She Is Here Again!

Like love blooming in midst of all the hate
Like how a new born first opens its eyes;
Beautiful gift of nature with open arms
Full of tidings fresh and everything nice.

Making one and all glee in joyful delight
With every bud and blossom she grows;
Leaving heady fragrances in her wake
Lovely as the lines of time bound prose.

Waking up after a long spell of cold sleep
Spreading her spirit and uplifting souls;
Full of sweet smiles and warmth galore
As innocent as young lambs and foals.

She, so full of sunshine and breezing
Queen of all four seasons - Spring

Reasons To Smile

A smile, it is said, is a curve which can put things straight. Costing nothing and conveying so much, it is one of the best things in this world which are for free. Sweetest Lena tagged me to write about fifty-one reasons which make me smile. Here goes, in no particular order :

1. When a near and dear one smiles at me for no reason :)

2. When someone says that I have lost weight, even if I really haven't!

3. Innocence of children (btw, meet Anna, my colleague's Baby)

4. When an old friend suddenly turns up home.

5. Knowing people care even if they are not always in touch.

6. Memories of college days (especially the UG ones)

7. Knowing that you love me.

8. Waking up every morning and realizing we love each other more with each passing day.

9. Feeling secure in your love.

10. When thoughts of our times together cross my mind.

11. Looking forward to a future together.

12. These roses of our first V-Day.

13. Aftermath of silly fights with friends.

14. Holidays!

15. Nature's peaceful rush.

16. Finding a chocolate in the bag exactly when I need one.

17. Smile on a patient's face when they go home after recovery.

18. Childhood memories.

19. When hurriedly prepared seminars become a success.

20. Kids sleeping open-mouthed!

21. Feeling warm on a cold winter night.

22. Mist on my windowpane.

23. When someone truly understands.

24. Shopping!

25. When a shopkeeper actually quotes the price I expect.

26. Smile on a loved one's face when they open what I have gifted.

27. Clear blue swimming pools, though I can't swim!

28. Satisfaction of having learnt something new.

29. Surprise gifts!

30. Memories of this faithful four-legged friend I once met on a station platform.

31. Seeing others happy.

32. Making another smile.

33. The different colors in the rainbow of life.

34. Swinging in the park as high as I can.

35. Sense of accomplishment after doing something that I have wanted to for ages.

36. Sunny days with nice cool breeze.

37. Sipping on a cup of coffee and watching it rain, glad that I'm not wet!

38. When dreams actually come true.

39. Small thrills of life.

40. When someone knows exactly what I want even without me having to ask.

41. Thoughtfulness.

42. Art and creativity in most of their forms.

43. Night Syndrome (Saji and Lena would know what I'm talking about!)

44. Most things in pink!

45. Exploring new places.

46. Music

47. Dance.

48. Love of Family.

49. Love of Friends.

50. Love of God.

51. Smiling just like that...does there need to be a reason every time? :)

Short Story - Nothing But The Truth

S was new to the world of blogging. Gradually she made some friends in Bloggerville, among them one A got very close to her. They used to chat day and night, all the girly talk and she confided a lot in her new friend. Day and night S would be awake cause she felt A really needed her after the recent emotional trauma they had undergone. One day a dispute occurred between them cause she expected her friend to comment on her posts ( which A usually did but had been too busy of late). There ensued an exchange of words and they called it quits. Next day she finds a hate post on A's blog. She was rattled and shocked. She bore it somehow and did not react, thanks to her real friends, whom she had been too busy to talk to of late cause of that new person in her life.

In a few days, S started getting requests from A to patch up and put the fight behind them. Emotionally vulnerable as she was, she was moved and made up after demanding answers for that person's behavior. However, that initial warmth was gone now. Again after a few weeks, another fight ensued over the same issue and this time it was worse. A actually mentioned S's name on their blog, just cause she visited to check for more hate posts about herself. There followed one hate post after the other, S was quiet. But she continued to visit. Everybody advised her not to visit there and hurt herself but she would not listen. Her friend L who could not bear to see her unhappy decided to take that person off her own blogroll and then A started hounding her and there ensued a bigger fight on their respective blogs. S was grateful to L and would always be for standing up in times when many just chose to ignore in spite of knowing the truth. Some people even turned traitor and started passing on information to A.

L finally put up a post with A's name on her blog and A ran to S pleading to ask L to take off that post or at least their name from it. She did it in spite of all that happened and L obliged just cause she loves S and warning A not to repeat what they were doing, like commenting on their comments on other people's blogs, who were even worse given the fact that they did not stop such comments nor reacted to them and just pretended as if nothing had happened. For a while, things were quiet and S and A even started commenting on each other's blogs again out of mutual understanding after the peace talk. Then one day, S visited A's blog and did not want to comment on their latest post and she found her ip address put up on that blog the next day. From that day she vowed never to visit A's blog again. But then in a few days, A came and commented on S's blog and she published the comment and replied politely and even went and commented on A's current post for courtesy sake.

A few days later, S again saw A's comments about her comment on another blog and then decided to ignore this person totally, no matter what. But then, A came to her blog yet again and left a comment and this time S was firm about not allowing it cause she did not want to have anything to do with A hereon. She knew they would retaliate with a post about it and she was right, A did exactly just that. What A did not understand is that the comment was not approved not because it was not in agreement with the post, but because they or their comments were unwanted in S's blog. Anyways, it was not the first time that A had manipulated the truth for their own convenience and S ignored it but L did not let it go and wrote a post about all these issues, and A at once responded to it and threatened to close down L's and S's blogs. Why should L or S close their blogs? They do not thrive in Bloggerville on the basis of making friendship by mail or chat, nor by going and asking people to blogroll or visit their blogs and also not by threatening those who do not comment on their blog by putting up the ip addresses. L and S thrive on the basis of the art of good writing, something that A would never understand.

Neither S's nor her friend L's lives would be affected in any way, they have a life out of Bloggerville and much more to do than only ranting and waging wars with every single person who disagrees with them, be it in posts or comments or on chat, and they do not bring their day-to-day personal problems and dump them on their blogs. Also is a question about who this person A really is. No one knows where they really are and how they look like or for that matter, even their real name. Just because they write using a girl's name does not mean they have to be one. In fact, after seeing some proofs about A's identity, S was shocked cause this person seems to actually be someone else. It is not S's problem if they are a guy or girl or maybe more than one person, but the question is, is it right to fool so many people by dishing out so much lies? Cause on Judgement Day, God will only ask for nothing but the truth...

Images :

*The Conflict by hakanphotography
*Truth Is At The Bottom by gally-black

Wedding Bells

A first glance that lead to a wonderful saga of love
Which bound our souls together in blissful union
Time brewed and made it stronger every moment
Making tumultuous winds fade away into oblivion

The wait was very long and the days were testing
Still we hoped and prayed and waited and loved
And today we stand here at that point of our lives
To move on to being man and wife from beloved

With a song in our heart and joy in the mind
We invite you to take part in the moment of truth
As our dreams come true and we become one...

No, this is not my wedding invite! These are lines I wrote a couple of months back for one of my bestest friends ever, who is getting married today. It is truly a dream come true, a love story that has crossed barriers of race and language and matured over an amazing period of twelve years (touchwood!) There is a lot one can learn from their relationship, not to mention the patient perseverance of both sides.

Miss being there on this wonderful day of your life sweetie, but my love and blessings are always with you. May you both weave a lovely future together and may every happiness come your way.

God Bless You dearest Saji & Srinivas

Image : Wedding Hands by Angelica

What The World Needs Now...

Why do you love me? You ask me. I say, Cause...Hmm...ah...err...

Is there a reason needed to love someone? Be it family or friend or that special someone, love is love and it exists cause we cannot be without it. Love is omnipresent, from the smallest drop of water in the ocean to the greatest of God's creations. Why do we go about searching for it? The happiest person in the world knows that love is always there within them and they need not look for it. When one's heart and mind are both clear of misgiving, love shines out from the very being.

Sad to see the rate at which relationships fall apart and people just fall out of love. How can one fall out of something if it becomes the essence of their being? Somewhere down the line, there must have been a facade, or else there never was love in the first place and it was just placing one's happiness in another's hands. Why should one's happiness be in the hands of an another any day, no matter how close to the heart they might be? If one feels they are happy, they just are. Why the need for another to control that emotion? Only the self should have a right to that and nobody else.

Once a professor of mine told me that decisions taken in extreme emotion, be it happiness or sorrow are usually wrong ones. Over time, I have come to learn that it is most probably true. Usually, people tend to fall in love cause they need someone and not because they simply love them. After that phase is over, they just do not see eye to eye anymore. There are many circumstances where relationships have ended after years of being in love just because one or both sides succumb to external pressures. When falling in love, most people know it is not a bed of roses to make the relationship survive. Yet, when testing times arrive, they just back down. If one does not have that spunk to survive in those tough seas, why fall in love just for the sake of it?

With all the violence and terror abundant in today's world, we all could do with more of love. Fought with a friend? Go make up right away. Had a lover's quarrel? Patch up! Parents seem to be throttling your freedom? It's cause they care. No fight or quarrel is worth it. The memories will keep haunting, the pain worsens and the longing only grows when a near and dear one is estranged, no matter who is to blame. Easier said than done is it not? But not impossible too. If there is love that has gone wrong, today is the time to bring it back on track. Love grows even when hearts are apart and love blooms even in the midst of hatred.

As Osho said,
Falling in love you remain a child, rising in love you mature.
By and by love becomes not a relationship, it becomes a state of your being.
Not that you are in love - now you are love.

Images :

*Omnipresent Love by MyLastEncounter
*What The World Needs Now by CharlieInGreen

Flashback

It's in, it's the way, it's the trend
Enabling to make many a friend
No matter what, it sure is rocking
This cool culture called blogging!

Never knew I would get so addicted to this space and come to have it so close to my heart. Well, life is full of unexpected turns and starting this blog sure made life more interesting. Coming to this post, it is a walk down memory lane, thanks to sweet Lena who tagged me. According to the rules, I have to mention five favorite posts of mine till now under the following headings :

*Family : I guess this is the only one related to that topic, written on my Mom's birthday in her memory...An Eighth Thoughtful Thought

*Friendship : This run-of-the-mill post dedicated to my oldest best friend Saji...A Golden Leaf From My Book Of Friendship

*Myself : I would choose this poem which I wrote long back as an inspiration for myself and every single woman...Silhouette Of A Woman

*Love : Well, there are so many posts about it and nailing one is so hard! Still I would choose...Procrastination Of Love

*Anything : This poem always peps me up whenever I read it...A Bit Of Sunshine

Hope you all liked these flashes from The Haven's past.

I now tag :

Akila

Kaylee

Nicky

Noushy

Preeti

Have a great week people, God Bless!

Third Haiku

One by one, they came

Lighting up the winter sky

Then there were showers

Image : One of the shots I clicked two weeks back during a stroll at the Creek, where there is an awesome display of fireworks every weekend night. It is Dubai Shopping Festival time here and the city is abuzz with festivity.