Frog Princess…

And there is a special reason behind this title. 🙂 Its a personal moment of happiness for me, as one of my pals found his frog princess over the virtual world. There is an aura of happiness around me, a sense of mirth that surrounds one when something good happens to people you care for. Mood of the moment is commanded by bliss, and here I retire with prayers wishing the best for him.

Affirmations!

Brooding over the passing time and blessed by the leisure, I went to take a long walk by myself. Those are times where am truly with myself to reflect, think, observe and celebrate all those beautiful things in life.

Sometimes I feel the need in life to acknowledge all those people who made me what I am and whose presence brought a richness to my experiences in life. Those loving mentors who helped me find direction whenever I felt lost, My loving family who offered me unconditional love, affection and strength when I needed it most, those wonderful people who taught me the lessons of life, and all those who had a hand in shaping my character knowingly or unknowingly.

Yet, to offer acknowledgment and celebrate all those blessed moments, I need to be complete inside and appreciate the goodness in and around me. That prompted me do a series of affirmations indeed for the heroine that lives in me. 😉

We all are achievers and heroes of our lives. Though we lift Mount Everest every day, standing tall through testing times, taking responsibility for the choices that we make, we rarely acknowledge ourselves. We rarely appreciate the little joys of life, those shimmering moon beams that ride the night sky, that surprising little sunshine on a gloomy day or that welcoming summer rain as we wade through our life in perennial worries, postponing happiness. Some people may wish to believe that life runs in pursuit of happiness. Yet, for me tomorrow begins now for savoring happiness..

Whenever I see a gloomy cloud threatening to shadow my cheerfulness, I usually say to myself that I am born with a joy in heart and smile on my face and my journey in life is filled with cheer and beauty..Sounds little childish, yet it works for me! Guess everyone is allowed a touch of madness once a day I say! 🙂 As long as we find something to appreciate, conscience to guide, companions to share and world to explore, life is a wonderful deal! Dont you think so?

Bookworm Glows..

I am tired and weary after a lot of binge shopping! Yet, I cant resist singing in my heart ala Arnold Lobel style..

“Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky.
My pile of books are a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them. ”

So now you know where the Saturday shopping bug has taken me! 🙂

I was wandering around the M.G. Road in Bangalore and was pulled to a shop by name Bookworm and ended up picking a pile of books. After spending around two hours I realized how much I missed my collection of books after coming to Bangalore..

Now I am richer with

Konrad Z Lorenz’s ‘King Solomon’s Ring’,
Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’,
Nathaniel Hawthrone’s ‘Young Goodman Brown and Other Stories’,
Colleen McCullough’s ‘Fortune’s Favorites’,
Maya Angelou’s ‘I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings’,
Colleen McCullough’s ‘The Ladies Of Missalonghi’,
Charles & Mary Lamb’s ‘Tales From Shakespere’,
Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’,
Poems Of Stevens Wallace,
Stephani Cook’s ‘Second Life’,
Geoffery Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’,
Oscar Wilde’s ‘De Profundis and Other Writings’.

I am stuffed with books for the next three months I guess!

The celebration of this bookworm is on!

I Got My Rainbow..

I have shouted this over phone and my friend couldn’t stop giggling.. Sounds a little quirky, isn’t it? Well, who can get a rainbow of their own, by the way? There is a little story behind it. I was trying to change the header of my blog on Saturday. (Oh yeah, I had a lot of time to kill 😉 ) The earlier one has little kids soaking up rain with little umbrellas and now I wanted a new look..

After doing a little hunt, I hit upon the current picture. It looked a little plain and I wanted to add a splash of a rainbow. So here a little confession follows.. I have always loved rainbow ever since I discovered its beauty in wilderness as a little kid. Such splash of myriad hues each conveying a different warmth in the huge expanse of sky filled my eyes in wonder.. They is such a rare joy in capturing one that I conjured this belief that it appeared when God smiled to his heart’s content. In fact one of my nicks is Iris.

I went all around the Web to steal a rainbow for this pic. As I didn’t have Photoshop, I worked on MS PowerPoint 2007, and tweaked the picture edit tools to soften the edges of a rainbow and grouped it with the other image. And when it worked and my header is glowing in all splendor is when I yelled, hey I got my rainbow, following it up with a hearty giggle in a dash of madness! Am glad that I had a friend to share it over the phone.. Happiness looks so small when I hold it in my heart, it’s when I share it that I realize its breadth.. I thought I would record that little touch of joy and that Eureka moment @ demand of that pal who shared my fun.

Splash Of Yellow!

I noticed this magnificent beauty on Besant Nagar roads yesterday. Its such a visual treat to watch such a splendid display of yellow, as if it stood to rain energy and warmth on the inviting land assuring one of the alluring things that are going to come. As Chennai gears up to receive monsoon, I hope there will be more such lovely dash of colors to come. Guess I did an OK job in capturing it, for the ethereal experience I had watching this couldn’t be represented in this paler photograph. Still I tried! By the way, does anyone know the name of this tree?

Relishing Life!

The exhortation of the dawn is so pleasant.. The day breaks slowly to welcome sunshine and rain warmth and hope in all brightness. Early mornings are so friendly and cheerful, espicially when the wind carries the invigorating fragrance of fresh coffee, evocating primulas, coral jasmines and the blending of soothing music if I managed to switch the player on. I love to stand in that little corner of my balcony trying to imbibe the freshness of the moment. Soon my heart longs for that cuppa and a dose of ET, so I saunter to pick the newspaper and the milk. Sipping the piping hot tea while indulging in the regular news and dreamy melodies really helps me warm up for the rhythm of the day. Guess thats what relishing life means to me on a perfect morning!

A Special Visit By A Little Friend!

Yesterday, we had a special visitor at our home. I was all pious and am reading a hindu religious tome called Gurucharitra (Courtesy: Mom) and then there she is, gracing my bed corner and sitting royally on my pillow. I went hesitantly by her side and she breezily jumped on to my fingers. Such a tender little young sparrow… I loved the feel of her on my hand!

I called out for my sister to shut all the fans off in the house. She rushed by my side with a name ready for my little friend. She called her Bittu over the name of her lost friend and bought Kaju Barfi and a bowl of water to greet her. Me and my sister were really fussing over this little visitor and my mom rushed in with loads of warm advice.

‘Let her go, her family would find her’

‘Place her in front of mirror so that she would preen’

‘Hunt for her parents, they must be searching for her’ and so on..

I felt a lot of swirling emotions inside me. I know that its a cruel thing to hold her and that it may damage her plumage. I let her go and then I realized that she is a proper kiddo and cant fly more than a short distance. I was concerned and scared for her. Well, that particular childhood memory of a little sparrow getting hurt due to a fan while flying didn’t comfort me either. I scooped her on my palm and went out to take a walk around the home. Hey, her parents are waiting for her on the big fat tree thats in front of my home. Bittu flew to her parents side and the whole family is squeaking again! Capturing that tender moment, me and my sis ran inside and gave a real bear hug to Mamma.

Finally everybody is home to their loved ones! 🙂

Moments of Quiet Laughter..

Well, on an impulsive moment (guess must be some divine insight!), my dad has decided that I need a makeover! He picked up a comb and went into business!

I thought that’s an incredibly sweet moment,
Especially when my dad is at his creative best, concocting some utterly comic coiffures..
Especially when mom is trying to be politely encouraging when all she wanted to do is roll in gales of laughter,
Especially when I was confused in deciding the expression: do I laugh at the outcome or be indignant that my hairstyle is commented upon..
Especially when the mirror is reflecting this affectionate domestic scenery where two people are dying in quiet laughter watching the touching concentration and crinkled expression on the face of my dad!

Raising A Toast!

Yesterday, I spent hours on phone, taking a trip down the memory line, recounting those inane moments, simple joys, reflections and contemplations, purposeless guilt trips and silly hobbies. I really learn a think or two when I am engrossed in an enriched conversation. Its when you bring in thoughts together and let it examined from an another perspective that you learn to appreciate the differences. Its at those times that I learn a bit about myself too.

What a breather it was! To have a simple purposeless conversation, to have someone to walk by your side, to have an enriching companionship, enjoying the sheer lack of expectations! I wanted to raise a toast for all those special and beautiful moments of life.. which make me feel alive, complete, loved and true..

An Ode To those moments of comfortable silence, of slow dancing in the rain, wild journeys in the woods, watching sunset with friends, catching the laughter of the loved ones, falling asleep with soothing music, being comfortably numb, beauty of nature’s carpet, of moments of predictable rhythm, of whacky adventures and warmth of loved ones..

I sign off as someone’s quote ringing in my head echoing that, The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched … but are felt in the heart!