Why Should I Write?

My blog turned two yesterday. 16th May.

Strangely enough, I didn't feel the need to write much yesterday. Or for that matter, in the last few days. For someone who has been blogging regularly since the last two years, targeting at least one post per day, it was ironical that the last poem was posted almost a week ago.

Well, to be honest, I had decided to take a break from writing, to concentrate on other avenues, which I termed as more profitable ventures, not related to writing of course, but in areas that would help in my sustenance.

Perhaps a better, more practical approach to life, something that's 'normal', something that everyone does, focusing on ways to improve in other areas, trying to rise higher in quest of a brighter future.

And abandoning the present.

Why should I write? I often questioned myself, self-doubt playing crazily on my mind. Writing takes time, and they are mere words that float on pages. What would I get out of it?

How can I get anything out of it?

And so, I decided to stop it for a while.

Until today, when the question came floating back in my mind, rephrasing itself.

"Why shouldn't I write?"

I started this blog on 16th May, 2012. I had challenged myself to write at least 20 posts that year.

As I checked my blogger stat today, 789 posts stare back at me. Never ever had I dreamt of writing even a hundred post in two years, and that's what makes me feel ecstatic about myself.

And I got the answer to the question that has been ringing since long.

Life is too short, as we all know. What would happen the next moment, we can never guess. But what we can do with these moments, we can always plan.

Passion is God's way of drenching us with the blissful nectar, gifting us with the desire to live our life the way we want to. True, we would have other commitments. True, there would be moments when things wouldn't roll as smoothly, and hurdles would creep up on the way, but that doesn't mean we should let go of our passions.

What can life be without it anyway?

I thank you all for being a part of my journey. Two years isn't a very long time, but it has been great thus far. Posting a poem, or a story, or just a random thought, waiting for your comments, and reading all of you, learning from you in the process, striving to be a better writer, a better person.

And the best thing about blogging ... I have made innumerable friends, who have gradually turned into my closest buddies.

Now, Why Should I Write? does have a fitting reply.

Quitting isn't the solution, but a better time management is. Time, always so precious, and we squander it so recklessly. Time, the route to our success, the excuse to our failures.

Time.

Let's blend our passion, duty and responsibilities, balance this mixture with time, and savor the heady concoction. Life would never let you complain again. Trust Me !!!

Thank You All for always supporting me and my writing. Without your love and care, 'Live Your Life - GreenSpeck' wouldn't have bloomed this way :-)

Just Like That

Haiku and poems keep me busy these days, and yes, there's my work too ... I mean my means of bread and butter and everything else ...

Not to forget my two other passions ... playing my guitar and reading novels ... leaving me very little time to write about me in this blog.

Anyways, it's almost 9 months since I started this blog ... yes, N-I-N-E ... truly unbelievable, keeping in mind how lazy I used to be whenever the thought of writing crossed my mind ... yes, I loved dreaming, but not writing, and perhaps that's one reason which justifies the fact that I had written only 3-4 poems before I started this blog last May.

But then again, a friend of mine kept on pushing and insisting me that I come up with a blog and start writing ...

Finally, her constant ranting forced me to start this page that has now become as dear to me as my life ... Thank you Dark Angel for continuously getting on my nerve and eating my head almost everyday, urging me to start a blog of my own !!!

Blogging made me smile among tears, and laugh with the million stars (ok, let's not get too philosophical now).

I am glad to have received all your love and support in this journey till date ... your comments always motivate me and inspire me to write on and on.

I am glad to have come across brilliant writers whose words really struck my a chord.

I am glad to have made innumerable friends who share the same love for writing as I do.

And, I am glad to be a part of this world with all of you :-)

There have been good times, and bad times, and good times again, but that's how life goes ... achievements and losses come in cycles, so never let your feet off the pedals; success might be running towards you ... why not give it a chance?

One of my favorite moments of 2012 was the selection of my short story "The Last Note" in the Penguin anthology "Love Stories That Touched My Heart." It gave me the confidence and the faith that made me believe "Yes, I can write too."

And it wouldn't have been possible without this blog and without all of your support.

So THANKS A LOT.

I have several plans related to my writing, and with amazing friends like you by my side, I sure can achieve them.

Your suggestions always matter. I love your appreciations, and would try to work on my weaknesses based on your criticisms. Your words are valuable, and help me learn.

Ok, now I got to get back to work. Do take care, and keep writing.

And as always, Live your Life and Love Your Life.

A Relaxing Saturday

Someone had rightly said, "Music defies all boundaries." So true. Music isn't narrated by words. Rather, it's felt through the souls. Music isn't comprehended by language. Instead, it's spoken from within.

A few years ago, I came across a Korean music video on YouTube, and to this date, this is one of the best songs I have seen. This is full of love and emotions. True, some events in this story may seem highly dramatized, but that doesn't rob this piece of its soulful melody.

Do check the video and let me know what you feel :-)

Saturday is always so pleasant and relaxing. There is no tension of going back to work the next day, nor no anxiety of waking up early to do the daily chores. Saturday is the time to get lazy, to do whatever you like, without anyone complaining. Perhaps, Saturdays can easily be regarded as the best thing to have happened for the human race.

Weekends are like pencil shaving. The more you shave, the better it runs throughout the week. Weekends are about rejuvenation, and re-energizing your body and mind. I unwind mostly by reading novels, watching movies and playing the guitar. What about you?

I am currently reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. This is the final installment in the Millenium Series. I love crime fictions, and this one rates right among my favorites.

What are you guys up to this weekend?

Introspection

10 more days, and my blog would be completing 5 months. Now, that's not a big deal, considering there are others who have been blogging for years. However, this does make me feel satisfied, as I believe that I am utilizing my free time constructively, pursuing my passion of writing, and learning new techniques from other versatile bloggers out here in this world.

A perfect time for Introspection, I guess. Yes, 'cause Leo, a blogger friend has recently marked me for The Introspection Tag in his post Down The Memory Lane. Leo blogs at http://artofleo.wordpress.com/. I have been following his posts since the last few months, and he is a real good writer of poetry. I love reading his haiku, and the emotion they portray. His poems have a life of their own, and if you really want to experience something unique, do check his blog.

Now comes the interesting part. As per the rules, I need to analyze my blog under 7 categories, and then tag 5 other bloggers. So, here it goes !!!

1) My Most Beautiful Post: Undoubtedly I Fear Sleep, since this was the first 'real' poem I had written, way back in 2008. As such, the poem remains very close to my heart.

2) My Most Popular Post: If you consider Page Views, it has to be Stars. This is a Haiku set that I had written in August, and I am happily surprised by the response it kept on receiving. This one has 718 page views right now. Not too far behind is Green, another Haiku set, with 700 Page Views.

3) My Most Controversial Post: Shadows Chapter 7. This was my first attempt at writing short stories. Since the genre was horror, I tried to bring in shades of violence. However, on a personal note, I didn't like the way it was depicted, and I guess I could have done much better with the portrayal of violence.

4) My Most Helpful Post: Many new blogger friends ask me about Haiku, and I happily direct them to Hiking in the Highland of Haiku. I wrote this post when I first came across Haiku poems, and had tried to lay down the rules of this form in a simple manner.

5) A Post Whose Success Surprised Me: Stars. I never expected it to be the most viewed post, since there have been many other poems that are closer to my heart, and I had written them with care and conviction.

6) A Post I Feel Did Not Get The Attention It Deserved: Power Of The Curse. I wrote this post after watching a very beautiful movie, and I loved the wisdom it had to convey. However, this piece somehow got lost among my several other writings.

7) A Poem I Am Proud Of: I would choose three: 1) The Hare And The Tortoise, 2) Eight, 3) Poison Love.


This was all about my blog. I would love to know about you now. What do you think about your posts? I am not tagging anyone, and this post is open for all. Do feel free to answer the above questions and introspect your blogging journey whenever you have time. Trust me, it's fun.

And as always, Love Your Life and Live Your Life :-)

Friday !!!

The much awaited Friday is here. It feels great to wake up on this day, savoring the sweet aroma of the last working day of the week.

Saturday and Sunday will follow soon, and I got to ensure that the weekends do not go away in haste.

For starters, I will try to wake up earlier than usual. My work consists of staying up late, due to which I also sleep till late in the afternoon. However, sleeping late makes me feel guilty on weekends, as I feel I am losing away the precious hours allotted to me for spending the two days in a constructive way. Again, less sleep usually spoils my mood, leaving an irritating taste in my mind.

What I need is the right balance.

I have to write something good this weekend. I am planning this since the last many weeks, but time doesn't seem to permit. True, everyone has the same 24 hours. Perhaps, I am not that good in time management. Have a lot to learn in this regard.

So what do I plan to write? Probably a fiction, a series story like I did in the past. I don't intend to write another horror story, nor a second social drama so soon. Rather, my wish is to pen down a love story, on the backdrop of a superhuman series.

Yes, something like Spiderman, Batman, Superman.

The idea eludes me. Hope I can use my gray cells constructively in the next few hours to devise a plot for my story. I am dying to do another series, as I feel it's challenging to write in real time, planning a new chapter everyday.

What else would I do? Perhaps reading books, playing PC games, and strumming my guitar, apart from chatting with my family.

Weekends really are fun. And Friday is indeed magical. Hope you all have a great day today :-)

Till then, Love Your Life and Live Your Life :-)

Sunday Fun-day

Another Sunday goes by, welcoming a five day long week. Sundays should have more than 24 hours, really.

Anyways, I guess I had a good time today. Started the day with some guitar practice, followed by a movie named "Donnie Darko" in the afternoon. I also wrote a blog post, thus maintaining my habit of writing something daily.

"Donnie Darko" is an intriguing watch. It's a dark psychological movie, very different from the normal fare. You will be forced to think and exercise your brain long after the last reels are played out. Do go for it.

However, the most satisfying point of the day was publishing my first eBook. Yes, I did manage to publish my short story SHADOWS, that I had earlier posted in my blog. Thanks to the encouragement of my fellow blogger friends, I finally decided to go ahead and publish it via Smashwords. The story may not be up to the mark, but then, failing is a sure way of learning.

You can download my eBook at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/209574.

The week ahead promises another five days of bright sunshine. I will try my best to utilize this time to the best of my ability, working and writing. Looking forward to your love and support as always :-)

Thanks all for being such nice companions in this Blogging World !!!

My 1st Blog Award

Wow .... 'm so happy .... feels great .... Wow !!!

When I started blogging on a warm sultry May morning this year, my primary goal was to know how I write. I wished to be criticized and appreciated from writers who have been here,done that. I wanted to revive my writing skills that I believed had died somewhere in the middle of my hectic professional life. Finding time to write was just so out of question.

I did start a blog some couple of years back, but lack of time forced me to be irregular on it, and finally I completely stopped writing. However, I guess putting down my thoughts in words was too lucrative a passion to be shut down completely, and here I was again, in a new blog, with new ideas.

I started checking others' blogs, and noticed how good people over here write. Poems, stories, simple narratives, everything, there was so much to learn from each one of you. Truly, that's what inspired me to write, almost daily. The urge to grow better motivated me, fueling me whenever I felt drained.

And thanks to Sui, I have another reason to write now. She recently honored me by tagging me for the Liebster Blog Award - my first award !!!!

Thanks a lot for this :-)

Well, there are certain rules associated with it, and copying from Sui's blog post, they are as follows:

1. If you are tagged/ nominated you have to post 11 facts about yourself.
2. Then you answer the 11 questions the tagger has given you & make 11 questions for the people you are going to tag.
3. Tag 11 more Blogger.
4. Tell the people you tagged that you did.
5. No tagging back.
6. The person you tag must have less than 200 followers.

Thus, abiding by the rules as follows:

11 Facts About Me


I am too lazy when at home.
I love driving.
I fall in love (read crush) with different celebrities (female, of course) every now and then.
I hate to study, but I still have to.
I love going to office when there is less work, so that I can play Table Tennis the whole time.
I don't like loud music, I prefer something soft.
I love to think, think and think all the time.
I am a late sleeper and wake up pretty late too.
I have a childhood fantasy of becoming a Super Hero and saving the society.
I can't paint, but I love good paintings and arts.
I am crazy about Awards.

Answers to Sui's Questions


1. Have you ever visited a zoo?
A. Yes. I have visited the zoo in my hometown, Kolkata.

2. Do you think it’s reasonable to keep animals behind cages simply for our amusement?
A. No. Animals should have the liberty to be free and enjoy the natural freedom which they are entitled to get.

3. It is raining heavily, you have to rush home but alas you forgot to bring an umbrella. What would your reaction be?
A. I would regret not bringing an umbrella, but since I will be returning home, I wouldn't mind getting wet. I can always dry myself after I reach home.

4. You promised to take your mom shopping on Friday. The same day your best friend who relocated to a different city came to visit and asked you to accompany her/him the entire day. What would your priority be? {Emotionally blackmailing your mother is not an option.}
A. I would go shopping with my mom, and meet my best friend after that.

5. What’s more important: to have many followers who rarely visit your blog OR to have few followers who regularly visit your blog.
A. Many followers all of whom who visit my blog would be ideal. But to answer your question correctly, I would choose the 2nd option.

6. Would you buy a latest gadget even if you don’t need it? {Assuming that you have more than enough money to buy.}
A. No. I don't buy things I don't need.

7. How will you react if I say that I am standing in front of your house right now?
A. I would be surprised, and look out of my window !!!

8. What does it mean if we say that a person is cool?
A. That he isn't affected by global warming ;-)

9. Can you call a person your friend even if you have never seen her/him in physical form?
A. Yes. It's so common in social networking world these days.

10. What is the importance of having a romantic relationship in your life?
A. It's good, till it lasts. And then, it becomes bad. But yes, better to fall in love at least once. It teaches you a lot in life.

11. What’s the most boring thing in the world for you?
A. This is tough. I don't get bored easily. I always find something or the other to do that engages my mind.

11 Questions From Me

1. If an alien visits you, what is the first thing you would like to know about it?
2. If you have the power, to which three non-living objects would you like to grant the power of life?
3. Do you like pets? Do you have one?
4. What super power you wish to possess?
5. Which is the most memorable gift you have received till date and from whom?
6. Do you like travelling? Which has been your favorite travelling spot?
7. What makes you smile when you feel low?
8. What is your favorite quote?
9. Who is your idol?
10. Do you prefer reading, or writing?
11. When did you start blogging?

11 Awesome Bloggers I Tag


This one is tough. I have followed so many bloggers that choosing only 11 is quite difficult. I would have loved to tag a few more, but have tried to bring up my list of 11 as below:

1. Crystal
2. Kirti
3. Grace
4. Sreeja
5. Vaishali
6. Hank
7. Jaideep
8. Aravind
9. Dark Angel
10. Sandra
11. Hannah Denski

Congratulations. Enjoy the Award :-)

Tagged !!!

                                                                    (Image Courtesy: http://fardebeaute.over-blog.com)


Tagging is a relatively new concept for me, and I came across it only while visiting the blog posts of others. I noticed that two of my blogger friends Crystal and Kirti have tagged me in their posts. The purpose is to let others know you better by answering the questions posted by the "tagger".

The rules of the game are simple, and I copy them below from Kirti's post:

• Link back the blogger who tagged you.
• You must post the rules.
• Answer the questions given by the person tagged you.
• Tag eleven new bloggers.
• Set eleven new questions for the bloggers tagged by you.
• Inform them about the tag.

Starting with Crystal's questions, here goes my response:

1) What's something your Mom always said to you that you thought you'd never hear yourself say?
A) My mom always told me to focus and be attentive towards studies, and I hope my children are born studious so that I don't have to tell them the same thing ;-)

2) What's your favorite childhood story and why?
A) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I loved the character Pip and could emotionally associate with it.

3) How would other's describe your personality?
A) Helpful and supportive, I guess !!!


4) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
A) Soulful, melodious, romantic songs. Actually my taste differs based on my mood, so there isn't any specific genre that I follow.


5) What is your favorite song of all time?
A) There are many "It's My Life", "Lonely", "Summer of '69", "Hotel California". As I have said, I keep listening and loving different songs based on my mood.


6) Do you have a big intellectual capacity and do you think that it alone equates wisdom? Yes or no and why?
A) Well, now this question is a heavy one. I do believe that I possess a certain level of intellectualism. However, wisdom is a larger term that denotes the knowledge gained which can drive us towards perfection, and can thus never be attained fully.


7) If you could create a charitable organization, what would you hope to accomplish and to whom would the proceeds benefit the most?
A) I would love to start an organization that would primarily be responsible for the welfare of poor and needy old people who do not have the means to live their life in a decent manner.


8) How do you deal with stress?
A) By playing PC games, or reading novels, or writing stuffs. Sometimes, I watch movies too.


9) What's your favorite movie?
A) There are many movies I liked - "Independence Day", "Titanic", "The Terminal", "Jurassic Park", "The Pursuit of Happyness", etc. Finding a favorite would be tough !!!


10) Have you read any good books lately? Which ones?
A) I love reading. I am currently reading "GONE WITH THE WIND". However, my all time favorite is "KITE RUNNER".


11) If you could tell the world just one thing, what would it be and why?
A) Live your life, and love your life :-) 'cause I believe people should learn to be happy and live their lives contentedly.



Responding to Kirti now:

1) What does music mean to you?
A) Music is a way to express your desires and free your soul ... it's the drug that can motivate you when chips are down.

2) Poem or a story?
A) As a writer, I prefer poem. As a reader, I love stories :-)

3) The deepest desire of your heart.
A) Being a top-shot author of millions of bestsellers :-P

4) Your idea of a romantic story.
A) Boy A falls for Girl B. Girl B falls for Boy C. Boy C falls for Girl D. Girl D falls for Boy A. Ha ha :-D

5) Walking or cycling? and why?
A) Walking if you are with someone you love, and cycling if you are alone. However, I would rather prefer driving, as it gives a rush to my adrenaline :-)

6) What does blogging mean to you?
A) Blogging to me is a way to learn and grow my writing skills. I love the way others write and try to unearth good features of their writings. Also, the constant motivation of other bloggers after reading my posts helps me a lot.

7) The favorite character you have created so far. Someone you feel like using in all your stories.
A) None yet. But I do have a superhero in mind, that I would love to create very soon :-)

8) The favorite character you have read and loved. and why.
A) Pip from Great Expectation, as I really felt emotionally associated with the various shades of this character. Among the more modern characters, I could sympathize with Amir's pain and guilt in The Kite Runner.

9) If you get to impersonate one super hero/heroine who would it be and why?
A) Definitely Spiderman. He is one superhero who I find real and believable. Jumping from building to building would be an added bonus.

10) Your idea of fun when you are out with your friends.
A) Great food in a nice ambiance ;-)

11) The song thats playing in your head at the moment :)
A) It's a song of a recent Hindi Movie - Maula from Jism 2.


Tagging 11 friends:

It might not be possible for all of you to find the time and respond to the post, and as a working professional myself, I do understand that. However, it would be great if you could find a few minutes to share more about your lives.

I would love to know about all my blogger friends, but as the rule goes, I can only tag 11, so here are the ones:

1) Sui Generis Writer
2) ArtMuseDog and Carol
3) Grace
4) Hannah Denski
5) Jennifer
6) La Dolce Vita
7) Fida Bosu
8) Dark Angel
9) Valli
10) Sreeja
11) Sumukh Bansal



My Questions:


Below are my questions for you:

1) What made you start writing/blogging? (Any specific incident or experience)
2) Who is that one person in the world you can never distrust, even though he/she has hurt you in the past?
3) If you were given a chance, which famous personality would you like to be in you next birth?
4) What is that one dream that still motivates you to go on and on?
5) What is that one best moment of your life, which you want to live again and again?
6) If you couldn't write, what would have been your alternative skill?
7) How would you rate yourself as a writer on a scale of 10 (1 being the worst and 10 being the best)? Why?
8) Which is your dream destination?
9) What is that one task that you have always wanted to perform, but could never do? Why?
10) Which book do you feel would have turned out better had it been written by you?
11) What are your suggestions for the new bloggers?



Hope you all have a happy time tagging :-)

And as always, Love Your Life and Live Your Life :-)

'm Back !!!

Phew!!! What a torrid week it had been, without the services of my computer, away from the beautiful world of bloggers.

Yeah, life is tough when you are forced to change the daily habits that you have been so religiously following over the course of time. Talking about me, I have got into the habit of checking my blog every now and then, visiting the blogs of people I follow, and also finding new blogs that suit my taste (my taste changes all the time, though). Blogging thus has been a learning experience for me over the last few days.

Last Wednesday morning when I woke up to find my computer disobeying my orders to turn on, I received a massive blow to this learning curve that I was trudging along smoothly. The passage suddenly felt narrower, and the route longer.

The problems seemed aplenty, and the solutions scarce.

- What would happen to my blog? Will it die of idleness?
- The writing habit that I had developed by typing daily, will that fade in oblivion?
- Shadows, my first short story series, that too a genre that I always liked but never tried - Horror, was this the abrupt end to it?
- My blogging friends, how long do I need to stay away from their magical writings?

Haunted by these thoughts, my mind galloped, raced and dived. I had to write, or at least log in to blogger. I found a way out, using a low-configuration machine for the purpose. However, the problem was the slowness of the system. At times, I felt myself faster than that computer.

Somehow, I typed and finished my Horror Series - Shadows. Horror or not, that's up to you to decide, 'cause, I, along with many of my lovely readers would say that it's more about life than about ghostly elements. True, I had started this as a horror story, but midway through the plot, I realized I could do something different out of it. I didn't know then how it would turn out. Even now I feel I could have done a better job with the plot; but isn't that what learning is all about?

I am lucky to have such nice friends like you, who read and appreciated my work over the last few days. I am really grateful to you all. Never had I imagined that this story of mine will get 350+ page views. Never ever. I heartily thank you all for your moral support and encouragement, that motivated me to write and write.

I am glad I can read all your blogs too now. It wasn' possible using the low-configuration system. I love your writings, 'cause they teach me a lot, help me be a better person.

Thanks for providing me company in this world. I am now more confident about my writing than I was when I first made this blog. Kudos to you all !!!

Do keep writing your magical words.

And as always, love your life and live your life :-)

Away from Bloggerland

That's what I have been forced to do - Stay Away From Bloggerland.

With my Personal Computer playing cruel tricks with me, rendering itself useless time and again, my hopes rest on an alternate system that I have managed for the time-being. However, this machine is a low end device and hence fails to serve all my purposes. I try to write now and then, as I did today, but with the sick net connection and the weird behavior of this machine, I can't go far. I am not able to view other blogs, and read the stories and haikus that my dear friends have posted in their spaces.

In a nutshell, I feel like a creature on the brink of extinction, with no company around.

I hope my PC gets back into life really soon, 'cause I am lacking the life that I so enjoyed on blogger.

Till then, trying to live my life the best way I can, playing guitar, reading books, and yes, office is always there to keep me occupied throughout the week :-)

Be in touch. I will be back soon (sooner than soon I hope).

Take care and keep blogging !!!

Study Study Study

"Study hard now so that you can get into a good college." - was what my elders used to say.

I was in school then. I trusted their words. I studied hard.

"Study hard now so that you can have a good career." - my elders said again.

I was in college. I re-trusted their words. I studied harder.

"Study hard now so that you can get a better career." - my elders said, again.

Trust your elders, but never about studies. I always believed that studies would be over after I leave college, there would be no memorizing of notes, nor any solving of numerical problems.

And heck, I was wrong. Studies never leave. They go on and on and on, like an unending jet of stream.

I do not know who coined the terminology 'Higher Studies.' If there is 'Higher', shouldn't there be a 'Highest' as well? But no, the guy who coined this term probably didn't pay much attention to his grammar classes in school, thus missing out on the importance of Degree of Comparison.

The level of studies go higher from just "Studies" to "Higher Studies", but there isn't anything called "Highest Studies." In short, you have to study and study and study, till probably death do us, err I mean, you and studies, apart.

Speaking of studies, I am glad that my examinations are finally over. There will be a new bunch of devils shortly within a few months, but till then, I can just relax and do my bit.

And here goes the bits:

1. Read till my eyes quake: I intend to read quite a bunch of novels that are lying in my shelf. Prioritising them, I came across this reading order: Gone With The Wind, Immortals of Meluha, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest and Midnight's Children. There are more, but first let me wrap up these.

2. Write till my fingers break: I will be as regular here as I have always been, aiming to pen down, or key up (whatever you prefer) at least one post a day (it may be stupid sometimes, so please forgive me and do come back for the subsequent posts).

3. Stories that I plan to make: This is one activity I am looking forward to, writing short stories (with really short chapters, so that you don't need to read at a stretch) in this blog. As always, I am relying on your valuable feedback so that I can improve further.

4. Photographs that will not shake: I am not a good photographer, and I do not know the intricacies of clicking quality pictures. However, I will try to be better in it, and hope to learn some new tricks with my mobile camera (5 MP is enough for a beginner, I guess).

Speaking of photography, here is one that I had clicked with my 2 MP camera (old cell phone). The image isn't sharp, but it shows the unity between birds of different colors. Why can't humans be the same, and forget division due to race, religion, caste and creed?

Thus said, hope you all would continue to love and read my writings as you have always done. It's your constant guidance that motivates me to write :-)

Thanks for being there.

Have a great day, and live your life :-)

A Post A Day Keeps The Writers Block Away

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.

Is blogging the new apple, keeping at bay the "Writer's Block" that haunts so many writers?

Trust me, I was never a voracious writer. I aspired to write big stuffs, poems that would leave a lasting impression on the minds, prose and stories emulating real life events and their solutions. I dreamt of writing for the society, for my people, helping them with my words, soothing the exhaustion with my melodies.

And I couldn't.

My excuse - "I'm suffering from writer's block!"

There isn't anything called writer's block. It's just a decorative term invented to hide our laziness. The truth is, we can write whenever we want. Well, the quality may not be the same, but then, you don't need to produce master stuffs each time.

Again, a question arises. If we do not write quality, who will read us? This is a tricky query, which can't be answered easily. Rather, you should look at your preferences. Why do you write? To gain praises or to express thoughts? Most of us would say both. True indeed. We want our work to get appreciated and loved.

But then, if we are not criticized, then how can we know where to improve?

Writing is all about expressing your thoughts, with yourself and the outside world. I am addicted to writing now, and I hope this addiction continues. I want to be criticized, improve my work, and then get appreciated for it.

After all, none of us are perfect. None of us can ever be perfect. But all of us can strive together and try to attain perfection in our words, action and thoughts, in every sphere of our lives.

Only then, we can have a perfect world to live in, a world that would be our home. A world that we can embrace, with joy and hope, and without any fear.

Studying The Rain

It was only yesterday when I decided to study. I took out my books, laid them in order, and started jotting down points in my notebook. With examinations attacking me from all directions, this was the only alternative I had to save myself from being wounded.

And then the clouds roared, the skies blazed, and the darkened night gave way to rain.

Thick, thunderous downpour. A satisfying rain.

Rain is lovely when you are sitting at home and not stuck outside, eager to get home or some other destination.

I decided to take advantage of my position. Studies can go to hell for the time being. It's not always that it rains like this.

I went to the porch and started enjoying the rain. Droplets fell on my face now and then, rejuvenating my tired soul.

I closed my eyes and submitted myself to this beauty of nature.

One Month Of Blogging

Yes....1 month has passed.... 1 month since I wrote my first post in this blog.

And to be honest, it feels great to be a part of this wonderful world with all the fellow bloggers whose posts I have read and enjoyed.

I know celebrating 1 month sounds really funny when there are people who have been writing since ages; but then, don't we feel exhilarated and think of celebrating 1 month of relationship, with our new found love?

Yes, love this has been; a journey that I have traveled and am looking forward to go on and on, thanks to all the comments and encouragements that I have received on my posts.

The page views are not just a number, they show the time and attention all my blogger friends have invested in reading my posts, even though those might be silly at times.

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Thanks to all my friends who have clicked on the "Follow" button on my blog, providing value to my page that otherwise is just a junk of my random thoughts.

And thanks to all of you out there who go on writing and writing such wonderful posts and blogs. Your writing and way of putting forward your views really help me in learning the subtle nuances of life. Your blogs portray the variant shades of life, that I believe, will help me grow as a better human being and excel in the race to survival.

Finally, 3 cheers to blogger and the blogging world. There may be social networking sites, but nothing connects to my chords as reading the blogs and posts of others do.

Hiking in the Highland of Haiku !!!

I was going through the blogs of some fellow bloggers, and noted short poems of 3 lines in them. The poems were not of a rhythmic nature, and the words seemed disconnected. However, when I re-read the poems a couple of times, I realized they do have a deeper meaning. Quite interesting though, this practice of illuminating 3 lines, in a much brighter way than usual.


So what's new? I have been writing poems since quite some time. How is this different from those? I got the answer as I read a little further in their blog posts. They had clearly illustrated the meaning of the poem, along with a note saying that this is a haiku in response to a particular subject and a hyperlink pointing to another blog. I clicked, clicked and clicked, and was instantly drawn towards this new arena.

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A few Google search and going through articles online (thanks to Wikipedia and Yahoo too), I got a basic understanding of how to frame a haiku. Leaving aside the history and origin of it (that you can easily check by a simple query on Google), this is my comprehension of the process:

• There are generally 3 lines in a stanza, and they seem to be non-rhythmic in nature.
• The haiku follows a 5-7-5 syllable format, that is 5 syllables in the 1st line, 7 syllables in the 2nd, and 5 again in 3rd.

The 1st rule appears simple. It's the 2nd one that kept me guessing for a while.

I know it sounds silly, but yes, I wasn't able to understand what the word "syllables" actually mean. Are they referring to the number of words per line? But no, that's not the case. Most haikus didn't have 5-7-5 words format.

Again, Google came in handy. Thanks God for Google.

Just came across a thought while writing this: There are two powers who have the answers to all our queries - Google and God. Isn't it?

Anyways, going back to the topic, I quickly comprehended the meaning of this key word. Let me put it in this way.

Syllable, in simple lay man term, is an uninterrupted segment of speech (copied from dictionary.com). This means the number of continuous sounds that we can find in a word.

Let's take a few examples:

Consider the word "Haiku." When we pronounce it, we make two sounds - "Hai" and "ku". Thus this is a two syllable word.

Similarly "thank" is a one syllable word while "arena" is a 3 syllable word (a-re-na).

Hope this helps all newbies like me. There is still a lot to know about this, and I am studying a bit more on the same.

A request to all - please contribute with your inputs regarding haiku so that "freshers" like me can know and enjoy this further :-)

And as always, live your life and love your life :-)

Doomsday???

It's June and another 6 months to go....

Is the world coming to an end???

No, no, no, do not get me wrong. I am not being a pessimist with a negative perception towards life, waiting for mass destruction to happen and wipe out our existence. It's just that am worried about my forthcoming examinations. With so little time left and so much (almost everything) to study, I can't stop myself from hoping for the 2012 magic.

And no, am not praying for a destruction either. What I had heard (and what was not shown in the movies) is that December 2012 (I forgot the date, it's somewhere near the winter solstice) will bring forth a new world, a world of knowledge and enlightenment, of contentment and fulfillment. It sounds straight out of the pages of a  mythological feature film, with rays of light emanating from heaven and showering on us, bestowing mankind with the much needed wisdom required to live in the modern world. The evils will be eradicated and good will flood the hearts of everyone.

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In that case, where does my exam stand? If I indeed am bestowed with that knowledge and wisdom (I will make it a point to stand on the roof when these will be showered on us, so as to absorb the maximum amount), I will not need to toil much. With this increased skill and intelligence, I may be able to score high marks in the examination without much of a labor.

But until it happens, I have to study and toil and mug up and work hard. So yes, I need to get back to my fat books and get rid of my time-wasting nature. Probably, I can re-invite this habit next year (if all goes well as expected).

Till then, keep living your lives the way you have lived till now. Enjoy the fullest and have no regrets :-)

Power of the Curse !!!

How many of us think our life to be a curse? How many feel that the repeated failures are unfair obstacles on our quest for success, when there are hell lot of other success stories around?

How many visualize their lives to be portraits of complete loss and despair, failing to recognize the solutions but rather dwelling on the unwanted questions?

It's quite normal to be dejected when you fail, quite obvious for you to shed tears when your heart breaks, and very true of you to admit your losses when you can't kiss victory.

It's then that the question arises, "What next?"

I was, in this sultry lazy summer, watching a movie yesterday named Penelope. I am not a crazy movie buff, but yes I love to watch movies that are good and engrossing on quiet Sunday afternoons. While surfing the net for movie titles, I somehow came across this name which was sort of unheard of. The story looked compelling and I got a DVD of it to savor the motion picture.

The point I would like to illustrate here is the same that was depicted in the movie. Towards the end, it really gave a very nice message that went something like this - "It's not the power of the curse - it's the power you give the curse."

So true it is. We all think of our problems as troubles, why can't we think of them as bubbles, which we can swiftly blow away whenever we want?

Life in itself is a delicate moving bubble, we don't know when the bubble will be pricked and in an instance it would all be over. Why are we then burdening it with heaps of  miseries, doubts and problems? Why can't we ignore the curses that we believe to be possessing, making them powerless?

We know the answer to all our problems, don't we? However, we ignore the solutions 'cause they appear to be impractical and unrealistic at times. They seem naive and childish and useless.

But aren't they worth a try? Don't we all deserve to live peacefully and happily? We earn money, we buy riches, we do what we want, then why can't we eliminate our problems and troubles that haunt our lives?

Problems grow only as big as we let them grow. Ignore them, and they will leave.

Try it. Trying is free :-)

P.S. The movie I am referring to is linked below. It may not be a great one, but it did give me the message that really struck a chord in my soul.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472160/

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After all, It's not the power of the curse - it's the power you give the curse.

Live your life, and Love your life :-)

Two

Second day and a second chance,

Waging the battle with a depleted stance,

Yet fresh of hope and a handsome energy,

The Warrior goes on, declining the nature's mercy.

Ooops, I am not writing a war saga, if that's what you are imagining. Rather I am talking about the battle that's going on day and night in our lives, the battle of nerves, the battle of strength, and the battle of power. The lust to win has been inherited by the warriors of the modern era, leading to bloodthirsty war-fields all across the human existence. Isn't it unnerving to realize that none of us are happy, even though all stories are supposed to "they lived happily ever after."


Stories are fake, and so is life. Then why waste our peace of mind pondering over the matter of survival. Survive we will, 'cause the soul never dies. It's the soul that guides us on our journey, towards the eternal quest that we are finally destined to. Money, fame, power will come and go, they are mere obstacles in our paths to attain pure pleasure. Should we refrain from it?


And here lies the big question? Can we refrain from it, specially in this die-hard world of cut-throat competition. If we abstain ourselves from these material goods, wouldn't life tend to be meaningless and worth living? Wouldn't we be a failure in the eyes of others?


But should we look at the world from the eye of others? Why do we have two eyes of our own? Live your life the way you would like to. Forget the worldly ambition, and listen to the desire of your souls. Try to be happy, 'cause that's the greatest emotion gifted to man.


Live your life, and die for the life you would love to live....


And after this serious thought, here is an attempt to portray Green Speck on Paint.

Quite a novice concept you would say, but then life is all about learning. Probably, the next attempt would be slightly better.

Live your life and enjoy the day :-)

Here and There

Here I come, back to this world,

Plunging in the depth of this uncharted sphere,

Amid the waves that rise up to the clouds,

And disappearing in the final lapse of glory,

Here I come, welcoming the shore,

The sea of sand passing beneath my toes,

I look around, and touch the ground,

I try to listen, but there isn't that sound,

The sound of passion, the music and this motion,

No, no, no, they elude me, isolating my thoughts in this uncharted nation,

I dive ahead, I fall flat,

I rise again, my back I pat,

And I jog forever in this desolate track.

This is me, a new beginning. A new sunshine that I traced beyond the horizon, the lights finally brightening the sky with its tinge of red. I stare ahead, and the  sun appears, the moon disappears. But hey, what do I see. This is not the sun that I have imagined all my life. There isn't a sniff of the golden aura that I have prayed since I learnt to join my palms. Instead, I see a tiny dot, slowly but steadily dancing up the star-studded blog-sphere. This is no sun, this ain't no moon, nor is this a celestial body. This ceases to be a stone from heaven, and yet it tries to find its way towards the land of fulfillment. Yes, it has promises, if not power. Its encapsulated in dreams, if not the means. It has a name, if not glory. It's a tiny speck of green. It's the Green Speck.

And here I come again...