Simplify your life: Reduce television

I have a number of books on my bookshelf at the moment - and among them I have this cute little one called "Simplify your life". It's full of nice little things one should do to slow down one's life and "enjoy the things that really matter".

As I ponder how I will manage to get 30 days off to go trekking in the Himalayas, I decide that better for the time being to stick to my yoga schedule and let things come as they are coming. And to read some tips from this book. I don't start in order though, so let me share with you what Elaine St James says about television.

Well, she says to switch off the television - but I cannot agree with that. What I do agree with is that you should minimalise your television watching. News is essential, and so is a good movie off and on. Like some movies I am dying to watch but keep missing - Like Che Guevera's The Motorcycle Diaries that keeps coming on television and for some dumb reason I keep missing.

If you're hooked on to some show - then do watch it. Television helps you unwind and forget your day. So does reading a book - but one hour of television watching won't kill you. I watch my favourites - Criminal Minds and Monk these days. Sometimes I watch Brothers and Sisters, though it gets slightly irritating.

The best shows are the ones on Travel and Living that take you places. I saw a great one on Venice once - it absolutely convinced me that it was the best place on Earth (and I've already visited Venice!!). I like documentaries on great painters, so apart from reading about art, I sit and watch it as well. BBC once did a series on Great Artists and I sat and watched every one of them.

A philosopher from the Brahmakumaris once told me that your mind absorbs images and thinks about them - so it's better not to expose it to horrid things like violence and hateful scenes. It's something to think about especially if what you're watching is disturbing you. I for example, avoid reading the local news about NCR - some of the things I read is really creepy. In fact, I even do this abroad - no point knowing who got shot/killed/mugged/etc. It'll just leave you scared and depressed.

Plus, with reduced television watching, think of all the time you'll have to read and spend with family/friends. Today par example, I spent the whole day cleaning (yippee!!). I rewarded myself at the end of the day with chocolates ... Hmmm.... loadsa chocolates.... I in fact didn't eat much for dinner....

You only live once right?

Happiness

I just wrote my piece for today and then lost it all.

Ah well, maybe it was God's way of telling me that the first one wasn't that well written.

So let me start over again.

Happiness is a state of mind. And today in my family - we're all very very happy because we've received excellent news!! It's all very exciting - there's been a wedding in the family and we're all elated!!

So my theme today is happiness; And I start by discussing some good movies on the theme. There is a very good movie called "The Pursuit of Happiness" starring Will Smith. It's based on a true story of Chris Gardner, a salesman down and out on his luck, separated from his wife, who is supporting their very young son and all he has is determination. He spots a cool car one day and gets thinking about becoming a stock broker. From there he gets a job as a trainee and is finally selected as the company's choice.

It's a very good story with a great moral. Will Smith throughout doesn't let anything get to him. Initially my sister was a bit skeptical about the story - but I think she also liked it.

I saw another similar story yesterday on Star Movies - called Invincible starring Mark Wahlberg. It's on the story of Eagles football star Vince Papale and how at 30 years old he joined the football team and led it to victory. All very inspirational. And let me just add here, that I do not like American football. And for me to sit through something like this, the movie must've been pretty good.

(You're probably thinking I watch too many films, and you're right - I do!! I never miss the opportunity to go watch a new movie - Bollywood or Hollywood. I avoid Govinda films though. I just can't stand slapstick comedy, though I did like Munna Bhai - anyhow.. coming back to the topic of my blog...)

I've read a few books which have been inspirational as well and are about the pursuit of happiness. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho is brilliant - simple and elegant. I also like The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

The Secret is a set of quotations and pieces of advice from great thinkers - old and new. The basic premise being a variant of Newton's Law of Attraction - that our thoughts attract our future. If you think happy thoughts, you'll lead a happy life. It's another way of saying, that its your attitude to life that matters the most. If you face things with a positive attitude, positive things will happen.

I remember when I was a probationer at Nagpur I was selected for the All-India services quiz team to represent my service. So in the middle of Nagpur's hot season, I got a chance to cool off in the lovely location of Mussoorie. Anyhow, we got a chance to stay in Happy Valley, this quaint guest house that we didn't get a chance to stay at when we were probationers at Mussoorie (we used to reside in the hostel complex instead). So all in all, this trip promised to be brilliant.

And no one minds the scenic beauty of the Himalayas to top it all off!!

So here I was, sitting in my room, thinking if my new roommate would be a bathroom hog or not. (Because we had to share rooms). And in walks in one of my oldest and best buddies from Mussoorie trek days - who had been selected for her Railways team!! She used to have this habit of calling me Chotu because I was the smallest in the trek group (we were trekking for 13 days in the Garhwal Himalayas!). After a while, I started responding to the name Chotu!!

All in all, it was a happy time in my life!! Just as today has been for our family!! :) In fact in retrospect, I enjoyed my whole training period!!