Gift Giving

Gift giving is when a husband reads the recipe of Latkes to his legally blind wife as she stirs up the ingredients.

Gift giving  is when someone cleans up the home of a neighbor so that the health department does not take her pets away.

Gift giving is when a young stylish teenager  wears the exact same sweater as her autistic sister wears for the Holidays

Gift giving is when a blogger wants to celebrate the diversity of human beings.

Gift giving is going shopping anyway so that your money is circulating to improve the economy. 

I hope that every one is safe and healthy. 

 

Happy Holidays every one.

Giving time and company

  Whenever we had a guest who stayed more than a weekend my husband and I would feel really bad not being able to take time off. So I came up with an idea of advising them to take the train to the Grand Central Station and visit New York city. By the time they would be back I would have time to come home from work and make a nice dinner for everyone. Everyone who took the train really enjoyed the view of the mountains and the river. Now that both my husband and I are too old to drive through New York City I have been thinking of taking the train for a day's outing. Last Sunday when the train derailed causing a tragedy, my family was really shocked. We have been taking the train ride for granted. I mean our children take the train for different reasons from doing internship in the city to taking planes. When the media goes on and on about any tragedy you don't even feel like watching the television. Sooner or later we learn to live with the fact and then stop paying attention. It is only when we come across someone who knows someone who was directly affected, we realize the gravity of the tragedy. One victim usually accompanied her sister to different meetings. They say that angels come down to us humans during tragedies. One such angel is a friend of the accident victim who is helping the victim's sister by being with her in meetings. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

Happy Thanksgiving to my family, to my friends, to my blogger friends and to my neighbors.

Very special thanks to every one who blogs for giving me reading materials that are extremely interesting and wonderful at the same time. I would also like to thank people who blog about different cultures and different times including time travel and superheroes and fiction in general. 

Last but not least I would like to thank people who read what I have to say. 

I would also like to thank people who give me ideas to save resources and save the Earth. I wish every one good health and happiness.

Treats?

There was a store called "Pharmhouse" where we could get our prescriptions filled, buy snacks and small gifts and toys and also rent movies.  So when I told my husband that I needed a watch to wear to work, he got me a watch from Pharmhouse for ten dollars. That was fine as I am a practical person and as much as he felt bad buying a ten dollar watch I told him that there is no need to feel bad because I will not feel bad in case I lost it. Well, I got very good use out of it. I mean I wore it for three years in one job, three years in another and almost two years in yet another job. Then when I started working in vendor audit, we were not allowed to wear too much jewelry plus we had computers to work with so I stopped wearing the watch. Yesterday my husband saw that watch on the dresser and was upset. I could not understand why. Then he said that I was not showing any value for the expensive watch he got me. I laughed and told him that that watch  costed him ten dollars over ten years ago. He then said that it costed him over three hundred dollars and only a few people can afford that kind of jewelry. I then understood the misunderstanding.
"This is not that watch," I said. "That watch is locked up with other jewelry as I am careful to wear it only on very special occasions." I said.  He did not believe me and wanted to have a bet with me. Today I took out that watch, showed him and brought a magnifying glass so he could read the name and then brought the ten dollars watch for comparison. 
All he said was "Oh my God!"
I did not say anything. I knew that that "Oh my God!" was because he was amazed at how similar those two watches were.
It could be because he remembered how much upset I was with him for spending money on a name brand that no one would tell apart from something ordinary. It could also be because I had told him that we could have added the amount to the principle on our home. I had also told him that we could have added that amount to our kids' college fund.
 Anyway, he was amazed that we average people cannot tell the difference between expensive and average even though we pay for the expensive brands because we want to give our loved ones what others give their loved ones.
Although he had lost the bet, I brought him a bag of Candy and a jar of honey (our tradition to give sweets to winners). He did not get it. He just asked me if it was trick or treats from Halloween.

Useless and or Boring?

When our oldest son was about three years old he asked me the reasons for having traffic signs. I explained him the different reasons and I remember looking at him and our younger son (who was one month old at that time) with great emphasis on the importance of communication between fellow drivers.  I was twenty-three years old and was preparing for the test for my learner's permit.  Not a whole lot has changed since then when it comes to driving except that my husband thinks that I drive too fast for a woman.  I say that I drive within the speed limit, follow all the rules and am a defensive driver. I mean, I have to be one. As beautiful and breath taking the view is on Route 9W, I hardly get to enjoy it. The morning commute does it to you. You become one of them, the robotic and attentive driver you need to be, because there are some people who love their coffee and want it in one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other. Then there are people who have their smartphones sitting right on the steering wheel and as soon as there is a red light their thumbs are at work.  So what do I do? Nothing. There is nothing I can do. I used to tell my coworkers about the importance of safe driving, I would get the look and the nod you would get from a person who thinks that you are too old for this world. Well, I guess I am, but am not ashamed because I do see signs and think that they are important. Just about twenty years ago, my husband ended up hitting a car, because the driver did not yield. She said that he was supposed to have slowed down, as he knew that she would join. Luckily, no one was hurt and no damage was done to either of the cars. This was a proof that he did try to slow down. When I told this to some one at work, they said that the "Yield" sign was useless and boring. It confuses people. One person actually said that it was to settle litigation in case of an accident. Some people say that there should just be a "Stop" sign or nothing at all. I am not so sure what the fate of the "Yield" sign should be, but I hope that people understand that the sign means that you let people on the main road go before you or else there can be a crash. I end up yielding all the time even though I am on the main road, because people are not understanding the sign correctly. They think that there is room for argument when it comes to an accident. We were in LA a couple of weeks ago. There was one thing I liked about some of their highways. There  actually are stop lights at junctions where you join the highway. It changes quite frequently depending on the clearance. I wondered for a moment if the Highway Dept. thought less of the drivers' intelligence, but then I realized that maybe we should have that in New York as well. Perhaps then there will be fewer crashes instead of one every couple of weeks at some intersection.

Seasons and Comfort

In India we had four seasons just like we do here in the US, but the range of outside temperature is not very wide. Well, some areas have freezing temps but most of the time we would have temperatures ranging from 35 degrees F going up to may be 108 degrees F. depending on the part of India. In winter time we would generally wear cold creams to keep our faces from chill bites  and use space heaters or may be a fire place. In Summer the rich would have air conditioners and air coolers and the general public would sweat and get sticky.  Whatever the situation would be people did not complain. Our Economics professor told us that it is good to complain and ask for more as that gives entrepreneurs a chance to invest in inventions that make the public happy. Still people were just glad that they had what they had and were not about to risk losing resources. 

We are in the US now.  A lot of times we were told that we are careful with money or that we are used to suffering just because I do not believe in using the air conditioner until the cold air freezes our bones. That is fine. I am too old to worry about people's opinions. I know that when I am careful with the use of electricity it is not just to save money but to save a very good resource. I guess some of our neighbors or even people at work forget that there is a difference between comfort and abuse. I understand that some people at work feel the need of bone chilling cold air and ignore the fact that some of us will not stop sneezing or even wheezing as they cannot take the cold.  So we wear winter sweaters and manage.  I always wondered if the same people over use  the air conditioners at home. I guess I got my answer three weeks ago when I heard in the news on the radio in my car that there was a fire in one of the buildings in a garden apartment complex in Orange County. The possible cause of the fire they said was an over heated air conditioner unit.. Last night we heard very loud Sirens and I hope that it was not a fire engine because the people from the fire  three weeks ago are still in temporary housing. 

Good or Good Marketing?

 Two of my uncles are retired Pharmaceutical Sales representatives. Besides getting a good salary they used to get very nice benefits that included travel expenses like lease payments on a good looking and good working car, gasoline and even the cost of a weekly car wash. However their work did not end at the end of the day. After dinner they would sit down and study about the medication which they had  to recommend to the doctors they would see the next day. Their families were used to this routine and this was fine. However when I saw other sales people in my own doctor's office I wondered what they were trying to sell.

 I was not skeptical of sales representatives all my life, but my opinion of them changed when my doctor would not give me my medicine for asthma in the form of a pill and insisted that I use a Disc that would provide the rescue medicine and the medicine to maintain good lungs.  The problem with the Disc is that I had to whiff the medicine instead of inhaling. At first I laughed because I thought that you whiff with your nose not with your mouth, but it turned out that the doctor was told that way. I tried the disc but it was not helping me at all as the medicine in the disc would stay in my mouth and not go in my lungs. I suffered for months and even had fever a couple of times. I told my doctor but he would insist that I keep trying as it will take time for me to get used to this medicine. I was alarmed when he used the words "good health insurance". He told me that not everyone is lucky enough to get this disc because it is expensive and since I had good health insurance I would be paying my regular twenty five dollar co- pay which would be the same for pills as well. My family members tell me that I think too much. The problem I had with the conversation was the fact that the doctor was differentiating between people with good health insurance and people with no health insurance. The company that made this medicine would not make any money if they gave this medicine to everyone who needs it but people with good health insurance will have a chance to try this out. I am too old to whiff any medicine, otherwise I was a very good candidate to try this medicine on. I kept on suffering because I had good health insurance. Does that make sense?

 It is a pity that these Discs were not tried on everyone, because they might have been helpful for some people. 

 My sister gave me a nabulizer as a gift to take medicine as it did not need too much energy to use. That helped me a lot.

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) is harmful for the environment. This chemical was found in air fresheners and hair sprays and inhalers that were used by people with asthma. Therefore all inhalers for asthma that used this chemicals were banned by by the year 2009. We were very lucky that someone came up with inhalers that use Hydrofluroalkanes  (HFA)  However the cost of the inhalers have increased a lot.  Compared to five dollars copay and twenty five dollars out of pocket we now pay twenty five dollars in copay and sixty dollars out of pocket. Guess what? No generic company has any rights as yet to make these inhalers because of the exclusivity of the rights of the original company that makes them.

 My daughter is suffering with asthma  So for some time or for a long time she  will be paying for inhalers  because of the exclusivity rights the makers of these new inhalers have.  Even though she does not use the Disc, she thinks that it is very cumbersome. Also what a waste of plastic.

This is America, we invent and we sell and we can get rich. I do not have any problem with most inventions or sales or exclusivity of rights unless they are medicine. 

When I lost my full time job and lost my health insurance, neither of my two part time jobs gave me health insurance. My doctor then gave me my medicine in the pill form. I was not a candidate anymore as I had no health insurance.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my husband, my son, my brothers, my friends and my blogger friends.  I pray, hope and wish that everyone gets to share and enjoy the achievements of their children and also that they help their children get through tough times, hardships and failures without being judgmental.  

We were watching a commercial for a paper towel this evening and my husband remarked that the mother did not scold the child for spilling her soup, instead she went and took care of the spill with a smile.  I asked him if we should scold a parent for spilling something. He was offended. I then pointed out that parenting is changing and is improving. He was still offended, because he thought that I was putting a parent at the same level as a kid. Our daughter then gave her opinion that while we don't have to scold the kid, we can gently correct him or her. I understand that teaching children is our job, but we don't have to police them. 

My brother thinks that people who do not have children of their own and have to adopt a child are less controlling than those of us who have been lucky enough to have our own. I do not have any say in this matter, but while I have seen a lot of people give their kids a hard time when it comes to marrying outside community, our uncle who has an adopted daughter was just happy that she found someone who cares about her. 

Today I also salute those fathers who are hurting inside while raising their children who have special needs. Also fathers who stay around to be there for their child while their wives leave them like the dad in the television show "Veronica Mars" and the dad in the movie "Pretty in Pink".

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, mothers to be, grandmothers, Godmothers, foster mothers, and last but not least mothers-in-law.

This year I would like to salute some very special mothers who I have never met, never seen or whose voice I have never heard. 

I am not one to laugh at someone's silly mistakes. When it comes to driving I am one of the most serious people who would get anxious and think of the worst scenario when a mistake is made.However due to the rush hour and my own lack of energy and lack of sleep, I must not have been paying attention when I drove my car on top of two railroad ties that were part of a neglected  flowerbed. I was just tired of waiting for the traffic light to change and since I had to make a right turn I thought that I would cut through the gas station. I had not planned this turn,therefore I did not remember that the railroad ties were there. I simply drove on top of them. It just so happened that there was a small ditch for rain water to flow right next to the flowerbed, and when my front wheel got on top of the railroad tie, my back wheels looked like they were hanging from a cliff. I went in and told the cashier my problem. He came out running and went back and forth to the register as needed. Then I saw a young man pull up after filling up the gas and asked me for my keys. He went in and tried to pull the car off the rail road ties. He was not able to. Then yet another young man pulled up and added a railroad tie to the back side of the car so all the wheels are at the same level. That did not work. Then an elderly man who looked very frail came up to help. Then they started discussing the various methods of helping me with the car. Finally someone sat on the trunk of the car and one of the young men started the car and put the car in reverse. The car was off the railroad tie and on the road. Then they brought the car in the parking area of the gas station and gave me my keys. I was embarrassed and overwhelmed at the same time. I asked each of them what I owed. How much I can pay them, they all said that I don't owe them anything. I thanked them several times. I am sure that they realized that I meant it from my heart. I still don't know who they were. They had come out of all different cars. All I know is that they must have been raised by mothers who told them to help little old women in trouble or anyone in trouble for that matter.

It has been a week since this happened. I have been kicking myself and have thought about the possibility of a kitten sleeping there or even the flowerbed being full of flowers. 

I know that my kids have donated blood as they have the type that anyone can use. I hope that my kids will also help people out when they need help. That will be the best gift for me.

REFLECTIONS

  A blog is a great platform. It gave me a chance for writing on different issues from making this world a better place to understanding our minds as human beings individually and society as a whole. Now I don't have to include writing in my bucket list.

A to Z Challenge has been fun. I got a chance to read different themes which were great to understand different cultures, different cuisines, different spices, people's anniversaries and memories, movies, popular sagas like Star Wars and at least one Z to A Challenge. When it comes to my own theme and postings this time I found it to be a real challenge. I tried to take a subject and instead of writing about it the way it was taught I was stubborn enough to write it as I found it to be. Finally when I came to the letter X I did have to take my daughter's help and use the letter X like it is used in Roman numerals.

All in all A to Z Challenge has been a good channel to direct the flow of our thoughts and feelings into words and sentences and ultimately blog postings. The Challenge also gave us an opportunity to understand everyone else's passions and issues just the same.

I congratulate every one who wrote and thank everyone who read. 

Once again, my heartfelt thanks to Arlee Bird and the A to Z challenge Team.

It has been great participating.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

I would say that I am really enthusiastic about taking this challenge to completion. Why else would I rush to sit at the desk and turn the computer on even before eating my dinner? Why didn't I do this early in the morning? Well my answer is getting on the road so I avoid too many coffee drinkers and then not coming home until just about a few minutes ago. My husband wonders about why I take up challenges like these. I do because I feel good when I write.

Healthy challenges are a very good resource in the sense that we learn to accomplish things. It may be a volunteer thing like blogging that may lead to good habits of keeping up with promises that we make for ourselves. So I gather that enthusiasm is one big resource. I am not so sure how many times or how much the word zeal is used. As a matter of fact I wonder if it is being used at all. I have not come across in any of the magazine articles I read or even a blog using the word zeal or even zealous. Well these are the words that mean energetic enthusiasm. I think if a person has it, it is not only good for him and his family but for his job as well. 

Heartfelt Thanks to Arlee Bird and the whole A TO Z Challenge Team. 

Congratulations to everyone who wrote. Last but not least thanks to everyone who reads. It makes it all the more worth while.

A To Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

In Indian folk tales when ever a young man went out to seek fortune or even earn a living, his mother would tie a piece of paper in the shirt tail of his Kurta (a long shirt). The piece of paper would have instructions to keep his values. The most important instruction would be to have a positive attitude and a good attitude in general. To this day the saying goes to make a young person understand that his/her attitude is no one's to claim or rob or sell out.  Our elders told us that we should be willing to try any task as long as it does not hurt us or others. Also we should be willing to help others out. Sometimes as children we did not feel like doing the things our grown ups asked us to do. We still said yes and did the task even half willing. Later on as we grew older we realized our own attitude and felt ashamed. I am not saying that we should have to do everything everyone tells us, but it is nice to try. I still find it interesting how little kids are more willing to try new things than adults are.  Also I noticed that kids are more accepting of compliments than grown ups are. Therefore I would say that in order to make it in this world and to feel good about ourselves we should think good things about ourselves. How many times did we compliment others on having the qualities we do as well? How many times we pat our own backs for accomplishing things that are tough versus how many times we kick ourselves for not meeting the standards?  So next time you fancy meeting someone you are a fan of, don't think that it is impossible. Say yes, it is possible. Same goes for a project, a class or even a change you want to make for improvement.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The English Alphabet X is very versatile in use. This fact was taught to us not in English class but in Algebra which was taught to us by our school principal. She was a very gentle lady but her selection of hiring teachers was tough. She wanted the best possible teacher in every subject with not only the knowledge but the patience required to be a teacher. While a lot of women had the patience, not a whole lot of women had the knowledge of Algebra. She only wanted to hire female teachers. Therefore she had to teach. My husband was surprised that what he learned in eighth grade I learned in seventh grade namely the value of X.

Each and every Roman numeral may not be very attractive but I like the number ten, the letter X.  It seems like the letter X got the respect it deserves.  It may not have a place at the top of the hour in a clock, but the place of letter X as the mysterious answer to questions in Algebra is very fascinating to young students. I am used to Metric system as India changed the measurement of cloth and liquids and weights. My daughter read an article that was arguing about using twelve as a method of counting things. It says that twelve is an easier number to deal with than ten is because it is divisible by three and four while ten is not. 

Whether or not Roman numeral ten is used today, I think it is important to learn the Roman numerals just the same as history is a great resource for us to learn from. 

A To Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE  MANAGEMENT  

 Chinese philosophy of working for worldly goods is only to work a third of the day.  Another third is for finding things for our spiritual happiness (like being with our family or spending time reading or entertaining and the last third is for sleep. Then why do we define ourselves by describing the job we do? Why don't we say that "She is so and so and is a cat lover or likes embroidery or he loves to cook"? Well, these tasks will be associated only if they are done professionally like an animal trainer or a chef or a designer.

I understand that Work is one resource that helps us get food, shelter and clothing which are the three main resources to live. The problem I have with work is that we give work so much importance that we tend to forget that it is only a means not an end, just like money. 

Most professional people like doctors and nurses and even lawyers are so much engrossed in work that they hardly enjoy their money. It is a different thing that their families especially their children get used to buying expensive things which are used as a trade off for the time missed with each other. 

Unemployment rate in the State of New York has gotten better, which is really good. Sometimes I wish that people who can afford to have their lawn done would hire someone to do it instead of saving money and doing it themselves. Even some other chores can be shared in exchange of even minimum wage.  There are people who really want to make an extra buck because they need that buck. 

In India we had women who came to do dishes for my mom. I offered to do dishes after school. My father said that I should not take away someone else's job. They had a family to support. 

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

My parents sent me to a private school. My mom sacrificed her own needs to make sure that my clothes were as stylish as everyone else's.  She did not want other girls to judge me. It is sad that in high school style becomes a standard. It is sad that it does not matter how good a girl is, she loses confidence if she does not keep up with the styles. On the other hand the school my brothers went to (All Saint's) had a uniform for the students. Now if you looked at a group of students you would not be able to tell who was rich and who was poor. What I liked about their school was the motto "Virtue Alone Ennobles".  I asked several adults the meaning of the word "Virtue". They gave me all different answers, all meaning a quality in a good human being. For example if a person prays a lot but does not share his food, he would not be virtuous, or if a person  holds a degree or two but criticizes others and puts them down then he or she would not be virtuous. Even the most stylish girl who wears the latest and most expensive outfit would not be virtuous if she thinks of herself  as being better than anyone else. One of my friends told me that to her a good human being is more important than whether or not he or she is from the moral majority.

Would I be wrong if I say that we are all counting on each other's virtue? It can be a resource for all of us if we are not judgmental.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

My husband agrees with some of my blogger friends about the dangers of learning about one's medical condition via the Internet. I tease him about not being tech savvy  (although I am technologically challenged myself).  He says that even if he knew a lot about the internet he would still depend on doctors because Universities with medical schools are not easy to get into and that makes a doctor more knowledgeable than anyone who writes their experiences on the internet.

   

I argue that there is more to learning than just going to the university.  I believe that learning can be done anywhere and everywhere provided the sources for learning are available and we have the desire to learn. Also I tell him that while it is great to be able to get into a University we can be successful if we use our intelligence. He tells me not to use the example of Bill Gates because it is not an everyday example. I agree, but I also think that we as society should not push young people to go to a University if they cannot, because there are Unlimited resources out there if they use their time and energy to make a living and to see if they can use their talent and handy work in a positive way. 

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

  A lady who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis once told me that she found out about her disease in a very scary way. She came home very late from work one night and she saw her garage door closed.  She put the breaks on so she could park her car in the driveway. Instead she ended up crashing into her garage door. The car stopped because there was a wall in front.  By this time her husband and her older kid woke up and ran downstairs.  She was puzzled and started telling her side of the story while getting off of the car. She could not get out, her feet seemed like they were frozen and she fell on the garage floor.  It was very hard for them to convince their homeowner's insurance and their auto insurance that she was not drunk. They went through several tests and finally she was diagnosed. As sad as she was, it was a relief for her. Today she wears a medical alert pendant and she knows that she will be taken care of in an emergency. We started talking about today's Technology and compared age old telephones and other method of communication to today's cell phones and smart phones. She is just thankful that it is because of technology that she is able to read on internet a lot more about her disease. Also now people like her are using modern kind of wheel chairs because of technology.  I told her that if it was not for technology we would not have Twitter and we both laughed.

                                       

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT In one of the Hindi epics a very intelligent princess loses a contest of intelligence and knowledge to someone who did not go to school at all. The reason was that he was home schooled  and he learned things that a lot of scholars usually neglect to teach people. He was a poet and also some what mystical and looked at the world from an angle other than that of people who are into building fortune and who want to go to school to build future rather than to learn. The question that made him win was "Next to God what can we rely on?" The poet answered "Our five senses."

I came to realize how important our nervous system and our five senses are after I saw my mom suffer from stroke. Right then I had promised myself that I will take my medicine very regularly. Well not everything is in our hands and unlike the poet says a lot can happen to us without any fault of ours but I do understand the value of my nervous system even though I am not a science person.

Speaking of Science people, in the show "Big Bang Theory" Sheldon does not believe in giving presents, but when told that presents are social obligation he agrees to give one to a friend. We always believed that social responsibility on our part is a resource for others and vice versa. Also it becomes our social responsibility to help some of us who are not able to use any of our five senses.                                   

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

We need to look forward to progress and aspire for modern things to improve our standard of living therefore we need to build something stronger than rain barrels to save and conserve water. This was the message that got the citizens of Hyderabad to agree to let their taxes fund the reservoir at Tank Bund.

 

While the reservoir got a lot of visitors both from within and outside the state and created businesses and revenue, a lot of people used to be happy that we got the respect that our city deserved. I have always been very proud of my birth place but I think that our respect comes from within us. We need to earn and deserve it. Therefore while the city gave a lot of importance to the looks so it can project an image of a rich city, I think that when it comes to our own finances we should spend within our means so we don't get broke in the hope of getting respect from the rich.

A TO Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

I remember being in Montessori school when we were asked to feel the petals of a real flower and compare them to the petals of silk flowers. We would then ask questions and then we learned a lot from the answers that we got. We would also be asked questions and we gave answers without the fear of being wrong. My mom liked this method a lot. However  when we went to grade school, we would  not be able to ask questions in some classes and those were the classes that we did not get the best grades in.  Here in America, at work a lot of people do not ask questions. The fear of wasting time and not achieving productivity standards keeps us from knowing what's what until an injury takes place then we get certain answers from the conclusions. I used to ask a lot of questions and then a time came when I was looked at as "the wise old women from India." So I stopped. However I would always encourage people young or old alike to ask questions. Please do not get angry at your kids when they ask a question. Even if the answer is an embarrassing one tell them a simple version of the answer in polite words as close as possible to the real answer. They will admire you when they grow up and even think that you are a cute parent.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

One of my neighbors was wondering as to why I was working when I do so much at home already. I told her that first of all I like to work and secondly I think that it is nice to have some experience in case something should happen to my husband. Then I suggested that it would be nice if she also got some work experience. To that she said that she does not have to worry because if anything happened to her husband she could count on her son. I asked her how old was her oldest. As far as I knew she only had a two year old boy. She confirmed that the baby was her first born. I was too shocked to say anything. I was confused as well. My husband then explained to me that a lot of people have kids in the hope that they can make money for them when they grew old. This was the only example I had where someone actually started counting on their offspring as a resource. To me my children are answers to my prayers because I had a lot of love to give them. I never looked at them as a resource for my survival. My husband thinks that it is only a matter of perception.  To me, my eyes are resources just like any other sense organ. The idea of the way our mind sees things was something that had never occurred to me. Now I realized that we look at things in so many different ways. 

I would always suggest that parents let their kids participate in Shadow days. They will be able to understand and explore their potentials.  They will also have a better perception of a job from early on. Then they will be able to look at the world and the different tasks that are done in the way they actually see them instead of depending on what was told to them at home or in school. 

  

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

How many of us have experienced the bitterness of being robbed by a coworker or even a supervisor who stole your idea and called it their own. You make a display in the window and it looks fabulous, your manager loves it and right then someone comes and claims it as their own work. You dress up a mannequin and add that little detail of fashion to make it outstanding and then someone says something to imply that it was their work. Thank goodness for the surveillance cameras that record everything and the truth is visible. The cameras are there to record  workplace injury if any. It is very sad that pettiness also gets recorded. My husband thought that it was not fair even though people who do things for the love of doing them do not care about getting the credit.  So is credit everything? My brother thinks that those people who take other people's ideas and call them their own are just hoping to use the chance to get ahead at work. They are simply opportunists.

 I wish that my grandmother was alive so I could go to her for answers. I thought that an opportunity was a chance given to you to do something nice in this world, for a cause or even if it was for making your fortunes it would not be by taking someone else's work and calling it your own, but by working hard and proving to yourself that you can do something. 

Jennifer Aniston's new movie called "Call Me Crazy" is about creating awareness in people about mental illness. I would say that she took the opportunity to do something nice.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Our eighth grade civics teacher while teaching resource management sounded very much disappointed when she said that money some how found it's way not only in the villages and the towns but also in our homes. We, as kids were oblivious of the fact that human beings used to use goods as exchange for goods or services. We went along with the syllabus and eighth grade was over and so was the class. In college however, the professor of Economics sounded just as thrilled while teaching us facts about money, the stock market, the skills in demand for jobs, the marketable qualities in human beings. etc etc. Wow, my head would spin. I would think things in old fashioned ways, like my grandmother would say "What is the world coming to." So in order to get jobs to get money we had to find resources other than the three simple ones ie food, clothing and shelter. Smart and well to do people would be in tune with time. People like my parents sent us to English speaking school while sacrificing their own needs.Some people who lived in villages sent their kids to cities to live with extended families. Some people used Nepotism and some stayed behind because of no connections. In America, while Nepotism still works like a charm, people with average income and people with backgrounds with not much education can also fight this race of carrier  development. Now there is something for people like us, and this resource of survival is genuine and very straight forward and this is what we call Networking. Registering himself or herself by simply writing their experiences in their field in various networks can not only help a person find a desired position, but also can help companies find suitable people. There is also another kind of networking which is made up of people like friends, neighbors,  coworkers and last but not least your own family members.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

My  mother used to make several jars of Guava jelly whenever our Guava tree had dozens of big juicy ripe guavas. She would then send the jelly jars to our auntie, to our grandma, to our neighbors and our friends. My brothers were the ones who always did the job of delivering them. I do not recall even one time when my brother did not return with a gift of some fruit or some treat covered with a nicely decorated cloth. Almost every family was in need of some treat as resources were limited. This way the exchange of gifts made it easier for parents to provide something different for their kids. We would be thankful and eagerly enjoyed the goodies. My mother hoped that people enjoyed her jelly as well. 

Our milkman's wife would give us some fresh curds whenever my mom made a dress for her babies. My grandmother used to explain to us that this is the way people can not only show gratitude but save some money. Later on in life we learned that this was a method called barter, except that in the case of family or friends it was an unspoken exchange. I really do not know how and when money sneaked into our lives. I mean, there is a whole chapter of the history of money that is really boring. 

It was so much easier when our father was in charge of the budget and we just had to be responsible for our own little allowance, which our mom monitored anyway. I wish that I could go back to those times when I did not have to deal with bills in the mail or to have to balance the checkbook, or even keep receipts for tax refunds. When I say this my husband  laughs and says that I should not be talking like this because I had Economics for my major and what is Economics without money. Now how can I explain it to him, that money is not a resource, it is only a measurement of exchange for the resources we need in our lives. It is only a means.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

A lot of my coworkers would work in second shift because they were going to college. While most of them were young and studying towards getting a degree some of them were going to the community college to learn English.  Away from their homeland and working hard and studying hard at the same time made them extra tired.  Needless to ask, they were learning English because it is the language of America and they knew very well that it will help them in getting better jobs if they knew how to speak English fluently. Looking at those coworkers of mine made me grateful  to my parents who made sure that the school we went to had English for medium of instruction. A lot of us went about doing our jobs and as complacency is the enemy of progress we ended up staying where we were. We forgot the fact that some places in the USA more people are speaking languages other than English.  When our company gave pink slips to a lot of us, and we started looking for jobs, the hardest hurdle that came in our way was the fact that we were not bi- lingual. Then I realized some thing that was very important. Every language is important whether or not we speak it, because times change and with time jobs requirements change.

There is one language I like in particular and I wish that I could learn it. It is non other than "Sign Language".

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

I am technologically challenged. Therefore my blogs are very simple. Hardly any pictures or fun stuff.  However  one day I will be able to learn how to work with computers the way young people do. Or will I ever. The fact is that computers are so advanced that you learn one thing and a new thing comes in.  A lot of my family members who are my age don't even use computers and are now disgruntled because the H.M.O they work for is asking for electronic records. I have a desire to learn.  I remember my elders telling me that as long as we have a thirst for Knowledge there is nothing in the world that we cannot learn or do. While that could have been an exaggeration their intention was to encourage us. My daughter bought this book in a book fare when she was younger. She still loves it, even as an adult. 

Last night while watching the television show "Shark Tank", I was feeling sorry for the people who had very good inventions but did not have the  knowledge of  simple  business terms. 

"Science and technology make our lives easier but art makes our lives worth living," they say. I agree with that 100 percent. However sometimes people with useful knowledge do not get the attention they deserve. People in performance art get so much media attention and maybe ten times the money they deserve (except for some good artist). When was the last time a scientist who saved his/her company from recall of medication while working in quality control got any media attention or when did a nurse working in an orthopedic facility get credit for standing on her feet hours in a row? No wonder our president worries about the lack of thirst for useful knowledge in today's youth.

A to Z Challenge

A TO Z OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

I am finally able to convince my husband that it is about time that we understand that people do what they want to do in life.  There is no point in classifying jobs as his or hers. I think we should do what we do best. One of my brothers likes to cook and I say all the power to him. I like to cook and sew but I also like to paint the walls. I once put new tiles on the kitchen floor while my husband was asleep. He was surprised as he was going to call a professional to do it. I used vinyl tiles and they were peel off and sticky type. He wondered how I found out about them. I told him that I have no qualms about doing any kind of task. I just have to be fit to do it. I was a stay at home mom then and was feeling that I needed to do more than just raising kids. I also wanted to set an example for trying to do what we like to do.These days when you go to apply for a job, people do ask you what your hobbies are as they want to understand the non-job related aspect of your life as well. 

The Job situation today is tougher than ever even in America. Working as a vendor audit for a company that sells Jeans and T-Shirts for three to four times higher price than the average cost was not what I had in mind as a job. I took the job because the company found me to be a good candidate and the benefits were great. We all have dreams when we are kids, but sometimes it just so happens that what we dream of does not get handed out to us. Meanwhile we can see if we can do what is out there, as long as it is within our capacity and is safe.