Hmmmm... and so like that.. am moving out tomorrow from the place that I had occupied for the past 1 year and 9 months. Hope the new place will bring in beautiful memories and better things in life ;-)

Reading - A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Nice Read on the whole, showcasing the lifetime and transformation of a Girl to a Woman and finally a Mother.

Her dreams and whims of life shatters when Mariam gets to see a glimpse of her father at the mansion's window. When the reality dawns in, she finds herself in a new town with no known ones around. The days of love and care ends for her when she fails to bear children and from then on its all about the pain and agony at both the physical and mental plane.

On the other side, there is Laila whose childhood ends when her parents die in that bomb blast and when Rasheed gives her refuge in his house, it is only an expected outcome that she would end up marrying him to retain the roof over her. But hope lingers in her life from the day she gets to know that she's bearing the child of her loved one, within her.

And this is the part which I loved reading the most - where her hopes are raised high and with time and days she shares them with Mariam, bringing in light into her lifetime too.

The story ends in that typical all goes well with everyone way (exactly what I like to hear :P) Though I want to put in here a bit of those final details of the story, am stopping myself so that the pleasure of the suspense and ending is not taken away from you.

Reading - From Sanyas to Marriage

I came across this story while browsing through .Thought of putting it in here as it raised an eyebrow :-)

A gentleman wanting to renounce the world took to Sanyas after the loss of his wife. He donated all his possessions to various charities and settled himself in a hut built by himself away from the city, keeping with him one trusted shishya and the started meditation.

He discarded wearing cloths but for a Kaupeenam i.e. loin cloth. He wore one and washed the other himself and left it to dry on the rocks for next day’s use. But after some time he found the Kaupeenam missing. He got one more and carried on. But after few days even the new one was missing. He asked his shisya to keep a watch on how a worthless object like Kaupeenam could be missing every other day.

The sishya found out it was the handiwork of a mouse which was dragging and dropping it in the valley next to the ashram. He suggested that they should keep a cat to prevent the rat coming. The Swami gave him some money to get a cat from the town. After that the menace of the mouse ceased but their problem increased.The Shisya had to go to the far off town and get milk for the cat. As much of his time was wasted in getting milk and feeding the cat, he suggested to the Guru that they should have a cow at home.

At the same time, some body from the town presented him a cow as ‘Go-Daan' (giving the cow free) to the Swamiji which he gladly accepted. The owner told him “Swamiji! The cow is pregnant and we should have an attendant to take care of it. I shall send one of my servants.” Swami gratefully accepted the offer. Soon after, the cow delivered a calf, and the milk was sufficient only for the calf. So they got one more cow. To look after all these animals and attend to the cooking and serving the growing number of mouths, they had to maintain a maidservant. She was irregular in attendance and needed constant supervision.

The Shisya finally told his Guru “Swamiji, the only way to circumvent all these problems is for you to get married. Your wife will take care of all of us." The Sanyasi finally had to become a family man, got married and settled down.

He told to himself “To get away from the family I became a Sanyasi. Just for protecting the Kaupeena, I have now renounced Sanyas and become a married man.

“Kaupeena samrakshanartham ayam patatopah"

One should not allow one's concentration to get disturbed and one's determination dissipated by listening to others' advice. Something worth thinking about I guess! :-)

It’s been quite sometime…

What to write in here, I have no idea about,
And trying to find that ‘bout,
I wandered in through here, the past few days.

Life is on its way…

Blooming and fading out is each day,
Mind is trying to find that path,
While heart is trying to restore faith!

'Round the Corner & Over the Walls

The way back from office would usually be a long walk inside the campus to that other end. Its nice to watch those people, along the way, getting on to their vehicles eager to reach back home; people roaming around in the campus taking a break after that long busy day.

And at this part of the year when all the trees around (mainly konna) are fully bloomed in, there is that yellow glow all around and the reddish gleam of the sunset adds upto the beauty of the evening.

The cashew fruit plants in the campus and on the way, are all bowed down unable to bear the weight of their yield for the year – the green, yellow and red combination is giving them a majestic look.

The mango trees are full of the younger green ones and the way they are sprouting up, all together in bunches, would look as though there is never enough space up there on the top.

Looking at the time around, I remembered my early school days. There was this farm nearby which was full of cashew trees and during summer, on the way back from school it was a routine to throw out some stones to get down a few ripe yellow fruits. My cousin, though smaller than me but with the strength of a man, was my companion in all those ventures. Later, on reaching home, we used to cut the cashew fruits each into 4 pieces and put them in salt water to remove the sourness. Obviously he used to give me a lesser share since his’ used to be that better throws, always!! :S

And yet another fruit that we used to sneak around for, were Cherries... and I used to love those not so ripe ones – green and the yellowish ones. There was this small tree in our neighbourhood and if not all red and ripe ones, there would be a few of those green ones atleast on it, always. I guess the other children around never knew the taste of the fruit, and me and my cousin would be the only ones peeping up the wall to see if anyone’s around, before plucking them all (ofcourse, the owner of the tree never knew of our little stealing :D)

As for mangoes, guava, sappotta and jack fruit, we had enough and more of those in our own backyards and so we never had to jump a wall or sneak around for them :P

Remember mulberries?? Hehehe.. we never used to wait for the fruits to ripen (it would be black then) and so by the time they turn from green to red, we would gobble them all. And as though the tree in our yard just doesn’t bear enough, we used to roam around plucking them over the walls of other houses in the neighbourhood.. (ohh what fun it used to be to jump around the walls.. :D I miss them)

And then there are those white and red Jambu’s (our own champakka)

Hmmm.. now I know why I am not much interested in Apples and Oranges. Having known the taste of all these fruits plucked from the tree and eaten right away; who can ever favourite the artificially injected fruits of today? :P hahaha

Signature Strengths??

Found this article in IBN. What are your signature strengths?

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/take-this-quiz-find-out-your-signature-strengths/89602-19-single.html

1. Love of Learning - You love learning new things, whether you are in a class or on your own. You find opportunities to learn wherever you go and what ever you do.

2. Bravery (valour) - You don’t shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. You speak up for what is right even if you encounter opposition and act on convictions even if they are unpopular.

3. Vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy) - You approach life with zest, enthusiasm, and energy - For you, life is an adventure.

4. Leadership - You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included.

5. Appreciation of beauty and excellence (awe, wonder, elevation) - You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and skilled performance in all domains of life.

6. Humor (playfulness) - You like to laugh and tease. You try to see the light side of all situations.

7. Creativity (originality, ingenuity) - Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

8. Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience) - You take an interest in all of ongoing experience for its own sake. You find subjects and topics fascinating, and love exploring and discovering.

9. Open-mindedness (judgment, critical thinking) - You tend to think things through and examine them from all sides. You don’t jump to conclusions and are able to change your mind in light of evidence.

10. Perspective (wisdom) - You are able to provide wise counsel to others. You have ways of looking at the world that make sense to yourself and to other people.

11. Persistence (perseverance, industriousness) - You work hard to finish what you start. No matter what the project is, you get it done in time.

12. Integrity [authenticity, honesty] - You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way.

13. Love - You value close relations with others. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

14. Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”) - You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favour.

15. Social Intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence) - You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

16. Fairness - Treating all people fairly is one of your most important principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people.

17. Gratitude - You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. You always take the time to express your thanks.

18. Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation] - You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

19. Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose] - You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe.

20. Forgiveness and mercy - You forgive those who have done you wrong. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

21. Self-regulation [self-control] - You regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplined person.

22. Citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork] - You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate.

23. Humility/Modesty - You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special.

24. Prudence - You are a careful person. You do not say or do things that you might later regret.

My top strenghts? Love of Learning, a bit of Creativity and Curiosity combined, Persistence [ofcourse! :D] Spirituality and Gratitude

My weaknesses? :-P

I guess it would be Prudence, Self-regulation, Forgiveness - mercy and Hope that needs all immediate attention and then would come in Creativity and Open-mindedness :-)

Lot of work to do for me. But I can always drop in to see what's yours, if only you would tell me them :-)

Resolutions - Are they progressing?

Browsing through some of those blogs and a little of my own ones, suddenly it dawned on me that 3 months of the New Year has passed by. The year began with promises within to wrap up in love, happiness and better days every day, all along.

But a review today only reflected the drop down and the new additions to that group of All Forgotten Resolutions.

It dint take long for those inspired days to roll over onto the depressing and sad ones. It dint take long for the newly found hopes to die hard. It dint take long for that happiness and love within to deteriorate as emotions of anger, disappointment and boredom.

What ever happened to those resolutions, am wondering. The promise to have the flame of happiness within, lit all along; the promise to step up and jump over the walls around; the promise to continue moving along and ahead, forward.

Anyways, the review has proved good and experiences would assist the movement ahead, I guess. So now that the shadows have cleared, the gleam of light is brightening up those promises once again, asking to give life to Life.

How about you? What happened to your resolutions? I would be happy to know about them if you would like to share :-)

Vaadakakk' Oru little space :D

A friend of mine wanted to do this Songs Tag. But since she is not interested in starting up a blog for this one purpose; am publishing in here her favourites ;-)

Late's Favourites
1. Onnam Ragam Paadi – cos its so very romantic ;-)

2. Aaro Viral Meetti – cos its melodious

3. Pacha Panamtathe – Nostalgic!

4. Unarumee gaanam

5. Arikil nee undayirunenkilennu njan

6. Vaathil pazhuthillode

7. Oru Kochu swapnathin

8. Vezhambal kezhum

9. Shruthiyil ninnunarum

10. Ambalapuzhai unni kannanodu nee

:D :D hehehe

All about the feeling of Music

Even if I listen to the same song a dozen times, I wouldnt be able to recollect the lyrics of it. The only thing that creeps into my thoughts when I try to remember the songs that I have listened to would be the feeling that the music let enter into me - if it was a nice soulful one, or those big bang types.

Nancy tagged me to put in 10 favourite songs. My all times fvourites would be those fusion and chantings and yet, out here I have tried and put in some of those Malayalam songs that I would love to listen to

Shyaama Vaanil -Movie Name : Aanachandam (2006)
Music Director : Jason J Nair; Lyrics : Kaithapram

Katte Nee Veesaruthippol -Movie Name : Meghamalhar (2001)
Singer : Chithra K S; Music Director : Ramesh Narayanan; Lyrics : Kurup O N V

Oru Naru Pushpamayi -Movie Name : Meghamalhar (2001)
Singer : Chithra K S; Music Director : Ramesh Narayanan; Lyrics : Kurup O N V

Ennu Varum Nee - Movie Name : Kannagi (2002)
Singer : Chithra K S; Music Director : Kaithapram Viswanathan; Lyrics : Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri

Chentharmizhi - Movie Name : Perumazhakaalam (2005)
Singer : Chitra K S, Madhu Balakrishnan; Music Director : Jayachandran M; Lyrics : Kaithapram
Ashadam - Movie Name : Mazha (1982)
Singer : Chithra K S, Yesudas KJ;Music Director : Raveendran; Lyrics : Usha

Aaro Viral - Movie Name : Pranaya Varnankal (1998)
Singer : Chithra K S; Music Director : Vidya Sagar; Lyrics : Girish Puthenchery

Mellayonnu - Movie Name : Manassinakkare
Singer : Jyotsna, Yesudas K J; Music Director : Ilayaraja; Lyrics : Girish Puthenchery

Pooja Bhimpam - Movie Name : Harikrishnans (1998)
Singer : Chithra K S, Yesudas KJ; Music Director : Ouseppachan; Lyrics : Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri

Vathil Pazhuthilude - Movie Name : Idanazhiyil Oru Kaalocha (1987)
Singer : Chithra K S; Music Director : Dakshina Murthy; Lyrics : Kurup O N V

Now for some of those Chantings/Classical/Fusion that I love listening to over and over again

The Other Rythm - Album Shankar Mahadevan and team

Sivamansapooja

Bhavani Ashtakam

Vaidhyanathashtakam

Madhurashtakam

Ashtalakhmi Ashtakam

Kalabhairavastakam

Sriman Narayana

Guru Ashtakam

Holy Chants

Hope you enjoyed my favourites :-)

Ten to One ;-)

The number tag - and for a change am taking it in the reverse order ;-)

kilos is what I gained when in b’lore during a span of 2 years


My favourite number



The day I got married



Cent of land that I own




No. of cities I have been to

years is the time I had to push for my dream come true

No. of companies I have worked in

No of times my bones were meddled with. A Spine surgery, Shoulder bone Fracture and a Shoulder Dislocation

No of Slam Books and Diaries I have saved

No of sibling I have. A bro :-)

Change & the tinge of Pain

Finally, after almost 2 years of a stay, am moving out to a new PG accommodation next month. Something that never happened in the past years whenever I moved out from one place to another is happening right now – a tinge of striking pain inside the heart at the thought of moving out from this place, which was my abode for sometime now.

The initial days when I came in here, the feeling was of happiness and enjoyment as it was all about a new job, new people and a new place of my own wherein I can endure into all those thoughts and deeds that’s connected with me alone. But it dint take long for the happy days to end and move up into frustrations of missing home and family and loved ones. And soon after that the frustration heightened into depression and took much lesser time for me to end up with a sad heart and boiling brains. In the mean time, this friend L joined me and got wedged at the listening end of all my sad tales, trying to work out possible solutions to the boiling issues of my life.

Right now when all the boiling kettles cooled down, I am going ahead with another change in life – moving out to a new place for stay. Not a big deal as such for I guess this is almost my 4th PG stay in the past 3 years.

But still, when all decided I unlocked the door yesterday, the knowledge that its only for a few more days that I can sweep into the alms of this known 4 walls of my room kind of made me feel home sick or rather room sick. Somehow this time am scared to take in this change, though it was much awaited since past few months.

I guess now I know why people are afraid of death. It’s like leaving a place that’s so very familiar to you - your body; to move out into that eternity that is completely unknown.

I guess its directly proportional – As Age Increases, familiarity increases and henceforth Fear of Change/Death Increases!