1.
I played the tuba for 13 years, got accepted to the USC
school of Music, and decided not to go.
2. I lived in Australia, Canada, and Texas before I finished high
school.
3. When I was younger I was terrified of swimming. (ironic
considering surfing is the sport Ive completely fallen in love
with)
4. This is the third blog Ive started and the only one Ive written
on consistently.
5. I have a bachelors degree in Economics from UC-Berkeley.
6. I got held up at gunpoint after a high speed car chase in
Tijuana and bribed my way out of it for 43 dollars.
7. I was principal Tuba in the California All State band my
sophomore and Junior Year.
8. Ive been a featured soloist with my high school band my
freshman year, and with the UC-Berkeley Wind ensemble.
9. I have the most random taste in music: 80s music, classical
music, foreign music, techno, you name it.
10. I lived in Brazil for 6 months during graduate school.
11. I once took a plane, a boat, and a bus in less than 24 hours
just to get to a party on time.
12. I once received a report card in elementary school that said
I was antisocial and didnt talk to other kids.
13. Unlike most Indians, I suck at math, and got a higher verbal
score on my GMAT than I did on my math.
14. I speak three different languages: English, Telegu and
Portuguese.
15. Ironically Ive hardly seen anything in India.
16. In my first semester of college I sold gas station coupon
books door to door and worked for a bunch of ex-cons. After
three weeks, I realized that job was nonsense and quit.
17. [Link] Fitzgerald was my favorite author in high school.
18. Despite being South Indian, I have a strong preference for
North Indian food.
19. Ive been skydiving once before and probably will do it
again.
20. I absolutely hate cold weather and have no desire to
experience seasons and Im perfectly happy with the fact that
the weather is warm and sunny year round in Southern
California. (brown people and cold weather are an unnatural
combo considering where we are from)
21. In the 7 years that I lived in Texas, I went to a different
school every single year and the year I got into eighth grade
they combined, 6th, 7th and 8th grade into one school.
22. My first musical instrument was the trombone and I
switched to the Tuba when I was in 7th grade.
23. My classmates use to tease me about having big lips when
I was in 7th grade. Now people spend fortunes on collagen to
get what Im blessed with naturally.
24. Ive never been in a fight.
25. In eight grade when Sams club opened up in my town, I
bought gum balls for 7 dollars, and made an 18 dollar per box
profit by selling them to kids at school. Then I got caught by the
choir teacher and my business got shut down.
26. I went through a phase in 7th grade where I really was
fascinated with fire. Things I burned included: GI Joe guys,
Keebler Elf Cookies, Fruit Cake, and a few other things that I
cant remember. It was pretty harmless, however a friends
mom found the burnt GI Joe guys in their yard when mowing
the lawn and I was no longer allowed to come over.
27. My sister got a really bad hair cut once when I was younger
and my dad came in the house and asked me not to laugh
before she even came in. When I saw her I laughed so hard I
fell on the floor and she went and hid in a closet.
28. I played football in 7th grade (dont ask why) and got the
crap kicked out of me on a daily basis. The following year the
coach actually called me and asked if I was going to play again.
(Im not sure why)
29. People who knew me in high school would be shocked to
find that I was a personal development blogger because I was
so negative.
30. I ran track in eighth grade and I pretty much sucked at it. I
got eighth place in the mile on the final track meet of the year.
31. When my sister was born, I was jealous of the fact that she
was getting gifts from people. Once a lady a came and brought
me cookies and I told her I didnt want those stupid biscuits and
I wanted a real gift.
32. In high school I was in marching band and I always hated
marching band.
33. Once I drove from Berkeley to Tijuana to Las Vegas and
back all over the course of a three day weekend. I found out
when I got to Tijuana that Mexican elections were going on and
no bars were serving alcohol.
34. I hate going to the gym.
35. I lost about 5 cell phones in the period of 4 years when I
first got out of college.
36. Ive been to Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Ibiza.
37. Ive come to the realization that Im an adrenaline junkie.
38. I went through a phase were I was obsessed with WWF
wrestling and now I cant stand it.
39. I bought my first pair of Air Jordans last summer.
40. I was most improved player on my basketball team in 7th
grade. Basically I was the worst player on the team.
41. My favorite place on my trip to Italy was Cinque Terre.
42. Ive spent close to 500 hours surfing over this summer.
43. My first CD that I ever owned was the Top gun soundtrack.
44. My first cassette tape that I owned was Milli Vanilli.
45. Ive probably seen upwards of 1000 movies in my lifetime.
46. I had perfect attendance in my third grade school year. That
never happened again.
47. I wasnt an American citizen until I was 22.
48. I once bought a ticket to Amsterdam on a Wednesday night
and left a few days later on a whim.
49. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be an airline pilot.
50. I went through a phase in my life where I was really hooked
on gambling. Fortunately I didnt have enough money to make it
too much of a hobby.
History abounds with tales of experts who were
convinced that the ideas, plans, and projects of others
could never be achieved. However, accomplishment
came to those who said, "I can make it happen."
History abounds with tales of experts who were convinced that the ideas, plans,
and projects of others could never be achieved. However, accomplishment came
to those who said, "I can make it happen."
The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a
large piece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece,
he lamented, "I can do nothing with it." Other sculptors also
worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo
discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His "I-
can-make-it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's
masterpieces - David.
The experts of Spain concluded that Columbus's plans to discover
a new and shorter route to India was virtually impossible. Queen
Isabella and King Ferdinand ignored the report of the experts. "I
can make it happen," Columbus persisted. And he did. Everyone
knew the world was flat, but not Columbus. The Nina, the Pinta,
the Santa Maria, along with Columbus and his small band of
followers, sailed to "impossible" new lands and thriving resources.
Even the great Thomas Alva Edison discouraged his friend, Henry
Ford, from pursuing his fledgling idea of a motorcar. Convinced of
the worthlessness of the idea, Edison invited Ford to come and
work for him. Ford remained committed and tirelessly pursued his
dream. Although his first attempt resulted in a vehicle without
reverse gear, Henry Ford knew he could make it happen. And, of
course, he did.
"Forget it," the experts advised Madame Curie. They agreed
radium was a scientifically impossible idea. However, Marie Curie
insisted, "I can make it happen.
Let's not forget our friends Orville and Wilbur Wright. Journalists,
friends, armed forces specialists, and even their father laughed at
the idea of an airplane. "What a silly and insane way to spend
money. Leave flying to the birds," they jeered. "Sorry," the Wright
brothers responded. "We have a dream, and we can make it
happen." As a result, a place called Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
became the setting for the launching of their "ridiculous" idea.
Finally, as you read these accounts under the magnificent lighting
of your environment, consider the plight of Benjamin Franklin. He
was admonished to stop the foolish experimenting with lighting.
What an absurdity and waste of time! Why, nothing could outdo
the fabulous oil lamp. Thank goodness Franklin knew he could
make it happen.
You too can make it happen!
Never become discouraged with the seeming smallness
of your task, job, or life. Cling fast to the words of
Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one, but still I am
one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do
something; and because I cannot do everything, I will
not refuse to do something I can do. " The key to
accomplishment is believing that what you can do will
make a difference.
One of the first steps to accomplishing great things in your life is
to cease dwelling on the negative things in your past. Carefully
assess your present strengths, successes, and achievements.
Dwell on those positive events in your life, and quit limiting your
potential by constantly thinking about what you have done poorly.
Alice and the Mad Hatter in Wonderland had a conversation that
illustrates this concept:
Alice: Where I come from, people study what they are not good
at in order to be able to do what they are good at.
Mad Hatter: We only go around in circles in Wonderland, but we
always end up where we started. Would you mind explaining
yourself?
Alice: Well, grown-ups tell us to find out what we did wrong, and
never do it again
Mad Hatter: That's odd! It seems to me that in order to find out
about something, you have to study it. And when you study it,
you should become better at it. Why should you want to become
better at something and then never do it again? But please
continue.
Alice: Nobody ever tells us to study the right things we do. We're
only supposed to learn from the wrong things. But we are
permitted to study the right things other people do. And
sometimes we're even told to copy them.
Mad Hatter: That's cheating!
Alice: You're quite right, Mr. Hatter. I do live in a topsy-turvy
world. It seems like I have to do something wrong first, in order
to learn from what not to do. And then, by not doing what I'm not
supposed to do, perhaps I'll be right. But I'd rather be right the
first time, wouldn't you?
It takes a disciplined spirit to endure the monastery on Mount
Serat in Spain. One of the fundamental requirements of this
religious order is that the young men must maintain silence.
Opportunities to speak are scheduled once every two years, at
which time they are allowed to speak only two words.
One young initiate in this religious order, who had completed his
first two years of training, was invited by his superior to make his
first two-word presentation. "Food terrible," he said. Two years
later the invitation was once again extended. The young man
used this forum to exclaim, "Bed lumpy." Arriving at his superior's
office two years later he proclaimed, "I quit." The superior looked
at this young monk and said, "You know, it doesn't surprise me a
bit. All you've done since you arrived is complain, complain,
complain.
Exaggerated? Maybe. What if you were asked to share two words
that describe your Life? would your focus be the lumps, bumps,
and unfairness, or are you committed to dwell on those things
that are good, right, and lovely?
The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The
company allows its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time
on any project that interests them. This attitude has brought
fantastic benefits not only to the employees but to the 3M
Company itself Many times, a spark of an idea turned into a
successful product has boosted 3M's profits tremendously.
Some years ago, a scientist in 3M's commercial office took
advantage of this 15 percent creative time. This scientist, Art Fry,
came up with an idea for one of 3M's best-selling products. It
seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation every Sunday as
he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the
hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably
fall out all over the floor.
Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive
developed by a colleague that everyone thought was a failure
because it did not stick very well. "I coated the adhesive on a
paper sample," Fry recalls, "and I found that it was not only a
good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in
place as long as you want it to, and then you can remove it
without damage."
Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-
it! and has become one of 3M's most successful office products.
Here are our top tips for telling a good story or anecdote.
Do:
Take time to think about the question and the story before you start talking.
Use narrative tenses past simple, past continuous and past perfect.
Use adjectives and adverbs to make the story interesting.
Use sequencing words: first of all, then, after that, later on, finally, in the
end ...
Give your story an introduction. Say briefly what your story is about.
Give the background to your story. Say when and where it took place and
what you were doing at that time.
Say what happened step by step. Use words like so, because and although to
connect the actions until you reach the end of the story.
Keep the action moving!
Finish your story or anecdote by saying why it is important to you or why you
remember it.
Look at your listeners.
Dont:
Take too long telling the story or your listeners will get bored.
Use a flat or bored voice.
Look down or look around the room.
Examples of storytelling tasks
Tell me about a holiday you had.
Tell me about a difficult journey you had.
Tell me about a perfect day youve had.
Tell me about a special event in your life.
Tell me about a birthday you remember.
Tell me about a time when you lost something important.
Tell me about a time when you gave someone a surprise.
Alice: Where I come from, people study what they are not good
at in order to be able to do what they are good at.
Mad Hatter: We only go around in circles in Wonderland, but we
always end up where we started. Would you mind explaining
yourself?
Alice: Well, grown-ups tell us to find out what we did wrong, and
never do it again
Mad Hatter: That's odd! It seems to me that in order to find out
about something, you have to study it. And when you study it,
you should become better at it. Why should you want to become
better at something and then never do it again? But please
continue.
Alice: Nobody ever tells us to study the right things we do. We're
only supposed to learn from the wrong things. But we are
permitted to study the right things other people do. And
sometimes we're even told to copy them.
Mad Hatter: That's cheating!
Alice: You're quite right, Mr. Hatter. I do live in a topsy-turvy
world. It seems like I have to do something wrong first, in order
to learn from what not to do. And then, by not doing what I'm not
supposed to do, perhaps I'll be right. But I'd rather be right the
first time, wouldn't you?
My four grown children were all home visiting this weekend so we
decided to go out for brunch. The centre of attention was my
toddler granddaughter. She had never had pancakes before so we
were excited about her trying them.
We always try to make our family meals special so this time we
decided to order every kind of pancake they had and asked that
they be served on one big family-style platter!
We each took turns digging in and also feeding it to the baby, who
loved them. There was a lovely environment at the table and lots of
smiles. As I was looking around the table, enjoying this wonderful
scene, a gentleman at a nearby table caught my eye.
He was eating his breakfast alone quietly, in the corner. He
frequently looked over and smiled as my granddaughter continued to
entertain us all. Suddenly, I had a great idea.
I dug out a smile card from the reserve that I always carry with me
and snuck up to the waitress. I explained to her that I wanted to
pay that mans bill anonymously and that instead of the bill could she
please give him the smile card.
Our leisurely breakfast was still going on after the gentleman had
left. The waitress came over and told us that he had passed the
smile card on and paid for another table before he left. How great!
Not only that though, the waitress then came back later and told us
that the second table had now paid for someone else and passed the
smile card on too!
I couldnt believe it when the waitress came back and told us that
the third table had done the same thing.
What was really amazing though, was that by the time we left, half
the room had ended up paying for a different table! Isnt that
great?
I was waiting to pick up a friend at the airport when I had one of
those life changing experiences, the kind that you sometimes hear
other people talk about, the kind that sneaks up on you
unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.
As I was straining to locate my friend amongst the line of
passengers exiting the airport, I noticed a man coming towards me
carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his
family.
First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe 6 years old) as he
laid down his bags. He crouched down and they gave each other a
long, loving hug. As they seperated enough to look in each other's
face, I heard the father say, "Its too good to see you, son I missed
you so much!" His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes
and replied softly,"Me too dad!"
Then the man stood up and gazed in the eyes of his oldest son
(maybe 9 or 10 years old) and while cupping his son's face in his
hands said," You are already quite the young man. I love you very
much." They too shared a very loving and tender hug.
While this was happining a baby girl was squirming excitedly in her
mother's arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful
sight of her returning father. The man said "Hi, baby girl!" as he
gently took the child from her mother. He kissed her face all over
and then held her close to her chest while rocking her from side to
side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his
shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.
After several moments, he handed his daughter to his eldest son
and declared, "I have saved the best until last!" and proceeded to
give his wife, the most loving kiss I ever remember seeing.
He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently
mouthed "I love you so much." They started looking into each
others eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both
hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew
by the age of their kids that they couldn't possibly be.
I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed
I was in this wonderful display of unconditional love not more than
an arm's length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I
was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own
voice nervously ask, "Wow! How long have you two been married?"
"We've been together 14 years in total and married for 12 of those."
he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife's
face."Well then how long have you been away?" I asked. The man
finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his smile,"Two whole
days".
Two days?! I was stunned by the intensity of greeting, I had
assumed he had been gone for at least several weeks - If not
months. I know my expression betrayed me, I said almost
offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of
grace, "I hope my marriage is still that passionate after 12 years!"
The man suddenly stoped smiling and looked straight into my eyes
and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he said
something that just left me a different person. He said, "Don't
hope,friend, just decide!" Then he flashed me his wonderful smile
again, shook my hand and said "God Bless!" With that he and his
family turned and strode away together.
I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family
walking away when my friend came up to me and asked," What are
you looking at?" Without hestiating, and a with a curious sense of
certainty, I replied, "My future!" "I wish I could be such a wondeful
wife of such wonderful man."
