Little things that make me smile:)

I was just pondering on what brings a smile on my face, apart from the usual joking around with friends, teasing, poking fun, material pleasures the following are some of the things which lit my face up :

A baby elephant nuzzling against its mother.

The sight of my dog running towards me , wagging her scruffy tail everytime she sees me.

Walking in a garden ,smelling the mud after the first showers of rain.

Watching the rain lashing against the car window while going on a long drive.

Looking at drops of morning dew on a green-leaf of a flowering plant.

A small but memorable gift from a loved one.

Coming home after a long vacation

Conversing with my 7 year old cousin.

Smell of home-cooked food after a long time.

My baby nephew clutching my finger tightly when I carry him around.

Meeting an old friend after a long gap.

Chatting about childhood memories.

The sunrise on a beach.

Staring at the ocean come alive at night.

Watching the reflection of moonlight in a waterbody.

A surprise visit by a loved one.

The sight of a rainbow on a field

A farmer drenched in sweat eating his hard-earned meal.

Children running out from school as the final bell rings.

Ticking off any item from my list of 'things to do before i die'

Whims & wonderings

“The girl with fair glistening skin almost as though made of marble, deep-sparkling brown eyes, contrasting her white robes danced on the white sands under the moonlight, as the moon kissed the ocean surface leaving behind a shaky reflection on the dark waters leading to where her feet moved, almost like a path to heaven. Her expression was that of peaceful submission, which screamed that hers was a

Funny Bad Spellings!!

Ready to eat Snakes available here- Read the signboard at the local Gujjrati snacks shop...funny right!! my purely vegetarian, never gone a mile close to a butchers shop/ non-veg restaurant, brahmin uncle would be scandalised.

An item on 'Circuit Sandwhichwalas' menu

The funnyness in a Name

In the Hindu culture we generally name children with Sanskrit names which have a meaning. Unless there are a pair of adventrous parents who might go for something different & modern. I personally like the sound of Sanskrit names & feel they give more depth to a name. Since it is the most ancient language , there a certain wisdom also attached to it. For some strange reason I have a fondness for names beginning with ‘N’ & ‘A’.

I have never understood the need to rhyme names of children , there were these neighbours of mine who named their daughters ‘Rinky’ & ‘Pinky’. Why, Seriously why??

My first day as a Volunteer

Today was my first day volunteering for an NGO which works for providing basic education to underprivileged children. I was excited as I am a kid-person & a famous 'didi'(elder sister) for the bachhas(kids)in my society. As I reached the school I was greeted by a warm senior volunteer who after the introductions, briefed me on how to go about things. It was the last Assessment Day & tests (oral & written) were the plan for the day. As the clock struck 3 , AROUND 50 children varying from7-14 years hurried into the classroom with the usual ‘May I come in Teacher’ & wearing the uniforms provided by the NGO along with a mischievous smile on the face. The naughty ones immediately began whispering, making noise & were sent to the last bench.Then after a small prayer the written assessment on their Engish & Maths skills began.

I was in-charge of oral assessment along with 3 other volunteers, I had to assesses & grade their abilities based on their listening, speaking & reading skills. The first child I was assigned was Radhika, a bright 13 year old who aspires to become an athlete, her role-model being PT Usha. She also tells her views on how the main problems facing the world is “garbage, smoking & noise pollution” & confidently suggests the solution to these problems along with their ill-effects, she also teaches her younger siblings to read.She got an excellent grade from me. The other children, each different in their way , a small 10 year old girl aptly named Gudiya(doll) was scared of me & had to coaxed by me to speak out. A boy named Arbaaz answered mostly in monosyllables but when it came to talking about cricket his eyes gleamed & began talking excitedly, Yusuf Pathan is his favorite cricketer. Then there was a girl named Poonam who was couldn’t stop smiling & at the beginning was coyly looking at me but later opened up about how she wanted to become a Doctor when she grew big & how she felt sad when her mother shouted at her for not washing the vessels at home. The one common thread was that they all loved to go to school. Some even wanted to know my name & more about me…sooo cute!

While I am always a bit sisterly & playful, with kids around I was surprised that the other two female volunteers yelled as though they meant serious business…..Anyway I returned with a smile on my face which was quite a rare sight when I returned home from my 9 to 5 job.

Where I want to travel to next......

I have had my eye on the beaches of Thailand for quite a while. Thailand has a special place in my heart . After having spent almost one & half year of my life in a small town near Bangkok. Lately I have this strong desire to go there , look around , see how things have changed & meet those warm & friendly people.

There was this very kind childless couple I used to address the lady fondly as ‘Piao’ which by the way means ‘onion’ in my mother tongue. They took great care of me & my sister, as they would of their own.It would be nice to

Chocolate, Cheese & Fantasies

Today I have been a dreamy mood. As I dusted my bookshelf, a book I loved as a kid ‘The Faraway Tree Tales’ bought back some memories in which there was a land where everything was made of chocolates.Was just wondering how it would be living in a house made of dark chocolate (No I am not crazy, just a wishful fantasy!). Yesterdays visit to a local coffee shop, chatting with a buddy sipping over a mug of hot dark chocolate, oozing upto the brim of the mug , with a neat abstract design on the surface,

" An Indian Education "

Remember those good old carefree days, when we with our oiled pig-tails & uniform with checks prints dragged ourselves, almost hunching due to the load on our tiny backs, grudgingly to our classrooms Right from a very young age we are burdened with heavy books in our schools. First we are taught the basics of communication, how to count things……then as we work our way up the ladder , more complex stuff is introduced.

My main question being ‘ How much of this do we apply in our real lives?’ Do we actually utilize any of the stuff we are taught painstakingly by our teachers? Does it help us in living our daily lives?

Just consider a hypothetical situation – You are lost in a very dense forest or marooned on an island. What will help you survive?

History – Who ruled which state? British colonization , Freedom struggle- Naah, I don’t think so.

Math - Area, theorems, Even the simplest geometrical shapes like a square, triangle etc are something you won’t find in a forest. We study everything after simplifying it to such an extent, that it becomes useless.- Naah

Geography- Again learning such a broad overview of different countries we are never even taught anything closer home. I don’t remember ever even studying the map of the city I live in, although I have mugged up the map of Australia for some precious marks.

Science- Ohkay , some of this is relevant & I think useful, but there is lot of redundant stuff as well.

None of the above will help you survive a stint in a forest. If there is a contest of survival between an Literate man v/s Illiterate man who do you think stands a better chance?? In short , in my opinion our compartmentalized education is not so relevant.

Of course it helps in the functioning of our economy, as you get degrees, work in those fancy offices , which make goods & services, you then consume those goods & services, the whole chain works.

Also now after accepting the education system for what it is , another issue I have is – Why should I pick between one group of subjects eg. Why I cant I learn some subjects of my Commerce( Finance) field & Photography or Biology & Analytics ,for instance? These are my areas of interest but our education system makes our mind so one track that someone with diverse interests is not only burdened with unnecessary stuff but also not allowed to pursue their interests. I realize the ‘job market’ is not ready to absorb such individuals as the more uniform these degrees are , the easier it is for them to pick & choose. But it is not that tough , eg – a person who has studied Pharmacy & Accouting, can work in the finance department of a Pharmaceutical Company, also he would be a real asset as he has a complete picture of things.

So I end this post with a hope in my heart that things will change for the next generation at least. Fingers crossed….

The movies i watched recently & liked.

I was just watching the movie titled ‘Cold Mountain’. It is a tragic tale of a lover( an armyman)who turns a deserter to go home to his sweetheart. It was a gory movie & not for the faint-hearted. Tears were streaming down my cheeks for a good 10 mins, it was almost an emotional journey. Nicole Kidman with her resplendent beauty has played her part to perfection & Mr Inman the lead actor( I don’t know his real name) did justice to the role of an on-the-run , very much in love , wounded soldier .

Another movie which I really liked was ‘Before Sunrise’ , it’s a story of two complete strangers who start a engaging conversation on a train while traveling through Europe. They chat about themselves, their views , opinions…(sometimes the chemistry is just so spot on & everything just clicks).The whole story-line is so simplistic. The actors are brilliant & the romance so subtle, almost realistic, nothing loud or in your face about it.

Another genre of movies I like are ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, ‘Deep Impact’ ‘Independence Day’ types, these end-of- the-world scenario tales are gripping.These larger than life movies are a must-watch. Altough the latest 2012 failed to impress. My favourite being ‘Armageddon’ , I have watched it quite a few times & the ending is one of the most touching cinematic moments I have come across , inspite of knowing what to expect it overwhelms you. I challenge anyone to watch it without shedding a tear. Also I like the OST of the movie ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ by Aerosmith, the lyrics of which can be borrowed to woo any girl & a definite winner… ‘Titanic’ another very common favourite also features on my list. Everyone has watched this movie, & nothing is left unsaid.

Just got back from the cinemas , watched an Oscar Best Picture nominated movie titled ‘Black Swan’. It is the story of a obsessive, sexually repressed ballet dancer with an intrusive mother .The performances were top notch. The storyline engaging & the lead actress Natalie Portman pulled you into the movie. Must Watch!

Souls, mysticism & more

Lately I have discovered this mystic side of me which is curious about the inexact ‘sciences’ like astrology, numerology etc. Not that I rely on it ,or read & believe in those daily horoscopes. But I sort of have a feeling there is something in it & not totally gibberish.

I just read my Past life analysis , as re-birth is one of the concepts of Hinduism . It says Our soul remains the same but we obtain different life forms. Some questions which immediately crop up my mind are : What is intriguing is that since the population keeps increasing, & every being has a soul, so does that mean, the soul splits or new ones are generated. Splitting of souls sounds scary (even every Harry Potter fan will associate it with something heinous ) & if new souls are being generated then what is the source? Is there even a thing such a soul or is it only a creation of religious myth? Where does the soul of a living thing go after its physical form perishes? Does it go up flying somewhere in space as most of us picture in our heads? Then through some complicated process are we assigned new physical forms? What is the correlation between a soul & morality- does an immoral act diminish/corrupt the soul?hmmm.....

So anyway my past life analysis reads like this “You were probably born as a human who was a great teacher. You could well have been the person who imparted essential knowledge & wisdom to some of the most famous & legendary names we know today. Even today you are one of those persons who are intellectually superior to others. You are very interested in knowing & exploring new facts & In improving your overall knowledge”.

I can relate to the above analysis. It feels nice to even think of a possibility of having had such an interesting past life. Hope I can go one step higher in this life.

As per numerology my Birth Number is ‘1’ – The Innovator.

“It is associated with new beginnings. You are an original person. You constantly get ideas about doing something new. You are full of positive energy & very ambitious in life. You love to take initiatives & are most likely to assume leadership position. You prefer to be self-reliant & don’t take help of others.”

Again I can associate many of these things with how I go about my life.

But since we are all rational beings & who are thought at every stage of life to see things as black or white, we sometimes miss out on the grays & lighter shades of black. Also since these cannot be proved with evidences, so there will always be this undertone of suspicion.