Miss my first born

My first born child is very much with me, but I miss some of the things I did with her before my second was born. I miss her cuddling up to me at night, I miss rocking her to sleep, I miss taking her to the park everyday to meet her friends, I miss telling her stories, I miss giving her my hundred percent.

My little sweetheart suddenly became the elder sibling the day we welcomed our second baby,oh I miss her dearly while she sleeps now.

I wish she knows that I miss her more than she misses me. Wonder how she deals with it.

How we came to BE : R P Feynman

Well known for winning the Nobel Prize (physics) for his work on Quantum Electrodynamics(QED), Richard Feynman was an eclectic mix of science, art and fun.

His multifaceted personality earned him as much popularity as did his Nobel and his work on the atomic bomb.

While he worked on the bomb with the likes of Otto Hahn, Oppenheimer etc, his first wife, Arlene succumbed to tuberculosis. He later said she was the only true love of his life.

He took to painting models, hanging out at pubs to deal with his loss, may be this triggered an appetite for dabbling in various hobbies like playing the bongo drums.

"Seriously, You are joking, Mr.Feynman!" is a good read which offers snippets from the life of this genius scientist.

It would be apt to say that if James Bond were a professor, he would be RPF!!

RPF wrote poetry too and this is my favourite poem which elucidates his take on life and how we came to be.

There are the rushing waves, mountains of molecules, each stupidly minding it's own business; trillions apart, yet forming White surf in unison

Ages on ages before any eyes could see, year after year thunderously pounding the shore as now; For whom? For what? On a dead planet with no one to entertain

Never at rest, tortured by energy prodigiously wasted by the Sun poured into space; A mite makes the sea roar

Deep in the sea, all molecules repeat the pattern of one another till complex new ones are formed.

They make others like themselves and a new dance starts

Growing in size and complexity, living things, masses of atoms, DNA, protein, dancing a pattern ever more intricate; Out of the cradle, on to dry land, here it is standing : atoms with consciousness,matter with curiosity

Stands at the sea, wonders at wondering : I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the Universe.

Feynman had read this poem as part of his address to the National Academy of Sciences

Glass painting

Driven by the urge to make sun catchers, I browsed the net for suitable designs and chanced upon a treasure trove here by artist Chantal Pare.

I started with " Dutch Windmill "

Did some others too but this is the only one left undamaged

I used the same colours as shown in the artist's page. Water based and oil based glass colours are available at any stationery shop.

Feeling down? This is how I cheer up

" Smile, the world is sad enough without your woes "

We all have our good days and bad ones. Sometimes the latter leave me feeling down.

Blame it on stress, hectic lifestyle which gives little time for human interaction, or any thing under the sun, some days are just not our best.

Though de-stressing may not solve the problem at hand, it certainly helps clear the mind. This is how I cheer myself up :

1. Pick a Wodehouse, especially Right Ho, Jeeves! Crack up laughing in no time.

2. Do some cleaning. If I look around the house, there's something or the other that needs my attention. Removing stains on the glass table, the refrigerator, etc

3. Give myself a good wash, from head to toe with a scrub. I dislike beauty parlour visits except for a haircut.

4. Yes! Get a hair cut, if it's grown too long, or just feel it is.

5. Go for a walk with the kids to the park.

6. Listen to melodious music or catchy film numbers. Badtameez Dil, Badtameez dil, maane Na, mane Na

7. Call a friend. This one works anytime, not only on KBC/Who wants to be a millionaire? !! After all,what are good friends for?

8. Make soup and eat it too, with a generous sprinkling of pepper.

9. Keep calm and try to meditate. I thought meditation is not for me, had a change of mind.

10. One jaadu ki jhappi from a loved one works wonders.Can't get? Give! This one has been proved to be a lifter.

11. Light aromatic candles.

And go back to work!

What did their moms do?(continued)

In my last post, I mentioned that it's important to retain the inborn curiosity, innocence and imagination of a child even as he/she grows up.

That alone would be the cornerstone for learning and excellence. As the renowned educationalist H.L.Mencken put it

Genius is the ability to prolong one's childhood

What did their moms do?

What did their moms/dads do?

Richard P.Feynman,

Albert Einstein,

V.S. Ramachandran,

Steve Jobs,

C.V.Raman,

Ada Lovelace,

Marissa Mayer,

Indra Nooyi,

John McEnroe,

M.Visweswarayya,

Amar Bose,

Richard Dawkins,

Stephen Hawking, etc.

You get the point? Who wouldn't love to know what their parents did for them which inspired or led them onto excellence?

Seeing my toddler play with legos and colours, I realise it's important to retain that childish inquisitiveness and imagination.

We are born with a scientific method of learning through observation and experimentaion. The key is to retain it.Is it possible in our information-cramming education system?

I promise myself to patiently answer her questions and never put her off saying "no more questions". It's not going to be easy. Yes,let's keep calm and count to ten!