Glancing through the Internet, I came across the Wiki Page on Saddam. I found a very interesting thing about his execution. As per Wiki, just days before his verdict, Saddam had written a letter – his last words. In his letter he states that he thinks ill of no one. He appeals to the people of his country to forgive the countries which have captured them. He says that forgiveness is the best act of God and that he leaves it to God whether He will take him to heaven or make him wait to go there. He says that keeping hurt in the heart does no good. He appeals to his people to have no hurt for anyone and to forgive all.

He also had requested the authorities to execute him by a gun shot and not to hang him. Because he believed that dying like that was dying with Dignity.

I was just amazed at reading all this. For someone who created such huge terror, to say that hurting anyone is against God’s will, to appeal to the people to forgive the countries who have captured his army and him, is very surprising.

The saying goes “Death purifies the soul”. And this is an example of that. Some say that the letter written by Saddam was only to give an explanation and to justify. But, for me, understanding the stature of a man like Saddam, makes me believe that he would never write something which he does not believe in.

The lesson that I learnt out of this is, if a terror-driven person like Saddam can say that Forgive all and Don’t keep any hurt in your Heart, then why can’t I practice this in my life.

Why do we hurt our loved ones who are the most precious in our lives? Why do we hold grudge against them and don’t forgive their mistakes? If we can’t, then we are bigger terrorists than Saddam and Osama, for we are terrorizing our own people, those who love us, those who care for us.

If we remain alert to everything that’s happening, we can experience so much happiness in all the things. But, that’s possible only if we are alert enough to live each moment. As the day progressed, this thought of living the moment constantly kept coming to my mind. I started loving this feeling of alertness and enjoying everything that I was doing. So, as soon as I saw the “Old Kaka” at the tea stall looking confused and sad, I immediately cracked a conversation with him, that made him smile. All throughout from the sad face to the smile and the laughter – I was alert of the entire process and I could enjoy it more than him. Then, when I sipped my tea – I was alert of the exhilarating aroma, the perfect taste and temperature. As I walked pass a kid who was walking and playing with his dog – I too became playful and enjoyed watching them play.

I realized that so many times, we reach that “AAH” and “WOW” sensations, but we hardly let them sip inside totally. We are always in a hurry to move on. So, I decided to give it a try to remain alert to everything good that’s happening and live every moment as it comes. I could enjoy my food, my conversations, my work, my music so much better. So, as I was driving back home, I enjoyed my drive. The traffic didn’t disturb me at all. Infact, I loved the fact that it would take more time to reach home, so that I could listen to that favourite song one more time. I could be alert to the thrills I get when I am driving fast, to the roads and the trees, to the people waiting at the signals. Oh it was amazing. As if I’ve got a new life to live, where nothing can change my mood from good to bad.

What if we decide to live every moment forever? We can experience so much fun, satisfaction and happiness in everything. May it be tasting that yummy pasta or enjoying our favourite movie or just being in nature observing the sky, the leaves, the flowers, that smell of the wet mud, enjoying a good laughter, making somebody’s day with a smile, helping someone in need who didn’t expect a help from you, lingering on that brilliant idea which just flashed in your mind, being in the present moment with your loved one and observing every detail of her beautiful face, being alert to our words that they should not hurt anyone, the possibilities are endless to make our lives more beautiful. We just need to be alert to live the moment. Believe me – Life won’t be the same from then on. Well, it all started with a Piss – only because I was alert of that amazing sensation of release!!

The next morning, we took a taxi for Rs. 1300 from Kathgodam to Club Mahindra Resort Binsar Valley. Our taxi driver Mr. Jeevan Shah was a very friendly person excited to guide us throughout the trip, showing us various kinds of plants, trees and temples along the way. I would like to put his mobile number here, so that my readers can contact him in case they are traveling to Kathgodam: +91-9412351525.

We stopped by at the Kaichi Temple, which is located at a picturesque place on the way to Binsar. We were impressed by the cleanliness and devotion of the people there, who were chanting songs of the Lord with musical instruments even at 11:30 am. It was a very peaceful experience to be at the temple and eat the prasad. We passed through places like Bhimtal, Almora and Kasaar Devi on our way to Binsar.

Binsar Valley is a scenic place located 20 Kms from Binsar Forest and from the famous Point Zero (highest point in that region from where we can see the Himalayan ranges). We were disappointed by the fact that it was not at all cold at Binsar and also by the fact that because of the hot weather we could not see the himalayan ranges from anywhere around Binsar due to unclear skies. In fact, it was very hot. The only activities that the resort provided was trekking, bird watching and rock climbing. For someone who is on a honeymoon vacation, all of these sound like a nightmare. But, we happily took a trek through the valley to see hundreds of different species of birds. I have never seen so many types of birds in their natural habitat in my entire life. It was very fulfilling.

The entire region in this part of Uttaranchal is called as Kumaon region and they have their own culture and cuisine. I fell ill during our trip with vomiting and loose motion. I guess, their food didn’t suit my belly. The staff at Club Mahindra Resort Binsar Valley, were very co-operative and courteous. We even rented a motorcycle from a nearby village called Kasaar Devi, from Mehra Automobiles, where the contact person is Mr. Shankar: +91-9756216122. It costed me Rs. 250 per day for the motorcycle + petrol expenses. The ride from Almora to Kasaar Devi to Binsar is beautiful and frightening at the same time. The road is full of blind curves which passes through the dense forest of Binsar. There is always a chance for sighting a leopard in and around the forest. We also went to a small zoo, where they have kept 4 to 5 leopards. It was a pleasure riding through the mountain roads to nearby villages and farms in the valley. People in Uttaranchal are extremely friendly and helpful – always ready to guide us whenever they can.

We did a good amount of shopping at the Himjoli shop located at Kasaar Devi, where they sell organic herbs, jam, books, shawls and lot of beautiful artifacts made by the local people of Kumaon.

Tired of the hot weather, we decided to go to Ranikhet (approx. 80 Kms from Binsar), which was supposed to be much more pleasant than the current location. But, when we reached there, we found that there had been fire in the mountains and the overall temperatures were soaring. We finally cut down our trip by 4 days and came back home.

To see the entire photo album, please click here

I don’t want to let a single day go by without growth. I’ve decided that from today, I won’t live as a mere existence. I will make a difference – everyday.

iPhone apps:
1) MCleaner. I cannot imagine my iPhone without MCleaner which helps me block all unwanted Spam SMS and phone calls. My iPhone Messages app is always free from any SPAM. I also use this app to block incoming calls and SMS during a given time period (I’ve configured it to block calls and SMS during the night from 11pm to 7am) which can be very useful to people who do not want any disturbance during meetings, seminars or mostly at night when you want a peaceful sleep.

2) Cashtrails. I use Cashtrails to manage my daily expenses. Its an indispensable tool which gives me daily, weekly, monthly reports on where I spent my money based on customized categories like Restaurants, Gas, Day to Day, Personal, Traveling, etc. I just feed it with the incoming money at the beginning of the month and then keep adding entries as and when the expenses are incurred. In this way, I can totally track where my money went in the whole month.

3) Remote. The itunes Remote is a handy tool which lets me control my MacBook’s itunes library when I am listening to music. I don’t have to get up from where I am to change the track or reduce the volume. I can operate my itunes entirely using my iPhone’s Remote app.

4) WordWeb. Wordweb is a dictionary app for the iPhone. Its user interface is very fast and easy to use. I use it almost everyday to interpret complex words into simple meanings.

5) Free RSS Reader. I use Free RSS to download & read my favorite News and Blog posts on my iPhone. It really saves me a lot of time, because, once downloaded, I can read the posts anytime and anywhere (I use in the toilet too).

Web services and sites:
1) DropBox. I started using Drop Box in mid 2009, when I needed to share lot of files with my colleagues who were in a different office branch. I found that Drop box is the easiest file sharing utility available online. It creates a DropBox folder on my PC or Mac, which I can use to share my files. The moment I add anything to this folder, it gets updated on the my dropbox online folder. I just need to right click the file to copy the link and send it to the receiver’s email id. It’s a free service, unless you have more than 2 GB to share.

2) Twitter. Twitter redefined the way people interact socially on the web. I love twitter because, I have been following some of the best people online. I get to know what these people are doing, what they are sharing with the world. I use twitter to followup, get knowledge, socialize, be updated and a host of other things. You can follow me on my twitter id: http://www.twitter.com/mouneet

3) Google Docs. I use Google docs in my office. Its a good replacement for Office Applications. I also use the Google Docs Forms to manage most of my office automation. Anytime, if you call me on my office contact number, your name and details will be added to a phone call book, which we maintain on Google Docs. Whoever attends the call will just pop up an offline form, fill in the details and press the submit button. Our spreadsheet will get updated on Google Docs in matter of seconds and in this way we maintain all our databases online without spending a single penny.

4) Email Marketing sites. Bulk email sending was a challenge for us. We used a software called E-Storm for that. But, with most of the mail servers getting stricter by the day, all our mails were landing in the SPAM folders. Then, I started using “benchmark email” to send all our newsletters & promotional offers. It ensures that our mails land in the inbox and not SPAM. It makes it very easy for us to send bulk emails and is very convenient for our clients too, because, they can choose to get unsubscribed from our mailing list if they want to. Some of the email marketing portals online are Constant Contact, Benchmark Email, just google Email Marketing and you will get them.

5) Blogs. More and more people used free blogging sites like Blogger.com and WordPress.com to share their thoughts and views online. I have read some amazing articles on blogs like zen habits, the happiness project, get rich slowly and many others.

6) Skype. Video conferencing has never been so easy. I started using skype “to speak to & see” my relatives abroad and then I loved it so much that I use it to host online office meetings with my staff at 2 offices. It really saves me a lot of time and is a visual treat. The best part is that if both the connections are through a computer, then, its absolutely Free.

7) Internet Banking. I use ICICI Bank’s Branchfree Banking Savings Account. Its a completely online account. No cheque book, No ATM Card. Pure online savings account.

8 ) Online Utility Bill Payments. Most utility companies in India went online in 2009. I now have the convenience of paying all my bills with a click of a button. In Pune, India, I pay MSEB, Airtel, Reliance, You Telecom, Airtel Broadband, BSNL, Municipal Property Tax, etc. online.

9) Book My Show. I book all my movie and events tickets using Book My Show. Its so convenient.

10) Online shopping. In 2009, I did most of my shopping online. I buy books from Flipkart, train and airline tickets from ClearTrip and a variety of different web portals which offer free shipping and discounted price for most of the products. I’ve also seen people buying their vegetables and fruits from GreenTokri.com, but I haven’t tried it yet.

All in all, the year 2009, saw some enormous changes in the way I do certain things. Google was the biggest technological breakthrough in the past years, which made so many things possible on the internet. I can keep adding to this list, but, I have to stop somewhere. So, I’ve contemplated and written the most useful technology which I adapted in 2009, which changed the way I live.

Happy New Year 2010, to all my readers.

While listening to a few callers, I got to know about the actual implications of a recession, about how deep down a person or an
organization can sink in terms of financial crisis, about so many marriages breaking down because of financial instability and lack of money planning. I was really surprised to understand that most Americans have atleast 3 loans by default – Mortgage loan, Car loan and Education loan. Most of them have atleast 2 Credit Cards where they are revolving their outstanding balances and paying high interest to the credit card companies. Dave mentions the concept of a Debt Snowball in his book, which helps people who are in debt to come out of debt in a systematic order. I am amazed by knowing about these facts.

Living in India, we have been brought up with a totally different teaching about handling money. Our ancestors never encouraged anyone in taking loans. Consumer loan or Micro financing is a much more newer term in our lives as compared to the USA. More and more people in India are also adapting to these newer Debt-full lifestyle because of the increase in consumerism. But, still, my biggest realization has been that my life is far more simple and uncomplicated as compared to the average American. Failing in a business or losing a job seems like a huge depressing burden on people like me, but it actually is not so huge as compared to the Americans. The word “financially broke” has a much smaller impact in our lives as compared to the western countries. In India, marriages rarely break down because of financial crisis. We are conditioned to live frugally in times of crisis. In fact in most families, the wife is the biggest support to the husband in times of financial instability.

I listened to one of the callers on the podcast, who wanted to file for bankruptcy as he had 110,000$ in credit card debt and his company was not doing well because of the economic slowdown. He was ready to start his life afresh. And he was cool about it. I realized that life can be much more worse than I think it can be and that other people’s problems could be so much circumstances, and they are ready to face these things so positively and calmly. I realized that becoming negative and cursing
our fate will not help in improving the situation.

I had once learnt of a nice example about problems. It was that if all of us put our problems in a common stack and look at the problems of others, we would be happy to take our problems back from the stack. Listening to this podcast was a real example of such a situation.

Instead of cribbing about problems, I feel grateful to have my life the way it is, in spite of the shortcomings.

Life can be worse!

http://bit.ly/3tD44a