Just finished reading 'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert.
After a divorce and a bit of a pre-mid-life-crisis, the 30-something author decided to spend a year trying to restore balance to her life by traveling solo to three places: Rome, India, and Bali. This book chronicles that year. Its her search for everything.
The book Eat Pray Love is also being made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.
A few lines from the book have really struck a chord in my head and heart. It is so profoundly true and beautifully put.
Quote The resting place of the mind is the heart. The only thing the mind hears all day is clanging bells and noise and arguments, and all it wants is quietude. The only place the mind will ever find peace is inside the silence of the heart. That's where you need to go. Unquote
At times im not at peace because there is a constant head vs heart struggle. And rarely it happens that they get along. In most situations my head and the heart have torn me apart.
At times i have a craving to eat something and if i decide otherwise, it later haunts me and i come to a point where i think i should have eaten it. Thats a small thing my heart told me. There have been bigger things my heart told me, but i ignored all the warning signs and tried to suppress what it said. In the end, you know whats going to happen, dont you? And it does happen. The heart told you so, but you never listened. Now can you really complain?
So, if you find yourself alone and If you are on the road and you dont know the directions and If every door you tried was locked and If the river seems too wide and deep to cross. If the mountain seems too high to scale. Dont worry!! Listen to your heart - your heart will lead you home.
One needs to follow the heart as the heart never lies and would guide you even if you're lost in hostile Sahara or Arctic. And then you shall find ourself once you're completely lost. :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Just another Day...
...Just another casualty. Each new day is a new fight in itself. The alarm wont ring. The milk gets spilt on the shirt. The team mate is absent. The PC conks off. The boss wants a report urgently. The list is endless. Everyday there are a hundred things that can go wrong and one of them just goes wrong.
And when things go wrong, you find yourself on the darker side of things. Amongst all those times, there is one thing that has really helped me sail through is my extremist attitude. Im am a person who always likes to see things in black and white. It is either this way or that way. Taking the middle path has never been my philosphy in life.
Often we all take advantage of looking at things the grey-way. It seems that the main reason to apply this way of thinking to our everyday life is simply that this way of seeing is to our benefit. Travelling in two different boats at the same time may land you in the pool of water. Ever Kabir Das, mentions in his doha that things get ground between two ways.
चलती चाक्की देख के दिया कबीरा रोए
दुइ पाटन के बीच में साबुत बचा ना कोए
Choosing a destination and deciding between this and that tough maybe, but makes life easier. Its a choice we have to make and then deal with it. No choice is easier than the other. But its important we make one and face the consequences.
Time and again i have made wrong choices, but im glad i made them as i could stand by the concious choice i made. Even if i failed, its easier to deal with the failure coz making the choice was my responsibility and so are the effects of making that choice. Its slightly easier to take it in our stride.
Yehi hai right choice baby - to make a choice!!
And when things go wrong, you find yourself on the darker side of things. Amongst all those times, there is one thing that has really helped me sail through is my extremist attitude. Im am a person who always likes to see things in black and white. It is either this way or that way. Taking the middle path has never been my philosphy in life.
Often we all take advantage of looking at things the grey-way. It seems that the main reason to apply this way of thinking to our everyday life is simply that this way of seeing is to our benefit. Travelling in two different boats at the same time may land you in the pool of water. Ever Kabir Das, mentions in his doha that things get ground between two ways.
चलती चाक्की देख के दिया कबीरा रोए
दुइ पाटन के बीच में साबुत बचा ना कोए
Choosing a destination and deciding between this and that tough maybe, but makes life easier. Its a choice we have to make and then deal with it. No choice is easier than the other. But its important we make one and face the consequences.
Time and again i have made wrong choices, but im glad i made them as i could stand by the concious choice i made. Even if i failed, its easier to deal with the failure coz making the choice was my responsibility and so are the effects of making that choice. Its slightly easier to take it in our stride.
Yehi hai right choice baby - to make a choice!!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Growing Up
Growing Old is not an option, Growing up is. In another 2-3 hours, it will be a new day and a new calender month. More so, my it is my birthday month. Il be a year older, and if i paint a picture of how my life has been so far - it doesnt look that bad. A comedy of errors if i may call it.
But there is some part of me that does not want to grow up at all. When i was a kid all i wanted to do was grow up so that i could do things on my own, work, drive. But now growing old is the scariest thing now that im approaching my 27th birthday. At the same time i feel growing old should be savoured like the finest wines.
Iv had my knees skinned, hands burnt and heart broken so many times. There is confusion about my life to date and how will it be going forward.
I know whats right and wrong.
I know how to laugh and cry.
I know where to find answers and ask questions.
I know when to dream and face the truth.
I know all the rules.
I know the left and right.
I know the foward and backward.
Yet, i know nothing at all. And im in this perpetual state of Knowing Nothing and Staying Stupid. Im a happy i am here :)
Cheers to that!
But there is some part of me that does not want to grow up at all. When i was a kid all i wanted to do was grow up so that i could do things on my own, work, drive. But now growing old is the scariest thing now that im approaching my 27th birthday. At the same time i feel growing old should be savoured like the finest wines.
Iv had my knees skinned, hands burnt and heart broken so many times. There is confusion about my life to date and how will it be going forward.
I know whats right and wrong.
I know how to laugh and cry.
I know where to find answers and ask questions.
I know when to dream and face the truth.
I know all the rules.
I know the left and right.
I know the foward and backward.
Yet, i know nothing at all. And im in this perpetual state of Knowing Nothing and Staying Stupid. Im a happy i am here :)
Cheers to that!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Its good to be bad!
Just the other day, i got late and made my cab driver wait for 5 minutes. Thats not too long a wait for anyone and i usually do not get late. Infact he himself was late as well. However, i was on the receiving end for making everyone wait. At the same time the other cab mates who have nakhras and also get late, but they are never at the receiving end if they get late. I naturally felt bad at this bias.
My biggest problem is that i have difficulty in saying 'No' to things and people. I find myself doing things for people readily and willingly. I find myself being nice and friendly to most people. But at certain points of time - one should say No, one should be curt, if not some people will take you for granted, consciously or unconsciously.
Suddenly Machiavelli's Prince makes sense to me. Machiavelli iterated - If a prince is overly generous to his subjects, he will lose appreciation and will only cause greed for more. He further asserts that it would be best to be both loved and feared.
Being Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes isnt always the best thing to do, there are people who will run you down, would undermine you and not appreciate you. Your nice, easy going friendly demeanor makes other people take you for granted. Its good to be bad at times! Let people fear you, and you wont be ever taken for granted.
I seriously need to adopt Machiavellian way of maintaining public relations.
My biggest problem is that i have difficulty in saying 'No' to things and people. I find myself doing things for people readily and willingly. I find myself being nice and friendly to most people. But at certain points of time - one should say No, one should be curt, if not some people will take you for granted, consciously or unconsciously.
Suddenly Machiavelli's Prince makes sense to me. Machiavelli iterated - If a prince is overly generous to his subjects, he will lose appreciation and will only cause greed for more. He further asserts that it would be best to be both loved and feared.
Being Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes isnt always the best thing to do, there are people who will run you down, would undermine you and not appreciate you. Your nice, easy going friendly demeanor makes other people take you for granted. Its good to be bad at times! Let people fear you, and you wont be ever taken for granted.
I seriously need to adopt Machiavellian way of maintaining public relations.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ghummakkad Times
Went out to Cafe Morrison in South-Ex after like 4yrs. Dedicated to Jim Morrison and a haven for rock fans. You have Mexican, Arabic, Italian, Chinese and Indian Cuisine all under one roof. A friend who is a foodie and loves music would be your ideal company to Cafe Morrison.
Where am i headed this weekend?? There are two places on my mind to go to - 1) Blu-O, the new bowling alley at Ambience Mall thats claims to be the second largest in the world or 2)Howzzat @ Galaxy Hotel - it boasts of a micro-brewery within the joint with cricket as the theme.
Now that the where part is done. Working out the when is Work-in-Progress. Sounds like the weekend is going to be fun.
Amen!
Where am i headed this weekend?? There are two places on my mind to go to - 1) Blu-O, the new bowling alley at Ambience Mall thats claims to be the second largest in the world or 2)Howzzat @ Galaxy Hotel - it boasts of a micro-brewery within the joint with cricket as the theme.
Now that the where part is done. Working out the when is Work-in-Progress. Sounds like the weekend is going to be fun.
Amen!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Movie Review : 99
Dont know how or why TOI gave it 3 stars. Its a 1 star movie. Please dont watch it - if you do you'll be wasting your money and time.
And i dont want to invest anymore time in writing about a pathetic movie!! There are better things to do.
And i dont want to invest anymore time in writing about a pathetic movie!! There are better things to do.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Circle of Life
The more i want to deny and suppress certain thoughts i have in mind, the more space they occupy and the more they spring back every now and then. Things happen - some good and some bad. And these events like the genome in our DNA are pre-destined. In someway or the other life will make you pay your dues. Thats something i never believed in and have come to terms with the paraphernalia around the 'kismet' thing. Some questions still linger in my head.
Are we following a pre-destined course of life? Thats what most people agree to. And if thats the case, Do we really have free will? Do the choices we make in life and the decisions we take on the crossroads take us elsewhere and not to the place we are destined to go to. Infact, are these decisions really ours? Or was it made for us before we were even born?
I dont believe in god, atleast i like to believe so. But then, the gods make contradictory statements too. God 1 says - 'Yeh to Vidhi ka vidhaan hai'. God 2 says - Karam kiye ja, fal ki iccha na kar. If it is all predestined - why do the karma?
Confuses me!! Logical Fallacy at its best. With all these questions in my mind, and no answers in sight, il have to wait and see and form my own theory about the circle of life. The purpose of life yet needs to be found and il know one hundred percent of the answers only when i cross the to the other side of life.
But the quest for answers is not so desperate that i want to die. There's still a lot of life to be lived. Abhi to meri shaadi bhi nahi hui ;)
Are we following a pre-destined course of life? Thats what most people agree to. And if thats the case, Do we really have free will? Do the choices we make in life and the decisions we take on the crossroads take us elsewhere and not to the place we are destined to go to. Infact, are these decisions really ours? Or was it made for us before we were even born?
I dont believe in god, atleast i like to believe so. But then, the gods make contradictory statements too. God 1 says - 'Yeh to Vidhi ka vidhaan hai'. God 2 says - Karam kiye ja, fal ki iccha na kar. If it is all predestined - why do the karma?
Confuses me!! Logical Fallacy at its best. With all these questions in my mind, and no answers in sight, il have to wait and see and form my own theory about the circle of life. The purpose of life yet needs to be found and il know one hundred percent of the answers only when i cross the to the other side of life.
But the quest for answers is not so desperate that i want to die. There's still a lot of life to be lived. Abhi to meri shaadi bhi nahi hui ;)
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