Sick and Tired of Being SICK and TIRED!!!!

It’s Healthy to be SICK sometimes says Henry David Thoreau. Well, the key word here is SOMETIMES. Yup it’s okay if I fall ill sometimes, but, Common, so frequently??? That’s just not acceptable, isn’t it??? Mr. Henry obviously hasn’t fallen ill the number of times I have or rather with the frequency with which I am in poor health.

These days LIFE is FAST! People, animals, climate, nature, everyone these days are caught up in a mad rush to amass wealth or otherwise, all in their own world running behind different things! I was always under the impression that if one falls sick, it mainly because The Almighty wants him/her to have a bit of REST!! A forced one, Of Course, nevertheless an indispensable one! These forced REST sessions are often introspective and sets one is a PENSIVE mood! This again is GOOD, sometimes! We all need to know WHERE we are GOING, How CLOSE we are to whatever it is that we are looking for or whether we are already there!!!

But for ME, Dear GOD, it is really required??? So many (many, many) reflective sessions?? I'm only 23! What is going on?

The PREDICTIONS for the YEAR 2010 are really awesome to think about, how many of these will actually come true is something you and me will have to wait and WATCH. The year 2010 seems to have bought with it a bucket full of illness for me; I started the year with a bad bout of food poisoning (January 1st), followed by a severe bacterial infection, followed by a sprain in my neck and finally a nasty and chest congestion... :) I don’t think anyone must have fallen ill so many times in just one month and that too so frequently and so awfully.

For starters, I could have gone to the doctor. But what we're rather I AM trying to figure it out is that what these symptoms might be signs of. And Since I am sick nearly all of the time, it isn’t practical to go to the Doctor always.

I get sore throats that don't stay gone when treated with antibiotics. I have been sick on and off notably since January with a ratio of 2-3 weeks sick and 1-1.5 weeks well. Right now, TOUCH WOOD, I'm not being treated for anything! :D :D Most of the sicknesses that I have to endure seem to have no desire to surrender anytime soon even though I've been on path of PURE LIVING for all most all of my life. No animals for food, no hazardous gaseous substances or liquid impurities going in to my body, Yet I feel quite detached most of the times. Like I'm in some kind of mist/different land/ CLOUD!

It’s like being in LOVE!! Lol… Yup that’s how I FEEL love is !! You don’t know what you’re doing, why your doing, some unseen force makes you act in different peculiar ways. In my case the force being SICKENESS! It’s a case of ONE way traffic… "Illness" seems to be head over heals in Love with me, though I LOATHE HIM! Yup it has to be MALE (you know the reason, need i elaborate?)!! Most certainly!

Having said this, I should also mention that I HATE medicines, Hospitals and doctors! I hate being sick, I hate the feeling of being tired, sluggish, drowsy, more than being upset, I get angry when I am sick!! :@ :@ I get moody when I am sick! I hate lying in my bed, waiting for energy to come back into my veins and for the sick, funny, grey taste in my mouth to dissolve. It's really frustrating!! TRUST ME!

I hate the funny; Dettol smell in the hospital! Its like the biggest turn off ever. The “Know It all” smile on the faces of the doctors is a COMPLETE killer… I feel like killing them when they smile like they know everything and that we are Poor, Idiotic FOOOLS who know NOTHING!!

I dislike taking medicines and I am constantly testing my immune system’s POWER! They do NO Good for us, these medicines!Sooner or Later, you can SEE its horrible EFFECTS! It’s only for the benefit of the Doctor's Pocket!! That’s it! GOD is the ultimate Engineer, Doctor, Planner and Designer!! So he definitely must have given us some powers to heal ourselves on our own/ with Nature's Help, isn’t it?? Of course he has!! So I am trying to HARNESS just that power!!! :P

Maybe my general dislike for Doctors rises from my complex!! I always wanted to be a DOCTOR right from when I was in my pampers till when I was in 12 Science A. (After that things did manage to get a bit... uhmm.. Shaken!?!) But of course the ULTIMATE, Supreme Power and the Omnipotent had other plans for ME…. May be it’s a Case of SOUR GRAPES!! May be just MAY BE!

But the fact remains, I am waiting for the day, the day the FEELING (Hate between me and sickness) get mutual and one fine DAY Sickness shall Finally get SICK of ME!!

In Anticipation,

Eternal Sufferer :P :P

Day - 29th March…. Hence *29* different things about ME!

1. I love to DREAM, especially when I am awake.
2. I only eat food that grows on trees and plants, no Animals for me…Thank You!
3. I always try to make people laugh…no not smile…but LAUGH…
4. I always try to FORGET ISSUES of the past, but I keep reminding myself and people around me about it so that I need make that mistake again or nor does any1 else! Contrary to popular belief it makes present happiness seem heavenly. 
5. I love to TALK…so much that I think it is an illness!!
6. I believe GOD is ONE!! We just give him different names...that’s all… Krishna (The name I use for My GOD) is my FIRST love!
7. DANCE is my life, my prayer and me…I don’t know how good I am at it but nevertheless it is my way of connecting with me and god!
8. I love to do things in my WAY! I strongly believe that I know the BEST! (I am serious!)
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. I don't hate others, I just dislike them n AVOID them.
10. I hate to Lose, be it an argument or anything for that matter, I HAVE to win very argument. “Agree to disagree!” 
11. I have made PEACE with my past so it doesn’t spoil my present and my future. 
12. I NEVER compare or compete with others. I am my only competition. I always work to attain better than my previous works or achievements.
13. No matter how I feel, I get up, I dress up and I show up, That’s my thing!!! 
14. I have a problem with forgiving people… I DON’T!!
15. What other people think of ME is not really my business… 
16. 28th of September 1998 was one of my most happiest day…it was the first day I day I met a male version of me… My brother!! He is the cutest, smartest, chubbiest little thing ever. (touch wood!!) I love him!
17. I m scared of the DARK, HEIGHTS and I am CLAUSTROPHOBIC! 
18. I wish I were TALLER! :(
19. My Appa and Ma are the best Parents that any1 could ask for!! I love them more than anything in this world!!
20. I have never fought with my sister, if we are pissed with each other we just don’t talk to each other for a while that’s all, no Violence at all… Touch WOOD! 
21. I don’t like animals much…there all good in pictures and all that but no touch! I can’t stand anything furry against me! YUCK!
22. I am the biggest emotional fool in this world; I find it difficult to throw away things, be it chocolate wrapper, small papers with anyone’s scribbling on it…according to me they are all replete with emotional content…DON’T ASK!!
23. I have so many dreams and ambitions…and I am constantly fighting to achieve all of them…n I know I WILL be able to realize all of them one day!! I know God will not ditch me!!
24. I love all my friends very dearly but I am not much of a PDA (Public Display of Affection) person, so they don’t really know how much!! 
25. I have something called the TEMPER….m extremely short tempered, and it can easily be compared to an Active volcano, erupting on a Regular basis!!
26. Whenever I hear something gross or disgusting, I cover my nose… Its almost as if I can SMELL IT!!
27. I love Good Food… a complete Foodie! I need to lose about 15 kgs!! 
28. I hate chocolates, but Absolutely love ICE CREAMS and Pasta!! Weakness!!!
29. I can continue like this for long….but last but not the least, I love MYSELF too much… probably that’s why I have issues with other people!

Tales of Gincy, The Great Downfall Included!!

People generally say that First impressions are the Best ones, well in that case, I am sure Gincy would have hated me… As mentioned in my previous blog that I was in such a pathetic mood on the Orientation day that when, She being an absolute sweetheart walked up to me and sat next to me for the MEMORABLE speech by Mr. Iyer, I chose to completely IGNORE her. In fact I had ignored most people in the class, more than me ignoring them; they were invisible to me, hidden by my grief (LOL). Actually I don’t remember snubbing her, but of course she does and never loses an opportunity to remind me of my utterly ridiculous behavior. :)

Its only when she asked me for a pen that I noticed her, She looked so completely and thoroughly Indian and definitely Ethnic… in her Salwar Khameez, Hair neatly tied back, with a center partition and matching earrings, chain and Bangles, Nails painted to match her salwar and completely immaculate. LOL she was the Ideal girl in my mother’s eyes. She has taken so much effort to make herself presentable, Ma said. I said, Well Ya she did… But Ma what’s the use if everyone dressed and carried themselves in the same way? :P :P That was my excuse for having loose, part straight and part wavy multicolored hair, kohled eyes and black nail paint.. :D

Gincy, a fellow Libran, born on 2nd October 1986, for the past five years I have been the first person to wish her for birthdays and she has been the first person to wish me for mine!! :D

Change is the only thing constant thing in this universe, I changed, My perspectives changed, my friends had changes in their lives, and so many of them had left college midway, most disappeared after bachelors but Gincy (and a few others as well… will be writing about them soon :)) was constant! She has been my classmate for 5 years, did our bachelors together, as well as our Masters.

She is an excellent cook, Chinese being her specialty, and she was one of the few people who took our very first assignment (of introducing ourselves as well as talking about our hobby) very seriously. Her hobby being cooking, she came to class armed with Mixed Fried Rice and Gobi Manchurian, that she prepared all by herself in her Cooking lab early in the morning just for US!!

She is one hell of a Character, completely totally entertaining! I remember this one time, we were participating for the First Talents Day in Manipal, and while practicing, if at all she doesn’t get any step , she would keep doing the same step over and over again and try and get the step right but would NEVER give up! Ohhh…. How can I forget the… the great DOWNFALL of Gincy!! LOL... it was Crazzyyy... (yes I know I am mean :P) Once while practicing with our costumes, she said, "Neelu this skirt is too long, I don’t think I cant wear it and dance! ". Since we were practically a few days short of the D Day and I was already worried about a few other things as well I didn’t say anything but just stared at the poor thing… LOOL!!! I clearly remember how she kept saying I will fall… I will fall with this stupid long skirt and I kept telling her “Its all in your mind, gal” LOL… and then it happened!!!!

Shuba Mudgal screaming in the background… "Rangeloo Maroo Dholnaa… Dholnnaaaa……" DISSSSSHH!!! Gincy Landed on the floor with a loud thud and went sliding behind… thanks to the smooth silky skirt and then was lying there motionlessly, and Deepa from behind went running melodramatically towards her.. "Gincy eda Gincy... are you OKAI?? Gincyyyy!! Gincyyy!!!” and there I was a complete insensitive pig… laughing away to glory, laughing and laughing and rolling on the floor … Poor thing!! She must have wanted to kill me at that time… But I wouldn’t let her be angry with me for long, what all I did, for her to feel better, massaged her till she begged me to stop… LOL!

We were soo silly, stupid, carefree and illogical and now how things have Changed, she is no longer Gincy George. She is Gincy Ajai, happily married and in the family way!!! I just can’t want to see her beautiful baby and her… It’s been soo long!!

Gincy, Girl, one day we need to do our Rangeelo Baro ONCE AGAIN!!! For Old Time’s Sakes!! :D :D

Change of *Plans*!!!

"Manipal University has 2 campuses in India, the biggest being in Manipal, Karnataka. This campus is spread across 1000 acres and has 6 million sq. ft of built-up space, which has complete Wi-Fi connectivity…………… "

Shrieked Dr. Ramji, Dean of Manipal, dramatically on the podium

Day - The Orientation Day for the new batch of students entering the college life.

Year – September 2004

Oh, How I hated that day!! I was completely in a horrible mood and sooo wanted to run away… far far away… but no, here I was sitting in the huge auditorium listening a silly man, with a fake American accent (or so I thought) and dreading the days to come.

I never wanted to complete my higher studies in Dubai, I never did, I wanted to go to India and join JJ College of arts for my Bachelors in Architecture degree. I wanted to live alone, try and be independent, wanted to do sooo many things, but I was going to Join Manipal University in Dubai that toooo for an Interior Design Degree... Urghh… How angry and annoyed I was, I was so bitter that I refused to even look at the other girls and guys in the Auditorium. I mean what was the use anyway, my dreams (I felt at that time) were getting thwarted!!

After that long melodramatic Speech of lava turning into cocoons and what not, we were all asked to *proceed* our classes to get acquainted to our classmates and Faculty. And there for the very first time I saw, Mr. Ashok Ganapathy Iyer!! My *Acting* HOD, and Senior Professor and the immediate reaction I had was… Hey this guy looks like Tushaar Kapoor… LOL Little did I know I m going to spent the next 5 years of my life, fighting, laughing, listening, hating, loving, teasing, teaching his MAN! He is one hell of a guy… I have noticed that I have many Capricorns in my life, both guys and gals, and Mr. Iyer is one of the prominent ones… : D

My first impression of him was not a very pleasant one, well, that’s Mr. Iyer, no one likes him at the first, and then slowly you start developing a liking for him with time... :) The first thing that he said was… “Dear Parents be ready to keep your wallets open, as your girls have joined for a course that is going to prove extremely expensive for you…your wallets are going to have HOLES…your money will need to flow like water…. “LOL... Mom was flabbergasted! She was like, “is this Man MAD???” LOL… Well… Yup he is and yes Money did flow like WATER!! :P :P

There have been times I had been angry enough to want to KILL him, there are times we refused to talk to each other when we didn’t agree on something, lol… that was the kind of relationship that we shared… or still do... We could barge into Sir’s Room and say, Sir your wearing BLACK tomorrow… and that’s it… he would… : D

There was just a brief period of about 1 year or so in between when I got extremely close to another faculty member, my HOD, and my most favorite Professor, who truly inspired me, motivated me and got me hooked to Design…. Sorry I digress, Will write about her soon enough… :D

Mr. Iyer, has been a good friend, teacher, guide, brother, protector, bully and father figure. He is not a perfectionist, but who is? HE openly flaunts his imperfections and constantly makes effort to rectify them as well. At times I used feel like a guinea pig at his hands, when he used to drop bombs on us… As in Assignments… At times I used to feel, does this MAN even know what he is talking about? :P Most of my classmates could see him only for 3 years, a few unfortunate ones for even less than that, where as I have been lucky enough to be a part of his life for 5 years, every single day!! :D

Oh… God!! I miss him… terribly so… HE was like the salt in my life… Personal, academic, You name it and he has helped me on all those fronts…

He is extremely lucky that he has such a wonderful life partner who completely understands him, his personality and his odd work timings… and so deals with a LOT of girls being around him at all times… LOL

It’s Sir who helped me deal with my Change in PLAN… in life as well as in class… It’s he who realized that I would ace the class from day one… and he told me to as well, the very first day… and at that TIME…. I thought he is just being CRAZY, who can I ace a class where in I have NO interest??!!

Thank you Sir, for having Faith in me!!

So, Whose Fault was it??

This Blog of mine is dedicated to a stupid stupid, silly, illogical, naïve fool, who also happens to be very very close to me, someone fell deep deep into an irrevocable ditch from where she is finding it extremely difficult to return. This is for YOU! Love~~

So, Whose Fault was it??

Yes it’s your fault you let yourself fall in love with him though,

You knew you were polls apart.

It’s your fault,

You gave your heart completely to him,

You blindly believed him, trusted him and grew dependent on him.

It's your fault,

You clung on to him and his memories even after he is long gone!

Yes it’s your fault,

You love his smell.

Yes it’s your fault,

You love the way his eyes cringe when he smiles,

You love his goofy toothy grin and what not….

Yes it’s your fault,

You love the way he never take you seriously.

Yes it’s your fault,

You love the way he shakes his hair rigorously in your face to irritate you.

Yes it's your fault,

That for seven years he was your morning, noon n night,

That your heart bleeds for him,

That you made him your drug,

That you let yourself get addicted to him,

And it's your fault that you put him on a pedestal and decided this is it!

Yes it's definitely your fault,

That you let your heart, soul and entire self wither like a dying rose for him

But It's HIS fault that,

You made all these FAULTS!!!

To be or KNOT to be!!

Many people marry for the wrong reasons, among them 1) to overcome loneliness, 2) to escape an unhappy parental home, 3) because they think that everyone is expected to marry, 4) because only "losers" who can't find someone to marry stay single, 5) out of a need to parent, or be parented by another person, 6) because they got pregnant, 7) because "we fell in love," ... and on goes the list.

- Bruce Fisher and Robert Alberti

So what exactly are the RIGHT reasons then?? Or are there any?

This February, when my Cousin Sister, Bindhya was getting married, we all grabbed the occasion at hand and flew down to Kerala to partake in our First wedding experience. Yup, having lived my entire life span of 23 years in this hot humid wonderful country (Doofai), we (i.e. my sister, brother and me) never had the opportunity to be a part of a Keralite Wedding!

And so, we all went down for my Cousin's wedding she happens to be Appa’s Sister's Daughter. It was really quite wonderful… It was a Jhat Mangni Pat Byah thingy, (a quick affair, decided within a span of 20 days)... but nevertheless good fun... got to meet lots of our relatives and family friends and stuff... :) Wore beautiful outfits, tried looking good (LOL) and ATE lots and lots of Sweets... :) Once back from the short trip, the one question every1 asked me was “Found someone interesting???” I was baffled for a while… Is that why I went down, to find some one interesting?? And here I thought I went to attend my cousins wedding… Okay! Agreed that you CAN find someone interesting at any time and definitely at any place but… nahhh I didn’t find any1 interesting, was tooo engrossed with all the gold and Food LOL...

Very often, Appa gets mails that’s read, “We liked the girl’s profile. The boy is in excellent job in Bangalore is a non vegetarian. Girl must relocate to Bangalore and must eat Non vegetarian food.” The message was signed by Mr. XXX, “the boy’s father.” How courteous isn’t it?

But we have got worse, there was a time when Appa logged on to the computer at home and got a message that asked, abstaining from any preface, what the date, time, and location of my birth were. Presumably to be sent across to establish how astrologically harmonious a match I would be with a Hindu suitor, the e-mail was dismayingly hasty.

My Poor Appa and Mama have been fielding (pardon that… IPL in the air) with these mails for a while now, having supposedly completed, all the necessary thresholds required to get married, after having crossed the above mentioned thresholds , there is no legitimate reason, why a girl, and Indian Hindu Malayali girl should remain UNMARRIED. Let me explain what the thresholds are; Schooling (Check), Degree (Check)… Well then it’s time to get married! But Hey, Wait I got my masters degree and I work as well… It’s high time you get MARRIED!! LOL!

My parents, in a very earnest bid to secure my eternal happiness; have been trying to marry me off without further delay! At home, My Poor Appa is up at night on arranged-marriage Websites (http://www.shaadi.com/, http://www.bharatmatrimoy.com/, http://www.me4maary.com/, http://www.jeevansathi.com/ and what not?) Far from being a novel approach to matrimony, these sites are a natural extension of how things have been done in India for eons and eons. Even after the explosion of the country’s famously vibrant press, Indians are coupling up via matrimonial ads in national papers and the above mentioned sites. (“Match sought for Malayali Menon girl, white complexion, homely, and god fearing” etc.).

And the result of my Appa’s nightly browsing—strange e-mails from boys’ fathers/mothers/sisters/etc and stranger photographs (Captioned as Flower, beauty and what not??) It has become so much a part of my life that I’ve lost sight of how BIZZARRE it once seemed.

Nope, I will not say I am against the idea of getting married, nope, I am not! Everyone needs a life partner, someone who she/he can call his own. Still, for years, I didn’t want to get married the way they show in some of the movies. The guy meets the girl through a newspaper ad his parents had taken out and lo and behold… they are very happily married, with babies. I had a sense of romantic adventure in me to find my own partner, but over the years I have grown to understand, “Yeh, mere bas ki baat nahin hai… so I rather just let my parents do the dirty work, at least they ill be happy I didn’t decide to marry a NON Hindu or non Malayali per se… Right?? At times I can’t seem to digest the strangeness and peculiarity of the Whole Scenario… I mean is that the ONLY thing???

Anyway, Thanks to our recent Kerala trip, all/most relatives, family friends etc have now armed themselves with my JANAM KUNDALI (horoscope) and are all set to get me married of... lol... or so they think... :) Lets SEE how that goes!

The ART of Story Telling…

In aankhon ki masti ke

Aah.. aah… aah… aah

In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain

Mastaane hazaaron hain…………

How can one not be a fan of Shahryarji for these mesmerizing lyrics, Khaiyyam Saab for this breathtakingly haunting tune and the eternally beautiful Rekhaji for adding the much needed poetic magnificence to this melody? It's JUST not possible that one can escape from the clutches of this masterpiece.

I was way too small when I first heard this tune and more than anything else, at that time, I was smitten by Rekhaji's grace, poise and beauty. I wanted to watch it again and again and then I wanted to emote like her, DANCE like her and MESMERMIZE like her…

It was an extremely gradual process for me, after having learnt Bharatnatyam, a bit of Kuchipudi and a speck of Mohinaattam, it was decided (by ME) that I was destined to learn the other SEVEN classical dances as well… Quite natural I say!

I give Full credit to Rekhaji for having given me my first taste of KATHAK. Just as Rekhaji's eyes, lips, face, hands and legs along with Shahryarji's Lyrics and Khaiyyam Saab music unfolded a heartbreakingly splendid "Katha" for us, Kathak also does the same.

Jo Katha Bole so Kathak, that’s the basic and the most pure essence of this Classical Dance. My happiness knew no bounds when I got to know of a Kathak teacher in Dubai, and what joy that she actually stays very close to my home (and now she resides in my Heart!!). My Kathak teacher Shrimati Ketaki Hazra is a woman par excellence. She has the Mental strength of the size of a mountain and is most softest person I know.

For Ma'am dance is a way of life, a matter of faith and belief, nurtured and enriched by the souls of her very own students. A perfect performer, she was, throughout her dance career as well as a perfect human being. She is always the centre of attraction. People gather around her to be educated by the words of wisdom and knowledge, to be touched by her warmth, her laughter, her passion and her beauty. She has done her degree in dance from the Calcutta Academy and is now a PhD examiner for Kathak. She has been training young talents in Dubai since 1984 and since 1987 been conducting Annual Dance recitals. For the last 5 years I have had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of her life.

A little bit of information about this Art form, Kathak in its lifetime has seen many ups and downs, whether it is imbibing the Mughal traditional practices or following the British legislative policies, Kathak and Kathaka's have tried to look at the positive of the majority such invasions. Music and dance were used by story tellers to illuminate the story while attacking the sensibilities of the audience. Around the 15th century or so, the dance form underwent a drastic transition due to the influence of Mughal dance and music. By the sixteenth century, the tight churidar pyjama, that we can now see being used in most movies having a ghazal song being interpreted, became the staple attire of a Kathak dancer.

Kathak focuses more on Tatkars (Footwork), extensive footwork as compared to the hasta mudras in Bharathnatyam or the fast paced jathi's of Kuchipudi or the extremely sensuous smooth flowing lines in Mohinaattam. The dances are performed straight-legged and the ghungroos worn by the dancers are adeptly controlled. Most Kathak performances see an extremely entertaining and crisp Sawal Jawab session, wherein the dancer competes or rather tries to match up (As I would like to think) with musicians (especially the tabla player). The costumes and themes of these dances are often similar to those in Mughal miniature paintings.

The constant pain in my knees are a gift thanks to an on stage accident while performing from my favorite sitting chakkars. The chakkars form yet another important crucial backbone to a Kathak performance along with the sitting chakkars. The twirls are the speciality of a Kathak. I have seen certain Kathak enthusiasts being able to pull off more than 100 chakkars at a go, My Ma'am could also do the same once. If it weren’t for those all those dreadful accidents and misfortunes, my beloved ma'am would still be dancing, walking and most importantly happy!! But what the hell… Everything happens for a reason and there is GOOD in every Action. Isnt it??Like me meeting ma'am.... practicing Kathak under her and basically finding each other!!!

Ma'am always asks me "Kaise tumne aise mera dil CHURA liya??" ... Dearest Ma'am, Maine app ka Dil nahin chura, maine tho sirf Mere Dil aapko diya hai… Kathak ko diya hai!

Love IT! HATE it! Numero UNO … That’s what DUBAI is!!

One of my favorite saying is that, Architecture is the mirror of the Society and societies, these days, generally tend to re-examine the connotation and desirability of built environments very swiftly. DUBAI seems to be a Perfect example for this, only that the mirror here seems to have been tampered with! There is an inherent search for an architectural individuality and a general a lack of the rise and fall of various (Architectural) movements in DUBAI unlike in other cities in India, the States and Paris etc. The continuous debates on symbolism and character issues in architecture have actually branched out from this very FACT. This search seems to be a preoccupation with most countries that have vast cultural richness and multiple layers of history, Dubai included.

Architects as well as budding DESIGN professionals in these countries find themselves dealing with a paradox needing to project a certain image of themselves through their built environment. What I mean is, in Dubai, the buildings and infrastructure need to portray a sense of opulence and PRIDE!! It’s like the Waltz, (I am Sorry I digress, but it’s dancing… I sort of can’t help it), while Waltzing, one’s posture is given at most importance; there is a need to hold your head high and elude a feeling of superiority! It basically requires us to dance unhesitantly, briskly, and with aplomb!!! Dubai also seems to want to waltz through the current economic scenario primarily to much show the WORLD… “We are okay!”… in FACT we are the “Number ONE”! Numero Uno!!

EVERYONE will agree with me when I say, Dubai is a city that has a winning mind behind it all! One that is passionate about making Dubai the world’s BIGGEST, TALLEST, FASTEST, and RICHEST venture in the world, never settling for anything but the first place. Read the news on any given day, and you'll most likely hear about the BIGGEST, tallest, and most expensive something or other in Dubai.

This very fact is reflected throughout; Driving through the roads of Shaikh Zayed Road and the Business Bay the only few things that remind us of the Arabic Influence would be the Signage’s having Arabic Names as well as the billboards having Fazaa (drool...) i.e. Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s photographs. The main pointers express themselves QUITE differently. The buildings, infrastructure, bridges, highways and urban gateways fail to give us an insight into the deep cultural and traditional heritage of the region.

The swift pace of the emirate's development often lacks in-depth analyses and thought. The physical progression of Dubai is notorious for its unprecedented speed, and also for the number of slip ups and adversities. There is a need to resist the urge to chase the latest spectacle and instead explore the various layers of ethos that exist beneath the city brand. Taking a look at the Bus stops (Can they be called Stops??)! There is no radius of curvature, the bus stops write in the middle of the road, coolly blocking the rest of the Road for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Instead the bus stops need to have a “kerb” or an embankment, where the *Articulated* bus can easily get into, and let the traffic flow smoothly. Or look Roads in Dubai, Has there been a single day where in you can seen Dubai Completely devoid of any construction activity?? One day the road is being widen, and once the roads are ready, the Roads ripped apart to be fitted with underground pipe lines and so after that the Fiber optic cables need to upgraded… so on and so forth…

IMAGES and *image making processes* like the one Dubai is undertaking do not DONE to address the issue of meaning in relation to the GENERAL public. I personally feel there is a need to mandate looking at the built environment as a TWO WAY MIRROR. One way can be seen in the sense that, it conveys non-verbal messages that reflect INNER LIFE, activities, and social conceptions of those who live and use the DUBAIN environment. The other way is seen in terms of how it is actually perceived and comprehended by a certain society at a certain time.

In a sense, Dubai exists as a PARADOXICAL place. With its infamously fragmented population and its corresponding ethnic and socio-economic breakdown, it inevitably represents itself as a different place to different people. This poses some basic questions: What communities belong to Dubai and what community does Dubai truly belong to? What does its collective memory look like? Why is debranding Dubai significant? Or better still is Dubai PERFECT????

I believed initially that research needs to carry out to understand the unbranded, rebranded or further still brand extended Dubai. But then I realized that in the case of Dubai the conclusions themselves can be revealed in the questions; perhaps the conclusion is that Dubai is meant to remain a QUESTION!

ABSOLUTE Communiqué!

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

~ Author Unknown

I just have to write about this!!! Especially NOW, since I have begun to complexly understand, comprehend, control and exploit the INTERNET. If it wasn't for it, I really can’t fathom how life would have been. Everything that we do is directly/ indirectly correlated to the Internet; searching for information, people, recipes, music, movies, assignments, make up, news, live cricket, chatting, and what NOT?… So many many things!!

Getting on line and on to the web cam and seeing my loved ones who are at thousands of miles away, talking to them, wishing them, all of that has been possible only because of the INTERNET! All these social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter has definitely given LIFE a new dimension! For all those who feel that they are waste of time and that they curb Creativity and Productivity… THINK again! Initially I too had a certain indifference towards these social networking sites; I set aside its existence as a creation for the immature juveniles and people with low professional commitment as well as a site for poor frustrated (Read Socially and ….ahem ahem.. otherwise) individuals. But NOW, I completely acknowledge with the WHOLE all my heart that I was mistaken!! We need to salute these sites for bringing into our lives, our Friends from school, college and relatives as well.

On 19 January, 2010 at 13:22pm, I was overwhelmed with this powerful sentiment of gratitude because through FACEBOOK, I had found my classmate and Dear friend, Vipina Mohammad Ali, from school who unfortunately had to drift away from me due to certain circumstances. But when I saw her face on FB, I couldn’t just believe I was indeed looking at her after some 15 ODD years… I was sooo excited just seeing her there, I had last seen her when I was in Grade 4, and I had compltely forgotten her surname and what not, the only thing I remember was that we share our birthday;s together, that’s it… BUT one random search and BANG… I found HER… WOW!!! And how things change, she has grown (and here I was, still picturing her in my head as the 4th standard kid) and now, Masha Allah, she herself is a mum of two adorable toddlers!! :D :D … Well, THANK YOU to our Very own INTERNET and FACEBOOK!!! :D (Now I don't want to completely propagate Facebook, they do have some serious flaws... but still… – Read *60 year old Uncle* wanting to MAKE friendship isn’t very appealing, If I may add!)

I think I would have gotten sick and tired of living a long while ago, if it weren’t for internet… LOL May be not!. At least since I have internet here at home, office and the mobile, I can have some real conversations about the things that move me with interesting people whom I don’t really now very well. I have been lucky enough to have got a lot of GOOD Friends thanks to the INTERNET!! My very very good Friend Swaschand Lavan , Sachu, is a part of my life only and only because of the Internet and Orkut… Special Thanks there! I can’t even think what I would do, if it weren’t for him sitting here in the OFFICE!! :)

My Good Friend, Anashwara Radhkrishnan, Anu, and I have been in touch with each other thanks to this technology alone, we have these long mailing sessions where in we catch up with each other’s daily activities, which wouldn’t have been possible if we were to do it through the phone. :)

If I feel like shopping, I can go online and browse any type of store I like or if I want to gift something to someone. If I want to have a conversation, I can open Msn, Google or Facebook and chatter away. If I am looking for some info or support, just a few simple clicks and off I go.

So to those who say Internet is bad and doesn't add valuable things to life... you are doing it completely wrong! So, A BIG shout OUT to Facebook, Google, Twitter, Msn and the Internet... you have indeed made the world a more delightful, charming, beautiful and a more 'warmer/smaller' place to live in.

GOOGLE IT!! That’s way to go!!

Dance Dance - Baring of the soul through Movement!!

“Everyone is looking for God. Some don’t realize that they are, but they are.” 

-George Harrison

I have DREAM! A Vision… a mission maybe… I want to able to create a community of dancers in a gently populated place amidst the desert in concrete jungle of DUBAI. A place where nothing exists, except DANCE. A place where I breathe, eat, sleep, dream, talk, imagine - DANCE. It shall be like an oasis in the desert. A place where all the five senses can be refined to perfection. A place where dancers dodge negative, non-constructive traits to embrace spirituality and lead a calmer and smoother lifestyle. And in this gradual process become dancers of merit.

This is exactly the reason why I had decided to do a research on dance to finally culminate in a dance school… because of my love for Dance. Dance for me is my life. It has been with me even before I was born… It is the very essence of my being. It is my prayer and my way of spirituality. It is my means of becoming one with god.

Being a staunch believer of god and a keen dancer it is only natural that I follow Lord Nataraja, the King of Dances. He has had an emphatic impact on me. His cosmic dance conglomerates CREATION, PRESERVATION and ultimately DESTRUCTION. Nataraja's dance is a metaphorical representation of human life itself, wherein the good and the bad eventually get neutralized. Being a Libran, having a strong sense of good and bad (Read Opinionated!) as well as always having had the unvarying ambition of achieving a balanced personality, my fascination with Lord Nataraja seems pretty normal. Doesn’t it??

While completing by Bachelors Design Dissertation, my aim was to achieve a parallel between dance and design in tandem with the cultural, aesthetic, visual, and spiritual aspects. With this information at hand, I hope to design a Dance Academy (ONE DAY… ye I will!) specializing in the seven different classical dance forms of India; Land of Cultural Heritage and Dynamism; in Dubai; the City of Gold.

Being a cosmopolitan city the need of a multicultural tolerant attitude is inevitable, and it does exist to a certain limit but the number of “fraudulent” people in the field is phenomenal as well (Will deal with that aspect in the coming blogs… :)) and secondly the population Indians expatriates in this country further exemplifies the need for such a melting pot of art forms.

With the establishment of such center, the social and cultural emancipation of traditional arts as well as artists shall become a reality. I seriously would love to ensure the continued existence and progress of the dance forms under the newly evolved (sincere and legit) institutional set up. Indian dance forms speak volumes of the great cultural endeavor of the country, so I would like to see it as something I can give back to India. Indian dance forms have always captured global attention in all the cultural vistas of the world; therefore the task shouldn’t be unfeasible.

The population living in Dubai suffers from a cultural vacuum and the need of a center wherein people can imbibe the true essence of ethnic and culturally rich characteristics is unmistakable.

This blog is a rather good insight to my persona, and is very close to my heart as well. I have been dancing since the age of 3 and this is ONLY because of my parents who introduced me to Dance and my Ma who fed me DANCE. ;) If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to identify my Love! :) Thanks Ma and Happy Mother’s DAY!!!

ARTIST? What gives???

Did you Brush today?

Did you sleep on a bed last night?

Did you watch television today?

Did you look at the newspaper today?

Did you put on a pair of blue jeans any time recently?

Do you style your hair?

Did you open a book today?

Did you happen to listen to your IPod today?

Did you play a computer game recently?

Did you listen to a CD recently?

Did you look at the box of cereal that you opened this morning?

If you have done anything at all today some where or the other u have definitely touched/ used something that involved an Artist. Everything around you has been designed by a thought an artist has created in his/her mind. There is nothing that you can do that doesn’t involve the input of an artist at one point or another, EVERYTHING!

When we create/generate an idea, that bulb that lights up in our heads is, according to me that is the most profound thing on the PLANET. It in turn leads us into feeling something totally new and complete. We just HAVE to follow up on it to fulfill our need to create. It may be to get out some sort of emotional dilemma we're going through at the time or it could just be a silly whim that makes us consider it to be very “cool”. Either ways, it helps us (the artist) get something out of ourselves when we feel we have to.

We have a true need to CREATE. It's like an addiction, we have to utilize the creativity or all the creativity will just dry up and die. Granted, that what one thinks as good others may not appear the same to another but that's not the point.

Let me use myself as an example, I don't sit around and dream up stuff to do. But when I come up with something I have to at least put it onto a sketch book or it will drive me nuts! I have to get it out even if it's in draft form. Will I ever finish it? Maybe not, there's still a record of the idea that was created and to me that's what's important. It's the same for sculpture or whatever I do. That’s how the flow of Creativity is!

Now, for those of us who buy art or just pick up a picture when they feel the need, it is actually more difficult. The reasons they buy can be ENDLESS! It could be because it looks good over the couch or maybe it reminds them of happy times in their lives or maybe it takes them back to someone they miss dearly. Then again it could just be because they think it's cool.

Why we buy art is very PERSONAL. It can be healing or it can be something that people just find fascinating. It doesn't matter if it's as random as a poster of the gorgeous Hugh Jackman (Drool...), hunky Hrithik Roshan, docile the American Gardener or the tranquil Mona Lisa... :P

"MODEL" Sister!!!

All my close friends and family have been asking me just one question of late, “Why haven’t you blogged about Sannu (My younger sister) yet?”

Well… The answer is quite simple… I don’t know… I don’t know where to start, because I don't know when there will be an end or whether there will be one. Almost all of my life I've had her and she has had me. We've laughed together, Cried together, did stupid things together and most important stayed together. In fact today she actually helped me over my Fear of heights… Or least she tried... :P

Pretty, Poised and Placid! My Little Sister!! My Baby sister is the *Best*!! I know most people say this about their siblings, but no seriously she is the best… We have a three and half year gap between the two of us… And though I wasn’t initially very keen on sharing my parent's attention with someone, when I saw her, I completely forgot all of that and turned my focus on to her!! I decided that I was extremely lucky to have sum1 to play with all the TIME!! :D

She was the most adorable baby in the world, always quite… and never a trouble! She used drink her milk and go off to sleep without bothering any1 around… completely the opposite of me and my brother (we were maniac, complete attention freaks :P)!! Even when she was small she was very quiet, or that’s what people thought and that's because my sister chooses whom she will speak to and whom she will NOT. If she likes someone and she feels she should strike a conversation then she will, otherwise she just won’t talk.

She is extremely intelligent and is a hard worker, she likes her private space and won’t let anyone or anything come in between it… :) Though it might be quite difficult to believe, but we have never fought… never ever… no emotional, no mental and definitely no physical fights… :) I know it just defeats the whole purpose of having a sister but then that’s how lovely my sister is…

She loves her Makeup!!! It’s quite amusing to see her doll up every time she steps out of our home… She has a fetish for NAIL PAINT… and uses almost all the colors there are in the rainbow and more even... Lately, her favorite past time has been taking self portraits… She loves to take pictures of herself and working on them, editing them etc… I guess at 19, all of girls are a bit self obsessed... Isn't it? :)

She is an excellent dancer and Touch wood, has the most amazing memory! You show her a dance routine once and BANG, She’s memorized it!! It’s fantastic how she does it!!

She is a very very strong person and doesn’t get affected easily at all! Quite unlike me, mum n brother (We can cry at the drop of a hat). She is a very emotionally strong and stable person and if at all she cries, there’s nothing in this world that can make me as upset as seeing her cry… It’s just devastating to look at her cry… I just hope and pray my baby sister never ever cries again!!

She is a crazy cat lover, whenever she sees one of them; she just runs behind them, she has innumerous cat pictures in her computer that she sends her time ogling at. Something else that she is equally crazy about is Aishwarya Rai… she is an Ardent fan of hers and is extremely possessive about her; if at all anyone has a different opinion (Read – criticism). She does not take it lightly at all!!

After all she is MY Sista, the TEMPER runs in the family. ;)

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, I think NOT????

It is often said that "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery"... Well, I for one, completely disagree with that. I think, in some cases, it can be seen as a HUGE INSULT and definitely an IRRITATION.

I take myself too seriously, I am also very serious about things that I do and I am very modest as well… lol… All things that I do are very close to my heart and soul; be it studying, designing, dancing, writing, painting, cooking, Everything! Ther are NOT to be tampered with!!!

All those of you who know me, might know that I tend to hold grudges. This blog is an example of just that.

How can someone blatantly copy another person?? No seriously how can? Is one even thinking about what one’s doing before actually doing whatever it is that they’re doing?? Why imitate someone when you yourself can come up with something original and innovative in life?? Mimicry exists, It does, throughout the ANIMAL KINGDOM that is… but that imitation is one with a PURPOSE --matching one's behavior to others' as a form of social learning for monkeys, apes and Chimps. And I thought that we had come a long way from the time of the APES!! In a world where every1 seems to be competing with one another, Can we not at least try and be original? Okay, So ahead and imitate, but at least give the other person some time or some space first. I guess you could say I'm a control freak… Obsessive compulsive? Definitely! But why not, I would NEVER do some thing just because the other person has done so, then why would you?

Do things because you want to and NOT because SOMEONE else HAS!!! Maybe if my inhibitions weren't so tightly knit about me, I would have been a much more amicable person. I feel that things like this only happen with me and when such things do happen, I have trouble trusting people with anything of mine!! It makes me sad that someone would do such a thing as treacherous as going behind someone's back and imitating/ mimicking/ aping! Maybe I am overreacting, but I sure don’t feel like it at the moment… Need A Cupcake NOW!!

Art-A-licious!!!

“Just as a person can accept love only in direct proportion to their own ability to love, a receiver of art will be nourished by it aesthetically, intellectually, philosophically, and spiritually as much as they have the capacity to react to, relate to, and be inspired by it--either for a moment's pleasure or to reform themselves into a better human beings.”

By a Random Awesome Anonymous Guy!

The Art Dubai Exhibition Starts today, 17th March – 20th March 2010… This blog is basically an after effect of the various different exhibitions and art displays that I have been very fortunate enough to visit and has been triggered right now, thanks to the Art Dubai… ART has not always been what we think it is today, It was very different! An object that’s is regarded as Art today may not have been perceived as such when it was first made, nor was the person who made it NECESSARILY regarded as an artist.

All of us… Yes… ALL… continue to buy art for art’s sake and especially the ones that we feel has some sort of EFFECT on us, and that right there is I believe the true nature of art; it affects people on an emotional level, and that is what makes it truly great. I always have a tendency to buy arty pieces… any thing from chunky jewellery to a random rock…. Much to my Ma’s dismay… But art isn’t just to add aesthetic value to places… its quite Useful as well…

As far as art being useful you drive or ride in it every day!! You make coffee in it and you wear it! All the stuff that we buy on a daily basis had all gone through one design phase or another. They all have to look good and definitely function as well. Sudha Chandran has been one exceptionally influential person in my life; she had lost her leg in a horrific accident. How pathetic it might have been for her, if not for the prosthetic leg?? Imagine a dancer not being able to dance… I being a keen dancer can actually get gooseflesh merely thinking about the probability… The prosthetic leg was designed by someone!!! The process of creating such items is quite similar as creating a painting or sculpture. Yes, I strongly believe that… I know it's not fine art but its still art at its basic terms.

Apart from being USEFUL, Art has other lesser known characteristics as well… Art is not psychotherapy, pure philosophy, nor the Vedas, so it cannot be expected to be a universal medicine or Cure… but I have read of some very iniquitous, brutal and vicious people who were intensely affected by beauty (Who isn’t??) and the Arts. Therefore Arts, in my opinion, in varying degrees can alter basic human temperaments. (Adolph Hitler was a patron of Arts and Literature. By the way, he is a decorated war hero! A vegetarian, he doesn't smoke, drinks just an occasional beer and has never cheated on his wife. :) so much for being a Villain.)

Most People often misunderstand what an artist is supposed to do. There Needs to be correction in the general perception of an artist and an artist needs to visualized as a person who is supposed to create situations you have NEVER seen before and develop imagination and take it to a level beyond what is possible, what the mind is able to imagine. They are meant to push you.

James Cameron Did JUST that n MORE!!

In love with being in love – CUPCAKE!!

Chemistry!!!

After today I think I kind of have a fair idea or a theory, if I may, as to why there is a phenomenon called ATTRACTION, Instantaneous one that too! Having experienced it first hand, I think it’s only logically that I blog about...

I think all of us, Humans, are like CUPCAKES… yes cupcakes, and When God is busy up there baking away, he obliviously does so in batches so that there is no CHAOS… Once the batches are done, he scatters them around the WORLD… So u have Chocolate cupcakes mixing among Coca Cola Cupcakes, Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes, Key Lime Cupcakes and Red Velvet Cupcakes... Occasionally, in my case sporadically, we cross paths with someone who is of the same kind of CUPCAKE that we are, and we RECOGNISE them... and on even rarer junctures we encounter someone from OUR very same batch! What a delight that would be isn’t it? Unfortunately, most cupcakes, Opps people from my *Batch* are of the very same gender as me… Quirky, isn’t it? Nope, I am not against same sex relationships, not all… in fact I would gladly advocate for it… it just NOT it’s my cup of tea, though… :)

Coming back to the *On the Spot Magnetism* bit… There are apple cupcake people, Chocolate peanut butter cupcake people and chocolate cupcake people, oatmeal even, all kinds, and all basically having the same or at least very similar ingredients... But Ahh the feeling that you get when you come across someone from the same batch, regardless of time or space, is I am guessing a thoroughly a Delicious thing!!!

P.S. This blog is memory of a *Cherry filled Vanilla Cupcake*, I got magnetized to… Only to realize a bit later that we are from totally DIFFERENT, Repulsive Batches!!! *Sigh*

The Little ONE

My HERO… One Monday morning, 28th of September to be precise at 9.24 am, my life flipped to a new AWESOME chapter… My hero had made his Grand Entry in to my Life. He is the love of my existence. He is the Chubbiest, smartest, most adorable, fat little thing ever.

When we got back form School, all excited to see Ma, we were told by our Household help that your ma is in the hospital and that you guys should have your lunch and get ready to see him… But our excitement got the better of us and we skipped lunch and got all dressed to see our Brother… He was soo handsome, my little nepali… Fair little thing, cute nose, chubby cheeks, pink lips and soft , smooth flowing hair and no eyes… no eyes at all.. HE had two lines instead… I asked mum, is he Filipino?? That was the first time I saw my Love…

Having a 12 year gap between us, did a lot of things, I learnt how to take care of babies, watching mum take care of him, I pretty good with babies now owing to this fact. He is charmer; he can charm any1 with his smile and his goofy grin. When he was small he was so clean and used to make sure everything round him was clean as well… He was soo obsessed with his surrounding, he wanted it all to be clean, and proper, but now he is just the opposite, dirty, filthy and as unclean as he can get. He used to only talk in English and thought none of us had a good command over the language as much as he did… lol and the irony of it is that now we have to remind him to talk in English!

He is an awesome singer, but will not learn singing no matter what we do. I have tried bribing him, scaring him, begging him and even threatening him… uh huh... no USE what so ever. He just has decided that he is TOO good and doesn’t require formal training… lol. He loves to dance and makes up awesome stories and is soo adorable. I really have no clue as to what I would do without his presence in my life.

He loves me too much, I know, but he would never tell… HE loves making fun of me and never gets tired in this Endeavour of his. He calls me a MAMMOTH… He is my supporter, my well wisher, my criticizer, my fashion guide, my personal photographer, and what not.

He is quite gossip monger, very much like me, Likes to know everything that’s happening at home and mostly important loves to SPY… When I'm mad at the world, people around me, all I need to do is to look into his dark brown eyes and every thing seems alright. When I touch his fair soft skin I suddenly come alive, and forget my issues with the world.

That’s when I realize that out of all the little boys in the world God sent YOU especially to be MY LITTLE BROTHER!!

My SuperHERO Appa

My Appa….. Forever calm, composed, always at ease. The most accommodating and selfless man I know. No bad habits what so ever. He doesn’t drink, smoke or even abuse! Now isnt that something??? OF course it is!! He is the BEST!!

He never complains even when he has had to pick from college late at nite, every day for two years continuously, completely compromising on his free time (Read - Newspaper time), or pick n drop me from one to dance session to another or sit for terribly long dance shows and what not. He never says anything!

He is loving and kind, he listens, suggests, and defends. He has the strength of a mountain, and is my foundation. He loves to tell me stories and used to tell me sooo many of them. There was a time when me and my sister would not sleep until he had completed narrating us a bedtime story… Appa makes these stories all the time just for us and that to with SPECIAL Effects… :) He taught me to ride my bike, and more recently DRIVE :). Or at least he tried…lol!

When I was younger I was extremely fat... I guess fatter than a normal baby, or wait was it that my parents were too young n skinny... lol I think the second one hold true!! But Seriously, though I was... ahem... quite a burden for them to carry, Appa always carried me around…Even when I was old enough to walk, I used to insist on being carried, and he did just that. Stubborn as I was, I used to throw sooo many tantrums and my poor Appa quietly let me have my way…

He is the fitness freak at home… the Advocate for Exercise… Always asking us to get into shape and learn from him. There is quite a lot that Men half his age needs to learn from him, he can to put to shame most of them with his energy, vigor and enthusiasm. There are times when he sometimes ties his shoes early in the morning at 6.45 and is only able to take them off much later in the night at about 11.30... But he never complains… My Appa!

Appa has never put any constrains on me, NEVER! He never once laid down any Curfew for me. If we wanted to go anywhere, we could. That’s the trust that he has placed in us. But unfortunately, as all teenage children mess up, I too did and it was he who helped me out. But my small slip up, always sees trying to make it up to him, whether in studies, or any other aspect. My only aim is to make him proud of me and completely forget the Slip up!

Appa's really do make a huge difference in their daughter's lives. I remember, when i was little, I used to think my Appa was a Super hero, and that he could do just about anything. I use to always say, "Appa, fix it." It wasn't a question, it wasn't a request, and it was a Just STATEMENT :) and I still think he is my Super hero!!!

My Incomparable Ma

The most beautiful person in this whole wide world… I owe everything of mine to her. I am everything that I am only, only and ONLY coz of HER. The way I look, the way I speak, the way I conduct myself, the way I dance… Everything… Only and Only because of her. I don’t really know what I would do if it weren’t for her. Even when I was just a throbbing dot on her tummy, she used to care for me more than she did for herself. She wanted me to be a girl, and as luck would have it, I was just what she wanted and needed.

I often contemplate my childhood and realize all the things that you have given me the Sacrifice, the undying devotion, the unconditional love and tears, her heart, her mind, her energy and her soul.

All the Years that she spent on me, she loved me with a never-failing love, she gave me strength to face the odds and most importantly sweet security. She used to sit up late and watch a whole lot of movies and dance videos as she had told that babies are extremely vigilant of their surroundings and she wanted me to have a keen interest in dance and related art forms. She carried me to her college in her tummy. My first experience of Education was sitting with her in the Bachelors of Architecture classes which I guess triggered my ambition of getting into design. When I was a little girl, my mother said I never liked to leave her side. Whenever she tried to leave, I held on to her leg and would not let go. When she got pregnant with my sister, I was so offended by the attention she showered on my unborn sister, that in a fit of rage I actually bit my mum on her tummy, as mark of protest. Even then she didn’t lose her cool with me… My mum! :)

As the years go by, I see myself following my mother’s footsteps with what she did in life. From the interests and activities she did, to what she pursued as a career, I am going to be JUST like her. My Best friend, my best critic, my firm advisor, my much loved teacher, my forever willing provider, comforter, listener, staunch disciplinarian, and caregiver. If it weren’t for her, I would never have found my first love, Dancing. Or Second love, Designing. A strong, beautiful, talented, generous and helpful person, that’s who my mum is. She loves to spoil me, fulfilling almost all of my silliest whims and fancies, except my nose pin n tattoo demand!!! She is quite a personality, my mum… A typical LEO; prides in herself and her abilities and always stands tall no matter what. She gets angry with a snap of her finger (I get that from her), but she cools down just as fast as well (I didn’t get THAT, though :P). An excellent cook, my mum, had tried her level best to feed me meat, When I bombarded her with my NO Non-veg motion, she put up a strong resistance, but eventually she gave in and saw the good in it as well. A completely emotional person that she is, she can sentimental just hearing about someone or something far far away. She is soo awesome I can go on and on… :) She is the BEST and the best part is she KNOWS it to….  I LOVE YOU!! :)

Love is MORE of a Decision and Less of a Feeling…

One of the most Influential, Authoritative and Significant qualities that one has is one's feelings. Both feelings and emotions are often spoken of as one and the same, but at most times they completely stand aloof and independent and rightly so. We all know that the soul of humankind consists of the mind, will, emotions, intellect, and the imagination. All of these are the integral parts of an individual that are truly unique and most definitely MYSTERIOUS.

Unless one reveals her/his innermost feelings, they can be undetected and completely unknown. This is phenomenon quite often described by poets, musicians and various artists. One can quite easily smile on the outside and cry on the inside simultaneously. Feelings are most often very tricky. One can be sad at one moment and happy with the next fraction of a second. Just Like THAT!

There are a multitude of things that affect the way one feels. For instance, soft music or an aromatic candle can soothe feelings of stress. One can get angry, upset and irritated with another with a snap of a finger and just not why. It could be for a completely no reason or some reason that his or her subconscious mind had suddenly decide to remember. One can go to bed feeling exhausted and discouraged yet wake up feeling as though she/he can conquer the whole world. Well, maybe not the whole world but at least the situations she/he must face. One can allow one's self to be motivated by one's feelings or emotions.

It is pivotal that people realize not to overrule by her/his feelings. Feelings shouldn’t be the center of focus on One’s Life. Having said that, I should mention that it is quite difficult not to be influenced by one’s feelings. It is said that Time heals Wounds, but personally I feel that it is never quite possible to forget any experience. Experiences and memories are quite like unused houses, they don’t go away, they are very much there but only dusty… all we need to do is dust the wounds are as fresh as ever… Experiments have proved time and again that through Hypnosis, we can relive our past experiences, with just as much as passion, vigor and intensity.

One can make a decision to remain committed to anyone or anything, and one can also decide not to be moved by someone else’s feelings. I for one believe that love is definitely more of a decision that can/ is made and not merely a feeling. I have made a decision to LOVE my family and my friends irrespective of what I feel at any given moment. I might not always agree with them, but I will always LOVE them anyway.