Live, Love and Respect

What have you done today? 

No, I'm not asking about your day.

No, I'm not asking about the high profile project you are handling , your success or your achievements

No, I'm not asking about the new T.V series/ ps3 games/ movie etc that has caught your attention.

What I'm asking is, what have you done today, that would make a change - however small, in a person's life? What have you done with your time that has - brought a smile to a person's face, put food in the stomach of a hungry orphan, given shelter to a helpless being - human or animal or soothed a wounded soul.. and so on?

Take some time and evaluate. Think of how you have contributed to the whole karmic cycle and what role you have had to play in Life's script for everyone. Do you think what you are now is enough? Do you think you can do more, BE more? 

Take that one step to all that humanity stands for. Open your mind, your heart , your soul... Listen . Care. Respect. 

You dont have to necessarily sacrifice a lot, but you as a person can indeed make a change. Here are some of the things you can do :

You can be part of an awareness program, you can teach illiterate and underprivileged children in your area in your free time , you can treat the children of an orphanage to the little things they crave for but never received as they haven't been part of a family, you can adopt/you can sponsor the education of a child. You can propagate women's empowerment, you can help share wisdom and knowledge you have gained through experience, you can just smile and warm a person's heart , you can just visit an old abandoned person in an old age home and lend a strong young hand for them to hang on to - to give them a little bit of love which for them is like a drop of precious water in a dry cracked desert of unending loneliness...

Lets's take to the reference in ancient historical documentation potrayed through religious texts  to be a human. 

Christianity : 

Bible says : (part of the 10 commandments) Love thy neighbour. 

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

—Matthew 19:16-19

Hinduism :

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ( From "vasudhā", the earth; "ēva" = indeed is; and "kutumbakam", family;) is a Sanskrit phrase that means that the whole world is one single family. Everyone has their own worldview which is quite often different from person to person. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam means respecting this difference.Contrary to single worldview, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam says animals, birds, plants, trees and other organisms in the ecosystem have atma they are part of our family.

Islam :

The Islamic belief in the unity of mankind is the corollary of the doctrine of the Unity of God. The self-same God is the Creator and Nourisher of the men and women of all nations, races, colors, creeds and cultures. And hence all mankind may be regarded as God's big family:

(Mankind are one community.)

(Qur'an 2:213)

Islam rejects all false criteria of superiority based on race, nationality, color or language. It makes righteousness and good conduct the only mark of superiority in the Sight of God:

(O mankind! Lo! We have created you rnale and female and made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! The noblest of you, in the Sight of God is the best in conduct. Lo! God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.)

(Qur'an 49:13)

The Prophet of Islam, commenting on the above verse on the occasion of the Last Pilgrimage, observed:

"No Arab has superiority over any non-Arab, and no non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; no black person has any superiority over a white person and no white person has any superiority over a black person. The criterion of honor in the Sight of God is righteousness and honest living. "

(Saying of Muhammad)

So dear readers, think of making a change in someone else's life and ultimately in your own life. Set aside your differences or percieved differences, stereotypes, racist beliefs and so on. Do something worthy of your own pride and happiness ; this ultimately would pave way for "nirvana" or ultimate all rounded developement of mind and soul and a karmic achievement which would bring peace to your Soul.

Oasis

 I would like to share a poem that I wrote long ago . Opinions, constructive criticism and reflections are welcome - please comment below :)

Oasis

Like a lost traveller I strayed,
Onto lands Unknown
Into the desert sands of Time
On a quest for my Soul.

Upon these mystic sand dunes,
the truth evaded my restless mind,
The oasis I thought I found,
was just another mirage.

I wandered,hopeful and strong
love guiding my path,
My steps never faltered,
My strength never wavered.

The dimming twilight brought to me
the mystic Oasis I craved
No longer a trick on faith
but a haven for my soul.

Etheral and sweet it beckoned
to my heart like a beacon bright
The oasis of my heart's desire forever found,
This traveller's quest is done.



Hope you guys like this poem , and if you do, dont forget to +1, follow and comment!!! Love ya all!! Peace. :)

Creepy things kids say

As usual I was bored one day and thought I'd go through some random reddit threads . This is when I discovered a treasure trove of threads listed under " Parents of Reddit, what is the creepiest thing your young child has ever said to you? " I read through the whole list and thought to myself : I'm definitly reposting a few of em to by blog. So here goes - (the ones that made my skin crawl a bit or have goosebumps or which made me laugh , despite being creepy ) :

1.When I was about 4, I would remember talking to "Mr.Peterson" whenever I was at my grandmothers house. He looked like a hobo from the great depression and had a guitar and sang me old timey blues, he told me that he died when he fell of a train he was riding whist drunk on moonshine. I stopped seeing him when I was about 6.

Anyway, 6 months ago I found my dads old acoustic guitar and started playing, and my little cousin told me "Mr.Peterson is proud of you!" And left.

I dont know what to think

2. My wife was getting my 2yr old son up one morning. He was standing in his bed/crib. As she said good morning and walked over to him he picked up her shirt a little and crooked his head to the side. She asked him what he was doing and he said, "looking for my baby sister in your tummy." She laughed it off as a weird kid imagination thing. We found out later that at the time she was 2 weeks pregnant and it was, in fact, a girl. We are due in September. We had never really had the talk about where babies come from nor did we talk about having another child at all around him. So spooky.

3. "Before I was born here, I had a sister, right? Her and my other Mom are so old now. They were ok when the car was on fire, but I sure wasn't!"

He was maybe 5 or 6 years old? It was totally out of the blue..

4. When I was about 4-5 I tried to dress up as Batman using stuff from our pantry. I used my Mum's leather jacket that reached the floor on me, some black boots and a ski mask with an open face that kinda drooped down over my eyes.

So, I went into my Mum's room to wake her up and show her my cool outfit. (At this age I thought to wake people up, you open their eyes, people who are awake have their eyes open, right?). I then tried to open my mum's eyes by pushing her eyelids back. She woke up in a poorly lit room to a three foot thing wearing all black, with no visible legs and a ski mask poking her in her eyes (I can't imagine the horror). She jumped away screaming until she realised it was me, we then burst out laughing.

I'd actually forgotten about this story until I saw this thread. I'm sure my Mum hasn't though.

5. My daughter said to me that there is a woman who watches her watch movies in her room and sleeps on the ceiling above her bed when she sleeps. she also says it dose not like me and wants to eat my heart. my kid watches elmo and fucking dinosaur train. where in the hell did she get this from?

6. When my little sister was younger she used to walk around the house with a picture frame with a picture of my great grandpa in her hands crying and saying "I miss you Harvey." Harvey had died before even I was born. Other than this common occurrence my mom told me that she would constantly say things that my great grandma Lucy would say.

7. I have a three year old who says some pretty strange stuff....

Last night: "Mommy.. the man, the very big man with big yellow eyes is looking at you."

I look.. nothing. I tell him there is no man and he is make-believe. My son laughs, "Oh he is hiding now." --- 2 minutes later, "Oh no Mommy, you made him very mad. Now he says he will come when you are sleeping."

Few weeks ago he tells me, "I'm not going to be four. I'm doing to die. And you will put me down, down, down in the hole." I tell him that isn't true, and who told him that. He gets quiet and goes, "The man told me. But I will be scared, so after three night-nights you die too and come with me."

Sheesh. As if I didn't have bad dreams already.

8. I have a similar story. Well, not in the way but in the afterlife sense.

Between the ages of two and six my son would tell me the same story of how he picked me to be his mother. He said something about being with a man in a suit and picking a mother that would help him accomplish his souls mission (I'm atheist, so we didn't discuss spirituality at that point, nor was he raised in any sort of religious environment). The way he described it was that it was similar to grocery shopping, that he was in a bright room with people who were lined up like dolls, and that he picked me. The man in the suit asked him if he was sure, he replied that he was, and then he was born.

My son also had an early fascination with WWII era planes. He could identify them, their parts, what region they were used in and the like. I still have no idea where he got that information. I'm a science gal, his dad is a math guy.

We have always called him "Grandpa" because of his peaceful and gingerly demeanor. This kid seriously has an old soul.

9. We got my little sister a puppy over Christmas break. We waited till she was asleep, then went to pick up the puppy. So, the next day she woke up, and when she saw the dog, instead of going all googly-eyed and happy, she said, "my baby! It's not time for you yet!" And tried to pick up the dog and shove it in her mouth.

10. When my oldest was about 3 years old I had a really weird dream where an alien was trying to take my son. I was lying in bed watching this alien take him by the hand and started taking off towards the window. When I went to scream I woke up. Here is the creepy part....I wake up to find my 3 year old turning on the night light in our room. He turns to look at me and says "oh, its ok mommy. The alien is gone." .....I didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

11. We recently moved into a new house. My daughter's room has a closet that is down a narrow little hallway. I woke up one morning after having lived there for like a week, and my daughter isn't in her bed. No biggie, she's downstairs. Nope. I looked everywhere for her and nothing. I went back to her room and called to her, "Are you in here?"

"DON'T COME IN HERE!!!" from the closet. I went and looked down the little hallway but couldn't see her, as she was inside and to the left.

"DON'T COME IN HERE!!!"

" Please come out."

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!!!"

"What are you doing in there, Kaitlyn?"

"I'M NOT KAITLYN!!!"

I noped right out of there for a second because I was pretty freaked out. I went and got my wife out of bed. Wife came in and checked on her. Turns out, she was in there putting on a Strawberry Shortcake costume to surprise me and didn't want me to see before she got it on.

Freaked me right the fuck out.

TL;DR Daughter acted possessed from inside a dark closet.

**yeah guys, he got his WIFE to check on their supposedly possessed kid.. men!! sigh.. lol!!! **

12. About a year ago my daughter (who was about 3 years old at the time) started screaming around 2 AM. I could tell by the sound of her voice that something wasn't right. I was still very groggy and half asleep but still managed to rush down the hall and into her room without turning any of the lights on so I wouldn't wake her brother up. I go over to her bed and hear her screaming like crazy right in front of me but I pull back the covers and she isn't there. Because of how early it was and how quickly all this was happening, my brain is having a really hard time processing the situation. I could hear her RIGHT in front of me but I can clearly see she isn't there. I turn the light on and still can't find her. Meanwhile, she is getting more freaked out because she can hear me and can tell I can't find her either. After what felt like minutes, I finally realized she had fallen out of bed, rolled underneath it, and had freaked out because she couldn't move and couldn't tell where she was. I can still remember that moment of sheer panic I felt when I pulled back the covers and she wasn't there, while still hearing the scream coming "from" her bed.

The Stigma against Tattooing

I recently got a tattoo done - it was my first tattoo and I felt awesome once I got it done. My husband sports the other half of the tattoo and together , it means "eternal love " . We did it to symbolise our love for each other through good times and bad on the day of our 2nd wedding anniversary. So it is something that means a lot to us personally and I dont think I will ever regret the fact that I got inked.

So the other day, my friend saw my tattoo and was telling me how I cant apply for a government job because they don't approve of tattoos ( which is not true by the way, it applies to the Indian army though)  and especially in the corporate world a tattooed person is looked upon as a bad choice for recruitment. There are stigmas attached to tattooed people and trusting them with a reliable job  and there are other far fetched ideas such as - tattooed people are lazy, unreliable, irresponsible, unprofessional , a business liability and more. I have gone through a lot of forums and talked with many people about this kind of stereotype. Sadly it is a glaring reality and because of this many people have lost perfect job opportunities even though they have skill and potential.

A tattooed person getting hired depends on the company, the job you’re interviewing for and the person interviewing you. even though tattoos have nothing to do with your ability to perform on the job. The issue is often perception, and along with that comes all the stereotypes.

Perception can be a powerful influence in the decision to extend a job offer, and denying that this exists could be limiting your career. Hence many people cover up their visible tattoos effectively before a interview. 

Having tattoos or piercing doesn’t effect how hard someone works or their character. Just because someone is expressive through the way they decorate their body does not mean they are unequal to someone who expresses themselves in a different way. That is not how it is in this world, hopefully one day people will see that discriminating expression is the exact same thing as discriminating against skin color, or if skin color is something we donot have a choice over, we can compare it to discrimination against people with a different ideology/religion than yours .

If the discrimination is based on the excuse that a tattoo is a "distraction" then consider this :  does the company / HR involved fire or reprimand employees who have hair colors that don't look natural, who go tanning and look extra crispy, or long elaborate nails. To me, those are as much a distraction as a tattoo .

Such things are basically just personal bias and stereotype. I know doctors, engineers , and other extremely intelligent and successful people who sport tattoos and in this day and age it does not affect customer base or profit turnover or have any valid quantitative or qualitative effect on overall business growth! What kind of ethics is adhered to by a company if it rejects a perfect candidate who would make a great addition to their workforce just because the company or a person in the recruitment and hiring team has a bias about people with tattoos ?

My tattoo is not big , just a small one on my wrist and it is not obscene. But the Ultimate question that I would be facing is this - why did I get a tattoo? My answer is this : No, getting a tattoo was not a “bad choice,” it was something that represented me, my struggles, my achievements and my goals, and my love for the man who has made my life meaningful . There is nothing on my body that is designed to intimidate people, nor did I get anything to look “tough” or to look like a “rebel.” I'm well educated , my professional mettle has been tried, tested and proven and I am employed at one of the best companies in the world. And yes, my tattoo is my personal space. Donot cross that line.

The choice left is this : If you really want the job, cover up the tattoos . If you  want to work in a good job environment where you are accepted as you are, and who values employees not on face value but on their talent and welcomes openness ,  then dont cover it up. 

What EXACTLY is Harlem Shake ?

My niece was asking me the other day - what is a harlem shake? Harlem shake : this is something we hear ever so often these days and you can find distorted versions of it on youtube and some of the lameness would just make you go "dafuq did I just watch?"

So lets look at the technicalities here. believe it or not, Harlem shake is an internet meme. Now there are people who think memes are just funny pictures depicting reactions to an action or comment. But no. 

An Internet meme  is an idea, style or action which spreads, often as mimicry, from person to person via the Internet, as with imitating the concept.An Internet meme may take the form of an image, hyperlink, video, picture, website, or hashtag. It may be just a word or phrase, including an intentional misspelling. These small movements tend to spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct email, or news sources. They may relate to various existing Internet cultures or subcultures, often created or spread on sites such as 4chan, Reddit and numerous others in our time, or by Usenet boards and other such early-internet communications facilities.

The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme in the form of a video in which a group of people perform a comedy sketch accompanied by a short excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake". As a meme, the video was replicated by many people, using the same concept, and this rapidly led to it becoming viral in early February 2013, with thousands of "Harlem Shake" videos being made and uploaded to YouTube every day at the height of its popularity. This success of the videos was in part attributed to the anticipation of the breakout moment and short length, making them very interesting to watch.

I remember watching my first harlem shake on youtube and thinking .. ehhh.. okkk.. so whats happening? and second thought was " I should definitely do this with my gang " :D its one of those mindless fun things you do with your friends when you hang out. IT's so hilarious watching the random sh*t that people do since its not pre-planned.  So much awesomeness. 

Captain America 2 : The Winter Soldier - A Review

Hey guys! Its movie review time! lol . So last weekend I watched Captain America 2 : TWS , I had been eagerly waiting for the next movie in the lot aaaand here's what I think about it (this is more like a feedback than a review ) :

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger and following on from The Avengers. It is the ninth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film finds Captain America and Black Widow going up against the assassin codename The Winter Soldier.

Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson return as Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, Peggy Carter, Arnim Zola, Howard Stark and Nick Fury.

The film is directed by the Russo Brothers.

Ok, so first off : Chris Evans is as usual the super handsome hunk with looks that'd make you go weak in the knees and maybe even swoon . Him and that Captain America outfit - mamma mia! eye candy! **drool** :D When I initially saw him in movies like Fantastic Four, The Nanny Diaries etc, I thought that he was like any other blond haired stereotypical jock with a fake, too-perfect smile , but aged maturity lends him an aura of the kind of heroes that you imagine belong to romance fiction and/or superheroes - self assured, dignified and definitely hot , without overdoing it.

Secondly - Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Her sultry femme fatale appearance was marred to a great extend due to the ramrod straight hairstyle she had taken up for this movie. Her features seemed too broad and hard and there wasn't any sultry siren effect at all. Especially in the close-ups, the sleek hair broadens her already broad face and her distinctive nose gains more prominence . I loved her previous avatars and believe the waves do more justice to her beauty.

All that apart, I would rate the movie 9/10 for the adrenaline-pumped action and mind-blowing stunts, the humor was a bit minimal compared to the other Avengers franchise movies and I would rate it a 5.5/10 . The storyline was good, though predictable. So all in all, the best part of the movie was the action. It is definitely  worth the watch!

Nostalgia

Miss the rain!!!  

The fragrance of fresh Earth as she awakens to the touch of rain...

The awakening of plants and trees, their thirst quenched, their foliage bright- like the transformation of a new Hindu Bride to the first touch of sindoor to her forehead...

Nature awakens to all her glory- adorned in her magnificent jewelry, rising from a deep slumber, breathtakingly beautiful to all who stop to take on the Magic.

What heavenly pleasure it is , to sit on the veranda or window sill , with a hot cup of coffee, some old songs or the dearest of friends and family, just enjoying the moment, feeling alive and being one with the spirit of the Universe. The deep calm and peace that pervades the soul and the smile that creeps to our lips...

Although I must say, such treats are fast disappearing. When it rains in the City, it stinks of soggy garbage and broken drains and humidity rising from the smoke filled air of the claustrophobic streets.

But in the quiet recesses far away from the hustle and bustle, away from the swarming commuters and cement jungles , in small towns and villages and peaceful scenic places unblemished by modern civilization's victories , some part of the fulfillment of that dream lingers... The rain still kisses the Earth with reverence and wakes her up, the scent of fresh earth wafting in the air, alluring the senses to deepest awakening, the green trees, the light breeze playing with your hair, placing teasing yet gentle kisses on your face with loving care...

SIGH!!!

At such moments I breathe in as much as I can of this pleasant mix which brings along with it beautiful memories of childhood, days growing up, the laughs shared with the most beloved, of people we love and miss or are happy to still have around you to cherish, to celebrate Love and the magic of being alive... I breathe it all in, with the childish hope to retain within me some of its enigmatic charm. 

I think I succeeded because , still when I think about it, I can almost sense it again... The coming of Rain....

Ramblings of a restless mind

So here I am, sitting on my window sill , looking out at the horizon and just letting my wind wander free. So many things run across my mind - many don't have any kind of logical connection to one another, and in an attempt to capture the essence of the thought process I decided to pen down the thoughts in my head as they come. Right now I don’t know whether to post it or not, because its going to be the ramblings of a restless mind and may not make sense to many. 

I have always been able to be sensitive to other people’s feelings and provide them advice that has helped make a difference. From my view point there is nothing complicated with our lives, all that is needed is good sense, patience and a dollop of wisdom. Not that I'm smart and super awesome .. lol. I'm just an ordinary girl like any other. No one is perfect, but anyways, for most sensitive people the things that people do are revealing- it takes us to their minds, and it’s like their thoughts are easy to read and why they do things that they do- their innermost desires – the things they want as a result of their actions, which even they may not be aware of.

Now to the ironical part of my entry. When it comes down to my own case.... well I’m blind as a bat searching around in a dark and cluttered place! I have no idea what I want, why I do things I do and the sense of relation I have with people and things... I feel like I am many people at once- the good person, the bad person, the good person that I admire and want to be, the bad person and their qualities that I secretly and sinfully am attracted to and want to emulate.. all this just merges together and forms this complex whole- my personality. I just don’t know who the real me is. This is one question that haunts us all. Who am I? Really? Is the real me the person who helps out the old women in the old age home or is that  this other image that I want to reflect in society? Am I the person who loves babies or do I just do it because its considered an attribute that is inherited because of being a woman? Do I really enjoy ice creams or is it because my mom bought me ice creams as a treat and forever afterwards I considered it a treat?... all this, I don’t know- and many more. I often feel like Alice, falling through that deep dark endless hole, following a crazy hare who is a stranger to me ( how naughty of Alice, don't you think?) , when I think about who I really am... am I a good person? Or am I a bad person? And how do u really define good or bad?

In Hindu mythology - Ramayana, Rama is the hero, the good guy, whereas Ravana is the big bad wolf. But was it really so? The ethical dilemma arises when Rama banishes his faithful and loyal wife and along with her his rightful heirs, for his kingdom and his people... What about his responsibility towards his Wife, the meaning of sacred bond of marriage, the responsibility of a father towards his sons? On the other hand there is Ravana, who has several valuable qualities, an example of which is the fact that he never touched Sita or misused her, his enemity with Rama did not make him behave like the monster he is supposed to be ,towards Sita.

So who is the Good guy and who is the Bad guy?

The definitions of Reality seem blurred and non- existant, the only truth seems to be the stories passed down from generations, the things that sounded right to the listener was passed on , some realities were edited and the world we live in is a filtered world where reality takes the form what the powerfully positioned person wills it to be.

On a lighter note , "The Matrix" makes sense in this context.