Happy New Year 2017

Looking back on the months that has gone by,

As a new year starts & an old one ends,

We contemplate what brought us joy,

And we think of our loved ones & our friends.

  

Recalling all the happy times,

Remembering how they enriched our lives,

We reflect upon who really counts,

As the fresh & bright New Year arrives.

 And when we ponder on those who did,

I immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons.

We’ll have a happy New Year!

With smiles...

Swathi  💙

(Investing myself completely in the art of living)

Resolution of the year 2017!!

"The character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed."


                                                   
“Let’s hope”

“Let’s see”

“I’ll give a try”

“I’ll try”

These are the phrases that have become a part of my daily vocabulary. My mother implores, “Won’t you give a second thought?”

Again my obvious answer will be, “I’ll try”

I don’t even have the inkling of the implications of using these deadly phrases. My mother warns me that these words will have a serious impact on my behaviour & attitude. She used to curse it as the most disempowering words that my tongue rolls out often.

Whenever I use these words in situations where clear decisions are being desperate of, I get a lecture from her for half an hour at least! And I say it because I want to be polite so as not to hurt the other person. But she alleged that this dishonest statement will weaken me & turn against me one or the other day!

She believes that there are only two options for anything in life either we take action or don’t and, ironically scolds me that I have a clever mind & smart enough to create one more path which is fuzzy and unclear and that is to say the directionless statement, “I’ll try”. She at times yells me like I have a cunning mind avoiding commitments by preferring to sit on the wall without taking any stand on the matter so that can jump the either side.

She emphatically and authoritatively concludes that “I’ll try” is the sure way to stagnation and progress comes of clarity that is clear “Yes” or “No”. So, I’m not going to tell, “I’ll try “again but just going to do it taking a clear resolution and thereby implement from 2017.

For those who are with the same attitude, “I’ll try “attitude (escapism attitude of mine), I have broken my mind and gathered the lectures of my mother & have shortlisted for you. It will be better for you too, to take a resolution after a complete justification and satisfaction as well.

"You say “I’ll try “means, your mind has already put the issue in the back-burner. It has become the last priority.”I’ll try “mode is a disempowering state of mind, resulting from insufficient motivation & power. The mind may develop a laid-back attitude. It shifts the attitude to a low-key mode assuring non-committal state. Being in such non-committal states of mind will weaken us over a period of time. It shows your inability to take a risk. It keeps your self-image intact  & this is the self-deception at its worst.
The only way of being powerful & in control of life is to be committed, which means by saying either “Yes” or “No”, and not “I’ll try”. Commitment is a source of personal power & without it, self- mastery can never be achieved.
Well, you may ask about certain situations where you cannot give a commitment. In that case, Say”No”.That is also empowering because you’re clear in your mind that you cannot do it. There is no dishonesty here. To say,” I’ll try” when you know in your heart that you’re not going to lift a finger is inauthentic. But doing it as a daily job will have serious repercussions in the long run.
In case if you can tell “Yes” or “No”, state the exact factual position you are subjected to. There will be no ambiguity here for both when the spaces are clear. Real power comes when you say “Yes” against all odds and in doing it.
The chances of success are far better when you come from an empowering space. Even if you don’t succeed at first, keep coming from the empowering space of commitment, again & again, no matter how long it takes. The only thing that ultimately matters, in the long run, is the space where you come from”

But that’s right! An ambivalent mind is a hesitating mind, unsure of itself. Hence, I have decided to take this resolution for the year 2017 & Swathi will no more have a disempowering state of mind, no insufficient motivation, no laid back attitude, no non-committal state & particularly no escapism!!(he ..he..). 

With smiles.....

Swathi 💚

(Investing myself completely in the art of living)

The best lesson of 2016

The best lesson I learnt in 2016 is that,

“We can never judge our past with today’s maturity& we should learn from our past by understanding it with today’s maturity.”   

We had been friends for years. Though our approach to each & everything in life and our likes & dislikes was the same, we‘d huge misunderstandings with each other because of three things that I feel is entirely my fault.

First, in the relationship of two (me and my EX bestie) I somewhere knowingly or unknowingly left the third person to poke her nose in our issues.

Second, though I  had a great care and love for her& her life, the way I expressed it to her was little harsh.

Third, I never ended the arguments left unsolved and fruitlessly carried it to the next day. Often we walked out on each other right in the middle of the discussion, leaving the other seething with rage, with that precise intention.

On countless occasions, I felt she was not as she used to. These happened in the transition period of grade 11 & 12.But in the same period, we also had some wonderful moments together during the lunches & dinner without speaking a word or exchanging glares, feeling only the warmth of each other sitting beside. They were almost like the proverbial needle in the haystack kind of a thing. All our struggles to continue our friendship fetched us a lot of heartaches exactly before three years.

The woe is I thought all those memories have left a very bad taste in both our mouths. But it is not so! The past has hung like an albatross over me alone because somewhere around August of this year, I called her in a deep chaos and regret  & when I queried something about the misunderstandings we had, she replied these exact words in a sarcastic tone,”hey....It has been around three years & how could you expect me to remember all that stuff I had with you”

Her tone & the words let me in a shock. But then I was able to get a clear vision that 

I cannot rewrite the past. I can only ensure a wonderful present and a glorious future.

In the 2^nd standard, I scored 85 in arithmetic. If I am given the same question paper today, I will score full marks. But how can I compare my arithmetic scores in class two with today’s maturity? 

I will be a fool to do so. So, circumstances prevailed once may be ridiculously simple for me today. I believe that I‘ve grown mature with the passage of time.

So, I learnt the idea how to salvage bliss& happiness, love & affection from the debris of bad experiences and I think this is the best lesson I learnt in 2016.

With smiles...

Swathi Mohan   

(Investing myself  completely in the art of living)

Best moments -2016

A Complete life is a collection of happy moments & the best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it. So, I would like to open the kimono of my diary for the best moments in 2016.Have a happy reading!

Feeling the magic!

Magicians are the most honest people in the world; they tell you they are gonna fool you & then they do it.He..he... We’ve all seen on television regularly or on some occasions, experts doing magic, waving their magic wand & with that black hat.I too have watched in reality shows and talk shows but in 2016 it’s really a great experience for me with that guy.

Yeah! Mr.Ashok.He is by profession a magician & hypnotist but offers placement training for students as a part time job. We had two sessions & for one session he called a boy to perform magic & in the second, he called any girl to come forward & I went. Seeing the magic happening somewhere via television is nothing tantalising than that happens before my eyes that too played with me. So that was one of the best moments in 2016.

Visit to ISRO!

During every semester, my college arranges for an industrial visit as a part of its curriculum. But this year we went to ISRO, Sriharikota.(Rocket launch centre operated by ISRO) & I learnt so many exciting things. That was the dazzling trip of all the industrial visits we had before.

Being granted as state First!

Every year in honour of Teacher’s day, the government state associations conduct various competitions like essay writing, art, writing poems etc., 

This year my poem for the given title “my dream classroom” hit the first prize in district and state as well. I got this cup & certified. 

 It also fetched me an astonishing moment in 2016.

Re-entry of Ms.Lena!

Ms.Lena was my intimate bestie during my school days & of course even today! But we happened to depart for our high school. After completing my high school, I tried all the ways of contacting her but I can't. While after months I came to know that she had been to Oman due to her father’s transfer. I then lost hope & didn’t make any move further. But this year one fine day, she somehow has gone through my profile in social networking sites & gave me a surprise I ever had. My best friend’s re-entry happened this year that added an additional feather to the glory of 2016 in my life.

Blogging my passion!

Yeah! Blogging is my passion. But everything in life will take its own time to happen & it happened this year that made 2016 much wonderful to me!

Chetan Bhagat’s novel!

My fondness for reading books is eternal. This year I read three books completely & of those that one, made me more delighted is Chetan Bhagat’s  " The three mistakes of my life”.

Gosh! He has such an amazing fun and piece of writing in him. It was really fabulous & incredible. Within 2017, I wish to be relished & cherished with his other books.

My little tribute to the great era!

Yeah! All the above best moments fetched me an avalanche of happiness. But this is the one that suppressed me in doldrums of grief. Drawing & painting is my favourite hobby ever& this year I drew four pictures but this is little different 'cause it made me bereaved.So, I did it with much worries & this art I dedicate to the great era who is no more, Ms.Jayalalitha.It is special to me still.....because it’s not just my art, but my deep condolences for her demise.

These are just the " 7 wonders " ,but I had much more joyful moments this year.So,I thank the almighty for such beautiful days & wish the same by 2017.

With smiles...

Swathi Mohan 

(Investing myself completely in the art of living)

Voice of love...!!

We experience a lot in life, which enlighten us a great lesson that the books and curriculum cannot. Sometimes we feel great about what we learned from it & many times we forget to implement that in our lives. This is true especially for the experiences that are emotionally bonded to us.

That was one fine evening on October 24; 

I was sitting merely having my slambook opened & my mind enriched with the old memories.I was diverted abruptly and opened the chat as I heard the cling sound. It was the voice of love,my childhood friend Bhavadharini!

We hardly had two conversations & maybe it’s true.....A best friend can find your tone even with the letters you type.She was very sharp & crisp,”temme love, what’s your problem?”. I smiled & typed “nothing”. She typed back angrily,”oh, nothing! Then bye...”I typed,”no bow (I usually call her so)...Today is her birthday, so I was plunged by all those old memories. Every year we used to enjoy this day like anything & never surmised that a few years later we will be apart like this. You very well know how we were. She has been in all my extremes holding my hands tightly. Even if she can’t give better solutions at times, she never failed to cry along with me! Now nothing else is left than the misunderstandings. I earnestly don’t want to justify or being justified by anyone or any situation that prevailed exactly before 3 years, but still is everything over??????”

She replied, “I can help a person caught in the jaws of a crocodile. But how can I help a person caught in the jaws of a crocodile, while all she has is just the picture of a crocodile under her feet? The past has no reality except in the memory in which it is processed.Yet, you are caught up in the whirlpool & pretending that your past is still real dear!! By abusing your todays over the regrets of the past, you endlessly lose your todays that could’ve been used to build up your tomorrow”

I know she is right, but still, I didn’t break the silence.

She continued, “Nothing is a greater retardant to growth than the burden of the emotional baggage of your past.So, to unburden yourself from the past & to offload your emotional baggage embrace “forgiveness”. This can be the most selfish thing you do in life to liberate yourself from the clutches of hatred. Guilt is as much a retardant as hurt. Liberate yourself from both, because when you don’t forgive others, you suffer from hurt: and when you don’t forgive yourself, you suffer from guilt. Remind yourself that you are only human & humans err...”

I felt some profoundness in her words...but as she said, I remind,”am a human”. Sometimes our brain knows what is right, but it takes some time for the heart to realize it and honour it as well. Ha ha...I took these many  days!!!

Yes! It’s better to have loved & lost than to have not loved at all. It’s better to be cheated than to be a cheat. It’s better to have suffered the  wrong than to have done the wrong.Bitter yesterdays can create better tomorrow with all the maturity we gained out of those experiences.

So, I put a premium on my tears, so that I can encounter many more beautiful moments in my life, more worthy than my tears. There is a saying –“today can be the last day in your life”.This can be true in some cases, but equally true is the fact that today is the first day for the rest life.  I began today and you.....????

With smiles..

  Swathi  💚

(Investing myself  completely in the art of living)

                    

Smile please.....!

A smile is a curve that sets everything right...!!! agree????

There are few days in our lives that we will never forget. That was one such day for me. After all, it was the day I saw her most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was fair, had pink lips, sparkling light brown eyes filled with bliss and curly black hair. Her skin was so luminous that someone would think twice before touching her. I understood the true meaning of “beauty” only after I saw her. Who was this little angel?

An eight-month-old child in a home for abandoned children.

I saw her a year back but still, her face is imprinted in my mind! There were about thirty children in the home & the caretakers were moving from one baby to another feeding them milk from the bottle. That is when I saw her in a corner...a beautiful little angel trying to move around her fours. What grabbed my attention was the fact that she was the only one wearing a jubilant smile on her face. I felt like as though the time had stopped. For moments just stood to enjoy the beauty of her smile..the smile that said me ”hey! I am my creator’s own angel”!!!!

When I went close to her, I saw a splint taped to her fragile left hand to ensure that no movement was possible at the wrist. A small plastic tube was fixed to pass some saline or medication. I wanted to know what they were giving this child that neither looked underweight nor unhealthy. I learned then that she has a problem with Iron retention in her body. So, every few hours she has to be injected with an artificial supply of iron. Doctor’s weren’t sure how long this little one would survive. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I heard all that they had to say.

 The little angel kept looking around at everyone with a divine curve on her tiny toothless jaw. I couldn’t help but smile at her through my tears. For moments, my mind went blank. Later when the smile was out of my sight but not out of my mind, I realised that a smile is not just a crinkle!.It’s a sign of love for loved ones, a sign of respect for elders, a sign of encouragement to students.

 Sometimes it can be used 

to simply convey” I am here for you”

The smile was as if she’s telling me,” Smile please". In spite of myself I smile.

No parents, not able to retain Iron. No reason to smile and yet she kept smiling happily.

So how can we not smile????

         

With smiles...  

 Swathi  

(Investing myself completely in the art of living)

What are you turning out to be?

A good number of people prefer to be in a job that would involve the least amount of sweat, but at the same time give them a steady income. They would stick to the job, no matter what it entails. Whether you sweat more or sweat less in your job is hardly the point. What is becoming of you over a period of time is the ultimate question to ask. Whatever profession you are in, whether it is sales or healthcare, education or technology, manufacturing or entertainment.... what you get in return for your services is secondary. The primary focus ought to be, what kind of skill you are developing while you are at work. Are you able to solve the work-related issues better than before? What kind of skills you need to develop to handle future challenges?

You spend the biggest chunk of your day at work. And, if you feel happy and fulfilled at work, your chances of being happy as a person as a whole are high.

On the contrary, if you are carrying the burden of work, it will definitely tear you apart in the long run. If you find yourself saying, “oh no, not another Monday morning”, then something needs to be done without delay.

The best way to measure your progress is to see what you are becoming. The good news is where you are (or start), is not where you have to stay, and what you get need not define what you can become.

Make the move today!!

A year has gone!!!!

The same day last year, it was all numb.

“End of an Era: Missile man-Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam collapsed after cardiac arrest;”

And now a year has gone!

Have we changed a bit??Only his portraits have changed!!

 His lifespan”1931-2015” has been added to them.

 Why didn’t we make a move yet?

The power of words ....it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. But special is the individual who will take the time to encourage others & Kalam sir epitomised several great virtues like this!

 Tough times never last 

but tough people do.

He substantiated this to all of us.

Yes, Poverty is a terrible inheritance but he refused to be defeated by it. To support his studies, he turned himself into a newspaper vendor but, he would‘ve never prospected that, years after he will be the “Top story” in the same newspapers.He told demise with fame is an achievement.And, he is a great leader because he talked the way & walked the way!

Once on reading the life history of Sir Issac Newton, 

“I seem to, have been a boy playing on the sea-shore,& diverting myself in now & then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me”...

I was startled by his last words.

But, I was ineffably goose bumped with the live instance “Kalam”-  cause’ he was so humble. Though he knew so much, his great learning showed him how much there was to be known.

Even in his last minutes also, he was addressing students at IIM Shillong; telling them that creating more paths to open new avenues of opportunities & aiming high to achieve one’s goal is what matters the most.

Life has become comically critical these days! Say, for instance, if it is August 15, that whole day all kinds of media rewind the days of 1947, speak the sacrifices of great leaders & the same story is depicted page after page in newspapers and magazines. Likewise, TV channels also run in slow motion with Black &White pictures.

The very next day everything is back to normal!TV channels turn colourful resuming the serials, cookery shows, blockbusters etc.. ,

similarly, newspapers find even more sensational news like ...........

“Attack between two government forces”

“Affair of a Bollywood actor”

“Virat hits Century” etc.,

Of course, this is not abnormal!

But I think the same way July 27 should not, especially to Children & Youth!

If it is dragged into the same way, then it palpably means that we all pretend & just  say by words that    ” Bharat has lost a Ratna”

“Aim high, dream the impossible-Work hard &achieve your goal”

 was his advice to the youth. Now we’re in a responsibility to make his dream come true

Dear all,

One day we will do what we like,

&today could be that day!

There are journeys to be undertaken,

 Books to be written,

Movies to be made, &

 People to be loved........

But they are all just plans now!

Quietly waiting in mind somewhere!!!

When is the move????

You can hear them say....

 Between the life you want & the life, you lead....

 Between fantasy & reality.........

  Between now & never.......

There is just a move & it’s time we have to make it......!

So, what are we waiting for????

Let us allow our moves to define us...

 Grab the “NOW” my friends!  And.......

                     Make the move today!!!

With Smiles...

  Swathi  💙

(Investing myself  completely in the art of living)

Coffee with me??

        Hi...I’m Swathi....

This post is only to those who wanna know about me..!!  
Oh..nice to see you..because you are one of them..!!!

I swear you ..this is me..!..only me..!

If you are my best buddy,you would 've felt most of these..!!!..
Have a nice time!!!

   1.    I heartily believe that I am the creator of my own destiny. And my ultimate destination is to be happy (with all my desires satisfied) and make others happy (at least people around me)

2.      I will never admit myself as calm and composed because I am talkative to those I feel very close to me! This means I am a reserved type to few...

    3.    I have felt in circumstances that I’m typically strong  enough to handle any kind of situations. So, I obstinate myself against anything I come across!

     4.    I said “am of reserved type to few & talkative to intimates"...but I promise every spoken word is
      definitely from my heart!

     5.      I love my mom, dad and sis more than anyone in this world....!!!!

    6.      I love reading books, painting, pencil art, gardening, travelling & definitely blogging these days..!!!  

                       

    
    7.      I’ll be hurt badly when I’m ignored by 

        the ones I really like & if once hurt  I will ask for the reason and then decide to continue in relation to them or not.

 8.  I never hurt anyone intentionally with my words or actions. But, if
  I don’t talk to people as before I used to it, means they have done something wrong or hurt me in any way & 

I never feel sorry for them

.

9. I love eating chocolates like anything..& I challenge you if you mix merely 10 to 12 varieties  & give me also I will tell you the names correctly tasting it..!

10. If you agree that beauty is the matter of heart and not the face...then sure....I am very beautiful!

11. I’m far away from anger. If you ever experienced angriness from me, then you are very close to me...

    13. I hardly show emotions to others. It doesn’t mean that I possess no sentiments. I too bear some but, I bottle up my feelings often...

       14.People tell me I’m a good orator & I received the
          best speaker award from INS Rajali .

Also fetched my school a rolling shield when I was studying grade nine. so.I suppose a good speaker should be a good listener....and 

                 I ‘m a good listener too! 

 15. I’m built up only by my mistakes!

  
     16.I never resign myself to the fate factor.
And very important thing......

17.I don’t look innocent because  I’m damn crazy....

Hope you had a  nice time...anyways thank you so much for spending your time with me!!!

With smiles.

Swathi    💜
(Investing myself  completely in the art of living)