This morning i rode out of bed straight into the woods back door and stopped by the brook. I bent over to take a sip of the dazzling clear water when i got knocked over by a giant who laughed heartily as i went down the river with the current through rapids and finally plummeted down the edge of the cliff.
As i fell, everything slowed down and a school of sparrows caught me by my hair and carried me to terrafirma. My feet planted wide, i steadied myself and dusted off the dirt from my clothes. I then looked around to thank the Sparrow Prince on whose orders his feathered friends had saved me.
My heart that by then had been beating all over the place jumped back up my throat and stifled my scream.
I realise I was under the shadow of a huge bill board with blazing lights that blared music from bugs bunny cartoons.
The sign read
"difference between fact and fiction?
fiction is expected to make sense!"
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
in the glory of a moonlit night
When moonlight shines from above,
the ripples in the lake appear
like a staircase of tiny steps
tempting you to cross over
Cross over to the delights hidden
behind the dark curtain
that awaits you at the horizon.
Oh how I wish i cross that lake.
How i wish I would be set free...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sword of Damocles in the 21st Century
Let me tell you a small story.
There was once a cruel king called Dionysius. He was so dreaded amongst his own people that they wished he him dead.
But as all kings are, Dionysius lived in the lap of luxury and waited upon by a hundred servants.
Among his courtiers was Damocles who envied the king and exclaimed, "you have everything a man could wish for. I'd die a happy man if i could live your life for just one day."
Dionysius granted him his wish.
The next day, Damocles was treated as master of the palace and had all his whims fulfilled. However, when he sat down to dine, sometime during the scrumptious meal, his eyes were drawn to the ceiling.
Damocles felt his blood chill, and cried out "that sword!" "That sword!"
Dionysius replied, "so what if there is a sword above your head? Do you not see the bounty laid before you? The golden carpets with ivory tables carrying the sweetest of wines and the best of fruit; the most luscious meats and the most delicious sweets?
Damocles shivered and cried, "but I fear for my life."
Dionysius replied, "just as i fear for mine every second of my life."
That my friends is the tale of the 'Sword of Damocles.'
Above the terrorist threats and epidemics hangs a Bigger Damocles Sword -
CLIMATE CHANGE.
The future of the world is unpredictable. Global warming will change all our lives. For the worse. What do we do?
Here are some facts and projections on water and climate change:
-- Temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 Fahrenheit) and sea levels by between 18 cm and 59 cm (7 inches and 23 inches) this century, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
-- Climate change model simulations for the 21st century see increased precipitation at high latitudes and tropical areas; decreased rainfall in sub-tropical regions.
-- Warming in the western U.S. mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduce summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources.
-- Major challenges are projected for U.S. crops near the warm end of their suitable range or which depend on highly utilized water resources.
-- In southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen conditions like high temperatures and drought, and reduce available water, hydropower potential, summer tourism and crops in general.
-- In Latin America, productivity of some important crops will decrease, while disappearance of glaciers in the Andes will affect water supplies for human consumption.
-- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
-- In Asia, by the 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease.
-- Australia's drought, which helped spark the country's deadliest bushfire disaster in early 2009, has been linked to climate change. By 2030, water problems are projected to intensify in southern and eastern Australia.
-- Rising sea levels could increase salinity in groundwater and estuaries worldwide. This could have grave implications for coastal urban areas such as Miami, Florida.
-- Ignoring climate change will cost us as much as US$7,500,000,000 by 2050 (that’s $7.5 trillion, 20% of the global economy).
Work towards the change that the world needs, and our kids deserve. Get talking. Spread the message. Get into action.
NOW!
Watch and RATE my video on CLIMATE CHANGE at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7aZ4KIL3k
Discuss your ideas to tackle climate change and mobilise people at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7aZ4KIL3k
There was once a cruel king called Dionysius. He was so dreaded amongst his own people that they wished he him dead.
But as all kings are, Dionysius lived in the lap of luxury and waited upon by a hundred servants.
Among his courtiers was Damocles who envied the king and exclaimed, "you have everything a man could wish for. I'd die a happy man if i could live your life for just one day."
Dionysius granted him his wish.
The next day, Damocles was treated as master of the palace and had all his whims fulfilled. However, when he sat down to dine, sometime during the scrumptious meal, his eyes were drawn to the ceiling.
Damocles felt his blood chill, and cried out "that sword!" "That sword!"
Dionysius replied, "so what if there is a sword above your head? Do you not see the bounty laid before you? The golden carpets with ivory tables carrying the sweetest of wines and the best of fruit; the most luscious meats and the most delicious sweets?
Damocles shivered and cried, "but I fear for my life."
Dionysius replied, "just as i fear for mine every second of my life."
That my friends is the tale of the 'Sword of Damocles.'
Above the terrorist threats and epidemics hangs a Bigger Damocles Sword -
CLIMATE CHANGE.
The future of the world is unpredictable. Global warming will change all our lives. For the worse. What do we do?
Here are some facts and projections on water and climate change:
-- Temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 Fahrenheit) and sea levels by between 18 cm and 59 cm (7 inches and 23 inches) this century, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
-- Climate change model simulations for the 21st century see increased precipitation at high latitudes and tropical areas; decreased rainfall in sub-tropical regions.
-- Warming in the western U.S. mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduce summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources.
-- Major challenges are projected for U.S. crops near the warm end of their suitable range or which depend on highly utilized water resources.
-- In southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen conditions like high temperatures and drought, and reduce available water, hydropower potential, summer tourism and crops in general.
-- In Latin America, productivity of some important crops will decrease, while disappearance of glaciers in the Andes will affect water supplies for human consumption.
-- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
-- In Asia, by the 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease.
-- Australia's drought, which helped spark the country's deadliest bushfire disaster in early 2009, has been linked to climate change. By 2030, water problems are projected to intensify in southern and eastern Australia.
-- Rising sea levels could increase salinity in groundwater and estuaries worldwide. This could have grave implications for coastal urban areas such as Miami, Florida.
-- Ignoring climate change will cost us as much as US$7,500,000,000 by 2050 (that’s $7.5 trillion, 20% of the global economy).
Work towards the change that the world needs, and our kids deserve. Get talking. Spread the message. Get into action.
NOW!
Watch and RATE my video on CLIMATE CHANGE at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7aZ4KIL3k
Discuss your ideas to tackle climate change and mobilise people at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7aZ4KIL3k
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sunday movies
On Sunday nights, we usually rent a DVD and everyone in the family gets a turn to pick.
We dread my ten year-old brother's turn to pick the flick cz he usually picks stuff like Gothica, Black Christmas, Grudge and stuff that grosses us out within the first few min.
But this sunday he picked a really nice romantic film that surprised him more than it surprised me.
We dread my ten year-old brother's turn to pick the flick cz he usually picks stuff like Gothica, Black Christmas, Grudge and stuff that grosses us out within the first few min.
But this sunday he picked a really nice romantic film that surprised him more than it surprised me.
It turns out that he thought 'P.S. I LOVE YOU' stood for 'Playstation: I love you !'
Sunday, January 11, 2009
who says??
they say a bird doesnt care if its cage is golden
it yearns only to be free
those words rang so true
when they put me here in my golden cage
i despised it
i looked up to the sky every day
i remembered soaring in its heights
slicing through its depths
diving down only for a sip or a nip
and then heading back in to the clouds
i loved the friction of wind through my feathers
the push and pull of the currents
and then i fell in love again
the more i hated the golden trimmings of the red velvet cushion
the more i began to wallow in it
the more i hated the seeds and water
the more i began to gobble it
and now they who put me here
have forgotten to close the golden door
and yet i cannot bring myself to fly back
back to my home from yesterday
back to that blue yonder that i lusted
because i am in love with my golden cage
Who says the bird doesnt care if the cage is golden?
it yearns only to be free
those words rang so true
when they put me here in my golden cage
i despised it
i looked up to the sky every day
i remembered soaring in its heights
slicing through its depths
diving down only for a sip or a nip
and then heading back in to the clouds
i loved the friction of wind through my feathers
the push and pull of the currents
and then i fell in love again
the more i hated the golden trimmings of the red velvet cushion
the more i began to wallow in it
the more i hated the seeds and water
the more i began to gobble it
and now they who put me here
have forgotten to close the golden door
and yet i cannot bring myself to fly back
back to my home from yesterday
back to that blue yonder that i lusted
because i am in love with my golden cage
Who says the bird doesnt care if the cage is golden?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
...thus lamented the spirited old lady
Shaadi hai janam janam ka saath.
[Marriage is a bond that carries on to your future births.]
A very daunting thought already, when u realize you are stuck with a man for not just the rest of this life but even the next few.
For me its almost forbidding because so far, I've had three husbands and am planning to squeeze in a fourth if my hip replacement surgery is successful. [I know what you are thinking and it wasn't that. Read on.]
Much to my consternation I slipped on a rubber duck at my daughter's place. The following ruckus comprised of myself without any clothing lying on my tummy on the bathroom floor while a carpenter [who unhinged the door ], my daughter, son-in-law, three paramedics and my grand-daughter [bless her, she's three and I pray she'll have no memory of this] saw my tushie and a little more. Why on earth couldn't I have fallen unconscious rather than witness the bizarre spectacle is beyond me, but over the years I've noticed...the more embarrassing a situation the bigger the audience.
Anyways, some good and some bad comes of everything. The bad according to me was the extra time during the course of my 30 days of bed rest for introspection. It gives me a guilt conscious for things I'd never have thought of before. The good was of course, all the flowers, cards and chocolates I received from my ardent admirers [have always been surprised at the no. of them] and of course the time I had to think up silly thoughts like this one.
My daughter hunted out the old CD my second husband had got me before we got married [of course after marriage all the thoughtfulness just evaporates]. I popped it into my snazzy laptop [I like to be ahead of my times and am pretty tech savvy. My son-in law-thinks so too. He was flabbergasted when i got WiFi before him].
In went the CD and out came the song: "Janam janam ka saath hai tumhara hamara..."
"CHEESY," I told myself. "How did I manage to fall for a guy who loved this mush? I must have been pretty desperate!" And then I recalled that indeed I had been.
At least the marriage had lasted 'till death do us part' [five years], unlike my first husband who parted for a tiny young number in red, that i found in his bed, and I'm glad to report slipped out of it two months later, when the balance in his pension fund plunged way below zero.
What worries me now is that with three marriages turning in their graves, i don't know if I'd get to choose the one I'll have in my next birth. Will all three of them follow me there too? And even if I get to choose...very frankly, I don't think I'd want to pick one of the husbands I already have had. I would not make the same mistake twice even if i were brain dead.
May be I could piece different parts of them that I like together... Now there is a thought. With all the techno gadgetry and advances in biotechnology, they ought to be able to pull such a stunt by now. Wouldn't they? Or even better. Why not just let me pick a whole new number. One that's thoughtful, sensitive and caring even after the vows are said.
LOL...Who am I kidding?
I think i'll get a cat.
[Marriage is a bond that carries on to your future births.]
A very daunting thought already, when u realize you are stuck with a man for not just the rest of this life but even the next few.
For me its almost forbidding because so far, I've had three husbands and am planning to squeeze in a fourth if my hip replacement surgery is successful. [I know what you are thinking and it wasn't that. Read on.]
Much to my consternation I slipped on a rubber duck at my daughter's place. The following ruckus comprised of myself without any clothing lying on my tummy on the bathroom floor while a carpenter [who unhinged the door ], my daughter, son-in-law, three paramedics and my grand-daughter [bless her, she's three and I pray she'll have no memory of this] saw my tushie and a little more. Why on earth couldn't I have fallen unconscious rather than witness the bizarre spectacle is beyond me, but over the years I've noticed...the more embarrassing a situation the bigger the audience.
Anyways, some good and some bad comes of everything. The bad according to me was the extra time during the course of my 30 days of bed rest for introspection. It gives me a guilt conscious for things I'd never have thought of before. The good was of course, all the flowers, cards and chocolates I received from my ardent admirers [have always been surprised at the no. of them] and of course the time I had to think up silly thoughts like this one.
My daughter hunted out the old CD my second husband had got me before we got married [of course after marriage all the thoughtfulness just evaporates]. I popped it into my snazzy laptop [I like to be ahead of my times and am pretty tech savvy. My son-in law-thinks so too. He was flabbergasted when i got WiFi before him].
In went the CD and out came the song: "Janam janam ka saath hai tumhara hamara..."
"CHEESY," I told myself. "How did I manage to fall for a guy who loved this mush? I must have been pretty desperate!" And then I recalled that indeed I had been.
At least the marriage had lasted 'till death do us part' [five years], unlike my first husband who parted for a tiny young number in red, that i found in his bed, and I'm glad to report slipped out of it two months later, when the balance in his pension fund plunged way below zero.
What worries me now is that with three marriages turning in their graves, i don't know if I'd get to choose the one I'll have in my next birth. Will all three of them follow me there too? And even if I get to choose...very frankly, I don't think I'd want to pick one of the husbands I already have had. I would not make the same mistake twice even if i were brain dead.
May be I could piece different parts of them that I like together... Now there is a thought. With all the techno gadgetry and advances in biotechnology, they ought to be able to pull such a stunt by now. Wouldn't they? Or even better. Why not just let me pick a whole new number. One that's thoughtful, sensitive and caring even after the vows are said.
LOL...Who am I kidding?
I think i'll get a cat.
Friday, October 24, 2008
untold stories...unasked questions...
what do u do
when you badly want someone to talk to?
the one person you know who'll listen
doesn't live here anymore
the phones aren't working
the internet is slow
the messenger won't connect
your inbox won't download
time is running out
you are starting to despair
soon you'll change your mind
about what you wanted to say
the words will stay unspoken
the story untold
that piece of hell or heaven you needed to share
will never unfold
so what do you do?
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