29 December
2015
7 December
2015
’tis the season to be jolly !
This morning, while having coffee with my Sunday running buddies at a Starbucks, I saw a nice chandelier right above our head. It had some – what looked like – unique lamps. Took a few pictures with my iPhone. Anybody who has tried to take a picture of a bulb with iPhone will know that it is very tricky since the lens gets very confused on the focus/aperture thing (too many spots with too much brightness contrasts).
In any case, I had completely forgotten about it. Just now, I was looking for something and chanced upon those pictures from the morning. Out of curiosity, darkened the pictures a little and lo and behold! I realized something that I had not this morning. Each “bulb” is actually a bunch of LEDs arranged like a Christmas tree!!
It is the season to be jolly!!!
30 November
2015
No thank you! I am not going to post that.
This Thanksgiving, I have been somewhat overwhelmed by a lot of of FB friends posting a standard body of text that basically reminds all of us about the less fortunate among us. And as a measure of support, the posts want me to copy and paste the same post on my FB page for an hour.
I absolutely respect everybody’s right to express their opinions and emotions in their own way, provided it is not meant to harm anybody. And if cutting and pasting a standard body of text for an hour gives anybody a sense of standing in solidarity with the less fortunate, I say “Go for it”. Any thought counts.
However, if you could spare a second to think for a moment more, maybe there is a more effective way of turning your compassion into something that is a little more meaningful? Does seeing your cut and paste text really make any difference to the less fortunate ones? Assuming they are trolling your FB pages to catch the text within the hour that it is posted? Is that even the way they want to be recognized by others?
Again, if that is what gives anybody the sense of accomplishment or compassion or expression of the same, then do it. Drop that “I will understand if I do not see your name” part, though. That is too patronizing.
It appears to me that there are more meaningful ways to show the same compassion. I am sure you know somebody less fortunate. Somebody whose parents passed away recently. Somebody who lost a child. Somebody who is having difficulty making ends meet. Somebody who is struggling with health issues…. Why not log off that FB and call one of them up? Talk to them for ten minutes. Visit them if you can. Find out how are they doing. Everybody has a story. Bring it out.
And then, if you wish, write on FB about the call and the story. Now that is a post I am going share and put on my FB page. Forget one hour. I am not ever bringing that post down.
29 November
2015
Sometimes Thanksgiving means this…
For years, Thanksgiving has meant taking the only real family I have within ten thousand miles – Sharmila and two daughters to a different country. Being in a foreign land, it has often brought the family closer together – thru as simple things as Tasha having a tummy upset in Peru and the three of us trying with our best Spanish how to find a medication… to the four of us taking a collective breath as we saw the beauty of Arenal volcano together in Costa Rica. This year though, we did not plan any travel abroad to give Tasha flexibility of time to apply to colleges. As we got closer to Thanksgiving though, she realized she is ahead of the game – so we took them to Dallas. This is where they were born. Many years from now, they will owe whatever little success they will make of themselves to all those uncles and aunts that held their tender fingers as they figured out how to balance on their toes to walk.. and those friends that they crawled, walked, fought and made up together.
That being done, I am now catching up with Sharmila on our flight back home – with whom I have tried to get the kids (and ourselves) understand what true Thankfulness really means. Sometimes, it just comes down telling the air hostess to give us only one glass of red wine so that we can share… to keep with the sharing of the two ear buds of the one earphones enjoying the lilting song “Man Ahmade Am” by Gul Panrrah from Iran playing on my iPad. (In Farsi, that song means – “I have come to you”)
21 November
2015
Beautiful folk song in Punjabi
The poet, I believe, was Manzoor Jhalla. The original rendition of this beautiful song was by the one and only Reshma from Pakistan. I believe there is a latter version of this by a much younger singer from the same country – Fariha Pervez.First couple of stanzas…
“Kithhey nain na jorin / Mere jendiya murin,
Tenu wasta aye khuda da / Wagan watana nu morin
Kithhey nain na jorin
Pyaar waliyan nu nayio / Vekh sakda zamaana
Kerhi gal tun vichora / Aween labda paya
Aa ke lag na kisi din / Mera maan na torin
Ternu wasta aye Khuda da / Wagan watana nu morin
Kithhey nain na jorin”
I need some help from my Punjabi friends. But here is an attempt…
“Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes
Come back, while I am still alive
For the sake of God, turn your horse around to your own country
Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes
This world can’t stand to see two in love together
One or the other, it forever tries to tear them apart
Don’t believe in their words // (not sure whether it means this or “Don’t give them your word”)
And break the faith I have in you
For the sake of God, turn your horse around to your own country
Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes”
14 November
2015
Friday music session…
“Mast nazron se Allah bachaaye,
Maah-jamaalon se Allah bachaaye
Har balaa sar pe aa jaaye lekin,
Husn-vaalon se Allah bachaaye
In kii masumiyat par na jaanaa,
In ke dhoke mein hargiz na aana
Loot lete hain ye muskuraa kar,
In kii chaalon se Allah bachaaye”
(Original poet: Nasir Iqbal Maikash)
Roughly translated (as always, improvements more than welcome)
“O God save us from those intoxicated glances!
O God save us from those who look as beautiful as the moon!
Inflict any affliction upon us, but
O God save us from those beautiful ones.
Don’t let their innocence fool you
Don’t ever fall in their trap
They will rob you even as they smile
O God save us from their spells”
13 November
2015
Early morning run under a vividly colorful sky
9 November
2015
Nature and Man… with their own versions of Red Green Yellow…
1 November
2015
Suddenly, upon a fence…
I was cleaning the pool in the rain when I thought I saw something unique fallen on the fence. I assumed it was a small branch that had fallen off a tree in the high winds. But it was the colors that got my attention. Once I walked up to it, I realized that it was a single strand of a creeper – I believe it is called a wild grape creeper – hugging onto the fence.
I cannot think of a better microcosm of Mother Nature’s glorious change of colors. We have all seen the beauty of tall trees changing colors – but note how this single strand has all the changing colors – going from green in the top to the bright red in the bottom.
Apologize for the quality of the shot – it was raining and I needed to quickly get a couple of shots in my iPhone before water got into the phone.
31 October
2015
“Who are you going to believe – me or your own eyes”? (Groucho Marx)
“Nasha zaroori hai zingadi ke liye,
Par sharab hi nahi be khudi ke liye,
Kisi ki mast ankhon main dobo ja Saqi*,
Bara haseen samander hai khudkashi ke liye!”
Roughly translated… (improvements welcome)
“Getting intoxicated is surely necessary in life
But alcohol is not the only way to lose your self
Try drowning in somebody’s intoxicating eyes, my Saqi*
It is but the most beautiful ocean you can die in!!!”
*Saqi refers usually to your lady companion you are drinking with
