** We were passing a cross-section. As we approached the signal, I saw a man standing with a piece of cardboard held high above his head. As we got closer I read the markings to read, " God is Great !!! Willing to lease self for work. " Begging is not new to me nor are solicitors. But that a man is begging for work by using the word " lease " for himself threw me completely. The remaining ride, I wondered how easy all we have could disappear in the moment and thanked my stars for giving me all the little joys I take for granted most days.

** Later in the day, I went to Toys R Us. I am still amused by all the toys that are on display and even enjoyed fooling around a bit with the ones that said " Try me " . I remembered how Mom used to put away all my new toys a day or two after each birthday to be given to me when I'm older and more responsible. Then Gulf war happened and they all were gone ! Just like that. I never did get to play with any of them. So important to enjoy whatever you have when you have it with you.

** As I was thinking about this, I heard crying and turned around. This old lady was pushing a wheelchair where a girl in her teens sat, clearly agitated rocking back and forth. How sad it was that the lady had to care for that young, challenged girl. I passed on, in the opposite direction only to notice many of the passers by had stopped and were still staring at the duo, even when the crying had almost faded away. I felt sad that others' trials elicit such morbid curiosity!

** A day earlier, a friend was quite upset over her son needing stitches when he hurt his head. I understood her anguish yet explained that accidents do happen and she should be happy he's fine now. Yesterday, she informed me of a couple she knows who lost their child, born preterm. Reminded me of words I've heard from elders. " Everyone has to go through suffering of some kind. Be thankful for the ones you have, for it could have been much worse.

Ok !! Enough of the rona dhona ... I'm myself Bored of my mood and all that comes with it, so what better way to distract myself than write about some of the happiest moments in my life !!! Here goes ...

* When my brother was born. 10 years younger than me, he's my first baby ( Don't tell Him that !! ) .

* When I won a fabric painting contest at age 14 ( I did Not see that coming ... )

* When my Grandfather said I dance like Madhuri Dixit ( Him paying a compliment was a biggie in itself ;) )

* Getting up late and watching TV with mom like lazy bums.

* When we found my brother after he was lost for more than 3 hours in the busiest part of Mumbai ( for Mumbaiyaas , that's Shoppers Stop, Andheri ) in 97 .

* When my brother won an academic award in the whole of Gulf region.

* When I went roaming around in Khandala, it was raining and we were having bhajiyas.

* When I was the only one to get an increment one year into the job.

* The moment a few days after my engagement when I looked at my husband and felt " He's the one " .

* The days of my marriage. I had a fun wedding, laughing dancing all the way.

* My hubby's expression when I gave him our first anniversary gifts and his 2nd bday that we celebrated together.

* When my hubby gifted me an engraved jewellry box this anniversary with words that had me in tears ( I truly wasn't expecting anything :)) )

* Walking around in the rain with my hubby sweetest, getting wet after watching Jab We Met. ( He's such a sport I tell u lolzzz ) .

* Going snow tubing in Pocono. It was Fantabulous.

* When I realized that Libraries in US are Free and the number of books you can check out is Unlimited. lolzzzz

* Each time I cook something new and it turns out proper, tasting good.

* When someone in my Online world touches me with their kind words.

There are many many more ... but right now I have a big smile on my face so I guess the aim of the post is achieved. Hope you have one too. Go ahead !! Take it up . Share some of you Happy Moments or Times . It's very theraputic ...

I'm in the dumps. Not literally !! Need a change, don't know what. Maybe I just need to help myself. I feel like something's missing even though I know I'm perfectly happy. Is that even possible ?

The other day i was watching Nat Geo and this scientist was talking about Sting Ray. For those who don't know it's a type of fish that looks like THIS . His team had the humongous thing in a kiddie swimming pool and they kept putting it up on a scale to measure it. They had tied it's stingers and kept pushing and pulling it and my temper kept going up. Then they cut it open and inserted a camera so that they can monitor it's movements. I felt so bad for the poor thing. What of It's privacy ? What is it with people ? How much do we Really need to know ? Isn't it enough that we are all over the earth that we are going into the seas and forests etc. Besides, that how would we feel if Fish got out of the water and started man handling us to check our weight and our eating habits ? I don't know. It just seems wrong. No , I'm not a vegetarian. But I say if you're going to use something for food, kill it quick and let it serve it's purpose so to speak. Be merciful . Don't irritate poor animals just to figure out what's happening in places where you aren't supposed to anyway.

I just keep getting surprised by people all the time. These days I find myself becoming an idealist and thus highly emotional when I'm dissappointed , which is again often.

Things are so wrong everywhere ! I sit among people who talk about the wrongness of diversification based on religion, caste, languages and then laugh about the tendencies of South Indians or Gujratis or Arabs. We all do it. Most of us keep our minds open when we meet new people despite of it, and yet there are people out there who are close minded to Everything.

Have you noticed all of a sudden saris, curries and Bollywood are the new flavor of the world ? Nothing wrong with that, but all the information is warped. People make assumptions, confusing all the different cultures in India. When my husband and I ate non veg, we had people expressing EXTREME surprise since they thought ALL Indians were veg. Why is it only in India we learn about all cultures, all over the world ? Is it because most of us dream of going abroad so we prepare ourselves mentally before hand ? Why doesn't the world know about Our cultures ?

Why is it that friendship is so hard ? Why is out of sight automatically out of mind ? People you think you cared so much about are no where to be seen . They can't be bothered to keep in touch or send a mail ? Or even read a mail you've sent to them. Pointing fingers is the name of the game when you express the effect their absence has on you. Oh ! They Say they care but Do nothing to show it ? Then there are those who just know how to take. Except when they need you or know that they'll be needing you soon. Those times they are all over you , fawning like there;s no tomorrow. And most of the time we fall for it.

Whatever happened to common courtesies and manners ? Saying thankyou ? Returning phone calls ? Being sorry when you hurt someone ? Not chewing gum when you are on stage or in an interview ? Letting another finish what they are saying ? Keeping your voice down when you talk on the phone ? Saying hello when someone smiles at you ?

I might be becoming an idealist but atleast one can try right ? I wonder why I talk about all of this. Maybe it's coz when I was troubled there was rarely ever anyone to guide me. I had friends who held my hand but no one ever told me the right from wrong or just plain how people or life is !! I figured things out feeling things, often falling hard along the way. And I hope and pray that there is someone out there who can be helped . Not everyone has to have walk a road to know it leads to the end of a cliff right ??

There's this contest taking place at Clarity of Night . Below is the story I submitted for it. Ironical part of my experience was I ended up writing 3 stories and then went stark MAD thinking which one should be sent. My hubby had a good laugh at the predicament I put myself into. Well, eventually I picked one yet I know I have a long way to go to be able to compete with the caliber of work I'm seeing there. If you're up for it, give it a whack !

About the criteria for the story. It Had to be within 250 words and based on the picture taken by Jason Evans titled The Truth in Wine ( In Vino Veritas )












The other two stories I wrote are - - - Holding On and All it Takes.

All three are different themes. When and IF you read all three, do let me know which one YOU liked best. Suggestions, critique or comments are always a pleasure to read. :) Thanks . So, here's hoping you enjoy the read. Cheers !!!

And for those of you who are voracious readers, always on the look out for some good stories, check out the stories submitted at the contest. They make for wonderful reading, with great plots, writing and unique twists to boot !!

My entry is # 60 :D


On a separate note, I'd like to mention I'm really thankful to Aniket and Kunjal for informing me of this opportunity to challenge myself. Above all, my hubby specially for being so patient with me along with being my support and guide. I wonder what I'd ever do without him. :)

OK ! I've never claimed to be athletic. Far from it. The only times I've come close to sports is PT in school, some light throw ball, and badminton, but that was all back when I used to believe throwing around a shuttlecock was fun .

Now don't go imagining one of those girly girls who is never willing to get down and dirty. I am always game to try something new, be it football, basket ball, cricket, volleyball, rowing a boat, canoe, or just a silly game that involves running around. The mistake would be to expect me to have any kind of hand eye co ordination. I never win but I play to the best of my clumsy abilities using brain instead of brawn, always keeping in mind the tips that the people around me dish out as we play.

Why do I bother, one might ask ? For me, it's not about winning, but playing the game. I have horrible luck and never win, even board games. It's more about having fun, getting some exercise, and having some laughs, more at my expense than anyone else, along the way. Yet, I pride myself for giving most things a shot at least once, whenever I can drum up the enthusiasm and courage. Those moments become wondrous experiences, like when a friend of mine tried teaching me how to properly kick a football. The first proper kick and block I did, are still clear in my head as if they happened yesterday.

Past few weekends we've been going boating and it's been a wonderful experience, barring my hubby's frustration at getting me to go in any particular direction ( ref : rowing ) . I'm a water baby. Anything to do with water, and I'm game, without much persuasion. Be it swimming, boating , water skis or in the water park. Even in amusement parks , I just Love the rides that splash you, drenching you in water. As I've said before it's all probably due to the fact that I can swim. Now that again is another story. Since I learnt swimming at the age of 5 or 6 when my dad used to take me into the sea and throw me into the water. I used to flap my hands shrieking, yelling at him for wanting me to die. Yup !! I was a melodramatic kid I guess. Same reaction applied for my mom when she tried to teach me to skate. But they make for wonderful memories !!!

Yet I wonder if I'd have been even more adventerous had I been allowed to climb sofas or break a few things when I was younger. When I was tiny, I never even climbed the jungle gym and then when my bro grew up and my mom tried to get me to climb on top, I wouldn't go beyond the bottom two steps for fear of falling.

What I don't understand is, people who are never willing to put their foot into Any experience for the fear of doing badly or looking silly ? I can understand fear of heights etc, but at least give something a shot Once ?? I have the satisfaction of having the desire to try most of what the world has to offer at least once. I mean, we have but one life and sitting at the sidelines and watching others do stuff isn't My way of living at least. Sure !! Everyone can't try everything, but you can't say No to everything either right ?? I mean, I have seen people who don't even want to try playing pool, shuffle board, bowling , dancing or even a video game. They must have their reasons, you say ? No they don't . No reason. They just don't want to let lose for a moment for fear of spoiling their make up or breaking a sweat. I'm not one to persuade anyone more than two three times, but then it makes the rest of the group feel that they have to compensate somehow for the fun that those nay sayers are missing. Do something once, and then if you don't like it don't do it. But having never tried it and having no desire to either is just, I don't know, wrong at so many levels. Coz those are the kind of people who extend the same kind of attitude to other fields of life as well, scared to let go of their comfort zones, denying changes to just live !!!

So guys, remember !! All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy ... There's much more to life than sitting around studying or working. Don't sit around getting bored. Get up ! Go out ! Try anything new. Live a little more . After all, all anyone of us wants is a life better than the one we have now right ??

Every day we make decisions. Every action is associated with an expectation. We make educated guesses for the best action. How to behave in a given situation, how another will react to our words, how a relationship will grow or change, how close we want to be to someone, how much distance we want to keep with others, how to control the anger we feel, how to hurt someone without it bouncing back, how to get over hurt we feel, how to handle irritants, how to curb our desires, how to express our feelings and the list goes on and on ...

All the while hoping against hope that things turn out such that life takes a turn for the better and keeps moving in sane, joyous direction. We fight a constant battle between our hearts and our heads. Sometimes we give in to one or the other, depending on which is more persistent and creative with it's excuses :)


All the same, every Day we walk a Fine Line. The line that's drawn between the blacks and whites in our life. If we all could live in the white parts, we'd All be happy. Coz what is better than keeping things simple, Right ? Wrong ? For as we look around we see, people prefer living in the grays. Why ? Because it's exciting , adventurous, dangerous ... and without them, where would there be any fun ? We maneuver ourselves towards what's tempting at the given moment, making up a million reasons about why we need to do what we feel like doing. Loopholes in the rule book of life are created impromptu for our convenience. Later when things go wrong, the consequent drama makes us feel alive in some ways as a piece of us is taken away. At the same time, sadly we lose out on other things that could genuinely make us happy.



This line is getting fainter day by day as people get more confused about their feelings and actions. What does one expect when one walks the fine line between the below and strays from one into the other or mistakes one for the other and leads to further complications, hurt, misery or worse broken bridges ...

If you're miserable, the simple thing is to try to not be miserable. Idealistic ??! Probably ! Realistic ??! I believe so ! It's Always easier said than done , but if it's being said, then it's been done by Someone in the past right ? And it can be done again , too ...

Life needs it's grays, but IF things are kept Simple, the grays turn into colors and life is just so much easier all around. Maybe we could be more careful walking the fine line. Maybe it would help if we could keep our deeds in check by identifying that -