Bat bombs!!

Tasty has gone into hibernation :( I miss him n his silly acrobatics :D Anyways, I went to Wikipedia to get more info on this and I found this brilliant piece of information abt bat bombs!! I mean the US Army seriously considered using bat bombs against Japan :) I mean total wtf! :D U can read more here

Sunday, glorious Sunday

Sunday 17:12 pm

A friend wanted me to go the temple for her. I haven't been inside a temple in the last 2 years almost. I am not a temple person and manage to have faith in God without going to a temple. :) Sometimes I don't believe he exists because of all the inhumane things that happen in the world. But then I realise its man - so end of story. Anyways that is for another post (or not!) I go to the temple once a year when it is Diwali and last year on account of my uncle passing away we didn't go to the temple and of course there was no Diwali.

Visiting a temple is fraught with things one must do and one must not do. Like for women - not having their periods is a big thing. One must enter clean etc.. Is a woman polluted (which is the popular opinion) because of her periods? I don't like it one bit. I have fought with my folks previously on this issue. This is something physical that happens to a woman once a month and she is called 'unclean'!! Goddamn ridiculous in my opinion. What about men who come into the temple who in their 'other' lives gamble, drink, physically abuse and whore? But of course one doesn't know about that rt....

Anyways, this post is not intended as a diatribe. So shall come back to point – I enjoyed the experience of visiting the temple. I dressed up and walked some 200 odd steps to enter the inner sanctum. It was effort and I liked doing it. I valued it more because I reckon I haven't been inside His house for a long time. It was quiet (unlike Diwali which is horrid coz of the crowds) I prayed the same thing – for friend(s) and a lil bit for me (I don't normally but well this is important to me and its worth asking Him fr it)

When I started off I rang the temple bell softly and by the time I left it had made a very big clang :) I was very privileged to watch something at the temple. There is a Vinayaka idol on the grounds of the temple before one acends the big steps. We had finished and well the vadiyar (priest) was about to do the daily ablutions on the idol. So sistah n me waited n watched and it was amazing.

God bathes – yes ladies n gentlemen – this is a fact :) He bathes in milk, water n milk again (Lucky bugger or wot) The vadiyar did a very nice job and he must have thought we were mad, standing around watching him doing his deed of the day. This God was locked up in his house. The lock is opened so that the ritual(s) can be performed. He was naked before us, we watched him get a bath, being dressed up and then chandan is applied on his forehead and he is done. Ready to face the day under lock n key. Think there is irony hidden here but it escapes my mind at the minute. :)

I came back home, made eggs (after ages again) and made it my way instead of Dad's traditional omlette that we eat every Sunday. I also cooked lunch for Mom, me n sis – made pasta which came out nice (of course!) It felt like a very nice day and I hope it continues like that :)

Update: Sunday nite 9.00 pm - I didn't study the whole day and started off at 7 pm (bad n good eet ees!) Random relatives came over and they talked abt my cooking skills (not appreciated!) Then did fite with Amma (not nice)- we did cry and then hugged n kissed n made up. Ammas r so nice that way :) Now in another 20-30 mins off to Dee's house for khana :D

Update: Sunday nite 11.00 pm – Guava stew – fab ass dessert made by Dee's mom was the perfect end to my Sunday :)

The Flight of the White Pigeon

Alone amongst the multitudes

Her colour a beacon

Attracting more than the human eye

The others looked at her with disdain and contempt

Their commonality their unity

She raged against them

But they stood indifferent

Until she took flight....

Her flight into the skies was a thing of beauty

Her wings moving in tandem

Striking a beat against the currents

Even the wind bowed in defeat...

She soared high

A surprise because her kind hardly ever did

Achieving unassailable heights

Traumerei and Russian History

Read a brilliant article/post on Traumerai..its a lovely piece of music as well and my first Utube video :)

Stage set..lites..action

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts

Some snippets frm today's news

I was going to write about Facebook first but read this excellent article abt Myanmar so thought Myanmar was somehow newsworthy than some social networking site (I love Facebook - pls not to doubt it but somehow in the grander scheme of things ...) This writer went to Myanmar and has written about this time spent there. How apt also that Amy Winehouse sings 'Back to Black' at the same time. Read more here

Microsoft buys a 1.6% stake in Facebook for $240 mln. Facebook rules our life. Someone the other day called me a power user of Facebook and I would agree with tht assessment. Have remet hazaar friends frm Ncl times and I loveeeeeeeeeee Graffiti..wot the heck did I do before Facebook happened man?? Read more abt Google not winning this one here

Today's special

The Nine Billion Names of God

Boy sent me this story and its abs brilliant. Arthur Clarke written - can read more here

The humble potato

Changing life/history/economies? Yes eet eees the humble potato we r talking abt..Read more here

A life so well led

We come across people who have never touched our lives but influences millions of others in a different lifetime. I started off reading about something and came to David Astor. Till this very moment I didn't know he existed but he has made such a profound impact on the British understanding of their history through the Observer. This is his story.

6.15 am in the morning

Walked out into a breaking dawn

AamchiMumbai informed me that the sun rose at 6.31 am

I thought a lot as I walked

About life and mornings

I saw the sun

An orange disc as I turned around the corner

Before it starts to grow fiery

4 mynas espied chattering around a tree

The ache in my legs felt good as I ran

Walked into the bus a bit later

Doing maths

A moth flutters startling me

Its soft wings brush against my face n hair

Before it seeks freedom through the bus window

I stepped off the bus

Green butterfly crashlands near my feet before taking off again

The pink of the African Daisy speaks to the pink person inside of me

Heart melts at beautiful graffitti

The wait for a good day has ended

So T posted something and u read the words and they touch heart...

Kuchh log sote hain
Kuchh so kar bhi nahin sote
Kuchh sona chahte hain par so nahin pate
kuchh logon ki meethi neend
Kaam se thaki hui
Kuchh logon ki disturbed
Din mein hui chhoti chhoti baaton
se mood off
par fir
Sab subah uthte hain
Ek cutting chai
Raat ko bhula deti hain
bas…

For sure go and read more here

This piece was written when I was emotionally upset. I calmed down during the next couple of hours and some amount of fone calls later. Would appreciate no questions.

I live in a world where there are rape epidemics. I am stunned n amazed at how much pain n suffering there is in the world and all I worry abt is if I am going to America or not. Does this mean I don't care? I do but the world's problems are too much for me. Myanmar, Darfur, Congo – places with ongoing conflict but to me and to the average person, specks on the map.

Africa is the mad continent - the place God made with time but forgot to give stabilityt to. One of the world's most beautiful continents is overrun by men who don't care how they live. They will not b answering God as their path to hell is paved with fire. The more I read about articles in that continent the more likely it seems that society as we understand it has broken down there.

I read about the rape epidemic happening in Congo. It disturbed me really badly. Women suffer and suffer and sometimes I think there is no end to this suffering. Constantly being called the weaker sex, they r used, controlled and manipulated. This is not aimed as a diatribe against men. But men close their eyes and forget that they came out of a womb when they indulge in unspeakable acts of torture against women. They are committing crimes against humanity n not just the other sex but this is beyond the comprehension of men who are fuelled by a rage and lust for violence.

I talked about choices with a friend. The first choice is about you being born, your mother exercises this choice for you. You come into this world and keep making life choices which means depending on your circumstances you either have it made or you don't. What is the point of this succeee? 2.5 children, a white picket fence house and a man to call your own - the emblems of success. A dear friend once said to me, when someone u care for makes a hard decision- a decision you don't like – tough luck. What you need to do is be there for that person in every way you can.

Its about support and care and trust. Knowing that I can make a phone call and people will help me no matter what time of the night it is. Its about realising that its your life not yur parents. Sidney Poitier said in 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' to his father, “I love you but I don't owe you.” (Bow to you SS for tht one!)

Its weird how Mondays can affect you.

I walked down a path. I was surrounded by greenery as far as the eye could see. Birds chirped and sunlight filtered through the trees. Butterflies abounded. Tasty was there as well doing his usual acrobatics bringing a smile to my face. As I walked further down oer a gurgling brook my mind wandered and every happy thing I had ever done in my life came to mind.

I espied an apple on the path. No apple tree in sight and that left me wondering..I picked it up. Much to my amazement it was a beautiful red apple, perfect in shape n appearance. Like one of those pretty apples in tht diamond commercial except mine was red. I almost didn't want to bite into it. The desire to do so was high n the temptation strong. An existential dilemma over biting an apple.

I bit into it and the taste of the apple flooded me, it essence hitting my taste buds. I bit further in – the apple tasted juicy n succulent. I felt greedy like a child who tastes its first sweet and cannot resist eating everything in sight. I loved the last taste of the apple lingering in my lips. It tasted sweet – of temptation succumbed to...

The realisation always strikes in retrospect.

Myanmar - an analysis

Have been a bit bizzy and not v updated with what is happening in Myanmar at the minute. Boy sent me a v nice article about Myanmar and the politics involved in it. Must read here