Individuality

Since I have no new thoughts of my own, I will share others':)

This is a chicken soup story I really liked and want to share...it talks about individuality

Mom's Many Hats

From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom

By Gail Wilkinson

A child embarrassed by his mother is just a child who hasn't lived long enough.
~Mitch Albom, For One More Day

Most mothers wear many hats. My mother, literally, had a closet full. And, to my great embarrassment, she wore them in public.

Mom adored hats of all kinds -- the bolder the better. She had rows of tissue covered hats overflowing her closet and spilling onto attic shelves. Vibrant red straw peeked through one bundle, chocolate-colored felt from another, and an occasional ribbon or bow escaped the wrapping. Another child might have found Mom's hat fancy intriguing or exciting. Not me. In the small Midwestern town where we lived, practical, plain clothing prevailed. My goal was to fit in. Mom had a flair for standing out.

One frigid winter in my tender junior high years, Mom and Dad came to a basketball game where I was a cheerleader. Parents streamed in the doors, unwinding knitted scarves and popping off woolen caps. They wrangled their way out of sturdy parkas and canvas farming jackets. The crowd was similar -- bland and comforting. When my parents arrived, it wasn't hard to spot them. Mom was sporting a white rabbit fur hat with a leather bill (and it was "Belgian rabbit! On sale even, from Esther Kirk Boutique!"). It snuggled on the top of her head like a woodland creature trying to beat the cold. I hid behind my pompoms, waiting for Mom to find a seat and remove her hat. Nope! Too chilly in the gym -- the rabbit stayed in place all night.

A vacation photo memorializes Mom's favorite summer hat. The picture was taken on a road trip west, and we are posed in a Nebraska wheat field. Mom is wearing an avocado-colored short set that looks earthy in contrast to the waving wheat at our knees. On her head, however, is a bright orange straw hat with a bill wide enough to slice your jugular if you got too close. In the picture, Dad is keeping his distance. That hat thwarted my goal that vacation, of "not looking like a tourist." To this day, Mom sighs when she sees that photo, looks wistfully into space and murmurs, "I always loved that hat...."

Easter, as you can imagine, was the Academy Awards of hat exposure. One of Mom's favorites had a high, hot pink crown, completely engulfed with magenta flowers placed every quarter of an inch. The flowers carpeted the entire hat. Glorious! That Easter marked Mom's only attempt to pass on her hat obsession to my sister and me. She had purchased flower-encrusted headbands for us to wear. My sister and I remember that day as living proof that one's brain can be perforated by headband spikes. We swear that blood pooled on our scalps underneath the celebratory flowers. On the upside, I only have vague memories of the obstruction that Mom's hot pink extravaganza created in the pews that Sunday.

The mustard-colored English Bobbie hat was perhaps the most radical and surely the most embarrassing. Accented with leather braided cord, it exuded an authority that only a woman of confidence could pull off. Lucky for me, Mom was up to the challenge.I did not inherit Mom's flair for flaunting a fancy hat. I still, much like in junior high, prefer to fly under the radar. However, I have grown to appreciate Mom's courage in wearing hats she loved, even if they elicited public stares or groans from her family.

More importantly, I have received the powerful message of Mom's action: "Be yourself. Don't worry what other people think. When people are looking at you, hold your head high. Even if there's a rabbit on top of it."

PS:I sincerely hope I am not infringing any copyrights(it's there on their website)!

Solitude

I have started enjoying solitude....and valuing it...for I know there will come a stage when I won't have any....of course of course I will blessed then to be in that state....

But for now....it's bliss.

And I guess that makes me a geek :(

Friends

True friends are not just those whom we trust but those with whom we share a comfort level. Recently I noticed that we refrain from speaking our words aloud not so much out of fear of misunderstanding but out of an attitude of "why bother? "

I mean ofcourse we should given an opinion if its something vital ,but true friends are those whom we value enough to argue with them even over mundane stuff. Stuff that doesn't really matters to either. It could some stupid movie, some book, one third person, anyone. Mostly neither is able to convince the other about their opinion, but both feel good just to share their thoughts, even about random stuff. That's comfort level.

So if I argue with you, just remember that I value you :)

Life is a huge puzzle. We each constitute but a single piece as we try to find the place where we fit in the best.

Everyday stuff

It's the everyday stuff that we never notice which actually has the power of turning our lives upside down by its absence. Never take it for granted or when it changes, you will miss it without ever experiencing it fully.

............and we are never ever the same again

"Be happy you that experienced the joy. Not sad that it's gone."I was told.

Yet it's tough. Life changes. You lose a lot to time and space. And you wonder if it was better never to have had it at all.
As I think all this, I am reminded of these lines which probably all of you have read in parts in forward or another :

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

Some people come into our lives
and quickly go... Some stay for awhile
and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware
of the delicate winds of hope...
and we discover within every human spirit
there are wings yearning to fly.

They help our hearts to see that
the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dreams...
and we find ourselves
unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence
of who we are...
and have faith in all
that we may become.

Some people awaken us
to new and deeper realizations...
for we gain insight
from the passing whisper of their wisdom

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

All these people have a one thing is common-for at least one moment, you experience a life with them which you never will with anyone else. And probably , never will again. But that moment will enrich your life in some form and so will remain with you forever.

Readers make any writing what it is

Was just browsing over some older posts and realized afresh how good blogging is. It's a treasure of memories and thoughts associated with them. It's a whole lifetime in a nutshell, light kind of way. In some ways it is better then diary.Even the serious parts have a twinkle because mostly we try to generalize them. So the bitter edge , if any goes away. And whats left is what you learnt from that phase of life. Of course the comments make any blog what it is. They teach you, make you think differently and sometimes just give you solace from the "me too"s in them.
So here's thanking of all the fellow bloggers and readers who ever perused this space:)

Research

Research is like living on a lonely island. Sometimes people get stranded on it and there's company. Otherwise there's just you and infinite space.

It's a place where time and tide hurry for no one.
It's a merry but lonely spring turning into a river which makes its own course as it goes along.

It's about having your cake and eating it too. But it's also about the weight gain later on!

It's a life box on facebook. You never know what turns up but you be sure you will some else with the same status update.

It's like being a king who who has no money.

It's like creating news but not reporting it.

It's like making castles in the air and being able to live in them too. But of course they are invisible so no one else sees them.

It's the equator between heaven and hell.

This song also defines it somehow...line by line...

Coding-a form of self expression

Coding is a form of self expression. You have the thoughts, you just to express them in a way that the computer understands.

Change

People say we can get used to anything. But there are many things one would not like to get used to. Or maybe that's how we feel at the beginning of any phase. Noone likes change even if they are looking forward to it. So of course dreading it , find it any unwelcome visitor who refuses to go. With time you could get used to his habits but you don't want to. It's much better to remember that it's a visitor than will go than believe that "this is the way of life".

But even better would be to take the positives out of any change. For example, in case of the unwelcome visitor, you may realize how you don't want to be. You won't want to come to him so you would work better! If that visitor is loneliness, that you might want to revel in solitude. Use it to do all you never got the time to do because as said here about space, it's never according our needs.

Belief

A rose remains so even from a distance
You may not be able to feel its fragrance
but know you do that it exists

Authors of long ago inspire from a distance
You can never meet them
but know you do that on their words, many souls subsist

Success sometimes haunts from a distance
It may not be yours today
But you know come it will someday if you persist

Loved ones are sometimes apart in physical distance
You can't hear all the words, you can't feel the loving touch
But know you do that the love exists

A new world, a new post

OK! So it's been a while! I know I haven't posted anything in a long time. But somehow I also felt as if blogging had got stagnated all around me.

Well I am back now and hopefully with a more regular thought sharing process in my system. The problem is that to share thoughts, you need to register them. But sometimes, you just like to be numb. Not feel anything. Not think anything. It's not always due to pain. It can be sheer laziness.But usually hidden beneath the layers of indifference, lies some kind of fear. A fear of confrontation of our thoughts.

The title is deceptive in this case. There is no new world right now, for me at least. Just that I am going live the old one differently. Like it is said

"We can never make a new beginning, but we can always start afresh and make a new ending."

It's time to wake up! And as usual, whenever there's work to be done, I end up writing. I guess people would call it procrastination but it does help clear the mind. It's like after a long slumber one needs to a cup of tea at least before starting the day.
AND when pulling all-nighters , that becomes several cups of tea. So maybe that's what blogging all about for me. It wakes me up. It makes me see reality as it is before me.

Would just like to add :

Rasta hai lamba
Manzil ka nishan nhi
Safar hai thoda akela sa
Dil mein humsafar to hai
Par ankhon mein uske kadamon ka nishan nhi
Yun to chalte chalte mur sakte hain hum bhi kahin
Manzil milegi har mor par hai ek nayi,
Par kahin aur jaane ki koi chah bhi to nhi

Ab yahan tak aa gaye hain, ab aage bhi jayen!!!

(PS :I know am a bit rusty ...been long.)
BTW, I like this new layout but more than that I like the variety that's been offered by Blogger. It's been fun trying out different types of layouts.

A flutter

Life is really like a book. You may not turn back but your past will never really go away. It will remain engraved in the pages of your life. Sometimes a gust of wind will flutter the pages and take you back in time whether you want to or not. You can only watch it, can't get into it. So it's upto you to move forward again.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Such a beautiful story and makes so much sense in the "real" world also. Here a few quotes from the same...

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit ........"Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." (Isn't that what love is about universally! )

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." (so true...at least in case of true love)

"Once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." (Replace real with really loved...so true, love is the greatest beauty ever, so one who is loved is always beautiful)

aashayein

aashayein aashayein aashayein
aashayein aashayein aashayein

aashayein khile dil ki
ummedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kuch bhi, nahi kuch bhi
aashayein khile dil ki
ummedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kuch bhi, nahi kuch bhi

Perceptions

There are so many perceptions to life. What may be right for one can seem completely wrong to another.
Wow! It's difficult to actually accept the fact that many times all opposing views can be equally right. But the only person who would know this is an outsider, hearing all points of views.

Life goes on.

Nothing lasts forever

Tan man dhan sab kuch hai tera
Swami sab kuch hai tera
Tera tujh ko arpan
Tera tujh ko arpan
Kya laage mera

Nothing lasts forever though it's still hard to believe this basic fact of life.
It haunts us off and on in different ways as we learn about the fragility of life itself.

Rat Race

I withdraw from the rat race where noone gets time for anyone and everyone just wants to push the other down to outshine.
It's all so pointless when at the end of the long day all of us will lose each other into the same heap of ashes.
From now on I WILL slow down. I will not let this pace affect me. I will not let it make me hyper, "too busy" , angry, self-centered and whatever more it used to.

Kabir- eternal pearls of wisdom

These are some words which may have been heard many times but hold new meaning for me.

Dukh Mein Simran Sab Kare, Sukh Mein Kare Na Koye
Jo Sukh Mein Simran Kare, Tau Dukh Kahe Ko Hoye
[In anguish everyone prays to Him, in joy does none
To One who prays in happiness, how sorrow can come]
..........
If we remain connected to God then we would not lose peace of mind, nor would we be agitated enough to be in anguish. But unfortunately during good times we remain too busy to remember Him. It's only in sadness that we recall this fact ........

Sayeen Itna Deejiye, Ja Mein Kutumb Samaye
Main Bhi Bhookha Na Rahun, Sadhu Na Bhookha Jaye
[Give so much, O God, suffice to envelop my clan
I should not suffer cravings, nor the visitor go unfed]
............
We don't need a lot of money. We just to need to subsist. If we have enough to subsist independently and enough to help anyone in need then we need no more
............

Kabir Man Nirmal Bhaya, Jaise Ganga Neer
Pache Pache Hari Phire, Kahat Kabir Kabir
[Kabir Washed His Mind Clean, Like The Holy Ganges River
Everyone follows behind, Saying Kabir, Kabir ]
....................
Make your nature good. Don't get angry, jealous or greedy. Don't speak ill of anyone. It's not a to ask but it is required greatly.
....................
Aisee Vani Boliye, Mun Ka Aapa Khoye
Apna Tan Sheetal Kare, Auran Ko Sukh Hoye
[Speak such words, you lose the minds Ego
Makes one composed, Others Find Peace ]
..........
It doesn't take a lot of effort to speak nicely with someone., to tell someone that it will be ok instead of blaming them for cribbing. And it gives peace of mind
..........

Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ub
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge kub
[Tomorrows work do today, today's work now
If the moment is lost, how will the work be done?]
............
Never put off anything important for later. You may never get a chance. Adn this is not just for work but anything in life. We get "too busy" for important parts of life thinking we will get back to them later.But sometimes that "later " never comes.
............
Maya Mari Na Mun Mara, Mar Mar Gaye Shareer
Asha Trishna Na Mari, Keh Gaye Das Kabir
[Neither Maya(illusion) Died, Nor the Mind Died, Die and die again People/Bodies
Hope and longing have not died, so said Das Kabir and left ]
..................
We live and die and this continues forever but what doesn't die is hope. Our soul lives on. And that is the essence of being even though the body dies.
..................

Khwabon Ki Ye Duniya Hai, Khwabon Mein Hi Rehna Hai
Khwabon Ki Ye Duniya Hai, Khwabon Mein Hi Rehna Hai
Raheen Le Jaaye Jahaan, Sung Sung Chalna Hai
Waqt Ne Hamesha Yahaan Naye Khel Khele
Waqt Ne Hamesha Yahaan Naye Khel Khele
Kuch Bhi Ho Jaaye Yahaan, Bas Kush Rehna Hai
Kuch Bhi Ho Jaaye Yahaan, Bas Kush Rehna Hai
Manzil Lage Kareeb Sabko Yahaan Pe
.................
manzil pe aakar thame
tab socha to jana ki
kimti the vo raste ke lamhe

Yahaan Sabhi Apne Hi Dun Mein Diwaane Hain
Yahaan Sabhi Apne Hi Dun Mein Diwaane Hain
Kare Wohi Jo Apna Dil Theek Maane Hain
Kaun Kisko Poochein, Kaun kisko Boley
Kaun Kisko Poochein, Kaun kisko Boley
Sabke Labon Par Apne Taraane Hain
Sabke Labon Par Apne Taraane Hain
..............................................and that includes me. Selfishness seems to have a Gaussian membership for an average person.

One doesn't realize it until there's jolt. But even then we are so much like robots that no matter what happens, after sometime we go back to our routine unthinking ways .....and get too busy to live with people. A numbness sets in. There seems to be no other way to live.
Example :Ironically it's often the case that one will be too busy to visit a sick person but not for a funeral.

What should one strive for?

Adult life sucks!
As a student, you don' have to worry about what happens "ahead". Only on how you can make "future" better.
Suddenly you realize this is future. This is your career.
OK , I love what I do. It's what I wanted to do since childhood, it' my dream come true. And STILL I am miserable! And I used to be the optimist!

It's just that you come to a stage of your life when you don't know what is right.

Before you all get impatient, the reason I miserable is because of stress. And stress is not even work related. It's more like finding gold mines after coming a long way in space and time , and not having sacks to fill the gold in...because of administrative difficulties or because your company is too poor to produce that many sacks. What do you do?

1. Leave it?
2. Unclothe yourself to make sacks?
3. Go back and waste time and opportunity

Is there any choice which will not give you stress/frustration?

The rollercoaster continues.....

Again it's been long since I wrote. Well for once there was nothing to write. I am still stuck in the PhD Rolllercoaster. Technically, I took the infinite ride so stuck may not be the right word.To be exact, it seemed as if I am in the down phase of it. But luckily that changes every few days. I make lists of things to do and get frustrated when some of them never get done. But then not everything is within my control even if it is priority to me. I try different things but none work for long. It gets discouraging, then there is a glimmer of hope, my heart soars with it to fall again and the cycle repeats. It's exciting, but it gets a little frustrating to say the least.

What really helped was a conversation I had with a friend. I experienced this saying:

"A friend is someone who sings your heart's song
back to you when you have forgotten the words."
~ David Coppola

.......and it felt great. It helped me realize what was missing. Made me realize that I needed to feed my soul at regular intervals. It's ok to do that. It's necessary to do that.

But the "me time" works only when you are stress free. And that couldn't happen till I had got "proper" work done and not just "everyday" work. Don't ask me the difference!

To sum it up, I took time off to get some work done and suddenly felt whole and relaxed again, at least for a few moments...

Facts of life-Kabir

Kabir gave pearls of wisdom ages ago but they are still so valid...

Chalti Chakki Dekh Kar, Diya Kabira Roye
Dui Paatan Ke Beech Mein,Sabut Bacha Na Koye

Translation :Looking at the grinding stones, Kabir laments
In the duel of wheels, nothing stays intact.

Pothi Padh Padh Kar Jag Mua, Pandit Bhayo Na Koye
Dhai Aakhar Prem Ke, Jo Padhe so Pandit Hoye

Translation :Reading books everyone died, none became any wise
One who reads the word of Love, only becomes wise

Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaise Ped Khajoor
Panthi Ko Chaya Nahin, Phal Laage Atidoor

Translation :In vain is the eminence, just like a date tree
No shade for travelers, fruit is hard to reach

PhD -The Rollercoaster Begins

This is going to be a tough. PhD does try its best to turn you into a geek. It's almost like a physical transformation and each day, I see it in amazement and then I revolt!

Let me give an instance. It's been a little over two weeks since I got back from a 10 days intensive workshop. And today I felt frustrated because I haven't done any concrete research till now! It's not as if haven't been working but at the same time it's not as if I have either! There's a lot " extra work" which doesn't really fall under any concrete category. What's weird is how I secretly felt glad and proud to have been given it so I could have a chance to "learn" instead of resenting the take over of my free time.

It's been the other way round. I resent free time in a way. I go out to enjoy and I come back and feel guilty and upset that I didn't give that time to work when there's so much I "want" to do. One (or rather any geek) would wonder why I go out then at all. Because I want to. I want to remain NORMAL and remain ME.

And what I see around me people enjoying their lives. And I realize that I can't just wait because by the time I am out of here , I will be ancient. Already I feel old. Recently I saw a typical MBA group working. In the field where they went so that they could "make noise" and discuss. And that was their assignment. Sometimes that is it. With no exams!!!

And here I snap if anyone gets me a little late. I seem to make life hell for close ones. This is now. What happens later? I see married people giving "home" priority over work. And sometimes I just can' imagine myself doing that. Study is not just work. It's a form of meditation. It's sometimes even sacred. And it takes over life.It's like being married to work. And I feel guilty for what this would do to someone close. Is the only alternative to remain alone? I don't want that.

For a few moments I wondered why I am doing all this. Then I realized..I enjoy it. Hell! Heaven! It's all here. It's my life. It's the only place I belong. I could never exchange it for any amount of "fun" or any high paying job.

But yes, I do also want to enjoy, love and relax. And I WILL.
So..................................
.....................................as minors and deadlines get nearer...............I blog! And look for time management techniques! Maybe the best one is not to think at ALL.

Tag....Five things on my mind just now.....

I am finally taking this tag of Geetika's. Maybe that I will also get to know what is in my mind.
Hmmmm let's see...

1) I want to go out with friends. More specifically, I want one more day to hang out as we did in B.Tech and at the same place. I still miss that.

2)I want to have a week full of good soulful thought-provoking conversations that were "common" when friends were near.

3) I can see things changing. I know they have to. But I wish they won't all of the sudden.Just because I may remain a student doesn't mean everyone else will but it doesn't stop me from missing company.

4) I wana be better. I don't want to hold onto close ones so tightly.

5) I wana really get started with work properly and really get into it(weird!!!)

I tag Taps and Ash.

A new year and a new PG Express

It's been a long long time again. And this has marked a brand new phase in my life.
Yes, I have taken the next step in post graduation.PhD.

Finally all confusions and cryptics end here with this one word which will now define maybe the next many years of my life. It' s exciting and it's scary. At least it's a little less lonely. But that will keep oscillating as people come and people go and I become a fixture in the lab.

If I go in order to list the steps I took/ or life took for me for the past year it would this way:
1)Clarity-Jan
2)Clarity-Feb
3)Confusions-March
4)Confusions galore! -April
5)Action-May
6)Relaxation-June
7)Look busy , do nothing. "Chakkar kaatna"-July
8)Nostalgia-August
9)Independence -September
10)Busy bee work-October
11) Why me work-November
12)All pieces fit in place-December

All this has been followed by "B" part in this this year so far :

B part
1)Relaxation-a week off from the mobile , computer and work in pure fresh air with loads of walk, novels and family time-perfect!
2) Chakkar kaatna
3)Why me work
and moving onto ....
4)Independence at a price.

Wow! No wonder I feel at the end of each day as if I have lived a week! What with an entire months emotions getting covered each day!

BTW HAppy NeW YeAr to all.

My resolutions? Skip top busy bee phase or even work phase!

P.S : I am not a geek , I am not even dignified or "grown up" , I am not brilliant. I even get lazy and am not always hard working.

But I just wanted to do this. I am stubborn, lucky sometimes and very much loved. So maybe that way lucky always.

:)

Hai Khoobsurat Yeh Pal
Sab Kuch Raha Hai Badal
Sapne Haqeeqat Mein Jo Dhal Rahe Hain!!!!!

Hide me :(

Wordless

It's certainly been a long time...again. I guess I just don't have words.
It's like I had taken time off "normal life" for these 6-7 months. And now I am soon going to find out where I stand in the real world. But no matter what the judgment, the experience has been worth it. I have learnt a lot more than I expected. And it's been an enriching time. Some may say it was somewhat like a break. It was in the sense that I didn't have as much stress about everyday stuff. But I probably worked even more than before. I definitely had more responsibilities than ever before. And yet I got a chance to explore life and be spontaneous. And some of those decisions actually paid back well. In other cases, well at least I tried and enjoyed!

I also got a chance to think a bit. The things which would have earlier affected me a lot suddenly aren't as important. Yes I can still be a baby about some small issues but I don't mind admitting what I believe in. I don't mind admitting my weaknesses. At the same time, I was able to assess my strengths.

Just when I need to work the hardest, blogging comes to my rescue like an old friend. Somehow high pressure work and blogging just do go hand in hand.

Well of this is just random thought scrunched up together like my jumbled up hair.
Make sense out of it if you can!

I guess the gist is just "I took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference........................................................................
........................................................
........................................................
.........................................................
...........................................................but I don't know yet in what direction!

Fun or the usual ?

A month or so and I feel as if I have ripped myself out of the bloggerworld forever. Strangely enough, there was no reason. Life was the same. Mundane. Well not even mundane because exciting things also happened and they continue to keep happening. But something seems missing. Life seems boring despite changes. After a while, the usual fun activities aren't fun anymore. They become just that-usual. They eat up out time and yet give you no real pleasure. Like watching any series or playing games like "Farmville" or even going out to the same place always. Life needs novelty. Like reading or watching a movie. The good thing is that they end. They don't possess you for very long. Few days at max. But these other activities don't go away. They possess you and drive you away from activities which are actually fun. They eat up your time.

Same way, eating same thing everyday, even if you love it, will make you lose its flavor after a while. And all you will gain will be fat.

Same reason why people generally don't take up their hobbies as work because after a while someday, work will just work. Whereas hobbies will retain your passion because of their very irregularity.

And in the same, people probably tend fear marrying the one they love or loving their best friend. Because as you move from one level to the other, the comfort increases but that also means the passion relaxes into its own comfort zone.

Comfort though does have its advantages but living requires much more. And so does writing. Writing and comfort do not go hand in hand.

Burn your boat

The term burn your boat in crude terms means to take an irreversible decision.
Here are some interesting articles I want to share on the same.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Burn-The-Boats---Finding-Passion-in-Your-Life&id=545736...beautifully said and the para about about being afraid of "them" is exactly I keep saying! Liberating to read it!

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, and then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe .

Very true. Gandhiji also said something thing similar in his book The story of my experiments with truth :
"The freedom and joy that came to me after taking the vow had never been experienced before. Before the vow, I had been open to being overcome by temptation at any moment. Now the vow was a shield against the temptation."

My best friend's wedding

I watched this movie recently but was disappointed by it.They call it a romantic comedy but if people like those can't get together after 9 long years, it's a tragedy.

Think about it

Though we do all we can to stay happy, I think deep down, we find comfort in pain also. We couldn't do without it forever.

To forgive is maybe right but to forget only divine

I have been pondering over this for quite some time now whenever I hear the two opposing views each held equally strongly. One says "I don't believe in forgetting even when I forgive" and another says "Do not forgive if you can't forget".
Which do I believe? Ideally it would be right to forget if you forgive and for a long time I disagreed with the former train of thoughts. But what about learning from your mistakes? When someone wrongs you, you try to learn to guard yourself not just against similar situations but also similar people sometimes. Forgiveness is releasing yourself and the other person from any hard feelings. But trust broken is not always reparable. After the hurt comes the anger and after that again hurt , finally culminating in peace when you don't feel anything much. At that stage it would be criminal to expect a person to forget that their trust had been broken and go back to the same situation. Trust is like the ship of a relationship. Once broken, its drowned forever. You can retrieve mementos to remember it by but you can't mend it. But does that mean that forgiveness itself is not possible sometimes or that one can't forget even after forgiving? I wonder still.

Lazy work days

I don't yet know the future course of action. But I know one thing, life will decide what is best. Sometimes the decision isn't yours even after all your pondering! And it feels right that way also because each piece of work has it's own importance and ultimately can make the most of whatever is given. The important thing is remember youth is for work and whether or not you have external motivation, it is your duty to toil hard. It's just that self motivation is HARD. But trying new activities keeps life exciting and helps at times.

One thing that I have noticed is that I try to get rid of all distractions by giving way to them before getting to work. But by the time that is done, there is no time left for work!!!

Well it's not completely wrong , as it is said " Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first."

OK so now I am confused why I even wrote this post!

Of my dear …

As I come to my abode
I feel pleasure at thy presence again
Thy will be there waiting as ever
Sameness so comforting
Yet outwardly changed enough to be riveting

No matter what storms the day brings me
I know I can come back to thee
No words are required
None indeed are said

As I devour each lanky inch
I consume each part within my grasp
As my hunger satiates and I can only gasp
At the pleasure of consuming thee maggi!!!

Kudos to Kapil Sibal

Kapil Sibal's new poem portrays beautiful thoughts...at the least the man is trying to understand young minds. After attending a few functions in which he spoke, observing recent changes and reading this poem, I feel this man will make a difference. Here's the poem

Please rid me of this awful load
preparing for the class X board

My thirsty mind craves to create
Not have exams decide my fate

My wondrous eyes yearn to explore
Much beyond my classroom doors

My dreams should not be cut to size
Because I hate to memorize

If you test me for brains and guile
Don't have to look at percentiles

Marks encourage one upmanship
a free ride on an ego trip

With textbooks I should start to surf
Inquiringly look for new turf

Walk away from the trodden path
And not invite my teacher's wrath

Solving a sum will help find
Real answers to a questioning mind

Create the space for me to run
Let learning be a lot of fun

"Ab yahan tak aa gaye hain, ab kidhar jaayen?"....again

"Ab yahan tak aa gaye hain, ab kidhar jaayen?"
And the soul-searching continues.............

I don't worry about whether I will get what I want or not but about whether I will choose what I want. No it's not arrogance. Far from it. It's just a firm belief that we get what we really want. The theory has gained popularity,....be it Alchemist or The Secret.

But here the problem is the realization of what I want for the rest of my life. Not for just me, but for any of us going through the transition stage.

Do dreams last a lifetime? Or do they change as we grow? It's actually very difficult when you are at the brink of your dream coming true. You don't know what next. But worst still what if you don't know if it is still as dear? Sometimes it's just fear, sometimes shear laziness. If so you overcome them and move on. If you hear a voice deep inside your heart, just follow it, no matter how crazy. God will lead you then. Some dreams remain embedded within you. Don't lose them.

And yet I wonder is life all about just rushing after dreams? When do we slow down? Is that only to be left for old-age?

A very confusing post indeed, I know!

Aloneness-lonliness-aloneness

Solitude is nice. One who enjoys it the most is the loner. But his journey should not be despised. He has what many carve. Self-dependence. But there are two sides to every coin and one has to experience that in life.

You may think you value your aloneness without being lonely, but you still get used to being around people with time. That time you miss solitude. But when those people go away, suddenly the aloneness that was dear to you becomes loneliness.

The worst kind of loneliness occurs when surrounded by people. But sometimes even that seems better than not having people around you. Living souls are comforting to have as a part of the environment. They don't eliminate your loneliness but they make it less creepy. Yet sometimes they aggravate the situation. They don't understand lonely don't want to be pitied. The only way this helps is you realise you enjoy your solitude more than such favours.

From aloneness to loneliness and back to aloneness. It's a vicious circle.

Nothing lasts forever.

If we actually believed this, we could probably never get through life.

Writing

Read this in the Chicken Soup for the Writers' Soul.

"I have come to believe that there are no new photos and few new stories, only unusual recombinations of things that have been told before. But what is new, and fresh and original is the author's lens through which these situations are viewed. Our gift, and consequently our responsibility as writers, is to view life situations in our naturally unique way and report the truth about their meanings and values to the reading public so they can have fresh insight into the human condition. We are each unique in the universe and therefore, so are the stories we tell."


Despite reading more than 10 Chicken Soup books and numerous storied from others, I can never get tired of them. I especially loved this one. It's freshly inspiring and a "must read" for anyone who is writing or wants ever to write.

Reading Tag

Read an interesting tag idea from here.

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Mark in red against the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.



1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Can't believe all I have is 23!
However, now I have an excuse to read more:)
I tag Tapasya, Geetika, Phoenix ,Bhushan and Ash

Finding a match

Read this post of tapasya's
Couldn't resist replying here :

Finding a match is somewhat like finding the correct expensive shoes. You can't rush it and you have to try them on and know you are comfortable otherwise you are stuck with them and can hurt yourself seriously because once you have invested in them, you will be sure to continue using them!

Joy of Giving

This concept seems really interesting. 7 days 7 gifts.Each day give some gift to someone different...something they will appreciate. Doesn't matter if it's big or small or whom you do it for.

Just do it:)
More details on this link : http://www.joyofgivingweek.org/

This is it

This is it my dear friends
The road has a new bend,
It's forked in many new ways,
Scattered we have to move on,
Towards our separate means and ends

Together we cheered
Together did we cry
Moments of togetherness will bond us still
As we picture good old times
Comforting each other as the world jeered

Let changes not set us apart
Be those in the physical sense
Or those of our inner selves
For we will grow in our separate worlds
But we need not part at heart

FRIENDS

Serials are addictive! I mean novels calm you down whereas serials make you hyper. Still we love them. Been watching "Friends" recently. It' over now. At least 200 episodes of it (missed the beginning portions). At first I just liked it for being funny. But gradually I realized it's much more than that. It's about importance of true friendship-the kind in which you really care for each other. It's about actually believing in the happiness of the other even if you aren't part of it, about the beauty of forgiveness- when someone truly needs it, getting someone gifts without you being the giver and lots of more. Basically it's about love-for each other. None of these are new lessons but they are portrayed so realistically that it's not preachy. It actually touches you deep down while making you laugh. The characters are humanistic, not ideal. They are a weird group of people bunched up together by chance and also by choice. They all have their moments of insecurity, jealousy, pain, sadness , humiliation, even anger and manipulation. But they don't stray away from goodness in the real sense because they still care for each other.

I wish it wasn't over. But I am perfectly satisfied by it's ending. That's what happens in real life. We move on. After a particular time, we all have major changes in our loves and our priorities change. But it gives hopes that true friendships never do. They just evolve.

It's something everyone must watch at least once. (I guess most already have, I am late runner here!).

Elasticity

The more I get pushed down, the harder I will come up, like the rubber ball.

Cool

Just loved this!
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/interview-detail/389/2983/An-interview-Celina-Jaitley.html
Way to go!
The reason I like is simply because I don't that him. He's too self-righteous. If all he wants to do is promote Indian culture and if he is really non-materialistic then why is he charging everyone for it? Why not just do it free if his needs are so few?

Movies I watched recently

Two Week's Notice -Sweet and romantic, funny.
Wall E - Worth a watch at least . Good message but first half's a bit slow.
He's just not that into you- ALL girls need to watch this! Really! Shows you some realities of life while is still light
Confessions of a Shopaholic- How far is too far? Watch and find out.I am a read-o-maniac!
Father of the bride I-Really made me understand things better. How true it all is! Can't believe I never watched it earlier.
Bride Wars - Competition exists even between best of friends, sometimes on big things, sometimes on little but in the end true friendship still wins. It's hilarious but still touched me.
Twilight- Hmmm...it's OK. Exciting. Scary to watch at night! Would like to watch the other parts
Marley and Me-Funny and touching. It's about the dog but what I like was the lesson that sometimes you don't get what you want but life makes for it and you love what you get.

Princess Diaries- Watched it again! Courage is not about not being afraid but it's the realization that something is more important than your fears.
.......................................................
Really like the variety...they all cover some unique part of life and emotions.

I am loving it!At least 20 more to go!:)

The transformation

It was lovely dream of being surrounded by novels until I was suddenly jerked up by my dad saying “Your school friend Nina is here.”
“What??? Oh no!” I groaned. I was barely ready and I had called my college friends over today later on. “How come Nina was here so suddenly?” I wondered. She was supposed to be in Mauritius.
Anyway I made my way out and started getting ready. Said “hi” to her sleepily and went to brush my teeth (everyone says I take hours in that!).
From a distance I was shocked to see her in a "cute pink" dress. Cute definitely never defined. her . 'Hot' maybe
Suddenly she was behind me.Closer up, I realized she was more elegant than ever before. Gone were the short skirts and wild attire. She seemed covered but in a nice way.
“You didn’t even give me a welcoming hug,” she said, her facing crumpling.
I was shocked. “Is this the same girl who used to say I was over-sentimental?”
Little did I know, the shock had just started.
“I wanted to give with you once I smelled better”, I smiled and consoled her.
We started talking. Gradually the purpose of her coming seemed to dawn me.
“I am getting married soon”, she said.
“What????? To Akshay?”, I screeched.
“Ha, that’s funny, especially since he’s had a crush on you since forever”, she said bemusedly but there was sadness in her eyes.
This was all news to me.
“Then whom?”, I wondered allowed.
“Bob Mason”.
“Isn’t he your boss?”
“Ya”
“But you never mentioned loving him. You said was cute and cuddly but not exciting. Since when have you been going out with him?”
“Well we have known each other for 3 years now”
“But do you love him?”
“What’s love? I have been out with a million guys. I thought I loved one but it doesn’t last. At least Bob loves me. We can have a stable life.”
I wondered if I was dreaming. This was one girl whose middle name could be “fun”.
Her funda was to have fun and let go. She always used to tell me I was too uptight.
“Nina, tell me truly why are you marrying him”
“There’s no one there. Parents are in a different country. My sister is terribly sick. She ..she won’t get better. I have no friends there. I don’t want to come back either.” she whimpered.
“Hey it’s ok. It will all be fine just relax”, I tried to reassure her.
“So you are getting married soon”. It was more of a statement. “When?” I was still trying to absorb all this.
“Next month 5th”
“What????”
“So soon? How could you not tell me? What if I can’t make it?” I was hyper again. It was just 2 weeks away and I also realized it was on the day of my convocation. Hmm, it was going to be tough.
“I am sorry. But I really want you to be present. In all this stress I have missed having friends, especially you. You are one friend I truly trust and also my oldest friend. I want you to be my maid of honor. I will delay it if required but it will mean reprinting of cards. At least I haven’t distributed many”
“Of course I will be your maid of honor. Don’t worry about anything, we will manage. Just be happy and relax. It’s my convocation that day but I will with you the minute it gets over.”
She smiled. And with that I bid goodbye to my best friend the girl and wished luck to the woman I had met that day. I didn’t know how right her decision was. It wasn’t for me to question. But all I can say is,
“Life is strange with its mazes and sometimes you find paths you never knew existed. At other times, you back to the paths you once rejected. It takes time to realize it’s ok whatever path you take...they all lead to growth of character.”

.......................................................................................................
This piece of work is purely fictional and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.

I can't..................

...................complete at your leisure........

Sometimes it's relieving to be grumpy.

I can't write :(.
I can't ........the list is too long :(
Why do I try? Is it worth loving and trying things you aren't good at? Are you actually any better than those who don't try?

I don't know. I always thought that it's our choices which make us different. There's nothing we CAN'T do. But I don't know.

Answers anyone???

Friendship and sacrifice

"If there was just 1 seat available for a job, would either you or your best friend be willing to give it up for the other if one wanted it a little more but both had nothing in hand?"
"No"
"Then you shouldn't call each other friends. Only competitors".

So many time sit happens, something rattles our very soul because we don't have an answer that particular time. Blog is helpful this way. I would like to answer something a bit similar".
No, I don't believe either of them needs to give up for the other and I don't think either would expect that also. Simply because I don't believe friendship means sacrifice to this level. Not in today's world. To help one another is one thing. To give your time is also fine. But there is a limit beyond which you only do things for family. Because that's where you belong. They represent you. Friends don't, even if that seems harsh to some. So if you are asked to give up something which could hurt your family, even if just feelings-wise, or something which goes against what you feel you are meant to do, then I feel it's ok to refuse. Work is also apart of you, and if you love your work then it would be injustice to yourself to lose out on it.

And I don't believe friendship can't have competition. I used to hate competition. Maybe i still do. But I realize one can't exist without it. But it is possible to have a co-operative kind of competition with each helping the other. In that all can win to some level. But withdrawl is not an option. Neither is giving your best or seizing the opportunity bad. It's only bad when you push someone deliberately. It's also bad when you turn a blind eye to someone who has fallen. But not otherwise.

It's different world. Sacrifice is exists but it need not be unlimited.

Speedpost

Been reading Shobha De's Speedpost. In it , the author writes letters to her children on various issues of everyday life, things she couldn't tell , things to be remembered.

I thought of saying it's not a common novel but then no novel is common. There is at least one person who enjoys and even loves any particular novel.

But this one is a must read. It would do well as a family reading also....hmmm...that's a new concept that needs to be explored....

Here are a few thoughts that I really liked from it (black portions are explanatory, rest is quoted) :


Who cares if you follow social norms at the expense of our loved ones? Nobody does. Then why do we do it?Because we adults are cowards. We get our priorities wrong. We give undue importance to unimportant things. Basically we are fools.

Women are not encouraged to display overt emotions, especially if they are negative - never mind their validity or context. ....i resent the idea that I have to be calm, composed, an angel of good humour at all times ............it's unrealistic.


Do childrens' calls have to deal with emergencies? Can they not be about sharing a small moment, a thought, a feeling? Yes, it's extravagant but for me it's essential to stay in touch and any price is worth that electric charge that I get when, in a strange city at an odd hour in an unfamiliar setting, the shrill of a cellphone nestling in my handbag galvanizes me into action.

I regret that you don't have a dish that you associate exclusively with me.

In my anxiety to keep up with your world.....but I should have invested the same amount of time drawing you into our world, your grandmothers' and mine. Then we could have participated in each others' world more fully, more completely.

It's such a warm, comforting thought to that there are at least three individuals in the world who know you inside out and what's more , accept you exactly the way you are.They have seen you at your worst... Nobody had judged you. You have slipped up, been insensitive...Oh well, these things happen.

How could she possibly know the pleasure of hearing high-pitched voices coming home joyfully, knowing with certainty that their mother would be there to greet them?


You will do fine...even if you a get a little less marks...I want you to look at the bigger picture. To learn to be curious, to be alive, to absorb, to enjoy.

It wasn't the question of defiance alone. I preferred to make my own mistakes.

...how much more fun it is if you're lucky to be married to someone who shares your progress with you, enjoys the journey with equally and is there to hold your hand every step of the way and say 'Bravo' when you succeed and 'Don't worry' when you fail.

Will add more ....this book is one to be absorbed...not just read.

200 posts and going......

It's been a while. No, I still haven't got in touch with myself. Sometimes it's not so easy. When did studies start? School? College? Grad school? At least after two years of "proper work", it's difficult to suddenly realize you are "free". Free from what? The daily schedule becomes a part of you. It difficult to suddenly get to know that you can no longer come your college, that you have no work for at least a few weeks or maybe a month. My friend maybe rightly called it the "IIT withdrawl symptoms". But it makes you feel old. As a child I always used to ask people, when do you finally grow up? Hmmm....maybe never at heart. But here are a few symtoms when you can safely consider yourself grown up in the eyes of the world, whether you like it or not :

• When the average age of crickters is less than yours. (it really came as a shock to me!)
• When your peers start getting married.....a weird nostalgia and refusal to accept the situation will overwhelm you
• When you can no longer delay deciding what you will do for the rest of your life. When you talk of further studies, suddenly people think you have gone crazy. But well that's the one thing I know I like doing and it feels safe. Do people still study just for the sake of learning and instead of career opportunities?
• When you realise you are too old for certain of your dreams. OK so you are never too old but ya, you would no longer be appreciated for a particular mastery.
  
• When you yourself wonder about married life and accept or fear it not as some"maybe" in distant future but as a reality.
• When you worry that you really will never grow up despite your age :( . I mean parents pamper you most of your life and now someday you would be expected to follow those footsteps, be responsible for not just yourself.No more tantrums or sulkings. Be an adult in real life. It's chilling!

Any suggestions?
One thing that doesn't make me feel so is that this is my 200th post :)Long live blogging!

Let me get in touch with myself before I get in touch with the rest of the world....

What a happy birthday:)

As you can guess it was my birthday today.....and what a day!
Generally I avoid writing personal stuff in blogs but this one for all those who have been part of it...especially...some special few ...the fantastic five.............
or......................... the sensational six if I include myself :P

Imagine having a birthday and almost no one wishing you at midnight except ... lets leave it at 'except...' :D
Well that's how it started. It gave me a chance to introspect ...I mean it had never happened before...! The first thing you feel in such times is to hold onto those ones. Sometimes you take them for granted, but at moments like this you realize this, you realize yet again how lucky you are to have them. At least I did. And I realized yet again that happiness is actually only defined because you can share it.

The next thing that came to mind was guilt. Birthday to me reflects how much people value your presence. This particular semester has been a whirlpool of activities ...on family front...in more ways than one!, sickness front and then catching up on work later on.......and somehow with all that, I didn't or couldn't give too much time to friends. ..I was there yet I wasn't there! I of course planned to change that soon....

Friends provide a support system, without which, at some level you do fall. And it's a system, not one or two but all close ones matter. Maybe the level of closeness is different but each is special and very much required in their own way.

Well to cut a long story short, I learnt my lesson but the day turned to be all I could have wished for and more! I was surprised and pampered and well my birthday turned out in a way that was just completely me ....during thoughtful efforts of all mentioned above:) I mean it was a celebration which would have made me proud if I had thought of it...and yes I love planning out suhc things....but it's an entirely different feeling to get your kind of thoughts getting implemented on you:) The personalised touch, the surprise factor, the beautiful gifts...and great company...just perfect:) A scrapbook containing special photos and comments and thoughts from friends...well it's a treasured gift... an almost sureshot lift-me-up any down or doubtful moments.

And yes, I got calls from all I expected during the course of the day .....was specially touched by the conversation shared by a very old friend....sometimes you grow apart and have almost nothing in common except history and still that's still enough.

.........and was treated like a little princess and loved like a child at home ! And home is also where the heart is...if you get my drift :)

You busy?

"The time to take the time is when you don't have time for it."

Agree 100 percent. And we always do manage to take time for things that matter to us...sooner or later. We don't find time, we make time.

Jaane Kya Sochkar Nahin Guzra..........

Beautiful song.........


Jaane Kya Sochkar Nahin Guzra
Ik Pal Raat Bhar Nahin Guzra

Apni Tanhai Kaa Auron Se Na Shikva Karna - 2
Tum Akele Hi Nahin Ho Sabhi Akele Hain
Ye Akela Safar Nahin Guzra
Jaane Kya Sochkar Nahin Guzra
Ek Pal Raat Bhar Nahin Guzra

Do Ghadi Jeene Ki Mohalat To Mili Hai Sabko - 2
Tum Bhi Mil Jaao Ghadi Bhar To Ye Gam Hota Hai
Is Ghadi Ka Safar Nahin Guzra
Jaane Kya Sochkar Nahin Guzra
Ek Pal Raat Bhar Nahin Guzra
Jaane Kya Sochkar Nahin Guzra

Sometimes listen to what I say not

Sometimes listen to what I say not
Sometimes feel what I dare express not
Sometimes stay when i say go away
Sometimes persist when I say "leave it".

All is not easy to say
I fear being brushed away
Deep within me lies a curse
A curse called dependence

Accept it i you can
Don't ignore it
Free me from it
And I am yours

Not an easy I task I agree
But who can do it but a genie
Set me free
Either release me from its bond
Or release the bond from me
Both i will accept completely

Instinct

People say "create a new way". People say "You have to take risks in order to learn". Same as" You must move out of your comfort zone to grow".

I agreed with all of it.

But ultimately we have to do what is right for us. Not what seems "good" or "exciting" or even "stable".

Instinct is what God whispers into your heart. Follow it.

Love is inspiration

People say love is blind, but that in a very unique way also makes love the best type of inspiration. If you aren't what/where you feel someone sees you, you feel inspired enough to get there. It's enough just to know that someone believes so much....

Here are the lyrics of a beautiful song which depicts this to me...

Tu Hai Aasmaan Main Teri Yeh Zameen Hai
Tu Jo Hai To Sab Kuch Hai Na Koi Kami Hai
Tu Hai Aasmaan Main Teri Yeh Zameen Hai
Tu Jo Hai To Sab Kuch Hai Na Koi Kami Hai
Tu Hi Dil Hai Tu Hi Jaan Bhi Hai
Tu Khushi Hai Aasra Bhi Hai
Teri Chaahat Zindagi Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Hi Dil Hai Tu Hi Jaan Bhi Hai
Tu Khushi Hai Aasra Bhi Hai
Teri Chahat Zindagi Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai

Pyaar Mein Hi Dhoondhta Hoon
Pyaar Se Hi Poojta Hoon Tujhe
Pyaar Mein Hi Dhoondhte Hai
Pyaar Se Hi Poojte Hai Tujhe
Tera Chehra Roshni Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Hai Aasmaan Main Teri Yeh Zameen Hai
Tu Jo Hai To Sab Kuch Hai Na Koi Kami Hai
Tu Hi Dil Hai Tu Hi Jaan Bhi Hai
Tu Khushi Hai Aasra Bhi Hai
Teri Chaahat Zindagi Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai

Har Safar Mein Har Nazar Mein
Har Sahar Main Dekhta Hoon Tujhe
Har Safar Mein Har Nazar Mein
Har Sahar Main Dekhte Hai Tujhe
Pyaar Hai Jo Tu Wohi Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Hai Aasmaan Main Teri Yeh Zameen Hai

Tu Jo Hai To Sab Kuch Hai Na Koi Kami Hai
Tu Hi Dil Hai Tu Hi Jaan Bhi Hai
Tu Khushi Hai Aasra Bhi Hai
Teri Chaahat Zindagi Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Mohabbat Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Aashiqui Hai Tu Aashiqui Hai
Tu Aashiqui Hai

Random Thoughts

One bitten , always shy.

Some cracks and scars never disappear.

Sayings

So true!!!Some quotes are gems........

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too?
Thought I was the only one."
~C.S. Lewis

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live....Unknown

Panch Sawal!

• Can right ever be done in a slightly wrong way?
• Is honesty always the best policy?
• Is it really required to kill your happiness to be right always? If it is then why don't I agree ?
• Why do people say we shouldn't have desires? What else do we live for?
• What's the best way to make any decision
  

Ek sawal

Ab yahan tak aa gaye hain , ab kidhar jaayen?

To you with love

Each person who has shared a deep conversation (even if once) with us or has been part of our lives for no matter how small a duration, gets added to life's history, our memories and also our heart. This one is for my people....right from the friends I had in nursery to the people with whom things couldn't work out, to the people with whom I shared just a few good moments to the ones I love. I am glad you were/are a part of my life. You all made me learn something, about life and about myself.

• Maybe we talk everyday and you know I appreciate you, still what's the harm in a reminder? You are the best!
  
• Maybe we talk/meet talk everyday but I am too in awe to tell you that I appreciate you..please understand it still. This one is esp true for elders+ teachers. I also respect you.
• Maybe we keep in touch occasionally but are still close...all know that I do value our time together and miss you and feel good to still be in touch
• Maybe we were once close but now don't talk anymore...please know that in life, somethings just don't work out. That doesn't mean that I don't care . I carry memories with me and cherish them still.
  
• Maybe we once had a wonderful single conversation/ shared a few good times ( tough not close ones) ..You made me learn vital things about myself and the world and I appreciate it and you are not forgotten
  
• Maybe we are blogger friends...You support my self expression and make me learn new lessons regularly and are good listeners.
• Maybe I don't even know you but you wrote something I loved... I appreciate it coz novels are almost like friends at times.

Maybe that's why I like social networking sites. They connect us to our world....all aspects are connected together. There so many people in my friends list whom I rarely talk to but it's nice to see what's happening in their life still and be in occasional touch.


Maybe the world is like a wardrobe of ours, we don't wear all clothes always. Some are essentials. Some are our favourites. We grow too old for some.Some are not fancy but just comfortable. We need them. Some are frilly ones which don't last more than a single wearing. But they all covered us at some time.

Tagged!...Little things that piss me off

This tag came from Geetika. Here I go........


1) Unwelcome critics-People who are sooo generous with their criticism about your personal habits or just about anything when noone has actually asked their opinion. And they don't realise it can hurt at times. For the record, I am happy with myself and if I am not, I will ask for your valuable opinions when I need them.

2)Topper worship-Just because someone is great in one field or even aspect of life, it doesn't mean that they are out of this world. And just because someone is OK in a field , it odesn't mena they can't excel in another.

3)No reply-When people who don't reply to official mails. Come onn, a no doesn't take that long. Why keep anyone hanging?

4) This is sooo girly-What else do you expect? Hello! I am a girl. And liking romantic novels certainly doesn't mean I don't read anything else! Some of them life's best lessons...if you can't appreciate anything but philosophical ones, then that's nothing to be proud of. It's just choice.

5)Division-In this day and age people still talk of casteism and all that. I mean how can you generalise anyone but a name? Every person is unique.


I tag Taps, Ankur and whoever else wants to take it.

Love and.....................chess!

Love is......
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.....................playing chess with each other ,aiding the other to win and ending in a draw!