So much fun catching the sun !!

The primary love of my childhood ( read school days; before studies got too serious ) was arts and crafts. I used to spend most of my free time sketching, painting or sticking together stuff ! Its been ages since I did any of that. Now I even doubt if I could do anything creative anymore.

As I was browsing for books at Crossword last weekend, I came across this cool sun catcher making kit. It looked simple, easy and fun ! The kit had 2 plastic designs ( well, not glass, but kind of produces a similar effect ), and glass paints of 6 shades. And just 75 bucks! I picked it up and spent the next 2 days painting them. Well, they are kind of elementary ( like Mr Holmes would say), and perhaps meant for kids but I loved the stress buster effect the activity had on me! I have loads of glass paint left and I would probably use them to make something.

Here is what the sun catchers look like. They aren't catching the sun yet, but I would love to hang them over some window ! And I resolved to do more of the creative stuff in future !! To be a child again; run and try to catch the sun :)

Weekend of the creeps

This weekend I encountered creepy men at every corner. The weirdest was a guy (actually 2 guys ) who came up to my friend and me; and here is the conversation reproduced:-

Mr Creep1 - Excuse me , ( suppressed giggle morphed into a smile )

By now, creep1 had vanished from the scene. I guess he caught my icy killer stare. His friend, Mr Creep2 took over.

Creep2 - ( another suppressed giggle/smile was evident here ) - hi, Excuse me.. hmmm ( smile ), excuse me..
By now I was sure that these creeps were up to no good, so I just ignored and walked ahead.

Creep2 - ahem.. Do you think it is ok to break up with someone coz he watches too much porn?

As I caught his words, I was too horrified to react. Mind said, keep ignoring and walking.
My friend just heard the first half of the sentence ..

She replies - I am sorry, I cant help you. Please ask someone else.
We keep walking.

Creep 2 - No, do you really think its ok ? I have this friend and he is really down coz he watches a lot of porn !!
My friend - ( She still didn't hear him fully ) - I am sorry, I really think you should ask someone else.

After this, Creep2 vanishes from the scene.

We were left wondering what exactly it was ! Was it a dare ? Or some nonsense time pass or were they part of some TV show trying to catch people off guard ( this would be a horror !! and the creep did seem decently clad and well groomed :P ). My mind kept thinking of replies I wanted to make. For eg- " Oh no, its not ok. I think they should sit and watch it together!" Or better still - "If the guy is a loser like you, he should forget girls and just watch porn all his life!!"

If this was not enough, as I stopped at a fruit vendor on the way back our man goes -
Fruit seller - Madam, buy 2 kgs of apple.
Me - No, half is enough. I'll come tomorrow.
Fruit vendor - Really? I'll be waiting for you to come ! ( Suspicious smile )
Me ( trying to change the topic ) - Don't you have papaya ?
Fruit vendor - No madam. But I'll get it tomorrow since you are coming !! ( Did I see a wink here or was it just a more suspicious smile ?? )
I just handed him the money and ran from the scene.

And there was another one. I checked out the crossword book sale on sunday and took an auto rickshaw back home. The guy demanded extra money. We haggled a bit and settled for 15 bucks more. Then he seems happy and too chatty for comfort. This is what happened next-

Auto guy - Madam, you came here to do shopping?
Me ( Thinking if I should encourage the banter ) - No, I came to see books.
Auto guy - Ohhh !! So are you in college madam ?
By now I realised I shouldn't be talking too much to this guy. Might turn out to be another creep.
Me - No.
Auto guy - Oh, but only college student look at books ! Am I not right ?
Me - ( Only a smile )
Auto guy - ( humming and singing along the way )

I got off near my apartment wondering whats with the men of this world ! Or was it just my imagination ??

New Hope

Dawn after a dark and long night
Bathing the cosmos in its light

Teeny drops of rain from the sky
Wetting the cracked earth so dry

Wispy rays of sunshine crack
Fighting thick clouds so black

A slender shoot springing up
Through the arid earth's cup

An innocent laugh on a child's face
At the end of a day of the rat race

A loved one giving a warm embrace
When stress gives you a wry face

Giving new hope for end of sorrow
For a better today and tomorrow

Choices

Recently I was discussing with my online friend about how the choices we take impact our lives. In an earlier post, I had talked about how destiny affects our lives.(http://wordswrite.blogspot.com/2009/03/stone-in-your-path.html). Destiny is perhaps the first thing that meets us on the path of life, and how we proceed depends on the choices we make. Destiny can provide you with an opportunity, its upto you to choose it or not ! Many times people simply blame destiny for the mess they are in. It is rightly quoted by J.K Rowling that "Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences."
Sometimes we are faced with easy and obvious choices and many times there are difficult ones. You know that each alternative has its own pros and cons and perhaps life altering repercussions. You would also know that perhaps there is no "Ctrl Z" in life ! So there is no looking back. So how do you make a wise choice? Do you put yourself first or your friends and family ? Would you be willing to risk everything you have for something you have set your heart on? Would you be willing to take on a choice knowing very well that the path ahead would be a long and arduous one? It is important to remember not to stay away from Dharma or righteousness, truth and certain basic values you have set for yourself. It is also important to be true to yourself. There might be a situation where that would hurt another, but if you are not true to yourself, whatever choice you make is pointless. The following quote from the Harry Potter series says it all-"It is our own choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (Dumbledore, vol. 2, p. 333)
Whenever I am overwhelmed with the choice I am about to take, or already taken, I fall back to my friend, the following poem by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Reader's block

P.S(Prescript) - This is not a computer jargon.

I knew I perpetually suffered from the writer's block ( and this blog is a humble attempt to fight it a wee bit !! ) but I've been having this annoying reader's block for the past few months. I have been at a loss for words when asked the following questions- What are you reading currently or Whats the last book you have read !! And these questions are coming by regularly from people who know me as an enthusiastic reader. Of course, I certainly wouldn't call myself voracious, though my family and some friends think I am one.After having made a couple or more of visits to books fairs around the town I was thrilled to no end at the prospect of spending the next few months glued to those fresh smelling and crisp books. But all I have managed in the past 3-4 months is a few chapters of Anna Karenina ( a very ambitious project, especially during a reader's block ), 1 chapter of the Hungry Tide, about 50 pages of the Selfish Gene ( well, another heavy read and a scientific one to boot ), 75% of The Pilgrimage ( I religiously read this one during my bus commute to work till I reached the last few pages and I couldn't continue anymore !), a few comics here and there, essentially Tintin, Asterix and C&H. Of course I managed to read Adiga's The White Tiger, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love and Souad's Burned Alive. (http://wordswrite.blogspot.com/2009/02/in-name-of-honour.html) But these were relatively easy reads. I forgot to mention that I made my friends get me the LOTR trilogy for my birthday. I did own the omnibus, but it was of rather small print for easy reading. And not to mention, humongous ! I was hoping that splitting that into 3 books would make the task easier but the pack is yet to see the light of the day ( quite literally ) !!
I googled for some remedies on how to overcome the reader's block and there were some popular suggestions like the following
1. Watch television
2. Read old favourites
3. Read comics
4. Read a little everyday ( bedtime tales ?? )
5. Give reading a break and you will get back to it soon
Lets hope one of these remedies work ! I am already on to reading comics and old favourites like children's classics. Nothing like a nostalgic trip back to childhood, even if it doesn't dissolve the block.

Beginner's Haiku

Haiku has been a fascinating form of poetry originated from Japan. It looks deceptively simple but conveys a whole lot. Haiku is defined as a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
I wrote a couple of them, though I am not sure I have strictly followed the rules of Haiku !

Childhood

innocent mirth and glee
through twinkling eyes and sparkling cheeks
see a world of wonder

Storm

Dynamic wind and water
Waltzing across the ocean and land
With a roaring hunger

The simpler things that bring the greatest joy

Very often we miss the simpler things in life and the great joys they bring to us. We either take
them for granted or we overlook them in our quest to move at a faster pace in life ! When was the last time we enjoyed ( or even watched ) a sunset, listened to the melody of birds at sunrise or heard the clear laughter of a child? These are things that we encounter in our daily lives but we do not pause a moment to ponder over them. But it is these small simple things that fill your whole being and soul with joy and enthusiasm. Some of the small things that I enjoy doing everyday are - keeping food for the squirells and watching them eat, watch the squirells play, watching babies in the neighbourhood, fireworks in the sky, cows moving in the backyard ( I especially love to watch a little calf asleep ), the shine and glory of a full moon, trees swaying in the wind, the sound and smell of rain and I can go on and on. Sparrows used to be a great favourite but I do not sight them in the city anymore. The grilled or netted windows cannot limit the pleasure factor. These tiny activities also allow you to pause and reflect on the happenings of the day and provide the much needed break amidst a hectic task. So whenever you are bogged down by the daily dose of stress or the fast pace of life, take a few moments ( yes, just a few moments are enough to refresh and recharge you ) and open out your senses to the world around you.See, listen and smell to discover a world of beauty in the small things around us.