Day and Night

Looking thru' the window of my flight, the sun peeks in and out of the clouds and begins to set, casting a brilliant hue of orange slowly changing to a subtle pink with a dash of blue blending in. The clouds seem to be like a lining of pure white creating a dazzling spectacle marking the end of yet another wondeful day but the world below beginning to light up with thousands of lights in an amazing pattern says there is much more to come before the end of the night.

Feelings of My Heart

Love is an emotion that needs no words
Love is a feeling that needs no explaining
Love makes the world so bright and life a wonderful delight

Cricket - Not Just "Any" Game!!!

A sport that needs no introduction whatsoever. The game has had its share of controversies like match-fixings, betting scandals, ball tampering and a whole lot more that we probably haven’t heard all about yet and the present World Cup already seems to be following the tradition and taking it to a whole new level altogether, with coach Bob Woolmer’s death and some shocking wins and losses and also a tie!!!

Cricket is like a religion in the sub-continent and for the millions of people and many fanatics if I should say that puts the game on a very different pedestal. Players are not mere players but are given a Demi-God status. For every cheer, compliment or bouquet that comes a player’s way when he hits a boundary, a sixer or a century, he receives probably ten times or even more brickbats when he does not deliver the goods. Such is the passion for the game that work and life can come to a complete standstill when we know we have an exciting match on our hands.

The constant pressure to perform well, to keep your place in the team, being in the limelight and last but not the least living up to your own expectations as well as those of the millions of fans takes a toll on a player’s ability for sure but I believe keeping your cool and staying put is a much bigger task at hand when compared to all the above.

When the coach of a team passes away under suspicious circumstances after a shocking defeat and a banner in the stands says “Get to Barbados or stay back in Trinidad”, (some angry fan there!!!) the essence and fun of following a game are put into perspective.

When any game, be it cricket, soccer, tennis and many more are played not just for the competitiveness and the passion for it but for the endorsements and the money, it surely loses the excitement it generates. As a fan of cricket, I sincerely hope the game is played with a true sense of commitment and continues to hold the same interest for many more years to come.

Home Sweet Home

I could not have asked for a much better beginning for the New Year. Being at home in Hyderabad after 3 long years made up for possibly everything I missed. Nothing can equal or no words can describe the feeling of happiness of going back to a place you have lived all your life, a place you can call your own and the only place you will be comfortable and content no matter if it is 10 miles away or 10,000 miles away.

Waking up in the morning to the wonderful smell of mom’s steaming filter coffee wafting through the house, the radio playing pleasant music (yes, still listen to the good old radio!!!), fighting over the newspaper, solving crossword puzzles from the newspaper, my brother troubling me to no end and driving me nuts with his non stop chatter, me getting wild at him but trying to stifle a smile at the same time knowing I can’t be mad at him for long.

The best part, Biryani from Paradise Hotel.... Yummy!!!!! :-)

The Miracles

This group calls itself “The Miracles”. One would think it is just another new pop/boy band out on the block but when my colleague suggested who would benefit if we went to their concert, I said yes without thinking twice about it. This group consists of individuals with intellectual disabilities who perform at various congregations and churches throughout the country and have performed also at the White House. They live in a community called “The Baddour Center” in Senatobia, Mississippi. You can check out www.baddour.org to read more about the center.

You would not believe till you look closely enough that some of them have any kind of disability and they strive hard to live a comfortable life doing everything as the rest of us do. Music they say crosses every barrier. Case in point being one of the members of the group who struggled very hard to even say his name did not miss a single beat and was able to sing every word clearly. It was amazing watching them sing and having fun throughout the whole one hour. They received a standing ovation for atleast five minutes and the happiness on their faces was worth everything there is to it.

Seeing them made me realize how we crib and make a big fuss over very small things in life while everyday is a struggle for them and yet they seem to lead a much more satisfied life. Wish we could do a lot more for them to make them be part of the rest of the world and not have them stay in places specially built for them.

Words would do little justice to explain my feelings that evening. I came back home with a prayer in my heart that God would give them the strength to live a happy and a wonderful life. If we “normal” people as we call ourselves would do our bit to bring a smile to their face, it would make a world of difference to them. It definitely did bring tears and a smile to my face watching them sing that evening.

Random Thoughts

EXPECTATIONS

Can you show someone how much you love and care for them
Why is it then wrong to expect the same
The occasional hand on my shoulder, the assuring hug is all I ask for
Is it me or is it them, I shall never know
Do I or do I not deserve it, I shall never know

MEMORIES

Countless memories all locked up inside me
Tears of joy, tears of happiness fill my heart
But why is there a void that my heart refuses to explain to me
What is it about these memories that I want to forget

LOVE

Walking along the beach on a moonlit night
The waves lapping at your feet
The subtle looks, the unspoken words
The warmth of your hands, the closeness
Wish time stood still and this love everlasting

Escalatorophobia

Among the zillion gazillion fears we all happen to have, I chose to be scared of escalators. In fact, scared would be an understatement, I’m terrified. Now, you must be wondering why on earth would someone be scared of those. Never have been able to find the answer to this puzzle though.

While talking to my mom, I mentioned that I am scared of escalators and she says “Oh, don’t you know, your grandma is scared of those too” and she goes on to say it’s probably hereditary. Hereditary??? Well never knew such oddities were passed on as well from generation to generation.

To begin with, I never had to use one of these and the very first time I really had to, was at the airport. I looked around frantically for the stairs or atleast the elevator but no, did not seem to find either. The two girls traveling with me were so confused and had absolutely no clue as to what I was trying to do. I managed to mumble to them about me being terrified of these monsters and I can swear they would not have stopped laughing had it not been that we were already late for our flight.

Have you noticed how I try not to use the word “escalator”? The very mention of this word to me is something like saying “Lord Voldermort” instead of “You Know Who” or “He Who Must Not Be Named” from the Harry Potter series. It’s like my senses go numb and my feet refuse help me walk as soon as I set my eyes on them.

Well, coming back to my story, the girls decided to make me get onto the first step but I wouldn't budge an inch. Come to think of it, it really is just one step. Then, one girl held my hand and made me get onto the first moving step and I immediately felt as if I was being pulled away into this vortex of empty space. I turned around to see if I had once last chance to escape from the clutches of this machine. The other girl was right behind me and was like – “You will not fall off, just stay where you are”. Much to my horror, it dawned on me that I still had to get off it and thought that now I was doomed. I started to panic again, but how I managed to get off it, is something that I would not want to revisit. The next airport - same scene; I try to escape and they hold me and put me back on it. This continued at each airport till we finally reached our destination.

After this ordeal no matter what the situation was, I decided not to use them. I managed to avoid them successfully, until my visit to Philadelphia. My friend, a couple of other guys and me decided to go to the temple so we went to the train station and bought our tickets. Well so far so good but then guess what, I saw that I had to take the escalator to get to the platform and all my deep buried and dormant fears came rushing at me and once again began my quest for alternatives. When I told them about it, those poor guys decided to walk up the stairs with me but one of them had hurt his leg playing, and was limping quite bad but still climbed up the stairs and I am pretty sure till date he must have not stopped cursing me for making him walk so many stairs and would not be willing to be anywhere around me again especially if I have to get onto an escalator.

My first incident, the one at the airport was four long years ago. What do you think I do today? Will let my friends or may be even my grandma answer that question. Until then I will make myself blissfully happy thinking it’s all hereditary.