Wise Ones, contd ..

I love these.

There are four kinds of people:

(1) Those who make great things happen
(2) Those who watch things happen
(3) Those who block things from happening, and
(4) Those who wonder what happened

Take the time to be aware; it is the opportunity to help others.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Discovering the 'Roots'

I remember being fascinated by a TV commercial for a website called Ancestry.com. It was a new concept, in 2005 perhaps.  I love how in the US, they trace the roots with the Social Security Number  and form the family tree.

Hailing from India, a country that has existed and birthed generations much earlier that the US; I often wish that our ancestors had some sort of tracking mechanism. I'm glad that the PAN number concept has sprung up in recent times, but nevertheless. How many of us can pin point where we came from?  I would love to know though. Many of us have moved cities. Many of us have parents that made the move earlier on in their careers. I know Indians in the US who were born here because their great grand parents moved here in 1950s.

I am curious to know more about my Ancestory. We don't have any tracking mechanism such as Social Security numbers, but it would be nice if I knew the profession the men folk were involved in, where did the move to, what was their place of worship. All of our ancestors are from South India, that I know for sure. Did they migrate from other village, perhaps from other places, I don't have a clue. There is a theory that Iyers (Ayyars)  may have migrated from northern regions generations ago, I don't know anything about that. Googling on this theory may provide more information.

Hubby and I, happen to trace back to similar roots. Both our dad's are from a village called Kalakkad in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Both our moms' roots trace to a closeby village called Valliyoor. In Hindu Tradition, each family worships a deity called Kula Deivam (Family Deity). They are considered the ancestral god, whom the forefathers and relatives have worshiped through the ages. This is the guardian angel. Every village has a temple for this Family Deity, since most of the family would live in the same village, and be related and be of the same caste. People who have migrated to other places still visit their ancestral village to pay their respects by offerings. Many youngsters are taking the initiative to visit their 'Kula Deivam' and give back both monetarily for the local community.

Let's put some perspective via a mapping below:

Random Musings on a lazy afternoon

It was lunch time at work. Got myself a sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs and got back to my office. It was a relatively slow day at work, so I decided to do some reading online. I casually googled 'Fortune 500 list for 2012'. I was impressed in seeing the results. Chevron was listed in world # 3 ranking. Exxon was on top, followed by Chevron. Walmart, and Conoco phillips followed the list. Way to go Chevron. This is awesome; and in experiencing the chevron work ethic and lifestyle, I think it is well deserved. I'm thankful to god for giving me the opportunity.

On a different note, I totally vouch on this quote.

Will you allow the doubts in your own mind to stop you from getting to the places that you truly have the ability to go. Do you allow what people say about your work, or your dreams affect you ?
The only way that you won't be criticized is if you live a life without taking much action. We will always have people who come against us, even when we feel like we are doing what we can to help humanity. Just be you! Don't let anyone stop you from being who you really are at heart! we have to realize that people will always talk about what we do, as long as we are doing something.

Posting after a hiatus

Last I blogged about six months back, that sounds crazy to me. I'm being lazy, in fact, work has been busy; plus my energy levels run empty by 6 pm, I know !

Now for some penning of my thoughts.

I'm so grateful to everything, everyone. Can't really complain about my 17 mile commute, becasuse I've always driven that distance which is the norm here in Houston. I  keep active so that we channel Archu's energy in the right path and spend quality time with my baby. She loves to sit down with me and pratice her alphabet writing, numbers and we wrap up with fun coloring with crayons.

We hosted a satsang at home, our first one., and It was such a divine experience. My humble thanks to all those who made it possible. All devotees of Houston Namadwaar were present and chanting the divine mantra, and krishna bhajans.

I am developing a magnetic attraction towards the world of spirituality, healthy living, yoga and excersing.  I have always been spiritual since chilhood, and as I mature, I am drifting more toward spirituality and a quest for truth, for answers, for divinity and for self realization. I want to be good to everyone. I dont want to talk about others to others. I am not interested in petty mis-understandings. I am watchful of my words. I want to get to the next level. I'm more focused on my health and in keeping a positive outlook. Isn't that a step up in the right direction? I believe it is !