Wednesday, December 31, 2014

QUOTABLE QUOTES - FOR THE YEAR 2015 !!


When you continue to read all and sundry, you come across poignant sentences which are loaded with meaning. Reading a sentence might just take less than a minute, but understanding the depth of some of them might take a long time. Here are some quotes which are thought-provoking and inspiring. Anyone can take a cue and imbibe them in one's life.  - Shanta Ramakrishnan


QUOTABLE QUOTES - FOR THE YEAR 2015  (Each day of the month) !!

1.     If you stretch yourself, you will reach your dreams.
2.      What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
3.     The greatest right in the world is the right to be wrong.
4.     God wisely designed the human body so that we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too easily.
5.     Our Life would be nothing if we had no courage to attempt anything.
6.     Most problems precisely defined are already partially solved.
7.     Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons.
8.     You are either climbing the ladder of success or coming down - the choice is yours. The rung of the ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold your foot long enough to put the other foot higher.
9.     When the gets tough, the tough gets going.
10.  You need only three things to get to the top - Talent, Ambition and Initiative.
11.  Leaders are people who know where they want to go, and with enthusiasm, get up and go.
12.  A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.
13.  The reason people blame things on previous generation is that there’s only one other choice.
14.  Far away is far away, only if you don't go there.
15.  An idea can turn to dust or magic... depending on the talent that rubs against it.
16.  Like a welcome summer rain, humour suddenly cleanses and cools the earth, the air, and you.
17.  Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.
18.  The most important thing about communication is to hear what is NOT being said.
19.  Storms make trees take deeper roots.
20.  Time marks us while we are marking time.
21.  Life is like a rainbow... it needs both downpour and sunshine to create the colours.
22.  Look on the world as a big fruit cake - It would not be complete without a few nuts in it.  (TOI)
23.  God gives us the ingredients for our daily bread. But we are expected to do the baking. (TOI 19.01.1996)
24.  A conceited person is someone who never gets anywhere because he thinks he is already there. (TOI 28.12.1995)
25.  One should hear and realize that bondage and salvation are both within himself.
26.  The worst thing about accidents in the kitchen is that you usually have to eat them. (TOI 02.01.1996)
27.  The only book that really tells you where you can go on your vacation is your passbook. (TOI 12.01.1996)
28.  Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way. (TOI 21.12.1995)
29.  Never think that you are not good enough yourself - people will take you very much   at your own reckoning. - Anthony Trollope (TOI 22.12.1995)
30.  A sense of curiosity is nature's original school of education.

31.  The BEST place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

MAKE TIME !!!


'Time and Tide wait for no man'.... this is a well-known proverb. The Time available to each one is already fixed by the creator, 24 hours a day...365 days a year!! Even if a person is aware of the availability of Time, one cribs and says ' Oh Sorry, I did not have the Time!!" and makes an excuse for not accomplishing something.  This is not right, as, if given a chance, with careful planning one can allocate time for almost everything one wishes. There are people who have no time to introspect, no time to think of the Lord or to pray for their fellow beings. They move around like robot from one activity to the other, without actually enjoying life to the fullest. TIME is very precious, and once gone by, it is never possible to recover the past. So be careful how you utilize time in a proper manner.

Here is a poem that I read in Sacred Space in The Times of India on May 09, 1996 and I have taken the liberty to make slight changes / additions to publish here with due respect and credit to the original author. - Shanta Ramakrishnan (December 29, 2014)

MAKE TIME !!!

I knelt to pray, but not for long
I had too much to do
Must hurry off and get to work
For bills will soon be due

And as I said a hurried prayer
Jumped up from off my knee
I felt my duty now was done, and
My soul, at ease, could be

All through the day I had no time
To speak a word of cheer
No time to speak of God to friends
They'd laugh at me, I feared

No time, no time, too much to do
That was my constant cry
No time to give to those in need
At last it was time to die

When before the Lord I came,
And stood with downcast eyes
Within His hand He held a book
It was the BOOK OF LIFE...

He looked in the book and said, "Oh My.."
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down
But never had the time!!"...

(Following continuation is by © Shanta Ramakrishnan....)

So dear friends, here is what I say
Be good to others, spread cheer around
Take time to render good deeds
To such duties, you are bound...

Share a smile, a hug and help
Take time to lend a hand
You will be thanked by many a heart
Your one life, you live GRAND

And when you die, you are at peace
That while living, you did your bit
You held a shoulder,  wiped a tear
Helped when needed, you had the grit
 
The Lord, when you reach up there
Will see in the Book, He opens,
Pages n pages of good deeds you did
For you - this Earth.... was Heaven!!

 
- Original Credit TOI (Sacred Space) 09.05.1996
(with slight changes by Shanta Ramakrishnan)
(Additional verses by © Shanta Ramakrishnan)


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THE LUCKY TOAD!!!


How good do you feel when you have to work with a close colleague who bugs you with his lethargy? You know he might be a good individual personally, but he is not a responsible colleague who willingly takes his share of official, allocated tasks. You feel uncomfortable often and his attitude affects your career and your output immensely. Sadly, such people throng in many work-places and thrive on their luck. How long will their luck last is another matter altogether. Read on and enjoy!!

THE LUCKY TOAD !!!

"Take it easy, don't worry, Shanta!"
I hear this part of the chorus
"Don't be ruffled", I am told
"Forget, do not make a fuss!!"

I wonder if this is correct -
I mean, the meaning I got,
Did I hear "what he does"?
Or was it, "What he does not"!

His lethargy surely bugs all
The awful indifference galore
It makes no difference to him at all
If duties suffer, OR much more...

Timeliness is very important
In all matters of good service
This has never been implemented
With time, on all counts, he cheats

Are we making an Annual Workplan?
Oh!, he never has a 'plan'
Working out the cost.... or budget
Is not his style, never his elan

Regarding an official outreach
You never, from him, hear
It is the superior who makes the move
Sometimes reluctantly, he adheres

When others run around responsibly
He seems to be always cool
Unless cornered, he does nothing
We see his ploy, we are no fool...

He talks on points and also in circles,
Others forget where he began
This is his method, he does admit
And he never says, "I Can"...

He sits back and enjoys each day
He sees others tense - with loads
He has a silent lingering smirk
Isn't he the lucky toad ??

© Shanta Ramakrishnan 
(written on April 05, 2010)
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Monday, December 29, 2014

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF !!!

Self Assurance can take each person a long way towards success and contentment. Belief in ones own capability in a positive way, can lead to a path of happiness for all and make any dream come true. Here is a poem from my favourite poet Amanda Bradley which voices this view!!
- Shanta Ramakrishnan (December 29, 2014)


BELIEVE IN YOURSELF !!!

Believe in yourself,
What you think, what you feel,
Believe in the truth,
In the good, the ideal,
Believe that your dreams
Can someday become real....
Forever, and always, BELIEVE.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
And in what you can do,
Believe in the goals
That you strive to pursue,
Believe in the friends
Who  believe in you, too....
Forever, and always, BELIEVE.

- Amanda Bradley

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ONE DAY AT A TIME !!!


Life is full of ups and downs, roses and thorns. Our emotions frequently go topsy-turvy and we might not like the same thing tomorrow, that we liked yesterday. When things are low, when things go wrong, I often remember this poem and read it more than once.... it gives me the courage to face life better, to live today and be ready for tomorrow!!
- Shanta Ramakrishnan (December 29, 2014)


ONE DAY AT A TIME !!!

One day at a time
With its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes,
With its weaknesses and tears
With its portion of pain
And its burden of care;
One day at a time
We must meet and must bear ...

One day at a time
To be patient and strong;
To be calm under trial
And sweet under wrong;
Then its toiling shall pass
And its sorrow shall cease;
It shall darken and die,
And the night shall bring peace ...


One day at a time -
But the day is so long.
And the heart is not brave,
And the soul is not strong,
O Thou pitiful God,
Be near all the way;
Give courage and patience
And strength for the whole day ...

Not yesterday's load
We are called on to bear,
Not the morrow's uncertain
And the shadowy care;
Why should we look forward
Or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies,
Are but for the day ...

One day at a time,
And the day is His day;
He hath numbered its hours,
Though they haste or delay
His grace is sufficient;
We walk not alone;
As the day, so the strength
That He giveth His own....

(author unknown)

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EACH LIFE AFFECTS ANOTHER'S....


Nobody in this world is ALONE.... We have people around us, we have families, friends, relatives and contacts who care for us and who are ready to come to our aid. We too have a duty to be equally caring and thoughtful of the people around us, known or unknown, as we can make a person happy or indifferent by the way we react to them. Here is a poem that gives us an advice in a nutshell and gives us the guidance on how to go about living among people in this Society. - Shanta Ramakrishnan (December 29, 2014)


EACH  LIFE  AFFECTS  ANOTHER'S....

We may not always realize
      that everything we do
Affects not only our lives
      but touches others, too...
A single happy smile
      can always brighten up the day
For anyone who happens
      to be passing by your way,
And a little bit of thoughtfulness
      that shows someone you care
Creates a ray of sunshine
      for both of you to share....

Yes, every time you offer
      someone a helping hand,
Every time you show a friend
      you care and understand,
Every time you have a kind
      and gentle word to give
You help someone find beauty
      in this precious life we live
For happiness brings happiness,
      and loving ways bring love,
And giving is the treasure
      that contentment is made of.

- Amanda Bradley

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