A "Jog"ful and unreachable birthday !

I ushered in my birthday a couple of weeks back amidst pristine nature and absolutely no connection with the outside world. I am not kidding, any of my friends or cousins/relatives can vouch for the fact that I was virtually unreachable ! One of my close friends kept repeating - "I don't understand how you could vanish on your birthday !" I had to tell him I didn't really vanish and it was not really my fault that there was no signal at Jog falls or the nearby areas where I was travelling the whole day. I did have glimpses of signal ( blessings from the mobile God ;-) )once in a while during the journey which conveyed the wishes of those who wanted to reach me in the form of SMSs ,voice messages and the occasional phone calls. I was lucky enough to make a call home during lunch and seek the blessings of my grandparents.

My last visit to Jog was about 3 years back with my school gang and we had a blast of a time trekking down the bottom and struggling to climb up ! My friend had to almost lift me up every step since I had had a fall that morning outside the hotel room and hurt my back ! Since this trip was with my parents, we decided not to trek till the bottom but to just enjoy the scene and the place. We did manage to climb down a little from the side and get some really breathtaking views. This was right outside our guest house which was facing the side portion of the falls. This was not the commercial view spot and was devoid of people and littering. The view from this side was totally different though we couldn't see all the 4 falls together. After some quick photos and a breakfast we headed to Murudeshwar. I was taken aback by the beauty and the cleanliness of the temple and the beach. The Shiva looked majestic and imposing and the newly built Gopura was ready to take on all these swanky skyscrapers of the city. The beach was so pristine and shining that it felt like a sin to dip your legs. The sand was so smooth that it didn't stick to the legs nor did it feel grainy for the feet. After lunch we headed back and the rest of the day was spent in the cab. The wonderful roads made sure that we got a good amusement ride for free !

Coming back to the signal ( or rather the lack of it ) part, it is really amazing how addictive we have become to technology. I personally don't care much about my mobile and I don't miss it much when it is not around. But having said that I have grown used to the comfort it gives me when its with me. I can message/call anyone I want at any point of time. So being without signal for 1 1/2 days was both a blessing and a curse and when that day happens to be your birthday it makes things more challenging. Of course I didn't have a mobile 5 years back and only some real close friends or relatives would call up to wish me and it wasn't really a big deal if someone missed out or forgot to call ! Then started the age of reminders, mobiles, social networks, mails and what not and it becomes increasingly hard to miss some one's birthday unless he/she is unreachable or has lost the mobile!

Time and traffic wait for no man

My clock read 8:30 PM. It was much more than the usual dose of crazy traffic on Whitefield road. It was almost an hour since I had left office ( in the bus ) and we were barely a kilometre away from the campus ! I could see the silhouette of the majestic KR Puram suspension bridge at a distance and it no longer looked charming ! It was a friday night and I was stuck in the worst traffic possible just near office ! I still had miles to go. And it was not just 8:30 PM on a friday evening, I was seeing the end of a very hectic week in office and I had just finished an intense yoga session in the evening. My brain was asleep and was being rudely awakened with every passing honk and colourful kannada words. Not to forget that my every sinew was screaming for attention ! Thankfully my tummy was pretty happy after a good treat of vada pav washed down with frappe. But I still wanted to hit home and the bed ASAP ! ( forgive me for the techie acronym here, but my writing has been limited to official emails lately ). All this was enough to make my ever patient self run out of patience. Slowly I got used ( indifferent is a better word ) to the traffic noises and just tried to relax. I was also bored of glancing at my watch every second. Then it happened. I was jolted out of from my seat and my reverie. The noise became increasingly louder and closer. I craned out of the window to see the source. My first instinct was to start praying then followed by cursing the traffic and the general apathy of the humans on the road. The best ( or worst ) part was no other human being seemed to have noticed the sound. Or if he had, he was being indifferent to it. Yes, it was late on a friday evening and everyone wanted to get home to their families ( or to a happening party perhaps ) but where had the basic human qualities vanished ? Was it dormant or was it driven away by the crude mechanics of living? As I was battling with these thoughts and also a good mind to scream at everyone, there was some minor shuffling amongst the various vehicles on the road and the noise slowly subsided. I felt a wave of relief and also sent up another prayer. The ambulance did have a strong and urgent need to race against time to save a life while I could sit in the comfortable interiors of the bus for a while more, time didn't matter much to me at that instant.

The countdown began..

The much awaited Olympics is here finally and its currently the talk of the world ! I remember being fascinated by the following countdown timer ( accurate to the second ! ) I saw in Hong Kong early this year. I wonder when the countdown actually began...

Tip of the cone

I was in a state of partial sleep in the bus on my way home yesterday when I saw a little kid with an ice cream cone on the road. He was excitedly biting the bottom of the cone and there was a definite sparkle in his eyes. Now this is a common action with kids; though they are well aware that biting the bottom will cause a great mess soon after, they will still go ahead for the sheer thrill of it. This got me thinking about life. Somethings or rather most things in life are like a cone of ice cream and we often end up biting the bottom of it. It can be tantamount to reaching the end without going through the beginning or the middle. Why do we actually do it ? Is it the adventurous streak ? Or the rebel without a cause, or breaking rules to see what actually happens ? For some it could be an addiction and they have to do it even if they know the aftermath. It could also be a force of habit or simply treading on unknown paths. Or it could simply be the thrill of causing damage and watching it. For me the most apt reason would be to be a child again. So for all those of you who are afraid to take that proverbial bite, do go ahead; if the cone is damaged, there is always another one !

P.S - While I was browsing for a picture I actually found this one which is a book cover. Looks like an interesting topic for a book !

The 3 Mistakes of my life - Chetan Bhagat

Looks like Chetan Bhagat loves the number 3, numerology or otherwise. It is his 3rd book and its called "The 3 mistakes of my life" and it revolves around the lives of 3 friends ! Overall a good read. It starts off with Mr Bhagat receiving an email from an anonymous person quoting that he has made three mistakes and is going to end his life. Bhagat goes in search of him ( yes, he is fortunately alive to tell us the story !! ) and the book forms his story ( Govind Patel) in the first person narrative. Govind along with his 2 friends Ishaan and Omi starts a small business, a cricket shop and the story is woven around their lives.

The 3 characters-

1. Govind - The protagonist, yes the very same guy who mails Chetan and pops pills at the end of every sentence. Business and mathematics are his main passions and he along with his mother runs a small catering business after his father walked out on them. He also makes money by taking maths tuitions. He is an agnostic and doesn't believe in emotions either. For him, life is all about probability and equations.
2. Ishaan or Ish as he is fondly called - Cricket is his main passion in life. He has been the best player in school and played at district level but feels terrible about not making it to the national team. He coaches the local school boys in cricket.
3. Omi - He is the son of a priest and doesn't know what he wants in life except that he doesn't want to be a priest. He gets the trio a place to set up their shop on the temple premises.

And here are 3 reasons to read the book-

1. The cover price ( Rs 95 ) wont really burn a big hole in your pocket and its worth the price for a decent read.
2. It has the regular ingredients of a potboiler - friendship, romance, fun, cricket - and then some serious stuff like politics, religion, violence and an action packed climax to keep you entertained.
3. It brings focus to the futility of fighting or killing in the name of religion or God.

Some fine moments in the book-

1. Omi, a brahmin boy and the son of a priest hesitates to eat food at Ali's house since he is a Muslim, but the same Omi doesn't hesitate to risk his life to save Ali.
2. Govind calls himself an agnostic when it comes to having faith in God. When a natural disaster destroys his lifetime of savings, he starts believing in destiny and perhaps a little in God.
3. Ali, a cricket prodigy, whose every hit is a six is offered a free scholarship to train in Australia provided he applies for Australian citizenship. The 12 year old boy instantly declines the offer saying that he wont play if its not for India. Patriotism at its best !

Some not so fine moments -

1. An 18 year old small town girl having sex on the terrace with her maths tutor and later worrying about pregnancy !
2.(i) These guys fooling the security guards by posing as big businessmen and entering the VIP enclosure of a cricket stadium before a match (ii) Convincing an Australian player to bowl to a small boy after the match (iii) The Australian player ( who is an amateur himself) sponsoring 4 tickets to Australia after bowling to a 12 year old kid and watching him hit sixes.
3. A guy breaks up with his best friend because he dared to love his sister.

And last but not the least, the crucial 3 mistakes -

1. Business

2. Love

3. A few seconds delay in acting to save a life in a mob situation.
Whether these 3 actions are really mistakes or not, they form a crucial part of the story as one event leads to the other.

P.S I Love You

I must admit that the title of this book and the attractive cover ( of the lead actors from the movie ) caught my attention at the bookstore. Of course I had heard of the movie of the same name which came out sometime back. I flipped over the book and read the back cover and the story immediately appealed to me. It was most certainly not the boy-meets-girl and they live happily ever after love story. This debut novel by Cecilia Ahern ( written when she was 22 ) is sure to creep into your heart, fill it with warmth, sadness, hope, despair and happiness.
Its the story of a 30 year old woman coping with life after her husband's death. Holly and Gerry have been childhood sweethearts and have been together for more than ten years. Fate had other plans and Gerry is diagnosed with brain tumor and finally succumbs to it. Holly is left shattered and lonely. She has a good support system of family and friends but no one can fill the gap that her beloved husband left behind. She almost becomes a recluse and stays in bed most of the time with her house and garden neglected.Holly then receives the surprise of her life - a package from her now dead husband. In it there are 10 envelopes for each month of the rest of the year and a note to open them in order and to follow the instructions in them. This is a list sent by her husband to help her cope with the grief and to move on in life. They contain instructions like buying a bed lamp, a new dress, entering in a karaoke competition, going on a holiday with her friends, finding a job etc. Each note is signed with the words "P.S I Love you".
Holly follows these notes and they become her life. Gerry had even arranged for a surprise holiday for her along with her friends. She looks forward to the end of the month to open the next note. This gives her a feeling that her husband is still alive and is guiding her in life. She starts dreading the day when there would be no more notes. Meanwhile exciting things happen in her friends lives like marriage, baby etc which leaves her drained out. She is happy for them but her own loneliness and grief takes over. She is running out of funds and needs to get a job but doesn't have the courage to do so. She has hated all her jobs in the past. Finally when one of Gerry's notes instructs her to get a job, she tries and succeeds. Slowly she starts enjoying her work and feels more positive.
The whole book is about her ups and downs, she is happy for a while and then the depressing feelings take over. She also starts enjoying the company of a new friend, Daniel. The notes from the guardian angel end with the one asking her not to be afraid to fall in love again. There are also lots of light and funny moments in the book like a regular chick-lit book. The funny episodes like Holly and her friends get drunk on her birthday, getting stranded in the middle of the sea on a holiday, Holly's sister displaying the tattoo on her rear during a family dinner etc will leave you rolling with laughter. There are a variety of colourful characters too like Ciara - Holly's boisterous, loud and adventurous younger sister, the gay hairdresser, Richard - the cold and distant elder brother etc. Each character has a small story revolving around him/her that keeps you engrossed. But the entire theme makes it different from a chick-lit and how Holly overcomes her grief and starts living beyond the letters forms the crux of the story. Last but not the least, the ending is a pleasant surprise and a perfect one.

Fitness Freaks or Freaky Fitness?

As a precursor to the upcoming annual sports day at office, there is a fitness camp planned for 10 days. It includes a variety of activities like aerobics, kick boxing, pilates etc. Reminds me of the saying Jack of all.. well, do I need to complete it? The excitement levels were pretty high yesterday ( first day of the camp! ) with some people coming dressed to office in sportswear. Day one started with some good music and movement with the trainer claiming it be to be low impact aerobics. Whether the impact was low or high, only the participants can tell ! There sure was a collective echo from the crowd "If this is low impact aerobics, then what exactly is high impact????". The trainer being really agile kept changing the steps and it was quite a challenge to keep pace with him. At the same time we had to be on the lookout for hand and leg co-ordination. And making sure that we don't hit the person in front,back,left or right, and avoiding the walls or mirrors. Tough one indeed. By the time we got the hang of one step, the instructor had moved on to the next one, or even the next to next one ! After sometime the trainer proclaimed that it was a warm up session and we could proceed. Hearing this there were lots of loud gasps and exclamations, as the activities actually caused heating up. Reality dawned on all those who thought running for the bus, climbing the stairs or a post lunch stroll everyday was exercise. The cool AC in the room didn't help and people were soon sweating it out like being exposed to the Sahara sun. One participant rightly remarked, "I have never exercised so much all my life". It could be debated as to which was funnier, watching others perform or watching your own self in the mirror. The class was wrapped up amidst giggles, pushes, dashes, pants and exclamations. Did the enthusiastic novices get past the freaky stage to move over soon to being fitness freaks? Only the coming classes can tell.

You can make a difference

During a recent training session a video narrating the following story was shown.There was a man on the beach who appeared to be dancing and moving about. When asked what he was doing, he said that the tide was out and there were lots of starfish stranded on the shore. If not rescued they would slowly die. He was picking each one up and throwing it into the sea. The observer said that there were hundreds of starfish lined up for miles along the beach.How could he make a difference. In answer to that, the man picked up one starfish, threw it into the sea and said "I made a difference to that one"! The observer thinks about this and the next day he joins the man in the rescue operation.
In our lives too, we can make a difference, however small it may be. The general thought is that what difference can one person make ? So no one takes the initiative to initiate any change. It is rightly said that little drops of water make the mighty ocean. We can choose to be one little drop. We can choose to not litter our roads and contribute to a cleaner and and a greener environment. We can choose to feed one hungry child on the street. We can choose to wait till the signal turns green before speeding off. We can choose to cast our vote to the most appropriate candidate. We can choose to stand up and fight injustice. And the list goes on. The situation may be as big as the ocean and the hundreds of starfish, but if you have made a difference to even one starfish, it makes the situation better than before. And if every person makes a difference to at least one starfish, there wouldn't be any left to die.

The diminishing art of writing

As I write or rather type this, I realise how less I hold a pen and write. Gone are the days when I would write for hours ( especially during those marathon exams ). Now my pen holding ritual is limited to recreating my signature on cheques or documents. Yesterday I had the arduous task of writing an official letter and I was nursing my hand by the time I finished one page back to back ! I felt the need to go back to the basics and learn cursive writing, since my hand almost refused to turn at the appropriate curves ! It is so much easier to just jab the keys and see the words instantly appear on the screen right ? And you have spell check and dictionary, so why does anyone need to remember those impossible spellings! Well, I do maintain a notebook to jot down notes at work or some random thoughts, but its not fluent writing, just a haphazard scribble and hardly legible. It is almost as if the fingers have mutated to aid fast typing or texting and I can boast of a decent speed when it comes to typing or texting. Talk about holding a pencil or a pen, well, its so passe ! Who needs to write, when you can type ? Address books or phone books are replaced by mobile phonebooks and PDAs, diaries are replaced by blogs ( like the one by yours truly ! ) and letters by e-mails and phone calls. Most of the authors/writers of this age type their manuscripts. So who really writes? Is it limited to only the school and college kids? Or the non tech savvy people who still prefer to be manual ? It is so nice to read about Harry Potter and his friends dipping their quills in ink and scratching on parchment, and no, they don't use magic for this sacred task. So why do we look for easier alternatives?
A recent study reveals that school children's grammar and vocabulary is fast diminishing. Also their reading habits are almost non existent. Bt de txtng skils r rockng nd goin gr8 !! They also write their exams papers in the short format without paying heed to grammar or correct spelling. Looks like the english language does have some unnecessary letters which can be eliminated ! As for keeping in touch with your writing skills, how about writing down your favourite quotes, lines etc instead of the usual cut-copy-paste ? And noting down some one's telephone number instead of saving it on your mobile phone ? It will help you if your phone snores when the battery is down !

Contentment

It is said that teachers influence children the most. I will never forget what my 2nd standard teacher used to repeat often - "Be contended with what you have". Without fully understanding its meaning, I used to repeat this along with her. Every time I wasn't happy with things around, these words would resonate in my head. Life would be so much more simpler and happier if all of us could follow this mantra. But I always had this doubt, if everyone got happy and contended, then who would aspire or want to achieve more ? If no one dreamt of the big things, the world wouldn't be what it is today. Everyone would just live on being satisfied with mediocrity. So where do we draw the line? This is best explained by Bill Watterson in the following strip. Read on , enjoy and reflect.

Limerick?!!?

This one is really old; wrote it for the Times of India NIE in my 8th std.

There was a man with a huge nose
When he smelt a big red rose
He failed to notice and to see
That in it there was a honey bee
Which stung him right on the nose

A Whole new world..

This is the soundtrack from one of my favourite movies- Alladin. The song is perfect for a fairy tale like fantasy setting. Alladin takes princess Jasmine on a magic carpet ride and they discover the world from a new viewpoint. As you listen to the song, you also go on a fantasy ride- with the music and the lyrics, with Alladin and Jasmine -trying to imagine how it would be to behold the world from atop a magic carpet! Its light, breezy, romantic and full of magic :-)
Catch the magic at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRi20cWMYOM

The lyrics go like this -

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you
Now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath - it gets better
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be

A whole new world
Every turn a surprise
With new horizons to pursue
Every moment red-letter
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world
That's where we'll be
A thrilling chase
A wondrous place
For you and me

On a recent visit to Disneyland in Hongkong, I was treated to an amazing visual of fireworks lighting up the night sky and the sleeping beauty castle. The fireworks were to the tune of a whole new world. The lyrics were slightly modified and the tune a little slow, but the magic was intact. It was indeed a whole new world seeing the bright fireworks dance across the sky, showing different shades of a magical castle !


So what if you cant fly over the world on a magic carpet and view the beauty, you can look at the world from a different angle and discover things you have never seen before and behold a whole new world!

The Reiki Principles

The Reiki principles are simple, powerful thoughts that can be put into action just for today ! And slowly it becomes a daily practice and a way of life. A positive mind and attitude can be achieved by integrating these principles into our daily life. Yes, its easier said than done, the principles sound simple yet hard to practice, but reading them is a good way to start.
So here they are -

The Reiki principles
BY DR.MIKAO USUI

Just for today, I will not be angry.
Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to my neighbour and every living thing.

It's a magical world..

This is what the last Calvin and Hobbes strip says and there couldn't be a more perfect way to end a series. It conveys hope, inspiration, adventure and above all the message that the end of something is not the end of the world ! It opens up new possibilities that need to be explored. Leave it to Bill Watterson to simplify and capture the very essence of life through the eyes of a six year old in this beautiful closing strip. So what are we waiting for? Its a magical world, lets go exploring !
(click on the pic for a better view)