Both Sides

I really dunno when and how I have happened to hear such amazing Numbers from Neil Diamond..
Here are the lyrics of one of tjose numbers which kept running in my head..

Rolls and flows of angel hair,
Ice cream castles in the air,
Feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun.
They rain, they snow on everyone.
So many things I would've done
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down and still somehow
It's clouds' illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels,
The dizzy, dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real.
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show.
Leave 'em laughin' when you go.
But if you care, don't let em' know
Don't give yourself away.

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall.
I really don't know love at all.

Tears and fears and feeling proud,
Say "I love you" right out loud.
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange.
They shake their heads and say I've changed.
But something's lost when somethings gained
Living everyday.

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.

Ambition . . .

Once upon a time there were 2 brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a tall building.
On coming home one day they realized, to their dismay, that the lifts were not working and that they would have to climb the stairs home.
After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day.
They left their bags then and climbed on . .

By the time they had struggled to the 40th level, they had gone sufficiently mad and were irritated.
The younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel.
They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they had only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace.
They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last! Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door.
They then realized that the key was in their bags, which were left on the 20th floor...

This story is a reflection on our life and times.
All of us climb the tall building called career . . . some till the 80th floor and some less.
But do we know that the key to our happiness is in the bag, which has been left back, way behind on the 20th floor?

Know your dreams and follow it so that you will not live with regrets . .

If the chariot of your life is driven by the steeds of ambition, make sure the reins of your life are held by the hands of joy.

We are the heroes of our own story . . .

Girls diary vs boys diary

Can You?

AbhisheK: " no you cannot do this."

Altering Abhishek: "no, I can"

AbhisheK: " What makes you think you can solve everyones problem??, You think you are some genuis or what?"

Altering Abhishek: " no genius, I think in some cases I can..."

AbhisheK:"well ur testing ur limits with her.....you can see she does not want to help herself and is runinig away.."

Altering Abhishek: (Smiling!!): " you see, and wait and see.. I have faith in her..."

Abhishe: "HAHA"

Altering Abhishek: " Get lost with your haha.. I know her... she will will come out triumphant..

Abhishek:" lets see"

Altering Abhishek: :" Yeah ;eats see.. there are four days..

:)
I am sure

Damn sure
"

Abhishek: "lets See"

Altering Abhishek: "YEa.. lets"

138th "The Vagina Monologues"

20The November 2006, 7PM; Dadar, Mumbai India

Cast: Dolly Thakore, Avantika Akerkar, Jayati Bhatia, Sonali Sachdev, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal

Yes; Some of the people passing this entry may feel strange ( a Simple Strange) to see an entry about this Play from a guy!

( For the Un-initiated about it, please look up the title or click on it)

The Supposed "BOLD" was a very interestig One hour spent!
Specially, I feel its definately a must wacth for all the mortals having one ( yeah I am talking about the Vagina.. )

With a lot of Panache the subject of The VAGINA , which, though much more talked about( Read Spoken) in lewd connotations on every Street( and just about anywhere)..
was brought about in "Monologues" Which were funny; Shocking;Hair rasing ( hahah.. the one on HAIR .. was hilarious!!!) and most of all... the amazing under-current and thought behind the concept and the story!!

But what is sure ; as the directors confirmed and all the audience would have to agree to; The whole play would be an amazing discovery for all the women!!!

From Rich (Who's afraid of the big bad boggart?)

Who's afraid of the big bad boggart?
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL

Long, long ago, Rabbit, known to be a fearless and respected warrior, was a great friend of Eye Walker, a witch with great magical powers. Out climbing a high mountain one hot day, Rabbit declared, "I'm tired and so thirsty".
Eye Walker , picking up a leaf, blew on it, turning it to a gourd of water. Rabbit drank it all, saying nothing. Later, when he said "I'm so hungry", Eye Walker picked up a stone, blew on it, handing Rabbit a turnip that he ate with relish, still not saying a word.
They had almost reached the top when Rabbit fell, rolling all the way down to the bottom. Eye Walker used a magic salve which eased his pains and healed his broken bones in minutes. Still, Rabbit didn't say a thing.
Some days later Eye Walker, hoping to go on another long walk, searched high and low for Rabbit, who was nowhere to be found. A week later, she met him quite by accident. "Rabbit, why are you hiding and avoiding me?" she asked.
"Because your magic scares me. Stay away from me".
"I used my powers to help you, and now you refuse my friendship!" Sadly, she added, "Though I can easily destroy you with my magic, I won't, because we have been such good friends.
But, from this day forward I lay a curse on you and your kind. From now on, you will attract what you fear, and your fears will come to you".

A frightened Rabbit now shouts: "Eagle, don't you dare come near me!" If he feels Eagle hasn't heard him, Rabbit yells even louder, "Eagle, stay away from me, do you hear!" Eagle, now hearing Rabbit, can come find him, and kill and eat him.
An old proverb cautions us: What you most wish for and what you most fear will both come true!
If we believe that we can influence, if not actually create our own 'realities', then it makes sense that by wanting something desperately or not wanting something equally desperately we give those 'things' a lot of energy to help them manifest in our lives.
Befriending our fears has often been offered as a solution; easier said than done, we hear ourselves say! However, a popular set of children's books shows us another brilliant and often effective way, by introducing us to The Boggart ...
In Celtic mythology, a boggart was a mis- chievous household spirit, given to making life miserable for those in whose houses it decided to stay.
In the Harry Potter books, a boggart is given an intriguing new twist as a kind of shapeshifter. When anyone looks at it, it changes shape to become whatever that person fears the most.
Due to its tendency to hide in relatively small, dark, enclosed places, such as in closets, under beds, or in tree hollows, it is quite likely that the boggart's natural form is fairly small; only when we give it any importance does it seem HUGE!
Now here comes the best part to make the boggart disappear, you can use the 'Riddikulus' spell, knowing that boggarts are weakened by laughter.
This is achieved by transforming the image of your greatest fear into something else, something amusing or silly therefore harmless pointing a wand at the boggart and confidently saying: "Riddikulus".
What's your boggart? And how will you use the spell?

The writer is a mythologist, storyteller and workshop leader.

'Nothing in life is more worthy than your laughter. Never lose. it. Events come and go. Some are pleasant, and others, unpleasant. There is some area deep in you that is left untouched. Hold on to what is untouched. Then you will be able to keep laughing.'

Romance??

I thought that I could love no otherUntil, that is, I met your brother.Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head. Oh loving beauty you float with graceIf only you could hide your faceKind, intelligent, loving and hot;This describes everything you are notI want to feel your sweet embrace But don't take that paper bag off of your face I love your smile, your face, and your eyes -Damn, I'm good at telling lies!My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:Marrying you screwed up my life I see your face when I am dreaming.That's why I always wake up screaming My love, you take my breath away.What have you stepped in to smell this wayMy feelings for you no words can tell,Except for maybe "go to hell"What inspired this amorous rhyme?Two parts vodka, one part lime

Any Comments??

1) Politics without Principle
(2) Pleasure without Conscience
(3) Wealth without Work
(4) Knowledge without Character
(5) Business without Morality
(6) Science without Humanity
(7) Worship without Sacrifice."

Love... is also about realisin' that the other person can go wrong, can be weak or can make mistakes, and acceptin' him/her as that.

LOVE

A  group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to  8
year-olds, "What does love mean?"
The answers they got were  broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined. See what you think:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When my grandmother got  arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails  anymore.

So  my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got
arthritis too. That's love."

Rebecca- age 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When someone loves you,  the way they say your name is different.

You just know that your  name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is when a girl puts  on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and
they go out and smell  each other."

Karl - age 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is when you go out to  eat and give somebody most of your French fries
without making them give  you any of theirs."

Chrissy - age  6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is what makes you  smile when you're tired."
Terri - age  4




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Love is when my mommy  makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before
giving it to him, to  make sure the taste is OK."

Danny -  age 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Love is when you kiss all  the time. Then when you get tired of kissing,
you still want to be  together and you talk more.
My  Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they  kiss"

Emily - age 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Love is what's in the room  with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and  listen."

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you want to learn to  love better, you should start with a friend who
you hate,"

Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more  Nikka's on this planet)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is when you tell a  guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday."

Noelle - age 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is like a little old  woman and a little old man who are still friends
even after they know each  other so well."

Tommy - age 6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 "During my piano recital, I  was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

Cindy - age 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My mommy loves me more  than anybody .

You don't see anyone else  kissing me to sleep at night."

Clare - age 6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Love is when Mommy gives  Daddy the best piece of chicken."

Elaine-age 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Love is when Mommy sees  Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Brad Pitt "

Chris - age 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Love is when your puppy  licks your face even after you left him alone all
day."
Mary Ann - age 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I know my older sister  loves me because she gives me all her old clothes
and has to go out and  buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When you love somebody,  your eyelashes go up and down and little stars
come out of you." (what an  image)
Karen - age 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You really shouldn't say  'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean
it, you should say it a  lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the final one -- Author  and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a
contest he was asked to  judge.

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring  child.

The winner was a  four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who  had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the  old gentleman's yard,
climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his  Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy
said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Dedicated to brothers in general,
and my Brother(s) to be specific...

A small note
A little reminder.
We may not talk often enough
Or meet for years.
But, a special day,
Recognizes a special bond.
Unique… to every 2 who share it.

A simple thread
Few simple words,
Pulls the feeling across.
For some, a day of no special significance
& yet
for others,
a reassurance
& a flashback
of memories,
times spent together.

Days go by,
Pass into years,
Relationships… get entangled,
Complex and diverse.
Yet every year,
Year after year
The feeling grows stronger,
The care resurfaces,
The bond…
Extends further.
Ties,
Reunite.

Sending your way
Hugs and best wishes,
Love through a simple thread
& a relationship of care.
Raksha Bandhan.

Is eve-teasing a form of flattery?

Never explain yourself to anyone because,
your friends dont need it and your enemies wont believe it...

LOST

Blank
Blank is what I drew for s long time before starting to write this. There so much that I wanted to blog about, specially on my Change Blog.
There is so much happening.
Not just around but inside and outside too.
It is like a strange trance.
Its like your high!
So high that you can feel you mind missing events.
But there, yes there is where you feel it!
You can feel
You can feel so many more things!
You are aware in you unconscious trance
You are so aware that your are thinking. Thinking so many things
You Mind is acting fast.
Fast and Slow.
Both at the same time


It is like you sitting besides this calm lake with you Ipod pumping in high volume ROCK in your nerves.
Like a storm waxing and waning in your head.
Deciding
To strike
Or not

What to do
Where to go
The echo becoming louder!
Like nails staring to fall on a metal sheet
Increasing
And increasing

Yes……………….
I am SO  L – O –   S. – T

happiness

"Write your sorrows on a piece of paper so that the winds of change will blow them away; carve your joy on stone so that no one can erase it." Anonymous

Rather than giving food to your ears,

give music to your soul.

-_-_-_-_- PakistaniMusic.com -_-_-_-_-
Courtsey: Aamir
Afreen Afreen (Live), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Tu bhee dakhee agar to kahee hamnsheeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Tu bhee dakhee agar to kahee hamnsheeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Aisaa dekhaa naheen Khubsoorat koi
Jism jaisee hai Jantaa kee moorat koi
Jism jaisee nigahoon pee jadu koi
Jism naghma koi jism khushboo koi
Jism jaisee machaltee hoye ragnee
Jism jaisee mehaktee hoayee chandni
Jism jaisee keh khilta hoyaa eik chaman
Jism jaisee keh Sooraj kee pehlee kiran
Jism tershaa hoyaa Dikashooo Dilnasheen
Sandaleeeen sandaleen marmareeeeen marmareeeeen
Sandaleeeen sandaleen marmareeeeen marmareeeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Chehraa eik phool kee terha shadaab hai
Chehraa uss ka hai yaa koi mehtaab hai
Chehra jaisee ghazal Chehra Jane ghazal
Chehraa jaisee kaleee chehraa jaisee Kanval
Chehraa jaisee tasavar bhee tasveerrr bheee
Chehraa eik khawab bhee chehraa tabeer bheee
Chehraa koi aleef lailaaa kee dastaaaaan
Chehraa eik paal yaqeen chehraa eik paal goomaaan
Chehraa jaisaa keh chehraa kaheen bhee naheen
Mahroon mahroon mehjabeen mehjabeeeen
Mahroon mahroon mehjabeen mehjabeeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Ankheen dekheen to main dekhtaa rah giyaa
Jaam Dooo ore doonoon hee doo ateshaaaa
Ankheen yaa makadeee kaee doo baab hain
Ankheen inn ko kahoon yaa kahoon khawab hain
Ankheen neechee hoyee to HAYA baan gayeen
Ankheen oonchee hoyee to DUA baan gayeen
Ankheen Uth kar jhakeen too ADA baan gayeen
Ankheen jhuk kar utheen to qadaa baan gayeen
Ankheen jin main hain Asmaan o zameeeeen
Nargasee Nargaseee SURMAYEE SURMAYEEE
Nargasee Nargaseee SURMAYEE SURMAYEEE
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Zulfe JANA kee bhee lambee hai Dastaaan
Zulf kee mare DIL per hai perchaiyaaan
Zulf jaisee keh umdeee hoyee hoo ghataa
Zulf jaisee keh hoo koi kali balaaaa
Zulf uljheee to duniyaa pareshan hoo
Zulf suljhee too yeh Deed asaaan hoo
Zulf bikhree siyah raaat chanee lagee
Zulf lehrayee to raat janeee lageee
Zulf zanjeer hai phir bhee hai kitnee haseeen
Rashmeen Rashmeen Ambreeyeeen Ambreeyeeen
Rashmeen Rashmeen Ambreeyeeen Ambreeyeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen x4
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Tu bhee dakhee agar to kahee hamnsheeeen
Afreen Afreen Afreeeen Afreeen
Husnee JANAAA Kee tareef mumkin naheeen x4

Happiness

A winter evening.
Four friends.
One barsaat.
Four glasses of chai.


Hundred bucks of gas.
A rusty old bike.
And an open road.


Maggi noodles.
A hostel room.
4.25 a.m.


3 old friends.
3 separate cities.
3 coffee mugs.
1 internet messenger.


Rain on a hot tin roof.
Pakoras deep-frying.
Neighbours dropping in.
A party.


You and mom.
A summer night.
A bottle of coconut oil.
A head massage.
Gossiping about absent family members.

Good Vs Bad

Something Bad not happening is equivalent to something good happening!- Abhishek

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http://err-gotta-go.blogspot.com/

more shantaram

its always a mistake to be alone withsomeone you shouldnt have loved.

personality and personal identity are in some ways like co ordinates on the street map drawn by our intersecting relationships.

The birth!!( not that movie dumbo...)

When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.
( for me it was just about a year I recall!!)

more shantaram...

when you judge the power that is in a person you must judge their capacities as both friend and enemy.

shantaram

a dream is a place where a wish and a fear meet. when the wish and the fear are exactly the same we call the dream a nightmare.

if u have to ask the question you have no right to the answer.

ask any man with a long enough experience of prisons and he ll tell you that all it takes to harden a mans heart is a system of justice.

Perspective and appreciation(forwarded mail)

The difference between Rich/ Poor People?  
 
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to
The country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live,
Therefore, they spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what
Would be considered a very poor family
 On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, " How was the trip ?"  "It was great, Dad."   "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.   "Oh yeah," said the son.   "So, tell me, what you learned from the trip?" asked the father.   The son answered:  "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.  We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have
a creek that has no end.  We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.   Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.  We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond
our sight.  We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.   We buy our food, but they grow theirs.   We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."   The boy's father was speechless.  Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are ."   Is not perspective a wonderful thing?  Makes you wonder what would happen
if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what
we don't have.  
 
Try to appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!  Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their
 

Phonetcis and Punctuation

Know me.
Know Me?
No!! Me.
No!! Me?
No Me!!
No, Me?

(So what all do u understand?)

Tag ( picked and filled..anyone interested..?)

My Accent: Punjabi
Booze: Whiskie!!, Tequila
Chore I Hate: Writing on paper
Dog or Cat: None ( ok Cat is better)
Essential Electronics: VIAO
Perfume: None
Gold or Silver: None  (silver if pushed to choose)
Home: Chandigarh
Insomnia: nop
Job Title: Business Development
Living Arrangements: Roomies
Most Admirable Traits: Sense of humour
Number of Sexual Partners: aha!! ( currently no-one)
Number of times in hospital:2-3
Phobias:None
Quote: "nowhere to now here..Now here to Nowhere"
Religion: Hindu
Siblings: one
Time I Wake Up: Heaven @ Seven ( can bet anything thing from 4-10 AM)
Unusual Talent or Skill:Can serve (badminton) well Looking Anywhere!
Vegetable I Love: broccoli
Worst Habit: Too Logicall
X-Rays, Last time: Fractured Bones
Yummy Food I Make:Lots ( From Pizza to Paneer veggies et al)
Zodiac Sign: Aries

What is the toughest thing in life?

....Relationships, managing people.. keeping them happy!

Has there ever been any, just any time in ur life when absolutely everyone in ur life is happy with u? Is it even possible? There is always someone or the other who is not happy with something I've said or done :-(

Help me God!!

The only thing

"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."
(Women also..)

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.

- Maori proverb

BORED!!

We ALL get bored sooner or later, it's what you do next that tests your character, and creativity.

.. ..

It doesn't matter how hard you hit the floor, what matters is how high you can bounce back.

Morning!

There should be a better way to start a day, than waking up every morning

And some more ... Shantaram

As i made my way through this book, there are so many quotes I want to share.. so bear with me =)

"This is India, man. This is India. This is the land of the heart. Thisis where the heart is king, man. The bleep heart. That's why you're free. ...... Two hundred bleep languages, and a billion people. India is the heart. Its the heart that keeps us together. There's no place with people like my people Lin. There's no heart like the Indian heart."
....
Yea it isnt pathbreaking the quote, but I guess in the context it was touching. But I cant share the context or the full quote at the risk of giving it all away. =(

More from Shantaram

Suffering is exactly like happiness, but backwards. One is the mirror image of the other, and has no real meaning or existence without the other.

Get it done

Your actual efforts are often much less tiring, much less draining than the anxiety with which you surround those efforts. Just imagine how much you could accomplish if you could work without the friction of your own negative thoughts.
How much time and energy do you waste, worrying that the task is too difficult or complicated, or that it's beneath your dignity? How many moments do you devote to anger, resentment and anxiety when you could be spending those moments getting the work done?
Focus on the effort, let go of your need to resist it, and give it your very best. Think of what a privilege it is that you have the opportunity to make a difference.
Rather than being annoyed at what you must do, be enthusiastic about what you can do. Rather than making yourself and others miserable about it, put your energy into getting it done in the best way you know how.
Instead of putting it off until later, thus allowing your worries and anxieties to grow stronger, go ahead and get it done. When you release the anxiety surrounding the task, you'll suddenly see that there's no reason to avoid it.
And you'll see that there's every reason to go ahead and get it done.
~ Ralph Marston ~
==========
Quote:
"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."
~ Anon ~

A woman should...

be a feminist during her college days,
be career minded and care oriented,
play the game of hide and seek with her suitor,
dare to stay happily unmarried all her life,
love being a woman,
buy flowers for herself,
feel the wind on her face,
go camping, trekking,
be shy, be bold,
trust men occasionally,
give that second chance to everyone,
be a romantic,
get emotionally hyped over nothing and cool down suddenly,
go on a diet, yet, eat chocolates and ice-creams,
get high 'n stay high on life, love her man and her reflection,
learn to love herself,
kiss herself goodnight in the mirror,
get wild, tame her tears,
break rules-lead the dances,
drive her man's car,
run his bank account,
manage his business, wear his clothes
yet know that he's a man and she's the woman,
get flattered,
wear latest fashion and wear fine diamonds
for no special reason,
lay down principles in her life,
go out for window shopping all alone,
know the way to her man's heart,
never forget the little girl within.

"Sometimes you have to get to know someone really well to realise you're really strangers."

- Mary Tyler Moore

An excerpt from Shantaram

Some Loves are like that. Most loves are like that, from what i can see. Your heart starts to feel like an over-crowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and your independence. Affter a while you start throwing people out ----- your friends, everyone you used to know. And it's still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking, and you know it's going to take you down with it.

ON THIS DAY

Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss a suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed.

Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologise if you were wrong. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little more.

Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again. Speak it still once again.

The tide recedes but leaves behind bright sea shells on the sand,
The sun goes down but gentle warmth still lingers on the land,
The music stops but yet it echoes on in sweet refrains...
For every joy that passes something beautiful remains.

- Anonymous

we

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.

Girls just wanna have fun!

(Interesting article in ToI on this Sunday)
Raj Kirtikar, 27-year-old Mumbaiite narrates, “I met this 21-year-old engineering student at the Pollyesther’s disc a while back. We danced a bit, she gave me her number, I spoke to her on the phone thrice and just five days later we went out of town together! She said she had always fantasised about having a naughty weekend with a stranger. We had a lot of fun but we knew it was just for then. We’ve never met again after that.” Dr Narendra Kumar (name changed) , father of a 20-year-old in Delhi who often spends weekends with her boyfriend, is worried. He says, “When I ask her if this is long-term, her reply is ‘no’. I guess relationships today work on a different level altogether. I don’t want to sound like a preaching father, but I really worry about her emotional well-being as she might feel used and abandoned when this relationship ends.” Nilaadri Shankar (name changed), a 23-year-old telemarketing executive currently working in Chennai, admits that she likes the excitement of one-night stands. She says, “When you’re thinking of a relationship, there are so many things you look out for in a guy. But when it’s purely for fun, it’s only about the physical attraction. I know that many older Indians think that girls who treat sex casually are slutty. But among my friends, it’s uncool to be inexperienced.” TODAY, ‘Just do it’ isn’t necessarily about athletics. Across the country, there’s a growing number of single girls in their early 20s, who have started living their personal lives by the Nike slogan. Yes, it seems casual sex is suddenly no big taboo for many young women in urban India. Men have always been the ones who are supposedly genetically and psychologically geared for a no-strings-attached sex life. And there’s a reason why ‘getting lucky’ is usually something a guy boasts about in the locker room. But things are changing and today’s Indian woman is slowly moving away from the ‘touch me not’ syndrome, where even if she did indulge in a physical relationship, she had to assuage the ‘guilt’ by assuring herself that the man in her life was there for keeps. “Now, sex is not taboo anymore. Everyone’s indulging in it. In this scenario, young girls, too, are talking about sex and initiating casual encounters quite unabashedly,” notes Mumbai social psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty. “This is happening because many of us, including the guys, realise that virginity is an over-rated and outdated concept. I think I’ll be ready for a mature relationship later on in life. Maybe I’ll even settle down with someone my parents choose for me in the next two-three years. But right now, I don’t have the time or the inclination for a committed relationship. And I’m happy meeting so many interesting men,” says Nidhi Sanklecha, a 24-year-old PR executive from Bangalore. According to 22-year-old Ragini Chopra (name changed), who works in a Delhi-based BPO, “In the capital too, girls in their early 20s are finding it easier to have casual flings. With the marriageable age becoming 28, most girls feel that the early 20s are a time to have fun without commitment and so we have these emotionless and casual sexual encounters with boys.” She says there’s no guilt or shame ensuing from these actions because “we don’t feel we’ve done anything wrong”. Chopra adds, “Sex is no big deal. We are not looking for anything long-term in our 20s. Who wants something so serious?” Twenty-nine-year-old Mumbai-based investment analyst, Girish Bairagi (name changed), although single and happy to mingle with this new breed of bold and beddable women, admits that he is a little bewildered. “I’m not complaining, but yes, it was a little difficult for me to accept at first. There’s just no emotion involved! These 23- and 24-year-olds are very cool about going away with someone for the weekend without any fears. And suppose I tell them I’m busy, they don’t sit at home and feel upset about it. They just go with someone else or wait till I am free. It’s become as casual as having a cup of coffee together!” Delhi psychiatrist Dr Avdesh Sharma explains why this attitude prevails, “There was a time when boys in their 20s witnessed a sexual revolution. Now, it’s the turn of the girls, who are willing to experiment with their sexuality. There’s no emotional bond between partners. In fact, girls don’t want to get emotional about the boys. Here’s a new generation that just wants to satisfy its desires. We’re living in a world where popular culture is dictating our relationships and sex life. Sex is seen as fun without responsibility. There’s a lack of emotions when we have casual sex. Young girls are enjoying this emotionless hook-up.” According to analysts, this attitudinal shift stems from increasing levels of self-confidence that could be a direct result of financial independence. “BPOs, marketing and PR companies hire young employees and pay them a packet. These youngsters are then tempted to lead a lifestyle that’s far beyond their years. Influenced by books and programmes like Sex & The City and Coupling, they believe that appearing sexy raises their ‘cool quotient’. Actually having sex with a significant other or even experimenting with casual affairs is just a progression from there,” says HR consultant Binaifer Adenvala. While not all casual sex can be attributed to the BPO boom, The Times (London) did report in mid-March that one in four Indian call centre workers regularly had casual affairs. While many might decry such developments, others feel that an open attitude is healthy. Dr Cherry Das, a Kolkata-based gynaecologist, says, “I’ve had young unmarried girls coming to consult me on various sex-related subjects. I cannot comment on the moral concerns, but I’m happy that they are well aware of the dangers of unprotected sex and side-effects of pills,” she says. However, a nostrings-attached lifestyle can have a detrimental effect in the long run. Dr Sharma warns: “Frequent casual sex seekers mentally separate sex and relationships. Girls who continue to have casual sex suffer from low self-esteem and find it difficult to have long-term relationships.” Ironically, it’s the West – routinely blamed for ‘spoiling our youngsters’ – which is adopting a more puritanical stance of late. A new British study carried out at Sheffield University published research results a few weeks ago, which claimed that 90 per cent of women in certain areas of the UK (even those who have had one-night stands themselves) believe that casual sex is immoral. These views would be endorsed by many thousands in India as well. Hooking Up: The New Buzzword With the tendency for flings on the rise, books like The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl’s Guide to Living It Up or The Happy Hook-Up: A Single Girl’s Guide to Casual Sex are being lapped up enthusiastically by youngsters. According to Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler, co-authors of the Hookup Handbook, “hooking up” is the vague phrase used to describe what happens (everything from making out to full-on sex) between two people who don’t have a foreseeable future or even a hint of commitment. “Ambiguity is the key to hooking up,” they write about this new, non-dating game. (Inputs from Nona Walia, Delhi) TIMES NEWS NETWORK

LIFE

It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

-Carl Jung,psychiatrist (1875-1961)

The ABCD experience

The ABCD experience
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA
[ Sunday, April 30, 2006 02:45:25 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]


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Till recently, the acr-onym ABCD, for Am-erican Born Confused Desi, had a slightly pejorative ring to it. It is used to describe mostly first generation US-born children of Indian immigrants, who, the premise went, were conflicted between their American upbringing and Indian roots.

In recent years, the expression is starting to lose resonance as the distance between India and the United States shrinks.

Now, it's as likely that A R Rahman will have a concert in Dallas as in New Delhi. You can access Bharatnatyam lessons in Baltimore or tabla classes in LA with the same ease as in Bangalore or Lucknow. With 24x7 Indian TV channels, almost zero-cost communication, and non-stop flights, India is just a click, call, or flight away.

Many ABCDs here are now less confused than the DCABs (Desis Chasing American Baits) shambling around India's shiny new malls.

My own exposure to ABCDs has been mixed and varied. Some are conflicted, but most seem accomplished, balanced, confident, and most of all, driven (didn't have to try hard to confect that abcd sequence.) They blend easily in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural America, comfortable in their Indian skin and American mindset.

There isn't any empirical evidence to back this, but random appraisal and anecdotal accounts suggest that ABCDs are the most successful immigrant children, matched only by Jewish kids. Pop into any Ivy League campus or any business or medical school to see this.

If it isn't a Goldberg, it's a Gandhi, a friend of mine likes to say. Of all the ABCD qualities, the most intriguing one is how driven they are. It seems failure is not an option for these kids. In many cases, they are not self-driven as motivated or goaded by high-achieving parents.

The saga of Ka-avya Viswanathan, the chick-lit phenom /plagiarist is emblematic of this pattern. Strictly speaking, Chennai-born Kaavya is not an ABCD. But her parents, both doctors, moved West when she was three, first to Scotland, and then to the US when she was 11, so she grew up in the West.

The story she was writing was her own — the pressure on an Indian-American girl to excel academically. The words to express this story — at least some — were, alas, borrowed.

Indian-American children are mostly privileged. Their parents have the highest income and academic profile in the country. Kaavya's parents — neurologist dad and gynaecologist mother — could pony up $10,000 to prepare her for Harvard.

More and more, well-heeled Indian parents are pulling kids out of public schools and putting them in private schools where fees range from $12,000 to $15,000 a year.

They are driven from a young age — from dance classes to piano lessons to tennis clinics — by feverish parents spurring them to success, sometimes a little too insistently.

The ABCD experience was best captu-red in a remarkable 2003 documentary called Spellbound on the US National Spelling Bee Championship. One of the finalists is an Indian-American whose father is so hungry for his sons, success that he hires Latin, French and German tutors to prepare him for the most obscure English words.

Back in India, his grandfather feeds 5,000 poor people to pr-ay for his success. The kid cruises thr-ough the most difficult words till he trips when asked to spell Darjeeling. "What's the origin of the word?" he asks.

Clearly, you can never prepare enough for success or failure. So here is my $0.02 suggestion for parents: Go easy on the kid; it's okay to be average.

When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt

When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt

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Dreams

I read somewhere that we dream in black and white. How can that be possible? I distinctly remember colors from my dreams, but was it my mind filling in the blanks? Its not like we share our dreams with others that we can confirm whether so and so saw the same colors we did... so what makes the scientists so sure that we do dream in black and white.
What do u guys think?

Movie dialogues

Like it or not, believe it or not, movies have an incredibly influence on our lives.
Sometimes the songs and sometimes the dialogues put into words beautifully what we ourselves might fail to express.

Here is a dialog that i have carried with me for years now

"Sapnein dekho zaroor dekho, bas unke sach hone ki shart mat rakho"

Any others that you guys want to share?

LIFE ( NOW AND THEN)

THEN
Making blank( crank) calls to (prospective) GIRFRIENDS

and NOW
Making (blank) Cold calls to prospective customers..( :-P, SALES drugery)

THEN
Getting blank ( Dumb) Calls from someone who has acruch on you and wants to hear your voice

and NOW
Getting DUMB calls from someone who wants you to buy a credit card / insurance/cell phone.. blah blah

THEN
Getting a long lecture from your teacher in front of the class about not having done your Homework!!
and NOW
Getting a Huge insulting lecture from you boss in front of your peers about not sending your weekly report on time..
... to be continued!!!

Back on track

The best way to deal with the pain of disappointment is to get quickly back on the path to success. There's no need to prolong the hurt of being knocked down by choosing to stay down. Instead, choose to get back up. Take the difficult lesson you've learned and make something valuable out of it.
Failure is not the result of setbacks. Failure is the result of letting the setbacks stop you. Often those setbacks turn out not to be setbacks at all. For they can serve to point you in a more positive, productive, effective direction.
When you're knocked off track, see it as an opportunity. See it as a chance to jump to an even faster, more successful track.
When you're knocked down, it's not nearly as difficult as it may seem to get quickly back up. And it is, without question, your very best choice.
~ Ralph Marston ~
==========
Quote:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
~ Michael Jordan ~
==========

Blog-Fever

Doctor Doctor

I think I have Blog Fever...
My Upload/downlaod( temperature) is SOARING and just does not come down

My Mouse Keeps clicking faster and faster.

And there are times My Scroll keeps spinning round and round!!

My keboard keeps thumping

I think I will crash

I am on a course of blogger, three posts a day!

But i feel, this may ot be sufficient..
DOCTOR PLEASE HELP!!

Make a moment

Pick one of the many moments that make up this day, and set it aside for something truly special. Take that one moment, and make it the best you can imagine.
In your one special moment today, let go of every last bit of anger, fear, resentment and sorrow. Fill your moment with hope, love, beauty and joy.
Spend that moment appreciating how truly precious life is. Experience, for a moment, complete, profound and unrestrained joy.
Understand, in that moment, that all you could ever need or want is already available to you. Resolve, in that moment, to fulfill the highest and best of your possibilities.
In one special moment, live a life that is exactly the way you know it should be. For one special moment, be fully and without reservation the person you truly are.
Make yourself a moment filled to the brim with the best of life. And you'll soon find yourself making many more.
~ Ralph Marston ~
==========
Quote:
"We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within."
~ Earl Nightingale ~
==========

Harsh Truths and Brutal realities

I was in America when the war on Iraq began. As opposed as I was to it, I was always left dumbfounded when I heard people around me rationalise it. Their rationale was so weak. Lately all over the indian news is the Iraqi woman's blog that has been nominated for awards.

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

I read it, and it always sends a shiver down my spine for I cannot even begin to fathom what living like that daily means.

The Monkey business

I heard this from some-one.. I believe this experiment was conducted
There are a set of Monkeys in a closed room
This room has only One exit.... which is a window
But there is a rule.. IF any monkey trying to escape from this window... all the MONKEYS are Splashed with COLD water with high force...
Initially, after a few monkeys try this...they all get hurt...now any one who is about to try, is not allowed to by the rest of the monkeys , who have learned!Now, One monkey is taken out and a new one is put.
This new monkey does not know about the rules, before he can try to run out of the window, he is beaten up!
H does not know why but learns this.
Now one by one, each of the Old monkeys are replaced by the new monkeys, none of whom know the rules, none of whom have been thrown water upon,
BUT have learned that anyone moves towards the window is to be beaten up.
Non of them know why!!!
DO we know any of our behaviors which we don't really know.. but have been doing coz it is done!

CHANGE

Though this should come on my Change Blog

But this is about Jugs (Also Jugni)
Now this Sweet dear Lady, who has just finished her exams..wants to move..
- Away from this blog?
- Or something!

She claims ( Gyani Jugni batati hai)
" jugni is a girl who never stays at one place"
Also defined as an 'adventurous young girl

She will no longer be blogging here!
Fare well! Jugnu!!

This... I believe is what the Smorgasbord of life is ...

There is ONE vote though from my side that she should stay with us..
anyone else who wants to petetion.. is welcome...

CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS HAPPENING IN INDIA.

There has been certain Movement----->

This article has moved to

http://codswallop4u.blogspot.com/2006/03/can-you-imagine-this-happening-in.html

vagabond...

hmm,
as u leav...
sumtimes in hesitation,
u tend to turn arnd
all the time wonderin'
sum part of u left behind...
in essence.


curiously,
conversely...

Solitary travels
upon
unknown existence
closed faces
&
naked apprehension.
A while of acceptance
then
the restless desire
not my world
not my stay
Time to pack up life
in one expression
of held back emotion
as i hold...
time in one moment.
Life touched
some part... never the same
what strange confusion...
in just awhile
they've left with me
the soul... of their existence.
Yet,
no time to look back,
pack up... move on
till only
another people
another acceptance.
Then again,
its not my world
not my stay
another life
embibed in me.
Another colour
to a black and white existence.
Now,
as i look back...
Weaving together threads
of broken worlds
from over the map
shaded in hues,
I realise...
I'm just not the same.

DREAM

DREAM FOR ONE DAY IT WILL COME TRUE,
DREAM FOR ONE DAY YOU WILL PASS THROUGH,
DREAM TILL THIS SKY IS BLUE,
FOR THIS EARTH IS GOIN AROUND AND YOUR GOOD DEEDS WILL FOLLOW YOU.

A dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-- And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

--- Langston Hughes

Depression? Beat this..

somehwere around 4 pm...and i am sitting in office working on some quote..and the cell phone rings..
...
" hie.. howz you.. iwas in this part of town"
arrey no yaar.. i am stuck up till late..
"kya yaar.. we never get to meet.. take out some time.."
Tsk.. no baba..
".. aha you know..i had to tell you this really bad news...."
What..?
"..........."
what ..speak something..
"...you that ex of time.. the one i saw seeing in collge for a loong time and we broke off...."
what happened...

".. you know he committed Suicide...."

WHAT?????..like why ...
" ... he was depressed..."
No , i mean is this remotely related to you / your relation types..?
".......... well.. kind off yes.."

...........
I was staring at the monitor...all those 6 digit numbers in the twenty sheets opned in the xcel file getting completely wonky!!
i had litrally lost my breath for a second..

'... i had gone for his last rites in pathankot last week..."

WHAT!!!!! ( double what....) why?/
"... no yaar... her mom had called me ..he had left a suicide not ..that he is taking this decsision on his own.. and he could not take it any more..no-one has got anything to do with this......"

........
" His mom wanted me to be there.. at least.... at the ending..."
..........

" One day before he courired this Box ...to me here....."
"... with all our old stuff... movie tics, gifts , cards, letters..stuff"
".. i have been crying for days and nites together...."
" mom flew in and is staying with me here..."

I was gaping/...
Consoled her..tried to sidetrack her...

god only knows how i finished my work..
mindz been pretty tizzy..

and ya sm one was askling about depression???

definations invited please

Challenges

People assume that challenges come with growing up. The same people assume that we as young adults dont have enough challenges in our life, just as we assume children dont have enough challenges in theirs.
I think what we forget is that the challenges always exist. When you're younger its something simpler like "what is a good excuse to skip school today" to "how do i avoid that bitchy girl/bully at school" or just peer pressure or being a laughingstock.
As young adults its career, education, results or not enough results.
As we grow older its our children and our family and retirement planning etc.
I think the challenges always exist and at the time that we face them, they seem surreal and HUGE but as we grow, the level of challenges also grow. I mean you cant expect the same level of obstacles in Level 1 of the game called life as you do in maybe Level 10?
What do u guys say?
Yea I know its a depressing idea it means that its never gonna get easier just harder

Are we Useful as a Species

Biologist E O Wilson, as well as other scientists, have studied the complex interdependence among various species in the biosphere. He found that every species makes a constructive contribution — small or great — to the ecology of the planet. For example, if vegetation — grasses and shrubs — decrease, herbivores suffer. And if the number of herbivores decrease, the carnivores are affected. Wilson found that only the human species does not contribute to the ecology. If we became extinct, there would hardly be any problems for other species or for the eco-logy. In fact, most ecological problems would be solved if humans became extinct. Arguably humans constitute the most intelligent species on the planet. Yet, science indicates that "intelligent" humans are nothing but a burden for the planet. Normally in a classroom the more intelligent a student, the more potential he has to make a positive contribution. Then why is it that the most intelligent species on the planet is making not a positive but a negative contribution to its biosphere?

The balance article available at below is on a different tangent …
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1435769,prtpage-1.cms

Words once uttered, cannot be taken back. Yet we utter them without a thought to the consequence.. why?

Conversations...

As a patient onlooker
one silently observes
the converstaion
between two people...
the gradual drift of one
from active reaction
to passive monologue
A mental shift
into another frame
another thought
till each reaches
the satisfaction
one of speech
the other of thought
and both... of feelings.

Sometimes...
In shy eye contact
or uneasy exchange
Some innocent questions
remain
the silent ocnversation filler
maybe time, wind or weather...
or - unknown and irrelevant streets...?

And sometimes...
suddenly mid conversation
in a second of distraction
The starin of thought lost
when mentally
another one holds preference
next moment
forgotten in reflection...
What confused bewilderment!

Converstaions...

hmmm...

'Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.
Thefather was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter,
"Sweetheart,please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river."
The little girl said,
"No, Dad. You hold my hand."
"What's the difference?"
Asked the puzzled father.
"There's a big difference,"
replied the little girl.
"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I maylet your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go." '

Is it better to go through life without taking any risks avoiding major mistakes?
Or is it better to stumble through life making painful mistakes and learning from them?
Does the first mean you never really lived at all?
Does the second mean you lived a little too much?

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will; we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible. Francois De La Rochefoucauld
 
A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.
 
If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place. Nora Roberts
 

Prez Bush coming to town ( Dubya by Jug Surya)

Here's Condy, come to give me a last-minute briefin' before I set off on my tour to Indiana beginnin' March 1. Hiya, Condy. I'm all set to go off to Indiana. What's that? I goin' not to Indiana — which is part of the good ole US of A — but to India which is a different place altogether? Well, well, you live an' learn every day. I always thought India was in Indiana, which is why they called it Indiana. Maybe when I'm there I should see if I could organise that somehow.
Condy says that the most important thing on my agenda in India is the nuclear deal. After all these years of sayin' 'no' to the Indian nuclear program, the US now wants to help India nuclearise like all get out. I ask Condy why. An' she tells me that if we don't give India nuclear energy, India and China will burn up all the world's oil. An' that would never do. 'Cos as a Texas oil man I know that it's only the US in general — an' Texas in particular — which has the God-given right to burn up all the world's oil. Condy says I'm not to ask too many questions about India's fast breeder projects. An' I tell Condy, Gee, I'd never ask anyone any questions about their breeder projects. I mean, with a population of a billion-plus, India must sure have one lulu of a fast breeder project, an' then some. But that's their business. We folk from Texas believe in the missionary position an' we don't talk in public about how people breed.
Condy asks me what will I say if the Indians ask me if I intend to launch a strike against Iran. An' I say, Heck, Condy, you know I don't believe in strikes an' all that labour union stuff. Nah, I'll just tell the Indians that I'll invite the Iranians over for a nice friendly bird shoot with my pardner, Dick Cheney. That'll take care of the Iranians, once and for all. Condy warns me that the Indians are likely to ask for a larger quota of H1B visas from the US. This surprises me. I know all foreigners are weirdos. Come to think of it, all those outside of Texas are weirdos. But why would these Indian weirdos, or anyone else, want a larger quota of HIV from the US? Don't they have enough AIDS of their own? Condy says, H1B not HIV. An' I say, H1B, huh? What do you know. There's a new disease every day. I'd say it was a result of global warmin'. Except of course I don't believe in global warmin' an' the Coyote Protocol an' all that environmental horseshit. Condy tells me I've gotta watch out for tricky questions on Iraq an' what I'm plannin' to do about gettin' out of Iraq an' settin' up a democratic rule there.
An' I tell her, Hey, that's simple. Democratic rule is what they want, right? I'll give 'em Democratic rule. Pack Al Gore and all them other Democrats to Iraq an' let them rule the place. That'll take care of everythin'. Includin' Al Gore. Condy tells me that Indians have this funny thing about hyphens. Like they'll invite you to a party-sharty, an' offer you a drink-shrink, an' some dinner-winner. But they don't like us Americans to use hyphens at all, particularly where Pakistan is concerned. Got it, I said. No Bush-Mush cracks, right? Condy says she hopes Bill won't upstage me by visitin' India the same time as I do. And I say, Clinton's visitin' India again? An' she says, Not that Bill, the other Bill, who's an even bigger hit in India than Clinton is. I don't know which Bill she's talkin' about. Bill Cosby? The Bill of Rights? Whatever. Condy says I must learn to say 'Hi' in Indian. An' I tell her, Don't worry, I know all about these ethnic greetings. When in India, you fold your hands together, an' smile, an' say: Sayonara. Or is it Gesundheit?

A Solid Foundation

(image placeholder)

A Solid Foundation...
Life is busy and the world is complex. Give yourself time to take it all in.
Events come at you quickly, and keep coming all the time. Regularly give yourself the time and space to make sense of it all.
When you get too caught up in your efforts, you can lose track of why you're making them. Take the time, again and again in the midst of it all, to remember why you do what you do.
Keep yourself connected to the reality of who you are. Don't allow yourself to be defined by the events that come and go, for that would leave you with nothing solid to hold on to.
Cultivate and nurture a part of yourself that can rise above whatever may come. Then you will have a powerful perspective from which to deal with it all.
Make sure your life has a solid foundation in what is real, in what is lasting, in what is meaningful to you. And then nothing will have the power to overwhelm you for long.
~ Ralph Marston ~
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Quote:
"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to doing what they want to do."
~ Kathleen Winsor ~
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Faith? Not another one...

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new students to stand and.....
Prof: So you believe in God? Student: Absolutely, sir. Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure. Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes. Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed  to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.) Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good? Student: Yes. Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No. Prof: Where does Satan come from? Student: From...God... Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? Student: Yes. Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct? Student: Yes. Prof: So who created evil? (Student does not answer.) Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they? Student: Yes, sir. Prof: So, who created them? (Student has no answer.) Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God? Student: No, sir. Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? Student: No, sir. Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter? Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't. Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? Student: Yes. Prof: According to empirical, t testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Student: Nothing. I only have my faith. Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has. Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? Prof: Yes. Student: And is there such a thing as cold? Prof: Yes. Student: No sir. There isn't. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.) Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it. (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.) Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness? Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness? Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you? Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?  Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how? Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey? Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do. Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.) Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.) Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.) Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.) Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.  Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

Mark Twain Says..

• A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.


• A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.


• A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.


• A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.


• A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.


• A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.


• A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape.


• Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.


• Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.


• Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.


• Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.


• All generalizations are false, including this one.


• All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.


• All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.


• Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.


• Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.


• Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.


• Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.


• Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul.


• Better a broken promise than none at all.


• Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man. The biography of the man himself cannot be written.


• By trying we can easily endure adversity. Another man's, I mean.


• Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.


• Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.


• 'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read.


• Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.


• Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.


• Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.


• Deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie - I found that out.


• Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.


• Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.


• Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.


• Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.


• Don't let schooling interfere with your education.


• Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.


• Don't say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.


• Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish.


• Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.


• Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.


• Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold.


• Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.


• Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.


• Familiarity breeds contempt - and children.


• Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.


• Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't.


• Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it.


• George Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie.


• Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.


• Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.


• Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.


• God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board.


• Going to law is losing a cow for the sake of a cat.


• Golf is a good walk spoiled.


• Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.


• Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.


• Grief can take care if itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.


• Have a place for everything and keep the thing somewhere else; this is not advice, it is merely custom.


• He is now rising from affluence to poverty.


• He is useless on top of the ground; he ought to be under it, inspiring the cabbages.


• Honesty is the best policy - when there is money in it.


• Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.


• I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.


• I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.


• I can live for two months on a good compliment.


• I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.


• I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.


• I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell - you see, I have friends in both places.


• I have been complimented many times and they always embarrass me; I always feel that they have not said enough.


• I have made it a rule never to smoke more that one cigar at a time.


• I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.


• I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.


• I make it a rule never to smoke while I'm sleeping.


• I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.


• I never let schooling interfere with my education.


• I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know.






• I've never let my school interfere with my education.






• Ideally a book would have no order to it, and the reader would have to discover his own.






• If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.


• If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.


• If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.


• In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.


• In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.


• It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.


• It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.


• It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native criminal class except Congress.


• It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.


• It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.


• It is better to take what does not belong to you than to let it lie around neglected.


• It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.


• It is easier to stay out than get out.


• It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.


• It is not best that we should all think alike; it is a difference of opinion that makes horse races.


• It used to take me all vacation to grow a new hide in place of the one they flogged off me during school term.


• It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.


• It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.


• It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.


• It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.


• It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.


• Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.


• Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one.


• Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.


• Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.


• Let us not be too particular; it is better to have old secondhand diamonds than none at all.


• Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.


• Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.


• Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul.


• Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.


• Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.


• Man - a creature made at the end of the week's work when God was tired.


• Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to.


• Man was made at the end of the week's work when God was tired.


• Man will do many things to get himself loved, he will do all things to get himself envied.


• Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.


• Martyrdom covers a multitude of sins.


• My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.


• My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.


• Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.


• Necessity is the mother of taking chances.


• Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.


• No sinner is ever saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon.


• Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid.


• Not until you become a stranger to yourself will you be able to make acquaintance with the Friend.


• Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.


• Often it does seem a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.


• Once you've put one of his [Henry James] books down, you simply can't pick it up again.


• One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.


• Only kings, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial "we."


• Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet.


• Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.


• Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.


• Prophesy is a good line of business, but it is full of risks.


• Prosperity is the best protector of principle.


• Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.


• Repartee is something we think of twenty-four hours too late.


• Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run.


• Sometimes too much to drink is barely enough.


• Such is the human race, often it seems a pity that Noah... didn't miss the boat.


• Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.


• The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.


• The Christian's Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same, but the medical practice changes.


• The educated Southerner has no use for an 'R', except at the beginning of a word.


• The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.


• The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.


• The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.


• The human race is a race of cowards; and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner.


• The main difference between a cat and a lie is that a cat only has nine lives.


• The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.


• The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.


• The Public is merely a multiplied "me."


• The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.


• The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.


• The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.


• The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.


• The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow; there is no humor in Heaven.


• The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.


• The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.


• The wit knows that his place is at the tail of a procession.


• There are lies, damned lies and statistics.


• There are people who can do all fine and heroic things but one - keep from telling their happiness to the unhappy.


• There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.


• There are times when one would like to hang the whole human race, and finish the farce.


• There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.


• There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress.


• There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.


• Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others.


• Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.


• To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.


• To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.


• To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.


• Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing wrong with this, except that it ain't so.


• Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.


• Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it.


• Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.


• Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.


• We Americans... bear the ark of liberties of the world.


• We are all alike, on the inside.


• What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before.


• What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.


• What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce.


• When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are against his being able to deceive other people.


• When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.


• When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.


• When in doubt tell the truth.


• When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.


• When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old.


• Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.


• Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.


• Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.


• Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation.


• Words are only painted fire; a book is the fire itself.


• Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.


• Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.


• Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.


• You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.