It's All Up Here !!!!

Mind and Heart!!!

2006-05-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

If the HEART is empty, it doesn't matter whats up there (MIND).

Good Morning!!!

2006-05-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I love getting up in the morning !!!
Each day I say "This is gonna be a great day today"

Daddu Tum!!!

2006-03-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

Anand, Bombay to Goa jaaker Don bangaya. uske Raaste ka Pattar Kabhi Kabhi Mili ke Kasme Vaade ki tarah, Abhimaan paida kar usse Parvana banne pe Majboor kar deta. Barsaat ki Ek Raat mein, Laawaris din mein Sholay bhadak utte, logon se Yaarana bhadakar yeh Saudagar, Khoon Pasina bahaata hua apna Silsila jamata raha. Lekin har Naseeb, ek Namak Halal par ek Namak Haram ne Trishul phek kar, usse Khuddar se Desh Drohi bana diya. Andha Kaanoon aur Adalat kabhi iss Natwarlal ko Geraftar na karsake, woh Mahaan se Nastik bankar kabhi Amar Akbar Anthony,kabhi Ram Balram, kabhi Sharabhi , kabhi Kaalia, kabhi Coolie banta, Hera Pheri kar, Satte pe Satta maanta. Lekin ek din woh Kala Patthar Desh Premi bangaya. Uss Mard mein ek Shakti jaagi, aur woh Muqaddar ka Sikandar, samay ki Ganga Jamuna Saraswati paarkar Shahenshah ban gaya.

What the Heck - We've got Nothing to Lose!!!

2006-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Day 5 started with England declaring there second innings setting a target of 368 to win. It was fair for them to assume that 368 may not be attainable by best of teams in 90 overs. More importantly, they stood a better chance of winning the test considering that it was Day 5 and the pitch could be unpredictable.

A beautiful incutter castled Shewag's off stump for a shot that he would not want to remember. Reminded me of Saurav's off-drives without any foot movement. An awful shot to play. India were 1 for 1.

The morning session of Day 5 was so slow that India scored their first runs of the bat nearly after 5 overs. Such was their defensive mode of batting and run-rate, that it was pretty obvious that India were all set to play for a draw, or maybe was it because of Shewag's early departure.

The scene was set for Rahul "Wall" Dravid and Wasim "Straight Bat" Jaffer to play out the day, ball-by-ball, over-by-over, session-by-session to ensure a drawn game. And so did they execute the plan with utmost resilience and concentration. Dravid played 187 balls for his 71 while Jaffer 197 for his 100. They played so slow that the runrate was around the 2.2's, a number that is uncommon these days. Their display of batting was so perfectly defensive, that other than a run-out attempt, England didn't even come close to rattling them. Let go the good ones, punished the bad ones. Total Test Cricket material.

At tea time, India were about 220 odd runs away from a win in 35 overs. Flintoff and England knew that they were heading for a lame draw, at it was unlikely that either India would score 220 in a session or England would bowl them out. That's when magic happened.

India, under Dravid upped the ante. Destroyed the English bowling, in the process, Dravid reached his 50 and Jaffer his 100. The most surprising moment of the day, considering the way India played out pre and post lunch session, was in came Irfan Pathan after Dravid was dismissed. Was it a ploy to rattle Panesar? Wasn't sure. Pathan put bat to ball literally every ball for maximum result. Then walked in Dhoni at No.5. What happened to Sachin, VVS, and Kaifi.

It was a superb display of batting but the duo. These two are not the typical chancy pinch hitters. A batsman is good if he can play the ball comfortably in the V. Both did it with exquisite ease. Truly great batting performance by the duo. For the first time, it felt like India were genuinely chasing 200 in the remaining 25 overs. Not that they were trying to score by chance, all balls were treated by both with merit and all shots were cricketing shots. Then goes Pathan, and in walks Sachin.

For him the scene was set to achieve the one record that has eluded the master blaster, single handedly influence the outcome of a test match. Never has he won a test for India. He was as classy and cheeky in his shot selection as one knows him to be.

Quick fire 35 from Pathan, 16 from Dhoni, 28 from Sachin, and 7 from Harbhajan, with Laxman and Kaif yet to bat, set the stage for India for a great finish. What amazed me was the sheer batting talent India now has. Even the one off pull to between long-on and mid-wicket by Harbhajan was just swash buckling.

As Laxman, walked in, India needed another 108 to win in 13 overs. Two more overs of Sachin magic would get them to run-a-ball. And from there on there was Sachin, VVS and Kaif to ensure victory. The umpires offered light and India took it.

One may argue that was not the right thing to do. Well, that was the Indian strategy. Go for a win with wickets in hand. After slipping in Day 1, England took full control of the test till tea time of day 5. Indian attitude just rattled Flintoff and England. He was running out of ideas to control the run feast. Indian strategy took him by surprise. There were lengthy conversations between overs, messages sent out from the England dressing room. Total chaos was evident.

The point was made by India, just stole back the initiative from England and thus prevented the headlines reading in the lines of "England dominate as test ends in a draw". After what India did, headlines are bound to be re-written.

India go into Mohali, with a lot of confidence. They have an established opening pair in Jaffer and Shewag. Yuvraj will be back in the 11, probably at the expense of VVS, unfortunately and a good chance that Munaf and Shukla walk into to the squad at the expense of Shreesanth and Harbhajan.

What a team it would be? All in all exciting series, one which India now look forward with a "Never say never" attitude.

Should Dravid have upped the ante a bit sooner. Naah!!!. That was not the plan. Chappell and he had the test cricket hat on. A great Day 5 to witness. Excellent cricket. Lot of technical thinking, mind games, and strategies involved. Such test matches are rare to come.

In Life Unbeatable, In Death Irreplaceable

2006-02-20T22:40:00.000-08:00

It was 1993 that I got a taste of the sport of Formula One. Motorsport to me, started with Motorcycle Grand Prix with Kevin Schwantz having won the 500 CC Moto GP World championship with Aussie Micheal Doohan in fourth place. Began to follow that series and was a great fan of Michael Doohan who went on to win 5 consecutive world championships with Repsol Honda. He met with a serious accident in 1999 and retired from the sport. Valentino Rossi who was racing the 125 cc league at that time has now, in 2005 became a 5 time champion and is considering a move to Formula One.

Satellite Television had just then made inroads into India and Prime Sports began to telecast Formula One races. 1988 to 1993 was a golden era in Formula One. Never has one seen such fierce battles for world championships. Two of the greats during the late 80s and early 90s included Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. They were team mates at Mclaren Honda for 2 years and their dominance in the sport was such, that between the two of them they shared all but one of the wins (1988). They were competing with each other in each race. Its been nearly 13 years eversince, the world of F1 is yet to see such a battle. Such was their rivalry, that they never saw eye to eye, and have taken each other out on many occasions.

At the end of the 1993 season, World Champion Prost retired from Williams and Senna took his spot to partner Damon Hill. At the start of the season, Michael Schumacher's Benetton Ford was the best in class with the Williams of Senna a distant second.

Ayrton Senna was a KING of qualifying. He would drive out during qualifying in the last 1.5 minutes of the session and start his hot lap 10 seconds before the close of the session. It would take Senna just 1 hot lap to set pole position. Such was his focus and concentration and talent. His record of 65 pole positions is yet to be beaten 12 years after his death.

Monaco GP - A claustrophobic track which requires drivers to drive carefully under dry conditions, Senna would lap the field under wet. He still maintains a record of most wins in the principality of Monaco.

Failing to finish in the first two races in 1994 despite starting from pole position, Senna arrived at Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix. It was indeed a jinxed weekend and the darkest the Formula One circus has ever seen. During Friday's practice, Rubens Barichello, in his rookie year met with a serious shunt that kept him out of the race. He was Senna's protege.

On Saturday, Roland Ratzenberger met with a fatal accident that brought the Formula One world to shock. Senna took it upon himself to convince Prof. Sid Watkins (F1 Chief Neuro surgeon) to review the driver safety standards. Two accidents, one fatal made Senna think if he wanted to be in Formula One. Despite the death of Ratzenberger on Saturday morning practice, Senna, determined to do well in the race set pole position for the next days race, his third for Williams and third of the 3 races in 1994.

Sunday morning at the grid formation, Adriana Gilestu, Senna's then girlfriend recalls that Senna was unsure if he should race considering the events of the last two days. He nearly did not want to drive that day. But his close friend Gerhard Berger convinced him to do so. As so started the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix with Senna on pole and Michael Schumacher in second.

At the lights turned green, there was a huge accident at the back of the grid that took off literally the last four rows of the grid. Safety car was brought in and it took six laps under the safety car to clean the debris at the start -finish. The safety car dives into the pits at the end of lap 6. And the race is underway. Two corners later the pack headed by Senna approached the Tamburello corner, then a high speed left hander (now a slow left -right- left corner). Senna's car went off the track at approximately 190 miles per hour and rammed into the unprotected concrete wall. Pre 1994 there was no concept of tire barriers that we see today.

Generally after an accident, the driver gets out of the car ASAP to avoid an electrical fire. But Senna was unmoved, his car completely destroyed. Race was stopped. Prof. Sid Watkins was the first to arrive at the scene to attend on Senna who was then air lifted to the hospital in an unconscious state.

Causes for Senna's accident is still unknown. It is speculated that the front right tyre along with the attached suspension became loose on impact, hit Senna on the head, pierced his visor leading to severe frontal brain injury. Senna's battered helmet shows a puncture just above his right eye. It was also speculated that an unusually long safety car period had reduced the pressure in Senna's tyres, lowering the car, leading to sudden reduction of downforce and hence grip.

Race was restarted and Michael Schumacher won the ill-fated race. Senna was pronouced dead due to severe brain damage. Rules of Formula One changed after May 1, 1994.

His memorial service was attended by Formula One's greatest. Alain Prost who was Senna's advisory on track was there to see off his worst enemy with utmost respect for the man he loved to hate. Recently Michael Schumacher was inconsolable in a post race press conference after passing one of Senna's records, the only time I have seen Michael in the last 13 years emotional. Such was Senna's contribution to the world of F1.

In Brazil, Senna was a living God. The only other person to be worshipped was football ace Pele. After his death, Ayrton Senna Foundation was created that helps and works with the poor and needy of Brazil till date. On track, he was aggressive, unforgiving and drove to perfection. Off track he was a very quite and a religious man. His dual personality in his character was made evident when track officials found a bloodsoaked Austrian flag in Senna's cockpit. It was the flag that Senna was going to wave and raise on his victory lap in honor of Ratzenberger who had died on that track less than 24 hours ago.

To honor Aryton Senna's acheivement in F1 and Monaco GP (next race of the season), P1 was not occupied by anyone in the race of 1994.

An excerpt from Senna's newly release DVD "Official Tribute To Ayrton Senna". In his own words "On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit and you go for this limit and you touch this limit and you think, ok, this is the limit. As soon as you touch this limit,
something happens and you realise that you can suddenly go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and your experience as well, you can fly very high."

Indeed In Life Unbeatable, In Death Irreplacable.
Ayrton senna Da Silva (1960 -1994)
May 1, 1994, an evening I cannot ever forget.
My tribute to my greatest F 1 Driver of all times.

Love at First Sting - Moment of Glory

2006-02-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

The wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and your will find
The passage out of the dark

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

The wise man said just find your place
In the eye of the storm
Seek the roses along the way
Just beware of the thorns

Here I am
Will you send me an angel
Here I am
In the land of the morning star

The wise man said just raise your hand
And reach out for the spell
Find the door to the promised land
Just believe in yourself
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and your will find
The way out of the dark

Send Me an Angel - Scorpions from the album Crazy World
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Formed in 1970, this German band comprising of Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine, and Matthias Jabs have created history in Hard Rock. After 35 years, they are still an awesome team rocking the world like a hurricane.

I first heard "Still Loving You" and "Winds of Change" while I was in my 8th Standard. Thats about 15 years ago. Ever since there is no looking back. Their music has ever since put me in a trance. It was always my dream to meet the trio. They were, are, and will be my heros.

Never knew when I would, if I could, how I would. And then there was June 16, 2001 at the Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus Ohio. Ticket was not expensive, but to get there on my own was. So I had to convince my friends to come along with the assurance that they are going to have a time of their life.

The intro for the concert was provided by a small time group Rio, followed by 90 minutes of Deep Purple led by Ian Gillian and closed with the mighty Scorpions with Klaus, Rudy, Jabs, Kottak, Rieckermann at their best.

Had tickets for Row N, I think. Not that far from the stage, about 30 feet. Great seats for $40, must say. But who the heck sits in a Scorpions concert. So I figured, I could get closer. Sneaked through security to row A while Deep Purple was performing. All set to experience the Scorpion mania. Was about 3 feet from the stage, no one in front of me but the GODS of hard rock.

That was one of the best moments of my life. To see my heroes perform in flesh and blood. And the show started with a blast by the song Coming Home, followed by 18 of their greatest hits that included anthems such as Rock you like a Hurricane, Winds of Change, Still Loving You, Send me an Angel, Blackout, Dont Believe Her and many others.

Scorpions have a very limited fan following in the United States, which worked to my advantage cause I was one of the few who knew all their songs by heart.

Somewhere in the middle of the concert, as Klaus Meine was at his best, in all my emotion and trance, I reached out to him. And there he was,he saw me reaching out,walked up about 3 paces, reached out, high-fived, shook my extended hand with a very firm reassuring handshake. The hand shake lasted for about 2 seconds but felt like forever. One of my dreams turned into reality shaking hands with the vocal GOD of hard rock.

Not that it was enough, and since I was one of the few who sang along during the entire concert, I managed to make eye contact with Matthais Jabs, who smiled in return as if to say "Hang on a sec, I wanna give you something" and after the conclusion of a song threw out his guiter picker at me. Unfortunately, it boomeranged away from me. He saw the utter disappointment on my face. I was like shattered, cause I knew that was meant for ME.

A few songs later came the ballad anthem Winds of Change. Now since its a ballad, everyone was swaying in slow motion and I was singing all along the way. The single most defining moment of the evening was that he gestered to me as the song ended and handed me his guiter picker, just so that I get it. This time for sure.

I can relive that evening only in my mind and thats just an amazing feeling to have. They have touched many a hearts this way, and I am one in a million. But my experience that day was out of the world and one of my personal bests.

Scorpions have had an impact in my life. Their music has been one of my major sources of self-motivation and push in life. And have helped me overcome the waves of everyday life. Their career as a group has gone through a lot of downs ever since they formed Scorpions. And yet they have survived for 35 years as a group (Rudy, Klaus, and Jabs). The biggest lesson I have personally learnt is the lesson of friendship. If one gets to read their history especially in the early 80s, hats off to their FRIENDSHIP and SINCERITY.

I was just listening to some of their music today, nearly after a year or so and it reminded me of that great evening where I had a chance to meet my musical Heros who have been one of my sources of inspiration and motivation in life.

Self Help and GOD !!!

2005-12-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

GOD helps those who help themselves!!!!
Trust in GOD but Lock your car!!!!

There was once a man, a GOD fearing man, who travelled around the world preaching and spreading the word about the greatness, love, care, power, and ability of GOD. He travelled across seas, deserts, nations just to enlighten people that it is only GOD who has the ablity to carve ones life and so pray and pray hard seek his blessings.

He was once travelling for days across a desert that was ruthless to anyone. No food, no water, no habitation, nothing. Suddenly he sees a patch of awesome greenary (vegetation,fountains, gardens etc). Was it an illusion, was it an act of GOD, he thought. As he neared, he realized that it indeed existed, and it was even more beautiful. He then approached the person who lived there and said" Sir, you must be so thankful to GOD for giving you such a wonderful place. I am sure your prayers are always heard. GOD is great to give you such a life in such a ruthless desert.

For which the man who owned the place said " Yes, being a firm believer in GOD, I am thankful for all that he has giving me thus far (great health, piece of land etc). But try and imagine how this place was when GOD owned this piece of land before me."

Attitude!!!

2005-12-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Life is 10% what happens to you, it is 90% how you react to it - Charles Swindall

Value of life is not fully discovered unless one is confronted with bumps in life. It is but natural to enjoy the pleasures of success and happiness, celebrate with a sense of satisfaction and joy. Why? Because, happiness, success is something that is liked by all naturally.

On the other hand, if one is confronted with a hiccup in life, it pulls the person down. Makes anyone drag oneself along the way. Why? Because sorrow, sadness is something one does not look forward to in life.

Life is a rollercoaster that one rides each day. Just as one elevates oneself to the moon and enjoys the great moments in life, one needs to be able to evaluate and face life when confronted with hiccups. The true individual can only be evaluated depending on how one stands up for oneself and confronts the situation.

It is incorrect to assume that good things rarely touch your feet. It is unfair to blame GOD for all the misgivings that one faces in life. It is also incorrect to believe that you are one of those unfortunate who are always confronted with sorrows.

Look closely, every individual one comes across will have some kind of issues in life ranging from personal to professional life. It is easy to live a life complaining about what one did not get or one did not accomplish. It is an acheivement if one takes the negative in oneself's stride just as one would take the positive. It is the ATTITUDE that dictates this character of metal.

Past cannot be changed, but one should not ruin the future by worrying about it in the present. Worrying about what happened in the past or what could confront one in the future serves no purpose. One has to have a positive outlook and think what needs to be done to carve a better brighter future. Positive Attitude alone can take an individual miles. Rather than complain, pick up on the mistakes, one has to learn lessons and face life with an unparalled ATTITUDE.

Emotional Intelligence!!

2005-10-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

In today's corporate world, that provides emphasis on team work, flexibility, and customer orientation, emotional intelligence is a skill set that is now becoming a necessity. It is important to not only be technically competent, but also demonstrate emotional competence. It is a fact that IQ and academic excellence does not guarantee success. It is merely a threshold for a job requirement. Companies give importance to emotional competence ahead of cognitive abilities. It is proven that the recipe for excellence in a technical profession is the ability to influence and the drive to achieve ahead of analytical thinking. Technical brilliance does not propel an individual to the top. It is his/her ability to influence and persuade others and have the inner discipline to strive for challenging goals that are the driving factors to success. There is no point in being excited about a new idea unless one has the ability to relate, speak up, be heard, and be comfortable with oneself. These skills make the crucial difference.

Emotional competence is a learnt capability and is based on emotional intelligence, and it is this that leads to outstanding results. It is extremely important to have a balance between the mind and heart; i.e. cognition and emotion. Cognition as in technical expertise and analytical reasoning, and emotion meaning thought and feeling. This forms the basis for emotional competence. High in emotional intelligence does not guarantee that one has developed emotional competence that is needed at work. It just demonstrates the excellent potential in oneself to learn it.

Emotional intelligence has two major competences: Personal and Social. In other words, emotional intelligence may be defined as the competencies that determine how we manage our selves (personal) and how we handle relationships (social). Some of the important characteristics of emotional intelligence are: Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and most importantly social skills.

No doubt that people have got to the top in the past without emotional intelligence, but as work becomes more and more complex and highly collaborative, companies that work together best have the competitive edge and thus excel in the job.

Travel!!!

2005-10-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

It is one of my greatest passions in life. To travel and to travel every chance I get.
Traveling is one of the many ways to understand the world. Five years ago I traveled thousands of miles to come to the United States. Ever since there has been no looking back. Amidst my busy schedule at school and other commitments in life, I traveled. Traveling gave me a lot of experience about a lot of things. Most of all I never run out of what to talk. I have so much to say about the things I have seen, places I have visited, people I have met that I can talk to a stranger and keep him/her engrossed for hours.

I believe in one thing, atleast once a year, go some place you have never been before. Knowingly or unknowingly I have done that. And it is a privilege to have done so. I am ever so thankful to the groups of friends who have been part of such amazing trips over the last few years.

Yes, its true that travel involves money, and that is not easy. But in one such conversation, someone experienced told me, you have to do what you have to do and when you want to do. Cause one has to be lucky to have time, money, health all at the same time. She said, when u have time and health, you may not have enough money, when you have money and health, you may not have time, and when you have both time and money, health may part ways.

Most of all traveling has given the opportunity to get to know who my friends really are. Traveling gives me a lot of time to think, think about a lot of things in life. Its gives me the ambience to look at the world from a very different perspective. For me, traveling has been a form of education. Education that I believe enriches my life, education that I can share with anyone.

Travel and travel as much as you can. After covering about 29 states out of 50, my desire to travel has not come down. It’s always a win-win situation.

Fear!!

2005-09-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

What is your deepest fear? That you are inadequate??

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were all meant to shine, as children do.
Its not just in some of us, its in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

This is an snippet from a movie I recently saw. One of the most powerful words I have ever heard. It made me think.

Ethics!!!

2005-09-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

What is Ethics?
To me ethics is everything in life. It is life to me, it is honesty, loyalty, integrity, friendships, relationships. Infact it is the air I breathe. I have encountered ethics at home, with friends, with family, with work. It is there all the time. It is very important in life for one to have ethics - professional and personal in life. To me, it is a driving force in what I say and do. It is the reason why people around me listen to me, have faith and belief in me in what I say or do. It defines me and my words and actions have credibility and it develops trust in others for me. As I recently read and quoted in one of my previous posts, "it is more important to be trusted than liked or loved".

Do you have to try to be ethical, is it hard? Did I try and learn to be ethical? Yes. To starters it is very hard. I think twice and make sure what I say to anyone. I know for some, it may just sound like a conversation, for others (my friends circle), it may mean a lot. There is a lot of thought involved in every thing I say or do. On a daily basis, I try not to lie, cheat, or hurt anyone around me. Cause, I know when I lie, cheat or hurt anyone, it hits my conscience. If I inadvertently do cause pain to someone, I do make sure I take immediate action.

Is it worth it? Yes on a personal front, I can count the number of people who have faith and belief in my words and actions, on a professional front, my work has gained the much required credibility.

The problem is that once you are caught to be inethical, it is very difficult to regain the trust, faith and belief for you by others. On a daily basis, it is my sincere effort to learn, demonstrate, and pass on the message regarding the importance of ethics especially to my friends. It unknowingly generates a positive energy which is very healthy and very necessary in order to maintain a relationship with another individual.

Being honest, and ethical leads you into living a good and honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you will get to enjoy it a second time

Bottomline: REMEMBER THAT YOUR CHARACTER IS YOUR DESTINY and ethics is a major part of your character.

Expectation

2005-09-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Expectation is a trait that most of us possess and expect from people we love. We expect from family, we expect from friends. But is it OK to expect from our loved ones? Is it fair for someone you love to expect from you?

Expectations leads to more expectations and more expectations lead to even more. This eventually leads to disappointment. Disappointment unnecessarily leads to misunderstanding, miscommunications etc. A person who truely loves and cares about you will do everything he/she can for you. He/she will not give you an opportunity to expect. He/she will always be there for you.

What if you know that someone is close to you and does not give you what you deserve. Should you be disappointed? No. It is my firm belief that one should not expect anything from the ones that are close to your heart. Yes, even a small thing like Thank you or Sorry from your loved ones would mean a lot to you, but it is not worth feeling disappointed not to get one.

On the contrary, it is my belief to "GIVE" all that you have, all that you possibly can give. Make sure the ones you love are not left expecting from you. GIVING has given me peace, happiness, and most importantly satisfaction in life. And I always do it with immense happiness,not worried what I get back in return. I am left with a sense of immense contentment in life that I have done my duty, whether recognized or not. Expectation gives you none of the above. Giving has given me people who have a lot of trust, faith, and belief in me, which is very important and will last forever.

Bottomline: GIVE PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY EXPECT, AND DO IT CHEERFULLY.

Friendship and Acquaintance

2005-09-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Friend: One who is always there for you, one who does not bother because you are not spending as much time with him/her as you used to do, one who braves to discuss a problem with you directly without any hesitation, one who understands that there is a problem between the two, and works to resolve it, one who yells at you when you may be treading the wrong path regardless of how you take it, one who does not keep personal grudges with you because you knowingly or unknowingly said or did something, one who is never insecure, one who knows that you will always be there for him/her, one who never hesitates to ask you a favor/help, one who truly appreciates and thanks you, one who never wonders what you may think if he/she opened up to you, one who knows that if there was a fight between the two, there is no second thoughts of making up, one who walks up to you and says he/she is there for you, one who asks you if you had a good day and general wellness

Acquaintance: One who “thinks” you are a close friend, one who worries that the you are not spending as much time with him/her as you used to, one who gets hurt at what you said and never dares to question why, one who is nervous to open up to you even if it were to be a very small incident, one who quiets down, when hurt, not letting you know what the problem is, one who is hesitant to ask you a favor/help and expects you to know that he/she needs help, one who expects that you to initiate something first, one who expects the you to apologize first, one who expects you to know that he/she is feeling low, one who hesitates to talk to you about his/her problems, one who needs your presence but does not ask for it, one who has “expectations” in his/her dictionary of friendship.

Quiz

1. How do you know if someone is a friend or an acquaintance?
A: Read the above paragraphs

2: How long does it take to transition an acquaintance to a friendship?
A: Years and years

3: What does it take to have a friend?
A: Everything, your life, your time, especially an effort from your part that lets your friend know he/she is important to you.

4: How do you know if someone can be your friend?
A: You don’t. Don’t even try.

5: Do you look out for friends?
A: No, every opportunity is a half-chance. Don’t talk to people with friendship or any other personal motive in mind. Meet and talk with all with an open mind. Age does not matter. It happens and you will know when it does. But do the ground work. It doesn’t happen out of the blue.

6: What do you do if your friend hurts you in any way, knowingly or unknowingly?
A: Call the person up the next day and tell him/her what an a** he/she has been, and that you are hurt. At that time you will know how wrong or right you are about the other person. Communication is the key.

7: What is importance in a Friendship?
A: Communication and no expectation. Tell your friend what’s on your mind, even if it is associated with your friend. Don’t expect your friend to ask you or know what is wrong for you to open up.

8: What if, your friend breaks your heart after years of friendship?
A: Life moves on, people come and go. Be thankful that you were friends with him/her for such a long time.

9: What happens when expectations come in between friendship?
A: It is your failure, it is your mistake, it IS because of you. Make amends.

10: Is it really worth making friends when you know that they will break your heart at some point?
A: Absolutely, everybody needs somebody. Never give up the effort to make friends. As you grow older, it becomes more and more hard to make friends.

11: Shouldn’t your friend know when you are feeling low, when you need him/her as a friend?
A: Absolutely ridiculous. Do not judge your friend based on that. You run into a chance of ruining the relationship. Always reach out to your friend. There are times when your friend has no clue, sometimes he/she may. Don’t take that risk. Talk about it. Most important DO NOT LIE.

12:What is a friend to me?
A: My life, trust, honesty, integrity, and loyalty.

Friendship doesn’t come easy; you have to give up a lot over a long period of time to gain a friend. Be fortunate if you walk away with one friend from a group of 5 acquaintances.
You want a friend, you work for it. He/she wants you as a friend; he/she will work for it too. By doing so, you will see how friendship blossoms.