The Climb

I move forward
The peak looms larger
Just within reach,
but still further.
The climb steep,
the path treacherous
and a battle rages inside.
The heart wills, says
"Go... Grab your destiny".
Mind pulls back says,
"Leave..There is a next chance".

As I ponder,
time seems to have stalled.
In this valley of hope,
the silence is mortifying.
The cold seeps through,
chilling to the bone.
A Push is all I need,
but nothing is forthcoming,
a helping hand is a farfetched dream.
The wailing winds carry a message
"Onwards... Your Destiny awaits."

Now...
There is no turning back.
A deep breath,
an almighty heave,
and the step is forward..

I too had a Love Story

"This Post may contain spoilers. So if you haven't read it yet, i advise you from reading this "

Finally, after a long wait, I read "I too had a Love Story" by Ravinder Singh. To think that I passed on buying this book thrice and had read it so late irks me now. On the top of the book is a simple review by N.R. Narayana Murthy which says "Simple, honest and touching" and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not one of those great epic novels that will get make everyone stand up and clap. It’s a simple book with simple characters and a simple story that everyone can relate with. And then a true story, a string of events which happened in the life of the author. In an age where the term "True Love" is very loosely used, such that many dont believe in it anymore, this story will give everyone a belief that it really does exist.

The story is about Ravin(Shona) in Bhubaneswar and Khushi(Shonimoni) in Faridabad. Both working in the IT industry and trying to grow in their field. The story goes on about how they meet via Shaadi.com and fell in love with each other in due time. A modern love story in which, love starts from a website and multiplies via mobile calls, SMS’s and chats and finally the meet. To add it is the romance, the humor, the descriptions, the feelings. Not to forget, the final chapter. Everything adds up to make this a wonderful (in want for a better word) experience (not able to call it a book anymore). The events here can be summed up in the following line:

"Not everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. Some are born, just to experience the abbreviation of it."

While asking me to read it my friend said that in the end I would feel sad for Ravin, I will feel sad for Khushi. And I did. The fact that I put myself in the characters shoes didn’t help. I didn’t know what was happening around, didn’t know what to do, was lost and didn’t know how time went. And the rest of the day the the events just kept flashing in front of me. Before I slept that day I did say a small prayer for Ravin(der).

The back cover of the book has the following line
"Not all love stories are meant to have a perfect ending. Some stay incomplete. Yet they are beautiful in their own way."

Ravin, I understand it would have been very difficult for you to pen it all down. May your story live long.

To everyone who has ever loved someone, and then to those who have loved and lost, I would suggest you to read this. You will laugh, you will feel attached, you will build palaces in the sky, you will love every moment, you will feel sad and then, maybe, you will cry.

P.S: If anyone from Bollywood is trying to make a movie out of it, I have a humble request to you. PLEASE DON'T.

To The (Over) Enthusiastic Photo Uploader...

Ok... I've said this once, briefly though... But I don’t mind repeating... For those who care to listen... I'm not saying that I haven't done it. I have and have learnt from it too.

To,
The (Over) Enthusiastic Photo Uploader

29/09/11

Hi,

You probably would know me. I'm one of your innumerable friends on Facebook(a year or two ago would have said Orkut). I know that you love to take photos and own a very good camera too. But then this is the age of Digital Photography and anyone with a 20000+ quid can get a decent DSLR/SLR (if I ask you to expand DSLR/SLR, you would give me a blank stare). And as everyone wants to be a Jack of all trades, you want to become a photographer too. You might know Photoshop too. Oh Cool, The better. But what bothers/irks me are the throngs of photos that you upload on the social networking site. Trust me it’s a virtual eye sore. Not many of your friends would say this but this is just my opinion/view and a humble plea, from me and few other that a bugged of this "Upload Your Photos" phenomenon.

These days I open (the new)Facebook and find that the inhabitants have made it a photo sharing site(the enlarged pics don't help either). The self confessed photographer has come up in all of us and we have been clicking away and hoping that some jobless soul will like and comment on it and you can proclaim "Hey, I'm a good phtographer."

You had gone on a trip to Timbuktu. Ok, we know that already. You had updated your status as "Rollicking in Timbuktu". And then you come back and put up a heap of photos of what you did there. Gleefully Facebook says "XYZ added such-and-such-number of photos in the album Rollicking in Timbuktu"... Everyone goes W.O.W, G.A.G.A... 5 photos into the album and they are already brain dead, cos all they see is the same thing posted over and over again in different angles and different tones that would help anyone, with a image manipulation software, build a 3D image of the same without missing any bit of the scene, if they had access to the album.

Entire lines in an album are dedicated to leaves, trees, sand, lamp, cows, cow dung (you get the point). Ya we know you took it. But is it really necessary to flaunt them? And with the new FB uploader it is real easy to upload. Select the whole folder --> Upload. Leave the rest to you superfast internet connection and Go have a cup of coffee, come back and voila it's up. And then you have the whole world drooling on your "well taken" photos (well, at least you think so). 300 odd photos and half of them are useless. What’s the whole point of uploading so many photos? A few are fine but 300? Are you ok? We, Ok I, aren’t that curious and mostly not interested to wade through all of them. Upload selectively.

And did you forget something after you uploaded? Oh, Not the wait for the comments. Think again. Need a clue? 5 letter word starts with and ends with L. Yeah, Label. Pls do that. You might sometimes get lucky and get a truly good shot, but then the world doesn’t know what it’s looking at. Do that if u want to avoid questions like "where is this?", "is this XYZ place?” But then you would be happy, cos you are getting the comments that you wanted, ain’t it? Let sense prevail.

About Photoshop. It’s a great tool. Used sparingly can make your photo better. Used excessively it can do the opposite too. A picture would say what 1000 words can, but with excessive editing you end up removing the 999 words. BTW what happened to those good ol’ original pictures?

Come on people. Be realistic. A horde of photos on Picassa is just fine. But on Facebook, think again. No one has that much time to shift through the entire collection. Most would view a few pics, like/comment on them and get back to work (yeah, we are all busy people you see). Most of them don’t care. Some comment just for the sake of it or sometimes to follow the conversation which is happening below the photo. Basically, the joke is on you. Better thing to do would be to put it on Picassa and share the link on FB (Real tech savvy). You will know how many are actually interested.

And as Ernst Haas puts it
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.“

The Camera is a powerful tool in the hands of the capable. Use it well.

Regards,
A Guy on your Friend List

P.S: While you are at it you can visit my album "Random Glimpses" on FB(#shameless publicity) :P

Credits

Teenage Google

Today our dear know-it-all friend, Google, celebrates its 13th birthday. Thus officially we can call it a teenager now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Google. :)

As it takes its first steps into adolescence or what is called as the "troubled teens", here are a few things that can happen while it passes through from 13 to 18:
1) There will be significatng increase in size(meaning more storage sapce in google in Gmail).
2) It will suffer from violent mood swings(will depict using doodles).
3) It will start hiding things from you in your search results.
4) It will suffer from drastic mood swings and the search results will vary in accordance with the mood.
5) It can be influenced by its peer group.
6) It can decide to be a rebel and revel all our personal data.
7) It can go into depression and stop replying to anyone, whatever be the query.
8) It will be come more curious and start poking its noses into others business. Like finishing our search query way before we type the first word.
9) It will be grounded but will find ways and means to break out(US Govt. trying to clip Google's wings).
10) Last but not least, Now that its old enough it will sign up for a Facebook account(it already has one, but with a false DOB).

Anyways for now, Enjoy you special day.

The Story of a Strand

Started as a tiny strand
soft, small and tender.
Time added layers ,
at a steady pace,
magifiying in size,
making the strand a rope,
reliable, flexible and strong.
Duly it shrunk in size,
getting thicker and stronger,
bringing other strands closer,
so to stand the test of time.
But it only got so far.
Consequences left it with deep cuts.
No matter how thick the rope grew,
the weakness was evident.
Just waiting for that one jerk ,
for that one hump in the road.
And when it happened,
it just snapped,
leaving two pieces,
similar in strength,
but with edges frayed.
Knotted back,
the rope became one,.
Knot and edges frayed,
but stood out,
the testimony of the struggle.
A gentle and humble reminder,
of how that small thread,
grew into a fine strong rope.....

Light At The End

from the archives, written on 11/02/09

Tired with this life I am
never did I feel such a thing

my thoughts are just so jammed, but

like the council of a king....

I don't know what should I do

when I am hanging around in a crossroad

where kind-hearted and honest so few

and the heart burdened with excess baggage....

But I in search of bliss wander around

like a person without a cause

where troubles and strife's are unending, found

slowly learning all the ups were just false....

The downs are never too long

nor are they hear to last

but I am lost in this throng of troubles

who no sign of leaving, show....

Lost in this endless maze am I

seems impossible it is to come out

from this burden that on me is laden

for that elusive light I'm craving

the light at the end of the tunnel....

A Hundred Posts

(This isn't the hundredth post.. this is actually the 102nd post)

I just noticed the fact that I've posted around 100 times in here till now. Starting March '07 to August '11. That makes it an commendable average of 25 posts per year. Deserves a pat :D
Though a few of them are utterly rubbish, like venting my frustrations and talking of what i did (like this one) and blah blah blah, there are many which I well and truly like. Some of them are very heartfelt. I don’t have many people watching this space. But I'm thankful to the bunch who do and appreciate or criticize (haven’t got much of it though) the effort. Thanks ppl.

A Few Lines

My mind never followed
The doctrines that
My heart had laid;
On the walls of my thoughts
Some subconscious graffiti scribbled
Leaving my soul in question
Of what righteousness could be...
To laugh at my own plight
Or to cry for the present,
For these are moments
That would turn into
Memories tearful....
But with smiles....

The Dreamer's Misfortune

The time is 3 A.M AND I'm lying in my bed with my eyes open, starting at the ceiling with a blank look on my face. It’s cold and a weather in which people would like to pull their blankets up to their ears and snuggle back to sleep. But I’m just not able to. The dreamer’s misfortune.

It happens all the time. While I’m travelling, sleeping, working or maybe sitting plain jobless. Words, phrases, snippets, verses, sentences sometimes whole ideas come flooding into the mind. A cacophony, humming and buzzing in the ear, like a pesky mosquito that just won’t leave. All it wants is just a place to rest in my ear and hope they can make it to my brain in due time. And the problem is that I just can’t let them go or block it out. I love it when it strikes me like a sudden inspiration. A bolt from the blue. I love to note it down from time to time on whatever I can get my hands on. These days, thanks to my mobile phone, I just put them into the memos and save it and come back to it later. Some of them make it here as blog posts, some into the blog drafts some will still be there in my mobile and a few unfortunate ones will be lost in the folds of my brain and might rear up its head again later. I don’t know if this particular phenomenon/situation/scenario has a name but let's see if it hits me.

Though I like it, it becomes most inconvenient when it strikes in the middle of the night. After a tiring day when all you want to do is sleep and it wakes you up in the middle of the night. It’s like the mind receives an S.M.S. "1 idea received" and the menu shows "read" and "cancel". Try as hard as I may, I just can’t press the "cancel" button. And then starts the flood of SMS’s (read ideas) which won’t let you sleep. It might be the influence of the latest movie you saw or might be the song you were crooning all day or a discussion with a friend or something that was in the papers or might even be something totally disconnected like a blast from the past. And then the mind will put on wings and take you out for a flight of fantasy. It might think up a storyline which can be made into a beautiful movie and then gives way to a very well thought out plan that will be swiftly replaced by something else. It’s a self-minded cycle and it just won’t let me sleep. But one thing it does is that it takes the mind away from the hideous reality, even for a moment, and puts in its place a, let’s say, pauper-to-price story. And on rare occasions, some incidents take you to another part of your dream which is actually real, and it's so vivid that it is better than you can fantasize or dream of. It's the moments like these that you live for. And hope that they keep coming to you from time to time… Because it gives a new perspective to a lot of things around… Because they make me feel alive…

They come... They go... And they come again... And the cycle repeats... Sometimes all I want to do is shout at it to stop. But I won’t... I just can't... :)

Facebook Turnoffs.. My two cents

This post has spent a lot of time in the depths of my saved drafts in Blogspot. After being urged by someone to post, I'm finally putting up my 2 cents.

Lately I've been spending less time on everybody's "favorite"(easier to say in trend, but leave) social networking site, Facebook(FB). Its not like i don't log in. Its just limited. I need my dose of connectivity. Nowadays when I open FB and check out the news feed there are a lot of things that get my attention. Some in a good way, others not so. The other ones, of course, are the ones I'm talking about here. I might be cliched to say about how people should and should not post on FB. But there are a few trends that really put me off on FB these days.

Let me start with people liking their own status updates, videos, photos, comments and the list goes on. One question - So did you hate it before you posted it and then realization dawned on you that you like it after posting? Come on. Liking something you have posted yourself is like Hi Five-ing yourself in public.

Photos. Is Facebook a social networking site or photo sharing site? It confusing seeing the amount of pics people put in a single album. You got Picasa or Flickr (and countless others) for that. The endless stream of (sometimes useless) photos, at times of the same thing, is mind numbing to say the least. Keep it uncluttered. Otherwise if you want to make people jealous, well, go on. And in profile pics don't put a thank you for each and every comment. We know you are happy about our comments and grateful. But a simple "Thank you all" and its variations will do.

Groups. I've lost count of the number of times I had to remove myself from groups I've been added to and forced to read the N number of notification from them. Your likes are yours and not necessarily of others. Don’t force it on others unless you are absolutely sure that they would like it. If not send a link and let the other person decide if he/she wants to take the drop or not.

If you got anything private to discuss take it off Facebook walls. Call the person up or get on chat and discuss. Or at least use the Facebook "privacy" settings (they are there for a reason) and keep it between those who know of it.(TBH I’ve made this mistake myself) And talking of walls, it isn’t there for Graffiti. DoNt TyPe LiKe ThIs, BeCaUsE iF yOu Do, YoU rEaLlY sOuNd lIkE aN iDiOt Or GoT a NuT LoOsE Up ThErE.

The box for status messages says "What's on your mind?" and not "What you are doing now, now and now and now again and finally Now?". No one is that curious. But if you want your stalkers to get bored and leave you in peace then, carry on with it.

Add me.. Add me.. Farmville.. Cityville... Send me.. Send me.. this that.. this that. Stop. They might as well add you to Loonsville and send you a straight jacket.

Your name is part of your identity. It gets real difficult people to find you on FB if you keep customizing your name now and then. Keep the real one. Not the one you would like to be known with.

It's complicated. Ya? really? If its so damn complicated, then how about logging out and fixing it and then coming back and reverting to "Single" or "In a relationship" or just hiding it altogether. Sounds better, sounds simpler.

Tagging. Good thing about FB which is spoiled by using where not necessary and not applicable. I wont go on much about this.

Cant understand why people still keep sending gifts on Facebook using applications. Thanks but how about sending me something in real life? How about that hug you sent when I really need one in real life?

Stop clicking on anything that says "click me", "watch me" blah blah blah. It’s spam. It might or might not give you a headache but it definitely gives others an headache.

One think I totally dislike about FB is that there is no dislike link. It’s like Dictatorship. Either like or keep quiet.

Remember one thing. You are in a public network. Use your common sense. Post sense.

Though not original, those were my 2 cents.

Disclaimer: These are my views. You might agree with a few and protest against a few. If you like it thanks.

@Crossroads

If you notice the change in the "Blog Title" then good on you :)

I stated this blog way back in the summer of '07 just out of interest. At that point of time i had no idea what to do with it or how to make it better. As time went on it found it very liberating to pen down what I've been through or sharing random thoughts. The title "Impossible is Nothing" just happened. It got stuck in my head from the Famous Adidas ad at that time and I've never thought of changing it. Well at least until now.

Why the change?
If to name the reason for the change I've got none other than the fact that it feel too cliched and being with it for so long it just begged for a change. Its been 4 years and that was the only thing(well other than the one who posts) that hadn't changed since I started.

why @ Crossroads?
Well just cos we are always there. @Crossroads. The dictionary defines a crossroad as a point where a decision must be made. We are always taking making a decision. Good, Bad. Black, White. Yes, No. Whatever the situation be we always have a choice. Some of the posts here are my choices, decisions, opinions and those, differ from person to person. Its like I'm at a crossroad and I decide to take a left when others might take a right. But that's choice. So @Crossroads :)

Circumstances

I often think about the way circumstances impact a person. Some will feel that it is a complete waste of time but others might agree with me that it does shape how a person reacts. If it is not the opportunities inherent in these circumstances, it might be the prejudices or the beliefs that are born out of them. We learn to read people, start thinking about unspoken words in pregnant pauses and also learn to manipulate and deliver what others want. Those prejudices that are born, take shape and grow with every false smile, every polite conversation and meaningless sycophancy, mostly to project ourselves as someone others want to see or say get into the good book or maybe just for personal benefit.It is sometimes rather scary to see how our prejudices prevent us in taking a rational decision, even if we know its the right one, and believe in people who will in turn act on their prejudices.Isn't it a probability that our illusory persona had made them lean towards us? Conversely, their mind would have probably learnt to sniff out one false twitch of muscle from another, again by circumstances, that they would start repelling us before we do.

It is actually amusing, how in this age of free thoughts,we let the people in circumstances shape us up rather than the free thoughts themselves, which lie dormant under the buried layers of experiences we have accumulated.

Remember this. You can lie to anyone in the world and get away with it. But not to the person who stares back at you when you look into the mirror. At the end of the day, if we get to bed knowing that our sense of identity had withstood one more day, we should feel lucky.

Or proud. :)

A few things...

Life has given me my share of ups and downs. And is still making me ride it like a sine wave. But along the way it has taught me few valuable lessons too. Here go a few...

-> If you’re smiling right now, you’re doing something right.

-> It’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel.

-> The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re scared to make a mistake.

-> No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.

-> Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.

-> If you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop. You’re on to something big. Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.

-> It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work. But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Sometimes you just have to go for it!

-> Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just hurts you more.

-> The one with nothing to hide is always the one left standing tall.

-> You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s just a matter of wanting it bad enough.

-> There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. Knowledge is basically useless without action.

-> In work and business, when they need you more than you need them, you have succeeded.

-> Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.

-> We are all weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we call it love.

-> True friendship and true love do sustain the tests of distance and time.

-> You can’t change who you are. You can only change what you know and how you apply this knowledge.

-> It is okay to be angry. It is never okay to be cruel.

-> Even when you feel like you have nothing, someone else likely has far less. Find them and help them. You’ll see why.

-> Having a thousand credentials on the wall will not make you a decent human being. But genuinely helping one person everyday will.

-> There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. Knowledge is basically useless without action.

-> You can’t change who you are. You can only change what you know and how you apply this knowledge.

-> Having a 1000 friends is good. But find out that one person who will stand by you when you are in need.

-> Change happens for a reason. Roll with it. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Remember.. Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. :)

Pointless

yeah... and so? what's the point? what am i trying to say? where is all this heading anyway? what would be the final outcome? i don't know.. but then does anyone actually know? The whole point i think right now is being pointless. Everyone around is only trying to prove their point. Now i wanna say that i don't wanna make any point at all. Well is that a point too? Maybe it is. I don't know. There's so much that i don't know. So much that i want to know. No i'm not curious. I just wanna learn...and unlearn...till every point collides, and every figure resembles the other, and every one looks like everyone else, or at least realize that stripped out of our externals we are all the same. Then why draw so many lines? So many boundaries? So many ways of discriminating? Bveryone is fighting for identity. But what is it-this whole war to assert identities. First you are not given any subjectivity that's why you fight. Then you realize you need to speak for yourself, that's why you fight...and then you realize that "YOU" has power and not everyone can be "YOU" and that's why you define "YOU", narrow it down and fight again and it goes on. Don't we need to transcend these definitions and identities? Do we care? Is it helping anyway? Fighting for identities forever? Whose identities? When do we stop? Who are the winners? Who are the losers? Do they even exist? Does anyone know? All of these questions may not be necessary. Maybe these are what they call POINTLESS...

A New Start

A New Year. A New Start. and a new post in my blog..
But before I get going into the new year I am wondering what I felt about the year that just passed. A lot of things happened(of course). But what would sum it up is, I've survived, I've lived, I've learnt, I've cared, I've loved, felt loved. Wondered till I was made to realize I didn't need to. Stared in the dark waiting for the first rays of sunlight. Learnt some lessons which i hope to remember. Lived and learnt, in my head and my heart. Still learning, always figuring it out new ways and means. Never knew what was right, probably because nothing is.

So yes, it's been an interesting year. A year which could have either been start all or end all.

I can't word it very well at the moment, but, I've met a lot of new people this year. To these people i saw thanks for you are the ones who've loved me, forgave me, surprised me, uplifted me, encouraged me. I even love some of you people who've made me feel like crap (for no fault of my own) and need to be clonked over the head, for you made me a better person.

Thank you. This is very heartfelt.

What I want for myself from next year is to screw up less. With myself and with other people. Be wiser. Face up for whatever I do. Never be in doubt. And make use of the constant reminder I've given myself now.