Suji's Blog

I hope you've had the time of your life

2011-12-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Another turning point a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable but in the end
It's right I hope you've had the time of your life

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

Dusk

2009-04-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

“Dusk, is just an illusion, because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are; there cannot be one without the other, yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel, I remember wondering to be always together, yet forever apart?”

~ The Notebook

Happy Deepavali

2008-10-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Shubham karoti kalyaaNam aarogyam dhanasampadaa
Shatrubuddhi vinaashaaya deepajyoti namostute

I salute the light from the lamp, the one that brings auspiciousness, prosperity, good health, abundance of wealth, and the destruction of the intellect’s enemy!

~Vedic Quotation

The Path

2008-08-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

There is no path to Happiness. Happiness is the path. There is no path to Love. Love is the path. There is no path to Peace. Peace is the path.

~Dan Millman

I can't control my destiny, I trust my soul, my only goal is just to be. There's only now, there's only here. Give in to love or live in fear. No other path, no other way. No day but today.

~Johnathan Larson

Reflection

2008-08-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Clark Quay, Singapore

"We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see."

~Taoist proverb

"The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it in turn will look sourly at you; laugh at it, and with it, and it is a jolly, kind companion."

~William Thackeray

Water

2008-05-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

The water understands
Civilization well,
It wets my foot, but prettily,
It chills my life, but wittily,
It is not disconcerted,
It is not broken-hearted: Well used, it decketh joy,
Adorneth, doubleth joy:
Ill used, it will destroy,
In perfect time and measure
With a face of golden pleasure
Elegantly destroy.

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is Here!

2008-03-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest;
keep us here All simply in the springing of the year.

~Robert Frost

Daughter of heaven and earth, coy Spring,
With sudden passion languishing,
Teaching barren moors to smile,
Painting pictures mile on mile,
Holds a cup of cowslip wreaths,
Whence a smokeless incense breathes.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Awake, thou wintry earth - Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn
"

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.

~Julian Grenfell

Happy Republic Day

2008-01-24T20:33:00.000-08:00

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow
domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought
and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

~Rabindranath Tagore

Flock of Angels For Ever in Flight

2007-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

All these things have you said of beauty.
Yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied,
And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.
It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,
But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.
It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,
But rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.
People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and your are the mirror.

~Khalil Gibran

Sunset in Goa

2007-12-05T05:16:00.000-08:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disppointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

~ Mark Twain

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

~William Arthur Ward

Its Onam Once Again!!!

2007-08-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Onam to all the malayalees out there. Ellavarkum nanma nirranja Onashamsakal!

I have been away from blogs and blogging for a long time now. Life has been kind of hectic of late. But all of a sudden my blog started getting an amazing number of hits from people searching for pookalam designs. So I thought I must post something on it. You can check out my previous Onam and pookalam post here & here.

Someone left a comment in my previous Onam post informing me about the online pookalam competition. Check it out at Gamez India. You can actually make pookalam designs online and submit it for the competition. Its fun though nothing can beat the getting the flowers and putting a real one for Onam, still a virtual pookalam is better than no pookalam at all. So all of you who can't have a real pookalam can now have fun with a virtual one. Enjoy!!!

I am posting the pic of one of the pookalams i created on the site. :)

Left Handed Sketches

2007-06-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Taking up Arvindh's challenge of drawing with my non-dominant left hand, I made these sketches on my tablet pc. Sorry Arvindh, I found this more challenging and fun than taking up the tag. So, what do all of you think?

Spring

2007-04-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!

~L.H. Bailey

I Believe in Angels

2007-03-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
Ill cross the stream - I have a dream
Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
Ill cross the stream - I have a dream
Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

~Lyrics of an ABBA song

Little Blue Flower

2007-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

The splendor of the rose and the whitness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its lovliness.

~Therese of Lisieux

Real Life

2007-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

~Alfred D. Souza

The Wild Flower

2007-02-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower Singing a song.

I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.

In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn.

~by William Blake

Back from a Break!

2007-02-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody.....whoever is still visiting my blog....lol. Its been a long time. I was away for my brother's wedding and had a lot of fun. :)

Thenmala - India's first planned eco-tourism destination.

First Bloganniversary!

2006-12-17T01:09:00.000-08:00

On this day, exactly one year ago, I started blogging. It has been an eventful one year. I had created a blogger account because I wanted to comment on somebody's blog and it did not allow anonymous comments. I guess I have to thank that person for this journey of one year, though unfortunately now I don't remember whose blog it was that I wanted to comment on. Well, whoever it was....a big thank you.

During the last one year, I have met a lot of friends, who have inspired me, made me laugh, made me think, made me wonder, made me feel happy and sometimes even made me feel sad. They have touched me with their wonderful words, photos, sketches and songs. Thanks to all my blogmates who comment of on my posts and let me know their opinion about my blog. A big thank you for all my blog friends....you have made my life a little more colorful and more interesting. I am not naming anybody, but all you are included in the list.

Life has been very hectic of late, so have not be able to post anything for a long time. Hopefully, will be more regular in future.

"The future is always beginning now"
Mark Strand

The Flower

2006-10-30T06:36:00.000-08:00

Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.

To and fro they went
Thro' my garden bower,
And muttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower.

Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.

Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried,
"Splendid is the flower!"

Read my little fable:
He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
For all have got the seed.

And some are pretty enough,
And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
Call it but a weed.

by Lord Alfred Tennyson

To Risk

2006-10-25T05:47:00.001-07:00

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk to failure.
But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.
The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
And the realist adjusts the sails.

~William Arthur Ward

Bamboo

2006-10-09T03:50:00.001-07:00

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.

~Japanese Proverb

Things came before people.

People came before words.

Tall, green, and nameless,

bamboo walked down centuries

and crossed continents

in time to stand there, waiting,

naked of language,

when the first people came

to make the first village.

~Anonymous

I have always been fascinated by bamboo trees. They look so stong, resilient and elegant. Did you know that the bamboo actually belongs to the grass family?

A Wish...

2006-09-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved.

~Anonymous

One more Onam

2006-09-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful Onam in Bangalore. This year's pookalam....

Read more about Onam here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam

Onam Ponnonam

2006-08-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Ellavarkum enthe sneham niranja Onashamsakal!!!
May this Onam bring peace, prosperity, health and happiness to everybody.

"Maveli Nadu Vaneedum Kalam
Manusharellarum onnu pole…"

My favourite part of Onam is not the onakodi (new clothes) that we get or the onasadya (feast) but the athapoo or pookalam that I make every year on Thiruonam day. Even though the athapoo is supposed to be put for ten days ,with the city life and our busy schedules it can be managed on only one day.

My dad gets up early and goes and gets the flowers for me. He is such a sweetheart. He buys most of the flowers but if he can manage to get some more variety from the nearby parks he gets them too.

My one fervent and ardent wish is to celebrate Onam in Kerala atleast once in my lifetime. Have never had a chance to do that till now. Hopefully, sometime in the future.

Happy Independence Day

2006-08-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been
broken up into fragments by
narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from
the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches
its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary
desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is lead forward by thee
into ever-widening thought and action-
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,
let my country awake."

"GEETANJALI"
-Rabindranath Tagore

Time

2006-08-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Tea

2006-07-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

“Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company”

-Zen Haiku

“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea”

-Sir Philip Sidney

“That's one of the things I look forward to about an evening like this - someone to drink tea with at the end of it. For all I know, the whole point of civilisation is to provide one with someone to drink tea with at the end of an evening.”

-Aurora Greenway

Which Superhero Are You?

2006-07-26T03:26:00.000-07:00

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		70%
Robin		62%
Spider-Man		60%
Supergirl		60%
Hulk		50%
Wonder Woman		45%
The Flash		45%
Green Lantern		40%
Iron Man		30%
Catwoman		25%
Batman		20%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Superman and Spiderman are my favourites, so me very happy. :) Thanks Anand for the link.

Aim High

2006-07-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

'Plan the flight, fly the play, as some do say. If you’re aiming at something, then you’ve got a better chance of hitting it. Having sky-high goals can also be a great motivator and lead you to getting beyond where you would otherwise have been. So get into the cannon and shoot high!'

'Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.'

-Louisa May Alcott

Walls

2006-07-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down!

-from "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost

When My Mind is Still

2006-06-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I remember things too easily forgotten:
The purity of early love,
The maturity of unselfish love that asks --
desires -- nothing but another's good,
The idealism that has persisted through all the tempest of life.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I can find a quiet assurance, an inner peace, in the core of my being.
It can face the doubt, the loneliness, the anxiety,
Can accept these harsh realities and can even grow
Because of these challenges to my essential being.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I can sense my basic humanity,
And then I know that all men and women are my brothers and sisters.
Nothing but my own fear and distrust can separate me from the love of friends.
If I can trust others, accept them, enjoy them,
Then my life shall surely be richer and more full.
If I can accept others, this will help them to be more truly themselves,
And they will be more able to accept me.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I know how much life has given me:
The history of the race, friends and family,
The opportunity to work, the chance to build myself.
Then wells within me the urge to live more abundantly,
With greater trust and joy,
With more profound seriousness and earnest service,
And yet more calmly at the heart of life.

-Paul Beattie

Crowd & Solitude

2006-06-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

View of Taj from Agra Fort

2006-06-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is a view of the Taj Mahal as seen from Agra Fort. At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb in the fort, and he used to look at the Taj from a balcony of the Fort. Just imagine, it may be the same balcony I took this pic from....

This one is for you Jackal. Sorry its not such a great pic.

This is probably what the Taj Mahal looked like when Shahjahan used to look at it. A whiter Taj Mahal and the Yamuna overflowing with water.

Inspired by Sorabh's comment, I attempted my version of the black Taj.

Will U Save Him

2006-06-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Please click on the link below to do ur bit to save a 5 year old cancer patient.

http://unameitjack.blogspot.com

Work in Marble

2006-05-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep,
"He who works in marble, and finds the shape
of his own soul in the stone,
is nobler that he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a
cloth in the likeness of man, is more
than he who makes the sandals for our feet."
But I say, not in sleep but in the over- wakefulness of noontide,
that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks
than to the least of all the blades of grass.
And he alone is great who turns the voice
of the wind into a song made sweeter by
his own loving.

From 'The Prophet' by Khalil Gibran

Parrot

2006-05-26T03:59:00.001-07:00

Birds

by William Wordsworth

Happier of happy though I be,
like them I cannot take possession of the sky,
Mount with a thoughtless impulse, and wheel there,
One of a mightly multitude whose way
And motion is a harmony and dance
Magnificient.

P.S: The parrot was quite shy and refused to pose for me and hid behind the tree trunk.

Sketch Again

2006-05-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

My second sketch on the tablet pc. Inspired by a calender in my room.

Earth Laughs in Flowers

2006-05-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Silently a flower blooms,
In silence it falls away;
Yet here now, at this moment, at this place,
The world of the flower,
the whole of the world is blooming.
This is the talk of the flower,
the truth of the blossom:
The glory of eternal life is fully shining here.
-Zenkei Shibayama

Sweet letters of the angel tongue,
I've loved ye long and well,
And never have failed in your fragrance sweet
To find some secret spell,
A charm that has bound me with witching power,
For mine is the old belief,
That midst your sweets and midst your bloom,
There's a soul in every leaf!
-Mathurin M Ballou

It is not growing like a tree
In bulk, doth make man better be,
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May
Although it fall and die that night;
It was the plant and flower of light.
In small proportions we just beauties see,
And in short measures life may perfect be.
-Ben Jonson

Am back after a short break . Please click on the link below to check out what I was upto during the break.
Oracle Institute India 2006

My Sketch

2006-05-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is my first sketch on a tablet pc. I used a photograph of Ladakh that I saw in a magazine as my inspiration. I know I am not very good at sketching, but sketching makes me happy. Your comments are welcome so that I can improve. Arvindh (my sketching guru), looking forward especially for your comments.

Eternal Love

2006-05-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart.

~Honore de Balzac

Sunset in the City

2006-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

His rays are all gold,
And his beauties are best,
As painting the skies,
He sinks down in the West,
And foretells a bright rising again.

~Watts

Wheel of Life

2006-04-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

God says to me with kind of a smile,
"Hey how would you like to be God awhile
And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.
Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"
"Gimme back that wheel," says God,
"I don't think you're quite ready yet."

~Shel Silverstein

I Have Been Tagged...

2006-04-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Alexis…

5 people who top your shit list….. and why:

Hypocrites.
People who don't think twice before hurting others.
People who don't mean what they say.
People who keep cribbing about anything and everything in life.
Bigoted and prejudiced people.

Close brushes with death/danger:

An accident on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, but thankfully none of us was seriously hurt.
Every time I travel by road in Kerala.
Every time I drive.
The time I tried to teach my Mom driving

5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:

The only time I have thought about sucide seriously was when I was going through a particularly painful time in life, but never got as far as thinking about how I would do it. Now that I think about it I don't find any method preferable, but if I had to do it....

Any method which will gaurantee that I will succeed in my attempt. Would not like to fail in this, that would be too much to bear.
Drowning in the sea...I love the sea.

5 Guilty pleasures:

Chicken Biryani.
Sleeping.
Day dreaming.
Can't put down any good book I am reading until I finish it.
Choclates, Sweets and Ice Creams.

5 things you never want to forget:

My childhood.
My family.
My first love.
My friends.
My school and college days.

5 things you wish to forget:

My first love.
My Grandmother's death.
Bad times.
Bad people.
Painful memories. (Bad times is different from painful memories. Bad times are those which were real i.e. something which actually happened while memories may not always be real).

5 really exotic dishes you have tried:

Now this is difficult because everytime I eat out the only thing that I prefer to eat is Chicken Biryani. So instead of exotic dishes I'll name the dishes I like...

Chicken Biryani.
Kappa and fish curry (not the fish, only the curry)
Prawn curry.
Everything that my grandmother used to cook.
Aaloo parantha that my mom makes.

5 crushes/loves in your life… in chronological order

Tarun Dhanrajgir (he acted in a serial called 'Trishna' which was an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice)
Shah Rukh Khan
Denzel Washington
Vikram
Abhishek Bachchan

Strangest dream you ever had:

The strangest dream that keeps recurring is that I am trying to drive and my legs don't reach the brake. Try as hard as I can, I just can't seem to reach it. The vechile keeps changing- most of the time its a car, but in my dreams I have even driven a truck. But thankfully, somehow neither me nor anybody else is ever hurt. So now, everytime I get into the car, the first thing I check is whether my leg is reaching the brake or not.

5 most valued personal possessions:

My books
My computer
My mobile phone
My family album and collection of photographs
My school autograph book.

5 favorite superheroes….. and why: (I am assuming superheros to be any fictional heros)

Phantom: The ghost who walks, because he was the first superhero I came across.
Spiderman: Don't really know why, maybe because he seems so vulnerable even though he is a superhero......but have liked him since childhood, when I used to see the Spiderman cartoon on TV every Sunday evening.
Arnold Swarchenegger inTerminator 2: For being a machine that was much better than many humans.
Howard Roark from The Fountainhead: For standing up for his ideals like a rock and being true to his values, his convictions, his beliefs and himself.
Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind: For being the dashing rebelious hero.

I am hereby declaring this an open tag. Anybody who visits this blog and who is willing to take up this tag, can do so.

Primary Colors

2006-04-02T00:16:00.000-08:00

Of all God's gifts to the sighted man, color is holiest, the most divine, the most solemn.

The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.

~John Ruskin

P.S: This is the new decor of my room :)

Lotus Leaf and Water

2006-03-18T05:47:00.000-08:00

He who performs actions without attachment resigning them to God, is untainted by their effects as Lotus leaf by water.
(Sorry, did not have a pic of lotus leaf and water, so this is the best I could do.)

Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.

Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.

~Bhagavad Gita

How Green Was My Valley

2006-03-09T01:48:00.000-08:00

I have a dream to live in this place. But I fear that by the time I get a chance to live there, it may not remain so green. Each year I see a little less trees, ponds disappearing, rivers running dry, fewer streams to cross with their makeshift bridges and fewer frogs croaking during the rains.

Main aur meri aawaaragi

2006-03-01T05:01:00.000-08:00

phirate hain kab se dar_ba_dar ab is nagar ab us nagar
ek duusare ke ham_safar main aur meri aawaaragii
naa aashanaa har rah_guzar naa mehar_baaN hai ek nazar
jaayen to ab jaayen kidhar main aur merii aawaaragii


ham bhii kabhii aabaad the aise kahaaN bar_baad the
bifikr the aazaad the masaruur the dil_shaad the
vo chaal aisi chal gayaa ham bujh gaye dil jal gayaa
nikale jalaa ke apanaa ghar main aur merii aawaaragii

vo maah-e-vash vo maah-e-ruuh vo maah-e-kaamil huu_ba_huu
thiin jis kii baaten kuu_ba_kuu us se ajab thii guftaguu
phir yuuN huaa vo kho ga_ii aur mujh ko zid sii ho ga_ii
laayenge us ko DhuuND kar main aur merii aawaaragii

ye dil hii thaa jo sah gayaa vo baat aisii kah gayaa
kahane ko phir kyaa rah gayaa ashkon kaa dariyaa bah gayaa
jab kah kar vo dil_bar gayaa tee liye main mar gayaa
rote hain us ko raat bhar main aur merii aawaaragii

ab Gam uThaayen kis liye ye dil jalaayen kis liye
aaNsuu bahaayen kis liye yuuN jaaN gavaayen kis liye
peshaa na ho jis kaa sitam DhuuNdenge ab aisaa sanam
honge kahiin to kaar_gar main aur merii aawaaragii

aasaar hain sab khoT ke imkaan hain sab choT ke
ghar band hain sab koT ke ab Khatm hai sab ToTake.
qismat kaa sab ye khel hai andher hii andher hai
aise hue hain be_asar main aur merii aawaaragii

jab ham_dam-o-ham_raaz thaa tab aur hii andaaz thaa
ab soz hai tab saaz thaa ab sharm hai tab naaz thaa
ab mujh se ho to ho bhii kyaa hai saath vo to vo bhii kyaa
ek behunar ek besabar main aur merii aawaaragii

~Javed Akthar (from his collection of poems Tarkash)

Cat

2006-02-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

When I was small we had a cat which would drink milk only if bournvita was added to it. And it loved coconuts. In fact it seemed to like coconuts more than fish. If you placed coconut and fish in front of it, I am sure it would have gone for the coconut first. I was reminded of that cat when I saw this one.

"The mathematical probability of a common cat doing exactly as it pleases is the one scientific absolute in the world. "
~Lynn M Osband

Lyrics that stole my heart

2006-02-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ithramel manamulla kudamulla
Poovukalkkethra kinakalundaayirikkum
Sandhyaambarathinte mandasmithangalil
Avayethra azhakullathaayirikkum

Poovinte swapnagal pookkalekkalum
Mrudhulavum soumyavum aayirikkum
Thaamara nool pol pozhiyum nilaavilum
Yadhukula kaambojiyaayirikkum

Nithya vilolamaam swapnangalum njaanum
Ellaa rahasyavum panku vaikkum
Aathmaavinullil vannariyaathe
Padarunnathaa raaga parimalamaayirikkum

Film: Mazha
Lyrics : O V Usha Music : Raveendran Sung by: Yesudas

Gist of the Poem: (for those who don't understand malayalam)

If the flowers are so fragrant and beautiful,

How beautiful would their dreams be...

The dreams of the flowers would be

Just as tender and gentle as they are...

Rubik's Cube

2006-02-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

“The problems of puzzles are very near the problems of life, our whole life is solving puzzles. If you are hungry, you have to find something to eat. But everyday problems are very mixed - they're not clear. The Cube's problem depends just on you. You can solve it independently. But to find happiness in life, you're not independent. That's the only big difference.”

~Erno Rubik

Qutab Minar

2006-02-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

The Qutab Minar is one of the monuments in Delhi which I like visiting. It is situated within the city but once you enter the complex you feel far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And it is quite well maintained compared to the other monuments.

King Qutubuddin Aibak of Slave dynasty laid the foundation of the Qutab Minar in 1199. Qutb-ud-din-Aibak had intended the Qutab Minar to stand as a symbol of his throne's might. However, he passed away before anything more than the base of the tower could be completed. It was his successor, Iltutmish, who completed this magnificent structure. The red sandstone tower of Qutab Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 14.32 m at its base to 2.75 m in diameter at its peak, and alternating in angular and rounded flutings. Much as its dimensions contribute to its magnificence, one can't deny that the intricate carving, taken from the Islamic Holy Book - the Qu'ran, on the exterior also makes it look breathtakingly beautiful.

The complex also hosts an Iron Pillar in the courtyard of the mosque. The quality of the iron used for constructing the pillar is exceptionally pure and has not rusted even after 2000 years. An inscription in Sanskrit clearly indicates that it was initially erected outside a Vishnu temple, possibly in Bihar. The manufacture of such a massive iron pillar, which has not deteriorated much during 2000 years of its existence, is a standing testimony to the metallurgical skill of ancient Indians.

The World of Books

2006-02-03T04:02:00.000-08:00

The 17th World Book Fair, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Books are a man's (and woman's) best friends. Books not only enlighten and illuminate our lives but they also entertain, enrich, excite and take us where no one’s ever been before. They take us to worlds so different from our own, make us experience things which we would never experience in our lives and introduce us to people we would never meet. They are the essence of history and civilization and the harbinger of the future. They provide us an insight into great minds and the outlook to widen the horizons of our mind.

A passion for reading is a great gift. I am thankful to my parents for my first books....the amar chitra kathas they bought for me. And to the friend who took me to a public library for the first time. I still remember the time we would walk a long way to the library in the evening with the fervent hope to find some good books. It was a small library and you had to be lucky to lay your hands on the good books before somebody else did. Its amazing that even after all these years a good book still gives me the same satisfaction that it gave me when I was young.

To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.
~W. Somerset Maugham

Dawn

2006-01-28T04:57:00.000-08:00

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
~Kalidas

Incoherent Ramblings

2006-01-28T03:23:00.000-08:00

I am writing here after a long time. I have ofcourse been posting blogs but that has just been what other people have said and I have liked. Today after a long time I felt like writing something. But what exactly it is that I want to say I don't know. So, please excuse my incoherent ramblings.

Life is one big roller coaster ride. Its exciting and thilling but can be scary too. As long as you are enjoying the ride, you want it to go on, but when its scary you want it to stop. But it doesn't stop when you wish. It keeps moving at its pace. Since you can't stop it, isn't it better to stop being scared and just enjoy the ride?

The Upanishads say,
"You are what your deep driving desire is;
As your deep driving desire is, so is your will;
As your will is so is your deed;
As your deed is so is your destiny."

Doesn't that mean that you can choose your destiny with your actions and change your destiny if you if want to. But aren't there times when you try your best and things still don't work out the way you wanted. What do you call it then? And what do you do then? Accept it and stop trying or accept it but keep trying to change it? But accept it you have to. To stop trying would be accepting defeat but, would keep trying be foolishness?

I have realised, that, the most difficult part about bitter expriences in life is to not let them make you a bitter person, but make you a better person. If you can come out of the bitter experiences in life and look life in the face and say you are ready for more.....then I guess life can never defeat you.

"Ye zindagi gale laga le, humne bhi to tere har ek gham ko gale se lagaya hai, hai na........." :)

A World in Itself

2006-01-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

~Henry Miller

The Child Within Us

2006-01-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

It is the child that sees the primordial secret and it is the child of ourselves that we must return to. The child within us is simple and daring enough to live the secret.
~ Lao Tzu

Thanks to Sangeetha for the quote

Doors

2006-01-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

I came across this quote when I was searching for a quote to go with my last picture. I really like it because I am something of an eternal optimist...

"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present."

Rabindranath Tagore

But there is another category of optimists like me, who see doors where none exist and bang their heads against the wall...lol.

Fortune's Gate

2006-01-11T04:43:00.000-08:00

O, once in each man's life, at least, Good luck knocks at his door; And wit to seize the flitting guest Need never hunger more. But while the loitering idler waits Good luck beside his fire, The bold heart storms at fortune's gates, And conquers its desire.

Lewis J. Bates

The Wise Woman's Stone

2006-01-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

"The Wise Woman's Stone"
Author Unknown

Enjoy Life!!!

2006-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back
and realize they were the big things.

Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya

2006-01-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya - Lead me from darkness to light ...

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, it is thought that one could affect the luck one would have throughout the coming year by what one did on the first day of the year. So, I thought I should write something on the first day of the new year.

New Year is the time to look back at the past, introspect and decide what changes we want or need in our life. And more importantly it is the time to look forward to the future and hope for better times and hopefully to better ourselves. So my new year resolution for this year is:

To enjoy life more
To learn something new

Not very hard resolutions, I know. But, once you get back into the daily grind from the holiday season, all the resolutions fly out of the window. So lets wait and see....

Some of you must be wondering why the pic of a puppy. That's because 2006 is the year of the dog according to the Chinese calender. And the puppy seems to be looking forward hopefully towards the future, like all of us.

A very Happy New Year to all........

P.S: Please post your new year resolutions as comments :)

Good Bye 2005

2005-12-31T07:14:00.000-08:00

Year 2005 is coming to an end. It has been an eventful year for me in many ways. For one it was the year I started my blog....lol. Lets wait and see what the new year has in store......

Well, I still haven't decided what my blog should be about. I thought a lot about it, but am still not able to decide what is it I should write about. I don't want to write about my life, because, first its not very interesting and second even if I do find it interesing, I am sure other people may not think so. One sleepless night I did have a brainwave and spent hours conjuring what I will write in my blog. I am sure it was a brilliant idea but unfortunately for the life of me I can't remember what it was. I guess I will have to wait for my next brainwave and save it on my computer as soon as I have it.

Till then lets say goodbye to 2005 and welcome 2006.

So as Lord Tennyson said, let us ...
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

I have a blog now........

2005-12-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!

Just started this blog........don't know anything about how to go about creating this.....so just trying out all the options. Hopefully will soon turn it into a nice blog which people would like to visit.....lol.