The Sense of Direction!!

For over a year or so, I have had many great experiences of being guided to certain important landmarks in the city. There were times when I was lost in a locality trying to find my way out to the nearest familiar post. And when it comes to giving directions to the lost character (me in many cases as I don't remember some directions that easily) people out there are very much 'THERE' to confuse u, sorry 'to help you'. And with that pure intention to be of some help, very interesting things have been said to guide you to your humble destination. I wish to share just a few of those.

He said,' Walden? Huh! Very easy, you go straight, until you come to a red light. Then you take the left and you will see it right in front of you!'
(Please note: Many people refer to a traffic signal as 'red light'. But was I supposed to go straight, keep going straight until I come across a traffic signal which at that moment has the stop signal on? And only then I take the left turn? And then keep looking ahead till I bang into 'Walden' which is in the middle of the road? Well I managed to reach Walden no doubt. Dont ask me how!)

He said, "dude! You guys carry on. Ill be there. Now you go straight and take the left turn near that green lorry standing there, take the second right, arre! That place where that paani puri wala has his cart, and park you bike next to that man. In the next half hour we will be there.''
(Well he wanted us to go there in time no doubt, but I wonder where I would have landed if that green lorry just moved ahead. And God forbid that 'paani puri waala' decided to close early and if 'that man' was not standing there. I am sure I would have landed somewhere but nowhere close to 'that man' who would have been waiting all day jobblessly for us to park our bikes right next to him. This friend of mine was referring to the green lorry which indeed has not mooved from that location since 1999 due to some problem, nice landmark!! And that paani puri guy, I heard, never closes. 24/7, 365 days in a year, yes! he does not know what holidays are!! A Pure workoholic!! and 'that man', was the Watchman that my friend was referring to. So he actually wanted us to park our vehicles in the parking lot meant for visitors.)

My phone rang, he said, " You guys are coming right? ok, this place is very near, and its a great place to chill on a Saturday night! Do one thing. Come right now, Ya right now, im standing right there. Ok ill be raising my left hand. you remember my face right? so come fast"
(Near is good, Saturday night out is also good. But no, Not lifting your left hand. Thats not a landmark my friend!!)

He said, "Dont worry, the nokia priority dealer is very close! you go over that bridge and there its on your right. They will solve all your handset problems."
(I have lived in bangalore for more than 20years and i was literally thinking and breaking my head as to where a river flowed in between the busy streets of my city. No the Cauvery does not even touch Bangalore! forget solving the handset problem, he gave me one new problem. An un explored secret river over which a bridge is constructed. And on the other side there lies NOKIA priority dealer) ...................................................(Eureka!!!!!Bridge=Flyover)..................... (Richmond road flyover. All problems solved)

Thats it!!

Oxymorons

Ever noticed that it's simply impossible to find seriously funny oxymorons online? The only choice is to ask one of those paid volunteers at the library – the ones in the long-sleeved T-shirts – for an original copy of some obviously obscure documents that were found missing amongst some paperwork almost exactly one hundred and one years ago.

This was fun!

Does it really make sense?

Proverbs are the flower of popular wit and the treasures of popular wisdom. Actually these proverbs are popular sayings expressing a truth or a common fact. And I somehow feel they are sayings of our ancestors who condensed their wisdom into one-liners.

'You Cant have the Cake and Eat it too'

Most of them have underlying meanings. Rather all of them. And I feel they should atleast make sense in the first reading. Somehow I feel this popular proverb (mentioned above) has absolutely no surface meaning. But again it has a lot to say when analyzed.

I seriously feel it sounds very stupid. Although this might sound juvenile, i ask this. Why is one made to believe that he cant enjoy and relish the cake he has? Why cant you eat the cake you have? Why on earth do you even have it? Now I am getting serious doubts on the so called 'wisdom' of our ancestors. If it were only framed in a better manner the depth of the meaning would be far more hard hitting than leading to a weird argument or a disputatious statement made by some character who calls himself 'Hellskitchen'!!

Man in the mirror

I have never believed in shortcuts as I really feel it cuts your 'life'... short. Work hard, and work smart as far as possible. When you have achieved what you have always wanted to, you can have and enjoy the best of sleep. This principle of mine became stronger when I read this poem written by some anonymous poet.

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.

He's the fellow to please,
never mind all the rest.
For he's with you right to the end,
and you've passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world,
down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you've cheated the man in the glass.

-Anonymous

Dismay of Hope

Why are there so many men in this world?? NO, Why aren't there many interesting women in this world?????? Just when you believe that there could be one, you realize you were dreaming and THUD!!!!!!!! You wake up and realize 'How nice it is to dream' and continue dreaming.

Ok, I'll explain the background story to this intense spurt of emotions.

I happen to see an interesting comment in my blog space. A comment on my recent post. Knowing very well that this particular post would provoke many readers to comment in every dimension of their personal beliefs, I keep checking on the comments posted. Now one such comment had my mind thinking.

The identity of the person was undisclosed and it was posted as 'anonymous'. Now adding to this curiosity, there was something which made me really believe that it was by someone. An interesting person. No!! And its NOT 'you know who' neither could it have the roots from there. If you do not understand what I'm trying to say, its alright but do not decide to misunderstand.

The comment was a short one but certain sentences made me feel that it could have been posted by a person of the opposite sex. An Interesting woman!!! 'The HOPE' made me feel good and believe that this planet is really a nice place to live in. I even thanked the creators of the Internet to have made this physical and geographical distances between nations so small. The thrill of having to find out who this anonymous person made life for me extra interesting. Yes! Extra......

'Those were the best days of my life'... Sounds familiar? I was so excited that I even asked this one 'particular friend', co- blogger to read the comment and to help me out in my mission of discovering the identity. Guess that was my Cardinal sin which I committed. I should have just kept quiet (rather follow the popular Shakespearean quote*)

This friend had nevertheless helped me in successfully discovering the identity of that 'interesting person' but to my DISMAY I realized that it was he who had posted it. And crushed my entire bubble of hope. Well life is beautiful as they say.

*Refer to url: udhbhava.blogspot.com

Your Reflection

Ever imagined how it would feel to meet a person in your life who thinks almost exactly like you? When I say 'almost' I am giving that gap, a presumption that no two individuals on this earth can be the same. Actually to give God the credit of a perfect and flawless creation.

Say supposing you are waiting for somebody or something and you somehow meet a person. This acquaintance is not an ordinary one cause as you talk or exchange your thoughts, you sense an extraordinary vibe. Initially the feeling is such that you can have a neverending conversation with that person. But it doesn't happen as Time always plays with you and your plans. You just have to wish that you get to meet him/her again.

An interesting conversation is something any person would crave for, as the different kind of people you end up meeting everyday, would really have made you feel miserable at times. In the popular novel 'The Alchemist', written by Paulo Cohelo, he frequently quotes these words, it goes something like this, 'When you really want something, the entire universe conspires in your favour'.

So your craving for an interesting conversation with this person, for you, is the positive force enabling the universe to conspire in your favour. And so this conversation, which is bound to happen makes you realize that your new 'friend' is your perfect mirror image. Imagine if he/she narrates to you his/her experiences, belief's, relationships, expresses his/her emotions towards the same passions, thoughts, attitude behind every move he/she makes or experiences. On the whole making you feel as though you were in a dream or as though you are listening to yourself speak. Making you wonder how God can create another living being who is just like you, rather who is YOU, sharing this same place on planet earth?

If this person is of the opposite sex, do you think the chemistry existing would last forever? Or you assume that the chemistry might fade away, as a long lasting relationship with 'Yourself' would be too boring to hold on forever? With such a high ratio of similarity, there might be a deep corner inside the person which will bring out ideas that would always contradicts yours. This is for sure. And this is where the Almighty above, has done his creative contribution.

And if this person happens to be of the same sex, would you feel at any point of time that your friendship will turn out to be a strong one? I ask these questions as I feel that there has to be a slight rub off, or a series of verbal arguments or mature 'fights' over a period of time in a relationship to keep it going. But such a hypothesis is relevant only to people who do not belong to the special category I am referring to as 'Your Reflection'

Can such a rare and rich experience be possible? or is it that you maybe too ignorant about certain facts of life. Either way i have never got answers to the questions I posed. As to date, I have had the experience of meeting one person who I strongly believe is my 'Reflection'. Although I do not find it necessary to reveal the identity of that person, I really find every conversation extremely interesting!!

Meet the Author I have always wondered what and how it would feel if one gets a chance to meet the author of your favourite novel or any book in fact. One thing for sure is that the experience would be unforgettable. But the question still in my mind is, should one venture out to strike an intensive conversation with that person? Say suppose you happen to see 'Sidney Sheldon' sitting at the corner table in a coffee shop and he seems to be alone at that time. Now the question is, would you think of walking upto him and apart from an autograph and a few compliments, start asking him about his whole idea behind the plot of his most popular novel you've read?? I am sure that i would just leave it at the autograph stage. I believe that these writers and authors are people having extraordinary intellectual and creative skills and abilities. They live in a different world and often are gifted with the ability to express whats running in their mind. It could be a real life experience or a new story or a new plot for their running novel. In a nutshell, their moods change every moment. So do you think, by actually sitting with him and asking him his personal views on a particular novel which he might have written long back, is the right thing to do?? Be advised that you have enjoyed that particular novel in your own manner and Sheldon (Sidney) would have written it with a completely different perspective. There are very strong chances that he might make you altogether feel miserable if his veiws happen to completely contradict yours. 'Your favourite novel' as you would have claimed otherwise, might then become your worst. The novel with his personal autograph would just make all the difference for a lifetime to me.