here book-y book-y...

So no one has asked/challenged/requested me to either donate to a cause.. throw water on myself.. or list out 10 books that have affected me :(

*ref to videos going viral on facebook*

HOWEVER, i really felt like writing the names of those 10 books Anyway! without any real thought... here goes

pride and prejudice- for the romantic aspect, and the pig headed!
naughtiest girl series- for those moments of vicarious pleasure and yelling at the book "Don't let the chickens out!!... you'll get in trouble..."
wodehouse- just for the dry humour
lady knight series- for her courage
paulo coelho- the alchemist- for the dreamer
brian weiss- only love is real, many lives many masters- for the hope
tagore's geetanjali- for the love
the faraway tree- for the dreams of children
blyton's malory towers- as the seed for boarding school life... and strangely the camaraderie i just realized was fulfilled by theatre soc much later in life
karmic ties- just because it was hard to be unaffected by such a dramatic tale of rising and falling... and the roller coaster of material wealth, connection, love, duty... a true saga!

so There... desire to express fulfilled!
Tadaaa!

Khoob ladi Mardani...

This is going to be interesting... at least for me.. hehe... *cough*.. I mean.. hopefully for you readers too..

since I'm going to talk about "Mardaani", the movie... without having actually watched it.
and with the small flicker of desire still somewhat existing to actually watch it...
which is rare in these days of Salman khan whattheycallmoviesbutareactuallyonlyactionscenes.
what-they-call-movies-but-are-actually-only-action-scenes (separated for your convenience!)

so with my interest slowing climbing i started browsing through some reviews online... but they're all weighed down with SPOILERS!.. which is a no-go when im actually Intending to watch it!

so i started thinking about how we may have forgotten the difference between reviewing art and just sharing the entire plot summary and commenting with a mild thumbs up or down...
not all, but many reviews are just out to share the story... boring!

but that was just a random thought that i stretched to 3 paras by providing you the context! TADAAA... *blogpostcreated!*

*magic*      *magic*     *magic*

anyway... have to run but well... that's all for now folks. toodles...
yep, i know... this post doesn't count! haha... :D

all about us :)

In my 25 (almost 26) years on Earth... I've understood (experienced) it is so so very easy to experience anger, hurt, betrayal, jealousy, the desire to lash out.... and most recently... devolve into growling (when words simply don't suffice)

but I've also learned that if such growl-worthy situations were Not coming into my life... I would not know HOW much gussa (anger) was hidden inside ! how much potential to erupt I carry.... but also.. how much patience, trust, surrender exists inside.

There are a lot of things we wish for
a lot of people we look up to...(for me, it's the people who are sorted inside. and by extension... outside.... but the ones who appear sorted outside aren't always sorted inside. so it doesn't work vice verse... but it works the inside-to-outside way just fine... i think)
There are a lot of aspirations we have for ourselves
-materially (what surrounds me)
-physically (what I want to look like)
-emotionally (how I want to feel)
-spiritually (the direction in which I'm heading)

but at this stage, nearly 26 and whatever emotional state I'm in, I want to grow past the "aspiration" phase to the "living the aspiration" time.
I wish I could be a more sorted person inside... and then carry this wonderful peace from inside-to-outside acts/words/expressions/perceptions.... going from obvious to subtle... to carry it everywhere.
like a perfume that you spray before leaving the car (en route fancy party ;))
a constant never-ending-ever-emanating fragrance of peace that you don't mind sharing... you love feeling... and most importantly, is a Part of me. so it may be constantly flowing inside each cell... but its spray is triggered at will... and when is it most needed?
when I know I'm walking into a metaphorical battle
when there will be lions out prowling for my (extremely) metaphorical blood
when this Peace is my armour ... as well as the weapon I yield.

This battlefield could be at work, the market, the bus, the kitchen, or anywhere... (everywhere!)
let's don this armour and walk free and abhay (a term meaning literally without fear,not just fear-Less :))
finally free of making mistakes that we wish we hadn't ... free of wishing we'd bitten our tongue when unkind words were going to flow... free of causing/feeling hurt... free and abhay

wishing all of us an armour of peace and a Happy Birth Day... so that a new us may be born and revel today!

Articles-Blogs-Reviews-WRITTEN MATERIAL

Maybe it's just me and the (warped)super slow speed of the internet at home...
but I genuinely PREFER reading an article online to watching a video about it..
you? (asks all "followers")

It's tiresome (yes, I said *cough* wrote "tiresome") to have to Wait for the video to sloooooowly load... much easier and more ... umm... isn't reading more like participating in the act of creation?
feeling words converted to thought-images and creating more space for deeper emotions?
rather than hypnotically watching images flash in front of us... simple. unthinking. absorption.

I didn't think I would write all that. I thought I would stop at "you?"
oh well ... :)

how can a post be complete without a smiley?
like a day without a smile?
like rain without the fragrance emanating from the mud?
like a week without Saturday?

time to rest with the stars... Goodnight all! Love

Somebody that I used to know... :)

Perceptions can be Such a barrier between .. well... living happily in company (to be honest).
I happened to see someone that well, I used to know.. she and I had a complicated childish relationship when we were (naturally) children :)
*sheepish admission coming up* I may, okay DID, cyber-stalk her a little ;)
and then to see her out of nowhere.. we had that choice IN THAT INSTANT to either pretend we hadn't seen each other or?...
and you know the amazing thing that happened?
I couldn't HELP it.. I turned around and a smile lit up my face.. I waved and the words flowed out of my mouth so naturally with that smile.. "Hii!!" and a wave... she smiled back too (almost laughing) and between the most natural of smiles she asked "How've you been?" (through the glass door) The smile hadn't left my face.. I mouthed I'm well and we both departed (quite aesthetically) in different directions with, I suspect, smiles on both our faces.

I don't know what happened but... I'm so grateful for that light hearted smile that just welled up from within.. and strangely, now I feel only love for her.
with no desire to either "bond" or make anything of it... just... love.
She looked so radiant and happy... and, though I'm a stranger, I feel love and happiness for her.
and why I wanted to document this was because this feels like a beautiful gift... the love, the lightheartedness, the forgiving of our childish past... it just leaves the love behind.
Thank God that smile came, or we would have done that awkward dance of pretending someone is invisible... because, I'm Now understanding Some of the implications of this small incident..
there was a Reason she was leaving as I walked in ... there was a Reason she was Visible and Not invisible in that day... that Choice, that opportunity to release (unknowingly) was Given... and I'm not even sure I TOOK it, as much as it was taken for me because SOMETHING filled my heart with love.. and I cannot explain what it was...
these tiny miracles go unnoticed many times... but while I write about it... I not only re-experience and reinforce it..I notice more aspects of this ... well.. amazing experience.
Thanking the Universe and ALL those who helped, and also Whatever it is that is helping me Realize it!
love love love

my conservative moment

People write about Cricket.. movies.. and dogs?

Well i write about those too.. cricket (eh.ho hum) movies (not updated self sufficiently) dogs (love!)
but what i wanted to Talk about was religion.. in fact, Wendy Doniger's book on Hindus.

umm, normally i dont involve my mind in such debates.. i find myself generally Pro freedom of expression. even now, not excited about the book being "pulped" i.e.. taken off shelves.
HOWEVER, i do Not feel like being Pro This book.

ive seen the cover.. Divinity perched on naked women? are you serious?
since when is that something to celebrate?
nothing wrong with nudity.. or women (of course not!.. we're awesome :) )
but what the??? why?
i would be As offended if it was nude men.. i mean, i dont see the point.

ive read the few articles describing the content.. im not impressed.. and i have the Right to be unimpressed.
and i have the Right to not read this book.
and i have the Right to blog about it (or not).
i ALSO, as us academics frequently forget, have the RIGHT to be a little conservative and Not protest the ban.

yes, banning recalling a book is a bad idea..
don't stifle our voice. etc.
yes yes and yes.
but seriously... it seems to be in poor taste.. and while im not going to fight For a ban recall, i wont oppose it either.
im not even abstaining because im here.. on this forum.. SAYING.. i have the right to be conservative and Not appreciate this representation.
this is My stand.
for whatever it is worth.

*since posting the original post, have come to understand that it was not a ban but a "recall", so the book can still be published by someone else.. and this whole hullabaloo (yes, i said hullabaloo) will probably only help its sales.. so we all win. recallers. writers and bloggers.yay!*

Dilli o Dilli

I may have "published" some spam comments.. so be wary whilst clicking y'all!

So.. today I saw a man grooving-shaking-bouncing to the beat while driving.
in all of 3 seconds I finally understood what I must look like when I'M driving.

there are some subtle (or *cough* not) ways that "delhi" has creeped inside the fabric of my personality over the last (God!) umm 17 years!
one of the more obvious ones is the love for "oh ho ho ho..." songs 
and when they Do come floating around on the radio... you can bet your last matchbox(!) I'm going to be dancing... standing, sitting, or driving... it-will-happen!

and why your last matchbox? because light is important yo! :)

and remember... judge not lest ye be judged :)

(*she says, getting up to dance*... bolo tara ra ra) ;)