Philosophy of Life

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.
A tourist complimented the local fishermen
on the quality of their fish and asked
how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long." they answered in unison.
"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"
The fishermen explained that their small catches were
sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children,
and take siestas with our wives.
In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs.

We have a full life."
The tourist interrupted,

"I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?"
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring,
you can buy a second one and a third one
and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man,
you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants
and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City !!!
[
From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?"
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, "answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.

"After that you'll be able to retire,
live in a tiny village near the coast,
sleep late, play with your children,
catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife
and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Mexicans.
And the moral of this story is:

Know where you're going in life ...you may already be thereJ

Eat Right and Stay Healthy During Exams

Exam season is on and every parent will want to help their children stay physically and mentally healthy throughout this time. The diet plays an important role in their well-being. Hence it is very important to give the right foods to protect child's body and mind. They also improve marks by boosting academic performance on the exam day. A healthy balanced diet should consist of whole grain cereals, legumes, sprouted pulses, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Non vegetarians can include eggs and fish.

The best diet food during exams is lots of fresh foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouted pulses, fish and egg. They help to activate memory. Please avoid processed foods like, soft drinks, cookies, cakes and junk foods. They inhibit brain function.

Breakfast is the most important food of the day. This meal is very important since it meet the needs of the nourishment after the 10 -12 hours of gap. An ideal breakfast must provide at least 30 to 40% of total calorie requirement of a person. Eat a sustaining breakfast such as whole meal toast, whole grain cereal porridge like oats, wheat flakes, broken wheat, milk or yoghurt or eat stuffed vegetable or paneer parathas  with curd or sandwiches with egg or sprouts or idli, sambhar for a very healthy and whole some diet. Including some fresh fruits or fruit juices are also very healthy.

Protein activates neurotransmitters and stimulates memory. And the brain has to have fat, because it is 70% fat. It needs fat from the diet, especially the "good fats" - essential fatty acids because our body does not make them so we have to supply from out side. Fish contain the essential fatty acids especially the salmon, mackerel and sardines. Eggs are also good for protein and fats. But too much of fatty food will make the child drowsy and sleepy. Because of this high quality essential fatty acids is to be taken in moderation and should avoid butter, ghee, cheese, and other oily foods.

It would be good to have health drinks like bournvita, hot chocolate, horlicks or complan or soy vita instead of tea and coffee since tea and coffee are stimulants and cause sleep disturbance, muscular tension, anxiety etc. But if a person is used to take coffee or tea regularly should not avoid fully because sudden fall of caffeine level in blood will interfere with the brain function. A good liquid boost before an exam is good.

A few almonds crushed to a paste and blended milk or Fresh fruit juices like orange or grape or fresh pineapple are good. Pineapple contains an enzyme, brome lain that activates neurotransmitters involved in memory.

The best liquid to drink before and during an exam is water. Often fatigue and mild headaches is a sign that you are becoming dehydrated. If you don't consume enough water, your output of energy will drop. Carry a water bottle with you, and drink periodically throughout the day. Water speeds up brain function. Too little water slows it down and dehydrates the brain.

If you plan to stay awake throughout the night. Eat a light meal at night. Avoid oily or fried snacks as these will only make you sleepy. If you are taking coffee throughout the night then eat something light along with it for eg a biscuit or rusk.

Non strenuous exercise like gentle walking, swimming, jogging, cycling and jumping are other essentials during exam time. Be sure to take out time for some fun every day. Having a good laugh is a great way to de-stress and have fun. Have a set hour of leisure time every day to have fun. Avoid any activities which strains the eyes such as watching TV or reading other books/magazines - as your eyes too need rest. Go out and play, take a walk, go meet a friend in the neighbourhood, do some yoga, meditation or anything you like is best.

Pre-Exam Preparations

Hello Parents!!!!! Exam time is here. Lets help our children with the pre exam preparations by going through the below points:

Help them to study

Help your child to revise by making sure they have somewhere comfortable to study. Help them draw up a revision schedule or ask the school for one.

Encourage exercise

Make sure your kids are active. Exercise can help boost energy levels, clear the mind and relieve stress. Walking, cycling, swimming, football and dancing are all effective.

Discuss their nerves  

Remind your child that feeling nervous is normal. Nervousness is a natural reaction to exams.

The key is to put these nerves to positive use. Being reminded of what they do know and the time they have put into study can help them feel confident.

Be flexible

Parents need to be flexible around exam time. When your child is revising all day, don’t worry about household jobs that are left undone or untidy bedrooms.

Staying calm yourself can help. Remember, exams don’t last forever.

Ensure your child eats well

A balanced diet is vital for your child’s health, and can help them to feel well during exam periods.

Some parents find that too many high-fat, high-sugar and high-caffeine foods and drinks (such as cola, sweets, chocolate, burgers and chips) make their children hyperactive, irritable and moody.

Watch out for stress  

Look out for signs of exam stress. Children who experience stress may be irritable, not sleep well, lose interest in food, worry a lot and appear depressed or negative. Headaches and stomach pains can also be stress-related.

Having someone to talk to about their work can help. Support from a parent, tutor or study buddy can help children air their worries and keep things in perspective.

If you feel your child isn’t coping, talk to teachers at your child’s school.

Encourage sleep 

Good sleep will improve thinking and concentration. Most teenagers need between eight and ten hours' sleep a night.

Allow half an hour or so for kids to wind down between studying, watching TV or using a computer and going to bed to help them get a good night's sleep.

Cramming all night before an exam is usually a bad idea. Sleep will benefit your child far more than hours of panicky last-minute study. 

Don’t add to the pressure

It is said that many of the children who contact them feel that the greatest pressure at exam time comes from their family.

"Keep things in perspective," says Rosanne Pearce, a senior supervisor. "Listen to them, give support and avoid criticism."

Before they go in for a test or exam, be reassuring and positive. Make sure they know that failing isn’t the end of the world, and that if things don’t go well they may be able to take the exam again.

After each exam, encourage your child to talk it through with you. Then move on and focus on the next test, rather than dwelling on things that can’t be changed.

Make time for treats  

When the exams are over, help celebrate with a treat. These can be a real encouragement for the next time they have a test.

Don’t use rewards as bribes. Instead, encourage them to work for their own satisfaction, offering small, frequent treats.

Three lessons from Three stories

The Frogs:

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs millions of  them. They all croak  all night long and they are about to make me crazy !" So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks. The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the frogs?" The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of  noise!"

Moral:
Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

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The Turtles:

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. Turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place for their outing. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last! For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years... six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "SEE ! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."

Moral:
Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.

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The Pretty Lady:

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river. The big monk offered to carry the pretty lady across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. "How can big disciple brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?" thought the little monk. But he kept quiet. The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her. All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about the big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation. Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. "How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite." The big monk looked surprised and said, "I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?"

Moral:
This very old Chinese zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away. We keep on carrying the baggage of the "pretty lady" with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the "pretty lady". We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river, immediately after the unpleasant event is over. This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over. It is just that simple...

Prerana - by Infosys foundation

 Help the poor students

If you have come across any bright students coming from poor financial background who are completing their 10th standard this year and scored more than 80%, please ask them to contact the NGO - Prerana (supported by Infosys foundation). The NGO is conducting a written test and those who
clear the test will be eligible for financial help for their further studies. Please ask the students to contact... the people mentioned below to get the form:

580, Shubhakar, 44th cross, 1st A main road, Jayanagar, 7th block, Bangalore.

Contact numbers:
1. Ms. Saraswati - 99009 06338
2. Mr.Shivkumar - 99866 30301
3. Ms. Bindu - 99645 34667

Even if you don't know anyone, please pass on this information so someone might be in need of this help.

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel well and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come
from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you
cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and
wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking."


I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS,
BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .


Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend) influences the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by sending this to someone else, you will probably make them at least think about their influence on others. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.