Abhishek's Musings

  STRICTLY MY OPINIONS   What I love about fish and chips is it caresses my taste palate What I hate about cats is their selfishness What I love about winters is curling up indoors with a good book What I hate about my country is its burgeoning population What I love about my country is the warmth of its people What I love about my city is its vibrant, throbbing, constantly on-the-move nature What I hate about my city is its polluted air What I hate is venturing outdoors on holidays because of endless traffic snarls What I love about my brother is his cool quotient What I hate in some is their ability to create endless drama What I hate about love is that it hurts What I love about forgiveness is that it is liberating What I love about music is that it is food for the soul What I hate about gossiping is its ability to spread slander What I love about poetry is its power to capture fleeting thoughts into a smooth poem What I hate is waking up at the crack of dawn on a cold, foggy, wintr

  SOUND LIKE THAT VOICE ON THE RADIO     A clear confident baritone free from any impediments flowing naturally is a joy to listen to. The tone, word emphasis, speed, and volume all come together in a complete package. Now, what if I tell you that you can speak like that voice on the radio? Well, here we will see three ways in which you can accomplish that. So here goes.     # 1. LISTEN:  How does a baby learn to speak? By listening right? Let me tell you that the English language is not spoken the way it is written. This is not the case with a language like Hindi which is spoken exactly the way it is written. The English language vocabulary is so rich with around 170,000 words currently in usage. So, it is not humanely possible to know the correct pronunciation of each of these words. But your task will become so much easier if you listen more. So, now the question arises: What do I listen to? Well for starters listen to good English native speakers. You can start by listening to the

    THINGS I LEARNED DURING MY STUDENT DAYS   How to live like a King as well as a pauper. How to scout bookstores and where to find the best deals. How to sip endless cups of tea and still be ready for the next cup. When to make myself a Hollow Man during boring meetings. How to dream endlessly and not want those dreams to end. How to guzzle that occasional can of beer and walk around with that tipsy feeling. How to go on a marathon movie watching binge and still looking forward to more.   When to agree to disagree and make adjustments for other’s viewpoints. How to not take myself too seriously and laugh at myself. When to slip on my shorts and go window shopping. How to still lie in bed long after daylight breaks in. When to heed a friend’s advice and wonder whether it made any sense. How to survive on minimum pocket money and blow it all away. When to go on sleep mode when not enjoying something. When to laugh at a friend’s stupid jokes. How to sail through a boring lecture and not

  3 THINGS DAVID GOGGINS TEACHES   Growing up he was raised by a single mother, he battled racism, bullying, ill-health, poverty, and the unending struggle with obesity. He turned his life around to become an icon of the US Armed Forces. What can this ex-US Navy Seal, an ultra-marathon cyclist, and runner, a public speaker, an author of two memoirs, a Guinness World Record holder: nicknamed “the toughest man alive” or the “World’s toughest Man”, who fell in love with suffering teach you? Well, plenty but here let’s look at three valuable lessons he teaches.   Imagine having a learning disability and repeatedly failing in your exams. When learning can be the most difficult and dreaded thing in the world? Well, in his book “Can’t Hurt Me” Goggins talks about how his mother when she realized he was serious about the Air Force, hired a tutor for him to help him figure out a system that he could use to learn. Well, the tutor after assessing him told him in jest that the only way he was ever