James Blunt - You´re Beautiful Lyrics

This is a very cool song. I feel the words in this song express what we males feel sometimes after watching a beautiful girl pass by.

My life is brilliant.
My life is brilliant
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
Yes, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was, Flying high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last 'till the end.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
La la lala la la la la la
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.

(The video is available on: http://www.virgin.net/music/musicvideos/jamesblunt_yourebeautiful_hi.html)

Global Warming

Roads that had been flooded by floods in Dubai

Increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere is known as global warming,
However with the signs being so evident still we are showing no signs of transforming.

With every passing day its becoming clear that we humans are to blame for this mess,
But we are definitely not doing anything worth and the problem is just growing in excess.

Desert impacted by the heavy rains in U.A.E last week

Expected effects of global warming are many and various, both for the environment and for human life,
However on this issue the influential countries of the world for their personal gains are still in strife.

Major cause of global warming is the carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels like oil and coal are burned for energy,
Hence cleaner cars and cleaner power plants are some of the most important factors that can help overcome a major tragedy.

Vehicles that were damaged because of the water accumulation

Countries including the United States and United Kingdom are witnessing their worst summers,
While countries like the United Arab Emirates that have been deserts are witnessing floods.

Its high time where in all countries reach a common agreement on ways to tackle this issue,
And give mother nature the necessary treatment which for long has been overdue.

TIME TO PONDER

Currently it's that time of the year again,

Where most of us are trying to ascertain,

What we have achieved in the year that passed by,

And how to implement things, that would give our careers a high.

Its definitely a good time to ponder,
Before our minds begin to wander,
And try to plan and put things in place,
Before we end up making the new year a waste.

Meaning of life becomes clear when it's planned,

Some setbacks on the way should just be a motivation to understand,

That life is something similar to holding sand in our hand,

Which when held tightly is lost completely without our command.

Some of us would find different ways in getting solutions,
While some of us would go to the extent of making resolutions,
It's only the inner resolve that matters in the end,
Without which one can end up with only amends.

JESUS (LOVE) IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

Once, long ago, there was a young boy who lived in a distant land called Tandow. He was a cheerful lad with not a care in the world. A special friend had he, the little blue hummingbird. Now this little boy didn't have a lot of great friends, but the little bird and the boy were inseparable friends. The boy loved the little hummingbird so, he built him a home. The bird also loved the boy and would follow him wherever he would go. As time went by their love grew and grew.

Then one day the young lad met a pretty young girl in school. The girl had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cute little smile. This was about the time of the biggest dance of the year. All the boy could think about was how he would love to take the girl to the dance. He gathered his courage all day and at the end of school confronted the girl and asked her to go with him to the dance.

Now this young girl was very popular and felt she did not want to be seen with the boy who cared for her so, but she did not want to hurt his feelings and so figured out a way to avoid saying no or yes. She told the boy if he brought her a red rose she would allow him to escort her to the dance. This hurt the little boy because he knew that in the land of Tandow there had never been a red rose, in fact the only roses in the land of Tandow were white.

On the way home the boy kept mumbling to himself why couldn't she have asked for a white rose. There were hundreds of them in his front yard. Feeling sorry for himself the boy didn't even notice his friend the hummingbird fluttering above him. Now the bird loved him so, that it could tell instantly the boy was troubled. The bird hovered closer as the boy mumbled on home. Now the bird knew why the bird was so troubled.The bird could not rest all the night long, it pondered all night, a solution to the boy's problem.

Finally as the sun began to rise the answer to how the bird could help his best friend entered his mind. The little blue hummingbird flew to a rose bush and searched for a large rose with a stem bearing thorns directly above it. Now the bird chose a thorn and with all the power in his wings cast his small body against the sharp thorn. It entered with great pain, as the tear drops of blood fell upon the white petals of the rose.

Now as the boy was ready for school, as he left the house he saw a red rose, he could hardly believe it, he ran to the bush and plucked the red rose. In his excitement he failed to notice the lifeless little body that lay below the bush in a puddle of blood.

Happy as could be, he began with his red rose on his way to school. Before he got there some other boys playing football in a field called to him and asked him to come and play. His first thought was, no, he had something more important to do. But they begged him and said they really needed him to even the teams. He looked at the rose, then them, then back at the rose. He said to himself. Ah!!! she didn't really want to go with me anyway. Then, throwing the rose down, the boy went and played football.

You've probably already figured out the allegory...

1. The boy is each of us.
2. The humming bird is Jesus Christ.
3. The girl is eternal life.
4. The rose is the atonement.
5. The football game is the worldly things we sometimes feel are so important.

The message for the season; It’s a time of year to give the world something more just than presents from the store. Love is God. Live in love. Start the day with love. Spend the day with love. End the day with love. This is the way to God. Only the person who is filled with love will be dear to the Lord. Let us all spread Love and make Jesus the reason for the Season.

(This was the 49th post on my blog. However this was the first one which i had not written. I had read this article on my colleagues blog: http://ramcomendonca.blogspot.com/. With his permission i have published the same article on my blog, as the main purpose of this article was to convey the right message to the people reading this. )

My Mummy Strongest

There is a person who in the last 2 months has had to really slog,

Hence i thought it was very worth mentioning her on my blog.

I never knew this lady was really so strong from inside,

Coz every setback for him in hospital she took in her stride.

She lived her entire life under his shadow,

But throughout his suffering she did not mellow.

Every single day she was there with him in hospital,

And do believe me that in itself is very brutal.

With every passing day his health condition started looking very grim,

But still she managed to never break down a single day in front of him.

It was always expected that his passing away would bring out all the tears she had so long controlled,

And despite efforts by one and all there was no better person from whom she would get consoled.

I know she will miss his presence every single day of her life,

And that is something one can't help as she was his wife.

Hopefully with time she will come in terms with his loss,

Coz that is something in words we won't be able to put across.

Every moment that we fell down its you we used to clutch,

For everything you have been to us mom, thank you very much.

I know that words don't express everything one feels. However i think i did manage to express some things she had been through in the last 2 months.

What's Cooking?

I always wanted to learn cooking and i have tried out small things every now and then. Going to China and watching my colleague George cook so easily, motivated me to learn cooking. Hence 2day i decided to cook a complete meal for myself as i was alone at home. So i decided to cook chicken masala, rice, and tomato curry. I had the recipe for chicken masala so i went ahead accumulating the ingredients for the same.

Chicken Masala (Time: 1:30 minutes)

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken pieces, 500 gm
Chilli Powder, 1 tea spoon
Ginger-Garlic paste, 2 tea spoon
Oil, 4 table spoon
Salt, 1 table spoon
Onion, 2 medium sized
Tomato, 2 medium sized
Potato, 1 medium sized
Green Chillies, 3
Coriander leaves, according to requirement
Water, according to requirement
Chicken Masala, 3 tea spoon

Preparation:
Marinate 500 gm of chicken pieces with 1 tea spoon of chilli powder, 1 tea spoon of ginger-garlic paste, & salt. Keep this as it is for 1 hour. Fry 2 chopped onions in 4 table spoon oil. Add 3 chopped green chillies. 1 tea spoon ginger-garlic paste, & 3 tea spoon of chicken masala. Fry this stuff for 2 minutes. Add marinated chicken, 2 chopped tomatoes, water, chopped potato, and coriander leaves. Cook for 30 minutes. Ready to be served.

Tomato Curry (Time: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
Tomato Puree, 2 table spoon
Onion, 1 medium sized
Coriander leaves, according to requirement
Water, 200ml

Preparation:
Heat 200 ml water for about 5 minutes. Add 2 table spoon of Tomato puree and stir it in the heating water. Add chopped onion pieces and coriander leaves to this mixture. Boil this mixture for about 10 minutes. Ready to be served.

Cooked Rice (Time: 25-30 minutes)

Ingredients:
Rice, 300 gm (according to requirement)
Water, 500 ml
Salt, 1 tea spoon ( Change according to rice quantity)

Preparation:
Heat water for about 10 minutes in a utensil. Wash rice 3-4 times to clean it properly. Add rice to this boiling water, and add 1 tea spoon of salt. Stir occasionally. Heat this mixture till rice becomes sufficiently soft. Turn off the gas, and drain the water from the utensil. Keep this drained rice for about 15 minutes. Ready to be served.

Hoping that the food has tasted good enough so that i can continue my attempts at cooking.

TRIBUTE

The last 2 months or so have really been bad,
As its been a very painful time for my loving dad,

He looked hale and hearty just a few months back,
But all his sickness and suffering just took us aback.

Never ever thought my dad would have to endure such pain,
But in the end it seemed he had to go through this without any gain.

He struggled all his life without any personal gain,
However his beliefs and ideas will definitely not go in vain.

When people are alive and healthy we take their presence for granted,
Its only when they pass away we wish if he/she would not have departed.

There were so many things i wanted to learn from him,
However by his physical absence this possibility looks grim.

I know it is no good pondering over what brought him death,
Hence am looking forward to doing things that would have made him happy before his last breath.

Earlier when dad was healthy and fine i had written an article on him. Click Dad to check that post.

DAD (18.02.1941 - 31.10.2006)

I had started writing this article as I sat with dad during his critical period in the ICCU of Nanavati Hospital. For those who don’t know, my dad had been diagnosed with multiple complications after being admitted to hospital. This was dads 45th day in hospital.

My dad was very fine till about the first week of September. However after I left for Pune, my dad had got himself admitted to Asha Parekh hospital for some tests after he had complained of chest pain. During his 6 day stay in this hospital he was diagnosed with chronic renal failure. In simpler terms it meant 90-95% failure of the kidneys. The only solution for this was performing an operation for setting up a fistula in the forearm by which he would need to undergo dialysis for his entire life by coming to hospital 2 days in a week. The doctors had updated that the fistula was not required at the moment and so they discharged him after specifying some medicines.

During the period of 4 days after being discharged from hospital, my dad developed rashes on his entire body. He complained of chest pain again and had vomiting and so the local doctor was called home a couple of times. On the following Sunday afternoon he complained of severe chest pain and hence we moved him to Holy Spirit Hospital. The doctors after performing some initial tests confirmed that he had some complications in his heart and immediately admitted him to the ICU. During this period his Fistula operation was done, however the chest pain increased once dialysis had started. As Holy Spirit Hospital did not have a Cardio Unit he was moved to Nanavati Hospital. My dad had been in Holy Spirit for about 12 days.

After being admitted in the ICCU of Nanavati Hospital, the doctors performed an Angiography operation which is needed to check if there are any complications in the heart. This operation confirmed that my dad had 3 blocks in his heart which was the cause of chest pain. So the doctors suggested a Bypass Surgery which would get rid of these blocks and we agreed for the same. The 72 critical hours after the operation passed peacefully, however because of his kidney problems some complications arose. He developed swelling around his stomach and the doctors passed this off as nothing serious. They treated this with some medicines; however my dad was wreathing with pain for more than a week. The doctors said that because of his multiple problems of Diabetes, Blood pressure, Bypass Surgery and Kidney problems some complications may have taken place. During his 23 stay here in Nanavati Hospital he was admitted in ICCU for about 75% of the time.

We had thought that after having come out of that 72 critical hours after Bypass he would recover. However God had something else planned for him. Till the 40th day we had hopes that he would be discharged and we could take it home. However the problems intensified during his last 5 days and he even did not have the strength to speak. The doctors had left hope on the 44th day and seeing the pain and agony he had gone through during these days, even I prayed that to god to give him death. My dad always wanted a peaceful death; however god had some other plans. On the 44th day in hospital he was put on ventilator because of his breathing problems. Me and my cousin sister stayed that night in hospital.

His Blood Pressure had started dropping throughout the night despite of strong medications from the nurse to prevent this. At about 4:40 A.M on October 31st the screen which indicates the Oxygen showed zero, and a red line came on screen with a sound and my dad just banged his head on the left side and he passed away. This was the first time I had seen someone dying and believe me it was not a good feeling. The nurses and doctor ran into the ICCU at the moment but it was a bit late. They tried their best to bring him back to life, however it was not possible.

The doctor then broke the news to me and I informed my brother and sister firstly. I then called my cousins and my Dads elder brother and wife went home and broke the news to mom. It was a very hard time for the entire family. After being in hospital for so many days everyone expected him to get well so that we could bring him home. My Mom had stood like a rock with him during the entire 45 days. She did not break for a single moment until the 44th day. It was expected that she would show all her emotions on his death and she cried her heart out.

One thing I will regret is that we could not bring dad back home alive. My dad was always telling in hospital to take him back home. When we told him we would take him home once he recovers, he always said I know that you people will take me straight to the Cemetery and no where else and that proved the case. The last 45 days were physically, mentally, and financially exhausting for all in the family. However my brother left no stone unturned in his recovery. It was only possible due to my brothers help that dad managed to get all this treatment.

We will miss dad’s physical presence every day of our lives. However his thoughts and beliefs will definitely guide and strengthen us throughout our lives.

What's in NEWS?

Reading a newspaper has always been an addiction,
But news nowadays is being published without conviction.

Personal lives of many is being used as a subject,
And i hope about these the editors become more circumspect.

Beckham's wifes growing bust size is being used as a vice,
And this is just being done to sell news with some spice.

Rape and murders are being addressed in a very cheap manner,
And i guess its time even these newspapers have a censor.

Newspapers nowadays contain more information about the people who go to party,
And if you compare every other day's newspaper you will hardly see any variety.

I have been really avoiding reading newspapers of late,
Becoz in selling news the newspapers have started showing their true trait.

Just felt like writing

I have not written a poem since a pretty long time,
And this is something i really missed as a pastime.

I guess one needs a topic that is really motivating,
Coz the best comes out when you associate with that thing.

Most of the poems i had written when i was really inspired by a girl,
And that was the time when thinking about her made my mind swirl.

I think poems are ones feeling that are felt by the heart,
And that is something i could not write with a broken heart.

But it's been a good time as i tried to come out of this situation,
And hopefully i'll get better topics to handle my emotion.



Note: Its important for the other person in ur life to love u as u love that person.

Windows of the World

This Sunday morning Sunil and his relative Joe decided to visit Shenzhen, the place where I and George were staying. We decided to meet at a place called Windows of the World which is a major tourist attraction here.

I and George went to visit them at the railway station. This place is known as Windows of the World because it has replicas of all the worlds’ famous monuments. At the entrance it self there was a replica of the Ashoka Chakra. As we entered this place, I did not realize it was so big, but at the end, even one complete day was not enough to watch all the monuments. We seen replicas of the White house, Twin towers, Sydney harbor, Niagara Falls, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower, Egyptian pyramids, Buckingham palace, and so on.

There were restaurants inside this place. So we had lunch at one of these food joints. I and Joe did not enough the food that much. This was the second bad experience if I may say with the food here. We had ice-cream and then continued visiting all the monuments. We tried removing our snaps with all these replicas. In between a Chinese girl wanted to remove her snap with me, for which I willingly agreed. There was also this father who wanted to remove snaps of his kid with us.

A day’s visit to this place was really not enough. We were taking breaks between all these sightseeing. Sunil had brought a lot of biscuits and cakes, which was a welcome refreshment on this trip. The number of monuments that were created were breathtaking and it had taken a lot of investment and effort to achieve this final result. This place truly deserves the attention of visitors and native alike. In between we also saw an Indian arrow shooting place. Here we had to pay a fee for purchasing the bows and arrows. I for one only managed to hit the target once in my ten attempts and that to at my tenth attempt. It was a feeling like: Better late than never.

We decided to attend our day by attending one of the final programs for the day. It was a stage show and they were performing acts related to the history of different countries. It was a truly enjoyable day and was worth every Yuan we paid for this visit.

Hong Kong

I and George had to renew our visas and so we had to visit Hong Kong. So we decided to go on 29th July. Abdul also decided to accompany us as he knew this place better.

So we met at Shi Ji Juan station at about 10:20 A.M. I and George had taken a bus to reach this station. From Shi Ji Juan station we took a metro train for Luo Hu. This journey took us about 40 minutes. This place is the border between China and Hong Kong and one needs to go through the immigration formalities here. Once we finished with all the necessary formalities of immigration, we decided to see some shopping malls in HK. So we caught a train for East Tsim Sha Shui. This took us another 40 minutes or so.

As it was already lunch time, we decided to convert the currency in HK Dollars and visited an Indian restaurant. We had rice, dal and chicken tikka here. (I know your mouth would be watering now, what with me always updating you about the food I had.) After lunch we went to some shopping malls. George wanted to purchase a digital camera, so he got a pretty good one here. I realized that HK was a really expensive place for shopping. All international brands were sold here and there were no sales right now. I did not want to return empty handed so purchased some toys for my niece and nephew.

We then caught a ferry to go to the main HK Island. Some of the biggest apartments were in this place; it was an 88 storey building. This place really looked spectacular at night. We then went to McDonalds and after visiting some places nearby decided to return for home. In terms of shopping, this place was not fruitful as clothes out here were really very expensive. I think if I ever were to visit HK again, I should make it a point to be there when there are heavy sales or else only if I am a millionaire.

Relationship Problem

During the conversation in Sunil’s house, we happened to come across some topic which was a bit funny in nature. Because of the Chinese government’s one child policy, many problems will arise in the near future.

Out here as the son/daughter is the only kid in the house, relations such as brother or sister don’t exist. Because the kid’s parents do not have any brother or sister of their own, the kid has no cousins. After the kid becomes old enough to marry, and when he marries he has no brother-in-law or sister-in-law as his wife had no brothers or sisters. So other than the grandparents on either side the kid has no other relations. So effectively a family comprises about 7 people. (Grandfather (2), Grandmother (2), Husband, Wife, and Kid). People here don’t follow any religion and also no one is interested in politics.

People here are only concerned with their economy and development. (Actually the root of problems in India which if I may say, religion and politics actually doesn’t exist there.) Another problem is China’s aged population. Husband wife have to effectively support a family of 7. Rising costs are adding to their burden.

Even though I see many advantages I also see an equal number of disadvantages. The kids out here are a pampered lot. The one child policy may help keep the population in check, but with no religion and small families and no brother-sister love, the kids become very arrogant.

The kids have not heard of god and have never felt brother-sister love. Can we live this way?

ENGLISH KORNER (18/07/06)

Last week while having lunch in the office I and George met David. He asked us if we were from India and we had a good conversation. He asked us if we could join him and others for a discussion which they have once a week. We decided to accept his invitation for the following week. They have this meeting every Tuesday after office hours in one of the meeting rooms.

As the following week Abdul also joined us, we 3 went to attend this discussion. They welcomed us by giving a round of applause and said they were really happy to welcome their Indian brethren. There were about 15-20 people here. This group calls themselves the English Corner. We formally introduced ourselves to them and they did the same. During this discussion I came to know why the staff in this company had English names. The company’s policy is such that when a person joins the organization they provide them with an English name. It sounds very strange, coz who would like to be known by a name which he/she had no relation with till they completed their graduation. This policy was in place so that when foreigners would come to their company it would be easier for them to remember the English names rather than the Chinese one.

The people out here were very excited to know about India. Some of the questions might sound ridiculous, but these were really asked. I am just stating some of these here.

Q1) Does real life in India differ from reel life? (This was asked specifically because they had seen girls and boys singing and dancing in Indian movies.)
Q2) If a boy has more money can he marry more than one wife?
Q3) Why do Indian girls win so many beauty contests?
Q4) Does the husband pay money to the bride while getting married or vice-versa?
Q5) How many servants does an average indian have in the house?

Some of their questions had us in splits, while for some we just didn’t have any answer. Though most of these guys speak in broken English, it’s encouraging to see them learning a language even though they know that it would hardly be used in the market there. Some of these guys were just learning so that they could communicate with foreigners and understand them. I know it would be difficult for these guys to improve their language as they hardly have access to English media. But did someone say, Nothing in life comes easy.

A GOOD WEEK (23/07/06)

George’s college friend Sunil Philip was staying in a place called Guangzhou which was about 3 hours away from our apartment in Shenzhen. He happened to return to this place after a vacation in India. So we decided to meet him on the weekend of 22-23rd July.

(Picture left to right: George, Me and Sunil)

I and George left on Saturday morning at about 10:30 A.M and we reached Guangzhou at about 2 P.M. We needed a bus and 2 trains to reach this place. Sunil came to receive us at the station. We clicked some snaps near the station and then took a cab to his apartment. The flat which he stayed was on the 20th floor of a 30 floor apartment. His apartment was the best that I had ever seen. A Chinese maid had cooked chapattis, baigann ka bhartha and potato vegetable. After having a good meal Sunil took us to a place called Beijing Lu, this is a very good place for shopping. All international and local brands are sold out here. I was hardly able to control myself and I purchased many clothes. We were there here for about 3 hours, and then we went to a shopping mall. Most shopping malls here are at least 4- 6 floors. We spend an hour here and then went to a Muslim restaurant.

The food was good. I had beef kebabs, mutton kheema, chicken with cashew nuts and afghani bread. (Is your mouth watering?) The staff here were of the border areas and one could mistake them for Russians or Kashmiris. After having this heavy meal we returned home around midnight. We watched T.V and I slept at about 2 P.M after we had our gossip. However George and Sunil happened to sleep after 4 P.M.

The next day morning we all got up late, had a light breakfast and then went out to see some other shopping malls. We had lunch in a Hunan restaurant. The menu included beef mixed with some vegetables, rice and soya pannier and some mixed vegetables. After this we visited one of the biggest malls in Asia. After this we went to Sunil’s office. He was the manager of this office and so he had the keys. We then sat for an hour and then went to his apartment. We left at about 6:30 P.M. Sunil came to leave us to the station. We reached our apartment at about 10 P.M.

This was the best weekend I had in China, and I hope this is the first of many.

A Week in China (16/07/06)

It’s been a week since I landed in China, and I have really enjoyed my stay till now. At the start of this trip I knew that food was going to be a problem here. However one week has passed and I have not yet had an upset stomach. Every evening my colleague George cooks vegetables and rice for dinner. So this was like having home made food. In the afternoon at workplace we order meat curry and rice. This food is spicy just like our Indian food. So the food in fact has been very good.

(Picture top row left to right: George, Me, Allan, Abdul. Bottom row left to right: Carrol, Grace, Joline and Jessie)

My office timings here are 8:30 A.M to 5:45 P.M, Monday to Friday. There are some company buses that leave at 8 A.M, about 5 minutes from our apartment. So I wake up daily at 6:40 A.M and have bread and jam, bananas and a glass of vitamin C juice. Every evening when we return from work, we head straight to the supermarket, purchase some vegetables and some necessities and then return home. Because George takes care of the cooking, I only bother to fill my stomach.

The workplace is good. The first thing we do after entering the office is access the Internet. There is an Internet Café in the office, as we are not allowed to send mails from our work seat. Lunch is from 11:45 A.M to 1 P.M. The lights go off prior to lunch indicating that’s it’s a lunch break. People here finish their lunch in 15-20 minutes and take a nap. People here bring their sleeping stands to office. They just open these and go to sleep. Other than the 4-5 people we interact with, the others don’t really speak English. People here only speak the local language, so if we have to communicate with them, it’s definitely not possible.

Shopping at the supermarket is easy coz all products have their price tags displayed. It is better if one is able to locate the product he/she wants than to try asking for a product. Allan our project lead has provided us with 3 sheets of translation. It basically contains some information in English along with its Chinese translation. So if we want to know which bus goes from any place to our apartment we just show that paper to the people at the bus stop. Allan has been really very helpful. From the first day itself he has been helping us out in many ways.

The only scare I had this week was during the Mumbai blasts. Because of the time difference between India and China, (China is 2:30 hours ahead of India) I had already gone to sleep. George happened to watch the English news channel, so he woke me up o update about the same. I called up home soon after to find out about their safety. By next day evening I was able to confirm that all my friends were safe. It’s sad that about 200 or more innocent people lost their lives, but it was good to know that people continued with their lives as usual the very next day. Cheers to Mumbai’s never say die attitude. God is there to do justice to what is right and wrong. I know that he is watching all of this.

Just want to end this article as it starts to rain here. I think its going to be a wet weekend. But I don’t think it’s going to have an impact on us as we have to just eat, sleep and watch T.V. for the next 2 days. Bye for now.

First Two Days in China (09/07/06)

I was going to China via Bangkok and hence I knew in advance that the journey would be a bit hectic. George Abraham from the Bangalore division gave me company from Bangkok International Airport. After we finished with all the immigration formalities in HK and China, we finally stepped into China. We needed 2 flights, a bus and a car to reach our apartment in Shenzhen. As soon as we had stepped at the taxi stand after alighting from the bus, Allan from the client company was waiting for us with a placard displaying our names. He took us in a local taxi to the apartment we would be staying.

The apartment we were going to stay was a fully furnished house. It had a T.V, Fridge, Microwave, Dishwasher, Washing Machine, Cooking Gas and a Geyser. There were 3 bedrooms, I and George decided on our rooms while in the mean time Allan went to get some drinking water for us. Allan was heading the international marketing division for the product they were developing. I took bath and then had Maggie noodles which George had cooked in the microwave. In the evening Allan took us to one of the employee’s house who stayed near our apartment. This females name was Grace and Allan was updating me that she was unmarried and was pulling my leg. Grace offered us coconut juice and we then went out for dinner. The people in China have their dinner by 6:30 – 7 P.M.

The hotel which they took us was only providing chopsticks, so Grace went out to a shop to purchase spoons and forks. Allan ordered mutton, beef, chicken and some vegetables. I just had mutton fry and rice, as I did not like the way the rest of the food was cooked. I felt bad in a way as I did not want them to feel that I was not enjoying their food. But being the first day I was trying to avoid having an upset stomach. We went to one of the supermarkets and then came back home to end what was our first day in China.

Sunday morning we both got up quite late. I had jam and bread for breakfast. George then gave me some cash and told me to purchase rice and cooking oil from the supermarket. I managed to purchase this after performing some actions as the people out here doing speak Chinese. After coming home George cooked some rice and added some cooking masala which he had brought from India. In the evening Allan came to our house and took us to some different supermarkets. We did some basic shopping and returned home. Think will have sausages tonight. That’s all for the first 2 days in China.

Ni hao (Hello)

A good opportunity has finally come my way,
And with this i hope my career will make headway.

For a project my company would be sending me to china,
And i hope i can execute my work with good stamina.

My boss says i was really destined to have this opportunity,
And this makes me feel that with this company i'll have a good affinity.

He says he would be banking on my commitment to this company,
And i hope the loyalty i show in years to this organization would be many.

I never had expected such an offer to come my way so fast,
And things are really looking much better than the past.

It's been only two months but i'd really like to admit,
That i am already thinking of making my life at Commit.

(Image Courtesy: http://www.chinasoft.com.au/images/nihao.jpg)

THANKS DAD

I am a person, who does not believe in specifically celebrating a certain day,
Hence am writing this poem after the occasion has already passed our way.

The occasion i am talking about is International Fathers Day,
And this is a topic that really concerns everyone anyway.

Fathers are generally really strict from the outside,
But the emotions that they have for us will never subside.

They face hardships all their life, so as to make our lives less stressful,
And when we achieve success in our lives, it really makes them blissful.

One thing they expect from us, is to be really very careful,
And that in no way , the family name is turned disgraceful.

Most of the things we asked them, they always tried to manage,
And now the only thing they expect from us, is to care for them in their old age.

Thinking about the times i've hurt him, makes me feel sad,
And such behavior from my side, is definitely very bad.

For everything you've been to me i am very glad,
And i just wanna say to you, thank you loving dad.

I GIVE A DAMN...

It's easy to identify when one is being avoided,
And this happens when people around u are a bit undecided.

This is what certain people have started making me feel,
And this can be spotted when people appear unreal.

Back stabbing is something i really dislike,
And this is something from me they are unlike.

I give a hell to this kind of behavior,
Coz with this one shows he/her is inferior.

There's a limit really to forgive and forget,
But i try my best to overcome this target.

I always thought i was a guy, who is jealous,
But with their behavior they really appear very callous.

This poem has been written in a fit of anger,
But don't get scared of me coz ur life is not in danger.

I as a person don't have a habit of talking behind peoples back, but have seen this behavior in many people. Why can't people tell what problems they have to the opposite person directly on the face than talking behind his/her back. It should not matter if the opposite person would get hurt. It is 10 times better than talking behind peoples back. What do u think?

TIME

What if each one of us is given 1440 rupees daily and all the money has to be spent on that day itself, because if you tried saving money for the next day, the money would disappear. You would then try to spend the money on things that could make your life comfortable or that could make you happy.

Similarly each one of us has 1440 minutes of time allotted to us daily. How much use do we make of this? Every minute that passes is lost, as one cannot hold time. However this time can be used to make people around us happy and to achieve things in life. Why do we hurt or try to create enmity between people, when the same time can be used for the betterment of people.

Why can't we spend our time as carefully as we do with money? Time is the most precious gift allotted to each one of us equally. One can achieve many things if time is well utilized. I really give a damn to what people talk behind my back, as i feel they are making a fool of themselves or are just showing how inferior they are. Instead it would be better for these people to utilize their time properly and see to it that what they deserve they get than to get something and not deserve it.

Do you agree?

A GOOD WEEKEND

Last weekend i and my college friends decided to meet at churchgate station and we had a good time catching up on those college days. We went about walking here and there, before finally watching Gateway of India, and having a good meal at Bade Miyan (Bade Miyan is in between Taj & Colaba Causeway, you can eat on the road or in your car and its open till the early hours of the morning.) That week turned out really well, so i decided in advance that even this weekend i would not stay at home.

Saturday morning the first thing i did was to attend a months mind mass at Holy Family Church Andheri, and i did happen to meet most of my relatives there. I then went to visit my school friends in Kalina whom i had lost touch in between when i shifted to Vasai. It really feels so good to stay in touch with friends with whom we definitely had a good time. I decided on saturday evening that on sunday morning i would leave for Vasai and meet my old building friends and relatives out there.

I did meet my relatives and i even had lunch at my cousin's place there. I met my friends in the morning and we decided to go to Suruchi Beach in the afternoon. So after lunch we around 10 guys wearing our shorts and with a football and bat and balls decided to leave for that spot. This place is around 15 minutes away from my earlier residence in Vasai. So we decided to catch hold of 2 autowalas and after some bargaining managed to convince them to accommodate 5 of us in each auto with a fare of Rs.10 per person.

Being a Sunday this place was very crowded. Parents with their children, boyfriends and girlfriends all seemed to be there. We located a spot at one end of the beach and decided to play football first. So we made two teams of 5 a side each and started with the game. Though i managed to score the first goal of this match, we eventually lost 3-2 when we decided to stop the game. We guys happened to be tired within the first fifteen minutes; i wonder how these footballers manage to play for 90 minutes.

Afterwards we just decided to clean ourselves by going in the water, though none of us was interested in swimming. My friends did manage to play a prank on me, though i was the one who had initially started with this when i lived there. We finally decided to leave for home at around 6 P.M. I then left for Kalina and promised to meet them again more often than i did this time. When i stayed for Vasai for 6 years, we hardly went for such outings.

It was definitely a good weekend and overall a good week. I did get an offer from my current company for a visit to China in early July. So the week ended with a bang for me as it had begun. Hope to have similar good weeks in my life.

ME: ENGINEER

I knew i was always a guy, who is serious,
But that doesn't in any way prove that i was studious.

Taking engineering as a career was a decision made by me in haste,
And that's one decision that almost made my career a waste.

Engineering definitely took me to very lows,
But ultimately i managed to clear it anyhow.

It's also true that one of the high points of my life was in engineering,
And whenever i'm down in life i think about this moment that turns me inspiring.

Engineering was something that seemed like a tough ride,
But it has definitely thought me to take things in my stride.

MEDIA: IDENTIFY YOUR ROLE PART 2

With sequels being in fashion, I thought why can't i also join the bandwagon. (For those who did not read my previous article: MEDIA: Identify your role) However the reason i am writing this article is to point out that the media seems to have lost it somewhere in terms of the news being covered. The television and print media share the blame equally in this regard.

What is the kind of news one sees when one watches T.V or reads the newspaper. Sex, Rape, Murder, Ghosts (Yes, you heard it right), etc. Instead of concentrating on issues that concern and benefit the common man, journalists seem to be broadcasting stories on fights between a husband and his wife over some family property.

A female artist (item girl as she is popularly known) has been in the new for all the wrong reasons since she entered the industry. With her dress sense and vulgar attitude she thinks she is a perfect role model for the aspiring item girls in the industry. Numerous cases have been filed against her for the way she presents herself. But for an entire 3 days, news on most channels and papers was concentrated on the way she was mistreated at a recent birthday party. News channels were giving her coverage, like she was some big celebrity and had never done anything wrong in her life. I'm not saying that this female deserved what she got. But it was clear that this female wanted some cheap publicity and she definitely managed to get that.

Another story involved some 2 lines about a uncle who was very concerned about his nephews life. He said he did not want his nephew's life to be destroyed. But the person showing concern in this case had actually killed his brother, the boy's father. Does this news really matter to the public? If the person was so concerned then why the hell did he kill the boy's father?

There's another artist whose songs are in the news right now. People seem to be crazy about his songs (Although all his songs sound alike.) There was some news being broadcast on T.V saying that in a certain village in India, people wanted a certain song of this artist to be banned, coz it was inviting ghosts. What rubbish is this, is it newsworthy?

What hurts even more, is the way certain news is presented without facts being verified properly. Concerns about a dead mans sexual preferences are being covered in newspapers, without proper verification. I don't know who is right and who is wrong. The person against whom allegations are being made is dead, he can't rise from the dead to prove this wrong. But what about the parents of that dead man, they have to live in society. Don't they have to answer and face people when they are enquired about all this? What do they do? Who is responsible for this, it's definitely the media.

With a big mockery being made on news channels, media seems to have lost it. Media is being used and abused by all the people who want to settle personal scores. Hope media is able to play a more responsible role in society.

Brainless Municipal Corporation (B.M.C)

Its been more than a fortnight, since the city was lashed by the first rain,
But lessons learnt by the B.M.C from this, seem to have gone down the drain.

They said that about the early first rain, even the meteorological dept. was unaware,
And there was no way, by which they could have updated the citizens to beware.

They said they had planned to deal with the dug up roads by June the fifth,
But since the last fortnight, the roads seem to have been filled with only filth.

People heading the B.M.C go about their duties as if they are brainless
Hence privatization of the B.M.C is the only alternative to avoid this mess.

Now as the B.M.C will not finish the roadwork even if they worked overtime,
Mumbaikars will have to be prepared again for another harrowing time.

UNCEASING FRIENDSHIP

As the last time time around, i was unsure about her feeling,
It was good of her to update, that our friendship would be unceasing.

Hey girl thanks for really clearing the air,
As i was actually in a state of despair.

Actually i was a bit confused by your actions,
Hence wanted to know what warranted your reactions.

I was feeling like, i was being avoided,
And i thought, about me you were still undecided.

Its good to know that as a friend, you are still concerned for me,
Coz u wanted me to stop thinking and writing poems on thee.

CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU GIRL

Hey girl you've been sounding very sweet of late,
And i don't know the reason behind this mate.

It feels good to hear such a pleasant voice,
And it definitely makes everyone feel nice.

There are many things about you that i miss,
And thinking about them makes me bliss.

But there's one thing that's still bothering me,
As i feel that you've still not forgiven me.

If that's the case then do let me know,
Coz i'll try to convince you anyhow.

And if you do feel i'm not worthy to be your friend,
Then do let me know, so that our relation can amicably end.

GOAL!!!!

Since a month or so there has been a gradual build-up,
For one of the biggest events on earth, the Football World Cup.

In our country where cricket is a game that is widely watched,
Love for Soccer as a sport is really not that far-fetched.

Youngsters and elders have been waiting, to watch their favourite stars,
As the love for this sport called Football, has no age bars.

Banning sex during the tournament, has been one of the coaches calls,
This is because they want their players to concentrate on the right balls.

The tournament started yesterday with a decent opening ceremony,
And it was good to see players from all countries in perfect harmony.

With goals being scored in the first match at a very high rate,
Fans like me would be hoping for similar results in every game.

(I'm supporting England, how about you.)

WHEN WILL EVERYTHING BE BETTER

The first rains brought most parts of the city to a standstill,
And this is because the government agencies lack the necessary will.

They are more concerned about passing the reservation bill,
While the state of the city, is slowly but steadily going downhilll.

Before the rains arrived, they said all systems were in place,
But the first rains had them running all over to cover their face.

The blame game started after the very first downpour,
This only showed what our power crazy politicians devour.

If things like flood could not change anything in the city for good,
Don't know what else could change the city in all likelihood,

AM I CRAZY

Hey girl i know, you might be thinking i'm crazy,
But there's something about you, that drives me frenzy.

I knew today, my work would keep me busy,
And chatting on MSN would be a luxury.

So i decided, there's no better way to start such a day,
Than speaking to a good friend, whom i think about everyday.

Her voice sounded real sweet, when i spoke to her today,
And i asked her about the reason behind this display.

She laughed it out, giving a very silly reason,
But i told her that she should be like this, whatever the season.

Speaking to her really made my day,
And i think i should do this everyday.

50 First Dates

Last weekend i happened to watch a movie called 50 First Dates. The cast of this movie included Adam Sandler as Henry Roth and Drew Barrymore as Lucy. Henry was a veterinarian at an aquarium in Hawaii. Lucy is a girl with a short term memory loss.

This was the result of an accident she had met with earlier in her life. She happens to remember everything before the accident. But every day after the accident is like a first day, meaning she cannot remember anything that has occurred in her life after the accident. Even if she meets some new person she forgets him/her the next day. Henry happens to fall in love with Lucy. The only problem is that he has to keep getting her to fall in love with him every time they meet. This is in order for them to have a relationship, as she never remembers the last time she met him.

This movie had many scenes wherein i was relating to our lives it self. The doctor who was treating Lucy showed a person who had a comparatively worse memory problem. He forgets a thing which he was informed about in 10 seconds.

In life we take many things for granted. We think that what we have is less. However do we ever compare ourselves with those people, who are not so lucky in terms of what we have? The other day when I had to walk through that stinking dirty water, I had become paranoid of my condition. I happened to take bath twice in an hour with dettol. But as my friend Denzil had pointed out to me in an earlier article that i should consider myself fortunate enough, as there are people who live on the roads, and don’t have the luxury of even taking bath.

The movie also had the father and brother of Lucy trying to make life easy for her. They knew that Lucy’s condition was such that it would never heal. However every night after Lucy went to sleep, they got back to work preparing for the next morning. They tried their best to see that Lucy faced no problem in living life, like any normal person.

How do we treat our near and dear ones when they get sick? Once we know that the person we love is having a problem, do we stand in their hour of need, or do we run away from the situation.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hollywoodjesus.com

A TRUE FRIEND

The other day i happened to think a lot about her,
And was feeling very bad for the times i've hurt her.

I miss her daily in some form or the other,
And this is because we are no longer together.

I happened to always take her for granted,
But now this makes me feel very dejected.

I know that i've always been a guy, who is jealous,
And it's my thinking & not her behavior that's made me callous.

She always said that she considered me a good friend,
But her feelings for me, i've always failed to comprehend.

After troubling her so much, she still accepted me as a friend,
And with time, my behavior is something that i'll like to amend.

GENERAL, O.B.C, SC/ST or NORMAL HUMAN BEING.

With politicians being adamant on their stand of passing the reservation bill, things in the near future are looking very grim.

Consider this particular scenario:

SCENARIO:
A doctor is caring for a patient with osteoporosis. The patient asks the doctor which of the following reasons is responsible for the condition. Which of the following reasons should the doctor state as the cause of the patient's condition?
A. General category peoples genes are responsible for osteoporosis.
B. Scheduled Caste (S.C) category peoples genes are responsible for osteoporosis.
C. Calcium and vitamin D deficiency is responsible for osteoporosis.
D. Scheduled Tribe (S.C) category peoples genes are responsible for osteoporosis.

Looking at the above scenario its obvious what the right answer is. (The answer is C, for people who really found it tough.)

The message i'm trying to convey is pretty simple. One cannot state that only certain people or to be specific, only people belonging to certain categories are prone to illness. When the illness being treated is not divided on the basis of caste, then why the doctors who are treating them be.

Why the hell does a student need to get advantages in the form of reservation, just because he/she belongs to a specific category. Are children born to General Category parents having certain advantages in terms of intelligence. If there's a scientific justification for this, then there should be reservation. If however the argument is, that the other so called backward categories are suppressed in some form, then it's very wrong. We have people that are financially stable, who belong to all comunities and categories.

Why not have a system instead, which helps the poorer students of society in terms of funds since the school level. Why do we only discriminate between students at the professional entry level. Reservation politics is only used to have a vote bank, and nothing else. Because by dividing people on the basis of caste, we are only going behind, while the world is moving ahead in terms of development.

It is not important, whether a patient with some sickness or a doctor treating the sickness, belongs to O.B.C, General, or SC/ST category. What matters is, that they are Human Being's.

COURTING EDUCATION

After protests on reservation were carried out for more than a fortnight,
The government realized that the situation was very airtight.

The government with their false policies tried their best to overcome this situation,
But the students however realized that this was another false declaration.

In our country where commissions are setup for basically anything,
And their recommendations are rejected like they are worth nothing.

How can the students trust setting of such commissions,
When the idea behind this is just to suppress the situations.

But with the Supreme Court warning the students to end their agitation,
The students have had to end their demonstrations on reservation.

And now with the topic of reservation pending in court,
Agitating students will hope their seats remain unhurt.

Hoping that the courts will make a ruling sooner than later,
And that the judgment will only make the education system better.

THE FIRST RAIN

Since last week there were signs of rain hitting parts of Mumbai city. Since yesterday night it started raining in most parts of Mumbai city. Lightning accompanied the rains. In the morning however the rains had gone, but it was darker than usual. Since i travel from Santacruz to Mulund for work, i noticed the impact even these first rains had on the roads. Water seemed to have accumulated in various potholes and at some places in Ghatkopar water had accumulated a feet high. I kept wondering what would happen if the rains were heavier.

Last years rain, especially the day of July 26th and the next week or so, no Mumbaikar will forget that easily. Every part of the city was flooded and many people lost their lives. I used to live in Vasai then. I too was affected by these rains then, however the impact on me was much less, as i stayed overnight in office. People who left office for home, never reached that day and most people reached their homes after nearly 24 hours of struggle. There was no power for 3-4 days in parts of Santacruz and other suburbs because of the flooding.

This time however, i and my parents had shifted to my brother's place in Kalina, Santacruz. I happened to be in office today between 9-5:30 P.M. The rain again started in mid afternoon in Mulund. On chatting with my friends i came to know that it was raining in Dadar and Goregaon as well. Power also went thereafter, however due to the presence of Inverters i had to continue my work. I left office exactly at 5:30 P.M. I normally get a bus for home at 5:40 P.M. But with the first rains the bus arrived at 6:00 P.M. I was lucky enough to get a window seat, and was only waiting to reach home.

During my journey for home, the bus was getting overcrowded. This was the first time i had seen so much rush on this route. I tried calling home; however no one seemed to pick the phone. Lightning and heavy rains continued till i reached my bus stop in Kalina. As the rains were heavy when i got down, and i had not carried my umbrella, i decided to wait near a Panwala's shop near the bus stop. However the rains were showing no signs of slowing down. After 20 minutes of standing, i decided to pack my mobile and ipod in a plastic bag and then decided to walk. By the time i reached half way to my home, there was knee high water waiting for me. I again waited for 10 minutes and decided on my next course of action.

I could not decide what to do, as i had seen earlier in the morning children shit on that road, and garbage stinking so much that i was spitting continuosly. Now i had to decide if i needed to walk through knee deep water in that same area. Some people started walking through this road. I could not wait any longer and decided to walk through. You cannot imagine what things were going through my mind as i walked through this water. I reached my building and guess what, one feet of water even here. I reached my home, but my parents were not there. (I guessed right, they had gone to church for novena as it was a Wednesday.)

I kept water on the gas, and made it boil. I put 2 tablespoons of Dettol in two buckets. In one of the buckets i put my shoes and the other bucket i took bath. I was just thinking what sickness i might catch. After taking bath, i decided to visit a doctor so that he could give some medication to prevent any illness. I walked through the building water again and reached the doctors dispensary. It proved to me my bad luck as the doctor's dispensary was locked. I guess the doctor did not come, coz it was raining heavily everywhere.

I decided to go to a shop and buy a bottle of extra dettol. I decided to do this, as i wanted my clothes, which i had worn in that stinking water to be clean, so that the next time round i could wear them. Here i come home again, and my parents had still not arrived. I decided to take bath in hot water again. I don't know what was happening to me, but suddenly walking through that water again made me uncomfortable. So i decided to wash my sandals in one bucket of dettol soaked water, and i took bath in another bucket of dettol soaked water.

I don't remember any other day wherein i took bath twice in an hour. And remember this was only the first rain. I am actually very scared as to what sickness i might catch after walking to that urine, gutter, and garbage water. Hopefully i will live tomorrow to read your comments on this article.

FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE

We have students protesting since two weeks on the road,
They are doing this so as to urge the concerned with a goad,
However they are finding it difficult to make inroad,
And we need to support them in decreasing this load.

Reserving seats on basis of caste is kind of an overload,
And such burden on students minds need an unload.
The impact of these policies will definitely be broad,
But no difference for our politicians, as their children study abroad.

These students need to be provided much needed arsenal,
As the cause they are fighting for is highly cardinal,
Politicians are thinking in a manner that is irrational,
And we need to overcome this by an agitation that is truly phenomenal.

Students protesting are being beaten like criminals,
And lathicharging is being done on a routine by policemen's,
Laws are being created by criminals in power,
They seem to have forgotten who allowed them to empower.

FIRST CRUSH

Colleagues you all might have had a crush,
After watching whom, your hearts began to rush.
All my friends i too was no different,
And have also suffered from this ailment.

In my case, she knew me very well,
But we just moved apart, without any farewell.
I met her today, after a pretty long time,
And she welcomed me, by giving a sweet smile.

On speaking to her, i realized i was getting nervous,
And i was hoping that it would not be conspicuous.
We happened to speak for a pretty good while,
And she asked me to come over the next time.

She looked much prettier than the last time,
Probably this was happening as i'd seen her after a long while.
Conversing with her made me think about the time we spent together,
Because memories of the first crush are always there to remember.

So guys and gals, did u experience such feelings after u met ur first crush somewhere. Feel free to leave ur comments on the same.

RELIGION & POLITICS

Religion and politics should definitely not collaborate,
As these end up ultimately in a very bad debate.

Religion is something where in a person relates to god,
While politics is something where in a person behaves like a dog.

Religion is associated closely with one's heart,
While politics is associated with breaking hearts apart.

Religion makes a persons life sweet as honey,
While politics makes a person think only of money.

Politicians always seem to have a never ending appetite,
And one has to be very careful as to whom next they might bite.

Religion is something that helps us respect others.
While politicians are those who don't even think of their mothers.

WHY RESERVE IF DON"T DESERVE.

They say they will make our country a superpower,
But now we feel we did wrong by allowing them to empower,
Coz when they start campaigning their promises smelled sweet as flower,
But after coming to power their promises crash like a huge tower.

Power for politicians is like an addiction,
So they want to divide us by creating reservation,
With such policies they won't get admiration,
And it's time to overcome such a system of administration.

Why the hell do they want to reserve,
When a person doesn't really deserve,
To prevent education from such abduction,
It's time to deal such unfair policies with proper action.

Agreed that the system has to benefit the poor,
But with reservation politics what is it accounting for,
We did not elect them to act as dictators,
And such policies should definitely be shown the door.

Why divide people on the basis of caste,
As it presents our country in such a bad taste,
Instead of making decisions in haste,
Reservations politics should be laid to rest.

SOMETHING BETTER THAN NOTHING

After receiving a severe setback,
I still had hopes she would get back,
And she didn't disappoint me,
Coz later she got in touch with me.

She asked me to let her know,
If i was interested in talking or no,
Coz she had thought otherwise,
But i said i would not antagonise.

I knew this from the very outset,
That it would be difficult to change her mindset,
And after my earlier conversation had made her upset,
It was time for me to come out of my closet.

I asked her after all this could we still blend,
To which she replied we can always remain friends,
She added as a friend she'll surely be there,
And for advice i need not go elsewhere.

TRUTH: LOVE HURTS

For all my friends who knew i always studied byheart,
I want u all to know that the poems i had written, were always a reflection of my heart.

It's true i always sent her messages that involved love,
As she never updated me that she really does disapprove.

It's also true that she sent me messages that involved friendship,
However i always responded with messages in terms of relationship.

It took me three months to tell her, that i liked her,
But she made it very clear at that moment itself, not to think about her.

I hope that she doesn't consider me a pervert,
Coz if that's the case i would like her decision to revert.

I had always wanted to take my relationship with her further,
But now i think its time for me to respect the feelings of her.

She says, she always treated me as a good friend,
So i feel its time for me, to not let this friendship end.

Friends like her are not found every day,
And i would like our cherished moments to stay.

I tried my very best, but i failed to commove,
This probably happened as i misunderstood her friendship for love.

I know it would be difficult to overcome my feelings for her,
But that would be better than to again try hurting her.

I called her one last time expecting the unachievable,
And her response was something that was always inevitable.

I asked her if after all this can we still remain friends,
But with no response from her side, sadly its our friendship that would end.

I would really hope that she does change her mind,
Coz without responding she does look very unkind.

VISIT TO A SHRINE

Yesterday afternoon i happened to meet my building friend, Roshan D'souza. He asked me if i could accompany him to the SHRINE of DON BOSCO'S MADONNA at Matunga, with his family. It was his birthday today. I thought what better way to start a Sunday and hence replied in the affirmative.

My family always visits this shrine once a year. However for the last few years i have not been able to accompany them due to some or the other reason. A visit to this shrine was something i always liked as a kid. After attending mass at this shrine, we used to go to their office for some contribution to the church. I used to wait for this moment, as the person out here used to give a handful of chocolates to kids.

However now times have changed and i feel i have grown spiritually in the last 3 years or so. There were times before this, where in i questioned the presence of god. However now whenever i feel down in life or even when i achieve something, i don't forget to thank god. I feel he always has something for someone, and it is wrong on our part to question him when things don't work out.

I have a minus point where in i am unable to concentrate for long times when people talk. However the sermon at the mass was something that made me think. The priest started his sermon with how a movie was made. He said there were 3 golden words that a director said before commencing a shot, these included lights, camera, and action. He said without proper direction the movie would not be created that well. He tried relating this to our lives.

He said "What is our life without proper direction". This line made me really think. Parents and family members play an important role in nurturing kids in the right direction. I thank my parents for always giving me what i wanted and guiding me when i did something wrong. Today is International Mother's Day, and i thank my mother for everything she has been to me. I would like to end this article by mentioning the Jewish proverb that i read somewhere, "God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers".