Thursday, August 30, 2007

A bird in hand

Another thought on being content.. Interpersonal relationships is one main area where being content is a super important trait to have. Sadly, many of us lack it when it comes to relations.

In my experience, I see that no matter how many ever friends I might have, if someone's friendship is what I cannot have, then that is what I'll seek. I can never be content until I have made her/him a friend too. Unfortunately, in the process I may upset a few apple carts, but I plough through, nothing deterred.

People, it doesn't matter if we have a hundred birds in hand, it's always the two in the bush that attract the eye!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Escape Route

The most common human tendency is always 'to look for something better'. Very few of us are truly contented with what we have, be it in anger or happiness.

This is all the more common when we're in trouble or when we're stressed. We look for 'a way out'. We want to 'get away from it all'.

One of the escape routes that I've found very useful is taking a walk thru the past. And if you have a friend who comes along with you in the walk, it becomes pleasanter. Reminiscing over the shared memories always elicits a smile and provides temporary but good relief from your troubles. For after all, what are troubles but clouds that pass by! And these reminiscences are the ray of sunshine that seeps through those clouds!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

What price feminism?

Feminism - the word triggers varied responses. It gets the bristles up for most of the men and women. Very few people I have seen can discuss feminism in a calm, collected, objective way.
Why are there so many wrangles over it?

Debates in my office canteen that start over feminism always end in a catfight over who's better - man or woman? Both sides pointing out the others' mistakes, both sides accusing each other and both parting in mutual dissent!
How can you debate over which is better - heads or tails?

Women and men are not same. They're not made that way and they can never be. Women and men cannot be treated same. The differences have to be understood and respected.
For me, Feminism is a way of life. Feminism is having the same opportunity as offered to a man. Feminism is being understood and accepted as a woman.

Men who practice feminism treat women with understanding. They accept women as another human being. They do not degrade or discourage women on the basis of the woman's gender. They do not feel threatened by a woman. They do not hate the entire womankind for the mistake of one woman.

Women practising feminism do not consider men their adversities. They understand the differences between their sex and the opposite. They ask for equal opportunities. They do not ask for superiority. They ask for a place by the side of a man and not over him.

Bottomline : Women and Men are never same. They can be equal but never the same. Understand the difference.
Be a Feminist and live in harmony.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Night to Remember

The city makes you blind. The city spreads a sheet of artificial light over your eyes. It clouds the true beauty of the night with it's dust and dirt. You don't get to see the pale pearly glow of the moon, nor of the pin pricks of twinkling lights of the far away stars.

I was visiting relatives in the countryside and was lucky to 'sleep under the stars' one night. At first, sleep I couldn't. Instead of the usual concrete , my ceiling was the inky blue sky. Instead of a boring(but necessary!) fan, my ceiling was filled with stars. They all grouped right above my head. The stars wanted to be with me. They spoke strange secrets. I could not feel the world around me anymore. I felt among the stars. I was looking at them, talking to them. There were also two shooting stars who gave me a glimpse of their celestial beauty. That was the night I felt one with the universe.

Slowly, the stars put me to sleep. When I woke after a short deep sleep, they were clustered no more over my head. They had drifted apart. I could see tiny blinks yonder. But they were few and far between. They had moved away. I wonder why.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Muppet is Me!

Came across a couple of personality tests while browsing.
Normally in these kinda tests, any result will suit you! It's fun to do it though.
Me fits Kermit the Frog (they say!).

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know.
You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems.
Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green.
Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Tag of Blog

So people have started this thing about games in blogs. The idea is kinda creative. I was tagged by Satish. According to this game, I'm supposed to give 8 facts(why 8?) about me.
Well here goes,

1. I was Jane Austen in my previous birth.

2. I once averted a national disaster just by walking down a street.

3. I once wrote a 150 line poem in my dream. But I forgot it when my mom woke me up.

4. I was told the secret of life. But I was also made to swear to keep it a secret.

5. I'm currently reading Ponniyin Selvan and have realised that I'm the reincarnation of the leading lady.

6. For my last birthday, I was given the gift of the gab.

7. I write bestsellers under a pseudonym. Under NDA with my publisher, I'm not allowed to reveal the pseudonym.

8. I love making up stuff! :-)


Alright, My turn's over. I'm now gonna tag the following bloggers...
Guys, gear up. Lets have those 8 facts!

Nivi
Sona
Vinod
Thiru
Senthil
Nary
Hameed
Chitra
Priti

:-)

A peep into a tiny mind

My cousin and I were excited. Our little cousins were visiting us and it spelled fun with the family! Little GG, this cute nine-year-old is telling us a story she had made up. All of a sudden, she tells a poem she had made up in school. "It's called Green". We're amazed. "Oh, I wrote a Limerick too". Follows 'Red'. "And a Haiku". It was 'Blue' now.
We plead for more.
And what followed was..


Green

Green is the joy of nature
Green is the whistling of grass
Green is nice bright happiness
Green is the surprise of breaking glass
Green is a cucumber, smooth and soft
Green is fresh apples sitting in the loft
Green is vines swinging to and fro
Green makes me happy like a frolicking doe
Green is the joy of nature




Red (a limerick)

Terrible, terrible red,
A battlefield with bloodshed
I hear a loud rumble
Of a castle going to crumble
So I ran home to my bed




Blue (a haiku)

Deep loyal and dark
As beautiful as a lark
Sea with a giant shark




5 W’s

Who? The green grass
What? Whistles quietly
When? In the afternoon
Where? At the meadow
Why? Because of the wind




Purple (a couplet)

Purple, purple magical and deep
Eggplant that’s good to eat

Purple is the sister of pink
They have a very close link

Purple is the sign of love
As lovely as a white dove





"Hey GG, how about I give you a topic and you write something on it?" I ask her. "Ok" she says matter of factly. "Give her something out of the ordinary. I want to see how deep her thinking goes", my cousin tells me. "Oh I've already written a deep poem. I got it while looking at a fan", pipes up GG. She rattles out 'Life'.


Life

Life goes spinning at a pace
Life goes spinning in your face
Life goes spinning round and round
Until you fly and never touch the ground

Pretend you’re a fledgling learning to fly
Upto a point that’s high
If you miss a flap or two
You’ll fall down and that isn’t cool

Pretend you’re building a bridge
With a tall pointed ridge
If you miss a brick or so
It’ll fall down and you’ll have a row

Life goes spinning at a pace
Life goes spinning in your face
Life goes spinning round and round
Until you fly and never touch the ground




It took us time to close our awestruck mouths. I finally give her the topic 'Morning'.


Morning

The flowers are opening their petals
The sun is rising on a new day
The dew drops are splashing on the grass
I could shout hooray

Hooray, hooray it’s morning
A few flowers are opening last
Hooray, hooray it’s morning
I can see a mast

The flowers are opening their petals
The sun is rising on a new day
The dewdrops are splashing on the grass
I could shout hooray




India

I like India a lot
Even though it’s hot

I have family there
I know they care

India is very nice
I’ll be there in a trice




Saturday, August 11, 2007

What do you do?

When life gets hard,
When living takes special effort,
When you have to wear a mask all the time,
When waking up and facing a new day is a terror,
When your mind is tortured by fevered imagination,
When you do not understand people,
When people do not understand you,
When you do not understand yourself,
When you trail along listlessly,
When you stop caring,
When your hatred consumes your goodwill,
When depression becomes too familiar a feeling,
When mind refuses to form feelings into words,
When your mind gets pounded by feelings without an outlet,
When you want to 'escape from it all' but cannot,
What do you do?

You hope.
You believe that tomorrow will be better.
You look for simple pleasures in life.
You count your gifts and are thankful for them.
You live.
And life...goes on.... day by day.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Rues of a bus traveller

Do you travel by bus? Frequently? Have you ever noticed how you're always crowded in your seat? No? Is it only me then?
I'm lucky to board my bus at it's starting point. I normally get good seats. Its only as the bus goes its way picking up more people that the trouble starts.
The females who insist on sitting with me are
a) fat (very).
b) puny but with arms and legs sticking out all over the place
c) normal sized but with huge packages slung over their arms and shoulders.
If I ever get the good fortune to sit with a neat woman, she almost always gets down the next busstop and any one from the species described above will come to be my seat partner.
If you shrug and say that I'm just overreacting, listen to this.
The bus is almost empty when I get in. I choose a seat that I consider perfect (not too close to the driver and not too far from the door). All other seats except one are empty. I repeat, All.
This woman gets in, with a tremendously large aluminium basin filled with odds and ends. She comes straight to my seat like a homing pigeon (crossing empty seats on her way), thrusts the basin under the seat (right where my feet are) and sits oh-so-nonchalantly next to me, supremely unconcerned that she's digging her elbow in my ribs. Wait, the fun doesn't end here. I find to my horror that the odds and ends are actually FISH. Oh, the smell. It was my ingrained politeness that made me shift my seat without a murmur at her.
I tell you, somebody out there is out to get me!!!!