooperate, ask your veterinarian or groomer for additional advice or a demonstration.
A scratching post. Cats can be easily trained to scratch on a scratching post instead of the sofa arm or mahogany table leg. The scratching post should be untippable and covered in sisal rope or the webbed reverse side of carpet (a fireplace log is also a good alternative). Do not cover the post with the same kind of fabric that you are trying to protect in your home—upholstery or carpeting. That will only confuse your cat.
An inviting bed. Cats will sleep where they want to, which is usually with you. If you do not want your cat in bed with you at night, you must provide a more appealing option, such as a soft pillow or an inviting old comforter. Anything soft and warm, especially if it has your scent on it, can attract your cat. But let your cat discover it; a cat who is forced to lie down on a restricted spot will summarily reject that spot. And consider rethinking your policy against animals in bed. A purring companion at your feet is a better sleeping aid than anything you can find in a drugstore.
Toys. Many common household items make great cat toys. Ping-Pong balls are fun to chase. Or you can make a "mouse house" by cutting a hole in the bottom and the side of a paper bag; flick a wad of paper inside the bag and watch your cat ingeniously fish it out.
Avoid string, ribbon, or rolls of yarn. Cats' barbed tongues make it difficult for them to spit anything out once they begin to swallow it. Besides the potential for choking, string can cause serious problems if ingested.
When buying commercial cat toys, pick one that you could give to an infant. There should be no parts that can come off and be swallowed. Keep small children's toys away from cats. Contrary to the myth that cats only eat what's good for them, toy soldiers have found their way into cats' digestive tracts.

HEY I DONT HAVE ANYTHING TO FEEL HAPPY ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP.

Could someone please tell me why do you have to crave for the company of your husband . Why cant you be strong enough to negate his bloody presence in your life… why does he have to dictate the way you feel why cant you break free and and lead your own life and be happy. Oh where has all the happiness gone!!!!!!!!
Is it wrong to have both the lives – professional and personal?

WHAT MAKES LIFE EASY COMPROMISE OR UNDETHERED EFFORTS FOR BETTER QUALITY……..

Life I thought would be so easy if I just let things run the way it should , without me having a say in it, without me causing a flutter with my challenging and demanding requirements for quality. And so I start leading a life where I am just another staff working a bit more than the other members (cant help on this part as creativity is a spontaneous part of my character and the moment I am in the class with my kids I am transported to a world full of hope, creativity, fun and lots of engagement). Well it was a lot more relaxing for me. And it was quite amusing indeed to see the petty fights, groupism, hipocratic ways of people from a detached point of view. It was also an eye-opener to see that how people are relieved to see that they don’t have to actually stick to the quality part, how easily someone is marginalized .
Is life just all about fights? Cant people be self motivated to do something substantial in life… is it very difficult to have a vision in life???? Is too much of an effort to think out of box !!

HARIDWAR N RISHIKESH - 2007