Miscellany

My KL Trip in June 2018 - some unintended consequences

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 14:23:00 +0000

A few unintended consequences of my Malaysia trip....

1. Respect the Traffic ... It is so pleasing to see traffic rules being followed ... I should try to do it

2. Respect the differences & ladies .... Ladies clad in headgear in a Muslim country jostling shoulders with mini skirted chinese women and Indians in shorts ....

Also, Anuj's family lifestyle is SOOO different from ours ... but still quite cool,

They don't have much physical activity ... watch tonnes of TV (mostly a single hindi comedy TV serial ) through the day, have very simple meals, do not even have a maid, sleep late wake late (in holidays) and generally are not going anywhere... but seem to be doing well :)

Being different is COOL, most things don't really matter as much as I think they do

3. Respect the housework ... Anuj helps in cooking etc. and they all generally share house work ... Parents more than kids ....

Smart Wifi Toggler – an app to improve your Android Phone’s Battery life automatically

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Sat, 05 May 2018 04:54:00 +0000

The single most important thing that I find lacking in my smartphone today is Battery Life. Whatever we do, we barely scratch past a day without needing a charger. How about I tell you a simple way to improve the battery life of your phone automatically.

Enter – Smart Wifi Toggler!

This is a small Android app that does a simple job effectively. It shuts down your wifi when you leave a wifi zone (like your house / clinic) and restarts it when you get back to a wifi zone. This leads to a large amount of battery life improvement as open wifi is a serious drain on your phone’s battery, plus a potential security hazard.

Here is what the Google Play Store description says

“Smart WiFi Toggler is an application designed to control your phone's WiFi using location based rules. Its aim is to conserve battery and minimize data charges by turning WiFi off when not connected to a network, and turning it on when a known hotspot is present. It constantly learns where your hotspots are located to make its decisions.
It's a very useful application if you frequently forget to turn WiFi off when leaving a hotspot, or if you want to automatically switch from mobile data to WiFi to conserve battery whenever you're back into a hotspot.”

There are many similar sounding apps so please remember to download the app with the above icon only. The author of the app is “Seboult Aghuelan”.

In my use I have found that this app takes a couple of days to figure out your default wifi zones. Once it has learnt your regular wifi areas it is quite effective in improving battery life. The only issue I find is that Android automatically shuts down the app after a few days and then I need to restart it to keep it working.

Till the next time,

Personal Practice – How to browse the Internet with more privacy & less ads!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:59:00 +0000

Have you ever searched for anything online – say a watch, and then find that on every site you go ads of watches keep on appearing?
Do you hate when the entire page is full of flashing video & banner ads?
Does your computer suddenly slow down while surfing certain sites?

If the answer to any of the above questions is YES, then give me just a few minutes of your time and you will be browsing the net like a true PRO!

Internet is like a GIANT advertising machine. Most of the big players like Google, Amazon, Yahoo & Facebook etc. are following your browsing habits and creating ads according to what you surf, whether you like it or not.

Once they come to know that you like something or want to buy something, you will be bombarded with ads related to the same for days & weeks. In addition browsing unprotected can be a big security risk with many websites and unscrupulous people exploiting ads and browser pages to infect your computer with virus & even use it to run bad software without your knowledge!

Here are 3 very useful chrome extensions that you can easily install and get rid of most of this risk, and have a much better surfing experience.

For a step by step tutorial on how to add extensions in Chrome please visit this URL https://www.wikihow.com/Add-Extensions-in-Google-Chrome

Just search the Google Chrome Store & add these extensions here

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions

1. 1. Adguard

There are many adblockers on Chrome store, but this is my favorite. In fact I have installed paid version of this on my mobile too. However the desktop version is FREE, and here is how it is described “Unmatched adblock extension against advertising and pop-ups. Blocks ads on Facebook, Youtube and all other websites.”

With close to 40,000 reviews and a 5 star rating, you cannot go wrong here.

2. 2. Privacy Badger –

Privacy Badger blocks spying ads and invisible trackers. It's there to ensure that companies can't track your browsing without your consent. Please ensure that you download the Orange color extension created by EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). While this extension may sometimes cause some websites that track you aggressively from not loading properly, if needed, you can always switch it off for a specific websites.

3. 3. HTTPS Everywhere

– This is another excellent protection tool created by the ever reliable EFF. As you may know, most websites that have passwords or are used for financial transactions use https (secure) webpage.

HTTPS Everywhere automatically switches thousands of sites from insecure "http" to secure "https". It will protect you against many forms of surveillance and account hijacking, and some forms of censorship.

To conclude, in today’s world just simply browsing the internet puts you at risk of many privacy-related issues. An antivirus is unlikely to offer complete protection against many malicious software that can infect your browser. Just simply adding these extensions to Chrome can help you browse safely, efficiently and with much more privacy.

Dr. Gaurav Gupta

docgaurav@gmail.com

www.charakclinics.com

Android apps that I have on my phone - circa jan 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 07:54:00 +0000

These are in alphabetical order ...

Adguard - the ONLY PAID app on my android , but well worth the USD 10 per year for reducing the number of ads on your device, get it later
Asphalt nitro - car racing, for the uninitiated (small size, good graphics)
CM Browser - very nice browser, far better than the default brower IMO
CM Security - good antivirus app, though you may have one by default
calm - nice meditative experience :)
cric buzz
droid over wifi - for transferring files from desktop (at least windows desktop) to your phone & vica versa
Drippler - Get daily tips on how to use your Android phone better
Elevate - stimulate your brain game
Flud - for d/l torrents
Glympse - so that others can check your location, when you want them to,
Google skymaps - lovely astronomy app
India against spam - FIGHT SPAM
Keep - google to do notes
mxplayer - great video player
Nature sounds - good for ringtones, if you like nature sounds
NTES - for my obsession with trains :)
Ola
OLX
Peak - stimulate your brain game
Plants v/s Zombies 2 - Played, Finished & Deleted
Podcast addict
Omvana - Interesting meditation app
Quikr
Smart audiobooks
Smart wifi toggler - saves tonnes of battery - it switches of & on your wifi as per your location, trust me it works
Space team - funny collaborative team game
Teewee
Tripoto - for traveling, nice personal stories,
Tunein Radio
Tubemate - d/l videos
Uber
Videoplayer for android - another option for videos for the geeky
Whatsapp
Wynk - Nice Music App
Zombie Highway 2 - What's Life without a few Zombies to kill !
Zopper - local comparative shopping

Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier. - from the New York Times !

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 14:13:00 +0000

NOV. 21, 2015

Carson Ellis

Arthur C. Brooks

TWENTY-FOUR years ago this month, my wife and I married in Barcelona, Spain. Two weeks after our wedding, flush with international idealism, I had the bright idea of sharing a bit of American culture with my Spanish in-laws by cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner.

Easier said than done. Turkeys are not common in Barcelona. The local butcher shop had to order the bird from a specialty farm in France, and it came only partially plucked. Our tiny oven was too small for the turkey. No one had ever heard of cranberries.

Over dinner, my new family had many queries. Some were practical, such as, “What does this beast eat to be so filled with bread?” But others were philosophical: “Should you celebrate this holiday even if you don’t feel grateful?”

I stumbled over this last question. At the time, I believed one should feel grateful in order to give thanks. To do anything else seemed somehow dishonest or fake — a kind of bourgeois, saccharine insincerity that one should reject. It’s best to be emotionally authentic, right? Wrong. Building the best life does not require fealty to feelings in the name of authenticity, but rather rebelling against negative impulses and acting right even when we don’t feel like it. In a nutshell, acting grateful can actually make you grateful.

For many people, gratitude is difficult, because life is difficult. Even beyond deprivation and depression, there are many ordinary circumstances in which gratitude doesn’t come easily. This point will elicit a knowing, mirthless chuckle from readers whose Thanksgiving dinners are usually ruined by a drunk uncle who always needs to share his political views. Thanks for nothing.

Beyond rotten circumstances, some people are just naturally more grateful than others. A 2014 article in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience identified a variation in a gene (CD38) associated with gratitude. Some people simply have a heightened genetic tendency to experience, in the researchers’ words, “global relationship satisfaction, perceived partner responsiveness and positive emotions (particularly love).” That is, those relentlessly positive people you know who seem grateful all the time may simply be mutants.

But we are more than slaves to our feelings, circumstances and genes. Evidence suggests that we can actively choose to practice gratitude — and that doing so raises our happiness.

This is not just self-improvement hokum. For example, researchers in one 2003 study randomly assigned one group of study participants to keep a short weekly list of the things they were grateful for, while other groups listed hassles or neutral events. Ten weeks later, the first group enjoyed significantly greater life satisfaction than the others. Other studies have shown the same pattern and lead to the same conclusion. If you want a truly happy holiday, choose to keep the “thanks” in Thanksgiving, whether you feel like it or not.

How does all this work? One explanation is that acting happy, regardless of feelings, coaxes one’s brain into processing positive emotions. In one famous 1993 experiment, researchers asked human subjects to smile forcibly for 20 seconds while tensing facial muscles, notably the muscles around the eyes called the orbicularis oculi (which create “crow’s feet”). They found that this action stimulated brain activity associated with positive emotions.

If grinning for an uncomfortably long time like a scary lunatic isn’t your cup of tea, try expressing gratitude instead. According to research published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, gratitude stimulates the hypothalamus (a key part of the brain that regulates stress) and the ventral tegmental area (part of our “reward circuitry” that produces the sensation of pleasure).

It’s science, but also common sense: Choosing to focus on good things makes you feel better than focusing on bad things. As my teenage kids would say, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” In the slightly more elegant language of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, “He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has.”

In addition to building our own happiness, choosing gratitude can also bring out the best in those around us. Researchers at the University of Southern California showed this in a 2011 study of people with high power but low emotional security (think of the worst boss you’ve ever had). The research demonstrated that when their competence was questioned, the subjects tended to lash out with aggression and personal denigration. When shown gratitude, however, they reduced the bad behavior. That is, the best way to disarm an angry interlocutor is with a warm “thank you.”

I learned this lesson 10 years ago. At the time, I was an academic social scientist toiling in professorial obscurity, writing technical articles and books that would be read by a few dozen people at most. Soon after securing tenure, however, I published a book about charitable giving that, to my utter befuddlement, gained a popular audience. Overnight, I started receiving feedback from total strangers who had seen me on television or heard me on the radio.

One afternoon, I received an unsolicited email. “Dear Professor Brooks,” it began, “You are a fraud.” That seemed pretty unpromising, but I read on anyway. My correspondent made, in brutal detail, a case against every chapter of my book. As I made my way through the long email, however, my dominant thought wasn’t resentment. It was, “He read my book!” And so I wrote him back — rebutting a few of his points, but mostly just expressing gratitude for his time and attention. I felt good writing it, and his near-immediate response came with a warm and friendly tone.

DOES expressing gratitude have any downside? Actually, it might: There is some research suggesting it could make you fat. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology finds evidence that people begin to crave sweets when they are asked to express gratitude. If this finding holds up, we might call it the Pumpkin Pie Paradox.

The costs to your weight notwithstanding, the prescription for all of us is clear: Make gratitude a routine, independent of how you feel — and not just once each November, but all year long.

There are concrete strategies that each of us can adopt. First, start with “interior gratitude,” the practice of giving thanks privately. Having a job that involves giving frequent speeches — not always to friendly audiences — I have tried to adopt the mantra in my own work of being grateful to the people who come to see me.

Next, move to “exterior gratitude,” which focuses on public expression. The psychologist Martin Seligman, father of the field known as “positive psychology,” gives some practical suggestions on how to do this. In his best seller “Authentic Happiness,” he recommends that readers systematically express gratitude in letters to loved ones and colleagues. A disciplined way to put this into practice is to make it as routine as morning coffee. Write two short emails each morning to friends, family or colleagues, thanking them for what they do.

Finally, be grateful for useless things. It is relatively easy to be thankful for the most important and obvious parts of life — a happy marriage, healthy kids or living in America. But truly happy people find ways to give thanks for the little, insignificant trifles. Ponder the impractical joy in Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem “Pied Beauty”:

Glory be to God for dappled things —

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced — fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

Be honest: When was the last time you were grateful for the spots on a trout? More seriously, think of the small, useless things you experience — the smell of fall in the air, the fragment of a song that reminds you of when you were a kid. Give thanks.

This Thanksgiving, don’t express gratitude only when you feel it. Give thanks especially when you don’t feel it. Rebel against the emotional “authenticity” that holds you back from your bliss. As for me, I am taking my own advice and updating my gratitude list. It includes my family, faith, friends and work. But also the dappled complexion of my bread-packed bird. And it includes you, for reading this column.

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Stoicism Is Exactly Why You Need It

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 08:23:00 +0000

OPINION

(Photo: Flickr)

When I was nineteen years old I was told to read a book: Meditations, by the stoic philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Of course, I didn’t fully understand it at the time, again I was a teenager, but I immediately tore the book apart and made a million notes on it. It was for me, what the economist Tyler Cowen calls a “Quake Book.” It shook my entire (albeit limited) world view.

Though this book changed my life, it was really a single passage inside that book that made the difference. It’s a passage that has struck and changed the lives of many people in the two thousand years since it’s been written. One I’ve turned to again and again–when I dropped out of school, when I had problems at work, problems in my relationships, problem with employees, and just normal life.

The passage goes like this:

Our actions may be impeded…but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting.

And then he concluded with powerful words destined for a maxim.

The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

These words were scrawled by Marcus Aurelius himself, to himself, likely on the battlefront as he lead the Roman Army against barbarian tribes or possibly at the palace amongst the intrigue and pressure. Not exactly a happy or encouraging place to be.

Yet in the years since I first read it, I’ve started to understand is that this little paragraph is the perspective for a special kind of optimism. Stoic optimism.

I’m sure that sounds like an oxymoron, but stoicism gets a bad–and unfair–rap.

What Marcus was writing—reminding himself—is one of the core tenets of Stoicism. What it is prescribing is essentially this: in any and every situation—no matter how bad or seemingly undesirable it is—we have the opportunity to practice a virtue.

An example: I’m writing this article and I hope that it is received well. But it could very easily bomb or get a terrible response. Now this would be a minor but rather undesirable impediment or an obstacle.

That’s probably what I would think at first too. But seen another way it’s…a chance for me to remind myself of humility, or learn from the feedback and improve my writing or even just accept that I can’t please everyone all the time.

A Timeless Idea

Over the years since I first read the book (and in the course of researching my own), I studied people in history who had made this each decision–willingly or by force of circumstance. People who’d faced an obstacle but saw it as the way. Which makes sense because stoicism is ultimately an art that is designed to be practiced, not spoken about.

Take John D. Rockefeller before he was…well John D. Rockefeller as we knew him. He was just a kid with a deadbeat dad. At 16 he took his first job as bookkeeper and aspiring investor. He was making fifty cents a day. Less than two years later the Panic of 1857 struck. The result was a crippling national depression that lasted for several years.

Here was the greatest market depression in history and it hit Rockefeller just as he was finally getting the hang of things. It’s terrible right? Real investors who supposedly knew what they were doing lost everything. What is he supposed to do? Rockefeller later said that he was inclined to see the opportunity in every disaster. That’s exactly what he did.

Instead of complaining about this economic upheaval or quitting like his peers, Rockefeller chose to eagerly observe the events that unfolded. He looked at the panic as an opportunity to learn, a baptism in the market.

It was this intense self-discipline and objectivity that allowed Rockefeller to seize advantage from obstacle after obstacle in his life, during the Civil War, and the panics of 1873, 1907, and 1929. Within twenty years of that first crisis, Rockefeller would alone control 90 percent of the oil market. His greedy competitors had perished and his doubters had missed out.

It’s a two part mental shift. First, to see disaster rationally. To not panic, to not make rash decisions. And second, like Rockefeller, we can see opportunity in every disaster, and transform that negative situation into an education, a skill set, or a fortune.

Another example: General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

General Eisenhower—who men sniped behind his back was more of an organizer than a leader—had just pulled off the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

Slow going in the hedgerows of France had allowed the Germans to wage a series of counteroffensives—a final blitzkrieg of some 200,000 men. And now the Nazis threatened to throw them all back to the sea.

The Allies had a pretty understandable reaction: they just about freaked out.

But not Eisenhower. Striding into the conference room at headquarters in Malta, he made an announcement: He’d have no more of this quivering timidity from his deflated generals. “The present situation is to be regarded as opportunity for us and not disaster,” he commanded. “There will be only cheerful faces at this conference table.”

In the surging counteroffensive, Eisenhower was able to see the tactical solution that had been in front of them the entire time: the Nazi strategy carried its own destruction within itself.

Only then were the Allies able to see the opportunity inside the obstacle rather than simply the obstacle that threatened them. Properly seen, as long as the Allies could bend and not break, this attack would send more than fifty thousand Germans rushing headfirst into a net—or a “meat grinder,” as Patton eloquently put it.

Eisenhower’s ability to not be overwhelmed or discouraged by the German Blitzkrieg allowed him to see the weaknesses within it. By defusing his fear of the German counteroffensive he uses his optimistic attitude to find its weakness.

And then there is Thomas Edison. I don’t think that inventing the lightbulb was the craziest thing the guy ever did.

At age sixty-seven, Thomas Edison returned home one evening from another day at the laboratory. After dinner, a man came rushing into his house with urgent news: A fire had broken out at Edison’s research and production campus a few miles away.

Edison calmly but quickly made his way to the fire looking for his son. “Go get your mother and all her friends,” he told his son with childlike excitement. “They’ll never see a fire like this again.” Don’t worry, Edison calmed him. “It’s all right. We’ve just got rid of a lot of rubbish.”

That’s a pretty amazing reaction. It’s what the stoics might refer to as amor fati–loving the things that happen to us.

Edison wasn’t heartbroken, not as he could have and probably should have been.

Instead, the fire invigorated him. As he told a reporter the next day, he wasn’t too old to make a fresh start. “I’ve been through a lot of things like this. It prevents a man from being afflicted with ennui.”

Within about three weeks, the factory was partially back up and running. Within a month, its men were working two shifts a day churning out new products the world had never seen. Despite a loss of almost $1 million dollars (more than $23 million in today’s dollars), Edison would marshal enough energy to make nearly $10 million dollars in revenue that year ($200-plus million today).

So…how can we cultivate this fortitude and ingenuity?

The answer, I say, is with philosophy–practical philosophy. With Stoic optimism, we can be Edison, our factory on fire, not bemoaning our fate but enjoying the spectacular scene. And then starting the recovery effort the very next day—roaring back soon enough.

How about a business decision that turned out to be a mistake? It was a hypothesis that turned out to be wrong, like a scientist you can learn from it and use it for your next experiment. Or that computer glitch that erased all your work? You will now be twice as good at it since you will do it again, this time more prepared.

Perhaps you were injured recently and are stuck in bed recovering. Now you have the time to start your blog or the screenplay you’ve been meaning to write. Maybe you’ve recently lost your job. Now you can teach yourself the skills to get the job you’ve always wanted. You can take a careless employee’s mistake that cost you business and turn it into a chance to teach a lesson that can only be learned from experience. When people question our abilities that means we can exceed their lowered expectations of us that much quicker.

Easier said than done, of course.

In each of the three situations above, the individuals faced real and potentially life-threatening adversity. But instead of despairing at the horrific situation—economic panic, being overrun by the enemy, a catastrophic fire—these men were actually optimistic. You could almost say they were happy about it.

Why? Because it was an opportunity for a different kind of excellence. As Laura Ingalls Wilder put it: “There is good in everything, if only we look for it.”

I’m not Eisenhower. You’re not Rockefeller. Our factory has never burned down, so we don’t know how we would react.

But I don’t think it’s as super-human as it seems at first glance. Because there is a method and a framework for understanding, appreciating, and acting upon the obstacles life throws at us. Like Rockefeller too we can perceive events rationally and find the fortune in downturns. Like Eisenhower, we can disengage from our fears and see the opportunity inside our obstacles. Like Edison we can choose to be energized by the unexpected circumstances we find ourselves in. We know it won’t be easy but we are prepared to give it everything we have regardless.

In our daily lives we forget that the things that seem to be blocking us are small and that the obstacles blocking us are actually providing us answers for where to go next. It’s a timeless formula that can be revisited again and again.

All I can say is that this attitude is something I try to think of always. I try to envision these people facing much more significant problems than me, and seeing it not only as not bad but as an opportunity.

We all face tough situations on a regular basis. But behind the circumstances and events that provoke an immediate negative reaction is something good—some exposed benefit that we can seize mentally and then act upon. We blame outside forces or other people and we write ourselves off as failures or our goals as impossible. But there is only one thing we really control: our attitude and approach

Which is why the stoics say that what blocks the path is the path. That what seems to impede action can actually advance it. And that everything is a chance to practice some virtue or something different than originally intended. And you never know what good will come of that.

The obstacle is the way.

#stoicweek

Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator and two other books. He is an editor-at-large for the New York Observer and his monthly reading recommendations are found here. He currently lives in Austin, Texas

Comment: WOW .... That is all I can say .. This is so like what Yoda would say ... "what blocks the path is the path " Almost Zen like in its clarity and truth

An email discussion with my sister about the validity of old Hindu scriptures with special reference to Gods

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 12:49:00 +0000

This is an email discussion that I am posting with minimum changes about an email discussion that I had recently with my (about to become) celebrity author sister (she is writing a book about the psychology of weight loss).
The discussion focused on the validity of old Hindu scriptures with special reference to Gods. As you can probably make out, she believes that our old Indian people were highly advanced and Gods exist for a reason.
I am the slightly less creatively inclined scientific (doctor) mind, and my take is a bit different.
Here is how the discussion went
"
SISTER:
Just interesting to note that ancient texts had use for such large numbers. Scarcely seems they were unthinking aborigines who were afraid of everything from lightening to snakes and made gods of them to quell their fears.
U find it interesting that ancient texts and stories have all these astronomical numbers?
Btw they even have (not listed here but elsewhere on wiki) quantum sized numbers
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_numbers_in_Hindu_scriptures

ME:
Hmmmmm
They used large numbers hence all the gods make sense.
Thats the kind of "logic" I face daily ;) (this refers to a family member of mine who strongly believes in black magic and the likes)
The life span in Kali yuga is supposed to go from 100 to 20....
That sure seems to be happening as well. (Sarcasm :)

SISTER:
Can u try to see me as different from other people around you? Or is it just "my way or the yada-yada way" for you?

All I was trying to do was see what kind of people/ civilisation it was about 5000 years ago... trying to get into their heads, so to speak... but you seem more scared & inflexible (not open) than some superstitious people!

ME AGAIN:

Cool... seem to have hit a raw spot somewhere .... I guess...

I think when we start attributing everything that is being done today by major scientific discoveries as a sort of confirmation of what is already known in old esoteric texts, we are going down a slippery slope

How it seems to go is

... Ohh you found water on mars... well the vedas already knew that ...

you found bacteri in callisto- we already said it ...

ET from alpha centauri .... come on did you not read your upanishadas !!

There are quite a few easily understood things that have not been clearly mentioned in the older texts ... as far as I know

For example ...

Theory of Germs

Theory of evolution

Non earth/ sun centricity of the Universe

These are just a few examples that I can think at the present point of time.

I am sure that really learned people have done wonders in the past, with meditation and looking at the inner world ... but I am quite sure they did not know everything.

Millions of Gods in my opinion reflect the importance of Nature in man's traditional life - may not just be because they were scared - Rain god because you would die if it did not rain ... & you would have a good life if it did ....

SISTER:

And that's why I love you!

Would love to hear some interesting views on this debate, especially with some weirdly different ideas.

A Father Introduces His Newborn Daughter To Books - This is what I would have written to my daughter if I could write :)

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 07:49:00 +0000

A Father Introduces His Newborn Daughter To Books

BY EDD MCCRACKEN

AUG 27, 2015

Our Reading Lives features stories about how books and reading have shaped who we are and how we live.

Dear Matilda,

It’s your dad here. The one without the milk.

Please excuse this decidedly old fashioned way of communicating. Letters are rather passe even now. No doubt by the time you’re old enough to read this you’ll probably be communicating via holographic kitten emojis beamed directly between brain implants.

I want to be straight with you. So far in our three month relationship I haven’t actually felt like a parent. I’ve always thought parenting meant imparting wisdom to you, like Atticus to Scout. All I feel I’ve imparted is fresh nappies and a firm tap on the back during 3am burping sessions.

With this in mind I’d like to start my parenting now. And what better way than by introducing you to books.

First of all, the basics. What is a book? Sadly for you, despite its similar spelling, it is not a boob, something you know and demonstrably love.

Books are those flat, chunky things lying everywhere about our home. Books are what prop your crib at an angle to stop you vomiting, what your mum holds in her free hand while feeding you, and they are the gifts that you can’t wear.

And these inanimate, lifeless pieces of matter are some of the most important and formidable things in the world. Some are beautiful, others are plain, but all books are valuable.

Next: how do you use a book? Chewing and dribbling on them is not acceptable. But we’ll excuse that for the first few years. I think we’ve got a few drool-proof books especially for you. You’ll be glad to hear, however, that sniffing them is permissible well into adult life.

The best way to get something out of a book, beyond its limited nutrition, is to read it. Reading is hard, but once you force those dancing letters to settle down into words, you will have all the keys to all the kingdoms right there in your head.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Dad’s getting overexcited again, like that time he thought I cracked my first smile but it was just a prelude to a burp. Books sounds great, but what can they really do?”

Well, my dear, I hope you’re sitting comfortably.

Books give you a way of decoding this crazy muddle of life. They will give you a way of describing the world, a way of finding your way through the extraordinary and the everyday. They are also a much needed refuge and escape. There are books for the break ups and the break downs, the make ups and the get downs.

Every moment has an echo on the page. You won’t able to see a wooded path without thinking of Robert Frost, of hearing about a terrible thing called slavery without calling to mind Toni Morrison, or of feeding the pet pigoon we get you for your tenth birthday without recalling Margaret Atwood.

Books teach you empathy. Want to know what life is like for someone who looks different to you? Read Chinua Achebe’s books. Want to know what it’s like to be born into a poverty that – God willing – you will never know? Read Katherine Boo’s Behind The Beautiful Forevers. Want to know why people do the dangerous, selfless, shocking and inspirational things they do? Read any book. Books help you see the fallible, doughy-fleshed people behind the labels.

Books will tell you about far off lands and outlandish ideas. They will be the itch in your feet that sets you off to places I will never see. They will be fire in your belly that urges you to make the world that wee bit better.

Books will set your imagination free. You are not bound by the physical limits of your – admittedly very cute – fingers and toes. Magic lives in books. So do unicorns. Books let you hang out with magic unicorns. And when you get a bit older, books will help keep this most precious part of your childhood alive. Never lose the ability to find wonder and enjoyment in things that boring, imagination-deficient adults describe as ‘silly’.

Books are how we learn anything. Yes, people can just tell us stuff. But most of the time, they just read it in a book. And they might have bad breath. And be wrong. So stick to books.

I could go on, but you’re stirring in your sleep. But before I go, just a few last operational points.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t read a particular kind of book. Or that genre fiction isn’t as worthy as literature. Or that comics are just for kids. Here be snobs. Don’t be a snob.

Avoid people who proudly say they don’t read. Unless you want to poop on them. That is allowed, nay, encouraged. Well, at least while you’re still in nappies.

And finally, be generous. If you love something, share it. I’m looking forward to all the books that you’ll introduce me to, those as yet unwritten children’s classics that we’ll read together before we both nod off to sleep, carrying those stories into our yet unformed dreams.

Dear Matilda, this world you’ve inherited is more unfair and cruel, more complex and fun, more beautiful and generous than you dare imagine. If you want proof, read.

Love you

Your dad

Source

Promoting your company / product online - take the RIBS test - says Facebook Head of Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 08:44:00 +0000

Take the RIBS test

To make it "stick to your ribs", your story has to be:

Relevant. Who is your audience, and is your company solving a problem that they care about? What matters to them about that problem? Why does your solution deserve attention? “It’s hard to get attention and it’s hard to be relevant,” says Marooney. “Fight for greater relevance. Make it a priority in your positioning.”
Inevitable. You want people to feel that whatever you’re developing is inevitable. This is like having a gust of wind at your company’s back. “If you can convince the reporter at lunch that whatever you’re doing makes intrinsic sense and that they can see it realistically happening, your journey to relevance will be that much shorter. That’s what gives you momentum.” If it doesn’t seem like whatever trend or movement you’re a part of will eventually come to pass, you’ll be fighting against the wind.
Believable. You can be relevant, and your product may even seem inevitable, but you still may not be believed. You have to convince people that your company is the one that can make it happen — that you’ll be the ones to carry the ball over the line. Being believable isn't just convincing people you can win, it's convincing them that they want you to win.
Simple. People are torn in so many directions these days — they’re on Facebook, checking email, trying to balance work and friends and family. Somehow you have to break through, and the way to do this is to keep things simple.

Caryn Marooney, Head of Technology Communications for Facebook

Source

Social Media Marketing for small business - 3 simple tips on how it is done

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 07:52:00 +0000

Source

Let's get down to virtual brass tacks. Say I own a bike shop. Give me three concrete things I can do to start building a community that may also generate a return.

Dave: Great example! Here are three concrete things:

1) Start, always, with your current customers. Put up signs in your store offering 10% off to those who like you on Facebook. Your customers' friends will notice and help generate more qualified fans.

2) Buy $100 in Facebook ads targeted to people in your town. Use Facebook's targeting system to reach people who like "biking" or "bikes" or "riding bikes." Drive them to like your page and not to your website.

3) Share great content with your fans: Pictures of people in bikes, a video of a cute kid learning how to ride a bike, a stat about how much healthier bikers are than non-bikers. Better yet, ask your customers and fans to share their best biking photos.

Then watch your leads and sales come in over time, all from just $100 and some of your time invested. Yes, it's that easy--but only if it's done right.

PS: I am starting a gummy vitamin supplement business for children - 100 % vegetarian gummies, once a day for children in India. I hope that these tips would help me become a better entrepreneur.

My new love - my mi 3 phone, for the first time in India ...! Here is my initial review

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 13:29:00 +0000

I am loving it....

It is actually a budget phone which is NOT a budget phone,

There is a great comparison between this phone and the LG G2 and to be honest this does not come out too badly

http://versus.com/en/xiaomi-mi3-vs-lg-g2-32gb

It is a fantastic piece of work at this price point,

You would really enjoy all the bells & whistles that are available in the camera mode

http://en.miui.com/thread-26864-1-1.html

(To be honest I have not tinkered with the camera yet !)

It is already pre-rooted, just need to d/l a small file, and you actually can toggle the root on & off.

They have a great forum, with updates EVERY FRIDAY .... (for the developer's version), stable versions are once every couple of months. The MIUI is a great software loaded on top of Android - in this case 4.4.2....

The build of the phone is very sleek, and up market, using a magnesium plastic alloy that makes it very light and comfortable, with a 5 inch full HD screen that has 441 pixel density .... at just 145 gm.

I have bought a tempered glass 0.3 mm screen protector, and a smart Flip cover with a software to use the phone using just the Flip cover window ....

CONS:

(At a price of 14,000 - NOTHING !)

Non expandable 16 GB Memory

Not too much literature in English available at present

No idea about service centers, though they have over 30 located in 20 cities including Chandigarh.

Buggy Flip cover software

As you can probably read from my long rambling.... I really LIKE IT :)

Can water ATMs bring relief to thirsty India?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:30:00 +0000

Cheap, clean water aids health, tension

Author: By Sumnima Udas CNN

Published On: Jul 03 2014 11:02:26 AM CDT Updated On: Jul 04 2014 06:27:34 AM CDT

NEW DELHI (CNN) -

In a New Delhi neighborhood, residents line up in the blistering 113 degree heat carrying empty jerry cans and water bottles, waiting for the government water tanker truck to arrive.

'We only get water once a week and each time we have to fight for it," one woman yells.

There are no laid pipelines in unplanned areas like this, so tanker trucks are their only source of water.

With the truck arrives chaos.

Some climb to the top of the tanker truck, reaching out for the pipes. Others jostle and argue below, trying to collect every drop.

Minor scuffles ensue. Many have been waiting for hours for their weekly supply and they are visibly angry.

Every household in this neighborhood is allowed only four jerry cans each.

"With so little water, we don't know if we should drink it, cook with it, or bathe with it," one woman says.

Water shortages are a perennial problem in much of India, but this summer the country's newly elected government is facing extra heat over water.

Some 150 million Indians have no access to clean water, according to government data.

Finding a long term solution will take time, but for now the Delhi government has finalized plans to set up 500 "water ATMs" across the city.

The tall cylindrical concrete structures hold solar powered machines that look and function like an ATM. Instead of cash, they dispense water.

The innovative idea was initiated by an Indian social enterprise called Sarvajal -- meaning water for all.

Since the pilot project was launched in late 2013, Sarvajal has installed 15 water ATM's in a New Delhi re-settlement colony called Sarva Ghera.

For one cent, one can draw up to four liters of water. That's cheap even by Indian standards.

Though response has been slow, the thousand odd families who use the services say it has made a significant difference to their lives.

"There's no more tension now," says Bhagwati, a Sarva Ghera resident.

"Now we can get water whenever we feel like it."

Before these so-called water ATM's, she too had to wake up every morning worrying about where to find water. Her whole day revolved around the water tanker truck's schedule.

Now with her rechargeable smartcard, Bhagwati can access clean drinking water 24/7.

Ground water is purified at localized plants, and distributed through these solar powered ATMs.

Sarvajal's project manager Amit Mishra says incidents of water-borne diseases have decreased in this neighborhood since the project was launched.

But India's poor have yet to realize that paying for clean water can save much more in health care costs later.

The biggest challenge is that everyone expects everything for free, Mishra said.

Mishra and his team have held countless meetings with the community to make them understand the difference in water quality and why clean water is worth paying for.

The change in mindset may take some time, but this simple but high tech idea may be the solution in a country with ever increasing thirst for clean water.

Copyright 2014 by CNN NewSource.
Source
Comment: What an interesting idea for bringing sanitation & hygiene and improving the health of the average poor Indian, hope it catches on. However, not sure as to the large scale applicability of the same for our large population.

I can't believe it ! Indian Railways launches its official App - not for android, not for iOS but WINDOWS !

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 07 May 2014 07:16:00 +0000

I love windows mobile OS. I have an HTC 8x phone, and even though I have broken the screen twice in the first 6 months itself, costing me half the price of the phone itself !
The interface is gorgeous, the phone works very smoothly, the live tiles are very intuitive, and I feel that for a person who is using a smartphone for the first time, this is the best OS to begin with.
Unfortunately, the major issue that most people keep on talking about is a lack of apps in the Windows store. So I am pleasantly surprised to find that Indian railways have launched a Windows mobile App BEFORE the other versions. I hope that many other Indian companies launch their apps as soon as possible for the windows mobile OS, so that more people can experience it.

Here are some details about the IRCTC windows app

With the official IRCTC app now exclusively on Windows, you can plan your journey with a finger tap. Enjoy the fast and fluid user interface and have fun booking your tickets - anytime, anywhere, right from your Start Screen.
• Superior User Experience
• Add to Favorites
• Recent History
• User Friendly Interface

Source (free registration may be needed)

I have not yet tried the app, but will try to comment on it later.

• Superior User Experience
• Add to Favorites
• Recent History
• User Friendly Interface

SIX FREE DOCTORS

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Mon, 05 May 2014 06:16:00 +0000

An email that I found very interesting and quite useful,

Ever heard of SIX FREE DOCTORS, whose advice is most crucial to a healthy life style? but we do not pay any heed
to it as there are no visiting fees. Therefore their value is unimportant.*

*1. SUNLIGHT* - The sun says, spend a little time with me while reading,
exercising, listening to music, meditating, even chatting up with friends
Physically andmetaphorically Sunlight is beneficial to all. Giving light, its best, to
everyone, regardless of caste or creed.

*2. WATER* - 6-8 glasses of water in a day,replenishes all the liquids of the body. And H2O is oxygen to every cell in
the body. Our body thrives on fresh water. It is the greatest detoxifying
agent ever produced. And it is FREE.

*3. AIR* - Your Prana Shakti - Life breath. Just being aware of your breathing for a little while, invigorates every cell in
the body. PRANAYAM (deep breathing) is a must, to exhale all carbon and
take in all oxygen, in a clean and open environment. It is a luxury today
to breathe fresh air. Do not neglect this. Holding a breath and then
releasing it, clears all the diseases in the body.

*4. DIET* - After consuming 3 of the 5 natures elements (Ether, Water, Air, Earth Fire) get to the natures produce,
vegetables fruits. The amount of cleansing the vegetables and fruit does to the system is amazing. The enzymes thus produced protect every cell in the
body. Proteins are present in lentils and yogurt too. Too much meat takes away 70% of the energy to digest it. We are basically herbivores and not
carnivorous - by nature.

*5. EXERCISE* - How can anything be consumedwithout the corresponding arrangement to digest the same? The body mustmove. Walking can be a good form of exercise. But stretching the body is very essential. Starting from bed, when waking up and then being physically
vibrant through the day. Household work is NOT an exercise, it's a chore.
Exercise in a proper state of mind and not under stress or duress.
Relaxation is the reason for exercising a healthy state of mind. Exercise
alone and do not rush.

*6. REST* - Last but not the least the 6th
doctor is REST. None of the above is possible without enough sleep,
relaxation and rest from meetings a deadline. Rest is the most important
factor which gives impetus to all other 5. So do not neglect it. Resting
with beautiful, positive and creative thoughts is of course always
recommended. If you have negative thoughts, keep slogging, so you do not
have the time to nurture them.

When resting have all the positive thoughts,nourishing thoughts, the foremost being Thanksgiving to God, followed by love and compassion towards all the relationships.

Mohali Admn goes all out to woo voters - Charak Clinics joins to promote Voting in Mohali, Punjab

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 08:17:00 +0000

With less than a week for the Lok Sabha elections here, the Mohali Administration claims to have launched an all-out effort to woo voters. From hiring a chopper which will shower one lakh pamphlets over the city, to collaborating with a Chandigarh-based bikers’ club which will take out an awareness drive, to tying up with a radio station for one-hour slots everyday, to distributing ‘wedding-card like’ invitations to 75,000 urban voters, to providing gifts for first-time voters and first-ten voters, and to provide recreational facilities at 74 ‘super model polling stations’, the administration claims to have left no stone unturned to attract voters.

“After a good response in Jalandhar and two other districts, we have collaborated with the Patiala Aviation Club who will provide a chopper to distribute 25,000 pamphlets each in Mohali, Zirakpur, Derabassi and Kharar. I am sure the residents will be inspired to vote after watching a helicopter trying to drill in the message,” said ADC Parveen Kumar Thind, the nodal officer for Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme.

Thind added that the urban voters, who normally show a low turnout, will be in for a pleasant surprise in the coming days when around 75,000 families will get specially printed invitation cards asking them to exercise their franchise. Besides, Chandigarh-based Road Survivors’ Club, a bikers’ club, will hold an awareness drive in Zirakpur on Sunday using Royal Enfield motorcycles. “After riding all over the town, around 50-60 Bullet owners will camp at Paras Downtown Square where they’ll distribute free T-shirts to the voters,” said club moderator Pritpal Singh ‘Jojo’.

He added that the administration has tied up Radio-station Big FM 92.7 since April 9 and its RJs are running one-hour slots after visiting colleges and residential areas. They will also interact with the voters on the polling day. “First-time voters will be given coupons worth Rs 100 to be used at the Katani Sweet Shop, first-ten voters at every booth will get mugs and other gifts and forest officials will also gift saplings to children at the 74 super model polling stations where there will be recreational facilities, too, for the people,” he said.

Source

We at Charak Clinics, Phase 7, Mohali are doing our bit.
All voters will be given 25 % discount for the next 3 days, i.e., up to 2nd May for OPD charges when they get their eyes checked or their child checked at Charak Clinics, Advanced Eye & Child Care Center at SCF 85, Phase 7, Mohali.

HTC 8x phone frozen, back cover not removable, what to do ?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 06:27:00 +0000

I always like to be a bit different than the rest of the crowd. Hence I either try to buy something at a discount (Value for Money) with a feature that I want, or I buy something that is generally not bought by others.
Thus I ended up buying an HTC Windows Phone - 8X since it had great hardware specs, and I wanted to try the Windows Mobile Ecosystem, after living with Android for the last couple of years.
Long story short, I managed to freeze the 8X while playing a game, kudos to Windows software, that this has happened for the first time after having the phone for more than 4 months now !
Since I was unable to open the back cover & remove the battery, here is the solution that worked,

"simultaneously press power and volume down for more than 15 seconds "

Voila, the phone rebooted & I was on my way again!

Disaster Management at Uttarakhand

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:04:00 +0000

Source

Disaster Management at Uttarakhand

The present Uttarakhand flood has again shown the failure of national disaster plan in the country. Tens of thousands of people have disappeared from the area. At the moment, people are only counting loss of tourists, the local inhabitants; nobody knows how many of them have died.

In the last two weeks, I have been approached by several members of NGOs and agencies to donate fund, food and clothes. This happens every time there is a catastrophe. This again indicates Government system failure.

At such a scale, individuals or unorganized sectors cannot help. Disaster management is always a hierarchy-based crisis management with a leader at the apex. For any catastrophe such as this, the leader invariably should be the government, who should direct everybody in the country to pool resources and ensure that they reach the needy people.

Yesterday, a couple of media people asked me why we were not sending a team of medical doctors to Uttarakhand. My answer was very simple. Most of us have already offered and are still offering their services to the government, it is the duty of the government to take help from private sector and assign them work in areas where it is needed the most. Otherwise what will happen is that 90% of the benefits would be given to the people who need it the least because they are at the periphery of the disaster.

The people who are in real need are all either in the centre of the disaster or placed faraway where the help will never reach by non-governmental efforts.

People on the periphery may end up taking the same help again and again from different NGOs and may get food, clothes, some of which they would never be able to consume.

Suggestions

· DGHS should hold a meeting of presidents of all medical associations in the country and work out a strategy.

· Identify an area in Uttarakhand, which is safe and future disaster (flood) free, where base health camps can be created and medical help can be flown there.

· The job of government should be to lift patients to the base camps, where a coordinated team of medical services can look after the victims.

Infosys gains in price, surrenders its values - The Honest Truth by Ajit Dayal - EquityMaster

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 06:27:00 +0000

4th June 2013
The news broke that N. R. Narayana Murthy is back as Executive Chairman of Infosys.

Infosys also announced that Rohan Murthy, the 30-year old son of the main co-founder, will be the Executive Assistant to the newly appointed Executive Chairman.

Deflecting any fears that the Infosys founders were going back on a promise they made many years ago that none of their children would have a role in Infosys, Murthy reportedly told a press conference, "He has no leadership role."

Infosys has long claimed it is "driven by values".

Narayan Murthy has been crowned as the king of corporate governance. True, he did not ask for that crown but we, the people, gave it to him. And he chose to wear it.

In a country that is sick and tired of dynastic rule in political parties (the Nehru clan in the Congress, the Pawar clan in NCP, the Karunanidhi clan in DMK) and in businesses (Ambani, Birla, and Tata to name a few), Infosys was a breath of fresh air.

Infosys was an experiment of 4 individuals, not backed by any politician, not supported by any bribe, not built on any illegal transfer of a natural and national resource to a private party at a cheap price.

In a world of the opaque and the corrupt, Infosys was a beacon: It stood for transparency and doing the right thing. What a joy to see something of such tremendous value created during our lifetimes!

But the cracks had begun to appear in the past few years. As I noted in "The GHIT has hit the fan", each of the CEOs of Infosys have been founders. The last two CEO's (Kris Gopalakrishnan and S D Shibulal) may not have been as "qualified" as the first two (Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani) were. This method of succession planning raised a red flag: was it some clear entitlement that every founder must be a CEO? That in a company with 140,000 employees, there was no one else to take over? Or did Infosys never reach out to hire the best and the brightest at senior management levels - because they knew (and the candidates guessed) that the tops lots were reserv ed for the founders.

"Market cap" wins over "Torch bearer"?

At one level, the decision of Narayana Murthy at the age of 66 years, to head back to the chair can be explained as pure wealth protection. His family owns own about 5% in Infosys. That is worth some Rs 7,000 crore today. The April announcement of lower visibility saw a 20% knock in the share price - a loss of some Rs 1,500 crore for the Murthy family in that one day. That is a lot of erosion of wealth for any family.
Maybe, Murthy and Son are back in there to fix Infosys, to ensure that it is back on the growth trajectory, that it regains its standing as the darling IT stock of the markets. If the one-day price movement of June 3 is anything to go by, then the Murthy and Son act has worked: TCS was down -4% and Infosys was up +4%. Of course, there is still a long way to go to narrow the gap in performance of the businesses and the share price between TCS and Infosys.

Seen from this angle, there is nothing wrong with the Murthy Version 2.0 evolution. But, if this is the case, then the press statement should honestly state this: "Infosys is in trouble, my family wealth is at stake, and my son and I have come to fix it. We will all benefit as shareholders. Meanwhile, I recognise that it violates many of the principles of Infosys, but think of us as benevolent dictators. We have suspended democracy and corporate governance for a while. The two wrongs (of having only founders as CEOs and now having us come in to fix the problems) will make a right."

As the Father-Son duo move into action, the family wealth may be restored.

But at what cost?

Torch bearers have a responsibility, they can never stumble.

They may not have asked to be the mantle of virtuousness but - when placed on such a pedestal - they should deny it. By accepting the crown - even if not asked - they carry with it a responsibility.

Over the past few decades, Infosys - and Murthy in particular - have carried the torch.

On June 1, the runner stumbled.

Big time.

Every political party will now justify nepotism.

Every corporate chieftain will continue to rule their company in a "baap ka raaj hai" attitude.

And their justification will be: "woh Murthy ne bhi kiya hai".

The proponents of dynastic rule must be celebrating and laughing all the way to their family coffers.

Maybe there was no other choice and Murthy was the only Great White Hope; maybe Rohan Murthy will be confined to being a stenographer, travel agent, and appointment scheduler for a bargain salary of Rs 1 per annum.

Yes, Infosys may gain in share price and market cap.

But this has cost India a tremendous loss of value.

Comment: I have valued Ajit's interesting columns that are a breath of fresh air regarding corporate governance in India. Being a doctor I do not have any professional knowledge regarding the same, yet these help me understand something regarding finance from a perspective that I can align with. I hope that Infosys saga may become like the Apple one - wherein Steve Jobs coming back lead to a surge in Apple business and creation of better products, but somehow reading this article, I am not very sure this will happen. At least the elevation of the 'prodigal son' of Narayanmurthy Sir could have been avoided at this juncture, IMO.

Men & the Mid Life Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:24:00 +0000

Many men go through a phase when they take a hard look at the life they're living. They think they could be happier, and if they need to make a big change, they feel the urge to do it soon.

These thoughts can trigger a midlife crisis. By realizing you're in this phase, then making wise choices, you can steer yourself out of a midlife crisis and into a happier life.

How to Spot a Midlife Crisis

A true midlife crisis usually involves changing your entire life in a hurry, says Calvin Colarusso, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. An example is a man he counseled who wrote a note to his wife, withdrew his money from the bank, and moved to another city without warning.

This type of midlife crisis is rare, Colarusso says. More often, men go through a midlife process in which they make smaller changes over time.

"You might tell your wife, 'I’ve got to get out of this job,' and you do. Or you say to your wife, 'I’m done. The marriage isn’t working for me.' You don’t change everything and you don’t do it frantically," he says. "And for many people, after this agonizing reappraisal, they decide to stay with what they’ve got."

Signs that you're going through this midlife phase, or that you may soon, include:

You've hit your 40th birthday. Colarusso, who has a special interest in issues that affect adults as they age, most often sees men struggling with these midlife questions in their 40s and early 50s.

You're uneasy about major elements in your life. Colarusso says this may include not being satisfied with your career, your marriage, or your health, and feeling the urge to take action to make them better.

You feel that your time for taking a new direction is running short. Many men feel a pressing need to make changes, Colarusso says, when:

They notice that their appearance is changing or their stamina isn't as high as it used to be.
They become a grandfather.
A friend or parent dies.

However, it's not inevitable to go through a midlife crisis when those things happen.

You're making unusual choices. Men may go through a "teenage-like rebellion" at this point in their lives, says Boston psychologist Lynn Margolies, PhD. "A sure sign you may be in a midlife crisis is if you are feeling trapped and very tempted to act out in ways that will blow up your life," she says. These may include:

Drinking more.
Having an affair.
Leaving your family.
Feeling that your life no longer fits you.
You're more concerned about your appearance.
You feel more desire for excitement and thrills.

Navigating Your Midlife Issues

A midlife crisis can lead to "growth or destruction" for men, Margolies says. You can look for the causes of the unhappiness you feel, then make thoughtful decisions to address them. That's growth.

On the other hand, making impulsive decisions, like trading in your familiar life for a relationship with a younger partner that quickly ends or buying a car you can't afford, leads to destruction.

During this season of your life, be sure to:

Remember that your feelings aren't commands. Just because you feel like you have to escape your home, job, or marriage doesn't mean you have to actually do it, Margolies says. These feelings may indeed point to problems that need solving. But they may also fade or change over time.

Be thankful for the good things. Take time to be grateful for the parts of your life that make you happy, Margolies says. Ask yourself how you'd feel if you took an action that caused you to lose them.

Talk it over. Before you make major decisions, discuss them with someone whose advice you'll trust, Colarusso says. A friend, pastor, or mental health professional can give you another opinion on whether you're making wise choices.

Ask whether your wishes are realistic. Men make plenty of successful changes in their 40s and beyond: Going back to college, traveling the world, or starting their own business. Just make sure your new goals are practical and within your grasp.

Avoid jolting your loved ones. "Realize that you may not need to blow up your life to be happy," Margolies says. "But if it needs to be dismantled, then doing so thoughtfully will be less destructive to the people around you."

Source

Comment: Since I have just turned 40, & going through some major upheavals in my life, my sister felt that it was a good idea for me to go through it :) and I found it useful, so sharing it here ...

Appreciate it sis !

COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA - My daddy passes away, reflections, and a question for you

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:19:00 +0000

APRIL 6, 2013

An article that I found quite introspective. Even though the last part is a plug for a specific form of healing therapy called EFT, but I found the language persuasive, and relevant to me.

“If you could live your life over, what person or event would you prefer to skip?” is a question we use in EFT to find core issues.

Most of the time, the answers and how they relate to current emotional problems are obvious. It’s truly amazing how much many of us have learned to cleverly (or not so much) use will power to ‘avoid’ feeling. We will ourselves to ‘forget’ an event, or the wrong doing of another, thinking that the high emotions we felt will just ‘disappear’ too.

We discount the need to learn about nutrition and self-care because we’re doing ‘just fine’ or ‘natural is not for everyone’… Then, we start having back aches, migraines,’weird’ anxiety attacks, or even out-of-the-blue diagnosis.

MY FATHER’S ‘UNEXPECTED’ CANCER

Speaking of out-of-the-blue diagnosis, my dad’s fast and furious journey with cancer was exactly that. Being SO sick all of a sudden is clearly a sign of how much he ‘put up with’ – discomfort, pain, you name it – as his normal way of being. Sadly, my father passed away this week . The tribute I wrote for him on Facebook included the following:

“So many coulda, woulda, shouldas ‘can’ make us think things would have been better IF…but in that, we forget to relish in all life’s beauty, no matter what. Dad’s simplicity of acceptance brings me peace.”

Yes, I try to always look for the bright side of life even if it’s sometimes really hard to find it. If you’ve lost a parent, then I’m positive you received many lessons and gifts during the process. I’m definitelyIN IT NOW, feeling all sorts of emotions and rejecting to feel too (like maybe now). I’m trusting that this is taking me to a greater depth in my own heart and with others, and I have more than enough tools, family members and friends to support me when I need it. I’m actually humbled and very grateful for the abundance of love I feel right now.

WE CANNOT CHANGE WHAT WE CANNOT SEE

As time passes, I’m sure I’ll tell you more about my dad and his unique personality. What I may share too are some of the emotional hooks I saw in myself since I had the opportunity to be closer to him. This closeness began just after the New Year, when I received his Skype call from Nicaragua, during which he agreed to do tapping with me about the terrible back pain he was experiencing. As we hung up, I had a very bad feeling. I could feel into him. This was much more than a bad back…

Perhaps you will relate to some of what I share, for “child – parent” patterns can be so ingrained, it’s sometimes hard to see them.

Certainly, family personality traits are accentuated during times of crises. Sometimes it takes them coming out in their worse forms to really notice them. As unpleasant as it can be, I’d rather see them clearly, address them when ready, and go on living my life more freely instead of having them potentially cause havoc subconsciously.

With EFT, and lots of LOVE, I know I’ll be able to see more and more beauty in his death, instead of dwelling on the woulda, coulda, shoulda wishes I still feel (between him and me, family members, his loved one, and his decisions about protocol etc.) While part of me is still numb by all the events, I also feel greater peace for he is finally out of pain. His last few days were filled with so much suffering, and knowing him and his very high pain tolerance, it had to be really bad

Source

Inspiration:A couple’s heartbreak

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:58:00 +0000

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes.

One morning, when the boy was around two years old, the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and put it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to it and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned; she was terrified. How would she face her husband?

When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. “I Love You Darling.”

The husband’s totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to put the bottle away, this would not have happened.

No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who’s to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know and miss out on the warmth in human relationships we could receive by giving each other support.

After all, shouldn’t forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have. Don’t multiply pain, anguish and suffering by holding onto forgiveness. Let go of all your envies, jealousies, unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

If everyone could look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be fewer problems in the world.

Funny 'research' quote

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 06:42:00 +0000

"It has recently been discovered that research causes cancer in rats."

TV as a time waster - another gem by Bill Bonner

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 07:13:00 +0000

I read this excellent financial newsletter by Bill Bonner, which has educated me more about life then many books I have read.
Here is another gem about TV and its awesome time wasting power. Some of the calculations are hard to digest - but truthful
The Bonner Family - Zombified!

Baltimore, Maryland

Yes, we have succumbed to the biggest zombie-maker of the last 50 years. As a Christmas present to the family, Pater Familias bought a large-screen TV and put it down in the rec room. But is it really a benefit? Or a curse?

The background: we have lived for 30 years happily without television. We watched neither the news, nor sports. Ask us a question about popular culture...we wouldn't know the answer. We had no conversation about what appeared on TV the night before, because we didn't see it. We didn't know how to operate a TV remote control.

If we watched more TV today, we'd know more about something. But what?

We'd know that the US was scheduled to go over the 'fiscal cliff' next Monday...or so. We'd probably think this was a very important thing. Heck, everybody's talking about it...it must be important, right? Here's the Reuters' report:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday warned that the United States looks to be headed over the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts that will start next week if squabbling politicians do not reach a deal.

"It looks like that is where we're headed," Reid said of the likelihood of the U.S. economy going over the "fiscal cliff" - with tax increases on most working Americans and automatic spending cuts kicking in next month.

Reid urged House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, to bring his chamber back into session and to avoid the biggest impact of the "fiscal cliff" by passing a Democratic-backed bill extending low income tax rates for all Americans except those with net household incomes above $250,000 a year.

We're programmed by millions of years of natural selection to pay attention to the news. Imagine sitting around in camp 20,000 years ago. A fellow runs in and tells us that an enemy tribe is about to attack. Better pay attention!

News was important. There wasn't much of it. But it could be a matter of life and death.

But what about today's TV news? Is it important? Does it matter? Or is it just noise...causing us to react to things that we can't really understand or control...?

The average American watches more than 4 hours of TV per day - 34 hours per week. In other words, the average American spends as much time watching television as the average Frenchman spends at work! If he has a job...

Since we have not owned a TV since 1985, we have missed out on a lot of "TV knowledge." If we had watched as much TV as the average American we would have spent 47,736 hours - or 1,200 work weeks - or the equivalent of 24 years' worth of 40-hour work weeks -- sitting on our fat derrieres watching the boob tube.

Which is why we didn't own one.

What did we miss? What do people who spent all that time watching TV know that we don't know? On the other hand, what do we know that they don't know?

Not every innovation increases output. Some make us poorer, not richer, by increasing consumption rather than production.

When the television was first invented, it was considered a huge breakthrough. People thought it would be used to educate the masses. The hoi polloi would no longer have to live in ignorance, said proponents. They imagined TV shows that taught people to use better grammar...or that taught history...or mathematics. They saw a whole range of TV programs that brought the lower classes into the offices, homes and lives of the upper classes...people who were better educated, people with better manners and better working habits. They thought the television would improve the quality of peoples' lives by showing them better ways to live.

We recall a childhood friend who, in about 1958, got up early to watch an educational show on TV. Our friend was trying to learn Russian. It didn't work. TV is too passive. It's too easy to turn to another channel. TV doesn't challenge the viewer...it soothes him...it sedates him...it allows him to occupy his mind without actually thinking about anything.

The lower classes took to the TV in a big way. But they didn't use it for self improvement. They used it to waste time. They were zombified by it...spending hours...days...weeks...months...and years of their lives sitting in front of it. That's part of the explanation for why wages at the low end have gone nowhere in the last 40 years - people at the bottom are wasting their time!

What do people have to work with? Time...resources (including energy)...and skills. Waste time and you waste life itself. You will grow poorer. TV is a time-waster...a life-waster.

Fortunately, the Bonner family avoided TV for three decades. The children grew up without one. We spent most of our career without one. As far as we can tell we're better off without it.

Why then would we set up one now? Are we going soft? Are we getting stupid? Are we becoming zombies Stay tuned!

Last night, Edward, 19, and one of his friends were watching a Japanese crime movie. It had subtitles, which allowed us to see that Japanese thugs are no more eloquent than English-speakers. They were much more polite however. One lowlife bowed at his superior, who in turn bowed to his boss. Then, the lowlife got whacked. And then his boss got whacked. And it looked like they were all going to get whacked in a yakuza mob war.

"Hey, it's Christmas...you shouldn't be watching that sort of thing," we said. "Let's watch something nice."

We ended up watching Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation." Chevy was determined to have an 'old fashioned Griswold family Christmas.' But everything goes wrong. And having the extended family come for the holidays is not as sweet as he had hoped. But despite explosions, fires, auto accidents, kidnappings and a SWAT team raid...it all comes right in the end.
Bill Bonner is the President & Founder of Agora Inc, an international publisher of financial and special interest books and newsletters.

Source

Some really funny weight loss and diet quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:50:00 +0000

1. I am a nutritional overachiever.

2. I think I just ate my willpower.

3. Where do you go to get anorexia? ~Shelley Winters

4. I have gained and lost the same ten pounds so many times over and over again my cellulite must have déjà vu. ~Jane Wagner

5. I recently had my annual physical examination, which I get once every seven years, and when the nurse weighed me, I was shocked to discover how much stronger the Earth's gravitational pull has become since 1990. ~Dave Barry

6. The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books - how not to eat what you've just learned how to cook. ~Andy Rooney

7. Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends.

8. I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond. ~Mae West

9. I've decided that perhaps I'm bulimic and just keep forgetting to purge. ~Paula Poundstone

10. Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.

11. The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out.

12. I have a great diet. You're allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people. ~Ed Bluestone

13. I'm not overweight. I'm just nine inches too short. ~Shelley Winters

14. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled over how much weight you have gained.

15. My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. ~Orson Welles

16. Obesity is really widespread. ~Joseph O. Kern II (simply brilliant!)

17. She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say "when." ~P.G. Wodehouse

An interesting investing mantra

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D.) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:58:00 +0000

Today's investment mantra

"As time goes on, I get more and more convinced that the right method of investment is to put fairly large sums into enterprises which one thinks one knows something about and in the management of which one thoroughly believes." - John Maynard Keynes

Miscellany

My KL Trip in June 2018 - some unintended consequences

Smart Wifi Toggler – an app to improve your Android Phone’s Battery life automatically

Personal Practice – How to browse the Internet with more privacy & less ads!

Android apps that I have on my phone - circa jan 2016

Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier. - from the New York Times !

Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Stoicism Is Exactly Why You Need It

A Timeless Idea

So…how can we cultivate this fortitude and ingenuity?

An email discussion with my sister about the validity of old Hindu scriptures with special reference to Gods

A Father Introduces His Newborn Daughter To Books - This is what I would have written to my daughter if I could write :)

Promoting your company / product online - take the RIBS test - says Facebook Head of Technology

Take the RIBS test

Social Media Marketing for small business - 3 simple tips on how it is done

My new love - my mi 3 phone, for the first time in India ...! Here is my initial review

Can water ATMs bring relief to thirsty India?

Cheap, clean water aids health, tension

I can't believe it ! Indian Railways launches its official App - not for android, not for iOS but WINDOWS !

SIX FREE DOCTORS

Mohali Admn goes all out to woo voters - Charak Clinics joins to promote Voting in Mohali, Punjab

HTC 8x phone frozen, back cover not removable, what to do ?

Disaster Management at Uttarakhand

Source

Disaster Management at Uttarakhand

Infosys gains in price, surrenders its values - The Honest Truth by Ajit Dayal - EquityMaster

Men & the Mid Life Crisis

How to Spot a Midlife Crisis

Navigating Your Midlife Issues

COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA - My daddy passes away, reflections, and a question for you

MY FATHER’S ‘UNEXPECTED’ CANCER

WE CANNOT CHANGE WHAT WE CANNOT SEE

Inspiration:A couple’s heartbreak

Funny 'research' quote

TV as a time waster - another gem by Bill Bonner

Some really funny weight loss and diet quotes

An interesting investing mantra