A memorable evening at barista, bandstand
"Saab, kuch khane ko do saab...do din se kuch nahi khaya hai"
A street kid was nudging at J's shirt. With a dirty face tainted by smog, this urchin was no older than ten. His shirt was torn, and what he wore underneath resembled what I call, the remains of childhood.
While we munched on Lays, sipped coffee and smoked cigarettes, this kid stood on the street in front of Barista Cafe, Bandra bandstand. I was beginning to lose my patience and cursed the little nuisance to go away, as would anybody else. But not J. In a jiffy, J sprung up on his legs and headed toward the kid.
I thought to myself
"Yea J, shoo him away!" and turned to sip my coffee.
What I saw next left D's jaw dropping down and me in total bewilderment. J took the little devil by his arms, and led him in to the forbidden area of the shop. The little devil showed much resistance, fearing for being beaten up and his life. Now, J assured him with a clasp on his shoulder and led him into the shop.
Meanwhile, we the spectaculars outside were moved by this noble deed. The street kid came out of the shop with a box of tart and a grin on his face, which could be called nothing else but a Kodak moment.
D pecked J on his cheek and exclaimed,
"I love you J!"
J looked at me and blurted,
"See this is what you do to patau girls!"
Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong a.k.a. Dido
It's amazing how well you can work listening to
Dido. This woman is not only extremely talented in her profession, but also looks very adorable. Besides a unique voice, her songs mostly have a dynamic tune coupled with very commendable lyrics. Very few artists have this winning combination.
Be it
White Flag,
Thankyou, Life for rent, or Christmas Day. Each song is unique and different unlike many other artists who repeat the same beats or rhythm in many of their songs in an album. My pick -
Don't leave home.
(Chorus)
Oh, Don't leave home
Oh, Don't leave home
If you're cold, I'll keep you warm
If you're alone, just hold on
coz I will be your safety
Oh, Don't leave home
I arrived when you were weak
I'll make you weaker, like a child
Now all your love you give to me
when your heart is all I need
(Chorus)
Oh how quiet, quiet the world can be
When it's just you and little me
Everything is clear and everything is new
So you won't be leaving, will you?
She's good :)
langua franca de nostalgia
It's funny, how
good, nostalgia can make you feel. Especially when it is to do with your childhood. One such memoir that floods me with nostalgia is my second-grade storybook called
Golden Stories. Thought I had lost this book when several attempts failed to locate it in my house.
Yesterday, I was sorting out things and clearing the mess when I found this book inside an old utility box. Boy, am I glad to have it back! This book is a collection of twenty timeless short stories. The publishing year dates back to 1987!
When I read it first, one story in this book carved a niche in my young impressionable mind. It's called
Who was to blame? I shall typify it
quote un-quote to preserve the simplicity and lucidity of the language.
Who Was To Blame?
Author Unknown
TEN men were one day crossing a field when they were caught in a sudden thunderstorm. Taking their heels, they fled for shelter to a little ruined chapel. The thunder grew louder and louder and every now and then streaks of lightning stabbed at the little chapel. Inside, the men cowered in terror and each one believed that there was a sinner in their midst and the lightning was seeking him out. They had to find the sinner, so each man put his straw hat outside the door of the chapel. The owner of the hat which was struck by lightning would, they decided, suffer the same fate. Scarcely a minute had passed when there was a blue flash and a straw hat lay smouldering on the ground. Without compunction the others pushed its unfortunate owner outside in the storm when the lightning struck again and the little chapel came crashing down.
And so it was that only the man who had been ejected from the chapel was spared–for their cruelty the nine others paid with their lives.
Greenery in my head
Took a test at
quizilla.com and discovered my brain is green in color. Pretty cool huh? :)
The synopsis of the test is shown below.
What Color is Your Brain?
brought to you by
Quizilla
Understanding religion and God
Most people think I am an atheist because of my casual tendencies. I have been asked several times by friends, "Do you believe in god?"
On my way to work today, my usually wandering mind trotted across topics of religion and theism. So what do I think of these?
Human beings are gifted with an immensely powerful characteristic known as will power. History is proof enough that just about anything can be achieved just by sheer will power and an equal amount of hard work. Nothing is impossible in this world. Mankind has made it to the moon, belittling the remote targets on Earth. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way.
So if we are all powerful and invincible, just by relying on will power, why do we need the concept of an above all, almighty?
Man is a social animal. Each one of us needs something to look up to, and look down upon. That's how it works. Nothing is ever equal and balanced. Take life for an instance, it has its share of happiness and sorrow. One can only hypothetically say, "My life is fully balanced." We need someone to look up to when we are sad or weak. They are mostly friends, parents, relatives, and ultimately God. We also look down upon people. This is especially true when we have attained worldly success over someone or something. They are mostly subordinates, friends, competitors, or enemies.
Whatever goes, we always have someone to look up to. This is the concept of God.
Just as explained above, we look up to God. We ask Him to help us achieve our targets, get us out of tight situations, or pray for something we want. Each one does this in his/her own way, by talking to God, praying to God, pleasing God or being blessed by God. This method of communicating with God is based on the concept of Religion. Religions are man's manifestation of talking to God and reaching Him.
Since evolution, mankind has colonized different portions of the globe. These portions not only vary in terms of location, but also in terms of climate, food, skin color, and culture. I strongly believe in the clause that you are what you eat.
When so many factors varied between zones, it was quiet natural that mankind, with its sheer variance in thinking and creativity, had conceptualized God in different ways. Various cultures came in to existence. People started convening according to their faiths. Today, when the globe is shrinking and continents are getting closer, it is quiet evident that the method of reaching God, for people from different continents or varying faiths, is going to be different.
Man, with his goal to succeed, has tried and will try to force upon his belief on others. Man has and will continue to preach his thoughts and ideas of God. I see preaching religion as the oldest form of marketing. Today, we market to sell products. Back then, man marketed to sell his ideas about God, in the form of religion. Buyers are the ones who formed a following to the religion. When differences in religion occurred, castes or sects were formed within. When two or more religions varied strikingly, it led to communal conflicts and bloodsheds.
So what does all this mean? Is God merely a figment of human imagination? Are religions merely a way to reach God? Why don't we have any scientific evidence of God?
The human mind is a very powerful and complex combination of chemical reactions and electrical pulses. God exists, if you think He does. You will get all the evidence and proof to root your belief. If you think he doesn't, He won't. You will get all the evidence and proof to prove he doesn't.
If you do believe He exists, you will depend upon a Religion to reach Him. This religion you follow will be the result of several influences you have had in your lifetime right from birth to your most impressionable years.
What about scientific evidence? The technologically and scientifically inclined will ask for solid evidence to the existence of God. I, being a theist myself, believe that everything around us is made by the Supreme Creator, God. This includes the earth, water, sun, wind, and planets. Science is what we call our understanding of things around us. This means that science is also a subset of the Supreme Creation. It is confined to our minds. It is not something out-of-the-world that provides answers to the unanswered. It only grows with our understanding of things around us. God has shown Himself several times in History. But these sightings cannot be explained by science, which points to our own diminutive understanding of the Supreme Creation.
To sum it up, all of us have a very powerful mind. It's up to us to use it for our well-being. How we do it is entirely up to us. If you need God, communicate to Him. If you don't, do it yourself. After all, it is your own will.
Rush Hour 3
No, this is not the title of the next Rush Hour sequel. It's my life as I lived it today morning.
Woke up at 8 a.m. after baffling two alarms only to switch on the bathroom geyser and go back to snuggling in the very comforting atmosphere created by LG Inc.
Later at 8:45 a.m., a background process in my head triggered the awakening. Eyes opened wide, and I cried
"God damn! Am gonna be late for work!"
Jumped out my bed straight to the washbasin and gave the microorganisms in my mouth a death sentence.
"Kya aap close-up karte hain...?"
"Nahi!"
I prefer Colgate Gel. It's "Fresh breath energy!"
8:52 a.m.
Nothing feels better than a hot shower. The warm droplets felt so good on my body. Each muscle and each nerve asked for more. Wish I could have been under the shower for a little longer. But alas! One minute later than 10:30 a.m. and your name goes into the 'late register.'
9:04 a.m.
Put my hand into the closet and pulled out the first T that came out.
"Good, it's the dark blue T."
Sprayed a generous amount of Axe Pulse and jumped into my clothes.
"I love this fragrance!"
What next? Sprayed Adidas Sport Fever natural vaporiser on the T and I am all set to go. Do I hear my mom calling?
9:11 a.m.
Breakfast is ready. Gobbled up everything on my plate at choking speeds. Sipped warm coffee and I am fully awake.
9:20 a.m.
Slipped into my floaters, wore my jacket, and I am all set to go. It's my mom again.
"Will I get a drop to the temple?"
Mentally calculated my ETA at work (which is ETD from highway+ 43 mins under normal traffic conditions) and said
"Chalo..."
9:24 a.m.
I kick-start my bike, and drop mom to the temple.
9:32 a.m.
I am on the Sion-Panvel highway, throttle wide open, I am doing a very modest 80 kmph.
10:12 a.m.
I am at Sakinaka signal. I peek into the watch of another motorist (I don't wear a wrist watch.)
"Damn! Is it 10:12 already? I hope his watch is fast. Time to zip through traffic at break-neck speeds and back-wrenching maneuvers..."
10:17 a.m.
I collide into another biker from the behind. No casualties here. It's just the right-indicator of my bike that has taken the toll of the crash. It’s cracked, withered, and falling to pieces. No time to stop and check. Signal goes green, and I put up a drag test and do a 60 in less than 6 seconds. Engine is roaring, muck on the road is splashing, and the cop is giving me an eyeful. I think to myself
"Who cares!"
10:23 a.m.
I am at the parking lot. A quick glance at the turn indicator shows considerable damage. Fixing it means replacement. I ignore it for the moment and get running. Get into the elevator at the nick of time.
10:27 a.m.
I am in :) Made it to work 3 minutes short of being late. I take a deep breath and relax.
The rush hour ends. It will be back tomorrow. With new challenges and possible collisions. I will wait for it. I will live through it. Amen.
And so I begin ideating...
What's life without an
idea?
Ideas are for
life. Life is full of
ideas.
Life is "living an
idea or
ideas." Life is good. It's an idea after all.
Do you get the idea of life?
