Lessons from Hong Kong
We had an amazing vacation at Hong Kong couple of weeks back. We stayed with family friends who went out of their way to make us feel welcome - with hot piping dosas, amazing Chinese food, entertaining Siddhu for long hours and overall pampering us silly ! The trip also had some great lessons for me:
1. The power of positive strokes: We were watching a live show on how sea lions are trained, and as part of the audience interaction, Siddhu was invited on stage. The trainer spoke to him in Chinese (of which obviously he didn't understand a word ! ) and then touched the tip of his nose with a stick and handed him a chocolate. Then he proceeded to touch the tip of his finger with the stick and again gave him a chocolate. He went on to slightly raise the stick and just looked at Siddhu. To my utter disbelief, he raised his hand and touched it - again to get a chocolate. Within a matter of a few seconds, the trainer could make Siddhu completely follow the stick and even move round and round in circles - just with the help of chocolates. While the audience had a hearty laugh, I was mesmerised with the power of positive strokes and how it can be effectively used in parenting and in professional lives. I learned a very powerful lesson.
2. India is a poor country*: Yes, I said that. No matter what statistics can be shown to prove or disprove the point, the fact remains that our country has lousy infrastructure and lousier choices. If a reasonably well-to do person like me feels this way, imagine the vast majority of Indians who are struggling because of lack of access to good food, good roads, good public transport, good health care, and good education ! Years ago, when I first learned about India being a 'developing' country, it made my blood boil and I thought the process of developing would be complete by the time I am an adult. Well, no such luck. Today, if someone tells me they are looking at getting a foreign passport, I would wish them luck - patriotism has its limits.
3. The power of the human body: We saw the 'Dancing Waters' show in Macau, and though it was steeply priced, it was worth every penny we spent. If ever you get a chance to see it, don't miss it. It was a great example of how training, grit and passion can bring out something superb. Often, we learn such lessons from the adversity of people and how they triumphed, so this was a welcome relief. We saw something executed to perfection and I saluted the human spirit behind it.
4. The Importance of Communication: Both hubby and self were extremely busy prior to the vacation and would hardly get any time to talk to each other during week days. During the vacation, we had consciously decided to have a slow pace - this ensured that we got a lot of time to just talk to each other - and it was bliss ! I felt transported to a time when life was care free and fun !
* Before someone gets it into their heads to sue me, let me assure you that I am only expressing my opinion and not a fact. Also, it is not meant to irritate anyone into taking any action based on this statement.
1. The power of positive strokes: We were watching a live show on how sea lions are trained, and as part of the audience interaction, Siddhu was invited on stage. The trainer spoke to him in Chinese (of which obviously he didn't understand a word ! ) and then touched the tip of his nose with a stick and handed him a chocolate. Then he proceeded to touch the tip of his finger with the stick and again gave him a chocolate. He went on to slightly raise the stick and just looked at Siddhu. To my utter disbelief, he raised his hand and touched it - again to get a chocolate. Within a matter of a few seconds, the trainer could make Siddhu completely follow the stick and even move round and round in circles - just with the help of chocolates. While the audience had a hearty laugh, I was mesmerised with the power of positive strokes and how it can be effectively used in parenting and in professional lives. I learned a very powerful lesson.
2. India is a poor country*: Yes, I said that. No matter what statistics can be shown to prove or disprove the point, the fact remains that our country has lousy infrastructure and lousier choices. If a reasonably well-to do person like me feels this way, imagine the vast majority of Indians who are struggling because of lack of access to good food, good roads, good public transport, good health care, and good education ! Years ago, when I first learned about India being a 'developing' country, it made my blood boil and I thought the process of developing would be complete by the time I am an adult. Well, no such luck. Today, if someone tells me they are looking at getting a foreign passport, I would wish them luck - patriotism has its limits.
3. The power of the human body: We saw the 'Dancing Waters' show in Macau, and though it was steeply priced, it was worth every penny we spent. If ever you get a chance to see it, don't miss it. It was a great example of how training, grit and passion can bring out something superb. Often, we learn such lessons from the adversity of people and how they triumphed, so this was a welcome relief. We saw something executed to perfection and I saluted the human spirit behind it.
4. The Importance of Communication: Both hubby and self were extremely busy prior to the vacation and would hardly get any time to talk to each other during week days. During the vacation, we had consciously decided to have a slow pace - this ensured that we got a lot of time to just talk to each other - and it was bliss ! I felt transported to a time when life was care free and fun !
* Before someone gets it into their heads to sue me, let me assure you that I am only expressing my opinion and not a fact. Also, it is not meant to irritate anyone into taking any action based on this statement.
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