Here's what i was thinking last night.
Remember that song - "When you're happy and you know it - Clap your hands."
You, like me, have probably known that song all your life... and yet for me - only last night did it really fall in to place.

The key is not the 'being happy' part or what to do when you get there...
its the "KNOWING" part that makes all the difference.

Finding something joyful and happy in retrospect is the easiest thing in the world. That's what nostaligia is all about, the imagination that you were happy in the past...
The appreciation that Now is good and Knowing that you are happy in this now will make all the difference.

Valentine for Ernest Mann

You can't order a poem like you order a taco.
Walk up to the counter, say, "I'll take two"
and expect it to be handed back to you
on a shiny plate.

Still, I like your spirit.
Anyone who says, "Here's my address,
write me a poem," deserves something in reply.
So I'll tell you a secret instead:
poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes,
they are sleeping. They are the shadows
drifting across our ceilings the moment
before we wake up. What we have to do
is live in a way that lets us find them.

Once I knew a man who gave his wife
two skunks for a valentine.
He couldn't understand why she was crying.
"I thought they had such beautiful eyes."
And he was serious. He was a serious man
who lived in a serious way. Nothing was ugly
just because the world said so. He really
liked those skunks. So, he re-invented them
as valentines and they became beautiful.
At least, to him. And the poems that had been hiding
in the eyes of skunks for centuries
crawled out and curled up at his feet.

Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us
we find poems. Check your garage, the odd sock
in your drawer, the person you almost like, but not quite.
And let me know.

-- Naomi Shihib Nye

Feb 3rd 2009

************************************************************************************

Feb 2nd 2009

*************************************************************************************

Latest latest entry in to my life...

Name : Calvin X Thomas
Breed : Basette Hound
Date of Birth : 17th Dec 08
Entered home : 24th Jan 09
Strengths : Awwwww!! Ohhshooshweeeetttt! Muahhh!
Weakness : Refusal to get toilet trained. Also Sulky sulky @#$%^&*(
Opportunity : Hmmm..
Threat : JX, MX, AT + 1 number driver in risk of losing their minds.






Also here's one of my Archie-Parchy in Kerala. Far far away from me.
Driving parents + 1 number neighbour crazy.








Ayyoo shoo shweet!! Ohhmydarlingdarlingbabiesssshh... muahhhh
********************************************************************************

In case you haven't been paying attention to blogs of long before...
This is story so far!

My latest favourite hummable while i drive...

How to Save a Life

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

CHORUS:
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

I am reading The Palace of Illusions. I cannot put it down! I love it.
I love the perspective and I love how the characters have been humanized in a world of Gods & Godesses.
I love this book almost as much as i loved Shantaram... but not in the same way :)

And here's my brother and falcon wearing somewhat matching clothes

Apparently, I belong to the 50's.
Didn't realise how old fashioned i was...

You go take this test and tell me what time warp you're in?

C.A.T.

If I started an organization called Citizens Against Terror (CAT), would you join?
I hope to come back in sometime with an action plan on what my CATs would do. If you are reading this, can you spend some time thinking about this as well...

Also read this: Area Suraksha Mitra
... for inspiration.

Is Baar Nahin

Is baar nahin
- Prasoon Joshi

Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi,
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga,
Panapney doonga uski tees ko,
Is baar nahin.

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga,
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale,
Dard ko risney doonga, utarney doonga andar gehrey,
Is baar nahin.

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga,
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey,
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon,
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav,
Is baar nahin.

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga,
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney,
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake,
Is baar nahin.

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar,
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat,
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki,
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par,
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe,
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon,
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang,
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar,
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye,
Is baar nahin.

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai,
Gaur se, Thoda lambe wakt tak,
Kuch faisley, Aur uskey baad hausley,
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi.
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai.

********************************

Beautiful poem. And its like he is taking the lines from my head when he says -
"Kuch Faisley, Aur uskey baad Hausley"

The politicians in my country are of the belief that their God resides in temples, mosques and churches. That can be the only reason why a Ram Janmabhoomi, Babri Masjid and your religion are of more consequence than your life.

Couple of days ago, 'Times Now' thought it okay to ask Priyanka Gandhi," What is your message to the soldiers who died in the Mumbai episode?" !!!???!
... Because of course 'Times Now' has a special mechanism to communicate to the dead.

When you say on the news, "11 police officers died...The police have been in the line of fire and have very much been doing their job."
It makes me wonder, Do people have to die for you to know they are doing their jobs?

Hindi cinema has spent the last some decades using lame phrases to describe sex.. of special note among the many euphamisms is the term "Hadd se guzar jaana" .. meaning sex/ giving in to temptation / crossing the line (???)!

1991: In a movie called Phool Aur Kaante, Ajay Devgan is heard singing to the leading lady about the joys of taking it slowly... "Dheere dheere pyaar ko badhaana hai, hadh se guzar jaana hai!"
And a decade later, we were no better .. in a movie called Albela (2001), the female lead had the unique pleasure of mouthing "Kaho To Zara Jhoom Loon Tumhaare Is Khumaar Mein, Dil Kehta Hai Jaane Jaana, Hadh Se Guzar Jaaoon Pyaar Mein".

Thank God for Kunal Ganjawala spelling it out for us in Murder (2004) ..
"Kabhi mere saath koi raat guzaar, Tujhe subah tak main karoon pyaar".

Watched parts of Mohabbatein last night.. My mistake!
Preeti Jhangiani's character is that of a widow, widow-ed on the 1st night of her marriage - conveniently.. to make sure she remained a virgin for the man who comes along years later..
WHAT IS THAT PLOT???!!
We were making movies like this in the 1950's!
Imagine that.. as late as 2000 our film makers still believe that their audience would not be able to bear the thought of having a leading lady who is not a virgin!!
Stupid stupid stupid!

Oh and did i mention - so wonderful with children!

First Memory

Long ago, I was wounded. I lived
to revenge myself
against my father, not
for what he was—
for what I was: from the beginning of time,
in childhood, I thought
that pain meant
I was not loved.
It meant I loved.

- Louise Gluck