I admire people who abandoned their success and ventured into something that they always wanted to do. I admire these people because:
- they know what they want
- they have the courage to risk anything and everything for their dreams
And I don't think that it is an easy path to walk on. It definitely has more downs than ups. But I think that moment,when they achieve their dreams, gives them tremendous satisfaction.
These achievers could have lived a life of ease and comfort. But they shunnned that life and chose a rugged path instead.
I find such people's lives very inspiring. I find their lives so complete. Their lives remind me that I have a long way to go. They remind me that nothing is impossible.

Chitti aayi hai

I really miss inland letters and post cards. I miss the physical aspect of letters. People might argue that emails and phones have successfully replaced letters. But then, I don't agree with them. First of all, in a rural-dominated country like ours, atleast internet (or can we say computers) is not accessible to everyone. Ok, and even in the urbane setup, I still feel that emails are not effective as letters. The tangibility and essence of the letters are definitely much more nearer to hearts. Be it love letters or letters written to your grand parents or relatives or friends or pen friends, they are always special.

I used to write lot of letters. My letters were probably my initial experiments in writing. And I think that I had lots of fun writing those letters. But now, most of the times we email people or we tend to talk to them over phone. So the necessity for letters is no more. True, that the advancement in technologies bring more comfort. But somewhere I think they take away those small pleasures of life.

I have been doing a lot of research in yoga, pranayama, dhyana, pranic healing, reiki and so on. And it is amazing how much I have been discovering in this journey. All the methods that I have mentioned are processes which utilise human mind power to promote health, peace and happiness. I have also been going through lot of ancient scriptures. The information these scriptures have are so valuable and so true. So, ultimately all these lead to one thing; human mind is the most powerful thing in the universe. But hold on, friend. Human mind is the most powerful thing when it is combined with another component- spirituality. Only then this unexhaustible power can be steered in the right direction. Only then one's mind can cure oneself of any fatal disease. It is sad that when we have the solution within ourselves, we keep searching for it outside in vain.

So my research will continue. Hopefully, in this coming year, I will be able to see some results too.

May this coming year bring lots of good health, happiness, peace and prosperity in your lives. May God give u lot of courage and confidence to face anything and everything in your lives.:)))))))

Why is it that we try to search for tear drops in the eyes of people who laugh a lot?

Boulevard of broken dreams

Yep, I saw this title of a music album- Boulevard of broken dreams. I found it very interesting. Each one of us dream. Some of us believe in them. Some of us don't. And it's a known fact that all dreams don't come true. And every time you face a broken dream, tears exude profusely. So we walk on this boulevard of broken dreams with a heavy heart. But this boulevard adds on so much of learning, so much of experience to our lives. And yes, a walk on this boulevard is inevitable.

Since a couple of days, I have been totally into solving the klueless puzzle.:) For those of you who don't know about it, check out:

http://www.iimi-iris.com/iris/irising/klueLESS/

I think the IIMI guys have done a great job in designing this puzzle. It is definitely a good way to get rid of the rusty feel from your mind. Kudos to IIMI guys.

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Why is it that when you see something beautiful, you fall short of words? You feel that just words might do injustice to that breathtaking beauty. So you become silent. Sometimes I feel that silence is more powerful than words.

It is amazing how small breakthroughs can actually bring so much of happiness and confidence in you, especially if these breakthroughs are in both your personal and professional lives.:)) Yes, I know that I have a long way to go. But atleast I have overcome the initial hiccups as of now.:)

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Watched "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" yesterday. The movie is definitely well made. But it is a very dispiriting movie. When we left the hall, our hearts were heavy. I did not like the gloomy look on the kids' faces at all. I wish there were lighter, simpler, happier films for kids.:)

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I know that lot of bloggers must have already written about Pratibha, the unfortunate HP employee who was raped and murdered by a cab driver in Bangalore. But I really felt that I should go ahead and express my condolences. I fail to understand how can someone commit such a brutal act. It is sad that such mentally sick people become the cause for innocent people like Pratibha to lose their precious lives. And I totally agree with the crowd when they say that this driver has to be given severe punishment. No, we know that won't bring Pratibha back. But atleast it might help in saving other innocent lives.

Lately I have been hearing lot of grumbling and rumbling about Bangalore. Nah, I do not react to them. But I feel extremely happy when I meet people with a positive attitude about Bangalore. There are these two friends of mine who come from different parts of India. They have settled down in Bangalore now. They absolutely love Bangalore. They are learning kannada. They have their complaints about Bangalore but then they feel that these teething problems are a part of metamorphism that a city has to go through to become a metro.

I really applaud these people. I applaud them for their attitude.

Bangalore definitely has lot of problems- infrastructure, traffic, autos and so on. But what we need to understand is that Bangalore is going through a major change. Bangalore was a garden city once upon a time. It is we IT people who have compelled Bangalore to go through this metamorphism. The quiet, silent, green city is being converted into major IT hub. So we need to give this city more time to change. Let us not forget that this city has been giving our dal-roti, kapda and makaan. I think that instead of whining, we should contribute in our own way to make this city a better place to live in.

I love Bangalore. I have spent my childhood in Bangalore. I have seen the beauty of the garden city. And so definitely I would want to give back a lot to this city.

One of my favourite quotes:
Ask not what the country can do for you, but ask what you can do for the country.
- John.F.Kennedy

It is post-lunch time and I am listening to hemant kumar's songs. There is something about his voice that captivates me. His songs are very simple. But when you try to sing them, you know that it is very tough to produce the same effect as he does. His lazy, soothing, moony voice is definitely peerless. I am in total love with his songs; to name a few- "Sunja Dil Ka Dastan", "Na Tum Humen Jaano", "Apni Dil Tho Awara".

A secret wish: I hope that his songs will never be remixed. I hope they will stay untouched.

I wonder why parties are always dominated by alcohol. I am not at all a party person. But if I have to go to a party, then I would like to go to one where fun, frolic, laughter prevails. Whenever I tell that to people, they say that I am fit to go to kids' parties. Yes, I really wish our parties could be so much like the kids' parties- pure fun and nothing more to it.:-)))

These are some of the pictures that I took at Alike.

I am back after that refreshing, rejuvenating, energizing vacation. Seven days of stay at Alike and Puttur with my aunts' families, with nature proved to be a gratifying experience.

Yep, I feel like a spoilt kid after spending these days with my aunts. They are so lovable and motherly. And the best part is that they have always been there for me during all the ups and downs of my life.

What did I do:

- Lots of reading
- Lots of classical music
- Lots of spirituality
- Lots of yapping
- Walks amidst nature
- Travelling in buses and overcrowded taxis
- Savouring delicacies that my aunts prepared with so much of love and care:-)
- Playing with my cousins

Nature, nature and nature- that was the main highlight of my vacation. Hills, rocks, greenery, the cool zephyr- they were all amazing. It was as if the mother nature rocked the cradle and sang a lullaby for one to sleep and relax. It is at such places that you feel more and more grateful for this gift of LIFE.

It is very difficult to summarize or capture such beautiful moments in these ordinary words. So I am gonna withdraw into silence now and relive those resplendent moments.