Pep Talk> How to Stay Focused in Life

Text by: Tanya Munshi
In life, there are several distractions and always will be. It’s up to us how we stay focused in our head and heart and follow our goals. Here are some tips to stay focused in life.

Time Management
o Firstly, accept the fact that you have only 24 hours and seven days a week.
o Hence, time management is very important as that will help you in achieving the maximum in minimum time and effort.
o Planning a week ahead on a Sunday is very useful. Write down the things to be done in a diary or a white board in order of priority.
o As far as possible, stick to the priority wise objectives and tick them once they’re done.
o Initially, it may not be easy to stick to a plan, but you will gradually see your efficiency and productivity increasing and you will no longer run out of time.

Goal Management
o Set smaller, achievable goals. For instance, if you want to score a high percentage in your exams then your goals should be to study a few hours daily rather than finish studying an entire chapter. If you try and complete an entire subject, it may not only be difficult but it can leave you nervous and under-confident.
o Rate your performance on a scale of 1 to 10, but be honest to yourself.
o Compare your present performance with the past to check your progress.
o Only if you are able to judge yourself honestly can you push yourself to do better.

Personal Management
o Meditation and yoga can help you to concentrate and stay focused.
o Visualize success before dozing off to sleep and just when you wake up. Affirm success and ingrain it into your mind and body.
o Seek advice and guidance from a trusted person such as a parent, a senior, a teacher or a counselor.
o Accept the fact that there will always be distractions, there will be people doing better than you and may be ‘luckier’ than you. But you need not waste time on worrying; instead, use the time to better yourself.
o Study tactics used by successful people, maybe it can give you a hint.

Published in Tips4me.com, on April 02, 2007
Link: http://www.tips4me.com/tips/inspiration/others_main.asp?file=/tips/success/success.htm

Pre-Pet Planning> How to choose a pet cat

Text: Tanya Munshi
Cats are not high maintenance pets like dogs. They are far more independent and reserved than dogs. While a dog expresses his happiness by wagging his tail, a cat will purr and rub its side on you with affection. Here are two main criteria on choosing a pet cat—

Gender – neutered vs. unneutered
Unneutered male cats are of a dominant character. They usually fight for their territorial space when outside and mark their territory at home with their scent. While female unneutered cats do the same of marking their territory, but also go through a bad time during heat. Neutered male cats are far tamer, while neutered female cats are totally well behaved.

Origin
If you plan to adopt a pedigree cat, then it’s very important to do research on the background of the cat. There are some pedigree cats that have distinct health defects. So it’s best to consult a vet before picking up a cat. You can pick a cat from the cat shelter. Even when its origin may not be known, you can get it checked by a vet for any health ailments.

Pre-Pet Planning> How to Choose a Puppy

Text by: Tanya Munshi
You think of little cuddly creatures running havoc in your house. With a little bark and a yelp, their excitement shines bright in their naughty eyes. Their wet and cold nose is their tool to look up things tucked far away in your room. That’s what you can expect when you get a playful puppy in your house.

While picking a pet is an entirely a personal choice, here are some general tips for you to identify a healthy puppy from a not so healthy one, just so that a breeder/ pet shop owner does not sell an unhealthy pup to you.

Pick a pup that is playful and an extrovert. When you visit a pet shop/ breeder watch which pups come to you to play on their own. If possible, play with the parent dog to see how the pup will be once it grows up.

Shy pups are more of an introvert and timid. Not that they won’t love you just as much and not play with you, its just that shy pups will need some more time and effort to make them a little bolder. So, if you have the luxury of time then a shy pup shouldn’t be a problem.

Play with a few pups. Avoid the aggressive ones, especially the ones who nip or terrorize other pups. As it grows up, the pup will continue to be aggressive and you may have to spend more time to train it.

Check the puppy’s fur for smoothness. It should be shiny, soft and silky. Pups with a little rough coat are a sign of not being completely healthy.

Watch how the pups run, romp and walk. As long as they walk and run in even steps is fine. Any wobbly steps would mean some ailment with the spine or leg.

It is not very easy to choose a pet. No matter how practical you try while choosing a pup, emotions do creep in. There are several people who knowingly have adopted pups with medical problems that are either too weak or born with a disability. For a true animal lover, a pet is more of a companion, with whom one can shower all his/her love and get a dose of unadulterated affection from their furry friend.

Pets> Adopting an older cat? Here’s what you should know

Image: An older pet cat

Image copyright: Tanya Munshi

If you want a pet that will be able to take care of itself, then an older cat is the answer. Cats by far are independent animals and if you get an older spayed cat as your pet, nothing like it. Here are some tips on why you should go for an older neutered cat.

Older spayed cats are homely, well mannered and matured. They are usually well trained to use a litter box so that’s a big load off when it comes to toilet training a cat. These cats are already vaccinated, making them a safer pet to keep. An older cat will be a more grateful as a pet, than a naughty kitten that’ll grow up in all luxuries.

During the mating season, several kittens land up in shelters due to lack of a proper home. At the end, they are either euthanized or taken to a home, in some cases where there is already a grown up cat. This would make the older cat’s life uncomfortable – imagine it has been the king of its castle for all these years and bringing in a new kitten will ruin all that. So, by bringing in an older spayed cat, you reduce the risk of over breeding of cats in your neighborhood, and offer a home to the older one.

Pre-Pet Planning> Adopting a Kitten

Image: Tiny life
Image Copyright: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi
You look at cute kitten photos and your heart melts. Kittens are fun, cuddly and a treat to the eyes when you watch them play with a woolen ball or chase a butterfly. But there’s more to a playful kitten when you bring it home as a pet.

Just like a puppy, a kitten too needs to be trained. Toilet training tops the training aspect, then moving on to sharpening their claws, sleeping on a bed or couch.

You should ideally pick up a kitten that is more than 12 weeks of age. This tender age is crucial for these young felines to develop their instincts and skills with their litter and mother. More so, a reliable breeder/ pet shop owner/ shelter will not offer a kitten if it’s less than 12 weeks old. Remember, a kitten should be weaned before being brought home as a pet.

Adopt a kitten only if you know you can devote time to it. Remember a cat can live more than 20 years of age, hence it’s a lifelong commitment that you will be getting into.

Ideally, more than just the looks go for the personality of a kitten. Ask around, talk to friends who have pet cats, attend cat shows, read up books on breeds of cats. Before getting a kitten home get the following accessories ready for the little feline –

~ Litter box

~ Scratching post

~ Toys

~ Cozy bed and last but not the least

~ Love and time for your kitten

It is going to be difficult to prevent your cat from ruining your house. It WILL climb on your curtains, scratch your furniture, sit on top of a closet and what not. Maybe you can try and create something really fun and cozy for your kitten. The idea is your pet kitten needs something fun to play with, especially the ones that will save your household furniture. Visit a pet shop and choose something your kitty would like to play with. It is also recommended that you train and make it learn the difference between right and wrong. Use a softer and loving tone for a positive response and a stern and strict tone for a negative response.

Try and keep fixed timings to let your kitten out. Don’t let it roam around in the neighborhood for too long. It will be more prone to infections, attacks by bigger cats etc.

Pet Diary> Bubbles and Ruffles

Fish bowl - Painted by Me

Text by: Tanya Munshi
I had a pair of gold fish by the name Bubbles and Ruffles; one orange, the other red. A beautiful one foot fish tank, with two baby goldfish were a birthday present by a friend. I have a dog too, her name is Lisa. The instant the fish tank was brought home and placed on the mantelpiece she pricked up her ears; she knew she had company.

I decorated the fish tank with colorful pebbles and aquatic plants. My friend, who had a keen interest in keeping fish as pets and fish tanks, advised that I should clean the tank every three to four days. Since the fish were tiny and were kept in a small tank, the cleaning wouldn’t be a problem.

As the days went by, Ruffles and Bubbles became my friends. My friend was wise enough to get me baby fish, so that like dogs, they grow up to know and identify their owner.

I would powder the fish pellets, so that my infant pet fish could chew with ease. As I would sprinkle the food in the water, Bubbles and Ruffles would happily bounce in the water, eating with gusto. If I put my index finger in the water, the two little fellows would play around my finger and gently nudge it. It felt so good, that tiny beings as those had so much of feelings.

At times Lisa would stand with her paws on the mantle piece watching them swim. I think it must have amazed her to see ‘company’ confined in a transparent tank of water. Luckily, Lisa hates water and because of which she didn’t bother the fish too much.

More than six months later, one day, I found Ruffles dead. Its tiny body floated on the surface. I had just returned home from class and went to say my usual hi to my little friends. My heart broke, I started crying endlessly. My little Ruffles was no more. I called my friend and he stopped by to check. He said there was some fungal infection in the water, maybe something had fallen inside. Fish are very delicate and you never know when and what strikes them down. They are unlike a pet dog or cat, where at least it shows visible symptoms that allow you to take corrective action. A few days later, Bubbles bid good bye.

My little friends were gone. I then realized that taking care of fish was not an easy task, especially when you adopt them right from their infancy. You begin to love them and they respond.

One day to cheer me up, my dad got me a pair of guppies. They were beautiful. The complete novices that we were, these were given full grown fish, which we were unaware of. The next morning, the fish had managed to jump out of the sides of the fish tank. Why? My friend told me, the older fish you get, the longer they take to adjust. More so, they refuse to accept a new place as their home, even if they have lived all their life in another fish tank. Another point to remember is that, in a large fish tank, every fish has a pair. Maybe the pet shop owner didn’t realize that he picked up the wrong pair. The fish bonding is so strong, that they refuse to live without their partner. Hence, it’s always wise to get baby fish.

I have met many people who keep fish just for the heck of it. When they move out or are bored of it, they give it to someone else. But one fails to realize how terrible those fish maybe feeling when they are moved away from their home.