Hi Everybody,
Hope everybody's doing great!
Wow! can't believe that I vanished for good three months. Well I have been away for 3 weeks in March to Paris, Belgium and to India and trust me this is going to be more of a travel blog this time and to add to it ever since I came back from my vacation, have been on a major travel spree, constantly thinking of where to go next.
So our first stop was at Paris but we didn't get chance to see much of Paris except Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge which were steps away from our hotel. But what I thoroughly enjoyed was our trip to Belgium, rather Ieper, Belgium. Ieper is an ancient city located in the Flemish province of West Flandres in the westhoek region of Belgium. We took the TGV train to Lille Flandres, northern Frances's largest city by far, surprises many visitors with its impressive architecture, the winding streets of its tastefully restored old quarter. At the same time, the city spreads far into the countryside in every direction. The city is now becoming a fashionable place to spend a weekend.
What we saw in Ieper:
Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle): which is situated in the heart of the city on the market place, the Grote Markt. The market square is surrounded by a range of building . Several shops sell the famed Belgian chocolates.
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium: contains the names of 54,896 officers and men from all the overseas British and Commonwealth forces who fell in the Ypres Salient before 16th August, 1917. Names are engraved in Portland stone panels fixed to the inner walls of the Hall. The memorial does not include name of the missing of New Zealand and Newfoundland forces, who are named on separate memorials.
Even though the weather wasn't supportive enough and with young kids, not much was possible, but we had a wonderful time.
Our next stop was our final destination which is India --- my native country. The weather was exactly what we were hoping for. Warm and lots of sunshine. Lots of delicious food and we did get to play the festival of colour meaning "HOLI" which occurs @ that time. In addition to it lots of quality family time, fun n frolic.
Memories that I will cherish forever.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Age as another place!
Hey Folks!
Hope everybody is doing well and in good spirits. I know no excuses work here for me disappearing for good two months when I myself posted blog stating "Strike a Balance". Believe it or not : just have been simply busy, ever since started work time has been a constrain big time. Finally managed and forced myself to get down to blogging.
Often I hear colleagues (including me) at work talking about age and how things change with age, what I mean here is everything right from what one looked like then and now, from being super active to not being able to do much, perception of life, experience and knowledge, getting to know all the ways the world turns etc and thereof a question raises in my mind: A very particularly interesting subject. Is age a passage of time or does it carry with it other transformations that fundamentally change the same way the same individual is viewed? Put another way, does age add an additional lens, one that subtly changes the way human beings are seen and responded to? And if one were to push the question to the limits of reason, does one become someone else in one's older incarnation or does the world see us as someone else as we grow older? Of course, a simple explanation is that it seems so because age is relative to the vantage point of the other person. Hmm a question of mind over matter! I guess.
Therefore leading to the next obvious question: Were our grandparents ever really young? Of course, we have all seen their photographs, those sepia- tinted assertions of their once youth. But it seems as if the people in those photographs are other people, with an admittedly striking faded resemblance to the real ones. Their youth seems to us like a land far, far away and stories about the times when they young have a dreamy, fable- like quality. One doesn't quite locate those stories in the same terrain as one on which we lead our lives. Their youth seems like an aberration or at best, a vehicle for getting them to this point and making them whatever they are today.
I think what happens early on in life is that at a certain stage one stands still and stagnates and every age gets the science it deserves. We also work hard at defanging age by emphasizing its toothlessness, I find it to be an inordinate passion for pleasure though the best is yet to be , the last of life, for which the first was made. Therefore to conclude I would say "There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age" by Sophia Loren.
Happy Sunday to all of you!
Cheers!
Hope everybody is doing well and in good spirits. I know no excuses work here for me disappearing for good two months when I myself posted blog stating "Strike a Balance". Believe it or not : just have been simply busy, ever since started work time has been a constrain big time. Finally managed and forced myself to get down to blogging.
Often I hear colleagues (including me) at work talking about age and how things change with age, what I mean here is everything right from what one looked like then and now, from being super active to not being able to do much, perception of life, experience and knowledge, getting to know all the ways the world turns etc and thereof a question raises in my mind: A very particularly interesting subject. Is age a passage of time or does it carry with it other transformations that fundamentally change the same way the same individual is viewed? Put another way, does age add an additional lens, one that subtly changes the way human beings are seen and responded to? And if one were to push the question to the limits of reason, does one become someone else in one's older incarnation or does the world see us as someone else as we grow older? Of course, a simple explanation is that it seems so because age is relative to the vantage point of the other person. Hmm a question of mind over matter! I guess.
Therefore leading to the next obvious question: Were our grandparents ever really young? Of course, we have all seen their photographs, those sepia- tinted assertions of their once youth. But it seems as if the people in those photographs are other people, with an admittedly striking faded resemblance to the real ones. Their youth seems to us like a land far, far away and stories about the times when they young have a dreamy, fable- like quality. One doesn't quite locate those stories in the same terrain as one on which we lead our lives. Their youth seems like an aberration or at best, a vehicle for getting them to this point and making them whatever they are today.
I think what happens early on in life is that at a certain stage one stands still and stagnates and every age gets the science it deserves. We also work hard at defanging age by emphasizing its toothlessness, I find it to be an inordinate passion for pleasure though the best is yet to be , the last of life, for which the first was made. Therefore to conclude I would say "There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age" by Sophia Loren.
Happy Sunday to all of you!
Cheers!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Delicious Autumn!
Personification of Autumn 
Autumn LeavesFolks "Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"
- Humber Wolves
True that the bright summer days are now over, green leaves will all soon be gone, fresh landscapes are turning golden and you feel the bone structure of landscapes ( I call it the "stick season")- Now the frost is in the air, there is color everywhere - the superb color effects from August - November. I guess that's the charm of the season, needless to say every season has its charm. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds are as crisp as autumn air, a mellower season overall. A feeling of unexpected sharpness - a swift elation. It is that time of the year where we see ripeness, color and time of maturity. Looks like the season of Autumn is more reasonable and serious, it glows moderately, and not frivolously. Reminds me of a quotation of Glen Wolff and Jerry Dennis which goes like this "Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. The season comes full with the first frost, the disappearance of migrant birds, and the harvesting of the season's last crops". Wow! wonder how nature is all profligate! and autumn is at its best of cheer.
The word "autumn" comes from the Old French word "autompne" which became common in the 16th century. In popular culture autumn's association is with the transition from warm to cold weather, and its related status as the season of the primary harvest. The predominant mood of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the earth mixed with a certain melancholy linked to the imminent arrival of the harsh weather.
So "..for those whose favorite season is autumn with its days of cloudless sky, of spacious and clear, far-flung panoramas --- those who view nature with detachment, for whom nature's appeal is primarily pictorial, classicists as opposed to romanticist, perhaps. On such a day, one is usually excited, physically exhilarated, mentally stimulated. Only not much is left for the imagination." Charlton Ogburn Jr.
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"
- Humber Wolves
True that the bright summer days are now over, green leaves will all soon be gone, fresh landscapes are turning golden and you feel the bone structure of landscapes ( I call it the "stick season")- Now the frost is in the air, there is color everywhere - the superb color effects from August - November. I guess that's the charm of the season, needless to say every season has its charm. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds are as crisp as autumn air, a mellower season overall. A feeling of unexpected sharpness - a swift elation. It is that time of the year where we see ripeness, color and time of maturity. Looks like the season of Autumn is more reasonable and serious, it glows moderately, and not frivolously. Reminds me of a quotation of Glen Wolff and Jerry Dennis which goes like this "Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. The season comes full with the first frost, the disappearance of migrant birds, and the harvesting of the season's last crops". Wow! wonder how nature is all profligate! and autumn is at its best of cheer.
The word "autumn" comes from the Old French word "autompne" which became common in the 16th century. In popular culture autumn's association is with the transition from warm to cold weather, and its related status as the season of the primary harvest. The predominant mood of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the earth mixed with a certain melancholy linked to the imminent arrival of the harsh weather.
So "..for those whose favorite season is autumn with its days of cloudless sky, of spacious and clear, far-flung panoramas --- those who view nature with detachment, for whom nature's appeal is primarily pictorial, classicists as opposed to romanticist, perhaps. On such a day, one is usually excited, physically exhilarated, mentally stimulated. Only not much is left for the imagination." Charlton Ogburn Jr.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Goodness of fathers
I know "Father's Day" is long gone but at this moment I'm strongly thinking about my dad and his virtues. Its a feeling of unveiling a new dimension to your relationship with your father. I just owe almost everything to my dad. And you realize this even more when you grow up, leave him to start an entirely new chapter in your life - its only then that you can measure the greatness and fully appreciate it. "Pride reinforces love". Someone who was always striving to make me a little woman. Line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to me. My dad or should I say all Father's: a role model who gives the gifts of guidance and wisdom while learning how to stretch his ability to love beyond what he knew was possible. A relationship which is like a brief nuggets of gold describing the tremendous influence of a father upon his children. Particularly they convey the importance of a loving spirit and how mutually beneficial a father-child relationship is. Through the years we must be wiling to learn much more from our children, to grow with them, and give them the unconditional love and support needed to foster their trust and courage and sense of personal responsibility.
"Dad you made a huge difference in my life and in profound ways and you've build an unconditional and unbreakable connection which cannot be unmade" is what I convey to my dad. I think fatherly influence reaches many parts of a child's life. They show ways to navigate the world outside the family, are role models of independence and competency, and are a moral anchor. Its a unique and powerful contribution.
On that note I would conclude with this one liner "Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever" Author Unknown
"Dad you made a huge difference in my life and in profound ways and you've build an unconditional and unbreakable connection which cannot be unmade" is what I convey to my dad. I think fatherly influence reaches many parts of a child's life. They show ways to navigate the world outside the family, are role models of independence and competency, and are a moral anchor. Its a unique and powerful contribution.
On that note I would conclude with this one liner "Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever" Author Unknown
Friday, September 5, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Dream On
This often happens to me and to everybody else of course...a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep...a state of mind characterized by abstraction and release from reality.....something wonderful!....Yes I'm talking about "Dreams".....though the content and purpose of dreams is not fully understood....however they can link to actual sensations, and for some it can be concluded as the "real world" could be or is an illusion...but the recall of dreams is extremely unreliable. Dreams are so compelling, and they often seem so weird and strange- surely they must have a "purpose" in the maintenance of our psychological health.
We are all thinking creatures and thinking is a valuable adaptation but this doesn't mean that dreams have no meaning or that they make no sense. To the contrary dreams correlate with age, gender and personal preoccupations. Furthermore, they are very "revealing" of what is in our minds. And yes dreams have their "Uses". In more technical terms, dreams have an "emergent" function that develops through culture. Dreams let you process "unfinished business" from your daily life, as well as providing recreation and a creative outlet. No effort is required here, but you only get the minimum benefit. It's like appreciating the beauty of the ocean without realizing its immense depth or the boggling variety of ecosystems it supports, or, its formative role in earth, all of which are just waiting to be explored.
Regardless of what I say "the best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is a reality, and it really happened"
On that note "Happy Long Weekend" Folks!
We are all thinking creatures and thinking is a valuable adaptation but this doesn't mean that dreams have no meaning or that they make no sense. To the contrary dreams correlate with age, gender and personal preoccupations. Furthermore, they are very "revealing" of what is in our minds. And yes dreams have their "Uses". In more technical terms, dreams have an "emergent" function that develops through culture. Dreams let you process "unfinished business" from your daily life, as well as providing recreation and a creative outlet. No effort is required here, but you only get the minimum benefit. It's like appreciating the beauty of the ocean without realizing its immense depth or the boggling variety of ecosystems it supports, or, its formative role in earth, all of which are just waiting to be explored.
Regardless of what I say "the best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is a reality, and it really happened"
On that note "Happy Long Weekend" Folks!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Addiction to Possessiveness!
Relationships of all kinds are like sand held in your hands. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold on to some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. This always made me pause and reflect. In our attempts to discover and reinvent life, many have been tugged by this emotion of possessiveness sometime. And to add to it there are certain lessons and learnings in life, that demand conscious effort from our side to put them to practice. Difficult to internalize, but awareness always helps in defining our perspective.
Possessiveness either chokes or a more serious outcome would be branching out into other disturbing elements like embroilment thereby contributing in compounding the existing pressures. It is a pretty hard task to be pliable with possessiveness for a long time as it may give in for eruption of the bottled up grievances at an unguarded moment. When life presents many challenges the desire to control can seem natural. There is the illusion that if we control events, ourselves and others we will be successful and secure. Unfortunately the opposite is true. The tighter we grip, hold on, the more out of control we become. Especially in relationships where people feel vulnerable, emotions are high and a great deal is at stake, the wish to control arises. Possessiveness often intensifies.
Therefore according to Osho "Why be possessive? The possessiveness shows simply one thing - that you cannot trust existence. You have to arrange separate security for yourself, safety for yourself"
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