As I decide to come back after a long period of hibernation, beautiful season has set in here. Hence, I changed the theme of my blog to sync in with the beautiful falling leaves.
Fall- the season of colors, the season of change, the season with the perfect weather. Mornings are dewy and little chilly. I love to feel the dew on the flowers against my face and my eyes. Only a soft snugging hand keeps me from tasting them.
and today is the perfect day... sunny, a little cold with soft breeze caressing you as you step out. The perfect early evening.. lemme go out and bask in the warmth of the sun..
Edited to add: After this post, I did go out with my kids and had fun raking up the leaves and jumping and hiding in the pile. It turned out to be a beautiful evening!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, December 07, 2007
Kindness and the nice people..
The comment on this post on a blog that I frequent went so long, that I decided to have a post of it on my blog as well.
there's still some kindness left in this world! I take this chance to pray for those strangers who have been nice to me when least expected. I do not remember all of them nor do I remember all the times, when I came across such nice people. I pray to God to shower them with happiness, nevertheless. During my college vacations, I had joined some computer classes. At times, I used to walk almost 5 km to home from my computer classes. Besides, sometimes I would get a rick right frm the start or half way. This one time, it was a hot and sunny day and I was very thirsty. I kept telling myself that home was just a few steps away and I could make to it. i kept looking around to catch sight of a rick which could take me home faster. It was the afternoon and kids from the school were coming out. If I were in luck, some auto-rickshaw filled with such kids would stop by and to earn a few bucks drive me to atleast a few feet away from home, if not to the home. But that was the day, when my lucky star didn't shine on me and a few auto rickshaw that stopped were either not going that way or were asking too much fare. Some even refused to budge from their parking. My thought was running dry and I was licking my lips every few
seconds to keep them wet. It was then I saw these two young girls, almost my age with a small kid in a school uniform. One of the girls had his bag and a bottle in hand. Obviously, they all were heading back to home after fetching him from school. They were walking just a few steps in front of me. I kept walking and eyeing the bottle. I couldnt help but keep looking at it. Obviously, they were going home and whatever little water was left was of no use to them. After walking for a few minutes with that tempting water bottle infront of me, I finally approached them and asked them to pity me. They looked at each other, obviously baffled at my intrusion (or my daring!?!) and then said that the bottle was empty. They offered me to go home with them instead and drink as much water as I like. There home was just at the corner and as I was very thirsty and they looked nice, I went along with them. Believe me, water never had tasted so sweet! And they were such nice people. They not only offered me water fresh from well but a freshly squeezed lemonade too, inspite of my denials. I do not remember their names, nor do I remember their faces now, but I pray to Almighty to bless them with happiness wherever they are!!
there's still some kindness left in this world! I take this chance to pray for those strangers who have been nice to me when least expected. I do not remember all of them nor do I remember all the times, when I came across such nice people. I pray to God to shower them with happiness, nevertheless. During my college vacations, I had joined some computer classes. At times, I used to walk almost 5 km to home from my computer classes. Besides, sometimes I would get a rick right frm the start or half way. This one time, it was a hot and sunny day and I was very thirsty. I kept telling myself that home was just a few steps away and I could make to it. i kept looking around to catch sight of a rick which could take me home faster. It was the afternoon and kids from the school were coming out. If I were in luck, some auto-rickshaw filled with such kids would stop by and to earn a few bucks drive me to atleast a few feet away from home, if not to the home. But that was the day, when my lucky star didn't shine on me and a few auto rickshaw that stopped were either not going that way or were asking too much fare. Some even refused to budge from their parking. My thought was running dry and I was licking my lips every few
seconds to keep them wet. It was then I saw these two young girls, almost my age with a small kid in a school uniform. One of the girls had his bag and a bottle in hand. Obviously, they all were heading back to home after fetching him from school. They were walking just a few steps in front of me. I kept walking and eyeing the bottle. I couldnt help but keep looking at it. Obviously, they were going home and whatever little water was left was of no use to them. After walking for a few minutes with that tempting water bottle infront of me, I finally approached them and asked them to pity me. They looked at each other, obviously baffled at my intrusion (or my daring!?!) and then said that the bottle was empty. They offered me to go home with them instead and drink as much water as I like. There home was just at the corner and as I was very thirsty and they looked nice, I went along with them. Believe me, water never had tasted so sweet! And they were such nice people. They not only offered me water fresh from well but a freshly squeezed lemonade too, inspite of my denials. I do not remember their names, nor do I remember their faces now, but I pray to Almighty to bless them with happiness wherever they are!!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Of queues and waits!
Things like this freak me out. and what freaks me out more is when I am not able to give it back to the person concerned! Seriously, sometimes I feel that the poor image that we Indians carry is very right and it's us and nobody else to be blamed for it. We want people to respect us and not to treat us like a piece of crap but do not work towards it! And to top it all most us ruin the hard work others put in to improve our image!!
Okay where is all this going?? What am I rambling about?
It is this particular incident earlier in the evening that is still troubling me. I usually check our mailbox in the evenings when I go downstairs to take my daughter for her walk. It works for me as our mail guy comes at about two o'clock in the afternoon and ours being a very huge apartment complex, it takes like almost an hour for him to put in all the mails. So, I club the evening strolls with the mail-picking. Besides, the time I go works if we have any package waiting at the customer desk, I can pick it up without having to wait until the next day. Now, this evening was very lovely and a perfect one to take my little baby out without having to worry about wrapping her up or of her catching any cold. Past two weeks, and last week particularly, were very cold and we had missed our evening strolls. I did not want to miss this chance of going out and enjoy the weather and let a little bit of fresh air in our lungs. So, put my baby in the stroller and set out for our walk. As a routine, I checked our mailbox and found a note that there was a package for us. There was something I had ordered for my baby and was expecting it to have arrived today. As the desk was open and I did not want to wait one more day, I took the note and went to collect the package. The associate was not at the desk (I had just seen her going to the storage with another resident), so I played with my baby while I waited for her to come back. A couple of minutes passed by and there came these two young men with their office bags and all, went past me and stood at the desk, some distance away from me (The customer service desk in our apartments is a wide one). I was about to ask them if they were waiting for B(our associate, a very nice lady) when my daughter dropped my cell phone with which she was playing. I was distracted and that was when B came in and attended them. As i waited for her to finish, I thought I would tell them that I was in the queue first and they should have waited for their turn. What gave them the impression that I was not?? Why else would I be standing at the customer service desk?? They should at least have the courtesy of asking me whether I was waiting for B! They didn't even look at me and went past behind me and stood at the desk just two steps away from me!! Now what sort of a queue is that?
Such instances make me compare ourselves with the well-mannered people out here. I have been in such waits earlier and believe me, the non-Indians have always stood behind me or at least have the courtesy to ask me if I was in the queue. Such actions compel you to follow as they are always good learnings and it doesn't hurt to give people their due, especially when theirs nothing that you are losing here. As a matter of fact, I feel you are gaining respect and dignity for yourself and being a good person over all. What kind of a professional you are when you do not even have the patience or the courtesy to ask?
And I am angry with myself on letting these people go.. and this is something i do very often. just let people go.. i have to work on this thing. .not only for me but for my chinipie's sake. I do not want her to be taken advantage of.. she should be able to voice herself.. loud and clear! And who else would teach this to her if not me?
Okay where is all this going?? What am I rambling about?
It is this particular incident earlier in the evening that is still troubling me. I usually check our mailbox in the evenings when I go downstairs to take my daughter for her walk. It works for me as our mail guy comes at about two o'clock in the afternoon and ours being a very huge apartment complex, it takes like almost an hour for him to put in all the mails. So, I club the evening strolls with the mail-picking. Besides, the time I go works if we have any package waiting at the customer desk, I can pick it up without having to wait until the next day. Now, this evening was very lovely and a perfect one to take my little baby out without having to worry about wrapping her up or of her catching any cold. Past two weeks, and last week particularly, were very cold and we had missed our evening strolls. I did not want to miss this chance of going out and enjoy the weather and let a little bit of fresh air in our lungs. So, put my baby in the stroller and set out for our walk. As a routine, I checked our mailbox and found a note that there was a package for us. There was something I had ordered for my baby and was expecting it to have arrived today. As the desk was open and I did not want to wait one more day, I took the note and went to collect the package. The associate was not at the desk (I had just seen her going to the storage with another resident), so I played with my baby while I waited for her to come back. A couple of minutes passed by and there came these two young men with their office bags and all, went past me and stood at the desk, some distance away from me (The customer service desk in our apartments is a wide one). I was about to ask them if they were waiting for B(our associate, a very nice lady) when my daughter dropped my cell phone with which she was playing. I was distracted and that was when B came in and attended them. As i waited for her to finish, I thought I would tell them that I was in the queue first and they should have waited for their turn. What gave them the impression that I was not?? Why else would I be standing at the customer service desk?? They should at least have the courtesy of asking me whether I was waiting for B! They didn't even look at me and went past behind me and stood at the desk just two steps away from me!! Now what sort of a queue is that?
Such instances make me compare ourselves with the well-mannered people out here. I have been in such waits earlier and believe me, the non-Indians have always stood behind me or at least have the courtesy to ask me if I was in the queue. Such actions compel you to follow as they are always good learnings and it doesn't hurt to give people their due, especially when theirs nothing that you are losing here. As a matter of fact, I feel you are gaining respect and dignity for yourself and being a good person over all. What kind of a professional you are when you do not even have the patience or the courtesy to ask?
And I am angry with myself on letting these people go.. and this is something i do very often. just let people go.. i have to work on this thing. .not only for me but for my chinipie's sake. I do not want her to be taken advantage of.. she should be able to voice herself.. loud and clear! And who else would teach this to her if not me?
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Save our planet Earth!
I have grown up in a very environment friendly home, where both my parents and my brothers did every bit that they could to save the precious resources on this earth. From our childhood, we were strictly told to switch off the lights after using the bathroom, during the day, when not in the room; check all lights and and fans are off before leaving the house; switch off the refrigerator if going for a long vacation; do not keep the tap running when not in use. All this, even when we were staying in the company provided house where electricity and water was almost free! We could have splurged the electricity and water like it was our resource but our parents made sure that we learn to conserve and they did this not by preaching but practicing and setting an example before us.
To this day, my dad prefers to either bike or walk down to all the places where he can. I distinctly remember, how impressed with this news, almost one and a half decades back, where they showed that the people in China bicycling to their offices to control the pollution and to keep healthy. The videos of people in their business suits and ties on their bikes was a very inspiring sight. When dad had started going to the office on a bicycle, we had opposed him. His reason- to stay fit, to preserve petrol and to save the cost of petrol. Our reason- people made fun of an officer coming on a bicycle. Fools we were! Worrying about some people who were not even enlightened enough and who are concerned with only showing off their positions, ranks and money. We had branded him as 'KP'(kanjoos papa) then, but even if he was saving some pennies, it was to provide us the best education and the best upbringing! but in our teens we were then, and were rebellious to everything and as I said earlier, were fools, indeed!
Even then, even we did things which we thought were right and went along with the conservation of resources, probably inspired by our lessons in social sciences and the advertisements on Doordarshan. Remember, those ads where a little girl, with sleepy eyes, is brushing her teeth with the tap running in the basin and as soon as she puts the brush below the tap, it stops. And that ad, where a person stops his car to talk to this dad and daughter duo, and has kept the engine running, when the daughter politely asks him to switch it off. Yeah, those ads had made a deep impact on our young and impressionable minds and we did whatever we could. My brothers, used to switch off their bike engines at red signal. We had started re-using the plastic bags, taking either the cloth bags or used plastic ones to the grocery stores. Even the milk bags were collected and later sent to be recycled instead of being thrown in the bins. We started following our mom and used water in a mug whenever we could instead of using the running water. My mom always had and still has this habit of washing vegetables by filling water in a large container. Running water is consumed more, she says. The water in the container is then used to water the plants or stored in the buckets to flush away the toilets. A very novel way of reusing the water, isn't it? Even for washing dals and rice, she would never throw away the strained water, instead she would keep storing it in a container near by, and re-using it in a similar fashion as above. She would never keep the water running while washing the dishes or the clothes. She would open the tap only when required, the remainder of the time it was kept closed. We took up this habit from her and saved as much water as we could. Our rough work was mostly done on the notebooks made from the pages remaining from the previous years' exercise books which were later replaced by the discarded blue and white computer papers from dad's office. At a certain point of time, we even re-used the envelopes to conserve the paper and wood. This was inspired by some do-it-yourself series on the television. All we needed to do, was open the folds of the used envelope and re-glue it on the reverse side.
I do not know when and how I stopped following all that was, in a way, imbibed in me. The other day while I was cleaning the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, I suddenly thought how much water I was wasting and made a promise to myself to start using the resources judiciously. This post inspired me to put in some more thought to re-start doing my bit to keep the earth green!
Here's my green list. Some of these, I already follow and some I intend to, starting from now!
Btw, where's yours?
1. Turn off the taps while brushing teeth, cleaning dishes or any other chores that I can think of. It takes less than a second to turn it off and on again, whenever required.
2. Turn off the laptop, when not on desk. (I have this habit of leaving it on as I always want to return to whatever I was working on. I would be back in 5 min is what I think, which extends to an hour to 5 hours at times, before I realise that I should turn it off!)
This rule applies to all electronic items.
3. Use fans, instead of air conditioner, as much as possible. Wear the lightest cotton clothing in summers and let your skin and yourself breathe in the fresh air too!
4. Switch off the lights during the day. Try using the sunlight, you would realise how much it helps!
5. Switch off the lights after using the washrooms (even the public ones, if possible).
6. Switch off the lights before getting out of the rooms (even the office conference rooms, meeting rooms and cubicles also apply)
7. Dispose the waste in the bins, especially in the reservation areas.
8. Sort the waste, like, biological waste, recyclable plastic and paper. Find the local recycling collecting bins in your area and dispose the recyclable waste there.
9. Try to re-use old papers as much as possible. Do not print, if you can read some stuff online or you can borrow the paper version from somebody. Use recycled paper, if possible.
10. Avoid using plastics as much as possible. Again, the rule of reduce, reuse and recycle applies here.
11. Avoid use and throw products. You are only adding to the waste.
12. Avoid CFC products like sprays.
13. Avoid buying products made by killing animals and cutting down forests. Better still, buy recycled products.
14. Avoid processed and canned foods.
15. Do not microwave plastics.
16. Do not use non-stick pans.
17. Use rechargeable batteries.
18. Use warm water instead of hot. Think how much you are saving this way!
19. Use clothes with natural fibers, like cotton and wool.
20. Do not wear your outdoor shoes inside the house. This reduces dust-bound pollutants.
21. Avoid using driers if you can hang the clothes in the sun to dry.
22. Try using the alternate energy options, like solar heaters, solar lamps, etc.
23. Use fluorescent lighting.
24. Avoid taking cars whenever you can. Try walking, bicycling, carpooling, taking public buses or trains instead.
25. Plant trees!
To this day, my dad prefers to either bike or walk down to all the places where he can. I distinctly remember, how impressed with this news, almost one and a half decades back, where they showed that the people in China bicycling to their offices to control the pollution and to keep healthy. The videos of people in their business suits and ties on their bikes was a very inspiring sight. When dad had started going to the office on a bicycle, we had opposed him. His reason- to stay fit, to preserve petrol and to save the cost of petrol. Our reason- people made fun of an officer coming on a bicycle. Fools we were! Worrying about some people who were not even enlightened enough and who are concerned with only showing off their positions, ranks and money. We had branded him as 'KP'(kanjoos papa) then, but even if he was saving some pennies, it was to provide us the best education and the best upbringing! but in our teens we were then, and were rebellious to everything and as I said earlier, were fools, indeed!
Even then, even we did things which we thought were right and went along with the conservation of resources, probably inspired by our lessons in social sciences and the advertisements on Doordarshan. Remember, those ads where a little girl, with sleepy eyes, is brushing her teeth with the tap running in the basin and as soon as she puts the brush below the tap, it stops. And that ad, where a person stops his car to talk to this dad and daughter duo, and has kept the engine running, when the daughter politely asks him to switch it off. Yeah, those ads had made a deep impact on our young and impressionable minds and we did whatever we could. My brothers, used to switch off their bike engines at red signal. We had started re-using the plastic bags, taking either the cloth bags or used plastic ones to the grocery stores. Even the milk bags were collected and later sent to be recycled instead of being thrown in the bins. We started following our mom and used water in a mug whenever we could instead of using the running water. My mom always had and still has this habit of washing vegetables by filling water in a large container. Running water is consumed more, she says. The water in the container is then used to water the plants or stored in the buckets to flush away the toilets. A very novel way of reusing the water, isn't it? Even for washing dals and rice, she would never throw away the strained water, instead she would keep storing it in a container near by, and re-using it in a similar fashion as above. She would never keep the water running while washing the dishes or the clothes. She would open the tap only when required, the remainder of the time it was kept closed. We took up this habit from her and saved as much water as we could. Our rough work was mostly done on the notebooks made from the pages remaining from the previous years' exercise books which were later replaced by the discarded blue and white computer papers from dad's office. At a certain point of time, we even re-used the envelopes to conserve the paper and wood. This was inspired by some do-it-yourself series on the television. All we needed to do, was open the folds of the used envelope and re-glue it on the reverse side.
I do not know when and how I stopped following all that was, in a way, imbibed in me. The other day while I was cleaning the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, I suddenly thought how much water I was wasting and made a promise to myself to start using the resources judiciously. This post inspired me to put in some more thought to re-start doing my bit to keep the earth green!
Here's my green list. Some of these, I already follow and some I intend to, starting from now!
Btw, where's yours?
1. Turn off the taps while brushing teeth, cleaning dishes or any other chores that I can think of. It takes less than a second to turn it off and on again, whenever required.
2. Turn off the laptop, when not on desk. (I have this habit of leaving it on as I always want to return to whatever I was working on. I would be back in 5 min is what I think, which extends to an hour to 5 hours at times, before I realise that I should turn it off!)
This rule applies to all electronic items.
3. Use fans, instead of air conditioner, as much as possible. Wear the lightest cotton clothing in summers and let your skin and yourself breathe in the fresh air too!
4. Switch off the lights during the day. Try using the sunlight, you would realise how much it helps!
5. Switch off the lights after using the washrooms (even the public ones, if possible).
6. Switch off the lights before getting out of the rooms (even the office conference rooms, meeting rooms and cubicles also apply)
7. Dispose the waste in the bins, especially in the reservation areas.
8. Sort the waste, like, biological waste, recyclable plastic and paper. Find the local recycling collecting bins in your area and dispose the recyclable waste there.
9. Try to re-use old papers as much as possible. Do not print, if you can read some stuff online or you can borrow the paper version from somebody. Use recycled paper, if possible.
10. Avoid using plastics as much as possible. Again, the rule of reduce, reuse and recycle applies here.
11. Avoid use and throw products. You are only adding to the waste.
12. Avoid CFC products like sprays.
13. Avoid buying products made by killing animals and cutting down forests. Better still, buy recycled products.
14. Avoid processed and canned foods.
15. Do not microwave plastics.
16. Do not use non-stick pans.
17. Use rechargeable batteries.
18. Use warm water instead of hot. Think how much you are saving this way!
19. Use clothes with natural fibers, like cotton and wool.
20. Do not wear your outdoor shoes inside the house. This reduces dust-bound pollutants.
21. Avoid using driers if you can hang the clothes in the sun to dry.
22. Try using the alternate energy options, like solar heaters, solar lamps, etc.
23. Use fluorescent lighting.
24. Avoid taking cars whenever you can. Try walking, bicycling, carpooling, taking public buses or trains instead.
25. Plant trees!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The List
Here's the list of books which I am hoping to read before the year ends. Am making the list so that when I try to think what should I read next I will have an easy option to choose from.
1. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)- eccentric stories behind the greatest scientific minds
2. Death and the Penguin (Andrey Kurkov)- a satire
3. The World is Flat (Thomas Friedman) - analysis of globalization
4. Snapshots from Hell (Peter Robinson) - a book written by a Stanford Business School Gradaute based on his experience in the first year of the MBA programme
5. The Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) - a satire on the middle management
6. The Goal (Eliyahu M. Goldratt) - for the theory of constraints on Systems Management
7. Liar's Poker (Michael Lewis) - the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street
8. Den of Thieves (James Stewart) - the trading scandals of the Wall Street financiers
9. The Great Indian Novel (Shashi Tharoor) - the story of Mahabharata reset in the Indian Independence
10. India - From Midnight to Millenium (Shashi Tharoor) - covers India from Independence to millenium
1. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)- eccentric stories behind the greatest scientific minds
2. Death and the Penguin (Andrey Kurkov)- a satire
3. The World is Flat (Thomas Friedman) - analysis of globalization
4. Snapshots from Hell (Peter Robinson) - a book written by a Stanford Business School Gradaute based on his experience in the first year of the MBA programme
5. The Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) - a satire on the middle management
6. The Goal (Eliyahu M. Goldratt) - for the theory of constraints on Systems Management
7. Liar's Poker (Michael Lewis) - the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street
8. Den of Thieves (James Stewart) - the trading scandals of the Wall Street financiers
9. The Great Indian Novel (Shashi Tharoor) - the story of Mahabharata reset in the Indian Independence
10. India - From Midnight to Millenium (Shashi Tharoor) - covers India from Independence to millenium
Friday, July 20, 2007
..only if
Groom: You will offer me food and be helpful in every way. I will cherish you and provide for the welfare and happiness of you and our children.
Bride: I am responsible for the home, and take charge of all household responsibilities.
Groom: Together we will protect our house and children.
Bride: I will be by your side, and be your courage and strength. I will rejoice in your happiness. In return, you will love me alone.
Groom: May we grow wealthy and prosperous, strive for the education of our children. May our children live long.
Bride: I will love only you for the rest of my life, as you are my husband. Every other man in my life will come second to you. I vow to remain chaste.
Groom: You have brought sacredness into my life, and have completed me. May we be blessed with noble, obedient children. May our children live long. Bride: I will shower you will happiness, from head to toe. I will strive to please you in every way that I can.
Groom: You are my best friend, and staunchest well-wisher. You have come into my life, and have enriched it. God bless you.
Bride: I promise to love and cherish you for as long as I love. Your happiness is my happiness, and your sorrow is my sorrow. I will trust and honour you, and will strive to fulfill all your wishes.
Groom: May you be filled with joy and peace.
Bride: I will always be by your side.
Groom: We are now husband and wife, and are one. You are mine and I am yours for all time.
Bride: As God is witness, I am now your wife. We will love, honour and cherish each other forever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So Beautiful ! filled with depth and meaning!
...Only if they see marriage in the light of these vows and not just as a flashy affair where they flaunt their dresses and jewelery.
Bride: I am responsible for the home, and take charge of all household responsibilities.
Groom: Together we will protect our house and children.
Bride: I will be by your side, and be your courage and strength. I will rejoice in your happiness. In return, you will love me alone.
Groom: May we grow wealthy and prosperous, strive for the education of our children. May our children live long.
Bride: I will love only you for the rest of my life, as you are my husband. Every other man in my life will come second to you. I vow to remain chaste.
Groom: You have brought sacredness into my life, and have completed me. May we be blessed with noble, obedient children. May our children live long. Bride: I will shower you will happiness, from head to toe. I will strive to please you in every way that I can.
Groom: You are my best friend, and staunchest well-wisher. You have come into my life, and have enriched it. God bless you.
Bride: I promise to love and cherish you for as long as I love. Your happiness is my happiness, and your sorrow is my sorrow. I will trust and honour you, and will strive to fulfill all your wishes.
Groom: May you be filled with joy and peace.
Bride: I will always be by your side.
Groom: We are now husband and wife, and are one. You are mine and I am yours for all time.
Bride: As God is witness, I am now your wife. We will love, honour and cherish each other forever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Groom: I (name), take you (name) for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Bride: I (name), take you (name) for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
So Beautiful ! filled with depth and meaning!
...Only if they see marriage in the light of these vows and not just as a flashy affair where they flaunt their dresses and jewelery.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Musical ME!
Music- be it singing or playing instruments, I feel, is a talent that everybody cannot possess. It is a gift of God and has to come from within. This is a form of art, which one cannot learn. Of course, it involves practice to improve and sharpen the musical skills too. Those who are aware of my vocal talents must be thinking.. what does this lady want to write about music? what does she know anything about 'sur' and 'taal' ? and I would agree with them.. when it comes to the vocal abilities of combining sur and taal, i definitely lag any such talent and even if i try to hum the most popular numbers, it becomes difficult to recognise which one am i trying to sing.. This, i know, coz even as i sing, i know that the tune in my mind and that coming out of my throat are a complete mismatch and am singing completely out of track..
Musical abilities, for sure, is one gift of God, that I don't have. And years ago, I had realised this and stopped traumatizing those around me, restraining myself to listening to music. Be it ghazals, bhajans, hard rock, maestro's instrumental or the film numbers, i would listen to all forms, at times going deep into their meanings and at times just to reflect my current mood or routine or occasion. There would be times though, when the power of music would take over and influence my mood and lift my spirits up. There were times, when I had started listening to tamil and telugu songs as well. After all, music is the only language which needs no translation. It is first and foremost an individual experience, as we experience the pleasure of expressing feelings and emotions, the satisfaction that we feel when we listen to cerain pieces, as a result of our affinity for certain musical genres and styles.
Lately, I have come out of my inhibitions and have started humming songs(thanks to my darling hubby, who would lovingly bear all my atrocities despite of knowing the fact that i am not even fit to be a bathroom singer). Humming songs, I have discovered, is another way of taking my mind off a zillion of things...and who knows this humming might lead my dormant vocal talent to shape in something very interesting...so just wait and watch!!
Musical abilities, for sure, is one gift of God, that I don't have. And years ago, I had realised this and stopped traumatizing those around me, restraining myself to listening to music. Be it ghazals, bhajans, hard rock, maestro's instrumental or the film numbers, i would listen to all forms, at times going deep into their meanings and at times just to reflect my current mood or routine or occasion. There would be times though, when the power of music would take over and influence my mood and lift my spirits up. There were times, when I had started listening to tamil and telugu songs as well. After all, music is the only language which needs no translation. It is first and foremost an individual experience, as we experience the pleasure of expressing feelings and emotions, the satisfaction that we feel when we listen to cerain pieces, as a result of our affinity for certain musical genres and styles.
Lately, I have come out of my inhibitions and have started humming songs(thanks to my darling hubby, who would lovingly bear all my atrocities despite of knowing the fact that i am not even fit to be a bathroom singer). Humming songs, I have discovered, is another way of taking my mind off a zillion of things...and who knows this humming might lead my dormant vocal talent to shape in something very interesting...so just wait and watch!!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Marriages ..seen through Secret Lives of Dentists
One may call it a movie review or anything similar..But the fact is, I had been wanting to put my thoughts about this movie 'Secret lives of dentists' ever since I have seen it. This is a lovely movie.. Offbeat but lovely (and not a porn movie as the name might suggest to some!) Made by the same director as American beauty ( Don't ask me the name now, Am too bad in remembering these foreign names), it brings out the one aspect of human psychology, their fears, their insecurities and of course marriages. So, if you like watching people around you, reading them, or ponder over the special bond called 'marriage', then go on and read this blog further. This movie, set me thinking, about marriages, unhappy spouses, unsatisfied partners, betrayals, divorces, and in particular, made me sit and evaluate where I stand in my marriage!
The movie is all about two dentists married to each other.. Having everything in life that anyone could wish for in life! A nice home, a well-equipped clinic, three lovely kids, a country home for weekends.. The wife is beautiful and lovely; the husband is supportive and understanding, what else would a content married life need? Everything goes on well until the man sees his wife in somebody else's arms and from thereon the movie actually takes off.. He is clearly very shattered with this knowledge but fears to bring out this topic or even confront his wife in the fear that any hint of this might lead to their separation, which he would be unable to bear! But as he doesn't speak up, all his frustration and agitation and bafflement and reasoning and .... self-control come out through his conversations with his alter ego and through his fantasies of his wife romancing with others.. I really like the way he is fighting with himself, his negativity.. And trying to control his thoughts and get back to normal. And there are times when he loses his control and all his anger comes out.. and he mutters things like 'I could kill you!' in front of the kids. How the whole family is shaken!! He sincerely hopes that everything returns back to normal and there is a time when he would be quite sure that his strayed wife has come back to him, forever. But then that very night, she doesn't return home! The next morning, when she is back, he finally realizes that he can no longer live with the fear and the uncertainty of losing her and that he is left with no other option but to face the truth. He again struggles his alter ego, who wants him to ask her whom he is seeing, and asks his wife just one question whether she would be staying or leaving. She chooses to stay and though he is relieved, his anger within, his feeling of dejection take over and he breaks everything that's around him.. Still, he tells his wife, that he doesn't want to know anything of what she did. Applauds to him!
The end is controversial though; for me at least it is. I am not talking about his not wanting to know what she did, neither is this about a gender. What I am still not sure of is whether betrayal by spouse is pardonable. And this is what actually would bring out lots of discussion. I still cannot figure out what he does is right or not! But yes, the more I think about it, more I realize why commitment is important in a marriage. It is your commitment, which decidedly, will keep your marriage going.
Since, I have touched this topic, let me touch everything in this movie that made me ponder and may be much more... The other very obvious thing showed in this movie, which is very essential in a marriage is "Conversation". Partners should easily be able to talk out their feelings, their longings, their wishes, their fears, their apprehensions to each other. Equally important is being able to lend a ear. Conversation is when their is talking and listening both!
The one important thing that is necessary to understand is that marriage is much beyond just having sex with your partner or having children. At the same time, a good sex life is a crucial factor in a successful marriage.
There's nothing called "perfection" when it comes to marriage. Marriage matters are never perfect! There's no such thing as a 'perfect marriage' or a 'perfect spouse'. Every marriage will have its equal share of happiness and disappointments, fights and makeovers, differences and similarities, arguments and understandings, mud-slingings and compromises, unpleasantness and forgiveness. It lies in one's own hands to make a successful marriage and take it to altars.
This answers my question, too! No wonder the guy in this movie just forgot everything and gave an attempt to make his marriage rework!!
The movie is all about two dentists married to each other.. Having everything in life that anyone could wish for in life! A nice home, a well-equipped clinic, three lovely kids, a country home for weekends.. The wife is beautiful and lovely; the husband is supportive and understanding, what else would a content married life need? Everything goes on well until the man sees his wife in somebody else's arms and from thereon the movie actually takes off.. He is clearly very shattered with this knowledge but fears to bring out this topic or even confront his wife in the fear that any hint of this might lead to their separation, which he would be unable to bear! But as he doesn't speak up, all his frustration and agitation and bafflement and reasoning and .... self-control come out through his conversations with his alter ego and through his fantasies of his wife romancing with others.. I really like the way he is fighting with himself, his negativity.. And trying to control his thoughts and get back to normal. And there are times when he loses his control and all his anger comes out.. and he mutters things like 'I could kill you!' in front of the kids. How the whole family is shaken!! He sincerely hopes that everything returns back to normal and there is a time when he would be quite sure that his strayed wife has come back to him, forever. But then that very night, she doesn't return home! The next morning, when she is back, he finally realizes that he can no longer live with the fear and the uncertainty of losing her and that he is left with no other option but to face the truth. He again struggles his alter ego, who wants him to ask her whom he is seeing, and asks his wife just one question whether she would be staying or leaving. She chooses to stay and though he is relieved, his anger within, his feeling of dejection take over and he breaks everything that's around him.. Still, he tells his wife, that he doesn't want to know anything of what she did. Applauds to him!
The end is controversial though; for me at least it is. I am not talking about his not wanting to know what she did, neither is this about a gender. What I am still not sure of is whether betrayal by spouse is pardonable. And this is what actually would bring out lots of discussion. I still cannot figure out what he does is right or not! But yes, the more I think about it, more I realize why commitment is important in a marriage. It is your commitment, which decidedly, will keep your marriage going.
Since, I have touched this topic, let me touch everything in this movie that made me ponder and may be much more... The other very obvious thing showed in this movie, which is very essential in a marriage is "Conversation". Partners should easily be able to talk out their feelings, their longings, their wishes, their fears, their apprehensions to each other. Equally important is being able to lend a ear. Conversation is when their is talking and listening both!
The one important thing that is necessary to understand is that marriage is much beyond just having sex with your partner or having children. At the same time, a good sex life is a crucial factor in a successful marriage.
There's nothing called "perfection" when it comes to marriage. Marriage matters are never perfect! There's no such thing as a 'perfect marriage' or a 'perfect spouse'. Every marriage will have its equal share of happiness and disappointments, fights and makeovers, differences and similarities, arguments and understandings, mud-slingings and compromises, unpleasantness and forgiveness. It lies in one's own hands to make a successful marriage and take it to altars.
This answers my question, too! No wonder the guy in this movie just forgot everything and gave an attempt to make his marriage rework!!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Celebrating Love!
As I today sit and watch the twilight
I cannot help but wonder about my own life
which had turned so black and white..
How so ever I had wanted to rise
My life, I had started to despise
I had become lonely and forlorn
With darkness surrounding me all around
Do not know what had gone wrong
But silently had endured it all along
My dreams had all been washed out by the sea
I had wanted to run away and break free!
It was you, my love who had kept me going
And kept the twinkle in my eyes glowing..
Your understanding with me all this while
In toughest times, you have made me laugh and smile
You gave me again the freedom of flight
Restoring in me, my lost sense of light!
You helped me remove all the worries from my mind
With all your gentle love and your heart so kind
In matters of life, you help me form a say
And let me have many things my own way
As the sun sets into the night, worns
I realize, hedged with roses are thorns
When there would be sun, there would be shades
Criticisms would come along with accolades
Through joys and pains, sunshines and rains,
We have to stand together like mountains
Head held high, facing challenges, answering questions all
With each problem, love growing stronger, love growing tall
Like the bright sun battering an empty sky
Resolving all in what rather than why
Each moment of our life let's celebrate
Coz together we are bound by love and fate!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Imperfections
May be it's our imperfections that make us perfect for each other!
- Mr. Knightley in Jane Austen's novel Emma
The other day I saw a forward by a friend which was an image of a female skeleton sitting on a bench. Caption read - "Waiting for a perfect man". Comic, yes! But, was the woman perfect either?
It's very easy to find fault in others but vanity lies in helping them improve over those! This, of course, holds true for friends but truer in marriages, where in it's very important that we leave our egos behind and instead of humbling and finding fault with partner, help each other in overcoming our faults and work towards perfecting our relationship! I use the word perfecting here coz I feel every step taken towards improvizing the relationship in a marriage helps in perfecting it!
- Mr. Knightley in Jane Austen's novel Emma
The other day I saw a forward by a friend which was an image of a female skeleton sitting on a bench. Caption read - "Waiting for a perfect man". Comic, yes! But, was the woman perfect either?
It's very easy to find fault in others but vanity lies in helping them improve over those! This, of course, holds true for friends but truer in marriages, where in it's very important that we leave our egos behind and instead of humbling and finding fault with partner, help each other in overcoming our faults and work towards perfecting our relationship! I use the word perfecting here coz I feel every step taken towards improvizing the relationship in a marriage helps in perfecting it!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Ek Boond..
Ever since I read this poem for the first time, when I was just 10 or 11 yrs old, I have related myself with this poem. Reason one- these lines always motivate me to hope beyond the hopes... they always encourage me to look outside the comfort level.. to reach out for the new, for the unexpected!
Reason two- What lies ahead, is always a question.. a curiosity.. nonetheless it never ceases to leave my mind. Though, I don't worry abt the future but yes i ponder over the impacts of my present over my future.
Reason three- Through this poem, for the first time, I had come to know the true meaning of my name- 'Swati' - it's the constellation of rains, the very constellation of hope for the farmers, when there were no scientific means of predicting weather! it's the very constellation, in hindu mythology, for which mythological bird chakor would wait for all year long to drink water! and yes... it's the very constellation, in which the speck of sand and the drop of water, combine together in the oyster's shell to form pearl!!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Hakuna-matata
Saw Lion King recently. It sure has many lessons than I had expected! A movie for adults and children alike!
Really liked the movie for the message it conveys and would definitely want to watch it again and again.. especially when i wud not be in my spirits..
Father-son relationship has been picturized very beautifully.. The way Mufasa assumes the role of a teacher, a friend and a guide at varous stages .. the way he is strict when he needs to be, discreet when desired and gentle when he just wants to be a father and nothing else!
I like the part when he explains to young Simba about the great circle of life and how important it is to maintain this delicate balance and respect each and every creature on this earth! Coming to think of it, we can apply this to the larger aspects of society as well..
As a cub, Simba's inquisitiveness, his eagerness to learn, to know things, to have fun, to look out for adventure(not knowing that it might mean trouble!), to show his bravery to his friend, to do the forbidden is quite understandable. His young, impressionable mind believes everything that is being told to him by those who fascinate him! He is proud of his father and no doubt, wants to be like him when he grows up! My brother once confessed that as a kid even he wanted to be just like as our dad- grow as tall as him, walk like him, and talk just like him, and as .. for him, dad was all powerful, mighty and strong!
Hakuna-matata means no worries. True, we need not worry ourselves to death, and surely it's a way to be happy but as Nala wisely says not worrying doesn't mean that you have to turn away from your responsibilities as well!
Timon and Pumbaa gave food, shelter and above all companionship to Simba when he needed it the most. But, there are times when he realises that though he is enjoying a carefree life, he is not happy and is missing on something. Why? B'coz he had a very different purpose in life. He wasn't meant to just sing and dance around. Ever applied to yourself?
And last but not the least, Do not run away from your past. You cannot change your past; bad things do happen to everybody. Instead, put it behind you and get along with life!! As Rafiki cleverly puts "the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it... or ... learn from it"
Quoting the lyrics of the song..
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
In the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Really liked the movie for the message it conveys and would definitely want to watch it again and again.. especially when i wud not be in my spirits..
Father-son relationship has been picturized very beautifully.. The way Mufasa assumes the role of a teacher, a friend and a guide at varous stages .. the way he is strict when he needs to be, discreet when desired and gentle when he just wants to be a father and nothing else!
I like the part when he explains to young Simba about the great circle of life and how important it is to maintain this delicate balance and respect each and every creature on this earth! Coming to think of it, we can apply this to the larger aspects of society as well..
As a cub, Simba's inquisitiveness, his eagerness to learn, to know things, to have fun, to look out for adventure(not knowing that it might mean trouble!), to show his bravery to his friend, to do the forbidden is quite understandable. His young, impressionable mind believes everything that is being told to him by those who fascinate him! He is proud of his father and no doubt, wants to be like him when he grows up! My brother once confessed that as a kid even he wanted to be just like as our dad- grow as tall as him, walk like him, and talk just like him, and as .. for him, dad was all powerful, mighty and strong!
Hakuna-matata means no worries. True, we need not worry ourselves to death, and surely it's a way to be happy but as Nala wisely says not worrying doesn't mean that you have to turn away from your responsibilities as well!
Timon and Pumbaa gave food, shelter and above all companionship to Simba when he needed it the most. But, there are times when he realises that though he is enjoying a carefree life, he is not happy and is missing on something. Why? B'coz he had a very different purpose in life. He wasn't meant to just sing and dance around. Ever applied to yourself?
And last but not the least, Do not run away from your past. You cannot change your past; bad things do happen to everybody. Instead, put it behind you and get along with life!! As Rafiki cleverly puts "the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it... or ... learn from it"
Quoting the lyrics of the song..
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
In the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Friday, May 26, 2006
My first blog..
Had always wanted an e-diary.. had been postponing it ever since..
promise myself to be regular on this one..
It's early morning now.. and my head is cramped with sleep!!
Gotta catch some atleast as hv to go to office after a couple of hours..
Sweet Dreams Rikki!!
promise myself to be regular on this one..
It's early morning now.. and my head is cramped with sleep!!
Gotta catch some atleast as hv to go to office after a couple of hours..
Sweet Dreams Rikki!!
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