an advert- old is gold.

nobody in my family knows how to converse in kashmiri
we're infinitely more comfortable in english
at the cost of hindi

nobody knows what the 'traditional' cultural outfit is (sari in kashmir? i-dont-think-so)
the usual clothes donned are 'western' (barring family celebrations)
kurtas exist yes, but in an ironic attempt to look inconspicuous

food is dicey
taste buds adapt easily to 'north' food
meetha in gujarat, teekha otherwise
the food dadi and company spoonfed?
for once-in-6-month indulgences

the education is consistent
people are well placed
but in varied fields
there is no tradition to continue
or ancestral wrath to be faced

ideas on travel, shopping, lifestyle are all different
one teeny family
and a billion politically (in)correct opinions
all exploding in a rainbow over the dinner table

i wonder at the glue that holds it
supreme attachment?
conscientious duty upholders?
this-is-how-its-supposed-to-be?
whatever it is
its the lasting type

a hybrid community
jumbled up notions
experimental children
curious adults
all shovelling the snow aside
walking in a pattern unfamiliar
creation of a web

welcome to life

The Day. To(oooo)-day. Now

Its been a long day. A lot has managed to cram itself into the last what 14 hours?
Two results came bouncing out of Universities in Delhi (no, not Delhi University...yet)
One boo (which-is-just-wrong by the way)
The second is on till the interview stage (and then yay?)

Had one long sleepless night
Craved coffee (oh so bad)
Curled up into a yellow lump on one side of the car
Travelled what seems like 5500 kms (exaggeration, naturally)
Satiated above craving by indulging in college coffee (oh heaven)
Managed to wolf down college chole-chawal (*weak smile*)
Lost my purple packet of funflips to a ravenous pack of juniors
Wrangled out a result-awaiting certificate from reluctant college authorities
And now, my stomach is growling.

It may Seem like im more concerned about food than my future
(lookitthat, alliteration!)
But since the DU result isn't out, the entrance or the main exam one
And since i really can't do much about what happened...
why cry over spilt milk eh?
Besides its not like i spilt any milk anyway
The milkman(!) did
And now im having what tastes like bitter black tea.
However, that being said, it could actually be healthy (healthier!) green tea
so time shall announce that as well

It pretty difficult to put philosophy into practice
the whole treat pain and pleasure equally bit.
h-a-r-d
and dont let anyone convince you otherwise

The thing is, you can only doubt yourself for so long
Ultimately you can't float forever on cloud nine
and nor can you cling desperately to the absolute pits (or bedposts, read old post)
The balance must be found
(an odd tear or two bit later perhaps)
but
The balance must be found

Its been a massively long day
and i smell like a giant cherry (thankyou The Body Shop)
you-gotta-LOVE-the-shower-gels!!!

Peace and Love

PS- do whatever it takes to feel the joy.
the constant kind.
Much love. (yes, some more :)...)

honestly :)

Mom is home.
The world is a beautiful warm place again.
Thank You God.

Signing off Happy. Oh so Happy.
:D

and i Chirp again

So im talking to V-kid yday (who is a bit of an intelligent donkey) and suddenly reiki pops up in from absolutely nowhere and im (unwillingly)drawn into discussing the procedure. Why unwillingly? Cuz i dislike talking about faith in particular when the person im talking to simply wants to score grey-matter points by pointing out the loopholes in the theory (faith hence keep some small miniscule proportion of faith!)..

He would be your typical once satanist (which he now laughs off as immaturity) now stable atheist plus medicine student. Hmm. Maybe not that typical. So i get suckered into the discussion and (predictably) halfway through my hackles are itching to rise up and inform me of their volatile feelings. A few posts dismissing reiki (that he thoughtfully found online and posted for my benefit) later, i try and steer the conversation on less controversial lines. Maybe peanut butter craze, chocolate addiction camps, man on moon theory i muse but before i can repeat the mantra of 'live and let live' he comes dangerously close to launching a full blown attack on everything i have begun to consider essential. Reiki and i are at that fragile stage when we're making tentative moves towards each other, always alert to sounds that may disrupt our shaking hands (hmm..or a hug maybe)

So i really didnt wanna talk to a cynic. no, i am not closing my mind to reality or promoting ignorance/blind faith... i believe in some things based on sense, potential to help, instinct and sometimes a little tangible evidence (to silence the critic in me)...so far, its lived up to all these parameters but i wasnt too sure it could withstand an all out war of a gabillion (?) years of research which focussed purely on destabalising alternate therapies. Ironically how i managed to keep my cool was because of reiki (you just become a calmer person) and we (slowly) trampled happily on other areas of dissent. (he think humans are a ripe mix of homonids and alien life forms based on our intellect developing far too quickly. i say define 'aliens'. arent we ALL aliens to someone? i think i lost my ability to argue halfway through though. he cited the pyramids as an example to reiterate his point and i feebly pointed out the mummies as a reinforcement of his view...it is something to consider)

So finally, what do i believe in?
Frankly, at the risk of sounding totally unreal..i believe that there are multiple ways of reaching the same destination...i believe the destination to be peace and joy.... believe in a superpower/god/energy/universe that looks out for us..that you should do, think and feel good plus you can never go wrong with that..worst case you'll end up being a 'good' person, hardly something to boo-hoo over...i believe in the right of others to not believe what i think..but i also believe in expecting the same respect i give their interpretation of life...that, thanks to paulo coelho and brian weiss plus family and drawing room conversations, if you really want something...eventually it will come to you...how it isnt that hard to be 'good' or feel happy... i believe we're all blessed with the ability to invite fortune into our lives at any given point..
allow yourself to believe in something...it heals your wounded soul...
trust you me :)