A friend of mine sent these wishes for me this New Year - thought it was nice to post them for everyone:
"Some of the Best moments in Life: Lying in bed listening to the rain outside,...Thinking about the people you love...Finding Money in your old jeans just when you needed...Giggling naughtily with your best friend....Getting a hug from people you love...The moment your eyes are filled with tears after a big laugh...Wishing you these beautiful moments today ,tomorrow and Forever...Happy New Year 2007..."
Have wonderful Year ahead !!!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
New Year Resolutions
Another Year gone by, and you'll hear more than one person around you quip "wow ! this year went by so quickly " . Do you really think that time inches faster in some year and slower in some ?
Not really, I think it's all in the perception. Like they say good times fly past very quickly and bad times crawl.
Every year as New Year comes round the corner, I'am exhilerated for nothing else but for the opportunity it presents to begin my life afresh - on a clean slate !. Be it losing weight, to learning skills, to being a better human. It feels like all your sins for the past year stand forgiven :) including the big piece of the chocolate cake that was silently polished off while watching a movie !
What could be some good resolutions ? Again like they say one man's food is another man's poison, ther may never be something that could qualify as "good resolutions" - and I always think it makes very interesting observation when one man's resolution(s) could directly conflict another man's in any given situation.
Make more money ? well, who doesn't need lots and some more :)
Cut out the hidden bulges - There are some that are obvious to the external eye and some little secret fat pouches that you could be honest about and push those abs to get in shape ! Chocolate cake, where's the door ....
Learn new skills - You don't have to be the coolest kid on the block. But you could certainly use some help brush off the dust, from everything that ranges from those books you promised to read up over a year ago to the coolest dance move you always wanted to learn, the new sport you want to pick up, cook your favourite main course - add anything to this list !
Get Organized - throw stuff you haven't touched in the last 2 years. I think it's only fair to make room for newer stuff and move out something that you don't really care about. Again, not true if you are a sentimentalist (if there's really such a term !) like me . I'am a pack-rat and revel in keeping even my pencils and erasers from grade 1 and rhine stones that I collected as a child :)
Travel - get out of those four walls and see newer places - the world is full of greater things you don't know about.
The list can go on - but the bottom line is have fun ! Make this year work for you - make this year wonderful for yourself. I always believe that nothing comes to you on a platter - you get what make for yourself. So, make this one of those memorable years ! Get out, eat well, live healthy, laugh a lot , conquer everything you have ever wanted to, believe in yourself , love your friends, forgive and pity your enemies and dance to life's best beats ever !
Lastly, don't forget to smile a lot !
Have a wonderful Year ahead !!!
Not really, I think it's all in the perception. Like they say good times fly past very quickly and bad times crawl.
Every year as New Year comes round the corner, I'am exhilerated for nothing else but for the opportunity it presents to begin my life afresh - on a clean slate !. Be it losing weight, to learning skills, to being a better human. It feels like all your sins for the past year stand forgiven :) including the big piece of the chocolate cake that was silently polished off while watching a movie !
What could be some good resolutions ? Again like they say one man's food is another man's poison, ther may never be something that could qualify as "good resolutions" - and I always think it makes very interesting observation when one man's resolution(s) could directly conflict another man's in any given situation.
Make more money ? well, who doesn't need lots and some more :)
Cut out the hidden bulges - There are some that are obvious to the external eye and some little secret fat pouches that you could be honest about and push those abs to get in shape ! Chocolate cake, where's the door ....
Learn new skills - You don't have to be the coolest kid on the block. But you could certainly use some help brush off the dust, from everything that ranges from those books you promised to read up over a year ago to the coolest dance move you always wanted to learn, the new sport you want to pick up, cook your favourite main course - add anything to this list !
Get Organized - throw stuff you haven't touched in the last 2 years. I think it's only fair to make room for newer stuff and move out something that you don't really care about. Again, not true if you are a sentimentalist (if there's really such a term !) like me . I'am a pack-rat and revel in keeping even my pencils and erasers from grade 1 and rhine stones that I collected as a child :)
Travel - get out of those four walls and see newer places - the world is full of greater things you don't know about.
The list can go on - but the bottom line is have fun ! Make this year work for you - make this year wonderful for yourself. I always believe that nothing comes to you on a platter - you get what make for yourself. So, make this one of those memorable years ! Get out, eat well, live healthy, laugh a lot , conquer everything you have ever wanted to, believe in yourself , love your friends, forgive and pity your enemies and dance to life's best beats ever !
Lastly, don't forget to smile a lot !
Have a wonderful Year ahead !!!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Thoughts of You !
I laughed when I first heard someone mention that you missed people or things even when they were right in front of you - I laughed when someone said you missed someone's voice even though you heard them speak every single day - I laughed really hard when someone said you could miss a person's touch even though you were held every single day in those very arms ! But after all these years, it's true - you could miss the very same things , the very same person right in front of you every waking moment ! It's not a person, or a thing - but your quest could be for that little something - that's inexplainable, unachievable and not ignorable - that little lump in your throat that's so hard to swallow, everytime you feel it !
Thoughts of You !
The golden rays of the morning sun,
The sounds of the chirping birds,
The dew on the grass blades,
The blossom of the flowers,
The gurgling of the stream,
The cool, moist grass on the river bank,
The setting sun in the sky,
The sound of the faraway church bells,
The cresent moon shyly coming up in the sky,
The silent language of the twinkling stars,
The powerful surging of the seas,
The mild cool breeze,
The gentle sway of the palm trees,
The sweet fragrance of the jasmine flowers,
The distant music that fills my ears,
The beauty of a child's laughter,
The purity of a mother's love,
The brilliance of moonlight,
And, all that's so pure & untainted,
so true, & untouched,
Everything makes me think of nothing else but you.
Thoughts of You !
The golden rays of the morning sun,
The sounds of the chirping birds,
The dew on the grass blades,
The blossom of the flowers,
The gurgling of the stream,
The cool, moist grass on the river bank,
The setting sun in the sky,
The sound of the faraway church bells,
The cresent moon shyly coming up in the sky,
The silent language of the twinkling stars,
The powerful surging of the seas,
The mild cool breeze,
The gentle sway of the palm trees,
The sweet fragrance of the jasmine flowers,
The distant music that fills my ears,
The beauty of a child's laughter,
The purity of a mother's love,
The brilliance of moonlight,
And, all that's so pure & untainted,
so true, & untouched,
Everything makes me think of nothing else but you.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Summer vacations !
I woke up this morning with a start - and heaved a sigh of relief that it was just a dream ....
It was the peak of summer, and the school had just shut down. There were the usual good-byes and hugs and kisses between all the friends at school - some were genuine and some were oh-do-I-have-to-do-it kinds. Thinking back, it is surprising how we as humans learn people management even at that tender age. We always knew what topics please a particular friend, what toys to trade or what gossip to exchange with who. The attempt right from the start of our lives is probably to build our own empire - an empire of friends :)
Well, coming back to the story that summer - I think we were in the sixth grade. That season, the days were filled with sweltering heat, the evenings were cool and the coal tar on the roads threatened to melt any moment. If you ever visited some of the areas in India in the peak months of April / May you will exactly identify what I mean and makes you want to gulp down a glass of cool H2O rightaway :)
We were a bunch of good friends that lived in this colony, all about the same age. And a typical summer holiday routine consisted of waking up as early as one could, and start your day by sitting out in the backyard under a tree sipping your glass of milk - well, I hadn't been introduced to the sinful pleasure of sipping coffee yet :). Watch the birds and squirrels go by, then once the clock struck nine, we would get dressed and run out to play in any of the homes. We were strictly not allowed to go out of the house to avoid the dangers of getting exposed to the unforgiving Sun. One of the moms would make something delicious for lunch, and the food vanished within minutes of being put on the plates. Then came the higlight of summer - the king of all fruits - the Mangoes !. Wow ! nothing can match the sweetness or the sheer pleasure of licking at the core or the nut of this huge juicy fruit !. It is definitely an art that yields infinite pleasure when put in action, and something that can equally frighten an onlooker, who can perceive it as the most uncivilized way of devouring the fruit. Believe me, no job yields a great-job-done feel and the heightened satisfaction one derives after you lick the nut clean, and all the flesh of the fruit is safely tucked away in your belly :)
The evenings were full of games ranging from running around a huge playground, hide and seek or just sitting around telling each other ghost stories.
We constantly traded comics with each other and had our set of fights on how we didn't take care of each other's books, or how we were treated unfairly in the barter system. That summer, amidst all of this vacation excitement and hoopla around my cousins visiting us, a new friend moving into the neighbourhood , I had completely forgotten that we were all given a few summer assignments that needed to be completed and turned in at the begin of the next school year. I realized all of this when I was asked to keep my school bag and uniform ready for the next day when the new school year began ! My horror reigned supreme when this realization dawned and I was thinking of a million ways and excuses I could use to tell my teachers why I didn't do what I needed to do....
Right at this point is when I woke up this morning and realized - phew ! that was a dream - thank God !
In reality this would have never happenend to me as my mom would be constantly on my case and I would be court marshalled in case of such a slip-up :) But, who knows - ?
The intricate details of my summer vacations are so vivid in my mind even today - probably because they were such happy times! Like I said above, every evening we would play till we almost dropped asleep and we did all kinds of scary things including when there were times when a few of us who wanted to show our expertise in the playground typically climbed a flag staff present in the playground and sat precariously perched at the top 40 feet high in the air ! I can only imagine my mom's horror if she had found me that way - I'am a mom too today, and my heart races every time my little one tries to jump off the 4 feet high sofa !
How times have changed ? I always wonder if life has suddenly become more precious in some way ? or is it that we have lost the charm and independence of life as we knew it fearless and to the fullest !. I miss those days and times when we didn't have the slightest care in the world, and the fear of the unknown ! Today we live lives that are so full of trepidations and fears that are imposed on us by the society that we live in or are at times self-created.
Where have those wonderful times gone ? Wish we had some magical wand to carry us all back in time ....where laughter rang out...true, honest...unadultrated..the birds chirped...and everyone around wore a smile that rose from their hearts !
It was the peak of summer, and the school had just shut down. There were the usual good-byes and hugs and kisses between all the friends at school - some were genuine and some were oh-do-I-have-to-do-it kinds. Thinking back, it is surprising how we as humans learn people management even at that tender age. We always knew what topics please a particular friend, what toys to trade or what gossip to exchange with who. The attempt right from the start of our lives is probably to build our own empire - an empire of friends :)
Well, coming back to the story that summer - I think we were in the sixth grade. That season, the days were filled with sweltering heat, the evenings were cool and the coal tar on the roads threatened to melt any moment. If you ever visited some of the areas in India in the peak months of April / May you will exactly identify what I mean and makes you want to gulp down a glass of cool H2O rightaway :)
We were a bunch of good friends that lived in this colony, all about the same age. And a typical summer holiday routine consisted of waking up as early as one could, and start your day by sitting out in the backyard under a tree sipping your glass of milk - well, I hadn't been introduced to the sinful pleasure of sipping coffee yet :). Watch the birds and squirrels go by, then once the clock struck nine, we would get dressed and run out to play in any of the homes. We were strictly not allowed to go out of the house to avoid the dangers of getting exposed to the unforgiving Sun. One of the moms would make something delicious for lunch, and the food vanished within minutes of being put on the plates. Then came the higlight of summer - the king of all fruits - the Mangoes !. Wow ! nothing can match the sweetness or the sheer pleasure of licking at the core or the nut of this huge juicy fruit !. It is definitely an art that yields infinite pleasure when put in action, and something that can equally frighten an onlooker, who can perceive it as the most uncivilized way of devouring the fruit. Believe me, no job yields a great-job-done feel and the heightened satisfaction one derives after you lick the nut clean, and all the flesh of the fruit is safely tucked away in your belly :)
The evenings were full of games ranging from running around a huge playground, hide and seek or just sitting around telling each other ghost stories.
We constantly traded comics with each other and had our set of fights on how we didn't take care of each other's books, or how we were treated unfairly in the barter system. That summer, amidst all of this vacation excitement and hoopla around my cousins visiting us, a new friend moving into the neighbourhood , I had completely forgotten that we were all given a few summer assignments that needed to be completed and turned in at the begin of the next school year. I realized all of this when I was asked to keep my school bag and uniform ready for the next day when the new school year began ! My horror reigned supreme when this realization dawned and I was thinking of a million ways and excuses I could use to tell my teachers why I didn't do what I needed to do....
Right at this point is when I woke up this morning and realized - phew ! that was a dream - thank God !
In reality this would have never happenend to me as my mom would be constantly on my case and I would be court marshalled in case of such a slip-up :) But, who knows - ?
The intricate details of my summer vacations are so vivid in my mind even today - probably because they were such happy times! Like I said above, every evening we would play till we almost dropped asleep and we did all kinds of scary things including when there were times when a few of us who wanted to show our expertise in the playground typically climbed a flag staff present in the playground and sat precariously perched at the top 40 feet high in the air ! I can only imagine my mom's horror if she had found me that way - I'am a mom too today, and my heart races every time my little one tries to jump off the 4 feet high sofa !
How times have changed ? I always wonder if life has suddenly become more precious in some way ? or is it that we have lost the charm and independence of life as we knew it fearless and to the fullest !. I miss those days and times when we didn't have the slightest care in the world, and the fear of the unknown ! Today we live lives that are so full of trepidations and fears that are imposed on us by the society that we live in or are at times self-created.
Where have those wonderful times gone ? Wish we had some magical wand to carry us all back in time ....where laughter rang out...true, honest...unadultrated..the birds chirped...and everyone around wore a smile that rose from their hearts !
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Dec 07 - Teachers
I have always pondered what makes us remember our teachers fondly or otherwise.
All of us remember something that one of our teachers said, out of the blue in a conversation, in a situation, in a particular place or even just when we are idle.
I think that every teacher leaves a mark on his/her students in some way - afterall we or our kids today spend so much time together with them in a day. Some qualities do rub off I guess. They somehow have the power to make things look so easy or oh-so tough.
I went to a convent school as a kid in a remote town in India. I remember clearly every one of those pranks we played on the nuns :) we lifted the veil on her head with a ruler when she was walking the other way, and we would giggle and whisper to each other that she does have hair on her head inside the veil, or that she also wears rubber bands to tie her hair in a pony tail. Brings a smile when I think of it now - what were we exactly thinking :) We always wondered if they had a family too, mommies and daddies of their own, wore normal clothes like us ever, ate what we ate and what they did in their spare time.
A smile, or a simple gesture meant so much when we were kids - didn't you go and gush to your buddies saying "can you believe what happened to me today ? so-and-so teacher actually looked at me and smiled ! - she even likes my dress !"
wow ! that made our day !
In my school only special favorites were allowed to help with carrying home work note books turned in by the students, back to the staff room - they were given special previleges to enter the santum sanctorium of the staff room on a given occasion. At that moment in time, you never missed a chance to rove your eyes to drink up all the minute details available, which would later be turned into juicy bits of gossip to be shared with your friends !! :)
Every simple action of theirs is almost always interpreted into something of great significance by the students - us, of yester years or our kids today !. Anything that makes them seem anywhere close to being mortal is cherished !
Small lessons taught by them go a long way - I remember my English teacher ranting "cross your letter "T"s, point your letter "I", and the letters "c" and "e" must be differenciated " just before every test and exam. I always always think of it when I put my pen on the paper, even today !
But, all in all I would like to truly believe that our teachers made us what we are today, along with our parents.
Quoting below is a Sanskrit verse, that translates to Guru (the teacher) being 'Brahma' himself -
Gurur brahmaa gurur vishnuh
gurur devo maheshvarah
gurur saakshaat parabrahma
tasmai shree gurave namah.
Kudos to those great teachers !!!
All of us remember something that one of our teachers said, out of the blue in a conversation, in a situation, in a particular place or even just when we are idle.
I think that every teacher leaves a mark on his/her students in some way - afterall we or our kids today spend so much time together with them in a day. Some qualities do rub off I guess. They somehow have the power to make things look so easy or oh-so tough.
I went to a convent school as a kid in a remote town in India. I remember clearly every one of those pranks we played on the nuns :) we lifted the veil on her head with a ruler when she was walking the other way, and we would giggle and whisper to each other that she does have hair on her head inside the veil, or that she also wears rubber bands to tie her hair in a pony tail. Brings a smile when I think of it now - what were we exactly thinking :) We always wondered if they had a family too, mommies and daddies of their own, wore normal clothes like us ever, ate what we ate and what they did in their spare time.
A smile, or a simple gesture meant so much when we were kids - didn't you go and gush to your buddies saying "can you believe what happened to me today ? so-and-so teacher actually looked at me and smiled ! - she even likes my dress !"
wow ! that made our day !
In my school only special favorites were allowed to help with carrying home work note books turned in by the students, back to the staff room - they were given special previleges to enter the santum sanctorium of the staff room on a given occasion. At that moment in time, you never missed a chance to rove your eyes to drink up all the minute details available, which would later be turned into juicy bits of gossip to be shared with your friends !! :)
Every simple action of theirs is almost always interpreted into something of great significance by the students - us, of yester years or our kids today !. Anything that makes them seem anywhere close to being mortal is cherished !
Small lessons taught by them go a long way - I remember my English teacher ranting "cross your letter "T"s, point your letter "I", and the letters "c" and "e" must be differenciated " just before every test and exam. I always always think of it when I put my pen on the paper, even today !
But, all in all I would like to truly believe that our teachers made us what we are today, along with our parents.
Quoting below is a Sanskrit verse, that translates to Guru (the teacher) being 'Brahma' himself -
Gurur brahmaa gurur vishnuh
gurur devo maheshvarah
gurur saakshaat parabrahma
tasmai shree gurave namah.
Kudos to those great teachers !!!
Monday, December 4, 2006
Dec 04, 2006
Just recovering from a long lazy weekend ! Over the weekend, puttered around the house taking care of little chores ignored for way too long - found treasures from the past, long forgotten :)
On a Monday morning, waking up to the smell of coffee wafting through the house always never fails to excite me and super charge me up for an exciting new week ahead !
Well this day, the all-is-rosy mood lasted up until the point where my commute to work began :( The reason ? - I got to follow a talk show about the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, with the US of A contributing to 6% of the worldwide pool !. India & China which are now fast becoming the Industrial conglomerates, contribute to the next higest level. What will be the role of the new generation of the hybrid cars , what happens to all the older cars puffing away the black poison into the air our kids breathe ?
Who will play the good cop to get things right ? Big issues need to be addressed in this world - bogs me down everytime I hear one . But hey, also always cheers me up that thank God my issues of getting my little one to eat on her own, brush her own teeth, dealing with a nasty co-worker, figuring out what to do this summer, and what's cooking for dinner are much smaller
in comparison :)
A die-hard optimist did you say ? oh well, the world lives on optimistism - ain't it ???
On a Monday morning, waking up to the smell of coffee wafting through the house always never fails to excite me and super charge me up for an exciting new week ahead !
Well this day, the all-is-rosy mood lasted up until the point where my commute to work began :( The reason ? - I got to follow a talk show about the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, with the US of A contributing to 6% of the worldwide pool !. India & China which are now fast becoming the Industrial conglomerates, contribute to the next higest level. What will be the role of the new generation of the hybrid cars , what happens to all the older cars puffing away the black poison into the air our kids breathe ?
Who will play the good cop to get things right ? Big issues need to be addressed in this world - bogs me down everytime I hear one . But hey, also always cheers me up that thank God my issues of getting my little one to eat on her own, brush her own teeth, dealing with a nasty co-worker, figuring out what to do this summer, and what's cooking for dinner are much smaller
in comparison :)
A die-hard optimist did you say ? oh well, the world lives on optimistism - ain't it ???
Friday, December 1, 2006
My first posting !
Aha ! I'am finally a blogger too :)
Tried resisting the urge to become one for the longest time - oh well, how hard can one fight the lure of the web :) So, here I am !!
Tried resisting the urge to become one for the longest time - oh well, how hard can one fight the lure of the web :) So, here I am !!
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