The World Through the Lens

This is what part of the world had to go through today. And New York Times assembled them in an album of 15 pictures. The only peaceful picture according to me, is of the torrential monsoons of Mumbai. Every other picture tells a tragic story of natural, economic, political, or ethnic upheaval. A couple on sports is a last minute relief.

The pictures talk about- Pakistan bombed by the US Air force. The fuel strike in Spain killed people. Chinese earth quake survivors living in the open with no shelter over their head. Kenya going through a political chaos which has left hundreds dead and thousands homeless. Ocean life is threatened after another major oil spill killer near Uruguay coast. Midwest in terrible state and now has to bear power cuts as well.
Some good news on the spots front for some soccer lovers as Euro 2008 soccer championships go on.

When Gossip Becomes Stilettoes

Sometime ago Pandora's box voiced, that women can not do without gossip. I doubt if there is any living soul with their heads on the right shoulders who will ever deny the claim. But calling women gossip harmless is like declaring Roses do not prick. We all know better than that - They have thorns and one has to be very, very careful while plucking or handling them.

There must be few if any who don't appreciate " Sex and the City" and they may have their own reasons for that. But for women it must have been one unanimous decision. The ideal friend to whom you can run to in the middle of the night and she comes to your rescue even if she has to leave the best *** activity of the night. The “Sex and the City” scenario is a dream situation. Where 4 women with absolute myriad temperaments, needs and social standing come together and are San any malice. I will forever find it difficult to palate that in real life with my post college experiences, but then “SAC” is an ideal thought of the writer where, every girl can bake a cake and eat it too!

The movie released 2 weeks ago and I have yet to see it. But before that I finished watching the reality show of the Real Housewives, season2, which featured a group of NY socialites. The situations given were believable, had a lot of drama, competition, jealousy, I-am-better-than-you moments and wanna be desperates. But in the end you have to put your best foot forward, smile at everyone and savour the moment you are thrown in and behind their back grind your teeth and swear under you breath that you have never met such bull heads ever, even if you are literally one of them, when among them. No one is perfect and the sooner we accept it the better.

I think many of us have experienced the wonderful camaraderie during our college and school life, where you have one special friend who is always alert to your needs. Who is there to take the daily walks with you, who will suppress her fear of darkness to accompany you to the loos in the middle of the night, who will fore go the lunch fruit share for you because you have kept a fast, who will wake up early in the morning to give you your medicine because you have a habit to forget, that special friend who reads your thoughts and completes your sentences. To spend every waking hour together study, play and gossip. Situations where none of your inner thoughts can be hidden and you want it exactly that way.

Not many people may have experienced such friendships. If you have not experienced it you will not miss it. And its something that is difficult to replace once its gone. But, marriages take you to different shores and childhood friends become random emails and once in a blue moon phone calls. And the search is again on for that one who will be your therapy mate. Age and some experiences teach you to be cautious as well as suspicious of fair weather entities. And so gossip will never be held as harmless for me.

The lesson I have learnt is that don't make any opinion about anyone until you have spent at least 4 of your consecutive weekends with them.
I guess checking people in groups and as individual is a good idea. I have seen people behave different when they are alone with you and when they are in a group of friends.
Always listen to the tiny voice inside which will guide you in the direction that's best.
Stay away from people who are into too much of negative gossiping about others. Chances are, you will top the list, in your absence.

Lifetime of A Life

Ask a person their motto and their is a reasonably high probability that someone will say that their life's motto is "Live as if this is the last day of your life". I have been thinking of this particular phase for a couple of days since I just finished Garcia Marquez's work " Chronicle of a Death Foretold" and it made me think, what would I do with the last 24 hours of my life? So I decided to sit back and take the time to look at myself and the things around me.

I would never like to live so far away from home if i knew that I had only 24 hours to live. I would want to be near my parents and my brother. Although, I love my relatives and friends a lot. I think the only quality time I would like to spend with would be SH, my parents and brother. Before I left home for my residential school I prefered to keep quiet, talk to no one and just feel the house, the walls and the presence of my loved ones around me who would go about their usual chores. That is exactly what I would like to do on the last day of my life. Just look deep into each ones eyes and let them understand without my speaking, how much I love and appreciate them. Eat all my meals of the day with them together, watch the TV and go for a walk in the garden, water the plants and pluck some lilies and bring them for ma just like my dad does on some days. See her smile and go about her chores like any ordinary day.
In the afternoon while my ma takes an afternoon nap and Baba is out on an errand and brother is with one of his friends SH and I sit and read a book together before we take an afternoon siesta. We get up soon after to go up on the terrace and feel the heat of the sun and take cover under the shade that Baba has built.
Eagerly wait for the evening tea time and rush to make the tea while my brother ans SH stand there watching me and eager to help with anything possible. I serve the cake that I made in the afternoon for everyone and my Baba cant help being proud of me that I make such a wonderful cake. And we all sit together on the veranda and sip at our cups while watching the kids play cricket in the park in front of our house. Comment at the passing neighbours and wave a friendly hand at them. Sit in the veranda till the dusk turns into night and the mosquitoes come to feast on us. Then run inside and quickly close the net doors before my mom comes to check at us. all of us sit together and watch the TV together and listen to the local and national news. Watch mom's favorite serial with her and then help her set the table for dinner. Make the perfect round rotis for the last time and serve the ones that I made to Baba and hear him appreciate them and tell me that I must do it everyday for him fully aware that I will not.

After dinner I serve everyone the pudding I made for dessert see each one's eyes lit up while my mom just looks at me as if saying that you spoil them with this once in a blue moon feast and I will have to bear their complaints forever.
I look at her and grin much aware that time is fleeting by. Then all of us sit around the dining table and talk till the wee hours, the past, school, work, cousins, news and politics and the prices of fish and oil, the future. We laugh a lot together and feel as close to each other as it has ever been possible. And get up and go to bed after hugging my parents and brother. SH and I will go to sleep for the next day would bring something different for everyone. I realized my last day said nothing about bog ambitions, gold and wealth. these things do not even come to my mind. So are they not important to me. My last day I would prefer to be just as simple ans sweet as it has always when I am home. And that is the most important thing for me.
I do not see myself doing nothing but be close to the most important people of my life.

Well, now ask me what I would do if I have a year before I leave this earth, and that would be a totally different scene. I will need 365posts to explain that ;))