All you have to do, is listen

Never will a fleeting moment escape without you giving it enough thought to add to it that gravity and magnitude it never had to begin with. Such is life. All the things you see and hear, you cannot help but give them some meaning. You form opinions and take opinions. More often than not, they will mean nothing. Everything is basically a sham of sorts. Isn't it bad enough that you are dictated by the societal norms formed over decades of false notions and flimsy perceptions? No, you are not content. The need to follow a bunch of things and to hold on to the rest is pathetic. Freedom of thought is literally non-existent. It is not going to be easy to even comprehend what you are reading here. Try getting away from the noise. Noise pounding at your ear drums and drilling into your brains.  'Calm before the storm' is so wrong. The din of silence is more likely to be heard in its wake. Get away from it all. Be one with yourself. Let go of your pretentious and sickly inhibitions. And then, maybe you'll hear it.

Of Clichéd Sayings

Proverbs and sayings are being used at an alarming rate. What is scary is that the entire meaning of that phrase itself becomes either overly dramatised or ignored all together. My good friend quoted one recently. “History repeats itself," she said. Now, what can you possibly make of this sentence? That something that occurred at least once before will occur again?

Two events may be similar in more ways than one, but are not the same, per say. Similar, yes, but in the most subtle of things. Things remind you of certain occurrences of the past. Sometimes, it’s all more than just a déjà vu. But are they repeated events, literally? Of course not. Two events are never the same. If that is so, then why do similar things keep happening? I’d say it’s because we let them happen so. We tend do the things in the most comfortable of ways that we are used to doing and thus, we ourselves lead these events to take place all over again. And we are so busy in this process that we don’t even realise doing so. It is only when the event has been done, that we shrug and say,”Yeah well, history repeats itself.” The irony.

The sea and Pondicherry

There are very few things that feel ethereal for me. Being agnostic in nature, that’s saying something. There is only one thing that even remotely makes me feel there’s something ‘godly’ of sorts - the vast ocean. The one place that I find this feeling to be most is at Pondicherry. I first visited the place when I was nine or ten of age. I fell in love with the place. I felt something that I’d never felt before. I was literally in awe of the sea. I’d been to various beaches before, yes. But there was something about this small town with French elements scattered here and there that grabbed the attention of my ever wandering mind.

The charm of the place lies in its plainness. The French part of the town is much different from the other parts. The roads here are narrow, short and tiled. The houses are structured differently. The smell of the sea in the air can’t be missed. The humidity, the sun, the wind - all of it just right. The seashore is barricaded by large, black boulders. Sitting on one of those and staring out at the sea all day is what I went for the last time. I took time off from work, from my family, from everything. The waves hitting the lower rocks, the white frothy water receding just as the next wave comes in... The best part is the sound of the sea. The morning blue-green waters to the dark ones during the night, the sound of the waves as they come crashing on the rocks, the wind bellowing, everything is just enthralling. No other place with the sea brings out such a feeling in me. There's something about Pondicherry...

To travel by oneself is something that everyone must do. It is a truly amazing and fulfilling experience. You are at peace with yourself. For me, Pondicherry is the getaway place.

Visit the place. For what it is.

Do we ever really?

Every post of mine in the recent times seems to promise regular writing. Hasn't happened yet. And as usual, I was going through some earlier posts of mine and I yet again observed that I'm pretty much the same, even now. My thoughts, beliefs, ideas, perception, outlook, everything still remain the same, albeit a little more evolved. Change is surely a constant. But do we, as people, as individuals, ever really change? I think not. We adapt, yes. I see my blog's tagline and it amazes me a little that I came up with that years ago. Am I giving myself lesser credit? I don't know. I never cease to amaze myself, I guess. Heh.

So, do we ever really change?

Innocence

Every minute that passes by brings in some change in you. Humans inherently have an adaptive nature. You tend to become accustomed to the change you never wanted. These changes later manifest themselves as an amendment of your character or conduct. You look back at yourself and find that you are amazed at far you’ve come, or how far you’ve gone. That of course, is subjective. Let the change in you be such that you will have no uncertainties. Evolve in a manner that will give you a fresh and a better perspective. Be virtuous. Preserve the innocence in you.

The world can thus be a better place.

Amen to that.

Checked morals?

The newspaper ran an article about the way the human male is. One line said it all. Quoting, “A man would stare at a village girl, even if he’s got an Aphrodite for a wife.”

True, isn’t it?

A mentality as such is developed at a very young age. Kids are given, not taught, a very pitiful insight towards the human sexuality. In India, we have a very small percentage of parents/guardians, educating their wards on the basics of sex. There is no proper sex education given in schools either. Ethics, customs and values are not paid heed to. Parents groan about pornography. What about the stuff kids view on the idiot box at home? Forget the movie with the complete-with-graphic-detail love scene. Don’t they see the kind of advertisements we have on the television these days? Deodorant ads, soap ads, body lotion ads, condom and contraceptive ads, all in their very homes. Very few advertisements are subtle.

Kids accessing the internet ought to be the least of their worries. Kids at a young age itself must be taught the difference between profanity and decency. It becomes absolutely crucial that they are able to distinguish them later in life. Their outlook towards such obscenities should be right.

Sharlene Azam, a former columnist for the Canadian daily, Toronto Star, has written a book and has made a documentary on well-to-do middle-class Canadian girls who are willing to do sexual favours in return for material gifts. Girls of a tender age of 11-12 years are prostituting themselves willingly. The author also talks about how the “sexting” culture is catching up rapidly.

The book excerpt can be found here - http://www.thenewgoodnightkiss.com/book-excerpt.html

And a better article on the invasion of porn - http://www.thenewgoodnightkiss.com/toxic.html

India is said to be a developing country. Let it not grow towards the annihilation of the morals which have been brought down since long, from one generation to another.

Son of a gun! Will you look at that!

Ever thought that coincidences could be something more than just that? How would you feel if I told you that there does exist some force that is responsible for every little action that occurs in your life? Well, the matter that your life is just an illusion will be dealt with in another post. By some force, I do not mean a Godly presence of some kind. Coincidences do NOT just happen. You make them happen. Either willing or not, you DO make them happen. All the consequences of your actions are to be blamed on you alone. The perspective through which you look at them is all that matters. You may think that you made it happen and can be happy about that, or you can assume it to be the course of action your Almighty chose for you, OR you can just think of it as a mere coincidence and say “Well, I’ll be! “ and go about your way. Its all in the way you look at it people! You will always get what you want. You ought to just make it happen your way. It might be hard or just frigging easy.

Either way, you don’t lose anything in giving it a shot, do you now?

Wake up!

Tak-tak!

A Tag

A tag, again. From Shaivya.


~~~LAST~~~

1. Beverage: That would be water. Not much of a beverage, is it?
2. Phone Call: Incoming.
3. IM: GTalk
4. Song listened: Careless Whisper - George Michael
5. Time you cried: Today morning. Nearly.
6. Sms: Outgoing.

~~~Have you ever~~~

1. Dated someone twice: Come again? But this is subjective anyway.
2. Been cheated on: No.
3. Kissed someone and regretted it: No.
4. Lost someone special: Yes.
5. Been depressed: Duh huh! Sure!

~~~Three favourite colours~~~

Dark purple
White
Black

~~~This Month Have you~~~

1. Made a new friend: Nope.
2. Laughed until you cried: Yes. Yes, I have.
3. Met someone who changed your life: No.
4. Found who your true friends were: Eh?
5. Found out someone who was talking about you: Er... no. :|
6. Kissed anyone on your friends list: Which friends’ list?


~~~How many~~~

1. People on your friends list do you know in real life: Again, which friends’ list?
2. Kids do you wanna have: No idea.
3. Pets you have: None.


~~~|~~~

1. Do you wanna change your name: No.
2. What did you get on your last birthday: A few stuff.
3. What were you doing at midnight last night: Can’t remember.
4. Name something you cannot wait for: Cannot wait for? Keeps changing.
5. Last time you saw your father: About 20 minutes back.
6. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: Nothing.
7. What are you listening to right now: None.
8. Have you talked to a person named Tom: No.
9. Most visited webpage: Orkut, Gmail, Wikipedia, Facebook, Yahoo!, IMDB.
10. What's your real name: Thejaswini Pradhan
11. Nicknames: Theju, Thej, Chinky , Harshu.
12. Status:
13. Zodiac sign: Aquarius
14. Male or female: Female
15. Elementary: **skip**
16. High School: **skip**
17. University: **skip**
18. Hair colour: Black
19. Long or short: Medium
20. Are you a health freak: No.
21. Height: 5'6"
22. Do you have a crush on someone: Yes.
23. What do you like about yourself: Lots of things.
24. What don't you like about yourself: My compromising nature. I’m a push-over.
25. Righty or lefty: Righty.

~~~Firsts~~~

1. Surgery: None.
2. Piercing: Ears.
3. Best friend(s): **skip**
4. Award: **skip**
5. Sport(s) you joined: Eh?
6. Pet: Fish.
7. Vacation: First? Don’t remember.
8. Concert: Sting
9. Crush: **skip**


~~~What are you~~~

1. Eating: Ground nuts
2. Drinking: Nothing
3. I'm about to: Make a call
4. Listening to: Sounds outside.
5. Waiting for: Sleep


~~~Your future~~~

1. Want kids: No idea.
2. Want to get married: No idea.
3. Careers in mind: This is getting ridiculous. NO idea.

~~~Which is better with the opposite/same sex~~~

1. Lips or eyes: Eyes/eyes
2. Hugs or kisses: Hugs/hugs
3. Romantic or spontaneous: Romantic/Spontaneous
4. Nice stomach or nice arms: Arms/Wha-aat?!
5. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive/Both
6. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship/Wha-aat?!
7. Trouble maker or hesitant: Hesitant/Definitely hesitant!
8. Lefty or righty: Whatever.
9. Shorter or taller: Taller/Shorter. :D
10. Older or younger: Older/Whatever.

~~~Have you ever~~~

1. Lost glasses/ contacts: No.
2. Ran away from home: Once. I guess.
3. Kissed a stranger: No.
4. Drank pepsi: Yes.
5. Broken someone's heart: **skip**
6. Been arrested: No.
7. Turned someone down: Cant remember.
8. Liked a guy/girl friend: Sure.


~~~Do you believe in~~~

1. Yourself: Definitely
2. Miracles: Not sure
3. Love at first sight: No
4. Heaven: No
5. Santa Claus: No
6. Kiss on first date: No
7. Angels: No

-- Except for the first one under this section, you have negative responses from me. Wow. --


~~~Answer Truthfully~~~

1. Happy with your life: Yes.
2. Believe in God: I tend to falter.
3. Posting it as 100 truths on your blog: No

A tag

My dear Aunt tagged me. I did the tag, as you can see below, evidently.
The tag is about that ‘four’ letter word. A lot of this depends on many aspects. I’ve just given general answers. My general answers, that is.
Go on. Read it.



RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.


1. If your lover betrayed you what would your reaction be?
That depends. Anger and a dawning sense that I’d be better off without him, I guess.

2. What’s it that you see in an ideal partner?
Ideal? As in perfect? Well, I’d see if he were a truthful and a supportive person. And of course, a ready wit and a good sense of humor is a must.

3. What, according to you, is the perfect date?
Nah. Nothing as such.
But if I have to opine, maybe a movie together on a lazy afternoon. No. Not the theatre.

4. Would you like to have children soon enough? Or would you wait till your mid-thirties for the first child?
Mid-thirties? What the heck! I’m hardly into my twenties yet. Skip skip!
PS - I have a kid sister.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
I’ve seen the above happening quite frequently amongst my peer group.
I suppose it is a nice experience to know a person well and then be in love with them.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Either both or neither. Sorry. :|

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
I hate waiting. Period.

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Ha! I’d never like someone who’s already booked.

9. What do you think are the foundation stones of a good relationship?
The usual I guess. A strong bond of understanding between the two individuals involved and respect for each others’ space.

10. What according to you is the most beautiful thing about relationships or marriage?
The emotion that there is someone out there who cares for you. That someone out there will BE there for you. Someone whom you can rely on, with out being too obvious about it.
:D

11. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Ten years? Hard to tell, at my age.

12. What’s your fear?
Betrayal. And ironically, commitment itself.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A frank and witty person, with an ample amount of dry humor in her.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Single and rich sounds good. And so does being married. And being poor. :|

15. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
Ah... this reminds me of the time when my friend asked if it is possible to fall in love with two people at the same time.
I forget what I replied to her.
Anyway, if I do happen to fall in love with two people at the same time, I’d weigh the pros and cons of having a relationship with each of them, and then make my choice. And stick to it, mind.

16. Would you give all in a relationship?
That depends on many factors. The deeper the relationship, the more you tend to commit yourself to, or “give all”.

17. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
I’d forgive. But I’d never forget.

18. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
When you’re single, you put yourself on top of the list.
When you’re in a relationship, you think of others too. And not only the one whom you are involved with.
So, when you’re single, you can make your way ahead to the goal set with ease.
But when you’re single, you stay happy through out.
Did I answer the question?

19. Your all time favourite song. Only ONE. And why?
My choice of songs keeps changing. Only one? Na.



I tag all those on my blog.
:)

Life (2)

This must the nth time I’m asking this. But, what IS life? Those of you, who’ve read my blog since the beginning, know that this is one question that I keep popping up every now and then. This didn’t help either.

How do you know it when you love someone? Take your parents. It’s inherent in you to love them. The same is with your siblings and the rest of the family. Your pets... You coochie-coo your dog and what-not your cat. I wouldn’t know, coz you cant coochie-coo fish. But, you say that you love your dog/cat. You speak with affection whenever you speak of it. Why? Coz its ‘Oh so cute!’, or something like that? Hmmm?

When do you realise that one particular person is special in your life?
You OUGHT to watch the movies Before sunrise and Before sunset.
It’s not your everyday romantic flick. Two strangers, characters named Jesse and Celine, happen to meet on a train, en route from Budapest, Hungary, to Vienna, Austria (No, it is NOT your Hollywood ‘Jab we met’. Bah!). They spend an evening together and wait till the early hours of the next morning to say good bye.

They arrive at Vienna. They walk around and see places, all the time talking and exchanging their views on life, love, friendship, people, the society, you name it. And as the day dawns, they part ways without exchanging phone numbers or any contact details, promising to meet again in exactly six months at the same place.

Cut to nine years later.
Jesse Wallace is married and now a father. He’s a successful author of a book he wrote on the one night he spent with a French woman in Vienna. The opening scene is at a book store in Paris, France, where the story eventually unfolds. Celine chances upon his picture on the store calendar a month earlier and turns up at the time when he’s giving a little press conference on his book at the store. He sees her. They start walking to a café. They start talking. He learns that she’s into Green Cross, an environmental organisation. They keep talking and realise how messed up their lives are. He tells her that he feels like he’s running a small nursery with someone whom he used to date. She says that men go out with her, then break up, and then THEY get married... later call to thank her for teaching them what love is and tell her that she taught them to care and respect women. She’s frustrated. She says that the concept of ‘the love of your life’ is absurd; the idea that we can only be complete with another person is evil.

You see that, even though the elapse of time is evident, their meeting each other nine years earlier and the time they spent with each other back then is fresh in their minds. The movie shows in a subtle, yet in a beautiful way, how you can never be sure if what you decide to do in life is right... how things once you miss in life are seemingly truly gone... how beautiful sometimes the ways of life are... how you never know who the right person is. The illogicality of certain notions in life...

Wonderful movies they are. My 'aunt-recommended-movie' movies.
I implore upon you to watch them. It’s a dialogue driven movie. You have to listen and understand. You tend to relate to it. You tend to draw parallels to it. The scripts for both the movies are superbly and thoughtfully written.

Jesse’s character is played by Ethan Hawke. Celine’s by Julie Delpy. Exceptional performance by them.
A must watch.
:)


So, what is life again?

Pick yours!

Choose one among each of these.

· Joey Tribianni or Jack Reacher?

· Rogue or Storm?

· Purple or White?

· Inside or Outside?

· Sawyer or Nigel?

· Miss Marple or Agatha Christie?

· Pokemon or Digimon?

· Sunny or Windy?

· Writer or Viewer?

· Dance or Walk?

· Grey or Black?

· Sing or Read?

· Ana Lucia Cortez or Rachel Greene?

· Harlan Coben or History Channel?

· Sleep or Dream?

· Calvin or Hobbes?

· Classrooms or Desks?

· Rihanna or Paris Hilton?

· Watermelon or Cucumber?

· Hard or Brittle?

· Now or Later?

· Speaker or Microphone?

· Slim Shady or Van Halen?

· Line 26 or Column 23?

· Bold or Valiant?

· Rain or Thunder showers?

· 7 or 8?

· India or Bangalore?

· Member or Yellow?

· Truthful or Honest?

· You or I?

· Melody or Phoebe?

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

· Choices or Chances?