Trials and Tribulations by Fire

Its a rainy, dreamy day here, in Chennai. Usually, hot and humid, Chennai is looking greener. I love the weather. On my way to work, I kept ogling at the green leaves on brown trees and the miniscule saplings planted near the footpaths. I wonder at God's ability to create such beauty. Well, a higher being like God can only create such beauty. No man can attain such perfection. After marveling at the perfection and beauty on my way, I began thinking about the reason why a human being is incapable of attaining such perfection. Is it the genetic coding or simply the thought process that stops an average man from reaching the pinnacle? I wonder. Usually, human beings are goal-oriented and strive to achieve something in their short lives. There should be something that would give an impetus to them to reach the pinnacle sooner. Is it the mind or destiny? Or a combination of factors? I am chewing on this... The human mind, they say is capable of innumerable achievements and thought...

People usually form habits by seeing their parents, relatives, teachers, and friends repeat certain actions. These actions can be anything, combing hair from left to right, wearing striped shirts with striped trousers (uh! fashion disaster), wearing fluorescent colors, using certain words or abuses, using a particular dialect, preferring a cuisine, or using jasmine oil for the hair. Sigh! There are countless examples I can quote and still would not have covered even an inch. These are normal, ordinary people. They are people on the roads, in buses, in trains, in offices, and in the bus stops. They do everything out of habit. They never stop to think of a newer way to do a certain task or pause to look for a better option. A to-be-wedded girl in Tamil Nadu would certainly want to buy her trousseau from a certain shop. All these habits are deeply engrained in the psyche of a Tamilian. These habits have slowly become part of the religious rituals. Typically, a to-be-wedded girl alway...

I strive to stand when the wind pushes me, I want to smile when sorrow threatens me, I strive to say no when I am forced to say yes, I fill my heart with love when it gets filled with ire, I strive, they strive, Life goes on between my want and your command Life goes on, and on, and on...

Music Academy: T T K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai Time: 7:45 - 8:55 p.m. Sashi and I went to watch this play, last evening. The Blue Mug. The cast is very impressive. Konkona, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sheeba, and Munish. My View: Awesome. Am simply floored by the actors. This was the 1st time I went to watch a play and have become an ardent follower of plays. Rating: 5 stars

I saw Silence of the Lambs for the nth time last night. I was small when I saw the movie for the first time. Didn't obviosuly sit through it, switched channels and sat glued to some toon program.I love the movie.

I am not sure how effective the remedy described in this article is, but is worth a read... Cancer Update from John Hopkins 1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. 2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. 3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors. 4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies . These could be due to genetic, environmental, food, and lifestyle factors. 5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengt...

Thousand questions and zero answers, i ask, why is this so? Is this how a Kamla, Rama, Mohana, Radha lead their lives? So what if my anatomy differs from you? Am I not free to be sad? Why should I forsake my right to sorrow and tears? Now that I am bound, do I cease to exist? Do I not care for each cell on your hair? Do I not wipe those little nicks while you sleep? Why, then, is the disparity between the care for me and Shyama? Why, does every word I utter mean something else, entirely? Why does every action demand a detailed explanation? Why should I curb my lust and live like a saint? Am I not free to free myself? Why should I talk about saints, when all I want is to cuddle? What happens to the whimpers that surge out, why should I curb and turn them into smiles? Do my joys matter to anyone? Who cares if I smile 'coz I am happy or to feed your ego? Why, I ask, should I go on like this? Why...

I got married wearing a nine-yard saree, also quite uninnovatively called, a madisaar . As many women who wear a necklace called a "Thaali" know, it is an integral part of the TamBram(TB) culture. Nowadays, it reveals itself only when some remote diety has to be pleased. This post is not about the saree, rather, about the community that struts around in the saree. The other day, I happened to view photographs of a friend's friend's wedding. The guy looked very Brahm (B), but the girl wasn't wearing the madisaar. I pondered, wondered, then questioned my friend. Is he a TamBram? To which she nodded, quite excitedly, and said, "Of course babe, can't you make out." I couldn't, hence, I asked her, unashamedly though, to check with him. She did, all the while glaring at me. She even gave a disclaimer saying, hey don't think, am dumb, but are you a TB? The guy said, yes, I am a B, but not a TB. Well, that settled the issue. I rested in peace. No...

The green monster gobbles up my time The green cross that stares back at me viciously I refrain from turning away, I click the red cross to wish it away Orange is the blip that beseeches me towards the green monster I allow it to devour me, reluctantly, silently Relief sets in, I die on its face The green monster blinks and moves away

When the hunger for food arises, composure declines. A hungry mouth demands morsel for the not-so-hungry brain. Love, affection, and respect fly out the window when hunger strikes. Anger fills the heart and fire burns the eyeballs. Human that I am, strong is the pull of stomach, many a hearts, on the way, I break.