I watched a cartoon movie called Rio- about a domesticated macaw named Blu who goes to Rio from Minnesota to mate with a female named Jewel and produce more offsprings of his kind.
Jewel is free-spirited and literally 'wild', and Blu does not even know how to fly. And in the cl...
When you read a book, do you wonder about the blank spaces around the words? Do you wonder about the blank pages on which the letters appear?
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When you enter a room, do you think about the space in the room? When you use the furniture, do you think ...
Have you ever seen a new-born baby? For the first six months or so they have no idea of who they are, they are not aware of their legs and arms. One of my nieces used to pull her hair as a baby and start crying - unable to tear her hand and stop the pain.
Babies live in the NOW ...
It is time for my annual Vipassana retreat blog.
Like all things this year, Vipassana retreat centres(http://dhamma.org) have been closed in most places. At the beginning of the year, I thought I might be able to do it in a centre - but as the year progressed that possibility...
One's progress in childhood is marked by how soon you can answer the question, 'What's your name?' And if you are also aware of your parent's names - you are going places.
As a newborn baby, you are utilizing your five senses to the fullest. Your understanding of your mom is thr...
Meditation, Spiritual, Journey, Self, Isha, Tolle, Yoga, Consciousness, Presence - these have become buzzwords today. Almost everybody I know is aware of these things even if they are not actively practising. There is an aura or mystery around the whole spiritual journey which fe...
Saying YES to the moment is a buzzword these days. Surrender to what is will ring true if you are on a spiritual or self-growth path. And like anything profound and straightforward - we have managed to complicate it because we think with our minds. Our mind is flawed when it come...
I had given a talk to OSU - MBA students last year. And one of them asked me a question, 'I have seen the movie Dangal in which Aamir Khan had to fight with society and sometimes even his daughters to make them into national wrestling champions. I want to know how the experience ...
Have you ever been in a situation in your life where it felt like 'THE End Of The World'? Like, nothing would be ever right in your life again. What will people think of you? How will you ever get out of bed and face life again?
And here you are, reading my blog hale and hearty ...
All of us have been part of at least one of the following scenarios.
SCENARIO 1: Seen a kid, niece or nephew and commented on how much they have grown? - 'Oh My God - she has grown so much.'
SCENARIO 2: An uncle, aunt or somebody older than you comment on how much you have gr...
Have you ever wondered why the CEO gets the corner office on the topmost floor? Have you ever wondered why everybody has to rise when Judge enters the room?
There is a distinct hierarchy everywhere - in hospitals, airports even in Restaurants: head chef and a sous chef, Pilot an...
Adam and I were walking with Aki - our fabulous Shiba Inu pup one day. It was a hot summer day, and Aki was dragging his feet. We ran into another couple with their Shiba Inu pup. We exchanged notes, and they continued walking with their white Shiba Inu pup leading the way, happi...
A few days ago, NASA launched astronauts to the space station. And a few days ago George Floyd was killed as a result of police brutality or racial injustice as some of us would say it.
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Somebody in your team made a m...
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function - a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
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It is hard to see both sides of a situation - understand the tru...
When Adam and I got together, he used to hang around me and my Indian friend Ranjani. And we both used to talk in Hinglish which is Indian's way of using English with Hindi. And one day he asked me what did we mean by timepass. And that's when I realized that Indians have a diffe...
I am currently in the seventh week of lockdown. Who would have thought? I had just published my book - 'You Can Do It' when all this was beginning. And I had sent out emails to the few folks I know to do my marketing.
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If something is unfair and nobody is aware that it is unfair - is it still unfair?
I am writing this blog right after watching the Bollywood movie - 'Thappad' which translates into - 'Slap'. And I am writing this caught up in an emotion which can only be described as 'Outraged h...
So, I have been watching a standup comedy show called - Comicstaan on Amazon Prime Video. This is an Indian show featuring Indian comedians. I stumbled upon it - watched the trailer, loved the jokes and got hooked to it.
I have watched other standup comedians too, mostly western...
I have recently discovered Self-Compassion. I knew it was the right thing to do; it is something we should practice. But as we all know, there is a vast difference between knowing and knowing, right? When the student is ready teacher appears.
I watched the video by Kristen Neff ...
With the coronavirus shutdown, I am finding it easier to go inward. I had already started an introspection journey this year, so the lockdown came as a pleasant addition.
I wanted to share some experiences with you.
Engineering Days: I was not happy about the fact that I got ad...
We are living in interesting times - something that is making history right now even as I write this blog.
India is in a 21-day lockdown, and some of the temples shut down a bit earlier. My parents told me that within a few days of the lockdown, wild animals started roaming in ...
Adam and I recently finished level 1 Improv Class. It was something that we were always curious about, and I was personally very interested in learning how to go with the flow. So, we did the class and finished it successfully as well.
There is an activity in Improv called Dr.Kn...
Have you ever seen somebody do tightrope walking? They are very alert every moment when they are walking on the rope. And they should be as their life depends on it, literally. Whereas on either ends or the extremes they are more relaxed. Even after a lot of experience, they migh...
As some of you know, we have the most gorgeous, most handsome, loveliest of all pups - Aki. His Instagram handle is iamluckyaki. Some would say that he is a little spoiled and they would be right. He gets daily massages, owns the house. He goes to daycare a few days in the week....
I have talked about this topic in a few of my previous blogs. But every time I am in London, I am reminded of my global nomadic tribe despite living in Columbus. I cannot deny the almost visceral feeling that I am home while in London. Every fibre of my being relaxes knowing it h...
Let's start with a story this time
_Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen._
_Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow unti...
How many times do you go through your pantry and throw away stuff that has expired or gone bad? The things you thought you would use but have forgotten or no longer need.
How often do you go through your closet and select clothes to throw away or donate? Clothes that do not fit ...
During my first Vipassana Service, I served in the kitchen. And we usually cook for like about 70-90 people - breakfast, lunch for these many people. And it means everything we do is in huge quantities like potatoes - 4 Kgs, cucumber - 2 Kgs. One of the tasks that I was assigned ...
This blog is a little bit different from my other blogs in the sense that it is a collection of various bits of information about Japan that I find fascinating. For a while, I have been fascinated by Japan. Not only because our Shiba-Inu pup is from Japan but because of the demog...
I taught five-year-olds science during a volunteering project. I was nervous because I did not know what to expect, but I enjoyed it. The main reason was I left the class feeling hugged (not Physically but general vibe). I often wonder why that is - my take is because with kids t...
I recently watched an amazon prime series, 'Made in Heaven.' It is about a couple of wedding planners whose clients are the elite of elitist in Delhi, India. The show was ok overall, one-time watch. But, there was a thread in that show that got me worked up a bit - and not a lot ...
While doing the annual house cleaning, I decided to watch some Netflix to give me company. I was not looking for something particular, so I did a quick browse, and the name 'Watership Down' sounded familiar, and it was an animation with rabbits - I pressed play and settled down t...
I practice Vipassana Meditation(http://dhamma.org) - Vipassana in Pali means "To see things as they are".
And in the book Non Violent Communication(http://www.cnvc.org/) by Marshall Rosenberg he also talks about "Observing without judgment".
At one level it makes perfect se...
This year I become a Vegan. It has honestly been a journey. I gave up chicken because I stopped enjoying it, next year I gave up fish, last year I gave up milk and this year eggs. Before I go any further let me say that I believe in the Chinese proverb -"80% is perfect for me". Y...
Yesterday Wild Tiger Tees(https://www.wildtigertees.com/) (a social enterprise of which I am one of the co-founders) went to festival for good(https://www.evensi.us/festival-good-columbus-ohio/265829671) in Columbus Ohio.
It is a cool festival about 'Doing more good' - all t...
Do you remember something you wanted as a child? A toy, teddy bear, candy. And what about now? Do you still want it? Do you remember the first time your heart broke over love? Do you still feel the same angst? Do you remember the time when you fell as a child? Do you still have t...
I had written a post about Diversity and Inclusion(https://www.anumorris.com/?p=16339) a while ago. And I am still fascinated by the power of diversity.
I like to travel as some of you know - and I realized that for the last few trips we have always stayed at an Airbnb. I reme...
I recently attended a Non Violent Communication workshop, and they used a couple of metaphors which I loved. First one was a Giraffe - there were things about Giraffe that I discovered. 1. Giraffes have an 11-Kg or a 26-pound heart. 2. Giraffes have a 1.8m or 6 feet long neck. 3....
Have you ever said to yourself - "If only, I had done it this way - it would have worked out." or "Why did this have to happen?" Have you ever been able to get things executed precisely the way you planned?
Neither have I - best-laid plans gone awry, right. I am a project manage...