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http://sowmyatta.wordpress.com

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xoxo

Sowm

Fall for me is:

Pumpkin spice lattes -- Homemade breads -- Hot chocolate -- Cuddling on the couch -- Watching movies -- Fleece -- Bonfire -- Laughter -- Color orange -- Long walks -- OU Football -- Boots -- Plaid -- Gems -- Candy -- Cinnamon and Nutmeg -- Sleeping in -- Apple cider -- Sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet -- Chilly mornings -- Wood smoke

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.

~Stanley Horowitz

HAVE A HAPPY FALL!

25 Rules to Make Life Simple

You can thank me later:

1. Be nice to people, but don't try to please everyone. Accept it, no matter how hard you try, you will still piss someone off.
2. Stay healthy.
3. Live minimistically - don’t gather what you don't need. It will only clutter your life and stress you out. Get rid of things you don't use.
4. Get enough sleep. Every night.
5. Get up few minutes earlier so you don’t have to rush like a mad man. Enjoy your mornings even if you are not a morning person. This makes the day go by easier.
6. Surround yourself with happy and positive people.
7. Organize your life, living space and working space.
8. Ask for help when you need it.
9. Always be honest with yourself.
10. Smile often, even to complete strangers.
11. If you hate doing it, stop it.
12. Apologize when you should.
13. Write things down.
14. Be curious. Learn something new.
15. Don’t be afraid to explore.
16. Don’t text and drive. Don’t drink and drive.
17. Spend time with people you love and people who love you.
18. Exercise every day - A good work out or a long walk can fix a lot of things!
19. Let go of things you can’t change. Concentrate on things you can.
20. Follow your heart. Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires.
21. Take it slow and add up all your small victories.
22. However good or bad a situation is now, it will change. Accept this simple fact.
23. Mature, but don’t grow up too fast.
24. Realize that you’re never quite as right as you think you are.
25. Know that to err is human. You are no exception.

LOL

This shit is hilarious. I am sure us THE people have used something similar in school/college. Enjoy!

Most of our major decisions in life are influenced by one factor - fear. And most of us would not agree at first. But think about it:

The most common rant I hear is about work -- You have a sucky job that you hate and it's making your life miserable. Every morning you wake up and dread the fact that in a few hours you will be at a battle field, your workplace. But you don't do anything about it. You don't quit. You don't talk to your boss. All you do is come home and rant about how your life has become so miserable.

Your reasons - 'oh the economy is so bad', 'there are no jobs out there', ' they are not hiring internationals' etc etc. But be honest for a moment, and ask yourself - 'what am i scared of' and 'what would I do if I was not scared'. Suddenly you have a million options. Things you like and things that you love. World is suddenly a better place!

While growing up, we have fancy goals. Some want to be astronauts, others want to start the next Google. Or actress, dancers, artists, pilots and what not. Why? Cz we are fearless. Simple cz we dont know the consequences or may be we don't care about them. A child would never learn to walk, if he was scared of falling. You and I will never enjoy the rain, if we were scared of getting wet. Humans would have not invented anything if they were scared of failing. How would life be if we all were scared? Not very pretty.

Next time you are at the edge, push yourself. Don't be scared of falling off the cliff. And see where you land. You will be amazed!

Ask yourself 'what would you do if you were not scared?'

No more public comments!

Dear Readers,

If you notice, I took away the capability to comment on blogs. Why? Because I want to talk to you personally. So please, just shoot me an e-mail if you want to say something about the post - good or bad. I would love to hear from you :-)

Thanks!

xoxo

Update

Just so y'all know I won the Top 3 award (for outstanding and exemplary performance as they say) at work. Yay!

Yes I am that awesome.

2011 Resolutions - Status Check!

To welcome 2011, I had posted my top ten resolutions/goals of the year. And per good project management practices, there should have been a mid-year status check. I should have done this on my birthday, and I know I am running super late on this. But as they say, better late than never. Here you go --

Goal 1. Become absolutely debt free - In progress

Goal 2. Eat at home more often - more like at least four days a week - In progress

I know I worked on it for a while and then got back in to the habit of being lazy and eating out. But now I am back on track, so that's good.

Goal 3. Get myself a real savings account - Check.

Now I only have to start putting some money into it :P

Goal 4. Travel - visit a new country. And travel more often - Fail

I am not going to list out all the excuses here. Long story short, I have other priorities right now.

Goal 5. Simplify life - De-clutter and organize life. Get rid of all the stuff I don't ever use anymore. And get everything I own, a home. Get back on schedule and make sure everything is in proper working condition. I read somewhere, it brings in good chi :) - Check.

I moved to a new apartment last month and I have a roommate now :-) and my stuff is five bags and three boxes lighter!

Goal 6. Learn a skill/get a new hobby - last year I took up some reading. And it worked out well. This year I want to start a new project (with SMART goals). I will post more about it soon. This one is still under works - In progress

I used to be a good artist (yes, back in the days). So I started painting/sketching again. I am working on some personal pieces right now. Will put up some pictures when it's ready.

Goal 7. Yoga - practice yoga regularly for a calm and more peaceful mind and body - In progress

Found a cool local yoga studio, and started with the beginners classes :-) Just have to get regular now.

Goal 8. Accumulate experiences, not material - enjoy the little things in life. P.S. But this doesn't mean that I will stop chasing the big ones :P spend more time with people I love - Check

2011 kicked my butt and taught me this lesson pretty well. I don't think I will ever forget this now. I don't know if it's a good thing or bad!

Goal 9. Find more time for hobbies - Check

See comment on goal 6

Goal 10. Take time to breath - I will just leave it there - Check

See comment on goal 8

So all in all looks like I am on the right track and am doing well :-) Yay for me!

Old times

Googling your own name is not self-obsession. It's just a precaution. To find the criminal you have to think like one. I was surprized pleasently when i found an old newsletter that I worked on -- here is the link -- Summer 2008 edition!

E-mail subscription

Now you can subscribe to The Labyrinth via e-mail. Yes! Get the new posts delivered to your personal inbox. Stay up to date and stay in touch. Sign up today!

Note: I know that sounds like a sales pitch. That was the intent anyway. Just sign up. NOW.

GPS

Ever since I started my travel blog, I have not been travelling much. WTH! Is it time to shut that shop down yet?

Repeat Offender!

Yes. That's what they called me. So let me rant about that today --

For a company of about 100 employees, they assigned us 33 spots next to the building and rest are on the other side of the intersection. To get to work from that parking lot you need to cross two busy roads and especially when it's 100 degrees outside, it is a BIG deal to walk back to work in those uncomfortable shoes. Especially when the heat is killing you and making you feel like you are going to pass out any minute if you don't get some shade.

Not to forget, there are still some empty parking spots available right next to the building where we are not supposed to park. And if we do, we get the following e-mail:

From: Parking hawk

Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:02 PM

To: My Company

Subject: Parking Exceptions - 18Aug2011

Importance: High

Hello,

Will you please see if these (pictures attached) three vehicles - that are parked in wrong parking spaces - belong to any of your employees or guests? (Some are Texas plates).

Also, there is a blue VW Beetle, Tag #MyTag (a repeat offender) from your people that is parked in a bank spot on the north side off Robinson.

Please ask that these vehicles be moved immediately.

Really? I mean, get a life and let other people focus on theirs'. Cz you know what, I have more important things to do. I am sick. I am tired. And I do not want to walk when it's so friggin hot outside. Please be nice and your good deeds will be rewarded (by God). Thank you!

P.S. Ignore the parking job.

Yes, it's out!

So finally, the Telugu short film I worked in, was out on Sunday! Shooting was fun. And obviously I had a chance to meet some new people, which was great. Especially now when I barely ever meet anyone new. Another exciting news is that in three days, there are about ~6200 views. That's pretty neat!

Here is the link to where you can see the video. For subtitles, click on cc button at the bottom right. Let me know how you like it :-)

What's this fuss about the vision boards? I have read the book - The Secret, and have also watched the movie. And I will shamelessly confess that I liked both. May be because that I am a strong believer in creating positive energy around us to get positive results. I could somewhat relate to it. I know a lot of stuff is over the top, but some also makes sense (at least to me). What's wrong in thinking about being grateful and optimistic?

With this note I think my next project is to create a vision board for myself. Why? Let's take a test --

• Does is hurt to try this out? No.
• Does it involve a lot of investment? No.
• Does it have potential to be good? Maybe.

Test results -- Go for it!

I'm new to this whole 'Law of attraction' and vision board hullabaloo, so the best way to figure this out for me would be to just do it. Fine, now since this is decided, I will work on it this weekend and post some pictures next week… :-)

I am still thinking about altered book project. To do or not to do... ?!?!?

The more I read about altered book project, looks like only old people do that :P I don't know. Now I have double thoughts about this.

New project!

So I just came across this interesting idea -- Altered book.

Apparently there are artists doing this and selling it and displaying it in the art galleries. I think I am going to make one of those too! Sounds pretty awesome. I like how it's creative and has no rules! Just do whatever you want to do with it.

But, I have a question - once my altered book is ready, what do I do with it?

Yet another phobia

I am in a fix right now.

I have a fear of needles. I can not take shots well and letting someone take blood out of my body is far from imagination. I my entire life, I have only had two blood tests - one when I was four (or may be five) years old. I still remember running away, screaming in the hospital. Escaping into the elevator to get to a safe spot cz the nurse was running after me trying to chase me. But obviously I was caught and they pricked my finger to take a blood sample. And that day I decided - never again! But then came a day when I had to get a blood test done, in order to get a medical OK to enter the USA. And I was scared to death cz I knew they were going to prick my finger again. But this time I was twenty and I couldn't afford the drama cz they might just send me to jail for screaming in the hospital. So I hung in there tight and waited for the nurse to come in and make my nightmare come true. Only this time I was surprised. Cz they don't prick fingers anymore, or may be I was too old for that. Whatever it was... the nurse put a needle in my arm to get some blood out. I felt that I was cheated. That's not what I signed up for. I was prepared for the prick not the needle! You cheat!!!

And now, after six years, I am told to get another blood test done. And this time I know its not a prick, but a needle. And I have no choice. But thank goodness for this awesome doctor who said that she can apply a numbing cream so that I don't feel the needle at all. I just hope that the cream works. Wish me luck!

Twitter!

If you follow my blog, you know that I love to rant about random things in life. Most of the rants are pretty bratty, and I have no shame in accepting that. And at many occasions I have been told that I should compile the long list of things that I hate. Cz every now and then you will hear me say "I hate that...." So finally i thought of starting a twitter account to document my hate tweets!

Follow @Mehateit or look for me with #hateit :-) Oh! and by the way, I am still looking for a picture for the account. Let me know if you have any suggestions...

See you around!

Monday Mood!

HUNGRY!

Monday Mood!

Hopeful

I used to be a proud Indian

INDIA: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/coimbatore-man-beaten-to-death-near-police-station-dozens-watch-118784

US: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/samaritans-lift-truck-off-cyclist-132406227.html

I don't know what to say...

Monday Mood!

Arrrrgh!

Monday Mood!

Groggy!

Updates on a quick trip!

Please follow my travel blog - GPS

This week has been a little weird, not necessarily in a good way. I think I am just missing my old self. Where is the carelessness, laughter, energy, motivation? After a lot of introspection, I think I found the reason - lack of flow of creativity through my cerebrum. Reason for that? Not enough brain stimulating conversations or experiences. Why? Not meeting enough smart and interesting people and not meeting smart and interesting people enough; if you know what I mean. May be it's time to fix that.

Excuses we make to ourselves!

I was just thinking about this, this morning… How many of us have problems? All of us. How many of us have solutions to these problems? Very few of us. How many of us take action to find a solution or to do something about the problem? Very very few of us. And how many of us make up excuses for not doing what we should be doing? Most of us!

I am guilty too.

Students who are not doing well at school say 'I don't get it', 'it's just too hard for me', 'I try but I fail all the time'.. WTH. Fat people are either too tired, or have no time or have some medical condition to blame for not being able to workout. Lazy ones' favorite one is 'I am too busy, I just have no time'. Right. If you are too comfortable in your space and don't want to change, accept it. If you are not happy, please stop bullshitting yourself and do something about it!

Thank you.

Straight faces make me awkward

Yes they do. The awkwardness induced by a straight face is worse than someone asking you if you want an orange peel in the middle of a conversation. So if you see me avoiding you and cutting you off and walking out when you are talking, just know that you are wearing a straight face. A straight face is like an unaccessorized expensive dress. Lame. You might have a chance to make me stay, if you realize this quick enough and throw in some expression on your face. If you are not smart enough to think that fast and don't know what to do, just smile. That’s an expression too (just FYI).

Some one once told me that a smile can act as a guard. Smiles can be used to hide emotions and prevent other people from reading your mind. And I know some people do get annoyed with a constant plastic smile. But hey, I would take a fake smile any day over a straight expressionless dead looking face.

1. What if you have an expressionless face? I don't think you can do anything about it. May be you can try the following -
2. Like I said before - Smile!
3. Get excited about things. Enjoy life. If you have an excited mind, you will have an excited, happy face. You will have an irresistible glitter in your eyes, which by the way is very attractive
4. Wake up - Please get yourself a cup of coffee and wake up. Don’t sleep walk the whole day. If you are sleepy, go home and sleep. You will do the rest of the world a favor.
5. Frown? Maybe. That's an expression too. P.S. try this at your own risk. This might make you look constipated.
6. Shut your brain. This will confuse you and you will have a question mark on your face which might actually result in a good conversation

If all of the above options fail, you still have two options -

1. Go home
2. Just don’t talk to me

Note - I tried, but couldn't find a good weird straight face stare picture. If you find one, let me know.

What have I been doing and not doing?

Browsing the internet, jotting down random thoughts (that used to result in most of my blog posts) and chatting at work have become luxuries now. I can not remember when was the last time I did this. No wonder it's been quite out here for a while.

Anyhoo… now since I am here, you ask what have I been doing?

• Spending time at work mostly (consider this a work rant)
• Reading - I have picked up reading like crazy last few months. I think I am already down 2-3 books a month now. Which for me is a big record! I am still a non-fiction kinda girl though, haven't been able to develop a taste for fiction yet. More on reading - I must have mentioned that I got a kindle last year, which helped me get into the reading groove. But I must admit that in spite of the expensive purchase, I still by books. Like real books. There is no substitute for the smell of paper and the feeling of holding a book in your hand, making random notes and highlighting stuff on the go. P.S. I still love my kindle!
• Hanging with the D - Two important activities we do together - Go to pet smart training and hang out at the dog park. Pet Smart training is more work for me than it is for little D. Cz he just refuses to obey when he's in public. All he wants to do is growl at the German shepherd and mess with the big black Labrador in the class. I don’t think he cares too much about the smaller dogs, except the fact that he can steal their treats. In the dog park, he likes to play a lot, but since he is more energetic than a lot of smaller dogs, he needs extra time in the park (this is my time to catch up on more reading. Yayy!). He does very well on training at home though, so that's good for me!
• Volunteering - I tried my hand at volunteering recently and I must say that it failed miserably. Why? Well, looks like they didn't have anything for me to do. I volunteered to help out in the temple and all they could come up with was 'can you fold these sheets?' (there were like 5 sheets, and it took me less than 5 mins to do that). When I asked for more, they said 'Oh can you watch the tent? Make sure the cat doesn't get in the tent'. As soon as I said okay, everyone, and I mean every single one, left for dinner. Sitting in the tent at 10 at night all by myself was no fun. Especially when I knew there was a cat somewhere around there. I think I will just have to find another place now. Let me know if you know of a place where they will make me do some real work.
• Thinking - There has been a lot going on in my mind. Let's just call it a plan for now. And it involves some action too. More details on this sometime later this year.
• Planning a vacation. A big vacation.

What have I not been doing?

• Shopping - I am very proud of myself. I haven't gone shopping for fun lately. This doesn’t mean that I saved a lot of money. It only means, I am trying to break the habit of going to the mall when I am sad, happy, satisfied, angry etc.
• Studying - I am not in school anymore. D'oh!
• Sleeping - This is another surprise. I have not had dark circles in years, until recently. Sleeping is still one of my favorite things to do. But don't know why I have not been doing that much lately. Action item taken!
• Over eating - which is great. Another habit I am trying to break.

All this while I felt bad that I have not been writing and was calling myself tardy and irregular. But guess what, that's not me. I have been writing all this while. I just found some posts that I wrote in my phone, but never posted them. I should really get a blogging app. Anyway, right now it's time for me to get ready and get to work. Getting to work on time these days is very important. Just because of the parking situation. Yeah, that shall be an elaborate rant post soon.

xoxo

WTF

Common sense is really not that common. Especially around here --

http://www.koco.com/news/26494881/detail.html

Welcome 2011!

So what's the big deal about January 1st every year, year after year? I am sure some people don't care too much about this date. Like my parents. Or like most parents for that matter. And some pessimist young people too. But I care. A lot. I love this date. Every year it's like a reset button in my life. And I like it more cz I take my resolutions seriously :) yes I am a good girl.

This year, after much thought and analysis, I came up with the list of brand new 2011 resolutions for moiself! And no, it does not include going to the gym five days a week. D'oh!

So here goes the list --

1. Become absolutely debt free

2. Eat at home more often - more like at least four days a week

3. Get myself a real savings account

4. Travel - visit a new country. And travel more often. Definitely!

5. Simplify life - De-clutter and organize life. Get rid of all the stuff I don't ever use anymore. And get everything I own, a home. Get back on schedule and make sure everything is in proper working condition. I read somewhere, it brings in good chi :)

6. Learn a skill/get a new hobby - last year I took up some reading. And it worked out well. This year I want to start a new project (with SMART goals). I will post more about it soon. This one is still under works.

7. Yoga - practice yoga regularly for a calm and more peaceful mind and body. Definitely!

8. Accumulate experiences, not material - enjoy the little things in life. P.S. But this doesn't mean that I will stop chasing the big ones :P spend more time with people I love.

9. Find more time for hobbies

10. Take time to breath - I will just leave it there

And you guys, yes you, feel free to get inspired. Meanwhile, I will keep looking around and update this list if I come up with a new interesting resolution to add to the list.