Vacation time ! :)

Knock, knock….  I’m back here at my lovely space. 

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a long time now, and I know it isn’t fair.

Though I’ve been reading blogs, I have not at all been active in writing over the past one month, and it doesn’t sound good, even to me.

After all, this is the world I chose for myself ; this is the blog I gave birth to with so much love; how could I ignore it for so long ?

No, I’m not giving any excuses for not having written for this long . It is my mistake and I take the responsibility for the same :(

As I said, the hiatus has been a long one, and one that made me think a lot.I thought , thought and thought and ideas developed inside my head.I put them on paper and got back to thinking :D

Now they wait on my notepad, expecting me to carve them into stories, or poems or anything that I might feel they are worth.

And yes, I will do that.

Slowly, steadily.

But, after my long awaited vacation.

Yippieeeeeeeee ! I said it ;)

I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow, that is , the 15^th.

 

A  month-and-a-little-more long trip to Kerala.

So much to do there !

A wedding to attend, in all flamboyant colours .

Visiting temples, and bringing back holy, sweet memories for the next year……

Meeting friends !

Catching up with relatives over filter kaapi :)

Spending some relaxing days at Vynika, the new home which we built last year at Palakkad….

I may not have net connectivity, so I’m not sure about being able to post updates. But I promise to update as and when I find it possible to :)

So , see you all after a break :)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Opening the door........

He had left for work.

The clock told her that she still had an hour, before her little one woke up.

All those moments of physical and emotional abuse swam before her eyes.

She wanted to cry out the frustration of her embittered heart.

Yearning for solitude, she looked at the door, that promised her some freedom.

She checked the time.  Very little time to act.

Meticulously, she gathered what she needed, and  opened the door.

Here was the place where she could wash away her sorrows.

Sighing , she turned on the shower for the pampering stream of hot water.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

My A-to-Z Story :)

Here we are, the alphabet pals,

We travelled together , guys and gals,

A month long journey through the letters with fun,

In twenty-six days , we got the job done !

Stories, poems, musings galore,

Each day saw us yearning for more,

Never did it seem a boring chore,

We met, loved, supported our friends we adore !

This blog saw a story in parts,

Which was, of course, meant to invade the hearts :)

It stirred a soul or not, I can never claim,

But they told me it was loved, all the same !!

Also born here were , flash fictions and drabbles

Which , I admit, were more of scrabbles :P

Yet they brought me so much of love,

That, I believe, is a blessing from above !

Oh My ! What a sweet month was that,

And it leaves us all, wearing the top hat !

Crowning us all , with the survivors’ aura,

And bringing with it, happy moments, plethora !!

As we bid adieu to ‘ A to Z ’,

We’re sure , not going to put it to bed,

We’re waiting for the seasons to come a full round,

And bless us again with the challenge, so renowned !!

That pretty much sums up my feelings, as I sit down to pen the ‘reflections’ post.

Needless to say, this has been a beautiful month, as much in terms of enjoyment as in terms of creativity.

We all have enjoyed the ‘A-to-Z’ challenge immensely...

for the adrenaline rush that it triggered in us.....

for the ideas it put into our heads....

for the wonderful pieces of writing that enriched our days and filled our moments with so much fun...

for the new friends we made.....

for the friendships we strengthened....

for those wonderful moments of support we received...

for the smiles that lit up our lips when we read a beautiful comment....

for the camaraderie that flowered everywhere…

On the personal front, this gave me a chance to explore more into whatever little talent I possess with the words.

I had promised to write a ‘Serial Story’ and a ‘Random Post’ per letter, which meant I was literally throwing myself into the challenging waves with two posts per day.

I tried scheduling some posts, but I found that some sort of  ‘Inverse Zeigarnik effect’ was troubling me, because even after scheduling, I kept thinking of how to improve them, rather than dwelling on the ‘posts to be’. This wasn’t helping, so I resorted to writing and scheduling just ‘a day in advance’, so that it didn’t leave me much time to think of what I’d already written.

Moreover, my serial story was gaining flesh and blood with every moment of thought , so I had to have some time for minor alterations in the plot. Hence I thought, writing daily would be a better choice.

I’m happy  that I could do both posts per day, as I’d wanted to, and come out of it unscathed :D

On the blog hopping front, I utilized early morning hours and covered some bookmarked blogs every day. The rest of them are being covered now.

I’m sure everyone out there is doing the same, catching up with all the wonderful blogs .

We’re here to support each other and win, and every visit makes us happy !

Some of us were new to the blog world, some of us were debutants at the challenge, many of us were confused and most of us were doubtful if we would ever complete it.

There were many moments of self-doubt, or instances of diminishing interest.

But none of this stopped us from going on with the challenge, did it ?

Many of us were writing on chosen themes, which were as varied as they could ever be  and many of us were writing at random.

Either way, it was a ‘heart-and-soul’ effort for all of us, was it not ?

So, what are we waiting for ? Let’s celebrate !

We’re the happy Survivors of the challenge !

Congratulations to all those who entered and came out of the maze !

A big THANK YOU to the teams behind the A to Z, who worked behind the scenes to make it a grand success. You inspire us in more ways than one !

And a big HUG to all those who entered, but couldn't make it, for some reason or the other .

Never mind the challenge, there's always a next time here.

We're always there for you, you're special to us in all ways !!

There were many visitors, both participants and non-participating supporters, and most of them left good comments here :) Though I’ve not replied to the comments, I sure will :)

Every visit, every comment is important to us bloggers, and it helps us grow, as writers, bloggers and as individuals !

Thanks for all the support and love !

The challenge yet again proves that we can achieve anything that  we want, come hell or high water !

Let’s keep up the spirit of togetherness in the days to come, and support each other and grow together in this wonderful world that’s the blogosphere !
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Linking this to A to Z Reflections at A to Z.

 

The Voices... !

“You’re unusually silent, today. What’s up ?

“ How come you appear suddenly from nowhere ? I haven’t seen you for a long time, now !”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t exist, does it ? And that’s not the answer to my question anyway.”

“How have you been ?”

“ Pretty bad, because you’ve been ignoring me all these days. Leave it, answer me now. Why so silent ?”

“ Just some thoughts about life.”

“ Oh ! the usual. What’s the trigger this time ?”

“ Just the monotony of mundane existence troubling me. Nothing’s exciting anymore. It’s kind of depressing. ”

“ That’s a serious thing to say. Have you opened the chamber yet?”

“ The chamber ? Which one ?”

“The one in your heart. The home to your true self. That which knows the very pulse of your existence. The sacred receptacle of all that is you.”

“ Well, I haven’t. I have begun to doubt its existence these days. I think it has died down. ”

“ It doesn’t die so soon. You know it is very well there, full and brimming. It’s just that you are smartly ignorant of that.”

“ Perhaps I am . Do you think I should open the chamber ?”

“ Yes, it is the sanctum sanctorum of your heart. Opening the chamber and acknowledging the contents of the same will rejuvenate you. Rebuild your self esteem. I feel it’s high time you did that.”

“ But I don’t have the key any more. I guess I’ll have to let it be, then. And go on.”

“ Of course not. You can never lose the key. It’s very much within you. It’s not something that gets washed away in a deluge.”

“ I feel so incapacitated to do that. Fear of being compared and  judged grips my being , senses elude my thoughts, my soul turns devoid of happiness and….”

“ The arrival of the proverbial devil ! Chase him out. Locate the bright light in your heart . That will show the way.”



Image Credit : Morguefile



“ But…the key….”

“There you go again ! Didn’t I tell you, it’s within you ?  You’ll never lose it. Just take a break from routine, relax, sit back and introspect. You’ll find the key. I’m sure it’s still there.”

“ But what if I’m not happy after opening it ? What if it disappoints me ?”

“ Never. Opening it will liberate you in ways beyond your imagination. You will learn what makes you happy, what your heart actually yearns for, what should be forgotten, who must be forgiven, why should there be an internal cleansing. And much much more. You will learn to speak out .”

“ Sure ? I’m still apprehensive.”

“ It’s just the truth of life that you need to love yourself. That happens when you dust out and open the internal chamber of your feelings and peer inside.  A lot of healing happens that way.  Needless thoughts get wiped off. Positivism reigns. The dirty cobwebs are swept away.”

“ So you mean to say I’ll be a better person at the end of the whole exercise ? ”

“ An exercise, it definitely is. And you’ll indeed be a better person. Your depression will be history.”

“ Where do I get the key though ?”

“ Oh ! It’s inside you, dear. Faith. Prayer. Confidence. Courage. Determination. The keys to life! ”

“I’m amazed ! That’s so much of a treasure! Thanks for showing me all this. How do you know so much about me?”

“ Because, I’m inside you . I am you. You’re me . And we are the voices of your soul !”

_____________________________________________________________________________

Linking this to Write Tribe's Wednesday Prompt ( A Picture prompt, this time).

Back after a Break !! :)

Here I return, after a long silence.

Silence of a month and a little more.

After the Liebster post, the blog automatically went into hibernation.

No, laziness isn’t the culprit this time. Nor is procrastination.

Just that I was on my annual vacation to Kerala, that lasted a month  :) :) :)

There was so much to be done.

So many places to visit.

So much to catch up with.

So many things that needed our attention.

But then, this is what everyone does on a vacation :)

For us, this vacation was special, because it was to witness the birth of something new.

You heard me right. I indeed said, a birth.

The birth of our new home.

The new home which was being constructed for us at our home town, sprung to life this November.

Here’s a short poem which I wrote for the occasion :)

Built of bricks, cemented with love,

the warmth of  hugs for the ceiling above,

She’s  ready for us, with a lovely dome,

Sure, we’ll  love her, our brand new home !!

It fills the heart with joy inexplicable …

On 20^th November 2013, we entered our new home, with the traditional Ganesh Pooja being held, and cooking initiated by boiling a pot of milk :)

We are thankful to God for his blessings, for having seen us through the journey to make our dream come true !!

And yeah, we’ve named her Vynika.

Here’s a view from the gates :)

Vynika is Goddess Saraswathi's form with the Veena :)

So, that is the home-story cut short ! :)

Needless to say, I've missed my blog these days, as also the many activities going around the blogosphere.

Thankfully, the lull hasn't lasted forever and I'm back in full swing :)

Shall return soon with my signature self ! :)

Be with me.....

Over the past few days, I have attempted to dress my thoughts in different poetic forms, the major ones being, the Septolet, the Diamante, the Minute Poem, the Nonet, the Monorhyme and the Loop Poetry.

All are challenging forms to write in, given the fact that I have never ever tried my brains at poetry, before the blog took birth.

As I was thinking what my blog should sport before the UBC comes to a close ( even though we can continue the challenge if we wish to), I was inspired to write yet another Minute Poem.

After boiling all the thoughts in the cauldrons of the mind, and adding the other ingredients in the correct order and stirring the right number of times, here is the Invigoration potion errr... poem I've been able to concoct...

:-P


Be with me.....


When the world turns hostile at me,
you are to be,
the peace I crave,
though I look brave….

When love flies away like a bird,
give me a word,
that you’ll be near,
to wipe my fear….

When iniquity traps the soul,
And eats me whole,
send me the light,
the moral might.

That is UBC 30 for me :-)

I did, did I ?

Ok,I know it seems out of place, but that question wasn't asked simply :-)

I did something which made me ask that. I tried writing a Palindrome poem.

A Palindrome is a word, a phrase, a verse or a sentence that reads the same forward and backward.

Something like the question in the title :-P .....So now you know why the title ;-)


Here's my first Palindrome poem.... the World...

The world,
to me, you are,
my need to live life in full spirits
the voices in my heart speak to me
as the days fly past
I find myself growing with you
my love for you shall never end
nothing else can be my gift to you, but
~~ my soul ~~
nothing else can be my gift to you, but
my love for you shall never end
I find myself growing with you
as the days fly past
the voices in my heart speak to me
my need to live life in full spirits
to me, you are,
the world.

That brings my UBC count to 29 :-)

Work hard enough !

Ok, I know the topic is a little misleading, because it sounds like a piece of advice.

But it is nothing of that sort. Just a little idea, which I thought of converting to a Septolet. This is the second one I'm posting in the span of this UBC , the first being this.

A diamond is a piece of carbon that stuck to its job long enough to get transformed, isn't it ? So here's a Septolet for the idea.

You’re a diamond,
whose shine
mesmerizes me

Nothing special
just carbon
that worked hard !

:-P

UBC 28 :-)

55 on Friday - 1 :- Life in conversations :)

This friday has again brought something new, as it bids goodbye.

Write Tribe comes up with a new writing exercise for us  - 55 on Friday.

The inaugural prompt, the picture below, is by Vidya Sury. We need to weave a 55-er based on this :-)

"Grandma, I've so many questions about life.

Some with broken answers, some without any at all.

Does any book give all the answers in one go ?"

" No, child...no book teaches you how to live. You just learn it as you move on."

" Tough luck,then. I better remain ignorant"

" Yes dear, Ignorance is bliss ! "

I knew it was my last day there.........

This wonderful writing exercise at Write Tribe requires us to post any creative literary piece of work in exactly 100 words. This week's Prompt is given by Sugandha of Shades of Life - I knew it was my last day there...

Though I lay on the bed, with a weakening heart,

My thoughts and sorrow, were miles apart

Memories of days, months and years bygone,

With glowing serenity, my mind dwelt on

Causes well fought for, results well attained,

No pain, no regrets for the wounds so sustained,

I would leave behind a glory for the posterity to claim,

Before I was consumed by the leaping flame..

Through my heartbeats, I was fully aware,

the realization dawned on me with a certainty so rare,

I knew it was my last day there,

My day had come, He had heard my prayer  !!

The Faith and Hope Diamond !

I happened to read this wonderful quote, when I was going through some books.

Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future ; Faith is the ability to dance to it today ! 

A wonderful quote, is it not ?

Hope and Faith - two very beautiful concepts, very nicely intertwined !

I am reminded of the story many of us are sure to have read as a part of Aesop's Fables.

God gifts a box to Man and asks him to safeguard it, as it contains all things that he needs for a wonderful life on earth, full of peace. However, God specifically instructs man to avoid opening the box; if he does so, he's sure to lose the gifts inside.
Man is not able to contain his curiosity for long, and he pays no heed to God's words as he opens the box.
And out fly the gifts, one by one.
Realising his folly, Man closes the box and summons God with his prayers, repenting now for his foolishness.
God replies, that Man has to pay the price for his impudence.
The only gift remaining inside is Hope.

And that's the only gift from God, that has propelled Man forward, ever since !!

This is a Diamante created for Hope and Faith, the supplementing concepts of life...

                                                                  Hope
                                                             Strong, high,
                                                    unwavering, everlasting,healing
                                                Belief ,  Reliance,  Trust , Aspiration
                                                   Helping, convincing, resurrecting,
                                                              Deep, sincere
                                                                   Faith

Signing off with this, for the day ! :-)

T-O-U-C-H Thursdays - Prompt 1 : A Friend Always and Forever !

Ms Preeti Shenoy, the author of 4 bestsellers ( 'The Secret Wishlist' being the fourth), who is also an avid blogger ( she blogs here), is hosting TOUCH Thursdays, where every thursday, she's giving out funny, quirky prompts for us to blog about. (TOUCH is what her new book is : The One YoU Cannot Have ).

The first prompt in this series is If I could have anyone I choose as my 'forever friend'/ 'life partner' , I would choose...............................................

Well, a very nice topic, to start with.

If I were to choose one of the two, I would choose a 'forever friend'.

And my choice might sound strange to you. I would choose my maternal grandma as a friend I could have forever.

Before anyone concludes that I say this because I'm deeply attached to her and because I want to show off my love for her, let me explain.

We all need a friend in life, don't we ? And we expect that friend to be understanding, caring, loving, sympathetic, empathetic, patient, supportive....all good qualities are associated with him or her.
All this is important, and most of us possess these qualities, though in varying measures.
Most of the time, we bond with those who are similar to us in many ways, don't we ?

But, for me, a friend needs to be more of an inspiration. She should give me the impetus to move forward in life.

And my memories of my grandma, do that to me.

My picture of my grandma is that of a lady clad in immaculate white. She was widowed at an early age, and ever since ,she dressed  up in white, without any ornaments adorning her. She managed to hold on to life with the small job she had and raised her children in the best possible way. I've heard from my mother, the difficulties that grandma had to face in her long struggle for peaceful existence, and every time I've found myself weeping at the thought of it. Just the imagination of that sends shivers down my spine, and I wonder how her frail frame stood the agony then.
But I always saw her as a bold woman, ready to take on the world. She earned for herself, and even when she passed away five years back, she had kept aside a certain amount of money meant for her funeral ! This may not sound a great thing to anyone else, but for me as a person, this was inspiring, because it told me how meticulous she was with her life.
I've never seen her cry. Once or twice, on a sudden impulse of indiscretion, I tried asking her about how she faced the trials in life. She brushed aside the topic with indifference, she didn't want to dwell there !

She always gave me the best advice, be it on any matter, when I sought her guidance. All drawn from her own experience !

Now, when I face a difficult situation in life, I imagine I'm conversing with her. I get an answer out of it, nine out of ten times. It might be construed as talking to my own self, but in my own head, it's grandma answering me with her wisdom.

And the realisation, that nothing can be more difficult than what she had to face in life, gives me courage instantly.

I still feel she's guiding over me.

So if I could have a forever friend, I would want to have her as my friend, now, here.

It is a ' if I could have' wish.....because I know I cannot have her here, in the physical sense.

In the spiritual sense, yes. She's always here. Always.

=========================================================
I'm sharing below, the TOUCH banner of Preeti's New book, The One You Cannot Have....

We will grow old one day ! ( UBC - Post 2 )

October 1^st is special, not only because it marked the beginning of yet another UBC :-)

It is special, because, ever since 1991, it has been observed as the  International Day of Older Persons, as declared by the UN General Assembly in its resolution dated December 14^th, 1990.
It is a day to appreciate the contribution made to the society by the elderly, and to create awareness about issues affecting them, to put it in simple terms.

                                       


Haven’t we all , at some point in our lives, experienced what it is like to be with older people ? Say, our grandparents, in most cases, or our great grandparents, in a  few blessed families ?
On a personal note, I am fortunate to have been blessed that way.
My mother’s mother, was with us till she passed away peacefully at the age of 82, five years back, and my paternal grandfather, who lived with us, was 92 when he left for his heavenly abode before two years.
That means, I was able to spend a solid chunk of  twenty plus years of my life with them both.

The memories are still fresh in me.

Basking in the warmth of their love as a child….
Feeling proud and happy for their support in all my mischief….
Proudly announcing to them that I had come first in my class and getting appreciated with a pat on my back
Demanding my share of cashewnuts from ammamma everytime she made payasam :-)
Accompanying grandpa to the post office at the end of every month to collect his pension
Visiting ammamma every month and spending the day listening to her old stories, snippets of anger, her disappointments and just being there for her to share it with me……
Drawing from their well-learnt experiences of life…
Seeking their guidance when situations stymied us……..

An endless list.

Every time I had to attend an exam or a competition, or when I had to compere an event,  I would ring up ammamma, who then lived with my uncle, and inform her. She would be happy that I called her and wish me good luck. At home, grandpa would be equally enthusiastic about it. He would ask me whether I had prepared well. And he would bless me too. All this added to my confidence and helped me overcome my apprehensions. They had more faith in my abilities than I, myself did.
I still remember the way my grandpa would make me sit down and teach me the Bhagavad Gita,  when I was a five-year old. He would read out the tough Sanskrit Slokas, and patiently correct me, when I went wrong and sit with me as I struggled with the pronunciation till I got it right.(When he wasn’t around, it was Babuji’s turn to do this). My liking for Scriptures, Epics and Mythology was fuelled by these exercises with him.
Similarly, I am indebted to ammamma for teaching me to read and write Tamil, my Mother Tongue.

There are many things to share about them, but that’s not the point of this post.

Even as we have an International Day being observed for the Older persons, we are witnessing the mushrooming growth of Old Age Homes.

We no longer need the elderly to live with us. We see them as an encroachment on our privacy. We are fed up as they struggle to live with their Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. We have received what they could give us, in the form of money or time or physical help. But now we don’t need them because they are old, they need to be taken care of ,they need to spend time with us ( and we don’t have time, see), they cannot contribute to the family economy, they don’t know that our project deadlines are more important to us than their birthdays, they don’t understand the jokes of the young……an ignominious list of reasons.

And we , their children, are earning in dollars and pounds ; we have all ways of procuring the best for them in material sense- the best homes, the best treatment in the best of the hospitals, the best housemaids, the best home-nurses, the best holiday homes, the best of all that money can buy. Yes, we can send them to the best of the old age homes too, for a big fat donation that we can give. See ?

That’s why we have the mushrooms growing all over.
That’s why many of us leave them there so that they could spend their time the way ( we think)  they want  ( only if we knew what that actually meant!!! )
That’s why many of us don’t even return from the glory of the so called Foreign Countries, even when we learn of a bereavement….

Because we are insensitive to their needs.
Because we take them for granted and feel that what they did for us was their duty and not a sacrifice.
Because we believe that we can replace all that they have endured for us.
Because we believe that they have outgrown their utility.

And We !!
We overlook or rather conveniently forget the fact that we would grow old tomorrow.
We don’t give them the best of what we can give – our love , care and time.
We feel we would be insulated from all this when we reach the evening of our lives !!

Unless our attitude changes, nothing will change.

Let’s open our eyes and face it.
I shall reap what I sow, so I better farm properly now.
I shall gain the interest on what I invest ; then I might as well invest properly.
The age old dictum.

Let’s love them. Support them. Spend time with them.

Don’t send them to old age homes.
Send them to Old Friends Clubs instead. Something that will keep them creative, happy, occupied and energetic.
A place where they can spend the mornings when we are away at work, talking, meeting like-minded people, engaging in social activities, or short trips or religious activities or even fun activities.
When we are back from work, let’s sit with them and talk about the day.
Let’s share our days with each other.
They will understand us, as they were young once.
And we need to understand them now ; we are going to be there soon !!


*ammamma - Tamil / Malayalam equivalent of maternal grandmother.
*Image courtesy - Wikipedia

The UBC - Day 1 : Curtain Raiser !

So, it is here !!

Yes, the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, what else!

This post is a curtain raiser :-)

The first time I heard of this challenge was when I visited The Little Princess’s UBC Starter post this July.

That was the time my blog had just been born, and I hadn’t taken to blogging as much as I would have loved to.

I got hooked on to the idea and then religiously followed many blogs throughout the month. Whatever little time I got to spent online, was spent on reading the wonderful posts put up by the other bloggers in the blogosphere. Of course, I was really a fresher on the platform then ( I still am, by the way) and was apprehensive about commenting. I wasn’t sure how that would be accepted.
But as I visited, re-visited, read and re-read many blogs, I became confident enough to comment on many, and try and  make friends that way.
And that further inspired me to take up the challenge when it happened next.

Come October, and the challenge is ON. I am so happy to be part of this challenge and will try my best to complete it :-) Nothing is impossible ! :-)

Why do we take up a challenge, (any challenge, that is) ?
We do, because it stimulates us.
It gets our adrenaline flowing.
It is a platform where we compete with ourselves and stretch ourselves to see how far we can go.
It is a way to find out the horizons of our capabilities, or better, to discover that there are no horizons whatsoever !
A challenge lets us experiment, and prove that sky is indeed the limit to those who want to achieve !!
And challenges are difficult.
I remember reading somewhere , that if a problem wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be called a problem at all.
The same logic can be extended to challenges too !
They help us tap the reservoirs of patience, energy , creativity and a lot more, the existence of which might otherwise be unknown to us.

Writing everyday, with discipline, without monotony or boredom is a challenge.

We, the proud participants of the UBC are about to do just that.

Good luck to all!

Here, we take the plunge….

Looking forward to an active blogging month ahead !!

The blogosphere is going to brim and blossom with creativity :-)

7 reasons why blogging is wonderful !

Write Tribe is hosting the 'Write Tribe' Festival of Words, the theme being ' SEVEN'.
Yes, anything to do with 'seven' .
I missed out on the registration deadline and hence cannot participate, but that needn't stop me from being a part of the festival from outside the group :-)

So here's the first of my 7s.

As a new entrant to world of blogging, much of my time is spent on getting to know various blogs, reading what my co-bloggers have to say, and generally learning the nuances of blogging as an activity. Much of my thoughts these days are consumed by queries and understanding on various aspects of blogging . I was just thinking why I find blogging attractive. And here are 7 reasons why :-)

A blog is a personal statement. Your blog, its content, layout, design, every single thing contained therein is a personal statement of what you are. It reflects you in the perfect light ; it’s your brainchild, after all ! It speaks volumes about the person you are, your emotions, your personality as a whole. That means a blog showcases you the best !

A blog is your brainchild, and is a major boost to your creativity. With incessant demands on variety in content and presentation , a blog compels you to take the creative route. It helps you identify the long-forgotten, often dead areas of talent that you possess and insists that you revitalize it with a fresh dose of energy. Creative juices flow ! In turn this enhances the quality of your language as you start crafting the content to the taste of the readers !

Writing itself is therapeutic. And blogging is one great stress-buster.  Having a blog means having a friend to listen to the outpourings of your heart,your ramblings, deepest thoughts, anything that makes you take the tension-drive, everything, in fact ! It is a wonderful medium to get all the stressful thoughts out of your system and look at it from a third dimension. And more often than thought, such a paradigm shift in perspective offers solutions to many problems which you might have otherwise overlooked or under-rated, by offering you clarity.

Blogs provide you a wide variety of reading material. ‘N’ blogs give you ‘N^infinity’ pages to read and comprehend. The blogosphere is a treasure-house for readers, and a repertoire of knowledge as well. It opens before you a plethora of channels to tune in to, whether it be for information, enjoyment , entertainment, competition, you name it ! All at a click !

Having a blog helps you to network with like-minded people who love words  :-) You bond over the blogs, get to read what they have in mind, get to know them as individuals who share the same love for words and books and music and anything under the sun :-) Many views are shared, friendships forged and networks established. This gives you a sense of belongingness to a like-minded fraternity !

Needless to say, it’s a wonderful medium that offers support for publication. If you have the ‘gift of the words’ in you, having a blog regularly updated gives you ready material as a sample to offer, on your journey to get published. Many blogs which I follow ( especially in Malayalam, such as this and this ) have been published as books and are doing really well  :-). And there are many successful writers, who are avid bloggers too !

Aah, yes. A blog survives on the virtual platform. All that has been recorded in the blog serves posterity. A visit to those pages from the past surely brings a lot of memories, reminds you of what you had been when the blog was born, how you have evolved as an individual over the years, in thoughts and words, how many new friends have entered your lives. It is a diary of all sorts, and a great confidence booster !!

I have just begun my journey on this path. I know I have a long way to go :-)

With all the energy and confidence I can muster, I am ON the track :-)

So much to think; how to put it in ink ?

That was a week-long fun with Harry Potter.

So now, time to go back to the usual 'I-am-trying-to-think-seriously' mode.

Think, I do.

Thoughts are crazy things, you know. Crazy beings, rather. I say beings, because I feel thoughts have a life of their own. You don't know where they come from or what route they are going to take next. Sometimes, you never know when the thought germinated in your brain, what made you think that, why at all are you thinking that when you have something much more interesting to think about ; yet there are times when you enter a train of thought deliberately with an intention to either put it in words or to talk about it to someone else or to simply engage your ' looking-for-exercise' brain. Either way, the thoughts have an identity of their own and they feed and grow among themselves.

Why am I writing all this now ?
Because, I think a lot.
Good, bad, intelligent, stupid, positive, negative, spiritual , agnostic.
Anything.
Or , everything.
But something or the other every time.

I often find that I am not able to come back to what triggered the thought process. Its like my thoughts have lots of hyperlinks. Each thought takes me to a new horizon each time. And by the time, I attempt a come-back, I find much to my chagrin that that particular page of thought has been closed down and the 'memory refresh' button doesn't seem to work either !!

And the end result ? A clogged and confused brain, with bits and pieces of thoughts and memories strewn around , obviously lacking clarity. This seems to go on for days. Often, I find that my routine life is not affected by this at all. I can still think clearly about the household chores, my job, my menu for lunch and dinner and the mundane tasks that make up a day. It is just my creative process that bears the brunt.

Yet, I know that after this period of 'lull and mull' as I term it, comes a phase that's so refreshingly creative.

Just as grapes churn out the best wine after a period of fermentation, my thoughts, which till now played across my mind and wreaked havoc with my creativity , flow out as words.

And to capture that, is this blog's purpose :-)

I share here a wonderful quote that I read the other day .

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. ― Plutarch

Yes, instead of filling our minds with mindless thoughts, why don't we just let the spirit within be kindled ?
the sweet spirit of imagination
the spicy spirit of life
the fierce spirit of ambition
the lovely spirit of liveliness
the fragrant spirit of positivism
the refreshing spirit of devotion

Please do think :-)

Money matters, or does it ?

I always look forward to receiving Anu Garg's A Word A Day mails. Highly educating and entertaining, they are ! Every day, a new word is mailed to the subscibers world over, complete with all details such as its pronunciation, meaning, usage, etymology and interesting tidbits, if any. Very often, a quote accompanies the word. A Thought for the Day.

Today, this is the quote we received :

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. -George H. Lorimer

How true !!
This set on wheels my train of thoughts.

We live in a materialistic world. We work hard to make money, to be independent, to enjoy our lives, to build ourselves that wonderful house that we have always wanted, to give the best possible education to our children, to secure our future which we really can't predict anything about - in short, to meet our never-ending needs.

And all this, despite knowing fully well that money doesn't buy all things for us :) :) :)

Yes, we are fully aware that all that we earn will never be able to buy us
time or
a night of peaceful blissful sleep or
that lovely guileless smile of our little one or
the multifarious talents for which we often envy others or
the beauty of a rainy day or
the warmth of sunshine or
the laughter that we share with our friends or
the smile of understanding which our loved ones give us.....

Well, the list is endless. Period.

Those who think otherwise are just fooling themselves. Period.

And in this mad mad rush to stay ahead of others, we lose out on the goodness of life.
Of  pleasant mornings and peaceful evenings.
Of a meal lovingly cooked at home .
Of the tranquility that spreads over as the first sip of hot coffee goes down the throat.
Of the happiness that we enjoy as we indulge in the pastime we are passionate about.
Of the warmth of a chit-chat with friends over a cup of tea.
Of catching up with relatives over a phone call and sharing the nuances of everyday life.
and much much more....

Well, is it not high time we took stock of  ALL that we have and how rich these things make us ?

This is not , in any way, belittling what money can do for us.
True, money is the element which makes survival a possibility.
We need money to sustain life, to buy food, clothes and all that.
We need money to buy good books to read.
We need money to help us make a phone call, to stay connected with the world.
And any material comfort comes with money.

But, beyond all this, there are things which enrich our lives.
Those, which we should take care not to lose, in our race ahead ,for a better life.