The Sunscren Song!!!

I was introduced to this song by a colleague...loved it and wanted to share it with you all...


The Sunscreen Song...By Baz Luhrman (Click here to listen to the amazing song!!!)


Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99...Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing.


Don’t be reckless with other peoples hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind...the race is long, and in the end it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents; you’ll never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you.

Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85. Be careful who advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

True Love requires Courage

I am a little late in updating the sequel to my valentine fever blog...feel like a bestselling writer of sorts :P Well, on popular demand people... here is my definition of the concept of "love". A little background for the uninitiated- I was trying to answer a few questions I had about what love really is. Fortunately for me, life answered these questions for me. Here goes.

• “Lovers” make a lot of sweet beautiful promises to one another-promises of undying love, of forever and ever, of never having met anyone like their better halves. However, it is the courage to fulfill each of those promises that makes naïve dreamers “lovers.” It takes a lot of courage and will power to withstand all pains and tears to be with the one you have shown dreams to, the one you have seen dreams with. Only those who fulfill the promise of togetherness are the ones who have truly loved. A few weeks ago I attended the wedding of two people who fought tooth and nail to fulfill the promise both of them made to each other. The girl had remained resolute in fighting the world to be with the guy. The guy had told the girl on their first date ever that he was not going to leave their being together to chance. Both of them realized their dream of togetherness because for them not being together was never an option. This is true love.
  
  
• Holding hands in public, endearments, phone calls 24x7, weekend dates, stealing kisses…all activities you will often spot couples indulging in. But how many people understand that the reason a couple is referred to as a singular noun is because they are supposed to be “one” and not two different individuals. Couples are partners who sign an agreement of lifelong partnership. There is no room for breaking this partnership. Both the partners must walk hand in hand to realize the dreams, goals, ambitions of the other. Both partners should be by each other’s side when any one of them needs the support of the other.
  
  
• Love does not permit leaving your partner to wipe their tears with their own hands, entertaining new prospective partners after deciding to break the partnership alone. A few days before Valentine’s Day, I saw a very aged couple crossing the road. Both of them could barely walk. In spite of the discomfort, the elderly man held on to his wife to support her while she was walking. He was also carrying a heavy box with another hand. In that one moment, I could feel the love this couple harbored for each other. It was clear that despite all the storms, despite al the pain these two love birds were bent on not just holding each other’s hands but holding on to each other. This is true love.

We often tend to become jealous and possessive of the people we believe ourselves to be in love with. We want their time, their thoughts, their affection, their happiness, everything to be connected to us in some way or the other. There was this girl who felt miserable every time her significant half spent time away from her. She could not bear the thought of him near other women. The so called relationship ended but the girl continued to feel hurt, humiliated, betrayed. For her, life seemed to have come to an end with the end of her relationship. Is that true love? Is love that selfish? Is love so demeaning? Is love so self-destructive?

Another set of questions and the answer to each is a simple NO. Truly, love is synonymous with courage. Only two very courageous people can draw strength from each other and remain companions and partners for ever and ever. This is my interpretation of love.

I’ll end this post by something I really believe in…Loving somebody requires you to make a promise. Never break a promise because when you break a promise, you break a heart, you crush a dream. For some, no matter how hard they try, finding another dream can take a lifetime.

Valentine Fever...What is LOVE?

I had been thinking of updating my blog for a long time. I guess this is what they call "writer's block"... ;) well, not to fear! am well and truly rid of it now. This whole week, the whole world seemed to be gripped by the highly contagious valentine fever. Agony aunts had turned into love gurus on the electronic media, people in the office were perpetually occupied in making grand plans for the D-day...and me...I was beginning to feel like a 27 year old Bridget Jones :( I thought I was really above such frivolity.

I had convinced myself I was a mature young woman who definitely didn’t feel the need to participate in this very juvenile concept of celebrating loveeeeeeeee. But you know what, I realized that in spite of everything I was feeling lonely and well...something else I can’t describe. I explained to myself that if it was a day that was meant to be celebrated with your loved one...with somebody special in your life...then how could I have forgotten that I had a beautiful family at home.

So far, I have taken them for granted. My parents, my brother, everybody has made me feel so very special...they are the ones who have always stood beside me...and yet I have failed to give them the status they truly deserve. For the past few days I had been questioning what really is love? Is it merely making sweet beautiful promises to one another? Calling each other sweet names? Asking one another if they have reached home safely? Does it only mean going out on weekend dates? Does it only mean holding hands in public? Does a stolen kiss qualify as love? Does acting possessive and jealous over your so called significant other signify your love for the person?

I was fortunate enough to witness several incidents that answered all the questions I posed above. As an instructional designer I understand that the attention span of my audience may have wavered by now. So, I will list all these events in my next post.