Thursday, May 25, 2006

Writing Workshop - X

Prompt: 'State of Mind'

The Living Dead

One moment you're lounging in sunshine and the next moment dark clouds appear out of nowhere and overwhelm you, drenching you in a downpour that has no plans to let up. You sit in the same spot, hug yourself for warmth and stare at the void in front, wondering if the rainbow would ever peek out.

How many hours do you sit like that? 2 mins? 3 months? A few years?. The only truth being that 'few' can be anywhere between 2 and 20. Why do we act so? Why do we retreat into a cocoon after every heart break, disappointment and failure? Do we firmly believe that we would emerge from that cocoon as a beautiful butterfly with myriad colourful patterns on our new wings? Would those wings help us scale new heights with a born-again freedom?

Somehow that never happens. For all the birthdays and anniversaries we missed owing to our short-term memory, our past is one emotional roller-coaster ride that we remember right down to the blue cap of the boy in the 4th row who hid our view of prized possession. The surprise encounters, the funny flips the stomach made, those chance touches, wistful smiles that made the heart lurch...everything plays before our mind's eye like a movie.

Some of us walk out of the hall, remember a few light moments and move onto the day's activities. A few others reminisce about the movie for weeks and months after, re-playing it and having new ideas on how certain scenes should have been tackled. An enlightment that arrives much after Buddha has left the Bodhi tree. Sooner or later, they too return to what one has repatedly called Life.

And then there are those souls that never leave the hall. Souls that retreat into the darkest caverns of the mind with their treasure of memories to give them company. Away from prying sunshine and soothing breezes, one lies forgotten but living in the memories that envelop every waking cell. Slowly the winning smile wanes, the eyes shrink back and one sees but the ghost of of an once admirable soul, wasting years thinking about wasted opportunities.

And there in those deep caverns, one transforms from a beautiful angel to an emotional Gollum, holding tightly to precious memories, leading an empty life. Chained to an irreconcilable past, one waits, oblivious that all one needs to do is to let go and step out into the Light.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Skin Deep Solutions

I don't want a fair complexion, in fact I hate those Fair n Lovely ads.
I love my brown skin, just that I want a flawless complexion.
Soft skin that would make even a jackfruit slide off my arm, not just an ice cube.
I am willing to do anything for it.
But I shall NOT drink Aloe Vera Soup.

Blech.

I tried adding vegetables to make it a really healthy stew but to no avail, now even the potatoes taste bitter. Sugar, lemon juice, pepper and 2 tsp of salt later I am stuck with a BIG pot of bitter, absolutely unpalatable stew.

I think emptying The Mr's wallet in a spa is easier, simpler and leaves a nicer taste in my mouth.

Aromatherapy -- $65
Facial -- $75
The look on The Mr's face when I propose this plan -- Priceless *evil grin*

*Sigh*
I miss the beauty parlours of India where you are pampered for a very nominal charge.
Till then I shall strive for aesthetic nirvana with my tweezers, moisturisers and a bottle of wax :(

Friday, May 05, 2006

Elementary, Watson!

Picked this from Me's page.




find your element
at mutedfaith.com.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Through the third eye


I am not a photographer but when the Sky greets you in such vibrant yet soft hues, you can't help but pick your camera and click a few snaps, inspite of shaking hands :)
Picture taken from our rickety balcony in the first week of Spring.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Updates

The Food Blog and the Writing Workshop have been updated.
That's all I have for now.

அய்யா, எனக்கு ஒரு சந்தேகம்

நல்லா தண்ணி அடிச்சுட்டு, ஒருத்தன் உளருனா - அவன் லூசு.
ஆனா அந்த ஆளு ஏன், "நான் Fulla ஏத்தி 'டைட்டா' இருக்கேன்" சொல்றான்??

யாராவது சொல்லுங்களேன்!

Too far to make a difference :(


Thanks to the State Voterlist link in Jinguchakka's page, I realised I do have a vote. Sadly, I can't do anything with it. Damn!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Balance Sheet

Top to bottom.
Left to right.
Every which way,
My life amounts to -
Nothing.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Between Two Worlds: Escape From Tyranny : Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam

Life is never easy. But it takes on exceptional rough turns when it is under a dictator. That's what this book is about; the life of the author as she grew up under the shadow of Saddam Hussein. After choosing 3 fairy tales from the library, I picked this one just to balance the intellectual intake. Little did I know, I was in for an emotional upheaval.

Islam as a religion has always been a mystery to me though there were many good Muslim friends in my life. Religion is always a sensitive issue to discuss and in the wake of million deaths in the name of religion, when it is 'cool' to be secular, the last thing I wanted to do was jeopardize the few relationships in my life, in my quest for knowledge.

This book by Zainab Salbi opens a whole new world to you. A world where tolerance is as much a part as it is in ours, a world torn by differences in sects and castes just like ours, a world where willing followers were led into darkness by an incompetent and despotic leader, who felt the whole world was his birthright since he was denied a happy childhood.

The fear that Zainab speaks of here can never be completely understood by anyone who hasn't lived in such a dark cage; when you feel the walls closing in and you realise the only place you can run is the arms of the Devil himself. It is heart-wrenchingly tragic and numbingly true. For each one of you who wants to know Why Iraqis let all this happen, this book is a must.

For all its plus points, the only thing that nags me is that such a prominent figure like Zainab (she is the founder n president of Women for Women International) should write a book that has typos. I know, I am being silly but then, I would expect someone in her position who has access to the best proof readers in the country to give me a grammatically correct book, if not a politically correct one. It's her story, after all.

That aside, I truly liked this memoir and spent 30 minutes talking about it to Appa, long distance. It has also motivated me to read beyond the first 100 pages of this other awesome book, 'The World of Fatwas' by Arun Shourie, which takes us into the minds of Indian Muslims. The only deterrent has been Mr. Shourie's love for bombastic words which hamper the flow as I need to refer the dictionary every 10th word.