A couple of Kurukshetras

Mumbai Blasts! Greece riots! Astronaut let tools into workspace! Forever china-Tibet war! More blasts! Yet another bomb scare!...
Where is Lord Krishna? He promised!!!

Live each moment

I may never see tomorrow, there is no written guarantee.
And things that happened yesterday, belong to history
I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past
I have just the present moment, I must treat it as my last

I must use this moment wisely, for it will soon pass away
And be lost to me forever, as part of yesterday
I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet.
Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete

The unkind things I do today, may never be undone
And friendships that I fail to win, may never more be won
I may not have another chance on bended knee to pray
And thank God with humble heart, for giving me this day

~ Author Unknown

Just in case I want to come back & read one more time :-)

An Inconvenient Truth

The paper cover reads "Watch it; Share it; Donate it".
The material inside is priceless.
Al Gore has got all statistics for you. He sure has done his research. Well, he knows people who have done.
For a person who grew up in a farm raising tobacco, he sure is a lot more than that.

I have read the book. But I just could not resist the temptation to pick up a copy when I found one in the library.

Whenever it rains when it should not,
Whenever we get a heat wave when we usually don't,
Whenever I think about Alaska,
And the melting glaciers & the thawing permafrost,
I regret.
I regret that we are in a developing world that believes more in machines & industries than humans & the environment. We are a part of it. Rather, we are the sole reason that it is even happening. My Parents lived in a cleaner environment. Me not so much, but my kid?

In this world of constant change in the form of development, I guess, it is time we need to stop & think for a while. Is it all worth it?
I have been to Alaska. I have crossed the Arctic circle. I went in to see the permafrost & saw water instead. It is such a beautiful country & it is a shame that it is all not going to be the same forever. Unless, we act now.
Al Gore believes it is not a political issue so much as a moral issue.
There is nothing to disagree.

I cannot do anything but recommend you to Watch it, please!
A Teaser

Some of you may know that mine is a travel family. (Wish I could say "Nomadic")
I blog my travels. I follow other's journals as well. Some, very closely.
Here is a man whose feet has touched all the SEVEN continents. The reason I upper case SEVEN is, yes! He has been to the Seventh continent as well-Antartica.

And here we worry about who is the next President of America or who is going to buy cable TV in Chennai. ugh...People! *sigh*

What comes free & easy?
ADVICE!

Just because you, me or anyone is experienced with something, we dive in & assume that we have the right to donate barrels of advice to anyone new at something.
Wish we could just let them just be.
Wish we could assume that they will eventually figure it out(it is their life, after all)
Wish we could realize that we also learnt from our mistakes.
Wish we could just shut up our mouths, & like the kids say, chatti pana kavuth.

Flickering moments

Hmm. I feel a million things. Mostly in the likes of "happiness". But ever since I became a Mother, I've been finding less time to note them down. May be because I seldom write it down, sometimes, it's like I never felt it at all. Makes sense? Probably not to you when you read. Probably not, when I read it some years from now. But I feel them all now. It is so overwhelming.

Life has become so dynamic. Everyday is a new day. I feel things I've never felt before. I never knew I'd feel them so. It just makes me smile. Wow!

I remember reading somewhere:
Don't worry about losing sleep once you have a baby. Enjoy every waking moment.

My baby has sure taught me how to be happy.

?

Every software Engineer I know(well, most of them) do not like what they are doing(including hubby!!!)
Then why are people getting into it? Money???

A story

I went for a walk this evening.
I stopped by a pottery class.
The end.
Moral of the story: If you are patient, you might achieve something. If you are impatient, you are sure not to achieve anything.
Until then, telling yourself, "its okay" goes a long way!

Myanmar cyclone
China Earthquake
Midwest Storms
CA Heat Wave

Al Gore says, "TOLD YOU SO!!!"

Born to forgive

I am a new parent now!
I was blessed with a baby girl a month ago. Being new, I made & probably still making a lot of mistakes with my daughter. But my just-born baby is all so forgiving any number of mistakes I do.
How many times I would have hurt her by holding incorrectly?
How many times I would have delayed feeding her?(a couple seconds makes so much of a difference, to them)

But I am forgiven. I know it! The way she looks at me, she tells me so.
That one look makes me want to do better & love her all the more.
Makes me want to forgive more? Well yeah. I am working on it :-)

She spake none. But tells so much! That's a baby for all of us.

Never say Never again

This is one of my fav. quotes from Stepmom.
You think: "This is me" & a situation happens that makes you realize you are capable of doing something that you never thought you would.
Life is a series of events, definitely. I am learning to take it one day at a time.
We are capable of doing a lot more than we are actually doing.

For those of you who are wondering "what the hell is this?", I am just venting out(good sense).

Wow, What a feat!

Hangzhou bay bridge
Wish, I could just see this, at least from the air :-)
36 km across the sea? Is that something or what?
I hope they open it up soon to the public.
The statistics are mind-blowing!
Where are the Chinese & China headed?
Well, at least they make good use of the population they have.

Iru kodugal

Iru Kodugal(Two lines)This is a yesteryear tamil movie directed by K.B. Well, I concentrate only on the definition of two lines in the movie.
It goes like this:
How to make a line smaller without extending it?
Draw a longer line next to the existing line. The 1st one seems smaller now :-)

The movie starts at that & deals with a real time situation.
I've grown up seeing this movie many times.

Time & about, I am learning from this movie.
When you are faced with a difficulty in life that does not seem to go away, a bigger issue that takes all your time, energy & sleep makes your difficulty a no-brainer.

You think you have an issue today. If you don't deal with it NOW & postpone it for tomorrow, most likely you are faced with a bigger issue the next day. Now you have to deal with 2.

Life is unfair. We all know that. It is better to accept that & learn from each day every bit it has to offer. Life is too short to let go by. You need to live & enjoy every moment. No???

I Smile

It is surprising how things happen happily when you keep worrying about how to go about it.
I don't know if it is God or Destiny or simply put, Existence.
My dad calls it Nature!
Whatever be it, good things happen to all people! Sometimes, we just take it for granted. We don't notice the small things.
When I finally get around to noticing these small things, I cannot help but realize that I did nothing, but to be concerned as to
Why things don't go the way I wanted it?
Because, there is something better in store for me!

What we plan for ourselves is not necessarily the best for us.
Time to notice the small things in life!
I can do nothing, but :-) at the intelligence that has dawned upon me.

Circus! for the adults

A good deal found me & better half at San Jose's Under the Grand Chapiteau at Taylor's Bridge.
Reason: Valentine's day!
Cirque du soleil is a team from Montreal that is one of the most popular shows in Vegas. They are in bay area until March.
The tickets are pricey, I would say. Nevertheless, worth every penny! Seriously. A 2 hr 30 min show of complete entertainment.
Surprisingly, I did not see any kids(unlike the traditional back-home template). On second thoughts, it was well that way. The live band produces way too much sound for a kid to handle.

It was a cold, unusually-windy night, but the hall was full!
No animals on the show, but amazing acrobatics!
Worth a visit, I would say!

Marriage

The topic of discussion last saturday was Marriage.
The 1st comment was Marriage can be a great teaching or a curse.
The 2nd, Marriage is a great accident or a sweet incident.

Most of us questioned how marriage can be a great accident? Isn't it a series of accidents?
If a man/woman is prepared for Marriage, it would be a sweet incident?
But are any of us prepared before a marriage? We are not even ready for a wedding until the day dawns!

The joint consensus was
If you can let go of your personality(EGO) & be open to take in & embrace the other person as a whole(the pluses & minuses), then, you change the great accident to a sweet incident.
How feasible is this?
Sounds Crazy!
Impossible!
Well, can't we give it a try? After all, marriage requires constant nurturing.
Nothing is impossible with the mind.

Though the relationship involves 2 people, how one person reacts pretty much decides how the other person will take it & react back. So, throwing apart the fact that marriage requires both parties to co-operate & talk together, I think we can avoid many things by not reacting(specially, immediately!!!). Now, that is difficult too! But no pains, no gains!
The topic was an eye-opener unto any relationship!
So, here I am, making the mark, so that I do not forget this in future.

Count your blessings

My Guru always reminds to count my blessings.
In the same context, he says,"The wheel that makes the most noise, gets replaced first. So stop Whining!"
How true!

Today, the Sun has come out after probably more than a week.
Trust me, it is a blessing.

How many times I whine for getting caught in traffic?
Well, now, I see it as quality time hearing music & checking out other cars.

How many times I've complained that it is too hot?
Now, I think of days when I don't see the Sun :-)

How many times I've complained about too much crowd?
Now, I think of times when I've not had many people around, specially my family.

How many times I've complained about halting my career to get married & come 20000 miles away to a new land?
Now, how many people get married at the right age, to the right person get to live happily ever after, without having to sacrifice your family?

When things don't happen as per our plans, it probably means there is a better plan.
Everything happens for a reason & that reason not necessarily is known at the time things happen. So many people don't have what we do.
So, today, I thank Existence for giving me shoes to cover my legs!!!

Rush Hour 3

We've been watching so many movies lately & the latest one is Rush Hour 3. I was leaning on comedy more & the movie did not disappoint me. Tucker is funny as hell! Chan is getting old! But he is still a Ninja.
I cannot rate it as a must-see or a don't-see, but it is a good time pass.

I am running over old collections of Tamil movies from the library. Thillana Mohanambal is next on the list :-) If only I could get a glue that could make hubby sit through this one!!!! ufff

blah blah

For the past couple of months, different things are happening in my life that makes me live in the "now"!
Sometimes, it is so easy to let go of things. Other times, when I see dear ones sick or affected, my heart reaches out to them. Why do they have to suffer?
Someone I talked to yesterday told me, "It is their KARMA. What else can you blame it on?"
I don't know if I want to believe in it.

Why are so many people falling sick?
Why do so many people die in a way you would not want your worst of enemies to suffer?

I agree. The only certain thing in life is Death. But why can't everyone die peacefully?
I understand "why" is out of my ignorance. May be I will get an answer some day. But it is really troubling.
So many people suffer with so many things & I sometimes fight for things immaterial.
Life is full of lessons & realizations.
May enlightment dawn upon me!
All this on the day of Pongal.
Well,
Thai piranthal vazhi pirakum!

Fanatics in the name of Patriots

This happened a few days ago. I am a travel blogger too & read others' public journals, well at least from a few specific people.
So, there is this lady who is traveling around the world. She is a Westerner. India happened to be one of the stops in her life's journey. Now, I cannot imagine to travel without a plan in place, without making proper arrangements for food etc. So, obviously, I adore people who do all that.
Anyways, coming back to the point, she travels alone & makes friends everywhere. She has recently traveled to Calcutta(or whatever it has changed to now) & has posted pictures of the streets, roads, people AS IT IS!!! Now, we all know how the streets of Calcutta can look to us.
I love Calcutta. I have stunning memories from the city. The city is dirty, polluted & over-populated, but it has flavor.
This lady has mentioned this too! Well, it is her blog & she has the right to write what she feels like.
Below there, I see a comment from

A patriotic Indian who writes

This is not the way to portray Kolkata.You have shown Kolkata in bad light and have insulted India.Remember that the cultural heritage of Kolkata is way beyond your dreams............and your imagination(i.e. if you have it)

Calling dirty as dirty is insult? I have no idea what is so patriotic about this Indian. If you feel so much about what a traveler feels about your city, go do something about it instead of just talking. This foreigner volunteered at Mother Teresa's institution, for God's sake!!!

India is full of fanatics. When I am a fanatic, I close my eyes & ears to everything that goes on around me. The last thing India needs is another fanatic. We already have a truckload of such people in every street.

Its time we all stopped being just talkers!!!

Let us first be good humans then talk about being patriotic to a country.

Letting go

Every year has special memories attached to it. 2007 is no exception.
Lots of events, lots of new people, lots of travel, lots of food...2007 has seen it all.
Together with 2007, I let go of my anger, sadness & fear.
With the dawn of 2008 dawns new hopes, happiness, the need to feel happy every moment.
I generally do not believe in New year resolutions. But this time, I realized one thing.
If I cannot be happy here and now, I cannot be happy anywhere anytime.
So, as my Guru says, let there be more hugging...no bugging :-)

2007 is definitely very special in a lot of ways. We traveled to places we did not expect.
-Two weeks in Alaska was definitely an eye-opening experience. It was a penance, I would say.
-Got back in touch with a lot of friends from school, thanks to Orkut.
-Started some soul-searching. Still going strong!
-Stopped believing in justification.
-Everything happens for a reason. Just because you don't know it yet, doesn't mean there is no reason.
-Theoretical fear about Global warming has been put to effective execution. I believe in "going green". I try to follow it as much as I can. Trying to motivate others who come in close contacts too.
-Becoming more spiritual; Less religious. Stagnant at the traditional level.
-Love for Amma is growing more & more with every passing day.
-God Exists!!! My Mother is my living God.