No regret - Let's face it, some things in life go beyond cribbing - they border on regret. We don't have to live in regret. Some people, circumstances weren't the best for us - big deal. We can change that at any time.
No pain, no gain - No one's life is perfect. Period. Someone's life may look all rosy and blissful, but everyone lives wishing for some thing they lack in their lives. I doubt there is anyone who has perfect partner, money (that they desire), health, skills and personality.
Push yourself to earn what you don't have. Just remember to keep a little balance in life (an open eye to all aspects), even when passion or focus drives you in a direction.
Live and enjoy - All right, so we have all gone through some mad phases of not knowing where our actions will take is - life is uncertain in more ways than one. Quit worrying, because you are wasting that time in not living your own life.
Situations/people/life might turn a tide against your wishes, but that gives you no right to cry and sulk and be de-motivated. Be strong, and enjoy - you will cheer up yourself and others too.
Dream big - All of us are in our 20s. Some are married, and some are slogging to build a foundation. There are others who have reached a phase where lot of life-altering decisions have to be made. Don't stoop down to ground level when it comes to what you want in your life. Yes, these might be castles that exist in the sky for now, but they are your castles. Build the base high enough and you can have it all.
Smile - I see so many pictures where people are smiling and laughing, but only momentarily. Most of them (at least for girls) are all about looking 'pretty'. Smile everyday, it can be for dumbest of reasons no one has to know. Wanting to crack up but can't because of what people might think? Forget it, and just laugh. Find the humor in anything, and day can turn around just like that.
Be yourself - With all due respect to society and others, there are times we have to wear a certain mask in front of certain groups of people. With family you are different, with close friends you are entirely different, with a partner you got to weigh out the situation at times and forget yourself.
Why? For what. Be yourself! It's seriously only one life (until and unless you believe in re-incarnation, in which case you might as well stop reading the entire page).
Patient and kind - Yes, two very big words rolled in one point. Being kind doesn't mean you got to be fake in front of people you don't like. It means you are courageous enough to not be bitchy and gossip about anyone and everyone. At the same time, being known as the 'mr/ miss sweet' by ALL probably shows you are acting. Very well.
Be patient with people who don't see eye to eye on issues. Yeah, its all right if their reasons don't make sense. Everyone is different in their outlook. To each his own. And let's make peace with that, instead of arguing or fault finding.
Bad habits - No, this is not a 'new year' resolution. Quit, whatever it is that is harming you. And that goes beyond drinking, smoking, drugs (joints included, for those who will be defensive as always). It includes personality traits that have become habits, just that you haven't seen them become so in recent years.
Right from abusing, to shouting, to causing hurt to others deliberately (even if you pretend otherwise). All these things hurt others around you, but more than anything they hurt you. No one's health or peace is going to be disturbed for long if you treat them that bad. They will take it for a while, then leave. Drop it, you are good enough not to use these weapons in life.
Genuine people - Being 20+, our brain power has increased to see for ourselves who is genuine in our lives. You don't HAVE to meet people who drive you crazy, or compromise because of some favor you owe, or be on your best behavior to people who are not worth the attention.
Some are genuine, most are not. And yes, one point - if you are genuine for someone, you got no right to think that they should be genuine for you too. It's a people chain, sometimes it will be reciprocated - be happy. Lots of times it won't - take that into stride as well.
Love yourself - Now this is the last and final point, for everyone. Just love yourself endlessly, there isn't any boundary or depth to how much you should or can. Life till now, we haven't made all decisions that are always wise and sensible. We have loved a lot, lost a little, and felt sad too.
Problems have happened, life has changed, relationships that were meant to last were broken, families have had issues that couldn't be resolved the way we wanted. Times have been where feeling of being 'unloved' existed.
The one, amazing way to get through the roller coaster ride of your life - love your self, even if people don't love the way you want to be loved.
I have not included words such as faith, trust, belief, intuition, inner voice, karma, destiny because that's something which are different names to a person's way of living life. And it goes deeper than any point listed here. All I can say, as a parting note, is believe in the person who is you. There is only one of you (even if you are a twin). :)
Cheers to all.
And yes, Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Here is to an awesome new decade of life.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Strange case of charity
Office journal
Well, my day started with a weird dream. I say 'day' started with a dream because the dream continued vaguely even when I woke up and stared around my room. With mouth half open, I dozed sitting on my bed, aware of the noise of cupboard closing in my room and people running off the side of a building in my dream. Strange morning.
On the way to the office, I had my novel clasped between my hands, with the KitKat wrapper serving as the bookmark. Oh, how I craved for few minutes every hour to read a page or two more! My morning reading never started as my mom and I couldn't stop talking. With the songs and my mom wanting my attention, I sat there hoping I can tune out from reality and enter the world of mysterious symbols and ancient history.
Soon, I arrived in my office with my book in one hand and shoulder bag in the other. Another day at the office. Yesterday was 10 hours, I wondered what a day like today would turn out to be. Time flew by in the morning with e-mails and phone calls and updates. Can someone ever do work for charity? I wondered silently as I encountered, for the first time, a person who did not want due payment because she felt she contributed very little work. With people inclined towards money, I wondered how people like her managed to do what's morally strange yet different from the rest.
As I heard her out over the phone, I realized that workplace does not leave any place for emotions. Go home and deal with your personal life situations - if you don't deliver on time, you won't stick on even for a week.
As I told her this will be the last thing she will be working with us on, she took it in her stride and cut the phone on my face (yes, please sense the underlying sarcasm).
I felt like telling her to be happy, having dealt with few problems myself, but being in a position where there is a deadline looming near you, sympathy votes fly right out of the window.
With that chapter almost closed (tomorrow will be a new day with some drama I'm sure), I sat down to realize it's lunch time. The food I had gotten from home was over as usual, and my stomach suddenly made a funny noise, out loud. Thankfully, there weren't many people around to notice that. I keep my novel on my desk. Yesterday, it was lying open, waiting to be read. Today, it's shut with no hope of being read once in every two hours.
I removed my chocolate bookmark and started to read. 10 minutes seemed like 2, and lunch beckoned me upstairs. There was talk of breakfast meals and diwali crackers. Twenty minutes later, I returned to my desk, only to find another mail in my inbox. More calls and e-mails later, a colleague asked me 'have you turned to tele-calling?' I burst out laughing for the first time in my day, and explained him what I was doing.
A new thing apart from the telephonic conversation was black tea. Usually, tea is served normally in our office i.e. with milk and sugar. I asked for black tea and got that. Why is it called black tea? Any ideas? It should be brown tea, considering it looks brown, and not black. Black coffee, on the other hand, always looks black. Strong and dark. Tea looks like a sweeter, more gentle version of coffee.
With tea that was too hot, I became restless as it cooled down and realized I haven't written anything in a long time. In less than two minutes, I wrote a random poem which made no sense and yet I termed it as a 'poem' for the sake of consoling my creative self.
The day is inching closer to an end, or so I would like to believe. Let's see what the next two hours bring into my wonderfully lived moment-to-moment life.
Ciao!
Well, my day started with a weird dream. I say 'day' started with a dream because the dream continued vaguely even when I woke up and stared around my room. With mouth half open, I dozed sitting on my bed, aware of the noise of cupboard closing in my room and people running off the side of a building in my dream. Strange morning.
On the way to the office, I had my novel clasped between my hands, with the KitKat wrapper serving as the bookmark. Oh, how I craved for few minutes every hour to read a page or two more! My morning reading never started as my mom and I couldn't stop talking. With the songs and my mom wanting my attention, I sat there hoping I can tune out from reality and enter the world of mysterious symbols and ancient history.
Soon, I arrived in my office with my book in one hand and shoulder bag in the other. Another day at the office. Yesterday was 10 hours, I wondered what a day like today would turn out to be. Time flew by in the morning with e-mails and phone calls and updates. Can someone ever do work for charity? I wondered silently as I encountered, for the first time, a person who did not want due payment because she felt she contributed very little work. With people inclined towards money, I wondered how people like her managed to do what's morally strange yet different from the rest.
As I heard her out over the phone, I realized that workplace does not leave any place for emotions. Go home and deal with your personal life situations - if you don't deliver on time, you won't stick on even for a week.
As I told her this will be the last thing she will be working with us on, she took it in her stride and cut the phone on my face (yes, please sense the underlying sarcasm).
I felt like telling her to be happy, having dealt with few problems myself, but being in a position where there is a deadline looming near you, sympathy votes fly right out of the window.
With that chapter almost closed (tomorrow will be a new day with some drama I'm sure), I sat down to realize it's lunch time. The food I had gotten from home was over as usual, and my stomach suddenly made a funny noise, out loud. Thankfully, there weren't many people around to notice that. I keep my novel on my desk. Yesterday, it was lying open, waiting to be read. Today, it's shut with no hope of being read once in every two hours.
I removed my chocolate bookmark and started to read. 10 minutes seemed like 2, and lunch beckoned me upstairs. There was talk of breakfast meals and diwali crackers. Twenty minutes later, I returned to my desk, only to find another mail in my inbox. More calls and e-mails later, a colleague asked me 'have you turned to tele-calling?' I burst out laughing for the first time in my day, and explained him what I was doing.
A new thing apart from the telephonic conversation was black tea. Usually, tea is served normally in our office i.e. with milk and sugar. I asked for black tea and got that. Why is it called black tea? Any ideas? It should be brown tea, considering it looks brown, and not black. Black coffee, on the other hand, always looks black. Strong and dark. Tea looks like a sweeter, more gentle version of coffee.
With tea that was too hot, I became restless as it cooled down and realized I haven't written anything in a long time. In less than two minutes, I wrote a random poem which made no sense and yet I termed it as a 'poem' for the sake of consoling my creative self.
The day is inching closer to an end, or so I would like to believe. Let's see what the next two hours bring into my wonderfully lived moment-to-moment life.
Ciao!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Broken home or not, every child is special.
And suddenly, magazines and newspapers are talking about the effect of broken marriages on children. Earlier, the debate was on divorce vs. long lasting marriages. The focus has now shifted to study the children and their performance and character based on whether they have been raised in single-parent or normal homes.
Recently, I read in Time.com on how children who are raised without a father or mother have worse off grades and/or higher college dropout and so on.
We have had enough studies to provide evidence for the entire generation for the next 20 years. The research people might as well stop their studies and focus on holding together their own lives instead of highlighting the pros and cons of family relations and trouble faced by children.
A child who is browsing the net for some information can easily come across articles like these. And what he/she finds there is not some magic words written there but a 'study' that should not be shown to children in the first place.
Society has enough hierarchy and hypocrisy to harm children of divorced or separated parents in unthinkable ways - they certainly don't need news telling them their poor performance can be due to them being raised by single parents.
There is demand probably among few parents for information like this. There is no other division of society who would need demotivating studies and results to make them mourn instead of feel good about their lives.
How about studies such as children raised in single parent households are more patient and understanding?
Discrimination is found everyday among children themselves, thanks to insensitive teachers and parents who sympathize or silently mock children who are raised without a father or mother. Why can't they be treated normally? Growing up with parents who are divorced or separated or no more can make a child a better human being.
But it's sad that our society consists of people who rarely stand up for children and motivate them to build their own character and personality, and be strong to face every situation that comes their way.
Help the children who cry for broken homes - not out of feeling 'bad' for their lives, but because they are independent and have a long way to grow and need nurturing like any other child. With such studies and mindset of people, a child feels weak, even if his mind and heart have immense power and maturity.
Focus on the positive instead of the negative, and the result will be there for everyone to feel and enjoy. Especially children.
Recently, I read in Time.com on how children who are raised without a father or mother have worse off grades and/or higher college dropout and so on.
We have had enough studies to provide evidence for the entire generation for the next 20 years. The research people might as well stop their studies and focus on holding together their own lives instead of highlighting the pros and cons of family relations and trouble faced by children.
A child who is browsing the net for some information can easily come across articles like these. And what he/she finds there is not some magic words written there but a 'study' that should not be shown to children in the first place.
Society has enough hierarchy and hypocrisy to harm children of divorced or separated parents in unthinkable ways - they certainly don't need news telling them their poor performance can be due to them being raised by single parents.
There is demand probably among few parents for information like this. There is no other division of society who would need demotivating studies and results to make them mourn instead of feel good about their lives.
How about studies such as children raised in single parent households are more patient and understanding?
Discrimination is found everyday among children themselves, thanks to insensitive teachers and parents who sympathize or silently mock children who are raised without a father or mother. Why can't they be treated normally? Growing up with parents who are divorced or separated or no more can make a child a better human being.
But it's sad that our society consists of people who rarely stand up for children and motivate them to build their own character and personality, and be strong to face every situation that comes their way.
Help the children who cry for broken homes - not out of feeling 'bad' for their lives, but because they are independent and have a long way to grow and need nurturing like any other child. With such studies and mindset of people, a child feels weak, even if his mind and heart have immense power and maturity.
Focus on the positive instead of the negative, and the result will be there for everyone to feel and enjoy. Especially children.
Friday, June 25, 2010
It's all for Love. Michael Jackson :) :) :)
Michael Jackson...
A man, who danced, sang, believed, helped, nurtured, cared and loved. Every Minute of his Life. People call him a performer, and sing along to his tunes, not really caring for the man himself. Given the tiles 'king of pop', 'legendary Michael Jackson', 'God of Music', among others.
He loved you know, and stood up for mankind, and united us all. How? Through his music, that reached millions and spread like wildfire for it was borne out of love. Love for all. Love for mankind, nature, tress, planet Earth. He just loved, never putting reason to any of it. He bared his heart for all to feel the love he felt for everything. He helped us let go of inhibitions and hatred and made us feel love that existed inside us, within our very soul.
His message is so clear - It's all about Love. L O V E. And it really is all about that. At the end of the day, you want love, you give love. It's magic to be a part of this planet and to be able to feel all these beautiful emotions, instead of having negativity flow inside us.
I am proud of Michael Jackson for having sheltered his childishness through the fame and drama that unfolded in his life. He received severe criticism for not having let go of his child-like behavior even at the age of 50. He is a man not filled with insecurity, but with strength to be himself.
And he had the power within him to accept everybody around him, looking over positives instead of negatives in all. He spread love and created bonds and maintained love through generations in lots of families. My father and I love listening to Michael Jackson songs. And those small, sweet moments will always remain with me.
I first listened to Michael Jackson songs when my father bout 3 CDs of his songs - Bad, Thriller and History in the mix (Blood on the Dance Floor). And since then, there has been no turning back.
It is sad to not have him on Earth, but he is always present through the love in his songs, and his music and dance from the soul.
In the end, the one thing that will always remain with us all - It's all for Love. Yes Michael, it's actually all for Love in this universe :)
A man, who danced, sang, believed, helped, nurtured, cared and loved. Every Minute of his Life. People call him a performer, and sing along to his tunes, not really caring for the man himself. Given the tiles 'king of pop', 'legendary Michael Jackson', 'God of Music', among others.
He loved you know, and stood up for mankind, and united us all. How? Through his music, that reached millions and spread like wildfire for it was borne out of love. Love for all. Love for mankind, nature, tress, planet Earth. He just loved, never putting reason to any of it. He bared his heart for all to feel the love he felt for everything. He helped us let go of inhibitions and hatred and made us feel love that existed inside us, within our very soul.
His message is so clear - It's all about Love. L O V E. And it really is all about that. At the end of the day, you want love, you give love. It's magic to be a part of this planet and to be able to feel all these beautiful emotions, instead of having negativity flow inside us.
I am proud of Michael Jackson for having sheltered his childishness through the fame and drama that unfolded in his life. He received severe criticism for not having let go of his child-like behavior even at the age of 50. He is a man not filled with insecurity, but with strength to be himself.
And he had the power within him to accept everybody around him, looking over positives instead of negatives in all. He spread love and created bonds and maintained love through generations in lots of families. My father and I love listening to Michael Jackson songs. And those small, sweet moments will always remain with me.
I first listened to Michael Jackson songs when my father bout 3 CDs of his songs - Bad, Thriller and History in the mix (Blood on the Dance Floor). And since then, there has been no turning back.
It is sad to not have him on Earth, but he is always present through the love in his songs, and his music and dance from the soul.
In the end, the one thing that will always remain with us all - It's all for Love. Yes Michael, it's actually all for Love in this universe :)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The journey of Truth
Truth will never bite. It will only give us the wings we needed to fly out.
It relieves us of the pain that harms us, and the chains that bound us.
Its that beautiful sense of freedom we discover when we speak the truth out, such that we can soar up high with no regret and remorse.
Truth is an extension of the purity that lies naked within you. It never shows itself, for it is pure and untouched. Truth, if we shorten it leads to the existence of the word 'true'. Pure, in other words - true.
Truth is Existence. In itself. Its an experience, a journey. You might ask 'how'. I can only think of one sentence to bring forward the essence, understanding of it. When you tell a lie, it is said subconsciously. It is followed by another one in consciousness, and another. All these lies culminate to form what can be described as a 'journey' of lies. For once you embark on it, the strength to stop reduces over a period of time.
In a similar way, truth is a journey. A simple word is all it takes to realize the beauty of being true. Every day in our lives, we encounter a situaiton where we have the power to respond. And that decision of yours will make you aware of the reality, of yourself, of things you had not observed earlier.
The seed of truth is there in each one of us. It is present, to help you, guide you, motivate you.
Every journey has a beginning. The journey of truth starts within us, inside us.
It relieves us of the pain that harms us, and the chains that bound us.
Its that beautiful sense of freedom we discover when we speak the truth out, such that we can soar up high with no regret and remorse.
Truth is an extension of the purity that lies naked within you. It never shows itself, for it is pure and untouched. Truth, if we shorten it leads to the existence of the word 'true'. Pure, in other words - true.
Truth is Existence. In itself. Its an experience, a journey. You might ask 'how'. I can only think of one sentence to bring forward the essence, understanding of it. When you tell a lie, it is said subconsciously. It is followed by another one in consciousness, and another. All these lies culminate to form what can be described as a 'journey' of lies. For once you embark on it, the strength to stop reduces over a period of time.
In a similar way, truth is a journey. A simple word is all it takes to realize the beauty of being true. Every day in our lives, we encounter a situaiton where we have the power to respond. And that decision of yours will make you aware of the reality, of yourself, of things you had not observed earlier.
The seed of truth is there in each one of us. It is present, to help you, guide you, motivate you.
Every journey has a beginning. The journey of truth starts within us, inside us.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Mama told me...
Mama told me I'm a star
As I cried for broken toys
She told me I will get these back
I sat on the swing and fell
I ran and I stumbled
Mama told me
You are a star
You are the brightest star
I searched for an apple
On branches so dead
Coloring them green
In my mind and head
And I became sour
Apple wasn't there, branches were dead
Mama told me I'm a star
My birthday I got no present
No gift to me to say 'I love you'
But someone came in the night,
Hugged me and kissed me on forehead
She told me
I love you my baby
You are the brightest star.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Choco lover :)
In a chocolate cloud of chocolaty love
I melt in the arms of chocolate biscotti
And flow in the river of chocolate coffee
With the sauce that drips and dances around my face
To the crumbs that line my teeth as I giggle in delight
You are the chocolate and I am the wonderer
Wondering at the marvel of all recipes that can be made
Of all the praise you can bake
From minutes to hours
And seconds to present, you are my fantasy, you are my reality
Not a day goes when I don’t look at you in my fridge
Sitting there in all happiness in summers
And warm outside in the winter sun
In all seasons you are loved
In all generations you are adored
You are a treat, you are a mystery
In the darkness you have a wonderful scent that attracts me
You are the smile of my life; you are the naughty apple of my eye
You are a celebration to rejoice on
You are the bestest thing that ever happened to me.
You are the chocolate and I am your lover :)
I melt in the arms of chocolate biscotti
And flow in the river of chocolate coffee
With the sauce that drips and dances around my face
To the crumbs that line my teeth as I giggle in delight
You are the chocolate and I am the wonderer
Wondering at the marvel of all recipes that can be made
Of all the praise you can bake
From minutes to hours
And seconds to present, you are my fantasy, you are my reality
Not a day goes when I don’t look at you in my fridge
Sitting there in all happiness in summers
And warm outside in the winter sun
In all seasons you are loved
In all generations you are adored
You are a treat, you are a mystery
In the darkness you have a wonderful scent that attracts me
You are the smile of my life; you are the naughty apple of my eye
You are a celebration to rejoice on
You are the bestest thing that ever happened to me.
You are the chocolate and I am your lover :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Can you BE more random?!
The girl in the purple shirt wondered whether she looked nice. She was simple and down-to-earth, and thought good thoughts about people within her heart. Yet, on the surface, she showed herself to be cold and uncaring. Pretense was her everyday life, yet she came alive being with herself, for she was never scared to reveal her true self and celebrate her being with so much enthusiasm and excitement when she was alone.
She danced in the night, staring into the glass window and posing. She danced in the shower and made curves and circles on the wall next to the shower and making designs with the froth of the shampoo. She listened to music dancing in front of the bathroom mirror and tried clothes in different styles, just being herself. She sang a tune a low a high - she never sang yet she did once in a blue moon when she opened the fridge and drank water, or holding the coke bottle in her hand as she dragged the heel of her toe because she was too lazy to pretend to be sophisticated at night.
She watched the food heat up on the stove and turned circles on her toe like she was taught in her jazz class, as tired as she was; she loved to show off whenever she could. And though she showed she hated change, she loved change from the core of her heart. Inventing a new step every time she danced to invisible music on the kitchen floor seemed refreshing to her tired body.
From the time she reached back home to the time she slept, the fridge was opened at least 5 times as she gazed inside and bent on her knees to search for ingredients, for junk food - not knowing what she wanted really; just that she wanted 'something'. And that was enough to make her open kitchen cabinets and search and wonder and search some more. She talked to herself, exclaiming and thinking out loud when she felt she was heading nowhere. She called out to food, asking it to appear in front of her, sometimes in frustration 'where ARE you'.
She smiled at the tv when her favorite television shows were coming, and as she saw the scenes roll by, she pictured herself and wondered what role she would fit in - her deep desire to act and be known for her talent, to get applause and rejoice in the same. She munched on what she could find, and kept sipping on a warm water bottle in the middle of the summer till she realized there was no other way but to get up and fetch something from the kitchen herself. She eagerly flicked through television channels to see any shows where food was being made - ah, the love of her life, the love of her very existence and living. And as she saw those chefs cook up something in the matter of minutes, she paid attention like she has never done through the day, and watched as they piled on ingredients to make a dish look so simple and marvelous in taste.
She is a funny person, who loves to be known for making people laugh - she can't crack jokes, yet she tries so hard to make people laugh by being goofy. That's her second name by the way - Goofy.
She danced in the night, staring into the glass window and posing. She danced in the shower and made curves and circles on the wall next to the shower and making designs with the froth of the shampoo. She listened to music dancing in front of the bathroom mirror and tried clothes in different styles, just being herself. She sang a tune a low a high - she never sang yet she did once in a blue moon when she opened the fridge and drank water, or holding the coke bottle in her hand as she dragged the heel of her toe because she was too lazy to pretend to be sophisticated at night.
She watched the food heat up on the stove and turned circles on her toe like she was taught in her jazz class, as tired as she was; she loved to show off whenever she could. And though she showed she hated change, she loved change from the core of her heart. Inventing a new step every time she danced to invisible music on the kitchen floor seemed refreshing to her tired body.
From the time she reached back home to the time she slept, the fridge was opened at least 5 times as she gazed inside and bent on her knees to search for ingredients, for junk food - not knowing what she wanted really; just that she wanted 'something'. And that was enough to make her open kitchen cabinets and search and wonder and search some more. She talked to herself, exclaiming and thinking out loud when she felt she was heading nowhere. She called out to food, asking it to appear in front of her, sometimes in frustration 'where ARE you'.
She smiled at the tv when her favorite television shows were coming, and as she saw the scenes roll by, she pictured herself and wondered what role she would fit in - her deep desire to act and be known for her talent, to get applause and rejoice in the same. She munched on what she could find, and kept sipping on a warm water bottle in the middle of the summer till she realized there was no other way but to get up and fetch something from the kitchen herself. She eagerly flicked through television channels to see any shows where food was being made - ah, the love of her life, the love of her very existence and living. And as she saw those chefs cook up something in the matter of minutes, she paid attention like she has never done through the day, and watched as they piled on ingredients to make a dish look so simple and marvelous in taste.
She is a funny person, who loves to be known for making people laugh - she can't crack jokes, yet she tries so hard to make people laugh by being goofy. That's her second name by the way - Goofy.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
An ounce of jealousy, a pound of unhappiness
As the work piles up like a growing stack of blocks, I hit rock bottom with no idea of action or intent or purpose. I consider myself sincerely selfish but people tell me my intentions are often borne out of love and care i.e. I am a beautiful person at heart.
I should be happy knowing people really like me, but somewhere I can't seem to tune the wires of my precious brain into parallel lines. They are tangled like a mess of wires lying in the attic gathering dust.
For starters, I am jealous. Jealous of success (of others obviously), of achievements and all the gold medals people bring back home to their mummas and papas. Recently, my jealous streak has shifted to an insanely higher level, thanks to my peers doing extremely well. I have a respectable job, earn an amount which is not at par with others but definitely not so low that I can't live comfortably, I stay in a beautiful house and love all things random and beautiful - from chocolates in a fridge to my novels. Yes, I ought to be content with my life for the way it's shaping up. I am trying something new, a different path, which makes my life all the more challenging and exciting.
But there is the factor of jealousy that resides in an unknown place and comes to haunt me - from the middle of a telephonic conversation to a small thought that's blown out of proportion.
In such times, I am gripped by what is known as 'you-are-nowhere' talk. A creepy little side to me loves to see me drown myself in negative feelings and pulls me down to a sinking level of unimaginable depth. And the tiny creature/voice has power over my nice and perfectly normal feelings. It's a very uneasy interruption in my casual flow of thoughts.
Its power is immense. A lot of optimists would tell me 'You have the power in your hands'. Yes, I very well know my life's power is in my hands - but what about these times when all the power of the world seems to have disappeared into outer space?
I can control the effect of jealousy but the initial milli-second response to someone's achievements is terrible. I try not to let the factor of jealousy go to my head, for that is the art of controlling your emotions. Yet I fail miserably certain times. And those are the times when my failures are highlighted in colors worse than neon lights, and my image is reduced to that of a small, sad beast.
I certainly have to pretend I am happy for people around me; if I show my jealousy they will think I am evil and can't be genuine for someone’s success. So this rotten feeling eats me up from within, and my thoughts drown me even further. Sometimes it takes a minute to snap out of it, other times it haunts me for days in a row.
I should be happy knowing people really like me, but somewhere I can't seem to tune the wires of my precious brain into parallel lines. They are tangled like a mess of wires lying in the attic gathering dust.
For starters, I am jealous. Jealous of success (of others obviously), of achievements and all the gold medals people bring back home to their mummas and papas. Recently, my jealous streak has shifted to an insanely higher level, thanks to my peers doing extremely well. I have a respectable job, earn an amount which is not at par with others but definitely not so low that I can't live comfortably, I stay in a beautiful house and love all things random and beautiful - from chocolates in a fridge to my novels. Yes, I ought to be content with my life for the way it's shaping up. I am trying something new, a different path, which makes my life all the more challenging and exciting.
But there is the factor of jealousy that resides in an unknown place and comes to haunt me - from the middle of a telephonic conversation to a small thought that's blown out of proportion.
In such times, I am gripped by what is known as 'you-are-nowhere' talk. A creepy little side to me loves to see me drown myself in negative feelings and pulls me down to a sinking level of unimaginable depth. And the tiny creature/voice has power over my nice and perfectly normal feelings. It's a very uneasy interruption in my casual flow of thoughts.
Its power is immense. A lot of optimists would tell me 'You have the power in your hands'. Yes, I very well know my life's power is in my hands - but what about these times when all the power of the world seems to have disappeared into outer space?
I can control the effect of jealousy but the initial milli-second response to someone's achievements is terrible. I try not to let the factor of jealousy go to my head, for that is the art of controlling your emotions. Yet I fail miserably certain times. And those are the times when my failures are highlighted in colors worse than neon lights, and my image is reduced to that of a small, sad beast.
I certainly have to pretend I am happy for people around me; if I show my jealousy they will think I am evil and can't be genuine for someone’s success. So this rotten feeling eats me up from within, and my thoughts drown me even further. Sometimes it takes a minute to snap out of it, other times it haunts me for days in a row.
My eyes, they lie...
From a saturated vision
Of gleaming paleness of sight
With shifting of glance of mere surprise
A shape of molten liquid, weak yet strong
Crossing the bridge of unparallel twigs
A myth of fog, of descent and high
Of slight shadow with hands so shy
The beat of small feet, the beat of raw heat
Prying eyes of known fright
Of stillness a mirage of perfection
Swaying rivers so distant a call
A touch of finger, with melting desire
An embrace of passion alive beneath
A blurring face of distortion revealed
Crossing the bridge of unparallel twigs
Of futile vision and burning dream.
Of gleaming paleness of sight
With shifting of glance of mere surprise
A shape of molten liquid, weak yet strong
Crossing the bridge of unparallel twigs
A myth of fog, of descent and high
Of slight shadow with hands so shy
The beat of small feet, the beat of raw heat
Prying eyes of known fright
Of stillness a mirage of perfection
Swaying rivers so distant a call
A touch of finger, with melting desire
An embrace of passion alive beneath
A blurring face of distortion revealed
Crossing the bridge of unparallel twigs
Of futile vision and burning dream.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Let's travel !!!
So you speak Hindi and I speak English. How do we communicate? Sign language.
Here's another situation: You speak English and I speak English. How do we communicate? In a version which is understood by both.
Days of sign language existed primarily in rural areas where foreigners went to explore 'real' India and faced language issues, apart from dust and clothing ones. With rural India becoming urban at a decent pace (yes, ours is a brilliant country, and we are embracing technology as fast as possible - yet with the size of our country and the uncommon platforms, decent is what we can muster in such a short span of time), foreigners are coming face-to-face with a new problem. How to converse in English.
What is known as British or American English has been adapted by people in India (for promoting tourism, or pocketing money for showing visitors around), but is vastly different from their rendition of it. The conversion wasn't such a good idea frankly. For the problem of visitors getting lost or confused in the maze of roads and people jostling and zero directions still holds true.
Sentences such as 'I show you' and 'Best price, you wait here I come soon' might be a thing left for movies and past images, yet the educated people who can make living and travel easier for visitors are busy interacting with important clients and globe-trotting. With this trickle down effect, what remains is the command over broken English which visitors have to wiggle their way around.
Let's turn some tables over here. The tourism industry, instead of claiming to build food joints for 'Americans' such that they can't get food poisoning, should teach people the art of talking to those who qualify as foreigners in our country.
This goes for taxi drivers, people at railway stations who are there for assistance at platforms (expecting all coolies to learn English will be stretching the band a bit too much), traffic police (yes, this is of utmost importance - their role is not restricted to collecting bribes or issuing senseless tickets in the name of law), and auto/rickshaw drivers. (Including manners and how-to-behave lessons is a separate issue, and will be covered some other time).
Our country has spare money that can be used to make a trip to India a hassle-free journey. Let's make it work. Communication is the key - we have the monuments, the heritage and the culture to back us up. It's time to make the travel memorable - one happy traveler will lead to many. And as the numbers grow, we will be the ones happy, and proud.
Here's another situation: You speak English and I speak English. How do we communicate? In a version which is understood by both.
Days of sign language existed primarily in rural areas where foreigners went to explore 'real' India and faced language issues, apart from dust and clothing ones. With rural India becoming urban at a decent pace (yes, ours is a brilliant country, and we are embracing technology as fast as possible - yet with the size of our country and the uncommon platforms, decent is what we can muster in such a short span of time), foreigners are coming face-to-face with a new problem. How to converse in English.
What is known as British or American English has been adapted by people in India (for promoting tourism, or pocketing money for showing visitors around), but is vastly different from their rendition of it. The conversion wasn't such a good idea frankly. For the problem of visitors getting lost or confused in the maze of roads and people jostling and zero directions still holds true.
Sentences such as 'I show you' and 'Best price, you wait here I come soon' might be a thing left for movies and past images, yet the educated people who can make living and travel easier for visitors are busy interacting with important clients and globe-trotting. With this trickle down effect, what remains is the command over broken English which visitors have to wiggle their way around.
Let's turn some tables over here. The tourism industry, instead of claiming to build food joints for 'Americans' such that they can't get food poisoning, should teach people the art of talking to those who qualify as foreigners in our country.
This goes for taxi drivers, people at railway stations who are there for assistance at platforms (expecting all coolies to learn English will be stretching the band a bit too much), traffic police (yes, this is of utmost importance - their role is not restricted to collecting bribes or issuing senseless tickets in the name of law), and auto/rickshaw drivers. (Including manners and how-to-behave lessons is a separate issue, and will be covered some other time).
Our country has spare money that can be used to make a trip to India a hassle-free journey. Let's make it work. Communication is the key - we have the monuments, the heritage and the culture to back us up. It's time to make the travel memorable - one happy traveler will lead to many. And as the numbers grow, we will be the ones happy, and proud.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Quote 'un'quote
I have, so far, read at least 100 quotes related to love, and have come across more than 100 viewpoints, because each person who quotes something has at least 2 points to make - each contradictory to another. In the same sentence. And sometimes, these quotes run a paragraph long.
It's not that love is such a beautiful and painful topic, it's the simplest fact that EVERYONE wants to make their opinion heard - and love is a 'feeling' and requires no prior knowledge, so anyone can speak anything, and get away with it.
Most of the thoughts are repetitive by the way. Love binds us all, not for the beauty or pain of it, but for being the most sought after topic to comment on. We all love to comment and quote. Yes, we certainly do.
And it rules our lives.
Don’t say it doesn't - have you seen the amount of time you have wasted crying in heartbreak or feeling lonely? And this includes listening to songs that remind you of the person, or those feelings that are now memories.
All a waste. I'm one of the 'in love' people on the planet. So this is not a mockery session out here. I'm all for 'eternal love' and 'may you live happily ever after' love. But there appear those rare times when this beautiful unmeasured feeling called 'love' is not welcomed in my life.
I wonder what people will talk about the day the entire human species is asked 'not' to talk about love (this includes staying away from songs and cute messages and gazing dreamy-eyed at photos). Maybe we will get a great, fat purpose in life. A purpose that goes beyond feeling low or high or sweet.
It will enable us to have 'focus' - in work, in life, in society. Thoughts related to our living, our health, our achievements will be brought in front of our eyes. Love is what I call as the biggest chain reaction. It sparks off an intense overdose of feelings that would otherwise be wrapped up in the cocoon of our hearts.
One day away from love will also bring focus to something else - Ourselves. It's a very normal case that we end up feeling emotions (negative or positive) for the 'other' person, not necessarily 'special someone' anymore. But where are we in this entire ball of love?
Love is a huge emotion, but the power it has on men and women alike is maddening, to say the least. Drawing oneself away from love can actually help one get a grip.
And more than anything else, it helps you 'get a life' when everything around you seems to be shattered to pieces.
It's not that love is such a beautiful and painful topic, it's the simplest fact that EVERYONE wants to make their opinion heard - and love is a 'feeling' and requires no prior knowledge, so anyone can speak anything, and get away with it.
Most of the thoughts are repetitive by the way. Love binds us all, not for the beauty or pain of it, but for being the most sought after topic to comment on. We all love to comment and quote. Yes, we certainly do.
And it rules our lives.
Don’t say it doesn't - have you seen the amount of time you have wasted crying in heartbreak or feeling lonely? And this includes listening to songs that remind you of the person, or those feelings that are now memories.
All a waste. I'm one of the 'in love' people on the planet. So this is not a mockery session out here. I'm all for 'eternal love' and 'may you live happily ever after' love. But there appear those rare times when this beautiful unmeasured feeling called 'love' is not welcomed in my life.
I wonder what people will talk about the day the entire human species is asked 'not' to talk about love (this includes staying away from songs and cute messages and gazing dreamy-eyed at photos). Maybe we will get a great, fat purpose in life. A purpose that goes beyond feeling low or high or sweet.
It will enable us to have 'focus' - in work, in life, in society. Thoughts related to our living, our health, our achievements will be brought in front of our eyes. Love is what I call as the biggest chain reaction. It sparks off an intense overdose of feelings that would otherwise be wrapped up in the cocoon of our hearts.
One day away from love will also bring focus to something else - Ourselves. It's a very normal case that we end up feeling emotions (negative or positive) for the 'other' person, not necessarily 'special someone' anymore. But where are we in this entire ball of love?
Love is a huge emotion, but the power it has on men and women alike is maddening, to say the least. Drawing oneself away from love can actually help one get a grip.
And more than anything else, it helps you 'get a life' when everything around you seems to be shattered to pieces.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Time Traveller
The time traveller is someone who is thought about at times, is used as an expression when boredom sets in, gets a look of wonder on the faces that are lost in the journey of one.
Oh, what it would be like, to be a time traveller. To travel along paths unknown, bending around rising peaks, crawling along silent streams, unevenly branched out around lush forests, slipping on windy sand dunes; and all but a travel of mystery and depth.
A time traveller conjures varying images, from a poor boy that travels miles to seek fortune, to wisps of air that look like thin long strands of thread as it rushes past you to travel through ages unseen - spinning from history to future in a blur, in a moment which is unthinkable.
It is a fantasy to be the time traveller we dream to be. Be it travelling through time, or travelling along with time on your side, there is something dreamy about being a traveller. It represents motion, action, excitement, passion in times when life seems to revolve around beautiful yet all-too-simple facts and figures of hours ticking by.
The power associated with being a time traveller is unusual and gripping. There are no boundaries or rules, and life is an adventure without any plane tickets or visa hassles. It’s a journey where one chooses a destination and is transported to the land in a matter of milliseconds. It satisfies the curiosity of a past we only manage to read in politically correct textbooks. It shows us the world we all seek to know yet only manage to console ourselves with blinding headlines and exaggerated reports - the Truth.
The world is your oyster explains the mystical nature that comes alive with being a time taveller. Everything is defined in our lives. From searching on Google for all and sundry information, to 'genres' that help us classify music and data, to 'departments' where companies and universities can manage their work load better and avoid confusion of mixing everything up under one roof. We live by the rules, play by them (abiding by them is a different issue altogether) and define our moral stands and ways of living by them. Yet, our happiness is there when there is a sense of charge, purpose and energy in life. And this is an aspect which cannot be governed by rules or terms and conditions.
Gone are the days when sailing like Vasco da Gama was normal. The eternal purpose of filling our curious minds with answers and journeys has diminished or subsided, with the age of technology answering whatever possible question a human mind can think of.
Setting off to unknown destinations is declared as 'madness' and one is expected (and required) to attend dinners and live their lives as indicated by social norms. Yes, our lives aren't our own anymore, no matter how much we claim our 'individuality' as our own. Maybe it's the safe shell in which we live - boring yet safe, or maybe it's a pattern we were meant to and longed to follow all these centuries.
But we are still the way we really are - restless. With Google and other websites at your feet to serve every possible whim of your mind, we are still curious. What is the world truly like? Are we put on this planet to only drive that one way home, what is the life beyond what we see?
Books can explain civilizations, activities can help us understand the joy of living in different era, yet the feeling of 'being' in one is truly satisfied when one is present there. And this is where our wonder for time travellers arises. When you visit a chocolate factory, you see chocolate being made - the joy and amazement when you see that process is beyond words. And it isn't even remotely close to the novels that (try to) explain the mechanism by posting pictures of fancy plants and boilers. When we come face-to-face with an object, it stays with us, unlike an image that barely registers in our mind while flipping through descriptive magazines.
All of us, at some stage, have wondered or wanted, to be a time traveller - to live that life when time is all we have, when the world is all we see, when words and voices are incomparable to action and drama seen live, when facts are defied by experience of seeing the world the way it existed, when knowledge takes a whole new meaning in observant eyes.
The world is your oyster, my time traveller. It is a mystical journey, a dream we might achieve when human beings cease to exist. It is a fantasy beyond the realm of technology. It is, The Time Traveller.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Comparison!
Comparison is the world's biggest nightmare. Honestly. It harrows the mind, weakens the heart, and makes you believe you are crawling on the ground while everybody else is sprinting ahead of you.
It is that fact, and notion which helps you see the light of negativity in yourself. Failure, Unhappiness, Jealousy - all stemming from comparing oneself and one's life to another human being's. Is there any end to it? No, I don't think so - its a plain vicious cycle, and never ending too.
Relationships - Worse than our own dissatisfaction about the relationship we are in, its the idea of our friends/partner's friends/ cousins having a gala time, better than our own experience.
Please don't think I am making fun of the human mind out here - of course, I am not. But even the strongest person with will power stored to the brim does get influenced by the way things evolve (or fall) around him. No man is alienated in this world. And consciously, or subconsciously, we start comparing and seeing the shortfalls of our lives, our partners based on what we see around us.
And that's when the bridge starts shaking. The foundation you might have built steadily with someone, starts to crumble under the pressure.
Another aspect of Comparisons is Money - This society is harrowed by the abundance of money everywhere. I repeat, 'abundance' of money. You must be thinking - oh, she is wrong; there is 'lack' of money!
Well, I ask you a question - these divisions in the society, the unwritten barriers that exist - is this because we are poor? No, not at all.
Someone is born in the river of money, while ther are some whose lives are only about that one bedroom shelter. The only difference? Where they are born.
I have seen, in my own school, teenagers and even kids, forming cold boundaries, excluding those who don't fit there, or 'belong' with them.
If everyone was poor, there would exist no demarkations. There would be no snobbery, or arrogance - for everyone is the same out here, on the street. A person driving an Aston Martin DBS Coupe will be the same as a person driving a Maruti 800. All are same. All are equal.
In this race (or madness of life, as I call it); its important to simply step out of your life and view it. Step out of your own shoes, and observe the path you are walking on.
Is it the path you want for your life? Is this the comfort you want to surround yourself with? Always remember one thing in life - its your CHOICE. Always. Every single minute of your life.
Relationships - Worse than our own dissatisfaction about the relationship we are in, its the idea of our friends/partner's friends/ cousins having a gala time, better than our own experience.
Please don't think I am making fun of the human mind out here - of course, I am not. But even the strongest person with will power stored to the brim does get influenced by the way things evolve (or fall) around him. No man is alienated in this world. And consciously, or subconsciously, we start comparing and seeing the shortfalls of our lives, our partners based on what we see around us.
And that's when the bridge starts shaking. The foundation you might have built steadily with someone, starts to crumble under the pressure.
Another aspect of Comparisons is Money - This society is harrowed by the abundance of money everywhere. I repeat, 'abundance' of money. You must be thinking - oh, she is wrong; there is 'lack' of money!
Well, I ask you a question - these divisions in the society, the unwritten barriers that exist - is this because we are poor? No, not at all.
Someone is born in the river of money, while ther are some whose lives are only about that one bedroom shelter. The only difference? Where they are born.
I have seen, in my own school, teenagers and even kids, forming cold boundaries, excluding those who don't fit there, or 'belong' with them.
If everyone was poor, there would exist no demarkations. There would be no snobbery, or arrogance - for everyone is the same out here, on the street. A person driving an Aston Martin DBS Coupe will be the same as a person driving a Maruti 800. All are same. All are equal.
In this race (or madness of life, as I call it); its important to simply step out of your life and view it. Step out of your own shoes, and observe the path you are walking on.
Is it the path you want for your life? Is this the comfort you want to surround yourself with? Always remember one thing in life - its your CHOICE. Always. Every single minute of your life.
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