Anne Frank

I happened to have finished reading the book “The Dairy of A Young Girl” by Anne Frank a week back. What fascinated me about the book was how remarkably well and wittily she has put her thoughts into her dairy which gives us an insight into her transition from a girl to women and life in the “Secret Annexe”.

Her thought clarity at such a young age (she was thirteen when she started writing in her dairy) astounds me. One could only imagine how successful she would have been had she been alive. She wanted to become a writer after war and there is no doubt that she would have been a successful one!!

She expresses herself so beautifully about what she was going through herself and the constant fear they lived in. I loved the way she indulges on the self criticism and writing about herself like an outsider.

It is real sad that the way her life ended in a Nazi concentration camp. In an ironical twist of fate, her wish came true which she had penned in her dairy: “I want to go on living even after my death”.

Here is YouTube video of Otto Frank (her father) talking about the book:

Do read it, in case you haven’t.

P.S.: In case you don’t know, Anne Frank was the daughter of Otto Frank whose family went into hiding with another family during the World War to protect them from the Holocaust that was taking place against the Jews. The only survivor was Otto Frank who then decided to publish her dairy which went on to sell in many countries and translated for the same

An Ironic Tale

Shot in the back waters of Kerala, one of the most picturesque video and a great romantic song I have come across.

Sung by singer Aslam & Shibani (she features in the video), the song went on to become one of the greatest hits. I find it very amusing that the singer Aslam who sings the whole song was never heard or seen later and on the contrary Shibani who just sings two lines at the end of the song got all the popularity, went on to cut an album and sing in movies too.

I am not sure what exactly happen to the singer but cannot stop wondering about it. Find it very ironical that the person who should have made the most out of it went missing and the one who should not have (considering she sung only two lines) ended up making the most out of it.

Note: I guess some of the you have mistaken that the singer and the model in the album are the same, well they are not. The model in the album is Nakul Kapur while the singer name is Aslam who was never heard again as far as I know...

The Thought

I was walking back home with my mother from the school. I was wondering what my friend would be doing now who was absent today, then came the thought of watching him through television (I don’t think CC cameras had made its way into the market then) his every movements and the same for other around me too.

Years have passed by, but somehow or the other this thought kept coming back to me. I never knew what to make of it, but it captivated me. It made me think.

The only conclusion that I could draw was about being aware of life revolving around me and maybe I am playing one of the lead characters. It should make me feel good right?, well it did but the effect does not last long and am back to myself again :)

I am not sure if I read that right, if you think you can crack the code, go ahead. It keeps coming back to me. Not doing what I suppose to? or maybe it’s just a thought in the end…

Argument

When both sides think they are right
oblivious to the fact that the issue
that spark the debate no longer matters

What matters is to prove themselves right
with no one on the wrong side

A Secret Date

Not exactly a "date" but on the lines. Yesterday. I got a call from my Sister I asking me to come to her house when she will call me again in a few days.

The reason: she wants me to have a look at a girl (who will come to stay at her house for a few days) from her side whom she likes a lot and thinks she would be a perfect choice for me. This happens to be her first choice among the list that she has created for me (Finally, I get to see someone from her list!!). Read the following post to know about the list.

She very well knows my take on girls from native place, not that they are lesser in any ways to girls from city but I don't think they will be able to cope up to the living in a city like Bombay. Sister I wants me to see that they can. The girl also lives in a city (Mangalore to be precise).

I kept listening what she had to say and found it quite amusing. I did not commit on anything. On the other hand she also told me that Sister II also has a proposal ready for me again from the native place that she thinks would be "perfect" for me.

I have not made up my mind, but can't help it to think as you get moving up the age ladder everyone is eager to get you married.

Guess, they cannot see my happiness in living a Happy Single Life.

but then Happiness is not Everything in Life, right?? :D

P.S.: I feel like I have few days (may be a year or two) left of my bachelor hood to live, after marriage everything will come to an end... :))

Dev D in Everyone of US

I watched the movie a month back, the Anurag Kashyap’s version of Devdas and it kind of intrigued me in many ways. This also happens to be the first time that I liked a movie based on the famous Devdas character on whom numerous movies have been made.

I could never understand the fascination of the movie industry with Devdas who only annoyed me as he was the only one who was responsible for pushing away his love and then making himself suffer in pain and still when love came in the form of Chanda he choose to make himself suffer over love.

Watching Dev D, I observed something in Devdas that we would often find in ourselves but we may not realize. Though the suffering here was of his own making but there are times when we find ourselves in pain when life’s plan does not goes accordingly with our plan.

How does one react if the love of their life with whom they planned to spend rest of the life left them for someone else, an unexpected twist of fate that leaves you scarred mentally/emotionally and times when things did not went your way when you were expecting it highly?

It’s hard to hold back emotions during these times and act sensibly. How should one overcome the trauma that one is going through inside while on the surface everything seems fine?

As Dev D goes into his drinking binge and drugs, one could see how he shows no signs of overcoming his heart ache. Pain can give one such a high that soon one finds comfort in them and one does not want it to be over with.

I guess we all have our such moments (may be not to such an extent) where we wont let the pain go away and choose to move on. Dev D represents that.

P.S: I liked the way the movie ended with Dev D moving on with Chanda...

I happened to have mention Paro by mistake, Thanks Adisha for clearing it out :)

My Interpretation of GOD

“People break down into two groups:

When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them.

Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance, I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear.

Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope.

See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?”

— Mel Gibson in the movie Signs

When somebody shows blind faith in GOD, it really makes me wonder from where he/she had so much belief when they have not even see him.

Growing up, I was one of the early ones who found himself praying and doing “aarti” every morning before going to school. I guess for me it was a kind of a friendship where I talked to GOD and he listened and I hoped that he will be there when I need him.

Life changed and I wondered why GOD whom I considered my friend choose to do nothing. I stopped talking to him but that did not mean that I did not visited his place, my family did not know about our fight.

I would find myself intrigued looking at the faces of people around me who seemed so lost in his devotion during aarti in temple. I wondered what makes them different when we were listening to the same aarti.

I was done with my days of doing the “aarti” and was of the opinion that one does not need GOD if they are going after what they needed and work for it. After all the only reason we pray to him so that he could take care of us. If we are able to take care of ourselves then do we need him?

During this “phase” I tried to understand the origin of GOD. I came to the conclusion of one possibility that GOD could be man-made so that we could believe in a higher form of life that would take care of us and protect us when we need him. The books of GOD written by ancient men who were great novel writers and knew how to keep their readers interested for ages.

I believe GOD represents the “hope” that we look for when we lose ourselves to the circumstances/situations of our lives.

Believing in him gives us the courage that we can overcome this “difficult phase”. The truth is when we believe in GOD, we actually believe in ourselves which gives us the strength to face the “difficult situation” before us.

In a way GOD is inside every one of us waiting to be discovered when our trials put us to test.

P.S.: This post was on my mind for a very long time, the right words never came in and just a few days back, I found myself flowing with everything right that I needed to complete this.

The Old Man

As I was growing up and was surrounded by problems, I wished there was someone who would listen and make me understand what I don’t.

I always had a picture in my mind of an old man in a park giving me advice on how to deal with one’s problems and teach me how to deal with it. Sadly it just remained a picture in my mind. The old man whom I was looking for never came.

The irony of asking someone to give you advice is that they will give you their take on the situation instead of telling how to deal with it.

I think the picture is a vision from the future where the old man is none other than me who is listening and making others understand about their situations while he has no one to listen to him as he sits alone on one of the benches in the park…

I Don't Know

Has it ever happen to you that people who were academically backwards then you are doing much better than you are. People whom you thought never deserved to be promoted actually got promoted, while you are waiting to be promoted. People who get into the limelight by doing something little, while you have been slogging hard to get rewarded.

Comparisons are never a good thing and there is no way one can compare individuals coming from different backgrounds and environment. Still, one cannot resist them when we see people who move a long way ahead and you find yourself still struggling to make a place for yourself.

I often found myself stump when I tried to understand how they happen. Was luck a big factor for their success or they did something that you did not. If you have any answers do let me know...

Change Please

I was sitting on the sofa when I realized that I did not have enough change to pay for the auto by which I will be travelling. I asked my aunt if she had a change of a 100 rupee note, she told me point blank that she did not, did not even bother to check if there was one. Thankfully my cousin came to the rescue, who had enough of them.

This is one of the quirks you will often find in people who would never let go of their change even if they have enough of it. They might not have a valid reason but still they wont budge in giving to someone else, holding on to it tightly as if someone has asked to give them everything they had.

It kind of reminds me of the paradigm slideshow (click on the link for the slideshow) where the monkeys would not climb the ladder even when they don’t get the water treatment. Guess we, humans have a long way to go!!

The Non-Veg Factor

It really struck me odd that a girl prefers to stop eating non-vegetarian food just because her lover belongs to a vegetarian family. While the same is not true for the male who eats non-veg and marries one who does not.

He is either expected to eat outside or order them instead of giving the trouble to his wife who does not eat them. So why is a girl, who eats non-veg prefers to stop eating them when the male does not do so?

I know two such people who gave up eating non-veg as they were getting married into a family which considers eating non-veg unholy. One of them simply loved non-veg, she used to tell how they tasted and how her Mom makes the best prawns dish.

I was surprised when I saw her skipping the non-veg dish and taking everything vegetarian. Later I came to know that she is trying to give up non-veg for the sake of her boyfriend whom she plans to get married.

My contention is why does a girl thinks that just because she is getting married into a family which is vegetarian she should give up her habit of eating non-veg? Would the guy had done the same? The answer is a 99 percent “NO”.

Instead of giving up completely on Non-veg, she could have just avoided eating non-veg at her in-laws house and could have them outside or whenever she visits her mother’s place. If her partner understands, I am sure he would allow that after all she has grown up eating them and such habits die a very painful death!!

It amazes me the kind of “small” sacrifices a girl makes just to keep her boyfriend appease. No wonder people end up doing silly things when they are in love.

I had a small encounter on the same issue with her boyfriend when we were on a picnic and before all this took place. He was standing behind me in our self-service style dinner. As I carried the plate with two empty bowls and filled with a few of every dish that was being kept there. I happened to have put the non-veg dish into one of the bowls and as I moved forward to take the vegetarian dish in the other bowl, her boyfriend standing behind me made sure to tell me that I take care that I do not touch the spoon to the bowl.

At that very moment, I realized what he meant and the only thought that came to my mind was how can an educated man speak like an illiterate!!

So, Gals (who love their non-veg food), beware if you are looking for a relationship or are into one with a veggie boyfriend, take care of the “Non-Veg” factor or else you might end up losing your taste buds for the non-veg food you loved so badly :)))

That Sheepish Smile :)

I had a bite of the sweet, which was too sweet brought by my sister from Rajkot. I turned towards her and said that don’t eat too much as it is too sweet and not good for her health.

I asked her if she had any and slowly the fingers went up like a victory sign with a sheepish smile on her face.

Tagged: What are You Emotional About

Got tagged by IHM, a few weeks back on what are you emotional about.

Usually, I am a cool headed person, don't lose my cool easily. Here is my list which I consider my emotional atyachar :)))

I. Been in situations where you are completely dependant on others and they don’t really care about how you end up

II. When deserving people have to struggle hard to get the success, while the undeserving ones have it easy.

III. When people try to influence their religious beliefs on others in the name of HELP. If you are religious no problem, but why do you want to influence others in the name of the “God”? If you want to help, help!!!

IV. People who keep talking their life sucks and want their lives to be transformed without any efforts. They need to understand that only they have the power to do so. Cribbing about it does not help.

V. At God, sometimes I even wonder if there is one. There are more complaints than prayers.

VI. Being educated does not guarantee that people will have a higher conscience and be an asset to the society. They are no better than illiterates if they don’t have any moral beliefs. Look at some of the educated political leaders who talk nonsense if you want examples.

VII. At Bosses who show their dumbness by asking for explanation for everything. Sometimes they are even aware of the situation and still act silly!! I have long list here :)))

VIII. With people who speak nonsense even after umpteen attempts fail to make them understand that what they are doing is not right...

IX. People who acts as saviors of the Indian culture, really don't know anything about the "Indian" culture. They keep forgetting this is where the Kama Sutra originated and in the name of protecting Indian culture, they are actually enforcing their own interpretation of the Indian culture on the people. People are smart enough and aware about the culture, so leave them alone!!

X. Government. They really suck. No matter which parties comes in power they make sure that the cases against their politicians gets trashed or make sure the truth never comes out. No one is really interested in looking after the welfare of people, if it was not for the voting which gets them in power. They seem too busy to fill their own pockets than to look after the needs of the people.

Opportunities in Life

I don’t remember the last time, I let go an opportunity which would either mean additional responsibilities or doing something I never did before and that it would help me move forward…

These opportunities have been an important part of my life as I kept gaining knowledge on a lot of issues, with a mind like mine I came pretty close to understand how things work and what acts as a barrier to implement a simple solution.

Though I do admit that even after capitalizing on my opportunities, I hardly found myself moving the direction that I wanted to, but I do believe that every thing has a timing and things don't happen before that. So I am waiting and preparing myself for my time to come.

Just a few weeks back, I found myself in a situation which looked liked a big task ahead but I think it was the right opportunity for me to learn something that I should have long back. Had no choice to say “No” as everything depended on me, so went ahead with worry reflecting on my forehead :))

As the work progressed, I got the hang of it and finally when the major work was carried out, I was there praying to God that everything goes fine and it did. I was on a high that night.

It felt just GREAT!!!

Parents: The Guilty Ones

I often put myself into their shoes and think whether I will do the same what they are doing. When it’s proved that their children were responsible for the crimes they have committed, still they choose to protect them and say their children are innocent and are been framed.

It’s hard to imagine on how they would have reacted if there kids were not the accused but the victims of such tragedies.

To come, think of it, are the parents doing the right thing in protecting their child when they are guilty and what kind of a message are they sending across?

It is such an irony that when a child growing up make mistakes, the parents reprimand them but when they commit bigger mistakes, they are shielded by the same parents who make sure that their child escape the punishment.

It makes me wonder on what goes through their minds when they are aware of their children’s misdeeds and still let them go scot-free. What compels them to take such a decision when they have all the evidence in front of them?

Guess, the parents too needs to be educated on how helping there children go scot-free of the crimes they committed make them the part of the crime too!!

Rahul's Resilience

I really admired the way he hit back at his detractors not with words but with his bat, who thought he is not good enough for the shorter version of the game.

The way Rahul's have been playing in the ongoing IPL league must have silenced his critics who keep writing him off as a "Test" player.

I was annoyed with Vijay Mallya for removing Dravid from the captaincy because his team fail to performed and was dubbed as a “Test Team” in the IPL I. I think Mallya should stick to only doing business and understand that sport is different from running a company.

One cannot expect to win even if it has the best players in the side. There are a lot of other factors that go into winning a match. No wonder Vijay Mallya is doing so poorly in his sporting adventure, his formula one team is yet to make a serious dent, his cricket team has again resided to be on the losing side (though I would like to see Dravid score no matter his team wins or losses).

Rahul Dravid truly is a class player who can play in all forms of the game. His statistics speaks for the same still he is been stereotyped as a test player. I liked the way he said during his MOM (Man of the Match) speeches that players like “me” are given a fair chance to perform in these conditions.

I thought that was an indirect hit on his critics who keep cribbing about his performance in the ODI and 20:20 matches.

I am happy to see Dravid perform and hope that he continues to do so…

Money: The Problem Without a Solution

“It's good to have money
and the things that money can buy,
but it's good, too, to check up once in a while
and make sure that
you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.”

— George Lorimer

One of the ironies of life is some people who have enough of it are still not satisfied, while there are a bunch of people who are praying to God so that they could be blessed with a windfall and get rid of their misery.

One cannot have less of it and more of it too. Money is something that we chase all our lives becomes the motto of some and causes sadness to some.

There are no answers why the rich people keep getting richer, while the poor getting poorer. When I meet people who have enough money and still show their hunger instead of helping others, I wonder if they are planning to take the money with them on their way to heaven/hell.

People keep hopping their jobs because the other company is offering two to five grand more than the company that they have recently joined. Having lots of money can bring a lot of people closer to you. Finding people with real feelings is a tough one. While those who don’t have too much of money often find themselves alone, with little help coming on their way.

The ones you played with grew up and fought, shared everything are turned into sworn enemies because they could not get enough of the money that was divided among them.

One wonders how people in miserable conditions still find happiness while loneliness looms in the corners of the palatial homes where they have no one to talk to.

Many are fooled into thinking that all that has happened was because of money. The truth is that it brings out the real colors of an individual and the importance they give to money and relationships.

Temple, Mosque & Church

One of my friends asked me, about places where one can go for sightseeing in Bombay. I told him about Gateway of India and then I moved on Siddhivinayak temple, Mahalaxmi temple, Haji Ali, Mount Mary, etc.

As I said that, I realized my friend is a Protestant and he would not visit the temple, mosque and the church I mentioned. Out of the blue I asked him a question, would he ever visit a temple or a mosque?

He said he would but he would not pray. I found it surprising considering the fact that we are taught that God is one, so why do we forget them when we grow up?

I am glad that at least he agreed that he won’t mind visiting one, unlike one of my colleagues who years back decided to stand outside a temple as he belonged to a different religion.

I think I am among the few lucky ones to be born in a family where there were no issues on religions. Our temple journey started with Siddhivinayak temple would be followed by Mahalaxmi and ended with Haji Ali. We even visited the Mount Mary Church during the novenas. I prayed in every one of them considered to be the holy places where God resides.

I am not sure what thoughts compelled them to think the way they do, but I guess it has a lot to do the way one has been brought up and how you accept certain things without questioning them. This happens to be one of them.

Waiting For An Invite

I wondered whether I was wrong in telling my friend that we will go only after he sends an invite. My friend said to me that friendship is above all that and does not need an invite. It made sense but still it did not.

Today the society has changed so much that without an invitation we hardly go anywhere even if the person is closer to us. If the person does not send out the invites to you, you hold it against them and make sure that even you do the same when you organize any events.

One of my friends was getting married and we were awaiting his invite which he said he will send or mail it. The day to his marriage was getting closer and there was no sign of the invitation.

My friend said that we need to gift him too; I agreed but said we will do that only after we received the invite. It was not like I wanted a formal invitation but he should communicate to us if he wants us to be there.

Let’s call him up and ask him when he is sending the invite (after all one cannot attend a wedding without the address of the venue) he said. I told him not to do such a foolish thing as we will be looking desperate. To come, think of it, I still did not know why my friends thought he won’t or how we got into this discussion.

My friend came out defending him saying he might be busy, there are so many things that one has to look after all, he was the only child and he was organizing everything. I agreed but if he can find time to invite his relatives, he will find time too invite us too I reasoned.

Surprisingly, that friend of mine called up and asked for certain details and then disconnected the line. I could understand his situation and still I was waiting to hear from him again.

My friends went ahead and called him up and even asked him when he was sending the invite. He said he will do it the next day (my guess). Two days passed and there was no sign of that invitation.

On an early Sunday morning, I (and others too) got an SMS which had the wedding venue address and he also said that he had mailed us the invite which was a relief. There were hardly a few days left and still we were undecided on the gift.

I downloaded the invite and opened it which brought a smile to my face. It read PRESENTS IN BLESSINGS ONLY :DD

Everything ended in a good note, but still I found myself thinking about it…

P.S.: We are still planning to gift him when we meet the next time. If you have any ideas what could be gifted, do let me know :)

I Hate

I hate when other people force you to take decisions which is against your will and when things go wrong, they blame it on your destiny.

Can Money Buy Love?

A girl who got a marriage proposal wherein the boy said “yes” to her even though he was aware of her not being normal like us.

She had developed a disability which could have been rectified but her family did very little to do anything about it even though they had the resources to fix it.

Today she has come of a marriageable age and her family is desperately trying to settle her. They won’t mind if the “groom” does not even belong to their status and are willing to settle down the boy if he agrees.

When the guy said yes, her family was happy but there was a question about his intentions. Did he agree because she was rich and he was not or that he will get a better place to live instead of the small chawl that he lives in with his family? What is the guarantee that the boy will look after her and not be ashamed of her disability? Will the girl be able to adjust as she has always been pampered and got everything what she wants?

Should the girl pay with her life for her family’s ignorance if things don’t work they should have? Should she succumb to the family pressure and say yes as it is difficult to find grooms for her? Will money buy the love that she was looking for…

Hangover

I tried getting up, but could not as the effect of it was still there. Lost in my own world, I found myself in my dreams and heard a voice that spoke in between.

In between I lost my conscious again. Again went through the same ordeal where the mind was awake but the body immovable. I tried again to get over its effect.

Finally I did got up; I knew that I should not have drunk too much. I was warned but when I sipped it a little, it brought the desire to have more of it. I ended up drinking too much, during the day and sometime in the middle of the night.

The summer is getting hotter, and drinking water is the only way to keep one healthy and hydrated :))

Freecycle

"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement

that reduces waste, saves precious resources
and eases the burden on our landfills
while enabling our members to benefit
from the strength of a larger community."

— Mission Statement of Freecycle

Freecycle got my attention when I read an article on it in the Mid-day where people offer there stuff for free without expecting anything in return. I had heard about this group before which believes in giving out free gifts to others in order to reduce wastage, saving resources and a way to provide others that they could not afford.

One of the guys got a second hand Guitar which was put on offer and was ready to dole out music after a replacement of strings. I liked the idea of what they are doing so I too joined in though I am yet to put something on offer but I have short listed some books for which I made an offer to receive.

Lots of people have joined in, I guess after reading the article. Some of the stuff they want makes me wonder if they think they are going to get lucky :)

For instances people have posted their needs of getting a laptop, music keyboard, N72 mobile, used ipod and who can forget the musical instruments. Items that are on offer are a Washing Machine, books, audio cassettes, movies, games, etc.

I liked the idea behind the Freecycle, it’s like giving out items which has become useless to you but others might find useful/in need of them.

If you too want to join the group here is the site name www.freecycle.org and can search for Freecycle groups in your cities. Do read the general rules and guidelines.

In case if you are from Bombay here is the link to the Bombay yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mumbaifreecycle

Nar Mukti Morcha??

How would you react if someone suggested you that the men too need a support group that they are also been abused by women? Ministries need to be set up to look into their concerns. I came across two idiots who were hell bent on saying that it was men who were abused and oppressed by the female gender!!!

These idiots (especially one of them) from Bangalore started commenting on everyone 's comments and trying to make them aware about men’s oppression with regard to an article (Insensitivity of the Society) I posted on a citizen journalism site talking about the abuse that a women go through at men’s hand.

It kind of reminded me of a Shiv Sena/ Shri Ram Sena kind of vandalism but carried out online. These were the first kind of women haters I have seen who would go on such an extent which showcased their anger and hatred.

I am aware that there are instances where some women have taken advantage of the laws which were meant to protect the abused women from the torture of their husband and in-laws. Apart from that I am not aware of any other instances but if one compares them against the abuse against women, the number is relatively less.

There are always exceptions in both the genders who will try to take advantage of the loopholes in the system for personal gain but should that divert your mind for the real issues that genuine people face?

All they were talking was gibberish without stating any facts. One even went to the extent saying that I wrote the article so that I could impress women. How lame one could get? When asked to tell about the atrocities on men, the idiot went on to say that it was hidden and the media did not highlighted these issues as they were not saleable something that I don’t agree as I read about the law misuse by women in the papers.

I am pretty clear with one thing, that being educated does not make you better than those who are illiterates unless you follow your moral values and listen to your conscience. They proved that right!!

My take on the Nar Mukti Morcha: I don’t see any reason for creating one except to make changes in laws that treats women more than equal. Men support group are okay if they help you deal with issues and does not go on an offensive against women.

At first, I thought may be they have a point but the way they went in circles just made me sit back and laugh. They should be invited to be comedy clubs where they can rant about men’s oppression. I am sure people will find them entertaining.

One Day I Decided To Quit

One day I decided to quit...

I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied.

When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.

"In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. "I would not quit." He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots.

Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots."

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. " Don't compare yourself to others .." He said. " The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern ... Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

Your time will come, " God said to me. " You will rise high! " How high should I rise?" I asked.

How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can? " I questioned.

" Yes. " He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can. "

I left the forest and bring back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness

Bad days give you experiences;

Both are essential for life.

P.S.: Came across this forward e-mail and I guess this was meant for me!! if you remember about the God communicating with me post :)

Hmmm....

Spoke to one of my ex-team leader today after 3 years. She was one of those I looked up to but lost my respect in the end as things turned ugly.

I guess in the back of our minds we both knew about the past but on the surface we were nice to each other. She said that she will stay in touch but if I know her better, I will never hear from her again unless my friend decides to give her the phone which he did today!!

Falling in Love

We fall in love

with the idea of love
instead of falling in love
the one we hold in our arms

Setting the House on Fire

That's what happens if I and my sis end up spending more time together. We are poles apart and yet we are similar.

At home, I become the Silencer and she a Loudspeaker. We still remember the day when we removed her tonsils, her voice and our lives changed forever.

We still fights like kids, making fun of each other and sometimes when it gets too far, it takes the form of an argument. That's when the referee comes in the picture, forget to add that Amma dons that role.

We have undergone a complete role reversal as adults, I act as the elder one which I am not. Growing up, I was the mischievous child who had the tag of "trouble maker" written everywhere across his face while she was the quiet one. That has changed a lot!!!

Our conversations are of a one way channel where we both speak what we want to and don't really listen what the other is saying. The peace that is brokered remains for a very short time. We are like India and Pakistan constant on the war zone though we both claim that we are India.

We have our set of ground rules which both of us agreed to follow and if any of us breaks that rule then from that time the rule never exist!!

We are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Wonder how we would end up if we were a team? Few years back we were thinking about participating in the KBC siblings special coz we are both high on GK (General Knowledge) and could have at least won some moolah. We never tried as we were camera shy :P

The Amazing Race Show would be a perfect opportunity for both of us to test how will we do. For that to happen will take time...

As of now, there is peace but the small arguments still continues...