Magical Monday/11

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my 11th  post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! 

Today my post is not about just one person but a group of persons who dare to be different and are ready to push the envelope to experience something new and different.

In our day to day life we worry about petty things and lose out on precious moments. Here's a group of people who have risen above these trivial pursuits to achieve something rare. These people have been selected to be a part of a mission to Mars , the Mars One Mission but here is the catch, the mission only provides a one way ticket to mars. Selected from more than 200,000 applicants, the 50 men and 50 women are a step closer to taking part in the one-way mission. 

The top 10 candidates in this mission are:
1. Christian O Knudsen

Age: 34
From: Denmark

2. Mikolaj Zielinski
Age: 38
From: Poland

3.Josh Richards

Age: 29
From: Australia

4.Etsuko Shimabukuro

Age: 50
From: Japan 

5.Dianne McGrath

Age: 45
From: Australia

6. Steve Schild

Age: 30
From: Switzerland

7. Ryan MacDonald

Age: 21
From: United Kingdom 

8.Lennart Lopin

Age: 36
From: Germany, living in US

9.Robert P Schröder

Age: 27
From: Germany 

10.Joanna Hindle

Age: 42
From: Canada 

This human expedition will take place in 2024. The Dutch not-for-profit organisation is raising money to fund this trip and the participants do not have to pay. 

 Missions are planned beforehand to do vital groundwork before the first human expedition takes place. In 2018, a lander would be sent to the planet as a trial-run for technologies that the real mission will need. That will be accompanied by a communications satellite to beam messages back and forth. In 2020, an “intelligent” rover is sent to Mars, along with a trailer. The rover’s job is to scope out a good landing site, far enough north for the soil to contain a good amount of water, but equatorial enough to get plenty of sunlight. Two years after that, in 2022, six cargo missions head off for Mars. They include another rover, two living units and two life support units. These land near the first rover, which tows them into position and sets up solar panels to power the units. The life support unit is meant to produce a breathable atmosphere in the habitat, 3,000 litres of water, and 120kg of oxygen kept in storage.

The second crew will leave in 2026.

I am so in awe of all these people who are willing to risk everything , even their lives for something new and challenging. I think this takes a lot of courage and so immensely inspiring. Would you be able to take part?

Self Love - journey of self discovery/ part 1

They say the key to happiness is self love and self discovery! I couldn't agree more to this but putting this into practice in this fast paced life requires effort.

As a part of my journey of self love and self discovery,  one of the key elements was to put my body into great shape and the second was to spend more time exploring and enjoying nature!

Baby steps taken to  achieve my goals - a sports bicycle to keep my body fit and explore the surroundings !

And a few weekends of doing this activity makes me feel a whole lot better.

Here are the some of the shots taken while cycling around my neighbourhood.

Caught The Beautiful Sunset

Idols of hindu deities in a local temple

Labourer kids and their shanties in the background

My neighbourhood is a upcoming sector of one of the biggests metros in India . As there is a lot of construction ongoing around the area where I live,  a lot of migrant labourers have moved here. However, they live in make shift shanties and the general living conditions are poor.

Cakes made out of cow dung 

In a small little village, close to where I stay the villagers use cow dung as fuel to cook food. They make cakes out of wet cow dung and let it dry in sun. These cakes are then burnt in mud stoves as fuel and cook food.

This is what I love about the area where I live...This is where the rustic meets city life!

Magical Mondays/10

Mondays are full of madness! Mondays for most people brings out the colour blue (Monday Blues). But like so many things, is it just a figment of our imagination? So if we change our attitute, is it possible to change Manic Monday into Magic Monday? What if we feed it into our system that Monday will be a grand day? It will be a day when our energy levels will be the higest because we will be refreshed after a break and that we will start a new week with zest and high spirits! What if we tell ourselves at the start of the week that this week we will be unstoppable, be a powerhouse and race ahead,  could it change things? I believe it could :)

And believing is the first step towards changing things for good !! :)

This is my tenth  post in the Magical Monday series of inspirational stories aimed at motivating us to bring out our best on the first day of the week! 

Today the story is of a brave officer of the Indian army, Colonel M N Rai, who died fighting militants in  Jammu and Kashmir, a militancy-hit region of India 

Rai, a commanding officer of 42 Rashtriya Rifles,  was killed during an encounter in Tral in Pulawama district last month while fighting militants. He was just 39.

 Colonel M N Rai

Rai along with being a brave soldier was a good leader and a motivator. He had taken a number of initiatives for the positive engagement of youth  (like organising cricket and football tournaments) in Tral, the distubed area where he was posted. He organized these matches to keep the youth positively and proactively engaged ensuring that the youth do not stray into the ranks of militancy.

Under his leadership, the narrative in Tral was changing. He earned the admiration of all the administration for his meticulous planning

Unfortunately Rai died a day after he was conferred a bravery award, the Yudh Seva medal, for outstanding contribution in planning and conduct of operations including a gun battle with militants in south Kashmir last year.

Even though he was at the rank of a commanding officer, very senior rank, he chose to fight from the front with their men at all times.

His status on a social media site stated his mindset clearly: "Play your role in life with such passion, that even after the curtains come down, the applause doesn't stop."

A New Journey Begins

So finally the cold winter wave seems to be retreating and more bright sunny days are replacing the gloomy, cold,  foggy winter days here in north India! As the beautiful spring sets in, everything seems to be undergoing a change. There is a bit more colour in the surroundings, the flowers are blooming,  the grass is greener.. its like an injection of life has been given to a patient on his death bed.

This beautiful change can be thought provoking and thus left me thinking on how to enjoy this spring to the fullest! Well, I had a moment of enlightenment where the Gods whispered in my ears and told me that the best possible way was to integrate wellness with fitness by getting a sports bicycle. This would help me breathe in the freshness of the outdoors , pay attention to the little details of the natural beauty that surrounds us while sweating it out.. After all God is in the details!

So off I went to get myself that perfect bicycle that would help me achieve my new resolution of fitness and nature appreciation.

And Voila, I am the proud owner of a Hercules Atom 18 Speed Bicycle.

It is a lean and stylish bike. It has a low stylish frame, and the seat contains high-quality polyurethane sponge that offers a comfortable seating. The seat is attached to a top-notch spring that prevents you from suffering a back-ache in case you are riding on rough roads. Having a low frame, mounting and unmounting the bike is easy. The cycle comes with 18 speed complete Shimano gear system that allows you to change the speed of your bike as per your preference. The tyres are 26-inches wide in size and are made from supreme quality rubber. These tyres are built for speed and offer high-level endurance against sharp objects on the road. So you do not have to worry about your tyres getting punctured during an intense ride. The overall frame of the bike is made of stainless steel that enhances its durability. It also comes with a stand for you to park the bike once you are done with your session.

I took this baby out for a ride today and it was awesomeness! Good suspension, brakes and comfort!

I did some 10+ kilometers in about an hour! So, wish me best guys as I embark on my new fitness and wellness journey ;)