Sony turns your ears into butterflies

Be the Cult!!

Pepsi turns the world xtremely RED, WHITE, BLUE

CORRECT YOUR AGE

Do you love mini curves?

No one grows Ketchup like Heinz

Awake and Alive

Of the thousand experiences we have,
We find language for one at most
And some merely by chance and without the care it deserves.

Buried under all the mute experiences are those unseen ones
That give our life its form, its colour, and its melody.
Then, when we turn to these treasures,
As archaeologists of the soul, we discover –
How confusing they are.
The object of contemplation refuses to stand still.
The words bounce off the experience,
And in the end, pure contradictions stand on paper.
For a long time, I thought it was a defect;
Something to be overcome.

Today, I think it is different.
That recognition of the confusion is the ideal path
To understand these intimate, yet enigmatic experiences.
That sounds strange, even bizarre, I know.
But ever since I have seen the issue in this light,
I have the feeling of being really awake and alive for the first time!

Dream Depths

Six times a day, after 864 hours and 51,840 seconds later, my dream has begun haunting me yet again – a dream I seemed to dream all night long. I wondered why I keep coming back to this place – The Bridge. There isn’t the slightest practical reason for it anymore. So why? I sit on the wooden crumbling steps at the entrance of my dream home, and have no idea why my heart is in my mouth. Why am I full of envy when I see faces flash before me as if they were at home here? What is it, why do I envy them?

Recently, when the window was open on a hot day, I heard voices and the stuttering answers of anxious people to questions that made me tremble too. Sitting inside there once more – no, that was certainly not what I wanted. In the cool dark hour of the night then, I met a man with a protruding, birdlike head, advancing towards me with a suspicious look. “What are you searching for here?” he asked, when I passed him. He had an asthmatic falsetto that sounded as if it came from a court in the hereafter. I stood still, without turning around. “I lived here for 2 years”, I said and was filled with contempt for myself when I heard how hoarse it sounded. For a few seconds, a perfect eerie silence reigned in the room. Then the man shuffled off.

Time came to a halt and held its breath as it never again did. All the faces that I envied now began to layer up, blurring my imagination, my most-cherished dream and the sight of my own, as I finally got my answers. I discovered those were the faces of budding lovers living in my home, leaving no corner for the one who sketched this picturesque dream, and tinted it with striking pastel shades. The one who nurtured the first lilies and roses in the park. The one who sang her far-flung compositions to the cuckoos. The one who welcomed the wind with her open arms. And the one who was once accompanied by them all in mind and in form, but no more.

Today, I have come to the belief that every moment is the last. What could, should be done with all the time now before me, open and unshaped, feather-light in its freedom and lead-heavy in its uncertainty? Now, isn’t it illogical to be afraid of it knowing that I shall no longer experience this sudden extinction?

When Eye Think of You...

A visual rhapsody of heavenly perfection,
Sweet thoughts of you running bare-foot through the garden of my mind.


In a whimsical interlude of intellectual conversation -
Your warm smile exudes like a summer sun pressed upon my brow.
Ideas of you, being "The most Beautiful" poem that God has ever written to me...

I Feel...

I want to be remembered as a girl who always smiles,

even when her heart is broken.

And the one who could always brighten up your day,

even if she couldn't brighten her own.

Love - Uncut, Unfinished

Why is that when I look at you, I see me?
How strange and confusing is that?
Although, somewhat different externally,
When searching within myself, I find you.
When searching to find you, I find remnants of me...
What am I looking for?
It cannot be defined... cannot be resisted.

So, farewell to my beginning and hello to my ending...
Unconditional love: is an unbiased and natural occurrence -
When a being see themselves in others,
There is no resistance, no judgment - just acceptance.

... and that's all that I believe!

I believe in the hands that wish to work hard.
I believe in the brains that love to think.
I believe in the mirror that never fails to reflect.
I believe each human must know why he is.

I believe in the lessons that people live through.
I believe in the emotions that run every day, every nerve.
I believe in the mind that laces up a running imagination.
I believe in how God created Earth so thoughtfully.

I believe in the silence that hears the needy.
I believe in the heart that knows to love.
I believe in the voice that says it cares.
I believe in the vision that foresees it all.

I believe in the chances life surprises with.
I believe in the dangers it beckons like clockwork.
I believe in the perceptions that make for opinions.
I believe in the soul that enlivens my own.

I believe in the courage that walks me thru rough lanes.
I believe in the goals that lure me to fly.
I believe in the faith that I absorb of myself.
I believe in the dreams that I dare to transform.

I believe to begin, it’s important to believe.
The reason, I believe in myself.
The reason, I am.

I BELIEVE...

The Most Important Relationship In Your Life

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

“Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”

In the beginning, they all felt sad about the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room.

The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: “Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!”

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.
There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:

“There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.”

You are the only person who can revolutionize your life.

You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success.

You are the only person who can help yourself.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes.

Your life changes when YOU change,

When you go beyond your limited beliefs,

When you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

“The most important relationship you can have is the one you have with yourself!”

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don’t be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.

It’s the way you face life that finally makes the difference!

FIND OUT WHAT’S MISSING!

I wanted to take an opinion, I couldn’t.

I wanted to share a joke, I couldn’t.

I wanted to have fun, I couldn’t.

Just then I realized,

Something was MISSING.

Actually it was not something,

It was someone.

Infact, it was

not even someone,

It was YOU.

Your thoughts give me much happiness,

But I would really prefer YOU

Over your thoughts!

Struck by Tornado

I’ve been thru’ a tornado of emotions for more than 52 hours now. Sloshed, swept and scattered – in the floods of my own self. Caught in between eyes that only seemed to doubt. Words that echoed to my shell-like could be no bitter than what they heard. And the time to prove ‘em all was only task on high priority.

I don’t remember blinking.

I don’t remember eating.

I don’t remember being thirsty.

I don’t remember breathing, infact.

So deeply drowned was I, I didn’t know the way to the surface was upwards.

But, I survived. May be I was on artificial breathing, but that can’t be all. And so it wasn’t. Coz though I was all tattered-n-torn, my will remained intact.

My hope attained a higher altitude.

My conscience proved it was clearer than ever.

And thankfully, the biting cold war ended.

The unpleasant truth was believed, and I was rescued.

Snow melted, peace kissed me and freed me from the tragic mishap I invited myself.

Now, I look before I leap, and I think that’s what I shall live by – till I last.

Love me? Love my dog…

We all carry our personal dogs in our most valued relations. By dogs, I don’t mean fluffy, yapping four-legged creatures, but our bad habits, addictions, obsessions, over-possessiveness… things we can’t give up. And thrust them on our partner, hoping him/her to welcome it with open arms. Isn’t it too much to ask?

More often than not, these dogs are not the harmless, co-existing ones but ones that dig their teeth into the relation with the purpose of turning it into tatters. This dog might be important, irreplaceable for one but is abominable for the other.

The most common thing I have observed in couples is his habit of smoking which she is not able to get over with. She argues that he give up this wretched dog of his – “It is vile, unhealthy – can bring disease into the house.”

He gets mad and morose, says – “This dog was in my life even before I met you. You accepted me with this dog. Don’t try to change things. I am terribly attached to it. You have to accept it.”

She says – “I knew you had this dog but I hoped you would let it go once I stepped in. I am uncomplaining but somehow I can’t stretch my patience enough to cover both – you and your dog. There is not enough space in my heart.”

He argues that she expects a lot from him, whether it’s just a call, a voice she craves to hear of him, that says – “I care and I’ll be there!” But feelings belong to a different dictionary altogether for men and women, don’t they? As he gives back saying – “I can’t make peace with you and your dog – expectations. It creates an opaque wall between you and me.”

Such is life, dearies! This is the bone of discontent between the two of them. It causes the relation to go through a stress test. Who is to blame – him or her?

Such conspicuous or sometimes inconspicuous dogs nurtured by one and despised by the other exist in all homes, I believe. They can turn ugly a perfectly pretty picture. You can’t harp about the other loving you as you are, as you were.

Today, she ponders over what she got floored by – none of those dogs, for sure, but him – with a pretty mask, then. And ponders for even longer as she finds her answers marry him – for what he chooses to be, whether he understands, ignores and moves on, while she continues to gulp even graver dogs she never imagined she would – unconditionally.

Seasons change.
Feelings change.
Even iron contracts or expands with temperature.
Rocks do cave in with time as water cuts through them – day in and day out.

‘Change’ is the key, the fuel which can still keep the flame ignited. One cannot be oblivious to the signs of the weather.

Change for the better. Change for the ones you care.

So lets start by showing the exit door to the dog, thus creating some more amiable space.

After all, we love to see whom we love, do something for us – whether it means to change ourselves, only to see our loved ones happy. That’s what is real giving – the unconditional way, ain’t it?

You can...

You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what she'd want –
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Old Proverbs, New Twists!

I was jotting down all what little kids come up with in those surprise tests at school where they are given the first half of the proverb and asked to complete it. Humour tickled me non stop as I read them. Believe me, it is funny. Here they are for you to read and let your funny bone do what it’s meant to.

1. People in glass houses shouldn't . . . run around naked.
2. A rolling stone . . . plays the guitar.
3. I think, therefore I . . . get a headache.
4. Early to bed and early to rise . . . is first in the bathroom.
5. Better to be safe than . . . punch a 5th Grader.
6. If at first you don't succeed . . . get new batteries.
7. Strike while the . . . bug is close.
8. The squeaking wheel gets . . . annoying.
9. You can lead a horse to water but . . . how?
10. Don't bite the hand that . . . looks dirty.
11. No news is . . . impossible.
12. A miss is as good as a . . . Mr.
13. You can't teach an old dog . . . math.
14. If you lie down with dogs, you . . . will stink in the morning.
15. Love all, trust . . . me.
16. There is nothing new under the . . . bed.
17. The pen is mightier than . . . the pigs.
18. Home is where your … house is.
19. An idle mind is . . . the best way to relax.
20. Where there is smoke, there is . . . pollution.
21. Happy the bride who . . . gets all the presents.
22. You have nothing to fear but . . . homework.
23. Children should be seen and not... spanked or grounded.
24. A penny saved is . . . not much.
25. Two is company, three is . . . The Musketeers.

Now here are the original ones in case you’re confused.

1. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
2. A rolling stone plays no moss.
3. I think, therefore I am.
4. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
5. Better to be safe than sorry.
6. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
7. Strike while the iron is hot.
8. The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
9. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
10. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
11. No news is good news.
12. A miss is as good as a mile.
13. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
14. If you lie down with dogs, you'll rise with fleas.
15. Love all, trust few, do wrong to none.
16. There is nothing new under the sun.
17. The pen is mightier than the sword.
18. Home is where your heart is.
19. An idle man is the devil’s workshop.
20. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
21. Happy the bride who the sun shines on.
22. You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
23. Children should be seen and not heard.
24. A penny saved is a penny earned.
25. Two is company, three is a crowd.

Today, as I still miss him…

A man of principles. A man of philosophy. A man so spirited and fine.
A man, himself a fighter. A man who taught me to fight. A man who guided me to reach No. 1, each time.

A man of essence. A man so translucent. A man of ultimate fame.
Yet, a man so friendly, so humble, so giving. A man who was above this life’s ball game.

A man so tough. A man full of passion. A man so focused, so rare;
A man so learned. A man so curious. A man who was always fair.

A man who’s voice echoed, so loud n clear. A man who’s temper at times soar;
A man who apologized when he knew he hurt. A man, so unconventional whom I unduly adore.

A man with whom I started my day. A man whom I loved to ape.
Feet on the table, we posed alike. I loved the way we watched the tape.

A man full of vigor. And a man, so child-like. A man who could even swallow farce,
A man with whom I played cards. A man who was my only friend – with whom I spent the longest hours.

A man who spent his evenings listening to the birds chirp and the cool breeze brush his face,
A man who then walked to spend the late evenings to his friend’s place.

A man whom I brought back home in the dark hours, saying, “Papaji, let’s go home”.
A man who accompanied me then, but who cannot accompany me as I still roam.

A man who pampered me and stood by me, against all odds.
A man who read my poems word by word and comprehended the meaning within, aloud.

A man who considered me as his mom. A man who loved me for just what I was.
A man who instilled in me to move on in life, when tripping over or in loss.

A man with whom I connected so much.
A man whom I still miss so much!!

A man who inspired me to be what I am today.
A man who is my grandfather…
Oh! What a pride, I must say!!

I love our unison and cherish it the most,
For what more can a heart desire, but to beat - -
He was my beat, and I wish to bring him back,
Well, I know I can’t do that, while I owe him my feat!

My Daily Canvass

Every day, I start off like this, with a blank canvas and my paints, neat and organized, ready to use. I dislike having to compartmentalize my life, but right now there are so many demands on my time, I have no choice.

My day has multiple pots, bearing multiple colours, my work a couple of colours, my family and friends. I have to leave a pot for just me, for time to let my brain relax and then another pot or two for keeping my home in some sort of semblance. And sometimes I have to steal a little from one or another pot, to fulfill an obligation or promise which I can't keep with a single pot alone. Sometimes I don't call my cousin back the day she calls me. Sometimes I don't answer an email from a dear friend as promptly as I'd like. Sometimes I have to cut short my calls with my love. Sometimes a piece of work finds itself being carried over from one day to another, or one week to another. Sometimes when I just begin to hum my favourite songs, my pots instead go rhythm-less.

As I get into each one of my days, they start looking like a chaotic smear of colour on colour, seemingly without blueprint or plan. This is no paint-by-numbers approach, no keeping within the lines. My paintpots fall into a state of disarray and my brushes grow heavy and clogged with colours from different pots.

But, at the end of the day I get ready for tomorrow. My brushes are purged of all residue, my pots organized and replenished. My mind prepares for another blank canvas and another day. As I look back at my day's canvas, there is organisation even in what appears to be colourful chaos. Or perhaps it's just an ability to interpret the patterns and form, one colour at a time.

After all, each day is, in its own way, a unique masterpiece of my life!

Magic? Fate? Karma?

Magic? Fate? Karma? I don't know what brought us together or why we both feel overwhelmingly connected when we're as diverse as culture. I only know that I want to be with you and live as one, now that we've discovered each other. Only know that I want to be the one who completes you. I want to walk parallel with you every day, every life. I want us to share the same pillow as our heart beat – one that beats for each other. I want us to sparkle and grow as fresh as dew together. I want us to make our dreams turn bigger than we dream. And I want us to share difficulties and challenges hand-in-hand.

We've been given a great life, a bounty that's as deep as the blue sea and as high as the blue sky, the bounty of love, and whatever brought us together, I'm glad. Glad to see myself living for a reason, so special, so lovely… YOU!! I know there's more to life, more reasons and I've known and learned it, but you know what, you're the only reason to bag the highest marks in my life's test. With you, I can never fail. And I would never let you either. So, while I clear my exams each day, with my sincere efforts and your support, I know I'll find more reasons, all those ones you wanted me to know.

Did you know, I've always had exam fevers ever since my 4^th Grade. With you, I no longer fear. Thanks for being what you are to me – the most precious being.

… that's 30 minutes of my life I'll never get back!

I’ll tell you what it saw

I’ll tell you how far it flew - -

It was a picture my mind wrote & tinted

But, would you believe if I said it was true?

The fact that you’re still reading,

I suppose you believe my word in detail,

Come, travel along with me now

As I walk past the corridors, with my fervent trail.

From diamond studded chandeliers to marble stairways,

From royal carpets to the expanse of the endless hallways;

Each painting chose colour that I glanced; every mirror reflected, what I had shown,

Every brick was what I sited; and every pillar paved in gem stone.

I saw no human faces, and I knew I was all alone;

Yet, I say in all honesty, that it didn’t seem like I was on my own.

Every pretty bird twittered in daylight, and chose to sit by that window,

Every gentle wind ardently puffed inside, soft and smooth and slow.

And in no time I’d made a rapport with the beauty, scenic & freed,

As if I were a part of its landscape, ever since I knew how to breathe.

It was my best present ever - -

The present I created myself at mid-night;

The present that was a dream I lived

For 30 minutes, before the dark was replaced by the light.

With the string of my words, with the power of my reverie,

I built this dream of mine;

A beautiful citadel was what I called it - -

Where I saw my brightest smile.

I can't remember what my dream was exactly made of,

And never will I know what caused it to happen, still - -

I’m certain that that’s 30 minutes of my life;

The time that I’ll never get back, even if I will!

Seeking a bride

One of these days, I happened to browse through a matrimonial site, on clicking on a banner that pops up when I open my e-mail, and I am flabbergasted at the listing of expectations of these modern day eligible bachelors and their reverend parents looking for a bride.

Height 5-2" to 5-6", slim/very slim, fair/very fair, modern yet traditional, professionally qualified yet not career oriented, must love cooking, must respect elders and mix with children, adaptable, flexible, a believer in joint family, religious, charming, a friend more than a wife, a daughter rather than a daughter-in-law... the list never ends.

Is it a real flesh-and-blood woman you are seeking or a she-robot with your desirable attributes programmed in?

Also I would like to add to this list, the implicit but ever so existing desire of every husband/parent-in-law - "Thou should be able to produce a baby boy to carry on the family name." If I remember my biology classes correct, the omnipotent Y chromosome that makes a baby boy, is the contribution of dad. I want to engrave this learning on a stone and embed it in every wall of every expectant woman's house. So that if a baby girl is born, all fingers point to the great man.

OK coming back to the desirable bride, some of your wishes may be granted you bride-hunters if you see the cover of the package - adorned in red, bedizened with ornaments, the treat for the eyes, the doll-like Indian bride may be fair, slim, 5-6" if you insist. But rest assured it is just the cover of the gift delivered at your doorstep. Once you open the gift, the real woman inside, you don’t know. And you can be allured by the gift wrap for sometime.

Because what you expect to get out of her is directly a result of what you have to offer her. What you are dealing with is a human being, and an adult one at that.

She is no doll.

And I believe that no human, er no woman is evil. Every young girl waits for the prince charming of her life, to make a little home for herself, to live happily ever after. She has no wrong intention in her mind and heart.

Here are some golden expectations of the groom side based.

First of all, my all-time favorite - professionally qualified but not career-oriented!! What an oxymoron.

This girl who lived and breathed for that piece of paper called degree, who burnt the midnight oil for it, should not have a job/career after marriage bcoz they plan to get rid of some domestic help. Her purpose in life was to get a husband who earns, isn’t it solved? Die you, career and ambition.

Next Mr. Groom wants a friend more than a wife - vow finally a believer in equality of sexes. An equal opportunity employer at last!!

But hang on, this friend for life should not complain of sacrificing her sweetest morning dreams, should rise and shine with the sun and bring a cup of bed tea for him with just the right amount of sugar in it. She must conjure up new dishes to entice his palate everyday. Well if your idea of a friend is just an acquaintance, if you are complacent at the peripheral level of friendship, you sure got a friend. But if you venture to delve into the core, she is no friend, she is a seething volcano just waiting to erupt. But don’t worry, some volcanoes always are dormant, harmless, they never erupt, so you might be safe but don’t doubt that the fact that she is a volcano.

OK enough of husband-bashing!

Now lets turn to - daughter rather than daughter-in-law rule.

After marriage, this girl shall seek the permission of parents in law to see her parents by nature. The length of this time will be recorded and replayed again when she pleads to see them.

Does that sound rude? So it is.

And if a grandchild is not invented within a year of marriage, they will not shirk from questioning her fertility. This is the right they have earned by raising a boy upto the marriageable age.

One more rule - a believer in joint family. Let’s take a pick on that.

If she seeks a vacation, some time away from the humdrum life, away from responsibilities she has to take the whole joint family in tow.

Now I can feel my blood reaching its boiling point. Let’s not lose focus.

So winding up the moral of the story is, I believe, that love begets love.

Respect begets respect.

Do unto her what you expect her to do unto you.

No listing of the qualities in the matrimonials will give you that dream woman.

Even a dog knows when to dig its teeth and when to wag its tail.

And look at her, she is from the most evolved human er woman species. She knows better than an animal.

Finally if you want a woman who is a giver always, go and propose to a she-saint and I would like to know the result!!!

HIDE THAT LOOK

We all get zillions of looks by different eyes, every day. The language that the eyes speak and the heart hears is unmistakable. No matter how the movement of lips tries to delude the ears, but the eyes give it away. They speak the truth. So whenever in doubt, trust the eyes, not the lips.

If what you are saying is different from what your eyes mean to say, you can be safe by not looking at the other person in the eye or by wearing sunglasses. Otherwise, you will get caught.

At work the boss says - “Good Morning, how are you” matched with a “Yesterday-was-the-deadline-where-are-we?” look.

A colleague says –“I like your shirt” matched with a “High-time-you-realized-what-colors-suit-you” look.

A subordinate says – “Lets party for your promotion, boss” with a “I-worked-and-you-took- the-credit” look.

A hostess says –“Welcome, happy to see you” with an “Eat-n-get-lost” look.

The guest says –“Thanks for the evening” with a “Glad-it’s-over” look.

The person next-door says –“Come home sometime” with a “Hope-that-time-never-comes” look.

A man stands when a pregnant woman colleague enters a meeting room saying - “Please take my seat” matched with a “Go-home-if-you-want-to-be-treated special” look.

The waitress at a restaurant when asked for a refill of a drink smiles -“My pleasure” with a “Don’t-forget-to-leave-a-heavy-tip” look.

The store-attendant says -“Take your time” with a “Get-lost-if-you-don’t-want-to-buy” look.

The husband says- “I am sorry darling” with an “I-don’t-mean-it-but-hope-this-puts-out-the-fire” look.

The wife says -“O, I forgot to add sugar in your tea” with a “Serves-you-right” look.

The girlfriend says - “Can’t wait to spend Valentine’s Day with you” with a “Dare-you-get-only-roses-for-me-this-time” look.

The boyfriend says - “Where would you like to dine today” with an “It-better-not-be-expensive” look.

The mom-in-law says to daughter-in-law at the dinner table - “This is delicious” with a “When-will-you-learn-to-cook” look.

The fiancée says -“I love your sense of humor” with a “Do-I-have-to-wait-till-marriage-to-tell-that-your-jokes-are-sickening” look.

The relative says - “Hope you could have stayed with us some more days” with a “Hurry-I-can’t-afford-your-missing-the-train” look.

In a public play area, on hearing a child’s shriek, one mom says to the other - “Sorry, my kid hurt him” with a “Your-kid-asked-for-it” look.

The bride’s unmarried friend says at the marriage -“You two make a wonderful couple” with a “You-didn’t-deserve-him” look.