Well it was another brilliant birthday! Thats what you get when you put most of my best friends under my roof :)
Things to be remembered and pondered upon:
Simple things in life like eating lunch together can be the most rewarding experience. Partying does not necessarily mean go out drinking or clubbing. Its just the right company that does all the magic!! A big thank you to all my angels who made my day!!!!! (My two other personas thank you too ;) )
The ones whom you love the most have the ability to get you hurt pretty bad. Though I guess this more your fault than theirs for investing too much of your happiness in them.
Hope there will be many more trips around the sun. A lot more smiles and a few less tears. Many happy times and fewer misunderstandings. Finally hopefully life will be just a little more fair.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
When It Rains It Pours
Read on...
It's the thanksgiving weekend. I know its an American tradition but I've had such a brilliant day today I just felt like thanking the universe for its benevolence. So here goes thank you universe for giving me:
-Today, I hope I have many more like this one.
-My family, who proved to me today that they will stick up for me and love me unconditionally.
-My friends, some of them who know me better than me, who make me happy to be alive, especially the ones who made this day what it was.
-The internet (do not take it for granted!!), without which I'd never have had a medium to realize (like today for instance) just how much people care.
-Being alive, watching a documentary on Mumbai's 9/11 horror made me realize again how lucky I am just to be writing this.
-My sense of preservation. The ability to quickly sift between whats real and whats not. To have the courage to to do what's hardest for me to do. To clearly distinguish between 'maybes' and facts that will irreversibly change the course of happiness of my friends and family.
-Love, I've been given so much lately I'm starting to wonder how I got so lucky.
And finally,
-Luck, that which does not come often to me but as they say.. "When it rains it pours"
It's the thanksgiving weekend. I know its an American tradition but I've had such a brilliant day today I just felt like thanking the universe for its benevolence. So here goes thank you universe for giving me:
-Today, I hope I have many more like this one.
-My family, who proved to me today that they will stick up for me and love me unconditionally.
-My friends, some of them who know me better than me, who make me happy to be alive, especially the ones who made this day what it was.
-The internet (do not take it for granted!!), without which I'd never have had a medium to realize (like today for instance) just how much people care.
-Being alive, watching a documentary on Mumbai's 9/11 horror made me realize again how lucky I am just to be writing this.
-My sense of preservation. The ability to quickly sift between whats real and whats not. To have the courage to to do what's hardest for me to do. To clearly distinguish between 'maybes' and facts that will irreversibly change the course of happiness of my friends and family.
-Love, I've been given so much lately I'm starting to wonder how I got so lucky.
And finally,
-Luck, that which does not come often to me but as they say.. "When it rains it pours"
Sunday, October 25, 2009
As simple as that
Not fiction :)
It was a Sunday morning. The weather was perfect.
Aphrodite stood on the side of the street waiting for her friend Artemis to pick her up. She stood there with her extra heavy laptop, because a Sunday doesn't really mean a holiday in some cases. She smiled as the car drew up and got into the passenger seat. Artemis greeted her with a huge grin and a quick hug. "Its been a while", said Artemis. "Yeah, its good all of us are gonna be there today" said Aphrodite. A CD was playing and they squealed collectively when their favorite song came up. They lowered the windows, increased the volume and sang aloud with the wind in their hair... "Take me awayyyyyy".
A few minutes later they were at the door. Gaia opened the door with a big smile. Athena and Fortuna were already there. "About time!!!" said Gaia, and added "Oh no don't tell me your gonna connect and work!!!" she added when she saw the huge bag Aphrodite held. "I'm afraid I have to, for a few hours atleast",she replied. The other two joined them and they got talking to Gaia's aunt, who wanted to know all about Artemis's latest trip to the mountains. Suddenly Aphrodite's laptop started making a weird humming noise. "Be carefull, it sounds like its going to explode", said Athena laughing. "Noooo something is very worng!!" cried Aphrodite. "Oh God I think it just crashed!! I cant work!! Oh what am I going to do?", she panicked. The other four were quiet. She tinkered on with it a little longer and then declared, "Theres no hope, looks like the rest of my day is free" and the others whooped in joy.
They soon moved to Gaia's room and once out of the earshot of the aunt burst into spontaneous story telling. There was so much to discuss! Artemis's big trip and of course, boys. It was utter mayham before all of them swapped stories. There were heart breaks, new romances, office politics. There was a lot of relief as the girls shared their pent up frustrations and mixed emotions of boys and work: past present and future. The same favourite song played along in the background.. "..There's a place that I go, that nobody knows, where the rivers flow, and I call it home. And there's no more lies, in the darkness there's light. And nobody cries there's only butterflies.." If there was any song that could truly capture the moment that was it right there.
They then had lunch and suddenly decide to head out for ice cream. They laughed carefree like a bunch of 5 year olds. They looked a lot happier than most 23year olds at any rate! Men or no men these girls didn't need anyone else to truly cherish life. Thats what good friendship does to you.
Well life can be that uncomplicated, really. To find happiness in good company. Its as simple as that. :)
It was a Sunday morning. The weather was perfect.
Aphrodite stood on the side of the street waiting for her friend Artemis to pick her up. She stood there with her extra heavy laptop, because a Sunday doesn't really mean a holiday in some cases. She smiled as the car drew up and got into the passenger seat. Artemis greeted her with a huge grin and a quick hug. "Its been a while", said Artemis. "Yeah, its good all of us are gonna be there today" said Aphrodite. A CD was playing and they squealed collectively when their favorite song came up. They lowered the windows, increased the volume and sang aloud with the wind in their hair... "Take me awayyyyyy".
A few minutes later they were at the door. Gaia opened the door with a big smile. Athena and Fortuna were already there. "About time!!!" said Gaia, and added "Oh no don't tell me your gonna connect and work!!!" she added when she saw the huge bag Aphrodite held. "I'm afraid I have to, for a few hours atleast",she replied. The other two joined them and they got talking to Gaia's aunt, who wanted to know all about Artemis's latest trip to the mountains. Suddenly Aphrodite's laptop started making a weird humming noise. "Be carefull, it sounds like its going to explode", said Athena laughing. "Noooo something is very worng!!" cried Aphrodite. "Oh God I think it just crashed!! I cant work!! Oh what am I going to do?", she panicked. The other four were quiet. She tinkered on with it a little longer and then declared, "Theres no hope, looks like the rest of my day is free" and the others whooped in joy.
They soon moved to Gaia's room and once out of the earshot of the aunt burst into spontaneous story telling. There was so much to discuss! Artemis's big trip and of course, boys. It was utter mayham before all of them swapped stories. There were heart breaks, new romances, office politics. There was a lot of relief as the girls shared their pent up frustrations and mixed emotions of boys and work: past present and future. The same favourite song played along in the background.. "..There's a place that I go, that nobody knows, where the rivers flow, and I call it home. And there's no more lies, in the darkness there's light. And nobody cries there's only butterflies.." If there was any song that could truly capture the moment that was it right there.
They then had lunch and suddenly decide to head out for ice cream. They laughed carefree like a bunch of 5 year olds. They looked a lot happier than most 23year olds at any rate! Men or no men these girls didn't need anyone else to truly cherish life. Thats what good friendship does to you.
Well life can be that uncomplicated, really. To find happiness in good company. Its as simple as that. :)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Twilight
Yes yes Stephanie Meyer is gonna sue me for flicking the name.
Its neither dark nor light
Its a glow beneath the trees
My hopes fall lightly to the ground
Like soft petals in a breeze
Its neither day nor night
The tears come fast with silent conviction
Quietly they stop without reason
Save for the breath held tight
One horizon's a brilliant band of light
The other a wall of black
Closer to which I know not
My mind numbed only by the emotions I lack
There's no right, There's no wrong
Is this called letting go?
On this path of twilight I belong
Or is this forging into the unknown?
Its neither dark nor light
Its a glow beneath the trees
My hopes fall lightly to the ground
Like soft petals in a breeze
Its neither day nor night
The tears come fast with silent conviction
Quietly they stop without reason
Save for the breath held tight
One horizon's a brilliant band of light
The other a wall of black
Closer to which I know not
My mind numbed only by the emotions I lack
There's no right, There's no wrong
Is this called letting go?
On this path of twilight I belong
Or is this forging into the unknown?
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Just like magic
The offspring of frustration and optimism.
Today was one of those really really bad days when every single thing goes wrong. Every one of em, work, life, love, you name it and it went horribly wrong. This got me into a total well of frustration. Then I thought to myself what's the point of today? Where the hell is my silver lining supposed to be..?
Silver lining... the thing you optimistically look for to save yourself from a depressing situation. This simply did not exist today. So I looked for something else.. magic. Life's magical moments which take your breathe away every single time you think about them. Considering I've had a lot of those in the past week I thought I'd better write those down to sing "These are a few of my favorite things" someday!
It works just like magic. 1 minute I'm upset and the next there's a smile inside my head that'l take a while to fade. To quote a line from the famous song I spoke of earlier "When the dog bites, when the bee stings or when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things.. and then I dont feel so bad".
Today was one of those really really bad days when every single thing goes wrong. Every one of em, work, life, love, you name it and it went horribly wrong. This got me into a total well of frustration. Then I thought to myself what's the point of today? Where the hell is my silver lining supposed to be..?
Silver lining... the thing you optimistically look for to save yourself from a depressing situation. This simply did not exist today. So I looked for something else.. magic. Life's magical moments which take your breathe away every single time you think about them. Considering I've had a lot of those in the past week I thought I'd better write those down to sing "These are a few of my favorite things" someday!
- My cousin telling me out of the blue, that she loves me like a sister and that she thinks I deserve only the best, when she made me promise that I would never compromise for less than best in love or life. Magic: When I knew she truly believed every word she said.
- My first International night flight,crossing the day-night line. When I saw the bold line of bright vivid orange in the distant horizon in the midst of inky darkness. Magic: Understanding why they call it breaking dawn.
- When someone unexpectedly said just the right thing at the right time to cheer me up. Magic: Someone on the other side of the planet coming to the rescue of my fragile mind.
- Standing awestruck before the world's tallest fountain in all its musical glory. Magic: Knowing I earned my way to be standing there.
- My best friends listening patiently (and even appearing interested!!) in my work-sob stories of frustration. Magic: Having a bond that's lasted 20 strong years.
- Casio G shock watch... well quite expensive. Magic: The look on my brother's face when I gave it to him... well priceless.
It works just like magic. 1 minute I'm upset and the next there's a smile inside my head that'l take a while to fade. To quote a line from the famous song I spoke of earlier "When the dog bites, when the bee stings or when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things.. and then I dont feel so bad".
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Mirror of Erised
Opening my mind. Facing my darkness.
The Mirror of Erised is a magical object from the world of Harry Potter. For the unfamiliar, this is a magical mirror. When you look into this mirror you see yourself doing what your heart truly desires. You get to see the deepest darkest dearest wish coming true.
Simply said the most content person in the world will see their reflection as it is... like an ordinary mirror. It is but an illusion that you see. As Harry's head master Dumbledore puts it.. "Men have wasted away in front of the mirror". What you see in the mirror is so alluring that it is supposed to be very hard to tear your eyes away, hoping that what you see is real. When Harry first looks at the mirror he see's himself with the dead parents he once had and doesnt even remember. So that proves how unreal the image is.
Why am I going on and on about this mirror? Because I want to make sure there's no room for doubt before proceeding. When I was recently re-reading the 6th book in the series for the gazzilionth time this thought occured to me. If I looked into the mirror right now what would I see? I have asked myself this question a long time back, but then all I really wanted was to finish college and get a job.
What will I see? I knew... inspite of trying to fool myself that all I wanted was everything but that.. I knew. It's worse than facing your fears. Facing the fact that you desire something so bad that you can feel it in your bones, yet knowing that just like the reflection of The Mirror Erised, it'l never come true. It takes a great deal of courage to face your greatest weakness and acknowledge its existance. Maybe in a few years things will change. Maybe life would get so pleasantly complicated that this would seem really frivolous. Only time will tell.
So think about it. If you looked into the Mirror of Erised what will you see? what will you REALLY see?
The Mirror of Erised is a magical object from the world of Harry Potter. For the unfamiliar, this is a magical mirror. When you look into this mirror you see yourself doing what your heart truly desires. You get to see the deepest darkest dearest wish coming true.
Simply said the most content person in the world will see their reflection as it is... like an ordinary mirror. It is but an illusion that you see. As Harry's head master Dumbledore puts it.. "Men have wasted away in front of the mirror". What you see in the mirror is so alluring that it is supposed to be very hard to tear your eyes away, hoping that what you see is real. When Harry first looks at the mirror he see's himself with the dead parents he once had and doesnt even remember. So that proves how unreal the image is.
Why am I going on and on about this mirror? Because I want to make sure there's no room for doubt before proceeding. When I was recently re-reading the 6th book in the series for the gazzilionth time this thought occured to me. If I looked into the mirror right now what would I see? I have asked myself this question a long time back, but then all I really wanted was to finish college and get a job.
What will I see? I knew... inspite of trying to fool myself that all I wanted was everything but that.. I knew. It's worse than facing your fears. Facing the fact that you desire something so bad that you can feel it in your bones, yet knowing that just like the reflection of The Mirror Erised, it'l never come true. It takes a great deal of courage to face your greatest weakness and acknowledge its existance. Maybe in a few years things will change. Maybe life would get so pleasantly complicated that this would seem really frivolous. Only time will tell.
So think about it. If you looked into the Mirror of Erised what will you see? what will you REALLY see?
Friday, June 26, 2009
My 1st wedding anniversary
Yes you guessed right. I am married to my work.
Dear IBM,
My darling husband, we have been married for a year now. I still remember vividly this day last year how we were united. I was scared and excited as every new bride should be. Thanks for the wedding party at the Le Meridian.
I have been a faithful wife to you this past one year. I have never been more commited in my life to anything else. I served you morning and night, through sickness and in health.
The 1st 2 months of our union were the sweetest. Two whole months of pure party. After that I realized the responsibilities that this union had brought upon me. I was no longer in the shelter of my Daddy's house. I fought for you, I fought with you. In the end you always won. But what you dint know was I always let you win.
You gave me financial stability, but for all the money I never really found time to enjoy it cause you were always in need of my constant attention. Along with the financial status came the new responsibility of managing money and paying bills. Now my Daddy used to pay all my bills before this so it took me a while to adjust to my new life.
I have had many ups and downs in our journey together, but more downs than ups. I lost count of the weekends and late nights of hard toil I put in, Just to make you happy. And more often than not you returned my efforts with a scorn or a sneer and no appreciation.
Still in spite of everything, I hold no grudges. Because without you society would never have respected me. So like any devout Hindu wife I wear the 'Mangal Suthra' (holy matrimonial necklace, in this case being my work ID) around my neck and serve you day in and day out.
I realize that our relationship is not exclusive as you have many other wives and umm husbands. But none the less I treasure our relationship. I have had the time to think of what it would be like to not be with you. But this year of our journey together has made me realize: there's nothing else I'd rather be 'doing' ;)
Happy Anniversary!!
- Your loving wife,
raksragh@in.ibm.com (I've even added your name as my last name)
Dear IBM,
My darling husband, we have been married for a year now. I still remember vividly this day last year how we were united. I was scared and excited as every new bride should be. Thanks for the wedding party at the Le Meridian.
I have been a faithful wife to you this past one year. I have never been more commited in my life to anything else. I served you morning and night, through sickness and in health.
The 1st 2 months of our union were the sweetest. Two whole months of pure party. After that I realized the responsibilities that this union had brought upon me. I was no longer in the shelter of my Daddy's house. I fought for you, I fought with you. In the end you always won. But what you dint know was I always let you win.
You gave me financial stability, but for all the money I never really found time to enjoy it cause you were always in need of my constant attention. Along with the financial status came the new responsibility of managing money and paying bills. Now my Daddy used to pay all my bills before this so it took me a while to adjust to my new life.
I have had many ups and downs in our journey together, but more downs than ups. I lost count of the weekends and late nights of hard toil I put in, Just to make you happy. And more often than not you returned my efforts with a scorn or a sneer and no appreciation.
Still in spite of everything, I hold no grudges. Because without you society would never have respected me. So like any devout Hindu wife I wear the 'Mangal Suthra' (holy matrimonial necklace, in this case being my work ID) around my neck and serve you day in and day out.
I realize that our relationship is not exclusive as you have many other wives and umm husbands. But none the less I treasure our relationship. I have had the time to think of what it would be like to not be with you. But this year of our journey together has made me realize: there's nothing else I'd rather be 'doing' ;)
Happy Anniversary!!
- Your loving wife,
raksragh@in.ibm.com (I've even added your name as my last name)
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