I know that I have spoken about this song already in my first post.
But this song is such a big favourite of mine that I had to post
the lyrics in this post. But I still feel that the song title
could have been better than "Big Yellow Taxi".:)


They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot SPOT
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to seem 'em
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer, farmer
Put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But LEAVE me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I said
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I will be off for a week. I am going on a vacation to Alike and Puttur, near Mangalore. My aunts stay in these places and I am really looking forward to spending some time with them.

Alike is a remote village near Mangalore. But this place is well known because of the educational institutions. In fact, this place consists of only educational institutions run by Sai Baba's devotees. These schools and colleges have boarding facilities. So you will find that all the students are from different parts of Karnataka, and sometimes outside Karnataka too. The houses that you find in Alike are mostly occupied by the school and the college staff. Yes, my uncle is a lecturer in one of these colleges and hence I get to visit Alike. The schools and colleges here are model educational institutions and their students definitely set very good examples. Their discipline and cleanliness are noteworthy.

Okay, but Alike is not one of my favourite places just because of these institutions. I love this place coz it is so very rich in nature, so very untouched. Yep, I am a total village belle and I am in total love with any rural place.:))

Yesterday I was watching an old movie of Rajkumar. I have always been fascinated by black and white movies, be it in hindi or kannada. Simplicity used to be such an integral part of those movies. Songs of those movies still rock. The music and the lyrics definitely had lot of intensity then. I also love the comedy in black and white movies. Narsimharaju or Johny Walker- just their appearances bring smiles on your faces. The storyline of most of the movies was very strong; maybe because they were mostly based on novels ( atleast in kannada). Nah, I am not comparing those movies with today's movies. I also enjoy the movies that are made today. But I think the black and white movies had altogether a different charm. Watching them now is a spellbinding experience for me.
Masterpieces like "Chalthi ka Naam Ghaadi" or "Sandhya Raaga" will be evergreen entertaining movies.:-)

The other day, I was having an interesting discussion with some of my friends about stress busters. People have different and unique ways of dealing with stress like:

• Watching movies ( a typical bollywood movie can work great wonders;))
  
• Listening to music (This came across as the most common stress buster)
  
• Reading ( All bibliophiles would agree to this)
  
• Gardening (A very useful stress buster, I must say. All that greenery and mechanical work should definitely get rid of any type of stress.)
  
• Singing, playing any instrument (as long as our neighbours don't find it troublesome;))
  
• Stitching (Hmmm....quite a rare one, atleast now a days)
  
• Cooking ( Well, I think our families will be very happy if we make use of this stress buster)
  
• Washing clothes and vessels (Again, the mechanical work is a sure way of beating stress)
  
• Cleaning ( After that vigorous cleaning, the satisfaction that you gain is enormous)
  
• Shopping ( I knew all you gals were waiting for this. I think this is a good one as long as it is not heavy for our pockets. Guys, are you listening?:))
• Dancing (Yep, it doesn't matter even if you have left feet)
• Yoga, Aerobic, Gyms (Amazing stress busters. And if done regularly, they are your friends for life.)

So the list goes on and on.:) And our fight against stress goes on and on.

Well, I could not resist myself from adding more quotes of Calvin and Hobbes.

Hobbes: How come we play war and not peace?
Calvin: Too few role models.

Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure.

It's not the pace of life I mind. It's the sudden stop at the end.

When I grow up, I'm not going to read the newspaper and I'm not going to follow complex issues and I'm not going to vote. That way I can complain when the government doesn't represent me. Then, when everything goes down the tubes, I can say the system doesn't work and justify my further lack of participation.

Some people are pragmatists, taking things as they come and making the best of the choices available. Some people are idealists, standing for principle and refusing to compromise. And some people just act on any whim that enters their heads. I pragmatically turn my whims into principles.

I'm just very selective about the reality I choose to accept.

"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy? Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern for my well being when I have problems? ...I gotta get my life some writers."

"When you get something, it's new and exciting. When you have something, you take it for granted and it's boring."

Some interesting Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes quotes:

Reality continues to ruin my life.

That's the difference between me and the rest of the world! Happiness isn't good enough for me! I demand euphoria!

It seems like once people grow up, they have no idea what's cool.

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations.

Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?

I liked things better when I didn't understand them.

People are so conditioned to take sides that a balanced analysis looks to them like hatred.

* Dilbert, in Daily Dilbert, 26 March 2005

It might look like I'm standing motionless, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.

The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.

No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them.

Since childhood, I have been reading lots in both english and kannada. I just love kannada literature. I think my interest in kannada literature is a gift from mom. Her knowledge about kannada prose and poetry is very intense and she herself is also a very good writer.

"Mankuthimmana Kagga" by D.V.G. is one of the best books I have read so far. Kagga is kavya i.e poetry. It is definitely one of the masterpieces in Kannada. This book consists of 945 poems and each poem spans 4 lines. They are somewhat similar to Kabir's dohas. They are very intense but yet very simple. In fact, even today there are lot of seminars held to discuss this book, the philosophies mentioned in this book. It is a great experience to read this book. You can call "Mankuthimmana Kagga" as the common man's Bhagavad Gita.

Intha adhbhutha kruthi bareda nimage namellara hrudaya pooravaka namanagalu, DVG.

Finally, I saw "Hanuman". It was a fun movie. Lots of people raised their brows when I told them that I was going to this movie. "Why do u wanna watch a children's movie?", was all they asked. Well, did I tell you that there is a kid concealed in me ( and perhaps in everyone;-)) and that, most of the times I let that kid surface up.;)

Happy Birthday to Mom and me:)

I remember how my birthday used to be such an exciting day for me during my school days. It was a day that I would look forward to throughout the year. I would wait for my parents to get me a new dress. I would flaunt that new dress in my school that day. The whole class would then sing the Happy Birthday song. And then I would distribute chocolates to all my classmates and the teachers. Mom would pack a cake for me that day for lunch. That was my big feast I relished. After going home, I would feast on Mom's home made sweets. I felt like a princess that day 'coz I got whatever I asked for, only on that day.:-)

Slowly as I grew, the celebrations decreased. And now, I have a very quiet birthday. Yes, my friends try to get me into the blowing of candles and cutting the cake culture. But then, I don't feel like celebrating my birthday in that way. Instead, I prefer giving out gifts or sponsoring a lunch for the kids in the orphanage.

But it is a very special day for me 'coz Mom and myself share our birthdays. Yep, we celebrate our birthdays on the same day.:) So definitely it is a memorable day for both of us.:-)

Happy Birthday, Mom. And yes, thanks to all my near and dear ones for all your wishes. My phone has not stopped ringing since morning.:)

Many of us read books about personality development, positive thinking and so on. And then we try to inculcate the optimism, "feel good" attitudes that are mentioned in those books. Well, when life is smooth sailing, it is so easy to be optimistic. It is so easy to preach about positive thinking. But then the real application is during times of adversities. It is then we need oodles of optimism, positive thinking, faith and so on. It is only then our strengths are tested. And if we stick to our postive attitudes through all the abysses, then I believe that we can say that we are the real optimists. And who knows , some of us might author some postive thinking books too. ;-)

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How does a person react when hard knocks and fortune strike together?

Most of the times, as I have seen, the good news gets mislaid somewhere amidst all the anguishness and inflictions. The tragedy always has an upper hand.

I watched "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" this weekend. I liked it. It was an escape to fantasy land. It had been some time since I had watched such type of a movie. I loved the movie more when I saw the kids in the movie hall enjoying it to the core.:)

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I have been reading " The Rainmaker" again. Yes, I have read the book a couple of times before. And I really love this book. In fact, I keep telling that it was my holy book during my days of unemployment. Rudy Baylor's experiences, Insurance companies- they all make the story very interesting and pacy. The best thing about John Grishan's novels ( atleast most of them) is that every page will contain some crucial info that is required for the story. Of course, the story is predictable. But still, it is an interesting read.

For me, "The Rainmaker" is a book to which I can keep returning to, especially during low phases.

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Some of the definitions I got from web about MEDITATION:

continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature; "the habit of meditation is the basis for all real knowledge"

Meditation usually refers to a state in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and focused.

A practice of deep concentration of the mind.

What is meditation to me?

• There are times when my mind is jumbled with stray thoughts. At that time just to re-organize my thoughts, I take some time for myself. I sit in a comfortable posture, close my eyes, and then i just let my mind free. No, when I say I let my mind free, I don't mean that I order my mind not to think and that my mind becomes totally blank. After all, I am just a commoner.:-) Ok, so I set my mind free- I just let it think anything and everything. This process goes on for about some time. And gradually my mind clears up. There is just one thought in my mind now.
• At times of stress and tension, I sit in Padmasana and chant "Om" several times. And then I contemplate on one of the forms of God. I try to become aware of each part my body. I become aware of my breathing. I start taking deep breaths. And when I am through with this process, I find my mind extraordinarily peaceful.
• Meditation can happen anytime and anywhere. It can happen when you listen to one of these soothing, melodious songs. It can happen when you are amidst nature. It can happen when you are inside an ancient, historical temple.
• Meditation can be spiritual or non-spiritual.

I enjoy meditation a lot. Everytime I do it, I come out feeling very refreshed. It is that chunk of time which I give only for myself. And believe me, it is worth it.:-)

I have heard "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica several times. And yes, it is one of my favourite songs. But then, there is something about this version of " Nothing Else Matters" by Chris Isaac and Metallica. I have been listening to it continuously for some days now and I am still not bored. And when I try to switch to some other song, I feel that it is not upto the mark and so I switch back to this version of "Nothing Else Matters" again.:-)))

I have always been a great YOGA buff. I have studied Yoga since my childhood years. But then I never seriously pursued it. Off late, I have been practising Yoga regularly and the experience has been very fulfilling. Slowly, I am getting addicted to it. Of course, yoga reminds people about the physical aspect. But I feel that it is one of those activities that gives lot of serenity, composure and concentration. I have always believed that yoga has cure for all ailments. If possible I would wanna explore the depths of Yoga sometime. So in this pursuit, I bought "Secrets of Yoga" by Osho. I have just started reading it. It has been interesting so far. Lemme read the whole book and then talk about it.:-)

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I look at people who have been dealing with tragic incidents, great personal losses and adversities. I look at their brave faces. And then I look at myself and my life. I feel ashamed at myself for brooding over small, trivial issues. I definitely get lot of courage when I look at others' lives. Well, life is a great teacher by itself, isn't it?

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Honesty rules!

I had lost my wallet in an auto last week just prior to Diwali. I had two cards and a bit of money in that wallet. I grieved over it for a day. But then I decided to go ahead and blocked my cards. All this time, my heart hoped that someone would find my wallet and return it to me. After 4 days of losing my wallet, one day I got this mail in my inbox. The mail was from this person whose mother had got my wallet in the auto. He had asked me about the address where he had to return the wallet. I could not believe it! I really could not believe my luck! Next day, I met this unknown pal of mine, thanked him and took my wallet back. I told him that it was a very nice gesture. I also thanked him for the efforts he had made to contact me. Thank God for the honest people and good samaritans. Thank God for all these people who make the world a better place to live.:-)

I have read very few books that have been penned by Indian authors. And my impressions about them were very bad. Maybe I did not choose right books. So I was a bit skeptical when I bought "The English Teacher" by R.K.Narayan a couple of days back. This was the first R.K.Narayan book that I was reading. And, man, believe me I could not just keep the book down once I started reading it. It is a wonderful book and I have no words about R.K's writing. His writing is so simple and yet it manages to touch your heart so beautifully. All his characters don't seem fictitious but they appear so real. I must say that it had been a long time since I had relished a book like this.

Now I am all set to read all his works. Also, I want to explore books by Indian authors.

Books do have this amazing capacity to take you away from all your worries and pains, don't they?