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Expert Advice about being a Misfit!

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 17, 2020 5

Today’s cornerstone content is about expert advice.My blog is full of expert advice,about health wellness,studying right and creating a creative life.

But today I will tell you about something which makes me a different kind of expert .

I am a misfit expert.

When I was growing up and kids were playing,I read story books.When I was a teenager,I read story book tucked inside my text book.But luckily I did read the text book first.

A little older I got into a troubled group trying to fit in.End result- a life crisis I never forgot.A curve ball and I decide I will stop trying to fit in.It wasn’t working and it created crazy situations.That stage lasted for three years.

When I became a medical student ,I realized the importance of faking the fitting in part.I was very good at it.Too good infact. I could almost believe I the story I told myself.

Second year microbiology exam and a horrible exam situation and I totally ditched fitting in or faking it forever.

Life became better.I made lifelong friends ,fell in love and the rest they say is a story for another day.

But if that was in my teens and tweens,I managed several goof ups as a mommy too.

I seemed to suffer barriers to social skills.

It was so irritating sometimes, that I even asked my Pediatrician husband, whether I had some undiagnosed personality disorder and whether it was becoming glaringly real .

He continued to be supportive and insisted, I was exactly the same as before .Was that a good thing he was saying?I wondered .

He said ,

Amrita you just need to stop your expectations from other people.

Yes I had that problem.Expectations about being accepted.I was afraid of not being liked ,I was also afraid of being liked.It was crazy.

It seems the only thing that looks good on me is being me.

I decided I would just stop trying to ‘fit in’.

Life was busy and the entire 2020, I seem to be blogging about things I had no plans to blog about.

So if you are a Misfit remember this from a fellow Misfit .

You are a Unicorn, embrace that.

Dont try to fit in too hard.Just try sliding in.If that works ,great.If not God has other plans.

There’s a reason you are the way you are.Its okay if no one understands. You must understand though!

If you need help ask for it.You will.also find it.

People who love you ,will accept you the way you are.People who don’t love you ,won’t and they dont matter either.

The world needs the out -of- the- box thinkers .You are one of them.Keep that close to your heart

If God wanted us to be the same, he would have made us all the same.

Stay unique ,because the world needs rainbows, not just one colour!

From an Expert misfit to another .

Is China Snooping on the World?Shocking revelations

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 15, 2020 5

Is China Snooping?

Yes according to an interview given by Christopher Balding.

You will find the link to the interview and his paper in the reference section.

Did China hack us?

Oh it’s even better this time.They are data scraping from social media sites which may or may not include hacked data.

They are doing this to every one,they feel are important. Not surprising. though.

Who is the source of the #Chinasnoopgate info?

The data was provided to Christopher Balding by a China based source connected to the company China Revival.

The Overseas Key Information Database (OKIDB) was created by a company called China Revival based in Shenzhen, China. Their client include the PLA and CCP.

Whose data are in these data base?(Source link)

China Revival claims on their website to have records of more than 2.4 million individuals, 650 thousand organizations, 2.3 billion news articles, and 2.1 billion social media posts.

It targets Politicians ,thought leaders with influence. But intellectual property targeting cannot be ruled out.

Political figures,tech figures, influential in all walks of life are in the database

The PM,President, leaders of Political parties of India ,top people in the army, Chief Justice and many People with influence, who sway public opinion.Even crime lords are on their watch lists.Probably not with charitable intentions !

To manipulate public opinion, Zhenhua used open source data.The company mined over 10,000 Indian, 50000 British, 54000 American 2.4 million account worldwide misinformation warfare.

China targets people all over the world for various reasons.It can range from political influence to intellectual property targeting. The data appears used to support Chinese intelligence, military, security, and state operations in information warfare and influence targetting.

What is the possible open source data?

90%Intelligence data is collected from,Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn,for hybrid war.

What is collected?

What you share publicly.

Australian Finance review in a post talks about how Facebook was the largest intelligence gatherer before Tiktok entered the game

Like location, travel,likes, followers, friends can be anything. What you share on social media publicly. Twitter,Facebook Linkedin media platforms are popular. China by using these data is creating data banks to use for information warfare.

OKIDB has photographs of individuals taken from public sites the targets maintained accounts on such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. These photos from public sources of the targets appeared crawled and subsequently stored on publicly available Chinese servers with links in the database for each individual.

The information warfare being touted by Zhenhua targets key people in democracies and their such as the children of politicians, universities,and key industrial sectors. Open democracies need to wake up and scale up data privacy, security and understand the CCP plan.

You will ask,who cares about data like ,birth dates,names right?

It is not only the data contained in a single dataset.But imagine similar data contained in the 200 or so other datasets.When these are combined, the information garnered is powerful.

How can this Data be misused?

It is used try and influence people and institutions and decisions. Manipulate,politics,ground situations,public opinion and policy decisions .It also gains by creating unrest.

Data is power.There can be enormous benefit in forming opinion from the assembled data, craft messaging or target intelligence agencies.

However, the OKIDB is known to engage in influenced decision making processes in China .The Chinese have a unique blend of civil and military power associations. How they will use it is a conspiracy theory Grim Brother’s Scary tales.

China is not a democracy. It recognizes only the state power.Its own.No others.It is not a team player and considers everyone an enemy. It treats its enemies badly and friends worse.

There’s no upside to China getting anyone’s personal data.Their complete lack of respect for personal choice ,freedom and Humanitarian rules.They will use non-traditional warfare techniques. Like Zhenhua targets key leaders and influencers in various sectors.

Open liberal societies cannot grasp the threats embodied in Chinese authoritarian communism.They are sneaky.They use non-traditional warfare and influence operations. Misinformation campaigns are classic weapons .Its tricky to fight.But not impossible.

China is building a techno-surveillance authoritarian state.But they also have expansionist,imperialistic and totalitarian agendas,since forever.

The banning of Chinese apps in India seem to be timely.

What you can do?

Know about protection against data mining.Avoid filling in data in open surveys .

Be careful about what you share online.Avoid sharing personal data, children’s information,healthcare information publicly .

Teach your children about data privacy.

Check ,the browsers and their settings.Check the apps you use.Read the terms and conditions,privacy policy before signing up anywhere.

Its never too late to take care

Resources :

Chinese Open Source Data Collection, Big Data and Private Enterprise Work For State Intelligence and Security:

The Case of Shenzhen Zhenhua

By:Christopher Balding and Robert Potter & Et.Al

Both authors contributed to the writing and research of this paper and names are only listed alphabetically. Et. Al. refers to others who contributed and we wish to acknowledge but whose names need to remain anonymous.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3691999

https://www.msn.com/en-in/video/news/china-snoop-gate-meet-cyber-warrior-christopher-balding-who-nailed-china-cnn-news18/vi-BB190D0c

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/for-china-everyone-s-an-enemy-unless-proven-otherwise-20200910-p55ub5

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/china-s-social-media-warfare-database-lists-key-australians-20200910-p55u95

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6403524/#__ffn_sectitle

Lessons from failure

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 14, 2020 8

Do you learn from failure?

Is failure common?If failure is a teacher ,why does it incite such fear?

Is failure relative? Is it a mindset? Can you change your perspective and never fail?

I will start with a story.

I have failed,in small and big ways.Is this my story.Could be .But the lessons are some,which I have learned too.

Once upon a time a girl from a state in India completed her postgraduate from another state in India.

The choice of the Government college depended on the rank she had (which was good) and her choice(she wanted to earn a higher stipend).

After getting her degree the financial hardships were significantly better.

She decided to come back to her state and work.Being a doctor she didn’t expect a problem. There’s always a healthcare personnel crisis right?

Wrong.

Being a female surgeon who left for education in another state, stacked the stakes against her in mysterious ways.Maybe it was all in her mind.Women you know,they find conspiracy theories everywhere!

She went on to a Government job and did well.But she never forgot the experience. The questions about her family planning activities during job hunts and the extraordinary lack of empathy amongst many.

That was a failure on her part.

A failure to understand human nature,demand-supply issues and the unique challenges females face.

The lessons Failure taught her.

1)Embrace challenges: That’s going to be a super power.

2)Learn to pivot with grace.

3)If life gives you lemons ,make lemonade or use them to play tennis.It’s your choice.Ability to choose is crucial.Choice is not possible in positions of subjugation.

4)Know what brings you peace of mind,do more of that.

5)Find out what disturbs you-Stay away from it or them.

6)Find people in your life who will support you no matter what.Keep them close.Human treasures are precious.

7)Work hard towards your life goals.Temporary setbacks are just that.Temporary.

8)There are no shortcuts to success .Ignore those who say there is.

9)Saving money is the first step to get out of debt.Making more money is the next one.

10)If you don’t like the answers to your questions,search some more.Better yet ask new questions.

11)If you think slow is bad,remember the tortoise.

12)The most money you will save is, from money saved from not requiring medical care.So take care of your health and your wealth will improve.

13)Being free from debt is the most liberating feeling.

14)Take care of yourself ,then taking care of loved one’s is easier.You must refill before giving.

15.Education is the best gift you can give yourself.Teach another person and you just made the world a better place.One person at a time.

Failures are not just stepping stones to success.They are crucial lessons to give you the edge.That’s important to succeed.

(The story is probably a work of fiction .Any resemblance to characters living or dead is purely coincidental)

25 Things writing gives you- Bird by Bird

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 12, 2020 4

I am more of a reader than a writer. At least I was till 2014. Even now, I tend to read much more than I write. But some books after being read, insist I write about them. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is one such. I was putting off writing a review about it, simply because whatever I write I felt would be too little.

Then I realized I am missing the forest for the trees. It’s important I share why I love this book so much. Like Big magic, Big Magic gives you the license to accept your writing. Accept it, work on it, own it, embrace it, whatever you do, write it.

25 Things Writing Gives You

Today for the create #cornerstonecontentchallenge I am creating content that gives the tools needed to change.

Even a year back, I wrote mostly nonfiction, with a few contest entries for fiction. Then Corona 2020 happened, and the Wuhan virus pandemic caused all plans to go haywire.

Featured post

How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!

Health of the Nation Report — Apollo Pro Health

What is a person to do than write stories.? The kind of Writing which is so difficult for me that I forget my current challenges in the real world?

Oh, before I go on. My book What happened at Gour ( A Krishna Mishra Mystery book 2) is free today for download.

Amazon .com link

That’s why Anne Lamott’s words about Writing is so beautiful.

25 Things Writing gives you( 22is Extraspecial)-from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The book is divided into sections like writing, writing frame of mind, how to find inspiration, about getting published, and more.

If you haven’t read the book, grab it now. But if you cant buy it for any reason,I will tell you why it’s such an inspiring read.

Becoming a writer is becoming conscious about your own self, your life, your existence, and your reason to be. If you write with insight caring about the truth, you shine a light that glitters even in darkness.
Writing gives you empathy and empowers your soul.
Writing gives you the courage to be unliked for your choices.
Writing gives you the ability to show vulnerability. The truth may not be popular. But it is always powerful.
Writing teaches you devotion.
Writing gives you commitment.
Writing shows your dedication to the craft.
Writing gives you a direction.
Writing is a way of finding wisdom and truth.
Writing is spiritually invigorating.
It is intellectually enlightening.
Writing is most often a challenge.
Writing is also a delight,
Writers find a focus for life.
Writers go through the agony of self-doubt.
Written words will stimulate and nourish your soul.
Being a writer gives you a sense of liberation.
When you write, you become a better reader. You appreciate it more deeply. You realize how difficult it is.
Writing gives intense pleasure.
Writing gives you a gift of a place in the writing world.
Writing takes you forward.
Your Writing will be someone’s Lighthouse.
Writing gives you a shot at getting inside your own head calmly and finding out the golden nuggets.
Writing helps you fight the sense of isolation.
It will deepen and widen your sense of life.

Sometimes in life, you do things which you never planned. I am a planner, and my entire career was the result of a lot of hard work. While I love being a doctor, my writing life gives me a different kind of joy. Writing has a lot of benefits. But the act itself is empowering because you find your voice. But for that to work, you have to write.

As Anne Lamott says,

the only way to see if Writing gives you all of this is to do what you did as a kid—shut them out and get on with finding out about life.

Are you writing?Share in the comments below how you find inspiration for writing.

About the Ikigai and Being Antifragile (Quick Book Summary)

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 10, 2020 5

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.”
Epictetus,

Are you Antifragile? Do you have your Ikigai all set and shiny? If you don’t know what I am talking about, skip to the end of the post where I have a quick summary of the book Ikigai.

I am taking part in a blogging challenge by Martha and Jeanine about creating cornerstone content. Today’s theme was content that motivates.

I like slow living, the slow life in a small town is something I love. Growing up in the hustle and bustle of a big city I enjoy the advantages city living brings. But now I want a chance to breathe, slow down and feel the life I have built. I am sure wherever I live,I will continue living slowly.

But I had doubts about my thought .Am I right?

Is it a good idea?

Why would slow be good?

I guess we forget about the tortoise in our race to be the hare.

Burning candles at both ends was something that took a toll on my health. Two years back my husband and I, took a decision to take back control. I was afraid, that without slowing down, I wouldn’t be around to see my little one grow up. This focus on mortality happens when you bring a little life to this world. You also want to find the best way to put down roots and also build up.

It’s an interesting thing I realized as a parent. Never before did I think slow was me. But it’s good that I found out this side of me. Because that’s why these COVID times are teaching times.

It’s a way to prepare our minds to stay calm and in the moment.Stay thankful.Take good care of our health.

My idea behind starting a website

When I joined the Medical education service of the Government of West Bengal,I knew it was a transferable job.Both being in transferable jobs as doctors with a nine month old was not going to be easy.

But we were lucky to be posted at the same Medical college for the first six years of our service.

That’s when I realized, it would be a long time before a physically settled location would be possible for me. But from childhood I wanted stability. Economic and emotional stability.How could I achieve that being rudderless? The transfers were often random and not in family-friendly places?

It was not something I knew what to do about. But to keep my mind calm and give my sense of roots a firm holding, I started my digital home. It was healthwealthbridge.com

Naming the Website

In Hinduism two of our favorite Goddesses are Maa Laxmi and Maa Saraswati. They represent wealth-wellbeing and education respectively.

Goddess Saraswati :Goddess of Education (Picture credit Anuprita Misra)

It’s often confusion about what to focus on in life. But the truth, is you need a blessing from both of them. But above all, you need to keep on working. Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Goddess Laxmi:Goddess of wealth and wellbeing (Picture credit Anuprita Misra)

My website is a lot about Health, a dash about wealth, and the essential bridge of education making it all possible.

By now you may be wondering what happened to Ikigai? This post is dedicated to motivation for doing and the Ikigai. For it to work best you must read the book. But if you want to get started right away the following part is just right for you.

About Ikigai and Motivation(Quick Book Summary)

My favorite parts from the book Ikigai (Quick Book Summary)

The word Ikigai– A reason for being.A reason to live.

A Japanese concept of ichi-go ichi-e, translated as

“This moment exists only now won’t come again.”

To remain focused on the life I have now. The work I am doing now.The people in my life now. Life needs us to appreciate it. Because it’s a gift.

Being Antifragile: I really liked this word. Adversaries making you stronger is a cool concept. Gaining from chaos and just growing stronger, is a quality we better develop to survive in this. Qualities you need to develop are resilience, and Persistence, and patience.

Having multiple sources of Income: This is a personal favorite since forever.Don’t put all eggs in one basket when it comes to ways to earn.

Stay active Don’t retire : At least not traditionally. Its crucial for mind-body health. The type of work should be adjusted according to age.This is the reason why I like FIRE and this book so much too.

Take it slow :Its a super simple way to embrace life.

Reconnect with nature: Much needed for wellbeing. I can vouch for green balconies and indoor plants being the best gift you can give yourself .

Smile:Instant mood booster.

Be thankful: It’s the only way to stay blessed. I have a whole series on Thankful Thursdays.

Remember your Ikigai:There’s no other way to do better and stay happy.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:

Is there any other way to live than with Grace and Ikigai?

How do you live ?Let me know in the comments below.

Blogchatter 2.0 Reloaded: Busting Misconceptions!

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on September 7, 2020 7

Writing is passé.

Blogging is overrated.

No one reads anyways and those who read dont read blogs.

What are blogs anyways ?

Blogging community in India is nonexistent.

PRs of media management companies pay late.Are these misconceptions?Or are they truths?

Everything I know and learn while Blogging and writing

I will tell you my story

When I started blogging in 2014 I was blogging in a vacuum. I wrote rarely, shared even less. Imposter syndrome, FOMO, mind scramble everything made me feel tired. I knew I enjoyed blogging. But I would love to know people actually read. That story would have died a quiet death.

Enter Blogchatter

With Blogchatter making an entry in my life, things changed and fast. There was fun Twitter chats with prizes and sometimes just fun. My favorite twitter chat happens on Wednesday at 8.30 pm. It’s called #Blogchatter, if you join in say hi to me @misra_amrita.

But why do you even need a Blogging community?

I found Blogchatter MyFriendAlexa in 2016. My blogs health and wellness improved in multiple ways. Blogging social health is real. Ask anyone who blogs alone and you will know.

What are the Blogchatter Blogging tracks I love

#MyFriendAlexa

Lightscamerachatter

#BlogchatterAtoZ and #BlogchatterEbook

CauseAchatter

#BookChatter

Now with their swanky, user-friendly site bloggers have a cool new way of getting the much-needed content love.

First up what’s new with Blogchatter 2.0

New look to the website

New logo

New user dashboard

What I love about Blogchatter reloaded?

Easy to use dashboard.
All the important links upfront.
Easy navigation
Love the blue and flash of yellow

But what makes Blogchatter reloaded extra special?

The Blogchatter Reloaded tagline : let’s talk about you.

Every blogger has a story. That’s what Blogchatter invites you to explore.Your blog has a science and arts to it.

The numbers are what My friend Alexa and social media Analytics are about. Your stories are what the art is about. Your story is unique. Authentic storytelling and thought-provoking conversations make Blogchatter take India’s blogging scene to the next level.

Guess what are the three tricky questions about Blogging challenges?

Are you a part of blogging communities ?

Let me know in comments below.

Healthwealthbridge Health Wellness Education Wealth

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Expert Advice about being a Misfit!

So if you are a Misfit remember this from a fellow Misfit .

Is China Snooping on the World?Shocking revelations

What you can do?

Resources :

Lessons from failure

25 Things writing gives you- Bird by Bird

Featured post

25 Things Writing gives you( 22is Extraspecial)-from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

About the Ikigai and Being Antifragile (Quick Book Summary)

My idea behind starting a website

Naming the Website

My favorite parts from the book Ikigai (Quick Book Summary)

Blogchatter 2.0 Reloaded: Busting Misconceptions!

Everything I know and learn while Blogging and writing

I will tell you my story

Enter Blogchatter

But why do you even need a Blogging community?

What are the Blogchatter Blogging tracks I love

First up what’s new with Blogchatter 2.0

What I love about Blogchatter reloaded?

But what makes Blogchatter reloaded extra special?

Things you will love

Podcasts by Dr.Amrita Basu

Vishakha Talreja

Roshan Radhakrishnan

Search Results for: health

So if you are a Misfit remember this from a fellow Misfit .

Sharing is good Karma!

What you can do?

Resources :

Sharing is good Karma!

Sharing is good Karma!

Featured post

25 Things Writing gives you( 22is Extraspecial)-from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Sharing is good Karma!

My idea behind starting a website

Naming the Website

My favorite parts from the book Ikigai (Quick Book Summary)

Sharing is good Karma!

Everything I know and learn while Blogging and writing

I will tell you my story

Enter Blogchatter

But why do you even need a Blogging community?

What are the Blogchatter Blogging tracks I love

First up what’s new with Blogchatter 2.0

What I love about Blogchatter reloaded?

But what makes Blogchatter reloaded extra special?

Things you will love

Sharing is good Karma!

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