Category: Life Style

Movie review: Johnny English strikes again

The latest movie by Rowan Atkinson is a must see. As they say ” Laughter is the best medicine “. If you want a dose of happy, then this movie is for you.

There are no spoilers in this review.

Johnny English strikes again is third in the series of Johnny English movies. Since they are basically a comic take on the famous James Bond movies, ( Bond is member of the famous MI6, whereas Johnny English plays an agent of MI7 ) people who are fans of that genre of films will enjoy it .

It is directed by David Kerr and produced by Universal pictures. Emma Thompson’s portrayal of British Prime Minister may be a hit on the current British PM, but then maybe not.

The antics of Johnny English would remind some people( people found of old movies or who belong to my generation) of The pink Panther movie’s, detective Clouseau in some of the scenes.

As I am not a movie critic, I am not qualified to comment on the artistic/technical  side of the movie, I can only comment as a viewer.In my mind, Atkinson’s name is synonyms with comedy. He creates comedy from his expressions, actions and words. The plot is not complicated , some may even say, silly, but then that is how comedy is created!

I would give it a four and a half star rating, because of its entertaining nature. We went to see the movie because we had time on our hands. There were no great expectations and so we were pleasantly surprised.

If you are looking for a few laughs, a clean and not so complicated movie, then go for this one.

Let me know how you liked my post and the movie, if you see it.

#Moviereview

#JohnnyEnglish

#Keepitalive.

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Staying in your comfort zone

We humans are comfortable with what we are used to. This is our known territory, our Comfort Zone .

It is often that either physically or mentally we are taken or forced out of our comfort zone. Not staying in a frame of mind that we are familiar with can push us both mentally and physically to a state of stress. So is this forced or voluntary stepping out of our comfort zone, good for us?

Most people wouldn’t want to step out of the familiar. But experts tell us that sometimes doing things which stretches our limits and capabilities can be good for us.

There are two aspects of stepping out;

1. Mental:

Stretching your mental abilities, though is stressful at that time , can help you grow both intellectually and skill wise. The most common example is of school learning. Children, when they start school, hardly know anything much but through this stretching of their mental capacity, they start to learn and gradually their intellectual capacity is extended to include knowledge on different subject. Continuing on this principle, adults who no longer fall in the category of students, can and do learn new skills and acquire knowledge on subjects of which they were previously ignorant. Many times through need or hobby, people push themselves to acquire new skills, which previously they didn’t have. This is where stepping out of comfort zone benefited these people. Learning to operate computer, developing skills to use machines ( of various kinds) or taking up a new profession, (after learning about it from scratch) are all examples of leaving one’s comfort zone.

2. Physical;

Stepping out of physical comfort zone has to be considered very carefully. If one is young and healthy and, has nothing to limit their venture into their chosen physical activity, by all means go ahead. Learning and playing new games, sky diving and bungee jumping are all the sort of  adventures open to these people. It gives one a thrill and sense of adventure to take part in these newly acquired sporting activities. Start gym or yoga, cycling or aerobics, the only limitation are those of physical endurance.

Now, consider the second category of people who are not that fit, young or flexible etc, etc. These people should not push themselves too much out of their comfort zone! It is always good to be physically fit and active , but recognize your own limits. An unadvised and unsupervised entry into rigorous sports like activity can cause harm which sometimes cannot be fixed easily.

The conclusion;

The take away from all of this is that : Mentally, it is always good to boldly go where you haven’t gone before. Trust in your own capabilities and try new things. Learn new skills and languages. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and you will see that it’s a rewarding experience.

Physically, choose your challenges carefully, keeping in mind your limitations. It’s no use starting some new activity, just to give it up due to your health. But even in this scenario, slow and gradual build up of capacity can help you in taking up new hobbies, games and physical activities.

Hope you like this post. Please share your feedback and comments.

#Comfortzone

#Mentalhealth

#Physicalhealth

#Keepitalive

My fitness tracker.

Fitness trackers are all the rage these days. The question is: Do I need one? I will be honest with you! The answer is a yes and a no!!! If you are a creature of habit, with discipline ingrained in your character, the likelihood is that you won’t need the added push which a fitness tracker provides towards gaining good physical health and regular habits. But if , like me you are careless about personal goals or have a lackadaisical approach towards health and fitness, then my dears, this gadget is a necessity!

Let me explain:

A fitness/ exercise/ step tracker is a device often worn on the wrist ( though there are arm and pendant versions also available) of a person (that maybe you!). The purpose of this device is to measure the physical activity that is done by the wearer. As new technology is coming into play, the trackers can monitor your steps, heartbeat, sleep and any exercise that you do. It is done basically by measuring your heartbeat and movements. The tracker cannot be 100% accurate but most devices have a pretty good tracking rate. As a person wears the tracker, all the physical activity done by him/ her is recorded. The number of steps taken, floors climbed and aerobic exercise like walking, running and cycling etc are also recorded automatically. It also tells you how long you have been sitting around and how long you slept. Usually there is an app ( both for android and iPhones ) which links your tracker to your device ( usually the phone) and analyzes the data collected.

You are further encouraged to log in the food and water intake via the app into your account, that you create when you start using your tracker.

So this is how your tracker works!

Now, the question: why should anyone go to all this trouble?

I am going to cite my own example to make it easy for you to decide. I was a lazy person who disliked to do any exercise or physical activity, voluntarily. Then a few ( 3 or so) years ago, I realized that if I wanted to have a chance of aging gracefully with my dignity intact, I better reform my indolent ways. So I got myself a fitness tracker. After a few frustrating day, ( learning how to use the device and the app) I started my journey towards a better physical health. The pre-set limit on my tracker was 10,000 steps. Now this was an impossibility to me at that time. So I tweaked it and reduced the target to 3000 steps. Slowly and gradually I increased my capacity to walk and finally was able to do the 10 k.

So long story short, now it’s not only a habit but sort of compulsion for me to complete my daily quota of steps. I also log in my food/ calorie intake and water intake.

The conclusion:

As I said earlier, if you are concerned that you are not getting enough exercise or are not doing enough for you health, get a fitness tracker which suits your requirements. It will remind you to move, get your daily quota of steps and in general be more active. The latest research has equated being sedentary as having the same risks as smoking. So it’s time to invest in a bit of technology to help you on the road to being more active and healthy.

Let me know how you like my post. Share your questions and give your feedback.

#fitnesstracker

#Goodhealth

#Keepitalive

Too busy to talk to your family?

How many times in a week, it happens? We are planning to talk to a loved one and then get caught up in something and either forget or postpone it for tomorrow!

Time seems to be the enemy of family ties! There is work, studies or social commitments. It like a race that we are constantly running and the time usually wins.

It’s usually okay with our immediate family where through constant reminders and struggle with schedules we manage to make that ballet practice or the little league match. Anniversaries and birthdays are often remembered by the help of phone reminders. And I did say”usually ” as some people have trouble with those too, due to their hectic schedules.

But with long distance relationships we often flounder! Be it siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins….. and the list goes on. Childhood friends are often in this group of people that we “always mean to call but something came up”.

Another reason that hinders the inter-family communication are the small misunderstandings that have occurred over some long forgotten and trivial issues. Lay aside these differences and you will find that the other side has either forgotten about it or have grown above it.

The wake up call sometimes comes when for some inevitable reason it is too late to talk to our loved one! The regret that strikes at our hearts at such a time is usually very sharp. We are assailed by ” if only” scenarios. And then we do realize that calling someone doesn’t take such a big effort. As little as 5 spare minutes can connect us to a person with whom we haven’t spoken in a long ( ish) while.

So the time to make that call or write that email/ letter is now. Don’t remain Silent. Don’t put it off. Don’t procrastinate.

hands coffee cup apple
Photo by Stokpic on Pexels.com

Connect and reap the reward of making your loved ones and yourself happy. Remember if you stay Silent, you may regret it later.

Let me know how you like my post. Waiting for your comments and feedback.

#FOWC

#Silent

# keepitalive

#Familyfirst

#Connectwithyour family

Stretch

Stretch your imagination and dream the dream. Life is meaningless without a dream. It takes an active imagination to set up a goal for life achievements.

Or Stretch this body of yours. Go for a run, do aerobics or yoga. Get the heart pumping blood. Wake up all those dormant muscles, tendons and exercise the joints, which are creaking from being used so less.

But don’t Stretch the truth. That would be a betrayal of your inner self. Honesty will make the heart light and life uncomplicated. As they say( I wonder who ” they” are) the best thing about telling the truth is that you don’t have to remember what you said!

And do Stretch your budget to make the ends meet. Try not to overspend on your cards. Try to live between your pay checks. It’s a very difficult advice to follow for the impulse buyers and the shopaholics. A useful tip is not to buy anything on your first visit. Go home and come back tomorrow to buy it. In more than half the cases , people either think better of their ideas or even forget it!

These are all the Stretches I could think of.

Let me know what you think of the post.

#FOWC

#Stretch

#Keepitalive

Life’s beautiful mosaic

multicolored mosaic photo
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Like a mosaic, life or human fabric is composed of tiny , colorful tiles of vivid hues. These colors represent us all people. we come from different places, countries. regions and cultures. Together we make a complete picture. Now that the world has shrunk to a global village, we can find most cultures represented in a small segment of our society. This colorful patchwork is what makes life on this earth beautiful.

The boundaries are disappearing between different cultures and ethnicity. What is needed in this day and age, is the most compelling necessity of recognizing that we all, under the skin are the same human beings. The color of our skin may be different and our cultures may be divergent, but we are the same as in that we all feel pleasure in the similar things and experiences pain when facing the same difficult circumstances.

A mother is the same nurturing woman may she be an Asian, an European or from an African decent. The feelings of love, hate, or fear etc are the same in us all, though their triggers may be different.

So why do we experience discrimination on basis of color, race, religion or ethnicity? Maybe its due to the fact that we don’t relate to each other as humans, on an equal level? Everyone ( belonging to a specific race or culture) thinks that they are better or superior than others. But why so? We all are created equal, but with our strengths and failings, specific to each of us as humans not as an ethnicity , race or religion. We can’t say that people of such and such race are more clever than others or that people of this culture are more sensitive than others! Everyone knows these prejudices to be false. It’s high time we admit that and shun such narrow-minded thinking.

ground group growth hands

Take on people as you find them and not as you per judge them to be.

The important thing now would also be that we teach our young generation to be open-minded and accepting of all people around us, irrespective of their origin.

please let me know how you find my post. If you have an experience you would like to share then do so. It’s all about educating ourselves.

#keepitalive

#weallareone

#lovediversity

Chasing happiness

Who doesn’t want to be happy? We all do! But what exactly is happiness? Happiness is described as a state of being happy!!! And then again, what is being happy? Happy is equivalent to a state of joy or pleasure

.happy

So now that we know what is the emotion that is happiness, how to achieve it? And why do we have to attain this state of mind?

The usual expectation people have about a good life is, that it is a happy life. I agree with you and so would about 99% people in this world. But what makes a person happy is a big variable. If riches are one person ‘s idea of a happy life, a good home/ marriage would be another ‘s. A great and fulfilling job can be the ideal happy life for someone else. And so on and so forth.

We usually base our expectations of being happy on certain conditions and circumstances in life. Nobody would expect to be happy just because he/ she felt like it. Except a CHILD!!! And here lies the difference which is between adults and children. We are gradually programmed to co-relate the happiness with other things in life, like success, money , a good home or a congenial environment. This conditioning changes our perception of joy and pleasure. A child can be happy for no reason other than he/ she is feeling buoyant. Children have not yet learned that they need certain conditions to make them happy. I guess what I really want to say that the pure un-adulterated feeling of joy or happiness need not be an elusive phantom to be chased all our lives. Joy can be found in every thing around us, we just need to perceive it. A beautiful vista, a bird’s song, the laughter of a child or a loved one can bring us untold joy, only if we open our hearts and minds to it.

The onus of being happy should lie on our own shoulders. ( Or in our own perceptions). Don’t give others this job. Decide to be a person who can look for joy and pleasure in little things in life. Don’t wait for earth shattering events to experience the highs of pleasure. Find your happiness in little day-to-day event. For example:

1. Getting up at time in the morning

2. Finishing your daily chore on time

3. Having a good meal

4. Listening to your favorite song

5. Reading an inspiring book

6. Seeing a good movie

7. And my favorite, have a good talk with your bestie!

h3

These are a few of the things, ( I am sure , once you start thinking on these lines, you can find many more) and situations where joy and happiness is just waiting for you to find it!

Another thing much ignored in today’s life is the feeling of contentment! It is much more valuable than transitory happiness. Contentment or peace can bring never-ending happiness as it means that we are satisfied with our lives. We are now at that place in life where little disappointments have no power to disturb us. We have done a good job and are proud of it!

Wishing happiness and joy to you all.

Please comment and say what you think of my post.

Like and comment.

#Findinghappiness

#keepitalive

#happiness

33 and counting.

food-couple-sweet-married

A few weeks ago, I and my husband celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. On the dinner table that evening, my niece asked me this question:

“What is the secret of your happy marriage?”

My prompt ( and involuntary) reply was , ” tolerance “!!! She was a bit disappointed by this prosaic answer( being 18 and obviously a romantic). And so was my husband. I had to clarify my answer that: in addition to , love, friendship and camaraderie, we need a massive amount of tolerance to have an amiable relationship even after 33 years.

There is no denying that a marriage is built on love and trust. If you are lucky, you start by loving your spouse and end up being best friends. But any honest married person, man or woman cannot deny the role tolerance and acceptance plays in making this relationship durable and lasting.

You have to accept all sorts of crazy things and grow rather immune to them. For example your husband may be an early riser with all the delicacy of a bull in China shop! You are trying to catch your 7 hours and he, quite un-knowingly, is creating a racket fit to wake the dead! Or you can’t go to sleep at night and get up several times during the night, disturbing him but there is no complaint or mention of it on the breakfast table. So I would call this tolerance!

Being pleasant and friendly to each other ‘s friends and family, often falls under this heading too. There is no shortage of instances where tolerance, rather than love wins the day in the married couple ‘s life.

The fairy tales where the prince and his beloved live happily ever after is not a thing that is possible in only a fairy tale if we mix the sweet ingredient of tolerance and acceptance in the married life.

pexels-photo-545042.jpeg

please let me know how to like my post. Looking forward to your feedback.

Like and comment.

#keepitalive

#happilymarried