Fair and Lovely or Tanned and coloured Skin?

I come from India, where the sun shines bright everyday most of the year round. Honestly, not everyday you want to be skin burnt, but well its a part of the routine, you use sun screen cream or not, you can't avoid the tan! Not all of us value the sunshine as much as you would when you miss it in England. ;) I am being honest here, I didn't value it. :(

When I was little, I was convinced that beauty and fairness (fair skin) go hand in hand. Somehow television cosmetics adverts like 'FAIR and LOVELY' convinced you that you will get a job if you were fairer, you'll get the right partner if you are fairer. As if being fair should be the ultimate goal in your life. Yes, it felt like that. :) It might sound rather strange to someone from England, but it did. I was darker, and I was convinced that my life would transform if I got fairer. Well, after I started living in England (about 3 years now), I got a few shades lighter due to the weather. My life hasn't really transformed because of that! ;)
(Please watch Fair and lovely adverts (from India) on the You Tube and you'll know what I am on about.)

Here television cosmetics adverts are bombarded with the idea of people look better with tanned skin. Some girls are really obsessed about going regularly to Tanning Salons! Though they know there is risk of skin cancer involved! Is this all about just being what you are not?
What I mean by this is - It all comes down to wanting something in life you don't have and not valuing something that you have.

I got into a discussion with a (white) friend of mine. His opinion is that it has probably something to do with people here thinking of tanned as in related to returning from somewhere exotic. It makes them feel like they had just been on a holiday. Mind you, going on holiday to exotic places was a rare thing 30 years ago, when it was expensive to fly abroad.

Whats the conclusion? - here it is:

People want something what they don't have, and cosmetics industry is making lots of money from that! ;)

I recently came across this amazing explanation of why, how and what things are the way they are today! What is the cause of filling landfill sites and what is the reason that we are so stuck in our ways. A very well explained small documentary that answered many of my questions! Please click this link: Story Of Stuff

I came across this advertisement on Current TV made by Dave Schlafman, an animation director.

Drift of Focus in life! How important is it?

I have been wondering recently about my job. Job is not bad, it is not hard work, it is not insanely intelligent either. I lack motivation, may be since it is not something I want to do. Does work always have to be enjoyable? Or is it that you have to learn to to develop interest in uninteresting things?
Interests change as you mature in your ideas of living life. When you see there is a better side of life, you run towards it. I wonder if it has to do with living in different places, meeting all sorts of people. Having said that, I always thought i don't want to just earn so that I can pay my rent. Money has no value in itself, it is just a means to an end.
There has to be more to life. Don't ask me what is more, I have yet to find out myself. :)

Well, I am not too happy with my work place not being very green. Green in the sense, environmentally friendly. Having said that, I cant find much food in supermarkets which is grown locally.
A friend recently was discussing with me about an article she read in a magazine about the person who bought all local food and went through the hardships of finding his way through a long winter. Well, when Tescos, Morrisons and Sainsburys or say Asda(Walmart in UK) is having so many offers on foods from abroad, it is a tough call to go and find your food from local dealers. Or may be it is worth a try.

I must admit that I am very influenced by the clippings shown on the television about Mother Earth calling for calamities due to human race. I also have started using ecoballs for washing clothes instead of washing detergent. It works fine. Many such alternatives have been doing well recently in my apartment. I admit that there are some things I find difficult to change, habits have sunk in and there is a limit to which you can change your life style. Is it really worth all the effort? Am I going to make a difference in the life of Mother Earth and the future generations?

Mysteries in life are often revealed after the story is uncovered. People not only influence us as they meet us, but leave an impact which lasts for a long time.
When we meet different people, it is difficult to understand the thought process and their arguments about various topics. But only if you continue with that conversation, you see another view point. This view point might open up your mind to another possibility which you might not have considered. It does not mean your imagination power is lesser or you think less. But the line of thought depends on our previous experiences in life. And the breadth of our vision depends a lot on how open our mind is.
Our job is to focus on our goals and keep working in that direction. Learn from past experiences. At the same time, not be biased with the new people we meet now. There is a very fine line between applying what we learned and yet not being biased.
Goals are not constant either. Sometimes they go farther than we think. And at times they come very close quickly, that we lose motivation. Each day we need to find a reason to feel driven to do something interesting, something new that might enlighten our day! Inspiration comes from people with positive attitude and Good-Doers.