Hawai, USA

Someone I know visited Hawaii recently. I felt so happy to hear what they had to say. 
They saw turtles on the beach. 
They had to put a special sunscreen before they dived into the waters for snorkelling. This special sunscreen does not have any impact on the sea-life such as fish, corals, etc. This sunscreen is available on every boat and beach there. 
Why did this make me so happy?

It's the respect and decency of human beings (government rules made and followed) toward other forms of life. Can you imagine this happening in other parts of the world like India, China, etc???
NO!

A place like Hawaii would be completely destroyed in a year's time in places such as India and China. There is absolutely no respect for nature, no respect for other forms of life,no  forethought about the future, zero scientific approach to maintain harmony between man and other forms of life.

It's terrifying to see China taking over the world through deceit, coercion and might. The thought of systematic destruction by China of nature and all forms of life, not just in China but the world over is profoundly depressing. 

I am sure that there is no place in China or India (or many other countries) where turtles can amble by humans unmolested  like they can in Hawaii. 

The Chinese government is one large powerful agency completely bereft of soul. I am not going to say the same of Indian government as the Indian government, though as  corrupt, unscientific and indifferent to environment as the Chinese government, are confined to damaging India. They do not have the reach of the Chinese government which is systematically taking over the world and destroying it, one square mile per minute.

ISN'T THIS WRONG? WHY IS THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION NOT OBJECTING TO THIS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-wf_N7XndQ

The more I have, the less I enjoy

As a child, growing up in India in the 70s and 80s, there was no television at home (in Bangalore) The highlight of our life every month was a movie in the Navarang cinema theatre, close to my house. We would wait with joyful anticipation and the one movie we saw in a month kept us so happy and excited for days and days. I spent several pleasant hours daydreaming about the movie I last saw. The content of my fantasies and daydreams was replaced by the next movie I saw. I still recall the movie-plots, songs, scenes, etc clearly to this day, though I saw these movies about 4 decades ago!
 If I could give rate the happiness I felt when I saw these movies or fantasized about them, I would rate it, 9 or 10 out of ten.

When in high school-college, TV came to Bangalore. We had a black and white TV initially. We had only shows by the government run Doordarshan and only from 7 in the evening to 11 in the night(..if I recall correctly). My siblings and I would finish our homework quickly and wait for the shows to start. Thinking back, I realize that  shows were definitely not for children nor were they 'fantastic'. Yet, I was glued to the TV! I especially looked forward to the 'foreign' shows on Sundays, the Kannada movie which came on Sunday evenings and the award winning movies which came in the afternoon on Sundays. I loved and even recall the stories of some of these movies. Some of these shows include The old fox from Germany, Star Trek, Different strokes, I dream of Jeannie and so on. When we first got the TV I was so mesmerized that I watched everything! Including news boring to kids such as weather, news and agriculture programs in Kannada.  I would rate the joy as  8 or 9 out of ten for  watching the TV shows (a)on a black and white TV, (b)for limited time, on only one channel run by the government.

Later there were more channels and these were not run by the government. We could see hindi short stories, series, movies, several kannada TV series, we could see film songs of various languages and so on. I enjoyed these too. Initially I was loathe to was miss anything and wanted to see everything, though I had to choose one as they were running simultaneously on different channels. Even this was a great source of joy to me. But not as much as when we first got the TV... soon I became picky and saw only a few shows I liked. 

When we came to Canada in 2004, we picked a black and white TV from the kerb, which had a note stuck on it saying,"Free. It works!"
We were thrilled! I was shocked that someone would just throw a working TV out! My husband and I lugged it home. We bought an antenna and could see a few channels such as CTV and global. Since we were unemployed and at home most of the time, I saw whatever shows were on and enjoyed most of them. I had not yet become  picky and discriminating!

The day we informed a dear friend that my husband got his first  job offer, this friend landed on our doorstep with the gift of a brand new TV! We then subscribed to cable. I now enjoyed the shows,  in glorious colors. Gradually I developed a sense of discrimination and watched a few select shows and  avoided the rest.

We bought a DVD player soon after we got this TV. 
We developed a  new 'week-end ritual' of visiting  the nearby blockbusters store, borrowing a movie after a long search, then  going to the pizza shop and getting a pizza & soft drinks. We would watch the movie, with pizza and that was one enjoyable routine we had going for a few years! 
After a few years, we seemed to be spending more the 'right' movie and not finding any.  Borrowing movies from blockbusters was initially a lot of fun (9 out of ten) but gradually lost it's sheen. 

We then started buying DVDs of shows we liked from HMV and best buy and future shop. This too was a lot of fun, though expensive. 
 I then started making the mistake of buying  DVD sets from Walmart just because they were cheap and then discovering that the movies are unwatchable (a set of alfred hitchcock movies for ten dollars for example)

I gradually stopped enjoying cable TV too. One reason was the excessive number of ads and another was the lack of time. We were  tired when we returned from work and with having to cook our dinner at night, cable lost it's allure for me. 
By now, we had discovered the joys of watching some shows on the computer via internet!

Then came netflix! I loved netflix! I saw many many shows on . netflix which I throughly enjoyed.To binge watch them on cold winter nights in bed was a really cosy, fun experience! A 9 out of ten sort of experience.

Now netflix too has lost it's sheen for me. There seems to be a lot of choice but none are to my liking. I struggle to find something I will enjoy and though I have netflix, I hardly watch anything. Also, I lose interest in watching the remaining episodes of some shows I started, despite the fact that the shows are good! I really admired House of cards and Casual and have stopped watching both of them and I cannot understand  why I stopped. What is stopping me from watching these shows fully? I like them. They are interesting and fast paced...so why I don't want to to see them? Have you ever felt you don't understand yourself? That's what I am feeling now.

Anyway, the moral of all this is:

I enjoyed more, when I had less.
With the current surfeit of choices ...I am enjoying less!

 Have-nots are luckier than the haves. 
The have-nots feel joy.
The haves have the means to joy but not the joy. They are too blase...too jaded to experience it.

The deprived are not unlucky but rich...rich in their capacity to experience and appreciate when they get something.

The rich are  actually poor...they have it all but what's the point in having  when you  cannot enjoy ? Your shelves are full of books but you have no mood to read them. Your  fridge is full but you don't feel like eating anything...


I feel the same about so many things in life.
In childhood, sweets were made only on festival days or weekends if and when we had guests. Sugar was pricy and my dad bought it only in the government ration depot and not at higher prices in shops. I loved the sweets and ate them on the rare occasions they were made. The only time I had sweets outside was at weddings and gruhapraveshs. I don't think my dad ever bought sweets from a shop. Now I can afford to eat sweets...as much and as often and whatever I want. Yet. I am not eating them much due to worries about becoming diabetic, worries about gaining weight and son on. 

The same goes for books...early days with limited availability, affordability and accessibility. Now with unlimited accessibility, unlimited affordability and availability. Yet the intense thirst for books I had initially is now missing. In the recent past, I have bought thousands of books, lying in my basement, unread. The urge to read is missing. But the buying continues!


I am writing this part about one and a half years later...March 2020, during the holidays we got due to COVID-19 Pandemic in the world and in Toronto. Right now I have more holidays or work-from-home-days than I want. I have unlimited time on my hands. I have unlimited TV shows to watch. Yet, this is not giving me "unlimited" happiness or pleasure. I am just going through the days with these emotions in my mind.
Feeling relaxed at times and feeling good that I don't have to wake early, get ready to go to work, etc.
Feeling terribly guilty that I am not working as I am supposed to 'work from home'. Feeling guilty that some staff have to continue working, exposing themselves to the risk of covid virus. Feeling guilty that I am getting paid though I am not working; feeling guilty that some people are losing their jobs in this COVID mess. 
Feeling worried about my family and praying that none of my friends and family and even strangers fall prey to COVID or the consequences of the pandemic. consequences such as losing their job.
Feeling too lazy to do things though I have the time to do them...and there is plenty to do. When I motivate myself to do some house work for a bit, I stop as the urge to watch TV competes with the urge(urge caused by guilt) to work. 
I did enjoy many things during this COVID-forced-holiday. I on netflix and crave; enjoyed playing with my cat; watching videos of my sweet nephews. I even enjoyed studying a bit. 
Feeling bored by watching endless shows on TV; wondering why the hell, I am not having interest to read the novels I have at home; 
Dreading the day I have to go back to work and catch up with the tons of work which would have piled up due to not working for more than a week. 
The range of emotions include relaxation, guilt, worry, laziness, enjoyment, boredom, wonder and dread. I am sure I went through a lot of other emotions and quite a bit of 'neutral' no-emotion-moods too.  The numerous paid holidays I got due to COVID, did not give me boundless happiness. The happiness was peppered quite a bit with boredom, guilt, worry. Like I said, the more I have , the less I enjoy. 

Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre

Visited the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center yesterday (Nov 10, 2018) to see the Sumi-e exhibition of paintings. They were really nice..almost minimalistic. I loved one with a pair of lions nuzzling each other and the back of a cat. 
Also wandered into the Calligraphy competition's displays. 
Here are two photos from the Calligraphy competition and one of a bust  inside the centre.
This was a lovely, Japanese styled building with a small Japanese garden outside. There were a couple of men practicing something like a fencing activity. Their movements were so slow and graceful, it was a pleasure to watch!
This building was such a contrast to  the gaudy, crowded & mismatched decor of Toronto's 'Indian' temples, shops and restaurants! I wish we Indians could take some lessons from the Japanese aesthetic and incorporate it in our decor. 
But who am I to criticize? My own home is a crowded mish-mash of things ..things from the Dollorama to pieces from the gift shop of the MET sit on the mantel over the fireplace. I have firmly resisted throwing out the fake flowers from the Dollorama!

If you are ever in the area, there are a few other things you can see in a 2 km radius and spend the whole day here. These places are close, but you do need a car to cover  all these spots in one day!

Right opposite the Japanese Canadian Culture Center is the entrance to the Aga Khan museum. You can enjoy the museum and the architecture of two buildings of the museum. 

Close by is the Ontario Science centre. This is a science museum and depending on your level of interest you may take a couple of hours or spend the whole day here. 

If you can figure out the route, you could wander from the Science Centre to paths in the Don River Valley ravine nearby and enjoy the greenery. 

You could end the day by doing  your grocery shopping at the Sunny Food Mart,  which is I think a Chinese store. It has a large variety of vegetables at lower prices than the Loblaws, Metro and other grocery stores. 

About a kilometer away, across the Overlea Blvd Bridge, you can access Costco, The Salvation Army Thrift Store, my favorite Iqbal Stores (another great store for Indian, Pakistani foods and vegetables) if you are interested.

Chtistmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus of genus Schlumbergera

A friend gave me a cutting of the Christmas Cactus about two months ago and it's bloomed beautifully now i.e. November. 
I put the cutting in water and thought of moving it  into soil after a few roots sprout...then forgot all about it.
Yet such beautiful flowers have bloomed!
Now I am not sure if I should just let it be in water or move it into soil.

I did not know the name, Christmas Cactus when I got this cutting. I googled, 'cactus with flat green leaves, white flowers with pink stamen and this plant was one of the plants which came up. On google, I saw the the same plant but with pink flowers.

MUDLARKING in Thames

Mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

What a sweet poetic word the mudlark is...at least to my ears. I fell in love with this word, the moment I saw it for the first time today (Nov 7th 2018) in the Pininterest email I received. 

I am one of those romantics who can spend hours surfing the net on topics such as buried treasure, seaglass, antiques, etc. I can also happily  spend hours searching for things of little commercial value in thrift stores than do 'something useful'. 

I spent several happy minutes googling images under mudlark and fell in love with the stuff people found in Thames banks...old coins, porcelain pieces, glass, idols, cutlery. The dirt and damage of the river makes those objects even more interesting and romantic and valuable to me.

I wish I had known this term before I visited London. I might have mudlarked in the Thames myself for stuff! (... Actually I don't think I would have. I found London bitterly cold and I doubt very much that I would have touched the cold mud and waters of Thames)

One more thing...the mudlarking finds are amazing in photos but I think they would look messy and not so great in reality! 

And mudlarking in Indian rivers will yield a million idols of Ganesha and Durga (Durga in Calcutta's water bodies).... I wonder what else we will find in Indian rivers...(Familiarity breeds contempt...grass is greener on the other side of the fence...ergo, I may not value finds in Indian rivers as much as I would value things found in Thames or Seine or any non-Indian river...human mind works like that!)

Here are  links to  articles related to mudlarking I enjoyed

https://www.messynessychic.com/2016/12/27/what-you-can-find-mudlarking-on-the-thames-foreshore-in-london/

https://www.glassingmagazine.com/articles/mudlarking-the-mystery-of-the-thames-garnets/

BILINGUALISM:Speaking and understanding two (or more) Languages and SEMILINGUALISM: Inadequate proficiency in both languages

Studying for an upcoming psychology, I discovered a new term i.e. semilingualism which means inadequate proficiency in 'both' languages. Research has shown that children who are not proficient in their native language and then are abruptly submerged in an "English-only" educational environment risk semilingualism or inadequate proficiency in both languages. (from Academic Review, 2010, Vol 5. )

I felt saddened to read the above statement. Semilingualism is affecting millions of young school-going children in India, especially in small towns and thousands of villages in the south. My father's generation who were born, brought up and studied in villages studied in the local language such as Kannada, Tamil, etc. Since the last 2-3 decades(as far as I know) villagers have discovered that in order to get ahead in life, one needs to know English and no longer send their children to Government run schools which teach in the local language but send them to schools where the teaching is in English. This has resulted in millions of children-turned adults who are neither adept in their own mother tongue or in English. Of course many other factors contribute to this deficiency: The teachers themselves have very poor knowledge of English; the students' parents don't speak or understand English and there's not much spoken English in the villages. There are no English books for children accessible to the children apart from the textbooks...no libraries in the villages stocked with children's books. There are few or no English programs on TV in rural areas (They may be but adults who control what is on TV prefer to watch  shows they enjoy i.e. local languages)

How can thinking, reasoning, logic, ideas develop without language? Without words to encapsulate thoughts? This will lead to a decline in IQ in rural areas to some extent.

The impact of semilingualism can already be seen in various aspects of life. Just watch the utterly appalling TV shows and movies in Karnataka...the lack of creativity, the poor quality script, the lack of depth, the inability of majority of the actors to speak Kannada well, the increasing use of English in the dialogues...