Learning... looking back at life.

There are all kinds of people in the world and everyone provokes some kind of thoughts and emotions inside you. Well some can be not-so-thought-provoking as well! hehe

Some times i see some people, and you can see that they just assume superiority. Sometimes may be based on how they grew up, or sometimes from which part of world they come from, sometimes how well they did in school and that sometimes list goes on.

How you have been brought up plays very important role ofcourse, sometimes you get things you never had or imagined in life before and so when you face them it gets overwhelming. That time the values you held comes handy to help you keep your feet firm rooted.

When I was dwelling on these thoughts it reminded me of my own experiences. If it wasn't for all the experiences in life, we would be still those frogs in the well. It was an experience to study in India, (as it would be anywhere in the world) and fun as well.

When we were in engineering college and did any fun/ mischievous things students will do in that age, our professors kept reminding us "you are engineers and this is not how you behave" so it kept coming to that you are suppose to be this or that way. When you keep listening that all the time directly or indirectly it trains mind to think ohh we are some great species, more intelligent, superior to others!!

I remember our head of the department telling us "if this is how you wanted to behave, you are at a wrong college, better go and join adjoining college." (That happened to be “just” an arts and commerce college)

Time flew and we all graduated, proud to be engineers. Some decided to start their professional lives and some decided to study further.

I took up MBA; it was a batch with maximum number of engineers. Initially as the year progressed the class seemed to be split in those groups according to educational backgrounds. Engineers thought that they were superiors and will remain together in a group and Commerce guys used to think they were some egoistic creatures suffering from superiority complex. By the way this also was no good as now we were always reminded that “you are going to be future managers, this is not how you behave” or simply “maintain the decorum of XYZ School”.

But this time our own experience helped us. As soon as first semester was in full fledge with all blend of different subject the differences within started to fad away.

Engineers started having difficulties with accounts and Commerce guys with subjects related to Operations and Production Management etc.

They started helping each other. Engineers realized they are not superior when they couldn't answer all the questions asked in economics and accounting. As time passed both learned, both helped each other and it blended so nicely. And when one enters the professional life, there is no way to survive is you close yourself in the shell of superiority. Those experience taught this very important lesson of life that every one is special, everyone knows something that you can learn from.

Lesson which is still helping me and may be most important one to survive and live happily in today's world.

Being jealous or just staying aloof in your complex whether superiority on inferiority won't help, but learning from others and enhancing yourself will.

Cultural difference

An Asian woman and a Dutch man falls in love and gets married.

They are expecting their first baby.

When the due date comes, a beautiful baby girl is born and all are very excited.

When Asian mother sees her grandchild first time, she frowns.... "too little hair !?!?"

When Dutch mother sees her grandchild, she exclaims in excitement.... "wow so much hair !!!"

That my dear friends is also a type of "Cultural differences"!

Photo Courtsey: http://comps.canstockphoto.com/can-stock-photo_csp6118974.jpg

slow, fast, bye, welcome...

Some times we take things slow, not because we want to !

Some times we want to take things slow, not because we have to !

2012 is here and 2011 could not have been any faster, at least for us !

May be because it felt as if we were vacationing almost most of the time, may be because 2011 was par above expectations, May be as most of the wishes from 2011 got fulfilled even though it meant looking to fly from that cliff of bankruptcy ! Well in that case 2012 will be slow, not because we want to, but may be because falling from that cliff forces us to.

Good thing is the project which kept me very busy last year is finally done. So i am hoping from 2012 that this year will let me keep more account of my life expressing it in words and sharing, the way i liked it. Ofcourse conditions apply, which might be that our personal project doesn't keep us very busy.

But we will see.

For time being, all i have to say is...... 2012 bring it on, i cannot be more happy to embrace you :)

It might be late, but it is never too late and it is better to be late than never so here i am wishing you all a very happy and successful 2012. Have a good time, and you will if you truly follow what your hearts.

For now, bye till the next time.

Picture: Welcoming 2012 in Paris.

Yes, got it right.... that was me jumping on the car at midnight.

Sunrise, Sunset, and Life Forever…

When it's pouring outside and i look at that misty glass, trying to figure out what lies beyond, i often go to that Zen moment, where nothing matters and still everything matters.

I stare at the open space, i stare at the sky and then i stare at the computer screen with my finger automatically clicking to open facebook.

I see an update from one of those happy teenagers with "Friends Forever" and i wonder when did i stopped uploading them, why doesn't it feel relevant anymore, why does it feel funny at times now?

May be as i grew up to know we are still friends and we know it is not because we promised to remain "Friends Forever"!

We have one life and it can be as simple as a line drawn on the black board and still it ends up feeling complicated like a painting by toddler, you think it means something but when asked he will only surprise you with what it is supposed to mean!

You think you are in peace with yourself, with your life but often you think that way is not enough for that to last.

One life... and still why should it take us so long to figure it out, to figure ourselves, and sometimes even that does not happen..

And yes relationships.... that make life so interesting.

They make you feel loved, they make you feel drowned, they make you feel useless, they make you feel hated, they make you feel pampered and they can even make you feel like living forever or may be never!

Why do we loose friends?

Why do we fall in love?

Why do we fight with the ones we love?

Why do people break our hearts?

Why relations which don’t matter makes us cry?

Why do we have to pretend at times?

Why do we feel the need to run away some times?

Why do some plans never see the sunlight?

And why do the unplanned take the flight?

May be that's what the LIFE is all about.

Sometimes i am so clueless, and sometimes i know exactly what i want. Sometimes i am so powerless, and sometimes i just go and get what i want.

Sometimes i can see life from outside, just like i am watching a movie. So detached and still attached.

Sometimes i feel i should just live and not think too much... but then would i be machine and not human?

So then i just walk, walk, walk... let the breeze hit my face, listen to my favorite songs, I can't think of anything, and still it feels good living that moment, setting my heart free, not caring what others may feel when they look at you and I can actually feel my heart beating....

May be it's a part and parcel of being a human to be over analytical, or may be it's just a girl thing. Or may be it's just me thing !

Sometimes i think may be i can just turn to Sweets, chocolates..... And may be that was the right answer to all the questions.

And then i feel what ever be the reason for this spring in the summer.... we should just go with the flow... enjoy the rain, enjoy the few sun rays here & there and look at the beautiful changing sky ... one moment flooded with warm sun rays, next race of clouds and magical dance of colors when sun makes love with the clouds!

Life is beautiful.

And Life is complex.

But Life must go one, and it goes on.

3 years of love & hate relationship !

So it's official, 3 years of our love & hate relationship and still going strong.

Ooops yes, we did complete 3 years of our wedding 2 months back, but I meant our relationship with this beautiful country of Canals, windmills and Tulips !
Arrrr, what did you think I was talking about?

Time sure flies, just realized today is the day I landed in this country exactly 3 years back!

And I survived ! Look at me still very alive... not bad, not at all bad !

On this very special day when I complete 3 years in this country, I thought of sharing 3 things about living here.

But well, I am in very happy and generous mood today so I decide to give you more headache by giving 10 instead!
Things which I realized / learnt / experienced while living here in The Netherlands, and here you go...

1. When you are driving, if any animal slows

you down (or you end up killing/ injuring), that would most probably be ducks or ducklings or goose or alike. (You got my point, right?)

2. It is a highly competitive country, people race everyday to come office at the earliest hour to be able to be first to leave. (That’s the one thing this country couldn't change me with... coming last to the college, lecture, and office, whatever.)

3. it’s easy to talk here, no need to be innovative... just talk about weather everyday. (By the way it is unusually warm today, isn't it?)

4. When you don't understand something Dutch and are asked "how long have you been here?", it will be no fun to say 3 full years and still I don't get it! (Does that mean I will have to be inspired again to change it??? :-( )

5. Free stuff is not luck by chance but it is a way of life. Your right by the birth. (Remember the days, when everything was free as there was no super-stores and malls? people just used to produce all what they need! If you don't get it free, ask for korting/ discount !)

6. Doctors prefer to cut you than to feed you with medicine. (Being operated upon is better than taking a few medicines, any day, right?)

7. I felt relieved when a new colleague joined the company, who has been here for 1.5 years more than me and is as good at Dutch as me. It is wonderful to hear "Com'on it's ok, we don't have a Dutch partner so it is difficult". And... I love it!

8. If you discuss about others, it's "gossip". If they do the same it's "Sharing"! (BTW this one is universal I guess)

9. At office, all you should be worrying is about filling in your 8 hours, doesn't matter how it went, with coffee or peeling oranges whirling in your chair.

10. Patience! You have to be patient and wait for everything. Procedures and deliveries aah not to forget customer service! (May be more to do with... you came to us! You need it and not we!?!? Something like that?)

Ok that's my 10 for time being, for more may be we will have to wait one more year for experience ! :o)

Image Courtsey : http://www.mindsinmotion.net/index.php/mim/cartoons

Finally, a visit to the doctor in NL.

There is always a first time for everything, and it was to visit a hospital today in NL for the first time.

Well, it was scary and also totally new experience. I am writing this post right now, which means there was nothing serious involved but still I cannot help with that smile as now and then that tensed and scarred face of Ashu keeps popping up in my mind.

Ofcourse if I compare the experience with back home, India, there is a difference of ... ummm not comparable. You don't have to fill in forms as you are registered in database officially and you don't have to pay at the very same time of being treated.

Medication, that differs again, as when you go to doctor in India, you hardly rarely (may be never) ever come out without a medicine (whatever type it is!) or prescription for the same. Here even after my asking for atleast antibiotic I was denied with wait and watch!

But waiting.... cannot comment on that one as I was expecting with not a long waiting line in reception room and hospital full of patience waiting time would be better, but no... It remains the same! We had to wait even after we had an appointment, we had to wait for hours for getting the tests done and then for doctor to come to us and advice, so that part remains the same.

Life has been busy and I have been hardly getting time to write or read other blogs.

So this was just a drop in to say "Hi". Hope everyone is doing well.

I do miss blogging / sharing !

Image from : http://snippits-and-slappits.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-dont-make-cartoons-like-they-used.html

Somethings here and there...

Isn't it incredible, since how long I haven't been writing!
Ahh don't even ask me the reason! Not because I have endless reasons, more because I don't know the reason. Haven't I been complaining lately about kind of writer's block? Then there it may be, even though I am not a writer!
Well, now that I am here writing, I don't even know what I want to write about! It's just that internal feeling of not having been writing lately and an urge to write!

There were so many funny incidents, which when happened I made a note to myself to write about it the next time but when I am actually here now, nothing comes to the mind! Well, that's me, isn't it?

2011 started pretty well, with us being in India for the New Year. Lots of yummy food, lots of shopping, catching up with family and friends. Aaah as usual made some usual new year resolutions as well.... like to start saving a bit finally or to be back on exercise regime and to take learning Dutch more seriously, also to start learning atleast basic French to be able to ask atleast if they have anything vegetarian on menu...hehe It's not even 2 months and tell you, everything is in vein already!

Yes did a bit of superb cooking also in-between the time while was away, have been collecting pic for some time now and procrastinating posting recipes on my Food blog for sometime now but soon will do that... hope so. Also started back on that long work-in-progress painting, and looks like 2 more sittings and it will be ready to hang on the wall! You will know when I am done with those as you will see me updating on my "Colors - My Art Studio". We just have to wait now when those 2 sittings happen! :-P

Also made a trip to Belgium last week. It was very interesting in the sense until we left home, we were not sure where are we heading to. Just thought we need a break while on the way back home from grocery that Saturday and in 30 mins we were out on the roads. We ended up in Antwerp that night, tried an Indian restaurant in Antwerp for the first time. We already knew that there is a big Gujarati community there due to connection with Surat diamond business / exports. I was mentioning that on the way that there must be some restaurant as well and amazingly we ended up at this place where the owner was Gujarati and got to speak Gujarati in a restaurant in Europe for the first time (except in England last summer) !

Believe me that once you are full with Indian dinner, you can't get any lazier! So decide to do overnight stay there and went for a long drive from there the next morning. Explored the region of Ardennes , and it is truly beautiful.



Ohh and we saw something interesting in Antwerp behind the glasses.... go figure :P