Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 43
June 10, 2016
Friends who get you (blog marathon post 10)
There's magic which happens when you connect with people of the same wave-length. People who get you. Understand you. You feel 'one of a tribe'. You feel appreciated, validated, most importantly simply understood.
It is a rare thing. You might have a best friend whose life is completely different from yours. Sure, they may give you a patient hearing, they may give you encouragement, they may be there for you when you need them. But when it comes to your work, and something that means a lot to you, they just might not 'get you' , as they have never experienced what you are going through. Their journeys and their paths have been different.
I met and connected with my friends today, after my meetings. It was rejuvenating, refreshing, energising.
My hotel room, is done up BEAUTIFULLY. Each room has a different theme, and mine is done up in a peacock theme, with cerulean blue and gold. There is a FABULOUS painting that adorns a wall, little detailing, hand crafted mirrors that hang from the main mirror in a wrought iron frame, a bunch of flowers, books on aatma sutra, karmic connections and many such interesting things. The room is so beautiful that I do not feel like leaving it. This is a lovely boutique hotel called Le Sutra. Check it out online and have a look at their rooms.
I feel so good today, I am at peace.
It is a rare thing. You might have a best friend whose life is completely different from yours. Sure, they may give you a patient hearing, they may give you encouragement, they may be there for you when you need them. But when it comes to your work, and something that means a lot to you, they just might not 'get you' , as they have never experienced what you are going through. Their journeys and their paths have been different.
I met and connected with my friends today, after my meetings. It was rejuvenating, refreshing, energising.
My hotel room, is done up BEAUTIFULLY. Each room has a different theme, and mine is done up in a peacock theme, with cerulean blue and gold. There is a FABULOUS painting that adorns a wall, little detailing, hand crafted mirrors that hang from the main mirror in a wrought iron frame, a bunch of flowers, books on aatma sutra, karmic connections and many such interesting things. The room is so beautiful that I do not feel like leaving it. This is a lovely boutique hotel called Le Sutra. Check it out online and have a look at their rooms.
I feel so good today, I am at peace.
And here's a pic from today, from my instagram feed. I spent a lot of time at the fabulous Madhuri Banerjee's place. That's what she posted on her instagram, and I reposted. grateful for the happy memories, and grateful for the happy times. http://preetishenoy.com/A photo posted by Preeti Shenoy (@preeti.shenoy) on Jun 10, 2016 at 5:48am PDT
June 9, 2016
Greetings from Mumbai (blog marathon post 9)
Greetings from Mumbai!
Love this city. It is as vibrant as ever. I used to live here a long time ago, and it brings back so many memories.
My meetings went superbly. My head is BUZZING with work now. Overall I have had a great day! More meetings tomorrow.
Had left home at 6.30 am today, (I woke up at 4.30 am) and it is only now that I am winding down. I have had a long long day--but a very fruitful one.
Hoping your day went well too. Too beat to write any more today.
See you tomorrow! :)http://preetishenoy.com/
June 8, 2016
An important ingredient for success.(blog marathon post 9)
Today I received a huge compliment from the editor of the one of the National newspapers I write for. She said 'Preeti, you're a lifesaver.' I felt wonderful about that.In my entire writing career, I have never missed a deadline. EVER.(touch-wood). No matter whether there was a death in the family, no matter if I was unwell, no matter if my mother had to be taken to the hospital, no matter if I had a novel coming out, no matter if I was traveling---not once have I let that affect my professionalism. This is a fact I am very proud of. Once I commit, I keep up my word. Every editor that I have worked with, right from Readers Digest to Times of India to Financial Chronicle will vouch for this.
In order to succeed, I think commitment to a cause is very important. Once you have committed to something, you MUST stick to it, especially when it is hard. My maternal grandmother, whom I was very close to had a policy which she followed. She used to say 'If you feel lazy, the best way to get rid of it is to do double the quantity of work that day, which you usually do.'She followed it too. She used to work really hard around our ancestral home, which was nestled in greenery in a vast enclosed land.It was almost like a a farm, as my grandfather used to cultivate a lot of things around the home. They tended to the garden themselves. My grandmother used to even chop firewood (there were no electric geysers there.) which was used for cooking. I don't ever remember her sitting idle. She was always doing something.
If you ever feel discouraged in what you are doing, remember something better is always round the corner. You are learning life-lessons, which will serve you well later, though you do not realize it now.
I am off to Mumbai early tomorrow morning! I have back to back meetings. Mumbai is a city i have lived, worked and studied in and it features in a couple of my books.I love the vibrancy of the place.
My bags are packed and I am all ready to go.
So I leave you with one of my favourite songs--Leaving on a jet plane.
I like the chantal kravits version the best, so here it is. Listen to it with headphones.
________________________________________________________________
Buy preeti shenoy's books at a fab price!
http://preetishenoy.com/
An important ingredient for success.(blog marathon post 8)
Today I received a huge compliment from the editor of the one of the National newspapers I write for. She said 'Preeti, you're a lifesaver.' I felt wonderful about that.In my entire writing career, I have never missed a deadline. EVER.(touch-wood). No matter whether there was a death in the family, no matter if I was unwell, no matter if my mother had to be taken to the hospital, no matter if I had a novel coming out, no matter if I was traveling---not once have I let that affect my professionalism. This is a fact I am very proud of. Once I commit, I keep up my word. Every editor that I have worked with, right from Readers Digest to Times of India to Financial Chronicle will vouch for this.
In order to succeed, I think commitment to a cause is very important. Once you have committed to something, you MUST stick to it, especially when it is hard. My maternal grandmother, whom I was very close to had a policy which she followed. She used to say 'If you feel lazy, the best way to get rid of it is to do double the quantity of work that day, which you usually do.'She followed it too. She used to work really hard around our ancestral home, which was nestled in greenery in a vast enclosed land.It was almost like a a farm, as my grandfather used to cultivate a lot of things around the home. They tended to the garden themselves. My grandmother used to even chop firewood (there were no electric geysers there.) which was used for cooking. I don't ever remember her sitting idle. She was always doing something.
If you ever feel discouraged in what you are doing, remember something better is always round the corner. You are learning life-lessons, which will serve you well later, though you do not realize it now.
I am off to Mumbai early tomorrow morning! I have back to back meetings. Mumbai is a city i have lived, worked and studied in and it features in a couple of my books.I love the vibrancy of the place.
My bags are packed and I am all ready to go.
So I leave you with one of my favourite songs--Leaving on a jet plane.
I like the chantal kravits version the best, so here it is. Listen to it with headphones.
________________________________________________________________
Buy preeti shenoy's books at a fab price!
http://preetishenoy.com/
June 7, 2016
What should I read today and how can I make time? (blog marathon post 7)
Thank you to all your 'get well soon' wishes, I am feeling so much better today. No fever, just a running nose, and my eyes feeling like they have to be propped up with toothpicks, to be kept open.
Nothing that a little bit of rest won't cure. And yes, as soon as I finish this post, I am curling up in bed and going to sleep---only after I finish reading though. I need a book to fall asleep. I read till the words blur and the lines merge. I am currently reading 'The Magic strings of Frankie Presto' by Mitch Albom and enjoying it thoroughly. His writing is sheer poetry. His 'Tuesdays with Morrie' remains my all time favourite book. I also LOVED his 'The Timekeeper'.
One of my favourite quotes from the book:
The philosophy behind this, is something I try to embrace. Every single day that we are alive, is a gift. We need to use it well.
I had highly recommended this book to a good friend of mine, who is an avid reader, and who devours books. She read it and she disliked it. She said she found it 'too abstract'.
That's the thing about books. They are so personal. Once an author finishes writing a book, and it reaches the reader, the book becomes the reader's. To interpret as they like. To read when they want. To close it, if they get bored.
When people ask me to recommend a book, I always hesitate. It is like asking someone 'What should I eat today?'
The answer would be 'What you enjoy eating'.
In the absence of any information about preferences of taste, recommending what they may like to eat, would be a wild guess. To elucidate, the person may like Chinese food, but you may recommend a South-Indian dish. The person may or may not like South-Indian. If he/she does, it could be by a sheer chance. A better way to narrow doen their preferences would be to ask how open minded they are when it comes to food, do they like spicy or bland, do they have any preferences of cuisine etc, before recommending a dish to them.
It is the same with books. Unless you know something about their reading tastes, and what genre hey enjoy and a little bit about their personality, it would be very hard to recommend a book.
At most you can peep into their minds, to see what they enjoy.
That's all from me for now folks. See you tomorrow. Till then, pick up a book and read! Reading makes you smarter. (research based fact). If you say that you lack time to read, then here are five ways you can make time to read:
http://blog.preetishenoy.com/2013/06/5-ways-to-make-more-time-to-read-blog.html
Till tomorrow, keep smiling.
http://preetishenoy.com/
Nothing that a little bit of rest won't cure. And yes, as soon as I finish this post, I am curling up in bed and going to sleep---only after I finish reading though. I need a book to fall asleep. I read till the words blur and the lines merge. I am currently reading 'The Magic strings of Frankie Presto' by Mitch Albom and enjoying it thoroughly. His writing is sheer poetry. His 'Tuesdays with Morrie' remains my all time favourite book. I also LOVED his 'The Timekeeper'.
One of my favourite quotes from the book:
There is a reason God limits our days.'---Mitch Albom in The Timekeeper.
'Why?'
'To make each one precious.”
The philosophy behind this, is something I try to embrace. Every single day that we are alive, is a gift. We need to use it well.
I had highly recommended this book to a good friend of mine, who is an avid reader, and who devours books. She read it and she disliked it. She said she found it 'too abstract'.
That's the thing about books. They are so personal. Once an author finishes writing a book, and it reaches the reader, the book becomes the reader's. To interpret as they like. To read when they want. To close it, if they get bored.
When people ask me to recommend a book, I always hesitate. It is like asking someone 'What should I eat today?'
The answer would be 'What you enjoy eating'.
In the absence of any information about preferences of taste, recommending what they may like to eat, would be a wild guess. To elucidate, the person may like Chinese food, but you may recommend a South-Indian dish. The person may or may not like South-Indian. If he/she does, it could be by a sheer chance. A better way to narrow doen their preferences would be to ask how open minded they are when it comes to food, do they like spicy or bland, do they have any preferences of cuisine etc, before recommending a dish to them.
It is the same with books. Unless you know something about their reading tastes, and what genre hey enjoy and a little bit about their personality, it would be very hard to recommend a book.
At most you can peep into their minds, to see what they enjoy.
That's all from me for now folks. See you tomorrow. Till then, pick up a book and read! Reading makes you smarter. (research based fact). If you say that you lack time to read, then here are five ways you can make time to read:
http://blog.preetishenoy.com/2013/06/5-ways-to-make-more-time-to-read-blog.html
Till tomorrow, keep smiling.
http://preetishenoy.com/
June 6, 2016
Keep a journal! (blog marathon post 6)
Am running a fever as I type this. 101.2 Terrible body ache too. Have been sleeping the whole day, unable to even get out of bed. Have taken a paracetamol and if it continues tomorrow, I will go and see a doctor.
I was just thinking today, how we take somethings for granted. Our health for instance. When I was well, I didn't even think twice about it. I would go for my yoga, walks and get on with daily life and routine. But suddenly, now that I am unwell and unable to do those things, I realise how fortunate we are to be healthy.
There are two deadlines pending for me, for my newspaper pieces. I don't know how it is for you, but for me, when I am unwell, I can' really think anything other than depressing thoughts. It passes of course. A sane part of me tells me it is nothing, and it will pass. But the negative thoughts keep floating around.
A friend sent me a lovely link the other day. It talked about why it is very important to keep a notebook/journal. This is something I have always done, and always been advocating in my previous posts as well.
Do read this: http://elitedaily.com/life/power-of-keeping-a-notebook/1067990/
Writing down things gives a sense of clarity. A lot of great leaders and thinkers have been known to keep journals.Without a journal, one day blends into another, which blends into a third, fourth and so on. Before you know it a year has passed. With a journal, you know exactly what you did, what goals you had, what you accomplished.
A journal need NOT be boring and routine. You can stick snippets of things you found interesting. You can stick photos, pictures. You can write down a wishlist. Anything that strikes your fancy. You can make it as unique and as interesting as you want it to be. You needn't even write every day. There are no rules. You can write whenever it strikes your fancy.
Try it. The benefits it gives are IMMENSE. I can vouch for that.
A new post tomorrow.
Till then, start thinking about gifting yourself a LOVELY note book which fills you with joy, to start a journal. Believe me, it will be a great gift you give yourself.
___________________________________________________
Buy my books preeti shenoyhttp://preetishenoy.com/
I was just thinking today, how we take somethings for granted. Our health for instance. When I was well, I didn't even think twice about it. I would go for my yoga, walks and get on with daily life and routine. But suddenly, now that I am unwell and unable to do those things, I realise how fortunate we are to be healthy.
There are two deadlines pending for me, for my newspaper pieces. I don't know how it is for you, but for me, when I am unwell, I can' really think anything other than depressing thoughts. It passes of course. A sane part of me tells me it is nothing, and it will pass. But the negative thoughts keep floating around.
A friend sent me a lovely link the other day. It talked about why it is very important to keep a notebook/journal. This is something I have always done, and always been advocating in my previous posts as well.
Do read this: http://elitedaily.com/life/power-of-keeping-a-notebook/1067990/
Writing down things gives a sense of clarity. A lot of great leaders and thinkers have been known to keep journals.Without a journal, one day blends into another, which blends into a third, fourth and so on. Before you know it a year has passed. With a journal, you know exactly what you did, what goals you had, what you accomplished.
A journal need NOT be boring and routine. You can stick snippets of things you found interesting. You can stick photos, pictures. You can write down a wishlist. Anything that strikes your fancy. You can make it as unique and as interesting as you want it to be. You needn't even write every day. There are no rules. You can write whenever it strikes your fancy.
Try it. The benefits it gives are IMMENSE. I can vouch for that.
A new post tomorrow.
Till then, start thinking about gifting yourself a LOVELY note book which fills you with joy, to start a journal. Believe me, it will be a great gift you give yourself.
___________________________________________________
Buy my books preeti shenoy
http://preetishenoy.com/
June 5, 2016
How to tell if someone is too old or young for you? (Blog marathon post 5)
Today's post is an extract from my book Why We Love the Way We do, which is a non-fiction book on relationships. It was among the top 5 highest selling non-fiction titles of 2015.____________________________________________________________________________________When the question of who is too old for you and who is too young for you to date is asked, invariably the half-your-age plus seven rule comes up as an answer whether you are a man or a woman. So if you are a 42 year old woman, you can date any guy who is 28 or older. If you are a man who is 30, you can date a woman who is 22 or older.
Who made this rule up? The origin of this rule is hard to pin down, but it finds mention in the 1953 film The Moon is Blue, where Maggie McNamara twenty-two, asks her suitor who is thirty, ‘Haven’t you heard that the girl is supposed to be half the man’s age plus seven?’ This rule also finds mention in the popular television series, How I Met Your Mother.
The exact opposite this rule defines the upper age limit to determine the ‘oldest person you can date’. Here you double your age and then subtract seven find out the oldest someone you date should be, ideally. Thus according to the rule, if you are a 32 year old woman you cannot date a man who is older than 57.I find that these ‘rules’ really cannot be applied to any relationship to determine the age limit. For rules to be applicable they have to be consistent. But these rules are not consistent as the pair grows older. To elucidate, let us take the case of a person who is currently twenty-six. As per the rule, he cannot date someone who is nineteen. But when the person turns twenty-eight, then the pair qualifies to date as the other person is now twenty-one. Thus, if this rule is followed strictly, a person can ‘qualify socially’ to date another who is older within just a year or two, if their ages currently fall within an ‘unaccepted’ range. How can your personality or other parameters necessary for a good relationship actually change that much within such a short span?
Buy the book: Bit.ly/WhyWeLoveTheWayWeDo
Download the first few chapters free!: http://is.gd/WhyWeLoveTheWayWeDo
http://preetishenoy.com/
June 4, 2016
Staying connected (blog marathon post 4)
On Saturdays, my day day begins with checking how my column looks in print in The Financial Chronicle. For those who are not aware, I write a column every Saturday called 'Sex and the city' in the Financial Chronicle. It has everything to do with man-woman relationships, sex, love, how men and women are different etc. I cover a range of topics. If you want to read it, you can either you can find it online, or you could pick up a physical copy (recommended) :)
This was my column today.
One of the things I love doing is reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, in the mornings. I read multiple newspapers. I mostly skip the depressing or salacious stuff. I like reading the middle, the editorials and I also like 'The Speaking Tree' in Times of India, which has spiritual pieces.
We went to the multiplex yesterday and watched Me before You. It is rated 8.1 on IMDB and the movie is beautiful. I must say though that I liked Waiting, better.
There was an important message in the movie: That if you love someone, you just accept them for who they are. You may not agree or like the choices they make. But if you truly love them, then you do not try and change their minds to what you think is right. The choices they make are right for them. You accept and support them.
Thank you to all of you who left a comment on my son's blog. ( For those who haven't read my last post, they are a collection of photos that he clicks with a little write-up about each post) .It has been getting a really nice response.
That's all from me from today.
See you again tomorrow!
Ps: I keep posting pics like the above on my Instagram and also on my snapchat.
My snapchat id is Preeti.Shenoy
My Instagram id is also Preeti.Shenoy
If you want to see what I am up to in pictures, please follow me :) I don't post that may pictures on my blog.
__________________________________________________________
Buy my books:
bit.ly/Preetishenoy
http://preetishenoy.com/
This was my column today.
One of the things I love doing is reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, in the mornings. I read multiple newspapers. I mostly skip the depressing or salacious stuff. I like reading the middle, the editorials and I also like 'The Speaking Tree' in Times of India, which has spiritual pieces.
We went to the multiplex yesterday and watched Me before You. It is rated 8.1 on IMDB and the movie is beautiful. I must say though that I liked Waiting, better.
There was an important message in the movie: That if you love someone, you just accept them for who they are. You may not agree or like the choices they make. But if you truly love them, then you do not try and change their minds to what you think is right. The choices they make are right for them. You accept and support them.
Thank you to all of you who left a comment on my son's blog. ( For those who haven't read my last post, they are a collection of photos that he clicks with a little write-up about each post) .It has been getting a really nice response.
That's all from me from today.
See you again tomorrow!
Ps: I keep posting pics like the above on my Instagram and also on my snapchat.
My snapchat id is Preeti.Shenoy
My Instagram id is also Preeti.Shenoy
If you want to see what I am up to in pictures, please follow me :) I don't post that may pictures on my blog.
__________________________________________________________
Buy my books:
bit.ly/Preetishenoy
http://preetishenoy.com/
June 3, 2016
Into each life some rain must fall (blog marathon post 3)
It is raining as I type this. The curtains in my bedroom are flying in the breeze and are at an angle of almost a 180 degrees, as the wind is that heavy! I can hear the rumble of thunder. Flashes of lightning illuminate my window grills, for a few seconds, while they last.
I got drenched, soaked to the bone, in the rain, as I had decided to go for a post-dinner walk. I was about a kilometre from home, when it started pouring. I turned back, and there was no shelter to wait. The only option was hurrying as fast as I could, and I did just that. I think the monsoons are officially here, as much as the weather department squabbles over the dates of the actual onset.
I spoke to one of my closest friends today. I hadn't spoken to her for more than two months, as I was buried in writing my novel, and she was buried in the business she runs. My conversation with her was all of two minutes. I told her I would be visiting the place where she lives (I am travelling for an event. Keep following this blog for details) , and she said I would have to stay with her. I asked her if she wasn't busy and she said she will take the day off. 'Come! I can't wait to see you,' she said.
That was it. No small talk.No questions.No 'oh-we-haven't spoken-for-awhile'. No 'we-must-catch-up'.
Because we always do. I texted her later saying I feel blessed for this invaluable friendship and she replied back immediately saying she feels the same.
Most of my books have this strong element of friendship. In 'It happens for a Reason', the friendship between Vee and Suchi is so like that between my best friend and me.
The rains today reminded me of the countless times that my friend and I have sat at her place, which overlooked the sea, chatting,over cups of tea, and piping hot pakoras, watching the rains,talking about everything, discussing, laughing, ruminating.
Rains--you either love them or hate them.
Rains and best-friends---For me, the best combination.
I leave you with an a Ella Fitzgerald's song sung in the 40's: Into each life, some rain must fall--but too much is falling in mine:
Till tomorrow,keep a song in your heart!
ps: My son has started a photo blog it's a daily feed, and each of the pictures come with a little write-up. I loved the pics he clicked (every day scenes which all of us would have seen so many times and thought nothing about) and the little descriptions he wrote. (and this isn't just a fond mother talking). Do check it out and please do leave him comments if you liked his work:
https://atulshenoyblog.wordpress.com/
_____________________________________________
Buy my books: http://is.gd/preetibookshttp://preetishenoy.com/
June 2, 2016
What to do when things do not go as you planned (blog marathon post 2)
Things do not always go as you planned. You wake up in the morning and you plan to do something. Some days it goes exactly the way you wanted. But many times, it does not. There are circumstances beyond our control that twist our plans. They hijack that precious thing called time. And before you know it, it is the end of yet another day.
Yesterday in Bangalore, because of unexpected pelting showers, people were stuck on the roads for more than four hours. In fifteen minutes, some areas received more than 11 cms of rain! Can you imagine the intensity of the downpour?
This morning when I was walking my dog, I saw the full impact of the rains. There was a lovely tree which was uprooted and had fallen across the pavement. There was slush all over, making it impossible to walk without slipping. The roads were transformed into an obstacle course. Mud, dirt and puddles everywhere.
Just two weeks back, we were getting scorched by the summer, and now we are getting swept away by the rain.
Nature. How beautiful she is. And how unpredictable.
Much like the plans that you make for your day.
I always love to be close to nature. But living in a high-rise apartment in one of India's largest metropolitan cities, the best I can do is fill my home with objects of beauty, created by nature.
This is what adorns my dining table at the moment.
And yes, the 'vase' is a recycled bottle.
We may not be able to control everything about our day.
But we sure can control what we focus on.
Focus on one beautiful thing in your home today. Something that makes you happy when you look at it. Something that gives you joy. Something that you fail to notice because you are so stressed.
Notice it. And tell me what filled you with joy today.
(Leave me a comment in my comment box)
Till tomorrow, keep that calmness in your heart. And send out thoughts of gratitude into the universe for having something beautiful in your life.
___________________________________________________
Buy my books:http://is.gd/preetibookshttp://preetishenoy.com/
Yesterday in Bangalore, because of unexpected pelting showers, people were stuck on the roads for more than four hours. In fifteen minutes, some areas received more than 11 cms of rain! Can you imagine the intensity of the downpour?
This morning when I was walking my dog, I saw the full impact of the rains. There was a lovely tree which was uprooted and had fallen across the pavement. There was slush all over, making it impossible to walk without slipping. The roads were transformed into an obstacle course. Mud, dirt and puddles everywhere.
Just two weeks back, we were getting scorched by the summer, and now we are getting swept away by the rain.
Nature. How beautiful she is. And how unpredictable.
Much like the plans that you make for your day.
I always love to be close to nature. But living in a high-rise apartment in one of India's largest metropolitan cities, the best I can do is fill my home with objects of beauty, created by nature.
This is what adorns my dining table at the moment.
And yes, the 'vase' is a recycled bottle.
We may not be able to control everything about our day.
But we sure can control what we focus on.
Focus on one beautiful thing in your home today. Something that makes you happy when you look at it. Something that gives you joy. Something that you fail to notice because you are so stressed.
Notice it. And tell me what filled you with joy today.
(Leave me a comment in my comment box)
Till tomorrow, keep that calmness in your heart. And send out thoughts of gratitude into the universe for having something beautiful in your life.
___________________________________________________
Buy my books:http://is.gd/preetibookshttp://preetishenoy.com/
