Time is money - Honey

For the first time I came to know the practicality of, 'Time is Money'.

I leave from home late the other day, wait for my regular BEST bus, wait and wait but the bus doesnt show up (cuz the frequency of bus is 1 per 15mins - the reason why u shouldnt have missed the first bus in the first place - the reason why leaving on time is so important - reason why getting up on time and getting ready in time is so important - ok enough)

So then comes the sparkling-charming AC bus. The temptation is yielding-escape from Mumbai's heat & sweat, not more than 100 people standing per square feet of the bus area ie ure white's are still whites and not black, decent crowd = no staring fellow passengers...

I give up, and end up spending 50 bucks on the AC journey which could have otherwise costed me mere 8 bucks...Need not give a conclusion now, right?

[^=^] !TICK TOCK TICK! [^=^]

(Just happened to find out that many things written in here have already been circulated on the net through the common jargoneer 'Forward' ... But nonetheless, presenting here my ideas as well) 


When was the last time you did anything whacky like this -

1. Jumped off from a wall cuz you felt like jumping.

2. Walked from station to your home cuz  u just felt like it (distance of your home from station being 10kms! ;) )

3. Stayed up for the whole night with friends, chit chatting about childhood crushes, politics or anything stupid... Made tea & magi at 3 in the morning and slept at 6 am watching the rising sun.

4. Caught a moving bus or a train.

5. Jumped off from a running bus or train.

6. Walked barefoot on a snow clad mountain at a freezing temperature.


7. Embarrassed yourself by farting in front of a company of 100 ppl.

8. Played with a balloon like a 3year old.

9. Cried at a India-Pakistan match cuz
India lost by just 1 run.

10. Had a moonlight walk on a sandy beach to feel the cool breeze on your cheeks!

11. Got wet in the rain just to relish a bun-pav, chai for a breakfast at a roadside hawker.

12. Drenched yourself in the first rain of the year,  only to find yourself sick the next day then swearing as to why you even tried it in the first place and later rejoicing it cuz you could take a leave from the hectic office day!

13. Drove triple seat at 50kmph and got caught by a traffic police paying 300 bucks as fine.

(*Image copyrighted)

14. ... and many many more that “you” know

If you haven't lived these moments as yet then better be fast, the clock's started to tick cuz there's no 'Some day', there's no 'Tomorrow', its just 'Right here, right now’!

* http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/a-double-seat-life-photo-feature/

MY SOULMATE !

It all starts with flat number 1201, Mayur Vihar! It was a lovely evening in a brand new apartment! I settled down a little and opened the beautiful balcony facing the clear skies! There were chocolate brown mountains, silent valley's lush green laps, and a CROW!! Yes! There was a crow by the side of my window. I hated crows! They were of a scary black color with a penetrating piercing shrill voice and it was undoubtedly a totally useless  creature! But this one really made me go for a toss! I used to see this, masterpiece of God's creation I say, everyday! From the time I shifted to this new house, it had been my regular visitor! A unwanted guest though :P

My very first morning in the home started off with a loud 'THUD!'. Yes it was that crow who had dropped a tumbler off the balcony's edge, to make that loud noise, enough to wake me out of sleep at 6.00 in the morning! You could question me as to how can I be so sure that it was the same crow I saw yesterday? Well it was, cuz I could see a gleam of mischief and mystery in its eyes! Off course 6' O clock was the start of midnight for a nocturnal animal like me, so I cursed him enough and shooed him off, until my hands could no more wave in the air. After more curses and blah blahs I finally got up and started to get ready for the office. My reporting time then was not fixed. I had to just sign on a sheet of paper, for which, me and many others were handsomely paid! Life was great and I didn't even have the remotest feeling of guilt, for doing nothing in life! Even if the 'guilt filled thought' could somehow manage to strike me, it would just go away with the guilt of not producing any effect!

Every day I followed the same routine, yes you are right, the routine of chasing away the crow and cursing him over and over again! The Crow however showed no signs of confession, discipline or even fear for me! Everyday I would try to scare it with different faces and ideas, but tough luck! Every next morning it would return to get amused by me! I think the crow was rather enjoying this and had made it as a part of his schedule I can even bet that I was the subject of a common joke in his chirping friends & family!

As few months passed by, I got an ESSAR project in office wherein I was to, to, to monitor the external torque of a mid centered motor from the centre of a turbo engine's controller! In short, I got work! My routine was to now change, my midnight would now have to start at 12.00 am in the night and end by 6 in the morning so that I could report to office at 9.00 am sharp...

The first official work day started off with the same routine as before and I reached office at 1 pm. I was 4 hours late! Then the 3 hours then 2 hours...but never would I be exactly on time! This continued and finally Diwali holidays dawned! I was to take a bus at 8 am sharp and I was already in awe of it, since I could never ever make it on time. I planned to sleep early the night before, so that I could get up early the next morning and would not leave any chance of missing the bus...

But I am I and others are others! Yes I didn't sleep on time the night before, and that's how my whole schedule got disturbed ahead! But something great happened that day! I woke up at 6am sharp! Hurray! How?? Well, the crow had followed its routine of troubling me at 6 am sharp, and to my surprise, I did manage to get up at the exact decided time! Holidays were great as always! I came back from holidays and started off with the regular office routine. Everyday the crow would help me get up at 6 and I would,

ok, I was no more abusing it so much, the swearing had now transferred to my boss btw ;)

Getting up everyday greatly mended my schedule. Previously, people used to wish me 'Good morning' at 1 pm, 'Good afternoon' at 7 pm, 'Good night' at 3 am! Ahh, but all that was changed now... Like Crows return to their nests in the evening and start off their day early morning, I too was a part of the chirping community now!

Days passed by, I started placing grains, water (if not beer), sometimes bread pieces and at times the crow would enjoy a slumber party with some chicken pieces and wine! We became good friends. Now when I used to enter the balcony, the crow wouldn't fly off. Guess it was accustomed to me now and was sure that I wouldn't scare him off (atleast try to i.e.). As months passed by, he (I think it was a male, since it had made me chase him so much ;) ) even visited me in the evening and cheered up my mood when I was down. It behaved well than a dog and also unlike a dog, I never had to take it out for a potty session. It shooed off lizards for me (which btw are the number one nightmares for me), ate insects on my plants (though I don't know if crows do that, but this one did and loved it) and also acted as a watch dog during the day.

There were many occasions when I got a opportunity to change my house and move into a better place but somehow I was reluctant, may be somewhere in the corner of my heart it had made a little place for itself and I was happy for it.

Days passed by and so did months and few years. I grew up and so did the crow. Guess it had started shedding off few of its feathers and went bald. It was showing all the signs of old age. Its loud pitchy noises had also slowed down in the years and it had rather gone silent. But still it had remained loyal to me, by visiting my balcony every day in spring, autumm, rains and winds! We had almost lived a decade together or so I feel. It had

participated in every good and bad news I received...

This was it! It was the biggest day of my life! I was going to get married! I wanted to share this happiness with everyone down the block! But the one who had always been there, was not seen around from many days and even I forgot about him. Its funny, but I never named my crow like people name their pets. But was it even my pet??

So the "D" day dawned! The winters had come and people were wrapped up into shawls and sweaters. The whole place was lit up. The whole week went into celebrations, ushering guests, catching up with old friends and welcoming relatives... After the week's functions got over, I visited my home again to collect my bags. I had to leave this place and settle into a new town now. I bid good-bye to my guitar, the house walls, doors, windows and everything that sounds equally funny. I went in the balcony to bid good bye

to my plants and there it was! Yes it was back! My crow! But it was pale this time, with dull eye sight and shivering with cold.

In a sudden flash of moment, all my memories with him rolled in front of my eyes! It had finally come to see off the old master though I had forgotten all about him! It indeed had been a faithful and a loyal animal! I took the crow in my hands and rolled it in a warm blanket. I could feel its ice-cold feathers! I caressed it for a while and comforted it. It was the first time I had felt its touch, touch of my sole soulful pet! Yes it was my pet! And I could answer the question finally! I thought it was hungry so went inside to bring  something for it to eat but guess it was too late. It had gone with the wind! I don't know where it went and how did it go but I know now, it had plans to visit me atleast once before he met his winter. For few people pets are only dogs, cats or birds. But the one I had, didn't stay with me nor did we knew each other's names, the only thing common we had between us, was a 'bond', a bond of love! My heart was touched by his love and in the memory of my best pet ever, I named him as Spiky! I never had a photo of its, but his golden black feathers, fluttering in the glory of the morning rays, will always be the pearl of my eyes and forever!

DONATE

It feels great to have donated even a small amount of portion towards world food crisis. I just made a donation , hope you all take the lead too :) Its not a show off quotient, neither hypocrisy nor a Cliché but just a desire to help...

https://donate.wfp.org/supporter/donatenow.do?n=gbss&dfdbid=1044253

"TWO STATES"

Just happened to recently read the book 'Two States', a fun filled, humorous, comedy and all that which goes along with its cover. The book surely stands as its own testimony. It gives a great insight into how human equations follow a 'make-break in a fortnight' thing…

The author very very aptly gives the message, 'Push them till the last edge from which the only escape is to fall or get to the other side'.

Like a cliché, pls allow me to say that every decision in life needs the perfect time and moment, to be executed. I hear so many of my friends saying, "The girl's side hates me and they don't even know about us till now" or the girl saying, "Your parents hate me so much, even if they know about me from a long time" pls note the two abstractions here 'hate' & 'a timeline'. Hatred is a separate compartment altogether but fighting about the timelier when you are atleast 4 years away from the marriage? Is that justified? And yes, then the WWF series starts where each one of them tries to win the nonexistent medal!

Think about this for a while…

If you love the girl's or the boy's side with true heart or atleast have some drive to do so, then why should anything even come in between. Consider the case of author who wins over the girl's family precisely when it was meant to, though the girl not quite putting in equal efforts in comparison, the fact is, if you want to make it happen, 'you will' and that too, do it together rather than blaming each other's families and culture.

One should atleast start embracing the other side as people from Moon, if not from Mars.

End of this blog post...

Sorry to end this abruptly, but it is meant to be so…

SONGS- EMPOWERING YOU OR ISOLATING YOU?

Thinking about songs, and the so much wide variety that exists, from the swear-words of Eminem, hatred of Linkin park, crude reality of Shakira to the soft melodies of Norah Jones- songs do have a great impact on our lives! The question I want to address here is, do songs help us to stay happy or do they mock our situation and make us mourn more, only to push you deep dark into the woods? Song has a rhythm attached to it which again has a different impact altogether but we will consider song as a combination of lyrics and rhythm to bring about the complete impact.

I see young minds transforming into the next cults, just cuz they heard an Eminem song playing next door and started hating their country, surroundings and situations. Or a girl hating her parents even more, after hearing a Linkin park song called 'Numb' which makes her weak and shrewd! So what is it? Do songs help us aggravate our emotions? Or do they just help us embrace the reality? Do they supply us with plain stand-alone facts which cannot be reasoned down to simple emotions? Or do they help us to relieve us out of our pain and just let us accept the times with open heart?

The answer to this question is a little complex. I think songs are just means of expressions, used by the poet to make us believe what he/she wants us to and not what we need to. It depends on a person's perspective off course, but few songs do kill that perspective and lets us believe what it wants us to.

Recently a very good friend of mine explained me the dual meanings of the song 'November Rain by guns and roses'. Following its two meanings, one of the meaning talks about hope & forgiveness while the other talks about pain and loss. The worry here is, if you are stuck in the same situation as the one described by the song, then which path would you choose? Would you stick to the first meaning, win your love back and hope to spend the rest of your life holding hands together? Or choose the later, to mourn over the loss and cry for the rest of your life in his/her memory? That is how songs

splurge a wave of positivity or negativity inside us. I believe, the later holds a larger share. None of us can deny that negativity affects us in a much more broader way compared to a stream of healing positivity.

But then comes the question of whether to hear such songs or not? To my belief, listening to such songs is never a problem since you are widening your experiences in life. But the point it starts to seed a problem in your life, is the time you need to draw the line and say, "This is it! I can't allow a song to decide my destiny and change the notions about my loved ones and surroundings".

The Great Divide...

Ever wondered - what makes a rich, rich and a poor, poor? Well dont!Cuz it was supposed to be this way by the nature!

As of 7-Jun-2009 (1930 hours GMT), world population is 6915726373 which is about to cross its 7 billion mark! I attended a recent talk on environmental conservation by "Anish Andheria" (consultant at Santuary Asia) who said: " Earth has already exhausted its capacity of holding 1 billion population". Then why is it that we are still sustaining on Earth???

Well thats cuz not all of us have AC in their bathrooms and spend 10k for a 5star dinner! The "Great Divide" between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor have made us sustain from ages! Imagine a Earth with the whole 7 billion population travelling in jets, airconditioned homes, Porshes at their disposal and owning acres of industrial land! Already the forest covers are diminishing at a tremendous rate and every hour a wildlife species extincting!These are not exaggerated figures but a face of the harsh reality! Surely we cannot imagine a chaotic Earth like this! Statistics say that out of the total world population about 80% is poor, 1% rich and the rest belong somewhere in the middle! Thats more than an eye opening figure!

From this post, I dont mean to advice anything and neither give any suggestions!All I wish to say is that before you go for another luxury in your life atleast think of the many trees and the many people who cease to live for you!