“There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them.”

I had experienced earthquake feel I would say before also ~ once in Toronto in 98, Once in India ~ 2001 and this one was the ultimate Magnitude 5.6 earthquake shake…..what an experience!!!!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

First I was thinking how to tell my top neighbors to walk softly …but by the time this thought cropped in, the whole base of my house started shaking and toppling kind…the chandlers were like the branches and leaves during a windy evening…oh god and guess what after the quake, the USGS reported four aftershocks all measuring under 2.0 within a span of four minutes. I experienced them all without any breaks ;)

"I couldn't help but be impressed by the magnitude of the earthquake."

Well we all were holding hands as the shake diminished :)

“Love is like an earthquake-unpredictable, a little scary, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are.”

I guess it was nature's way of saying...trick or treat ;)

Happy Halloween :)

“Cheerfulness is health; its opposite, melancholy, is disease”

Life for Niki was quite as what she decided. She was the one who makes decisions for her and she was doing quiet well that way!
She found her life partner and made sure she lives her rest of the life with him. She was never scared of anything and one can see the optimism and confidence with which she reached glory in life.

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.” ~ Jesse Jackson

Niki was lying in her bed and was in her own thoughts….!

Time was passing like a pleasant breeze. She was doing well in career. By now she had made hundreds of friends all around the world. Her cheerfulness and friendliness never left anyone untouched.

“Courage and cheerfulness will not only carry you over the rough places in life, but will enable you to bring comfort and help to the weak-hearted and will console you in the sad hours” ~ William Oster

It was then when she started noticing things aren’t the way she managed it or expected.
Small things she started missing…her things which she used to keep it nicely weren’t anymore. Her stuffs like clothes started missing, her makeup kit …and so on!
She kept on saying – I don’t find this…this is missing I had kept it here. Don’t know who is taking away my lipstick and so on!

“One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite -- that particular peach is but a detail.” ~ Pablo Picasso

Her hubby dear Sanjay used to listen from one ear and leave from the other…! Niki used to get frustrated on this and her reaction used to show as how careless you can be.
But that was like that!

All these were running like a flashback in Niki’s mind when the two ladies in white saree with a blue border came to take Niki for an electric shock!

Life can be a big pause sometimes! Don’t really know what happened to Niki but I could see she was remembering her past and yet she was in Mental Asylum…? Did she decide to go or was she pushed into it? No one knows yet Niki maintains her activity in there…keeps her room neat and tidy! Cares for others and sometimes helps the authority in making the in-mates calm and quite! I was walking away from her yet I could see her cheerful face from the window! I felt saying ‘goodbye’ is not the way to part…with one last glance I turned and walked towards the bus stand.

“In life, there is no pause button, no rewind, and definitely no replay”

A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn't act that way very often

I was wondering why one keep saying I wanted my kid to be like this and like this. This means they are trying to bring certain values or teachings that probably according to them is good or supposed to be good and there children should have!

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” ~Stacia Tauscher

Looking at this complicated world and the time, I start thinking how my parents or even any parents of those times taught there kids good values…?

Well, all I can remember about my parents is that they never told me what to do. I was never taught I should be doing this or that. In fact rather than preaching they practiced. I learn certain things seeing what my parents did, how situations they handled and what kind of decisions were made. What one should say in front of others and what may offend others.

“Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next.” ~Franklin P. Jones

The other day I met a lady for the first time, she had her 1 year old son who was calling his dad by name. I found it very natural though the mother started explaining, I teach him so many good things which he never remembers or never says but he calls his daddy by name which I never taught him.

It sounded funny but I said, because he hears what you call your husband. And true, kids learn from us by observing us and not by what we teach them…probably that’s why they say the school begins at home!

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” ~John W. Whitehead, The Stealing of America, 1983

I think the message is that never try to teach kids something that you don’t practice or else try to practice and then see how the kid learns faster!

“Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.” ~Author Unknown

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

Yesterday was an amazing day even at work and at home too ;) and today yet another beautiful day where I could meet my old friend for lunch and I realize now that we were only talking and talking no one asked about the food or anything else :D! I am glad it was a great catch up after a year!

“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.” ~ Charles Dickens

Yesterday I saw this movie which literally stole away my breath…as the movie was proceeding and it kept the pace even at the end of the movie.

I remember buying the CD of this movie called ‘Yatra’ (meaning Journey), looking at Khayaam’s music , Lyricist like Ahmed Warsi and Naqsh Lyalpuri and the Singers such as Asha Bhosale and Talat Aziz but some how I felt its too classical and didn’t enjoy much!

“The assumption that seeing is believing makes us susceptible to visual deceptions” ~ Kathleen Hall Jamieson

But yesterday when I saw the DVD of this movie, I was more excited as the star casts are ~ Nana Patekar, Dipti Naval and Rekha, I couldn’t stop myself!!!

I don’t know where to start from as this movie had all those things that I would crave for! First of all the story is amazing and to my surprise the screenplay and dialogues are written by none other than the great poet Nida Fazli ( I love his poetry). I didn’t miss any of the dialogues of this movie …I remember almost all the dialogues I repeated to see it again and again …am crazy I know ;) !

“Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness. And they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy... or they become legend.” ~ Jim Harrison ;)

Direction by Goutam Ghose ~ I will say awesome job! You should see the direction …the thought that the director wanted to express and at time you could see his likes and dislikes as he directs the movie and also organizes the ambience and costumes too!
Actors no doubt have always been good no matter what role they have performed but I would like to mention in this movie you will see a totally different Nana Patekar!!! I was touched by his acting in this.
Rest what I can say more about this movie…the title of my post justifies as it is about life ~ the journey to a timeless destination!!!

“Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will-whatever we may think.” ~ Lawrence Durrell

I saw my friend ‘Sobi’ wrote a comment in which he left me an indication as my next topic on ‘Meaning of Life’ and I would say…this movie speaks a lot about it!!!!
Anyone would enjoy this movie if they have a taste for it! Nana Patekar is an award winning writer in this movie for his book ‘Janaza’ ~ meaning funeral. The story is inspired from his real life in the movie. An awesome subject, well carved movie altogether even music I enjoyed at this time!

Life is really strange and yet beautiful I must say!!!!

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” ~ Ashley Smith

“If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.”

I am surprised that I was tagged..not that no one has done it infact I would say…someone did it so am still remembered ;) ….its Dear Priya who has tagged me and one thing I want to tell you Priya…your name is really pretty and lovable as you are :D!!!
So I have to post the rules for this tag, which are pasted gracefully from Priya’s post: D

“A work of art that contains theories is like an object on which the price tag has been left.” ~ Marcel Proust

1. One has to post these rules before one gives out the facts.

2. One must list one fact that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of their middle name. If one doesn’t have a middle name, they can use the middle name that they would have liked to have.

3. At the end of there post, they will have to choose one person for each letter of there middle name to tag. And make sure that each tagged person is notified about this via commenting on there blogs.
Hopefully, they will read the post ;)

“Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise.”~ Samuel Lover

This tag is supposed to describe as what an individual would like to describe about themselves.
I would like to have VINOD as my middle name which means ~ Jolly, Happy :) and besides that it also says about me as I am a fun-loving person!

“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be” ~ Marcel Pagnol


V – I think I have been ‘victorious’ in almost everything that I have tried to achieve.
I – I am very ‘independent’ and that keeps my dream fulfilled, of being a bird that could fly high.
N- I am ‘natural’ and genuine, you cant expect anything phony or fake out of me :)
O- I am very ‘optimistic’ and many times even the sinking situations have brought me to life only because of my optimistic thinking.
D- I am very ‘determined’ about things that I plan to do and that makes me a go –getter.

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” ~ Khalil Gibran

Now, I am not sure if anyone would be interested but then rule is a rule…has to be followed…however I am slightly twisting this as with this middle name I don’t have any names to tag…so I randomly picked these 5 names ;)
Manish, Keshi, Krystyna, Shiva, Michelle

“The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray

Who reasons wisely is not therefore wise; His pride in reasoning, not in acting lies.

I was asked to write on a topic ‘Does love need a reason?’ by one of my Orkut friend!
Well, when I was asked my straight answer was that ….no love doesn’t need any reason..it just happens, isn’t it? Or there is someone who disagrees!

“Don't find love, let love find you. That's why it'scalled falling in love, because you don't forceyourself to fall, you just fall.”

Well, I am sure different people will have different reasoning to this based on there personal experience. I believe love doesn’t need any reason it just happens! Some may later dig into it to find what the reason was and they relate it to one or the other!

“It takes a minute to have a crush on someone,an hour to like someone, and an day to love someone...but it takes a lifetime to forget someone”

This is a true story when a girl-Sarah with her fiancé Michael came from Australia to visit India. They planned there visit from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and hence they hired a Guide - Subramanian.
This Guide was suffering from leprosy, something which even today people hesitate to associate with and more you will see this attitude with educated people only!

The Guide was very nice and helpful and it so happened that Sarah fell in love with her Guide even though she knew she was about to get married to Michael in 6 months time.
When Michael came to know about this, he tried to cancel the trip there itself and planned to go to Australia along with Sarah.

“Love is like heaven, but it can hurt like hell”

Sarah was sure she is not going back with Michael and she refused to go with Michael. This wasn’t it, she also said Michael please accept this ring back as I wont be able to marry you.

“It breaks your heart to see the one you love is happywith someone else, but it's more painful to know thatthe one you love is unhappy with you”

Michael thought Sarah has gone crazy and so he left her and went to Australia. Sarah’s love, care and affection couldn’t remain hidden from the Guide –Subramanian.

Subramanian was a practical person and he has seen the world and the people and hence he tried to explain Sarah as what is reality and what she thinks is easier could be her biggest mistake of her life.
Sarah was ready for any challenge. She planned to live with Subramanian and tried to take care of him. She ordered some special medicines especially for leprosy through her parents in Australia and she treated Subramanian and took good care of him by maintaining hygiene.

“Love cures people -- both the ones who give itand the ones who receive it”

The good care, cleanliness and proper medicine at the proper time helped Subramanian to recover fast. He still had those marks. His some of the fingers did not even exist but Sarah could save Subramanian and they finally got married.

“Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman,but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man”

Today Sarah happily lives with Subramanian, in one of the villages in Chennai and you wont believe she is a lady who wears Saree, cooks in the olden type of stove made of mud, she puts lots of oil in her hair and makes long plat out of her hair and puts flowers too. If you look at her today you wont find that Sarah who came from Australia, you will find Subramanian’s wife Sarah Amma :D
Yes, that’s called love, where there was no reason, no pity but she just knew she was in love with Subramanian ~ why, when, how?? Had no place!
You don’t need a reason to be in love…do you?

“Faith makes all things possible.

Love makes them easy”