My friend Billy has this amazing blog called “inMessment – Life Investment” on which he has listed the following words because these are things he is passionate about.

• FAITH
• FAMILY
• FINANCE
• FREEDOM
• FUNCTION

Now that triggered this post about the letter ‘F’. Isn’t this letter just Fantastic? Fabulous? I mean just think about the words beginning with ‘F’

Some happy or important words

1. Faith (My number one. I am nothing if not for my Faith in my Kanhaji.)
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Freedom
5. Food
6. Fun
7. Flora
8. Fauna
9. Flowers
10. Fruits
11. Frolic
12. Females (oh yes!)
13. Future
14. Feast
15. Function
16. Finance
17. Fantastic
18. Fabulous
19. Farm
20. Fresh
21. Fish (very important for ecological balance)
22. Fox (same as above)
23. Fat (some of you might argue this should be in the second list below…)
24. Fit
25. Figs (Yummm)
26. Fast
27. Famous
28. Force
29. Fetus
30. Feni (it’s a wine made from Cashew fruit. It is made in Goa!)
31. Football
32. Fly (the insect and the verb)

And it has got some bad ones too…

1. Foe
2. Famine
3. Fool
4. Furious
5. Fatal

and one of the most used swear words

1. F***! (I never thought I would put this on my blog. Ever. But here it is!!!)

I am sure this list is not exhaustive. There are several more out there which are missing my brain right now. Could you help with a few?

(See, I caught one – “Few”!!!)

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Allow your toddler to express themselves via their interests.  They might discover a creative outlet in theatre, dancing or art, or they may possibly be exceptionally talented within the sciences.  Encourage them to embrace what they like to do, what interests them, and what makes them happy.  Aid them realize that they don’t need to worry about being ‘like everyone else.

Teach your child to make good alternatives, and praise them for very good deeds, behaviors and positive traits they possess.  Encourage them to become actively involved in their community, and introduce them to activities that promote a sense of cooperation and accomplishment.  Be firm yet fair when handing down discipline for misdeeds or misbehaviors, and make particular the rules and consequences for breaking the rules are clearly defined.  Display a cooperative, loving and united front with your spouse when it comes to discipline.

If you are a new father or mother, you’ll no question have your hands full. And as a new mother or father, your name and address has no question discovered its way on to a parent mailing list or new parent mailing list. Marketing corporations frequently collect your info to produce a new parent list, which they market to a variety of industries. Quite a few companies will send you offers in the mail for valuable products and services you may require as a new father or mother. You’ll want to watch your mailbox for these kinds of offers, as they are able to save you tons of time and money, in addition to provide you with excellent parenting ideas and tricks!

Accept and celebrate your child’s uniqueness. Remember that your baby is an individual. Permit your kid to have his or her own personal preferences and feelings, which may be different from your own.
And finally, encourage your toddler to be true to themselves by doing the same.  Display your child how to make positive alternatives with the selections you make, and that nobody is perfect and you too make mistakes.  Display your toddler that mistakes can be a good learning experience, and that they ought to not be ashamed or embarrassed about making them.

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First, you’re donating an older car that is no longer running, feasible or needed. By donating the car, it can be used to create new materials instead of decaying and continuing to negatively impact the environment. Donated cars that are still running and can be resold it can go to someone in need of transportation that may not be able to afford a newer model car and not go to waste in a junk yard. Green charities that have vehicle donation programs are the perfect place to take your unwanted vehicle. The donated car will be properly recycled and the proceeds will go towards helping the charity continue its mission of improving the quality of the planet and maintaining its resources

The trend towards more fuel efficient cars can also be seen in the decline and in some cases death of more outdated cars. The hummer for instance is a prime example. The large gas guzzler has been discontinued as of this year. A fate brought on by a weak economy, high fuel costs and the rise of the green movement. Help keep the green car donation movement going, by donating your old car. The proceeds from donated cars will go towards charities that are also trying to improve the state of our world and the remnants will be used to produce cleaner resources.  

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Lying hopeless in the hospital? Blaming fate and God for all the bad things happening to you? Feeling dejected and depressed? Angry? Hurt?

Read on…

Location: Pushpanjali Crosslay Hospital, Vaishali – bed number 322. I am with my one month old daughter who has been admitted for pertussis / pneumonia. It’s a twin-sharing room so another family joins us on bed number 321 the night before our discharge.

The patient is a middle aged woman, I’ll call her “Prerna”. As we start exchanging our stories, she tells me, “I lost my mom when I was very young. My dad expired a few days ago. I don’t have any kids. We’ve been married for 11 yrs. Tried all sorts of medicines etc to help conceive,  but no luck. However I am lucky to have my husband. He is a god-sent man. Men (specially in India) treat women very badly when they cannot bear a child. Even when the problem is with the man’s health, the woman will always be blamed and punished for not being able to have kids. But my husband loves me no matter what. He treats me with respect and kindness. After all whatever is happening to me is Allah’s wish. I am sure he does have something good for me, too.”

I was moved to tears. Here was a woman who had all the reasons to spread hatred and ill-will, sorrow and dejection but she chooses to do otherwise. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, indulging in sorrow, she counts her blessings. She recognized the kindness in her husband, was thankful for him and asked blessings for him. She continued to pray and chant her routine prayers even when nurses came over to administer IV injections or fluids. Whole night she went through blood transfusion which was quite an ordeal, but she bore it with a very brave heart. Morning she was sitting in her bed and praying as per her ritual again. She had not let adversity disturb her faith in God for the last several years. I was stumped by her courage.

“Prerna”, meaning inspiration – what else can you name her?

p.s. The doctors operated on our dear Prerna didi successfully yesterday and also did tests on the growth in the liver. It was found to be non-cancerous. Do send your prayers and wishes for her speedy recovery!

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I found it one stop shop for parents. Some of the highlights I find useful are:

1. Weekly newsletter during PGcy kept me up-to-date on “what’s-happening-with-my-baby”, advice about what best to eat / avoid when, what possible symptoms to watch for, what exercises / activities to take up etc.
2. Medical conditions, their symptoms, possible causes and things you can do to reduce / avoid them – This second PGcy was a really rough ride for me. Low b.p., excruciating lower back pain, infections – you name it, I had it. At least knowing more about what was happening to me, why and how I could ease some of the pain helped a lot.
3. Forums / community – For each article they have comments from community members. women share their experiences, give tips and advice and overall boost each other’s spirit.

They also have offers from diapers.com etc but I did not use these, so no comments there.

So if you are a trying-to-be parent, would-be parent or having kids & toddlers go take a look at this great site. It’s worth spending some time on!

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Please give your blessings and best wishes for our little angel

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Let me explain those two a little. I am an Indian to the core. I can (and do) love Greek food, English fiction, American (monster) trucks, Japanese furniture and crafts, Chinese calligraphy and beads and several many other from all over the globe, but deep down I have India in me. I love my country – its rich and varied heritage, culture, being a part of this colourful, soulful community. Naturally what follows is a love for all our festivals and celebrations. Being able to enjoy Diwali, Eid and Christmas in a small town in Goa is an experience unlike any other. I also love our national festivals and days – Independence day, Republic day and even Children’s day

Secondly, I simply love literature. Fiction mostly. I get really carried away, misty eyed even when I read something beautiful. (Remember Yugandhar by Shivaji Sawant? Or Heidi by Johanna Spyri?)

So when Children’s day came by this year I tried to combine these two seemingly unrelated ideas. Here’s what we did at home:

• - I scripted “Merchant of Venice” by W. Shakespeare into a skit in Hindi
  • • • – Hindi’ized it (Shylock became Thakur Ratan Singh)
      • – Slashed etcetras from the plot (I had only 5 actors, one of whom was a 3 yr old!)
        - Broke down everything into scenes, dialogues
        - Explained the story, each character and scene to my 5-actor (children) crew
      • - Our kids’ tuition teacher and her sister along with Bhaiya became our judges. Tuition teacher’s family was audience.
      • - Bhabhi took up make-up-artist-cum-hostess role.
      • - My husband Chiran put on his cameraman’s cap
      • - Practiced. Practiced. Practiced.
      • - Rehearsed. Rehearsed. Rehearsed.

      The result? It was through and through fun. Kids and elders all worked together as a team. Come to think of it, how often do we really manage that?

      

      I’ll be uploading the video shortly on YouTube. Watch this space for a link..

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      ]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/merchant-of-venice-in-hindi/feed/ 2 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:04:58 +0000 Shikha http://naari-thewoman.com/?p=161 Francis Bacon said in The Quotable Book Lover, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some are to be chewed and digested.” I feel the same can be said about movies, too. I recently watched (read was-carried-away-by) the movie , “Into The Wild”. I was so drawn to the story that it was impossible to hold back tears in the end. Based on a true story, ‘Into The Wild’  left me asking myself unanswerable questions.

      The story is about a young guy, aged only 24, Christopher McCandless who is fed up of the social facade and complicated relationship with his parents. He leaves for Alaska, in search of happiness and peace within himself. He abandons all his belongings, donates his money and changes his name, so as to disappear from public scrutiny. He embarks his journey, steps away from civilization and its necessary (un)pleasantries, and walks alone , into the wild……

      On his journey to Alaska via Mexico, he meets a lot of influential people from whom he learns the lessons of life and ways to happiness. On reaching Alaska, he stumbles upon, what he calls – the Magic bus. For over 40 days, he braves all the hardships, hunts animals for food, maintains his journal and reads his favorites.

      However, after thus struggling through a solitary existence, McCandless begins to soften and acknowledges the possibility that human relationships were more of a necessity than he had originally thought. He, then  decides to return to the civilization he had come from, only to find his route blocked by a melted river.

      Although McCandless’s behaviour, may seem reckless and drastic and even evoke anger and irritation in some, it teaches a lot to us. We, as humans, need to realize that we need to strike a balance between peace-searching isolation and being a part of society. To quote McCandless “Happiness is real only when shared’”. You can be living in society and still be yourself, not succumbing to the social pressures or obligations.

      Forced to live longer in isolation, what does the young spirited guy go through? Does he retreat back into his peaceful solitude? Does he face natural calamities? Is he rescued? Does he seek help? Meet help? Watch / read “Into The Wild” to find out for yourself…

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      ]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/into-the-wild/feed/ 2 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/a-day-from-my-diary/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/a-day-from-my-diary/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:10:05 +0000 Varada http://naari-thewoman.com/?p=89 Dear Diary, Today was a very special (?) day.

      My birthday dawned upon me just like it had in the last few years. A tiny butterfly rolling in my tummy with anticipation and dread. Anticipation – may be someone will remember and wish me, send me flowers and stuff. Dread – well, one more year gone, I am closer to the "middle age" by another 365 days.

      Well, I was born in a large family some 3 (or 4?) decades ago in Indonesia. After some smiles and some tears, finally I am here. In India. Working for a Software Company – from my Mom’s crowded kitchen to the plush ambience of this office, the journey was not always smooth. But all that is history. Which no one remembers, but me. So no point boring you with the details.

      0900 Hrs: With the anticipation and dread I mentioned above, I sit in the Cafetaria. A group of co-workers passes by. I am all ears (and eyes too). But alas, no one notices me. "No probs. Don’t worry, the day has just started. Someone will remember. May be they are planning a surprise for me… " I console myself.

      1100 Hrs: I sit in the Cafe’. Still waiting. slowly turning into .

      1300 Hrs: All the people come down to have lunch. I look up expectantly at each face, trying hard not to be too obvious. Doesn’t work. No wishes.

      1530 Hrs: Scene: Cafe’. My co-workers, whom I thought to be my friends, come in many groups. Chattering happily (it’s a Friday, you see), giggling, cursing the strict project timelines or company policies – all sorts of conversations. Then she comes. Oh, did she make an attempt to look extra gorgeous today? For me? My heart races to match the speed of a Formula-1 car. She comes near me. Casually touches her hand on my face. I turn tomato orange or a similar shade of pink. Just about to faint. Still no wishes.

      1700 Hrs: I sit in the Cafe’ and doze off. I see a large party, a huge cake, she puts it all over my face and laughs like pearls falling on marble. Some utensil crashes in the adjacent kitchen. I wake up. No wishes.

      1900 Hrs: The day ends just like any other – with everyone leaving for their home. No one wished me today. All my dreams are shattered. A tiny sob escapes my mouth. But alas, there’s no one around to notice, to see a poor, honest, sincere employee weeping on his birthday.

      2200 Hrs: "Never mind", I tell myself, "Never you mind. …" and I weep myself to sleep. (;_;)

      Yours truly,
      ~The Coffee table nearest to snack bar,
      ABC Inc., India.

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      ]]> http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/11/a-day-from-my-diary/feed/ 4 http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/10/edward-cullen/ http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/10/edward-cullen/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:25:10 +0000 Varada http://naari-thewoman.com/2009/10/edward-cullen/ “About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was ….” I watched Bella Swan muse to herself on my laptop screen. My own thoughts were not much different. I was watching “Twilight” – the movie made from the first of four books from “The Twilight Saga” series.
      •  A seemingly impossible mix of characters from ancient times and modern where no one seems out of place. 
        Dialogs and descriptions that Stephenie Meyer out to you to the core. 
        A tangle of emotions – uncontrollable thirst for someone’s blood, fear of being the monster you can be, pain of loving someone who you think should not reciprocate and finally, love, that washes all else away.
        Twilight Saga series is a set of four books, 
                              Twilight, 
                              New Moon, 
                              Eclipse and 
                              Breaking Dawn,
      • with all this and more….

      After a long time I got to read some romantic stuff so alluring, its almost an obsession.

      Stephenie tells the whole story mostly from Bella’s perspective. Her emotions, her opinions, her life. However, she also created a draft of Twilight that was the way story unfolded from Edward’s eyes (in my view, more potent than Bella’s books ). Unfortunately it circulated on the internet without her consent. Finally she did share it on her website. You can more about the draft and the draft itself from Stephenie Meyer’s official website here.

      The movie does not disappoint either. Every single character plays to perfection. From Rob and Kristine in lead roles to their parents, siblings and friends every single role is very well cast. A remember-to-blink-if-you-can entertainment!!!

      Here’s where you can grab your copies of books / DVDs. Enjoy!!!

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