8 STAGES OF the MODERN MAN & WOMAN

STAGES OF LIFE

INTRODUCTION:

Shakespeare described 7 stages of man in 1599.  Life has become changed over the past 400 years.

Population has tremendously increased.
Stress of life has advanced.
Travel has become faster.
Values in life have changed.

It is only appropriate that we redo the stages of man in the modern era.

Each human being is different. So there can be no ideal stages or in fact set number of stages of man.

In fact in this blog man = woman; I have referred to the human being as man because it is easier to type :-)

After spending a life of looking after human beings physically and emotionally, I guess I can be pardoned for staging the life of man in a very particular way! The very idea being, where to stress and where to soft pedal on some issues, to get the best out of life!



8 STAGES OF MAN:

In each stage, the qualities desired are arranged first followed by things which can go wrong! One can read between lines and know what is important in each of the 8 stages.

* WARNING : At this stage (!), if you are reading this on your mobile, I suggest that you go on landscape mode switching on 'auto-rotate' of your mobile, to make any sense of the tabulation! )


STAGE I (0-5 years)

Preschool stage                                            -Needs attention and great care
Vibrant                                                      
Drinks & Eats
Absorbs knowledge like a sponge


STAGE II (6-10 years)

Learning new stuff all the time                  -School blues and woes
Forming friends of similar age
Creative inspiration


STAGE III (11-20 years)

Powerful surge of hormones                   -Wrong friends can develop with
Emotional, cultural, spiritual growth        -Wrong habits
Learns right from wrong                          -Wrong values
Learns good things from home
Deep sense of what he wants to achieve


STAGE IV (21-30 years)

Completes education                              -Thinks he owns the world
Gets job, settles down                             -Thinks he knows the world
Marriage and responsibility                     -Unreliable advice can affect life
Shifting of jobs if necessary


STAGE V (31-50 years)

Golden age                                             -Importance of spouse, parents
Period of maximum productivity             -They can make him or break him
Knows facts of life                                   -Up-bringing from Stg II, III shows
Time to do what he really wants
Has to learn from mistakes
Has to learn to build on strength


STAGE VI (51-70 years)

Realisation life is more than job             -Realises health is wealth
Should've spent more family time          -Bad habits in Stg IV,V will show!
Should've spent more time with his kids-Prepared for major health event
Good habits- good health


STAGE VII (71-90 years)

Grandchildren, family most vital            -If healthy, ok
Becomes show piece                            -If unhealthy but finances ok, then fine
Can be a good advisor for problems    -Should have saved adequate money
Can be a good coach for good habits


STAGE VIII (91 plus years)

Every day is a bonus                        -Good habits of Stg III,IVkeep you sound
Health is wealth                               - Good habits, Care of family have paid off!



CONCLUSION:

The stages of man does not meaning if there is nothing to learn from them. Each stage has a good thing on the left and a bad thing on the right.

If the right is made righter, the bad is made lighter, then the life would be brighter!

HELLO SUNSHINE!

HELLO SUNSHINE!!

Introduction

‘Hello Sunshine’ is an endearing term used to address a person of affection!

Early morning sun shine means a lot to many of us!

I have always wondered if the early morning sunshine is a figment of imagination or a real phenomenon.

As I observe the early morning sunshine, the early walkers at dawn at the back ground of bird tweets, it is always an invigorating feeling! Rejuvenating moment of life!

Even the flowers appear to perk up at the crack of dawn, and become bright and upright at the thought of seeing the early morning sun. They paradoxically appear to wither and dwindle at the dusk with the setting of sun.

The mood elevating effects of the sun appear to diminish as the day goes on. Is it related to the sunshine or the fact we tire out during the day – I really need to know!

What is it about the early morning sunshine which is different?

This has always perplexed me!

Science has shown that sunlight can bring on the elevation of serotonin in brain and enhance the release of endorphins.

Serotonin is a mood elevating hormone and this helps you to remain calm and focused!

So this is really true for humans!

Without exposure to the sun, the serotonin levels in brain can dip. 

Lower serotonin levels are noted in major depressive disorders or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorders)

Sunlight cues special areas of retina (the inner lining of eye) to release serotonin. So being out in the sun…. the early morning sun really helps to keep the mood elevated, even scientifically!

On the converse, when darkness sets in, brain releases another hormone called melatonin. This is responsible for your sleep.

Sun also enhances a higher level of endorphins, a hormone that gives you a calm and satisfied feeling which is what we need, when we face the whole wide world the rest of the day!

Early in pediatric training, medical students have been taught that early morning sun shine is good for the new born babies with mild ‘physiological jaundice’!

Many a patient with low bone density due to vitamin D deficiency is found to be staying away from sun. The long term therapy is to expose them to the morning sun.

Sunlight also helps to build strong bones with vitamin D. It helps to a limited fashion in diseases like rickets (children), osteomalacia, osteoporosis ( old age).

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you!

This is a fact of life!

Too much of sun especially in the light colored skin can induce buns, blisters and even cancers of skin!

So caution and discretion is necessary from exposing to too much sun!

Sunlight between 10 am and 4 pm is not really good for you due to intense sun burning and burns!

More than 15 minutes in the hot sun, one needs to have sun screen (Sun Protection Factor SAF) on the skin.

Still wondering ?!

By the way I never did find out why the flowers brighten up for the morning sun, to dwindle away after sunset.

Is it just photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is the process by plants to gather energy from sunlight to gain chemical energy.

Plants may be more energetic in sunlight! Hence the flowers perk up?!

Violin matters - READING and INTONATION in HIGH POSITIONS in VIOLIN PLAYING

READING and  INTONATION  in HIGH POSITIONS in VIOLIN PLAYING

READING and  INTONATION  in HIGH POSITIONS  in VIOLIN PLAYING

INTRODUCTION:

Intonation in high position is always difficult for most violinists. There is a joke about an angel who  once told a violinist that he could grant one wish to him.. The violinist answered that he wanted world peace ! The angel answered that it was too difficult. But asked what else. the violinist paused for a while and said, "Can I have a perfect pitch (intonation) all the time?" Angel immediately said,  " Mmm, what was the first wish again?!"

As a non-professional violinist, I have always had the difficulty in understanding ledger lines beyond the D on E string! In fact while playing with real professionals, I have seen some of them also stop, count the high positions not only on the music sheet, but also on the actual violin to see where the finger should be appropriately placed.

At the outset let me say that I am not a professional violinist who spends my whole life only on music; I am a surgeon whose passion is violin playing since the age of 5 and finished all the 8 grade exams in Trinity College at the age of 15 years. Also I am not a violin teacher, not read this sort of method to understand from books.

This blog hopefully will help you to know at a glance which the high note is going to be on the music sheet; it will also help you to understand the note you are playing well beyond the third position on every string.

This blog is written hoping it may help others to achieve intonation and understanding of high positions for playing violin, as much as it has helped me!

I acknowledge that only the brown violin image is downloaded from the internet with thanks. However all the markings of position, notes, ledger notes are my own.

PROBLEMS:

I have listed out my problems on high positions first and then gone about with the solutions to solve them.

Problem 1) Difficulty in understanding the ledger line on music sheet

Problem 2) Beyond the 3 rd position, not being aware what actual note I play

Problem 3) The high positions are deployed not only on the E string but also on other strings like G, D and A. It helps to keep with the phrasing and the tone required.

Problem 4) At times one has to start after a rest from a high position. To get to the appropriate high position may be difficult. By knowing the spot on the finger board, the player can climb up using anchor (or ghost) fingers and be ready to play from a silent section and be ready on a high note.

PRE-REQUISITES BEFORE LEARNING HIGH POSITIONS:

Before embarking on the high notes, I find the single string scales good to practice on. One can play single string - single octave scales  on each of the four strings in turns, keeping perfect intonation against the open strings.

Then once the single octave scales yield satisfactory results, one undertakes 2 octave scales on the same string- again on each of the four strings. This practice can take you well to XV position.

Next step of progression is to do single finger scales on each of the strings separately using the index, middle, ring and little fingers – so that fluency in all the fingers and positions becomes a second nature.

Higher positions involve the thumb sliding to below the neck and later to the right side of the body of  the violin. All these can be practiced by the single string scales.  2 octave scales also help one to shift up to position XV with fluency.

SORTING OUT THE HIGHER POSITIONS:

I  have given a diagrammatic picture of the finger board where I have given some anchoring position such as the

I Position with notes (playing up to 1,2,3 fingers) - Diagram 1

III Position with notes (playing up to 1,2,3,4 fingers)- Diagram 2

VII Position with notes (playing up to 1,2,3,4 fingers)- Diagram3 and

XI Position with notes (playing up to 1,2,3,4 fingers).- Diagram 4

To make matters easier to visualize, I have only given these positions , where normally I play 3 fingers on the I position and shift on the third finger to III position where I play 4 fingers .

Thus I have increased the distance by 4 fingers up to position VII and position XI. These are shown in diagrams 5-8.

In the first set of diagrams 1-4, the notes are marked on each string to enable easy understanding at each position. By  playing the notes on the violin looking at these positions, the player ensures which are the actual notes he plays while actually on high positions. This is important.

Advanced players know what their notes are while playing at the lower as well as the higher positions.


Diagrams 1-4 denotes the position on the finger board to show where and which finger is referred to, along with the position of the left hand to enable nomenclature of the note.

Diagram 1 Denoting I position with line at the level of the third finger




Diagram 2 Denoting the III position with line at the level of the fourth finger




Diagram 3 Denoting the VII position with line at the level of the fourth finger




Diagram 4 Denoting the XI position with line marked at the level of the fourth finger.





Diagrams 5-8 show the I, III, VII and XI position of the left hand with the appropriate finger as shown in each individual diagram). These diagrams 5-8 show the notes on all the 4 strings as a cross section.


Diagram 5 Denoting the I position with the notes (third finger)marked on all the stings.




Diagram 6 Denoting the III position with the notes (fourth finger) marked on all the strings.




Diagram 7 Denoting the VII position with the notes ( fourth finger) marked on all the strings.





Diagram 8 Denoting the XI position with the notes ( fourth finger) marked on all the strings

In the second set of diagrams 9-12, I have added the notes as we see them on the ledger lines.

By familiarizing these ledger lines, one is able to recall what each note is.

Then the player is able to play the correct note on the violin.

By doing these several times, the violinist is able to read the high ledger lines and play the respective notes on the violin.

This is useful also in sight-reading the new passages without pausing to count the ledger lines  and also count the notes on the violin.

Diagrams 9-12:

Also as an additional exercise, I have given  the diagram on each string separately with the finger  position on the string corresponding to the ledger line so that practicing them becomes fluent in higher position.


Diagram 9 Denoting the III position with the corresponding notes on ledger lines

Diagram 10 Denoting III position with the corresponding notes on the ledger lines.










Diagram 11 Denoting VII position with the corresponding notes on the ledger lines










Diagram 12 Denoting XI position with the corresponding notes on the ledger lines.

Also if out of the blue after a rest, one is required to play a high note on say G string for instance, one can use ghost fingering silently,climb up to XI  position and get the second finger on G .

Naturally after playing only, one is sure of near perfect intonation. But this exercise to make one as competent as possible to achieve an improved intonation.

ANCHORING NOTES FOR CLIMBING UP TO HIGHER  POSITIONS:

In each string, single string scales are important for fluency. This is more of a longitudinal cross section of the violin finger board for the player to understand.

But doing the scales alone does not make the violinist know what note he is playing.

I have used the following notes on each string at position III, VI and XI as anchoring notes to enable me to know what note I am playing at a given moment.

This when correlated with the ledger lines makes sight reading of music easy.

While doing the single string scales, it will be worth while remembering the names of notes ( anchor notes) , so that it becomes part of you.


ANCHORING NOTES ON G STRING:

On G string,
at position I, third finger denotes C
at position III, fourth finger denotes F
at position VII, fourth finger denotes B and
at position XI, fourth finger denotes E.

Diagram 13 Denoting G string  alone with the notes at I, III, VII and XI position.

ANCHORING NOTES ON D STRING:

On D string,
at position I, third finger denotes G
at position III, fourth finger denotes C
at position VII, fourth finger denotes F and
at position XI, fourth finger denotes B.

Diagram 14 Denoting D string  alone with the notes at I, III, VII and XI position.

ANCHORING NOTES ON A STRING:

On A string,
at position I, third finger denotes D
at position III, fourth finger denotes G
at position VII, fourth finger denotes C and
at position XI, fourth finger denotes F.

Diagram 15 Denoting A string  alone with the notes at I, III, VII and XI position.

ANCHORING NOTES ON E STRING:

On E string,
at position I, third finger denotes A
at position III, fourth finger denotes D
at position VII, fourth finger denotes G and
at position XI, fourth finger denotes C.

Diagram16 Denoting E string  alone with the notes at I, III, VII and XI position.

SUMMARY:

Happy violin playing!

String Quartet by a SINGLE VIOLIN - THINKING OUT OF THE BOX!

 String Quartet by a SINGLE VIOLIN - 

THINKING OUT OF THE BOX!

String quartet is defined by Cambridge dictionary as consisting  of two violins, a viola ( a bigger violin) and a cello ( much bigger violin played by standing it on the floor)!

More than 120 years ago, at least as far as I could trace backards , a technique existed by violinists to play all the 4 strings at the same time.

In the modern era, this is not possible as the strings travel over a curved top...the so called 'bridge' before coming into contact with a bow, generally allowing one or two strings to be played…. well occasionally, 3 stings too. But all 4 strings is an absolute impossibility to play together for long durations!

The modern violin book books do not even mention this technique!

But this problem had already solved by the ancient old violinist, by thinking out of the box.

The ancient violinist took the bow apart by unscrewing and removing the screw. The small rectangular part ( frog ) of the bow comes off  holding all the hair at one end. This is kept on top of the strings, the stick without hair is kept below the violin. The frog is held along with the stick.

This allows all the bow hair to evenly touch all the strings held in a curved fashion by the bridge. When bowed, the tone is even and four string chords are played continuously.

Following is a small video demonstration of how it is done - this is my first attempt at it. The string quartet played by a solo violin.

Video can be viewed by copy paste of the url below in Google!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB4iB3LKdvQ

I learnt a long time ago from my surgeon teacher and mentor Dr Fenn - Always think out the the box. Always know the history of surgery to avoid mistakes or even to call anything new.  This applies equally to music. 

Musician associates who have only witnessed this video(but not performed this technique) have cautioned that the bow handling has to be gentle to avoid damage to the bow hair. In general, violin playing is associated with gentleness, care and soft hands!

Thank you for your interest!

CAUTION WHILE DONATING !

CAUTION WHILE DONATING !

 ‘Go beyond the heart-wrenching story that catches your attention to see some real data” - Minuitti

The charity we are going to discuss is not about the money you give the poor man outside temple, church or mosque! It is not about the old lady who requires alms at the traffic signal.

The charity we discuss is about large amounts of money like thousands to hundreds of thousands of rupees. 

I remember a very affluent friend of mine denying to sponsor the dinner for FRCS surgeons meet saying she would prefer to rather donate any amount of money towards an ambulance for a charity hospital! She made terrific sense!

Newspapers carry news ever so often about scams in the name of charity! Better be safe than sorry!

Why do we donate?

People donate for various reasons  - altruism, philanthropy, trust, social , egoism, or tax purposes.

I often associate with groups of dedicated philanthropists who by conducting large events, raise donations for charity. A large amount of money is collected and given out for charitable causes.

Lakhs and lakhs of genuine, charity money is however, spent on poorly run or fraudulent charities which we do not bother to research on.

There are very many people in our region, in our country , in our world, who require our help by way of money and resources. 

No doubt we need to help them financially! I am not saying no!

Let us make certain that our money goes towards the right cause . Let not our genuinely collected or hard earned money go to a middle man who will help himself to it.

Suggestions if you wish to donate

As a donor you may be a single person or head of an organization.

There are some suggestions to consider seriously, if you wish to donate major money to a cause.

Some of these 15 suggestions given below, follow the principles of common sense. Some of them need analysis and research in detail.

1.If charity needs only wired money to someone claiming to be a charity, it is probably a bogus!

2. If the charity is a new one, without solid reputation, be concerned.

3.The charity or nonprofit organisation should be registered. It must show good standing and should be a public record!

4. If the charity keeps calling  you, by quoting a dying kid or large amounts of money for a single illness, be concerned. Not all the money will be going to the person, but to the overheads of the institution!

5.If they promise that charity money is going 100% to the affected party, then this is most likely to be untrue. We know charities have overhead administrative causes. All we need to know is how much percentage goes to the patient. Charities should not spend more than one third of the donated money for overhead charges!

6.If information about the charity and their operating costs are unclear, then go ahead and ask them. If they are not clearly forthcoming, avoid the charity!

7.If the charity has not shown much of their spending details in the past on the money you had already given in the past, then avoid them!

8.If the charity does not have great reviews, by all means avoid them! Some of the so called charities may be collecting money from many sources for the same cause and same patients in addition to your contribution.

9.If the charity has a lot of money, then be concerned. The money you give is not really needed and will only sit idle, as for as charity is concerned!

10.If the charity is playing on your emotions and claiming to help children etc, do your homework before donating!

11.When it is claimed that money is needed urgently, be suspicious!

12.Avoid charities whose executives make a large income. As a devil’s advocate, it is not expected that the charity executive should work for peanuts. All you have to do is to make sure that charities are reviewed by a  committee on par with non-profit organisations.  

13.Another safeguard is a board of directors with at lease 5 independent voting members who should not be related to, or reporting to the MD /CEO.

14.If you or your organisation is in the habit of giving out charities, do not just give and forget. Always revaluate the money you have given in the past, financial details of how it was spent for the cause keeping, while maintaining maximum efficiency, ethics and effectiveness.

15. By and large, it does not make much sense donating a large amount of money to a single affected person for experimental  treatment / surgery with dubious results. It would be more prudent to know about the treatment offered and its possible efficacy before the large sum of money is donated.

In Brief:

In general, rather than responding to emotional appeals, determine what causes you are concerned about.  If it is about cancer, do you want the money to go for awareness programs, or to research or to patients.

In Tamil Nadu, where  the government resources are vast in health care. There are charitable trusts ( non-profit) and private institutions.

It is worthwhile finding out how the last donation from your organisation was exactly spent, before granting more money. 

Established industries like TATA donate large amounts of money for the designated poor , but they look before they leap. 

By all means, donate! That too, as much as you can! But ensure that it is well spent for the right cause!

Acknowlegement: Pictures from Internet

OUR PETS

OUR PETS

Recently a friend of mine queried the need for keeping a pet. This was raised in the context of a parrot dying and the owner feeling very disheartened and dispirited at the passing away of the pet bird. 

My friend queried if the habit of keeping bird pets (or any other for that matter) is healthy at all, as children would feel really blue at the death of pets whom they loved with all their heart.

ORIGIN OF THE WORD:

Since 1530, pet meaning animal companion, it was possibly from Scots and dialectal Northern England.

Did you know that a dog lover is called ‘cynophile’ and a cat lover is called ‘ailurophile’. The term ‘Phile’ means ’like’ as against the more familiar ‘phobe’!

PETS IN CHILDHOOD:

Though we associate pets mainly with children, all sorts of people keep pets. 

We have always had dogs as pets (Cynophile!) as far as I can remember. 

My sister and I, as kids, had a dog in particular - a mixture of cocker spaniel and dachshund - a black friendly being called Gilly . She used to come with us wherever we went, sleep under our beds and patiently wait for dinner time. We used to drop whatever food we disliked and she used to gulp it all from under the table from the prying eyes of my mother! 

I met the owner of the dog 30 years later; Molly's parents gifted Gilly as a pup to us. She recalled the dog after so many years with ease, including the name of the dog!

Keeping up with the tradition, my boys grew up with dogs too! as does my grandson now! My sister somewhere along the line has switched over to cats!

AS PETS:

Cats in fact are more popular than dogs all over the world.

Even in India, the incidence of pets have tremendously increased ass evidenced by a visit to a PET store or a Veterinary doctor. There are plenty of pet lovers with their pets for advice and for seeking help.

Other pets include fish, birds in India. I have heard of even pet leopards, snakes, alligators etc specially from abroad.

ARE PETS GOOD FOR YOU?

Pets afford us comapanisonship. There are studies to show that the physical and mental health of the owner improve. 

Pets also gives the lonely elderly folks the desire to take care of someone, the need to exercise, someone to speak to and to feel the warmth of a living being next to them. 

Pets train the child owners the responsibilities of life - like feeding, taking care when sick, the need for exercise and the general hygiene, socialization and the need to train well.

Pets are known to decrease blood pressure levels, lower stress levels, lower triglyceride levels and even lower the incidence of heart attacks. 

For the blind, seeing eye dogs help to make them live  with independent mobility.

People in hospice and nursing homes too benefit by physical contact with dogs. These therapy dogs may of different types - facility therapy dogs, animal-assisted therapy dogs and therapeutic visitation dogs.

In fact having pets increases your love for any living beings ! Friends of mine Lydia(Mumbai), Tusna (Chennai) collect stray pets and shelter them till suitable families adopt them.

Many of us pet lovers leave food and water outside our homes for the stray animals on the street!

NEGATIVES:

There are negative aspects to keeping pets too - like lung disorders, fractures to the eldery by collision with friendly heavy dogs, bites or nail injuries, parasitic infestation of the pets.

I have in this blog, only covered the pets from the prospective of a companion and not as a working animal. That is very different. 

I do not keep dogs for breeding or for winning prizes at the animal (dog shows) , nor for selling! Many friends do ! 

DOES CAT HAVE NINE LIVES?

The average dog life is like 10-13 years, the smaller ones live longer than the larger breeds. Ours generally live long than this period! 

Cats live 2-16 years! 

And when the dogs pass away, it can be a heart wrenching experience! 

With the passing away of the pets , the child learns to grieve with the family and I guess this helps the child later on to overcome immense sadness, failures and to face such emotions!

Acknowlegements - Pictures taken from internet