I, Me, Myself

I picked this one up from Anumita's blog:

I am: too naive for my liking

I think: and remember lost times and places and people long gone by

I know: when someone close is down without them needing to tell me

I want: to meet my close friends more often, wherever they may be in the world

I have: a beautiful family!

I wish: to lose more weight and get into my ideal weight range

I hate: loudmouths, liars, harsh lights while driving, insincerity and people spitting on streets

I miss: my childhood

I fear: losing my loved ones

I feel: the need to indulge more time into my hobbies

I hear: too many abuses on the roads these days

I smell: the scent of freshly brewed coffee right now

I crave: for mom's prawn curry which unfortunately I am supposed to avoid at present

I search: for happiness in all the small things of the world

I wonder: what it would have been like if I had been a doctor, as was my original ambition as a kid

I regret: about misunderstandings I have had and the angst that it created

I love: my family and everything they mean to me

I ache: when I see a wizened old lady or man begging on the street. How can we do this to them?

I care: about the words I say, lest they prove to be hurtful to someone

I am not: as outgoing as I'm made out to be

I believe: that there are good things still in the world we live in and that they are worth fighting for (quote from LOTR - The Two Towers)

I dance: with abandon not caring who's seeing me

I sing: and get breathless very fast

I cry: very easily when I'm watching touching moments either in reel or real life

I don’t always: feel like talking to the dozen

I fight: whenever I know I am right

I write: because it feels right and gives me a lot of confidence

I win: seldom but with a lot of feeling

I lose: my temper rarely

I never: take anyone for granted, and by that I mean ANYONE

I always: pray before leaving my house in the morning

I confuse: verses of popular songs while I sing them

I listen: more than I speak

I can usually be found: with a book in my hand

I am scared: when I begin anything new, be it a job, relationship or a journey

I need: to know that my efforts are making a difference

I am happy about: what life has given me till now

I imagine: how our country would have been if we did not have so many varying political factions

I tag: anyone who wants to do it - trust me, its fun!!

Things I love!

The easiest way to get out of what I call "writing lethargy" is to do a list - it could be any kind of list; things you hate, memories, odd things about you, best / worst foods....anything at all. It gives you an opportunity to think and write and voila, a post is ready!

Since am still indulging myself in the Diwali atmosphere and there is a general feeling of happiness and contentment in me, this list is of things I love. Ok, I'll even admit, I got inspired seeing a similar post on Pixie's blog.

1. A baby's toothless grin;

2. Someone you care for and miss calling out of the blue;

3. Being part of a Mexican wave in a cricket match at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium;

4. The Friday before a long weekend filled with nice things to do;

5. Leaving office on a weekday evening and finding the roads mysteriously free of traffic;

6. Lying to S about my ETA home from work, beating it by a huge margin and seeing her smile;

7. Receiving a gift; even better, giving a gift; :-)

8. Playing cricket with ollllddddd building friends after ages and still experiencing the same thrill;

9. Discovering a old, much loved but forgotten book somewhere at home & reading it again;

10. The smell of freshly brewed coffee & tea;

11. Tiny little puppies, blind but very much alive!!!;

12. Going to my college campus and sitting on the same bench in the ground where we used to sit after bunking classes;

13. Sitting in the Siddhivinayak temple close to my house in the afternoons; it is so peaceful that all troubles seem to dissolve;

14. The feeling just before going on a long vacation;

15. The feeling just before reaching "home-sweet-home" after the vacation;

16. Holding S's finger while walking in our colony or even crossing the road;

17. Knowing my parents are proud of what their sons are doing;

18. Feeling the sand under my feet on a Goan beach;

19. A night of Pictionary with close friends with a lot of cheating thrown in;

20. Waking early on a holiday, waiting for the others to wake up with a good book in hand;

21. Entering the house and smell the aromas of cooking food and guessing the name of the delicacy;

22. Sitting in a train with loved ones on my way to a destination I have never been to before;

This is not a tag but its always good to read this kind of list for different people. You realize that you actually love so many more things which may not have come to the fore in your own list. So go for it and let me know when you write yours! Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali (belated) and a great year to follow!!!

Is It Worth it????

"There is some good in this world.......and its worth fighting for!!!"

This is one of the closing dialogues in one of my favourite movies: The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers, spoken by Sam Gamgee to Frodo Baggins. And it never fails to touch me, however many times I hear it.

In today's world, everyday one hears mostly about terrorist acts in some place on the globe. There are everyday acts of crime taking place in broad daylight. Administration is going to the dogs. Politics is supposed to be one of the most corrupt professions in the country. And corruption has not spared any other professions too, be it sport, medicine, industry, cinema etc. Most of our cities wallow in filth, bad roads, bad infrastructure; you name it and you will find it. Rural India and in some cases urban as well is still rife with instances of dowry burnings, female infanticide, child marriages. In our metros, youngsters are going the way of rave parties, drugs, underage sex and every such vice which is considered "hip" and "cool". Citizens complain of lack of basic amenities, crowded roads & public transport, of how the government is not doing anything at all to better the situation. In short, its chaos everywhere you look.

In the midst of such times, it is so very easy to get disillusioned. Its very easy to get cynical and go with the flow. The feeling of "does it really matter what I think, what difference does it make anyway" supercedes everything else. And one more brain, one more heart falls into the trap of so-called civilization as we know it.

And even then you find a few people who do not take things at face value. People who are affected by the same issues as the rest but who have chosen to handle them differently. Are these individuals made of a different mettle than most? Do they have some special powers that help them think differently?

The answer is NO. They are the same as all of us. They are no different in any possible way you can think of. Its only that they believe in the fact that there is still a chance to make a difference, to bring about a positive change in the system. That small things go on to contribute to the larger whole. That we are still not beyond redemption. Which is where the line I started with comes in.

This is the line I get reminded of when:

1. I see a baby's toothless grin

2. A completely unknown person gives me a hand to pull me into a running train

3. Destitute children burning the midnight lamp (literally) to study after a day long job

4. A brash collegian driving a vehicle at 90 kmph stopping to allow a old lady to cross the street

5. Seeing a little girl sell flowers or some such thing at a traffic signal & still have a dazzling smile reminiscent of a Bollywood beauty.

6. The way Mumbaikar's reached out to help stranded people during the recent and not so recent catastrophes like the July 26th floods and the Mumbai serial blasts.

7. How one can always find 2-3 helping hands ready to help you push your stranded vehicle.

8. The motive for the umpteen number of individuals who have devoted their lives solely to make this world a better place to live in.

All these and many more splashes of bright colours in an otherwise drab and flawed world make it worth the effort! Because every little deed contributes to the larger good.

Let us also make an attempt to add some colour in whatever way possible. While on its own, it may not be something significant enough to be noticed by the whole world, at least within our own self we would know that it was all worth it and someplace someone would have a smile on their face! :-)