Pea Pod - A taste of everyday life

Sitting cross legged And palm on palm Everyday I experience That serene calm. One breath in One breath out Silence within Silence without Searching for the light Between the brow Amidst the dark Something blue and bright I longingly await What the masters have felt That supernal bliss That ultimate state.

March 5th has come and gone. So has Mark Knopfler. I was there at his concert, of course. But don't ask me if I saw his concert. Because the answer is - I just heard it. Too bad I'm only 5'2". Should have been at least 8ft tall to see Mark on the stage. Inspite of all my jumps and asking people in front to move left and right, I just couldn't get to see him. Yes, there were screens put up alongside the stage. I wish they were put a little higher. I could barely manage to see those too. To spoil the show further, there were people who managed to sneak in cigarettes inside the venue. There was too much crowd anyway and on top of that I had to breathe in all that smoke. Oh yeah, before I forget to mention, I did hear Mark Knopfler. I love the laid back attitude of this guy. That lazy drawl of his! His fingers moved on his guitar with utmost grace. The way he teased the audience by changing the lead of his Sultans of Swing was the most entertaining part of the conce...

On your mark, get set...go! Soon it's going to be time to welcome one of the greatest rockers of our time to India. Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits. To think of it, it's an uncanny coincidence that two of my all time favourite rockers come to India back to back. For those who don't know, there is this link between Sting and Dire Straits too. Sting featured in the very popular song of Dire Straits - Money for Nothing. He mouthed the 'I want my MTV...' The next time you listen to the song, make sure you're all ears. So now that I've been stung, it's time for me to be in dire straits. How long, how long, Markie, how long has it been? How long you gonna keep me wondering... How long before you shoot My love is strong... How long? Not long...The waiting stops on the 5th of March.

I know, I know! This is the second time that Sting is being mentioned in my blog. Frankly, I just can't get out of the hangover or maybe I'm badly stung. Whatever it is, he's back in this little space of mine - small stage! The day I read in the papers about Sting coming to India, I had made up my mind to go for his concert, wherever it might be! I wanted to live up to being a Sting fan. The destination was Bangalore and Bangalore it would be. I got my travel tickets booked and forced my very reluctant brother to accompany me ( He was later glad I dragged him along!). Bought the tickets to the concert and was all geared up to go! My mother and my sisters found it funny that I was so passionate about watching a singer and would travel all the way to Bangalore for him. Can Pea 'BEE' be far from a Sting? Last week on this day, my brother and I were on the train. We reached Bangalore the next day - the day of the concert. I was going to be staying with my cousin. She wa...

He wasn't an alien to anyone here. He didn't have to send any SOSs to us. He just sent so much of his sacred love that I'm in love with him and so were all present there. No one can ever lose faith in the man called Sting. The Palace Ground in Bangalore was like a field of gold - so many of Sting fans all over the place. Every breath he took, every move he made, the crowd was watching him with awe! At 53, this man did not look fragile, in fact it looked like he'd live a thousand years! I'm am so glad I went there and would like to thank Sting for making it one of the brand new days in my life :-)

A friend of mine has been observing my 'not recently updated' blog. He asked me if I had a blog block. That's a nice phrase - Blog Block! It's not that I've nothing to write but I don't know what all to write. This past week had so many things happening. But most of them don't want to feature here. One interesting thing I did was to start a group on Yahoo. A group of all the people I worked with in my last job. I thought I was doing something great - to bring together so many people. The thought came to me because almost everyone has been in touch with me and they keep asking about the other people. I was quite fed up telling them the same old stories individually. Anyway, I did start the group but the response was pathetic. Only 3 members in one week! Shameful! Bad idea! On asking a few to join, I got discouraging replies. Some people just didn't want to be in touch. I can't force anyone, can I? Should I be the moderator for a group t...

What happened to my blog? It's come to a standstill Don't I have anything to write here? Or is it some other work making me slog? Slogging v/s Blogging There is this tough tug of war I have plenty of things to write about All I got to do is some expert dodging!

Boy, oh Boy! Boy London is here! Now I'm sure there are a lot of questions on your mind. Who is Boy London? Is he a Patel boy from London or is he just a boy from London? Well, Boy London happens to be a European clothing brand and its showroom has recently opened up in Juhu. I used to go past the location often when the showroom was under construction wondering what would be coming up there. One fine day, it was open to the eyes of public. And believe me, I was hurt! I mean my eyes hurt. They had the whole showroom lit up in red light - yes, red light! With transparent doors and red light inside! I thought about the people working inside and felt sorry for them! How could they spend 8 hours of their day in a red room? Anyway, the answer came to me just yesterday. While passing by, I saw someone getting into the showroom and realised that only the doors were tinted red and that the lights inside were yellow! Roxanne You don't have to put on the red light T...

Talking about my favourite Observation Ground, the railway station, I see this lady on the bridge every Monday morning with a brass snake. She asks for money for the maintenance of this brass snake as it is the day of Shiva. Now does a metal snake need any of the money coming its way? All in the name of God. With every paisa you give her, she showers you with blessings. Maybe she gets all the money for those blessings. You hardly find them anywhere nowadays!

And I've been working like a dog! There is so much work happening in office. I know no one likes to read about work but that's all that I've done in the last few days. To whomsoever it may concern, whether you like it or not - You got to read about WORK! I have made some 17 odd screens for mobile phone applications today. The client was not easy. He kept sending reminder mails all day long. There are more designs and usability issues to be tackled tomorrow. By the way, I need a day off from work. I've got some important chores to do. Got to think about which day would be preferable. Friday sounds tempting! Long weekend! But I guess I'll select Thursday. Enough of work now. It's time to go home...and WORK! And I thought - I would be sleeping like a log!

My friend, ladyluanne.blogspot.com has written about how the world is short of Real Men. Worth a read. I was just wondering if there is anything real left anywhere! See what I mean: A: "Hey, your hair looks great!" B: "Thanks, I just got them straightened" C: "I love the colour of your eyes." D: "I never told you, but I wear brown lenses!" E: "Your nose used to be sharp when I saw you as a child." F: " Yes aunty, I went in for a cosmetic surgery." The list goes on and on and on... Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about...

Humans are not born with clothes on. We all know that, don't we? Somewhere in the past, some bright human thought of covering his body. More so for protecting himself from the heat and cold. From leaves to cloth to robes and elaborate costumes, man is backsliding now! I see more and more people - read girls, in less and less clothes. Look for the bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife! There was a time when I never found clothes that were made for petite structured people like myself. Now there are such tiny clothes available that I wonder if people like me would ever be able to get into them. Surprisingly, all girls fit into them. Tighter the clothes, better it is. Don't they feel uncomfortable? When I observe some of them at the railway station (my favourite observation ground), I feel they do feel the discomfort but fashion rules rule. It's ok if they can't walk with those heels or those tight denims. Rules rule! All the girls look the same. A...

Love is stronger than justice Love is thicker than blood Love, love, love Is stronger than justice Love is a big fat river in the flood! The words of one of Sting's songs are ringing in my ears. I like the way he calls love 'a big fat river in the flood'. Sets my mind thinking as to what he actually wants to imply. Love has no boundary. Love doesn't unfold in a set pattern. There are no laws here. Blood is thicker than water but love is thicker than blood! That makes love thicker than water. Water < Blood < Love He calls love a fat river in the flood. Therefore, Water < Blood < Love = Water. Did you get it? No?? Well, don't even try! Love is something one can never fully understand. You always end up falling in that beautiful ditch!

My feet were on the road My eyes in search for a friend Even if only for a while We could be together till the bend. I saw this girl with a lovely smile She and I had a friendship to spend Even if it lasted only for a while We could spend it together till the bend We were slowly getting closer To that expected end Where we would part our ways With memories in our hearts to lend The Bending of the road had come Goodbye to you, my friend! We will meet again for sure On another road, till another bend.

I have all kinds of people working in my office. All have their unique set of habits. One of them for example, has this habit of giving alms to the poor beggars sitting on the railway bridge. Now, there are two bridges - one with the beggars is usually crowded and the other is fairly empty. But this colleague of mine prefers the one with the beggars. It's become a ritual for him to give alms - everyday. My boss often cracks this joke on him that he should be opening a bank account for them close to the railway station.Will save him the trouble of passing through all that crowd every morning! There are four beggars precisely. Two are lepers, one's an old lady and the other is an old blind man. My colleague feels very compassionate towards the old. 'Poor man, he's blind..., 'Poor woman, she must have been driven out of her home...' I have utmost respect for what he feels. But I still think twice before giving them any money myself. One evening, heading bac...

Sunday afternoon. It's never slumber time for me. I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep! I switch on some music and opt for Denver. He makes me think of the roads, the nooks and corners of my childhood days. He makes me want to think of all the children, flowers and trees as my sisters and my brothers. He makes me want to love the mountains, the sunshine and life itself. He almost makes me want to fly. Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes makes me cry Sunshine on the water looks so lovely Sunshine almost always makes me high. If I had a wish that I could wish for you I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while.

My 4 month old nephew passed his stool after one week :-) We are having a party tonight. I swear on the pot, yet again!

Yes, that's what today is! Take a look at the ear panel of Bombay Times and you will know that I'm not talking bullshit! I want to write a two minute speech commemorating this great day. Here goes... Fights Arguments Ego Jealousy Envy Anger War Rudeness Bad-mouthing Back-biting Dirty Politics Cheating Bribes Dowry Callousness Infedelity Flush it down the drain. Toilet - A Tool of Social Change!* *That's the tag line for the event. I swear on the pot!

It's ridiculous! It's pathetic! It's utterly, stutterly irritating! Our office server is down since almost a week now! We are not receiving any mails from anywhere. All we're getting are frantic calls from our clients! I'm tired of giving them the reason for their utterly, shatteredly state. We are now in the process of re-hosting all our web sites to another faraway place. I feel like a servant serving the server at the moment. Hope this task gets done before I feel utterly, batteredly frustrated!

Look before you leap, Think before you speak! I have been wondering how many people actually think before they say something. I even did a small little research asking friends if they followed this principle. Well, the conclusion that I came to was that it was relative. Some thought sometimes before they opened their mouths and some thought sometimes after the deed was done. A friend of mine who has a 'carved in stone' commandment that he doesn't think before he speaks, once told me that words had the capacity to inflict violence. If it comes to that, then why not do a little thinking first? Naaaaah! It's a commandment, remember? Cannot be altered! Do you know what happened with just a few careless words? - A wife was sold - A kingdom was lost - A woman's virtue was harmed in public - Brothers fought brothers relentlessly - An old man had to sleep on a bed of arrows for days - You know what I'm talking about. Draupadi had laugh...