10 Simple Pleasures of LIfe

I was tagged by vaishnavi and it is called the 10 simple pleasures of life.So here's my list...

1. Being able to dream, staring into space with nothing to worry about.
2. Standing in my balcony enjoying the sweet smell of rain with breeze blowing into my face.
3. Reading a book in a quiet place with soft melodious music playing in the background
4. Listening to my dad’s stories about his childhood.
5. Trying to cook something and then taste my experiments!!
6. A long walk with a dear friend.
7. Praying.
8. A nice dinner out with dad, mom and bro and laughing over the usual silly jokes.
9. Running through family albums and refreshing old memories.
10. Discussing and debating everything under the sun – be it sports, politics or anything else - with dad.

This is just the top 10 on my neverending list but i don't think i can give them an order of preference.I now tag sandeep,prem and anyone else who has not yet posted this.

Thank You Friends

I was wondering what is that one thing if taken away from me, would make me incomplete…and almost instantaneously I got my answer – My friends. And I must admit I’ve been blessed well in this regard. So before u run away let me tell u this is not the usual friends-are-this-friendship-is-that kind of a post. It’s just a small thank you note to all of you for making my life worth living.

I love u all for not just what u are but what I am when I am with u, not just for what u have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.

I love u ‘coz you have done more than anything could have to make me good and any fate could have done to make me happy.

And you have done it without a touch, without a word. You have done it by just being yourself.

May I always cherish the company of good friends like you.

Thank you friends for being the most beautiful part of my life

My experiences - part I

The last two weeks have been the most useless, unproductive weeks of my life(not that the others were very productive but atleast I did something!!)24 hours a day and nothing to do it really can’t get worse. In fact, for the last month and a half, all I did was to read about ½ a dozen books borrowed from my friends, my brother’s friends and their friends! It is satisfying but hardly qualifies to be productive.
The reason for this idle time is a happy one though. So for all those who can believe me - for I don’t have the degree yet to prove it – I’m done with my bachelors and waiting for my masters to begin. In about a month from now I shall be where I always wanted to be.I won’t say it’s a dream come true ‘coz its more than just a dream…its an ambition…an ambition delayed by 4 years but then I tell myself “Better late than never” ( A million thanks to the guy who said that)
I was finally going to the IIT and I can tell u it was definitely much more than a cakewalk. I think half the trees in the world are felled for these guides and so called FAQs on how to crack an interview but I bet its just the fundamentals and some courage that’ll see u through. Yes courage – u’ll need lots of it to handle an interview at these institutions. I think it’s the geographical arrangement, in the first place, that is unfairly biased against us. A semicircular table at the center of a huge room with 5 professors of the country’s most prestigious insti and a hapless student at the center almost equidistant from all the five.
My interview began with an informal “Hello priya” I said a silent prayer and managed a “Hello sir, good morning”. The gentleman at the center smiled but I knew it was anything but to ease my tension ‘coz a question was already shot at me-“Are U nervous?” a voice boomed. U bet! was my instinct but common sense prevailed and I managed a confident “NO sir” with a forced smile and the expression on his face told me I had managed quite well. And from then on the next ½ an hour wud decide my future. The interview had formally begun-The first question was hurled at me and it was this If-there-were-n-points kind of a hypothetical one. I tried to put in as much I knew into it and gave him an equation. A long look at it and “Can U share your thought process with us?” I knew it was just another way of saying – how the hell did u get that?! I gave them, what I thought was, a logical explanation and he gave me a counter and I continued with some more. Finally he said “lets move on”
Lets move on?!! what on earth was that suppose to mean why cant they just tell me whether I was right or wrong!
I pushed aside my thoughts as he continued to fire questions at me at an uneasy pace. For the next few minutes there were questions, attempted answers, counter questions and some more questions. I knew I had to make it through I had already screwed up the one at kanpur and I had no chance there. I really couldn’t afford to lose this there was no next time to this.. I make it or I don’t. so I did my best to give as-relevant-as possible answers to all their questions. After about 35 minutes of grilling one of them looked up –“ so where do u come from” he asked and I knew that this was the end of the interview officially. A few more casual queries and he finally said-“Thank you it was nice talking to you”. For a moment I mused whether I felt the same. “Thank you sir” and I walked out.
There were so many curious faces looking at me as I walked out “How was it?” one of them asked.

Who knows they dint for once tell me if I was right or wrong! “Fine” I said, hoping it really was.It’s over I told myself as I got down the stairs and walked out.
This was my second interview at the IIT – IITdelhi. The first one at kanpur was not a memorable one to say the least. I was just waiting to get out of it. I had messed it up and I knew I had. It was of a ten minute duration and it was the longest 10 mins of my life. Though I hinted the interviewer that he was going out of my domain and I had no idea on what he was asking he just didn’t care and went on. I tried to give him something relevant but I can say something on his face told me it was not. He finally said “Thank you” but his expression was like how-did-this-girl-get-in-here. “Thank you sir” - this, I think, was one of the longest sentences I had spoken in that interview - and I walked out as fast as I could. What a way to begin I thought but then there’s a next time. The interview at delhi was on the next day …two back to back interviews “WOW” and I had 6 hours of travel to add to it.But as I said I thought it was ‘fine’ and fine it was. I got the result within 5 days and I was, perhaps, the happiest soul on earth the moment I read “G.Priya” on that list.
Well, another phase has just begun and I hope it’ll be much better than the interview I had… its just a beginning and quoting Frost style – I have “miles to go before I sleep”

Bad tempers

There was once a young boy who had trouble controlling his anger so his dad handed him some nails and told him , “Son, each time you feel angry drill one nail into the fence outside”. Each day, the nails on the fence increased and the boy realized it was easier to control his anger than driving the nails into the fence. He gradually learned to keep his calm and told his dad of the same. His dad now told him to remove a nail each time he was able to control his anger and return the nails. Eventually the boy removed all the nails and handed them over. His dad then took him to the fence and showed him the holes left on the fence and said “The fence can never be the same now, the nails are gone but the holes remain.” The boy immediately understood the meaning of his dad’s words. His anger had not only destroyed the fence but also severed so many relationships and hurt people.
Most of us, I’m sure will identify with this boy. We have , so many times , unintentionally hurt people we love due to our flying tempers. It is perfectly normal to get angry because it is just like any other human emotion. It is the way we unleash it that makes the difference. And more often than not it is our dear ones, our friends who are a victim to our occasional outbursts. Physical wounds may heal with time but mental scars remain forever because a word once said is impossible to take back. It is easy to get angry, but to be angry at the right place , at the right person for the right reason- thats not easy.
I have been at the receiving end of really bad tempers at times and I can say it’s not a very pleasant experience and that’s what set me thinking that others must be feeling the same. I must confess that I’ve been guilty of these bad tempers quite a few times but now I realize ‘you should never do to others what you would not like to be done to you’ and so I’m doing all I can to keep my tempers from flying too high. Still I’d like to say – “Sorry friends if I left a hole”

??????????????

These are some of those many many questions for which I could never find answers………

· Why does an entity called ‘alarm clock’ exist?

· Why do they call it the rush hour when nothing moves?

· If winning is not everything,why keep scores?

· If a book about failures doesn’t sell, is it a success?!?

· Why do they call it a building when it has already been built?

· When the masculine pronouns are he,his and him , why not the feminine be she, shis and shim?

· Why do they call him a speaker at the LS when he hardly gets to speak?

· Can we have fixed chairs and mikes at our parliament?

· What exactly did that inner voice tell Sonia Gandhi?

· Why do we sing vande mataram exactly twice every year?

· Why are women in our TV sets always crying?(don’t they get their payment??)


And finally………………….

Why do people write silly things like this one in their blogs?

DON't QUIT

When things go wrong
As they sometimes will
When the road u r trudging seems all uphill
When the funds r low & debts r high
And u want to smile but have to sigh
When care is pressing u down a bit
Rest if u must,but don't quit.

Life is queer with its twists & turns
As everyone of us some time learns
And many a failure turn about
When he might have won had he stuch it out
Don't give up though the pace is slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of clouds of doubt
And u never can tell how much close u r
It may be near when it seems so far
So stick to the fight when u r hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit

This is the best thing i've so far read...so i thought may be i could share it with all of you.
Its from YOU CAN WIN by Shiv Khera...

LOOKING BACK............

As I walked home after another hectic day at college, the days I spent in school came splashing across my memory.
The daily morning prayers, the fun-filled moments at our annual excursion, our excitement on winning the best contingent in a march past event and the fierce sense of competition among ourselves at some silly game that we played during free hours!! How weird it all seems now... .
How could I forget that horrifying thought of two consecutive social studies classes, the much awaited PT classes, the gloomy art classes and the time we had spent under the teacher's nose secretly wishing we could break free from school and enjoy life outside.
Now, when I look back, I wonder what was so exciting about the world outside -- was it the excitement of a new environment or the thought of freedom from rules `n' regulations -- that made us want to get out of a shielded, secure school life? Guess it'll take some time and experience to find out.
It was such a wonderful time. A time when we hardly knew the meaning of self-study and everything was offered to us on a platter... When marks were just another number and we never had to worry about a single mark costing us admission into some prestigious institution and to add to it, a two month vacation without this haunting "What next?" question lingering in our minds. Ah! What a way to spend 10 years of one's life.
Now when I'm out here in the big bad world of cutthroat competition, the sweet memories of my past days, my school and my teachers to whom I shall be forever indebted comes as a breath of fresh air.
But as they say... the grass on the other side is always greener and we always pine for things that a gone. Talk about nostalgia!
So, perhaps someday, I'll be writing about my happy days in college. But will those memories be better than school days? Just can't say now.
College days need to wait some more to get into the green pastures of the past.

mayonnaise jar and the coffee

When things in ur life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours a day r not enough remember the mayonnaise jar and the coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and filled it with golf balls.He asked his students if the jar was full.They agreed it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.He shook the jar and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.He then asked the students again if the jar was full and they agreed.
He next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.Ofcourse the sand filled up everything else.He asked once more if it was full and they answered with a unanimous YES.
The professor then got 2 cups of cofee and poured the entire contents into the jar,effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed.
“Now”,said the professor,”I want u to recognize that this jar represents ur life.The golf balls are the important things-your God,family,friends,health,passion-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained,ur life wud still be full.
“The pebbles r the other things that matter like ur job, house,car,etc.”
“The sand is everything else-the small stuff.If u put in the sand first,there is no room for pebbles n golf balls.The same goes for life.If u spend all ur time and energy on the small stuff,u’ll never have room for the things that matter”.
“Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.Set ur priorities.Then focus on the pebbles.The rest is just sand.”
One of the students enquired what the coffee represented.”I’m glad u asked”,said the professor,”It just goes to show you no matter how full ur life may seem,there is always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

MY INSPIRATION

'Oh no not again' was my reaction when i was told that we were to attend a wedding.Being the loner that i am i don't have the inclination to attend grand gala events.After a lot of resentment,i finally found myself walking into a large hall,smiling n shaking hands with ppl i hardly knew...ah!how i wished i cud just walk out n enjoy the beautiful evening weather.After a lot of hi-hello exchanges as we reached the other end of the hall,i heard something that brought an instant smile on my face.This is something i hear most often and each time it gives me a child like joy- it is my striking resemblance to my dad.
I've always been the "daddys girl" type.I admire my dad's qualities and have always tried to emulate him in all ways possible with little success though.Every event of my life and every decision i made-small or big-has been influenced by him.From something as trivial as choosing a dress to buy to making a career decision it is my dad's opinion that i've followed with total faith and trust.
One thing that has always amazed me is his patience and boundless endurance.In 20 yrs of my life so far i've never really seen him lose his temper.whatever i've done so far n whatever i'm today is a reflectionof his values,thoughts and ideals.He has taught me the most important thing-TO BE MYSELF.
There r so many things i'd like to tell my dad but i know i can't say it to him....
"If there is one thing that makes my day brighter and my troubles lighter it's ur warmth n love"
"You are that part of my life that gives me hope for tomorrow and the reason to find it"
"Whenever i need the support for anything its u whom i turn to and be assured of getting more than i ask"

Thanks DAD - u've not just shown me the stars but also taught me how to be one.

PS:For all those who reached here...thanx for reading my first post and talking of inspiration....thanx to vaishnavi for inspiring me to write this blog:)

HAPPINESS

“Those who wish to sing,always find a song”


Happiness is a state of mind to which everyone has access because it lies not outside us but within each of us and once unleashed it is very very infectious.So revel in every drop of happiness we are blessed with.

If we observe a really happy man,we’d find him building a home,teaching his kid,growing roses or writing a song.Little thoughts can make us happy.Imagine a thought shooting across our mind as fleeting,as impermanent,as fractional as a shooting star and then imagine being able to hold onto it ,enjoy it and save it somewhere to revel in its joy later.There are those million fleeting thoughts that flash across our minds everyday as we experience different moments in our lives…a moment of joyful exhilaration,an instant of deep grief,a moment of wonder,a space of wistful imagination.These little thoughts somewhere,sometime touch our lives and give us something to ponder on and to enjoy.

I am happy because I tell myself every morning that a new sun rises for me,everything lives,everything is animated , everything seems to talk to me of my passion , every moment invites me to cherish it.Life is not made up of a few grand milestones but millions of everyday moments.True happiness lies it cherishing these everyday moments and believing that the happiest things come free.

“The feel of fresh air
The wind in your hair”
“The power of a smile
That can travel a mile”
“The swaying of trees
In the evening breeze”
“The sight of flying birds
And the cattle in herds.”
“Or a little child in glee
The happiest things come free.”


PS: This is my reattempt at poetry(if i can claim it to be one) after a hiatus of more than 5 yrs .I wud say thanx to sandeep for reigniting my interest in poetry.