THE NEW AGE STRESS RELIEVER

It has become difficult nowadays to not begin an office day without devouring the sweet juice of the world's latest, cheapest and absolutely free of cost  drug- facebook. This so called e-drug is soo powerful that   surviving without it in this 20th  century is a hard task especially these particular days in a year,  365 days!!! I simply cannot find a reason why i should not log into facebook. The fact that this drug has something interesting to offer or rather our hope of finding a new post, a new pic, or any new update, notification, message, friend request makes you want to glue yourself  to this drug 365 days in a row.

 But i cannot complain, the medicine does work its magic on all office days, it is purely a stress reliever if not a pleasure provider, a time pass agent, an inspirer, a friend and even a life saver at times. But sometimes office days does turn out completely and solely devoted to facebook even if you have work. But the sole idea behind that is to manage facebook, gmail and all your other favorites along with  work.

Now you must be thinking why take all the trouble? Why can't you just focus on your work and finish it off? On that note, let me ask you a counter question but provide me with an honest, honest, honest answer!! How many of you wake up in the morning with this thought in mind, "God! i have to go to that god forsaken place again, s***t humbug @#&*#@^&*!!" If you are doing the same even now, face this horrific truth- YOU DO NOT ENJOY YOUR WORK!

What fun or satisfaction do you get sitting 8 hours or even more  in front of the monitor pondering over accounts, photo shop, excel files, MS word, MS office, graphics, editing, writing and the worst one doing maths (yuck)!!! I do not see the fun part anywhere, all i see is work, work and more work. So if you have planned on replying me with this adjective seen in a lot of resumes (DEDICATION) then i think you are leading a very boring and dull WORK LIFE.

And see the irony of a dedicated worker! They go home in the evening and tell their wife and kids or  family, that they had a tiring day at work and was fully loaded with files and clients. Even if you are working in Microsoft, making your job enjoyable is your duty, no one else will do it for you. If you dont do it you are wasting your own precious time and energy. And to make work more interesting the most socially available and popular option that everyone chooses now is to be on facebook (correct me if i am wrong).

Sorry for those unfortunate ones whose company was smart enough to ban or keep an eye on the employees using facebook or any other social media sites!!!But do not think that we are full time on facebook, we know to manage our time (irrespective of all the time management classes the MBA's had) We know how to balance work and fun. Incorporating fun and work together makes your office day a better day i feel .

In the very limited 24 hrs you get in a day, 10-11 hours you have to spend at office including; getting ready for office,  transportation to office, office working time, getting back home from office plus last one the office hangover. So half a day you stay bored and work dedicately the other 8-9 hours you sleep that leaves you with 4 hours to spent with your family and doing other activity. WOW!! there goes your result for being a dedicated and hard working employee- a loooong boooooring life.

 Some dire hard-core facts about using facebook at office:

• It is a true fact that you get to check, scan and lure deep into facebook during your office hours than when you are at home. 
• You have the general tendency to talk to your friends more on facebook when you are at office and less at home.
• When you initiate a conversation in facebook during office, all your friends will tag along to crack jokes, make fun and laugh at each other. That is the beauty of it.
• Many of your friends think that we are wasting our time doodling around in facebook  lazying around and doing nothing !!! we are definitely not !! its just that we know to work the fun way and we do it in style.
• You easily get your work finished with this thought in mind " after this, i will have a sneak peek into my facebook profile for a break"
• I keep in touch and connect with my friends thanks to facebook at office
• I will always be the first one to comment or like a photo or post (Just out of love for my friend and because i liked the post, i dont think it is very harmful)
• You end up loving office days because its not work alone that you are doing you are also socializing and keeping your friend circle alive.

As the saying goes- you have only one life, live it to the fullest!!! (make sure you do!! dont make way for regrets people!! )
P.S: So to all my friend out there who think that i am full time on facebook atleast i am not invisible rather offline like YOU!! Plus i dont think facebooking is a crime to be hidden. So appearing online  doesnt mean i am facebooking just means that i know how to make my work enjoyable:-D

Let me know if you can relate this with yourself as well

Cheers to work!!!

Smart reading on Smart books.

Am I the only one in this world without this fancy piece of gadget called the "Tablet" by some and "iPad" by others. I used to wonder because everywhere I go, I can spot people using this sleek, slim and stylish electronic device. I can tell you, people do look smart when they sit crosslegged on a public transport with this smart piece of an invention that is now taking the whole world like virus! (Its tablet mania now all over the world), touching it and sliding their finger over it like stealing some yummy whipping soft cream or icing from the cake with a finger (I feel like that when i see pople slide over thier iPads).

 Each and every friend of mine are talking about, hey! i bought a new iPad! or hey! I need to buy a tablet or the worst one Which tablet should i buy? like how am i supposed to know, i dont even have one. All i have is a Blackberry that dont even have a radio...Some blackberry it turned out to be! No live music, no live commentory ....nothing!!. When i bough the phone, i dint have the brains to ask the guy if it has a radio instead i was basking in the glory with my heart almost to my mouth about the fact that , I am the sole owner of a BLACKBERRY now...hmm...no point telling that now, is there? Plus i have not even taken a 3G on my phone or activated my BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) yet. He he..I know what you are thinking now (Why the hell are you using a Black Berry if you cannot misuse (i meant misuse, not use!) the BBM right? I know!! I guess i am quite out of the world)

One i have a wi-fi at home so why do i need internet on my BB plus i have internet at office too. When i bought my BB a year back i had zero friends who owned one. But now i have plenty of friends who own a BB and me, very stingy and too lazy to activate the messenger. To all my pending invitation on BBM, i will be coming live soon:-) (Another shocking factor also, neither do i have facebook on my BB, how cool is that...he hee he)

Ok enough of me! so we were talking about iPads and Tablets! Yeah??

Yes, so bottom line all are attracted and captivated to this 'must- have' piece of "electronic book". Well, it's not a bad thing, the world moves and we have to keep up with it. But another important factor that has come to my notice is that 'smartbook users' use this device smartly as a BOOK. Yup! you heard me right, mostly people use it to READ. So proud of the countless number of people who read on their smartbook or Tablet or iPads. This age-old, popular, common hobby people often refer to has still not died with the arrival of fb, t, Lin,youtube and very many other social platforms.

Three cheers to all of you who still have the habit of reading ;-)

And all thanks to Apple, Samsung, Microsoft etc who have been grately successful in giving the readers the absolute look and feel of an original, handheld, hardbound book. Even if its electronic, a single touch or slide can give you  the  real look and feel of turning the pages of an original book while reading. That is pretty cool.

So even if i do not own a Tablet i am happy that the whole world is keeping up with the latest trends and also making sure that old habits and hobbies dont go astray by giving it the much needed prominence amongst this gadget plethora era :-) Still my BB doesn't have a radio:-(

Cheers to all readers, BB people, iPad people and Tablet peeps.... Keep rocking:-)

P.S:  I am so happy that i spent my office time writing this:-)

A song that will inspire

I was waiting for my train at the metro station listening to music and the song i was hearing to ended and made way for a new track which did not sound familiar and i looked at my mobile to see the artist and the song. My screen showed "Don't give up"- Bruno Mars. Wondering if this new song will be able to impress me or make its way out of my playlist; it suddenly took me by surprise. The very first line captured me like magnet and the rest of the song got even better. The song is very plain, simple, to-the-point and lasted only for a matter of one minute and 58 seconds but it puts a very strong, confident and courageous message into your head, "DON'T GIVE UP".


Check out the video and lyrics here, http://www.directlyrics.com/bruno-mars-dont-give-up-lyrics.html


Songs do have an impact on us but this one just happened to hit me hard, very hard! ( trust me, hear the song and you will say the same). Some time songs like these really help us decide or make up our mind more than advice from elders. Any five- year old can make out the sole idea and the message being tried to convey to the people. It is almost a kiddy song aimed at children but we adults can surely learn a lesson from it.


I learned a great lesson in 1:58 sec, that i must never give up on my driving and keep trying hard and never to quit. Best song ever! Highly recommended. If there is something in your life that you find hard  to achieve, I suggest this song for a little inspiration.


"Don't give up, keep on trying, Don't ever stop, try & try again, you gonna get there"- Courtesy "Don't give up- Bruno Mars"

It is everywhere!

That’s right! You see it all around you, while travelling be it a bus, car or train, driving, walking, jogging, waiting, working, even while sleeping, the activities are endless…Hard to find the common factor that fits all of the above? One more clue…It is small, mostly black, has wires but also comes in wireless now and can be connected to your mobile phones (ring a bell?), Yes!!!  I was talking about the ultimate equipment everyone prefers nowadays to listen to music – “The earphones.”

Take a walk outside and you can witness the end number of people with this petite device glued to their ears. Music is hard to live without now and has become a vital source of entertainment, the most sought after hobby in resume's and one of the best ways to deviate your mind from something bad (trust me, it really helps). When you are feeling down and low listening to music can really cheer you up and take your mind away from stressed, troubled and awful thoughts. No wonder music became a source of medicine, the so-called Music Therapy.

This free, painless and relaxed therapy does make wonders to please your mind and put you at ease. Have you ever noticed this interesting phenomenon? When you are listening to some of your favorite tracks, you involuntarily close your eyes, picture things and immediately a slight, naughty smile will come on your face -I bet that smile has a lot of story to tell;-) it may be a face, a gesture, an instance, a word, a dialogue, a place, a name, a journey and many more, some of which are very private, personal and close to you and some ‘not-so-private’ ( I couldn’t find a better word, oops). Just like smile, every song and every tune will also have lot of stories to tell and may also remind you of someone or something (You are smiling now, I can see). Wondering how I find out? I do the same (he he)

So no matter how much your parents scold you for listening too much music or your grandparents for fearing that loud music can blast your ear drums, we always find shelter and peace in the soothing arms of music. It calms us just like the soothing wind ruffling your hair and giving you goose bumps while on the beach, park or a field (provided it is a melody, ghazal or light pop). If you are into hard rock and metal…hmm…(I am also a fan of hard rock and metal but at times when listening to it, I feel as if I am thrashing my boss or taking my rage on someone, to be frank).

I started with earphones and ended in music, guess the two are coupled and cannot be separated like lovers (that is such a lame line, and lovers can be separated under certain circumstances, who created this line anyway... hmmm? )

Anyways,  just a thought on music and how it makes me feel. Tell me your take on musicJ

Wish I would grow up soon....

Has this thought ever passed through your mind?

“How old should I become for others, not to obey me but at least to listen or may be even consider my opinion?” (I am sure this thought has passed through some of your minds in your little span of life) and especially if you are the youngest of the herd in your family then I will bet you for a hundred rupees that you have thought about the same.

Well, this similar thought happens to come by my mind, once every time my opinion gets rejected or my folks don’t give an ear to what I say. But everyone gets to smile or be proud of something, right…? Yes, I also get to be proud when my opinion for some reason or other (may be because they thought that it was practically right) gets to be the final decisionJ (may be not always but, Yes quite frequently)

But why can’t they just accept my opinion in the first place!!!  I have come up with a few points which I think may be the reason for my opinion not being considered:

ü  May be they think that 22 is not an average age to make decisions

ü  They might have felt that I have not seen the world enough, made more decisions or faced dramatic situations in life like them (to make more sense in malayalam “nammal kure onam undittilla” compared to them)

ü  Or is it because I act all hyper, lively, playful, crack jokes and make fun that they don’t consider me matured enough to make decisions?

Hmmm…. I think these may be quite a few of the reasons for which my opinion is given a moderate importance. 

What do you think? Do tell me if you have faced the same situation, (I don’t wanna think that I am the only one in this world who thinks about crazy stuff like this)

Share with me if you have also thought at some point of your life this very line, “I wish I would grow up soon” (so that they listen to me for once)

Namesake

My name is Ann, Ann Maria Cleetus. I kinda did not like my name when i was at school due to the fact that it was very long and was divided into three parts, whereas all my other friends had just two parts and was easy to spell out like ‘Aswathy or Chithra or Krishna’. But for me I had to spread out my name like ‘Ann’ space ‘Maria’ space ‘Cleetus’. And if someone asked my name, it was very difficult to say the full thing out and at most instances i had to repeat my name twice for the fact that it was not understood and not clear to the listener.  I don’t know if it was the way I pronounced my name or have they not heard about such a name!Also people tend to call me 'Annmarie' or 'Annmariya' without a space in between and often wrote it wrong as well but that was not who actually i was and hated it when my name got altered.

Things changed when i joined college and i realized saying your full name was not essentially important. Earlier i used to think, what my dad would feel if i did not tag along his name along with mine when someone asked for my name. In college, i would just mention my name as 'Ann', simple and sweet and that's when i started to like it. Since it’s college, i got all weird and funny tags like 'Annakutty','Annammo' and very many other names (hard to put on public…hehehe)etc.

Another fact I noticed about my name was that when they call me ‘Annammo’, they call me with so much love that I can even feel it in their very tone. ‘Ann’ is a very old name originated from Greek or Latin or Hebrew (any one of those)…Oh ya! The meaning of Ann is ‘grace’. I do get complements from people saying that I am graceful:-P (I dunno how much truth there is to that sentence). And I am not sure if a name actually represents a person whom he or she is.

Nowadays, without my provocation friends call me ‘Annammo’ instead of ‘Ann’. It gets surprising when distant friends call me that. I dunno why they call me, may be they find it easier to call or call me out of love (I love you guys then for this reason).

So bottom line even though I used to hate my name when I was a kid now I am really proud to say that I hold a very prestigious, popular and beautiful name, ‘Ann’ . Thank you to all my dear friends because without you guys I don’t know if I would ever come to love my name with a whole heart.


What!!!! your name has a story too....tell me i would like to know? also tell me the meaning of your names, i wish to know:-)


One thing i forgot to tell you and which i feel is more special about my name is that my name is composed of my dad's name, "Cleetus" and my mom's name, "Maria" and funny thing is "Maria"  also happens to be my paternal grandmother's name and maternal grandmother's name:-) ...Now tell me how many of you are lucky to have four names inclined together to form your name...In that case, i am very blessed and lucky to have this as my name. 


If you also happen to have weird combos like this tell me please:-) i do love company:-)

"Calicut,Kasargode" from a Pakistani guy

Is it amazing, shocking or surprising when a grey haired, sweet faced Pakistani asks you "calicut, kasargode?" How often does that happen in your life? Such an incident happened to me yesterday fortunately! 

I was climbing down the stairs swiftly where i suddenly slipped, all thanks to my shoes. Guess its loosing the grip from all the walking i have been doing for two years. How long does your shoe last? Well thankfully i was spared from the embarrassing moment of landing on my bump but yet again i did trip in front of all the ladies. So I quickly glanced through the side of my eyes to check if any one of them witnessed my clumsiness but i didn’t dare to check their expression and went on as if nothing happened( everyone does that right?).

I was at an institute to attend driving lecture sessions and this so called building is situated in the middle of the desert where taxi comes by once in a blue moon. I got out of the institute as soon as possible to beat the mob of impatient people, who will be waiting for their taxis soon. As the 45C blazing sun touched my skin, I realized that I forgot my sun protection at home…..and NO it’s not my sunscreen, it’s my umbrella. Without the mercy of my dear companion, the long wait for the taxi is going to be tiresome ….and just when I thought about it… a taxi came by luckily, I hailed it and got in swiftly to cool myself in the AC.

As usual told the driver the destination (my home) and he asked me the raastha (way). I was like “duh….I don’t know” . It’s embarrassing, I know you are to know the way to your own home but the roads in UAE can be very confusing at times, luckily he found out the way, no wonder he is a taxi driver. No later he asked me about my lecture classes and training lessons for driving and I was quite amazed that a random 45ish -50ish guy  took interest in my driving classes. Well, no harms done I replied giving details about my driving schedule.

The next question was a little touchy; he asked me if I was a PAKISTANI or an INDIAN? I was a bit shaken but i replied with a proud note; " I am an Indian" then came the next question; " South India or North India", i was like he is so partial and replied with "Kerala". His next query startled me and never expected that from a Pakistani chap; "Calicut, Kasargode?" i reverted with kochi and he nodded his head indicating that he is  familiar with kochi. 

Kerala might be familiar to the whole world being called God's own country, the green country, land of house boats, ayurvedic treatments, beaches and many more but the places inside Kerala are still ignorant to many and by 'many' I meant to also include many Indians as well. But this random Pakistani guy who picked me up from my driving institute to drop me home knows the innermost malabar regions of  Kerala! 

He dropped me home but left me something to think about; he might have picked up the name "Calicut and kasargode" from his roommates, colleagues or passengers or may be some other source but the fact that he knows so much about India made me so little in front of him.How many places in Pakistan do i know? Well from the history text i know Harappa and Mohenjodaro exist apart from that i am clueless about the states or even the districts in Pakistan. 

How many places, states or districts are you familiar with in Pakistan? How much do you know about your neighboring country? Do you even know the capital of Pakistan?