Eat Pray Love :)

Just penned down few thoughts that i felt during my stay in Philippines.. :)

Eat Pray Love______________________________________

New people,
New thoughts,
Old changed,
New ones ranged…

Things clear,
When not near,
Fog gone,
They no longer belong…

New feeling seen,
Away wean,
Though with all,
Then why the lonely wall…

Believers unite,
Feeling oh so light,
What a lift,
Indeed a gift…

One day of isolation,
Needed in ton,
Silence – bliss,
Until now was a miss!

Strangers met,
Can’t forget,
Learnt so much,
Amazing words did touch…

After ages I write,
Words flying like kite,
Now time somehow,
To... ‘Eat Pray and Love’ :)

___________________________Rashmi(31st October, 2011)

My Favorite Mistake

My Favorite Mistake

To meet you,
Amongst the few,
Was
My Favorite Mistake…

To be your friend,
Till the end,
Was
My Favorite Mistake…

To hold on,
All the way along,
Was
My Favorite Mistake…

To smile all the while,
When your thoughts pass by,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To fight with you,
Just like that,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To talk and talk,
Till the day ends,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To go and come,
Time and again,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To see ‘us’ grow,
In those ups and downs,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To fall in love,
With you,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To pray,
For ‘Us’,
Was
My Favorite Mistake...

To decide,
To wait forever,
Is
My Favorite Mistake…

__________________________Rashmi(9th October, 2011)

Love “Does Not” Change!

Love “Does Not” Change___________________________

Being a great fan of ‘Nicholas Sparks’ love novels… I always wondered why did he always write about love… especially about guys which girls always dream of… a guy who would love the girl unconditionally… More a girl reads about such characters, more she gets disappointed when she knows that it’s not close to reality… ‘A guy who loves a girl unconditionally, with all his heart and soul is a myth’… that’s what we see…. That’s what we hear…. That’s what we experience…

But one incident in my life struck me hard…. While I was in Canada… I was blessed with a friend. He was my team mate from UK.. Fabian… one day he and his wife invited me for dinner… when I met them, I truly found that true love does exist… and it still persists even if you are married for 6 odd years… it can still be so alive… I could jst see the love in their eyes… their affection towards each other made me speechless…

Even while we would work and we used to be super busy with work… but whenever his wife called, he would always greet her with … “Hey Hun… how are you… on and on and then… always ended the conversation with - Love you…” … I always wondered…. There is so much work and how can he still keep his cool when she is calling so many times… but he always spoke to her with that tone … I just loved that…

One day we invited him to our place.. and he went on to tell his love story… and how he got married… it was so beautiful and amazing….

One incident just shook me… it was a weekend and as always we were working… some work needed to be completed on high priority which meant all night work over the weekend… and I told Fabian to be available…. Guess what he told me… “Rashmi… my wife does not like when I work late nights… what I will do is… you continue the work… I will get up like 4 AM in the morning and take a hand over from you…. At that time my wife will be sleeping… she wouldn’t know I am working… and that will not spoil her mood.. and work will also will be compelted”… I was stunned… the clients are making a hue and cry about the task… and Fabian knew his priority set so right… he did not want to upset his wife over some work which is important to the client….

That was the day when I believed… Nicholas Spark does not write about fictitious guys who love their mate unconditionally … its true… they do exist…

I gifted my friend “Message in the bottle” book on her bday… after reading the book she asked me…

“Rashmi … do guys like Garett’s character in the book exist… today…” I smiled and rememebered Fabian… and said.. “Yes they do exist” :)

Sharing few of the lines from Nicholas Sparks books which touched my heart… hope you love them too!!!

"I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart."
― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John

"Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't mean you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them even more."
― Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song

"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected."
―Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

“You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

“If you like her, if she makes you happy, and if you feel like you know her---then don't let her go.”
― Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle

“They didn’t agree on much. In fact, they didn’t agree on anything. They fought all the time and challenged each other ever day. But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common. They were crazy about each other.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

“In time, the hurt began to fade and it was easier to just let it go. At least I thought it was. But in every boy I met in the next few years, I found myself looking for you, and when the feelings got too strong, I'd write you another letter. But I never sent them for fear of what I might find. By then, you'd gone on with your life and I didn't want to think about you loving someone else. I wanted to remember us like we were that summer. I didn't ever want to lose that.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

“I have faith that God will show you the answer. But you have to understand that sometimes it takes a while to be able to recognize what God wants you to do. That's how it often is. God's voice is usually nothing more than a whisper, and you have to listen very carefully to hear it. But other times, in those rarest of moments, the answer is obvious and rings as loud as a church bell.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song

___________________________Rashmi(9th October, 2011)

Kuch Tho Log Kahenge ;)

Kuch Tho Log Kahenge ;)

God knows!!! But just in love with this TV show… well… not to do more with the story or something but I am damn impressed with Monish Bhel mann…

The show is about 2 doctors… our hero being the senior surgeon… workaholic and a strict one mind you…and our lady being an intern working under him… notorious and childish… age difference looks way too high… but the beautiful chemistry between them is indeed rare to see…

The story is about how they fall in love….. :)…. Not sure but loving the show so far…

Beauty about it is … it just proves… ‘Love has no language’… ‘Silence’ is just one of the language… Beautiful isn’t it?

Infact, being around loud people around so far… around the hues and cry of marriage… around broken dreams so far… post heart-accident and the long recovery in ICU ;)… had lost the thought that life can still be beautiful … and work is not necessary the only solace or a path to be chosen to get away from things…

After ages… trust me after ages… the thought of love makes me smile again!!!

PS: Love has no language… Love has no right age… Love can just happen anyday… Maybe its today ;)... Also me typing my blog in "pink" font color just happens someday ;)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRSOkwA3TVc

Love,
Rashmi

Amazing Blog ;)

Friends...

Just read this blog... Well... I am starting to become a fan of her blogs... well one because she writes her heart out "Aloud"... ek dum bindaasss....  And second she is writing something that i have been a little pissed off since last one year.. "Marriage"

 Ever since my single bells have started ringing since i striked 25... people just talk about marriage... every topic ends up in marriage...

1.  Me: Friends, I got to give you a good news!!!!
    Reply: Wow!!!! Are you hitched... Getting married??
    Me: No, I meant i got a promotion
   Reply: Ohh... we thought something else....

2. Me: Mom, I think we should get some Gold coins... Its best investment today...
    Reply: Finally my daugheter is starting to think about marriage.... :o :o... (Jesus)

3. Me (To my married friends) : I am going to Canada for a project
   Reply : Kab tak kaam karte rahegii.... Shaadi karni bhi hai ki nahii.... (C'monnnnn)

Gosshhhh!!!! .... Its a crime in the Indian Set up to be single at 25 i guess.... damnnn!!!!.... God I know even you might be wondering ... "Why are Indians so desperate to get married....".... lol....

Heres the blog I read today... amazing .... a must read for all Indians :P....

__________________________________________

I Am Getting Married....



Yes, you heard me right. I am getting married. I have finally found the right man God made for me. I feel on top of the world. Gosh, I cannot express what I feel. I did not know what life was like, and what did it mean to love and care, till I met him. He is sensible and so very receptive to my needs. What more could I ask for? I feel so lucky. I cannot express what I feel. I am getting married in 3 months’ time, and spending these 3 months without him is going to be a punishment, though we talk for at least 3 hours everyday...

Disclaimer: All the opinions and views in this post are my own and very personal. I do not want this post turning out to be any kind of a debating ground. These are my personal observations and you are not in any way obliged to agree with me...

With the fork suspended mid-air, our mouths and jaws dropped wide open and our eyes threateningly popping out, thanks to the sudden shock, all we could manage to do is stare stupidly, trying to take in the news. A friend is getting married. Okay, most people get married. What’s so new in that? But these typically senti senti mawkish words coming straight from a third grade eKta Kapoor K-serial was more a shock than good news.

 “Why do you need to get married so soon? You are just 24. This is the time to enjoy your life and realize your dreams. And we always thought that career came first for you. What will happen to your GRE/GATE plans now?”- we couldn’t help but ask.

“Oh, my in-laws are very supportive. They want me to write the exams (Ah, haan bol ke ehsaan kar diya). But he will be posted abroad next year.”

“Why, what does he do?”

“He is an engineer in Wipro”. You could not miss that twinkle in her eyes as she announced that seemingly important piece of information with a touch of triumph in her voice. Okay, so a very “net-table” guy has been netted at last. And an engineer with prospects of dollar salary has made a poor girl fall into the trap once again. A little digging up of info revealed the same rote but amusing facts. Software engineer. Only son. Dad owns home. The dude has been posted abroad many a times. Owns and drives a car. Loves long rides and is in need of a soulmate. And our friend is successfully convinced that it is she.

On the flip side, he is a good 8 years senior with a receding hairline and a pot belly. But then, looks aren’t everything, are they?

Gawd, how people fall into the trap. And love to remain in the trap. This friend’s story is basically the story of most females I’ve known. What more, she was going steady with a batch mate for almost 2 years now. But she suddenly realizes that this guy is a good for nothing, with no great prospects of a career or a bright future. Reminds me of Priyanka, Mr.Microsoft, and the plight of Shyam in ON@TCC.

The guy’s profession or how he manages to impress the female with his hi-fi profile is inconsequential here. What amuses me is the way women prefer to be gullible and smitten all over, as if the guy and his family have done a great favor by choosing her, and she should be grateful and servile for the rest of her life. And then, there are these inevitable things that happen-

You call her up and either her fone is engaged, or she makes it clear not to call her up at particular times of the day, since it is the time “woh” fone karenge.

You plan a get together and ask her if she is coming, and she would say, “Ruko, pooch ke batati hoon if he has other plans”. Gawd!!!! Give me some poison!!!!!

You praise the guy and you will suddenly become her best friend and her confidante.

You find her on YM, you buzz her, and she says that she is busy.

The mails she sends on the yahoo groups are all filled with praises for the guy.

You pull her leg and she will blush like a tomato.

And if you do not ask about him the next time you meet her, you will suddenly become the most rude and insensitive and jealous person in town.

I wonder how can you make someone you have barely known take charge of your life and let him decide for you what you eat and what you wear and who you meet? How can you ignore other relationships, especially friendships, and forget that it was friends who have stood by you through thick and thin? How can you suddenly ditch your classmate for someone who has a better career? And most importantly, how can you make the man decide your career and other important aspects of your life for you?

For being indebted to someone and living like a doormat is not my idea of life. Never!! Not even if the guy is the most eligible bachelor in the neighborhood!!! The marriage market follows a typical trend, especially for Bengalis. The female with a masters degree stands a better chance of finding a “better” guy than what she would do had she been a plain bachelors degree holder.

The equation for females goes somewhat like this-

B.Sc >>> B.Com>>>B.A.

M.Sc >>> B.Sc.

So what the heck, chalo do saal aur padhai kar lete hain. Lets occupy a few more seats for the next two years as undeserving candidates. Finding a job and making a life for oneself can come later on. And for guys, the equation goes like this-

Engineer + MBA (preferably from the top instis) = Excellent.

Engineer + MBA = Very Good.

Software Engineer = Good.

Simple Engineer = Still Preferable.

Doctor/ IAS Officer/Bank Manager = Good Enough.

B.Sc/M.Sc = Questionable.

Others = No Way. Learn to remain single for the rest of your life!!

So engineers still rule the market. In fact, every friend of mine seems to have found an engineer. Wipro, TCS, Synopsis, Mentor Graphics, Caritor, you just name it. I have nothing against these men. But women act as if they have suddenly bagged a windfall and have enough reasons to feel indebted to the guy for the rest of their lives.

So this friend of mine has stopped looking for a job and is spending all day either trying to look good or talking over the fone or meeting up that guy. Career plans have suddenly gone at the back of beyond. Of course she is still preparing for the entrance exams, but how far is she going to go is a very debatable issue. And in case you call her up, be prepared to hear tons of praises for the guy. Another bored housewife in the making! The jeans and the skirts have suddenly been shoved at the back of the cupboard or donated to some charity organization, to be replaced by sarees and salwar kameez, and that too of a color which is the guy’s favorite. Even if that color is fluorescent yellow! She is found in kitchen all day, learning to make food the guy loves the best.

“Wait till you meet the right man and fall in love. You will see how your life is transformed”- was all that I had to hear.

Maybe. May not be. Lets see if the right man comes. Though personally, I feel that the “right man” is a very hypothetical concept. At least a person like me in her right mind will never wait to meet the right man because of my skepticisms regarding the accepted concepts of a right man. You certainly do not need a man who would be all praises for you and would be on his knees, telling you again and again how fortunate he is to have you. Crap!!! Bullshit!!!

May be grapes are sour. Anywayz. In the meantime, let me enjoy my usual “lukkhi” self, and my single-status, meeting up with friends and having a gala time, bitching about these females and their prospective husbands and what a pain some moms-in-laws are, gawking at every good looking guy in town, exchanging conspiring glances, and catching up on all the latest gossip. Let jeans and tops rule for the time being.

And yes, I am definitely expecting to attend a lot of these marriages, having some great food, wearing some great clothes, and still hoping to espy some eye candy. As SRK rightly said in DTPH, the best thing about Indian marriages in the khaana peena. Not to mention the sweet chemistry that starts and ends between unknown faces in a matter of hours. No fone numbers or email ids, just sweet and hushed glances exchanged. And in the meantime, the all-eager-to-get-married females can definitely enjoy their comeuppance.

So you can definitely heave a sigh of relief and breathe easy now. For it is not me who is getting married at this moment!!!!


________ _________________Sunshine

Girl Behind 'That' Closed Door

Girl Behind 'That' Closed Door

Ages have passed I have locked her I thought… is she ok I thought… is she alive… or gone for good…. Its been more than 2 years … time flew… but I didn’t get time to just meet her and make sure she is fine… maybe I didn’t wanna re-live the old moments… or know her anymore… but after ages I thought let me just go and meet her… just to make sure she is fine… and help her release when the time is right…



I began to walk back down the memory lane… the long walkway led to the door at the far end of the corner… the same heavy, strong door that now just remains closed… or maybe I had closed that for good… I started feeling the pain all over again… that journey had been oh so painful... unknowingly I had already started trembling… with the thought that I would be seeing her again now…


Closed my eyes… took a deep breath… gathered all the strength that’s left inside me…. I slowly touched the door… the metal feeling cold and lifeless to my hands… I tried pushing the heavy door a bit, and it creaked and squeaked. I pushed it a little more, aghast at all the noise it made for nothing. What an ordeal it was! This place reeked of death. I gulped, knowing what I was about to see at the other end of the door, but not quite prepared for it. I opened it wide enough to be able to see the other end of the room. There at the corner she was…


She was wearing the same bridal white dress in which I had seen her last… She looked at me and gave me an expression which was difficult to decipher… she sensed my presence and discomfort… somewhere she looked shocked… she gave me the look that said…. “How could you just kill me and live in the world like nothing mattered”…


One could not guess what she wanted me to do with that pleading look in her eyes. It seemed like she was trying to reach out to me, like a scared child, for empathy, for understanding, for closure. Yet she spoke not a word…


I kept looking at her… she had so much love in her eyes… she looked oh so humble holding the bible tight and waiting at the altar… the dream of marriage so alive in her eyes… the dream of having a family… a complete family that would make her complete… she still looked so positive to me… I wondered…. 2 yrs of staying behind closed door… and yet she hasn’t killed her wishes… hasn’t changed…. I was scared to see her again… and more scared to see that she is still the same… deep down still the same…


I closed the door behind me and scampered out of the corridor… “Shes still alive… shes still alive”…. These three words just scared me… I thought she was dead … but no… she is still alive…


I needed some sunshine on my skin, I needed some fresh air to breathe, I needed to make a resolution to never come back again. I half-walked, half-ran, not sure if the ghosts had stopped chasing me. I didn’t realize I was crying. Something about her face broke my heart everytime I saw her that way. How can she not give up.. how can she not accept that no one is the same… all are selfish… there is nothing like the dream prince charming … why does she just give up on that… why is she still waiting for him to come and take her to the altar… I just could not see her that way again…


I was out there in the sun, panting, gasping for breath. I closed my eyes once and there I saw the image of her scrubbing her dress, trying to get rid of the stain that perhaps no one else saw. I have seen her the same way, in the same room, crouched on the floor and doing the same thing for so long now. And I know that I am never going to have my closure for as long as she does it….


It’s been 2 years… She should just understand now… Till then I will keep her closed… Closed from this world…


______________________________Rashmi(6th October, 2011)

Grown Up's- Are We ?

Grown Up's- Are We ?

Recently I watched this show on television where in the host (Juhi Chawala) asks questions to kids… and for most of the questions kids did have interesting answers…

Juhis Question – What are the biggest 3 problems of your life

Kids Answer

1. If I go out and it rains and I do not have an umbrella I will get drenched. That’s big problem

2. If I fall down and hurt myself, mom will yell at me.

3. If I wreck my dads lappy, I should just apologize or else I will be in big problem

I thought to myself… when I was a kid , the answers to my question were simple and absolute… no ambiguity… none… I learned that 2 plus 2 is always 4… always believed that the harder you worked, better the grades you achieve… strongly thought that good behavior will always help you gain appreciation… thought one dies only when old age strikes…and I strongly believed in these things, with my little exposure to the world…

Love was such a simple concept… I knew we could fall in love with a guy younger to us or has a height less than a girls… marriage… if someone asked me back then I would say ofcourse , one has to get married to the one he/she loves…come what may… Moral science was simple… we all knew that God exists and he gives whatever we pray for… faith was infinite… knew he lived in the chapel in our school building… was absolutely sure about it… 100% … no doubts about it… none… no second thoughts either…

But the more I learned, my surety went for a toss…

Now I am not sure if hardwork can take you anywhere but yeah I am sure it can lead you to no where… Love can go for a toss… every relationship does not end up in marriage… God is everywhere now I know… but why is the faith so low at times… even when I sit in the same chapel in my school… I don’t feel His presence when back I knew 100% that God lived there…


I now know that working the hardest doesn’t necessarily make you the smartest, and you could study everything and still flunk. The guy who got lower grades than you in school could be making ten times more money than you are, and not every good deed goes appreciated. Someone with almost no publications could get into Harvard, while someone with many publications could end up in a local small university…

As a kid, I always thought there is an absolute answer that fits everyone’s questions. Not anymore. When I ask myself a basic question like, “Should I get married?”, I honestly don’t know the answer to it, even with all my knowledge and wisdom. On one hand, it sounds like a wonderful idea, companionship and all, but on the other hand, I am not so sure if it is that much of a value addition in my life. The honest answer is, “I don’t know”. Yet if you asked me the same question as a kid, I would have said, “Of course. Everyone should be married before they grow old and have white hair.” Then, there are other existential questions I struggle with, I have no direct answer to…

Looking at my philosophy I know I don’t stand any place in the corporate ladder… I am not smart enough for that post… but somewhere I feel like a hypocrite as I am growing where in I really don’t have answers to the simple questions in life and I sit in front of top clients and answer their technical issues…

Think about it…


__________________________Rashmi(5th October, 2011)

Jealous... Why ?

Jealous... Why ?

After a really long time was listening to Joel Osteen’s sermon… Whenever I listen to Joel I feel that the topic he talks on is always apt to my situation…

PS: Joel’s Video -

http://www.joelosteen.com/LandingPages/Pages/this_weeks_message.aspx

These days I was surrounded with talks (Especially from few of my close friends) who did speak evil just because of few success opportunities I was blessed with… Frankly speaking… “That Hurt”… It just kept me wondering that in the past when they had got the same opportunity all I could do was smile and say, ‘ They deserve this… for all the hard work they have done’… then why wasn’t it true in my case… I wondered…

Strangled with all these thoughts I went on to view Joel Osteen’s video… and he was talking about exactly same topic… all he said was …. God will always bless you for your hard work… and with this blessing (success) will arise jealous friends and back bitters… you will def will see true face of your friends… until you have not got that promotion… until you haven’t got that hike… until you haven’t got that amazing opportunity that will take you to places… your friends will be there…. But the moment you get all of these… your friends will start talking… some will say “He/She didn’t deserve it”…. Some will say, “I am so happy for you” but deep down they are broken by your success… if you have such friends… its time you find some new friends… some true friends… friends who will be there with you in your highest high and in your lowest low…

I know it hurts to know that your friends are thinking evil… But that does not mean that you feel guilty to accept Gods blessing… those friends just saw the end of the movie…. They saw the end result… they just saw that “You got the opportunity”…. But what they failed to see the first part of the movie… the struggles you lived… the price you have already paid… so its waste of time thinking about all that… people will talk … back bitters will rise… the moment they see you going up the ladder… this does not mean you grow arrogant or proud… just with humility accept Gods Blessing and pray for your friends… if they are true friends they will stick around… if they are not sooner or later they will move on anyways…

Joel mentioned one small story about his life… few years back he wanted to buy 2 acres land where in he could build his dream house… he even got one…. But he was feeling guilty to take it… thinking it is more than he needs… so he decided not to go for it…. Then one day he was travelling by plane and he was enjoying the view on his window seat… and suddenly he heard a strong voice telling him… that “guess what.. from up above here that 2 acre land looks like a small dot to me… its just a small small thing for me…. Then why you feeling guilty to take it…. Its my gift…. For me its nothing to give you that… why don’t you take it”… he knew immediately that it was God talking to him… Friends for God… 100 acre of land or that promotion or that success is a smallest little thing that he could give… so never feel guilty to take it if God gives it to you… but yes don’t run after it like a dog… don’t keep praying for it… don’t keep doing hundred rituals to get that … God will laugh at you if you behave like that… a 1 crore flat from heaven looks like a dot to Him…. And he can just give it to anyone who seeks God with all his heart and all his soul… He needs to see a true heart not a greedy heart running after these things instead of looking out for God….

All things will follow… just do your deeds well… things will fall into place… God can make roads of gold.... don’t ever under estimate Him….

But things will always happen in “HIS” time…

To all my friends – “God Bless” :)


___________________________Rashmi(2nd October, 2011)