A special tribute to some very special people

Every entry I write takes months of inspiration, a kick ass quote I get from some book and of course a lot of free time. This time its different. Straight from the heart, a big thank you to some of my oldest and most loyal friends. It doesn’t end here, it never will. But we all move on. The past ten odd years of my life have been nothing less than amazing for me. Each one of these friends is special in their own way and I have developed a unique bond with every single one of them. Most importantly, they are like family. All of them are like brothers and sisters (elder or younger doesn’t necessarily depend on age). The beauty is we dont have to be best friends, neither do we have to meet everyday but we still trust each other, are there for each other, in every sense of the word. Dance was definitely something that will always be a big part of us; from Hindi school to Diwali, from weddings to Holi, we did it all. I have done countless dances with some of them for ten years now and I have to say, it’s been an honor. As I ended my last dance, I looked back with satisfaction but looked forward with a heavy heart. That day as I walked backstage and embraced my best friends, time slowed down and memories came rushing back. We stood there in silence, enjoying every bit of that moment. It seemed like forever and I guess that is what it really is. Things are going to be different 5, 10 years from now but I am never going to forget all the wonderful moments we shared. It’s a beautiful ending to an extraordinary journey. Whatever happens in the future, I am convinced, I have lived the best days of my life.


"Friends are golden, but my friends are gold."

Give blood. Give life. Be responsible.

Every 6 minutes, someone is in need of blood. Singapore needs 91,250 units of blood annually or 250 units daily to meet the needs of all hospitals. In hospitals, blood is needed during bone marrow transplants for leukemia patients, for thalasemia patients needing regular blood transfusions, during daily major and minor surgeries, for accident victims, for patients with kidney failure, liver disease or burns; a newborn baby and for patients living with cancer or severe anaemia. Modern processing techniques mean that a single blood donation, when separated into its components, can help at least three different patients i.e, can save up to three lives. The average adult has 4 - 5 litres of blood. At each donation, only 450 ml of blood is drawn. This is about one-tenth of the total volume of blood in the body. The volume donated is replaced in 72 hours. The health of each potential donor is carefully assessed by attending doctors and nurses before donation. Giving blood will have no harm to your body and will not weaken your immune system or cause any weight gain. Our bodies only replace the blood donated - they do not overcompensate and produce excess blood or fat! According to Red Cross (Singapore), over 50% of Singapore's population is eligible for blood donation but sadly less than 1% actually donate regularly. Youths aged 16 to 25 years make up 40% of the total voluntary blood donor population -which highlights the importance of their contribution- but this is only 5% of the total youth population in this age bend. At the end of the day, you don't need a time, a place and a reason to donate blood, all you need is a heart. Think about the people in hospitals fighting for their lives, everyday. Think about the people who have had their surgeries postponed due insufficient blood in the blood bank. God forbid, if one day it is you, your family member or your friend, who is need. Would we still be thinking twice?


"Your blood is replaceable... a life is NOT!"

More than words...!@#$%^&*()_+

Expression is, as the dictionary defines it, the communication of your beliefs, opinions, feelings and thoughts, with or without words. The crux to effective communication is as simple as "say what you mean" and "mean what you say". Easier said than done. The problem starts when we say what we think rather than what we mean. There is a difference. The missing element is that of analysis of the possible interpretations and hence the evaluation of the repercussion of what is to be said. Selection of words is another critical part of properly expressing yourself. For example, abusive language may correctly reflect your anger or frustration but it is offensive and reflects your discourtesy and your insensitivity to the people around you. By the rule of 21 (any good or bad habit can form in 3 weeks), I can safely say I have given up swearing. It’s my 28th day today since the day I promised myself I would not swear anymore, and would call to apologize any friend every time I did. I already feel like a new person. Another tip for effective communication is to start your sentences with a "please" and end them with a "thank you".After that, it doesn't matter what you say in-between. As far as non-verbal communication is concerned, believe it or not but research has shown that body language and facial expression make up for more than 50% of any conversation! So be mindful of not only your body language but also how other people’s body language and facial expression change as you converse; and respond accordingly. Learn to read between the lines. Finally, be pithy, crisp and mellifluent in your own expression.


“Be quick to listen and slow to speak"

You cannot be serious?!

Nigeria, a country of 150 million people, remains among the world's poorest countries in terms of per capita income. Yet, the world's happiest people live in Nigeria. Survey after survey has shown that the desire for material goods, which has increased hand in hand with average income, is a happiness suppressant. Examinations of lottery winners have shown that their level of happiness, regardless of the amount won, returns to former levels within a year. So what makes us happy? Trying to find nirvana by doing solitary soul searching is not the best idea. When two American psychologists studied hundreds of students and focused on the top 10% "very happy" people, they found they spent the least time alone and the most time socializing. True happiness, contrary to popular belief, is not experienced on the couch in front of the television or the bed with the King Kong mattress. Rather, happiness is derived from intense concentration, which is the main reason that activities such as music, art, literature, sports and other forms of leisure have survived. The essential ingredient for concentration is that it involves a challenge that matches one’s ability. Hence to achieve enduring happiness, keep finding new opportunities and challenges, for happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. Another element of happiness, laughter, can be explained with the following analogy. When we have a headache, we take aspirin knowing it will relieve us of our misery. Interestingly, just by believing that aspirin is the best remedy cures half the headache. Then, the aspirin itself cures the other half. This is scientifically proven and scientists call it the placebo effect. Similarly, by laughing, which is another component of happiness; we sub consciously become more relaxed and up beat leading to conscious joy. So as a habit, laugh at least twice a week, to the point that your stomach hurts and your face goes red.

For a start, visit the following links and have a good laugh.

www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/endofworld.html
www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/sheblockedme.html
www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/backstreet.html

And many more...(Please watch at your own discretion!)

"Nothing in life was meant to be so serious. Don’t make it."

Break Point

Stop. Look around, analyse and restart. Break point is a time we take a deeper look at who we are, where we are coming from and where we are heading. There is no fix time or place for this but is usually associated with a failure, some sort of disappointment or loss. Yes, in tennis (if you are serving), it also means one more point from losing the game and that is what I am talking about, when the odds are against you. Life is about choices. A good decision today is better then the best decision next week. So take charge and don’t be satisfied with going with the flow. No one said we cannot have a bad day, week or month. The important thing is that we learn; experience. Results are superficial and success is temporary but what really matters, is how we change as a result of the experience. Take a break once in a while, refresh and restart with a new perspective and purpose because the journey never really ends. An example to sum up: In the finals of a cricket world cup match, you are batting and your team requires six runs off the last ball to win. What is more important than hitting that six, is to believe that you can hit that six. Then, whether you hit that six or not becomes insignificant. =)


"Experience is a hard teacher because it gives the test first and the lessons later."

11B

I had heard all about it, learnt all about it. Now I have experienced it for myself. 3 weeks into National Service and life suddenly seems so different. Everyone goes through the same emotional roller coaster but its fun if your friend is sitting beside you; or should I say, you learn to make the guy sitting beside you your friend. It’s amazing to see that the same person who did absolutely nothing for one whole month could learn how to strip and assemble an M-16 (yup it’s a real gun), fire it, shout out commands in a language he never learnt and execute them as if he learnt them before he learnt how to walk. Wash his own clothes, bath with more than one person in the cubicle, change attire 5 times a day and eat the same food 7 days a week. Jump over walls (or at least try to), do balancing acts, climb ropes and do some ninja turtle once in a while. This is just the start of a long, hard but fulfilling road. You want to take it one at a time but it is difficult not to think about how different a person you would be the same time, exactly two years from now. I have exchanged my Identity Card for my 11B (SAF ID Card), freedom for discipline,civilian life for army duties, 2 years of my time for a lifetime worth of experiences.

"The ripest peach is highest on the tree"

Crystal Ball 2006...

A weekend in December 2006, around 7 p.m, I am jogging with my hand phone strapped to my arm and earphones stuffed in my ear. 5kg lighter, 12 pull-ups stronger, in OCS, admitted to NUS Medicine (after getting brilliant A level results of course) and having a place in at least 2 universities in the UK. That’s my goal for 2006. If last year was hard, this year is going to be crazy. But 2006 is going to be a special year. Many of us will be going to, or continuing university, some of us will be starting our NS (some of us finishing!), others will be taking their A levels, and a few will be experiencing JC life for the first time. Whatever the case, we all will face challenges, uncertainty, failure and success. My goals will be at the back of my mind, but getting them will not be the most important thing. Leaving no stone unturned to do so, will be.
So 2006…bring it on…

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

All you need is love!

click on the play button to enjoy "all you need is love" by Beatles

Christmas has just passed and so has the first anniversary of the tragic day the tsunami struck. As we remember the past year, forget the love that you lost and cherish all the love that you got, for there are many who celebrated Christmas without their loved ones for the first time this year. A third of the 200 000 people who died exactly a year ago were children. Many parents lost some of their kids; some lost all. It is tragic, to say the least. So spread love dear friends, for love has incredible powers. Love is simply, amazing. It can change moods, alter perspectives, resolve issues, light up the dark, turn a frown into a smile, transform sadness into joy, and the possibilities are endless. So love, regardless of "who", "what", "where", "why", "when" and "how" because it doesn’t matter, because it shouldn’t matter. This new year, love, because there is nothing like it. Because believe it not, all you need is love…wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God Bless.

"Take time to love and be loved, for it is the greatest gift"

The deferred life plan

One third of our life is spent sleeping. In your lifetime, you would have spent about 6 years of it dreaming. That is more than 2,100 days spent in a different world. That in short, is a lot of time wasted (ironically it is when the brain waves are most active). We all have plans, dreams and goals but in their pursuit, we defer living with what we have and who we are now, to later. We sacrifice today for a better tomorrow; regret our yesterday and as a result miss the point in life. Make things happen and enjoy victory and defeat with the same exuberance. As a dear friend once said, "Dream as if you will live forever and live as if you will die today".

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out"

Untitled

So it finally came to this, face-to-face, sipping identical coffees, I let it out.I said the three magic words but nothing happened. I went on, but suddenly I was brought down to reality. She spoke. Heartbeat at 200 beats per min. but it did not really matter anymore. Words came out, carefully and selectively. I waited, and was left waiting. Few words came out but it was what was not said that puzzled me. I was left thinking, how wonderful relationships could fizzle out so abruptly. I asked myself, "Where did it all go wrong?", Maybe it didn't. We all move on and so will I, and I owe it to the people around me who helped me through this. I have learnt to appreciate what I have or had even more. I drove to a dead end and as I reverse, I am forced to look back. But in retrospect, it will bring a smile or even a laugh as we see the lighter side of everything, the sooner you see that, the better.


"Positive attitude is not a destination, but a way of life."

Memories...

Countless photographs are taken in the mind everyday as we move on to the future while remembering the past. We remember the times we spent with our friends and family.The moments of greatness, happiness, laughter and enjoyment as well as the moments of sadness, tears, dissapointments and heartbreak. Memories are often painful, for the bad ones are bad and for the good ones, we know, we may never be able to experience them ever again. But we still remember and we all move on, whether we like it or not. As time passes, places change, people change, relationships change, YOU change, everything changes! But never forget to remember, the times you had together, with your best friends, your family and even your worst enemies. As we build our lives in seperate directions, we remain bonded, only by the memories we share. Treasure them, because at the end of the day its all you have got.

"Memories are forever"

Introduction

Hey friends,

Welcome to my world of thoughts, a blog i have created to give you all a peak into what goes on in my little head. But first I want to apologise to all those whom ive told how much i hate blogs and people who blog because i guess i too have fallen for it. The blog will serve as an outlet for me, to share my thoughts, something i guess all of us are constantly searching for."In my world of thoughts..." would be a weekly affair where i will write about everything and anything under the sun, moon and stars. It will be a simple email to all and i will subsequently put it up on my blog which is www.imwot.blogspot.com You will then be able to view all my entries there. Please feel free to comment by either emailing me or directly on my blog. I would love to discuss certain issues i raise in this weekly email to greater extent with those who are as intellectual or simply as bored as me. I really hope you will enjoy reading as much i will enjoy writing this. Ultimately i hope theese paragraphs of my thoughts would be something you could relate to, learn from, think about or simply laugh at. thats all for the introduction!, i will have my first entry in next week...tc and god bless..


lots of luv,

Chirag