Kiva & Tips

Guess November has become a month for tags! However I am glad both the below tags are not Memes. So here goes...



First of all a message about Kiva, as prompted by Dee.

Now you would ask, what is Kiva?

*Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world - empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty*

I feel it is a great way to help fellow human beings who have immense potential within themselves but no means of utilizing it. We grow when we help another grow, why not help grow with Kiva? :)

*Image Helping Hand - Artist Unknown



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Now to get down to Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle, as tagged by Curryegg. Health is defined by the WHO as a state of mental, physical and social well being. As I told her, I am deviating from the rules of the tag. You can look up the 15 tips she had put up on her blog. The following are my own tips :

Be simple : Simplicity is the best ornament one can adorn oneself with. Nothing more beautiful than being simple, be it in speech or fashion or diet or just about anything in life.

*Image artist Unknown

Have faith : Faith moves mountains said some great person. No matter how rough the seas are, faith is that little boat which will get us across to our destination, in spite of the many times we had almost drowned.

*Image by Debbie DeWitt - Words To Live By, Faith

Love like there is no tomorrow : Love makes life live, went the tag line of an old Hindi movie when I was a small kid; nothing more true! Without love, this world would be a barren place and we all, just hollow souls without any beauty within. Tomorrow is unknown and this life so uncertain; if there is time to love, it is today.

*Image by Jan Spangler

Avoid procrastination : This is the root cause of many a evil in life. I procrastinate quite a bit myself and wish to get rid of it completely someday. Stress is nothing but a relation between what one wants to do and what one is unable to do. If procrastination could be procrastinated, then everyone would surely be a lot less stressed.

*Image Decision Dice - Artist Unknown

Be gentle but firm : In this fast-paced world, tempers flare and ego clashes are inevitable. Instead of letting anger get the better of us, it is better to be gentle with people, even the most trying ones, cause soft words can have a greater effect than strong ones any day. But being gentle does not mean allowing others to stamp on us and get away with everything. One should know where to draw the line between being courteous and being exploited. So tread carefully.

*Image artist Unknown

Know what you want : Everyone says they want to be happy, but do we all know what really makes us happy? It takes mental maturity to know what one wants in life and not just to blindly follow paths or goals set by others. Life is much easier when we know what we want and not just stumble along blindly.

*Image Path Of Bliss by Ananda Marga

Dare to be different : Do not blend in with the norms, stand out. You are your own master and unique from everyone else. Many a time, when asked why they are doing something even if it makes them unhappy, the answer from most people would be cause they say. Who are they??? In the end, it is your own life and you have to live it, not them.

*Image Stand Out From The Crowd - Artist Unknown

Help yourself : If we stand and wait thinking someone is gonna come and get us out of the messes we make each and every time, that is not possible. No matter how much we are loved and cared for, people cannot be around us all the time. God helps those who help themselves, said some wise person. Instead of crying about how unfair life is, it would be better to go get a life!

*Image Self Content - Artist Unknown

Treasure those who love you : Many a time we take our loved ones for granted. Only when we lose someone do we realize how much they meant to us and just how empty life seems without them. Why let room for such chances, no matter how meek they might be. Hold on tight to relationships and never let them slacken, at least not on grounds of lacking affection.

*Image Willow Tree Angels by Susan Lordi

Do not just exist: Life is a gift meant to be cherished. But in the quest for better pastures, we forget to live. There is no meaning in dwelling in the past nor in seeking the future always. The past has shaped us and we can shape our future, but this gift of the present should not go wasted. Go ahead, live!

*Image by Craft Company - Live Life To The Fullest

Heart To Heart

A smile so pure, a heart of gold
At times I wonder is she for real;
Fate brought our paths together
How does she know what I feel?

Every word from her exudes love
Each syllable so true and sincere;
In this world of pretence and show
How is someone so far yet so near?

When I faltered she took the blame
Ever smiling even amidst the pain;
A miracle of life nothing less she is
So silly she seems but so very sane.

She is a true blessing from Him above
A real angel though she calls me one;
At times when faith threatens to wane
People like her shine out like the sun.

Friends are a treasure beyond value
She is one priceless gem in my trove;
May she be blessed with every breath
The beautiful lass at the White Window.

Love you so much Preeti. I am blessed to have met you in this roller-coaster called life.

This is a poem written by her for me recently :

With ur words u create magic.
Which forever changes negatives into positives..
Your words are a healing touch
Which cures so many aching hearts.
when one's life is a chilly nite
Your words are like the warmth of fire.
n sometimes ur words r like the soft flowing snow.
n alwys like d 7 colors of a rainbow.

u r an angel with no wings
but u do have a wand of magical words.
nobody i guess hv seen an angel
but their presence one can feel.
n u r such n angel to me.
whom i hv never seen
but can feel ur divine presence
through the flowers of ur beautiful heaven.

My First Haiku

A few days back, I came across the concept of Haiku, thanks to Cuckoo. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, where the poems are simple, small and not rhymed. It is nothing but a depiction of nature in its innumerable aspects.

These are the basic rules for writing Haiku :

1. Each poem must have 3 lines, comprising of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
2. Each Haiku must contain a seasonal word.

Keeping these in mind, here I go...

Twilight time brings back

Lots of memories to life

Mainly in winter

Well that was not so bad I guess :)

The mischievous side of me has prompted to start a Haiku Tag! Here are 7 people I ask of to put up a Haiku on their blogs :

Kabir

Kulpreet

Lena

Mann

Preeti

Priya

Rambler

Happy Haikuing :)

P.S. Anyone interested in Haiku is more than welcome to take up this tag as well. I have used an old photograph which I clicked long back, you can use any picture as a source of your inspiration!

Look Closer

When I was a kid, I always used to fantasize about things which I had read about in books-not that I do not now! Big shady trees used to play the part of The Faraway Tree and I would dream about the lovely places that supposedly come above it.

I get so very enthralled by greenery and can never get enough of it any day. Even after finding out such trees do not really exist, the child within me has always been on the lookout for wonderfully impossible places and things wherever I go.

One such lovely place I found is the road that runs behind my workplace, which is located on a drab street that is so very ordinary and extremely boring! I was too held up with work in the initial days to notice this road which runs right behind it, a total contrast from the one in front.



This is the highway to Sharjah and in spite of the heavy traffic during rush hours, one of the loveliest stretches of road I have come across in Dubai. Over evening coffee today, I was feasting my eyes upon it and was transported to a world of my own for a while.



I have slowly realized over the years that though the fantasies might not really exist, there is so much beauty to life which goes unappreciated and taken for granted. Look closer, your fantasy might just be around the corner!

A Seventh Thoughtful Thought

"Every moment seems like an eternity, no bliss could be complete
Though I know you are with me and our love is a divine blessing;
No soul can ever fathom our love and none could ever love me so
Your love is a gift of me to me with you being enwrapped within."

My Haven, Me & Gratitude

Keeping my promise to Preeti, here I go tagging again! Also found out that Nicky has tagged me as well. Though the context of both tags are different, they are both memes, hence I am doing them together in one post.

Taking up the cue from sweet Preeti, an insight into The Haven in this Writing Meme...

The Haven was inaugurated on a midsummer evening of May this year, when I was sitting alone surrounded by my thoughts as usual. I just wanted my own space on the net and did it, inspired by Kabir. It was actually Sam's World initially, which I changed later when I found there were already many blogs by that name. As is evident from the archives, the writing was very irregular till mid September, when I had this sudden urge to put down my thoughts, mainly born of being in a new place, away from loved ones and of uncertainty about life.

Gradually I found it a great feeling to put my thoughts into words, while at the same time not getting all up-close-and-personal, something I would never do in a place so public. The joy of playing with words I have always cherished, but only after starting to blog did I realize my potential to weave my way in and out of them. Gradually a budding readership ensued, followed by some surprising accolades, all in all inspiring The Haven to grow with every passing day. People have asked where I get the words and ideas for my posts, though I have told they are inspired from my life, some still find it hard to believe. Each and every piece has an element from my life, which I present wrapped in the folds of the posts, and no post has ever been saved as a draft before.

So many have complimented on the optimistic nature of this space and relate it to my own nature.Though I am quite optimistic, there have been many a weak moment when I have been tempted to dish out personal stories and splash negative thoughts here. But every time such a thought crossed my mind, I would regret it 'cause in doing so I would not only be putting myself down, but also be tainting my Haven, which is my solace and my respite. This is the place where I have discovered just how much I have to say to this world and how much there is to life. Never would I want to disappoint this space or those who come here seeking optimism and hope.

Going through other blogs has made me have an open mind and helped broaden my perspective, apart from marveling at some really fantastic works of writing. Every blog on my roll is a haven in its own right and there are many others which I have come across that have left me spellbound as well. It has been great to meet some really fabulous people here in Bloggerville and though I have had some unpleasant experiences with few, those are only drops in the ocean of happiness my Haven has brought me. Every comment is cherished and treasured, hence I reply to each individually cause at the end of the day, not all take the effort to voice out their appreciation.

Though I write for myself primarily and not for any comments, once in a while there are people who have boosted my writing spirit no end with their words. There are some whose comments I had come to expect by default for every new post, cause of the attachment towards them as a person and nothing else. But there are some who have mistaken this attachment and ended up viewing this expectation in an entirely different and bad light, so I am treading cautiously when it comes to getting personal in Bloggerville. In spite of some such depressors, there are so many others who have been extremely uplifting, making me doubly glad for having sowed the seed of my Haven in the first place.

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Whew! I guess that's enough a monologue about The Haven. Now to follow dear Nicky in listing Seven Random Things about myself...

1. I am a big time chocoholic.
2. I can go from laughter to sobs and back in seconds.
3. I still have my first ever pencil box from Lower Kinder Garden :)
4. My biggest pet peeve is thoughtlessness.
5. I remember the dates of almost everything that has happened in my life(a gift as well as a curse)
6. I try to see the good in everyone(which has backfired at times)
7. I am very possessive!

Going by the rules Nicky had mentioned in her tag, I tag 7 people to write about 7 random things about themselves :

Jen

Prachi

Preetha

Preeti

Raaji

Rohit

Umang

And now coming to the best part of this post...my heartfelt joyous gratitude to Nicky for her thoughtful gesture of Pay It Forward. From Cape Town to Dubai, these lovely handcrafted gifts from South Africa (carefully wrapped and parceled by her) arrived today with a lovely hand-written postcard. Was delighted to see them on coming back home in the evening!

These photos taken by me do not do justice to the beauty of this lovely beaded spoon and artistic key chain shaped like a gecko! True to her word, her gifts have "a hint of Africa" in them :)


I had fallen in love with the concept of PIF on seeing it on her blog, but its true picture was complete today when it crossed the boundaries of the virtual world and entered reality. And not to mention her being so firm on keeping up her promise of having it delivered to me by November. Loads of love and hugs to you dear! God Bless You.

P.S. This is where Nicky got the above lovely gifts from!

Image Meme by Paul Mayne

Not Anyone's Playground

Taken for granted
Stamped upon
Ridiculed about
Thrashed by
Scratched on
Ripped apart
Broken into pieces
Barricaded away
Torn mercilessly
Asphyxiated by some...

...Yet it comes back stronger each time 'cause there are more to...

Cherish its every breath
Gently nourish it again
Respect it any day
Ward off the blows
Heal the wounds
Make it whole again
Mend the pieces
Take down the barriers
Stitch the tatters
Ventilate it over and over till it springs back to life...

...Making me fall in love with life again and again. Gratitude to those angels can never be expressed in words for knowing it's my soul and not anyone's playground.

Image Red Yel Soul Flower by Starlight Devi

If I Am...You Are...

If I am a book, you are its cover
If I am strength, you are my power

If I am a cake, you are the icing
If I am a queen, you are my king

If I am destiny, you are my fate
If I am the soul, you are its mate

If I am sleep, you are the dream
If I am a ray, you are my beam

If I am silence, you are my voice
If I am grace, you are the poise

If I am candy, you are my flavor
If I am taste, you are the savor

If I am an eye, you are the kohl
If I am an ember, you are its coal

If I am happiness, you are my bliss
If I am lips, you are their kiss

If I am hunger, you are my pang
If I am a bell, you are its clang

If I am a perfume, you are its scent
If I am a second, you are its moment

If I am a rainbow, you are its colors
If I am a garden, you are its flowers

If I am love, you are the feeling
If I am life, you are its meaning

Images :

Long Distance Love by *joulee
Soulmates Never Die by LadyVoodoo

My First Tag

Just when I thought I was running out of ideas, there come two tags back to back! Thanks Lisa for my first ever tag. I don't usually talk about Me, Myself & I on this space, but then can't say no to friends any day. So here goes...

Three Things In My Life I Can Never Let Go Of

Sounded simple when I read her tag but now that I have to write about it, it's a totally different ballgame! As it is about things, I won't include family and friends. Yet, my mind is blank as I think how to narrow down so many things I have come to possess and be dependent on in life, that have come to be a part of me, and me a part of them. So much for trying to stay away from materialistic happiness!

I guess I can go on thinking and the more I think, the more complicated it would get. I have slowly realized that I really don't care so much for any of my possessions, they will come and go in life. But the things that really matter are different. Hence, these are the three things in my life I can never let go of :



Values :

I believe and abide by certain values, some self-made and some inspired, and can never give up on them for anything in this world. Some people may consider me arrogant or call this attitude, but as long as my values do not harm anyone or their morale in any way, I would never deviate from them. They have made me who I am as a person.



Conscience :

I am not perfect, but I try my best not to go against my conscience, that little voice in my head which will be with me till the very end of my existence. When I look back on life, there are numerous instances where knowingly or unknowingly, I have gone against it, and I wish I could correct those mistakes. Since that is not possible, I am trying with each passing day, to abide by it. It is not easy, but then not impossible either.



Space :

It is so important in life. Be it with parents, that special someone, friends or just about anybody, unless everyone is given their own space in life, the relationship tends to suffocate at some point of time, and might even get throttled on occasions. Space is so important for love to grow as well, I learnt that just recently. Along with love and care, it too is important for a relationship to mature and flourish.


And now I get to tag in turn! It is so difficult to choose. So in my very first tag, I tag these first five bloggers whom I came to know (both on and off Bloggerville) :

Akanksha

Bhadri

Kabir

Lena

Mann

I simply admire their writing, each being unique in his/her own way.

That's all for now. Till next time, keep the faith!

Images :

Images Of Values by ianni490
Conscience by Unknown Artist
Space by seventytw0dpi

Living With Differences

With the world changing by leaps and bounds, the word peace has taken on a whole new meaning. Gone are the days when warding off foreign invaders from our country was the way to bring peace into our land and thereby, into our lives. Peace is not something which can be created nor distributed nor exchanged in form of treaties and pacts. We all seek it, groping in the dark, searching in the light, but the more we seek, the more it evades us. In the end, we fail to realize that it is nothing but a state of mind, a way of life.

In the journey of life, we constantly meet new people. Most we brush aside, some we ignore, and some remain. At times, we are excited about a new person we have come to know and are impressed by them and tend to put them up on a pedestal of sorts and be in awe of them. But once the surface is scratched and we get an insight into their true self, sooner or later, we just drop them like a hot bomb! Why? Just because they do not fit in the prefect frame we had outlined in our mind for our own picture of that person?

Most of the time, the answer is sadly yes. Funny how the human mind works, capable of going to extremes and thinking it can be the judge of people’s natures. But in reality, who are we to do that? No one is perfect in this world. Is life not all about taking the good as we go and leaving behind the bad? A pity many do not think that way and just lead their lives searching for better people as they go on. This happens in all relationships, be it with one’s own parents or siblings or spouse or friends. When the supreme power who created this earth and all those on it does not bias Himself against anyone, who are we to do it?

Every person is unique in his/her own way and they have a special gift within. But thanks to society and its varied opinions they are not able to unwrap that gift most of the time, and take the goodness within to the grave, untouched, unknown, unappreciated. It takes not immense wisdom and knowledge to know a pearl among the beads. All the same, those beads too have their own beauty and their own worth, which only a rare mind can appreciate. Again, that is a difference of opinion. But just because one does not agree with us, it does not necessarily mean we have to resent them.

Difference of opinion is the triggering factor of all wars. Just because someone stands up and says NO, he/she is put behind bars in many non-democratic countries. Why has standing up for one’s own rights become such a tedious and dangerous process in today’s world? Even in a democracy like India, we have to struggle on a day to day basis just to be heard. And once we are heard, there comes a shower of criticism, making one wonder why they even opened up in the first place. Many a mouth has been shut, many a voice suppressed this way, and in the case of war, many a life ruthlessly ended, all because of the root problem - difference. In the end, difference of opinion is a manifestation of one’s own ego. At times, this ego goes haywire and blindfolds even the most brightest of perceptions.

In today’s fast-paced age of cut-throat competition, differences spring up on every nook and corner. By the time one clashing of opinions has been sorted out, it would have triggered another hundred such clashes, which burst out sooner or later. Nobody is willing to put themselves in the shoes of the other even for a moment and try to see their point of view. Irrespective of all the milling campaigns for promotion of world peace, it can never be achieved till each and everyone of us is willing to bend down a little and give a bit than always trying to break others and gain.

Will such a day dawn? That we may not live long enough to know. But if there is even the most minuscule chance of it happening, then every soul who ever struggled for a better world would not have strived in vain. At the end of the day, we all belong to the same species. Living with differences is nature’s law, it is up to us to heed by or break it.

*The above is an extract of an entry I recently sent in for the Indian Express & Citizens for Peace Essay Competition 2007*

Images :

Conflict by MirekP
One World by Mike Harrison

Have A Great Month!

Sometimes life gives less when we want more. But at times, it's the other way around. Happiness is a bubble which just pops up when least expected. Though this bubble won't last forever, while it lasts, it's a blessing. Today my bubble is almost bursting, it's so full! I got a job right up my alley. It may not be the ultimate dream job, but it is a great start for a fresher. In the past twenty four hours, so much has changed for the better. I feel guilty for all the times I almost lost faith in the past few months when things didn't work out and for having lost hopes of a professional career. Forgive me God, for those moments of weakness.

I may not be able to write daily like before but will write as much as I can, cause this passion is here to stay! Do not get me wrong if I do not visit your blogs often. Will keep myself updated with your posts somehow. Heartfelt thanks to each and everyone who has visited The Haven and made it bloom. I always try to convey messages of hope and faith. Though my belief of them did slacken at times, such moments of bliss reinforce those messages. No matter what, Faith rocks and Hope flows!