In the memory of a friend lost...
"We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new,
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence
We often speak your name,
Now all we have are memories
And your picture in a frame.
Some may think you are forgotten
Though on earth you are no more,
But in our memory you are with us
As you always were before.
A million times we've thought of you
A million times we've cried,
If loving could have saved you
You would have never died.
You left us beautiful memories
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you
You are always at our side.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone,
Part of us went with you
On the day God called you home.
Forgive me Lord, I'll always weep
For the friend I loved, but could not keep."
Your presence we miss
Your memory we treasure,
Loving you always
Forgetting you never.
Rest In Peace dear friend....
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Not just a journey….
I remember how I used to wait to journey by train when I was a small child! We do become jaded in our ideas as we grow older, but in truth, there is no other mode of transport that gives so much satisfaction and joy as a train! Trains have existed since time immemorial and are the best ways to take an individual from one destination to another.
Watching the world outside as it moves backward in a trice. The beautiful landscapes to be replaced by newer ones. Ever seen the early morning sun rise while sitting in a train?? It is one of the most beautiful sights.The far away foggy hills acting like a veil to conceal the crimson glow. Birds flying across the amber sky leaving trails of songs and happiness behind. The misty ground vanishing below the wheels of the train. Dewdrops settled over the flowers sparkling as the first beam of sunlight hits them. Lined trees, the sunlight playing hide and seek between the leaves, vast expanse of lush green fields, backwaters. Watching the clear smoke from the engine line up the sky (electric trains are boring) .The smoky patterns which slowly merge with the clouds. Those long river bridges to gaze at our reflection in the clear blue water below. Cuddled away in one of the seats sipping on a cup of hot tea taking the sights in…Sigh!!!
Next, the co-passengers. Well that depends on whether lady luck is smiling at you or not. If she is, you will find yourselves amidst friendly people with whom you can have fun with the entire journey. If not, then well, less to talk about what is in store. Whatever be it you get to meet new kinds of people and you get a chance to widen your social circle. When you reach your destination you are thrilled and eagerly waiting to get started again. A train journey can be called an adventure in itself given to the amount of thrills and excitement it holds.
Our life is also like a train journey which has a start and a destination. At the start, when we do not know what is in store for us, we are filled with anticipation, excitement and enthusiasm. One has to plan out his/her life just like any other journey. One is accosted by so many varied situations and people and from that one can learn quite a lot of. After crossing several obstacles and experiencing joy and grief, when one reaches the destination, the happiness felt is unparalleled.
Watching the world outside as it moves backward in a trice. The beautiful landscapes to be replaced by newer ones. Ever seen the early morning sun rise while sitting in a train?? It is one of the most beautiful sights.The far away foggy hills acting like a veil to conceal the crimson glow. Birds flying across the amber sky leaving trails of songs and happiness behind. The misty ground vanishing below the wheels of the train. Dewdrops settled over the flowers sparkling as the first beam of sunlight hits them. Lined trees, the sunlight playing hide and seek between the leaves, vast expanse of lush green fields, backwaters. Watching the clear smoke from the engine line up the sky (electric trains are boring) .The smoky patterns which slowly merge with the clouds. Those long river bridges to gaze at our reflection in the clear blue water below. Cuddled away in one of the seats sipping on a cup of hot tea taking the sights in…Sigh!!!
Next, the co-passengers. Well that depends on whether lady luck is smiling at you or not. If she is, you will find yourselves amidst friendly people with whom you can have fun with the entire journey. If not, then well, less to talk about what is in store. Whatever be it you get to meet new kinds of people and you get a chance to widen your social circle. When you reach your destination you are thrilled and eagerly waiting to get started again. A train journey can be called an adventure in itself given to the amount of thrills and excitement it holds.
Our life is also like a train journey which has a start and a destination. At the start, when we do not know what is in store for us, we are filled with anticipation, excitement and enthusiasm. One has to plan out his/her life just like any other journey. One is accosted by so many varied situations and people and from that one can learn quite a lot of. After crossing several obstacles and experiencing joy and grief, when one reaches the destination, the happiness felt is unparalleled.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Angels and Demons – Science or Religion?
That mystic diagram is an ambigram - a calligraphic design that manages to squeeze two different readings into the selfsame set of curves (from Wiki). This forms the baseline for the movie Angels and Demons.
The most awaited sequel(prequel?) to Da Vinci Code hit the theatres a few days ago. In this Ron Howard’s production, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a professor, is in a race against time to discover the true identity of a long lost brotherhood The Illuminati. What he discovers is a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church which threatens to destroy the credibility of Christianity.
The story begins with a research facility at CERN where a team produces the world’s first anti-matter in substantial quantities. One of the canisters is stolen after killing the head of the team. His daughter Vittoria Vetra (Aylet Zurer) flies to Vatican City where the canister is stashed in a secret place. Langdon is sought by the Vatican after it receives a threat from the brotherhood called Illuminati. In the midst of this, Conclave is going on to choose the next Pope and the Preferiti(Chosen Ones to be the next Pope) disappear. Langdon teams up with Vetra on a wild goose chase. With him are the Swiss guards and the Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor), a kindly papal assistant eager to stamp out the Illuminati threat, in his quest to find the illuminati lair and recover the canister.The film also focusses upon the eternal debate between science and religion. As it turns out in every other story there is a man on the inside and the final ‘twist’ in the plot reveals who that is!
If you go to the theatre expecting the movie to be a replica of the book you will find yourself disappointed. Though pruning the story here and there is a pre-requisite for making such a snappy thriller it does not mean the whole plot has to be changed. Many characters are missing and those that are present are not given much elaboration to save time for Langdon’s quest. Such drastic changes do not do well for the movie. The Hassasin who plays one of the pivotal roles in the novel is sadly portrayed here just as a killer and kidnapper. There is absolutely no depth in his character. That was a terrible disappointment in the movie. (He does not even look scary!!!!)
Of course, there are pluses to the movie as well. As the crew was denied permission to shoot in the Vatican, they had to reconstruct the whole of the city. Marvellous work indeed! Hats off to the set designers for having done a splendid job especially in the re- creation of St.Peters square! Though the movie is long it must be accepted that it is fast moving, snappy thriller. Though it doesn’t bring you to the edge of your seats, the air of suspense and thrill has been maintained very well by the director. Tom hanks stands out in his role. With witty dialogues at his hand he easily carries off the role of the atheist professor. Aylet Zurer though not given much room has done a neat job. Also special kudos to the music crew for having chosen the music with great care!
To sum it up, if you can remain oblivious to the fact that this movie is based on a novel, the movie makes a good watch. Else its just worth watching once for the heck of it. I would rate the movie 3 on 5.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The World Has Shrunk! But....
Welcome to the era of communication....
This period is considered to the beginning of rapid development in communication. Children of the forthcoming generations may laugh while listening to the stories about how information was conveyed from one place to another. This field has come a long way starting with messengers on foot, birds then slowly progressing to telephones, telegraphs, radios and now it stands at internet, mobile phones! The development has been tremendous!
Today, sitting at your house with a phone you can catch up with the happenings of the world and keep yourself updated. News and information is just a click or a message away. Information is transmitted many times faster than it used to be. A point to be noted is that telecommunication is one of the few industries that has not been affected even during the recession period. This showcases the power and potential of this industry. 3G- one of the latest developments in this field is set to be released in a while and there is no doubt that this technology will take this industry to new heights and causing a revolution.
The obvious inference is that the world has shrunk to a great extent. It is now possible to access even the remotest parts of the world thanks to this emerging industry. You can travel around the world in a short span of time. There are so many tools at one’s disposal now. But...
The question to ponder over is that the world has shrunk, but at what cost?What is the point of all these advancements when relationships are falling apart, when people no longer care about anything? People are just so tuned into their jobs and are so focussed on making money that they barely find it important to spend time with anyone leave alone themselves! People are slowly forgetting that they need to live together as a society. One must keep in mind that such developments are futile if such an attitude exists among the people. This prevalent attitude must be clipped at its roots else it can make things worser than present. Else it will be too late to rectify and rise again...
This period is considered to the beginning of rapid development in communication. Children of the forthcoming generations may laugh while listening to the stories about how information was conveyed from one place to another. This field has come a long way starting with messengers on foot, birds then slowly progressing to telephones, telegraphs, radios and now it stands at internet, mobile phones! The development has been tremendous!
Today, sitting at your house with a phone you can catch up with the happenings of the world and keep yourself updated. News and information is just a click or a message away. Information is transmitted many times faster than it used to be. A point to be noted is that telecommunication is one of the few industries that has not been affected even during the recession period. This showcases the power and potential of this industry. 3G- one of the latest developments in this field is set to be released in a while and there is no doubt that this technology will take this industry to new heights and causing a revolution.
The obvious inference is that the world has shrunk to a great extent. It is now possible to access even the remotest parts of the world thanks to this emerging industry. You can travel around the world in a short span of time. There are so many tools at one’s disposal now. But...
The question to ponder over is that the world has shrunk, but at what cost?What is the point of all these advancements when relationships are falling apart, when people no longer care about anything? People are just so tuned into their jobs and are so focussed on making money that they barely find it important to spend time with anyone leave alone themselves! People are slowly forgetting that they need to live together as a society. One must keep in mind that such developments are futile if such an attitude exists among the people. This prevalent attitude must be clipped at its roots else it can make things worser than present. Else it will be too late to rectify and rise again...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
“Rat”tling Memories....
It has been almost a week since college reopened for this semester. And as usual at the beginning of the semester there was a lot of free time which was whiled away in chatting on and on about things that happened in the holidays and in the previous semester. This incident then came up.
The previous semester exams were going on then. It was the night before the second exam. As always we had opened our books only to discover that it was too late to do any sort of justice to the paper. Giving it up as a bad job I slept off that night. Suddenly, I heard a series of bangs and thuds in the room. I thought I was dreaming. But when the noise persisted I woke up. Both my room mates were up with broomsticks in their hands and they mouthed “RAT!!!” I was very groggy and so I felt I did not hear properly. When I asked them they confirmed.
Before I proceed further, there is something that one has to understand about our hostel. Even if you are not the kind of person who does not believe in peaceful co-existence with animals, you will have to change your mind as soon as you step into the hostel! Seeing dogs running around in the corridors, lizards going across the floors of your room and finding your room floor covered with many insects of different shapes and sizes (researching those would be a dream come true for any entomologist) is a very common sight. But rats?
Getting back, I sat up with a start and asked them as to where the rat was seen last and other details. It was a very small rat and had come in while the door had been opened. And it was somewhere inside the room. We tried to make it come out by tapping the corners and the bed with broomsticks. But, all was in vain. After waiting for a while we concluded it had left the room and closed the room. It was all quiet again when again my room mate spotted it running near the door. But before we could chuck it out it went and hid somewhere else. Again this time we could not find where it was hiding at all. Already it was pretty late in the night. So we just removed all those things which a rat would love to play with and went to sleep with the doors open hoping that it would go out of the room.
Next morning we could not find any signs of the rat being inside the room. We were glad. But, that night a loud scream of “RAT” echoed from one of the rooms in our wing and I thought well here we go again!!!
The previous semester exams were going on then. It was the night before the second exam. As always we had opened our books only to discover that it was too late to do any sort of justice to the paper. Giving it up as a bad job I slept off that night. Suddenly, I heard a series of bangs and thuds in the room. I thought I was dreaming. But when the noise persisted I woke up. Both my room mates were up with broomsticks in their hands and they mouthed “RAT!!!” I was very groggy and so I felt I did not hear properly. When I asked them they confirmed.
Before I proceed further, there is something that one has to understand about our hostel. Even if you are not the kind of person who does not believe in peaceful co-existence with animals, you will have to change your mind as soon as you step into the hostel! Seeing dogs running around in the corridors, lizards going across the floors of your room and finding your room floor covered with many insects of different shapes and sizes (researching those would be a dream come true for any entomologist) is a very common sight. But rats?
Getting back, I sat up with a start and asked them as to where the rat was seen last and other details. It was a very small rat and had come in while the door had been opened. And it was somewhere inside the room. We tried to make it come out by tapping the corners and the bed with broomsticks. But, all was in vain. After waiting for a while we concluded it had left the room and closed the room. It was all quiet again when again my room mate spotted it running near the door. But before we could chuck it out it went and hid somewhere else. Again this time we could not find where it was hiding at all. Already it was pretty late in the night. So we just removed all those things which a rat would love to play with and went to sleep with the doors open hoping that it would go out of the room.
Next morning we could not find any signs of the rat being inside the room. We were glad. But, that night a loud scream of “RAT” echoed from one of the rooms in our wing and I thought well here we go again!!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year Resolutions – Here We Go Again
Before I start off, A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 to all :)
Brace yourself for one of the busiest times of the year when everyone is deciding on what would be the best resolution to adopt. Literally, A New Year Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change deemed advantageous. It gets its name given that it comes into effect from Jan 1 of every year. In short you decide to change for the good.
I personally don’t believe in making resolutions on new year day in specific as I believe that change doesn’t need a time. Still here is a short account on new year resolutions..
Resolutions are said to give a direction to our lives and it gives us an opportunity to prioritize the goals to be achieved for the year. The resolutions taken by people majorly depend on the age factor. The most common ones are :
- Shirk Laziness
- Spend time with family
- Finish homework regularly
- Lose Weight
- Maintain a diary
- Reduce extravagant spending of money
- Quit smoking and drinking
And well the list can go on…..
So the resolutions are made. Several notes are stuck all over the house, working desk to remind oneself. Enthusiasm and energy is really high. Way to go… At the end of one month when a check is made on how many are still clinging on to their resolutions I am pretty sure almost half of them would have given it up as a bad job. And the others would be with a reduced enthusiasm! As days pass by the number of people keeping it up dwindles alarmingly. And by the end of yet another year only a very few are found religiously sticking on to their resolutions. Hats off to those perseverent people and to the others better luck next time.
Now looking at why people give up halfway through.. Most of the times these resolutions fail because of setting up unrealistic goals. Its very essential to realize and accept one’s limitations in terms of time and effort that can devoted to achieve the goals set. Say a software pro resolves to get up early and exercise to keep himself fit. But he doesn’t catch sleep before 3 am everyday and his work is so hectic that he is so dead at the end of the day. And so his resolution is, well gone with the wind… As people keep iterating it time and again time management is crucial to realize one’s goals. Also according to me one’s mindset is of paramount importance. We all must have seen that when we really want to do something we would go any lengths to get it done. Basically you should love what you are going to do. That way it won’t be a waste of your time and energy.
So folks, enjoy making new resolutions this year and sticking on to them throughout the year. A Happy New Year once again to all :)
P.S. I believe that its easier to preach than practise :P
Brace yourself for one of the busiest times of the year when everyone is deciding on what would be the best resolution to adopt. Literally, A New Year Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change deemed advantageous. It gets its name given that it comes into effect from Jan 1 of every year. In short you decide to change for the good.
I personally don’t believe in making resolutions on new year day in specific as I believe that change doesn’t need a time. Still here is a short account on new year resolutions..
Resolutions are said to give a direction to our lives and it gives us an opportunity to prioritize the goals to be achieved for the year. The resolutions taken by people majorly depend on the age factor. The most common ones are :
- Shirk Laziness
- Spend time with family
- Finish homework regularly
- Lose Weight
- Maintain a diary
- Reduce extravagant spending of money
- Quit smoking and drinking
And well the list can go on…..
So the resolutions are made. Several notes are stuck all over the house, working desk to remind oneself. Enthusiasm and energy is really high. Way to go… At the end of one month when a check is made on how many are still clinging on to their resolutions I am pretty sure almost half of them would have given it up as a bad job. And the others would be with a reduced enthusiasm! As days pass by the number of people keeping it up dwindles alarmingly. And by the end of yet another year only a very few are found religiously sticking on to their resolutions. Hats off to those perseverent people and to the others better luck next time.
Now looking at why people give up halfway through.. Most of the times these resolutions fail because of setting up unrealistic goals. Its very essential to realize and accept one’s limitations in terms of time and effort that can devoted to achieve the goals set. Say a software pro resolves to get up early and exercise to keep himself fit. But he doesn’t catch sleep before 3 am everyday and his work is so hectic that he is so dead at the end of the day. And so his resolution is, well gone with the wind… As people keep iterating it time and again time management is crucial to realize one’s goals. Also according to me one’s mindset is of paramount importance. We all must have seen that when we really want to do something we would go any lengths to get it done. Basically you should love what you are going to do. That way it won’t be a waste of your time and energy.
So folks, enjoy making new resolutions this year and sticking on to them throughout the year. A Happy New Year once again to all :)
P.S. I believe that its easier to preach than practise :P
Hello All
Bonjour!
At the advent of this new year, I decided to try my hand at blogging. Hoping to sustain your interest and to improve myself...
Cheers
Rohini Raman
At the advent of this new year, I decided to try my hand at blogging. Hoping to sustain your interest and to improve myself...
Cheers
Rohini Raman
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