For a beautiful tomorrow

As the sun of yesterday sinks 

Painting the sky purple and pure, 

The moon rises to reflect hope 

While seas billow and roar. 

  See the divine motif- In this unrivaled creativity, 

'tis an endless wheel of fortune- Not the drums of destiny. 

Why only dream to be free? 

And dwell in antiquity? 

When night's only the beginning 

Of the promise of possibility? 

Let past be - "Just that something we know" 

Dream new dreams- 'tis today when you knead the dough... 

 For a beautiful tomorrow! 

* * *

With these thoughts and wishes for a bright, fun-filled and Happy New Year! 

- Yours truly 

(ps: This picture was taken by me recently at Miami Beach, Florida)

Conversations: The lavender story

F and I visited a friend A's place (in a different city) recently. They were there for about 3-4 days and had a great time. Due to some work, F planned to leave early while I stayed on for a couple of days more.

One of the evenings (after F left) A and I were having a great one on one conversation. While they chatted along about different things, the lavender comb on the dressing table caught their attention and was blissfully included in the talk. This is how the conversation went.

A: This is such a nice comb, na?
I: Yeah, and the color is really beautiful. Lavender in fact is my favorite color.
A: Hmm.. and it's especially a good idea to carry a small comb like this. More so when you are traveling.
I: Yes. You know although I always use a hair brush for combing my hair, it generally takes a lot of space. And..
A: And you can easily carry this along anywhere you go..

They both nodded, happily agreeing to each other while they admired the comb. And then the topic of conversation gradually shifted to something else and time moved on.
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A couple of days after I was back home, A called. After a quick exchange of greetings A mentioned something that triggered a whole new conversation. This is how it went.

A: By the way, you forgot your comb.
I: What comb?
A: The purple comb?
I: Oh no. I just got a hair brush with me.
A: No but remember we talked about it that evening? You were saying how it is easy to carry the comb etc?
I: Exactly because I thought it was your comb and it was a good idea to use for next time!
A: And I thought it was yours!
I: He he ... Then it must belong to F.

And they both had a good laugh.
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Recently at home after a few days I and F had the third and final conversation.

I: Hey F, did you forget something at A's place?
F: No I don't think so.
I: Come on try to remember. Din't you forget your comb?
F: Comb? Which comb?
I: A lavender colored comb. (With details)
F: No, I did not. I've never had a lavender colored comb in the first place!
I: @#$%%^$^&*&^**(!!!!!!!!!!

(ps: This article is two quarts truth and one quart imagination)

Multiplicity

I had got this comment some time ago from an aquaintence in Orkut that I looked really different in the current picture and the previous one posted there. Incidentally the two pictures are only 2 months apart from each other. But you bet, I look different. And that reminded me of an incident a while ago.

It was summer time last year. One fine day, I decided to clean the tiles of my verandah. The main door of the house was open and as I almost finished, I saw my neighbour passing by. I nodded in acknowledgement. Later when the chore was done, I walked out of my house, to get something from my car which was parked right in front and I bumped into the same neighbour again. I nodded and smiled again. The day just passed.

The next afternoon, when I was walking around my apartment area, I met that neighbour again. We just got into some conversation and in the middle of it, he rushed into his apartment and returned with a diary to learn the exact spelling of my name. He is a Mexican. I appreciated his effort. To tell you frankly, I really get this esteemed feeling, here in US, when someone pronounces or spells my name correctly. Otherwise, it feels like I am some software product that comes in versions - Archana 1.0, Airkaana bis 1.1, Urchchaana bis 1.2. And you never know there could be more coming. Sometimes, it seems like these are my mutated variants. I fear the next could be an Arachnuha. Or even Unicorn. Who knows. It is at least going in that direction. But I am sure learning to be at peace with it. Like when they call out these names (of these weird creatures, if they exist), I simply nod in acknowledgement. It's like my consciousness has expanded to accomodate something more than just the mere me.

Anyways, that is besides the point. So, as we were talking, our conversation turned into something like this. (Just to give you a small background, the only conversations I have had previously with this neighbour are of the kinds of Hello, how are you doing? I am studying this. What do you do? or It is really getting humid these days.. Just greetings or extended greetings. Now that you have the context, please read ahead.)

Neighbour: ".... And so how is your roommate?".

Me: "Roommate? uh, yes, he is fine. He is actually my husband. I told you about him, that day? Inder?"

N: "No. I mean the other girl."

M: "Other girl? Who?"

N: "There is a girl also who stays with you, doesnt she?"

M: "Oh ... no there used to be that girl roommate with me, but that was only till last winters. She left after that." That was Jenny, with whom I shared the apartment for four months while Inder was away on work in India. She moved back to India for good and is a good friend now.

N: "No, no. I just saw her yesterday."

M: A slight shiver went down my spine. Was there a lady ghost living in my house? Eeks. I nervously shoved the thought away, "No there is no other girl. There is a neighbour upstairs who you might have mistaken with. It's just been me and my husband since last year."

N: "No really I just saw her walk out of your house yesterday. The one who has hair till shoulder, she is taller and always ties her hair."

M: The first line made it sound even more eerie but by the second my light bulb started glowing.

N: Continuing uninterrupted, "See yesterday, there was you cleaning the floor in the afternoon. Remember you said Hi to me?" I was nodding. "And then later when I was going out to my office again, I met your roommate. She went to the car and brought back some cans and stuff into the house. She said Hi to me too."

M: "But that was m...".

N: Cutting, "No no ...bla bla bla".

M: $%$%**^%(^.

Err.. yes, that was me both times. First time, I had my hair open and unkempt; second time, they were neatly tied up. Although I could understand that I looked different in tied hair and open hair, but one is taller than the other? that was the weird one. However, understanding that my dear neighbour was so stuck with his theory of "her and I", as well as to save him any embarassment that he got so confused, I decided not to argue further and let it remain a shhh-roud-ed a'myst-ree.

This was of course an extreme case. But, all said and done, I still prefer the multiplicity of looks to the multiplicity of names.

How to avoid studying

Realising that nothing good is going to happen unless I change my ways drastically, I make a time table for myself on Thursday night. Unless I stick to it, I head for doom, I repeat in my mind a number of times. Also, make a couple of desperate prayers to God, who knows he might see some sincerity "of intention" and suddenly open doors.

So, I am supposed to get up at 4:00 am in the morning. Get up at 5:00. Not bad, I think. And then first thing I do is look up the time table (how sincere). Ok, 15 minutes of any crap and then meditate for an hour, it says. Meditation is part of my plan to discipline the wavering mind and increase focus. Well, so meditation it is, I think at 5:15 am and sit till 6:10am in Dhyaan. Alright now, study time according to time table. But then my focussed mind thinks, I can just browse the net for a couple'a minutes, you know. I mean come'on, its not like I have an exam tomorrow. So, I submit to it. Incidently, some fellow bloggers of mine ;-) have some posts ready as food for my mind, and there I go enjoying my early morn reading blog posts. What pleasure ... But again, now it is 7:15 am and I have to study my mind reminds. No excuses any more. So I religiously open my document and start reading. "Yesss! I am doing it", is the happy thought. And just when I get deep into it, my friend throws a toffee, "Want to go for a short walk?". It is 7:30 am ... Walk? No way, I have to study. Or do I? The weather is so beautiful outside. A short 10 minutes walk could n't do much harm? It would perhaps only sharpen the mind. And then, how many times in the last couple of months have I had a morning walk... its worth it. So, there we go for the walk.

After coming back, I suddenly remember that I am hungry and as well have some breakfast and then sit. Otherwise how would I focus? It is already 3 hours since I woke up and my stomach deserves some dose, I think. So, off I go making paranthas for myself (cereal or eggs could have done the work for a sincere student). And after breakfast, anyways having a bath is not a bad idea...tick tick tick... 9:00 am. Alright, "Now I am studying!", I say aloud so that the environment tunes in to my intentions and I get back to my document!

9:30 am ... there come folks from office who want to spray for insects etc. So, we move out all stuff so that they can spray at the corners. I am one enthu person so I take out everything out of my closet, friend's closet etc and everything is strewn around except the corners and boundaries of the house. Their's is a 2 minute job and they leave soon. After that I cannot see the house in all the chaos, so I have to clean up. During clean up (like always) I want to organise the stuff. So, I reorganise my drawers and shelves etc. This is also important, I am also a wife. What about wife's responsibility!@#!@#!?? Ahem...

11:30 am... I have to wash some bedsheets, towels etc that have shown themselves during the clean up operation and its been pending for long. So, there I trod along with my coins and detergent and basket. 11:45 am ... Ok, I sit down to do some work .. 12:30 pm, friend reminds me , we need to go for groceries and stuff. We are completely out of it. So, I get up (one part of my mind really likes being distracted, in fact it loves it!) and change and there we go.

Outside, we have lunch and then do the groceries ... come back ... its 4:15 pm. Then I just sit with all high concentration and serious and angry-with-myself face, no more kidding with yourself, just get back to work, I say to myself. 4:30 and the friend drops another bombshell ... "Rang De Basanti dekhni hai?" My heart drops a beat ... its a movie I have been waiting for almost a year ... maybe it has the inspiration I am lacking in my life ;-) ;-) ... And there I am checking online at Galaxy cinemas for the showtimes ... It is at 6:15pm. So 6:15 pm it is and we are going. Which means we have to leave around 5:45pm, which means I have only like less than an hour ... nothing constructive can be done in an hour, so anyways why not blog and make it an interesting day.

According to plan, I am supposed to sleep at 7:30pm, now I will at 10:00pm .. all for "Rang de basanti".