I Heart Music But...

I recently found out that music grows on you, when I borrowed someone's 5 favourite songs to listen to, while I worked. I did not quite get it the first time I heard the songs. As I listened to them again and again, I found that I liked them. Especially one of the songs. 

They say that the kind of person you are can be determined by the music you listen to. I tried to figure what kind of a person that made him but drew a blank. I have never really had one kind of music I have listened to. Right from listening to the same music that someone else in the family used to listen to (and enjoying them) to following my friends during my growing years, I have never really had a type of music preference. Of course, I have songs that I like and some that I do not but that is about it. That is why the radio works perfectly well for me. Somebody else (the radio jockey) picks a playlist he wants to play from. If it is a call-in program, there are heaps of people making up the playlist for me. If I do not like what they are playing, I can simply switch channels and listen to something else.

My moods also define the kind of music I like. Apparently, being moody and the moods defining music preferences is not a good enough excuse, to tell people that there isn't really one type of music you like. Too bad. They will just have to go without an excuse. I do not have a preference. Period. So, I was quite lost when I received an iPod Nano for my birthday last year. I mean, I loved it! It was my favourite colour and it has a screen too. It looks pretty and it is quite handy. My problem was that I did not quite know what songs to put on it. After a few stressful attempts at trying to pick one playlist or the other and having frustrating moments of not finding the sort of music I wanted to listen to, in my various moods, I decided that I would load the ipod with all sorts of music so that I could pick the songs based on what I felt like listening to. To me, it sounded like a great idea, at the time. Only later did I realize that it is how everyone else does it and I should have done that in the first place.

I have seen people looking at their phones/ipods while listening to music, in trains and buses and wondered why they kept changing their minds and not listen to one playlist. Turns out there is no such thing as one playlist. You fill up the player with thousands of songs that you like. You can fill it up with random songs or ones from other people or just something you have heard somewhere, it does not matter. My theory, that you only need to load it with songs that you really like, was flung out the window, the moment I realized this. Once you have done that, you pick songs that you like as you listen to them, one after another. Now, this is something I find really hard to get. Imagine having to keep choosing songs after each one is over! I like to make a quick list and then just let them play one after another. Having to make a choice again and again would kill me. It would stress me out immensely and take the joy out of listening to music, for me. In fact, I would probably spend more than half my journey on the train trying to pick the song that best suited my mood at the time! How awful would that be?

I guess my biggest problem is that I cannot just listen to music. I can listen to music in the background, while I am doing other things but to just stand or sit and listen to music is something I simply cannot do. I have attempted that in the past and ended up losing myself in a train of thoughts, completely blocking out the music in the bargain. The music player would have long stopped playing and I would have not noticed it at all. So, having to pick a song every 3 minutes or so would never work for me.

So, I stuck with my concept of an auto-scrolling playlist and finally made one, to play in my ipod nano. After having listened to the one fixed playlist for a little while, I got bored. I had to make another one. It was too much hard work and I did not have the time. Thus, the ipod nano was relegated to the background and stayed there for a long while. One day, I decided to get a few songs from a friend who liked 'country music'. I was going to make another attempt at the 'normal' way of listening to music on the ipod. As expected, it did not work for me. The ipod went back to the drawer and has not come out since then.

Yesterday, I got my best friend to list his 5 favourite songs. I have been listening to them since then, along with 5 of my own favourite songs. I would love to have put them in my ipod, to listen to, over the weekend. The only problem with that is that I cannot be bothered with the effort of connecting to a computer, make a list (because inevitably I will try to make a fresh list or organize the music in some way or the other) and refresh the ipod with the new songs. The ipod stayed in it's safe place. In the drawer. For now, online streaming music on my iPad will have to do. Then there is the radio on the iPad.

I'll be a hurricane, ripping up trees... 

Aankhon Ki Masti

Movie: Umrao Jaan
Singer: Asha Bhosle


In aankhon ki masti ke, aah aah aah aah
In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain
Mastaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon se vaabasta
In aankhon se vaabasta afsaane hazaaron hain
Afsaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke
Ek tum hi nahin tanha, aah aah
Ek tum hi nahin tanha ulfat mein meri rusva
Ulfat mein meri rusva
Is shaher mein tum jaise
Is shaher mein tum jaise deewaane hazaaron hain
Deewaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke, aah aah aah
Ek sirf humi mai ko, ek sirf humi
Ek sirf humi mai ko aankhon se pilaate hain
Aankhon se pilaate hain
Kehne ko to duniya mein
Kehne ko to duniya mein maikhaane hazaaron hain
Maikhaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke
Is shamm-e-faroza ko, aah aah
Is shamm-e-faroza ko aandhi se darraate ho
Aandhi se darraate ho
Is shamm-e-faroza ke
Is shamm-e-faroza ke parvaane hazaaron hain
Parvaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon se vaabasta afsaane hazaaron hain
Afsaane hazaaron hain
In aankhon ki masti ke

Scott Adams AQUA'd

I read a blog post by Scott Adams today and was pleased to read some of the reader comments. I do not hate Scott Adams. In fact I love reading his blogs. Some of his arguments can be quite stimulating. There is the occasional streak humour or an insightful piece. Not to forget the follow-up discussions from readers that are an important aspect of his blog - a must read. Then there are ones like today's post. Other than the fact that it seemed to go places, I found this bit rather itchy. Read the original post - 'Principled or Stupid' - if you like because I only focus on one bit in this article.

The premise: Suppose you were driving along a long stretch of desert, low on gas and saw a gas station (that you've vowed never to buy gas from because they are unethical weasels) along the road with a sign that said it was the last gas station for the next 100 miles, would you buy gas from them (against your principle) or would you prefer to drive past the station, run out of gas and eventually die in the desert. 

The question: If you chose to die, are you stupid or principled?

An aside: For the sake of argument, we will assume that they are telling the truth, unethical weasels though they may be.

I know of people who will jump up and claim that they would rather die than go against principle. Would they really do it is not the question here. It is a hypothetical situation, so I will buy their argument for the moment. If you are like me, you will admit that you would buy the gas and get on with life. 

What I noticed on the comments in Adam's blog was that the first person who put in his 2 cents worth said the argument was specious (I just learnt the word, click here if you are like me). Of course, he meant it in the context of the entire post, not just the bit I refer to in my blog. The interesting thing is that he did not simply jump on Adam's bandwagon and try to answer the question. He questioned its validity. More often than not, people read the comments as they scroll down to post their own and in the process are influenced by what the first few readers have said. As a first reader comment, it improved the value of the write-up by adding one more dimension to the discussions that follow. 

This reminded me of a stand-up comedy show that I watched last week - Arj Barker's Let Me Do The Talking. He did the talking alright - was not one of those comedians who have people strategically placed  in the audience to yell out something that will lead to another joke. Quite a few of his jokes were long-ish and we had to listen to the story before we laughed. In other words, the audience laughed, listened, laughed again, listened again. Unlike Danny Bhoy (who I loved) where the audience kept laughing all the way through till you could laugh no more and probably even pee'd in your pants. 

I digress. Back to why I was reminded of Arj Barker. He narrated a few anecdotes explaining how people simply do things without questioning the validity. His take on that is to follow AQUA - Always Question Unvalidated Authority. For example,

Airhostess: Sir, please switch off your mobile while you are in the plane. 

Someone: Why? 

Airhostess: Because the door of the aircraft is now closed. 

Someone: Ok.  You need to switch off your mobile, the door of the aircraft is closed.

Barker could not see why the cell phone had to be switched off? What did the text message have anything to do with the door of the aircraft. Whoever heard of a plane crashing because of a text message? 

(Again, for the sake of the story, we will refrain from various reasonable arguments that could lead us elsewhere and pretend that everything Barker says makes sense)

A couple more similar anecdotes and he commented along the lines of 'I would really like to pull my pants down and take a dump right there, in response to such absurdity where I cannot get a reasonable answer to the why'. In other words, AQUA.

The audience laughed. He picked up a guitar that was on the stage since the start of the show and requested to be allowed to sing a few lines. He started off by asking the 1500-strong audience to raise their hands and start clapping. The audience obliged.

"STOP STOP STOP!", he screamed.

He could not believe that after all that he rambled about AQUA, the audience blindly conceded to his request to put up their hands and start clapping. 

What I would have really liked is to find 1500 piles of smoking, stinking crap in the room and no people. Then I would know you guys listened to what I just said. 

Clearly, Adam's first comment followed AQUA. The reader left a pile of dump in response to the specious post. I am sure Arj Barker will be proud of him.

Quotes from Brida: Paulo Coelho

Choosing a path meant having to miss out on others. She had a whole life to live, and she was always thinking that, in the future, she might regret the choices she made now.
“I’m afraid of committing myself,” she thought to herself.
She wanted to follow all possible paths and so ended up following none. After her first romantic disappointment, she had never again given herself entirely. She feared pain, loss, and separation.
These things were inevitable on the path to love, and the only way of avoiding them was by deciding not to take that path at all.
In order not to suffer, you had to renounce love. It was like putting out your own eyes not to see the bad things in life.

Ever since time began, people have recognized their true Love by the light in their eyes.

“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.”

“Don’t bother trying to explain your emotions. Live everything as intensely as you can and keep whatever you felt as a gift from God. The best way to destroy the bridge between the visible and invisible is by trying to explain your emotions.”

“But how will I know who my Soulmate is?” Brida felt that this was one of the most important questions she had ever asked in her life.
“By taking risks” she said to Brida. ‘ By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in you search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end.”

Nothing is completely wrong. Even a broken watch is right twice a day.

Original blog is here.

2011: Manual For Conserving Paths (Paulo Coelho's Blog)

I'm in a rather pensive mood tonight. Three friends, one offended me and two others made me happy. I find myself clinging to the heartache rather than rejoice. Why does a negative emotion cut so deeply even as joy bubbles over? For one in such a state, I naturally turned to PC's rather reflective blogs. Suits the mindset, you see. The below is another of PC's writings. Click here to find the original.

1] The path begins with a crossroads. There you can stop and think what direction to follow. But don’t spend too much time thinking or you’ll never leave the spot. Reflect a lot on the choices that lie ahead, but once you have taken the first step, forget the crossroads for ever or else you will always torture yourself with the useless question: “did I take the right path?”

2] The path doesn’t last for ever. It is a blessing to travel the path for some time, but one day it will come to an end, so always be prepared to take leave of it at any moment. However enraptured you may be at certain landscapes, or scared whenever you have to make a great effort to go ahead, don’t get too used to anything. Neither to the hours of euphoria, nor to the endless days when everything seems so difficult and progress is so slow. Don’t forget that sooner or later an angel will appear and your journey will reach an end.

3] Honor your path. It was your choice, your decision, and just as you respect the ground you step on, that ground will respect your feet. Always do what is best to conserve and keep your path and it will do the same for you.

4] Be well equipped. Carry a small rake, a spade, a penknife. Understand that penknives are no use for dry leaves, and rakes are useless for herbs that are deep-rooted. Know also what tool to use at each moment. And take care of them, because they are your best allies.

5] The path goes forward and backward. At times you have to go back because something was lost, or else a message to be delivered was forgotten in your pocket. A well tended path enables you to go back without any great problems.

6] Take care of the path before you take care of what is around you. Attention and concentration are fundamental. Don’t be distracted by the dry leaves at the edges or by the way that others are looking after their paths. Use your energy to tend and conserve the ground that accepts your steps.

7] Be patient. Sometimes the same tasks have to be repeated, like tearing up weeds or closing holes that appear after unexpected rain. Don’t let that annoy you – that is part of the journey. Even though you are tired, even though certain tasks are repeated so often, be patient.

8] Paths cross. People can tell what the weather is like. Listen to advice, and make your own decisions. You alone are responsible for the path that was entrusted to you.

9] Nature follows its own rules. In this way, you have to be prepared for sudden changes in the fall, slippery ice in winter, the temptations of flowers in spring, thirst and showers in the summer. Make the most of each of these seasons, and don’t complain about their characteristics.

10] Make your path a mirror of yourself. By no means let yourself be influenced by the way that others care for their paths. You have your soul to listen to, and the birds to tell what your soul is saying. Let your stories be beautiful and pleasant to everything around you. Above all, let the stories that your soul tells during the journey be echoed at each and every second of the path.

11] Love your path. Without this, nothing makes any sense.

2010: Closing Cycle (Paulo Coelho's Blog)

A friend sent me this for New Years. Makes a rather interesting read. Click here for the original.


One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through.

Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters – whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents’ house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.

You can tell yourself you won’t take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that. But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister. Everyone is finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away.

That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home.

Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts – and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.

Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them.

Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood.

Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the “ideal moment.”

Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person – nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life.

Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust.

Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.

Eleven minutes of sex? (Paulo Coelho)

I love reading Paulo Coelho. I have found his writings profound, more often than not. One of my favourite blogs is his. Here is a piece I found rather interesting. (I would provide a link to it here and leave it at that but decided to copy the contents so it is easier to read than have to click and go)

The men she had met since she arrived in Geneva always did everything they could to appear confident, as if they were in perfect control of the world and of their own lives; Maria, however, could see in their eyes that they were afraid of their wife, the feeling of panic that they might not be able to get an erection, that they might not seem manly enough even to the ordinary prostitute whom they were paying for her services. If they went to a shop and didn’t like the shoes they had bought, they would be quite prepared to go back, receipt in hand, and demand a refund. And yet, even though they were paying for some female company, if they didn’t manage to get an erection, they would be too ashamed ever to go back to the same club again because they would assume that all the other women there would know.

‘I’m the one who should feel ashamed for being unable to arouse them, but, no, they always blame themselves.’
To avoid such embarrassments, Maria always tried to put men at their ease, and if someone seemed drunker or more fragile than usual, she would avoid full sex and concentrate instead on caresses and masturbation, which always seemed to please them immensely, absurd though this might seem, since they could perfectly well masturbate on their own.
She had to make sure that they didn’t feel ashamed. These men, so powerful and arrogant at work, constantly having to deal with employees, customers, suppliers, prejudices, secrets, posturings, hypocrisy, fear and oppression, ended their day in a nightclub and they didn’t mind spending three hundred and fifty Swiss francs to stop being themselves for a night.

‘For a night? Now come on, Maria, you’re exaggerating. It’s really only forty-five minutes, and if you allow time for taking off clothes, making some phoney gesture of affection, having a bit of banal conversation and getting dressed again, the amount of time spent actually having sex is about eleven minutes.’
Eleven minutes. The world revolved around something that only took eleven minutes.

And because of those eleven minutes in any one twenty-four-hour day (assuming that they all made love to their wives every day, which is patently absurd and a complete lie) they got married, supported a family, put up with screaming kids, thought up ridiculous excuses to justify getting home late, ogled dozens, if not hundreds of other women with whom they would like to go for a walk around Lake Geneva, bought expensive clothes for themselves and even more expensive clothes for their wives, paid prostitutes to try to give them what they were missing, and thus sustained a vast industry of cosmetics, diet foods, exercise, pornography and power, and yet when they got together with other men, contrary to popular belief, they never talked about women. They talked about jobs, money and sport.

Something was very wrong with civilisation, and it wasn’t the destruction of the Amazon rainforest or the ozone layer, the death of the panda, cigarettes, carcinogenic foodstuffs or prison conditions, as the newspapers would have it.

It was precisely the thing she was working with: sex.

in Eleven Minutes

Two Poems by Tagore (P Coelho's Blog)

Originally written by Rabindranath Tagore, reproduced in Paulo Coelho's blog and now, again, by me.

Where the Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection:
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is lead forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action–
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

What is anxiety playmate?

What is anxiety playmate? Playmate, what is agony?
You all say day and night ‘love, love’-
Tell me, playmate, what is love! Is it only torment?
It is only shedding tears? Is that only sorrow’s breathing?
Why then in what expectation of joy
People hopefully embrace such sorrow?

In my eyes all is handsome,
All fresh, all spotless, blue sky, darkgreen wood
Liberal moonlight, soft flower-every thing like me.
They only smile, only sing, wish to die after a sportive game-
knows no pain, knows no crying, above all kinds of agony.
Flowers laugh while they get shed, moonlight smilingly disappears,
In the sea of light the star, all smiles, does his form abandon.

Who is happy like me? Come playmate, come near to me-
The joyous song of a happy heart will feed your mind with solace.
If everyday you cry, why not laugh for a single day-
Forget all sadness for at least a day, let all of us sing together.

Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Come Live With Me And Be My Love by Christopher Marlowe

Come live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the rocks,

Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;

A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty lambs we pull;

Fair lined slippers for the cold,

With buckles of th purest gold;

A belt of straw and ivy buds,

With coral clasps and amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me and be my love.

The shepherds' swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me and be my love.

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

Christopher Marlowe

Sestina Of The Tramp by Rudyard Kipling

Speakin' in general, I'ave tried 'em all

The 'appy roads that take you o'er the world.

Speakin' in general, I'ave found them good

For such as cannot use one bed too long,

But must get 'ence, the same as I'ave done,

An' go observin' matters till they die.

What do it matter where or 'ow we die,

So long as we've our 'ealth to watch it all

The different ways that different things are done,

An' men an' women lovin' in this world;

Takin' our chances as they come along,

An' when they ain't, pretendin' they are good?

In cash or credit no, it aren't no good;

You've to 'ave the 'abit or you'd die,

Unless you lived your life but one day long,

Nor didn't prophesy nor fret at all,

But drew your tucker some'ow from the world,

An' never bothered what you might ha' done.

But, Gawd, what things are they I'aven't done?

I've turned my 'and to most, an' turned it good,

In various situations round the world

For 'im that doth not work must surely die;

But that's no reason man should labour all

'Is life on one same shift life's none so long.

Therefore, from job to job I've moved along.

Pay couldn't 'old me when my time was done,

For something in my 'ead upset it all,

Till I'ad dropped whatever 'twas for good,

An', out at sea, be'eld the dock-lights die,

An' met my mate the wind that tramps the world!

It's like a book, I think, this bloomin, world,

Which you can read and care for just so long,

But presently you feel that you will die

Unless you get the page you're readi'n' done,

An' turn another likely not so good;

But what you're after is to turn'em all.

Gawd bless this world! Whatever she'oth done

Excep' When awful long I've found it good.

So write, before I die, "'E liked it all!"

An Epitaph by Walter de la Mare

Here lies a most beautiful lady,
Light of step and heart was she:

I think she was the most beautiful lady

That ever was in the West Country.

But beauty vanishes; beauty passes;

However rare, rare it be;

And when I crumble who shall remember

This lady of the West Country?

Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Scott Adam: The Value of Attention

I have been following Scott Adam's blog for a while and love his writing. I even like his posts most of the time. Today he writes about the value of attention. The way he starts off, with the post, is splendid. It is worth quoting.

Most people enjoy getting attention. It's one of our basic needs. Little kids go through a "Look at me!" stage that lasts years. I believe we never grow out of that. All we do is learn how to be more subtle in saying, "Look at me!"  

To read the entire post, click here.

He asks a very interesting question that have elicit quite a few interesting comments, some of which further strengthen his theory on the value of attention. I would have loved to pose that question here but that would be infringement. 

He ends saying, "Someday an entrepreneur will make a fortune by figuring out how to monetize personal attention in the most efficient way". How true, of the world that we live in today!

Aside: Personally, I think if someone posted a comment in response to his blog and insisted that (s)he is not an attention-seeker, it's ironic. Need I explain?

Because She Would Ask Me Why I Loved Her by Christopher Brennan

It started off with a google search on one of my favourite poets, Frost. One poem led to another and before I knew it, many minutes had passed me by and I could not stop reading. Lunch forgotten, shower forgotten, I found myself lost in the wonderland of poetry. How long it has been since I devoured creative-writing this way, I cannot tell but it was simply impossible to tear myself away from the pages. 

I had not heard of Christopher Brennan before today but when I read this poem, I knew it was the most beautiful way I had ever known anyone express love. 

If questioning would make us wise

No eyes would ever gaze in eyes;

If all our tale were told in speech

No mouths would wander each to each. 

Were spirits free from mortal mesh

And love not bound in hearts of flesh

No aching breasts would yearn to meet

And find their ecstasy complete.

For who is there that lives and knows

The secret powers by which he grows?

Were knowledge all, what were our need

To thrill and faint and sweetly bleed?.

Then seek not, sweet, the "If" and "Why"

I love you now until I die.

For I must love because I live

And life in me is what you give.

In the coming days, I will share a few more poems that I liked from today's session. If you love poetry too, keep your eyes peeled.

Shield Of Justice: Margaret Series 2

I told you that it is a really long email. I've been reading it since yesterday and I am only half-way through! Here is another snippet. It is a classic, I swear! I just had to post it here, it would be a sin not to share it.


You don't know me, right? You're aware, perhaps, that my hair's bright red, you know I've got some Web space, you have a certain suspicion that in quiet moments I speculate on what it must be like to be rubbed all over with a Nastassja Kinski - but that's it. It's not like, say, we've being going out with each other for something over sixteen years and have had two children and decorated a landing together. Given that, let me place before you a scenario: You are leaving the house to go shopping for a number of hours. Just before you go, you poke your face towards me (I, hunched and unblinking, am playing a computer game of the most frantic and intricate kind) and say, 'If it starts to rain, get the washing in off the line.'


Now, you know what's going to happen, don't you? You've never even met me, and yet you know what's going to happen. So if Margret, with whom I've lived for well over a decade and a half, doesn't bother to employ painfully basic foresight to see what's obviously going to happen... well, the Shield Of Justice is mine, I reckon.


It is about things this guy and his girlfriend quarrel about, remember? Now you see why it has been unread for the last year? I'll let you know when I finish. A few months down the line.

You've Flooded The Kitchen, You Idiot: Margaret Series 1

I was reading an email that my husband forwarded to me over a years ago. Don't ask me why it took so long to read it. Oh well, ask me. It is because the email is that long! Coming back to the email...

Among other things, this bit I liked best. Oh, by the way, the subject of the email was 'Things my girlfriend and I argue about'

Margret flooded the kitchen last week. Turned the taps on, put the plug in the sink, and utterly forgot about it (because she'd come upstairs and we'd got involved in an unrelated argument). She goes back downstairs, opens the door and - whoosh - it's Sea World. The interesting thing about this is, if I'd flooded the kitchen, it would have been a bellowing, 'You've flooded the kitchen, you idiot!' and then she'd have done that thing where I curl up in a ball, trying to protect my head, and she kicks me repeatedly in the kidneys. As it was, however, there's a shout, I run downstairs and stand for a beat in the doorway - taking in the scene, waves lapping gently at my ankles - and she turns round and roars, 'Well, help me then - can't you see I've flooded the kitchen, you idiot?'

Yes, go on, say what you are thinking.

The Beatles Moment (from Paulo Coelho's blog)

Found this on Paulo Coelho's blog. Click on the title to go to his website. It has a video of the Beatles' song and another one. This one, I loved and had to copy (sorry, PC)


To lead a better life,
I need my love to be here.

Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there’s something there.

There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn’t know he’s there.

I want her everywhere
and if she’s beside me I know I need never care.
But to love her is to need her

Everywhere, knowing that love is to share
each one believing that love never dies
watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there.

I want her everywhere
and if she’s beside me I know I need never care.
But to love her is to need her.

Everywhere, knowing that love is to share
each one believing that love never dies
watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there.

I will be there, and everywhere.
Here, there and everywhere.

Shortest Stories - Susheel Sandeep (Translated to English by suholla)

I learnt first-hand that it is not easy to translate text across languages and retain the flavour from the original. It gets even tougher when you do not have mastery over either languages. I have made a weak attempt at translating one of my guest blogs, from Kannada into English.

While I am not entirely pleased with the results, I am not totally embarrassed by it either. Susheel's attempts at 'shortest stories' and my attempts at translation...

೧. "ಮೇನಕೆಯ ಶುಭ್ರಶ್ವೇತ ವಸ್ತ್ರಗಳು ಇನ್ನೂ ಮರದಬುಡದಲ್ಲೇ ಬಿದ್ದಿತ್ತು"

Menaka's spotless white clothes. Still lying at the bottom of the tree

೨. ಒಣಗಿದ ಜಮೀನಿನ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲ್ಲಿಬಿದ್ದಿದ್ದ ಮುದುಕ ಮುದ್ದೇಗೌಡನ ಶವ ಆಗಸದೆಡೆಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಆಸೆಯ ನೋಟ ಬೀರುತ್ತಲೇ ಇತ್ತು.

Old Mudde Gowda's corpse lies in the middle of a barren farm-land. There is still desire in the eyes.

೩. ವಿಪರ್ಯಾಸ : ರಾಜ್ಯ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಮ್ಯಾರಾಥಾನ್‍ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿನ್ನದ ಪದಕ ಗಳಿಸಿದ್ದವನಿಂದು ಉಪ್ಪಾರಪೇಟೆ ಪೋಲೀಸ್ ಸ್ಟೇಷನ್ನಿನ ಕ್ರೈಂ ಬ್ರಾಂಚಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಡ್ ಕಾನ್ಸ್ಟೇಬಲ್ ಆಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ.

Co-Incidence: The gold medal winner of the state level marathon is now a head constable in  the Upparpet Police Station

೪. ಕೇಡುಗಾಲ : ಅವರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಸಹಬಾಳ್ವೆ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾ ಸುಖವಾಗಿರುವಾಗಲೇ, ಗೂಗಲ್ ಆರ್ಕುಟ್ಟನ್ನು ಮಾರಿಬಿಡುವ ಹೊಂಚು ಹಾಕಿತು.

Bad Times: Just when everyone starts living in harmony, Google conspires to sell Orkut.

೫. ಸುನಾಮಿ : ದಿನಾವೂ ಶಾಂತವಾಗಿ ಸಂಜೆ ಸೂರ್ಯನನ್ನು ನುಂಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಕಡಲು ಇಂದೇಕೋ ರಚ್ಚೆ ಹಿಡಿದ ಮಗುವಿನಂತೆ ವಾಕರಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ!

Tsunami: The calm sea that swallows the sun every evening, behaving like a kid throwing tantrums

೬. ಮೊದಲೇ ಲೇಟಾಗಿದೆ, ಅವಸರವಸರವಾಗಿ ಹಲ್ಲುಜ್ಜಿಕೊಂಡು ಸೊರ್ರನೆ ಕಾಫಿ ಹೀರಿದೆ;

ಬೇಗ ಶೇವ್ ಮಾಡಿಬಿಡೋಣಾಂತ ಕೆನ್ನೆಗೆ ಬ್ರಶ್ ತಗುಲಿಸಿದಾಗ ಯಾಕೋ ಏನೋ ಕ್ಲೋಸಪ್ ವಾಸನೆ ಬರ್ತಿದೆ!

Already late, brushed in a hurry and gulped down my coffee;

Am about to shave, touched the brush to my cheeks, and I smell Close-Up!

೭. ಪದ-ಪದಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ನಾಮಪದಗಳ ತುರುಕಿ ಕ್ರಿಯಾಪದಗಳ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಆಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ಆ ಪದಗಳು ಕೇವಲ 'ಪದ'ಗಳಾಗಿ ಉಳಿಯದೆ 'ಪದ್ಯ'ವಾಗಿದ್ದರ ಅರಿವೇ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ!

A proper noun was shoved among a couple of nouns and when an adjective joined them in play, the nouns stopped being words and became a poem, even before they realized it!

೮. ನೆನಪಿಗೂ ಮರೆವಿಗೂ ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದನ್ನು ಅವನು ಮರೆತುಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ. ಅವಳು ನೆನಪಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಳು!

Remember and Forget got married. He forgot. She kept reminding him.

೯. ಬಾಂಬು ಬಾಂಬೆಂದು ಬೊಬ್ಬೆ ಹೊಡೀತಿದ್ದ ಜನರ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಲೈವ್ ಕವರೇಜ್ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಿದ್ದ ಟಿವಿ9 ವರದಿಗಾರ್ತಿಯೊಬ್ಬಳಿಗೆ ತಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮ್ಯಾಚಿಂಗ್ ಬ್ಲೌಸ್ ಸಿಗದಾಯಿತು!!!

The TV9 journalist who had to do a live coverage of the mob screaming 'Bomb! Bomb!' couldn't find a matching blouse for her saree!!!

೧೦. "ಹಲೋ...ಹುಷಾರಾಗಿ ಊರು ತಲುಪಿಕೊಂಡ್ಯಾ?ನಾಯಂಡಹಳ್ಳಿ ಹತ್ರ ಮೈಸೂರ್ ರೋಡ್ ಬ್ಲಾಕ್ ಅಂತಿದ್ರು, ನಿಂಗೇನೂ ತೊಂದ್ರೆ ಆಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ ತಾನೆ?ಅಮ್ಮ ಹುಷಾರಾಗಿ ಬಂದ್ರ?"; "ಸ್ಸಾರಿ....ರಾಂಗ್ ನಂಬರ್"

"Hello… Did you reach safely? I heard Mysore Road was blocked, near Nayandahalli. Did you manage without any problems? Did mom reach there safe?"; "Sorry… wrong number"

೧೧. ಕರಿಮಲೆಯ ಕಗ್ಗತ್ತಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಂಯ್‍ಗುಡುವ ಕುಳಿರ್ಗಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲೇ, ಉಳಿದಿದ್ದ ಆ ಕಡೇ ಬೆಂಕಿಕಡ್ಡಿಯನ್ನು ಆಕೆ ಗೀರಿಯೇಬಿಟ್ಟಳು...

A dark mountain, pitch dark, a cool breeze, and she struck the last match...

೧೨. ಬಕ್ರೀದಿಗಾಗಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೊಂಟೆಯೊಂದು ಬಿಸ್ಲೇರಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಬಾಯಾರಿ ಬಳಲಿ ಬೆಂಡಾಗಿ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಬೆನ್ನ ಮೇಲಿನ ಡುಬ್ಬದ ನೀರು ಕುಡಿದು ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಯಿತು!!!

A camel that came visiting Bengaluru, for Bakrid, was compelled to drink his 'storage water', for want of Bisleri!!!

೧೩. ಮೈತುಂಬ ಸಾಲ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದವನಿಗೆ ಬಂಪರ್ ಲಾಟರಿ ಹೊಡೆದು ಅಹೋರಾತ್ರಿ ಕೋಟ್ಯಾಧಿಪತಿಯಾಗಿಬಿಟ್ಟ.

A man who was swamped in loans won a Bumper Lottery and became a millionaire overnight.

೧೪. ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆ: ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಟ್ಟವರಿಗೆ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೈದು ಸಾವಿರ ರೂಪಾಯಿ ನಗದು ಬಹುಮಾನ.

Announcement: Finders will be rewarded Rs. 25000.

೧೫. ಮೌನ ಮಾತಾದಾಗ :

...

... ...

... ... ...

'ಆಫೀಸಿಗೆ ಹೊತ್ತಾಯ್ತು ಬೇಗೆದ್ದು ಹೊರಡ್ಬೇಕಂತೆ ಅನ್ನು ನಿಮ್ಮಪ್ಪಂಗೆ'

When silence speaks:

...

... ...

... ... ...

"It's getting late. Ask your dad to wake up and go to work"

೧೬. 'ಹಾಲುಂಡ ತವರು' ಸಿನಿಮಾ ನೋಡಿದವಳು ಕಣ್ಣೊರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾ ತನ್ನ ಗಂಡನಿಗೆ ಫೋನಾಯಿಸಿ "ಈ ವೀಕೆಂಡ್ ನಿಮ್ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ನಿಮ್ಮಪ್ಪಾಮ್ಮನ್ನ ಮಾತಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬರೋಣಾ ಕಣ್ರೀ" ಅಂದ್ಲು.

The woman, after watching the movie 'Haalunda Thavaru', wipes her tears and calls her husband "Let's go visit your parents this weekend"

(Not sure I get this. Might have to watch the movie first. Inheritance?)

೧೭. "ರೀಟೇಲ್ ದರದಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಹೋಲ್‍ಸೇಲ್ ಮಾರಾಟ" ಅಂತ ಅವನೆಷ್ಟು ಕೂಗಿದರೂ ಒಬ್ಬ ಗಿರಾಕಿಯೂ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ!

He kept yelling, "Wholesale goods at retail prices" but nobody would even go near him!

೧೮. ಚಿಂದಿ ಚಿತ್ರಾನ್ನ.ಕಡ್ಲೆಕಾಯಿ ಒಗ್ಗರಣೆ.ಉಪ್ಪು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಮುಂದಾಯ್ತು

Awesome lemon rice. Peanuts fried. A little too much salt.

೧೯. ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ ತಂದ ಎಮರ್ಜೆಂಸಿ ಲ್ಯಾಂಪನ್ನು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸುವುದು ಹೇಗೆಂದು ಕೈಪಿಡಿಯನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸಿ ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗಲೇ ಕರೆಂಟ್ ಹೋಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಗತ್ತಲಾವರಿಸಿತು.

Just as he opened the manual to find out how to use the new emergency lamp, the power went out.

೨೦. ಅವನಂದುಕೊಂಡಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಸಾಂಗವಾಗಿಯೇ ನಡೆಯಿತು. ಅವಳ ಕೊನೆಯವರೆಗೂ...

It all worked as per his wishes. Until her death...

೨೧. ಆಕೆಯಿಂದ ಪಡೆದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ ಮುತ್ತುಗಳನ್ನು ಜತನವಾಗಿ ಕಾಪಾಡಿ ಈಕೆಯನ್ನು ತೊರೆಯುವ ದಿನ ಇವಳಿಗೊಂದು ಸುಂದರ ಮುತ್ತಿನಹಾರವಾಗಿಸಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟ

He diligently saved every pearl she (A) gave him and gave it to the other one (B) on the day she (B) left him

೨೨. ಯಾವುದೋ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದವಳು ಧಿಗ್ಗನೆದ್ದು ದೇವರ ಮುಂದೊಂದು ತುಪ್ಪದ ದೀಪ ಹಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟು, 'ದೇವ್ರೆ, ನಾನ್ ಪ್ರೆಗ್ನೆಂಟ್ ಆಗಿಲ್ದೇ ಇದ್ದಂಗ್ ನೋಡ್ಕೊಳಪ್ಪಾ' ಅಂದು ಬಚ್ಚಲುಮನೆ ಕಡೆ ನಡೆದಳು.

She suddenly got up from her reverie and lit a lamp before the Lord, said, "Dear God, I hope I am not pregnant" and she walked towards the bathroom.

೨೩. ಆಸೆ : ತಿಳಿಗೊಳದಲೆಯಲಿಹ ತರಗೆಲೆಯಡಿ ತರಂಗವಾಗಬೇಕು ತಾನ್

Desire: I want to be the little waves that form in clear water, under a floating leaf

೨೪. ಮಳೆ ನಿಂತು ಮೋಡಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಸರಿದು 'ಸೂರ್ಯ' ಇನ್ನೇನು ಹೊರಗೆ ಇಣುಕಬೇಕೆನ್ನುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗಾಗಲೇ ರಾತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು.

By the time the rains had stopped, the clouds made way and the 'Sun' peeped out, it was nightfall.

೨೫. 'ಸಾಲಗೆ ದೊರವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ವರದರಾಜ ಬಾಣಾವರ; ಕನ್ನಡ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ'

No credit; Varadaraj Banawar; Do not understand Kannada'

Rumi” Whispers of the Beloved “ - Paulo Coelho

Sometimes I hate to admit it, sometimes I'm proud to say it... 2 of my favourite books are by Paulo Coelho and Richard Bach. I want to dedicate today's post to Coelho, for various reasons...

I cannot sleep in your prescence.
In your absence, tears prevent me.
You watch me My Beloved
On each sleepless night and
Only You see the difference

Looking at my life
I see that only Love
Has been my soul’s companion
From deep inside
My soul cries out:
Do not wait, surrender
For the sake of Love.

If you can’t smell the fragrance
Don’t come into the garden of Love.
If you’re unwilling to undress
Don’t enter into the stream of Truth.
Stay where you are.
Don’t come our way.

All year round the lover is mad,
Unkempt, lovesick and in disgrace.
Without love there is nothing but grief.
In love… what else matters?

Love is our Mother and
The way of our Prophet.
Yet it is in our nature
To fight with Love.
We can’t see you, mother,
Hidden behind dark veils
Woven by ourselves.

Do you want to enter paradise?
To walk the path of Truth
You need the grace of God.
We all face death in the end.
But on the way, be careful
Never to hurt a human heart!

Do you know what the music is saying?
“Come follow me and you will find the way.
Your mistakes can also lead you to the Truth.
When you ask, the answer will be given.”

The Master who’s full of sweetness
Is so drunk with love, he’s oblivious.
“Will you give me
some of your sweetness?”
“I have none,” he says,
unaware of his richness.

You know what love is?
It is all kindness, generosity.
Disharmony prevails when
You confuse lust with love, while
The distance between the two
Is endless.

This Love is a King
But his banner is hidden.
The Koran speaks the Truth
But its miracle is concealed.
Love has pierced with its arrow
The heart of every lover.
Blood flows but the wound is invisible.


Taken from PC's blog at http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/03/09/rumi-whispers-of-the-beloved/

Men Smart While Working With Smarter Women

A classic example of digression. When I clicked on this link, I expected a bunch of wise-ass comments from a number of men and women alike, possibly a meaningless debate and some arrogant comments, as are normal in most Man Vs Woman discussions. No matter what the topic is or how defined the agenda may seem, it inevitably strays into a Man Vs Woman discussion, mostly inconclusive and goes horribly into another tangent.

This write-up was not really an original article. It was what someone defined as an "interesting research" and contained a few comments from men who have worked with women bosses. Why a topic about men working with women consisted only of men with women bosses is beyond me. What I found even more baffling is that whereas some men spoke of difficulties and some others said they didn't mind working for a woman boss, I did not quite see anyone say nice things about working for women (I refuse to accept that this article is about working with women). In a write-up, is the author not supposed to present both sides of an argument? Don't tell me it is because the title has something about "men smart"ing when working for women. Even then, I repeat, the article must make a reference to some men who might have had an uneventful, if not pleasant, experience working for/with women. Wait, does he mean to tell me that no man ever worked for a woman and happily so?

I do not think that the article itself is bad. It bothers me because it seems a bit lop-sided. It is not something I might want to share with others, for I am not fully satisfied with the content. So, why am I sharing it now? It's not only the article that is "interesting" but the comments that follow. There are some very entertaining ones. Also, the comments are in horrible English, awful spellings and full of dyslexic typos, which make the reading more fun.

One guy thinks that a woman's smile reduces the pressure in him (blood pressure or the one you sit down for every morning?). Another guy wonders how you can put a man and a 'suitable' woman in a "cosy room" and expect them to work! His office is a cosy room? So, he wants to take her to bed! There's comments not just on a woman's mood-swings but also how you cannot have an argument with her because you can never predict how a woman behaves (laughing out loud). One guy writes a sequence of events that could occur in case there is a female boss and a female colleague in the team (kudos to him for being the first to talk about a female colleague): Step1 - They become fast friends, Step2 - They become stark enemies (he says to ask your wife why they do that, he doesn't know), Step3 - You are the go between, where the colleagues bitches about the boss and the boss is watching you to make sure you do not help the colleague.

In the midst of all this, there is one guy who replies to a girl's comment asking if he could be friends with her (clutching my stomach, can't stop laughing). Add to that, an unexpected series of comments (unexpected, inspite of all those email forwards which talk about how you can find a mallu wherever you go, even on the moon). Then there's a response to comment, by a Malayalee (in English) which is followed up by another guy who agrees with him (in Malayam) and a further response to that by a third guy who says something on the lines of "Ah, you're both malayalees aren't you? No wonder you share this opinion". By now, I am rolling on the floor laughing.

Have a read, make sure you get to the end of the trail of comments...

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Men_smart_while_working_with_smarter_women-nid-60454.html

I found this link at work, among a few others that were posted on a sharepoint, as part of Women's Day activities. I am not sure it was entirely appropriate for Women's Day (even though the title might sound like it is). Given the nature of comments, I am not even sure it was appropriate to be posted on an office website. Whether it was right nor not, all said and done, it made a woman laugh (me, me, me). A lot. Happy Women's Day.

Yeah, yeah, I know it is on 8th March. Happy Women's Day, in advance!