Doing what others do will often blindfold you...follow what your heart says and life will be beautiful....

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Imagination

Imagination and expectation ever in competition with each other. Others imagine more for us than we do. Others expect too, far more than what we would comfortably want. What is this with others? Look within and you will find so much that you need to imagine about yourself, expect from yourself.

Be concerned and worry on that. Or is it that when you do that with others you indeed accept your own deficiencies and shortcomings. I would imagine so and honestly expect that too. So my imagination and expectation are in place...hehe! :P


What a sad life they must lead that live off the lives of others. Searching, craving, manipulating, constructing,  engineering, exploiting...and so many other unmentionable adjectives, just so one could discomfort the other, in order to bring comfort to themselves!!

Monday 25 April 2011

“Memories are very confusing...they make you laugh when you remember the time you cried together...But make you cry when you remember the time you laughed together...

“We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.”

“A man was walking on a shaking bridge. He prayed for help.. he saw God on the other side of the bridge and asked God to come near, but God did’nt come. Man got angry. With great difficulty he crossed to the other side and saw God holding the broken bridge ! Trust HIM. HIS ways are amazing!!”

“The moment you think of giving up, think of a reason why you held so long.. Do or die is an old saying … do it before you die is the new one..!!”

“Small minds talk about things. Average minds talk about business. Great minds talk about growth. But.. champions never talk .. they just perform and the world talks !!”

Saturday 23 April 2011

Slowly but surely the tenor of speech in the medium of social networking is taking on a character of its own. When it began it was looked upon by the purists as an invasion upon a territory that they seemed to rule over. For ages the writer or the person from the estate was the considered voice. A voice that informed, analyzed, brought notice to, had opinion had detail and had believability. It was the ‘newspaper’ ! A metaphor for all that needed confirmation.

" Did you know that there was an explosion in the city and many got injured? Read it in the morning papers!”

And so on. It had its importance and value and presence. It was an integral part of our social existence. It still is, I believe. It has become synonymous with all mornings, irrespective of Google and the Net. Only now there are alternatives. Several of them. There is a choice much greater than what was. And that choice is the variants available on the internet, the wire, the wireless. And this I believe has made the issue more liberal, democratic and society friendly. The right of securing information does not just lie with the traditional spreadsheet, there are buttons at your command that provide similar results. And these results are devoid of any deliberate opinion making by another. These are your own individual thoughts. There were opportunities to express them earlier too, but not, I believe as independent as they are now.

Initially when the blog began there were severe apprehensions from the estate. For the first time ever their indulgence was bearing the onslaught of being questioned. Or in some cases, named. This was not what they had ever expected. It was anathema to them. For those that had served their entire professional careers in commenting on daily affairs of the world, were now in the opposite side of the fence. They were being commented upon and they just did not like it. No one would, in their situation. Some retaliated and countered back through the medium that they controlled. Some expressed anger and others fear. Fear not of being written about, but just the discomfort of being righted when all along they had only dealt with those that had wronged.

Many things then begin to happen simultaneously. When they could not beat the invention they decided to join it. Now you have both options. The paper and the net. And it is not always that there would be a difference. Both were interchangeable. One borrowed from the other. Write on one, get written in print on the other and vice versa. And the beauty is that both are equally powerful for their masters.
What to me seems a problem is the fact that those that are individuals and who have been expressing themselves independently, do not have the circulation that the standard media has, and therefore have a limited reach; as opposed to the vast distribution of the other. But with time and spread, the medium of independent expression has been recognized. ironically by the same estate that opposed it. Views expressed individually on a medium that has portents of belonging only to party A, have the strong ability to be picked up by the traditional and expressed through the strength of their medium to parties ABCD…And because theirs is a much stronger institution, the belief factor is stronger than that of the ‘new kid on the block’.

The ‘new kids on the block’ having realized the potential of their strengths, have mastered the art of how best such a situation can be exploited, and have shifted a few gears to be in a superior position.

Friday 22 April 2011

I miss you Mommy!

 
A Silent Roar

The moon, the stars, the sun, the sea and the shore
Everything is here but my mommy, she’s not here anymore
Blessed I was once, happy and content in our family of four
But today, I stand here, waiting for her to come through the heavens door

Mommy must have cried, for so soon she did not want to go
A plea, a plight in her starry eyes, as if there was something she wanted me to know
Her heart must have ached, her body must have been sore
Among the norm of nature and a mother’s cry, death hailed fore

Pretty face, beautiful heart, she’s the one I used to adore
Forlornly, I could not ever tell her this before
For I was immature, irresponsibility was what I always wore
And it all died down, when I saw her, lying breathless on the floor
Without her, my life is always but a war
Fighting within everyday with my hearts silent roar

-Arshritha

Thursday 21 April 2011

Sometimes, a mother’s worth is only recognized after she leaves for heaven…Fortunate are the ones who are blessed to have their mothers by their side….for those who don’t have a mother, know what it feels like to live a life without them…Mothers do so much for us…they sacrifice their happiness to give us a decent life…from the day you were born till today, your safety is all that is in her heart...many people take their mothers concern in a negative way and would ask for privacy…that is wrong…when for the first time, you uttered a word in a wobbly language, your mother was the one who understood what you were trying to say…and when you were a child…probably aged between 4 to 12…you asked millions of questions that did not make sense to anyone else but your mother...your inquisitiveness did not bother her and she told you the right from wrong on uncountable times…then how come now, when you are at an age where you think you know everything, assume that your mother bugs you by asking where you have been or what did you do all day? It’s not impractical but concerning questions that can come only from a mother.  don’t forget that her womb was your first home…you can never ask for ‘privacy’ from someone who’s a part of you….it’s her flesh and blood that is running in you. Love her and give her the respect that she deserves… 

We only have One Mom, One Mommy, the one who gave us a priceless gift….a gift called life…

So if you are blessed to have your mommy with you, come out of your laziness….get off your chair/bed and go hug her right now…for the sake of all that she has done and gone through for you….a random hug from her child will bring a bright smile on her face….glitter in her eyes and it will ease all her pain :) For girls who are married and miss their mommy, go call her or text her….send her beautiful cards reminding her how much you love and care for her…thank her for making you what you are today….and for others like me whose mommy is in heaven, lets bow down and pray for her peacefulness :) they can feel our happiness and sorrows…they laugh and cry with us…and will always be there for us….u’ll feel her near you all the time…it’s a different story that we wont be able to see her beautiful face again…wont be able to feel her tender touch again…but atleast we can keep her in our memory…and never do things that she would not want us to do…atleast I would not…that’s a daughter’s promise to her mommy! 


Wednesday 20 April 2011

I was wondering, what if I a posted this blog in a sleep induced condition? The mind is a very versatile object in us, and has reason to surprise us often with its thinking process. It would be wonderful to share what an unprotected mind would convey, for, in most of our living and conscious existence, the mind has always been in a state of cautious expression; barring a few unique examples of humanhood.


So… if on one of these fine days you were to come across an entire post which was never apologetic about its content, you would and should be able to guess how and where it was coming from :P

It is a difficult task to undergo, but one I know shall be an instant hit because of its inconsolable content. Most ventures that possess such traits, are, generally successful hits. The irony and reality of life. The trick there would be to allow the mind to rest in between the task. I have noticed that when the flow of the writing is rapid and continuous, there is very little chance that sleep shall get induced. Its when you stop to think and ponder that the mind wanders. And because the mind works at a good hundred times faster than a chip in the computer, we are straddled with a million thoughts, each clamoring to come out with gusto and effect. That is when we go astray. That is what I would love to read, even though it emantes from the same system that decoded it. Fascinating is it not!!

So you see even at 1.10 in the morning the brain is willing to conjure up such thoughts and bring it to practice. And having said that I think I have spoken too soon, because the black squares in front of me and my eyes are suddenly going into multiple images.

It's time to sleep...goodnight folks!

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Does ever an anguished mind conform to regularity. Or a regular be of anguish. Of course! Try the both and see that there exists but little vacuum between the forms. The mind was made to think for itself, at times. Most of it has gone in assimilating what the other has to form. Not much of a bad habit though. It helps when there is a clutter, a cobweb, a crowded street, an over filled home or facility. All are capable of clearance, to guide and file through, to where we would want to in the first place. But once done, it sends within a lesson which is desired to be taught to the other. Some take it, some do not.

At times it is of consequence to pen down that which can perhaps make sense to one alone. Specifics shall dilute the essence of its first breathe. When I breathe, I need to breathe my own air. An air which seems to me to be of substance, of some form which conforms.

I can get taken up by influences that could convert. Better then to trust inside. More personal, committed, and free of pollution. Is it wrong then to commit myself to that which is of no control. Perhaps. But when it is of the personal, then how else do we allow it to wander away.
It is not known, where why fore prevails,
Some days be such, of uncertain entails.
Hark ! the clouded mind thinks through,
Ponder did I not, till the other withdrew.
Be of fear be of guilt be of deepest apprehension,
What will shall will, be distant from friction.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

The Evolution of Facebook

Ah, the good old days.  Facebook’s beautiful original layout was first seen in 2005. It was crisp, blue, simple and innocent.

It was exclusive – for college students only. Many first discovered Facebook through an email blast at their school. Whoever pitched Facebook to every single school did a great job. They made it feel exclusive, safe and in the best interest of colleges. When, in reality, it was just the first step in Facebook’s plan to dominate the web. What target was easier than penetrating the clueless market of accademia where the decision-maker hardly knew what the internet was.

2.0

This layout was called “The Facebook” layout because of its title, “The Facebook.” Facebook didn’t yet own the domain for “Facebook,” and thus stuck with the term “TheFacebook.com” for a while. This was a very fun phase and life-form in Facebook’s history. The colleges were sending out invites, Facebook was growing rapidly, and Mark Zuckerberg was settling into his fresh, new home in Palo Alto.

In this phase, Facebook still centered on writing messages to others and communicating with friends. Applications were not yet rampant, and thus the experience was peaceful, fun and becoming more and more useful.

 3.0

2006 marked a year of growth, organization and discovery of Facebook’s layout. The developers at Facebook began to brainstorm how they could add to the Facebook experience. They layout was changed around, the profile information was better organized, and the events section, which was known as “parties,” began to expand and grow. Facebook was gaining its foothold and establishing its base as a premier social network.

4.0

The year 2007 marked Facebook’s first real expansion into becoming a platform; not just a place to communicate, but a platform to interact. This was the era when your wall became a central component for your social life. Your profile contained some apps, pokes, pictures and social components that made it fun to spend ridiculous amounts of time on the website.





5.0

2008 marked the dawn of the activity feed. The wall became not just a profile-specific point of sharing (i.e. learning news from one’s profile), but a universal point of sharing within Facebook’s network. Friends comment on one another’s photos, poked one another, started to write updates on their own wall, and began to interact with their friends in entirely new ways–ways that other social networks could never dream of. Facebook pulled the right levers in making Facebook a more addicting experience and rolled out plans for social network domination.

6.0

2009 was the biggest shake-up and uproar ever experienced within the realm of Facebook’s layout change. In this change, the Facebook Platform was at its zenith. Developers were flocking to develop addicting games in order to be the next Farmville or Mafia Wars.

The news feed became prominent, and at first, hated. After glancing at Twitter’s knack for sharing little details about one’s life, Facebook decided to do the same. The news feed provided a way for people to share details about themselves without having to point that piece of comment at a specific friend (that is, writing on the friends wall). The inception of the like button, the share button, fan pages and more interactive ads makes the 2009 version of Facebook its most compelling, innovative and feature-iffic redesign to date.

6.1

In this year, Facebook also unveiled a provocative, experimental and interesting layout of its Facebook platform called, “Facebook Lite.” Facebook Lite’s layout revolved around simplicity, speed and ease of use.

Facebook initially released this for the countries that do not have the profound technical infrastructure to support Facebook’s recent robust layout that they currently wield. In order to appease this, Facebook Lite became the preferred, vast and fantastically innovative solution.

Today, Facebook Lite does not exist in the U.S. It was a fun experiment, but served as a short-term plug for the countries that were catching up from a technical stand-point.


7.0

The year 2010 marks the most functional and professional Facebook layout to date. The focus now centers on using Facebook as a messenger service, a search service, chat service, events service and news-feed interactivity service. Facebook slowly has moved into the realm of making one’s data more transparent and public, which has caused an uproar; yet, they’ve given users the tools to allow them to select or deselect what and with whom they would like to share their data.

Ref: http://facebooklayout.com/blog/a-look-at-the-changing-layouts-of-facebook/

Tuesday 5 April 2011

5th April, 2011......Day of Festivals =)

Hearty Gudi Padwa greetings to all those that celebrate it in the State of Maharashtra. Wishes and prosperity for the festival of Ugadi to those that reside in Andhra and Karnataka. Happy Navreh Poshte to those from Kashmir and happy Navratra and new year according to the Hindu calendar for the year 2068!

India is such a diverse and unique country, and in this largest democracy of the world, in this land with almost 22 prominent languages and around 10 practicing and vibrant religions, we welcome the celebration of festival with equal fervor and dignity of all. May all your troubles be behind you, may there be the joy and enthusiasm of the fresh harvest, may the advent of the summer be of value - the poila baisakh - and may peace togetherness and love prevail ever!

Some divine justice seems to have been working in the timing of all these events and religious sentiments. I am certain that in other parts of the world too there must be certain rituals for this time of the year. This homogenous attribute is the legacy of the human race, a race that was created to be one and to be together. But look how caste, creed, color, religion has distanced us from each other. Created boundaries that have remained insurmountable and divisions that have been the cause of painful separation. And look how desperately we seek each other to remain together and one, and on discovering our own attributes find that in the truest sense the distance was never too large to traverse, or the boundary too large to cross.

I marvel at the compassion that we bear towards each other here on this platform. I marvel at the concern, affection and care that we extend to those that have for the most part remained unknown elements. I marvel how individuals unknown become known. This is true comradeship and no, not in the communistic manner, but in its desire for holding and bearing for the other. This is remarkable and may it ever remain so!

The topic of discussion and comment has not diverted itself from the victory of the final game on the World Cup cricket. And though the streets in India are no longer jammed with enthusiastic revelry, the minds are. Many among the players that brought us glory express similar sentiment. It still has not sunk in. And really they have very little time on their hands for it to do so, for, in another couple of days all those that participated for their country, shall now be pushing their energies and allegiance to their respective teams in the IPL, about to start on the 8th of this month! Those against the other shall now be playing for each other in the same team! And shall be fighting with equal vigor and commitment for their side, as they did for the WC'11. This is such a bizarre situation. How soon sentiments shall shift from national to personal teams representing different regions of the country. Rivals for the past month, team mates for the next.

And the fans and the followers and the supporters. What of them? How quickly they shall have to change their minds and thoughts too - rooting for those they wanted to win, now against them. Cricket is a funny business indeed!

A prominent author and thinker on a public platform admitted that sport and film were the two most fertile ingredients in bringing a nation together. Nothing could be truer. They always were and shall always be, a unifier!

Adieuz!

Monday 4 April 2011

Super Monday

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present"

A day spent well in the name of "Procrastinating". I have been procrastinating for way too long. Need to compile the Module file before the end of the month but am still sitting on the first few pages. Guess I need some motivation pills :D

I miss the days when my mommy used to wake me up early in the morning [weekdays] to study and complete my homework. After much nagging, I wake up at 4.30am. My first duty was to switch off the alarm and open all the windows, main door and back door of the house. Then mommy used to make me a hot cup of ovaltine. Along with some fruits. I munched on and studied for about an hour. And then had shower, packed my bag, and got ready for school. Mommy always reminded me that breakfast is very important for our health, and I kept on saying that I will eat during recess. Which I never did by the way. My recess was mostly spent roaming around with friends, with a bottle of coke in hand.

Beautiful memories of childhood often come as a reminder of how beautiful life is when we are kids. No committments, no responsibilities of any sort...and we don't even get blamed for anything. Ah! the innocence of a kid! Memories...our only treasure that has guaranteed safety.

I can still hear 'Chakde India' playing everywhere including my mind. Still celebrating India's victory which has become a popular topic on twitter as well. Sharing things with people with similar interests is a fun way to interact. That way atleast, there is no conversation that starts with 'hi how are you' which is the most boring conversation.

Moving on...I think I gave my hubby a bit too high dose of caffeine today. Lots of work was pending for him and he was already loving the comfort of our bed at 7pm. Therefore, coffee was the only friend we could rely on. My "apparently smart" mind thought that one teaspoon might not be enough, so.....I put 3tsp. One can only imagine what happened after that..As I type this blog, he is singing "Man balwan" song....which let me tell u, he has been singing ever since Dabangg played on TV 8 hours ago. To add the cream on the already sweet cake, mum gave him a glass of coke....I have already started to google "How to make someone feel sleepy".


No rain today, will wait for it tomorrow :)

Adieuz!

Sunday 3 April 2011

Post Cricket World Cup Experience

I discontinued blogging for personal reasons. Can't remember the password to my old blog so starting anew from today. Happy reading folks. Sorry I have disabled comments for some countries for personal reasons again, but u can always send me a mail. Tada!

What a day! Yesterday!! What a moment! The spirits and the excitement and the out pouring of emotion and love and ecstasy! 11 men in blue wearing the National colors, chasing a white round object and whacking it around a boundaried periphery brought an entire nation to a stop!

This moment and this day shall remain etched forever in our thoughts!
Defeats and victories have been an integral part of the psyche of mankind from the day the universe was created. The desire to compete, to win over the other, to prove who is the stronger, the faster, the higher, the more accomplished has been a human phenomena, a phenomena that was installed within us by the maker, or for those that do not believe in makers, by nature! Most of mankind’s issues have been governed by the tenets of this psyche.

So my most favorite match [cricket world cup] has finally come to an end with India bringing the Cup back home after 28 years. It felt great waking up late nights watching those matches live. There's something about cricket. Some find it boring, but for me, it's never monotonous. I get rather patriotic when India's playing. I had a strong feeling India's going to win this cup. Not because I am a proud Indian (which ofcourse I am by the way) but because the Team wanted to do this for Sachin Tendulkar. This match marks Sachin's retirement from Cricket and Team India has done everything in their hands (rather bats) to win this match. MS Dhoni came as the man of the match when he gave us a sixer in the last few overs of the game. It was truely a proud moment for all of us and I still feel the goosebumps when I go back to that night''s match. Eating mandarins with super hot green chillies, screaming on top of our voice cheering for the team, shouting at the TV when the reception starts playing up, everything is so so memorable. Pakistan and Sri Lanka were true players as well. Alfridi, the captain of Pakistan's Team brought tears in my eyes when he said sorry to his nation. And Sri Lanka made the finals more interesting by doing the batting first. Both the games were intense and last minutes only decided the fate of the teams. MS Dhoni was carrying Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after they had won the match. That was also a very senti moment. Tears of pride rolling down my cheeks. So badly wish i was in India right now. Its sure nothing less than Diwali for us Indians. Victory over Pakistan in semi-finals was our Dusshera and winning the match obviously means Diwali for us! :)





Image Credit: http://www.cricketworld.com/cricket-photos/

My favorite cricket song for CWC'11 - Chakde India and De ghumake
My favorite cheer line: Unhoni ko honi karde honi ko unhoni, ek jagha jab jama ho teeno...rajni, ghajini and dhoni (rajnikant and amir khan [among with other celebs] were also at the wankhede stadium in mumbai, watching the match).

Team India, you have made us all proud. Jai Hind, Vande Mataram.

Adeu