Strong Enough - Sheryl Crow
God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I'd be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?
Nothing's true and nothing's right
So let me be alone tonight
Cause you can't change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?
Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave
I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
Just try and love me if you can
Are you strong enough to be my man?
When I've shown you that I just don't care
When I'm throwing punches in the air
When I'm broken down and I can't stand
Will you be man enough to be my man?
Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave
About Me
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Dont Be ..
Dont be
too squeamish
and timid
about your actions .
Life is an experiment.
The more experiments
you make
the better .
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
too squeamish
and timid
about your actions .
Life is an experiment.
The more experiments
you make
the better .
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Kitne Din Yaad Hai ?
Saying Goodbyes has never been my forte .
But kind skies have always been around to provide a gentle push in a direction ..physical or emotional gateways around the corner .
All week long - I'd been troubled with the prospect of changing places ..faces and comfort zones yet again . 6 months here in India . Over . One week in the offce ..One weekend with close friends . Can I live an entire life in 2 days ? ..one dinner ?
Last night I lay in bed watching a movie and heard something on TV ...like Farzeen would say . ..I had an epiphany :)
...Tees Saal ki Zindagi ..aur tumhe kitne din yaad hai ?
How many days do you really remember in your life of 30 years ? ..your first job ..first suit ..first salary ..your first kiss ..the first time you felt your heart beat wildly ..how many days do you recollect?
..10 ..15 ..30 pivotal days ? ..that you can close your eyes and recreate ..relive .A life of 30 years ...and all you cling onto is 30 days ? ...
Where did the rest of the days go ? ...
Everyone can count how many days have been spent ..but no one knows how many are left ...
well ..I Better stop writing and start making the most of the week left .
Follow me
Follow me everything is alright
I'll be the one to tuck you in at night
And if you
Want to leave I can guarantee
You won't find nobody else like me
Miles can never seperate us from our friends .
When we think of someone we love - we are already there .
There is no such place as farwaway.
-Richard Bach .
I'll be the one to tuck you in at night
And if you
Want to leave I can guarantee
You won't find nobody else like me
Miles can never seperate us from our friends .
When we think of someone we love - we are already there .
There is no such place as farwaway.
-Richard Bach .
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Survivor Rishikesh
Legend has it that there was a Hindu King who had performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice 99 times . In a fit of jealousy - Indra the King of Gods stole his horse from the 100th sacrifice and hid it in the ashram of Kapila Muni .The 60,000 sons of the King who came looking for his horse mistook Kaplia Muni to be the abductor and attacked him .
An Enraged Kapila Muni burnt them all to ashes .
Bhagirathi who was an descendant of the king was advised that bringing the holy waters of the Ganga down to earth from the heavens would bring the dead princes back to life .
Bhagirathi was rewarded for his penance and the Gange rushed and roared down to earth in all her form and glory . Destruction was imminent . Prayers were offered to Lord Shiva to save earth . Then Lord Shiva held out his hair to soften ganga's descent to earth . Ganga then followed her own course through the Himalayas down to the delta at Bengal where she finally met the sea .
Weekend of March 3th and 4th , we decided to go and wash our sins away in the Ganges .After a long week at work we all packed and left at 3 am early Saturday morning . As our bus made its way from Delhi to Haridwar and then through the meandering roads to Rishikesh , I can safely say that the 22 of us were completely unprepared for the weekend .
Our camp was located on a sandy beach on the banks of an emerald green Ganga who had mellowed down in the valley to be now known as the Alaknanda . Colored tents dotted the landsacpe and tall menacing mountains looked softer in the afternoon sunshine.
Soon After we left in our rafts on the expidition of a life time .
At one point most of us jumped into the white rapids and body surfed . Soon we made our way to a cliff in the middle of nowhere . It was time to take a leap of faith .
As I climbed on top of the cliff and looked at the crystal jade green pool - I thought to myself ..This is life . Me ..alone at the edge of a cliff and nothing but a soft breeze and thin air ...this is what man was born for . Not to drive a car ...or pay credit card bills ..or fix software programs ..to be wild ..free and one hundred percent unharnessed . I jumped right in and I dont know if my sins got washed away or diluted ..but I definately emerged a changed person .
We lay out on the beach at night ..sometimes singing ..sometimes laughing ..sometimes silent .Its like we'd known each other for much longer than the past few months in ways that cement and concrete cubicles cannot fathom.
The stars put on a special for us that night and much after the bonfire last burnt out ..the smoke and the warmth from the flames embraced us as the night grew darker and softer .
The way of the mountains is theirs alone . We may try and capture that kind of fortitude and strength in our houses and buildings ..harness the rivers in our fountains and emulate that kind of beauty in our materialistic worlds ...but for us ..that is just a bubble . The only way to really recreate that kind of pure beauty and peace is to capture it in the minds eye , carry it in your heart and hold it in your smile .So the next time you see a mountain ..dont try to climb it ..or move it ...inside close your eyes and be moved by it .
Heres some pictures :
Monday, March 20, 2006
SimpliciTEA
"Cold Tea Blues" "Pale Sun, Cresent Moon" 1994 by the Cowboy Junkies.
If I pour your cup, that is friendship.
And if I add your milk, that's manners.
But If I stop there, claiming ignorance of taste,
That is tea.
But if I measure the sugar
to satisfy your expectant tongue
then that is love,
sitting untouched, and growing cold
I'm one of those simple people who think that a good hot cup of tea will solve almost anything ..The English drink it at 4 pm with jam and bread ..the Indians drink it on the street in semi clean glass cups ..the Americans drink it sweet in the south and iced elsewhere and as I discovered this past weekend , the Thai drink it frozen cold with milk in it . The Rich , The poor , the smarts and the not so smarts . From the law makers to the law breakers , demi gods , farmers , feuds ,family and friends.
In the age of the mobile phones and internet , heres is the greatest leveller of all times .
Chai .
From Earl Grey , Wah Taj , Lipton , RungleeRungliat to the Orange Pico they drink in Bombay . Kullad, Cutting ,Kava : we love you all . A little bit of Adrak , Elaichi or Masala .Leaved , powedered or bagged .Teasim transends all.
They say that there was a chinese emperor who was boling some water and a strong gust of wind blew some wild tea leaves into his cup . And that was the discovery of tea . I cant even imagine how many things and facets I've discovered about my life over a cup of tea - through solutide or in company.
I cant imagine starting a day without tea .
I like drinking it when I'm alone . On cold wintery days - it makes being lonely easier . I also like drinking it with friends ..with crackers and cheese , marie biscuits or even without . Conversation flows or silence more comfortable depending on the mood .
It makes the rains mystical ..with pakodas and some ghazals...
Takes the edge off of a 11 pm jaunt at work .
Long Airport layovers , traffic jams ..even house cleaning bootcamps ..shopping trips ..all somehow culminate in that brewing pot .
Tea : whether its in a foam cup , a glass or a nice mug . Its mystical , therapeutic , refreshing and utterly necessary .
I think that no matter what the days or the weeks may bring , what battles life has in store ..personal or professional ..If I can wake up at in the morning ..make a nice cup of chai and start the day with tea , a newspaper and some thoughts to spare ..I'll know that I must be doing something right at least and that kind skies are watching over me .
If I pour your cup, that is friendship.
And if I add your milk, that's manners.
But If I stop there, claiming ignorance of taste,
That is tea.
But if I measure the sugar
to satisfy your expectant tongue
then that is love,
sitting untouched, and growing cold
I'm one of those simple people who think that a good hot cup of tea will solve almost anything ..The English drink it at 4 pm with jam and bread ..the Indians drink it on the street in semi clean glass cups ..the Americans drink it sweet in the south and iced elsewhere and as I discovered this past weekend , the Thai drink it frozen cold with milk in it . The Rich , The poor , the smarts and the not so smarts . From the law makers to the law breakers , demi gods , farmers , feuds ,family and friends.
In the age of the mobile phones and internet , heres is the greatest leveller of all times .
Chai .
From Earl Grey , Wah Taj , Lipton , RungleeRungliat to the Orange Pico they drink in Bombay . Kullad, Cutting ,Kava : we love you all . A little bit of Adrak , Elaichi or Masala .Leaved , powedered or bagged .Teasim transends all.
They say that there was a chinese emperor who was boling some water and a strong gust of wind blew some wild tea leaves into his cup . And that was the discovery of tea . I cant even imagine how many things and facets I've discovered about my life over a cup of tea - through solutide or in company.
I cant imagine starting a day without tea .
I like drinking it when I'm alone . On cold wintery days - it makes being lonely easier . I also like drinking it with friends ..with crackers and cheese , marie biscuits or even without . Conversation flows or silence more comfortable depending on the mood .
It makes the rains mystical ..with pakodas and some ghazals...
Takes the edge off of a 11 pm jaunt at work .
Long Airport layovers , traffic jams ..even house cleaning bootcamps ..shopping trips ..all somehow culminate in that brewing pot .
Tea : whether its in a foam cup , a glass or a nice mug . Its mystical , therapeutic , refreshing and utterly necessary .
I think that no matter what the days or the weeks may bring , what battles life has in store ..personal or professional ..If I can wake up at in the morning ..make a nice cup of chai and start the day with tea , a newspaper and some thoughts to spare ..I'll know that I must be doing something right at least and that kind skies are watching over me .
Monday, March 13, 2006
Winter of Change
Read this today on a co bloggers website - An Excerpt from Calvin and Hobbes:
"Since September it's just gotten colder and colder. There's less daylight now, I've noticed too. This can only mean one thing - the sun is going out. In a few more months the Earth will be a dark and lifeless ball of ice. Dad says the sun isnt going out. He says its colder because the earth's orbit is taking us farther from the sun. He says winter will be here soon.
Isn't it sad how some people's grip on their lives is so precarious that they'll embrace any preposterous delusion rather than face an occasional bleak truth?" (- Calvin, about to become aware of the concept of winter...)
I have my first pair of GAP jeans . Long and Lean . Comfort wear ..scruffy at the cuffs ..torn ..ripped and well worn . I hold onto them . Wear them like a thief of weekends at home .Memoirs of an era gone by , Friends lost and found ..trying to recreate the magic of being young , impressionable and comfortable . When it seemed like things were as good as it could get and nothing was ever going to be different .
Change . Ironically the only thing thats constant in life . Winter is the season I've always associated with change in my life . I guess watching the fall leaves flutter away as a cold October makes its way to an even colder December , I grow accustomed to it and get prepared for things to get topsy turvy .
Uncannily enough - less than 3 weeks left in Delhi , bang in the middle of spring theres no sign of the sun . Its been cloudy , grey and gloomy since last week . I think its the heavens way of telling me ...cry all you might ..Life is about to change ..meanwhile heres some rain to wipe your tears away .
I guess all I can do is hang in there . And try to not grip onto the present so tightly that I cant embrace the new people , new places , new challenges and new smiles that I'm rushing towards.
Like someone once said - Leaves fall every year and new ones grow in their place.
Beneath every changing surface lies an unchanging pattern .
In all the changing surfaces of mu life - I will be strengthened .
Amen.
"Since September it's just gotten colder and colder. There's less daylight now, I've noticed too. This can only mean one thing - the sun is going out. In a few more months the Earth will be a dark and lifeless ball of ice. Dad says the sun isnt going out. He says its colder because the earth's orbit is taking us farther from the sun. He says winter will be here soon.
Isn't it sad how some people's grip on their lives is so precarious that they'll embrace any preposterous delusion rather than face an occasional bleak truth?" (- Calvin, about to become aware of the concept of winter...)
I have my first pair of GAP jeans . Long and Lean . Comfort wear ..scruffy at the cuffs ..torn ..ripped and well worn . I hold onto them . Wear them like a thief of weekends at home .Memoirs of an era gone by , Friends lost and found ..trying to recreate the magic of being young , impressionable and comfortable . When it seemed like things were as good as it could get and nothing was ever going to be different .
Change . Ironically the only thing thats constant in life . Winter is the season I've always associated with change in my life . I guess watching the fall leaves flutter away as a cold October makes its way to an even colder December , I grow accustomed to it and get prepared for things to get topsy turvy .
Uncannily enough - less than 3 weeks left in Delhi , bang in the middle of spring theres no sign of the sun . Its been cloudy , grey and gloomy since last week . I think its the heavens way of telling me ...cry all you might ..Life is about to change ..meanwhile heres some rain to wipe your tears away .
I guess all I can do is hang in there . And try to not grip onto the present so tightly that I cant embrace the new people , new places , new challenges and new smiles that I'm rushing towards.
Like someone once said - Leaves fall every year and new ones grow in their place.
Beneath every changing surface lies an unchanging pattern .
In all the changing surfaces of mu life - I will be strengthened .
Amen.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
C'est La Vie
Waqt, Time , Samay is running ...and will eventually run out .
Most of us are busy everyday trying to outrun it . Stop .
Lets arm lock and enjoy it instead . Kal ho na ho ..There yet may be no tommorrow.
All my life I wanted the perfect ending ..to everything ..from friendships ..relationships ..vacations . But over the years I've grown to realise that true joy and laughter ..the real unharnessed kind ..and beauty comes from enjoying the imperfections that we find in the middles and in betweeen on journeys that we dont even know we have set on . That rain makes a wonderful addition to the perfect summer barbeque ..and that poems that dont rhyme and pictures taken on the fly capture some of lifes most precious and sensitive moments ...that jeans ripped while climbing the odd hurdle in lifes way make a wonderful companion on a lonely fall weekend and the occasional cloud on a blue wordsworthian sky also wants to play hide and seek ...paint splattered T shirts and hands sticky with chocolate are artistic in their own way and 5 drunk friends singing Free falling make a wonderful symphony and that even falling stars are mesmerising .
Reality is that most of us are more afraid of Life than we are of Death .
Life is too short to be idled away . Get Busy living ..or get busy dying . Theres simply no two ways about it . Like Isaac Asimov once said ..that if he knew he had only 6 minutes to live ..he wouldnt brood ..he'd just type faster .
So this one is for Life ..which is beautiful and precious and is here . Today .
Aaaj - Aaj ek sapna aur dekh lo
Aaj ek dua aur mang lo ..
Aaj ek aasoon aur pi lo ..
Aaaj ek hassi aur baat lo
Aaaj ...Kya Pata ..Kal Ho na Ho .
Most of us are busy everyday trying to outrun it . Stop .
Lets arm lock and enjoy it instead . Kal ho na ho ..There yet may be no tommorrow.
All my life I wanted the perfect ending ..to everything ..from friendships ..relationships ..vacations . But over the years I've grown to realise that true joy and laughter ..the real unharnessed kind ..and beauty comes from enjoying the imperfections that we find in the middles and in betweeen on journeys that we dont even know we have set on . That rain makes a wonderful addition to the perfect summer barbeque ..and that poems that dont rhyme and pictures taken on the fly capture some of lifes most precious and sensitive moments ...that jeans ripped while climbing the odd hurdle in lifes way make a wonderful companion on a lonely fall weekend and the occasional cloud on a blue wordsworthian sky also wants to play hide and seek ...paint splattered T shirts and hands sticky with chocolate are artistic in their own way and 5 drunk friends singing Free falling make a wonderful symphony and that even falling stars are mesmerising .
Reality is that most of us are more afraid of Life than we are of Death .
Life is too short to be idled away . Get Busy living ..or get busy dying . Theres simply no two ways about it . Like Isaac Asimov once said ..that if he knew he had only 6 minutes to live ..he wouldnt brood ..he'd just type faster .
So this one is for Life ..which is beautiful and precious and is here . Today .
Aaaj - Aaj ek sapna aur dekh lo
Aaj ek dua aur mang lo ..
Aaj ek aasoon aur pi lo ..
Aaaj ek hassi aur baat lo
Aaaj ...Kya Pata ..Kal Ho na Ho .
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Three Cheers for the Working Woman
Three Cheers for the working Woman !
You are wonderful and awesome .
You wake up every morning when the alarm goes off ...wishing you have
a few more minutes to lie in bed ...but then again ...Your dreams are
simple ..and most importantly...you have the rest of the day to make
them happen ..
So you wake up and decide what clothes make you look thin for the day
...cause sometimes ...when you're at work late ..it means eating
greasy pizza and take out chinese ...and you simply dont have 4 hours
to be in a gym ..or spare money for Botox .
It doesnt matter if you cant be superman ..You still find time to pray
and iron your clothes every day . It never ceases to surprise me ..the
impeccable dressed women at work ..who in the same amount of time
..(as the guy in the lobby wearing last weeks laundry .).managed to
get up ..pack a lunch box ..shower ..clean extra scraps off the dining
table ..iron ..make up and even co-ordinate shoes ..and you even
smiled at a few
folks in the elevator
You find time for your parents and your friends and many times when
you're home tired and lonely ..you still counsel your best friends
about how beautiful life is and how thankful you'll should be . You
still take 50 % of the blame for every failed relationship ..every
soured friendship ..and you even talk to half of thoes same ppl who
made you feel like nothing .
You never forget birthdays ..will always try to get a non generic gift
..occasionally volunteer ..and are honest with your friends about how
they look while trying on clothes.
You survive going to the car dealers ..and the guy at the gym who
tries to flirt with you ..and you take the world with you and not
against you .
You come home and cook for youreslf ..and even for a sick friend ..or
a lazy co-worker ..husband or ex -boyfriend .
..and You often wonder how this would be with kids ..and It will be
amazing ..because you are ..and you will make it happen .
..and when you go to bed at night ..you're not thinking about what
soaps play in the afternoon on TV ...or about gossip you heard ...or GAP'S latest fall collection. You
are focusing on your most extra ordinary ..challenging ..special
relationship ...the one you have ..with YOU !
So heres to You ..The Working Woman ...because you rock ..and you make
it seem easier than what it is ..!
You are wonderful and awesome .
You wake up every morning when the alarm goes off ...wishing you have
a few more minutes to lie in bed ...but then again ...Your dreams are
simple ..and most importantly...you have the rest of the day to make
them happen ..
So you wake up and decide what clothes make you look thin for the day
...cause sometimes ...when you're at work late ..it means eating
greasy pizza and take out chinese ...and you simply dont have 4 hours
to be in a gym ..or spare money for Botox .
It doesnt matter if you cant be superman ..You still find time to pray
and iron your clothes every day . It never ceases to surprise me ..the
impeccable dressed women at work ..who in the same amount of time
..(as the guy in the lobby wearing last weeks laundry .).managed to
get up ..pack a lunch box ..shower ..clean extra scraps off the dining
table ..iron ..make up and even co-ordinate shoes ..and you even
smiled at a few
folks in the elevator
You find time for your parents and your friends and many times when
you're home tired and lonely ..you still counsel your best friends
about how beautiful life is and how thankful you'll should be . You
still take 50 % of the blame for every failed relationship ..every
soured friendship ..and you even talk to half of thoes same ppl who
made you feel like nothing .
You never forget birthdays ..will always try to get a non generic gift
..occasionally volunteer ..and are honest with your friends about how
they look while trying on clothes.
You survive going to the car dealers ..and the guy at the gym who
tries to flirt with you ..and you take the world with you and not
against you .
You come home and cook for youreslf ..and even for a sick friend ..or
a lazy co-worker ..husband or ex -boyfriend .
..and You often wonder how this would be with kids ..and It will be
amazing ..because you are ..and you will make it happen .
..and when you go to bed at night ..you're not thinking about what
soaps play in the afternoon on TV ...or about gossip you heard ...or GAP'S latest fall collection. You
are focusing on your most extra ordinary ..challenging ..special
relationship ...the one you have ..with YOU !
So heres to You ..The Working Woman ...because you rock ..and you make
it seem easier than what it is ..!
Monday, March 06, 2006
Tea Bag
I may seem like a strange cup of tea
..But if its okay with you , then its okay with me
Anonymous
Ages ago - the Chinese read tea leaves to preempt disaster and forsee fortune and intercept the hand of destiny .
I've realised that right here is the place where all the action is ..where lives are changing and I'm not going to read tea leaves to figure out what tommorrow holds .
How I spend my minutes is going to be how I spend my days . And after all how I spend my days is how I spend my life .I'm going to read the newspaper and focus on today's headlines instead .
Today I will be a Tea Bag .
Time may seem limitless but theres just a finite number of times certain experiences are going to come my way . Like looking at the Moon shine over the Ganga in the mountains - or watching a new born baby smile ..or going to sleep so tired at night that I cant feel my toes.
Instead of waking up in the morning and asking for experiences I can handle ..I'm going to say ..send me whetever new battles you may ..but also let me find the strenght to face them ..today .
So today - I'm a Tea Bag . Throw me into hot water and I'll show you what I've got .
I'm going to lie back ..soak in the wonders ..add my own flavor and enjoy the swim.
I'm a little Tea Bag .
..But if its okay with you , then its okay with me
Anonymous
Ages ago - the Chinese read tea leaves to preempt disaster and forsee fortune and intercept the hand of destiny .
I've realised that right here is the place where all the action is ..where lives are changing and I'm not going to read tea leaves to figure out what tommorrow holds .
How I spend my minutes is going to be how I spend my days . And after all how I spend my days is how I spend my life .I'm going to read the newspaper and focus on today's headlines instead .
Today I will be a Tea Bag .
Time may seem limitless but theres just a finite number of times certain experiences are going to come my way . Like looking at the Moon shine over the Ganga in the mountains - or watching a new born baby smile ..or going to sleep so tired at night that I cant feel my toes.
Instead of waking up in the morning and asking for experiences I can handle ..I'm going to say ..send me whetever new battles you may ..but also let me find the strenght to face them ..today .
So today - I'm a Tea Bag . Throw me into hot water and I'll show you what I've got .
I'm going to lie back ..soak in the wonders ..add my own flavor and enjoy the swim.
I'm a little Tea Bag .
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Tea House of the August Moon
The Tea House of the August Moon
The Tea House of the August Moon is a restaurant inspired by tea houses many eons away.A place that is as much a conservatory to the finest cusisne as it is to virtues most definately Chinese.The Tea House of the August Moon celebrates various facets of life .The inexorable spirit,Unbrindled happiness,resilient harmony ,boisterous tranquility..that Life brings with it .
Welcome to Life .
If you are ever in Delhi - at the end of a long day ..preferably mid week where you are just looking for a sign to tell you that much joy can find its way into your world before the weekend and if traffic , car honks ,clicking keyboards and mundane work activities have you feeling lessinspired than you should be on a cool wednesday evening ...Take a step back and go to the Tea House of the August Moon .
Wooden Dragon Heads line the ceilings , goldfish swimming in pools and a quaint bridge mid floor . Not to mention the Haunting Music , Amazing Food and Lighting will make a 60 hour work week seem absolutely worth it .
Last night we made our way there ..unexpectedly . For me ..this was a place I had wanted to go to for years now .Having seen it in a Taj Brochure that my Dad received in the mail when I was in High School . With a name as romantic and passionate as that - you know how Kau would be smitten .
Later at night I was talking to a friend of mine telling him how much I enjoyed the experience and he said ..it was even named after the moon :) True on that count .
I loved the Menu Cards . They had quotations all over and honestly I was so tempted to take one home . I would definately recommend a Dekho and while you are there
..definately give the "Lotus Stems in Honey Chilli Sauce " a try .
Kau's promise , you wont regret it .
We were 10 of us , all from different parts of the world ...who had come together by force , factor and reason . And at the Tea House on the August Moon - on a late silvery night in early March , we were a part of its boisterous tranquility .
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
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