Category Archives: Wellness

Wellness

Content Writing- Jumping for Joy

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My mother said “I dont know what he does exactly, I think he is Content Writing” when interrogated by the usual pool of social pokers. But how will he make money? make a living? be secure? The train of question following the domino effect. I think they dint hear her well “Ï think he is content…writing”.

It is shambolic to see most of the world, especially Indians, turn into virtual machines. Machines who look down upon others trying to do something different as clueless rebels. When the society itself discourages creativity and forces individuals to follow pre-ordained paths, only the ones who rebel can think of following their dreams. It takes a lot to overcome the social skepticism but once in a while the will to dent the universe overcomes all apprehensions.

Snow

As the inverted cones of the Lower Himalayas gets dolloped with vanilla ice cream, life in the valley comes to a stand still. This was one of the factors in what I saw as a universal alignment which led me to create my first website. A blog for, by and of content. Real joy comes out of accomplishment, and one day we realize that the accomplishments of today are just stepping stones to greater purposes. A lot of self learning and implementation went into the development of the website and these are my mini accomplishments which would be of assistance to other tech evangelists in suppressing their technological fears.

Mini Accomplishments 

1. Choosing a domain name and not getting dejected if its unavailable- The coincidence of circumstances is very rare when the niche that you chose to write on is accordance with your name and even rarer when your name is eccentric enough to be available. I was lucky to understand the process of brainstorming and buying a domain name which is coherent to the purpose of my blog.
2. Hosting- Sharing is caring. Just like most experiments you should dip your feet in before taking the plunge. Find a friend who could give you some space on his server or go in for shared hosting. I researched enough to get shared hosting at rates lower than the cost of my pre workout.
3. FTP- This is what will make the two work. A simple FTP client is like a bridge between your computer and your website. SImplicity is the key here. The FTP server appeared very byzantine to me before I used it for myself.
4. Templates and HTML editor- Plenty of HTML templates are available, which can be tweaked by anyone who has used his computer to copy and personalize general projects in college or attended a couple of computer classes at school. The interface of modern HTML editors is so simple that even it wont take more than 5 Youtube videos to master it. It is to be noted that the basic idea of space and sense of design is all that I needed to use the editor.
5. Content- Choose something which matters to you and the content will take care of itself. The way that you arrange your data of prime importance. If good habits, like creation of separate folders for images, template and plugins and paying attention to size of images, are inculcated at the beginning then you will benefit in the long run.
6. Transferring the content- Again a simple plugin and a youtube video is all it takes to learn how to export the content from your wordpress hosted blog to your self hosted wordpress site.

Better things to come

An individuals apprehensions towards a task disappear once he starts working towards it. The fear of the unknown diminishes with learning. I made it a point to learn every aspect of building the site on my own rather than outsourcing these jobs.

I can effortlessly put in links to all the tools and videos which helped me on my journey, but the joy of researching and learning on your own is inimitable. I encourage everyone to discover and learn similarly, it is far more gratifying.

I am really excited about the enumerable avenues the website has opened to me. I don’t have the security and resources of shared blog host but I know that rather than being a handicap it is a chance for me to learn something new. The healthy habit of hiking reveals the importance of focusing on the next step rather than the peak. I intend to do exactly that in my pursuit of enriching, empowering and enhancing the lives of people all around and being content, writing, at the same time.

Wellness

Niagara Falls- The polar vertex and the case for randomness

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Is it worthwhile to spend time on statistics and schemes so as to find order in a random world. Or are we making futile attempts at deciphering things which are not meant to be deciphered in the first place.

The universe repetitively reminds us of our ineptness at predicting events. But the human ego, which cant accept a superior force, consciously ignores all such indications. The fallacious bubble of control that we like to live in deceives us into undermining the relevance of the universal force. We brainstorm, discuss, scheme, plan so as to become the masters of our destiny. Oblivious to the fact that the best we can do is play a tertiary supportive role.

The concept of Maktub, as depicted by Paulo Coelho, and the significance of randomness, as elaborated by  Nassim Nicholas Taleb, together reflect the power of the universe and the helplessness of its finest residents. While ‘Maktub’, meaning “it is written” in Arabic, makes a case for the relevance of the concept of destiny, Mr Taleb articulates on it further while emphasizing on the uselessness of schemes through real life examples.

When Global warming hibernates 

Frozen

As photos of the frozen Niagara falls spread like wild-fire, we cant help but think about the strange situation that grips North America. A polar vertex, which usually keeps the upper level winds and hence the severe cold wave limited to the geographic poles, randomly distorts, releasing jet streams to southern latitudes.   The arctic oscillation( the cold wave plunging south from the arctic circle) thus arising has resulted in such aesthetically enriching but actually horrid conditions.

With multiple theories arising, it seems like Global warming is snoozing this winter like Yogi bear. Then they say, maybe it is a result of global warming. Well, MAYBE, Global warming would be considered a cyclic phenomenon once they find that the icebergs have put on some mass after a decade or so. In a snow laden nutshell,  a fact is a mere coincidence if it has multiple exceptions.

These events are counter-intuitive to the theories emphasizing stringent planning.  What is to be noted that plans, rather than adding stability, limit your minds, hampering them from thinking beyond the obvious, where all the situations lie. We are so blinded by the idea of finding the meaning of everything that we forget the case for randomness.

The wisest experts from all walks of life validate the need of accounting for variable change. The universe can fool us into believing that we are in control, but only enlightened brains can work out the case for randomness.

The frozen message  

The ones who have made peace with chaos and embraced the uncertainties live a more spontaneous,instinct driven and hence a gratifying life. While all others keep planning till the day when all their plans freeze.

You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just, do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans. You know, they’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how, pathetic, their attempts to control things really are.

The joker might have been a disillusioned dog chasing a car but he hints at what the world is suffering from. The bane of scheming lies in the anxiety it renders once a plan doesn’t come to fruition. We waste hours planning, even more hours analyzing and still more hours coming to terms with the fact that a well thought of scheme crippled without realizing the fact it was never supposed to work.

Ignoring the eccentricities in the above dialogue, it is safe to say that nature has more often than once proved to us, how pathetic our attempts to control things are. So we are better of working towards our goals keeping in mind the random factor involved in everything, we might not succeed and inconsequential efforts might be a bitter pill to swallow but the ones who are initiated would understand, this universe has its own way of doing things, and its mind is far more developed than ours could ever be.

Wellness

What does the new year promise?

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The Gregarian calendar, which graces most walls and wallpapers, is punctuated with jovial events. Ironically the grandest of these saturnalias corresponds with the ultimate cessation of the calendar. But  what would we be looking forward to once the euphoria and revelry welcoming the new year fades.

For the Country

A new Prime Minister, one who will be more vocal and understands the significance of digital communication. or maybe just communication. We would do well if we manage to be distinct in selecting the leaders of tomorrow. We can then help these leaders in weeding out the progress impeding  obstacles which have thwarted our progress.

For The Capital

Hope the national capital and its administration isn’t damaged beyond repair just like the river that it sits on.

For The Unhealthy

Though I am skeptical of resolutions but having a few is better than not having any at all. It helps you to instill trust and confidence in yourself if done in the correct manner otherwise they will be garbaged by the Republic day parade at the max. Setting the optimum resolution, which is not beyond your means and still keeps you on your toes, is the key. Most people get confused on resolution setting and end up quitting to early after choosing something way too difficult. You wont be able to transform yourself into Ronnie Coleman in an year nor would you be able to attain absolute enlightenment, but you might get better then where you are right now and that is incentive enough to start.

For the dreamers

Dreams aren’t limited by the calendar like your resolutions. The ones who dream understand that they have a faint chance but a chance nonetheless at achieving the incomprehensible, if an only if they stick to it. We live in an age where the majority settles for what they get rather than chasing what they deserve. I hope to see people following through with their dreams and dream even more than before so that they can break the shackles and live up to their full potential.

For Sport Fanatics

The biggest religion in India finds itself Godless. With Sachin retired the nation looks forward to a replacement. This is a great chance for other sports to come up at par with cricket.

Elsewhere, as the Premier league heads into its second part we see a number of clubs in still very much in the title race. Not once in my living memory have I seen more than 2 clubs competing for the premier league and this year I am sure the title will be decided on the final day. Any of the top 7 can still win it, but obviously its easier to repeat a feat than to do it for the first time. Elsewhere Pep will pep Bayern to the champions league unless Carlo does something real about it.

For Gamers

2013 offered the ones who prefer sitting indoors never seen before graphics and gameplay through The Last of Us, The game ably created a virtual world which was so close to reality that it dented cognition in an absolutely distinct way. With the massive circulation of consoles like PS4 and the XBox1, developers will further enhance games and offer real life depictions. The new year offers games which would not only depict the present world in a better way but also give us glimpses of what the future beholds. Watchdogs is a classic example of one such game. We are living through a technological cyclone and soon everything around us will be under a common network. The game offers us the experience of living and controlling one such digitally enhanced city.

Their might be a dozen other things to look forward to but I just want to break the jinx of the 27th for now as it has blocked my expressions since a month now. 

Hope the new year brings you all the energy to follow your dreams and galvanizes your thought process to make your life fruitful and adventurous.  

 Happy New Year

Wellness

Self imposed exiles aren’t worth the while

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yinyang

Life reveals itself in inexplicable ways. The highs can make you put yourself in heaven drinking sweet ambrosia with Gods, while lows can enervate your souls. It is the amalgamation of the two, the ying and the yang, which make life the joyride that it is. All one needs is the control to not get carried away with the pleasures and the patience to withstand the pains.

Prudence is the precursor to reticence and it might keep you a little cushioned from the pain but the price you pay for it is extortionate. The trepidation of despondency may compel you to exile yourself to the secure bubble of solitude. But the stampede doesn’t cease when the ostrich digs its head in the ground. Misery, like an assiduous detective, will come and find you, and then you’ll feel you were better off experiencing the full spectrum of emotions, at least you would have gotten a chance to cherish the exaltations.

You can seek a prognosticator who would futilely bid to denude your destiny, but life is too random to be figured out and therein lies its marvel. The exploration of the unknown is where one truly find himself. Just beyond the pines of your comfort zone, where awkward meets discomfort.

Nothing good comes out of undertaking mundane expeditions to places you already know, Following a dreary pattern will seldom make you exploit gifts with which which you were endowed.

The first time you face a roadblock, you give up, you quit, you freeze, you undermine your own potential when you were born to reign land and seas.

This bitter sweet life wouldn’t be the same without all its flavours,

You cant mold its recipes as per your whims, you have to accept all of it and just learn to savour.

You might be willing to sacrifice life’s gifts to avoid those time bestowed soul piercing stings, wisdom lies in embracing it all, biting the peach of life and relishing the juice dribbling down your chin.

Pain is an austere teacher, empowering you with willpower, patience and belief, You’re certain to open your eyes to a better world once you’ve overcome your griefs.

Find the strength to overcome the doubts inside, which suffocate you like an over protective shield, and you will discover the magic in your soul, which your doubts had concealed.

The magic wont guarantee happiness or make you immune to those moments of melancholy in your life, but it will give you the spontaneity to notice the ephemeral moments which make you feel alive.

Savour

Wellness

Some soul wrenching news for the capricious self proclaimed muse

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Chains

Often we find ourselves in a state of deprived inspiration and start believing that motivation lies outside. In another person, a book, caffeine, an article. We chain ourselves to these muses and give them control of deciding when we feel what we do.

The muse is a mystifying manifestation of thought, compelling us to believe in its existence, enslaving our minds to the extent of utter dependency. Dependency that you try to resist but cant do anything about. It raps around your mind like a Boa constrictor and governs your highs and lows.

It makes you feel vulnerable, making you realize your inability to orchestrate your own lives. It might be like an injection of inspiration but then it teases you at times, when you think you need it the most.

In spite of paragons  from diverse fields emphasizing the relevance of a muse, I believe it to be more of an obstacle to your progress and a fracture to your wills.

Rather than waiting to be inspired, we are better of acting and later inspiring people from the consequence of our actions.

It is true that One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude, as a result one is  better off finding the potential within than exploring the world to find it.

The Muse, capable of polarizing  into identities, inspired or dissuaded,

Capable of stimulating your souls or rendering your spirits jaded.

Capable of galvanizing your thoughts and leading you into uncharted territories to make you find your surreal high,

Capable of taking you to the epitome of your potential, but when you need it the most, it hoodwinks and belies.

An obfuscator, it  makes the ingenuous trivialize the potency of their own will, It takes ornate forms,

Which are too indubitable for prejudiced minds to distill.

Its ludicrous to depend on the without when the afflatus lies within,

If you find yourself exhorted by Gauds,  its a feckless life that you seem to be living.

Be curious, explore the inexhaustible reserves of resolve inside,

Your strength of purpose should suffice to make you realize the dreams that you contrive.

The indomitable seldom need an external impetus, their enthusiasm never subsides,

Propelled  by their zeal to achieve, they set goals and just glide.

Safe from the deleterious muse my self-replenishing will is immune to external influence,

Seeing people lament, waiting for their muse to show, makes me take pride in my undying exuberance.

In your heart resides all the potential you wish to realize,

Do some soul searching and you would come up with some soul wrenching news for the capricious self proclaimed muse in your life.