midnight musings

How many of these books have you read?

2011-01-31T00:56:00.006+05:30

Reportedly the BBC has made this list of the top 100 books that a well read person ought to have read but believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Let's see how many I have read.
The ones in bold are books I've read completely.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The King James Bible
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell
His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
Emma -Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Dune – Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
Ulysses – James Joyce
The Inferno – Dante
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Germinal – Emile Zola
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession – AS Byatt
Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Watership Down – Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Memories

2010-04-23T08:13:00.000+05:30

Someday I'll walk down the street and remember a song, a song you sang an age ago, a song that brings back memories of laughter, joy, maybe some tears. It will bring back thoughts of the fun we had lying together in the sand, the waves brushing up against our feet, the wet sand sticking to our legs, my hands running through your hair. I'll allow myself to remember the touch of your fingers on my skin, the way you let your index finger trace the contours of my face, the smell of your perfume. I'll allow myself to remember the way you walked away from me after telling that you loved me. The huge grin you had on your face, the finger you pressed against my lips, not allowing me to respond. You just wanted to tell me that you loved me, you didn't want me to say anything to you. You said that would come later, because you realized how I felt for you even before I knew it. I'll allow myself to remember our first fight. It was over something so trivial, you forgot my best friend's birthday. The two of you somehow ended up bonding over that. My two best friends getting along, that was such a momentous event, especially since you couldn't stand each others guts. I'll allow myself to remember that it was I who pushed you away. I locked up my emotions and feelings, kept them a secret from even myself. I didn't let you in. I couldn't let you in. I was afraid to let you in. I'll allow myself to remember the day you left me, never to come back. The look in your eyes, one of pain and bewilderment. You never understood why I could no longer be with you. I will allow myself to remember that you thought you were always too good for me, you deserved better, not a train-wreck like me. I was too broken, too damaged to be thrust upon you. How could I let you love me, when I couldn't find it in me to love myself? I'll allow myself to remember the last time I saw you. You were locked in a kiss with a pretty woman, at the cafe where we met for the first time. I'll allow myself to remember the stab of jealousy I felt when I saw the way you looked at her with such love in your eyes. I'll allow myself to remember that you once reserved such a look for me. I'll allow myself to remember a number of tiny details about you but I'll never ever allow myself to forget the day you hit me so hard across my face that I still bear a light scar on my left cheek. I'll never allow myself to forget that you were the cause of the thirteen stitches on my forehead and the deep cut across my back which healed badly because you didn't let me go to a doctor. I'll always remember never to let a man treat me the way you once did.

Halo

2010-04-16T15:53:00.000+05:30

...

2010-01-30T01:18:00.000+05:30

Just something I wrote

I felt odd all day, I had this feeling of anxiety, a premonition that somethng was going to happen. Something big. Something good, something bad, something life-changing. It could be anything. All I knew was that something was definitely going to happen. It kept me on edge all day even when I was out having dinner with some friends of mine.

It was around that time, that I felt like the chair I was on moved a bit, the table seemed to have wobbled too, but it didn't seem like anyone else had noticed, so I just put it down to feeling a bit light-headed. The conversation and laughter at the table continued uninterrupted until it happened again, but this time, everyone noticed. The table was shaking violently, as were the chairs we were sitting on, the dishes seemed to be trembling and the spoons and forks rattled. Suddenly, everyone began to scream and run helter-skelter. It was an earthquake and we were on the top-most floor of a posh restaurant. Many made a dash for the staircase, some crawled under their tables, some just stood rooted in their spots, shocked, not knowing what to do. I ran and took shelter under a huge wooden table that was in a conference room just off the main dining area. I closed my eyes and began to pray. Everything around me shook violently, I could hear things clatter to the floor, the floor seemed to be cracking. All of a sudden I felt someone beside me. The electricity had gone off, so I could see no one, but I could definitely feel a human presence by me. "Is someone here?" I called out loudly, hoping to be heard over the crashes, booms and the screams. "Yes," a voice replied. I soon began to feel the floor beneath me, give way and I screamed. A hand reached out and grabbed me, "Hold on to my hand," the voice shouted out. I found myself tumbling downwards, things falling, tiles, cement, stones. All the while, this stranger held on to me. He seemed unafraid. Maybe it felt that way because I couldn't hear much of anything other than the crashing building. I found myself buried under mountains of debris, entwined in the arms of this stranger. We had miraculously fallen in a small space through which we could breathe. During the fall, however, I hurt my leg and my arm, my chest felt bruised and every breath I took, made me shudder in pain. I was sure I had broken quite a few bones. "How badly hurt are you?" my strange companion asked, gasping for breath. "I don't know. I think I may have broken some bones. What about you?"
"I've hurt my knee and my back for sure. And I've hit my head, other than that I seem to be okay."
I nodded, though it was so dark, I am sure he didn't notice me nodding. "Don't let go of my hand," I whispered, fear apparent in my voice. "I won't," He promised. Minutes, passed, then hours, soon we lost track of time. For a long while we could hear the screams of others trapped like us beneath the rubble, shouts of people above the ground, later we could hear the dull thud of people lifting up and throwing away large boulders.

I Think of You

2010-01-30T01:17:00.000+05:30

When I hear children chatter,
When I see the flowers bloom,
When I see marbles scatter
Into different corners of a room,
I think of you.

When a loney puppy whines,
When a singer sings a song,
When for love I begin to pine
And wonder where it has gone,
I think of you.

When the evening sun goes down,
When the birds go home to roost,
When my smile turns into a frown
And my spirit needs a boost,
I think of you.

Thoughts of you make me happy,
They take away my fears,
I sometimes feel a little sappy
And I am filled with joyful tears
When I think of you.

~candice

Yes i know it is cheesy

Books I want to read

2009-12-28T09:37:00.002+05:30

The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

Lamb by Christopher Moore

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

The Poisonwood Bible

“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.” by Dave Eggers

Rebecca

“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card

The Devil at Work

2009-12-24T08:16:00.002+05:30

I was really bored studying yesterday, I couldn't understand the concepts and I was really sleepy and here is what I wrote.

Been studying hard for the past few days
Wish they'd given us some time to play
All this studying does no good
When none of the concepts have been understood.

~ a frustrated candice

Don't Judge Me

2009-12-24T08:07:00.002+05:30

Don't Judge Me

I see you standing there,
I don't like the way you stare
At my disfigured face.
I don't think it's your place,
To judge me.

You don't know what I've been through,
I've often been beaten black and blue
A real childhood I've never had.
Was your just as bad?
So don't judge me.

~candice

Okay so the poem is incomplete. I can't remember wht comes after that. I thought of at least 6 verses while i was bathing but I forgot most of it, this is all I remember. I get creative when I have to study!

Verses written in the middle of studying

2009-12-16T00:11:00.002+05:30

I need to study,
I have to do it now!
If I don't
I'll flunk! And how
Awful it will be
To repeat the term,
So study I will,
My mind is firm.

A stupid rhyme
This is, I know.
I'm wasting my time,
I am my own foe.

I love to learn
And write bad verse
I have to study
Examtime is the worst.

I feel pressured and stressed
To do my very best
But last minute mugging
Really doesn't help in a test.

She walks in Beauty

2009-12-11T00:32:00.001+05:30

This is one of my favourite poems of all time. I've loved it ever since I read the first four lines in 'The Far Pavillions'

She walks in Beauty

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that 's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light 5
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face; 10
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 15
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

~Lord Byron

Cup-cakes shining in sun-beams!

2009-12-10T19:50:00.000+05:30

Cup-cakes shining in sun-beams!

Jaunt of colour.
Jaunt of glee.
Fun and laughter, sand and beach!
Licking cream off thee pink nose,
Tickling laughter and funny pose!
Sugary Feet,
Wild Abandon,
Happy Waves,
Oh, Yes! I crave crazy Cup-Cakes!
Bake away in my oven,
As dreamy brown eyes hidden in shy lashes,
Daze about days in powdery blue haven.

by ~Baktavar

Barren

2009-12-10T19:49:00.000+05:30

Coy glances.
Soft touches.
Feathery kisses.

Bodies yearning.
Fingers exploring.
Passion unfolding.

Waves of desire.
Soaring together.
Spent.

Five weeks.
Hope rises.
Heart aglow.

Red streaks.
Dreams dashed.
Barren.
Barren

by ~candice

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2009-12-10T19:47:00.003+05:30

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Weird-bird

2009-12-10T19:47:00.002+05:30

Weird-Bird by Shel Silverstein

Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town."

One Inch Tall

2009-12-10T19:45:00.000+05:30

One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.
The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.
A crumb of cake would be a feast
And last you seven days at least,
A flea would be a frightening beast
If you were one inch tall.

If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,
And it would take about a month to get down to the store.
A bit of fluff would be your bed,
You'd swing upon a spider's thread,
And wear a thimble on your head
If you were one inch tall.

You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.
You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.
You'd run from people's feet in fright,
To move a pen would take all night,
(This poem took fourteen years to write--
'Cause I'm just one inch tall).

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt

2009-12-10T19:41:00.000+05:30

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt by Shel Silverstein

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Me!
Me who?

That's right!
What's right?
Meehoo!
That's what I want to know!

What's what you want to know?
Me, WHO?
Yes, exactly!
Exactly what?
Yes, I have an Exactlywatt on a chain!

Exactly what on a chain?
Yes!
Yes what?
No, Exactlywatt!

That's what I want to know!
I told you - Exactlywatt!
Exactly WHAT?
Yes!
Yes what?

Yes, it's with me!
What's with you?
Exactlywatt - that's what's with me.
Me who?
Yes!

GO AWAY!

Knock knock...

The Little Boy and the Old Man

2009-12-10T19:40:00.000+05:30

The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

Picture Puzzle Piece

2009-12-10T19:39:00.001+05:30

Picture Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstein

One picture puzzle piece
Lyin' on the sidewalk,
One picture puzzle piece
Soakin' in the rain.
It might be a button of blue
On the coat of the woman
Who lived in a shoe.
It might be a magical bean,
Or a fold in the red
Velvet robe of a queen.
It might be the one little bite
Of the apple her stepmother
Gave to Snow White.
It might be the veil of a bride
Or a bottle with some evil genie inside.
It might be a small tuft of hair
On the big bouncy belly
Of Bobo the Bear.
It might be a bit of the cloak
Of the Witch of the West
As she melted to smoke.
It might be a shadowy trace
Of a tear that runs down an angel's face.
Nothing has more possibilities
Than one old wet picture puzzle piece.

Cloony the Clown

2009-12-10T19:38:00.000+05:30

Cloony The Clown by Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.

Messy Room

2009-12-10T19:36:00.001+05:30

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Whatif

2009-12-10T17:38:00.000+05:30

Whatif by Shel Silverstein

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

This one's for me, so I can listen to it later

2009-11-05T23:04:00.002+05:30

THIS IS IT

2009-10-30T00:37:00.002+05:30

I watched the movie yesterday. On the huge IMAX screen. It was great. I watched it once again today. It blew my mind.
Michael's genuis comes through so clearly in the documentary. If this was the rehearsal, the actual show would have been nothing short of phenomenal. Had Michael survived and done the show he would have definitely re-established his rightful place as the King of Pop.
The special effects for Thriller was great. Smooth Criminal continues to remain my most favourite MJ song, the video shot for the show was exciting. MJ singing and dancing to 'The way you make me feel' really got us girls going. The girl who danced with MJ for the song was hot! The show ended on a poignant note with The Man in the Mirror.
Throughout the documentary one thing was clearly shown... MJ's niceness. The man did not throw his weight around. I guess that's the mark of a true genius.

Songs for the night

2009-10-26T01:35:00.002+05:30

There are some songs that can only be appreciated at night. When I say appreciated i mean really, really enjoyed.I am listening to a few right now as I type and crush tiny insects that are either crawling on my laptop or my body.
Anyway here are some of the songs. Listen to them when you can. Listen to them at night or on a really quiet afternoon.

A fistful of Ice-cream - Dire Straits
Same Old Blues - Eric Clapton and Dire Straits
Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley
Layla, Let it Grow, Tears in Heaven,Change the Word - Eric Clapton
At Long Last - Etta James
It had to be you - Frank Sinatra
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Crazy - Norah Jones (most songs by Norah Jones)
Cupid - Sam Cooke
Baby it's Cold Outside - Nat King Cole
Monalisa, Autumn Leaves, Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup - Nat King Cole (yeah there are lots more)
Some Velvet Morning - Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood

At the rainbow's end

2009-09-06T10:25:00.001+05:30

At the end of the rainbow
What will I find?
A huge pot of gold,
Or a place to unwind?

Will babies be smiling
And gurgling with glee?
Or will fairies be dancing
Around a golden tree?

Will birds be chirping
Dressed in colours so bright,
That the yellow sun is hidden
Like it is at night?

What I hope to find
At the rainbow's end
Is peace, love and happiness
And my closest friends.

Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderella

2009-09-05T19:42:00.001+05:30

A beautiful song

Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderella

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

The Sounds of the Night

2009-09-03T00:57:00.005+05:30

I associate the night with a a sense of quiet.
A silence that's peaceful.
A feeling of contentment that permeates into the core of my being.
I see the stars sparkling in the dark blue sky,
The moon casting it's cool, comforting glow, like a blanket over the sleeping world.
I hear no sound, except the occasional squeak of a rat scurrying into a hole,
The watchman shifting in his creaky chair,
My dog suddenly awakening from a deep sleep to let the world know that he is in here to protect his people.
And I sit here, enjoying the sounds of the night.

Socratic humor

2009-08-31T01:02:00.000+05:30

Socrates was a man with a sense of humor
At his trial, when Socrates was asked to propose his own punishment, he suggests a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life instead, to finance the time he spends as Athens' benefactor.

butterfly store

2009-08-30T17:09:00.005+05:30

she could pick any butterfly
she wanted
from the butterfly store.
there were pretty ones,
there were gaudy ones,
there were some of the most beautiful ones you could ever see.
there were those that looked intelligent,
those that looked dull,
those that just liked to flit about,
there were some that remained so still they looked like paper cutouts
from this wide array she chose the one
that was in disguise

I am the thinker

2009-08-14T01:00:00.000+05:30

A poem written below a painting

I am the thinker, the thinking, the thought.
I am the seeker, the seeking, the sought.
I am the dewdrop, the sunshine, the storm.
I am the phenomenon, the field, the form.
I am the desert, the ocean, the sky.
I am the Primeval Self in you and I.

For all Time, Someone in the Dark, Je ne veux pas la de fin nous

2009-07-19T16:33:00.003+05:30

For all time.

Fell in love with this song.

Someone in the Dark

I just can't stop loving you ... in french!
Je ne veux pas la de fin nous

another poem

2009-07-14T23:47:00.002+05:30

im sad he's dead
this child of the sun
of the light, of the night.
the boy with the golden voice...

he had a spring in his step
music was his life.
children and giving -
with him i identify

privileged he seemed,
but worked for it day and night.
gave up his childhood
for a spot in the limelight.

over years he turned
from black to white,
while singing songs
like thriller and remember the time.

the man with the silver glove
and the smooth dance steps
moonwalked into fame.
to the press, this made him fair game

for lies and speculations
and tons of deceit.
deep into his shell
he would often retreat,

as on these accusations he dwelled.
a sideshow freak
he slowly became.
It seemed the world forgot his name.

till that dark day
when he died.
suddenly the world realized
what a truly great soul he was inside

peter pan

2009-07-14T19:39:00.001+05:30

peter pan in the sky
he came to earth
tried to fly.

took the stage
from the age of five.
success caused him
to use a disguise.

hid his fears
deep within.

showed the world
filled with sin
how to be innocent
and guileless and pure within.

the child within
was so strong
it carried him
through all the storms

he faced many of those
in his life
personal demons
he had to constantly fight.

loved innocent souls
carefree and sweet
gave them happiness
in them, his joy was complete.

misjudged, laughed at
every fault magnified
this man, in death
they now glorify.

rain

2009-07-13T22:40:00.000+05:30

the wind blows
rattling the leaves
tiny green drops fall to the ground
shaken off the limbs by the gale.

pale blue skies
have disappeared
leaving an ominous gloom in its place.
the sky darkens.

heavy clouds loom low
a flash of lightening
a roll of thunder
it begins to pour

Some songs

2009-05-26T12:42:00.006+05:30

For the past few days I have been yearning to watch certain movies. So I picked up Grease, Parineeta and It's a Wonderful Life.

I think Parineeta is one of my favourite Hindi movies. It's a simple love story with beautiful songs. I fell in love with Saif Ali Khan in this movie.
Anyway I thought I'd upload some of the songs here.

Spike

2009-05-21T14:33:00.004+05:30

Spike - a few days after we got him.

I Cooked

2009-05-21T13:43:00.002+05:30

I made vegetable pulav today.
If you are wondering why I felt the need to post what I cooked, you don't know me. I don't cook. I don't really know how to cook. So I think I've accomplished something today by making pulav, which smells great, looks good and supposedly tastes good too. I haven't tasted it yet. The husband and maid claim it is good. I'm taking their word for it.

for one more day

2009-05-14T18:30:00.002+05:30

'for one more day' is another wonderful book by Mitch Albom. It's a book about a man whose life is destroyed by alcohol and regret. He loses his job, his marriage is broken and his only daughter does not invite him to her wedding. That's when he decides to end his life. When he tries to commit suicide he meets his mother who has been dead for eight years.
This is the story of a man who has been granted one more day with his dead mother. A day in which he can right some of the wrongs he committed and a day in which he learns that love is all that matters.

Tuesdays with Morrie

2009-05-10T21:23:00.005+05:30

I just finished reading 'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom. Its a book about facing death and living life to the fullest. In Morrie's words, 'Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.'

The book is a true story about Professor Morrie Schwartz - the author's old college professor. Tuesdays with Morrie is a chronicle of the author's time with his professor in the months before the professor's death. The book is filled with little aphorisms which can be applied to anyone's life.
One of the things Morrie stresses on is the power of love.

Love each other or perish."
"Love is when you are as concerned about someone else's situation as you are about your own."
"Love is the only rational act."
"Without love, we are birds with broken wings."
"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in..."

These are a few of the life lessons Morrie imparts to his pupil in the last class of his life.

'The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.'

Read the book.

a question

2009-05-05T21:40:00.002+05:30

What do you think about Holiday Homework? Should children be given insane amounts of Homework during their summer break? Keep in mind that they begin their exams a week after they return to school

I need a break

2009-05-05T21:26:00.002+05:30

My summer break has just begun. I was really looking forward to it after 9 months of work and a zillion years of stress. Images of waking up late, lazing in bed, spending quality time with the husband would flit through my mind all through April. Come May and I am still waking up late, lazing in bed is out of the question because my pup needs to go poop and quality time with the husband is non - existant cos all I've been doing is surfing the net or visiting the dentist. My trip to Mahableshwar was cancelled too! I hope things begin to look up from tomorrow.

Spike has begun taking an avid interest in cats of all sizes. He is also constantly on the look out to run out of the house unsupervised. When he does that he unintentionally ends up terrorizing all the little kids playing outside.

Change the Gender

2009-05-05T10:49:00.002+05:30

What would you call a female ram? 'Ewe' right?
A child in my class, wrote down 'Sita' as the female gender of 'ram'... he was a sardar.

my kids

2009-05-05T00:46:00.002+05:30

A few lines describing each child in my class.

I haven't mentioned their names for obvious reasons

Loves to laugh, loves to play
Loves to share her thoughts all day
Loves pickles and pasta, especially homemade
Obma’s kids she loved, when with Miley they stayed.

Little miss bookworm surely she is
At penning poems she's really a wiz
Always scoring aces in everything she does
Her crazy antics sets the class abuzz

As cute as a button, is this little girl
She loves to dance, she loves to twirl.
With her braces and glasses, she’s adorable
Study or play, she is always responsible

Smart, alert and mature,
To her nothing ever is a chore.
Completion of assignments she will ensure
Class for her is never a bore.

Little pigtails and an endearing smile,
Being enthusiastic and social is her style.
The forbidden word she just can’t avoid,
But by all other rules she’ll try to abide.

Petite and pretty comes to mind
To everyone she is always kind.
It’s rather often that she falls sick,
But to catch up with work, she is really quick.

A bundle of energy that she is,
At acting she’s really a whiz.
Athletics and food, those are her fave
About them she’ll always rave.

Curious, intelligent, responsible, kind
Those are the words that spring to my mind.
Dislikes idlis and dosas and all things healthy
Tell me, tell me, Who is she?

Quiet, obedient, polite and gentle,
He never is temperamental.
Rarely in trouble, this boy you’ll find
Always has a riddle or a joke in mind.

Quiet with a mischievious gleam in his eye
A game of pen-fight, ever ready to try.
Sensitive but sweet is this boy.
Fills my class up with joy.
Tallest in class, energetic and spry
He is truly a cool guy.
Ever kind, he’s a good friend,
A helping hand he’ll always lend.

Loves to talk, loves to play,
Loves to have a fun-filled day.
Hates missing athletics, that is true.
Who is this boy, I ask you?

New to the school, new to the class,
But look at him, he’s learnt so fast.
Looks after his brother, oh so well,
His name starts with K, does it ring a bell?

this one I wrote for megha. she was extremely encouraging the night i was writing these verses (i was working on a deadline)

She’s a girl who’s beautiful and witty
What she loves best is the city
Goa is her favourite place
In no time you’ll see her fighting her first case