What To Give Up?

This is indeed a brilliant article and needs to be read again and again ...

Here is a list of 15 things, which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and you'll feel much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering and instead of letting them all go and allowing ourselves to be stress-free and happy, we cling on to them.

Well, not anymore. Starting today, we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change.

1. Give up your need to always be right.

There are so many of us who can't stand the idea of being wrong wanting to always be right even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain for us and for others. It's just not worth it. Whenever you feel the 'urgent' need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question from Dr. Wayne Dyer: 'Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?' What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control.

Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, co-workers, or just strangers you meet on the street just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

'By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.' Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame.

Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don't have, for what you feel or don't feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.

Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don't believe everything that your mind is telling you especially if it's negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

'The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.' Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible.

From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

'A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind.' Elly Roselle

Minimize Your Fear

The Wooden Bowl

The Tao of Forgiveness

The Falcon

A HERO who deserves all respect

6. Give up complaining.

Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things people, situations and events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It's not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism.

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others.

Stop trying so hard to be something that you're not just to make others like you. It doesn't work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you're not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change.

Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change don't resist it.

'Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.' Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels.

Stop labeling the things, people or events that you don't understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about.'

11. Give up on your fears.

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn't exist you created it. It's all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.

'The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.' Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses.

A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck and lie to ourselves, using all kind of excuses excuses that 99.9% of the time, are not even real.

13. Give up the past.

I know, I know. This one's hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening. But, you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for the past that you are now dreaming about was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all, life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment.

This is a concept that, for most of us, is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too (it still is), but it's not impossible. You get better and better at it with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things (and that doesn't mean you give up your love for them because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another. Attachment comes from a place of fear, while love well, real love is pure, kind, and selfless; where there is love there can't be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot co-exist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people's expectations.

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them; they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them; to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people's expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need and eventually, they forget about themselves. You have one life this one right now you must live it, own it, and especially don't let other people's opinions distract you from your path.

All Glories to God!

Self Confidence vs Ego

There is a thin line dividing confidence and ego. Most of the time we get confused and fail to decide whether we are on the right track or our ego is dominating in the guise of confidence. When ego dominates every success turns into failure. One has to be very careful about it. How to distinguish between confidence and ego?

    A man of confidence says that he can do the work and others can also do it; where as a man of ego says that he alone can do it and nobody else can.

    A man of confidence always try to encourage and help others in building their confidence, whereas a man of ego tries to curb and discourage others when they try to come up in life.

A man of confidence always attracts people. Even the weak feel confident and elevated in his company. Where as an egoistic person creates repulsion in the minds of people who try to avoid him because of his boastful nature.

    A man of confidence appreciates the success of others and shares happiness with them. Whereas a man of ego discourages and humiliates others and feels jealous of the success of others.

    There is a joy in working with people of confidence because they are always cheerful and can mix with everybody. In the presence of egoistic people even the man of confidence feel an inferiority complex. They feel nervous to work with them.

    

A man of confidence always commands love and respect whereas a man of ego always demands and expects love and respect.

    Confident people are always successful in every field of life because they can conquer the hearts of all by putting their faith and confidence in others and receive all help and cooperation from colleagues and friends. A man of ego always suffers setbacks and failures loosing men and power because of his arrogant approach which adds only to his worries and tensions.

    In one word a man of self confidence puts his faith in the inner most Divine self, the source of all power and energy and also feels presence of Divine in everyone while dealing with them whereas the ego centric person puts his faith only in his mental and intellectual abilities and skills, forgetting the Divine, which operates through mind and intellect out of ignorance. He applies the same standards while dealing with others. He is only aware of the weaknesses and drawbacks and never realises that the perfect Divine is hidden behind these superficial appearances, which can be awakened by constant training and positive approach.   

All Glories to God!

The Indian Salesman

Dear Sir or Madam,

Good Evening and Good Day to you...

“Working towards success will make you a MASTER.

But working towards satisfaction makes you a LEGEND”.

A keen immigrant Indian lad applied for a salesman's job at London 's premier downtown department store. In fact, it was the biggest store in the world
- you could get anything there.

The boss asked him, "Have you ever been a salesman before?" "Yes sir, I was a salesman in India ", replied the lad. The boss liked the cut of him and said,
"You can start tomorrow and I'll come and see you."

The day was long and arduous for the young man, but he got through it.
And finally 6:00 PM came around.
The boss duly fronted up and asked, "How many sales did you make today?"
"Sir, Just ONE sale." said the young salesman.
"Only one sale?" blurted the boss.
"No! No! You see here, most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day.
"If you want to keep this job, you'd better be doing better than just one sale.
By the way "How much was the sale worth?"
= 93300534.00 pounds" said the young man.
"What"," How did you manage that?" asked the flabbergasted boss.
"Well", said the salesman,
"This man came in and I sold him a small fish hook, then a medium hook and finally a really large hook.
Then I sell him new fishing rod and some fishing gear.
Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast.
So I told him he'd be needing a boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty-foot schooner with the twin engines.
Then he said his Volkswagen probably wouldn't be able to pull it, so I took him to our automotive department and sold him that new Deluxe
4X4 Blazer.
I then asked him where he'll be staying, and since he had no accommodation, I took him to camping department and sold him one of those new igloo 6-sleeper
camper tents.
Then the guy said, while we're at it, I should throw in about $100 worth of groceries and two cases of beer.
The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook!!"

"No" answered the salesman, "he came in to buy a headache relief tablet and I said to him, "Sir, fishing is best remedy for headache "

Boss - "You sit in my chair.......

About Me In Retina India Feb 2013 newsletter

Here is the content:

Multifaceted Vijayalakshmi wins special award

V. Vijayalakshmi was recently presented with a special award by the Brigade Group Rotary Bangalore Midtown Young Achiever Program. “Vijayalakshmi, or Viji,
as she is known to her family and friends, is visually challenged. But Viji is no ordinary girl - as borne out by her remarkable achievements and her unyielding
spirit ... in recognition of her inspiring example of great spirit, perseverance and hard work, we are honoured to present V. Vijayalakshmi with a special
award,” reads the awards citation.

Vijayalakshmi has Master’s degrees in English Literature and in Carnatic Music. She also has completed the Kovida exam, which is the highest degree offered
at her university for proficiency in Sanskrit. She is presently pursuing a doctoral programme, with the topic of her research being the impact of technology
on the teaching of Carnatic classical music, no doubt drawing on her practical experience of using the Internet and video applications to teach music to
students across the globe.

[Editor’s Note: For us, it is a special matter of pride that Vijayalakshmi is also a Retina India member.]

Link:
http://retinaindia.org/?page_id=1624#lw5

All Glories to God!

Viji in Udaya TV

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

This is the youtube link of my profile telecasted in Udaya TV for the program "Siri" on 29th Jan 2013, Tuesday, at 11:30 am.
All Glories to God!

Musicaviji, My youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/feed/?feature=guide

This is the direct link for my youtube channel to view all my uploaded videos.

All Glories to God!

YOUNG ACHIEVER 2012 AWARD

I’m extremely happy & honored to receive the Young Achiever 2012 Special Mention Award instituted by Brigade Group, in association with Rotary Bangalore Midtown.

Here are the details:

Varun Agarwal

is Young Achiever 2012.

Vijayalakshmi and Adil Arif

receive special awards. 

The results of the Brigade Group Rotary Bangalore Midtown Young Achiever 2012 were announced at the awards’ function held at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel

on 13 January 2013. Sugata Srinivasaraju, editor, Vijaya Karnataka, was the chief guest, and presented the Young Achiever 2012 trophy and citation to Varun

Agarwal, author-entrepreneur and a multifaceted achiever.

M. R. Jaishankar, CMD, Brigade Group, presented the Young Achiever a cheque for Rs 1,00,000. Special mention awards, with a citation and cash prize, were

also presented to Adil Arif, Animal rescue and welfare activist, and to V. Vijayalakshmi, a visually challenged musician and online teacher.

Link:

http://www.youngachiever.in/index.htm

My profile as in the Award citation:

V. Vijayalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi, or Viji, as she is known to her family and friends, is visually challenged. But Viji is no ordinary girl - as borne out by her remarkable

achievements and her unyielding spirit.

From the outset, Viji was determined to take on the challenges offered by society and its systems, without seeking any concessions. In the face of apprehension

and skepticism of most people, she studied at a regular mainstream school. When Viji was in the 8th standard, a visitor to her school expressed her shocked

disbelief and doubts as to how a sightless girl could cope in such a setting. Viji stood first for the school in the 10th standard examination. Reinforcing

Viji's strength and resolve was her family. Her mother gave up her teaching career to be able to provide all-round assistance to her daughter. This included

reading out texts and assignments almost daily.

Viji has secured a Master's degree in English Literature and has done the Kovida exam in Sanskrit. To be able to face all eventualities in her career, she

has done a course in medical transcription and in MS Office. She works on her computer independently by using JAWS, a screen-reading software.

Coming from a musical family, and receiving motivation from her mother, Viji started learning Carnatic music at the age of twelve. She is seriously pursuing

her musical interests by receiving lessons at an advanced level from a learned guru. She has also obtained a Master's degree in Carnatic music.

Thus qualified and equipped, Viji is teaching Carnatic music to her NRI students, who presently number fifteen, through the internet. She wakes up at 4

am every day and practices till 5 am. From 5 am to 8 pm, and from 6 pm to 8 pm, she teaches students across the world using video applications on the internet.

Her practice and knowledge of Carnatic music, and experience of using the internet to teach music, is culminating in Viji soon becoming Dr V. Vijayalakshmi.

For, she is currently doing a PhD, with her thesis examining the use of technology in the spreading of Carnatic classical music.

With her unquenchable curiosity and all-round interests, Viji has won several awards and certificates in quiz contests and performing arts.

In her submission to our Young Achiever programme, Viji has included a statement written of her, which sums her up:

"Vijayalakshmi is B Positive in her blood group, as also in her attitude. Despite her visual deformity, she is ever smiling and never worrying. Her only

mantra is 'what next' and working hard."

For demonstrating that whether one may or may not have sight, one must have vision; and in recognition of her inspiring example of great spirit, perseverance

and hard work, we are honoured to present V. Vijayalakshmi with a special award of Brigade Group Rotary Bangalore Midtown Young Achiever Award 2012. 

This profile & profiles of other Achievers of 2012 can be found at:

http://www.youngachiever.in/winners_profile2012.htm

All Glories to God!

My Concert Review

A review about my concert in Yavanika on 14th December 2012 by Shri Mysore V. Subramanya has been published on 17th December 2012, Monday, in Deccan Herald, 'Music Review'.

The link:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/299031/music-review.html

The same review has been published in the Kannada newspaper, Prajavani's music review on 21st december 2012, Friday in Kannada language.

Here are some youtube links of that concert:

Namaf parvati:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2_DevPBDSg

Brindavanam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtKkUjGifo
Enu sukhavo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KBs_IS7tAg
Palise nee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztERGOu7K0




All Glories to God!

What goes around comes around

 WORTH A READ.   This is a true story that had happened in 1892 at Stanford University .

Its moral will always be relevant.  A young, 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money,
he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.  They reached out to the
great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck. And the boys began to work
to make the concert a success.  The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets.
The total collection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for
the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque soonest possible.  "No." said Paderewski. "This is not acceptable." He tore up the cheque, returned
the $1600 and told the two boys "Here's the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give
me whatever is left" The boys were surprised, and thanked him profusely.  It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great
human being. Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think "If I
help them, what would happen to me?" The truly great people think, "If I don't help them, what will happen to them?" They don't do it expecting something
inreturn. They do it because they feel it's the right thing to do.  Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland . He was a great leader,
but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were over 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them.
Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.  The head there was a man called Herbert
Hoover - who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people.
A calamity was averted.  Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover
for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years
ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US . I was one of them."  The world is a wonderful place. What goes around comes around !


Sometimes we notice it, sometimes we don't…......

Thought Provoking!

Life is similar to

the sport of Boxing.

Defeat is NOT declared when you fall down;

It is declared when you refuse to 'Get Up'! 

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Everything is valuable only at TWO times:

1. Before getting it; and

2. After losing it !!

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Two things bring Happiness & Success in life:

1. The way you MANAGE when you have nothing, and

2. The way you BEHAVE when you have everything !

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Two places are MOST VALUABLE in the world:

1. The NICEST place is to be in someone's Thoughts, and

2. The SAFEST place is to be in someone's Prayers.

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One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at
politeness.

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Faith is taking the 1st step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.

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Keep your face to the Sun,

And you will not see the shadow!

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A Deaf child says: "For all of you, I am deaf;

But for me, all of you are dumb."

Moral: Life differs in each perspective. Live the way you want to.

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It is always good to check once in a while,

And make sure that You haven't lost the things that money CANNOT buy..!!

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Ego is the only requirement to destroy any relationship.

Be a bigger person and skip the "E", and let it "go"..!!

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One good thing about Egoists:

They don't talk about other people!

They only talk about themselves!

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What is SUCCESS?

It is when your photos are uploaded on GOOGLE,

Instead of FACEBOOK..!!

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God didn't give us the gift to read others' minds

so that: We could have the chance to "TRUST",

And

have the privilege to be "TRUSTED"!

> =========================================

Always try to forgive the people who have hurt you,

Otherwise they will occupy a RENT-FREE SPACE IN OUR MIND!

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God always likes to know again and again what you want.

It is not that He forgets your Dreams & Prayers;

But He loves to check your passion towards your desire..!

> =========================================

I asked God: "If everything is already written in Destiny, then WHY should I
pray?"

God smiled and said: "I have also written- CONDITIONS APPLY."!!!

> =========================================

Empty pockets teach millions of things in life.

But full pockets SPOIL us in million ways !!!

> =========================================

No one in the world is afraid to speak the truth.

Everybody is afraid to FACE THE CONSEQUENCES after the truth is told!

> =========================================

Getting angry because someone made a mistake

Is punishing yourself for the mistakes of others!

> =========================================

Everything about the future is uncertain,

But one thing is sure:

God has already arranged all our tomorrows.
We just have to TRUST HIM TODAY !!

> =========================================

You can never win people with Arguments but you can defeat them with your
Smile!

Because people who always wish to Argue with you, cannot bear your Silence !!!

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The search for happiness is one of the main sources of unhappiness.

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Diplomacy is an art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that

they tend to ask you for directions..!!

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If a drop of water falls on a Lake, its identity is lost;

If it falls on a Lotus leaf, it shines like a Pearl.

Drop is the same; but it is the company that matters.

> =========================================

Our HOPES should be like Hair & Nails.

No matter how many times they get cut,

But they never stop growing.

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"F-E-A-R" has two meanings:

1. Forget Everything And Run.

2. Face Everything And Rejoice..!

Choice is ours..!! 

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If you walk the way you are guided by humans, you will find hopeless end;

But if you walk the way you are guided by God, you will find endless hope. 

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Memories are always special.

Sometimes we laugh by remembering the days we cried;

And we cry by remembering the days we laughed.!!!

That's Life!

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Sea is there for all.

Some take pearls,

Some take fish,

Some come out with just wet legs!

The World is there for all too

What we get from it is what we try for!

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To smile without condition, To walk
without intention,
To give without reason, To care without any expectation,
Are the beauties of any Relation!

> =========================================

Life is very complicated.
When you have standards, people call it ATTITUDE;
When you are simple, people try to CHEAT you;
When you cheat others, people call you SMART!

> =========================================

All communication problems are because
We don't listen to understand;
We listen to reply.!!!

> =========================================

And, finally:

FRIENDSHIP is like a STICKER.

Once it is peeled off, you may be able to stick it again,

But it WON’T BE as strong as it was when you first applied it..!

That is why ALWAYS TAKE CARE of your FRIENDSHIPS!

The Club 99

 Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.

One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked.  This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy

and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy.

The King asked the servant, 'Why are you so happy?'

The man replied, 'Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill

our  tummies.'

The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the servant's

story, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, I believe that the servant Has not been made part of The 99 Club.'

  

'The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?' the King inquired.

The advisor replied, 'Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep.'

When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... So many gold coins!

  

He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, 'What could've happened to that last gold

coin?  Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!'

  

He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn

that gold coin and complete his collection.

  

From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin.

He stopped singing while he worked.

  

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, the servant has now officially

joined The 99 Club.'

He continued, 'The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and Striving

for that extra 1, saying to themselves: 'Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.' We can be happy, even with very little in

our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all

these as a price for our growing needs and desires.  

That's the "Club 99".