Awesome graffiti being created...Kochi - Muziris biennale 2014

It was really exciting to watch such an awesome graffiti being created!
A group of talented art students of RLV College of Music and fine arts, Tripunithura, Kerala are working to realize this art. Off Jew town road, on the wall in a narrow alley, we also could add some strokes on this magnificent art. Thank you, guys😊

Brilliant!

Bright colors, superb drawing...!

Very interesting to watch them painting😊

The entrance of the Jew town street...walk just ten yards ahead, turn left and enjoy this wonderful creation!

Art is cool, powerful, uplifting, refreshing. Enjoy it, love it and be cool with it. It is a powerful tool for personal development, enlightenment, and soul nourishment. 

• Graffiti is an art form that stirs souls.  Try doing it at least once...and enjoy the feeling :)

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Get inspired - Edward Jenner, the great physician who invented Smallpox vaccine

I do not think Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) needs any introduction.

He almost single-handedly popularized vaccination against Smallpox, a deadly and highly contagious disease of the yesteryears, that led to its total eradication from the world by 1979 - 80. It was the first disease that was eradicated completely by a combination of preventive measures, vaccination is an important tool and we achieved it in the year 1979! Just imagine, this great feat was accomplished before the advent of the internet and other sophisticated medical discoveries of the modern world.

Now, where do we stand? Why we were not able to eradicate any disease after the success with Smallpox and rinderpest?

We now have mind-boggling technologies and thrilling discoveries not only in the medical field but also in every field, all round developments have taken place. I decided to post this topic being driven by a recent post by Andrew, my blogger friend, about abandoned structures. On his blog, http://strangepegs.blogspot.com, he posted pictures of Renwick Smallpox hospital, an abandoned hospital, where Smallpox sufferers were once housed. The youngsters today are completely ignorant about the severity of this disease. It is like Chickenpox in a much severe form but the face is the body part that gets affected more and gets disfigured, ugly scars occur. Mortality is also high from respiratory complications, sometimes eyesight is lost because of the ulcers and in the olden times, there were no antiviral medicines to treat it. A natural cure was the norm and if the poor soul survives the bonus was lifelong immunity. And such people acted as caregivers to other new patients. The mortality rate was very high among children.

I have vague memories of being taken to a municipality preventive clinic in 1968 or so by my dad along with my sister to get vaccinated against Smallpox. In the clinic, multiple punctures were made with a bifurcated needle dipped in vaccine solution on the outer aspect of the left upper arm on two spots, one above and the other about 5 cm below it. There was mild pain and we were crying all the time but were restrained by dad. The reward for co-operating with this dreadful exercise was 'rose milk', sweetened cold milk with rose syrup added, a popular drink in the era prior to colas and other types of carbonated drinks in South India, which was available in a hotel by name 'Lakshminivas', nearby. The waiters wore white uniforms with frilled caps and the huge ceiling fans there had an egg-shaped bottom. Fond memories :) boy, that was the sweetest drink we ever had, no drink enjoyed later on in life from awesome restaurants in different parts of the world could replicate the same effect. The sweet taste buds of childhood!

The young generation will not be having vaccination scars of Smallpox, it was stopped in the USA in the 1970s itself.

Edward Jenner was aware that milkmaids were immune to Smallpox and he assumed it could be due to the immunity conferred to them from contracting cowpox that was a mild form of pox the cattle had. The practice of inoculation/variolation of pus to persons, who were willing to try it for prevention, from the lesions of Smallpox patients that made its entry to England from Turkey was also prevalent at that time. All these made Jenner believe in the effectiveness of vaccination. His trials finally gained acceptance among the medical community as well as the public after much ridicule and criticisms. This finally made the Government ban the crude practice of variolation and adopt vaccination by cowpox material formulated by Jenner for the prevention of Smallpox. But his lucrative medical practice suffered because of his work on Smallpox. He continued with his activities with grants from the British Government. He used to vaccinate the poor at his clinic. Finally, after suffering from a massive stroke he passed away in 1823. May his soul rest in peace!

Smallpox was considered as a curse from the Goddess in our place in the olden days. People used to conduct elaborate rituals to please the Goddess to avoid the wrath. Being a viral disease there was no medicinal cure those days, only prayers were the remedy hoping for a natural recovery. The situation was more or less the same, everywhere in the world, only the practices differed.

With the support of world leaders of that time, provision of funds, the willingness of people to try their best to eradicate this serious disease, an effective vaccine, lifelong immunity of people with no re-infection, all played in its eradication. Sadly, such collective and determined efforts are lacking nowadays. The only hope is Polio, which may get eradicated soon!

Did the world's focus and attitudes changed to cure and care, from prevention and eradication? Priority to allot funds shifted to much more profit-making ventures globally?
I would like to hear your views on this topic😊

• No words can sufficiently portray efforts for humanitarian causes by great people. Their good deeds speak volumes about themselves. Let it all inspire us to do something, be it a simple thing, for the betterment of mankind.  

Visit this awesome site http://www.jennermuseum.com to learn more about this English Physician who saved millions of life on the planet !

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Blue ocean

Standing on the sandy shore my gaze stretches to infinity

It is amazing to watch the gentle waves listening to their chatter  

As I peer into the blue skyline merging deep, far and wide

I envy upon the Sun rising and setting in tranquility!

As the waves caress and tickle my feet gently

Slowly I feel like gliding in a wave of relaxation

It is wonderful to feel the water and sand embracing 

I forget myself allowing me to drift into joy and happiness!

Cool breeze invigorating the mind, body, and soul 

Like singing a melody to touch the hearts softly

How wonderful to feel it, embrace it, love it

Longing to experience the magic again and again!

Look at the children happily playing all around

Hopeful they build sand castles, dance with joy

Embrace them with your breeze, let them flourish with it

From you life originated, only you can sustain it forever!

• Mother nature only can impart quality relaxation and rejuvenate our mind, body, and soul. Such a refreshing experience enjoying the cool breeze on the seashore! Lovely!

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Rembrandt van Rijn, 407th birthday, subject of Google doodle!

I hope you all have heard about Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, the famous Dutch painter, and etcher (July 15, 1606 - October 4, 1669). He is considered as one of the greatest painters of Europe and the Netherlands.

A considerable number of his creations were self-portraits. Night watch, The Jewish bride, The Return of the prodigal son, Danae are some of his very famous paintings according to experts.

More info:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/rembrandt_van_rijn.html
http://www.rembrandtpainting.net
http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

If you open Google you will find his painting as the subject of Google's doodle. Rembrandt's 407th birthday is the subject of Google's doodle on Monday, July 15th, that we see when we open our dear Google :) 

Thank you all at Google doodle for remembering a great painter like Rembrandt.
RIP, Rembrandt.

We all doodle sometimes. Likewise, Google founders Larry and Sergey in 1998 doodled their Company logo to indicate that they were 'out of the Office', and thus the concept was born. Later Google began making changes on their logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists. Great idea! Now, as we all have experienced, this activity makes us all remember great people and take note of the many important occasions and events.

We, the users can email Google doodle our suggestions -proposals@google.com

More info; 
http://www.google.com/doodles/about

Stay tuned for Doodle 4 Google 2014 competition for K12 students: http://www.google.com/doodle4google

• Creative ideas like this make positive vibrations everywhere in the world! This innovative idea from Google prompted many to spend their valuable time to find out more about the great creative works of a genius; surely it might have sparked interest in art in at least a few. 

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A visual treat - Dubai underwater aquarium, beautiful!

Dubai underwater aquarium is a very popular attraction in Dubai! It is located on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall. This awesome mall is in downtown Dubai close to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

Dubai Aquarium is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. This tank houses about 140 species of aquatic animals.

The acrylic panel of this aquarium is the largest in the world. It holds a Guinness record for this. There is an Ocean school where kids can learn many things about aquatic life. Educators will explain the beauty and science of marine life. The entry to the acrylic panel view area is free. The view is excellent from all the floor levels of the mall.

There is also an underwater tunnel where we can walk through watching magnificent fishes and see divers feed sharks and rays.

Glass bottom boat ride, cage snorkeling dive, shark dive etc. are some of the other attractions here. Also, there are facilities for hosting birthday parties.

Check their website for full details   http://www.thedubaiaquarium.com

Marine life is always cool to the mind, body, and soul. It refreshes everyone. Life underwater is always exciting. Not everyone can swim or watch underwater life but we have facilities nowadays to experience it. It is a different spectacle but totally awesome!

• It is a pleasure to watch aquatic organisms to calm the mind. Watching beautiful creatures glide through water helps in relaxation; it refreshes the tired mind.  

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Remembering Jim Kelly, a great martial artist!

Jim Milton Kelly (Jim, the dragon Kelly), (5th May 1946 - 29th June 2013) became famous all over the world after of his awesome performance in the epic movie, Enter the dragon, along with Bruce Lee, the Karate legend in 1973.

He passed away on June 29th, 2013 and has joined his co-star and friend Bruce Lee, the great in heaven.

Enter the dragon, the famous Bruce Lee film was released in 1973. I watched this movie about 7 or 8 years later during my College days. Going to the movies in theatres was a big thing at that time. English movies reached our small town years later after their release elsewhere in the world. We were allowed only 3 or 4 movies only the whole year, only during vacation and festival season. No weekend movies :)  at all! It was 40 years ago, no TV, no Internet, no mobile phones and no blogging, lol!

Enter the dragon became a huge hit in Kerala like elsewhere in India and the rest of Asia. Bruce Lee hairstyles became quite common. Karate academies started mushrooming all over the State. The youngsters started signing up for karate classes. Those who could not attend an academy started doing self-learning like hitting the bricks, doing free exercises, kicks etc at home. I was in this group:) Hours together, we friends used to chat about this movie. I think this was the only movie we were able to watch twice in cinemas; we were allowed by our parents to go for it one more time: some extra pocket money :) was given.

We were crazy at that time! The craze still goes on, Bruce Lee is still very much alive in the minds of the people here.

Countless times I have watched this movie when VCD, DVD etc. came into existence. I knew each and every scene in that beautiful thriller by heart. It was my lifelong ambition to sign up for professional Karate classes. Finally, I was able to attend some about 4 years ago. Boy, how thrilled I felt when I put on that white robe with a white starter belt!

Without any doubts, I can state that no other movie star has influenced people in our place like Bruce Lee.

We all liked Jim Kelly very much. It was an everlasting impression he has made in the minds of people in this Asian country as the character 'Williams' in the Enter the dragon movie. When he was murdered by the villain in the movie we simply could not tolerate it; we wanted Bruce Lee to crush that monster then and there. We admired Jim's cool attitude, body language, fighting style and of course the beautiful hairstyle!

More about this legend  http://www.jimkellykarate.com

We miss you, Jim!
May his soul rest in peace!

Productive, happy and cool people are awesome. Some live their life happily, enriching theirs' as well as others' mind, body and the soul. It is an art, living life like that peacefully. We can learn a lot from them. Listen, observe and learn from them. Be inspired; be motivated!

• No need for some great people to prove anything to anybody. They live naturally and will find lots of followers with them forever. We call such people legends.  

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Motivation - some tips to improve it

• What motivates us in life?
• Who motivates us? 
• How we get motivated? 
• Why we need motivation?

We all need the motivation to be successful in life.

We have to fill ourselves with lots of energy to attain our goals. Something in life will motivate us. Someone might motivate us at some point in life. Somewhere on the planet, we become motivated. Somehow we get motivated.

Let us examine this in detail.

• GOAL ORIENTED LIFE 

Goal oriented strategies work well to get motivated in life. Be hopeful in life.

• DREAM ABOUT SOMETHING THAT STIMULATES YOUR BRAIN

Try to avoid drifting like a plank of wood in a river aimlessly in life. Tide may take you somewhere building up a lot of pressures inside you. Negative influences will shatter you. If you don't take control of your life somebody else will step in as Captain and steer you in some direction they think suitable. Try to change the course of life purposely in a positive direction. A small positive change in the course of life might bring surprising success. There will be so many negative strings that will try to pull you down during this process. Identify those distractions, be aware of it but remain focused with goal-oriented behavior;  but be true to yourself. Formulate goals. Try to include something in your goal that will be of help to others as well.

If you are not sure what actually you want in life to make yourself happy, meditate to find it out. Ask your conscience. Be honest with yourself! Listen to what our mind is trying to say to us! There is no need to wander here and there or all over the world “seeking” truth. You very well know the answer. Your subconscious mind is repeatedly telling you about it. If you turn a deaf ear to it nothing can be done. After searching for 'answers' years and years traveling to strange places finally,  even great people have found out that the 'answer' was already there within them. Only problem was they did not have the eye to see or ears to hear about it or the mind to know when they were seeking for it. Great Gurus 'help' you find it, see it, feel it and hear about it! They cannot simply give you your answer, but they can help you find it! Once you find it you will be the luckiest person on the planet! You have attained enlightenment! Then you radiate warmth, you shine like a beacon! No more boredom, no more stress, you are at peace with yourself! You are happy and contented! No more problems for you!

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WILL BE IN A MOOD OF CELEBRATION ALL THE TIME WHEN YOU REACH THIS STAGE! Let it be a personal, material, spiritual or social goal.

• FOCUS 

If you are one hundred percent convinced about your goal(s) then nothing can distract you. If you are not sure of what you actually wanted or if your goals were very vague and if you yourself were not very much convinced about it, then you lose your focus. Distractions and negative influences drain your energy. You become weak. You lose your passion in what you were doing. So always bear in mind that you need to focus to attain what you want. Expect distractions, it is quite natural. Every now and then reinforce your goals in your mind. Fantasize about your goals. Modify goals if needed. If you feel some vague, irrational, unexplained resistance either within you or from the environment in spite of doing everything you can positively, to attain your goal(s) then its time to have a thorough introspection. Unknowingly something might have rubbed mother nature on the wrong side. There could be some type of disharmony. Something was not in sync with nature. Correct the flaws.

YOU WILL FEEL WHAT IS WRONG, WHAT WENT WRONG, YOU WILL FEEL THE PROBLEMATIC VIBES, TRAIN YOURSELF TO IDENTIFY IT. YOU SURELY WILL FIND IT IF YOU LISTEN TO YOURSELF UNBIASED. LISTEN TO YOUR MIND AND BODY! When you find it and correct it and CELEBRATE! CONGRATULATE YOURSELF!

YOU ARE A WINNER IN LIFE!

• PLAN... ALWAYS MAKE PLANS

Write it down. Discuss it with your team. You can include anyone, anything that helps you in getting motivated and inspired to attain your goals, in your team.

Look for creative plans. Look for innovative ideas to attain success. Our brain has infinite capacity. Utilize it fully. Think out of the box. BETTER TO TAKE ONLY CALCULATED RISKS. Make constant evaluations. Ask professionals, if needed, to evaluate your plans. Correct flaws if any.

• LIVE A LIFE FOCUSED ON YOUR GOALS

If you want to be a world class athlete you just cannot lead an irresponsible life partying whole night every day, smoking and drinking. Remaining focused, undeterred by distractions you need to propel yourself in the direction of success by cultivating goal-oriented attitudes and behaviors. Aim for over-all improvement in every aspect of life including physical health.

Try to have a healthy mind in a healthy body and be in a healthy society.

AGAIN DON'T FORGET TO CELEBRATE WHEN YOU TAKE EACH POSITIVE STEP FORWARD! YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!

CONGRATS! ENJOY! THOROUGHLY ENJOY THE STATE OF SUCCESS!

NOW IT IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT ANOTHER SET OF GOALS! GO FOR IT! OR HELP OTHERS TO ATTAIN THEIR GOALS! MAKE THAT YOUR NEXT GOAL; TO HELP OTHERS!

YOU HAVE BECOME A WINNER, TEACH OR TRAIN OTHERS TOO! YOU ARE HELPING TO CREATE A HEALTHY SOCIETY! A BETTER WORLD! CONGRATS AGAIN!

• CELEBRATE! 

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