Oh i've been to Heaven .... And back... :)
Ladakh is one place which everyone must visit at least once ... The landscape is postcard- picture-perfect! - pristine, demure, breathtaking and at the same time magnificient n awe-inspiring ...
The people (ladakhis) are also very nice n sweet folks... Imagine what they go thru at a place where winter temps go down to minus 30!!! N all u get to eat in winter is potatoes n dals (if u r vegetarian - which most of them are, being Buddhists ) ... Schools are shut for 3-4 winter months (nov to feb) ... some kids are sent away by parents to boarding schools in delhi n dehradun... all this I knew before I touched down at leh airport... Courtesy a pretty ladakhi
Teenaged girl named Rinchen (ladakhi name means princess) who was sitting next to me on the flight!
She also wrote down a few Buddhist chants for me....which was really sweet! We exchanged email ids ... She's not on orkut or fb! ... And also invited me to stay over at her place ... (not possible, this time around!)
Coming back to d landscape, there was this inexplicable feeling of Wow which comes to u when u walk out of leh airport and breathe d freshly baked air! like a fren of mine who visited the place last year (or last-to-last yr) says - ' one could never think bare rocky mountains could be so beautiful!' ....
I so so much agreeee! There are layers and layers of chocolate chip n vanilla (some mixed, some pure choc, n mountain ranges all around u... Each mountain looks different from d other...
Each tries to outdo the others in enamouring d beholder... !
But these gigantic mountains can also have a dangerous side - landslides are not new in this geography... the treacherous weather is not helpful either!
And who knows this better than d brave Indian Army!
Pls salute them while u're reading this...
Right from leh, all above, u see only army camps all d way - providing tourists with refreshment and restroom facilities....
And they brave d rough n ruthless weather at altitudes ranging from 11800 feet - Leh, to 18000 plus feet (khardungla pass)... Kudos to these guys!!!!
the trip was over in a tizzzy ... :) time flew... N so did we... Back from heaven to our respective cities.... :) but trust me d scents, d picture of this stupendous place stays with u...even after u're back to d hustle n bustle of mundane life !!!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
day 44 - trip diaries - I
am writing this post at 4 am ... At costa coffee, @ delhi airport, in the company of 7 other girls who were unknown-till-9hours-ago...
excitement galore at the next 6 days :)))))) always wanted to go to L-square for a long tym... Didn't know it would happen like this... :)
Nice concept... This is... Travel with unknown ppl... far off place - 11500 feet above sea-level - different backgrounds, languages, professions, likings, .... All put together... One is an ex-airforce, one's a journalist, 2 of us from investments, one from a banking kpo, one's an auditor, one's an ad web designer... 3 more to join us in next 15 min...
the costa guy here looks totally bewildered....we've been laughing like crazzzieee over d silliest of things - right from 12.30 till 4 am.... Ladies night out... Full blast - Haha... High on cold coffees, juices, pastries, icecream.... Midnight feasts at complete abandon! ... All of us who had proclaimed dat we're Oh-so-sleepy... have not slept a wink ...
I think dats d thing about women bonding... Its instantaneous... Similarly dislike is also instantaneous... But that's not the case here, thankfully! There are some stuff that only my women-frens understand ... And I have only a fingerful of them!
Got to go, tym for the next flight! Will keep writing whenever I get d network!
excitement galore at the next 6 days :)))))) always wanted to go to L-square for a long tym... Didn't know it would happen like this... :)
Nice concept... This is... Travel with unknown ppl... far off place - 11500 feet above sea-level - different backgrounds, languages, professions, likings, .... All put together... One is an ex-airforce, one's a journalist, 2 of us from investments, one from a banking kpo, one's an auditor, one's an ad web designer... 3 more to join us in next 15 min...
the costa guy here looks totally bewildered....we've been laughing like crazzzieee over d silliest of things - right from 12.30 till 4 am.... Ladies night out... Full blast - Haha... High on cold coffees, juices, pastries, icecream.... Midnight feasts at complete abandon! ... All of us who had proclaimed dat we're Oh-so-sleepy... have not slept a wink ...
I think dats d thing about women bonding... Its instantaneous... Similarly dislike is also instantaneous... But that's not the case here, thankfully! There are some stuff that only my women-frens understand ... And I have only a fingerful of them!
Got to go, tym for the next flight! Will keep writing whenever I get d network!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
day 43 - The 3 Musketeers !!!
Sunday May 9 - the historic day when Sud, Abhi n I had a long overdue Reunion time! (those who know us will know what I mean by 'historic':D and those who don't, will realise by d end of this post:D !!! )
The 3 of us decided to catch a play at NCPA (more on d fabulous play in d next post), and d programme was quickly charted out...
These 2 chaps were supposed to pick me up en route... And no surprises, they were late dan d original schedule by an hour!
(courtesy d hunger pangs dat sud felt post an aftnoon-long session of bowling...and then, he also needed to top up his snack binge by a vanilla-icecream-in-coca-cola! !)
Anyway, we were on our way with the poor cabbie who had a half-struck expression - as if he would burst into d SRK song - (badi mushkil hai, ... Main roun ya hasoon, karoon main kya karoon) any moment!
Sud wanted me to showcase my new-found singing talent in d cab itself.... and I had to wriggle out of d situation by remembering suddenly to call mona, our super-busy common fren... And have a loudspeaker chat ... (again poor cabbie uncle bore d brunt of our noisy commotional talk...) we decided within 2 min of d conversation to drop by mona's bldg (on d way it was!) n have a Fab 4 reunion... And den jab we al met...it was a flurry of quick, loud cross-talk, jokes, reminiscence of funny ol school incidents... Etc etc... All while d poor cabbie sat staring far away ! :D
And then again we resumed our onwards journey to ncpa...
We reached d play in the nick of time... The seats were on a first-cum, first served basis, but man! Were we lucky! ! We were amongst d last to arrive but got the finest seats! 3 cool last row seats raised to d finest height providing a marvellous view of the whole stage!
After the absolutely delightful play (more praise on d plays will follow soon), we strolled onto marine drive... Omg, the place is jampacked on sun eve....! Caught sum of their funny poses on my phone- cam... And we were about to walk towards d awesome intl cuisine resto nearby....when.... Sud sud-denly decided he wanted to take a royal warrior-like ride on d Victoria - a familiar british era-leftover seen on MD and norman point on weekends!)
It was only when Abhi n I refused to give him company atop d buggy dat he finally relented... Plus d guy was charging 200 bucks for a ten min ride!
Even walking towards d hotel was no less an adventure... We happened to see a rolls royce parked on d road and these 2 were moving around so suspiciously like a stealthy paparazzi that the driver of d car thought we were upto some thin...
Li'll did he know we were just plain crazie fellas lurking on horse-dung-in-d-air filled narmn pt streets at peak dinner time... By d tym we reached d resto, we learnt there was a one-hour wait involved! I guess d emptiness of our brains finally got to our stomachs... And we realised we'll have to go to an udipi hotel nearby to satiate our sudden hunger! Which we did!
Bickerings between abhi n sud continued all thru... Non-stop!!!
Finally, on our way back home, sud finally made me sing 3 songs! While Abhi played d part of sridevi in mr. India (angry at the kids wala scenario) ...
Whoa, thank God for simple-hearted frens... Frens who're happy in d slightest of joys, who can share and laugh at d same ol school jokes! Frens who prove that the best things in life are....... FREE! :)
The 3 of us decided to catch a play at NCPA (more on d fabulous play in d next post), and d programme was quickly charted out...
These 2 chaps were supposed to pick me up en route... And no surprises, they were late dan d original schedule by an hour!
(courtesy d hunger pangs dat sud felt post an aftnoon-long session of bowling...and then, he also needed to top up his snack binge by a vanilla-icecream-in-coca-cola! !)
Anyway, we were on our way with the poor cabbie who had a half-struck expression - as if he would burst into d SRK song - (badi mushkil hai, ... Main roun ya hasoon, karoon main kya karoon) any moment!
Sud wanted me to showcase my new-found singing talent in d cab itself.... and I had to wriggle out of d situation by remembering suddenly to call mona, our super-busy common fren... And have a loudspeaker chat ... (again poor cabbie uncle bore d brunt of our noisy commotional talk...) we decided within 2 min of d conversation to drop by mona's bldg (on d way it was!) n have a Fab 4 reunion... And den jab we al met...it was a flurry of quick, loud cross-talk, jokes, reminiscence of funny ol school incidents... Etc etc... All while d poor cabbie sat staring far away ! :D
And then again we resumed our onwards journey to ncpa...
We reached d play in the nick of time... The seats were on a first-cum, first served basis, but man! Were we lucky! ! We were amongst d last to arrive but got the finest seats! 3 cool last row seats raised to d finest height providing a marvellous view of the whole stage!
After the absolutely delightful play (more praise on d plays will follow soon), we strolled onto marine drive... Omg, the place is jampacked on sun eve....! Caught sum of their funny poses on my phone- cam... And we were about to walk towards d awesome intl cuisine resto nearby....when.... Sud sud-denly decided he wanted to take a royal warrior-like ride on d Victoria - a familiar british era-leftover seen on MD and norman point on weekends!)
It was only when Abhi n I refused to give him company atop d buggy dat he finally relented... Plus d guy was charging 200 bucks for a ten min ride!
Even walking towards d hotel was no less an adventure... We happened to see a rolls royce parked on d road and these 2 were moving around so suspiciously like a stealthy paparazzi that the driver of d car thought we were upto some thin...
Li'll did he know we were just plain crazie fellas lurking on horse-dung-in-d-air filled narmn pt streets at peak dinner time... By d tym we reached d resto, we learnt there was a one-hour wait involved! I guess d emptiness of our brains finally got to our stomachs... And we realised we'll have to go to an udipi hotel nearby to satiate our sudden hunger! Which we did!
Bickerings between abhi n sud continued all thru... Non-stop!!!
Finally, on our way back home, sud finally made me sing 3 songs! While Abhi played d part of sridevi in mr. India (angry at the kids wala scenario) ...
Whoa, thank God for simple-hearted frens... Frens who're happy in d slightest of joys, who can share and laugh at d same ol school jokes! Frens who prove that the best things in life are....... FREE! :)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
day 42 - Seasons....
Just like there are seasons outside,
So they are inside...
The ones outside change only when the time comes,
The ones inside arrive and leave in a random manner...
Sometimes both are in sync, sometimes not so,
Sometimes with Joy we rise, in Sadness we sink....
Sometimes when its Spring outside, its Autumn inside,
When hope blossoms outside but withers within.......
Sometimes when its Summer outside, its Raining cats and dogs inside,
While the sun scorches our body,
The raindrops cleanse the Heart and Soul....
Sometimes its stark Winter outside, while the Heart is warm,
Sometimes there's a storm and its Thundering outside,
While the mind is surprisingly, very calm.......
Now when I'm out in the sweltering sun, whats the need to crib?
When I know deep down inside, there's just a switch I need to flip....
We aren't always in tune with the Seasons outside,
But just listen carefully to the song humming on your lips....
Just like the Seasons outside need to change when the Time comes,
So also no one bad season can continue within us Forever.......
And while Eternal Spring is what we all crave for,
We do know that the entire package comes alongwith it!
So they are inside...
The ones outside change only when the time comes,
The ones inside arrive and leave in a random manner...
Sometimes both are in sync, sometimes not so,
Sometimes with Joy we rise, in Sadness we sink....
Sometimes when its Spring outside, its Autumn inside,
When hope blossoms outside but withers within.......
Sometimes when its Summer outside, its Raining cats and dogs inside,
While the sun scorches our body,
The raindrops cleanse the Heart and Soul....
Sometimes its stark Winter outside, while the Heart is warm,
Sometimes there's a storm and its Thundering outside,
While the mind is surprisingly, very calm.......
Now when I'm out in the sweltering sun, whats the need to crib?
When I know deep down inside, there's just a switch I need to flip....
We aren't always in tune with the Seasons outside,
But just listen carefully to the song humming on your lips....
Just like the Seasons outside need to change when the Time comes,
So also no one bad season can continue within us Forever.......
And while Eternal Spring is what we all crave for,
We do know that the entire package comes alongwith it!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
day 41 - sometimes .... Just sometimes... ambivalence....is bliss!
In continuation to my damn good mood, as mentioned in my previous post, I want to share some new stuff I learnt... :)
I've always been an extremist - - - binary...either 0 or 1... To me, d middle path sounds synonymous to an inability to take a stand... And I detest people who can't take a stand (as a matter of routine) ...
So what learning am I talking about?? in the last few months I've learnt dat sometimes, though very occasionally, its OK to not take a serious, involved view of certain events/situations, esp when they have already occurred despite yr best intentions... you've already made yr best efforts, n they've not worked....... at such times, it feels good to step back, stay in neutral zone, be ambivalent in your reactions - not too hot, nor too cold, just room temperature! keep yr calm, feel good about most ppl (sorry we can't feel good about 'all' ppl :D:D )... Sometimes, its soothing to not try and slot / compartmentalise every single thing, or relation... Like a fren told me yesterday, somethings don't fit in any single dimension...
Sometimes, ambiguity is nice, mild curiosity is nice, constant humming (neither silence, nor pounding) is sweet...
it just is..... !!!! :)
I've always been an extremist - - - binary...either 0 or 1... To me, d middle path sounds synonymous to an inability to take a stand... And I detest people who can't take a stand (as a matter of routine) ...
So what learning am I talking about?? in the last few months I've learnt dat sometimes, though very occasionally, its OK to not take a serious, involved view of certain events/situations, esp when they have already occurred despite yr best intentions... you've already made yr best efforts, n they've not worked....... at such times, it feels good to step back, stay in neutral zone, be ambivalent in your reactions - not too hot, nor too cold, just room temperature! keep yr calm, feel good about most ppl (sorry we can't feel good about 'all' ppl :D:D )... Sometimes, its soothing to not try and slot / compartmentalise every single thing, or relation... Like a fren told me yesterday, somethings don't fit in any single dimension...
Sometimes, ambiguity is nice, mild curiosity is nice, constant humming (neither silence, nor pounding) is sweet...
it just is..... !!!! :)
day 40 - advice - free free free....... No thx !
For some peculiar reason, I'm gonna write some boiling stuff Tode, nope, I'm not in a foul mood, on d other hand, m in a damn good mood.... :D but dat doesn't stop me from spewing some pent-up anger!
So here goes -
some ppl are born advisors.... U speak to them of an issue concerning yrself n then dey start bombarding u with advice which u don't need or which even they wouldn't Follow. Themselves. They start thinking just coz u have shared this issue/s with them, u're Oh-so-vulnerable! And they can take d liberty of saying whatever they want, to whoever they want.
My feedback to them -
'Oh damn, before playing God, kindly realise dat u too have yr weaknesses, how will u feel if someone makes fun of u or taunts u from them...??? This is blatant abuse of the trust and faith someone has placed in u... Its a mockery of the word ''friendship''.
We are not perfect... Every single one of us makes mistakes..sometimes a series of them.... As long as our intentions were never wrong, no one, I repeat, NO ONE, except yr parents, has any right to criticize u for it... Solicited advice is welcome, unsolicited... No way!'
N yeah, now dat I've spewn this out of my system, I also hv realised dat I too must be objective in what I advice others.. N that too, only wen asked for it! :)
So here goes -
some ppl are born advisors.... U speak to them of an issue concerning yrself n then dey start bombarding u with advice which u don't need or which even they wouldn't Follow. Themselves. They start thinking just coz u have shared this issue/s with them, u're Oh-so-vulnerable! And they can take d liberty of saying whatever they want, to whoever they want.
My feedback to them -
'Oh damn, before playing God, kindly realise dat u too have yr weaknesses, how will u feel if someone makes fun of u or taunts u from them...??? This is blatant abuse of the trust and faith someone has placed in u... Its a mockery of the word ''friendship''.
We are not perfect... Every single one of us makes mistakes..sometimes a series of them.... As long as our intentions were never wrong, no one, I repeat, NO ONE, except yr parents, has any right to criticize u for it... Solicited advice is welcome, unsolicited... No way!'
N yeah, now dat I've spewn this out of my system, I also hv realised dat I too must be objective in what I advice others.. N that too, only wen asked for it! :)
Friday, April 30, 2010
day 39 - type 1 type2
nahh this is not abt sum mobile quiz contest... Its a derivative of statistics, law, psychology... Confused ...? Lemme explain...
In statistics, there are 2 kinds of errors dat one can make -
Type I error - where u prove the correct possibility to be wrong.. N
Type II error - where u prove d wrong thing to be right...
The same philosophy is also deeply
entwined with law and justice - dats the same reason why laws are framed such that while 100 guilty may go off scot-free, not even one innocent must be declared guilty... At least dats d endeavour...!
D debate on which error is worse continues... Type I or II???
I thot of this today in one of my (now frequent) flash-backs... And dibba, before u flare yr nostrils, Nah it was a generic flash-back:D
I think Type I Mistakes are far more lethal...N can even be irreparable - wat if in today's selfish times, u lost a great friendship - due to a third person's lies or some unproven / mislaid accusation'...
when u realise wat u've dun, n want to re-trace d paths to yr friendship, its quite likely dat yr fren doesn't want to have nything to do vid u... Take another instance, where by the time u'd have realise the truth, Time would have already passed, over into d realm of eternity... How repentful u'd be then?
Type II errors, on the other hand, can be really a pain, gross mockery of justice, or a stark rude reminder of our (mostly silly) mistake, which unlike school, will not cost us a mere 1/2 mark, but also pinch/irritate/bug/ torment us non-stop ... But somewhere along our journey, our type II errors make us wiser, far richer in experience... Those harsh lessons remain with us forever... N n like a bitter medicine, ultimately help us heal and live better... :)
In statistics, there are 2 kinds of errors dat one can make -
Type I error - where u prove the correct possibility to be wrong.. N
Type II error - where u prove d wrong thing to be right...
The same philosophy is also deeply
entwined with law and justice - dats the same reason why laws are framed such that while 100 guilty may go off scot-free, not even one innocent must be declared guilty... At least dats d endeavour...!
D debate on which error is worse continues... Type I or II???
I thot of this today in one of my (now frequent) flash-backs... And dibba, before u flare yr nostrils, Nah it was a generic flash-back:D
I think Type I Mistakes are far more lethal...N can even be irreparable - wat if in today's selfish times, u lost a great friendship - due to a third person's lies or some unproven / mislaid accusation'...
when u realise wat u've dun, n want to re-trace d paths to yr friendship, its quite likely dat yr fren doesn't want to have nything to do vid u... Take another instance, where by the time u'd have realise the truth, Time would have already passed, over into d realm of eternity... How repentful u'd be then?
Type II errors, on the other hand, can be really a pain, gross mockery of justice, or a stark rude reminder of our (mostly silly) mistake, which unlike school, will not cost us a mere 1/2 mark, but also pinch/irritate/bug/ torment us non-stop ... But somewhere along our journey, our type II errors make us wiser, far richer in experience... Those harsh lessons remain with us forever... N n like a bitter medicine, ultimately help us heal and live better... :)
day 38 - time out :)
I took sum deliberate time out from bloggin for d last 3-4 days....Ahhh... Before I blame it fully on work, lemme let u all in on a lil secret! I wanted to see how many of u actually read my blog n await it.... and yr overwhelmingly unenthusiastic response is well....to say d least.... Hmmmm....... Ahmmmmmm.... @#*+&!
:D Nah, actually I wrote on each of the last 3 days... But have deliberately not put it up here on d blog...for more reasons dan one... maybe Someday later I will..
:D Nah, actually I wrote on each of the last 3 days... But have deliberately not put it up here on d blog...for more reasons dan one... maybe Someday later I will..
Sunday, April 25, 2010
day 37 - words....
Words have phenomenal power.... its not said for nothing that the Pen is mightier than the sword! Not just the written word, spoken words too have the same effect... There are certain occasions when someone says something which makes your day .... Year... Even life...
some words - which have hit me....either when they were spoken or read or hours / months / years later... And have had a marked effect on my life... In someway..........
I've enumerated certain people's (non-family) words - spoken or written - that I've encountered and the associated Action / thought / feeling.... There's no hierarchy here... Its just a collection of random thoughts..
1. Kiran Bedi and Feminism..
2. Sarada Ma ( Ramkrishna Paramhansa's wife) and spirituality
3. Swami Vivekanand and Youth Activism
4. A.R. Rahman's music and Energy
5. Vande Mataram / jana gana mana and Patriotism
6. Enid Blyton and childhood innocence...
7. Rachel miss telling me in std. 9 that I'm a brave and courageous girl And Confidence
8. Rekha miss (my art teacher) writing C or D against my art grade column...and 'Non-creativity'...
9. Mantras and hatred for priests...
10. Shailaja Mule, a well-known career counsellor pointing out during a career guidance session in std. X, that I would do well in Arts... And I could take up IAS or Management...
11. Naniji telling me to choose MBA over an IAS....
12. Morning Assembly in school and Prayer
13. DDLJ's dialogues and mild crushes ;)
14. Someone telling me u must dress up well for yourself... (not that I took the person v seriously)
15. My dance teacher telling me I have 2 left feet - way back in early 1990s and awkwardness in dancing ever since.... Till the time dibba became my dance teacher! ...
16. A chance reading online ....and Adoption...
17. A chat conversation and A crush...
18. A moral science chapter on conscience ... And steadfastness to values...
19. words of hate in MBA and my turning an introvert ... Remembering My class teacher (again rachel miss) telling me I'm super talkative... I can begin talking even if placed in different corners of the class... And return to extrovertism again!
20. Conversations, jokes, laughter and Friendships...
21. Silence, words without any Sounds, and Faith
some words - which have hit me....either when they were spoken or read or hours / months / years later... And have had a marked effect on my life... In someway..........
I've enumerated certain people's (non-family) words - spoken or written - that I've encountered and the associated Action / thought / feeling.... There's no hierarchy here... Its just a collection of random thoughts..
1. Kiran Bedi and Feminism..
2. Sarada Ma ( Ramkrishna Paramhansa's wife) and spirituality
3. Swami Vivekanand and Youth Activism
4. A.R. Rahman's music and Energy
5. Vande Mataram / jana gana mana and Patriotism
6. Enid Blyton and childhood innocence...
7. Rachel miss telling me in std. 9 that I'm a brave and courageous girl And Confidence
8. Rekha miss (my art teacher) writing C or D against my art grade column...and 'Non-creativity'...
9. Mantras and hatred for priests...
10. Shailaja Mule, a well-known career counsellor pointing out during a career guidance session in std. X, that I would do well in Arts... And I could take up IAS or Management...
11. Naniji telling me to choose MBA over an IAS....
12. Morning Assembly in school and Prayer
13. DDLJ's dialogues and mild crushes ;)
14. Someone telling me u must dress up well for yourself... (not that I took the person v seriously)
15. My dance teacher telling me I have 2 left feet - way back in early 1990s and awkwardness in dancing ever since.... Till the time dibba became my dance teacher! ...
16. A chance reading online ....and Adoption...
17. A chat conversation and A crush...
18. A moral science chapter on conscience ... And steadfastness to values...
19. words of hate in MBA and my turning an introvert ... Remembering My class teacher (again rachel miss) telling me I'm super talkative... I can begin talking even if placed in different corners of the class... And return to extrovertism again!
20. Conversations, jokes, laughter and Friendships...
21. Silence, words without any Sounds, and Faith
day 36 - directions....
Humphhhh, ....
I wish One Word could sum up my mis-adventure day before y-day or rather night before y-night...
ok, first the background, God in a hurry, while assembling me, forgot to fit the compass... hence I entered d world w/o an iota of sense of direction... !!!
And unlike other traits, this one is governed solely by heredity and not environment... ie nature not nurture...!
U can imagine (if you share the same birth defect or if u know me) how difficult navigation can be for ppl like me
.... Some pointers to this effect can throw sum light on the gravity of this problem...
1. Bombay - my own city.... unfamiliarity with sum of the best known landmarks of the city....
2. Visiting a place...once...twice...thrice... Dozens Of times...n still blank...stark blank ....wen I hv to reach their again...
3. Always taking the same wrong left / right turn, only to regret and make the umpteenth promise to myself that I won't repeat the same mistake again!
4. Wen out alone, Having no qualms about asking ppl around for directions....time n again.... No ego hassles here! Ha!
5. struggling to get a mental path of the route to go to a particular place...
6. A feeling of extreme ecstasy on seeing the green signboard with white font reinforcing that I'm driving on the right road...
7. Crying / howling on finding out that I've gone off in totally diametrically opposite direction.. (latest eg: wen I reached bombay central instead of nehru centre - coz the cabbie heard the former...) .... Okie now.., stop laughing!
8. spending double the taxi / rickshaw fare coz the driver's taken me for a ride! Literally!
9. Reading the signboard on shops to realise the area / suburb/ road I'm on...
10. extreme phobia of trying out a different route... :)
And all this in my Own city.... I don't have to bother elaborating on out-of-town experiences...:)
And before u try n gender-ise the issue...kindly note that my mom n sis are even better than any migratory bird species...they have n Awesum sense of direction....
So now u know wat to gift me...bombay guides, maps, compass... !!!
I wish One Word could sum up my mis-adventure day before y-day or rather night before y-night...
ok, first the background, God in a hurry, while assembling me, forgot to fit the compass... hence I entered d world w/o an iota of sense of direction... !!!
And unlike other traits, this one is governed solely by heredity and not environment... ie nature not nurture...!
U can imagine (if you share the same birth defect or if u know me) how difficult navigation can be for ppl like me
.... Some pointers to this effect can throw sum light on the gravity of this problem...
1. Bombay - my own city.... unfamiliarity with sum of the best known landmarks of the city....
2. Visiting a place...once...twice...thrice... Dozens Of times...n still blank...stark blank ....wen I hv to reach their again...
3. Always taking the same wrong left / right turn, only to regret and make the umpteenth promise to myself that I won't repeat the same mistake again!
4. Wen out alone, Having no qualms about asking ppl around for directions....time n again.... No ego hassles here! Ha!
5. struggling to get a mental path of the route to go to a particular place...
6. A feeling of extreme ecstasy on seeing the green signboard with white font reinforcing that I'm driving on the right road...
7. Crying / howling on finding out that I've gone off in totally diametrically opposite direction.. (latest eg: wen I reached bombay central instead of nehru centre - coz the cabbie heard the former...) .... Okie now.., stop laughing!
8. spending double the taxi / rickshaw fare coz the driver's taken me for a ride! Literally!
9. Reading the signboard on shops to realise the area / suburb/ road I'm on...
10. extreme phobia of trying out a different route... :)
And all this in my Own city.... I don't have to bother elaborating on out-of-town experiences...:)
And before u try n gender-ise the issue...kindly note that my mom n sis are even better than any migratory bird species...they have n Awesum sense of direction....
So now u know wat to gift me...bombay guides, maps, compass... !!!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
day 35 - finalllllly!
this post is for day before day!
The day wen I finalllllly finalllllly saw a Play! Yep theatre's wat I'm talkin about...
I've for years wanted to go for one... Plans got cancelled at d last min on many occasions...or laziness of family to travel far from home on a weekend meant I never saw a Play....
Till.... 22nd April wen I saw one without planning to watch it at all...
Though this was a different genre of theatre...a musical and dance cum one-man play based on the life and works of the great Sufi saint - Amir Khusro.
A Play is far more real than cinema -
1. thre's no screen....
2. its all or none... The movie's not finalised for release till ethings picture perfect.... Here, u can practice endlessly, but on the D-day, what matters is what the artist does 'that' day... Seeing it this way parallels it with life... Its reality all d way thru'... No matter how well u plan for it or practice for d future... What matters most is how u fare in the Present. .. How u live each day, each moment...
3. the artist essays the role of a common man or woman...by essaying the role on the stage - we connect instantly... Coz we also play our various roles on the stage called Life...
4. Feedback is instant, obvious n instinctive.... the audience's reaction can be guaged spot on... In life, the notion of genuine feedback, or the idea of praising / criticising someone, on the spot, direct uncolored opinion is not always appreciated... I wonder y...
All in all, a good beginning...n looking fwd to watching millions of theatre work in the years to cum !!
The day wen I finalllllly finalllllly saw a Play! Yep theatre's wat I'm talkin about...
I've for years wanted to go for one... Plans got cancelled at d last min on many occasions...or laziness of family to travel far from home on a weekend meant I never saw a Play....
Till.... 22nd April wen I saw one without planning to watch it at all...
Though this was a different genre of theatre...a musical and dance cum one-man play based on the life and works of the great Sufi saint - Amir Khusro.
A Play is far more real than cinema -
1. thre's no screen....
2. its all or none... The movie's not finalised for release till ethings picture perfect.... Here, u can practice endlessly, but on the D-day, what matters is what the artist does 'that' day... Seeing it this way parallels it with life... Its reality all d way thru'... No matter how well u plan for it or practice for d future... What matters most is how u fare in the Present. .. How u live each day, each moment...
3. the artist essays the role of a common man or woman...by essaying the role on the stage - we connect instantly... Coz we also play our various roles on the stage called Life...
4. Feedback is instant, obvious n instinctive.... the audience's reaction can be guaged spot on... In life, the notion of genuine feedback, or the idea of praising / criticising someone, on the spot, direct uncolored opinion is not always appreciated... I wonder y...
All in all, a good beginning...n looking fwd to watching millions of theatre work in the years to cum !!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
day 34 - Things I luvvvvv....
apart from reading, watching movies.. The follg are not in any particular order though...
1. Eating with my hands...
2. A good loud hearty laughter..
3. Driving... (my car ....not ppl crazy..Haaaa!)
4. Teasing dibba vid ny and every guy...:p
5. Singing out loud alongwith d radio...
6. Eating every half n hour...
7. Jumping into other ppl's conversations - Talking to nyone abt nything n everything.../ nodding if I know nothin abt it... :D
8. Learning somethin new on the technology front....(new for me....ancient for d others! )
9. converting non-veggies into veggies ...
10. Practicing writing (legibly ) vid my right hand....n writing ambidextrously.... !
1. Eating with my hands...
2. A good loud hearty laughter..
3. Driving... (my car ....not ppl crazy..Haaaa!)
4. Teasing dibba vid ny and every guy...:p
5. Singing out loud alongwith d radio...
6. Eating every half n hour...
7. Jumping into other ppl's conversations - Talking to nyone abt nything n everything.../ nodding if I know nothin abt it... :D
8. Learning somethin new on the technology front....(new for me....ancient for d others! )
9. converting non-veggies into veggies ...
10. Practicing writing (legibly ) vid my right hand....n writing ambidextrously.... !
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
day 33 - :))
what do u do when.....
U r happy....
U r sad...
U r right...
U r wrong...
U learn a lesson / gain experience..
U look back in hindsight n realise yr mistake...
you realise what a strong anchor yr fmly has been all thru...
u lose yr way n find a sign...
U wanna make a new fren...
u hv to manaoo an angry fren...
u wanna catch someone's attention..
U dream a funny dream....
U win a losing game...
someone guesses yr mind...
u remnisice about times long ago..
U enjoy yr present...
......
In all d above, U Smile...yep...
Keep smiling... :))
U r happy....
U r sad...
U r right...
U r wrong...
U learn a lesson / gain experience..
U look back in hindsight n realise yr mistake...
you realise what a strong anchor yr fmly has been all thru...
u lose yr way n find a sign...
U wanna make a new fren...
u hv to manaoo an angry fren...
u wanna catch someone's attention..
U dream a funny dream....
U win a losing game...
someone guesses yr mind...
u remnisice about times long ago..
U enjoy yr present...
......
In all d above, U Smile...yep...
Keep smiling... :))
Monday, April 19, 2010
day 32 - for want of a..........
For want of innocence, childhood is lost...
For want of curiosity, education is lost...
For want of exercise, health is lost...
For want of a plan, time is lost...
For want of a conscience, values are lost...
For want of trust, relationships are lost,
For want of respect, families are lost,
For want of love, marriages are lost,
For want of discipline, a battle is lost,
For want of loyalty, a country's freedom is lost...
For want of a passion, a dream is lost....
For want of a Purpose, life is lost!!!
For want of curiosity, education is lost...
For want of exercise, health is lost...
For want of a plan, time is lost...
For want of a conscience, values are lost...
For want of trust, relationships are lost,
For want of respect, families are lost,
For want of love, marriages are lost,
For want of discipline, a battle is lost,
For want of loyalty, a country's freedom is lost...
For want of a passion, a dream is lost....
For want of a Purpose, life is lost!!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
day 31 - 31/365 ....1st Monthly Anniv.....!
1st mnthly anniv of this blog...
U'll recall that the raison d'etre of this blog was 365 days of non-stop blogging...
Well, 31 blogging days r ovr.. :) cheerzz...!!
A quik take on what i loved abt these 31 days of blogging ...
1. I got acquainted vid a new - me... Sum things lyk a lil streak of creativity..was unknown to me earlier!
2. I've exceeded my own expectations, conquered my own demoniac fears...i nvr evr cd post earlier in my previous attempts at blogging, w/o first staring fr long at d blank paper, n den writin sum gibberish...i may still continue to write advanced gibberish...:P but hvnt written a single post beforehand....all of dem hv been spontaneous/impromptu, n strt dil se!
3. I wrote a poem, then another, den a 3rd.....all this for d first time in my 29 yrs...!
Enuf of blowing my trumpet :D...
Here's wat needs to be improved asap:
1. I need to respond to comments sooner,
2. engage in a more interactive dialogue on d post,
3. spread d wrd N increase d readership...;),
4. make it better on looks n start using images as well,
5. Add more diversity to d topics!
Do lemme know yr comments on this... !
Thnks dear readers fr still being around :D:D
Ciao fr now....!
U'll recall that the raison d'etre of this blog was 365 days of non-stop blogging...
Well, 31 blogging days r ovr.. :) cheerzz...!!
A quik take on what i loved abt these 31 days of blogging ...
1. I got acquainted vid a new - me... Sum things lyk a lil streak of creativity..was unknown to me earlier!
2. I've exceeded my own expectations, conquered my own demoniac fears...i nvr evr cd post earlier in my previous attempts at blogging, w/o first staring fr long at d blank paper, n den writin sum gibberish...i may still continue to write advanced gibberish...:P but hvnt written a single post beforehand....all of dem hv been spontaneous/impromptu, n strt dil se!
3. I wrote a poem, then another, den a 3rd.....all this for d first time in my 29 yrs...!
Enuf of blowing my trumpet :D...
Here's wat needs to be improved asap:
1. I need to respond to comments sooner,
2. engage in a more interactive dialogue on d post,
3. spread d wrd N increase d readership...;),
4. make it better on looks n start using images as well,
5. Add more diversity to d topics!
Do lemme know yr comments on this... !
Thnks dear readers fr still being around :D:D
Ciao fr now....!
day 30 - ordinarily extraordinary.....!
this post is actually based on yday's happenings...
I saw d movie 'The Japanese Wife' directed by Aparna Sen...(of mr and mrs iyer fame)...the movie's basic premise, is dat 2 ppl - he an indian, she a japanese, who've nvr met each other...get married...remain married...keep in contact only thru letters n an occasional phone call, n arent able to meet each other till d end ...(of the movie or their lives, i wont tell, else i'll be spilling out d whole story! :)
What shines thruout d movie is d ordinary lives led by d characters....interwoven with complete honesty,
Simplicity, love, care, trust....
it embellishes d ordinary, reinvogorates it and surrounds it with the magic aura of d Extraordinary...
i came bak with a restoration of my faith in love, life n ppl in general :))
I saw d movie 'The Japanese Wife' directed by Aparna Sen...(of mr and mrs iyer fame)...the movie's basic premise, is dat 2 ppl - he an indian, she a japanese, who've nvr met each other...get married...remain married...keep in contact only thru letters n an occasional phone call, n arent able to meet each other till d end ...(of the movie or their lives, i wont tell, else i'll be spilling out d whole story! :)
What shines thruout d movie is d ordinary lives led by d characters....interwoven with complete honesty,
Simplicity, love, care, trust....
it embellishes d ordinary, reinvogorates it and surrounds it with the magic aura of d Extraordinary...
i came bak with a restoration of my faith in love, life n ppl in general :))
Friday, April 16, 2010
day 29 - things far beyond.......
every single event, episode, word, person, memory, action in our lives is meant to happen / be a part of our life's journey ..irrespective of the timeframe of contact / association - momentary or lifelong...
Nothing's merely coincidental, nothing's a 'big cosmic mistake'...everything happens in Time, its Time...our actions yield the desired result in Time's own time...our decisions get made in Time's time, our successes and failures happen in Time's time, ... Destiny / Fate? - i donno....cd be....sum things vil always remain a mystery i guess....we arent wired as yet to understand or modulate EVERYTHING....but we do have a brain, a heart and a soul - using all 3, make the best of our Time here :)
Everything is with a purpose - whether in the form of a lesson or an experience, or as an inter-link, or to change our life's path or due to our subconscious mind's desire...every person / event's role in our life is already carved out - sumtyms our mind uses sand as d canvas, sumtyms it uses stone...!
In hindsight, we tend to becum critical / judgemental, take up / assign undue blame, becum a tad more wiser, ....n resolve to fare better at the next crossroad.....only till....we face the next event / decision :)
No future can be built based on shadows of the past....so its imp to break free, face adventure with a smile, be eager abt the future, not anxious abt it....
Thank eone - incl our enemies... for their role in making us a better person each day, wish no harm (irrespectve of WHAT he / she has dun to us)...
Finally...
What triggered dis post....a tussle between sum bitter n sum sweet memories in my mind.... !
Nothing's merely coincidental, nothing's a 'big cosmic mistake'...everything happens in Time, its Time...our actions yield the desired result in Time's own time...our decisions get made in Time's time, our successes and failures happen in Time's time, ... Destiny / Fate? - i donno....cd be....sum things vil always remain a mystery i guess....we arent wired as yet to understand or modulate EVERYTHING....but we do have a brain, a heart and a soul - using all 3, make the best of our Time here :)
Everything is with a purpose - whether in the form of a lesson or an experience, or as an inter-link, or to change our life's path or due to our subconscious mind's desire...every person / event's role in our life is already carved out - sumtyms our mind uses sand as d canvas, sumtyms it uses stone...!
In hindsight, we tend to becum critical / judgemental, take up / assign undue blame, becum a tad more wiser, ....n resolve to fare better at the next crossroad.....only till....we face the next event / decision :)
No future can be built based on shadows of the past....so its imp to break free, face adventure with a smile, be eager abt the future, not anxious abt it....
Thank eone - incl our enemies... for their role in making us a better person each day, wish no harm (irrespectve of WHAT he / she has dun to us)...
Finally...
What triggered dis post....a tussle between sum bitter n sum sweet memories in my mind.... !
Thursday, April 15, 2010
day 28 - 'Real'ity check!
There's a v thin line dividing ---
Fact and Fiction - Statistics :))
Real and Fantasy - Space tourism
Judgement and Prejudice - nothing can be totally unbiased, not even Justice!
Belief n Superstition - look around, no dearth of examples :)
Genius and Insanity - Meeee :D
Feelings and Thoughts,
Religion n Violence - Jihad,
Love and hate
Humor n Hurt - Santa-Banta jokes!
Trust n Betrayal,
Silence n Speech - at tyms we can understnd someone's silence while at tyms we dnt even 'hear' wat he/she's actually saying...
...the list can go on n on n on...
What is wrong here?? Is it just when we mistake one fr another...or are ignorant to understnd repurcussions of one on another?? Who decides wrong and right? Society....Majority.....Elders....Judges/Law? when shorn of all these tags, just who r these ppl with such limitless power?
Which brings me to another pair to be added to d list above - 'majority is right' N 'herd mentality :)
Fact and Fiction - Statistics :))
Real and Fantasy - Space tourism
Judgement and Prejudice - nothing can be totally unbiased, not even Justice!
Belief n Superstition - look around, no dearth of examples :)
Genius and Insanity - Meeee :D
Feelings and Thoughts,
Religion n Violence - Jihad,
Love and hate
Humor n Hurt - Santa-Banta jokes!
Trust n Betrayal,
Silence n Speech - at tyms we can understnd someone's silence while at tyms we dnt even 'hear' wat he/she's actually saying...
...the list can go on n on n on...
What is wrong here?? Is it just when we mistake one fr another...or are ignorant to understnd repurcussions of one on another?? Who decides wrong and right? Society....Majority.....Elders....Judges/Law? when shorn of all these tags, just who r these ppl with such limitless power?
Which brings me to another pair to be added to d list above - 'majority is right' N 'herd mentality :)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 27 Friends
Happy New Year to all the readers
On this occasion there is gonna be something new / different on this blog ... the real owner /writer of this blog is on a break and has decided to let someone else write the blog for her today.
Well the most important thing in letting someone else having to do a thing for you is having faith in him /her.
FAITH the underlying thing of all relations
How doe we measure relations?
We measure distances between places in different ways mm, cm, mtrs, km & miles.
Of course we cannot measure relations using the above measures.
People really don't need to be with each other or near each other to be close to each other.
You might be living with someone under one roof but still be never close to him/ her.
You might be working with someone in the same office but still never be able relate with him /her.
There could be a friend who now stays in a different town but he/she could be much more close to you than your blood relations.
Distances between people is defined by the faith they have with each other.
If they have faith then the distance created due to place or time doesn't matter.
On the other hand if there's no faith then even living under one roof won't make them come closer to each other.
Of all the relations that we can name or ever create the only one we ever have a complete say is friendship.
We don't have a say in deciding our parents, brothers or sisters, many don't even choose the life partners but everyone gets to choose a friend.
That's why friends are so close to us... some really lucky ones have the same group of friends throughout their life while some not so lucky have different people as their close friends during different stages in life.
Whatever may be the case the fact remains that friends are an integral part of our life.
They are there in our times of joy n sorrow ,ups n downs whenever we need them.
We can share our inner most secrets with them n b sure its safe.
That's why it is said a man is known by the company he keeps.
A world without friends will very soon see its end!!!
That's why today when my mobile went blank and I was not able to reach or call any of my friends I realised how incomplete I am without them.
The fact that most of them do not stay in the same city where I am staying currently has not come in between the moments of joy / sorrow in our lives.
I am really happy and thankful to all of them for being my friend and letting me be theirs too.
Guestpost by Harishkumar
On this occasion there is gonna be something new / different on this blog ... the real owner /writer of this blog is on a break and has decided to let someone else write the blog for her today.
Well the most important thing in letting someone else having to do a thing for you is having faith in him /her.
FAITH the underlying thing of all relations
How doe we measure relations?
We measure distances between places in different ways mm, cm, mtrs, km & miles.
Of course we cannot measure relations using the above measures.
People really don't need to be with each other or near each other to be close to each other.
You might be living with someone under one roof but still be never close to him/ her.
You might be working with someone in the same office but still never be able relate with him /her.
There could be a friend who now stays in a different town but he/she could be much more close to you than your blood relations.
Distances between people is defined by the faith they have with each other.
If they have faith then the distance created due to place or time doesn't matter.
On the other hand if there's no faith then even living under one roof won't make them come closer to each other.
Of all the relations that we can name or ever create the only one we ever have a complete say is friendship.
We don't have a say in deciding our parents, brothers or sisters, many don't even choose the life partners but everyone gets to choose a friend.
That's why friends are so close to us... some really lucky ones have the same group of friends throughout their life while some not so lucky have different people as their close friends during different stages in life.
Whatever may be the case the fact remains that friends are an integral part of our life.
They are there in our times of joy n sorrow ,ups n downs whenever we need them.
We can share our inner most secrets with them n b sure its safe.
That's why it is said a man is known by the company he keeps.
A world without friends will very soon see its end!!!
That's why today when my mobile went blank and I was not able to reach or call any of my friends I realised how incomplete I am without them.
The fact that most of them do not stay in the same city where I am staying currently has not come in between the moments of joy / sorrow in our lives.
I am really happy and thankful to all of them for being my friend and letting me be theirs too.
Guestpost by Harishkumar
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
thanks for the memories....
this is the title of the book that i'm reading currently....its by the same author whose debut was 'P.S. I love u'..Cecilia Ahern...like one of the reviews says, her books have an element of magic in them...a mystic sense of outofthisworld fantasy...n loads of plain vanilla innocence n wonder....
In this post, i'm listing down some of the thoughts / philosophies that one of the characters conveys in a very simple, ordinary form...or in a metaphoric manner..
Here goes -
1. 'This is all u do When it all slows down n d minutes that tick by feel a little longer than before, .......you take yr time....you breathe slowly, you open yr eyes wider n look at EVERYTHING. Take it all in... Stop and notice little things....Find out d answers to yday's crosswords. Stop trying to do everything NOW...NOW...NOW...Dont let nybody dictate yr speed...'
2. ....'like a garden, Everything grows. Including Love....Everything builds....including our ability to cope with it. Thats how we keep going'.
3. 'in my day, something JUST WAS. None of this analysis a hundred times over...no whys n hows n becauses all the time...sometimes, you need to forget all these words, n just learn to say ''thank you''.
4. During tough times, ' what was once clear becums cloudy, n wat was once considered bizarre becums a possibility...but its precisely when u're in trouble, u look harder for answers than those who arent, and those answers help u thru...'
5. When we laugh so hard dat we cry, its tells us 'how close happiness n sadness are. ...how a moment of lovecan be quickly snapped into hate....how love and war stand on the same foundations. How in our darkest moments, most fearful tyms, when faced, become our bravest.
They all border one another, these opposites...how similar emotions are!'
What i loved abt d above 5 gems are dat they're woven into the story narrative so brilliantly...no preachings...just plain simple truths of life...! :)
In this post, i'm listing down some of the thoughts / philosophies that one of the characters conveys in a very simple, ordinary form...or in a metaphoric manner..
Here goes -
1. 'This is all u do When it all slows down n d minutes that tick by feel a little longer than before, .......you take yr time....you breathe slowly, you open yr eyes wider n look at EVERYTHING. Take it all in... Stop and notice little things....Find out d answers to yday's crosswords. Stop trying to do everything NOW...NOW...NOW...Dont let nybody dictate yr speed...'
2. ....'like a garden, Everything grows. Including Love....Everything builds....including our ability to cope with it. Thats how we keep going'.
3. 'in my day, something JUST WAS. None of this analysis a hundred times over...no whys n hows n becauses all the time...sometimes, you need to forget all these words, n just learn to say ''thank you''.
4. During tough times, ' what was once clear becums cloudy, n wat was once considered bizarre becums a possibility...but its precisely when u're in trouble, u look harder for answers than those who arent, and those answers help u thru...'
5. When we laugh so hard dat we cry, its tells us 'how close happiness n sadness are. ...how a moment of lovecan be quickly snapped into hate....how love and war stand on the same foundations. How in our darkest moments, most fearful tyms, when faced, become our bravest.
They all border one another, these opposites...how similar emotions are!'
What i loved abt d above 5 gems are dat they're woven into the story narrative so brilliantly...no preachings...just plain simple truths of life...! :)
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