Unplugging the Phobia...

These grueling contemplations

Fetch me nothing but trouble!

Still, they cram my hours

With their ‘would be –actions’ for future!

I can see everything in RED

And I know you have to confront the worst!

I can see the whole mess,

As if in a nightmare,

More painful is to perceive

You as a 'mental captive' there!

I can only show my concern,

And keep reminding the aftermath,

Or keep watching what is to follow,

And, be grief-stricken all the while from now!

Precautions are always healthier

Than trying to cure it later!

But, if you are ready to take a plunge there,

Nothing in the whole world could ever save you!

“Throw it off!” I scream,

But, it falls on deaf ears!

Yup, it can be a puzzling thought

A fear from down the mind!

Can it be ever won?

Can I cross this ocean without fear?

Is the life-size question here!

What you need is inspiration and an ignition

Of that fire in you

With all the confidence in the world!

Yup, a plan well-laid out,

A vision well –seen,

With all the willingness,

From your heart and soul,

It can be won at any cost!

Be not in a troubled state of mind,

Nor get drowned in the pool of destructive notions,

Just step out, be bold enough to say

“I wanna do it and I WILL”!

Phobias never help you win any battle,

And, there is nothing like ‘courage’ to face it!

The Light at the end of the Tunnel

After each hibernation, I come here making a resolution – to keep the blog alive. But, the so-called duties of life are keeping me away from this ‘once-upon-a-time’ much loved my space on the web! My blog tells me that the last time I came here was 17th April- so that means my hibernation was looooooooooooooooong!

Nothing much had been happening. Absolutely tired and sick of what had been happening too! There wasn’t an ounce of ‘enthu’ that could at least drag me here!!! I had closed the windows to my soul and it was hindering my activities. This was something I had never done before! 

A quick question!

What happens to you when a foreign particle goes into your eyes?

You feel annoyed, irritated, uneasy or sometimes even ANGRY! Your vision gets blurred. Somehow, you want to get rid of that particle and get back to your normal state. 

Would it be better to rub or meddle with eyes? 

Definitely not! It will only make things worse!!!!!!

Splash water gently and get rid of the unwanted thing!

Is not the same with our crises too?

For quite sometime, it was the same feeling that I had! It was as if some foreign particle had entered my system! I am trying to get rid of it! 

There may be a million things to  crib about, but is there any use? I am trying to open the windows of my soul which I had closed for a while! I am trying to see if there is that light at the end of the tunnel! Yup, am seeing it, or it is just my wish that I see there! Let Time tell me!

Today!

Today was a WEIRD day! I am not sure if the adjective used is apt here. 

We are marching towards the vacation and that thought brings in some joy. But it is also a time when many changes happen, some are good, some are bad, but that is life, a mixture of all these!

So, happenings from today! That too was a mixture!

#1

So from today, Reena is no longer a colleague. I came to know her as a colleague and then we became good friends. I would surely miss her pranks, and my comments that irritate her. But there is no ‘Bye’ that would come out from both of us! The thought that she has left is a little painful and I would miss her at work! 

#2

This was an awesome one. Gauri has been showing great interest in books these days and I saw into that I could do everything to get him stuck in the wonderful world of reading. Last week I got him a set of Hindi stories too, but he wasn’t that attracted to those. Today when I met his Hindi Sir, I casually mentioned about it. What happened after this was amazing! Just after 5 minutes, Sir came to me and handed me a small piece of paper and said, “Give it to Gauri, Miss!” I opened it and what I found made me sooo happy. It was a small letter to Gauri!

Hello Gauri, 

How are you? I miss you so much. Hope you are enjoying your holidays. I have a request to you. If you like your Thomas Sir so much and if you want to be a good boy always, then read the books that your mom has given you. I will listen to your stories once you are back at school. Please read and enjoy! Keep Smiling. Thomas Sir

I guess I don’t have to tell what happened when I gave this note to Gauri! Surely, we need more teachers like him! Hats off! Admiration won by one’s actions is more valuable than a thousand words spoken! No wonder, he is a hero for his students!

#3

My musings! The day has been weird as I had mentioned, and my musings too. Robert Frost ‘s poem “The Road not taken” trapped my mind for a while. It is one of my personal favourites. A few lines kept haunting me. Yeah, it sounded absolutely wonderful! Some paths in life cannot be retreaded and it would be futile to look back and regret. Things would never be the same. It is so damn true! 

That's enough for this weird day!

Movie Time

After a long time, I got to watch an Anthikad movie - Oru Indian Pranaya Kadha. Though I was not really for a movie today, it helped me revive a bit. Anthikad is always known to come out with themes connected with ordinary lives and this too takes the same track. It gives a strong and worthwhile message to people who miss out on the little things in life, owing to their march towards power and other comforts in life! What they lose is only known, only when it is too late. Unfortunately, the transformation that happens to the protagonist happens only in movies, not in real life! A pity! It is always a pain to open the inner eye, for most people!And it is the most painful thing to realise!

And, Thanks to Vani for the share! Wished you were here for the watch!

That's Life...

That's Life!
We yearn
We dream
With a heart full of hope
With a mind full of patience
But Life has its way of telling us
"Some things are never meant to be!"

Blindness has captured the world,
'Abstract' is never felt,
'Concrete' is loved.

Let a dream be a dream
Why spoil its beauty
Trying to realise it?
"Some things are never meant to be!"

Happiness is having loads of 'Chakka'

For the first time in my life, I 'bought' a jack fruit!!!!!! 

In Kerala, it is available in plenty and one doesn't have to really buy. Come summer, and you will get it from someone or the other, even if you don't have your own jack fruit tree! Anyway, I bought one today!  My evening was completely dedicated to this fruit which looks complex on the outer, but is sweet when you go deep into it. It is a tough task to cut and take out the fruits, all alone, but it is surely worth the time and effort put in...

Yummmmmmmooooo!

In Tamil Nadu, most people just enjoy it as a fruit, the raw ones are not used in any form. In Kerala, we make a variety of dishes with jack fruit. Chakka puzhukku, chakka avial, chakka payasam, chakka varattiyathu are a few to mention!

The soft pith is great for poriyal and is one good ingredient for avial

That is not all, the seeds are used to make poriyal (thoran) and stir fry.

Chakka chips are also one great snack! On the whole, everything about the chakka can tickle the taste buds, and I just love it! Looking forward to enjoying more of this fruit during my vacation in God's own country!

Richard Parker

The ones who have read 'Life of Pi' will never forget the way Richard Parker is introduced! Nor will we forget how he got his name! We never get the slightest thought that Parker is a tiger! After watching Pi, Gauri and I had an interesting conversation this weekend. 

Gauri: Amma, Tiger is a ferocious animal, rt?

Me: Yeah , Of Course!

Gauri: But, did you notice how Richard Parker behaved well with Pi? Ain't that a bit difficult to take as real?

Me: Did you really notice that Richard Parker was ferocious when they started the voyage and then turned mild as the the voyage progressed?

Gauri: Hmmm...

Me: Can you say why?

Gauri: Yeah, Pi was taking care of him, gave him food and they co-operated well!

Me: Great! So what is the moral of the story?

Gauri: If I obey what you say, you will also obey what I say!!!!!

Me: Grrr!

A Lovely Evening with Gita

Gita is relevant, today! That is what he tried to put across very gracefully. 

Just back from a talk on Gita and its relevance today and how clearing our ignorance will lead us to joyous living. The Chinamaya Head, who is in Pondy right now, will be giving this talk for the next four days. Thanks to Mrs. Gaitri, who gave me this wonderful opportunity of listening to this man of wisdom. 

Today was just the intro day, still what he said lingers. Most of which was said are facts we have come across several times in life, but never paid attention to. 

A few questions that he put across:-\

We all shop, from Needles to Limousines....what do we look for in a product that we buy? Quality of the Product. Of course, quality is always in our mind when we are ready to spend money on something. We look for all the ways to get info about the product, ask around and ensure that we buy the best product available in market, for that particular price. Of course! Then came his question! How many of us are bothered so much about the quality of our mind, the quality of our life or the quality of our love? Do we pay so much attention to these???????? Of Course, No would be the answer! Why do we value only when money is involved? Isn't Life more important than that?

Another one! We are all confident when we dress up well. We are so much bothered about the way we look, but what about our outlook on life? 

It was really nice listening to him. A simple, graceful man ! Looking forward to hearing more from him....

Disturbed!

I waded in again,
Hadn't planned it, though!
The day had been good,
Without many hiccups!
Just dropping my musings,
That crossed my mind today!
The more I look around
What is it that I find the more!
It sure is a selfish world,
And, selfishness rules the world!
In the pool of selfishness,
Some poor souls get trapped tight!
Just one query props up,
What is the use of this in life?

Irony....

Holmes was one such for me!!! 

Of late, Eliza Doolittle and Prof.Higgins too!

Hey! What’s common? Though fictional characters, quite often, I take them real! 

Okie! What makes me come here today??? Is it the pretty Eliza? Is it the highly egoistic, chronic bachelor Prof.Higgins? 

Nope! Then what? Their words!

This week, I was completely into a movie, “My Fair Lady” with the higher graders. Though it is the umpteenth time I am watching it, I observe that I enjoy it every time I watch it with the kids! Audery Hepburn and Rex Harrison are living, not acting as Eliza and Prof.Higgins! I don’t intend to make a movie review here; that is for my students.

As I sit here, looking for words to flow out from me, Eliza’s words ring in my ears! “I need a little kindness; I know I am a common flower girl, an ignorant flower girl. I know you are a highly educated person, a great phonetician. I know there is a big difference between the likes of you and the likes of me! But, I am not the dirt under your feet!”

Those who have watched the movie would know why Eliza comes up with such words! Yeah, those words make me think too! Eliza comes to Higgins with the hope of becoming “more genteel”, and of course; Higgins was successful in making a lady out of a common flower girl. 

Prof.Higgins – an expert phonetician spends his days in and days out with the science of speech. Rather can I say, with the use of tongue, as Phonetics is all about the use of TONGUE? Yeah, he plays with the ‘Tongue’! Though he corrects and refines Eliza, he doesn’t bother to correct his tongue! He is simply fascinated by people who can talk good English, but doesn't bother about how gentle his words must be! 

Tongue -The softest organ in the body, it doesn’t have a bone either! The irony here is that from the softest organ in the body, the hardest, the unkindest and the most hurtful words flow out! Irony indeed! 

Back to the movie! If you have not watched it yet, here is the link - You are in for a great time with Eliza and Higgins, a perfect amalagamation of wit and sarcasm!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVMqx9mVUc

Thoughts Wild!

I just came here! Have I got something to put down here? Not much, I guess! 

My thoughts had been wild. Days are about to get busier, with Pre Board exams and answer scripts! Just pouring out what comes to mind!

Two lessons learned, recently! 

We all have our own beliefs and concepts and we take it to be true. We need to hammer it on to our brains that because a belief is heart felt, it doesn't make it true. We are never allowed to call them true, just becoz we feel them so deeply. Strong feelings are not just enough to call a belief true!

Coming to dreams! We all wish our dreams come true! But it is also to be carved on our brains that not all our dreams may come true, even if we put in our 101%. Some just slip away into unknown potholes!

Pityyyyyyyy! 

A Much-Needed Recharge!

A sudden Flash

Did I recharge?

Recharge what?

Phone?

Lappy?

Kindle?

Cam?

'No' is the answer!

Then, recharge What?

My Mind

Is what I meant!

Take a mental stroll,

Fill in with quality thoughts!

It will be done with!

And you emerge recharged!

Remembering Nanditha..

Njan thadavukariyanu, ente chinthakalude..- The words I liked the most from Nanditha.

Nanditha - a pretty face with a prettier heart! Only a few weeks ago, I happened to read about her. But, in such a short span of time, I have tried to read everything about her - her life, her dreams, her diary scripts, her poems, her death....I have read almost all her poems and every word that she had written has created a great impact on me! Her usages and words often haunt me. Just remembering her in the middle of my busy schedule here in my hometown...Yeah today is Jan 17th, the day when she left this world, in search of something she valued the most! Perhaps it was her escape from this selfish world too...

Relax!

No place like home! We may go around, see beautiful places, stay in expensive resorts, shop like mad, but we never get the love and peace that we yearn for...yeah, that's why we say "no place like home"! We do get the exact recipe for happiness and peace of mind only here!

Why am I in such a mode, talking so much about home! Yeeaahhhhhhh, I am in Kerala for the Pongal Holidays and that makes me fall into such a mode! Needless to say, I am loving it! So much free time, delicious food, the company of loved ones, and what more should I ask for?

Right now, in Alleppey, enjoying the calmness and peace this place can only offer. Had a beautiful kickstart to the day with a few temple visits, after which I decided to sit at home and RELAX! Temples can offer a lovely atmosphere to the mind. But I do believe that our good and thoughtful actions can fetch a lovelier state of mind. 

Okie Bloggie! Enough! So shall I go on to find out if something flows out from my keyboard??? Let me try!

Something was driving me mad for a while. I started digging into my mind to figure out what was going wrong. I believe nothing can be done to our mind, unless we give permission. That tells a strong point. If we are happy, we have allowed our mind to be happy and the same applies when we are sad, irritated or cranky too. So there is no point in blaming other people for our state of mind. It is our attitude that counts! 

People, incidents, situations and attitudes can drive us mad and push us deep down to depressive moods. When we analyse the minds of people with mental disorders, we can discover that the impact of these above said factors had driven them to madness. It is only strength of mind that can help us save ourselves from the clutches of these depressive moods!When we live in this world, to be specific, a world that thinks with brain and not with heart, at times, we are compelled to do the same! Decisions from heart may appear foolish and those from the brain may come in the guise of 'being clever" and would be appreciated! I don't know if I am being sarcastic here, but my recent experiences and thoughts tell me to follow the proverb "When in Rome, be a Roman." That can be a heavy price, but peace of mind is such an expensive commodity these days, hence I wouldn't think twice before paying for it!

On a lighter vein now, I would like to make a request that someone had made to the heart. It goes, "Dear Heart, Please stop getting involved in everything. Your job is to pump blood."That's it!

New Year

New Year brings new hopes, new dreams, and new yearnings! But  ' Maturity' is understanding that New Year will not make any difference at all, unless each one of us makes earnest efforts to change our attitudes!! We just hope there would be amazing changes all around! So what do I expect this new year! As for me, what I value the most is peace of mind, and so let me wish everyone the same. Let the new year bring in situations that offer just peace of mind to all my loved ones! Okie , lemme not start with my usual philosophical thoughts! Hopefully I will be back with some posts very soon!