I'm not much of a poetry person. Nevertheless, came across this one by Derek Walcott - and I quite liked it!
The time will come
When, with elation,
You will greet yourself arriving
At your own door, in your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other's welcome,
And say, sit here, Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
To itself, to the stranger who has loved you
All your life, whom you ignored
For another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
The photographs, the desperate notes,
Peel your image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
~ Derek Walcott ~
Loved it!! Yes, Feast on your life! And, let me add, "don't crib when you have to share the dessert"!!
--Virtually Yours
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The story of my life . . .
If I were to write the story of my life, how would I write it? Whose story is it going to be, where would I begin it and what on earth would I write?? I believe every individual inhabit different worlds in a lifetime; at least I do! Some of these worlds run parallel and they never meet while some converge at certain points to become one. My story can't begin at the beginning... I believe in narratives which begin in media res. There is some kind of mystery and romance in the stories which don't have any beginning, don't you think so?
Ah yes, getting back to the story (or stories?) of my life... it's redundant, repetitive, but with a unique sense of intermittent ennui and ecstasy almost throughout! Did my story begin when I was born, or did it begin when I grew up enough to construct my own story or is it yet to begin? Well, who cares, anyways.
I would like to believe that my story began when I first touched fear! But don't ask me when that was - I've no clue! I don't remember what my first fear was... but one of the first fears was that of going to school and finding that none of 'my' friends had turned up that day! I think that's a fear that just refused to leave me... I still get a moment of nervous breakdown when I find that 'my' things and 'my' people are not around me! I'm trying really hard to break out of this 'my-my' feeling but it continues to cling to me like a five year old who fusses every morning before school!
My story began when I learnt to edit my own life before friends, strangers, and even family. I don't know if you had done that too, but yeah, I definitely did. I edited certain parts of it to be used later, to be just quarantined into oblivion, or even to re-edit and project again. I loved it when I edited my emotions! Even today, I edit my own life - even when I don't like it, even when I know I don't have to do it anymore. . .
My story began when I realized that the Almighty is the author of my life, that every moment bears His signature! It was like a watermark in the page of life - always already there even when I'm least conscious of it. His presence filtered the fears and monitored the editing in ways that I could never imagine. Around the same time, I met this man . . . a carpenter's son who was born in a manger, who went on to change the course of history and many lives for centuries to come. He changed me too, took charge of my life and there began a new life, a new story which He will bring into completion. And, now I don't care if the story of my life is half-written or even unwritten - He IS there and that says it all.
At the end of the day, I guess I have neither the concentration nor the linear thinking to put a story in place! And, you know what, I can never write a story. . . people like me would be forever running behind the different stories that could have been rather than sticking to the story that IS. But trust me, the story of my life will go on . . . into eternity, with the ONE who holds my tomorrow!!
Till we meet again on that beautiful shore. . .
--Virtually Yours
Ah yes, getting back to the story (or stories?) of my life... it's redundant, repetitive, but with a unique sense of intermittent ennui and ecstasy almost throughout! Did my story begin when I was born, or did it begin when I grew up enough to construct my own story or is it yet to begin? Well, who cares, anyways.
I would like to believe that my story began when I first touched fear! But don't ask me when that was - I've no clue! I don't remember what my first fear was... but one of the first fears was that of going to school and finding that none of 'my' friends had turned up that day! I think that's a fear that just refused to leave me... I still get a moment of nervous breakdown when I find that 'my' things and 'my' people are not around me! I'm trying really hard to break out of this 'my-my' feeling but it continues to cling to me like a five year old who fusses every morning before school!
My story began when I learnt to edit my own life before friends, strangers, and even family. I don't know if you had done that too, but yeah, I definitely did. I edited certain parts of it to be used later, to be just quarantined into oblivion, or even to re-edit and project again. I loved it when I edited my emotions! Even today, I edit my own life - even when I don't like it, even when I know I don't have to do it anymore. . .
My story began when I realized that the Almighty is the author of my life, that every moment bears His signature! It was like a watermark in the page of life - always already there even when I'm least conscious of it. His presence filtered the fears and monitored the editing in ways that I could never imagine. Around the same time, I met this man . . . a carpenter's son who was born in a manger, who went on to change the course of history and many lives for centuries to come. He changed me too, took charge of my life and there began a new life, a new story which He will bring into completion. And, now I don't care if the story of my life is half-written or even unwritten - He IS there and that says it all.
At the end of the day, I guess I have neither the concentration nor the linear thinking to put a story in place! And, you know what, I can never write a story. . . people like me would be forever running behind the different stories that could have been rather than sticking to the story that IS. But trust me, the story of my life will go on . . . into eternity, with the ONE who holds my tomorrow!!
Till we meet again on that beautiful shore. . .
--Virtually Yours
Friday, July 18, 2008
When too less is too much. . .
Thought I was through with everything - but how naive of me to think so! My 'been there done that' attitude has been nothing but a facade! I can't believe that I'm not yet ready for realities when they are right on my face. Hey woman, where is your self-composure and why are you so vulnerable? Strange! Well. . . enough of whining!
The significant someone of my life is celebrating his birthday - and I'm not with him. No big deal, I know, but still it IS big deal!! Anyways, distance is not measured in yards but heartbeats! :-)
Life is a bumpy ride as always but it falls into rhythm so surprisingly soon. I bet you agree!
--Virtually Yours
The significant someone of my life is celebrating his birthday - and I'm not with him. No big deal, I know, but still it IS big deal!! Anyways, distance is not measured in yards but heartbeats! :-)
Life is a bumpy ride as always but it falls into rhythm so surprisingly soon. I bet you agree!
--Virtually Yours
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Meritocracy Myth
Goodness! I'm sick and tired of all those voices and high brow attitudes which keep criticizing and lamenting the Reservation process. (Remember, the well-wishers are concerned only about the caste reservations - the rest is well with the world) Well, as for me, I don't have the audacity to say that I am meritorious and the rest of the world is not! And, how on earth can anyone say that she or he is carrying the burden of the entire nation's merit! Boy, that's just another version of the 'white man's burden'. As long we don't have a level playing ground merit is just a farce. And, hello, how are we defining merit now? Isn't it just a score or percentile or percentage or the Queen's lingo? How can we subscribe to such a narrow perception of merit and right away argue that the ones who don't have a certain score or the ones who can't get their diphthongs right are not meritorious like the others?!
-- Virtually Yours
-- Virtually Yours
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Through these tears... I can see better!
Life is a long cathartic process and relationships are the real tests. I just underwent a catharsis, which I believe, should have, could have happened much much earlier. But then, as they say, there is a time for everything under the sun. Just when I was beginning to wonder 'Why me?' a picture perfect situation emerged - so much like a silver lining in the clouds (I know it is a cliched usage but I myself am a cliched individual who pretends to be unique)!
I still do not have the answers for everything but I know that not having answers need not be disastrous. I still am confused but I know that confusions are inevitable. I still hesitate, I still pause, I still procrastinate... but I can reach out through the hesitations and pauses and procrastinations. I still smile with a frown but I'm glad that I smile. And, I learn again that life never stops teaching you. The better the learner, the harder the lessons!
Tears are precious and they let you come out clean through the catharsis. I'm blessed with lots of people around me who can make me happy and laugh out loud; am forever grateful for their presence. But there are a few, very few, who know what makes me cry - and they are the ones who are the dearest to me, who hold my hands through life, who I know will never let go... They have always cared enough to break through the walls that I had put up. They got hurt too while trying to bring the walls down. I saw them hurting and bleeding but I wanted to ignore . . . This goes out for them... to let them know that I was not being callous or selfish ... just plain scared! Thanks for staying through my fear.
--Yours Virtually
I still do not have the answers for everything but I know that not having answers need not be disastrous. I still am confused but I know that confusions are inevitable. I still hesitate, I still pause, I still procrastinate... but I can reach out through the hesitations and pauses and procrastinations. I still smile with a frown but I'm glad that I smile. And, I learn again that life never stops teaching you. The better the learner, the harder the lessons!
Tears are precious and they let you come out clean through the catharsis. I'm blessed with lots of people around me who can make me happy and laugh out loud; am forever grateful for their presence. But there are a few, very few, who know what makes me cry - and they are the ones who are the dearest to me, who hold my hands through life, who I know will never let go... They have always cared enough to break through the walls that I had put up. They got hurt too while trying to bring the walls down. I saw them hurting and bleeding but I wanted to ignore . . . This goes out for them... to let them know that I was not being callous or selfish ... just plain scared! Thanks for staying through my fear.
--Yours Virtually
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Jaane tu . . .
I agree - the same old familiar love story, typically the next-door type! But I love familiar stories and they help me feel familiar with the life around me. There is a vast corpus of reviews floating around and I don't want to add to the junk ... so hold on, this is not just another review! Just loved that easy camaraderie!
I would have loved to have received a dramatic proposal at the airport - at least at the railway station. But am yet to meet someone who found their love right at the time of take-off! Anyways, am not much for realism in movies or in any form of art and I love the world of fantasy which I may never get access to.
Just the other day I had a really heavy discourse on romance and passion with a close friend of mine. Well, it had a tinge of academics (don't yawn, please) . . . At the end of it I realized that I find it embarrassing to admit that I'm a romantic (or am I?). At some level, do I still think that the romantic and the intellectual cannot go together? I really don't know!
Though no one has sung 'Jaane tu' to me at the airport (not yet, I mean) I still flutter at least for a moment, when the phone rings -- or when I'm waiting for it to ring! And, my heart still races when I wait for the flight to land or the train to arrive! And, the thoughts which bring a smile to my face have not yet faded either! So, do these signs tell you something??!!
--Virtually Yours
I would have loved to have received a dramatic proposal at the airport - at least at the railway station. But am yet to meet someone who found their love right at the time of take-off! Anyways, am not much for realism in movies or in any form of art and I love the world of fantasy which I may never get access to.
Just the other day I had a really heavy discourse on romance and passion with a close friend of mine. Well, it had a tinge of academics (don't yawn, please) . . . At the end of it I realized that I find it embarrassing to admit that I'm a romantic (or am I?). At some level, do I still think that the romantic and the intellectual cannot go together? I really don't know!
Though no one has sung 'Jaane tu' to me at the airport (not yet, I mean) I still flutter at least for a moment, when the phone rings -- or when I'm waiting for it to ring! And, my heart still races when I wait for the flight to land or the train to arrive! And, the thoughts which bring a smile to my face have not yet faded either! So, do these signs tell you something??!!
--Virtually Yours
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
From someone who delights in owning you!
I spend hours staring at half-baked word documents, which would ultimately form a big black book called 'thesis' or 'dissertation'! Just a thought... If I were to create a love-note, how do you think I'd fare? Try this out!!
So badly want to let you know that no matter how long we live, or how less we live; no matter how old we become, or how young we become; no matter how rich we become, or how poor we become; no matter what tragedy strikes us, or what blessings abound our lives; no matter what we become, or how we behave; no matter how angry we are, or how happy we are; no matter how much we fight, or how much we make love; no matter how distant we are, or how close we are; ... we shall never be away from each other's thoughts, we shall never be tired of rushing into each other's arms, we shall never be bored of giving the same kiss or saying the same things over and again... let us never reach a point when enough is enough! Let us have a life ahead where we can find freshness everyday - in our fights, our arguments, our love and in our own selves.
"Love is stronger than death; passion fiercer than grave" (Songs of Solomon 8:6)
This is just a sample... can do better!!! :)
Well, I should be trying hard to fill in my big black book and NOT posting lovebytes which no one would ever read or see...! Am I frustrated with research?? I guess so!
-- Virtually Yours
So badly want to let you know that no matter how long we live, or how less we live; no matter how old we become, or how young we become; no matter how rich we become, or how poor we become; no matter what tragedy strikes us, or what blessings abound our lives; no matter what we become, or how we behave; no matter how angry we are, or how happy we are; no matter how much we fight, or how much we make love; no matter how distant we are, or how close we are; ... we shall never be away from each other's thoughts, we shall never be tired of rushing into each other's arms, we shall never be bored of giving the same kiss or saying the same things over and again... let us never reach a point when enough is enough! Let us have a life ahead where we can find freshness everyday - in our fights, our arguments, our love and in our own selves.
"Love is stronger than death; passion fiercer than grave" (Songs of Solomon 8:6)
This is just a sample... can do better!!! :)
Well, I should be trying hard to fill in my big black book and NOT posting lovebytes which no one would ever read or see...! Am I frustrated with research?? I guess so!
-- Virtually Yours
Friday, June 13, 2008
In anticipation...
The Summer Before the Dark - One of the earliest novels (1973) by Doris Lessing and some say her best. Just got hold of it and dying to read it. But I have a half-baked report which I can't leave mid-way! So, saving it for the train journey next week! Hope it will not disappoint me!
I don't know if am really enjoying my work - but am doing it diligently, at least to meet the deadline decently. Well, I do enjoy certain aspects of it... sometimes!! But am afraid if it is worth all the hardwork and toil. Sometimes I feel, I'd rather take a walk till the lakeside and click some pictures or check out some boring kids playing the same old games! Anyways, work gives you a sense of being useful, I tell myself - but I am yet to find out for whom!
If I were not here (staring at my report) I'd have been doing ... doing what?!! I believe, there's nothing like being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We all are here in the right place, at the right time, with the right people - after all, who am I to post arrogant questions regarding our space and time and existence?!!
--Virtually Yours
I don't know if am really enjoying my work - but am doing it diligently, at least to meet the deadline decently. Well, I do enjoy certain aspects of it... sometimes!! But am afraid if it is worth all the hardwork and toil. Sometimes I feel, I'd rather take a walk till the lakeside and click some pictures or check out some boring kids playing the same old games! Anyways, work gives you a sense of being useful, I tell myself - but I am yet to find out for whom!
If I were not here (staring at my report) I'd have been doing ... doing what?!! I believe, there's nothing like being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We all are here in the right place, at the right time, with the right people - after all, who am I to post arrogant questions regarding our space and time and existence?!!
--Virtually Yours
Am I the only one?
We bloggers are amazing! We continue posting - though we know that half the posts will fade into this virtual oblivion without anyone have read or seen it even once!
But isn't that the same about life as well? One may not always have an audience - but that is no less motivation to continue living!
--Virtually Yours
But isn't that the same about life as well? One may not always have an audience - but that is no less motivation to continue living!
--Virtually Yours
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Take Charge of My Life!
Have you heard the Air Supply Song "Just when I thought I was over you"? Sometimes life is like that. It plays the same old trick on you and catches you unaware just when you think you've finally got over everything. At least I go through this phase quite often - making the same mistakes, hurting the same ones who love and swearing all over again that this is THE last time! Yeah, that's life! But I know, that's no excuse! I'm learning... though very slowly.
I guess I've mellowed down over the years - rather tamed down, I'd say! I no more have strong feelings about those radical views I held. Day by day I'm also realizing that it is my LORD's strength that leads me on - not my confidence, not my merits, not my support systems. I'm also delighting in the serene peace that canopies me when I trust HIM with my life. I've learnt the hard way that I do not have the wisdom, nor the skill, to unfold my life; HE can do it so artistically, so methodically, and so very well.
This Sunday heard about NOT settling with the 'Ishmaels' in life, like Abraham tended to do initially, rather than waiting for the 'Isaac' to come. I had compromised too - with situations, people, values, standards, behaviour, morals... All those compromises had left behind Ishmaels! But the Almighty was so gracious, so mindful and never held back the promised Isaac! Do I have words to describe that perfect work of love and grace!
Yes! The bottom line is - the Battle belongs to the Lord!
-Virtually Yours
I guess I've mellowed down over the years - rather tamed down, I'd say! I no more have strong feelings about those radical views I held. Day by day I'm also realizing that it is my LORD's strength that leads me on - not my confidence, not my merits, not my support systems. I'm also delighting in the serene peace that canopies me when I trust HIM with my life. I've learnt the hard way that I do not have the wisdom, nor the skill, to unfold my life; HE can do it so artistically, so methodically, and so very well.
This Sunday heard about NOT settling with the 'Ishmaels' in life, like Abraham tended to do initially, rather than waiting for the 'Isaac' to come. I had compromised too - with situations, people, values, standards, behaviour, morals... All those compromises had left behind Ishmaels! But the Almighty was so gracious, so mindful and never held back the promised Isaac! Do I have words to describe that perfect work of love and grace!
Yes! The bottom line is - the Battle belongs to the Lord!
-Virtually Yours
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Trying to break the impasse...
I'm dying to get back to this space! But work is keeping me engaged (ahem... ahem.. a decent excuse, I guess!)
Life is moving on, not waiting for me to keep a record of it or bothering whether I had actually made a note of it! That's the beauty of it too, I guess. Learnt a lesson or two in the meanwhile, which I shall be sharing soon, not now. I'm moving ahead too... Isn't it amazing that people change in ways that never cease to surprise you! And, I believe that all changes happen for the better, if not for the best. Nevertheless, certain relationships remain the same, even when people change. To save myself from the danger of getting into another charged discourse on relationships, which by the way is something I love to do, let me get back to work, which is waiting for me in the form of an unfinished word document - that too, a newly downloaded MS 2007!! Boy, I must say, I love it!
Till we meet again in this world of anonymity...
-Virtually Yours
Life is moving on, not waiting for me to keep a record of it or bothering whether I had actually made a note of it! That's the beauty of it too, I guess. Learnt a lesson or two in the meanwhile, which I shall be sharing soon, not now. I'm moving ahead too... Isn't it amazing that people change in ways that never cease to surprise you! And, I believe that all changes happen for the better, if not for the best. Nevertheless, certain relationships remain the same, even when people change. To save myself from the danger of getting into another charged discourse on relationships, which by the way is something I love to do, let me get back to work, which is waiting for me in the form of an unfinished word document - that too, a newly downloaded MS 2007!! Boy, I must say, I love it!
Till we meet again in this world of anonymity...
-Virtually Yours
Monday, April 14, 2008
On top of two wheels - Part One
I'm doing something which I had wanted to do all my life - learning cycling! Very few people know that I was suffering from a major two-wheeler phobia. The very thought of two wheels balancing all by themselves was kind of suspiciously scary. Like all kids I also had a tri-cycle but I don't remember being crazy about my cycle like most kids are. When my friends started learning cycling, I thought I too should. And, my dad was more than willing to teach but I was a pathetic learner and the lessons ended very fast! On that same cycle my brother learnt cycling, without anyone training him at all. I forgot about all that pretty fast as there were more interesting things in life to explore.
I thought about cycling again when my mother learnt to ride a two-wheeler!! And she started going for work on that! Incredible, indeed! But... that also left me with some strange inferiority complex! (I can imagine my mom staring at me, mouth agape, trying to comprehend what I meant... dad, walking away with that subtle smile of his... brother, laughing out aloud... and husband, giving me one of those exasperate looks which can mean a million things that I do not want to describe here now). Anyways, by then it was too late. There was no cycle available, and even if I could get hold of a cycle, no trainer! Dad, will not try again. Brother, would be skeptical. Besides, I was away from home. And, husband, wouldn't even bother! Mom, I know would be extremely encouraging but she can't be a trainer!
I've been here in this vast beautiful campus for more than a year now and I always knew that it was now or never. Mom used to remind me once in a while but I couldn't really bring myself up to ask anyone 'Hey, wanna teach me ride'? Sounded silly... till a close friend started learning! I could feel the adrenalin rush but didn't dare to make the move... till another close friend, who happens to be my coach now, gallantly offered to train me!
Came across this quote and found it perfect for this post:
Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.
~William Golding
I'm now beginning to see cycles, cyclists, cycling with a new found respect! And, I'm discovering another side of my own self - which may nor may not be worth unveiling, only time can say.
I thought about cycling again when my mother learnt to ride a two-wheeler!! And she started going for work on that! Incredible, indeed! But... that also left me with some strange inferiority complex! (I can imagine my mom staring at me, mouth agape, trying to comprehend what I meant... dad, walking away with that subtle smile of his... brother, laughing out aloud... and husband, giving me one of those exasperate looks which can mean a million things that I do not want to describe here now). Anyways, by then it was too late. There was no cycle available, and even if I could get hold of a cycle, no trainer! Dad, will not try again. Brother, would be skeptical. Besides, I was away from home. And, husband, wouldn't even bother! Mom, I know would be extremely encouraging but she can't be a trainer!
I've been here in this vast beautiful campus for more than a year now and I always knew that it was now or never. Mom used to remind me once in a while but I couldn't really bring myself up to ask anyone 'Hey, wanna teach me ride'? Sounded silly... till a close friend started learning! I could feel the adrenalin rush but didn't dare to make the move... till another close friend, who happens to be my coach now, gallantly offered to train me!
Came across this quote and found it perfect for this post:
Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.
~William Golding
I'm now beginning to see cycles, cyclists, cycling with a new found respect! And, I'm discovering another side of my own self - which may nor may not be worth unveiling, only time can say.
[To be continued...]
Virtually (and cyclingly) yours
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I'm saying it aloud!!
I love the surprises that life springs upon me! Some of them land with a thud when I least expect them... and I get hurt too. But that doesn't make me love them any less. My biggest and shocking surprises come within packages of relationships. I have seen the biggest of enemies turning into the closest of buddies and the closest of buddies walking away without ever looking back! I have seen people who are less than acquaintances carving out a space for themselves in my life while the ones who were always already there were behaving like strangers. I have borne with people whom I don't care a damn for and I have been indifferent to the ones who cared enough to forgive that indifference. Relationships are the ultimate wonders of life!
Here I go with some rare musings that I can't hold back!
I've been married for three years to the man whom I met six years back and he's yet to give me a reason to regret it! Six years! It's a long time... but he has not ceased to surprise me. Sometimes I surprise myself! Just when I get into this 'I-know-what-it-takes' mode I'll be startled into a new realization and I love it as much as I hate it!
His patience tires me out but he's not yet tired of letting me tire out of it.
He may not be able to turn the world upside down for me, but I know that he'll at least try and shake it a little for me!
He may not know what it takes exactly, but whatever it takes I know that he's there!
He may not always understand how or why I end up in a chaotic mess, but he's there to pull me out, no matter what! And, if he can't pull me out, he jumps in right there with me!!
He may not appreciate when I take the 'wrong' step but he continues to walk with me!
He loves me because.... he loves me! And there is no better or worse reason that can take it away!
When a man loves a woman for what she is, when a man loves a woman in spite of what she is... you know that it is a blessed relationship, a gift from God, that no one can ever destroy. I'm proud to say, I've been blessed abundantly.
Well... perhaps it was way too personal and mushy for public consumption and a little sentimental! But what else do you expect when I'm all set to celebrate three years of our togetherness... and tolerance for each other!
To this couple who stayed put throughout, I propose this post as a toast! Way to go...
--Virtually Yours
Here I go with some rare musings that I can't hold back!
I've been married for three years to the man whom I met six years back and he's yet to give me a reason to regret it! Six years! It's a long time... but he has not ceased to surprise me. Sometimes I surprise myself! Just when I get into this 'I-know-what-it-takes' mode I'll be startled into a new realization and I love it as much as I hate it!
His patience tires me out but he's not yet tired of letting me tire out of it.
He may not be able to turn the world upside down for me, but I know that he'll at least try and shake it a little for me!
He may not know what it takes exactly, but whatever it takes I know that he's there!
He may not always understand how or why I end up in a chaotic mess, but he's there to pull me out, no matter what! And, if he can't pull me out, he jumps in right there with me!!
He may not appreciate when I take the 'wrong' step but he continues to walk with me!
He loves me because.... he loves me! And there is no better or worse reason that can take it away!
When a man loves a woman for what she is, when a man loves a woman in spite of what she is... you know that it is a blessed relationship, a gift from God, that no one can ever destroy. I'm proud to say, I've been blessed abundantly.
Well... perhaps it was way too personal and mushy for public consumption and a little sentimental! But what else do you expect when I'm all set to celebrate three years of our togetherness... and tolerance for each other!
To this couple who stayed put throughout, I propose this post as a toast! Way to go...
--Virtually Yours
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Do You Really Need a Title?
Over the years I have kind of figured out that the mistakes and blunders that I commit are more or less of the same nature! I have never really learnt from my mistakes but I have just learnt how to handle them better and how to wriggle out of them safely without hurting anyone and without getting hurt myself!! (It may not always be a successful attempt, anyways). I know, this sounds rather corny and totally unimpressive and not in the least comforting. The object and objective of my vices may have varied but the the nature of the vices have remained quite similar. I'm not a transparent being and I would ideally recommend some amount of discretion always in everything - so not ready to delve into the details of the vices per se! Nevertheless, I'm fighting my way through these vices and I have no intentions of growing old with them. Must get rid of them - and rid I will.
Blogging can be a cathartic experience, I realize. Acknowledging and admitting certain thoughts to one's own self can be a rather unique and liberating encounter. It may not happen even in an intimate one to one conversation. As for me, written words give a power and confidence that nothing else can render. Well, I'm not a bad conversationalist, either - just in case anyone tends to attribute the preference for the written medium to the inefficacy of my oral skills!! :-)
Even to the closest of my friends the blog-side of me may come in as a surprise - and, therein lies the thrill of this flirtation with the virtual world!
--Virtually Yours
Blogging can be a cathartic experience, I realize. Acknowledging and admitting certain thoughts to one's own self can be a rather unique and liberating encounter. It may not happen even in an intimate one to one conversation. As for me, written words give a power and confidence that nothing else can render. Well, I'm not a bad conversationalist, either - just in case anyone tends to attribute the preference for the written medium to the inefficacy of my oral skills!! :-)
Even to the closest of my friends the blog-side of me may come in as a surprise - and, therein lies the thrill of this flirtation with the virtual world!
--Virtually Yours
Monday, April 7, 2008
Thinking of them... in a BIG way!
Like all ambitious bloggers, I too started off with all noble intentions of being regular... Anyways, let's not talk about that!
Some moments of indecisiveness or some moments of absolute craziness has the potent to change our lives, if not completely toss us up on the air. Those are the moments which make sense only when they are perceived and read without the framework of our linear time. And, more often than not, those are the moments which might have given us immense pleasure, immense joy and immense contentment, though short lived. I tend to condemn those moments but then I do not deny that at times they assume the centre page of our lived history at least for a while. Those moments show us for what we are and separate the wheat from the chaff! The folly of those moments, the pleasure of those moments, the brokenness of those moments, the tears of those moments, the laughter of those moments, the disappointments of those moments, the learnings of those moments, the realizations of those moments... they last a life time, whether you want them or not. They may not always be painful but they are sure to linger on with the fragrance of nostalgia. The best of those moments are those which bring a warm smile to your face, those which you can recall without a flicker of regret.
Some say it is not healthy to dwell in the past, but is it not the past that has shaped our present, and is it not the past which has already laid the foundations for our future? Is it not the past that has outlined our dreams and gave wings to our imagination? Is it not the distant past which taught us the who and what and how and where and why and when of life? Nevertheless, I don't turn around to look at my past. But, I think, I have carried a bit of my past with me with photographic memory. There are frozen moments which I cherish and treasure. There were some moments which could only kindle hurt, regret and anger - I have allowed them to melt down and disappear into the ocean of unrecorded memoirs. Some were so frozen and hard that they required the warmth of someone else to melt it down, though gradually. Now, when I take a trip down memory lane, opening some caskets to admire those pearls, crystals and withered flowers, I do come across some stones and thorns. But I don't want to throw them off - they had made me stronger and they were God-sent. The ones who threw the stones and stuck in the thorns were just instruments in God's hands; the stones and thorns were made by my Father in Heaven, especially for me! To try, test and accept me into His fold!!
In one of my favourite movies, Before Sunrise, Julie Delpy's character says, "God is in the space between people as they try to connect". I don't buy any corny ideas about God as I am fully assured of His real presence in my creation, in my life, in my future and in my eternity. However, I find the idea of God's presence in the space between people absolutely thrilling. Seeing God's presence in these gaps would certainly make this world a better place, would certainly change our behaviour for the better.
Are my thoughts addressed to any one? Of course, there are a series of faces and situations that run through the reel of my mind with every thought that passes by... But I may not dare to address those faces or situations. They are best left alone in the blissful obscurity that makes life a charming adventure.
Yours Virtually.
Some moments of indecisiveness or some moments of absolute craziness has the potent to change our lives, if not completely toss us up on the air. Those are the moments which make sense only when they are perceived and read without the framework of our linear time. And, more often than not, those are the moments which might have given us immense pleasure, immense joy and immense contentment, though short lived. I tend to condemn those moments but then I do not deny that at times they assume the centre page of our lived history at least for a while. Those moments show us for what we are and separate the wheat from the chaff! The folly of those moments, the pleasure of those moments, the brokenness of those moments, the tears of those moments, the laughter of those moments, the disappointments of those moments, the learnings of those moments, the realizations of those moments... they last a life time, whether you want them or not. They may not always be painful but they are sure to linger on with the fragrance of nostalgia. The best of those moments are those which bring a warm smile to your face, those which you can recall without a flicker of regret.
Some say it is not healthy to dwell in the past, but is it not the past that has shaped our present, and is it not the past which has already laid the foundations for our future? Is it not the past that has outlined our dreams and gave wings to our imagination? Is it not the distant past which taught us the who and what and how and where and why and when of life? Nevertheless, I don't turn around to look at my past. But, I think, I have carried a bit of my past with me with photographic memory. There are frozen moments which I cherish and treasure. There were some moments which could only kindle hurt, regret and anger - I have allowed them to melt down and disappear into the ocean of unrecorded memoirs. Some were so frozen and hard that they required the warmth of someone else to melt it down, though gradually. Now, when I take a trip down memory lane, opening some caskets to admire those pearls, crystals and withered flowers, I do come across some stones and thorns. But I don't want to throw them off - they had made me stronger and they were God-sent. The ones who threw the stones and stuck in the thorns were just instruments in God's hands; the stones and thorns were made by my Father in Heaven, especially for me! To try, test and accept me into His fold!!
In one of my favourite movies, Before Sunrise, Julie Delpy's character says, "God is in the space between people as they try to connect". I don't buy any corny ideas about God as I am fully assured of His real presence in my creation, in my life, in my future and in my eternity. However, I find the idea of God's presence in the space between people absolutely thrilling. Seeing God's presence in these gaps would certainly make this world a better place, would certainly change our behaviour for the better.
Are my thoughts addressed to any one? Of course, there are a series of faces and situations that run through the reel of my mind with every thought that passes by... But I may not dare to address those faces or situations. They are best left alone in the blissful obscurity that makes life a charming adventure.
Yours Virtually.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thank God! Wishes are not horses!
There are times when I wish life were a roller coaster ride but I’m definitely not prepared for the stomach-churning climax that waits at the end of the ride. When I see some friends, some acquaintances and some others leading eventful lives, how I wished I had the same guts, the same ‘I-couldn’t-care-less’ attitude! Yes, I know, the grass is always greener on the side and it can’t be helped!
Now, that’s asking for too much out of life!
And, when this ‘I-want-more-and-more-out-of-life’ madness strikes the ever wandering human mind, God puts the owner of the mind in unfamiliar territories and withdraws all familiar sights, voices and touches for a while… till the day comes when you think of dusting and cleaning the crooked stones that lie in the bottom of your casket – all forgotten and neglected – only to find the diamonds and pearls that lie beneath the layers of mud…
Think twice before you let go of your crooked stones – it may not be easier to retrieve them.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Thou Shalt Dream
In yesterday's Bible Study, we were reminding each other that God loves dreamers, He gets attracted to those who have dreams, really BIG dreams! Dare to dream big for God and get down to making plans - HE will help you execute it. Boy, it sounds awesome but the difficulty is guaranteed! Joseph dreamt... and he did become the Prime Minister of Egypt. (Genesis 37-45). But, think about what happened in the mean time - his brothers hated him, they almost killed him, his dad spent the rest of his life crying and mourning, he was bought by the rich guy Potiphar and just when he thought he has finally arrived... he was in jail that too charged with sexual abuse! It was quite a trip for Joseph and I bet, he was certainly not in the least prepared for that! Dreaming big is not easy - but then, when you finally arrive, the reward is simply incredible!
As a teenager growing up in Skopje, Agnes had a dream; It was a costly dream, an unusual one, for which the first step was to leave her parents, friends, country and everything that was hers, everything that was familiar. But, she dared to pursue her dream, to give shape to her visions and to make that her mission in life. If Agnes had not allowed her dream to grow into a self-absorbing mission she would have never become the Mother Teresa that we know!
This is perhaps the longest and the most disturbing night ever, Ida thought to herself. She was closing the door regretfully after sending away the third man who came to fetch her Dad, who was the only qualified doctor around. Their wives were in labour and they needed medical help as the local mid-wives could not be of much help. Her Dad was willing to help but they wanted a lady - as they do not permit a man to even come near their women. Ida was stunned and they all tried to convince... but in vain. She drifted to sleep somehow, only to wake up to the news of their death - all the three women and the unborn babies! It took Ida no time to dream of something unheard of and spring into action. She left for England and graduated from Cornell Medical College - only to come back and translate her dreams into reality. If Ida Scudder had not dared to dream, Christian Medical College, Vellore would not have happened.
Not all dreams have a great ending, at least apparently. Graham Steines' and his family had the courage to dream big and follow their dreams even if it meant losing more than half of the family. But, that is not the end. The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die. (Edward Kennedy)
I want to be a dreamer too...
the dreamer who realizes the dreams...
not the dreamer whose dreams become a nightmare of unfulfilled hopes.
Virtually Yours
As a teenager growing up in Skopje, Agnes had a dream; It was a costly dream, an unusual one, for which the first step was to leave her parents, friends, country and everything that was hers, everything that was familiar. But, she dared to pursue her dream, to give shape to her visions and to make that her mission in life. If Agnes had not allowed her dream to grow into a self-absorbing mission she would have never become the Mother Teresa that we know!
This is perhaps the longest and the most disturbing night ever, Ida thought to herself. She was closing the door regretfully after sending away the third man who came to fetch her Dad, who was the only qualified doctor around. Their wives were in labour and they needed medical help as the local mid-wives could not be of much help. Her Dad was willing to help but they wanted a lady - as they do not permit a man to even come near their women. Ida was stunned and they all tried to convince... but in vain. She drifted to sleep somehow, only to wake up to the news of their death - all the three women and the unborn babies! It took Ida no time to dream of something unheard of and spring into action. She left for England and graduated from Cornell Medical College - only to come back and translate her dreams into reality. If Ida Scudder had not dared to dream, Christian Medical College, Vellore would not have happened.
Not all dreams have a great ending, at least apparently. Graham Steines' and his family had the courage to dream big and follow their dreams even if it meant losing more than half of the family. But, that is not the end. The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die. (Edward Kennedy)
I want to be a dreamer too...
the dreamer who realizes the dreams...
not the dreamer whose dreams become a nightmare of unfulfilled hopes.
Virtually Yours
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Death of Love
Read this somewhere, don't know when or where. Been a while, I guess. But I remember it enough to post it here.
Sometime love is for a moment, sometimes love is for a lifetime.
Sometimes a moment is a lifetime.
Once upon a time there was an island
where all feelings lived together.
One day there was a storm in the sea and the island was about to get drowned,
Every feeling was scared but love made a boat to escape.
Every feeling boarded the boat .
Only one was left, and
Love got down to see who was it,
It was EGO,
LOVE tried and tried but EGO didn't budge and refused to board the boat
The water was rising,
All the other feelings asked LOVE to leave EGO and come back and board the boat
But Alas! Love was made to love,
And, it didn't know how to abandon.
At last, all the feelings left the island
and LOVE died with EGO on the island,
LOVE died because of EGO
But, haven't we seen love dying and don't we still see love dying even when ego is NOT in the scene? How do we account for love's death, then? I wish I knew... May be, when love dies, aboard the boat or on the island, it is easier and less painful if you have someone or something to blame. Or, is it?
Virtually Yours
Sometime love is for a moment, sometimes love is for a lifetime.
Sometimes a moment is a lifetime.
Once upon a time there was an island
where all feelings lived together.
One day there was a storm in the sea and the island was about to get drowned,
Every feeling was scared but love made a boat to escape.
Every feeling boarded the boat .
Only one was left, and
Love got down to see who was it,
It was EGO,
LOVE tried and tried but EGO didn't budge and refused to board the boat
The water was rising,
All the other feelings asked LOVE to leave EGO and come back and board the boat
But Alas! Love was made to love,
And, it didn't know how to abandon.
At last, all the feelings left the island
and LOVE died with EGO on the island,
LOVE died because of EGO
But, haven't we seen love dying and don't we still see love dying even when ego is NOT in the scene? How do we account for love's death, then? I wish I knew... May be, when love dies, aboard the boat or on the island, it is easier and less painful if you have someone or something to blame. Or, is it?
Virtually Yours
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Chills, Thrills and Frills
Quite often I get a strange kind of longing to be adventurous and it fills my dreams. I guess I should define what adventure means to me. It is definitely NOT riding a race horse or scuba diving or going bungee jumping! It is not even climbing a tree! Some say life is an adventure. Some say love is the greatest adventure. Some say death is an adventure too. Some say art is an adventure. Some have even said that marriage is an adventure! Well…!
For me, the adventure is in becoming someone that I can never become, in becoming someone that I never want to become… I wish I could explain it well. Now the best that I can do is to be adventurous in my thoughts, in my opinions, in my judgements… I wonder how it would be like to be adventurous with people, with situations, with choices, with decisions, and yes, with relationships. I love the way the word adventure sounds – it is so powerful, so daring and yet quite teasing. There is an ease with which the syllables slip from one to another – ad-ven-ture. Wikipedia defines adventure as “an activity that comprises risky, dangerous and uncertain experiences”. I hate the dangerous part of it and I romanticize the uncertain experiences that it offers. Wiki adds, “However, an adventurous activity can lead to gains in knowledge”. Not a bad deal!
I prefer to describe myself as a practical, level-headed and sensible human being. But, those who know me well – really well – also know that I would love to throw all cautions to the wind and plunge head down into a pool of uncertainty where neither pragmatism nor reason exists! But again, that same ‘those’ who know me well – really well – also know that I’d always linger on the edges of the cliff, never mustering up enough courage to actually make the plunge. May be, because deep down, I wonder if it the fall is really worth the jump!
I keep telling the significant ‘someone’ of my life that I want to own an elephant and tie it to my window! But I hate it when the ‘someone’ comes up with boring and totally colourless questions like how would you manage its food, the gargantuan expenses, and well, its shit! As a child, I used to get these dreams about the elephant that I owned, with which I lived at the sea shore in a tiny hut, and my elephant was tied to the window of the hut which had bamboo railings. I still have the vivid image of the sea, the hut and the elephant… the elephant which I may never own.
It is perhaps that fascination for adventure that has drawn me to books and movies where I can co-inhabit with men and women who don’t even belong to my world. They allow me to inhabit different worlds at the same time without ever giving up the world that I own… rather the world that owns me. Perhaps even this blog is a space where I negotiate with those worlds, where I try to strike a fair deal with my imaginary reels of adventure. It is indeed a moment of adventure even to acknowledge to myself that I dream about becoming that someone that I would never become, that someone that I never want to be.
Like Alice who has comfortably falls back to her world even after her trip to the wonderland, like Rip Van Winkle who wakes up again and finds himself in the same old world… I too would like to go for the free fall, only to bounce back and make sure that I still haven’t lost the ground beneath my feet.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
At last… somebody said that! Encore, Victor Banerjee!!
Was mindlessly flipping through Sunday Mid-day (Times of India) which is not yet tired of the IPL auctions… but was quite relieved to come across one voice that dared to call a spade a spade, thanks to Victor Banerjee.
Victor Banerjee: Gullidanda was a plebian pastime that the British elevated with the willow into Lords. Cricket in
Lo and behold… now comes the clincher!
It's hilarious that we take the Australian Kerry Packer's resurrection of an idiotic colonial game so seriously.
Friday, February 22, 2008
some spill over moments...
Some people come to your life for a reason, some for a season and some for a lifetime. Mixing up these people and their 'categories' and expecting them to fit in elsewhere is never a great idea! Looking back, I’m amazed at the way in which I came across some people, got incredibly close to them and later just forgot about them! Perhaps, they had come for a reason and they had to be left behind once that reason for which they came got over.
Life is just what happens to you
While you’re busy making other plans.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Stumped!
It took some time to sink in - the idea of bidding for cricketers and buying them! It's a hell lot of money, indeed; and a sleepy blogger is not the best person to comment on it. Just one teeny-weeny doubt crossed this naive mind. Isn't this a sophisticated and glamourised form of slave auction, of course sans the barbarism and modern-day stigma attached to slavery?
Browse through the following link: It is the journalistic narrative of an 1859 slave auction. You can see how similar this sounds to any of the reports that came in the national dailies on IPL auctions.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/slaveauction.htm
This may not be the most opportune time for this rambling so let me do the next best thing - hit the sack!
Virtually Yours
Browse through the following link: It is the journalistic narrative of an 1859 slave auction. You can see how similar this sounds to any of the reports that came in the national dailies on IPL auctions.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/slaveauction.htm
This may not be the most opportune time for this rambling so let me do the next best thing - hit the sack!
Virtually Yours
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
From Agra to Andalasia to New York - Let us all live happily ever after!
Well, watched Jodha Akbar - and not in the least motivated to write or even comment on it! Forget about the expectations from Gowariker, it lacked life and punch. The quarrels with history, regardless of what they are, were not put forth effectively either. I would have loved to see a strong parallel history emerging through a movie! And, I wish the projection of secularism and heterodoxy were powerful enough to initiate dialogues with contemporary India rather than remaining as vestiges of a glorious distant past. At least half as powerful as Chak De which drew a fleeting glance on Indian hockey or as Swades which stirred some momentary discomfort, to say the least. Jodha was nearly invisible - as Rai had almost completely overshadowed her!! Hritik Roshan has delivered his best as always, not to mention his well-toned body that most of us had never associated with Akbar!
Been staying away from Enchanted as I thought a Hollywood mushy stuff can wait. I found it interesting - seemed as if the Hollywood is going Bollywood in certain ways! The song and dance on the street was pretty much Bollywoodian and the grand finale at the ball room is a sure bet! The first half gave the illusion that it was all about subverting - seriously subverting - the fairy tale stereotypes, which Hollywood has been nurturing for so long. But it was not; and I should be blamed for rushing into conclusions. The stepmother continues to be wicked and conniving, the princess continues to be naive, loving and innocent, the prince is charming and romantic as always.
For those who haven't watched Enchanted yet: It opens in Andalasia a fairy-tale land with all the typical characters - a wicked Queen Narissa who wants her stepson to remain single so that she can retain her throne, the charming (but a little dim-witted?) prince Edward who falls in love (yes, at first sight) with Giselle who believes in true love's first kiss. The picture is complete with an array of birds, animals and insects that talk, sing and dance indiscriminately! And then behold, Giselle is cursed away to 'a place where there is NO happily ever after' and that happens to be New York city. The princess who pops up through a manhole is lost, robbed and ridiculed till the handsome Robert, a divorce-lawyer (who is divorced too) living with his six-year old daughter Morgan, accidentally rescues her and takes her home. Robert's girlfriend Nancy is annoyed when she sees a towel clad Giselle on top of Robert; but Giselle somehow helps clear the confusion later by giving romantic lessons to Robert! If only a heart shaped bouquet and a couple of doves were enough to forget presence of a towel-clad woman in fiance's apartment... (That humour, if you got it, was not in great taste!) Edward also shows up soon and Queen Narissa is still after Giselle's life - literally. After a series of amusing incidents in NY city Edward finds Giselle in Robert's apartment and breaks into a romantic song but is puzzled when Giselle does not sing along as always. Giselle, who has obviously taken a liking for Robert and NY city wants to go on a date, an idea which is alien to Edward. To cut a long story short, at the Queen's ball (that everyone in the movie attend) Queen Narissa tries to take Giselle's life, Robert is declared Giselle's true love as Edward's first kiss fails to wake up the unconcsious Giselle, Nancy falls for the romantic and straightforward Edward who takes her to Andalasia. It was nice to see Nancy sweeping Edward off his feet after the fairy-tale wedding in Andalasia! Robert, Giselle and Morgan live happily ever after in New York city!
At the risk of sounding cynical and stupidly unromantic, let me confess, I'd rather go for a not-so-happily-ever-after ending. In fact, for me, the catch line which glued me to the movie was 'a place where there are no happily ever afters'! So much for Enchanted, which had offered all the possibilities to subvert a genre as well as blend one genre with other. While the latter showed some signs of relief the former was totally washed out. At least it partially hinted that 'don't bet on the Prince' always, for everything! (courtesy Jack Zipes). Nevertheless, Enchanted is an entertainer through and through and the mere screen presence of two stunningly handsome men, a lovely lady and the cute-smart kid is quite a treat!
Wait a minute, whether it is history or fairy tale, one just can't escape the stereotypes of romance?! [Romance, as in heart shaped 'I-love-you-you-love-me-let-us-live-happily-ever-afters'.] Well, I suppose so - unless one chooses to deal with it, say, for instance, the Chak De way or the Being Cyrus way or even the Dor way. And yes, how do I not mention my all time favourites Thoovanathumbikal and Before Sunrise which are romantic but refuse to conform.
Virtually Yours
Been staying away from Enchanted as I thought a Hollywood mushy stuff can wait. I found it interesting - seemed as if the Hollywood is going Bollywood in certain ways! The song and dance on the street was pretty much Bollywoodian and the grand finale at the ball room is a sure bet! The first half gave the illusion that it was all about subverting - seriously subverting - the fairy tale stereotypes, which Hollywood has been nurturing for so long. But it was not; and I should be blamed for rushing into conclusions. The stepmother continues to be wicked and conniving, the princess continues to be naive, loving and innocent, the prince is charming and romantic as always.
For those who haven't watched Enchanted yet: It opens in Andalasia a fairy-tale land with all the typical characters - a wicked Queen Narissa who wants her stepson to remain single so that she can retain her throne, the charming (but a little dim-witted?) prince Edward who falls in love (yes, at first sight) with Giselle who believes in true love's first kiss. The picture is complete with an array of birds, animals and insects that talk, sing and dance indiscriminately! And then behold, Giselle is cursed away to 'a place where there is NO happily ever after' and that happens to be New York city. The princess who pops up through a manhole is lost, robbed and ridiculed till the handsome Robert, a divorce-lawyer (who is divorced too) living with his six-year old daughter Morgan, accidentally rescues her and takes her home. Robert's girlfriend Nancy is annoyed when she sees a towel clad Giselle on top of Robert; but Giselle somehow helps clear the confusion later by giving romantic lessons to Robert! If only a heart shaped bouquet and a couple of doves were enough to forget presence of a towel-clad woman in fiance's apartment... (That humour, if you got it, was not in great taste!) Edward also shows up soon and Queen Narissa is still after Giselle's life - literally. After a series of amusing incidents in NY city Edward finds Giselle in Robert's apartment and breaks into a romantic song but is puzzled when Giselle does not sing along as always. Giselle, who has obviously taken a liking for Robert and NY city wants to go on a date, an idea which is alien to Edward. To cut a long story short, at the Queen's ball (that everyone in the movie attend) Queen Narissa tries to take Giselle's life, Robert is declared Giselle's true love as Edward's first kiss fails to wake up the unconcsious Giselle, Nancy falls for the romantic and straightforward Edward who takes her to Andalasia. It was nice to see Nancy sweeping Edward off his feet after the fairy-tale wedding in Andalasia! Robert, Giselle and Morgan live happily ever after in New York city!At the risk of sounding cynical and stupidly unromantic, let me confess, I'd rather go for a not-so-happily-ever-after ending. In fact, for me, the catch line which glued me to the movie was 'a place where there are no happily ever afters'! So much for Enchanted, which had offered all the possibilities to subvert a genre as well as blend one genre with other. While the latter showed some signs of relief the former was totally washed out. At least it partially hinted that 'don't bet on the Prince' always, for everything! (courtesy Jack Zipes). Nevertheless, Enchanted is an entertainer through and through and the mere screen presence of two stunningly handsome men, a lovely lady and the cute-smart kid is quite a treat!
Wait a minute, whether it is history or fairy tale, one just can't escape the stereotypes of romance?! [Romance, as in heart shaped 'I-love-you-you-love-me-let-us-live-happily-ever-afters'.] Well, I suppose so - unless one chooses to deal with it, say, for instance, the Chak De way or the Being Cyrus way or even the Dor way. And yes, how do I not mention my all time favourites Thoovanathumbikal and Before Sunrise which are romantic but refuse to conform.
Virtually Yours
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Confusions and Confessions
Am I a 'confused' soul? No, but I am a 'very confused' soul. And, I believe that all souls (within the human bodies, of course) are confused in more ways than one. The vestiges of Hamletian dilemma can be found everywhere - to wake up or not to wake up, to read or not to read, to cook or not to cook, to fight or not to fight, to vote or not to vote, to go or not to go, to kiss or not to kiss, to wed or not to wed, to believe or not to believe, to love or not to love, to wash or not to wash, to frown or not to frown, to lie or not to lie, to blog or not to blog .... one can go on and on. Human civilization would not have progressed if there were no confusion. Remember the Tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues?
Virtually Yours
Virtually Yours
Monday, February 18, 2008
it's Monday again!
Do you feel you are the only one who gets those (in)famous Monday Blues? Here's some great news for you! You're just one among the millions and zillions! Does anyone remember that not-so-great Jethro Tull song?
I said they call it Stormy Monday
But I said Tuesday's just as bad.
I said they call it Stormy Monday
Tuesday is just as bad.
Wednesday's full of sorrow,
I said that Thursday's oh-so, it's oh-so-sad. It's oh-so-sad.
That's about blue and stormy Mondays - the only comfort is that Mondays are not more boring than the rest of the days - they are only just as boring as the rest of the days! The worst thing about Monday is that it comes right after the weekend and the best thing is that you have the whole week ahead to procrastinate.
"MBBS grads pursue MBA to rise quickly"! Surprised? Times says so and my hunch is it is true. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/MBBS_grads_want_to_be_MBAs/articleshow/2792592.cms). In a few years' time India can be broadly divided into two - the ones with MBA and the ones without MBA.
By the way, saw a very interesting one-liner in someone's T-shirt today - Women are like elephants; everybody loves to look at them but no one can own one. My friend thought it was offensive. I try and respond to sexism in whatever little way I can; but I love elephants and I totally missed out on the offense here!
I'm waiting to watch Jodha Akbar - for Ashutosh Gowariker and his art. The Vaishyas are unhappy about the exclusion of their hero Hemu and their quarrels with history as well as Gowariker's adaptation are hitting the headlines, though in a minor way. I wish the academic stalwarts and historians would make use of this opportunity to initiate a healthy dialogue between the media and academia, between history text books and movies.
Yours Virtually
I said they call it Stormy Monday
But I said Tuesday's just as bad.
I said they call it Stormy Monday
Tuesday is just as bad.
Wednesday's full of sorrow,
I said that Thursday's oh-so, it's oh-so-sad. It's oh-so-sad.
That's about blue and stormy Mondays - the only comfort is that Mondays are not more boring than the rest of the days - they are only just as boring as the rest of the days! The worst thing about Monday is that it comes right after the weekend and the best thing is that you have the whole week ahead to procrastinate.
"MBBS grads pursue MBA to rise quickly"! Surprised? Times says so and my hunch is it is true. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/MBBS_grads_want_to_be_MBAs/articleshow/2792592.cms). In a few years' time India can be broadly divided into two - the ones with MBA and the ones without MBA.
By the way, saw a very interesting one-liner in someone's T-shirt today - Women are like elephants; everybody loves to look at them but no one can own one. My friend thought it was offensive. I try and respond to sexism in whatever little way I can; but I love elephants and I totally missed out on the offense here!
I'm waiting to watch Jodha Akbar - for Ashutosh Gowariker and his art. The Vaishyas are unhappy about the exclusion of their hero Hemu and their quarrels with history as well as Gowariker's adaptation are hitting the headlines, though in a minor way. I wish the academic stalwarts and historians would make use of this opportunity to initiate a healthy dialogue between the media and academia, between history text books and movies.
Yours Virtually
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A Nervous Beginning
All visuals used here are lifted from here and there, as inspired and led by Google images search and they are used just for the heck of it. However, kindly note that the ideas penned down are original - though 'being original' is a much debatable ontological issue. 
Well, I've been wanting to launch a blog for some time - to log something about myself! Not really some 'something' but some SOMETHING! Folks, friends and even foes have told me, I write well - so why not let the world know about it, just in case they were not kidding. For all you know, they were being just kind, perhaps. Anyways, now that I've created a blog and have decided to log, what do I clog this page with? I did not want to consult other established bloggers because taking advice or tips have never been one of my strong points. But I did visit some blogs, forget about some, many many many blogs! And I realised people write just about anything - yes, anything, I mean it. And, I also figured out that the ground rule is to write about something as if the whole world is waiting to read about it. Before I get back to my own cynical self, which is generally well hidden, let me try and find something which interests me and well, the whole world. Okay, let's be realistic; if not the whole world, at least my own self. The nice thing about egotists is that they don't talk about other people! (Incidentally some Lucille S. Harper said it before I could).
Well, I've been wanting to launch a blog for some time - to log something about myself! Not really some 'something' but some SOMETHING! Folks, friends and even foes have told me, I write well - so why not let the world know about it, just in case they were not kidding. For all you know, they were being just kind, perhaps. Anyways, now that I've created a blog and have decided to log, what do I clog this page with? I did not want to consult other established bloggers because taking advice or tips have never been one of my strong points. But I did visit some blogs, forget about some, many many many blogs! And I realised people write just about anything - yes, anything, I mean it. And, I also figured out that the ground rule is to write about something as if the whole world is waiting to read about it. Before I get back to my own cynical self, which is generally well hidden, let me try and find something which interests me and well, the whole world. Okay, let's be realistic; if not the whole world, at least my own self. The nice thing about egotists is that they don't talk about other people! (Incidentally some Lucille S. Harper said it before I could).
Once upon a time, when I was young, naive and a little more egotistic (I discovered very late in life that egoism and egotism are two different things) than I am now, I had somehow developed a vague kind of 'intellectualism' (for want of a better and less arrogant word!). 
Let me try and explain, when given a school composition work on 'My favourite movie', when all my friends were writing on Roja and 1942: A Love Story and Kilukkam and Dil, I thought I should write on Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Mathilukal, which still remains one of my favourites! After the class when we were routinely asking each other "Hey, which movie did you write about?", I still remember telling them proudly - 'Mathilukal' - only to be given such unbelievable looks which almost read "You don't really look like a freak"! Some didn't even know that it was a movie - and the some who knew thought it was not even a movie! (We had not even entered teenage then). I wondered if I was supposed to be apologetic about my choice but I found myself in similar situations quite often ... and self-translated those looks into compliments! Thankfully, I didn't look like a freak so I was never traumatised - was left just a little puzzled. When girls of my age were still revelling in the world of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I thought I had graduated to Silas Marner and Jane Eyre and Indulekha didn't really want to go back to Frank Hardy, on whom I think I had my first crush! When they were reading Vanitha (a popular women's magazine) I was trying really hard to comprehend Mathrubhumi weekly and Bhashaposhini and The Week and The Frontline and trying my best to pretend that I understand everything! 
I thought I was politically more aware and responsive than all my friends put together but my dad thought I didn't even read the newspaper properly! I used to get defensive about it for a long time till I discovered to my shock and dismay that even my husband (whom I myself had picked/chosen with much care, thought and skill) fanatically believes that newspapers are my enemies! Why do men think that they own newspapers?? Another exclusive session on that... eh... not immediately!
Coming back to my school days... in my world Reader's Digest co-existed with Tinkle Digest, Balarama was a staple diet but Basheer and O.V. Vijayan were desserts! I still can remember the state of trance I was in after my first encounter with Orwell - I could see and feel Big Brother! Equally incredible was my first date with Mills and Boons! I really have a lot more to write about the way I devoured books indiscriminately to the point of indigestion and at times nausea and even severe diarrhea! May be, in another session?
When I finished school, friends and foes thought I was going nuts - I wanted to choose the Arts Group! For those who don't know, in Kerala we believe that it is a crime to choose anything 'less' than science or maths if you somehow or the other score some ninety per cent in the Board Exams! Unless, you are dead sure that you will definitely aim for Civil Services, which I had no intention to! An uncle of mine thought it was suicidal, or did he mean slow poisoning? Whatever! Let me not digress. I reach college and I find that most of my classmates had had a bad dream - and when they woke up they were in G-batch, Arts Group! (Arts or Humanities, christened as 'G Batch' in our college, A-F being Maths/Science groups). That was the best they could explain about their accidental and not in the least happy landing or rather the crash landing in G Batch. 
Anyways, that was a long time back and again I found myself being a 'freak' occasionally - when I thought Beauty Contests didn't really make sense or wondered why Lady D's death should become our national tragedy! (I didn't say I don't 'like' Lady D - will definitely clarify it soon if you can hang on). At home everyone used to say that I just go on talking - most of the time out of focus but without omitting uninteresting and irrelevant details. I guess, I've been confirming that allegation for the last two and a half decades! So, let me move on to something else now.
I used to think I'm not much of a movie person but of late I realise I am pretty much au courant than most of the self declared movie buffs. Not sure if that's a moment of pride for me - anyways, who cares. There are some movies which I have watched over and again till I can identify them even when just the background music is playing! My list may keep varying for various random reasons - I'll reserve that logic or lack of logic for another session. Can't wait to reach all the 'another' sessions that I have promised! Why do these 'another' sessions remind me of the Other, which cannot always fit into the 'main' (con)text!
Virtually Yours
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