Inspiration

Dear Reader,

Lazying around in the morning today, I started surfing the internet. Before you start wondering if I have been fired (considering the current financial conditions), let me tell you that I am enjoying my 3 week holiday at home.

So in an attempt to keep my head busy, I dug into my book-shelf and landed up on my very old diary. I remember keeping this diary to scribble down my thoughts from time-to-time when I was a teenager. So this particular journal had some poems that I had written in 1996. I also came across an award for one of my poetries from www.poetry.com. :)

Now, out of pure inquisitiveness, I visited www.poetry.com. The site and other poets inspired me to gather the courage to share one of my poetries on the site.

Click here to read it and I'd appreciate your comments.

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Bored

Dear Reader,

Some days ago, I was accompanied by a colleague (may be I could call him a friend) to my car.

We sit in and pop comes the question "You listen to the same music all the time, when you drive. Do you not get bored?" Have you ever been asked a question that you do not comprehend completely but have to answer? This was one such question for me. I did not understand how "bored" and "music" could be uttered in the same breath!! Anyway, with a perplexed look on my face, I'm sure he could have sensed that too, I nodded "No".

Yes, I agree that I listen to the same tracks over and over again, until some such time that the CDs start giving in, but there's so much to listen for in a genre like heavy metal!!

Let me go on a tangential thought now. I was watching an episode of Greatest American Dog this evening. Dogs and their owners have to survive 40 days of incredible challenges. The dogs, they take the same set of instructions from their owners and follow the obedience routine over and over again but some dogs looked so much more enthusiastic than the others. It was more like them waiting to find out if there is something at the end of the routine apart from the "treats". They had a spark in their eyes, were keener, faster, performed difficult tasks and were distinguished. Needless to say, those were the ones that were more adorable. Those were the ones that I waited to see perform. Those were the ones who brought their owners one step closer to victory.

I wondered how a dog, whose attention span is lesser than that of a human, be listening to the same instructions and not be "bored"?

So isn't "monotony" an unreal, fictitious restraint that we choose to leash ourselves with? Breaking free from monotony is not about finding a new road everyday, it's about finding a new element in the routine. 

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Catharsis

And the 23rd August is here

Bringing memories of you in my mind

Most, sweet and fond and some the painful kind

You, in good health and spirits, this note to find

Wishing you a Happy Birthday!!

Stretching my arms and floating in pools of desire, I am

Crumbling, yet hoping to find "the one", I am

Dreading the unknown, expecting the unexpected, I am

Blind-folded, treading an uncharted path, I am

Wishing you a Joyous Birthday!!

Somedays I wish to hear you, be near you

A day-dream it is, I know, when I get a cue

Moments once treasured, now a festering scar

I so wish my burning wounds were only a scar

Wishing you a Happy, Happy Birthday!!

To bring you the sense of contentment and fulfilment, this Birthday!!

To make you regain the trust once lost, this Birthday!!

May it bring you your soul-mate, this Birthday!!

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Improv

Dear Reader,

When was the last time that you thought of taking up an activity just for fun? Let me confess that it's been sometime that I gave it a serious thought.

I was presented with an opportunity, a week ago, by a stranger. Yes, a "stranger" who met me for official work on a Thursday and asked me "Why don't you try some theater?". I was as surprised as you are (considering that you are stunned now) with that question and before I could say anything at all, he said, "there's a workshop on comedy this Saturday, would you like to join?".

The next thing I know, I am at the Workshop with a bunch of strangers and all of them extremely creative. The 2-day workshop was called Improvisation on Comedy and was facilitated by Adam Dow.  Although the initial intention of me taking up this activity was to only have fun, I ended up learning a lot by the end of the 2 day program, some that could be used in behavioral training (just in case you didn't know, I am into Learning & Development).

You're onstage without a script,  relying on your mind and wits to come up with lines and actions that advance the game (I'd rather call it a "plot") further. You have no choice but to trust your fellow-players and they are in the same boat as you. That is Improv. Sounds difficult? Let me tell you it is *super-duper* difficult. And to top it up, I was a rookie at it, doing this or anything close to this for the first ever time in my life.

From my experience, two things seem to be very crucial for creating humor - timing and change. Both of these components bring in a surprise element to the audience and that's what keeps them interested. And trust me, neither of these are easy!! Also, without team-work and contribution, the act is going to fail miserably. Each person in the act will need to work with the group while contributing "detail" to the scene. Adam calls it CROW - Character, Relationship, Objective, Where.

So, yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this workshop and will keep my contacts with some of the creative souls. So come back here sometime during the next week and I will have a few more updates / news for you.

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Overture

Dear Reader,

Dream Theatre - I am a die-hard fan. And like any other true music lover, the lyrics are of no interest to me.

Tonight, in an attempt to bring in my music into my new Macbook, I discovered that there is a "whole" album of Dream Theatre that I have never listened to!! Obviously, it goes without saying that the next task in hand for me was to get all the songs downloaded.

As always, the music is so sirenic, alluring, gravitating and invigorating that I had no qualms in repeating the tracks a million times. Generally, I'd be able to gauge the mood of the song with the music however, in this album there were a few tracks that puzzled me. I wasn't able to understand the context. So I decided to check the lyrics to understand the theme behind the album and what I found out blew my brains out!!!!

The album is split into Scenes, each track representing one. The reason why I wasn't able to figure out the mood of some tracks was because I wasn't listening to them in the original sequence. And here's the kicker - Scene 1 is called "Regression" and the lyrics go something like this.

A book about soul-mates and now an album!! May be, it's a sign but I am unable to decipher it.

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Only Love Is Real

Dear Reader,


"What should I blog about?", I asked a good friend when I was talking to him sometime ago. "Only Love Is Real" was his answer. It's the title of a book that I have been harping about for over a week now and yet I don't know why I didn't think of sharing my thoughts about it over my blog.


I landed up on this book, Only Love Is Real by Dr. Brian Weiss while I was aimlessly wandering in one of the bookstores. I would call it serendipity. I am a great fan of Dr. Brian Weiss and that is what inspired me to buy the book instantly.


This book is about past-life regression therapy of two individuals who are "soul-mates" and do not discover it until they are brought together again. It makes you truly believe that each one of us has a soulmate. Dr. Weiss states "Destiny dictates the meeting of soul-mates. We "will" meet them. But what we decide to do after that meeting falls in the province of choice or free will. A wrong choice or a missed chance can lead to incredible loneliness and suffering. A right choice, an opportunity realized, can bring us to profound bliss and happiness." 


The two characters in the book, Elizabeth and Pedro, are put through past-life regression therapy and they remember the details of their previous lifetimes - their name, the place, their choices and their soul-mates, they identify all of these during the therapy. Dr. Weiss explains this by saying that the soul is immortal. He elucidates this with the example of a car and a driver. The soul, he says, is the driver and the body, is the car. When the car is old and rusty, all the driver needs to do is step out of the old car gracefully and step into the new one - rebirth. 


While I was reading one page after the other, I was going through a constant conflict in my head. I have been conditioned to believe (through religion) that we are here to perform certain karmic duties carried forward from the last life-time and my logical mind doesn't want to believe in reincarnation. 


I believe that this is the only life that we have and the result of the choices that we make in this lifetime will build our destiny. Hence, I believe we have the right to make self-righteous choices. 


Having said that, I have had this strange feeling of familiarity as soon as I have met someone for the first time in my life, a feeling of being able to connect with them, a feeling that is incomprehensible, a feeling that is beyond my bounds of control, an inner-voice that tells me what they are about to say, an instinct that makes me say and do things that I would judge as irrational, as a witness.  


Yeah, this is the kind of conflict that I am talking about!!


The book is undoubtedly captivating and some parts of the book did send chills down my spine and here's a poem from W.B. Yeats for those who believe in soul-mates.


"Many times man lives and dies
Between his two eternities,
That of race and that of soul,
And ancient Ireland knew it all.
Whether man die in his bed
Or the rifle knocks him dead,
A brief parting from those dear
Is the worst man has to fear.
Though grave-digger's toil is long,
Sharp their spades, their muscles strong,
They but thrust their buried men
Back in the human mind again."


From the poem, it does seem like W. B. Yeats believed in reincarnations. Do you?

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The Stalking Stranger

Dear Reader,

Before I begin this tale, I need to tell you that most people living in a city like Mumbai end up going into a mall during the weekend with the hope of finding some entertainment - coffee, snacks and movies. Un(fortunately), the place that I live in is surrounded by malls (there are literally 5, each at a stone throwing distance from my house) and I needed some retail therapy this weekend.

So here I am, all by myself, in the middle of hundred other couples who seem to have forgotten what is acceptable and what is not in PDA (Public Display of Attention), trying to pick a store to start my therapy from. Oh, and OK, I must tell you that I am one of those dorks who starts feeling claustrophobic in crowded places and "crowded" is an understatement for the amount of people that I saw in here.

After a lot of convincing that I had to do to myself to stay in the mall, I chose an electronic store since I  needed a new laptop, anyway. My Sony Vaio, FE28GP (I take pride in the fact that I own this piece!!) has been away at the service center for a couple of days now and I was in the state of impuissance without a laptop. No, I am not someone obsessed with technology but I missed the regular reading up that I did online and the chat with some good friends.

Anyway, I didn't buy the laptop on this day and the tale actually begins when I walk out of the store. I see this person, probably in his mid thirties, standing there and gazing at me. Yeah, I know, gazing isn't a sin but he looked really weird. He was wearing very thick glasses, the ones that make your eyes look larger than the normal size, with a strange moustache...... The shorter, thicker version of the Chinese moustache.

I gave him a glance, walked past him and sat down in the nearby seater with the intention of catching up with some of my technologically advanced friends about the new laptop that I had considered buying. In moments I got busy with texts and phone calls, however, I wasn't able to stop myself from noticing that the guy is now standing right in front of me and yes, u guessed it right, staring into me!! Now, that makes me very uncomfortable. So I stood up and started walking aimlessly in the opposite direction. Just to be sure, I took the escalator down to the ground floor and I walked into Body Shop. 15 minutes later I walked out of Body Shop with my hands heavier and my pockets lighter AND there he is in front of me again!! This time our eyes locked and he has a smile on his face. I am sure he caught the surprise / shock on my face too.

Me thinking aloud: Could that be a coincidence or was he keeping an eye on me? Am I simply overreacting? Why would anyone stalk a stranger? What should I do next? WHY ME?

To take sometime to think to myself, without being distracted, I headed to the ladies room. And, in there, I convinced myself that it was purely coincidental and that I was not being stalked. I anyway decided to keep my eyes open (most of the times I behave like I am blind. I can never spot a friend and I seem to be completely incapable of checking out the "big-muscles", "broad-chest" of men that other girls don't miss).

Anyway, with my mind a little more peaceful, I walked out of the ladies room and I must have walked just a few footsteps and I see him yet again, standing in the aisle. "What the hell?" didn't even begin to describe my reaction to this situation. Now, this cannot be coincidental, can it be? But instead of pressing the panic button, I decided to play it strategically. I walked briskly into one of the largest stores in the mall with the thought that he would eventually lose me across the floors, only to realize that he was following me, now a little more closely than before. The distance between me and him was hardly a foot at any point of time and I was failing in my plan.

After some 30 mins I decided to end this "running around" and confront him if need be. I stopped, looked around, saw him and kept my eyes on him. He started walking and my phone rang. While I looked at my mobile phone, he walked around me and stood by on my side. "Excuse me", he said. I turned to look at him with an expression that cannot be articulated.

"Waiting for thomebody (somebody with a lisp)?" While I thought about that question that came my way and the crispiest reply to it, I said "Yes" and zipped away. That was the only "verbal encounter" that he had with me. I did see him a number of times, in and around where I was, even after this incident.

I found this behaviour so inexplicably odd that I am still wondering about it. I mean, who asks a rhetorical question like "waiting for thomebody" when they want to make a conversation? I'm assuming that this was a misguided effort at some kinda socialising. And why on earth, among all the beauties, ME? I don't think I fit into the common definitions of being beautiful. Rather, I'd fail the 1st in the list that says "Being fair".

I wonder all the time why people do what they do and this particular stranger intrigued me.

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'Un'Black Metal

Dear Reader,

Today, after a pretty long time I have come in contact with the world. I mean, through the Internet and the social networking sites!!

Its been a while that I've been motivated enough to write for my very own blog or surf the internet. :O Anyway, so I logged in to my Linkedin account today and came across http://www.mapofmetal.com/#/home in one of the groups that I share membership in.

Anyone who knows me would need me to say no more about my passion (may be obsession is a better word) for heavy metal. But regardless of the emotion, this is a 'must-visit' site. Apart from the content that this site has about heavy metal, I must say that the idea is quite innovative. The graphics of the site and the visual representation is creative too. The site is efforts personified - starting from chalking down the idea, collecting information about the genres across the years gone by, listing down names of bands and tracks in each of those genres and then finally getting down to making the site!!

(The point! get back to it, woman!)

Right! Getting to the point now, I noticed a genre called 'Unblack Metal' in the map. I was kinda surprised cos I wasn't aware of this genre. It was something that I had never heard of. I re-checked, did it say Black Metal? Black Metal is notorious. It is that kind of music that has shrieking vocals, highly distorted guitars, fast tempos, unconventional song structure and most of all anti-christian lyrics. But what is Unblack Metal?

I googled it up for more information and what I found out surprised me first and amused me later. Here's what it said:

Unblack metal (or Christian black metal) is a term used to describe musically black metal sounding artists whose lyrics and imagery promote Christianity.^[1] Such artists are controversial, mainly because black metal's pioneers, especially those of the Second Wave, intended to encourage hostility towards Christianity. It is also suggested that Christianity contradicts black metal's dark nature and the individualistic and misanthropic ideals of many bands.^[2]

Isn't this more like a Jain Pav Bhaji? I mean, the flavor of Pav Bhaji lies in the onions and the potatoes. In the name of a religion, we end up cutting down the unique flavor of the dish.

Is music an appropriate medium to promote / shun a religion?



 

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Little Darkroom

Dear Reader,

"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."
- Michael Pritchard

I saw this quote one afternoon written by a photographer and was stupefied at the perspective of the quote especially from a photographer's angle!! It also did set me thinking about "fear".

According to Psychology, fear is a powerful and primitive human emotion. It indicates the onset of danger, either real or perceived by us. There is also a universal physical response to fear - "fight or flight" in which the body prepares itself to either enter combat or run away. Having said that, the emotional response to fear is highly personalized.

One of my near and dear ones once told me, "Face your fear head-on. Don't run away. It only makes it worse." I believe in this thought and always attempt to incorporate it when faced with "not-so pleasant" situations.

Every time I succeed, I conquer one more fear within me.

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Take Away My Pain

Dear Reader,

I'm on the treadmill called 'Time',
It has a speed and a rhyme.
Unable to control neither, I am,
I run, run until my legs drain.

Awaiting my fall to endure the pain,
I cry, cry for help and vociferously complain.
And then I hear "The Voice",
It tells me "Run, run, you don't have a choice".

And then I fail, I fall and I crumble,
O my Lord, the Pain,
I endure it again,
Making me helpless under its reign.

I thought I had a choice, I thought I made it right,
The outcomes were beyond my sight.
The thought kills me.
Time failed me.

O my Lord, the Pain,
Bringing with it, the wounds and stain.
"Hope", give me strength to fight,
Fight, fight with all my might.

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Om Namah Shivaya

Dear Reader,

Today is Maha Shivaratri. It is celebrated by holding an all-day long fast and an all-night vigil. It is believed that all prayers will be granted by Shiva on this day.

I asked my mother, "what is the significance of the all-night long vigil?" and she narrated a story to me.

Once upon a time lived a poor tribal man. He would wander in the forest and hunt for survival. One day he went deep inside the forest and was not able to return before nightfall. To worsen his anguish, he was chased by wolves and he ran to save his life. Terrified, he climbed the nearby tree while the pack of wolves lied in wait under the tree. Perched against the tree, as darkness fell, he was afraid of falling asleep and dropping off the tree.

To keep himself awake, he decided to pluck one leaf from the tree and dropping it to the ground while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, the wolves left and the hunter realized that he has dropped those leaves onto a Linga under the tree. The tree happened to be a Bilva (wood apple) tree. The unwitting all-night long worship pleased Shiva and the hunter was rewarded by divine bliss.

I was absolutely fascinated by this story. While I heard my mother out, I was reminded of "The Immortals of Meluha". I loved this book and finished it in 2 days. Authored by Amish Tripathi, it is based on the principle that most Indian Gods were human beings once upon a time. So the book does take you through some of the legendary facts about Shiva and leaves you craving for more with the last chapter ending to be continued in Part II of the Trilogy.

Anyway, my objective was not to provide a book review in this post. May be, I'll keep that for another time!!

Om Namah Shivaya
 

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The Need of the Hour - Innovation

Dear Reader,

A couple of days ago I helped one of my colleagues to "learn". So that you do not assume that it was a classroom training that I conducted, let me tell you that it was the most informal way of training someone on how to make a presentation. Right from what goes into a presentation (the content) to designing the slides!! I recounted my experience as a facilitator, a number of times, before I got on to penning down my thoughts for this post.

We've all been in a classroom to learn a new skill, a new behavior sometime or the other in our lives, however if you ask people when is it that they have had a "learning", 8 out of 10 will say it was outside the classroom.

Two things that I want to deduce from this response:

1. "Training" does not necessarily mean "Learning" - Here's how I look at it, training is something that is owned by the trainer while learning is controlled by the learner. In a class of 20, there is always that one student who learns better than the others, under the same circumstances that is offered to the remaining 19 students too.
   
2. We learn better outside of the classroom, call it by any name, On-the-Job, Experiential or informal learning.

However, with all these being facts, do we really see the transformation within the Training Function in our organisations? Is the function still investing money (may be, a lot of money) in organising class-room training programs that do not guarantee learning?

Here's the results of a survey that I came across a few hours ago. The key point to note is

"Although 64% of Learning Executives believe Informal Learning approaches have higher impact, more than 2/3rds of corporate training budgets are spent on traditional formal training."

Why should this be the case?

Well, here are some reasons off the top of my head:

1. When there is a training budget that is allotted to the function, the managers are expected to establish controls over how the money is spent. This could only be done if training is organized in traditional methodologies. Level I (Reaction) of Kirkpatrick model, to evaluate training effectiveness, forms a part of this control.
   
2. Trainers / training managers have been confined to their worlds and adopting (or even ideating) alternate methods of training is making them step out of their comfort zone.

Bottom line: It is time for us to conceptualize alternate methods of facilitation to aid learning. Innovation is the need of the hour.

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Recipe

Dear Reader,

I've been a facing some writer's block lately. And hence I was determined to write today!! This post has been way, way, waaaaayyyyy too painstaking.

It’s been one of those weeks when writing is like mowing the backyard by hand in the hot sun with a plastic spoon. Or something folksy like that.

I have felt thick as a brick all week, but I keep squeezing that noggin of mine, trying to get the words to come out, coming up with nothing but brick juice at times.

So here's some part of my brick juice!!

A recipe to make a good writer:

Loads of knowledge and a point of view
Patience and perseverance to pursue
A bag full of words to articulate
An eye for detail and some perspective

A thought that ignites the fire in you
A dash of humor to make your day when you are blue
Some creativity to add those twists and turns
To keep you reading, to make you yearn

Edit the work with a magnifying glass
Eliminate the crass and give it some class
A proof-reader, a critique and a mentor
And most of all, a dedicated and an honest reader

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'MasterClass' at NIFL 2011

Dear Reader,

So, I've not been blogging for the last couple of weeks and hence I did catch up on my work that's been overdue and crying for some attention. I was privileged to do some research on the NIFL (NASSCOM India Leadership Forum) that was executed in the month of Feb 2011 for one of my projects and hence thought of sharing some of my knowledge and thoughts with you.

While I was burning the midnight oil, I landed up on this blogpost authored by Sudha Kumar, CEO and Co-founder, Prayag Consulting. I loved this discussion that was part of Day 1 of the Summit where the Grand Master did draw parallels between competitive strategy in business and the game of chess. I had never imagined the Grand Master to be someone with oratorical capabilities or brilliance. Anyway, to assimilate the discussion in Sudha's words -

Each competitor is different and so is each competitive face-off:
The takeaway from this is that you, as an individual or business, are always caught unaware in certain situations because no two circumstances are similar. Your ability to take risks, adapt and respond in the situation is what determines how successful you are going to be.

I personally think that this applies not just in competition but also in customer service. It is important to treat every customer differently since the needs are so distinct, isn't it? That's what brings in customer delight.

Failure teaches you more than success:
For this statement to hold true, you need to have two abilities, the ability to retrospect and the ability to learn. Failure could only teach you something when you acknowledge it to be a failure to begin with and then retrospect. Once you know what went wrong you will, in most probably cases, know what needs change. Bringing the change then is improvement.

Isn't there a saying that goes, "To be successful, double your failure"?

Preparation is the key:
Chess is really hand in glove with strategy. So I'm not surprised that Anand mentioned preparation being the key. Chess strategy is concerned with the evaluation of chess positions, setting up goals and long-term plans for future play. All of these hold true in business as well. As a business that wants to succeed, it needs to look at it's competitors, bench-mark their positions and strategize goals.

 

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Valentine's Special

Dear Reader,

Happy Valentine's Day.

Valentine's day has just gone by. As an afterthought, here's a post above love. So, did you tell someone in your life that you love them on the 14th? Often in the grind of our lives we forget to tell our loved ones that we love them. We wait for occasions like these. I think it is because we assume that they know.

Why don't we express love more readily? I read somewhere very recently that emotions are not a part of our conscious thoughts. Human beings are inherently selfish and hence we don't spend too much time thinking about how much we love our spouse, parents, siblings, kids, friends, etc.

Let's change that for a moment, now. Let's think about how much these relationships, these people mean to us. And let's take a few minutes out of our busy schedules to tell them that. Let's profess our love on the 364 days as well. Little actions of love goes a long way in nurturing a relationship.

I know of a friend whose husband offers her a foot massage when he knows she has had a tough day at work. Now, isn't that love? One of my colleagues made personalized notes for everyone in her team. The note says something that will cheer them up every morning. Guess what, most of them left the notes on their desks until they faded, curled up and fell off. Some of them are still there.

This tells me that words make a difference. They are powerful. So may be, you want to write a love note for your loved one. May be, that'll be the greatest gift cherished forever. I know I do!!

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Prayers will be answered

Dear Reader,

It was just another Thursday morning today, until the call came. The call that brought the news that I wasn't prepared to hear, the call that shell-shocked me out of my reality, the call that informed me of my friend falling prey to a stroke.

I've read some news about someone having a stroke in their 30s, it happened to my friend last night. So I hurry to the Holy Spirits Hospital battling Mumbai traffic to be there for the family when they need me the most, to be their strength. Thoughts sprint in my mind and my heart prays for his well-being. I reach the hospital faster than I thought, may be because I was slower in my mind. ICU, I need to find it. An arrow on the signboard asks me to take the stairs to the first floor. I can see his family outside the ICU, completely stressed out and tired. God, give em strength!! While I am with his wife, talking to her about the previous evening, I see one of my colleagues walk down the corridor with a bag full of medicines. He hands them over to her and smiles at me. God, bless his soul!!

After waiting for an hour, I finally see my friend. I'm at a loss of words to articulate what I felt at that moment. With mindful of questions and heart filled with prayers, I stand still. Not knowing what to say, I stand still. After a few minutes, I manage to ask the doctors about his condition. They tell me that he has a clot in his brain. His condition is stable and we are waiting for the neuro-physicist. I see him restless, moving his limbs, opening his eyes and shaking his head. In a way, I'm happy that none of his limbs are paralyzed. I walk out feeling week and helpless. God, make him better!!

Suddenly, life seems so impermanent!! Although Vedanta has been trying to preach this for many many years now, we seem to be convinced that life is fulfilling with materialistic achievements. Instances like these snap us out. While I dwell on that thought, let all your good wishes pour forth for my friend's well-being.

Pray for him!! Pray with all your heart and soul!!

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Miyamoto's fish

Dear Reader,

I read this article in the NewYorker today about Miyamoto.

There's this quote about Miyamoto's childhood.

____________________________________________________________________

“I can still recall the kind of sensation I had when I was in a small river, and I was searching with my hands beneath a rock, and something hit my finger, and I noticed it was a fish. That’s something that I just can’t express in words. It’s such an unusual situation. I wish that children nowadays could have similar experiences, but it’s not very easy.”
____________________________________________________________________

I think Miyamoto's lament holds true, not just for the Gen Y children, but for all of us. May be, these experiences are what made Miyamoto a successful video game designer. How do we recapture the 'wonder element' that is so missing in our everyday lives? The answer cannot be as simple as escaping from the urban grind and returning to the tranquility of nature. There has to be something more.

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Till Individuality Parts Us Apart

Dear Reader,

I came across this article today while browsing and thought of ruminating on it through this post. (Stop. Go read the article and come back to me.)

Now that you've read the article, you can relate to me better. Well, do you not think that we are obsessing over individuality and space a little too much now-a-days that I'm compelled to call these over-rated words? Weren't we taught in schools that sharing is good and especially with the one that you love? Love is defined as " A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person" by www.thefreedictionary.com. Then why in the name of Lord Jesus Christ are we trying to veil some parts of our lives with the one we love?

Doesn't it strike as odd? In the pretense of having space, are we not estranging the person from selective parts of our lives? As human beings, we have this innate fear of being judged and rejected. We seek approvals of our actions, our thoughts and our personality at all points of time. So, are we afraid that not all parts of our lives will be accepted 'as is' by the loved one and hence we end up creating space?

I'm a firm believer that you need to feel as "one" with the person you are in love. Two people, as individuals, need to feel as "one" to make a relationship. Harping over individuality and space only deters this feeling. There are places where we need to establish our individuality and love isn't in the list. What do you think?

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Evil of all Evils

Dear Reader,

I'm sure you've heard of the Pandora's box. According to Greek mythology, Pandora had a jar that was not supposed to be opened under any circumstances. Like it is in all stories, Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she did open the jar and released myriad evils that haunt the world today - hate, ignorance, sorrow, envy, death, hunger, sadness and a lot more. She hurried to close the lid and the only thing that was trapped inside, since it was at the bottom, was 'hope'.

The evil of all evils - Hope. Something to hope for, isn't that our life? We hope for a better day tomorrow, hope for a better life, hope to achieve our dreams, hope to find happiness. Hope fights for you when the going gets tougher and consoles you when your eyes glisten with tears.

And as you cry, "Impossible", Hope gives you a way.

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Objective Setting

Dear Reader,

It's been a couple of weeks or so that I started writing my blog. What have I shared with you, well some random rambling, to be precise. Since that is the only achievement so far, I thought of sharing some views on setting objectives in training. "Why training?", if that's what you are wondering, then let me tell you - because that is what I have done through out my professional career and am under the misconception that training is my forte.

Anyway, if you are aspiring to be a trainer and take up any course related to training, you'll hear this "It is imperative to set objectives before every training program". No one bothers to tell you why and how. Well, here's the reason why. Have you ever attended a training program for a couple of days and were handed over the feedback form or "happy form" as they are called that had a question "How have you benefited from this program"? And you sat there, for what seemed to be eternity, thinking what should you put in there? That tells you that the trainer did you set the objectives well during the course.

Every student will embark upon any course with various aspirations and hopes. It is the trainer who translates those aspirations to objectives. It is one of the important parts of training, especially if it is a behavioural / skill training. So what's the way to set objectives? I'm going to suggest the usage of the SMART model here, something that is used for goal-setting. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-bound. So all the statements that the trainer puts down as objective should have all these characteristics.

Let's take an example... Hmmmm... Stress management class!!

"At the end of this 2 hour session, participants will be able to identify the two types of stress and their effects on human behaviour through the activities"

Specific - two types of stress and effects
Measurable - there are two things that are getting covered
Achievable - You need to be able to answer the question "is 2 hours good enough to cover the topic?" (you need to use your judgement with this, since you don't want a session that is either information overload or one without a value-add for the participants)
Realistic - you need to consider if you'll be able to cover those two aspects in detail, considering that there may be questions / discussions around them, in 2 hours
Time-bound - 2 hours or end of the session

Each objective that you write down as a trainer needs to be put through those filters. You could choose to have multiple objectives for a session or a program. If you do this exercise, it'll help you to focus your activities during the session to achieve those objectives and the participants will know what they are about to learn during the program as well.

Share your thoughts on this. Is there any other model / method that you use for setting objectives in your training program?

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Tribute to Music

Dear Reader,

"Markers on a journey
Soundtrack to a life
Snippets of sound
that echo a memory

Where words fail,
music speaks.
When God falls silent
music heals."

Today I heard "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong. It did bring back childhood memories for me because that's when I heard it for the 1st time. This song is really memorable cos Louis sang it around the Vietnamese war.

So folks, don't give up music ever in your life!! Keep ear-marking your precious moments with music.

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Articulation

Dear Reader,

A friend of mine once told me that I use this word atleast 5 times during the day. That makes it 35 times a week!! Ironically, I've been having trouble to be able to articulate my thoughts in the last two days. You would've guessed that from the date of my last post.

So why is articulation so dear to me? Apart from the fact that you are communicating your thoughts to another person, show your perspective, it also does provide some clarity to your own self. Don't you agree? When you put your thoughts, feelings in words, you give it a logical sequence. You get into the details and that provides you the clarity. So sometimes when you are not clear of what is it that you are feeling exactly, it helps to talk to someone who could listen to you. And at the end of the 'talking session', you feel better!! It is not the listener who actually gave you solutions, it's the process of articulation that did.


I recently read an article, "It's all about Perspective", that said how important it is to be able to focus on details while you write, to describe your characters, to provide their point of view and to be able to get the reader relate to them.
It inspired me to go on and write this post!!

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Irreplaceable Vs Indispensable

Dear Reader,

Today has been a very eventful day for me at work. Expecting to be hit and hit by the unexpected, I've had a pre-occupied mind with emotions hitting the highs and the lows.

In the course of the day, a wise man told me, "I don't believe that people are indispensable, however some are irreplaceable."

Do you agree with this statement? What makes one irreplaceable at work? Doesn't being irreplaceable make someone indispensable?

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A Purple Cow

Dear Reader,

I was reminded of this poem suddenly while I was driving back home. I still cannot figure out what brought out the association in my mind since I'm very sure I didn't see a purple cow (not even a regular one). May be I saw someone who stood out like a purple cow!! Anyway, it's a very short poem with a funny and interesting twist to it at the end.

"I never saw a purple cow,

I never hope to see one;

But I can tell you, anyhow,

I'd rather see than be one."

The last time I heard this was from one of my well read friends and I swear, I didn't see him today!!

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gr8 2 read!!

Dear Reader,

Here is an excerpt of an official email that I received during the last week.

ive noted tat this has been actioned. pl revert wit the foll details:

The stickler for spelling, punctuation and written English usage that I am, I did notice the lack of all of them in the above statement. So, is it inappropriate to employ the same writing style in official mails as one uses in an sms or a twitter message? Of course!!

I wonder how the Y Generation kids must be communicating - the ones who are exposed to technology (or their evils) right from the moment they understand communication. I heard one of my friends say that she cringes when she sees a note by her teenage daughter stating, "C U L8R" and actually circles the inappropriate language and leaves her a note telling her that she expects a better note than that. If my friend thought that the note was too abbreviated for her, I wonder what she would make of the famous telegraphic message exchange between Oscar Wilde and his publisher. The former sent a message "?" and the publisher replied "!". Each knew what the other was saying - "How's is the book coming along?" and "It is coming along well".

Lynne Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves describes the rules that govern the use of punctuation marks in English with her funny allusions. 

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'WaterColor' Taj

Dear Reader,

Taj Mahal - does not need any introduction to you. I absolutely adore this picture of Taj Mahal and is clicked by one of my colleagues, Mr. Angshuman Chatterjee.

To be honest, I wasn't able to comprehend it when I first watched this. I thought it was a painting of Taj Mahal in Watercolor as the name suggested!! He explained that one of the challenges in photography is to capture the image of one of the famous monuments / architectures that has been photographed a million times, in a different, new and an original point of view.

99% of the time, in my experience, the hard part about creativity isn't coming up with something no one has ever thought of before. The hard part is actually executing the thing you've thought of. I think Angshuman accomplished that with this picture.

The beauty of the Taj is enhanced with this colorful reflected view. Don't you agree?

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21st Century Conversations!!

Dear Reader,

I found this article in http://ouchmytoe.com. This is apparently an actual conversation that the author had with his wife. To introduce the characters to you - Jammy is the author and Rekha is his wife.

Is this how most of us are starting to sound in the 21st Century?

Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.00 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Late?
Are you going to be late today too?
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.09 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Late?
Yes sweetheart. What about you? You too…late today?
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.15 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Late?
Yes sweetheart.
BTW, hope you have dropped the cheque, sorted out the heater, and taken the DD in my father’s name?
*Didn’t like the sarcasm in your mail.
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.29 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Late?
I was not at all sarcastic. Was just enquiring…for our daughter Rhea will be home alone till we reach.
*Yes, taken a DD for your father.
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.15 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?
I didn’t like the way you reduced the DD for my father to a mere footnote.
BTW, I wanted to know what time you will be reaching coz I want you to have a word with our 3-year-old daughter tonight.
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———

Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.34 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?
A word with our three-year-old daughter? What? She has come home with a tattoo? Or did somebody in leather jackets and a Harley drop her home last evening? What happened?
*Nope! I didn’t reduce the DD for your father to a mere footnote. Trust me, I didn’t swear when I was withdrawing the Rs 20,000 for the DD.
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.45 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?
Your daughter has changed her boy friend again – for the third time in the last five months. I want her to behave like a good family girl – not be some tapori like her father.
I will be late today, but can you catch her attention before she hits the bed today and have a word with her?
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 7 January, 2011
Time: 7.34 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Late?
Will do. But what do I tell her…I have no idea how a woman decides on her boyfriends. If I couldn’t read you in 10 years, how do you expect to read my daughter in 3 years?
*Will try anyway. Will update later.
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 5.25 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Thought I might as well change the subject
Any updates? Sorry was tied up…couldn’t check on your talk with the daughter earlier.
*What time did you come in last night? And when did you leave?
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 6.03 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
The talk went well. She argued back – said something that meant…blubber blubber clutter putter…..whatever she said made sense.
*Came in at 1 am and left home again at 6.30 a.m. BTW, noticed somebody well-built sleeping with you in our Queen-sized bed. Who was it?
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 5.37 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
That’s somebody I love, but you have no idea about it. In fact, you think otherwise.
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 6.14 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
What? When do you plan to break the news to me? What about our daughter – I would definitely like to keep custody of her.
Where does he work anyway? Does he make more money than I do?
*Remember, DDs for your father won’t be part of the alimony
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 5.37 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
Stupid! That was your mother, and my mother-in-law. And how easily the divorce-talk came to you. Are you seeing anybody? Is it that Mansi girl in your office?
*And yes, thanks to the DDs we send your mother, she is well built.
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 6.14 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
Ohh! That was my mother?! When did she land up?
And I agree, we now-a-days only speak thro’ emails. How about a call?
*Mansi quit. Aditi has joined in her place.
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 6.45 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
Yeah…call is good. How about 9 p.m.? Will be in my car, on my way back then.
*And is this Aditi also pretty?
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 7.04 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
9 pm works for me too. Will be in my car heading for a dinner with folks from Airtel.
Sending you a meeting invite & the conference call details now.
*Mansi is pretty. But she is married and has a kid as well.
Cheers,
Jammy
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 7.45 pm IST
From: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
To: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
Marriage and Kids have never stopped you from flirting before. Why do I have this feeling that you might upload this conversation on your blog?
*Been ages since I visited your blog. Stopped being a regular visitor since the quality of your writing started going down.
Regards,
Rekha
———X——–X———
Date: 8 January, 2011
Time: 8.16 pm IST
From: Jammy [jv.rajan@gmail.com]
To: Rekha [Rekha@filmyworld.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thought I might as well change the subject
Please accept the meeting invite I just sent. You could be right about the blog bit. Don’t visit it till I tell you that a good post has been uploaded.
Now-a-days, we don’t talk often…so lets be punctual at the call…and also be good to each other.
*Darn! This Aditi wears such revealing clothes!
Cheers,
Jammy

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The Power of Synchronizing

Dear Reader,

If everyone in your weekly meeting drops a pencil precisely at 11:42 am, would you notice?

That is the power of synchronizing. 100 people doing something at the same time has far more power than 300 people doing the same thing at different times.

This probably is the reason behind building religious institutions like temples & churches. To give birth to mass worship. Seth Godin says "While the internet makes it easier than ever to spread ideas, it makes it far more compelling to coordinate actions". How precise!!

While I was thinking of an image to depict synchronization on this blog for you, the Yin and Yang came to my mind. Although it is known for demonstrating dualities, (like men and women, positive and negative) does it also not show synchronization? Without sync the dualities cannot exist, can they?

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Woo & Woe

Dear Reader,

Define marriage. What was the first word that came to your mind? Companionship, togetherness?

Isn't it ironical that we marry to find and cherish companionship, however, thanks to our changing lifestyle and lack of time, we end up in a conflict with the companion seeking companionship that we long for?

Bottom line: We end up fighting for the companionship and losing it in the bargain!!

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An Ode - Refreshing Memories

Between the Hammer & the Anvil, I am
Expecting to be hit & being hit by the unexpected, I am
The Hammer 'time and the anvil' circumstance, I am
What I live for & the same that I survive for, I am

Along comes a Princess - young, beautiful and thoughtful,
That's You!
Taking the pain away sometimes adding to it too,
That's You!
Giving me everything you've got yet taking nothing away,
That's You!
My life, My every breath, My reasons, My motivation, My innermost feeling, My best side, My best half, My best gift, My heartbeat, My honeypot, My love, My destiny,
That's You!

Between the Hammer & the Anvil, again, I find
Life's desires undermined.
The only hope is YOU would outstretch your arm at a length
You are My power, My prayer, My strength

At the mercy of our circumstance, we are
So far yet so very close to each other, we are
Carrying a love mightier than any anvil, we are
Sure to succeed & be together, we are

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Timeless Age

Dear Reader,

I read an article in the Health Edition of The Week, 100 Days of Solitude.

The article revolves around the experiences of one writer, also an experimental subject, who chooses to be in an isolation chamber. The objective of the experiment is to observe the reactions of a human body when exposed to a timeless environment. I must say, the observations are quite interesting with the author saying "it was like two days of one day". It means, for the writer, 48 hours seemed like 24, while in the isolation chamber. She also says that she estimated a 6 - 8 hour slot as 2 hours.

My first thoughts after reading this article - time is an illusion that we, as human beings, have created for ourselves and that time moves faster when an individual is alone. We alter our body clocks with the conscious understanding of time. In the absence of which, the body sleeps for 17 hours and is awake for almost 34 hours. So the so called ideal "sleep-wake cycle", that we follow currently, is not natural!! Are the day, week, month and year, all an illusion too?

If I wouldn't have read the article, I would have presumed that time moves slower while you are alone. That is, you only spend 10 mins and it seems like 30. But the experiment has proved results the other way and it beats me!! The only other question that I have is whether the subject will experience any change in his / her characteristics if he / she continues with such experiments for a long period of time. I'd like to compare "staying alone" in life to this experiment, fully aware of the fact that the conditions are not exactly the same. If an individual stays alone for a very long period of his / her life, does it change any of the social characteristics in them? Do they then find it difficult to relate to others and their experiences? What do you think?

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In the Presence

Dear Reader,


"Welcome tired pilgrim
Into the circle
We have been waiting

Everyone's gathered
For your arrival
All the believers

Angels fall
All for you
Heretic
Demon heart
Bleed for us"

The lyrics of one of my favorite songs by Dream Theatre broke my series of thoughts when I returned to my car after a long and tiring day at work today. 

"I've been waiting for you
Weary preacher man
You have been expected
Now we can begin
Let this hallowed day of judgment reign

I have known you father
And your sacred quest
Blessed soldier fighting
You shall never rest
I have known you but do you know me?

Angels fall
All for you
Heretic
Demon heart
Bleed for us"

the song goes on and so do my thoughts. They dig deep into my past until I find the one cherished memory!! The first time I ever associated with Heavy Metal. I consider myself to be blessed and to be the chosen one to appreciate this genre of music that personifies aggression, masculinity and machismo.

"My soul is yours
Dark Master
I will fight for you

Dark Master within
I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin
Now my soul is yours
Dark Master my guide
I will die for you
Dark Master inside

I cannot see his face
But I could feel his spite
A presence from the dead
Abandoned by the light
This shadow will consume him
from within"

I was introduced to heavy metal by a very near and dear one. My first reaction was the cliched one - "loud and noisy". The first song that I ever heard was Pantera - Cowboys from Hell.

"This power that I sense
The rage behind those eyes
Is just a shrouded ghost
A spirit sealed inside
The body and the soul both threats
For they are one

Angels fall
All for you
Heretic
Demon heart
Bleed for us

My soul is yours
Dark Master
I will fight for you

Dark Master within
I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin
Now my soul is yours
Dark Master my guide
I will die for you
Dark Master inside
Dark Master amen
I belong to you
Dark Master within"

And then I slowly graduated. Suddenly the loud noise started making more sense and I joined the head-bangers club. Was it the music or was it love?

"Don't
Bother trying to find them
They will be coming to you
Fight
Fight and destroy
Until you can't take anymore

Slay
Spill the blood of the rebels
They are the children of hell
Flesh
Of the undead
Stopping at nothing to kill

Sin
Caught in a moment of weakness
Committed the greatest of all
Sold
Half of my soul
And now it's too late for you"

And I took his hands and walked the path of evolution - both love and music. Sold half my soul to him for all that was due to come.

"I judge as
My eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak
Of the beast
That lives in all of us

Unwelcome ones
Your time has come

Lord
You are my god and my shepherd
Nothing more shall I want
Walk
Through the abyss
Into the shadow of death

Fear
There is no evil to fear now
For I know you are with me
My
Cup overflows
With my enemies blood"

And I felt the power, needless to say of what. It could take you through your worst times, it will reinforce the energy that life sucks out of you.

"I
Decay in the house of the lord
Forever amen
Death
Will follow me
All the days of my life

I judge as
My eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak
Of the beast
That lives in all of us

Unwelcome one
Your time has come

Servants of the fallen
Fight to pave the way
For their savior's calling
On this wicked day.

Through a veil of madness
With a vicious blade
One man rises up
Standing in their way

It's time for your reckoning"

But like they say "the only constant in life is change". It all did change. Thud, my life came crashing down!! Aw, I'm tearing apart from the inside.

"My soul grows weaker

He knows and he waits
He watches over me
Standing at the infernal gates
In the hour of darkness
The moment I feared has passed
The moment I lost my faith
Promising salvation
My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you
Dark Master "

And all that I hold on to now are my memories and my music.

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LDS Writers Blogck: Details

LDS Writers Blogck: Details: "By Keith N Fisher How many of you, when describing the scene in the picture, would mention the temperature of the water? Several years ago..."

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Timeless Tales

Dear Reader,

Today, while I was surfing the internet, I saw a question on one of the social networking sites: What were your favorite books as a child and why?

The question set me thinking and browsing through my childhood memories. When was it that I first read a book - what age? What was the name of the book? It is generally observed that people remember the first book that they read, the first movie that they watched quite vividly. And there it comes to me, "The Three Fat Men by Yuri Olesha". That was my first book. I still cannot remember what my age was when I read this book but I distinctly remember my mother giving me this book. I read the book several times after that and found it very engrossing, fascinating and memorable. The story was enhanced further with colorful illustrations.

For me, the book was all about the little dancer Suok, the heir Tutti and the magician Dr. Gaspar. But probably it was all about Revolution. The story demonstrates the differences in class and the struggle.

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Writer's Block

Dear Reader,

I'm finally here writing the first post in my blog!!

It is also the first piece of my writing that is publicly available that I've ever created. So, the pressure is on. I've spent sometime thinking this post through since I believe that the first post must have some special significance and insight. This is more or less my first impression in your mind.

So, here I am, fighting the writer's block and telling you that there are a lot of things that I plan to write about in the days to come. These may be my interests, opinions or simply some nagging questions in my mind. Hopefully, they will do justice to the name of this blog and will provide intellectual stimulation to you as a reader.

It is your comments and participation that will encourage me further to explore this untrodden path of writing.

Regards,

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