~ Reflections ~

All of us have small little rituals, that comfortably become a part of our daily lives... And we don't even notice them till they stop... be it a good night kiss, or a meal together.. Actually, I always used to wonder during my childhood why my mother used to try her best that all of us eat dinner together at the dinner table... yes.. dinner table !!! It all sounds like an alien concept, with tight schedules and the television to give us company.. But it all makes sense to me now... through our entire busy day,we are always surrounded by different objects/people... Dinner seems to be the only time when the entire family has the opportunity to sit together.. and talk... discuss the day's events... and other trivial things.... As unimportant and trivial as it may sound, I have come to believe that a family that eats together, stays together !!!

Read this somewhere... It struck a chord somewhere... As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Software Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true. Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India. My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat. I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange  rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down. Finally I decided to get married. Told my paren

A lot of us believe that we should apologize for the wrong we've done...True.. But I've observed that a Sorry seems to be an easy shortcut... Uttering the one simple word seems to wash away the wrong-doing... We might not even pay as much attention, when we just utter the sorry...  And obviously now, thou shall be forgiven !!! Source: Toonpool

that thought in my head... it doesn't seem to go.. when i should have said what i'd known... but couldn't seem to find the right moment to do.. now life has given me a moment's grace.. to say what i want to..  so i don't take it to my grave.. my mind is doing a somersault... 'coz i have time enough, just to mention 'em all... and that's what i deserve in the end... something i wanted to say, but was left stuck in my head.. PS: This is another masterpiece by MC Escher

Found these lines online... they've got me thinking... "Just because my eyes don’t show tears, doesn't mean that I don’t get hurt... Just because I come out strong, doesn't mean nothing went wrong... I often choose to pretend to be happy, so that I don’t have to explain to people who will never understand.. Smiling has always been easier than explaining why I am sad…………."

"The ego is a leaky balloon, forever requiring helium of external love to remain inflated, and ever vulnerable to the small pin pricks of neglect." ~ Gurcharan Das, The Difficulty of Being Good We all claim to be sane. Not engrossed in ourselves. Not influenced by flattery. But we all are.  I think most of us realize once the other person is overdoing it.. but till then, it's all music to our ears...

Good food is appetizing... But the best kind of food is which touches all our 5 senses, to make us loose control ;) The intoxicating aroma hits the nose even before our fingers have touched the food that is looking delectable, urging us to quickly bite into it... as we crunch the food down... very few things can arouse similar emotions, all at once :) yes yes... I am a foodie...

Witnessed something on a Delhi road today... and somehow it gave me a high... Though I was neither the subject nor the object... Driving down a crowded road in Okhla, a group of local village 3 kids came along, with school bags... and began asking for a lift.. In today's world of sceptics, I was pleasantly surprised to spot a guy in a Corolla stop by to give these kids a lift to their desired destination...

There is such a wide gap between the demand and supply of basic amenities like medical services... housing... good schools.... that getting into any of them, doesn't seem to be possible.. atleast not on pure merit... So even in places where you thought there was no possible corruption (and by that, i don't necessarily mean money)... it takes, what is called सिफरिश i.e. Recommendation... What is even more amazing is that most of these places state it very blatantly, that you are not welcome, even if you are eligible... When all of us, today's generation, discuss corruption, and talk about wanting a clean society, free of having to bribe anyone, we tend to forget... that discussing such issues from the comfort of our homes/offices is rather convenient... But when recommendation (which is just a more sophisticated form of corruption) is requested for, even for basic admissions... I wonder how we can plug such things from our society... And if a corruption f

Can you hear that sound... Ya.. that one... the one that never seems to stop... Some call it the voice in the head.. I call it the chatterbox.. Because no matter what is happening, it just doesn't go quiet... It just goes on and on and on... But have you ever paid attention to what it says... It sometimes tells you what you don't wish to hear.. the truth !!! Credits for the Photograph: Kosmur http://kosmur.deviantart.com/art/Alter-ego-73280600

Met at the alley Exchanged glances... In silent agreement We knew our chances.. If only I'd had more courage to say What was in my heart that day... Photo by Lyubomir Bukov, taken from  http://www.weirdomatic.com/creative-shadows.html

India seems to have pulled off the Commonwealth Games just in time & quite successfully at that, despite all the criticism about the leaking bathrooms and the broken bridges. But the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that, we lacked not in organization skill. The flaw in the scheme of things is at 2 very basic levels. Firstly, for a developing country like India (ya ya, I know, we hate to hear it... but we definitely are still in the league of developing nations... we have miles to go before we can call ourselves developed !!!), to have  budgeted  INR 16.2 Billion for the event, and to have finally spent an obnoxious INR  115 Billion on sports facilities and related infrastructure. The intention is not to hurt the sentiments of any sports enthusiasts who finally have good tennis courts to play in.. But in a country where simple amenities like hospitals, schools are unavailable/too expensive for over 50% of the population; it is sheer extravagance that the

Life is meant to be a balance.. between  the good and the bad joy and gloom good health and illness hope and disappointment I guess we need one, to remind us that the other exists... So when the going gets tough, remember that things with get better... And if things are going great already, seize the day & make the most of it....

लोग रंग बदलते है  ज़िन्दगी भी रंग बदलती है इन बदलते रंगों मे कही मेरा रंग भी ना बदल जाए Log rang badalte hai Zindagi bhi rang badalti hai Inn badalte rango mae Kahi mera rang bhi naa badal jaae

Despite all the storms we've seen together And all the battles we've fought with ourselves & others Sitting next to you, with your arm around me Makes my world feel like heaven..

Words will only crowd the emotion.... Only his own words can do justice !! No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life.  It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

So are you the kind who likes to start with the dessert... Or do you like ending the meal with one... Only recently did it occur to me that even the way we eat, especially the best part of our meal, is an apt reflection of our attitude... What I am trying to suggest is.. do we start with the best part... or like to save the best for the last.... Tell me if I am wrong.. but isn't that the way we treat most things in life....  getting over with the mundane work at hand, hoping that we'd finally do the best stuff in the end... The only difference is that there is a defined end to a meal.... but the quantum of mundane work for a day is unlimited !!! 

Fear is an important component in life.. The fear of loss... the fear of gain... The fear of being left alone... the fear of being lost in a crowd.. And all it takes is some self-confidence... and your loved ones.... To feel secure again :)

Its almost a heartening sight when you see someone facilitate the movement of an ambulance on the road... Though I've mentioned it in the past , I think most of us need re-iteration, especially when it comes to etiquette on the road... So what kind of drivers are we... One with the mind on the road... or is it just eyes.... What I am trying to ask is.. are we the kind who drive, with just music to enjoy... or do we believe in multi-tasking.... Lord forbid, but that multi-tasking might leave us incapable of doing any other task in the future !!!

We try and make every moment special... By talking, loving, caring... In that every moment is unique.. makes it even more special... So why then, do we seek to make those days (read birthday/anniversary etc) special... I guess we all live life as it comes... so we like to preserve the occasion by making the day memorable... But in our race against time... Aren't we wasting lots of moments that go by, waiting for these special days ?!? PS: My husband has started calling me Sigmund Fraud .. Can't think of a better gift :) I guess that only encourages me to post more of my theories...