Contemplations Of My Notions

"Time Please" :)

2013-04-04T00:15:00.003+05:30

"Time" is the most valuable of all things that you are blessed with. With "Time" anything can happen. Alas! I always realize its value really late. This realization pops up in the high time that too and fades of with time eventually.

However, the realization this time is really pressing one. So many things, mountains of tasks, multitude of desires and millions of plans pending to be done and all of a sudden there is a timer that has come up. Until the moment the timer started off I was not bothered with a deadline for all the lovely plans that I had made for myself. With the timer set in action, there is a twirl of restlessness that has arouse.

With a titanic change in pipeline, it feels like time is passing like running water. Chaos, restlessness, dilemma and the sweet simple urge to stop the moment and live it to fullest fulfilling all my sweet desires and plans is what runs through the mind non stop. I wish my sweet little brain gets some time to accept the impending change and adapt to it.

This feeling is all due to one big weakness called "Procrastination". I have realized this way that no wish, desire or plan should be left undone for long, "Do what you love and love what you do", no matter what effort, time and resource it takes. Activities should never be left to be done in future. Make out time out of your so called hectic schedule for all the long desired interests and wishes. Else they'll stay undone for ever. Get them done, live the moment and relish the little experiences in life. These are what make "Golden memories".

A Child's Play

2013-03-05T22:02:00.001+05:30

Being a child was so much fun. Life those days was ruled by one's one wishes. Tantrums and naughty acts filled the canvass of life those days with a multitude of emotions and joy. Now, when years have rolled over and one can no longer be called "child", memories of those days still flash now and again. With time and age, come up responsibilities, commitments and restrictions. Time that was once surplus is the most precious one these days.

However, the monotonous lifestyle rips off the joy and pleasure over time. One needs to be active, engaging and creative to feel the essence of life. There is great difference between existing and living. People have been saying "Live life to the fullest!". But, in the chase of success, achievements, career and all worldly possessions, people forget to live their very own life. People can't afford to find leisure and relaxation. Every moment passed is accounted and comes with expectation of being spent productively.

Moments are no longer spent for joy and peace. Hobbies and activities have rusted in the attic. Life of this sort would deprive one of true happiness and enjoyment. There has to be a perfect delicate balance among the various priorities in one's life. Hobbies and recreation should be followed with interest and continues sans expectations of any achievement out of it. Else, it won't count as a hobby!

Painting would have been every child's favorite pastime. It is said to improve your creativity, enhance patience and refresh nervous coordination. Still, people despite of liking it, don't make it a point to spend even some time for it. With all the regret of seeing myself turn my life into a monotonous mechanical one, I decided to spend some time having fun and tried my hand at painting after a really long time. This left me with a painting that looks just like a "Child's play".

True joy of commitment

2012-10-04T22:53:00.001+05:30

I still remember my first day in VMS CDN, when I joined as a fresher, oblivious of corporate life and responsibilities. Yet I had a belief that I am on my way to acquainting knowledge and new friends.

First steps

It felt great to be out of the college cocoon and to work on a real project. I was excited about working on a really interesting concept of data delivery and services. The fact that I could learn how the giant World Wide Web and its services work made me more excited about VMS. Still I had a concern about working with new people, getting acquainted to corporate processes and all those thoughts that haunt every fresher.

Auld langsyne

The first few days at VMS CDN are really memorable. It was a detrimental phase which changed the way we lived. Days were no more defined by lectures and breaks, instead we started getting used to several coding and process related tools. Enthusiasm was high among the team members, everyone was eager to make a head start with VMS. From managers to Technical lead and SSEs to freshers, everyone felt a sense of commitment towards the team. Mentoring plans were framed to initiate knowledge transfer among the team members. It was great to see how availing the team members were when it came to helping each other with knowledge and competency improvement. The company of such dedicated and adjuvant team mates contributed towards the building of a warm team atmosphere. At the same time there was a surge of motivation among the team members to contribute their best, which in turn encouraged other member to do their best for the team too.

Magic of working together

Just like everyone else, I hate solitude and love to be accompanied. Thanks to Agile, it helped to keep solitude aloof through “Pair programming”. Being an Agile team, pair programming was put through in VMS. This really worked wonders for the deliverable as well as for the team members. With pair programming there was no room for un-clarified assumptions and knowledge gap. It was planned that freshers would be paired up with the senior members of the team so as to familiarize the fresh members of the process, the domain knowledge and all the strings that come attached. It was only through pair programming that we could gain more knowledge about the domain, listen to expert advice, learn from each other’s experiences and gain hands on knowledge on the tools that help in crafting high quality deliverable Apart from improving the team competency and deliverable quality, pair programming helped sew up a strong bond among the team members, who now started spending the most time with each other. This thrashed up all communication gaps and crafted a strong team.

Yes you can!

Doesn't it feel good when your team shows belief in you and stays by your side during every phase that you go through? Such was the feel that the VMS members had for each other. It was great to see the way senior members vested their faith on fresh talent, encouraged them so as to bring out the best. Contributions and innovations like CI compliance melioration, CI effectiveness were all the result of support and encouragement provided to the stakeholders. Effort and dedication never went unperceived. Team members were awarded and recognized for their achievements through several means including iteration level awards and honor boards thereby building up the team morale.

Coalesce of Work and frolic

As we know “All work and no play does make a team dull”, play and work were blended together in VMS. Dart, Carom and many more games were brought in to enlighten the team. These games had a refreshing effect on the team. Amidst strenuous discussions on efficient algorithm design and developments, a small game helped refresh ones thoughts and come up with better solutions with ease. Moreover amiability and cohesion among the team increased many folds through these games.

Scope for competency improvement

There were ample opportunities to improve ones competency through the numerous trainings that were organized. Knowledge sharing sessions on the project proved beneficial to understand the real time usage of the developed products. The CI issues found and resolved by the team were also sent across so as to help others resolve the same with ease.

Happy to help!

It is worth mentioning that the helping tendency of the team members has contributed to the team’s achievement as a whole. No matter what the situation, one could always seek help from the team members. The generous attitude of people to spend time on solving each other’s issues and clarifying doubts, even amidst hectic release schedules is admirable. Harmonious relation and interaction between the test team and the development team resulted in high quality deliverables.

Nostalgic School Days!

2012-10-02T15:20:00.003+05:30

Schooling seems the most difficult phase as a kid but as we grow up, we wake up to the realization that those were the most effortless days in one's life. One's schooling plays a detrimental role in molding their attitude. For most of you schooling would be the most carefree phase. I always cherish my schooling memories as those were the days when I did every silly thing that came to my mind.

I was lucky to be in the same school for over ten years and hence school was my second home. Knowing almost all your school mates and teachers personally makes you feel at home. Being one of the most notorious kids and yet being loved for your notorious acts makes you feel gratified towards the people around you. It was during those days that I found my best friends for life. Friends with whom I grew up, who were partners in all the silly crimes I committed and who were always there for me to rely upon.

Our school was really liberal and hence was very notorious too. With less of punishments and more of fun,we could learn things the fun way. Thanks to our teachers who made learning fun by coming up with all innovative ways to impart knowledge. There was less of reading and more of listening. English classes were the best for each of us used to feel bad when it ended and that was the only class for which we used to wait with super excitement. Writing surprise articles, playing skits, listening and comprehending to tapes and even recording our own radio show were some of the things we used to in our English classes. The thought of those things excites me to relive all those days again. There used to be group article and debating contests during English classes where we used to feel the spirit as we had to compete against the haughty boys of our class. Despite all those tiffs there was great unity when we had to compete against other classes. All the plans and plots that were done to ensure that just our class wins were awesome.

Troubling class mates, teachers and even principal of our school made those days much more exciting. Things never took the serious turn as even the school administration was quite happy go lucky. Most of the times even they used to have fun in all our notorious acts and ended up just warning us with a sweet smile. Over the years, the experience we had was priceless. Learning things the fun way and being full of the joys of spring was just amazing. The friends I made those days are my best friends for life. Knowing one another for more than a decade, growing up together, committing all silly crimes and having similar interests builds the strongest bonds. Those were the days. Full of fun, frolic and education, those days make us feel nostalgic forever.

Expressions

2012-09-13T23:26:00.001+05:30

Expressions are magical
But never just surreal.

You get what you see
and reflect what you feel.

Ever sheer with lucidity,
yet at times shoddy.

There is smoke,
There is mirror.

Its what you perceive
and its what you give!

Iktara :)

2011-11-23T23:25:00.007+05:30

It was yet another day at work, hectic yet satisfying day. Sauntering down idly while waiting for the very dedicated security guy to arrange for my cab, I decided to set some music into my ears. As soon as the lovely instrumental music of iktara from Wake up sid started off, I found myself nostalgic.

“Orey manva tu to bavra hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre

Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte....”

As the lovely song played, I could see myself down memory lane, memories and moments running down my mind. I realized the "change" around me and inside me in the past three years. These have been the most happening days of my life, I could feel the very first day when I stepped into this all new city, yet found it so amicable. New relationships blossomed and it felt wonderful to find great friends among total strangers.

Carried away by the song, I browsed through the pictures clicked with my phone and I could feel the change in the past few years. People, situations, relationships and thoughts have changed. I said to myself "Change is good"! Thoughts on how much change one can bring to one's own life was overwhelming. Life is all about doing the right things, yet things do go wrong at times. The essence is learning from events and adapting oneself.

Live the moment and never regret! Its all about being consent. Cherish moments and relationships, they truly add color to one's monochrome life. I felt all thankful to this wonderful song from Wake up sid for arousing in me the sweet realization of the precious moments in life! Iktara :)

and it goes on....

“Orey manva tu to bavra hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre

Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

(Nainon ko moond moond)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon

Anjaane raastein

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Sun rahi hoon sudh budh khoke koi main kahani

Poori kahani hai kya kise hai pata

Main to kisiki hoke yeh bhi na jaani

Ruth hai ye do pal ki ya rehgi sada

(kise hai pata… kise hai pata)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

(Nainon ko moond moond)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon

Anjaane raastein

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara..”

Black and White!

2011-07-31T13:14:00.008+05:30

They are contrary but are considered a clan and often spotted not much without each other. Interestingly this metaphor applies to human nature too. Human nature is rather very bewildering when analyzed with pessimism. Look at it with optimistic glasses and you'll find them relatively frank and apprehensible. No one is perfect and yes I have learnt it much.

I love analyzing people around me and used to have the habit of categorizing people as either bad or good :P. Yes, I know, whats on your mind now. But I am no longer the same. I am a bit matured now, when it comes to human psychology :). Bliss! Nevertheless perfect too. Analyzing people is pretty much a great experience. You get to know the constructive and destructive qualities. I have known people who love to put up a notorious cloak and talk about their mischief, yet strange but true, they'll be the first to help out a person in trouble, with a clean heart lacking any hidden intentions. Then again we have the so called "goody-goody" clan who never wait to think about ways to project their virtues and yet don't miss an opportunity to bad mouth others to depict their superiority over the rest. These superficial characters are hard to decipher but once you get to taste their medicine you will never fall for their ill plots. You can never feel aura with these people, instead there will alwyas be an air of hostility haunting you when you are around them. Don't be dejected, its not just you or me who have seen people of this sort, instead they exist everywhere. Whats life without a pinch of salt? Learn to handle them tactfully with a humorous attitude. Let them know not to take you for granted.

Hopefully there exist openhearted people too who have still kept humanity alive in our community. Support them and make them feel great for the virtues they hold. Yet again people are not perfect. These cherubs may come with their share of not so appreciable qualities. But still it can be assured that such characteristics will never be a threat to the well-being of others. Though imperfect they will always lend a helping hand when you so much look forward to it. Unlike the so called "goody-goody" one's who get lost somewhere when people look forward for help.

Learn to have an optimistic look. Life is not to make use of others. It is to understand and be supportive to others. There may be a joy of pride in pointing-fingers at others, but it deprives you of the self respect that is very much important for pride. Take people as they are. Don't trust anyone blindly with the way they project themselves, a good mould need not always have a safe shadow. Adding to this, a so called bad egg need not have skeleton in the closet. Good is not really good and bad is not totally bad. Trust the true sense of a person. It is hard to uncover, but once discovered will give you an eternal bliss irrespective of what the discovery was. Trust none blindly and don't judge a person by how they behave with you during the rosy days. This will give you a great outlook on the people around you and save you from falling prey to the plots of evil attitude. Everything is just black and white!

Its all a gimmick

2011-07-24T16:49:00.002+05:30

Years down with memories infinite

Wrapping bonds that no spider can weave

Time fades but moments engrave

You find yourself bonded beyond your sense.

Happiness is now being with your bonds

Its not what you made, but its where you grew,

The folks who saw your naiveness as a child

Your care as a kin and forfeits as a kith.

But they vanish time out of mind

It is just auld langsyne that existed

For none but yourself

Those were bonds that were just non enduring.

Its all a gimmick

All because it was sans trust and sans faith

Was bond that was never expected and wished for

Over the time they dont exist instead they hurt

Hurt with criticism and infidelity

Its then you realize it was all a gimmick!

Joy of achievement

2010-08-28T19:08:00.003+05:30

No matter what you do,

No matter how you do,

If you succeed,

There's no big deal,

But when you do what you love,

You feel true joy

Sometimes in life,

You can't do what you like,

Still you can try to like

what you do,

But still you'll be gleeful,

when you do what you really love.

But not all are lucky

to do what they love,

Still there's joy,

In hoping to achieve

the distant dream

to be fulfilled

in near future

So try to love what you do,

Still hold on to what you really love,

There'll be a day when you can do,

what you really want to do,

Still try to be the best,

at whatever you do,

who knows you'll like,

things when you feel the sense of achievement..

Taj - The Coastal Queen

2009-11-26T18:14:00.004+05:30

They came from the sea,
Like Mermaids whom no one sees,
They were all set to hurt the queen,
The queen of all hotels,
The serene Taj!

They were just some guests,
But were loaded with terror for the rest.
Terror engulfed the heritage,
De-voiding it of its tranquility,
Arousing in it all fears.

It was our coastal castle,
A home away from home.
At the sight of it,
My heart smiled,
But now i was seeing it cry.

Gun shots and grenades echoed,
Fire blazed high in the air above.
The Queen was still alive,
Calm amidst all hue and cry.
She was Taj! Our beloved Taj!

Wasabi and Golden Dragon,
the beautiful eyes of queen,
Were blinded with shots,
The queens elegance was slowly killed,
But still the queens heart still lived.

The Queens crown,
The heritage dome,
was burning like Rome,
While its bejeweled interiors,
were now left with burns and scars.

Pigeons were scared away,
never seen singing for the queen anymore,
the queen stood crying at its fellowmen's death,
and saw warriors shed blood to save her,
Staying mute with all the pain.

It was an attack to divide us,
An attack to kill the queen,
But the queen lived,
So did we,
Having gained the lost unity.

Patriotism bubbled,
Riots vanished,
Unity came up,
And the queen tried to cope up.
Long Live Taj, Our coastal Queen.

The Magic Of Positive Energy

2009-11-17T13:37:00.005+05:30

Ever wondered how you would have been if your thoughts were different from what you possess? Just imagine how your life would have been if you had thoughts contrary to what you have. The answer for me is and I guess for most of us would be that our life not be the same. It would just be totally a turnaround. So we realize that our thoughts play a prime role in deciding our lives. It is our thought that decides what we turn out into and what we are.

Our thoughts can be either positive or negative. In my case formerly it was totally negative. I always looked at the negative side of every event. I had a blind faith that i may depress myself by expecting any positive result, in the event that my expectation goes unfulfilled. But eventually, I started feeling that I am running out of hopes. I am running out of wishes. Then i thought, why should I stop wishing just considering, the fear of my wish staying unfulfilled. It made me feel that there is no life without wishes and expectations. Expectations and wishes are the roads to improvement. Only by expecting and dreaming, we will try to change our lives and ameliorate ourselves. In simple words, I started gaining positive energy since then.

One of my friends’ words on positive energy played a vital role in bringing about positivity inside me. This friend of mine always talked about positive energy and suggested me to read the book "Secret - The Law of Attraction" by Rhonda Byrene. Initially I was reluctant to think about positive energy and positivity. But slowly when I realised that I as lacking positive energy, I started reading the book. To be honest, I was totally moved by it. It gave a whole new meaning to life. I started feeling how drastically positivity can change our lives.

After talking so much about positive energy, I would like to tell what positive energy really is. In simple words, it is just looking at the brighter side of everything. It is about having a good hope and the feeling that everything happens for good. Now just think how many times have you failed in your life? Once? twice? or countless times? And what have you learnt from your failures? The reason for the failure and how it can be avoided in future, or have you gained the fear of failures and wishes. If the answer is latter, then it means you lack positive energy. So one has to break the binds of fear and start living with hopes. On should realize the fact that success always comes after failures.

To accompany my stand on success and failures, I would like to bring to your notice the success story of Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was just an ordinary person like all of except that he lived with extraordinary dreams. Right from his childhood he had been struggling hard to survive. As a child, his mother had put him up for adoption, and later he was adopted by a mediocre couple. As he grew up, he eventually joined a reputed college whose fees were too high for his parents to afford. Amidst such financial troubles, Steve tried hard to make a living. He could not even afford for a square meal. So he used to visit the Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple to take the benefit of the free meals provided there. Ultimately one day Steve just dropped out of college, owing to his financial problems and just joined simple free calligraphy classes for fun. Through those classes he learnt the magic of fonts and all their technicalities. Slowly, Steve started working on his skills and one day came out with the Mac. Mac was a great success. He incorporated the calligraphy skills that he had been acquainted with and created a milestone in the history of computers, “Fonts”. Just wonder if, Steve had not dropped out of college, would we have had the wonderful fonts we enjoy these days? Steve struggle dint end just with the success of Mac. He had much more to experience. Apple, the company founded by Steve, fired Steve one day. It was a blot from the blue for Steve. But the challenging spirit of Steve, made him start new ventures and finally he got his control on Apple again. Today, he is the messiah who has given us out of the box gadgets like iPod and iPhone, that will never be called just an mp3 player or a yet another mobile phone. In an interview Steve Jobs had quoted

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”

So friends, I would like to conclude that every one of us, has to be and need to be positive. Positive energy is the root to success and happiness. After all if we lack positive energy and don’t believe in ourselves, who else will?

Delhi Turns Boggy With Lashing Rain

2009-08-21T21:12:00.003+05:30

Indias capital Delhi drenched hard as it rained buckets this noon in Delhi. Waterlogged pits, Flooding roads, Cars turning into ships and uprooted trees were a common scene in Delhi today as Delhi witnessed a 2 Hour Marathon Rain. Traffic was pulled off, trees were uprooted, roads were flooded all owing to the lashing rains in Delhi. As it rained cats and dogs in the capital, the whole city witnessed a halt and all the buzz in the buzzing capital was hushed by the gushing rains.

Mumbai has been witnessing heavy down pour every year, but it is first time that the National Capital has witnessed a maniac rain. Most of the parts in the city were almost flooded in the marathon rain that started at around 2.30 p.m. Delhi received 74 mm of rainfall in just two hours. This heavy downpour brought the day temperature in Delhi down to 22 degrees Celsius.

The whopping rain left severe implications on various aspects of the city. Traffic was jammed up, flights were cancelled, roads waterlooged and low lying areas submereged. All this accounts for the poor civic maintance and the pathetic conditions of essential infrastructure in the Capital. While a Capital should be a role model to the nation with perfect civic implementations, the Delhi civic structure has proved to be stain.

Adding to the trouble was the Delhi Metro construction. The areas under Metro construction have loosened sand and mud already. The lashing rains have worsened the situation in such areas making them unbearable.

Traffic in the city jammed up for hours as roads were flooded with water. The unattended manholes and potholes in several places added to the pain of drivers. Cars and bikes were starnded in the midst of the heavy traffic for hours. Emeregency call lines were set up to bring the traffic under control. Public was advised to enquire the traffic status of concerend areas with the emergency traffic helplines before stepping out of their houses.

With the troubling rains, the city administartion got into troubled water for poor maintance of roads. The administartives started a blame game to get a clean chit for themselves. Authorities said they were helpless and the blame game began between the civic agencies.

Within an hour of the rain, there was chaos on the Delhi roads with reports of waterlogging on several key, arterial stretches, delayed flights, red lights going on the blink and choked drains. Waterlogging complaints were recorded in around 12 areas, trees uprooted in 14 places and traffic messed up almost on every bus road. Even flights out of the national capital were either suspended, rescheduled or cancelled. A portion of the new domestic terminal building was damaged due to the rain and a bit of roof fell down. This has brought to question, the quality of cnstruction in vital places like Terminals that must are expected to be rigid.

All that matters under such situations is the power of public. Public can engage in helping out the starnded ones and take initiatives to clear up the uproooted trees instead of waiting for the municipal authorities to come up and take clearing up actions. Such scenarios bring out the unity among the people of the city and will bring up the true spirit of the city. The Mumbai spirit is worthmention, when it comes to managing crisis like heav rains. Once when it rained buckest of 98 cms in Mumbai, causing, cars and buses to be stranded for more than 8 hours, the kind heart of the public reflected in the helping hand lend to the suffering people. Local people of the nearby areas brought food and water to the passengers who were grid locked in traffic. These actions restore ones faith in humanity and refreshes the commom bond shared by us, the bond of being an "Indian".

27 Dresses - A Dainty Wedding Fantasy

2009-08-15T20:18:00.009+05:30

Weddings have a charm of their own. Neverthless English weddings have a mesmerizing trait that no one can resist. I have always been fond of movies that are centered around weddings, because I love seeing the white, the pink and all the shades of purple and violet that dominate the color wheel of these wedding oriented movies. The whole ambience of these movies brings joy. The colorful decorated rooms, carefully dressed tables adorned with attractive table clothes and laces, attractive poles delicately draped in finespun lavender and white chiffons, lilies, all attractive flowers and abundance of white- the purest color almost make me feel swept off my feet for the English Weddings.

"27 Dresses" now tops my list of favorite wedding movies. It was recently that I could catch a glimpse of this down to earth story of a bridesmaid who longs for a day when she can be the queen - "The bride" and not yet another bridesmaid. The story revolves around a naive, down to earth girl Jane who has a very unique hobby of being the "Brides Maid" and whose wardrobe floods with heavy, vivid, colorful dresses that were once her bridesmaid dress for one of those weddings in which she was a bridesmaid.

Jane is simple, sweet and caring while her sister Tess is a city-bred, careless girl who just focuses on enjoying life to the core. Jane, a single woman who has served as a bridesmaid a shocking 27 times wrestles with the prospect of supporting her sister at the altar on number 28, despite having fallen helplessly in love with her smitten sibling's handsome husband-to-be. Jane (Katherine Heigl) has the kind of altruistic traits that everyone looks for in a friend, yet lately the perennial bridesmaid has begun to feel as if something is missing in her life.

One night, local newspaper reporter Kevin (James Marsden) spots the devoted bridal attendant racing between receptions in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and quickly surmises that her quirky tale may be just the story to get him off the bridal beat and into the big time. Immediately suspicious of the cynical reporter's motivations, Jane tries to get rid of Kevin just as her younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) shows up in town. While Jane has always put the needs of friends and family before her own wants and desires, she's suddenly prompted to reevaluate her priorities when her boss, with whom she is secretly in love, falls for her younger sister Tess. When Tess and Jane's boss George (Edward Burns) make plans to marry, the smitten younger sibling mistakenly assumes that her lovelorn older sibling will be happy to take part in the wedding. For as far back as Jane can remember, she has sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of those she holds dearest, but now that her heart has been broken, she's finally found the courage to be honest with herself. Now, as Jane finally comes to terms with her true feelings, her life begins to change in ways she never expected.

Slowly Kevin starts getting along more with Jane so as to learn more about her and get all her information that could fetch him more content for his article on this one of a bridesmaid. Kevin is very keen about his article as it will be the key to his achieving a better position in his firm and meeting the promise made to his boss. Gradually as Kevin starts learning more about Jane, he gets allured by her innocence and flawless care for family. At a point when both Jane and Kevin start liking each other, Kevin's boss publishes Kevins article on Jane without Kevins knowledge. Grief-stricken b the humiliation caused by the article, Jane starts looking at Kevin as a traitor who played with her emotions. Alas! Kevin who had decided not to publish the article, but simply propose to Jane finds himself helpless. Later, Jane realises that Tess has created a false personality in the eyes of her boss so as to impress him. Jane is shocked b this truth and makes up her mind that she wont let her dream man to be cheated by her own sister. So when Tess asks Jane to prepare a wedding presentation, Jane adds in all pictures that show off the real Tess, which is totally different from the kind of person with whom George has fallen in love with. Eventually, when the real character of Tess is showcased, George decides to break up with Tess.

But then Tess confesses to Jane that she had truly changed and was not the old regardless lass anymore. At this Jane repents on her mistakes and both of them renew their lovel sisterhood with all love ad care. Finally Jane realises that Kevin was helpless when an article on her being a "Bridesmaid"for 27 times was published and she feels true love for Kevin and decides to confess it to Kevin. So as usual, its a happy ending movie, with Jane's long due dream being fulfilled - es eventually Jane marries Kevin and she is blessed with 27 different bridesmaids for her wedding! :)

Eyes That Care

2009-08-08T23:44:00.005+05:30

A kind look makes the heart melt,

A sweet word makes the care felt,

But its the true love and seamless care,

That wins over hearts everywhere.

Look at people for what they feel,

But not for what they look,

Because what you see is never what you feel,

It is just like diamonds and carbons indeed.

Feel the eyes and feel the care,

As everyone seems to care,

But only few eyes really care to care,

And never lose the ones who care.

Look into the eyes,

That open up into the heart,

Trust only those balls that beam with care,

Not those that just look fair.

Trust in feel,

Trust in care,

For all you need is,

Someone who cares to care!

Scintillating Emotions

2009-07-23T00:02:00.003+05:30

Emotions are the simplest, sweetest yet speechless expressions of our mind. Emotion decides what you are and how you are. If you are too emotional then bliss! I am one of you too. Emotion is like a cloud of thoughts that cast their spell on us and dictate our actions every now and then. Having written so much on social and personal issues I decided why not write about something that resides within us, spreads with us and moves with us - yes of course, its our emotion.

Smile, Tear, Anger, Anixety, Surprise are all parts of our sweet life. These teeny-weeny feelings add a splash of drama to our life. Had there been no emotions, we would stay just as "zombies" - sans feeling, sans trust, sans sorrow and sans joy! Life without emotions is just a plain colorless canvass. Its the splash of emotions that bug out into our life that makes our life colorful.

Sometimes we are sad, sometimes happy, sometimes depressed and most times in a wild state. But have you ever tried walking down memory lane and trying to have a recap of your emotional joourney? All anger, all sorrow, all pain and all depression you had experienced would have in some or other way taught you a new lesson and that realisation would draw a sweet smile on our face when you visit your emotional journey. So never hold on to the minuscule sorrows and failures oof your life, but enjoy the experience of life. Get through all possible emotions destined for a human being and live life to the core.

The different activiteies that we perform are all the reflections of my emotions. I have seen m friends and family ask me what went wrong when I appear to be lull or agitated. Its because our actions are different, your loved ones know that your emotion is not in the normal happy state. You dance, you sing, ou jump, all when you are happy. You brood, stare, bite your nails (he he) all when you are glum. So emotions are like the keys of a key activetated doll. These keys of emotion decide how we dnace and how we brood.

Getting emotional is too good at times. Because it brings out the true person inside you. These days people seem to have moulded themselves inside some shield of perfection and indifference. Everyone tries to put up a professional attitude and pretend to be indifferent to the simple joys and feelings. But they forget the fact that enjoying all the emotions and drenching in all drops of tears and joy is the true achievement. Be happy-go-lucky, laugh, smile, enjoy, cry and even get angry (sometimes, not always!!!!). Experience all possible emotions and respect the emotions of our family and friends. Understand that people are never bad, people are never hurting, its just the emotion that makes them do that. Sometimes you may become a victim of your emotion and end up hurting someone too. So learn to understand the emotions of humans and respect emotions. Shade your life with all emotions so that ou can have some very interesting moments when you walk down your emotional memory lane.

Vincent Van Gogh has quoted out rightly,

"Let's not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it. "

One Life To Love

2009-07-17T20:14:00.007+05:30

I have always wondered what this Life is all about. Why do we live? What is the purpose of this life? and What are we meant to achieve in this Life? Success, Assest, Money and Family make up the priorities of ones life. In this wild-goose chase of achievements and assests, love and fun which form the essence of life are left far behind. The simplicity of life is buried deep amidst all the mercenary and stinginess that are plethoric in the current da world.

Fun, frolic and innocenece seem to have vanished into the dark woods. People no longer have straightforward thoughts and wishes. All people look out for his money and position. But why? Dont friendship, family and love mean anything? Is making mone and achieving success all that matters?

People are ready to go to any extent to achieve success and assests these days. One seems to have forgotten that succes is just a means for joy. Instead one sacrifics all joy and fun, just to achieve suceess. I believe such a life is nothing but plain existance. One needs to understand the true meaning of life, which is gaining experiences. One needs to enjoy and live every moment. Because time once spent cant be gained back, one must try to enjoy every instant of life. Life is to be spent happily no matter what. One has to learn to live with sorrows and failures and accept them as part of life. Everyhing wont be fine always, somewhere something may go wrong, so one has to cope up with such incidents and live life with the same attitude and spirit. People should leave behind worldly-minded attitude and take up a simple, sweet life. It is then that one can have the true fun of life.

I would like to quote one of Samuel Coleridge Taylor's quotes on life and happiness,

The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions -
the little, soon-forgotten charities of a kiss or smile,
a kind look,
a heart-felt compliment,
and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable and genial feeling

As conveyed in this quote, the true joy of life lies in tiny activities and events. Learn to pay attention to the tiniest aspects of your life. Everyday spend some time with your loved ones, give someone a compliment, appreciate someone for their work, take time to pamper yourself and take time to smile at some stranger. Enjoy every moment of life and make life memorable.

Magical Threads Of Trust

2009-07-15T22:44:00.001+05:30

Trust, is the one magical word that gives true shape to our life. Trust is the most valuable gift that we can offer to our loved ones. Have you trusted anyone blindly? Do you believe in blind faith? If no, then you have missed the essence of life. The sheer joy of Life is in blindly trusting our dear ones. "Trust" is that simple element that forms the gist of all true relationships.

Everyone loves to trust, likewise everyone likes to be trusted too. Trust gives joy both to the one who trusts as well as to the entrusted. But why do we feel happy when we are trusted? What makes us feel contented when we win over our loved ones trust? Is it a sense of achievement? Is it a feel of accomplishment? No! Its not! We feel happy when we are trusted blindly because we feel that our care and affection has been recognised. We are assured of the fact that our care is accounted for and is equally respected by the one who enjoys the care.

Relationships sans trust are just like sugarfree cakes. Trust is that fragile thread that strogly binds people together. I have experienced relationships in life that had no speck of trust, still they existed vaguely, but eventually ended up in no sweet memory and no feel of attachment. This is what happens to relationships that lack trust. Such relationships can better be referred to as acquaintances. Most of the times when we are in a new surrounding, we will be longing for trust and friendship. Initially we will be allured towards people who superficially seem to share characteristics and wishes much similar to us. We gradually get along well. Then with the passage of time, we start feeling that inspite of spending a long time, there is no emotional attachment and neither is there any strong bond with them. This is because this new relationship was based on similarities and not on trust. So, relationships that lack the principle ingredient of trust are just transient.

Now think about yourself, your life and the kind of relationships that you have built till date. The dearest person in your life will be the one whom you trust, regardless of the similarities you share. So it is not similarities of interests or thoughts that nurture a relationship. Its the feeling of trust and care that pampers and nourishes a relationship.

So, If you want a happy life and a happy relationship, trust in trusting your loved ones blindly. Believe me, there is great joy in trusting. All your obstacles and problems seem half intense when you have an entrusted person trusting you and supporting you at all crossroads of life. Trust in the simple threads of trust and enjoy the difference in your life.

Incommodiousnesses of Expectation

2009-07-15T19:51:00.000+05:30

Expectation is the simplest of human emotions. Expectation is just the simple desire to achieve ones wishes. Expectation reflects in every teen-weeny action and Expectation is the sole thread that holds up our lives.

But still Expectation is one of the most pain arousing actions too. Ever wondered why? Its simple, every sorrow and pain is the simple consequence of an unfulfilled expectation. Every heart knows that Expectations are prone to bring out sorrow, still each heart loves to expect. All this is because there is great joy in expectation. The joy of expectation always outshines the fear of unfulfilled wishes and that induces the sweet little heart to expect further.

In the initial stages of life, expectations will be more predominant. But gradually through our experiences with expectations, we realize the complexity of expectation. Then tardily we learn to supress our expectations. Still expectations never get washed off. Our heart still loves to expect, but the intensity and frequeny of expectation comes down. This is the common phenomena of human expectations and thats how our joy and pain are intermngled.

I wonder, how life would have been if we had no expectations. Sometimes when I stand staring at my unfulfilled expectations, I just feel why do I expect. Ironically, this feel never comes up when my heart bubbles up with groovy expectations :). Can't we live without expecting? Can't our life be void of wishes?.....I think the answer is no. Testifying my thought is the fact that ever single day we live is the outcome of our expectation. The simple and sweet expectation to see tomorrow. The subtle wish that one's wishes may take shape some day, it is this simple expectation that powers

In my opinion, the worst form of expectation is expecting care and concern from other fellow humans. Most of the times such expectations go shattered deep into the ground. At the same time we may also be the cause of hurting someone Else's expectation of love and care. While other material expectations, though unfulfilled don't leave a scar in ones heart, emotional expectations leave an enduring influence on the heart . So my simple notion of happy expectations is to expect feasible materialistic achievements but not emotional achievements. If at all we want to be cared by some fellow humans then why not show our umpteen care for them? Why not give all our expected care to the person from whom we wish to be cared? This way we can feel the joy of having cared and expressed concern. As we all know, there is great joy in giving, similarly, there is wonderful joy in fulfilling our expectation on some one else. It creates a habit of sacrifice and benevolence that arouse true joy.

This life is perked up by expectations, but its the feasible expectation that adds pep to the life. The happiness of life is just like a flower which can be watered by expression of care and love for others. Sacrifice and benevolence are the two staple ingredients for a happy expectation and a happy life. So, Live and let live!

The Bubble Life

2009-07-13T21:03:00.001+05:30

At times I feel,
My Joy is so real,
The very next instant I feel,
The joy was just ephemeral.

At times I feel,
The world is so pally,
But very soon I feel,
It bubbles with hostility.

At times I feel,
Life is so flowery,
But soon I realize,
It has a flowery life.

At times I feel,
All the feeling is so real,
But soon i feel,
Everything is surreal,
Everything is just a bubble!

Zubbles: The Colorful, Zippy Bubbles

2009-07-11T13:42:00.000+05:30

Who doesn't love bubbles? Those simple balls that bring up a subtle smile, no matter what. Bubbles are the simplest form of decoration, that create a sense of joy. It is because of the joy arousing capabity of bubbles that kids love playing with bubbles. Bubbles with their transparent texture give a whole new perspective to the world. The rainbow spectrum, the glossy texture make bubbles, the best friend of a recluse.

Shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, bubbles are a joy to children young and old. For inventor Tim Kehoe, however, creating a bubble with a single color that won't stain when it pops has been a 15-year, $3-million obsession. Two weeks ago, the world's first colored, non-staining bubbles, Zubbles, went on sale.

A lot of people "said that you just can't color a bubble," said Kehoe, "which is discouraging when that is exactly what you are trying to do." The use of bubbles for entertainment purposes was first recorded about 400 years ago. Today, bubbles are arguably the world's most popular toy, with more than 200 million bottles of bubble solution sold annually.
The simple chemistry of bubbles is that it is made up of two layers of soap sandwiching a layer of water about a millionth of an inch thick and Kehoe has foiled virtually every attempt to modify them. Bubbles that last a little longer or can be blown a little bigger have since been created, but adding color, what some toy manufactures have called the "holy grail" of toys, has remained frustratingly elusive.

Standard food coloring or dyes have no effect; they simply run down the sides of the bubble, creating a drop of color on the bottom. Other dyes can stain bubbles, but when they pop they also stain clothes, dogs and eyes, as Kehoe discovered during one accident. Other tests, including one for a bubble dye that washed out, didn't fare much better.

"I thought a washable bubble was a great idea," said Kehoe. "But the kids (of a large focus group) were covered head to toe in red dye. It looked like a scene from Braveheart." Eventually Kehoe and his colleagues found the three different classes of dyes that produce intense, vibrant and uniform colors. Originally, it took three days to produce what would eventually become Zubbles, but now it takes about 30 minutes.

Once a bubble pops, the dye fades in 15 minutes on virtually every material imaginable: concrete, leather, nylon, cotton and paint. Even easily stained material like silk remain unstained 15 minutes after a Zubble touches them.Right now, consumers can only buy blue and pink bubbles, although Kehoe says that he can create bubbles of any color.

Kehoe won't say which dyes he specifically uses for the colored bubbles, but in a 2005 patent application Kehoe listed chemicals such as alkyl metal sulfate and polyether. Kehoe also lists several other uses for the colored bubbles in the patent application, including plastics, soaps, shampoo and many others. That's optimistic, says Cyril Isenberg, author of the The Science of Soap Films and Soap Bubbles and a professor at the University of Kent. Isenberg doesn't think that non-staining colored bubbles will have any market value outside of a child's toy.

Still, the children's toy market is a huge and lucrative one, and even if colored bubbles don't have the success of their iridescent cousins, it was time well spent to Kehoe. "It's a good feeling after 15 years to see colored bubbles become reality," said Kehoe. "After eight years, you think, 'What am I doing this for?' but I am absolutely glad I stuck with it." Kudos! For Zubbles..:) Learn more about Zubbles at this bubbling site!

Secret Of Nazca Sand Drawings

2009-07-10T23:05:00.000+05:30

Mystery has a limit, but this mystery of the secret sand drawings at Nazca desert is spell bounding. The Nazca Lines are a series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana in Peru. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, these are largely believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 200 BCE and 700 CE. There are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks or orcas, llamas, and lizards.
The lines are shallow designs in the ground where the reddish pebbles that cover the surrounding landscape have been removed, revealing the whitish earth underneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes, and more than seventy are natural or human figures. The largest are over 200 metres (660 ft) across. Scholars differ in interpreting what the lines were for but generally ascribe religious significance to them. "The geometric ones could indicate the flow of water or be connected to rituals to summon water. The spiders, birds, and plants could be fertility symbols. Other possible explanations include: irrigation schemes, giant astronomical calendars, or landing for spaceships."The dry, windless, stable climate of the plateau has preserved the lines to this day, for the most part. Extremely rare changes in weather may temporarily alter the general designs. Now coming to the point, how were these enormous drawings made? In an age when there were no aeroplanes or no means of flying, how could such gigantic drawings, whose view is complete only from space would have been made? There are lots of such questions but still no answer.
Moreover, what was the purpose of these drawings? No big task is done without a purpose. So there must be some purpose for constructing these gigantic drawings. One theory of the purpose of the lines is that the Nazca people's motivations were religious and that the images were constructed so that gods in the sky could see them. Kosok and Reiche advanced one of the earliest reasons given for the Nazca Lines: that they were intended to point to the places on the distant horizon where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set. This hypothesis was evaluated by two different experts in archaeoastronomy, Gerald Hawkins and Anthony Aveni, and they both concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support an astronomical explanation.
There is another theory too that states that he Nazca Lines presuppose some form of manned flight in order to see the figures properly and that a hot air balloon was the only possible available technology. Woodmann actually made a hot air balloon using materials and techniques that he believed would have been available to people at the time, in order to test this hypothesis. The balloon flew, after a fashion, but there is no evidence in support of Nazca-era hot air balloons, and Woodman's work has been rebutted.

However these mystic drawings give a sense of creativity. It proves that nothing in this world is impossible. The creation of such massive painting in such a primitive age is a testimony to the result of determination and creativity!

Shooting Stars - Stars Of Wishes

2009-07-09T22:55:00.000+05:30

Astronomy and Astrology are both alluring. While facts related to Astronomy can be seen, the facts related to Astronomy can only be felt. Stars and Sky are the basic elements of Astronomy. And now coming to stars, who doesn't love stars? Stars are the simplest wonders of nature. Those gleaming glittering dots high in the sky that ornate the subtle, dulcet night sky. Talking about stars, I would like to draw all your attention to shooting stars. It is said that one can wish the hearts desire on seeing a shooting star and that the wish will be fulfilled without fail. Alas! I am crazy about shooting stars but have never seen any shooting stars! :(..It seems I need to make a wish to see a shooting star! :)

So what is this shooting star? Is one of those twinkling stars falling out of the sky? No! A shooting star or falling star is the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere. A shooting star is also broken pieces of meteors that have become broken off in space. So shooting star has nothing to with stars. It is just a meteor!
A "falling star" or a "shooting star" has nothing at all to do with a star! These amazing streaks of light you can sometimes see in the night sky are caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids falling into the Earth's atmosphere and burning up. The short-lived trail of light the burning meteoroid produces is called a meteor. Meteors are commonly called falling stars or shooting stars. If any part of the meteoroid survives burning up and actually hits the Earth, that remaining bit is then called a meteorite.

At certain times of year, you are likely to see a great number of meteors in the night sky. These events are called meteor showers and they occur when the Earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet as it orbits the Sun. These showers are given names based on the constellation present in the sky from which they appear to originate. For example, the Leonid Meteor Shower, or Leonids, appear to originate in the constellation Leo. It is important to understand that the meteoroids (and therefore the meteors) do not really originate from the constellations or any of the stars in the constellations, however. They just seem to come from that part of the sky because of the way the Earth encounters the particles moving in the path of the comet's orbit. Associating the shower name with the region of the sky they seem to come from just helps astronomers know where to look!

Still, the next time you see a shooting star, don't forget to make a wish! That way we can test if its just a myth or a fact. Anyhow, wishes surely come true, when we believe in our wishes.

Happy Birthdayyy Tooo Meeeee :)

2009-07-09T22:34:00.001+05:30

I am late....Oh no! I am late again! Why am I late for all important tasks. I am late to publish a blog post on my Birthday too. Anyways, finally I am publishing a blog post on my Birthday he he :). It was my Birthday yesterday and to say I was on cloud nine... :)...

When I was wished by my family and my dearest friends exactly at 12, my happiness had no bounds. I felt on top of the world..he he...What a feel it is...when people who make your world assure you that you make their world too! To be honest I had a fear that my best friend would miss to wish me...it was there until I could see them wishing mee...:).. and finally I feel blessed to feel the heartfelt wishes from my loved ones.

Birthdays are in a way a window to self realization. We can understand how we have been one whole year and analyze how to improve our thoughts and ideals.. Yet this Birthday..PINK was the theme. I love PINK and I made sure that everything that I get for myself this Birthday should be PINK haa :)

At the end of the day I felt blessed to have such a caring family and friends circle. I would like to thank my family and m friends who have made my life bEautiFuLl!!!! My life would have been meaningless without you all! Thanks a ton for being with me alwaysss!!!! :)

Can You See My World?

2009-07-09T08:46:00.000+05:30

I haven't seen the glittering gold,
But I have felt a heart of gold.
I cannot see the colors,
Still I can understand the meaning of colors.
But can you see my world?

My world hasn't seen money,
Yet its filled with thoughts of honey.
My world cant see beautiful faces,
But I can do feel a beautiful Heart.
So can you see my world?

I have never seen things,
But I have felt everything.
I have neither seen smiles nor tears,
Yet I have felt the true feel behind them.
But can you see my world?

My world may look colorless,
But my thoughts add all the splash of colors.
My world is like a poster,
Open for all impressions.
Yet can you see my world?

M world is seamless,
While our world is trammeled.
Imagination has no bounds.....
And so my world is boundless.
Still can you see my world?

Adios Michael Jackson - The Pop Connoisseur

2009-06-28T19:25:00.000+05:30

The pop connoisseur Michael Jackson's life was pulled to a tragic end on June 27, 2009. The world stood still when the king of pop Michael Jackson succumbed to a Cardiac Arrest. The death of Michael Jackson has left an air of mystery. The pop kings death came as a bolt from the blue to the rock-ribbed fans of Michael Jackson who were all set to enjoy Michael Jackson's live concert at London.

I am not a pop freak, yet I have a special liking for Michael Jackson. The reason for this is not just this music, but the fact that Michael Jackson was in one way part of my childhood memories. It was this pop king whom I tried to imitate in the very first fancy dress competition of my life! :) But today as I write this post on Michael Jackson's untimely death, I feel a rush of blood into my brain, a sort of hysteria taking over me. The fact that I am finding hard to digest is that Michael Jackson was a terribly unhappy man. But why? Why do the life of all celebrities end up on a tragic note? Why is a celebrities joy as short lived as a bubble? Why cant celebrities live happily ever after? I can now find the names of several celebrities rolling down my memory. The most striking celebrity fiasco was that of Heath Ledger, who was found dead in his room. Heath Ledger had committed suicide at a point when he was at the peak of his career. But why? All these "Why's" point to one single reason "Stress and depression". The celebrities get overwhelmed by their success that they find hard to cope up with the fame and success that comes to their side. At some point when they feel that they can no longer perform with the same zing start feeling the pinch of stress. They start pushing themselves to maintain their success story. Alas! They don't understand that success truly is short lived. In Hollywood and music, one day you are on top of the world and the other day you are just another old star. This was exactly what had happened to Michael Jackson.The celebrities always have theie own share of controversies that keep their press image healthy. But sometimes controversies also add up to the stress of celebrities. Michael Jackson had a series of controversies coming along his way. Finally Michael Jackson was found penniless,after he had paid all the sue amounts to get rid of the legal contoversies that we was pulled into. So, what happened to cause Michael’s sudden unexpected death? Since the autopsy was inconclusive, I think it’s reasonable to assume his death was drug-related, especially since police impounded his doctor’s car in the belief it may contain evidence, and especially since the Jackson family attorney says that he warned about that very possibility long ago. I personally suspected that his death was drug-related when the news first broke that he had suffered cardiac arrest, since a cardiac arrest and a heart attack are two different things, and since he was only 50 years old. What I find extremely unusual about this situation is that a physician was actually there with him, so a lethal drug overdose should not have even been a possibility. I therefore look forward to more news on that front.

I very much feel for Michael’s three children, who have lived an incredibly sheltered (and more than a little strange) life as a result of their father’s eccentricities and his fame, as well as his infamy. This is going to be terribly difficult for them, as they adjust to an entirely new life without their only parent. At the same time, they will be embraced by the world now, in a way they would never have experienced when their father was alive. I attribute that to what I call “Sins Of The Father Syndrome”, and it is, quite sadly, a phenomenon which is not unusual even among those who are neither wealthy nor famous. It’s just too bad that no one was willing to forgive Michael Jackson of his perceived sins when he was still here to enjoy that himself.

Rest in peace, Michael. I sincerely hope you have finally found the peace you were never able to find in this world.