Random Tag :)

Picked this tag up from Shanu's place while I was indulging in some random blog hopping!

Enjoy (or not ..but.. you'll have to read to know that ,won't you?)

Read on!

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

"Come to think of it,maybe I don't need three pairs of boots."

- Shopaholic Abroad,TheShopaholic Series,by Sophie Kinsella.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & catch air?

Yep.Nothing else around!

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Uh oh.I can't remember!!I rarely watch the telly these days because it's getting pretty yawn inducing.Maybe I'm not watching the right channels. :P

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?

4 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

4.08 pm.

Cool!I have an inbuilt body clock (which apparently doesn't function when you want to get up early for a bit of exam mugging).

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Birds chirping-there's a huge flowering tree across the street :) ,

my maid dusting some cushions,

the voices in my head (no don't leave.i'm no freak.i like to freak people out.i also like uncapitalized sentences.)...

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

Last evening.I was sitting on the swings in the park and chatting with a friend.

8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?

I'm assuming you meant 'look at 'online,coz otherwise ,a question like that would probably elicit really silly answers(not that it ain't doing that otherwise..still).To answer the question,I was looking at this funny funny site I came by,called Oatmeal. Check it out,it's a laugh!

9. What are you wearing?

A black and maroon top and sweatpants.

10. When did you last laugh?

A minute ago.Again,thanks to Oatmeal. :) Wow,I'm really plugging this site,aren't I?No I don't work for it/them/whatever.

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

A lamp,a portrait,nails,plug sockets,photos,y'know ...the usual suspects.

12. Seen anything weird lately?

Yea..look in the mirror pretty often,I do.LOL.Sorry, lame sense of humor and a need for self depreciation,do not,a good joke make.Clearly!

13. What do you think of this quiz?

It eez my savior!!I was getting bored to death.Yea,sorry Oatmeal,despite all the funny you've got. :|

14. What is the last film you saw?

Hmm...HP5 ..did one of those HP movie marathons.I do OD on Harry Potter a fair bit,and I like it :)

Do you?

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?

Woohoo!A house in Paris,Tom Felton (kiddin :P ), gifts for everyone I know,a grand piano,a convertible,ok let's stop before it becomes a full blown catalogue with links,pictures et al! :D

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno!

Hmm ok.I'm weird.Wait,you knew that,dintcha?

Ok... I'm left handed.

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

Poverty.I wish no one had to worry about where their next meal was coming from.Also,I'd make people less superficial (is there a mutant superficial gene?God,I hope Evolution gets rid of it!).

18. Do you like to dance?

Very much :).Not so much with an audience though.

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

Tara!

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?

Aryan!

P.S.-regular blog readers ought to have known the answers to these 2 questions.

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?

If abroad=London or New York,then yes,I would. :) Oui!

22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?

Ok,get your silver tiara and attachable wings on and let's partayy!

That's all folks! :)

Tune in later!

Value based education :the whats,the whys,and more

Education.

One word, whose presence or absence in one’s life can dramatically alter his/her destiny.

Education.

Widely accepted as the art of elevating its receptors from ignorance to awareness.

Education.

A device meant to teach young students how not to merely exist or survive, but to live.

Alright.Alright.I’ll stop with the definitions.

Assuming then, that we indeed live in a world where everyone knows what education means, why is it that in this same world, education needs to be specifically described as “value based”? Surely the concept of value is so integral to education that one could not possibly dream of an education system without it!

However, discussions on the relative merits of value based education systems abound, leading one to realize the gravity of the situation the world of academia finds itself in.

A value based education system, simply put, is one that aims to inculcate moral and ethical skills in students, besides enriching their knowledge. Values lend purpose and direction to knowledge, much like oars do to a sailing boat, leading to a holistic development of the human mind.

Ah, human. Possibly one of the most abused words in the entire dictionary.Abused, because being human is easily overlooked definitely underrated. To be human, one must learn to recognise the true spirit of humanity. To do so, one must be acquainted with values that instruct one on how to develop oneself so that he could truly be part of a harmonious, progressive liberal, and just society.

This is where value based education systems come in. By combining formal education with virtues like impartiality, compassion, non violence and freedom of thought, and life skills like good leadership, emotional maturity, perceptiveness and independence, a value based education endeavours to create a better society.

In this one little world, many worlds of terrorism, corruption and injustice thrive. Why? Is it because the perpetrators of these problems are unintelligent? No, it is because they failed to understand how to put this precious intelligence to good use. Knowledge is but a double edged sword.

We must act,and act right!

The debates about curriculum can wait,the firm etching of values on these souls must come first.

The surgeries can wait,the medicine must come first.

A pen,a sword,a stethoscope,an axe, a paintbrush,or even a gaming console,take your pick.What you must possess though,is the ability to ensure that your actions uphold the unspoken law of morality,and achieve what we may call,an honest success.

I quote my hero,Dumbledore.In times of darkness, one must simply remember to bring in the light.

Roughly translated to Mugglespeak,this means :

Students must be introduced to both the theory and the practice of leading a value based life. This would translate to learning and imbibing values, and participating in social service, donation camps, character building workshops, self introspection and myriad such activities of the like,for how oft is it said,we are what we do!

In today’s youth ,we must reaffirm values that will help prevent the misuse of technology, that will break any existing barriers of race and faith, that will help encourage fairness of opportunity, that will protect the environment, that will help retain the inherent wisdom of the ancients and paint us a better tomorrow.

So make a change. Embrace your values. Pink Floyd did ask, why be another ‘brick in the wall’?

Why I read

Spin me some fantastic tale.

Let me escape the mundane world,just for a little while.

Worry and regret claw at my door,

but don’t worry,I’ve latched it real tight for now.

If you’ve only an hour,

tell me a sweet story about a little girl in pink who gathered yellow daisies by the brook in Box Hill.

If you have two,

recite an ode or two for the braveheart who salvages storms and hungry nights while he guards a lonely border.

If you have three,

make them an eternity,

as you narrate a saga of love, light, life and death,woven mysteriously into one soft blanket,

that descends on me... swift and powerful.

For butter and bread may save our stomachs,

But 'tis the tales that will save our minds,

our souls;

And from the very depths of imagination,

ignite the sparks to create a world so magical,so arresting,

that one wishes to dwell within its realms forever.

So then,

Make it a grand tale.

Make it a story.

Make it a good one.

Thought for the day # 3 a.k.a Misnomers

You are my melody.You are my lullaby.You are my dirge.

In pursuit of happyness...?

We all love it.We all need it.We all seek it.
Happiness is that one thing that sometimes eludes us as disciplinedly as garbage chuckers in India avoid dustbins.
Odd,isn't it,how happiness seems to get harder and harder to find as we grow up?
Coincidence?
I think not.

I remember,as a kid,when my dad was posted in Calcutta, (yes not Kolkata yet) and trips to the South could be made only once in a year;we would gather our mattresses and suitcases and board the train to Madras(bcoz somehow,all Tamilians have to go to Madras : ).
More often than not,we stayed at this little motel called Tourist Home,which was nestled in its own cozy corner,right opposite the Egmore Railway Station.I don't quite remember who made the decision to stay there everytime.I never questioned it,though.
It was one of the truths of my 7 year old life.
I always enjoyed the stay at Tourist Home.It was our family's thing! :)
We would trundle up the hotel to one of the rooms on top after the train deposited us in the early hours of the a.m. Then,after a quick shower with Hamam soap (yes,another one of those "must do,don't ask why" things) we would all rush down to an early bird breakfast.I always ate Dosa.Wow,I sound like a fussy little kid .don't I ?But no,I wasn't. really.I merely loved dosas way too much.
Dad would always eat a variety (and a lot) of things for breakfast while Mom would cast murderous looks at him,whilst he unconcernedly told the waiter exactly how he wanted his oothappam to be made.:D
My Nani,on the other hand,was an absolute delight.She was my playmate,whom I most definitely drove to boredom with my never ending stories,and yet she listened.Always.Uncomplainingly.
And this was only breakfast. :)

Relax.I'm not going to narrate the entire itenary here.I do want to mention those evenings though.If we weren't at the beach,then I would perch myself near the window and gaze longingly at the huge white-grey domes that topped the station,and watch both the noisy pigeons that flew atop it,and the noisy crowd that jostled beneath it.
I would count the number of train whistles I heard,and I'd feel strangely happy each time my tally increased.:D
My point being,it was so easy to be happy then.Easy,effortless even.
Now,it's a whole another story.I have lived for eighteen years now,and I suppose I must have gotten wiser,but I still don't know what exactly happiness is and where and how one must seek it.
So,for now,after a whole evening of some soul searching,I declare ...
Happiness is a day at Tourist Home.
Later .
:)

Time to rhyme ? a.k.a thought for the day # 3

Melancholy brings with it,the poet.
Atleast in my case.
Wonder why that is?