A Sixth Thoughtful Thought

"Tomorrow will be a better day they hope
Before succumbing to beckoning dreams;
When tomorrow comes they never see it
Forgetting in pursuit of brighter beams."

Of Pictures And Rhymes

She Moves

She swirls she swings, her long skirts flow in the wind
In joy and bliss, her feet refusing to touch the ground;
Long tresses dancing to her moves full of exuberance
To a beautiful rhythm even though there is no sound.

Her laugh tinkles pleasant than the sweetest of music
When will this moment end she doesn't know or care;
Peace at heart and joy in her soul, dance she will still
Even when the moment ends, this lass lovely and fair.

***

Ride Away

They've come a long way and have much further to go
A companionship like no other, both the best of friends;
Unsaid thoughts find their way into each other's minds
A relationship so loyal that has seen innumerable bends.

They are incomplete without each other no matter what
A bond so different from mankind exists in their heart;
Giving and taking and sharing equally as they move on
This horse and its rider, no man ever can do them apart.

***

When The Blossom Spoke

Oh lovely blossom, for whom have you bloomed, asked I?
She said for all those who hope and live and love and smile.

What if none ever sees your beauty and you go unnoticed ?
Still I will add to the beauty of this world, even if for a while.

What if a storm comes and blows you away or destroys you?
The seeds within would live on and come into bloom one day.

How do you see so much good even in the face of all the bad?
Time will wipe the bad but the good is forever there to stay.

***

About the pictures :

Drawn on Friday in a few minutes by my artistic buddy Vetri, as a token of appreciation for my writing. He photographed and mailed them to me the same day. I was simply overwhelmed. Thanks a lot for this lovely gift dear. Will collect the original works when we meet again :)

Link to this post : Phoctober

Golden Jubilee

Sometimes, life can be so surprising. Happiness pops out of the least expected of places at the least expected of times. What started out as a small impulsive decision has become so important to me today. I guess all great things in life start from scratch...

Yes, I am talking about blogging! This passion has grown, enrapturing me more day by day. And thanks to some people who encourage me no end, I am able to keep going on. Each new post seems the best by far and I hope to do better as I go. Though there have been some setbacks, for every step backward, there was someone to push me forward by three steps. I am deeply grateful to each and everyone who has read, appreciated and boosted my work.

On the occasion of my fiftieth post, I would like to institute an award. I have been bestowed with some really encouraging awards in these five months of blogging. I felt an award should be there to celebrate not the writers alone, but the readers as well. Reading is not a passive process as most people think it to be; it takes great depth of mind to understand the true essence of what the writer wants to convey.


So I hereby introduce the Thoughtful Blog Reader award, for those people who have constantly motivated me with their opinions till now, each in their unique way. I would like to hand it in alphabetical order to :

Akanksha
Annie
Bhadri
Jen
Kabir
Keshi
Lena
Lisa
Mann
Mel
Nicky
Raaji
Rohit
Saji
Vetri

This is my small way of thanking you all, whose continued readership has brought me so far. Please take the above logo I created and put it up on your space. You are in turn welcome to hand this award to your own thoughtful readers. My only request is to mention the origin of the award as you pass them on, in order to maintain its integrity. As days go, I will be bestowing it on my newer readers.

Special note to :

Kabir, if not for you I would never have been in Bloggerville. Love you mi novio!

Saji, for being there always, no matter what. Love you sweetie.

Vetri, for being the generous soul you always have been. Keep rocking buddy!

Mel, these words of yours will forever echo in my mind, "Keep on writing young lady. You have the gift and proficiency of a born writer. Write to inspire and stimulate positive thinking and development of positive values. These will shine like burning candles in the darkness of pernicious writings and indecent exposures in the internet. Whatever religion you profess, may God bless you with divine wisdom to sift through chaffs of ignorance and bigotry to find nuggets of truth and life." Thank you. God Bless.


And now, to continue Phoctober...

I was enthralled yesterday to see Breast Cancer Awareness being so beautifully promoted at the BurJuman mall here in Dubai. For a moment, I thought I had entered a new place! Instead of the usual plants decorating the main fountain, this huge Pink Ribbon is on display this month. Moreover, the whole mall is draped with pink streamers, including the bannisters. In some sections of the mall, there are strategically placed stately mannequins in lovely pink dresses, with their eyes blindfolded, conveying the message Safe & Sound. Kudos to those who conceived such a great concept!

Give Like Your Heart Has No Bottom

Me, myself & I...

Just how many selfish times a day do we think of ourself and our own self alone?

I know some wise people rightly said :
"Self help is the best help"
"God helps those who help themselves", so on and so forth.
But these adages seem to have lost their charm and their meaning seems totally different now, in a world where the concept of love thy neighbor is long gone; know thy neighbor seems more relevant.

Why have people forgotten the joy that lies in giving, which is a hundred-fold more than receiving? All want to just take, take and take; but when it comes to giving, how many in ten would step forward? Some people think a million times before even giving an opinion, some totally clamp themselves, and some pretend not to have heard or seen even when it stares one right in the face. A pity how humanity is getting scarcer by the day and paving way for ego, money, power, etc., you name it, the list is endless.

How beautiful would it be if everyone resolved to perform just one small act of kindness everyday, which would cost nothing and yet be priceless. Be it helping a colleague fix a hitch at work or dropping a friend home or teaching an illiterate a letter a day or washing your own plate, saving the servant one extra utensil to wash; these may sound frivolous but invaluable to the one at the receiving end.

The knowledge of having made someone's day with a small act of kindness is a precious gift to our own soul...

On that note, I would like to introduce the concept of Pay It Forward (PIF). I came across this challenge thanks to Nicky over at Absolute Vanilla, who had in turn come across it at a friend's blog and so on. This is how the challenge goes :

"I promise to send a small handmade gift to the first three people who reply to this post on my blog, specifying that they accept the PIF challenge. I do not know what the gift will be as of now, but it will be something personalized and I promise to have it delivered to them within one year from today, no matter what. Of course, as the name indicates, the condition is that all three of them must in turn pay it forward the same way, by putting up a post linking to this one on their blog and promising to send three others a handmade gift."

I heartily accepted the challenge and Nicky has promised to have my gift delivered by next month (isn't that sweet of her!)

So people, the ball is in your court now; those who want to take part in the PIF challenge, please leave a comment on this post clearly stating your willingness to be included. And those who do not want to join PIF, well, you are still welcome to go ahead and comment :)

"I shall pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore I can do, or any kindness I can show to any human being let me do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again" - Stephen Grellet

Images :

Giving A Piece by ClumsyCraft
Pay It Forward by SeaSpray

Kissed By True Love

True love is hard to come by in this world, where love exchanges hands, hearts and bodies with the blinking of an eye. But true love lives on, for those who believe in it. It may change shape and assume different proportions from time to time, but it does exist, surviving even when it is stamped upon and scorned by those who try to hold it back.

Ever wondered how it feels to be kissed by true love for the first time? It feels as...

Fresh as a new blossom

Pure as a newborn child
Real as the ticking time
Soft as a baby's cheek
Ecstatic as a small kid
Smooth as flowing silk
Delectable as chocolate
Vulnerable as feelings
Beautiful as a young lass
Serene as a landscape
True as a firm promise
Never ending as eternity

Life moves on, but true love remains; its every kiss seeming like the first. Blessed are those who revel in it and blessed are those who have faith, for one day they are bound to be kissed by it. No matter what, the first kiss by that one true love lives on with time, even in the worst of circumstances, coming back to strengthen the bond and remind of the magic of that moment.

As some wise person rightly said, Never forget why you fell in love in the first place...

Image - The Kiss

Dedicated to Kabir

Ode To The Elements

Life evolves from, goes through, and eventually rests with them. They exist in various forms, sometimes bowing down, and at times overpowering each other. Yet they co-exist in harmony, holding this universe together...

EARTH

Solid, firm and stable, she is their base

From her dust, grow the greatest trees;
When enraged she can cause destruction
But her constant support can never cease.

She bears the burden of this world all alone
On her shoulders the heaviest yoke of all;
Mankind doesn't do her enough justice still

She never ceases to assist those who call.

FIRE

It exists forever burning bright in all its glory
Existing in all extremes, from ember to flame;
It can be a friend when cold comes to invade
And a nasty foe when one treats it like a game.

It is a symbol of uncountable emotions of life
Signifying warmth, vengeance, passion, hatred;
Leaving all awed in its wake when it is an art
Reveling in its hues, from blue to yellow to red.

SPACE

We all need it in life, even in the deepest of love
It embraces the others into its endless vacuum;
Linking them all when they seem to move away
A yawning, the depth of which none can assume.

All the others, and every particle in the universe
Eternally bind to it, whether they like it or not;
It is unseen, unfelt, setting it apart from the rest

No matter the hardest effort, it cannot be caught.

WATER

Flowing in every form, within us and beyond
The essence of life essential for our survival;
From a drop to the depth of the five oceans
Forever we seek it, a source for any revival.

Nourishment for life it is, at times it goes wild
Overpowering those who wish to hold it still;
Rising high and mighty when tides go astray
Be it as a sea or a stream flowing down a hill.

WIND

Blowing within the bellows of the body, it flows on
The anchor of life, which forever controls its sails;
It can be like death, not stirring the smallest leaf
When enraged, creating howls and rants and rales.



Unseen to the eye but still playing with the senses
Sometimes uplifting and sometimes overpowering;
Showing its many forms to this world, it moves on

Sometimes a summer's breeze, or a storm roaring.

They all have something to say and something to teach us, these elements of life. No more are they from us than we from them.

Images :

Earth by silwenka
Fire Spiral by sillylittleidiot
Space by cberg
Water by AnythingButDown
Magic In The Wind by 'four eyes

Thanks Rajeev for teaching me how to align the pictures.

Thanks Vetri for inspiring me to write this post; it is dedicated to you, my dear Dr.Doolittle!

A Golden Leaf From My Book Of Friendship

While chatting today with my oldest best friend from school, she happened to create this; the doodle of a highly talented-artistic-creative designer. Love you Saji. Can never appreciate you enough; I will run out of words. Cheers to you and our Friendship! God Bless...

Colors Of Life

Encompassing the extremes of birth and death and everything in between, life is a rainbow.

All wish to walk through it, but are reluctant to be drenched in the preceding rain.

It is in our hands to make this rainbow brighter with each passing day or to let it fade away with time.

The colors of life are many, each with innumerable hues of inexplicable loveliness.

Each color has something to say...

Rule your own destiny, nobody else can

Aim for the stars, if not higher than that

Inspire as you would like to be inspired

Now is the time to start on your dreams

Bend during storms, better than breaking

Oblige when someone requests in earnest

Waste not a single precious day in despair

Life is colorful, even if our vision might become black & white once in a while. Be a rainbow

A Fifth Thoughtful Thought

"Never despair when things don't work out
Don't ever give up when you are rejected;
Type 'rejected' in cell in dictionary mode
It shows up only after the word 'selected'."

A Melody In Time

Once in a while, a forgotten song comes back to haunt and make us fall in love with it all over again. So did this one to me today...

बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना
बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना

बावरे से मन की देखो बावरी हैं बातें
बावरी सी धड़कने हैं बावरी हैं सांसें
बावरी सी करवटों से निंदिया लुभागे
बावरे से नैन चाहें बावरे झरोखों से
बावरे नज़ारों को तकना...
बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना

बावरे से इस जहाँ में बावरा एक साथ हो
इस सायानी भीड़ में बस हाथों में तेरा हाथ हो
बावरी सी धुन हो कोई बावरा एक राग हो
बावरे से पैर चाहें बावरे तरानों के
बावरे से बोल पे धिर्खना...
बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना

बावरा सा हो अँधेरा बावरी खामोशियाँ
धर्धराती लोह मद्धम बावरी मद्धोशियाँ
बावरा एक घुन्ग्टा चाहे
हौले हौले बिन बताये
बावरे से मुखड़े से सरखना...
बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना

Came across this beautiful song on Rohit's Realm Of Scribble. I had watched the movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi long back, but the song was not done full justice in the movie, as it was an off-the-road realistic kind and not typically bollywood filmy ishtyle. Coming back to the song, it is a semi-classical lilting melody written and rendered by Swanand Kirkire, with a female version by Shubha Mudgal, sung to the tune of Shantanu Moitra.

For those of you who do not understand Hindi, this is my attempt at translating Bavra Mann (Insane Mind) :)

The insane mind is set out for a dream
The insane mind is set out for a dream

Insane are the thoughts of the insane mind
Insane are the heartbeats, insane are the breaths
The insane tossing and turning allure eluding sleep
The insane eyes wish from the depths of insanity
To behold insane landscapes...
The insane mind is set out for a dream

In this insane world I wish for an insane soulmate
Your hands clasped in mine amidst this ignorant crowd
Wish there were an insane melody with an insane tune
The insane feet yearn for an insane rhythm
To dance to its insane words...
The insane mind is set out for a dream

Wish the darkness were insane and so were the silences
A flickering mellow flame in insane subconsciousness
An insane veil somewhere wishes
Gradually unknown to the wearer
To slip from her insane face...
The insane mind is set out for a dream

Image by ilovestrawberries - Melodies Of Life

Had Your Cup Of Life Yet?

We all need a daily boost, don't we? What better way than a cup of life! Here are the ingredients :

*L : Love of near and dear ones to keep us going

*I : Introspection to make tomorrow a better day

*F : Faith in God, no matter how rough the seas are

*E : Expecting little and giving in leaps and bounds

It makes a world of difference. Brew your own cup today and do share it if you can :)

Image - Forever Always

A Fourth Thoughtful Thought

"Love makes the world go around they say
But friendship sustains when the world goes away"

Art Effect

Photography is an art and not all can capture the world within a frame. As an amateur, I love admiring artwork of pros of the shutterbug world. However, art can also be created by accident, as I realized with these two I happened to take.

*When getting ready to take a shot few days back, the cam slipped from my hand exactly as I clicked and lo! this was the result!

*This is not a variety of fish but the remnant of a pizza slice! I had been chewing while busy watching TV yesterday night and suddenly looked down to see the slice had taken shape!

Did you ever create your own accidental art? :)

Link to this post - Phoctober

On A Lighter Note

At times it is annoying when people, especially those you still getting acquainted with, can get on your nerves just by the questions they ask! No pun intended, but quite irritating nevertheless. Here are some which drive me bonkers and the answers I would love to give...

1. Why don't you tell me something about yourself?

*I have a pair of eyes, ears, a nose, and hands and legs. You asked for SOMETHING, so there you go!!!

2. So what's your plan for the day?

*Duh! Does there have to be a plan for EVERY single day in life? What happened to the concept of living each day as it unfolds???

3. Would you like to join us for lunch now?

*If it's lunchtime evidently I would be hungry just like you, do I have to SPELL it out???

4. What does your father do?

*Are you interested in taking my BIO to the matchmaker's???

5. Which is the most memorable day of your life?

*How can I mark down ONE single day in the thousands of days gone by in my twenty plus years in a matter of seconds???

6. Hey what's happening?

*Does something have to BE happening every minute? Is it my life or the BBC channel???

7. Why did you give up non-veg being a Muslim?

*What the heck! Does religion DECIDE everything you choose in life???

8. When are you getting married?

*Now here we go again! Just because I completed my studies do I HAVE to get married right away???

9. Why did you not reply to the reply of my mail/message/scrap?

*Arrrghhh!!! When your message did NOT necessitate one, don't you think you going overboard here with expectation???

And the award goes to...

10. Why don't you have any brothers or sisters?

*Only GOD can save you there!!!

These are just some I remember. If you have more to share, go ahead! :)

Image by DragonHawk - Circle-no-questions

Food For Thought

"I feel terrible!

Forgive me God, I will not do it again..."

Wondering what is the crime I committed to make me feel so?

I opened the fridge a while back and happened to see two cups of strawberry yogurt bought a couple of weeks before. I had forgotten their existence and suddenly felt like having one. To my dismay, they were out of date, one having expired just yesterday. As a rule I never waste food, but today I had to throw it away.

This may seem a frivolous thing. Does having to throw away a couple of expired yogurt cups matter at all? Are there not much more important things to worry about in life? Yes, there are more important, more valuable, more thought-provoking issues, but if you pause for a moment to think how much those cups of yogurt would have meant to...

*A child in Somalia who may never have even tasted a spoonful of curd in his whole life, let alone a flavored one?

*The rag pickers who scan piles of garbage for a living?

*The poor beggars who sometimes have to resort to rummaging through dustbins to find a morsel to fuel their eternal
hunger? (by saying poor I safely exclude those "rich" beggars who have made begging their profession by choice and not because they had no other go)

*The woman you saw at a traffic signal with one child at her hip and another tagging behind, beseeching you to help feed her children?

*The little child who annoyingly followed you in Fashion Street, compelling to buy his trifles like cotton buds or safety pins, instead of sitting in a classroom and breaking his mind on a tough math problem?

*The kid who collected your empty plates and wiped the table at the roadside chaat stall, unable to afford the luxury of a game of roadside cricket 'cause of the burden of making a living shoved on his small shoulders?

*An orphaned girl who had to resort to prostitution because she could find no other way to fill her stomach?

*And millions of others in this world who are deprived of the goodness of a single wholesome meal a day, let alone two?

If I cannot do anything to bring them out of their misery, the least I could is not to waste 'cause of my own carelessness and extravagance. Some wise person rightly said Waste not, want not. I feel bad I did not abide by it today...Forgive me God.

Image by Nya-ko - Prayer

A Third Thoughtful Thought

"Life finds a way, even if it is of stone"

Image taken at Mahabalipuram, Chennai (India) in July 2007.

Related older post - Growing Up...

Link to this post - Phoctober

Missing On Eid - Ul - Fitr

Today is a day to rejoice. A day to...

*Revel after a month of patient sacrifice
*Spread cheer to everyone around
*Feast after the tedious fasting
*Give generously to the younger
*Receive blessings of the elder
*Host and be hosted in return
*Bring in hope and love and peace
*In short to be joyful and smile

Yet why do I feel so amiss?
Dullness in my heart
No spring in my step
A gloom within the light...

'Cause I am not with you
Unlike the year before
May memories of that day
Cheer me up today

Come what may my love
You are always with me
And I'm by your side
Miss you so much...

Image artist Unknown

Blank Conversations

How are you? I am fine.

This is the most we tend to exchange with many a friend in the daily rush of life. There never seems time for a refreshing chat, or even to share a simple joke. Time, the culprit, always finds a reason to end a conversation even before it has picked up. Thinking there is tomorrow to make amends, we are wrapped up in our own world; but does that tomorrow ever come? Well worth a thought...

And as for the word fine, it encompasses a world of meaning while being thoroughly devoid of substance. It neither conveys good or bad, happy or sad; just a mask to hide our true feelings behind a false sense of being. When there is no time to ask or tell, it is a vice we all resort to, at times triggered as a result of our own selfishness or that of the other. In this fast-paced world, occasions to pour out our true feelings to near and dear are very rare. And they seem to become rarer by the day.

When did you last pour your heart out, share your joy, exchange ideas, cry a bucket, or have a soul-searching conversation with a loved one, or take the time to listen to their woes and wipe their tears? If it seems like an eternity, its high time you do it, and do it today. Tomorrow is unseen, and may never come. A heartfelt talk can do magic for the soul unlike anything in this world, and the moments spent in it, priceless. Those who know this and treasure it are truly blessed.

Image by Dawn Hudson - Conversation

Related older post - Procrastination Of Love

Hands

Today I suddenly looked at my hands and thought that in all these years just how much they have done.

The beauty they have cherished, the warmth they have spread, the touch they have felt, the art they have created, the gestures they have expressed, the appreciation they have given, the giggles they have smothered, the comfort they have bestowed, the prayers they have offered, the hopes they have nurtured, the pain they have helped heal, the love they have showered, the strength they have gained and passed on...

And I knew what Jewel meant when she sang :

My hands are small and I know
They're not yours they are my own
And they're not yours they are my own
And I am never broken...
We are never broken

They are hands given by God.

Image by Silvia Hartmann - Healing Hands

A Second Thoughtful Thought

"When love happens, it is always fine
When true love happens, it is simply divine"

Related older post - An Ode To True Love

My Own Green Grass

Grow little tree grow,
Wave your branches and sway with pride;

Seasons will come and seasons will go,
Take it all in your stride.

Being in Dubai for a while now, I am kind of getting used to the fast pace of life here and the lack of greenery in my surroundings, a total contrast with my neighborhood back in Chennai. Now the climate is cool and breezy and it's becoming pleasant by the day. When I woke up yesterday, I just happened to draw the curtains apart for a change, instead of getting on with my daily chores straight away.

To my delightful surprise, I saw this tree which had been forlorn and devoid of leaves till last month. And now lo! there it was, proudly waving its branches in the morning sun. I feasted my eyes on it, the stark contrast it made with the glass jungle of the street I live on. I realized that life is just like this tree, with it's ups and downs, at times making us bloom and otherwise. No matter what, we go on, just like this tree, in the hope for a better day, a better season...

How many times would have I wished for the greener grass on the other side without appreciating just how green my own grass is. But this instance, I am glad I did.

Link to this post : Phoctober

Joy Of Appreciation

Appreciation is one of the best gifts in this world. It bathes the receiver in a warm glow that fuels the heart. But does everybody appreciate earnestly? For that matter, do we ourselves appreciate with all our heart when someone truly deserves it?

Many a time, a person gets disheartened by lack of appreciation rather than lack of remuneration. The satisfaction of having accomplished a task successfully is sometimes incomplete when one is not appreciated, no matter the materialistic value of it. Few heartfelt words of praise can do wonders at times than all the money in the world.

In today's competitive age, where everybody is neck to neck to reach their goal, most of us have forgotten the joy appreciation can shower and fail to realize the delightful effect it can have on one's sanity. On the other hand, there are people who know it and still keep it to themselves, for reasons best known to themselves. Many feel that they might lose something if they appreciate another. Little do they realize how much they stand to gain in terms of goodwill and gratitude.

Irrespective of the quantum of an achievement and technicalities such as age, social standing and the works, everyone in this world deserves to be appreciated. A small gesture can make someone's day and at times be crucial for making decisions in life. The joy in giving is any day greater than in taking. Never hesitate to appreciate someone, you would be none the richer for it.

Image by Lisa Ellis - Praise Him

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

Once there was a girl; just like any other.
She lived, she loved, she hoped; just like any other.
She fell in love; just like any other.

Just when she felt she had everything in life, her love left her.
Her world was shattered.
She wept, she lost all interest in living; she just existed.

She tried to search for her lost love; she failed.
She gave up any hopes of loving again.
Her life had lost all meaning.

One night, she had a dream.
A dream where she met an Angel.
Their conversation went like this :

Angel : Why such remorse?
She : I have lost my love.
Angel : Do not despair child.
She : How can I not? My heart is broken.
Angel : It will be mended, be patient.
She : How can a broken heart ever be mended?
Angel : You will see in due course, keep the faith.
She : I will try.

Her grief was little less after that.
Slowly, she started living again.
She stopped searching for love.

One day, true love found her.
She was happier than she had ever been.
It was what she had always craved for.

One night, she met the Angel again :

She : You were so very right!
Angel : Had I not told you child?
She : Thank you for sending my true love.
Angel : Do not thank me, thank God.
She : Did you tell God about me?
Angel : God knows everything about all His children.
She : I never thought my heart could be mended again.
Angel : Do you know where broken hearts go?
She : No I do not.
Angel : They go straight to God.
She : What does He do with them?
Angel : He waits till He can find love for them again.
She : How does He find it?
Angel : He searches the world for the right one.
She : What does He do once He has found the one?
Angel : He puts it in the heart, mends and sends it back.
She : Is that why it took sometime for mine to mend?
Angel : Yes my child. Do spread this message to all who have had their hearts broken.
She : Yes I will.

She kept her promise to the Angel.
She lived, she loved, she hoped.

Image by Corbis - Woman Crying

Related older post - An Ode To True Love

Is Your Gift Still Unwrapped?

I came across this beautiful quote recently. So true is it not? I believe everybody in this world possesses an inner talent, irrespective of their outer facade. A pity not all are able to unveil it, due to some circumstance or the other. Many a talent has lain within unnoticed, wasted away and carried to the grave, thus lost forever.

External factors like lack of encouragement, resources and time are secondary. What matters is the internal discovery of oneself. Life is how we look at it. It is in our hands to cherish this gift bestowed by Him and to nurture it in such a way that not only do we feel an immense satisfaction about our own being, but also touch others with the warm glow it exudes.

If you have always dreamed of pursuing something, no matter how small, unleash yourself today. It is never too late to add beauty to life. And never let go of an opportunity to help another unwrap the gift within, cause all beautiful things in life grow as we share them.

Thoughtful Thought

"Though knowledge may set one free,
at times it is better to be confined within the walls of ignorance"

Tribute To The Mahatma

My life is my message, said this giant of a mind which sat on the shoulders of a bony man. With his deeds and words, he drove away the invaders and sought for us, the future of his country, the right to be oneself. It is in our hands how to make use of this hard-earned gift bestowed by him and the other sons of Mother India. No matter the controversies that might smudge one's picture of him, he was, is and will always be one of the greatest people who ever walked the soil of India.

Image from book cover of Mahatma Gandhi: an apostle of applied human ecology by Dr.T N Khoshoo

Delectable Chocolate

Chocolate to me is one of the essentials in life! This melt-in-the-mouth delicacy is a boon and am sure there are many others who agree with me. It is tough to get along through a day without at least a tiny dose of it. Many a sensation is felt whenever the taste buds welcome this delightful substance; ambrosial, delicious, sweet, yummy to mention a few.

Call it a sinful indulgence, but chocolate is one of the most misunderstood foods ever. It has been accused of causing bad teeth, obesity, and so many other health problems. I recently came across an online test about chocolate and there were so many things I didn't know about this wonderful gift to mankind. Here are some chocolatey facts for those who share this passion :

*Chocolate keeps good in any place as long as it is cool and dry.
*Chocolate contains essential minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium.
*Chocolate raises the production of Serotonin, the brain's natural feel-good chemical.
*Chocolate has a potential to reduce risk of heart disease.
*The first chocolate house opened in London in the mid-17th century.
*The Aztec name for chocolate was Xocalati, which means bitter water.
*Cocoa liquor is paste made from roasted, fermented cocoa beans.
*Cacao trees typically grow within 20 degrees of the equator.
*White chocolate is cocoa butter without the cocoa liquor.
*Switzerland consumes the most chocolate per capita.
*The higher the cocoa level, darker the chocolate.
*Dark chocolate has been recently lauded for its health benefits.

I am extremely grateful to Mother Nature for giving the world the cacao tree, which gave birth to this sensational substance. Earth to Chocolate!

Image : A chocolate box I just opened!

The Chocolate Test

I am Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Link to this post : Phoctober

A Heartfelt Message

Just found out that this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Being personally affected by the devastation of this disease, I know the importance of it's prevention, early detection and treatment. If you or anybody around you has the slightest doubt that they might be harboring Breast Cancer(BC), consult your family physician as soon as possible. If detected in the early stage, it is curable and the person can live a normal life just like you and me. For more information about prevention, detection, support and treatment of BC, please click here. It is never too early to prevent BC but sometimes, it could just be too late to save a loved one...

Image by Su Omynona - Pink Ribbon - Breast Cancer Awareness

Another Month Unfolds...

The year has slowly rolled by and arrived at it's last quarter. No matter what misgivings in the prior months, may these last few ones be better in every way for everyone...

May there be a smile on every face
Laughter in each and every phase.
No troubles to tangle the mind
Good things of each & every kind.

May the days be lighter as they roll
And not let life be hard & take its toll.
Oh God this is a sincere little prayer
Hope You hear it and send us all some cheer!

Have a great month everybody. God Bless...