Tag: Lifestyle

Chess, My thoughts, Personal

 Unschooling Diaries #13:- Something about chess and life

Pihu

There is a phase that chess players go through in which instead of creating play of their own they just react to their opponent’s and if he is playing without one they just make waiting moves until he comes up with one. But the problem with this approach is you will either draw or lose, you can’t win. I can’t speak for everyone but there are a number of reasons this happens. One of them is fear – ‘I can’t mess up if I don’t do anything.’ Another one is laziness- ‘this requires too much brain. Let him do the hard work of coming up with something.’ 

And I certainly know what it feels like, because I am going through the same phase. Well it is better than before:- now I can make plans, take initiative, etc earlier to win I would solely rely on the opponent to mess up. But the problem, tournament class players almost never blunder big time. Plus, chess is a game of war, you need to trick your opponent, take him by surprise, you need to be one step ahead, which you can’t if he has the lead. He is in control, he is literally making you play the moves. There is another saying in chess:-  Every move you make should have a positive base and be geared to increasing the advantages you already possess. It is so true, and so amazing how these two things connect in chess as well in life. In chess if you lay back and give free rein to your opponent, you will get knocked down in no time, same way in life if you keep waiting for something to happen, one day you will be beaten up and disappointed. I mean that is what I have learned about life from chess and my dad would be a great example about this. Because he started learning guitar recently, at this age he left his job and started a business, he started meditating two years ago, he also started dieting and exercising completely turned his health around. Now did he have some kind of divine revelation or anything else like that- No. He just decided to take the lead. We can do the same for ourselves:- you know instead of waiting for something amazing to happen, we make those things happen like doing at least one new thing every week, taking control of our health, working with our fears, etc. And just like that we are in control…

My thoughts, Parenting, Personal, Well being

Unschooling Diaries #12 :- Clashing Dates, Evening Cycle Rides, and Apartment Cats…

Pihu

This has been such a great week, with many ups and downs and twists and turns.

At the start of the week, I had submitted my form for an Ameutur Boxing Championship to be held in Banglore. It was an inter-club tournament and I was so excited, it was going to be a lot of fun. But, here is the plot twist, the boxing tournament was to be held on 1-2 October, but it got postponed to 8-9 October, and I have the State Women Open Chess Championship on those days😔.  I definitely cannot miss it because I already missed the U15 girls one. However, it was fun preparing for the boxing tournament. It has given me motivation to work harder for the next one👍.

Meanwhile I would like to state some things which made me really happy this week. 

  1. Coming home by my cycle in the evening after boxing class


It is a wonderful feeling to return home by cycle in the evening. The air will be blowing in my face, and the weather will be nice and cool. We all agree that two wheelers in the evening is just a different mood. Yes, that time there is a lot of traffic, pollution, and the roads are not good, but sometimes when I get to see a sunset followed by beautiful twilight, I forget all about the rest.

  1. The confidence and fitness boxing has given me

I am so happy and really grateful to my parents for making me join this boxing class. Because it has given me a level of fitness I never had before, and that makes me feel nice and confident.

  1. Feeding my apartment cats

I am glad, my parents don’t keep my schedule very packed and I have time to do a lot of other stuff. Like feeding the cats near my apartment. 

  1. The confidence I have to talk to people now

This week I just noticed how confident I have now become to talk to people. Before (pre-covid) I had literally had no idea how to, if some guest had come or we had gone out, I would just become speechless ( in a literal way). But now when I go to people’s houses I can talk nicely, I can entertain the guests whenever they come. In fact I am hosting a chess meetup at my place tomorrow, and I feel so proud that I have the confidence to host the entire thing on my own now.

This is the second one, we had hosted one more last week also. Don’t forget to tune in to find out what happens tomorrow. 

Please send me a few things that made you too  happy this week, I would love to hear them. 

My thoughts, Personal

Unschooling Diaries #10 :- What is the Greatest Spirituality?

Pihu

Today, my mom and I went to Ashram to take a Level 2 Kriya Yoga class. So, basically Kriya Yoga is a path of spirituality, like the Gyan Yoga, or Bhakti Yoga. To get initiated into Kriya Yoga you are required to complete 4 levels, and 9 – 11 classes. So, my parents and I had taken L-1 together, around 3 months ago, and my dad had also completed his L-2 last month. 

But this time I felt the teacher was not that good. Like many people won’t come back, simply because the class failed to touch their hearts. This event reminds of a quote, I wrote about a few days ago:- Life should be chiefly service. Without that ideal, the intelligence that God has given you is not reaching out toward its goal. When in service you forget the little self, you will feel the big Self of Spirit.” On the first line I had written how Yogananda Ji, means to develop a seva attitude in everything we do. There is a nice story from my Vrindavan trip related to this

On Janmashtami a group of the volunteers were decorating one of the ashrams. So everybody was trying to decorate the altar, because that would be the center of attention. I was blowing balloons with another volunteer. Inwardly I was thinking, ‘what an insignificant job, I want to do something important too.’ Naturally with this thought process even the action was being done halfheartedly, Then, a bit tired I  went around the Ashram to take a look as to what was going on. When I came to the entrance I saw that some of the staff were decorating it, and they all were working hard doing a good job. So, I got inspired to help them. I noticed that there was a shortage of balloons. ‘Oh, so this is where they were getting used” I thought. I quickly went inside and blew up many balloons of different colors and helped them decorate the entrance. Decorating the entrance was as important as decorating the altar, after all the entrance was going to be the first impression of anybody that was going to come. That day I realized that even blowing balloons was such animportant task, its fruit might not be taking place in front of me, but I was helping someone. This means that all jobs are equally important, and everybody should do their work diligently and honestly.

Coming back to today’s L-2 class. Today, the teacher had a very important job, she was preparing everyone for initiation into Kriya. Unlike the L-1 class, which was taken very nicely and almost all students had come back for L2 and L3, I don’t think there will be this much success rate in this class. There was no personal interaction, no proper explanations, etc. Because she lacked that enthusiasm, that thought of “oh, today I just want to fill these people with the essence of kriya yoga” was not there.

So, this is why I consider doing your job correctly the greatest spirituality. Today, she could transform some people’s lives and consciousness forever but she failed. Similarly if governments functioned honestly, parents parented correctly, schools thought properly, we would live in a different world. Think about it. Are you doing your job properly?

shopping, Travelling

5 Must Visit Street Shopping Destinations in Bangalore

Pihu

We all love street shopping. Street shopping is a great way to get an idea of the local market and the regional prices. Everybody should be in tune with their district market. 

I always make sure to see the marketplace of the city I am visiting. Obviously living in Bangalore for so many years, I know many fashion street destinations. Let me share them with you today:-

Jayanagar 5th Block

Located only 2 kms from the historical Lalbagh Garden, Jayanagar 5th block and 4th block  is a renowned shopping destination. One storeyed houses, and showrooms mark the neighborhood. 

One of the most interesting things about it is its diversity.  On the same road you can get jeans for 5000 rupees and another one for just 100 rupees.

 If you want to visit branded shops then 4th block has it all from H&M to Zinc London. But instead if you are in mood for some bargaining then Jayanagar Shopping Complex is a haven for everything from fake jewelry to casual clothing. 

Silk shops and jewelry stores are also a trademark of this place. 

Mahatma Gandhi Road 

Mahatma Gandhi Road; definitely one of the most developed areas in bangalore. It is a great destination for a day outing with your friends or family. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, cloth shops, vendors give this place its special appearance. If you are in Bangalore this is definitely a must visit.

Despite its posh appearance, MG road has many affordable clothes shops as well. The experienced shopper knows. Just take a left turn, into a small lane, sprinkled with pubs and female attire stores. Heads up; it’s only cheap if you are an expert at bargaining. 

So grab your best friend, dress up, and get down at MG road Metro Station, shop and take some cool photos!

Chickpete

Chickpete is basically a wholesale market of clothes and dress material, located near the city market. City market has other wholesale areas of utensils, electrical stuff, motor parts, etc. Though I recommend going there with an expert, since it requires a lot of bargaining. One should also be familiar with the shops. Though you can also go there to simply visit. It is a very interesting place. It also has junk jewelry and western wear shops. Plus many food stalls. 

Many of my friends go there at least once a month, to buy household stuff. Since it is available for really cheap there.

Jyoti Nivas College Market

Jyoti Nivas Is a girls degree and PU college in Koramangala. Outside it there are many Street style clothes shops, footwear shops, food stalls, etc. It is very centrally located. JNC is only 1km from Forum Mall. The entire area is very good to roam and walk. There are shops of all kinds, plus many cafes, pubs, and restaurants.

Commercial Street

Commercial Street is one of the oldest and busiest shopping destinations of bangalore. It is famous for clothes, footwear, food joints, and electronic items. Buy cosmetics, purses, bangles, dinner sets, household items, and much more at this place. Since it is very centrally located there are also many retail shops surrounding it. If you are tired of bargaining, you can always head over there for some rest and air conditioning. 

Some food items you can find there are Chaat, dosa, idli, sandwiches, etc. There is also an abundance of aesthetic and old cafes there. Some of them being 

MDP Coffee House

Lakeview Milkbar

Champaca

Cafe Azzure

There are many things to do there beside shopping also, like;

Cubbon Park

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

Mahatma Gandhi Road

So, these were some of the most famous and best shopping destinations in Bangalore. I have been to almost all of them. Though, I have to say since I have also seen the markets of Bombay, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, Bangalore doesn’t even compare with them. To name a few, Janpat, Sarojni Nagar, and Karol Bagh in Delhi, Rani no Hajiro, Law Garden, Ratan Pole In Ahmedabad, Hill Road, Causeway, Linking Road in Bombay.  

Street shopping is not only good for your budget but also your street smartness. Shopkeepers though not always but frequently do try to fool their customers. I have personally learned a lot from going to local markets. One should take their kids to markets like these because there is a lot to learn from there, plus it is also really fun!

Do you enjoy street shopping too? Tell me in the comment section below.

Personal, Uncategorized

Just a Small Observation

Pihu

I wanted to post this article yesterday but I had some stuff to do and by the time I finished it, it was already 23:35.  So, anyways I will post it today. 

As you know from my previous article, I recently repotted my plant, which inspired me to take on the bigger task of starting a small vegetable garden. As I was looking for some good sunshine-receiving spots, I realized unlike before there were very few. Since we live in a flat and there is another flat attached to our east side, all the balconies are naturally west facing. Before I think in the rainy season we used to get plenty of sunlight between 13:00 upto 17:00 in all the three balconies, it was the best time for my plants. Then came winter which was the worst time for them, almost 5 died due to lack of sunlight, everyday there was just a gray, gloomy bunch of clouds hanging over the city. Sometimes when the sun used to shine though, It had slightly changed its angle and we didn’t receive as much light in the main balcony as before. In summer it has changed even more:- we have stopped getting any sunlight on all the three balconies, just a little spot in one balcony for 1-2 hours. 

Such a subtle thing I never noticed before. The sun had just changed its route in the sky a bit we can say. If you think about it, it has absolutely no effect on our daily lives, on our work, or on our routine. I don’t think so, I would have noticed it at all, if I hadn’t taken my plants more seriously. 

This is one of the many advantages of gardening. We inevitably get more in contact and knowledge about our environment. Which is actually very critical. 

So tell me if you are an avid gardener, what have you learned from it? And if you are not, do you plan to become one soon, I definitely do!