That best feeling and then the journey of life continues….

There comes that rare feeling that occurs usually towards the Friday; hardly at mid week and never at the beginning. That rare feeling that gives you the time to write up a silly post like this. That feeling that you can go home with knowing that there will be no pending work on your desk when you return the next day. Now that I mention it I believe there may be a few secondary pending issues waiting to be sorted out but all in all you have made it through that tough week and you can go home to where the better part of your life is – your family. Someone once told me that happiness is a journey not a destination which I was almost about believe, just before I happened to bump into a friend. She follows an MBA while doing 45 hours of lecturing a weekwith a pay that you can call fabulous. I was thinking to myself “what for?” Of course it was mentioned that it brings good money… but is life about money? Does everything boil down to that one factor?

When we were schooling, parents, friends and teachers used to tell us that we have to sacrifice our joys for better times later and we did as they told us. It was the same story at undergraduate level. Once that too is achieved, we feel that now comes the time for enjoyment and no more sacrifices – we can’t be more wrong. They tell you that you are young and energetic right now so you can work your life away. Whatever the theories and laws that we learn or follow, the corporate sector exploits people whether we are willing to accept it or not. It does not enhance corporate growth by enhancing individual growth it rather is a fire fighter giving less attention to the greater tacit things in life while ignoring the long term effects and losses caused by it.

If now is the time we need to work and earn and save up as many bank accounts as possible then when are we going to start living? Some say middle age would be the time. Then what about children, parental issues, family and other ongoing commitments that will tend to take our lives? Do we then shift the “living” part of life to old age… when we would have little or no energy at all to live… when it would be too late and time to pack up. That time that sickness and health will be the only major concerns of our lives? Surely, shouldn’t we know better?

Life is to be lived not saved up for later. Now is the time. If you miss it you will lose it forever. Youth is the most wonderful gift and we can either use or abuse it… but whatever are choices are ‘now’ is the time… there’s no point in dying for materialistic gains of this world. There’s no point struggling to pull through. Troubles and problems will always follow us wherever we are or however old we get… the only thing we have, is this moment to make the most of; to live… to spend time with your family even if it be just a short walk in the park because before you know it you will be far to old to walk and when we reach that period of our lives, the fewer regrets we have the better it is. Before you know it your family may not be with you anymore.

Live a balanced life. Follow your heart; do the little things that make you happy; do things that don’t concern work just coz you wana challenge yourself that you can do without it and are a slave to nothing but your own freedom. Love your life and Live it!

Thank God for the weekends!
Even if it is only 1.5 days :(

Of Mice and Men...

Probably one of the very few novels that got very close to captivating my heart was this one. I don’t know if any human being could possibly get past it without having to shed a tear or two. It has a wonderful beginning, middle and an end that dwells into your soul spiritually cleansing you while doing so. Too bad I was not able to yet get my hands on the unabridged version. (I am also still looking for “Grapes of Wrath”) If I don’t find them by the end of this year I probably would read it up on Google books.

The plot revolves around the journey of two men - one not so wise. It ain’t anything like the motorcycle diaries. Ah… but what is a movie in comparison to a book?
At the end John Steinbeck's does not do justice to his characters but he has an extremely effective way of making them very much a part of your life.

I read it when I was very young. I still remember every detail

You SHOULD read it

Sailing on….

After three days at the FOSSed conference I got back to work to find a whole lot of stuff piled up for me to finish. So I guess I’ll have to put in a few more hours to draw to a close thing that perhaps could have been done without had I had the resources around to be slightly more efficient than myself.

Well this isn’t pressure at all. Pressure was what I had to face may be say in my former work place…. Where night or day did not make any difference and deadlines were dead lines. But for me – happiness is more of a journey than a destination… a state of mind perhaps to which stress is an interference so I had choices and like most of the other people around I chose to do what makes me happy. Sometimes I miss the challenges – especially because I miss the courage that comes out of it. May be that there’s a lot that I am losing but there is also immeasurable gains from the loss in sort of a eerie way. Being busy keeps me happy because it doesn’t give me time to worry about things that are botherations in some way to almost all human kind.

Invariably life goes on… We sail along the seas of life that constantly keep throwing us about…. clutching on hard to the oars hoping that we’ll get to some great destination somewhere... and also in the meantime anticipating a future that looks probably almost invisible to us….!

The ∆ of life

At 20

The world opens its arms

Welcoming the knowledge

Smiling at the stupidity

Thoughts, emotions, hobbies and dreams

flooding through the windows

Like the morning sun

The choices are wide

Limitless bravery

Countless contradictions

Divine bliss

At 40

Life is running out fast

Spinning around

Quick make the bucks

Save for the morrow

A song, a book, a comedy and a home

The family person

And the fearless soul

At 60

The world that turned upside down

Turns right up again

Priceless and invaluable, the memories of yesterday

The wisdom, the illnesses, the grey hair

A sunset, a walk, a smile and a little cheer

A crying grandchild

A garden to love

The green of the home

The silence of the heart

31 March 2005

The difference between disease and work is that the former has an end

The softer issues – true or not?

I believe that no matter how advanced technology gets there is still some warmth in seeing someone say “Dear ‘name’” rather than saying ‘hey’ and ‘hello’ and ‘hi’. Hearing your name both orally and in letters makes you feel special and important.

You get sick of Chinese food if you eat it too often.

No matter how hard your heart is you will be greatly affected by seeing a child who is hurt or in some sort of pain.

On a hot day there’s nothing more soothing than a cold shower.

It feels good to talk to about your troubles with someone you trust

Eating out every once in a while makes you happy

You know about all the bad aspects of marriage yet you can’t wait to experience it

No matter how much something is not concerned with you, if its falls under one of your topics of interest there is always something that you can contribute to it.

The most decent looking gentlemen are sometimes the worst perverts

You might not want to accept it but you are very selective about your friends and clothes.

You like singing even if you are really bad at it.

You like traveling around the world but you’re so happy to get back to SL

You speak badly of your fellow citizens but you are thrilled when you meet people from your country abroad

Deal with the problem… not with the person

It doesn’t take much time…

To collect the dirt in a bag in your car and to throw it in a bin when you get to your destination.

To wash your sterilized milk bottles before returning it to your grocer.

To tell your friends to do the same when you to talk to them

To signal a thank you to the driver who stopped his vehicle for you to turn

To smile at the person who is not your friend

To drop a mail that is not a forward to an old friend or relative

To buy a packet of naphthalene balls from a person who is trying hard not to steal or beg

To feed a stray cat occasionally

To help the cashier with your things

To hold the door for somebody with a big bag

To say ‘no’ to a polythene bag that you know you will be throwing away soon

To have fruit juices or mineral water instead of coke.

What’s nice and what’s not?

What’s nice?

You come to understand that it’s not a perfect world with a perfect life so you put up with the ups and downs.

When the choices are limited you choose the lesser of the two evils

You perform

You smile at somebody even though you’re in a bad mood

You remember someone’s birthday

You are honest no matter how hard it is to be

You request rather than command

You feel good about yourself

You deal with the problem

You make the best use of the time you have

You are willing to ‘learn’

You have something to think about

What’s not?

People that you trust let you down

You wake up not wanting to live another day

You’re told around by people you have no regard for

Nobody asks you whether you are happy

You have something to worry about

You don’t have enough sleep

There is something that you have to do but you really can’t get yourself to do it

You take your anger out on people who have nothing to do with it

You have more enemies than friends

You have no time

If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain

New Year Cheer

It feels good to be back at work after a week’s vacation. I thought I would finally be getting my license in the last week of 2005 but we ended up moving house and as usual lots of things don’t end up the way you think they would.

Anywayz… at the new place are lotsa good things and lotsa bad things among which is no more ADSL. So good bye to that and a lot of other things including how much I have been taking for granted the little things that our parents do for us. I miss home so much and no doubt they feel the vacuum of my absence – specially my father whose ears I would fill with my voice from the time he arrives home till he goes to bed.

On the other hand moving out on our own means having to learn lots of new things like remembering to close the main door before going to bed. A fun and joyful experience of setting up all on your own, from managing finances to grocery shopping to what more I don’t know...

I hope that whatever awaits me this year would be good in some way or the other and that we are all able to give and to get more to and from society than we did in the past year.

Silence speaks

You can never understand a friends words If you cannot understand his silence

It just is too much

Too much boredom

Too much Dan Brown

Too much depression

Too much to think about

Too much frustration

Too much hatred

Too much freedom

Too much of nothing to do

Too much time wasted

Too much chaos

Too much insecurity

Too much nonsense

Too many fools

The Greater Gifts

The gift of love

The gift of honesty

The gift of freedom

The gift of knowledge

The gift of purity

The gift of conversation

The gift of sunshine

The gift of curiosity

The gift of bliss

The gift of wisdom

The gift of choice

The gift of light

The gift of life

That’s how it goes

Sometimes they tell you that the more you deal with your troubles the stronger you get every time you pull through one of them. There are those days that everything at work goes all wrong and you go home thinking it’s finally over and then a whole new set of things start going wrong for you. Things so bad… that make you question the reason for your existence.

And of course there are those other times, where life just seems to be a bed of roses and now tired and weary, I’m longing for some sun and a few more things…

The height of belief

Whatever the problem is, IT has a solution for it!

Slavery to the colonial culture

I have met or seen rather, a very few courageous people who have the nerve to stand up against the rest. In case you’re still thinking what I’m on about it’s once again to the topic of attire. Why shirt? Tie? And belt? Why not our traditional clothes? (not to mention the fact that most people tend to find it unspeakably uncomfortable) Would it mean disrespect to someone if you did wear clothes from a different - am I to say ‘your own’ - culture? What can possibly be so wrong about that?

The Indians on the other hand have my regard. They maintain their traditional costumes at least at special occasions and what’s better is that they are proud of it. Them, living in a foreign land will not necessarily prevent them not dressing up in the clothes which are not worn by the majority.

If only we could stop being so chicken…

How important is outward appearance?

These books that are written with the purpose of motivating another individual by those who consider themselves motivated people never really got around doing any good to me. I can never be motivated by some stupid saying or an article or anything that tries to play with your emotions using the weapon of words. Sometimes these are just about speeding up the growth process.

Coming back to the topic… eh what was it now? Oh outward appearance? Dress? clothes? Attire? Hairstyle? Can we touch on accent? How much does it really contribute to the person you are?

Ok so this is how I see it. If you are leading people at the lower level you need to look pleasant enough to do it. Smartly dressed. Hair neatly combed. Polite. And all that following but see if your leading people who will be convinced more by the person you are than your outward appearance you really don’t have to give a damn about what you look like. First impressions matter and people fight hard to make their first mark but once they get their and prove themselves to the rest, outward appearance really becomes a secondary necessity because people respect you for who you are and not what you wear or look like. So for those freaks who put dress before themselves let me say that you can’t get away just being well dressed and it a takes a lot more to leave your footprints behind.

Case closed!

That’s just the way things are. Accept it or die!

Most people tend to “assume” things because other people don’t open up enough!